Tuesday, February 25

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Trump picks Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for defense secretary
News

Trump picks Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as his pick for defense secretary. In a statement, Trump described Hegseth as "tough, smart and a true believer in America First." "With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down," Trump said. During his first administration, Trump nominated James Mattis and later Mark Esper to lead the Defense Department. Mattis resigned in December 2018 and suggested in a resignation letter that he and Trump differed in their views on “treating our allies with respect” and being “clear-eyed” about U.S. adversaries and competitors. Trump fired Esper in 2020 a fter disagreements...
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Trump says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new department to reduce federal bureaucracy

President-elect Donald Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give Musk sweeping oversight of government spending. Trump said in a s t atement on t o social media that the department will help "dismantle Government Bureaucracy" and slash excess regulations. The name of the agency, DOGE for short, is a reference to a meme and a cryptocurrency associated with Musk . "This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!" Musk said in the statement released by the transition team. On X, he added: "Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!" Mus...
How violence surrounding a soccer match between Israeli and Dutch teams unfolded
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How violence surrounding a soccer match between Israeli and Dutch teams unfolded

As incidents of both antisemitic and Islamaphobic abuse surge across Europe, a soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax of Amsterdam sparked violence in the Dutch capital and a firestorm of controversy. Investigators are still sorting through exactly what happened before and after the match, but according to officials, it included “rioters who actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them” and inflammatory and violent actions by some of the Israeli fans. Officials issued an emergency decree banning all protests in the city, which will remain in effect through Thursday, boosted security at Jewish sites and prohibited the use of certain face coverings. This is what we know about how the events unfolded. Wednesday, Nov. 6 Mac...
2 Somali men sentenced to 30 years in  kidnapping and imprisonment of U.S. journalist
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2 Somali men sentenced to 30 years in kidnapping and imprisonment of U.S. journalist

Two Somali men who prosecutors called pirates were sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday in the 2012 kidnapping of an American journalist who was held hostage for over two years. Abdi Yusuf Hassan and Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed — who both had positions in Somalia’s government — were “key players” in the abduction of journalist Michael Scott Moore, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. Moore was in Somalia investigating piracy when men with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades ambushed his vehicle and took him hostage on January 21, 2012, officials said. Moore was held hostage for 977 days as the pirates demanded a ransom, and at one point, he was transferred to a boat that had been taken over by pirates and whose slain captain was kept in a freezer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in...
Trump picks Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for defense secretary
News

Trump picks Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as his pick for defense secretary. In a statement , Trump described Hegseth as "tough, smart and a true believer in America First." "With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down," Trump said. During his first administration, Trump nominated James Mattis and later Mark Esper to lead the Pentagon. Mattis resigned in December 2018 , and suggested in a letter stepping down from the post that he and Trump differed in their views on “treating our allies with respect” and being “clear-eyed” on U.S. adversaries and competitors. Trump fired Esper in 2020 a fter disagre...
Trump says Elon Musk will lead Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy
News

Trump says Elon Musk will lead Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy

President-elect Donald Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give Musk sweeping oversight of government spending. Trump, in a statement posted to social media , said the department will help to "dismantle Government Bureaucracy" and slash excess regulations. The name of the agency, DOGE for short, is a reference to a popular internet meme and cryptocurrency associated with Musk. Trump said the department would exist "outside of Government," giving advice to those in the White House on overhauling federal agencies. The arrangement would also likely allow Musk and Ramaswamy to continue working in the private sector and serve without S...
Human head floats ashore in South Florida
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Human head floats ashore in South Florida

Police in South Florida are working to determine the identity of a head that washed ashore near Key Biscayne on Tuesday morning. The head, which appeared to belong to a man, was spotted by a beach worker about 8:30 a.m. floating on the shoreline near a small island near Key Biscayne, said Detective Andre Martin of the Miami-Dade Police Department. Key Biscayne police notified Miami-Dade police’s homicide bureau, the agency that handles slayings in Key Biscayne, Martin said. Personnel with the medical examiner's office were investigating the cause of death, Martin said. Police have not determined if the person was killed in a slaying, or if a marine animal or a boating accident could have led to a decapitation, Martin said. “We have not been able to determine exactly how the ...
Trump to name William McGinley to be White House counsel
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Trump to name William McGinley to be White House counsel

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced William McGinley will serve as White House counsel in his administration. A longtime presence in Republican legal circles, McGinley served as White House Cabinet secretary during the first Trump administration. He resigned in 2019 and returned to private practice. He is currently a partner at Holtzman Vogel. Earlier this year, McGinley was hired to work as outside counsel on the Republican National Committee’s election integrity team, according to The New York Times . McGinley has worked with Don McGahn, Trump’s first White House counsel. The two men were partners at Washington, D.C. law firm Patton Boggs before leaving together in 2014 to join rival firm Jones Day. McGahn was hired to represent the fi...
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Trump picks former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director in the next administration. Ratcliffe, a former congressman from Texas, was director of national intelligence in Trump's first term. "I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions," Trump s aid in a s tatement Tuesday evening. "He will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans, while ensuring the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH." Ratcliffe, who served as the U.S. representative for Texas ‘s 4th district from 2015 to 2020, was a controversial pick for director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term — so much ...
Trump says he will nominate Kristi Noem for homeland security secretary
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Trump says he will nominate Kristi Noem for homeland security secretary

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to be the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, four sources familiar with the decision confirmed Tuesday morning. "Kristi has been very strong on Border Security," Trump said in a statement announcing he will make the nomination. "I  have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects — She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again." As homeland security secretary, Noem would oversee a number of key federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard. ...