TRUMP DEFENDS CABINET: The president made clear Thursday he stands by Attorney General Pam Bondi after she came under intense fire from Democrats when testifying before Congress the day before, the latest instance of him coming to one of his Cabinet members' defense.
Bondi faced tough questions about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files during her combative testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, but the president praised her.
"AG Pam Bondi, under intense fire from the Trump Deranged Radical Left Lunatics, was fantastic at yesterday's Hearing on the never ending saga of Jeffrey Epstein, where the one thing that has been proven conclusively, much to their chagrin, was that President Donald J. Trump has been 100% exonerated of their ridiculous Russia, Russia, Russia type charges," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Bondi was lambasted by Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for the Department of Justice's (DOJ) handling of the Epstein files' release. Bondi even faced criticism from some other members of her party, with conservative commentator Erick Erickson calling for her to be fired.
But Trump was apparently pleased with the attorney general's performance, during which she fiercely defended him and went on offense against Democrats, calling on them to apologize to the president and even invoking the record Dow Jones average and suggesting that should be the focus instead.
The president and the White House have publicly defended other embattled Cabinet members recently.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick found himself in hot water earlier this week after recently released Epstein files showed he had traveled to Epstein's private island in 2012, years after he claimed he had cut off contact with the convicted sex offender. But with calls for Lutnick to resign, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he has Trump's full support.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also faced broad calls to resign amid backlash against immigration enforcement policies and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month in Minneapolis. Even some Republicans suggested it was time for her to exit her position. But Trump defended her as well, saying he thought she was doing a "great job."
The president's defense of Bondi comes as the DOJ is facing a new round of scrutiny over lawmakers' accusations that the department was spying on them as they viewed the unredacted Epstein documents.
That criticism is coming from across the political aisle, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) even signaling he was alarmed. He called tracking lawmakers "inappropriate" but suggested it was an "oversight."
"I don't think it's appropriate for anybody to be tracking that. So, I will echo that to anybody involved with the DOJ. And I'm sure it was an oversight. That's my guess, OK?" he told reporters.
Others were less willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
"I mean, we know why they're doing it, right? It's a form of intimidation, potentially. But, I mean, that's not going to stop me from going back and reviewing more," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told The Hill.
▪ The Hill: Newsmax host slams DOJ over Epstein redactions.
▪ Politico: House Dems think Bondi helped their midterm prospects.
DOJ LEADER OUSTED: The head of the DOJ's antitrust division has been pushed out of the role after a rift with top leaders at the department, multiple outlets reported.
Gail Slater announced her departure in a post Thursday on the social platform X, saying she leaves "with great sadness and abiding hope." She didn't cite a reason for stepping down.
"It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role. Huge thanks to all who supported me this past year, most especially the men and women of [the antitrust division]," she said.
But multiple sources told CBS News that Slater lost the trust of Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. They told the outlet that officials believed Slater undermined current cases because of disagreements with the administration and disobeyed requests.
Slater enjoyed wide bipartisan support for her nomination to lead the antitrust division and was confirmed by the Senate last March in a 78-19 vote. But her tenure was marked by turmoil as two of her deputies were fired last year following an internal dispute over the handling of a merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprises and Juniper Networks.
Her exit also comes at a critical time as Netflix and Paramount Skydance compete to try to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a merger that would require overcoming federal antitrust concerns.
LANDMARK REVERSAL: The Trump administration officially repealed a major finding that climate change endangers public health, undermining much of the Environmental Protection Agency's legal ability to set regulations.
Trump announced the decision Thursday at the White House, saying he was eliminating the "endangerment finding" from the Obama administration. The repeal is the latest and most significant effort yet from the administration to reject climate change's impacts and strike environmental regulations that it argues will harm the economy, The Hill's Rachel Frazin reports.
The administration also cut climate rules for cars and trucks that were put in place under the endangerment finding. With their elimination, automakers will be under no obligation to reduce their climate impacts.
Trump brushed off concerns that some Americans may have about climate change during his remarks.
"Don't worry about it, because it has nothing to do with public health. This was all a scam, a giant scam," he said.
There is overwhelming consensus within the scientific community that human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels, is warming the planet and making extreme weather worse.
▪ Politico: Legal challenge to ruling coming.
▪ CNBC: How the decision could affect your finances.
KELLY'S VICTORY: A federal judge has blocked the Pentagon's effort to demote Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) and censure him over his participation in a video reminding military service members they can refuse unlawful orders.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, acknowledged that service members have fewer First Amendment protections to ensure discipline in the armed forces but rejected the idea that it extends to retired members.
A retired Navy captain, Kelly participated in a video along with five other Democratic members of Congress last fall. The video came amid the Trump administration's escalating campaign of striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the ruling would immediately be appealed.
The ruling is the second win for Kelly in the past few days, as a grand jury declined a request Tuesday from the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., to indict him and the five other Democrats for their participation in the video.
▪ Rolling Stone: Leon quotes Bob Dylan in ruling.
WHISTLEBLOWER COMPLAINT: A whistleblower complaint made about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard concerns a conversation two foreign nationals had about the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, multiple outlets reported.
Lawmakers were briefed last week on the complaint, which accused Gabbard of trying to prevent others from seeing it. Additional details about the substance of the complaint are unclear.
ONE WEEK LATER: Trump said Thursday he hasn't disciplined or fired the staffer who the White House claims was responsible for posting the racist video on his Truth Social account depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
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