Mark Zuckerberg Desperately Wants to Get on Trump’s Good Side

Meta donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, marking CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s descent from the president-elect’s target to the backer of his party-planning committee.

Ahead of the presidential election, Trump issued direct warnings to Zuckerberg, while chastising him for Meta’s efforts to prevent the spread of his own misinformation.

“We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison—as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote in his book Save America, which was published in August.

That wasn’t even the first time that Trump had made this kind of threat against the social media mogul. The president-elect called out dear old “ZUCKERBUCKS” in a July post on Truth Social, promising to “pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time.”

Zuckerberg responded to Trump’s comments in July by fawning over his “badass” response to his attempted assassination, because when someone threatens you, you should immediately start sucking up to them as much as possible. Trump claimed in September that after the attempted shooting, Zuckerberg privately told him that he would “never vote for the people running against” Trump. Publicly, Zuckerberg issued neither an endorsement nor an explicit denial.

Now that Trump has been elected, Zuckerberg seems to be following this instinct with his wallet. And so, Meta, which Trump once called “the Enemy of the People,” (he says this so much it loses all meaning), has now poured $1 million into a fund for a spate of massive events to celebrate his victory.

Donald Trump knows that he won the presidency because grocery prices are high. What he doesn’t know is how to actually get those prices to come down.

In a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump had changed up his tune when asked if his presidency would be a failure if he couldn’t deliver his promise to lower the price of groceries.

“I don’t think so. Look, they got them up. I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard. But I think that they will,” Trump said.

“I think that energy is going to bring them down. I think a better supply chain is going to bring them down. You know, the supply chain is still broken. It’s broken. You see it. You go out to the docks and you see all these containers,” Trump said. He proceeded to describe a port in California that held over a dozen full shipping containers as evidence for a “broken” supply chain.

It seems Trump is already trying to manage expectations after making more than a few lofty promises about bringing grocery prices down, a goal that is not reflected in his disastrous proposed economic policies. Trump’s plan to implement 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico will likely increase the price of everyday consumer products, like groceries. In 2022, Mexico accounted for a whopping 69 percent of U.S. vegetable imports and 51 percent of fresh fruit imports.

On Meet the Press Sunday, Trump claimed that he’d won the election on solely the issue of groceries. “Very simple word, groceries. Like almost—you know, who uses the word? I started using the word—the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that.”

Mitch McConnell is still throwing jabs at Donald Trump.

“We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now, reminiscent of before World War II,” the longtime Republican Senate leader told the Financial Times. “Even the slogan is the same. ‘America First.’ That was what they said in the ’30s.”

McConnell went on to throw stones at Trump’s isolationist tendencies, comparing them to the “raging” President Howard Taft’s. He also said he believes that the “America First” wing of the Republican Party will do irreversible damage to the U.S. standing on the global stage.

“To most American voters, I think the simple answer is, ‘Let’s stay out of it.’ That was the argument made in the ’30s and that just won’t work,” McConnell said. “Thanks to Reagan, we know what does work—not just saying peace through strength, but demonstrating it.”

The longest-serving Senate leader also pushed back against Trump’s “enemy within” rhetoric, noting that Russia and China are bigger threats than citizens on American soil.

This is another installment in a long-standing feud between McConnell and Trump, as the latter upended the norms and ideals of his party in just a few years. According to a recent biography of him, McConnell privately called Trump “stupid” and a “despicable human being” after the 2020 election. He also stated that Trump was “practically and morally” to blame for the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

That being said, McConnell has fallen in line every time it matters, including when he opposed Trump’s impeachment. He voted for Trump and, in the same FT interview, called his victory a “remarkable comeback.”

President Joe Biden on Thursday commuted 1,500 sentences and granted 39 pardons, the largest single-day clemency act in history.

“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” a White House statement from Biden read. “That is why, today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer. I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences—many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance.”

Biden pardoned people who were in prison for nonviolent crimes like marijuana possession or violating the military’s antiquated laws banning gay sex. A commutation allows the verdict to remain while lessening punishment, while a pardon completely nullifies a conviction.

This comes just days after Biden’s controversial pardon of his son Hunter Biden for federal tax and gun convictions. The president pardoned his embattled son after saying again and again that he would never do such a thing. While criticized for hypocrisy and dishonesty, many also pointed out that there were many potentially more deserving people who could use a pardon.

Thursday’s pardons have already been met with calls for more pardons, including for people like Native American activist Leonard Peltier, environmental lawyer Steven Dozinger, and the 40 people still on federal death row. Biden noted that he will continue to consider clemency petitions as the week goes on.

The U.S. Justice Department sent a message Wednesday to those hoping for a pardon over their participation in the deadly riot on January 6, 2021: They will have to admit their guilt to receive one.

Prosecutors filed a motion responding to a request from the attorney for one rioter, Dova Winegeart, which would have delayed her judgment and report date in the hopes of receiving a presidential pardon when Donald Trump is sworn in next month. The 51-year-old woman was sentenced Monday to four months in prison for violently swinging a pole outside the U.S. Capitol as it was being ransacked by MAGA fanatics nearly four years ago.  

Prosecutors opposed Winegeart’s motion and issued their own warning to any rioters hoping Trump might save them from jail time, according to Politico. 

“The defendant hopes to avoid that harm by receiving a presidential pardon from a future executive. But the defendant’s personal motivation to avoid public disclosure of her judgment of conviction is no reason to delay entry of judgment and deviate from the regular order of criminal procedure,” the motion stated. 

“And, even if the defendant were to receive a pardon at some unspecified date in the future—which is purely speculative at this juncture—that pardon would not unring the bell of conviction,” the prosecutors wrote. “In fact, quite the opposite. The defendant would first have to accept the pardon, which necessitates a confession of guilt.”

Prosecutors wrote that a pardon would not undo the fact of the crime, only prevent punishment for that crime. If anything, a pardon would be to admit to the crime. 

Trump has long promised to pardon the nearly 1,600 people facing charges over their involvement in the riot. Many have attempted to have their judgments delayed until after Trump takes office. 

Prosecutors took sharp issue with the suggestion that they obey in advance of Trump’s orders. 

“The criminal justice system cannot operate on such uncertainty. Indeed, it is neither the court’s role or function to speculate about any president’s pardon decisions, nor is it appropriate for the Court to halt the normal functioning of criminal procedure based solely on that speculation,” the prosecutors wrote. 

“If a future Executive cannot, today, grant a pardon, this Court cannot expand the temporal grace that Executive may or may not extend in the future to … affect the present,” they added.

The Trump Organization on Wednesday announced a new project in Saudi Arabia: Trump Tower Jeddah.

Eric Trump announced the move in a post on X, writing, “Incredibly proud to officially launch a project that has been underway for many months, Trump Tower - Jeddah!” He thanked the project’s partner, Dar Global, a real estate developer headquartered in Dubai but under the umbrella of Dar Al Arkan, the largest developer in Saudi Arabia.

Trump added that the tower will be the company’s fifth project with Dar Global. The two companies have spent about $532 million on this residential apartment site, which is expected to be completed in four years. The Trump Organization relies a lot on Saudi Arabia, as the company’s real estate deals in the United States have fallen off since Donald Trump’s first presidential term ended amid a backlash over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

The tower is a long-stalled project for the Trumps, as they had planned to build one of their signature towers in the Middle East before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. After that, the Trump family pledged not to sign new international deals while he was president. But now, after being elected a second time, the elder Trump doesn’t seem to care about the appearance of a conflict of interest, raising questions of corruption.

The president-elect has a long business relationship with Saudi Arabia and claimed in a deposition that he could sell his properties to buyers in the country for any amount he wants. Trump has hosted Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournaments at his clubs, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s investment fund accepted $2 billion from Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund but has yet to turn a profit itself.

Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have spoken several times in the last four years, continuing a close relationship that began when Kushner advised his father-in-law on the Middle East during Trump’s first term.

At the moment, Kushner has not accepted a formal job in Trump’s new administration, but his business interests still don’t look good for the president-elect. Coupled with the Trump Organization’s Saudi deals, it seems that Trump isn’t worried about being accused of corruption, or being beholden to a foreign state.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a staunch critic of the U.S. health care system, offered a blunt assessment of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination and the discourse that followed.

“The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system,” Senator Warren said in an interview with HuffPost Tuesday. “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far.

“This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change,” Warren continued. “[They] lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone.”

Luigi Mangione, 26, from Baltimore County, Maryland, was apprehended at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Monday for Thompson’s murder. Mangione’s motives seem motivated by personal trauma, as he suffered a significant back injury that he sought serious relief for. After his arrest, police reportedly found a notebook explaining Mangione’s rationale for the shooting, including a manifesto citing the exorbitant costs of health care in the United States.

Warren’s comments immediately drew criticism from some Democrats and Republicans, forcing her to clarify.

“Violence is never the answer. Period,” Warren told HuffPost. “I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, who also initially spoke with the publication, echoed Warren.

“I think what the outpouring of anger at the health care industry tells us is that millions of people understand that health care is a human right and that you cannot have people in the insurance industry rejecting needed health care for people while they make billions of dollars in profit,” he said.

Congress members might soon come face-to-face with one of their attackers.

Republican members of Congress have invited Russell Taylor, a January 6 protester who stormed the Capitol with a tactical vest and a knife strapped to his chest, to attend Trump’s second inauguration, Politico reported Wednesday.

Taylor pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months’ home detention and three years’ probation in May for his role in ransacking the building. Ahead of the riot, Taylor organized a group of “fighters” to attend pro-Trump events, planning for chaos. Some of Taylor’s “fighters” included individuals who identified as Three Percenters, or people who subscribe to the Three Percent ideology, which the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as an “antigovernment militia movement.”

At the time of Taylor’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said that he believed Taylor had testified truthfully and expressed sincere remorse, noting that the Californian could become a “poster child” for how January 6 cases “should be done.”

Chris Stewart, a former Republican representative from Utah, also asked that Taylor be allowed to attend the ceremony. “He is [a] caring father and reveres his family, his faith, and his love of our Country as his highest priority in life,” Stewart wrote in a letter to Lamberth. “I am honored to extend this invitation for him to attend the Inauguration as my guest.”

Stewart’s letter did not refer to Taylor’s actions on January 6 or their effect in delaying the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. It did, however, make mention of three other Utah lawmakers who are requesting Taylor’s presence at Trump’s inauguration, but did not specify which ones.

Donald Trump went on a wild social media tirade Wednesday after FBI Director Christopher Wray resigned from his position.

“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I just don’t know what happened to him.”

What happened to Wray was actually really simple. Last week, Trump nominated Kash Patel, a sycophantic fascist eager to go after a list of the president-elect’s “deep state” enemies, to lead the FBI. Rather than be formally dismissed or chased out by the president-elect after he was sworn in, Wray—a Trump appointee who was slated to hold the position for three more years—resigned Wednesday.

“We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans. Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.” Trump wrote. “They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.”

Trump was referring to the 2022 FBI raid of his residence at Mar-a-Lago, which was part of the investigation and eventual indictment into his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Judge Aileen Cannon tossed out the 42 felony charges against the president-elect in July, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment to the case was unconstitutional, a decision criticized by legal scholars as unprecedented.

Trump continued, “Kash Patel is the most qualified Nominee to lead the FBI in the Agency’s History, and is committed to helping ensure that Law, Order, and Justice will be brought back to our Country again, and soon. As everyone knows, I have great respect for the rank-and-file of the FBI, and they have great respect for me. They want to see these changes every bit as much as I do but, more importantly, the American People are demanding a strong, but fair, System of Justice. We want our FBI back, and that will now happen. I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation, so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin. Thank you!”

Wray announced his decision to step down Wednesday, telling his FBI employees that resigning was “the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” He will leave his position once Trump takes office in January.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema briefly showed up for work Wednesday to tank a Democratic nominee to the National Labor Relations Board, using her last days in office to hurt workers’ rights before Donald Trump is sworn in as president.

Sinema was joined by fellow departing Democrat turned independent Senator Joe Manchin in voting against Democrat Lauren McFerran’s appointment to a third term as chair of the board, resulting in a 49–50 vote. Two of the NLRB’s five members are Republicans, and two are Democrats, and its chairperson is chosen by the sitting president and breaks partisan ties.

If McFerran was confirmed, a Democratic board would have been in place until late 2026, able to uphold the NLRB’s mission of protecting the right to form a union and enforcing labor law. The appointment would have also allowed for more pro-worker decisions and policies, and protected against right-wing attacks on unions and labor rights.

Sinema’s vote came out of nowhere, as she had missed every single Senate vote in the past week through Tuesday, suggesting she had specific ideas about this appointment. Manchin told reporters after the vote that he opposed McFerran’s nomination because she supports the “joint-employer rule,” which states that an entity can be considered a “joint-employer” of another company’s employees if it has or influences control over the employees’ wages, hours, and working conditions, even if it is not the main employer.

“This is not a surprise to anyone,” Manchin said. Both Manchin and Sinema have a history of opposing pro-labor and pro-worker bills, from the Build Back Better Act to raising the minimum wage. Now, in their last month in office, they’ve paved the way for the right wing under Trump to gut labor protections with a compliant NLRB.

“It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee—with a proven track record of protecting worker rights—did not have the votes,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.