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Donald Trump has raged on Truth Social that the US is “a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World!” in response to Wednesday’s suspected terror attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, the second of which saw one of his friend Elon Musk’s TeslaCybertruck’s blown up outside a Trump-owned luxury hotel in the Nevada city.
“This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership,” the president-elect declared.
“The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job.
“They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself.”
He continued: “The USA is breaking down – A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation.”
Trump is meanwhile reportedly planning to hold a “victory day” rally at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena on the Sunday prior to his inauguration ceremony at the US Capitol.
Chief Justice Roberts warns elected officials not to ignore decisions
Roberts, who will mark 20 years at the top of the court later this year, released his year-end report on this week, in which he warned of increasing attacks to the legitimacy of the court.
The court has come under increased scrutiny ever since it moved to a decisive six-three conservative majority largely put in place by President-elect Trump during his first tenure in the White House from 2017 to 2021.
“In a democracy – especially in one like ours, with robust First Amendment protections – criticism comes with the territory,” the chief justice wrote.
But he denounced what he considered four areas that threaten the independence of the judiciary: violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy lawfully entered judgments.
Alex Woodward has more.
Trump rages at ‘TOTAL DISASTER’ Biden
Donald Trump is back on Truth Social, raging at President Joe Biden after the New Year attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck blast in Las Vegas.
The president-elect wrote:
With the Biden “Open Border’s Policy” I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER. What he and his group of Election Interfering “thugs” have done to our Country will not soon be forgotten! MAGA
Here’s what we know about the possible links between the two incidents:
Eric Trump demands Homeland Security Secretary resign
This despite both of yesterday’s suspects being American citizens.
‘To be continued…’
Here’s Donald Trump’s latest Truth Social offering, which finds his social media adviser Dan Scavino looking up at him like an adoring labrador hoping for a second Bonio.
I hope he’s not planning one of these every day until his inauguration on January 20 like a rubbish advent calendar.

‘Evil knuckleheads’: Musk defends Cybertruck and lashes out after Trump hotel explosion
Here’s more on Elon’s response to last night’s blast in Vegas, which, he argues, would have been much more deadly and destructive had his product not been so well designed.
Watch: Las Vegas police gives update on Cybertruck explosion outside Trump hotel
Here’s a reminder of what Sheriff Kevin McMahill had to say yesterday about the incident in Vegas:
‘We’re going to rip your face off’ in visa fight, Bannon warns Musk
Trump’s former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is getting increasingly creative in his choice of language as he continues to berate Elon Musk for pushing visas for skilled foreign workers, which, Bannon argues, means taking well-paying tech jobs away from Americans.
Mary Papenfuss reports on the latest from the MAGA civil war.
Dr Oz once said uninsured don’t have ‘right to health’
Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr Mehment Oz, once said the uninsured “don’t have a right to health”.
The physician, better known as a TV celebrity, made the comment during a 2013 address to the National Governor’s Association.
He told attendees that uninsured people should be given “a way of crawling back out of the abyss of darkness, of fear, over not having the health they need” in a “festival-like setting” with physicians.
He added that the uninsured don’t have a right to health, only the right to access a chance at health.
Here’s more from Katie Hawkinson.
Trump says he will make phone calls for Johnson’s speaker bid
House speaker Mike Johnson will be up for re-election once Congress reconvenes tomorrow and, currently, he has Trump’s full-throated endorsement, even if some of their fellow Republicans on the Hill are less convinced.
Here’s Eric Garcia on Trump telling reporters at his New Year’s Eve bash that he will be hitting the phones on Johnson’s behalf to talk down the doubters.