International
Trump calls Jan 6 probe a ‘witch hunt,’ does not address subpoena
AFP
Former US president Donald Trump on Friday denounced the congressional investigation into the attack on the US Capitol by his supporters as a “show trial” and a “witch hunt.”
Trump, in a letter to Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the January 6 committee, did not address the subpoena for him to testify that was issued by the House panel on Thursday.
Instead, the former Republican president repeated his criticisms of the committee and his false claims that the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden was “rigged and stolen.”
“You have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote.
“The Unselect Committee has perpetuated a Show Trial the likes of which this Country has never seen before,” he said. “There is no Due Process, no Cross-Examination, no ‘real’ Republican members, and no legitimacy since you do not talk about Election Fraud.
“It is a Witch Hunt of the highest level, a continuation of what has been going on for years,” Trump said.
He also defended the rioters who attacked Congress on January 6, 2021 as it was certifying Biden’s election victory, calling them “patriots” and “concerned American citizens.”
“You have not gone after the people that created the Fraud, but rather great American Patriots who questioned it, as is their Constitutional right,” Trump said. “These people have had their lives ruined as your Committee sits back and basks in the glow.”
The January 6 panel, holding what is expected to be its final hearing before the November midterm elections on Thursday, voted to subpoena Trump to testify.
Trump responded with a post on his Truth Social platform but did not say whether he would agree to appear.
“Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” he said. “Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting?”
The New York Times reported that Trump has been telling aides that he favors testifying if he can do so live, but it is unclear whether the committee would grant such a demand.
Subpoenas from the panel have proved difficult to enforce, with former White House aide Steve Bannon the only person convicted of contempt of Congress so far for refusing to comply.
Across eight hearings in the summer the January 6 panel has unveiled reams of evidence showing the former president’s involvement in a labyrinthine series of connected schemes to overturn the election.
Trump, who urged his supporters in a fiery speech near the White House on January 6 to “fight like hell,” was impeached for inciting the mob to storm Congress to halt the peaceful transfer of power to Biden.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a videoconference with members of military in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Trump gave defiant Thanksgiving remarks at the White House Thursday, insisting falsely that he beat Joe Biden and wavering on whether he would ever concede or attend Bidens inauguration. Photographer: Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
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