WTF Just Happened Today

Thursday, November 21, 2024

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1/ Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general following scrutiny over allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl and drug use that threatened his confirmation. The minor who said she had sex with Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, and it included another adult woman. Two other women testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, with one witnessing him having sex with the 17-year-old at a drug-fueled party in 2017. Gaetz paid the two women over $10,000 through PayPal and Venmo. Some payments were for sex. “It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz said. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.” Michael Guest, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from consideration for attorney general ends “the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward” on deliberations about releasing the report on its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz. “He has withdrawn his nomination, he is no longer a member of Congress, so I think that this settles any involvement,” Guest said. Trump, meanwhile, praised Gaetz’s decision, saying the decision has his “respect” and that “Matt has a wonderful future.” (Axios / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press)

Federal investigation links Matt Gaetz to payments for sex, but no charges filed. Federal investigators tracked payments made by Gaetz and associates, revealing connections to drug-fueled parties and women allegedly hired for sex, including one who was 17 at the time. While no charges were filed, a House Ethics Committee obtained documents showing Venmo and PayPal transactions between Gaetz and others, corroborating testimony from women who claimed to have been paid. Despite Gaetz’s denial of wrongdoing, the case raises questions as he faces confirmation challenges as Trump’s attorney general pick.(New York Times)

Who’s in Trump’s new administration so far:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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1/ Trump nominated Linda McMahon, the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, to lead the Education Department that he has repeatedly vowed to dismantle. Like Betsy DeVos, Trump’s first-term education secretary, McMahon has no significant background working in public schools, teaching, or education policy outside of an appointment in 2009 to the Connecticut State Board of Education, where she served for just over a year. McMahon, a major Republican donor who has given tens of millions of dollars in support of pro-Trump causes, co-founded the America First Policy Institute, which advocates for school choice and the use of public funds — through vouchers and tax credits — for private schools. In his statement announcing the pick, Trump said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.” Trump added: “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.” (NPR / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Axios / Politico / ABC News)

Trump will nominate Matthew Whitaker as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. Whitaker is a conservative attorney who spent four months serving as acting attorney general in Trump’s first term. (NPR / Politico / Associated Press)

Who’s in Trump’s new administration so far:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

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1/ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked to postpone Trump’s criminal sentencing in his hush money case. In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan, the district attorney’s office acknowledged that Trump is not likely to be sentenced “until after the end of Defendant’s upcoming presidential term,” but prosecutors said they oppose any effort to dismiss Trump’s felony conviction. Prosecutors faced a Tuesday deadline to advise Merchan on how to proceed after the “unprecedented circumstances” of Trump’s re-election following his conviction on 34 felony counts of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records. Trump faces as many as four years in prison. Prosecutors instead asked for a Dec. 9 deadline for the next filing, focused on whether the case should be dismissed. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / USA Today / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / Bloomberg)

2/ An unidentified hacker gained access to files containing containing unredacted sworn testimony from a woman who said Matt Gaetz paid her for sex when she was 17. The file contains 24 exhibits of sworn statements, including the corroborating testimony by a second woman who said that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with the minor at a drug-fueled party in July 2017. The material has not been made public, yet. (New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / USA Today /

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Monday, November 18, 2024

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1/ Trump confirmed that he plans to declare a national emergency “on day 1” to use the military to carry out “the largest deportation program in American history.” Trump responded “TRUE!!!” at 4:08 am to a post on his personal social media network that his incoming administration is “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.” There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. – about 3% of the total U.S. population. (Politico / New York Times / ABC News / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Axios)

2/ The Trump transition team is compiling a list of current and former U.S. military officers involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan for possible court-martial. A 2022 independent review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Trump team reportedly wants to create a commission to investigate the withdrawal, determine who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military and whether the military leaders could be charged with treason for following Biden’s order to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Trump has called the withdrawal a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” (NBC News)

3/ House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d “strongly request” that the House Ethics Committee not release its report into allegations of sex trafficking, corruption, and drug use by Matt Gaetz, Trump’s nominee for attorney general. “That is not the way we do things in the House,” Johnson said. “I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.” Gaetz resigned from Congress days before a House panel was set to vote on releasing a report on the allegations against Gaetz. His resignation ended the Ethics panel’s jurisdiction over him. The House Ethics Committee, meanwhile, will meet Wednesday to discuss and potentially vote to release the report anyway. Both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee want the report released for Senate consideration on whether to confirm Gaetz for attorney general. House Ethics Chair Michael Guest said the Ethics C...

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Thursday, November 14, 2024

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1/ Trump asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as secretary of health and human services, putting one of the nation’s leading vaccine skeptics in charge of America’s health care agencies. Kennedy has spread discredited conspiracy theories that vaccines cause autism, opposed CDC guidance on water fluoridation for dental health, backed the consumption of raw milk against FDA warnings, and endorsed hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, despite FDA findings that it is ineffective. In October, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health,” “go wild on the food,” and “go wild on medicines” if reelected. HHS oversees both the CDC and the FDA. The position requires Senate confirmation. (Politico / CNN / Axios / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / Washington Post)

🧩 What’s at stake? The nomination of RFK Jr. to lead HHS could drastically alter the landscape of public health, possibly compromising the scientific standards that guide health decisions affecting millions. Health agencies rely on public trust, which is already challenged by misinformation and political divides. A leader who challenges these agencies on unfounded grounds may exacerbate skepticism, weaken preventative health efforts, and put the nation at greater risk during health emergencies. Furthermore, if policies diverge from evidence-based practices, future generations may inherit a weakened public health infrastructure. Protecting the integrity of public health agencies and reinforcing the trustworthiness of scientific research is essential for a resilient, well-prepared society.

Who’s in Trump’s new administration so far:

Matt Gaetz, Attorney General

2/ Matt Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress hours after Trump announced his nomination for attorney general. The resignation comes two days before the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to release a “highly damaging” report detailing allegations against Gaetz, including sex trafficking involving underage girls, illicit drug use, and accepting bribes. Gaetz’s resignation means he is no longer a congressman, and the committee no longer has jurisdiction over him. (New York Times / Associated Press / Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

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1/ Trump named Matt Gaetz his pick as attorney general. Trump called Gaetz, once the subject of a Justice Department sex-trafficking investigation involving a 17-year-old girl, a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who would end the “the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.” Although Republicans will control the Senate, it unclear if Gaetz will have a path to confirmation. Trump, however, has suggested the idea of Congress going into recess so he could bypass the Senate confirmation process and install nominees. (New York Times / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Politico / Bloomberg / CNBC)

2/ Trump named Fox News Host Pete Hegseth his choice for secretary of defense and John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA. Trump also tapped Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence. Gabbard has been accused of spreading “actual Russian propaganda,” being a “Russian asset,” and condemned as a “traitor” by both Republicans and Democrats. Hegseth, a co-host of “Fox & Friends,” is a veteran of the Army National Guard, where he did tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay as an infantry officer. He’s called the U.S. the military ineffective, “woke,” mused about firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and said allowing women to serve in combat has made the military less lethal. If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would take over the federal government’s biggest department, an $850 billion budget and a workforce of nearly three million civilian workers and military service members despite having never held a senior government post. (Axios / NPR / Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / CNN)

3/ Trump named billionaires Elon Musk and...

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Tuesday, November 12, 2024

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1/ A New York judge postponed his decision on whether to dismiss Trump’s 34 felony convictions of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records. Trump has argued that his return to the White House means the verdict should be set aside because the Supreme Court granted immunity to presidents for all official acts in office. Trump’s lawyers asked to throw out the case, saying it’s “necessary to avoid unconstitutional impediments to President Trump’s ability to govern.” Prosecutors said they needed time to assess the “unprecedented circumstances” of a convicted felon being elected president, including whether they want to keep the verdict intact and proceed with sentencing that is scheduled for Nov. 26. Justice Juan Merchan agreed to pause all proceedings until Nov. 19. The ruling is a win for Trump, the nation’s first former president to become a felon, and its first felon to become a president-elect. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / CBS News / Associated Press / The Guardian / NBC News / Axios)

2/ The Supreme Court denied Mark Meadows’ request to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court. Meadows and Trump are among 19 people charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with taking part in a scheme to violate state racketeering law. His lawyers argued that the case should be moved because he was acting as a “federal officer” at the time, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals turned away Meadows’s arguments, writing that the statute “does not apply to former federal officers, and even if it did, the events giving rise to this criminal action were not related to Meadows’s official duties.” (Bloomberg / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / The Hill)

3/ Trump appointed Mike Waltz as national security adviser, Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security, Marco Rubio as secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East. Waltz, known for his outspoken stance against China, has previously supported prolonged U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Huckabee, a strong supporter of Israel, has publicly condemned Hamas as incapable of honorable negotiation. Zeldin opposed Biden’s 2022 climate law, while Rubio, a prominent foreign policy hawk, has advocated for strict policies on China, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. Noem has faced scrutiny for re...

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

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1/ Biden vowed to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” calling on Americans to “accept the choice the country made” and to “bring down the temperature.” During his six-minute remarks, Biden said he hopes the 2024 election “can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent, and it can be trusted − win or lose.” He added: “I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.” Biden’s speech comes exactly four years to the day he was declared the winner of the 2020 election against Trump, who refused to accept his loss, attempted to have the results overturned, and spent the years since insisting that the election was rigged. (USA Today / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / NPR / Associated Press)

2/ Trump’s MAGA allies admit that “Project 2025” was always “the agenda” for a second term. Project 2025 outlines a plan to expand the power of the executive branch, purge thousands of civil servants and replacing them with Trump loyalists, eliminate of the Department of Education, dissolve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shrink the social safety net, end student debt relief, deport immigrants, and a de facto national abortion ban. “Now that the election is over I think we can finally say that yeah actually Project 2025 is the agenda. Lol,” right-wing podcast host Matt Walsh wrote on social media about the 900-plus-page extremist guidebook. Steve Bannon quickly praised Walsh and amplified his post on his podcast. And, then right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson said, “It is my honor to inform you all that Project 2025 was real the whole time.” Even though Trump spent the campaign distancing himself from the draconian policy package prepared by the Heritage Foundation, Russell Vought, a potential next chief of staff, said that Project 2025 was the plan and the distancing tactic was just campaign necessity. (Axios / Mother Jones / Rolling Stone)

3/ Trump said there is “no price tag” on his plan for the “largest deportation effort in American history.” In an interview, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to mass deportations, saying his top priority is to make the U.S. border “strong and powerful.” He credited his immigration stance for drawing a diverse voter coalition, including notable gains among Latino voters, despite the logistical and financial challenges officials have warned such a plan would entail. Nevertheless, Trump said he has a mandate “to bring common sense” to the country and tha...

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

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1/ America elected the first convicted felon to serve as president of the United States. Trump – the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, once-defeated former president – overcame 34 felony convictions, 88 criminal charges, accusations of insurrection as part of his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, civil lawsuit judgments totaling more than a half-billion dollars, allegations by his entire first-term cabinet that he’s unfit to serve, his openly fascist intentions, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, his failed response to the Covid-19 pandemic that led to more than 400,000 deaths from a virus he repeatedly claimed was “going to disappear,” his repeated overt acts of racism, at least 26 public accusations of rape, kissing, and groping without consent, his promises to prosecute his political opponents, and the threats encapsulated by the Project 2025 agenda, to become the nation’s 47th president. Trump is the second president — and the first since Grover Cleveland in the 19th century — to retake the White House after a reelection defeat. And, at the age of 78, Trump is the oldest man ever elected president – breaking a record held by Biden, whose mental competence Trump repeatedly savaged. “We just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” Trump said in his victory speech. He declared he was the leader of “the greatest political movement of all time” and that he would take office with an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” while promising “the strongest economy, the most secure borders and safest cities.” He added: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people […] This will truly be the golden age of America.” Kamala Harris, meanwhile, conceded Wednesday, telling Trump she’d ensure a peaceful transfer of power from the Biden administration to his. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said in her concession speech. “The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best, that is a fight I will never give up.” Trump ended up with at least 292 electoral votes after clinching wins in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Harris has won at least 226 votes. Alaska, Arizona, and Nevada are still counting votes. Trump is currently on pace to win the national popular vote, too. Trump defeated Kamala Harris, in part, by promising to curb inflation, crack down on undocumented immigrants, and end overseas conflicts. He achieved an electoral college majority by maintaining his majorities with men and White voters without college degrees, while over-performing with key Democratic groups, including Latinos and young voters. Although Harris won Latinos by about 14 points, it was much narrower than Biden’s 33-point margin in 2020, and Clinton’s 38-points in 2016. Latino men, in particular, have moved significantly since 2016: Clinton won their support by 31 points, Biden won by a 23-point margin in 2020, and Trump won by a 12-point margin in 2024. Harris also lost support among the youngest voters: In 2020, Biden won 18-to-29-year-olds by 24 points compared to 11 points for Harris in 2024. Among 30-44-year-olds, Biden won their support by 6 points compared to 1 point for Harris. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NPR / CNN /

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

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The presidential election is TODAY.

Georgia: 7 pm (Trump +0.8)

All times Eastern. Polling averages from FiveThirtyEight.

Editor’s note: The 2020 election took nearly 90 hours after the final polls closed until Biden was declared president-elect. It probably won’t take that long this time: Near-complete results from Georgia, Michigan, and North Carolina are expected on election night, along with most of Wisconsin’s results by Wednesday morning. Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada, meanwhile, will likely be counting ballots through Wednesday.

Harris +1.0 points (New York Times)

Harris wins 50 times out of 100. (FiveThirtyEight)

Editor’s note: Forecasts are probabilities, not certainties. They reflect the current vibes, not the final result.

1/ More than 83 million Americans voted early in the first presidential election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Polls show the presidential race between Harris and Trump to b...

Visit WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.