Nobody is more apoplectic about it all than legacy media. Some are trying to play nice. Others are abandoning the little sanity they have left. But there are a few that are actually trying to figure out how to continue their existence under the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, transgender members of the military appear to be on their way out. We covered this and other topics, including why President Trump should NOT allow his appointees to have their backgrounds checked by the FBI, on today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show.

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But here’s the thing. There is nothing in the law that requires a background check of any sort on appointees. The “tradition” in the Senate for conformation is just that, a tradition. Those who claim that they want background checks for the sake of national security are hoping Americans don’t realize that anyone who will receive classified documents must go through a non-FBI background check AFTER THEY ARE HIRED. It is conducted by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Administration.

These Democrat and RINO Senators aren’t concerned about national security. They’re concerned about their own interests and their own power.

More Senate Republicans other than the gang of 4, McConnell, Collins, Murkowski, and Thune are now openly speaking out against confirmation of Trump nominees without a lengthy process and FBI background checks.

Maybe it's the RINO's who need investigated. Traitors!

— Mike Engleman (@RealHickory) November 25, 2024

Under no circumstances should President Trump let any of his top appointees be dragged through the mud in the form of a scandal-seeking background check by the FBI.

The Trump supporter had been silent on 𝕏 since the day after the election. Many assumed that he was having a “mission accomplished” break but late Sunday night he finally posted for the first time since November 5.

UPDATE: I am recovering from a serious stroke. I have the best health professionals helping me to make a recovery. I will be back as soon as I can. Please be patient and pray for my family and I.

UPDATE: I am recovering from a serious stroke. I have the best health professionals helping me to make a recovery. I will be back as soon as I can. Please be patient and pray for my family and I.

— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) November 25, 2024

Dotcom has been ordered to be extradited to the United States from New Zealand over charges of copyright infringement, money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud. He has fought extradition for 12 years but in August Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed his extradition order.

According to New Zealand Herald:

Kim Dotcom has announced he is recovering from a “serious stroke” just months after the Justice Minister signed an extradition order for the internet entrepreneur who faces charges in the US.

Dotcom has initiated judicial review proceedings which have delayed his extradition.

According to The Mirror:

Donald Trump is planning to kick all transgender members out of the US military, it has been claimed.

And the unprecedented executive order could be launched on his first day back in the White House on January 20. Experts suggest there are over 15,000 active service personnel who are transgender.

They would be given a special medical discharge, which would determine them unfit to serve in the US military, a source reportedly claims.

Trump, 78, is also expected to go one further and issue an outright ban on transgender people joining the military – at a time when many US Army branches are struggling to hit recruitment targets.

The incoming US president has slated what he claims are ‘woke’ military practices and suggested that some top brasses are often more concerned about diversity, equality and inclusion than fighting.

Reactions from conservatives on social media were cheerful:

Breaking: President Trump is planning to remove transgender individuals from serving in the United States military.

This makes sense, having people who are openly mentally ill in the military is not a good strategy. They need to be dealing with their mental illness, not… pic.twitter.com/XfVwOkl6dV

— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) November 25, 2024

Common sense alert:

President Donald Trump plans to kick transgender troops out of the US military.

Common sense coming back to our military! pic.twitter.com/skM3yect2z

— Tom Homan – Border Czar (Commentary account only) (@TomHoman_) November 24, 2024

Can President Trump remove the 'Woke' out of our military?
It's time…..Trump is considering a tra-nz ban executive order pic.twitter.com/wzioas53jQ

— Real Ben Garrison Cartoons (@GrrrGraphics) November 24, 2024

The wildest part about this story is that there are 15,000 transvestites in our military. We’ve really gone to sh-t. President Trump will fix it. pic.twitter.com/ocsXf7c3Xn

— Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) November 24, 2024

Recruitment has been way down and it’s widely believed that the “wokeness” of our military is to blame. This action by President Trump would go a long way to correcting the current unnatural nature of our fighting forces.

As I noted on Twitter, Gender Dysphoria is a mental illness and as such those suffering from it should be barred from military service. The military already disqualifies those with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Until wokeness took over science, Gender Dysphoria was considered a form of schizophrenia.

Gender Dysphoria is a mental illness. It was always considered as such and has never been scientifically removed from the classification.

Wokeness made it "hate speech" to classify the ailment properly.

Removing the mentally ill from the military is a bold and righteous move by…

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) November 25, 2024

Despite the multiple reports, this seems like a stretch to be enacted so quickly. But even if it doesn’t happen on Day One, it seems likely that Pete Hegseth, who President Trump nominated as Defense Secretary, will work through the Pentagon to make this happen.

The Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be headed up by billionaire Elon Musk and millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy along with oversight committees in both the House and the Senate. Their goal is to reduce government waste by a huge amount and they just posted something on 𝕏 that should silence anyone critical of the department’s formation.

In FY2023, the U.S. Government spent $6.16. trillion while only bringing in $4.47 trillion.

The last budget surplus was in 2001.

This trend must be reversed, and we must balance the budget.

In FY2023, the U.S. Government spent $6.16. trillion while only bringing in $4.47 trillion.

The last budget surplus was in 2001.

This trend must be reversed, and we must balance the budget. pic.twitter.com/mzLaMTZQxA

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 23, 2024

The post has been seen by 6.5 million people so far thanks in large part to Musk himself reposting it with an ominous message:

America is currently headed for bankruptcy super fast

America is currently headed for bankruptcy super fast https://t.co/Tm6JFJ6mef

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2024

Balancing the budget would be impossible unless massive cuts are made. Some, including me, believe the federal government could be cut by over 50% and nobody other than the government employees themselves would notice a difference in their day-to-day lives. That may seem like overkill, but I would actually argue we could cut government size by over 90% with some austere maneuvers.

The Trump administration won’t come anywhere close to those levels of cuts, but we should expect huge reductions in government spending if DOGE is allowed to do what they’ve promised.

According to RealClearInvestigations senior reporter Paul Sperry, the group will use profits from processing fees to expand their operations.

BREAKING: Sources say ActBlue, the nonprofit Democrat fundraising platform under investigation for funneling money from China through straw donors, is planning to expand by using millions in reserves from processing fees to acquire companies in the “political technology space.”

BREAKING: Sources say ActBlue, the nonprofit Democrat fundraising platform under investigation for funneling money from China through straw donors, is planning to expand by using millions in reserves from processing fees to acquire companies in the "political technology space."

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) November 23, 2024

Many have speculated that much of Kamala Harris’s massive fundraising haul during her short presidential run came from foreign interests, particularly China, and were laundered using straw donations on ActBlue’s platform. The Republican-led House is investigating multiple discrepancies in ActBlue’s shady practices.

As Sperry noted earlier:

DEVELOPING: It appears House investigators subpoenaing Regina Wallace-Jones for credit-card security docs believe she’s working at ActBlue’s Somerville, Mass HQ, but records show she works from her $1.8 mil home in E. Palo Alto, CA. It also appears she’s canceled her X account…

DEVELOPING: It appears House investigators subpoenaing Regina Wallace-Jones for credit-card security docs believe she's working at ActBlue's Somerville, Mass HQ, but records show she works from her $1.8 mil home in E. Palo Alto, CA. It also appears she's canceled her X account…

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) November 23, 2024

The Harris campaign was able to accumulate well over a billion dollars in donations, mostly through small-dollar donors. But the results of the 2024 election contradict her allegedly massive popularity, further highlighting the possibility that many if not most of her donations through ActBlue were fraudulent.

A straw donation is when a previous donor through ActBlue has his or her personal information registered for new donations. This is how large sums from China or elsewhere can be illegally laundered. All that is necessary through the ActBlue portal for reporting is name, address, and occupation which are part of the public record.

Investigative journalist James O’Keefe has been reporting since last year how he and his team have asked multiple elderly donors about donations made in their names without their consent or knowledge. He believes 60% of those donations came from China.

ActBlue’s CEO, a BLM activist who has worked with Barack Obama and other leftwing icons, is at the center of this scandal. According to Sperry:

NEW: Records show the ActBlue CEO under subpoena to account for $400 mil in potentially fraudulent donations to Dems worked as a Facebook gatekeeper during the Hunter Biden laptop censorship. Regina Wallace-Jones is also a BLM activist who organized for Obama and supported Kamala

NEW: Records show the ActBlue CEO under subpoena to account for $400 mil in potentially fraudulent donations to Dems worked as a Facebook gatekeeper during the Hunter Biden laptop censorship. Regina Wallace-Jones is also a BLM activist who organized for Obama and supported Kamala

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) November 21, 2024

Incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi should make investigating ActBlue her second priority once at the helm of the Department of Justice.

ActBlue should be ended and its executives should be investigated.

Instead, they're growing and being rewarded.

This should be @PamBondi's second focus, immediately after helping to clear the J6ers.

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) November 23, 2024

In essence, they’re suggesting that the damage is done, the investments are made, so they need to somehow generate a return on those investments before Trump pulls the plug on the mandates.

A report by Brady Knox over at Washington Examiner, commenting on a NY Times article, suggests car companies may ask President Trump to keep Joe Biden’s rules in place for now:

According to a report from the New York Times, the Biden administration’s actions to boost domestic EV manufacturing may have already set the auto industry past the point of no return. Following Biden’s initiatives, automakers have already invested billions of dollars in transitioning to electric vehicles. If Trump were to scrap the initiative, major automakers fear they could be undercut by smaller manufacturers producing cheaper, internal combustion engine cars.

Three of the country’s largest automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, are already lobbying Trump against scrapping the rules.

Some had hoped that one of the biggest proponents of electric cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, would be able to sway Trump to keep those rules in place, but now, his priorities seem to be cutting regulations. He expressed opposition to the $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric cars, saying he opposes all subsidies.

“In my view, we should end all government subsidies, including those for E.V.’s, oil and gas,” Musk said last week.

Musk’s calculation was more cynical in a July earnings call, speculating that the end of the subsidy would hurt Tesla somewhat, but hurt its competitors much more.

Is it worth keeping the mandates so the big three U.S. automakers can prevent smaller competitors from eating their lunch?

Nope, Not Worth It

As horrible as the situation is for major U.S. automakers, keeping the mandates in place would be far worse. Americans need relief far more than automakers right now. Getting the price of vehicles down to a manageable level is crucial if America is going to have any chance of recovering from the financial decimation we’ve felt for the last four years.

But there’s actually a good business reason for pulling the mandates immediately. The Biden-Harris regime forced automakers to try to usher in a future that was too far off, but that doesn’t mean OPTIONAL electric vehicle adoption isn’t part of the future.

The damage has been done by the mandates, but there have also been significant investments into research and development that can flourish if they’re allowed to transition without government interference. In other words, they can return to internal combustion engines as the primary driver for now to get their revenues back while reducing costs for American consumers. Simultaneously, they’ll be expanding on what they’ve built in EV infrastructure, albeit without mandates forcing the issue. They’ll be able to work at the speed of the market instead of the mandates.

It’s a sour consolation for the biggest automakers because it means they’ll have to wait years or even decades to realize benefits from their electric vehicle investments, but the long-term returns should be worth the wait… if they can survive long enough to see them.

Rather than using the current rules to stifle competition, they should hope that President Trump immediately sides with the free market and the consumers to allow enough short-term benefit for U.S. automakers to recover.

As he posted on Truth Social:

I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!

For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!

Here’s the report from Fox News:

Fox News Alert: Trump has nominated former Florida AG Pam Bondi to become his new choice for US Attorney General, reports @BretBaier pic.twitter.com/uUWx1sS9Uv

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) November 21, 2024

Early reactions from social media were generally positive:

Pam Bondi is basically as solid a pick as Gaetz, if we’re being honest.

We love Gaetz because he’s purebred America First royalty, but Bondi is a silent killer.

I’m all in for it! Not disappointed in the least!

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) November 21, 2024

Pam Bondi is a badass!
Shattering the glass ceiling pic.twitter.com/dj2rFM8m3n

— heather m (@silencednomo22) November 21, 2024

I love Pam Bondi since she was AG for FL and fought against the ACA/Obamacare. She would be great in any position and maybe even as president one day. pic.twitter.com/T6YLUsR44q

— JamUSnDiT (@jamusndit) November 21, 2024

#BREAKING: President Trump has chosen Florida AG Pam Bondi to be his US Attorney General

Pam is a FIGHTER!

LET’S GO! pic.twitter.com/F6xjRUan7J

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 21, 2024

Pam Bondi is the safe choice for AG. She's not Matt Gaetz but she's a fighter nonetheless.

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) November 21, 2024

BOOM!!! Go Pam Bondi for AG. https://t.co/Lev7D5vTzu

— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) November 21, 2024

As I noted on X:

If corporate media hates her, that’s a good sign.

Pam Bondi was public about her belief that there was massive, widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election and went on air to claim she believed he definitely won Pennsylvania.

She led a coalition of Attorneys General to try to take down Obamacare.

She fought against the Ukraine impeachment debacle side-by-side with President Trump.

She’s not Matt Gaetz. Not as aggressive. Not as “based,” perhaps. But I believe she’s a solid pick for Attorney General.

If corporate media hates her, that's a good sign.

Pam Bondi was public about her belief that there was massive, widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election and went on air to claim she believed he definitely won Pennsylvania.

She led a coalition of Attorneys General to try…

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) November 22, 2024

This is a breaking story and will be updated with new developments.

Personally, I wholeheartedly support him for the role, and perhaps if it becomes necessary I’ll make the case for why I believe he’s ideal to take on the UniParty Swamp as the top law enforcement leader in the nation. But for now I just want to add clarity to the conversation because there seems to be a lot of confusion about what happens from here.

I discussed it in detail in a segment of my show (apologies for the backup YouTube link but I don’t have it posted on my Rumble channel yet):

For those who prefer to read rather than watch, here are the four paths for Gaetz to become Attorney General. I’ve put them in order from least to most ideal.

“Forced” Recess

There has been a lot of buzz about Speaker of the House Mike Johnson “forcing” the Senate into recess if upcoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune is unwilling or unable to adjourn for the required 10 days so Trump can make recess appointments.

What Johnson was referring to was a resolution calling for both chambers to adjourn. If the Senate does not want to adjourn, they can send back their edits to the resolution. If Johnson then denies the edits, the chambers are in a “state of disagreement” over adjourning. If that happens, then President Trump would decide when they adjourn and for how long.

If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. This has never happened in Congress for a reason. All Thune has to do is… nothing. If he does not reply to Johnson’s resolution, it goes into limbo. Nothing happens other than Johnson being able to say he gave it his best shot.

Temporary Appointment

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 allows President Trump to appoint Gaetz as Attorney General in an “acting” role. This will give him full power over the Department of Justice and does not require the Senate’s advice or consent.

But it only lasts for 210 days. If President Trump nominates someone else during that time, then Gaetz can remain in the role until the Senate confirms the new Attorney General, but not longer than another 210 days.

This would give us 7-14 months with Attorney General Matt Gaetz. It’s better than nothing and a lot can be done in that time. But obviously it’s not ideal for those of us who want him to fill the role for at least four years.

Planned Recess

The option that most seem to be hoping for is a recess appointment made with a cooperative Senate and Senate Majority Leader adjourning for 11 days. This is what Trump called for before the secret GOP Senate leadership vote and all three contenders agreed to some extent.

Fast forward to today and this seems less likely, but I still think it could happen if Thune really is on Trump’s side and if he doesn’t see a path to confirmation. Gaetz can only afford to lose three GOP votes and some are saying ten or more Republican Senators are not committed to voting for him.

The reason this isn’t the most ideal scenario is because even though it’s faster than going through the confirmation process, it also opens the doors for lawfare to slow or even stop it. Trump wants the option available but he would prefer…

Senate Confirmation

A SPEEDY confirmation process for Gaetz and everyone else Trump appoints is the ideal scenario. Trump knows this which is why he’s been hitting the phones to stir up support among Republican Senators.

The risk here is if Thune works at Mitch McConnell’s speed. During Trump’s first term, McConnell was only able to confirm one of Trump’s picks before Inauguration Day. Compare that to Barack Obama and George W. Bush who both had key people in place with double-digit confirmations before they even stepped foot in the Oval Office.

I neither like nor trust Thune but he’s who we have so I’m going to give him the opportunity to prove me wrong about him. I hope and pray that he can buzz through confirmations and have Trump’s team in place early. If he can unify the caucus behind Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and any of the other controversial picks, then Thune will earn my respect for now. If he pulls a McConnell and acts to subvert Agenda 47, then he will prove to be the UniParty Swamp creature that I believe him to be.

The people don’t trust the media. It’s not because of the Trump victory. In fact, one can argue that the Trump victory is indicative of the paradigm shift away from the “Arbiters of Truth” with a far greater emphasis on independent journalists and public sharing sites like 𝕏.

Now that the election is over, it’s time to pay the piper. According to The Post Millennial:

The Associated Press (AP) acknowledged its financial problems Monday as it began offering buyout packages to some employees and laying off others, downsizing by 8 percent. The go-to news organization that has been providing stories that are ready to print or broadcast for decades is downsizing as it focuses on digital news gathering, the outlet reported. Some major oulets have stopped buying its conent. 

The AP is experiencing some of the financial losses that other mainstream media outlets have seen accelerate in recent years. CNN is also reportedly laying off hundreds of staff, including on-air talent, before the end of the year. The oultlet said those who qualify for a buyout, which includes severance pay and some healthcare insurance for 18 months, would be informed by the end of business on Monday. Those getting axed would get the news in the next few weeks.

Some of the AP’s issues accelerated in 2024 when both the Gannett and McClatchy news chains, which control around 230 outlets including USA today, said they would no longer purchase news from the outlet. Although the outlet sells its materials directly to the consumer on the internet, much of its business is still conducted with member news outlets who pay a monthly or yearly fee for access.

The AP, founded in 1846, used to pride itself on being the largest news service in the world, providing news with reporters stationed around the globe. The AP has said that less than half of those affected would be directly producing the news.

A news and media union, the News Media Guild, revealed that 121 members would get buyouts from the company, however the outlet would not confirm the numbers exactly.

“We all know this is a time of transformation in the media sector,” Daisy Veerasingham, the AP’s president and CEO, told staff in a Monday morning memo. “Our customers — both who they are and what they need from us — are changing rapidly. This is why we’ve focused on delivering a digital-first news report. We now need to accelerate on this path.”

The people are awakening and their information gatekeepers are running out of sleeping pills. This bodes well for the incoming Trump administration.