TV News LIES

White House adviser Stephen Miller refused to rule out the possibility of the United States taking Greenland by force from Denmark when pressed by CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday.

Tapper pointed out that on Saturday, Miller's wife, former White House deputy press secretary Katie Miller, posted an image of Greenland overlaid with the American flag, writing "SOON" in her post on X. He then asked Miller at least three times if U.S. military action in the territory was off the table, and Miller repeatedly avoided answering.

"What do you mean, military action against Greenland? Greenland has a population of 30,000 people, Jake. The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland?" Miller asked.

Trump, Miller said, has "been clear for months now that the United States should be the country that has Greenland as part of our overall security apparatus.

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The Trump administration on Monday said it had slashed billions in social services funds to a handful of blue states as part of its escalating response to new and unproven fraud allegations in Minnesota.

The Department of Health and Human Services will freeze $10 billion worth of federal grants to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, an HHS official told HuffPost, confirming news first reported by The New York Post.

It’s not clear whether the freeze was inspired by specific fraud allegations or solely for political reasons. Officials did not immediately provide a public explanation.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) dropped his bid for a third term on Monday over the fraud allegations, saying, essentially, that he couldn’t campaign, fight actual fraud, and fight fraudulent accusations all at the same time.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ended his reelection bid amid mounting pressure over a fraud scandal that has engulfed his administration in recent weeks.

The move comes days after a handful of Republican state lawmakers asked Walz to leave office, citing reports from a U.S. attorney that at least half of the $18 billion paid through Minnesota's 14 Medicaid waiver programs since 2018 could be fraudulent and after Republicans in Congress called on Walz to testify about his failure to address the scandal.

Walz, the former vice presidential candidate on Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign, spoke about his decision at a news conference Jan. 5, citing the growing pressure as one of the reasons for his decision to leave the race and pushing back on claims that his administration failed to combat fraud.

"As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all," he said, reading from a previously published statement. "I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

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A Wisconsin judge has resigned in the wake of her conviction in an obstruction case involving an immigrant, The Associated Press reported.

Judge Hannah Dugan on Saturday sent Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) a resignation letter, according to the AP, and a spokesperson for the governor told the outlet that Dugan’s letter had reached their office.

“As you know, I am the subject of unprecedented federal legal proceedings, which are far from concluded but which present immense and complex challenges that threaten the independence of our judiciary. I am pursuing this fight for myself and for our independent judiciary,” Dugan wrote, the AP reported.

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In mid-December, Dugan was found guilty of obstruction charges centered on her providing assistance to a Mexican immigrant in avoiding authorities after learning about an impending arrest.

Dugan’s resignation letter came amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has drawn widespread criticism from those on the left.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, blasted President Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela and removal of its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, describing it as a sharp departure from his "America first" campaign promise.

Greene, who earlier this year had a public falling out with Trump, criticized the military move as unaligned with Trump’s vow during the 2024 presidential election to end the United States' involvement in foreign conflicts.

While Greene said she didn’t support Maduro’s leadership and was "happy" for the people of Venezuela, she expressed doubt that Maduro’s capture was related to narco-terrorism and the flow of drugs, as Trump has suggested.

Speaking to NBC’s "Meet the Press," Greene argued that if Trump cared about drug trafficking, he’d be focusing on other entities, including Mexican cartels.

"This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn't serve the American people, that actually serves the big corporations, the banks, and the oil executives," Greene said on "Meet the Press". "My understanding of America first is strictly for the American people."

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It’s not quite a new year resolution, and it’s certainly not a prediction. Think of it instead as a hope or even a plea for the next 12 months. May the coming year see those leaders who have done so much damage to their own countries, and far beyond, at last be called to account. Let 2026 be a year of reckoning.

Start with the man whose reach is longest, by dint of the mighty power he wields. Such is the nature of the US electoral system that Donald Trump, who returned to power less than a year ago, will face the judgment of voters in 10 months’ time. His name will not be on the ballot but, make no mistake, the midterm elections of 3 November will deliver a verdict on the second Trump presidency.

A slew of congressional defeats for his party would be satisfying in itself, wounding that gargantuan ego of his, but it would also have practical significance. Few predict the Republicans losing control of the Senate, where Democrats would have to flip at least four seats to take charge – near-impossible given the geography of the 35 seats up for grabs in November. But, in normal circumstances, it should be the safest of political bets that the House of Representatives will no longer be in Republican hands a year from now.

Such a reverse would dispel the aura of indomitability that has enveloped Trump since he beat Kamala Harris, allowing him to bully and intimidate multiple US institutions, including much of its media, into ceding to him far more power than is rightfully his. It would render him a lame duck, incapable of passing new laws through a hostile chamber.

Above all, it would see Trump confronted at last with a body both eager and able to hold him to account: a Democratic House would have the appetite and the muscle for serious scrutiny. Armed with subpoena power, it could investigate everything from the cost of Trump’s tariffs for US taxpayers to the astonishingly brazen pattern of corruption and pocket-lining that has characterised this administration. And up its sleeve would be the constant threat of a third impeachment trial.

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