JD Vance says FBI nominee Kash Patel in ‘very good spot’ for Senate approval – live

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The day so far

Here’s where things stand:

• JD Vance backed Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director, saying Patel is in a “very good spot” for Senate approval.

• Donald Trump and JD Vance have gone to bat for defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who has faced allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement that could imperil his Senate confirmation.

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez officially announced her bid to serve as ranking member on the committee on oversight and accountability, the key investigative arm of the legislature.

• TikTok suffered a setback when an appeals court rejected its attempt to block a law that will force its Chinese parent company to cut ties with the popular social media app by mid-January or face a ban. TikTok is expected to appeal to the supreme court, and Trump has made an about-face on the issue, saying he supports keeping TikTok available.

• Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, says his lawmakers will find ways to work with the “Department of Government Efficiency”, so long as what it proposes is a good idea.

• Joe Biden is reportedly considering pre-emptive pardons for potential targets of retaliation once Trump takes office. At least one Democratic senator thinks such a move would be a bad idea.

• Donald Trump is considering canceling efforts to electrify the United State Postal Service’s fleet once he takes office, Reuters reports.

Pete Hegseth’s lawyer has warned of a potential civil extortion lawsuit against the woman accusing Hegseth of sexual assault if his confirmation as secretary of defense is jeopardized.

Attorney Tim Parlatore told CNN on Thursday that while the accuser’s actions may not constitute criminal extortion, a civil extortion case could be pursued.

“It was something we were considering at the time,” Parlatore said, referring to the accuser’s intent to file a lawsuit in 2020 before a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) was signed. “Quite frankly, with the violation of the agreement, if he is not confirmed as secretary of defense, we may still bring a civil extortion claim against her.”

Hegseth is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017 when he was a keynote speaker at a Republican conference in Monterey, California.

Joe Biden authorized additional disaster assistance for North Carolina, increasing federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures following Hurricane Helene in late September.

Initially, Biden’s disaster declaration provided federal funding for public assistance, hazard mitigation and other needs assistance at 75% of eligible costs.

Now, the federal funding for public assistance has been raised to 90% of eligible costs, except for assistance that was previously approved at 100% for a limited time.

Gil Kerlikowske, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner under the Obama administration, said he took issue with some past actions by Rodney Scott, Donald Trump’s pick for CBP commissioner.

The Associated Press reports that Kerlikowske disapproved of Scott’s refusal to fall in line with a Biden administration directive to stop using terms like “illegal alien” in favor of descriptions like “migrant”, and his decision as San Diego sector chief to fire tear gas into Mexico to disperse protesters.

“You don’t launch projectiles into a foreign country,” Kerlikowske said.

Vance backs Kash Patel for FBI director

JD Vance backed Kash Patel’s pick as FBI director, saying Patel is in a “very good spot” for Senate approval.

Still, the vice president-elect was unsure whether he would join Patel on Capitol Hill next week, according to CNN, where Patel is expected to meet with senators.

“I don’t know what I’ll be doing next week. We’re fully behind Kash’s nomination, and I’m not even sure if – I’m not sure where I’m gonna be tomorrow, much less next week, but we’re fully supportive of Kash’s nomination. I actually think he’s in a very good spot for his nomination,” Vance said.

Melania Trump calls husband’s win 'incredible' during first post-election interview with Fox & Friends

“We are very, very busy … I’m establishing my transition team. And also, working on my office, putting my office together, and also, you know, organizing the residence and packing,” Melania Trump, who is set to return to the White House as first lady in January, said during the interview.

She also announced her new Christmas ornament collection during an appearance on Fox News on Friday. One of the ornaments is priced at $90, while the other ornaments are $75 each.

“After I left the White House, I established my Web3 and Web2 platforms where I design and offer collectibles like ornaments each season,” she said. “This is the third season, and there are many other collectibles available now.”

The 2024 collection, titled Merry Christmas, America!, has four designs: a golden star with “USA” in the center, a golden Lady Liberty, a red-white-and blue snowflake, and a golden clover. Each ornament has Melania Trump’s signature.

The Christmas-related endeavors are quite a shift from her tone in 2020, when a recording of Melania Trump revealed a conversation with a former friend in which she asked: “Who gives a fuck about Christmas?”

“I’m working ... my ass off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a fuck about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?”

JD Vance defended Pete Hegseth after he toured western North Carolina, which was ravaged by Hurricane Helene in September.

Vance said that Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick deserved a Senate confirmation hearing rather than a “sham hearing before the American media” over allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking of alcohol.

“Pete Hegseth is going to get his hearing before the Senate armed services committee, not a sham hearing before the American media. We believe that Pete Hegseth is the right guy to lead the Department of Defense,” Vance said. “We’re not abandoning this nomination.”

North Carolina Democrats have filed a lawsuit in federal court to block a Republican candidate’s effort to throw out 60,000 votes in a state supreme court race that a Democrat leads by just a few hundred votes.

Allison Riggs, a Democrat on the state supreme court, appears to have defeated Republican Jefferson Griffin by a little more than 700 votes in the race. A recount has already confirmed Riggs’ victory once, and a second recount tallying a sampling of precincts in each county is ongoing.

Democrats are closely watching the race because they need to win it to have a chance at retaking control of the court in a few years. Republicans currently have a 5-2 majority on the court.

After the election, Griffin’s campaign challenged the validity of 60,000 voters. The challenged voters include those whose voter registration lacked either a driver’s license or Social Security number, those who are the adult children of North Carolinians living abroad, and overseas voters who submitted ballots without voter ID. Many of the challenges rely on legal theories that have already been rejected by the courts.

Several eligible voters have already spoken out in frustration against the challenges, saying they are eligible voters and have been casting a ballot without issue for years. Riggs’ parents are among those whose votes are being challenged.

“Instead of respecting the results of the election, Jefferson Griffin and Republicans are attempting to throw out over 60,000 votes. Those 60,000 voters are Republicans, Democrats, veterans, seniors, teachers, our neighbors. No North Carolinian deserves to have their vote thrown out in a callous power grab – but this is no surprise from the party of insurrectionists,” Anderson Clayton, the chair of the North Carolina Democratic party, said in a statement.

Among other issues, the lawsuit says that Griffin’s mass challenges are essentially an effort to conduct a mass purge of voters after election day. Doing so would violate a federal law that prohibits purging voters within 90 days of a federal election.

“North Carolina Republicans’ attempts to throw out 60,000 lawful votes to overturn Justice Allison Riggs’ victory is a brazen and callous attack on the rule of law and North Carolinians’ right to vote, but it isn’t surprising. From trying to take power away from the newly elected Democratic governor to threatening to overturn the will of the voters, Republicans will stop at nothing in their quest for power,” said Sam Cornale, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

Mother of detained US journalist Austin Tice says he is alive after more than 12 years in captivity

Austin Tice, an American freelance journalist who was kidnapped in Syria early into the country’s civil war, is alive, his mother said following a meeting with Biden administration officials at the White House.

“The best thing that we want to share with you is that we have from a significant source that has already been vetted all over our government, Austin Tice is alive. Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that, and so I think that is the most important thing,” Debra Tice said at the National Press Club.

The press conference was held as rebels have swept across Syria in recent days, seizing major cities from president Bashar al-Assad’s forces. It is unclear who was behind Tice’s kidnapping in August 2012, but the Biden administration believes Syria’s government is holding him. Here’s more on what we know about Tice’s captivity, and the efforts to free him.

Donald Trump will head to Paris this weekend to attend the reopening of Notre Dame.

Joe Biden will not be there, but first lady Jill Biden will be in attendance at the ceremony to mark the church’s return after it nearly burned down in a fire five years ago.

“The president has had a scheduling conflict, which is why he was not able to attend,” Jean-Pierre said, when asked about why Joe Biden would not attend.

Here’s more on Trump’s trip in the midst of political chaos in France: