U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Trump and Lula Discuss Trade, Sanctions, and Security in “Productive” Phone Call 
Honduras Election Turmoil Deepens as Nasralla Alleges Fraud in Tight Presidential Race 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
Until today, as states are certifying their election results, Donald Trump has refused to concede and pushed his baseless claims of fraud onto the courts. With Trump expected to grant pardons to his associates, Rudy Giuliani has been revealed to have asked for a preemptive pardon before he leaves in January.
Following the pardon of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, many are now expecting Trump to grant pardons to his associates in his final weeks as president. That includes Giuliani, who has reportedly talked about receiving a preemptive pardon as he pushes the claims of election fraud to overturn the election results in battleground states. According to people knowledgeable in the matter, Trump and Giuliani have discussed a possible pardon the previous week.
Flynn was granted a full pardon by Trump despite twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about having Russian contacts. Giuliani, on the other hand, was placed under investigation for his work in Ukraine which set off the impeachment trials. The impeachment trials revealed the efforts made by Giuliani and his associates to oust Marie Yovanovitch, who is the former US ambassador to Ukraine.
This week, Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas was found not guilty of defrauding his investors through his Florida-based company. Parnas also assisted Giuliani in the effort to find incriminating information on the Bidens in Ukraine. The intelligence community alerted the White House back in 2019 that a Russian agent was looking to sow disinformation to Giuliani as he tried to find information in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Trump continues his attack on Republican governors, even more so on Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Trump demanded that Kemp cancel the Senate runoffs in the state in order for the GOP to maintain control of the Senate.
“Do something @BrianKempGA. You allowed your state to be scammed. We must check signatures and count signed envelopes against ballots. Then call off election. It won’t be needed. We will all WIN!” tweeted Trump. The tweet was flagged by the social media platform for misinformation, citing that other sources have already made a different call.
Trump’s tweet also comes as he makes another desperate attempt to contest the results in Wisconsin, which saw Biden getting more votes in its recount. Trump’s attempts to overturn the election have been unsuccessful and have been criticized by both political parties.
