Joe Biden’s final interview as president is set to air tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Biden’s conversation with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell will air this evening on the journalist’s primetime show, “The Last Word.” Follow along here for live updates from The Independent.
This interview follows Biden’s final address from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, during which he warned that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s transition team has released new official portraits of Donald Trump and JD Vance. The president-elect’s pose is strikingly similar to his mug shot from when he was charged in Fulton County, Georgia, in 2023.
As the inauguration looms, Trump has declared that a number of estranged veterans of his first term in the White House – including Mike Pence, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Mark Milley, Jim Mattis, and Mark Esper – will not be welcomed back into his second administration in his latest social media diatribe.
The president-elect also announced that Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight will act as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood.
DeSantis says Trump told him inflation wasn’t really the issue that got him elected
Oliver O’Connell17 January 2025 02:30
Elon Musk and DOGE eyeing $120 billion in cuts on federal diversity spending, says report
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative to identify trillions in cuts to the federal budget is reportedly considering massive cuts to federal spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
DOGE, which is not actually a government department but is closely allied with the incoming Trump administration, is reportedly looking to a report from the right-wing Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty identifying at least $124 billion in annual DEI spending for guidance on the cuts.
The report touches on everything from homeowner assistance and housing vouchers for disadvantaged groups, to agricultural protection funding, to federal contract spending.
Josh Marcus17 January 2025 01:53
Democratic AGs say they’ll defend gun regulations ahead of Trump’s second term
More than a dozen Democratic state attorneys general said Thursday they plan to defend two gun regulations now being challenged in court, including one banning devices that enable semiautomatic guns to fire more quickly.
New Jersey Democratic Attorney General Matt Platkin said his state and others with Democratic attorneys general, plan to intervene in cases already in the court system ahead of President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration Monday.
After heated clash, Jasmine Crockett accuses Nancy Mace of exploiting trans community to boost campaign coffers
Crockett appeared on MSNBC’s The ReidOut on Wednesday evening and told host Joy Reid about the moment the GOP congresswoman invited her to “take it outside” during a House Oversight Committee hearing after the pair became embroiled in a row over women’s rights.
Oliver O’Connell17 January 2025 01:00
How and when to watch Biden’s final TV interview
President Joe Biden’s final interview as commander-in-chief will air this evening at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell will conduct the interview, which is set to air on his primetime show, “The Last Word.”
Katie Hawkinson17 January 2025 00:36
Ouch… Washington Post’s new ‘riveting’ mission statement for ‘all of America’ sparks instant mockery
The Washington Post, which adopted the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” after Donald Trump’s first inauguration, is now pushing a new mission statement to its employees as Trump prepares to take office for a second time, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
It has been mercilessly mocked online, as Justin Barangoa reports.
Oliver O’Connell17 January 2025 00:30
Eric Adams heads to meet with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is on his way to visit Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate this evening, according to The New York Times.
“Mayor Adams has made quite clear his willingness to work with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on behalf of New Yorkers — and that partnership with the federal government is critical to New York City’s success,” Adams’s spokesperson Fabien Levy told the Times.
Katie Hawkinson17 January 2025 00:06
DeSantis picked Ashley Moody to fill Rubio’s Senate seat — who is she?
Touting her record for opposing affirmative action, Covid-19 protocols, gender-affirming care for minors, environmental protection regulations, loose immigration policies and more, DeSantis introduced Moody on Thursday as the Florida senator nominee who will “deliver” results.
Oliver O’Connell17 January 2025 00:00
Professor fired after calling US a ‘racist fascist country’ in email to students following Trump win
A Mississippi college professor says he was fired for emailing his students the day after Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory and calling the US a “racist and fascist country.”
James Bowley, 62, a veteran professor and chair of religious studies at Millsaps College in Jackson, was placed on temporary administrative leave pending review on November 8, 2024 – two days after he sent the email on the outcome of the election result, according to the non-profit civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
Bowley told The Independent that the November 6 email was sent to his “Abortion and Religions” class to notify them he was canceling their lesson in the wake of Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris.
Madeline Sherratt reports.
Oliver O’Connell16 January 2025 23:30
