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Trump's 'flurry of activity' said to be 'making things harder' for Biden

The final days of President Joe Biden's presidency are reportedly being "complicated" by Donald Trump.

Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential contest, but he doesn't take office until January of 2025. However, his actions as he is still president-elect are hampering Biden's goals as he nears the end of his term, according to Politico.

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'What's the rush?': Fight in J.D. Vance's hometown as his mom asks city to acknowledge him

A proposal to honor vice president-elect J.D. Vance at a city council meeting in tiny Middleton, Ohio, was disrupted when a dispute broke out this week after his mother made a plea to the city fathers to acknowledge his part in Donald Trump's 2024 election win.

According to a report from WCOP, a local ABNC affiliate, Beverly Aikins, Vance’s mother, spoke to the city council on Thursday to request that her son get some type of honor for becoming vice president.

The report notes she explained, "I am just here because I am JD Vance’s mother and as you know he is our new vice president-elect and he thinks of Middletown as his home. I still live here and his sister still lives in Middletown. He’s got two nieces who live here and I just think it would be nice if we could acknowledge that this is his hometown and put up some signs."

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump

She then added, "He graduated from Middletown High School, he comes back here frequently to visit me and take me to dinner, and I humbly request that.”

That, in turn, led to a debate, where, reportedly, her plea was not greeted with unanimous enthusiasm.

As Lauren Pack of the Journal-News reported, "Councilman Paul Lolli said there are two issues concerning the JD Vance recognition — what wasn’t done by the city after the election through social media and what is going to be done going forward."

Lolli proposed, "To me, our communication department should have done this weeks ago. I would like to ask the communications department to get something out by the end of the week. That is what a lot of people in Middletown are extremely upset about."

That received pushback from Councilwoman Jennifer Carter who claimed, “I would think that we would wait and see what happens. (Kayla Harrison, Kyle Schwarber, etc.) proved themselves before we put those signs up.”

After Lolli replied, "JD won,” Carter parried, "Let’s see what he does ... what’s the rush.”

“What we are saying is the fact that the city won’t even recognize that a Middletonian has been elected as vice president that is a problem. I would say the same thing if it were an independent or a Democrat. We should be proud," Councilman Steve West II, offered to which Mayor Elizabeth Slamka added, “It is fair to recognize. That is in the works. I am not a political person. It can be very polarizing. But I think we can recognize.”

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'It will be a feeding frenzy': Fears raised by Trump camp of potential GOP revolt

In an interview with Washington Post, a close ally of Donald Trump expressed worries that having to pull the nomination of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to be the next secretary of defense would have a ripple effect that could impact some of his other controversial nominees.

The Post is reporting that the Hegseth nomination, which has a cloud over it due to allegations of public drunkenness and accusations of sexual assault, is on thin ice and that has some in Trump's inner circle fretting it could lead to some GOP lawmakers feeling they have a stronger hand when it comes to approving key members of the president-elect's administration.

According to the report from the Post's Isaac Arnsdorf, Ashley Parker, Marianne LeVine and Liz Goodwin, Trump is for the most part maintaining a hands-off approach to lobbying, with the report stating, " Trump has held back on pushing hard himself, according to advisers who, like many of the more than a dozen figures interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to relate private conversations"

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump

The president-elect did post about the embattled Hegseth on Friday with a subdued, for him, post on Truth Social which was followed by his asserting support for the nominee in a clip from a "Meet the Press" interview to be aired in entirety on Sunday.

However, there are still worries in the Trump camp that it may not be enough with several GOP senators stating they are still unsure and want to hear more about Hegseth's views and history.

In an interview with the Post, a Trump ally warned, "If Hegseth gets pulled, it will weaken Trump’s standing with Senate Republicans and only embolden anti-Trump Republican senators to try to tank his other nominees that they don’t like,” before predicting, "It will be a feeding frenzy.”

Another Trump aide admitted what they are doing may not be enough.

"It’s smashmouth football at this point,” they stated. “We’re doing everything we can do to defend Pete. We’re doing everything we can do to let everyone know he has an exceptional background and the experience to do this job. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re fighting tooth and nail to push back on all the stories and all the negativity.”

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Top Dem warns Trump has plot to 'steal' from federal programs

The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee warned Friday that President-elect Donald Trump is planning to "steal from the programs and services that affect middle-class, working, and vulnerable families" by refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said in a statement that Trump's strategy, known as "impoundment," is "uninformed and unconstitutional," adding that "the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Government Accountability Office are all in agreement — the Constitution provides no impoundment power to the president to unilaterally withhold funds appropriated by Congress."

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'Clearly aren’t vetting': Trump accused by GOP lawmaker of creating nomination chaos

President-elect Donald Trump hasn't wasted any time nominating key members of his incoming administration during the lame-duck period. But the immense blowback to several of his Cabinet nominees has some members of his party worried about the viability of some high-profile picks.

NBC News reported Saturday that Trump's Cabinet nomination process has been likened to the HBO series "Game of Thrones" by one unnamed member of the presidential transition. Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., and incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly butt heads often on who will serve in which position. Those two have also notably been identified as heads of different factions within the Trump transition who have competing goals.

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Lindsey Graham called out by legal expert for covering for Pete Hegseth

In a column for MSNBC, legal analyst Lisa Rubin took Sen. Lindsey Graham to task for attempting to dismiss accusations against Donald Trump's choice to be defense secretary, saying the South Carolina Republican should know better when he attempted a specific line of defense.

Addressing Graham changing his tune about Fox News personality Pete Hegseth despite a wealth of accusations of sexual improprieties and public drunkenness, she noted the GOP senator told Fox host Sean Hannity, "The allegations against Pete are anonymous sources. I’m not going to make any decisions based on an anonymous source. If you’re not willing to raise your hand under oath and make the accusation, it doesn’t count. I’ve heard everything about all of these people. None of it counts. No rumors, no innuendo.”

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'Massively disrespectful': Hegseth buried by veterans for plans to cut VA benefits

One of the primary targets for Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth is reportedly healthcare benefits for veterans provided by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). But that plan is proving controversial with some veterans and their advocates.

According to a Saturday report in CNN, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to oversee the Pentagon has long since been an advocate of privatizing VA health services under the guise of "having unfettered access to private healthcare." CNN reported that in 2018, then-President Trump had Hegseth on speakerphone while then-VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin was listening, having long viewed Hegseth as an unofficial advisor for military-related matters.

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'Crash course': Trump team facing new 'obstacles' after foot-dragging on paperwork

Any hope that Donald Trump's incoming team will hit the ground running on the first day and launch a flurry of changes in the government will likely need to be put on hold, reports Politico.

Even before the president-elect beat Vice President Kamala Harris in November, Trump's inner circle has delayed turning in paperwork that would allow his transition team to get clearance to see sensitive documents and begin learning the ins and outs of running the government.

As Politico is reporting, much of the documentation has been submitted but his people have yet to submit comprehensive "lists of people who will serve on the teams to the Biden administration," with just a few names trickling in On Friday.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump

According to Politico's Alice Miranda Ollstein, "That puts Trump officials nearly a month behind their recent predecessors, who began what is known as the 'agency review' process — meeting with existing agency staff and getting briefed on major policy issues and challenges — right after the election, to ensure their incoming administrations would be up to speed."

Those delays will come back to bite the president elect's team when they take over in late January.

"This lag in beginning the usual crash course in agency operations only adds to the obstacles Trump will face as he looks to rapidly implement his sweeping policy agenda. That’s particularly true in areas like health policy, where few of the president-elect’s picks to lead the agencies have any experience in government or in managing such large and complex bureaucracies."

According to Kathleen Sebelius, who served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama, "They’re really operating, I would say, at a severe disadvantage. It has been decades and decades since somebody has been in these Cabinet offices without any sort of expertise or experience. And there are lots of barriers built into the structure of a huge agency like HHS, where you really can’t just come in and wave a magic wand and say, ‘You used to do things this way, and now we’re going to do it differently.’”

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'Really embarrassing to be Ron DeSantis' right now as Trump dangles job: MSNBC guest

According to a guest on MSNBC's "The Weekend," Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is suffering another round of humiliation as Donald Trump's team dangles his name as a possible replacement to be secretary of defense if they can't get his embattled nominee, Pete Hegseth, across the finish line.

With the former Fox News personality scrambling to round up the support of GOP senators who are troubled by allegations of public drunkenness and accusations of sexual assault, Brandon Wolf of the Human Rights Campaign claimed it must get under the Florida governor's skin after he thought he would be the GOP presidential nominee instead of the man he now considering offering him a job in his administration.

Speaking with MSNBC co-hosts Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele, Wolf began by stating, "I just have to start by saying it's got to be really embarrassing to be Ron DeSantis in this moment because he's gone from believing he would be the next president of the United States and chastising people in his own party for kissing the ring of Donald Trump to playing understudy to the Fox News host who may not get the job because he has a drinking problem."

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Vance and Rubio Senate replacements could create headaches for Trump: analyst

With J.D. Vance stepping down from his Senate seat representing Ohio to become Donald Trump's vice president, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) also leaving his seat to become the new secretary of state, who will replace them in the Senate could dictate how easily the president-elect can get a GOP-majority Senate with a slim margin to back his every move.

According to an analysis by the Washington Post's Aaron Blake, the governors of the two affected states, Govs. Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Ron DeSantis of Florida will have the last say on who will fill the two seats in a sharply divided 53-47 Republican majority Senate.

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Watch: MSNBC guest launches expletive-laced attack on Trump's new Hegseth defense

After watching a "Meet the Press" clip of Donald Trump defending his pick to be secretary of defense, a former Republican member of the House didn't mince any words lashing out at the president-elect for lying to America on MSNBC early Saturday morning.

Appearing on "The Weekend," ex-Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) sat and watched Trump say of embattled ex-Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, "I've known him a long time. He's basically a military guy, every time I talk to you all he wants to talk about is the military –– he's a military guy," before adding, "I have spoken to people who know him very well and they say, he does not have a drinking problem."

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump

Asked by MSNBC host Michael Steele to respond, Walsh began, "Let's cut to the chase because it is Saturday morning: Trump does not give a s--t that Pete Hegseth has a history of treating women like s--t because that is what Donald Trump has done."

"Trump does not care that he is an abuser and harasser of women, because that is what Trump has been," he continued. "So it is the drinking, I think, that Donald Trump has always considered to be a weakness. But we were talking earlier, Michael, I don't think Trump wants to take another hit. He lost Matt Gaetz, I don't think his ego wants him to lose another Cabinet pick."

Watch below or at the link

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'Off-the-charts bad': New concerns raised over Trump's replacement nominee for AG

Donald Trump's second choice to be his attorney general, after the nomination of ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) went down in flames, is raising red flags among legal observers not related to her earlier threats to go after the president-elect's enemies.

According to a report from Politico, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has been employed, and remains employed, with a heavy-hitting lobbying firm that represents major corporations engaging in businesses that are constantly under government scrutiny.

As Politico's Hailey Fuchs wrote, that has raised concerns over whether she will take a hands-off approach to any current investigations and possible investigations of clients the firm has represented which include Amazon and Uber.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump

According to the report, for the last six years Bondi has been employed by lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where, "she has lobbied the federal government for a host of major businesses, including Amazon, General Motors, Fidelity National Financial, Uber and Carnival North America. She serves as a key adviser to the firm’s president, Brian Ballard."

Those affiliations could "pose a myriad of ethical questions about what kind of access she will grant her firm and whether she will recuse herself from issues involving Ballard," the report states.

According to Jeff Hauser, founder of the progressive Revolving Door Project, "It is essentially impossible to organize a Justice Department ethically in light of the breadth of Bondi’s connections. I think it’s just going to be off-the-charts bad.”

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