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Did Trump Keep All His Promises?

Reagan's Recession was Worse than Obama's

Reagan's Recessionwas Worse than Obama's

TikTok Signs Deal To Sell U.S. Unit To American Investor-Led Venture

TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements with three major investors to sell just over 80% of the company's U.S. assets to American and global investors to avoid a U.S. government ban, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees on Thursday. The deal is a major step toward resolving years of uncertainty about the short video app's future in the United States since August 2020, when then President Donald Trump first tried unsuccessfully to ban the app that is now used regularly by more than 170 million Americans. The details of the deal are in line with one unveiled in September, when Trump delayed until January 20 enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it amid efforts to extract TikTok's U.S. assets from the global platform. He also declared that the deal met the terms of the divestiture requirements. The company told employees on Thursday that ByteDance and TikTok signed binding agreements with three managing investors: Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. Oracle declined to comment. The White House referred questions to TikTok. TikTok said in the memo that the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community. " The deal, set to close on January 22, would end years of efforts to force ByteDance to divest its U.S. business over national security concerns. Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the new entity, according to the memo, which confirms what Reuters and other outlets reported in September. The U.S. joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX with 15% each; 30.1% held by affiliates of certain existing investors of ByteDance; and 19.9% will be retained by ByteDance, the memo said. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Retired NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle, Family Killed In NC Plane Crash

Former race driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, state police said. The business jet erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground while trying to land at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte. Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. “Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Gregory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,” state police said. Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

Should All Citizens Arm Themselves?

Trump Admin Moves To Cut Off Transgender Care For Children

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors. The sweeping proposals announced Thursday are the most significant moves the Trump administration has taken to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical interventions for transgender children — include cutting off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide such care. President Donald Trump has also signed an order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The switch wouldn’t make cannabis recreationally legal nationwide. But it could open new avenues for medical research and reduce tax burdens on the industry.

Washington Performing Arts Center Renamed The Trump-Kennedy Center

President Donald Trump’s handpicked board has voted to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump-Kennedy Center. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media Thursday, saying it's because of the “unbelievable work" Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Leavitt says that's not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction “but also financially, and its reputation.” The Republican Trump is chairman of the board and often refers to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the ”Trump Kennedy Center." The center is named for his Democratic predecessor. A name change won’t sit well with some Kennedy family members.

Multiple Deaths Reported In NC Plane Crash

A business jet with six people crashed at a regional airport in North Carolina, erupting in a large fire and killing multiple people. Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Authorities say the Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte. Federal aviation officials are investigating. AccuWeather reports some drizzle and clouds at the time of the crash. The airport serves NASCAR teams and Fortune 500 companies. Video showed first responders rushing to the scene as flames burned near the wreckage.

How Do We Stop Mass Shootings?

Police investigating link between shootings at Brown University and killing of MIT professor

Authorities are investigating a connection between the mass hooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor two days later, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Two of the people said Thursday that investigators had identified a person of interest in the shootings and were actively seeking that individual. The shooting at Brown on Saturday killed two students and wounded nine others. The attacker got away. About 50 miles away, MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro was fatally shot in his home Monday and died at a hospital Tuesday.

Prosecuting Jack Smith's Political Lawfare Against Trump

Prosecuting Jack Smith's Political Lawfare Against Trump With Mike Davis, Founder and President of The Article 3 Project.

House Dems Release More Epstein Photos

House Democrats released several dozen more photos Thursday from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, showing his associations with the rich and famous, as the Department of Justice faces a deadline to release many of its case files on the late financier by the end of the week. The photos released Thursday were among more than 95,000 that the House Oversight Committee has received after issuing a subpoena for the photos that Epstein had in his possession before he died in a New York jail cell in 2019. Congress has also passed, and President Donald Trump has signed, a law requiring the Justice Department to release its case files on Epstein, and his longtime girlfriend and confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, by Friday. Anticipation about what those files will show is running high after they have been the subject of conspiracy theories and speculation about his friendships with Trump, former President Bill Clinton, the former Prince Andrew, and others. House Democrats have already released dozens of photos from Epstein's estate showing Trump, Clinton and Andrew, who lost his royal title and privileges this year amid scrutiny of his relationship with the wealthy financier. The photos released Thursday showed Epstein cooking with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Emirati businessman. The photos also include the billionaire Bill Gates and images of a 2011 dinner of notable people and wealthy philanthropists hosted by a nonprofit group. The committee made no accusations of wrongdoing by the men in the photos. There were also images of passports, visas and identification cards from Russia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, South Africa and Lithuania with personally identifying information redacted, as well as photos of Epstein with women or girls whose faces were blacked out. The committee has said it is redacting information from the photos that may lead to the identity of victims being revealed. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight panel, said in a statement that the "new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession. We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”

Trump Digs Out of the Biden Ditch

On today’s jam-packed show, Josh breaks down the president’s primetime address—what he thought the president got right, and the key points he believes were missing. He also calls out the bad actors who completely misled the public about what the speech would actually cover. Josh then gives the latest on the Brown University murders and the increasingly botched investigation into finding the suspect. Finally, he takes aim at the voices on the Left who refuse to confront the threat of radical Islam, insisting instead that Donald Trump is somehow a bigger danger to America than the extremists committing real-world terrorism.

Trump Signs Executive Order Reclassifying Marijuana

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an order recommending the loosening of federal regulations on marijuana, a move that could further reverse decades of tough-on-weed policy. Trump's order directs his attorney general to quickly move ahead with reclassifying marijuana, according to senior administration officials, a process that could lead to the psychoactive plant being listed alongside common painkillers, ketamine and testosterone as a less dangerous drug. Such a decision would represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades. It could reshape the cannabis industry, ease criminal penalties, unlock billions in research funding and lead to the opening of doors long closed to banks and investors. Marijuana will still remain illegal federally, and subject to a patchwork of local laws across the country. "We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades," Trump told reporters at the White House. The Drug Enforcement Administration has to review the recommendation to list marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act and will decide on the reclassification. The text of Trump's order is not yet public. Senior administration officials said the primary purpose of the order was to increase medical research of marijuana and related products to understand their risks and potential for treatment. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to allow some beneficiaries to use hemp-derived CBD products. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the world and the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. residents use it a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Millions of Americans have been arrested for possession of the drug, even while growing businesses listed on stock exchanges sell cannabis-related products. Under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is listed as a Schedule I substance like heroin, ecstasy and peyote. That classification indicates it has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. Schedule III drugs are seen as less addictive and as carrying legitimate medical uses. Even under a reclassification, marijuana would still be treated as a controlled substance on a federal level and its use subject to tight restrictions and criminal penalties. Nonetheless, initial reports that Trump might loosen restrictions on the psychoactive drug sent stocks of cannabis-related companies higher. Funding remains one of the biggest challenges for cannabis producers, as federal restrictions keep most banks and institutional investors out of the sector, forcing pot producers to turn to costly loans or alternative lenders. "Organigram Global views the potential reclassification of cannabis in the United States as a significant regulatory signal for the global cannabis industry," said a spokesperson for that cannabis company. "This shift marks an important step toward greater regulatory clarity and institutional acceptance of cannabis worldwide." A patchwork of laws exists at the local level, from states where use and possession are fully legal to states where they are fully illegal. Since California first allowed medicinal use of marijuana in 1996, a 30-year trend has moved toward loosening regulation. The issue is one that crisscrosses partisan lines. Most Americans tell pollsters they favor full legalization. During his 2021-2025 term in office, Democratic former President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon for most federal marijuana possession charges and kickstarted the review of marijuana's status. After that review, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended moving marijuana to Schedule III classification. Trump has honed a reputation as a law-and-order Republican, bombing alleged drug traffickers in international waters and deploying military into cities to combat crime, efforts that have drawn legal scrutiny. But he has also bucked tradition to reward favored groups and individuals, including pardoning several who were convicted of federal violations related to drugs.

Is this Islamophobia or just protecting American values?

There are brutal realities in the world today. Terrorism is one. And political division is one that could wreck this country. What will it take to confront and rise above them? Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster turned political and cultural commentator. Record-setting, four-time Sports Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya worked her final NBC Sunday Night Football game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, her fifth Super Bowl. She retired from sportscasting the following day. In total, she covered 327 games — the most national primetime TV games (regular + postseason) for an NFL sideline reporter. Learn More about “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://linktr.ee/micheletafoya Subscribe to “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://apple.co/3nPW221 Follow Michele on twitter: https://twitter.com/Michele_Tafoya Follow Michele on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmicheletafoya/ Learn more about the Salem Podcast network: https://salempodcastnetwork.com/

There are 80,000 Somalis in Minnesota!

Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster turned political and cultural commentator. Record-setting, four-time Sports Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya worked her final NBC Sunday Night Football game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, her fifth Super Bowl. She retired from sportscasting the following day. In total, she covered 327 games — the most national primetime TV games (regular + postseason) for an NFL sideline reporter. Learn More about “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://linktr.ee/micheletafoya Subscribe to “The Michele Tafoya Podcast” here: https://apple.co/3nPW221 Follow Michele on twitter: https://twitter.com/Michele_Tafoya Follow Michele on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmicheletafoya/ Learn more about the Salem Podcast network: https://salempodcastnetwork.com/