Marsha Blackburn Demands Answers About the FBI and Their DEI Priorities

This year began in tragedy, as a man drove his truck, one with an ISIS flag, into those celebrating on Bourbon Street. He also got out and began firing. Police killed the suspect, Shamsud Din Jabbar, but not before he killed 14 people. There’s been plenty of concerns about how law enforcement, including the FBI, handled the terrorist attack, making it even more necessary for Kash Patel to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s FBI director. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), in a recent episode of “Unmuted with Marsha” weighed in on all of this, with a sneak peak exclusive shared with Townhall.

For such an episode, the first of this year, Blackburn spoke with Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker.

The senator began by asking Swecker about the security barriers on Bourbon Street being down, broken, and in the process of being replaced. Blackburn had some pretty pertinent questions, “why was there no backup plan for this? How in the world could a law enforcement entity look at this and not have a proper backup plan to keep the public safe?” To add more embarrassment for the city, the police chief didn’t even know about the barriers.

Swecker offered that the issue was “complacency and incompetence,” adding, “I mean, there’s no other way to explain it.” He also spoke to the exact role that the FBI played in investigating the terrorist attack, and why they have not done such a great job.

“The city of New Orleans, and all law enforcement and the FBI, the agencies that are responsible for managing this type of event. Now the FBI is not primary, but they have an intelligence role to play. Nothing bad had happened in a long time, so they got complacent,” he offered. Swecker also reminded that having such barriers “is not an alien concept to them,” given that they have the Sugar Bowl every year, have had the Super Bowl, and Mardi Gras is a big annual celebration. New Orleans gets a multi-million dollar grant for security because of such events. (Read more from “Marsha Blackburn Demands Answers About the FBI and Their DEI Priorities” HERE)

Greenland Leaders Ready to Talk With Trump After Prez-Elect Expressed Interest to Make Territory Part of America

Greenland’s leader Múte Egede said he is prepared to enter into negotiations with President-elect Trump about the future of the mineral-rich arctic territory — but warned his people had no interest in becoming Americans.

At a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said he accepted that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us.”

“We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions.”

Egede was joined at the press conference by his Danish counterpart Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Greenland had been a colony of Denmark since the 18th century and became a self-governing Danish territory in 1953.

In 2009 the island won the right to secure independence if they ever voted to do so — something Egede supports. (Read more from “Greenland Leaders Ready to Talk With Trump After Prez-Elect Expressed Interest to Make Territory Part of America” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Special Counsel Jack Smith Resigns After Finishing Trump Investigations

By Daily Caller. Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Department of Justice on Friday, days after finishing his criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and ahead of his inauguration.

According to a footnote in a court filing sent to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday afternoon, Smith concluded his investigations on Tuesday and would depart from the DOJ on Friday. The court filing from DOJ officials asked Cannon not to further extend a court order she issued in January to block the release of Smith’s report into Trump temporarily. (Read more from “Special Counsel Jack Smith Resigns After Finishing Trump Investigations” HERE)

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Trump Says Jack Smith Is a ‘Disgrace’ After Special Counsel Resigned From DOJ: ‘He Left Town Empty Handed!’

By Fox News. President-elect Trump blasted special counsel Jack Smith as a “disgrace” to himself and the country following Smith’s resignation from the Justice Department.

Smith’s resignation was announced in a court filing Saturday.

“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” a footnote in the filing said.

Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday to criticize Smith for his investigations into the incoming president.

“Deranged Jack Smith was fired today by the DOJ. He is a disgrace to himself, his family, and his Country. After spending over $100,000,000 on the Witch Hunt against TRUMP, he left town empty handed!” Trump wrote. (Read more from “Trump Says Jack Smith Is a ‘Disgrace’ After Special Counsel Resigned From DOJ: ‘He Left Town Empty Handed!’” HERE)

Here Are Trump’s Options For Dealing With An Imminent Nuclear Threat That Festered Under Biden

Iran has largely been left unchecked by the Biden administration in its goal to become a nuclear power, presenting President-elect Donald Trump with a significant foreign policy challenge that has few easy solutions.

Iran, with its current stockpiles, can make a nuclear weapon with 60% enriched uranium in just one week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a November bulletin. The president-elect will have to choose a path quickly upon assuming office, such as renegotiating a deal to halt or slow Iran’s progress, military intervention or re-tooling sanctions that have so far been ineffective.

“The United States needs another Middle East war like it needs a hole in the head,” Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, told the DCNF. “There are all kinds of angles from which escalation could happen, and Trump openly campaigned as a Peace Through Strength leader, not a warmonger. With that said, a lot turns on what Trump’s closest advisers will do to shape the president’s understanding of the options. Unfortunately, we’re heading to a fork in the road.”

The first, and perhaps most direct option, is a military strike from the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump advisers have reportedly expressed concern that Iran’s progress may be too far in, and a military strike may be the only option, according to Axios. Israel would be a prime candidate to assist with a strike, as it has conducted similar operations in the past.

“The Trump Administration is committed to reestablishing peace & stability in the Middle East. President Trump will keep all options on the table as it relates to the Iran Regime including Maximum Pressure,” Brian Hughes, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, told the DCNF. (Read more from “Here Are Trump’s Options For Dealing With An Imminent Nuclear Threat That Festered Under Biden” HERE)

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Wife Of American Detained By Taliban Reveals What Biden Told Her In Long-Awaited Call

Anna Corbett, the wife of Ryan Corbett, an American being held hostage by the Taliban, said that she doesn’t believe President Joe Biden will bring her husband home in his final days in office, she shared in an interview with the Daily Caller.

The White House announced Sunday that Biden called the families of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi — the Americans detained by the Taliban since 2022 – to discuss the “government’s continuing efforts to reunite these three Americans with their families.” The wife of Ryan Corbett, Anna Corbett, told the Caller that the phone call, despite 16 prior trips to D.C., was the first time she and the president had spoken in the nearly two and a half years since her husband was taken hostage. During the 30 minute phone call, Biden expressed that they were unable to get a deal done and because of such, Ryan would not be coming home in the final days of his administration, Anna told the Caller.

“He gave us about 30 minutes, I would say, on the call, and he was very gracious, but basically said he is not bringing Ryan home, and that was very disappointing to hear that we come this far,” Anna told the Caller.

“It seems like the administration is haunted by Afghanistan, and there is a deal on the table. I don’t have all the details, but it seems like there is a way to bring Ryan home, and it’s not being taken. So that just adds to the disappointment,” Anna told the Caller.

The White House National Security Council referred the Caller to its announcement on the call when asked if the president had told the families he was unable to bring their loved ones home. The read out of the call adds that Biden “emphasized his Administration’s commitment to the cause of bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas.”

(Read more from “Wife Of American Detained By Taliban Reveals What Biden Told Her In Long-Awaited Call” HERE)

Trump Trolls Harris by Posting Parody Conversation Between Him and Obama at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Mocking VP

President-elect Donald Trump trolled Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday by posting an online parody conversation based on a viral video of him chatting up former President Barack Obama during Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

The seemingly friendly chat between Trump and Obama on Thursday raised eyebrows and left observers wondering what the pair discussed leading up to the 39th president’s memorial service at the National Cathedral.

Trump jokingly filled in the gaps when he posted a parody video on Truth Social with fake audio dubbed into the real video.

“I knew you’d win,” a dubbed Obama told Trump after sitting down.

“Oh really? Come on,” a faux Trump replied. “Anyone could beat her.” (Read more from “Trump Trolls Harris by Posting Parody Conversation Between Him and Obama at Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Mocking VP” HERE)

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Fiscal Hawks Draw Red Lines on Trump’s First Big Bill, Risking GOP Support

Rep. Tim Burchett has never voted to increase the US borrowing limit in his life. And that might not change just because Donald Trump is the one to ask for his vote.

“I don’t know that I ever will,” Burchett told CNN when asked if he could support Trump’s plans for a debt limit hike.

Burchett, along with several other GOP hardliners, are drawing a clear red line when it comes to Trump’s first big policy package. They say the measure — which is expected to include a raise in the nation’s debt limit in addition to billions of dollars in spending on border security, energy projects and tax extensions — must be fully paid for, and not with accounting gimmicks that even Republicans have used in the past.

“You have to show me some reductions in spending. Some real reductions in spending. Not this stuff, ‘Oh we’re going to do this.’” Burchett said, dismissing past GOP attempts at budget reform that ultimately fizzle out. (Read more from “Fiscal Hawks Draw Red Lines on Trump’s First Big Bill, Risking GOP Support” HERE)

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Denmark Frantically Messages Trump About Security Concessions on Greenland After He Threatened to Take It Over: Report

Danish leaders have sent private messages to President-elect Donald Trump’s team in recent days in a bid to pacify his ambitions for taking over Greenland, according to a new report.

Copenhagen is allegedly open to allowing US military presence on the autonomous island to boost security and appease Trump, who claimed “military coercion” could be deployed to bring Greenland under US rule, sources familiar with the talks told Axios.

The Danish government, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, wants to avoid clashing with the US and hopes to assure Trump that Greenland will be safe from Russia and China without the need for American annexation, the sources added.

Copenhagen has also asked Trump’s team to clarify the incoming president’s comments after he shocked the world by suggesting that the US could invade the longstanding NATO ally.

One European diplomat told Axios that Denmark was widely seen as America’s closest ally in the European Union, and that no one could have imagined it’d be the first Trump would pick a fight with. (Read more from “Denmark Frantically Messages Trump About Security Concessions on Greenland After He Threatened to Take It Over: Report” HERE)

Steve Bannon Goes Berserk on Elon Musk, Vows to Drive Him Away From White House: ‘He Is a Truly Evil Guy’

. . . Steve Bannon went berserk on the world’s richest man and vowed to limit his White House influence [several days ago. He] suggested Musk “should go back to South Africa” and decried his stance on H1-B visas.

“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week, per excerpts translated by his former employer Breitbart. “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.”

“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down,” he went on. “Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it. I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.”

Last month, just before Christmas, a war erupted within the MAGA movement between the tech bros and immigration hardliners over H1-B visas, which permit foreign workers to come to the US for specialty occupations. . .

[Bannon continued,] “Peter Thiel, David Sacks, Elon Musk, are all white South Africans,” he added. “He should go back to South Africa. Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?” (Read more from “Steve Bannon Goes Berserk on Elon Musk, Vows to Drive Him Away From White House: ‘He Is a Truly Evil Guy’” HERE)

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Mark Zuckerberg Exposes Alarming Details About Biden Admin’s Social Media Influence (VIDEO)

META founder Mark Zuckerberg has made headlines after revealing startling details about the Biden Administration’s influence on social media platforms, and in a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, the Facebook CEO admitted that the Biden government had pressured his company to crack down on certain types of content, particularly around the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic. Zuckerberg’s comments have reignited debates over the extent of government involvement in regulating speech on private platforms, raising questions about the balance between national security concerns, free speech, and corporate influence in the digital age.

Zuckerberg revealed that the Biden Administration often treated its employees poorly when seeking to remove certain Facebook content. He told Rogan that the outgoing president’s staffers would yell and demand content be censored—even over things deemed accurate.

“Basically, these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg said. “It just got to this point where we were like, ‘No, we’re not gonna, we’re not gonna take down things that are true. That’s ridiculous.’”

The META CEO, who made liberal’s heads turn after congratulating President-elect Donald Trump on his historic win, revealed that when the Biden Administration was trying to push out its vaccine program, the government attempted to censor anyone who argued against it.

“They pushed us super hard to take down things that were honestly, were true,” he continued. “They basically pushed us and said, you know, that ‘anything saying that says vaccines might have side effects, you basically need to take down.’ And I was just like ‘We’re not going to do that, we’re clearly not going to do that, I mean that is kind of inarguably true.”

(Read more from “Mark Zuckerberg Exposes Alarming Details About Biden Admin’s Social Media Influence” HERE)