Coca-Cola CEO Gifts Trump a Special Drink

Julianna Frieman
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Coca-Cola CEO Gifts Trump a Special Drink

(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Coca-Cola honored President-elect Donald Trump with a special gift on Tuesday ahead of his inauguration.

Trump received the first ever Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle from company chairman and CEO James Quincey, the president-elect’s deputy director of communications revealed on social media.

“Tonight, President Trump received the first ever Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle from the Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Company, James Quincey,” Trump deputy communications director Margo Martin wrote on X with photos of Trump, the CEO and his Diet Coke bottle.

Trump was pictured smiling beside Quincey, holding the customized bottle of Diet Coke, his favorite beverage.

The label of Trump’s special drink showed an illustration of the White House with the words “The Inauguration of the President of the United States” followed by his name, “Donald J. Trump,” and the date of his “January 20, 2025” swearing-in ceremony.

Another image showed a note in the box that carried the president-elect’s gift, which read as follows: “Founded 126 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, The Coca-Cola Company takes great pride in producing hundreds of brands that people enjoy. Along with our 60+ independent bottling partners, the Coca-Cola system generates $58+ billion in U.S. economic activity annually and supports more than 860,000 jobs in the United States.”

Social media exploded when it emerged that Coca-Cola curried favor with Trump, who the company criticized after Jan. 6, 2021, according to Newsweek.

“Trump has won. Not just politically, but culturally and ideologically,” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote Tuesday night on X. “When you’ve won Coca-Cola, you’ve won America.”

One X user remembered how “no mainstream corporation would go near” Trump four years ago, calling the Republican’s political comeback “the greatest character arc in history.” Another commended Coca-Cola for their “classy move.”

“You know we’re reaching new heights when the CEO of Coca Cola is coming to Mar-a-Lago to present Trump with Inaugural Diet Coke,” Mike Crispi, a New Jersey delegate for Trump and chairman of America First Republicans of New Jersey, added.

While many rejoiced at the “awesome” friendliness between Trump and Coca-Cola, political commentator Alex Clark warned, “MAHA is still coming.”

Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.

Undercover FBI Agent Recruited Target to Join ISIS

Ken Silva
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Undercover FBI Agent Recruited Target to Join ISIS

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Newly unsealed court records reveal that the FBI arrested North Carolina man Alexander Justin White, who goes by the name “Sulaiman AI-Atnriki,” on Dec. 4 as he was attempting to depart the country to allegedly join ISIS in the Middle East.

According to the court records, an FBI undercover agent and confidential informant strongly encouraged White’s activities—at the very least.

Charging papers allege that White, 29, has been interested in joining ISIS for years. Last September, he was contacted by an FBI agent who claimed that he could help fulfill White’s desire.

“On September 10, 2024, the [undercover FBI agent] contacted WHITE by posing as an ISIS facilitator located overseas. Based on WHITE’s expressed intentions elsewhere, the [undercover agent] questioned whether WHITE still intended to join them overseas, to which WHITE stated he did,” states an affidavit from FBI agent Monika Van Hooser.

The FBI’s trap was set. Four days later, the undercover FBI agent messages White again.

“The brothers are working on special opportunity for you to speak with Emir Soon, Does this interest you akhi?” the agent asked, to which White responded, “It very well does brother.”

The undercover FBI agent then had one of his confidential informants pose as the Emir’s spokesperson so that he could talk to White, who apparently doesn’t speak Arabic. The two had a 27-minute phone call, and afterwards White allegedly expressed his excitement to the FBI agent.

“Following the call, WHITE told the [FBI agent] that he was glad to have had the opportunity even though he was shy and had difficulty speaking, but loved talking to the Emir’s spokesperson and could not wait to meet everyone,” charging papers state.

White continued speaking with the undercover FBI agent and preparing to join ISIS for the next two months. The FBI apparently had him under heavy surveillance, as a photo of him walking to his car in October was included in the charging papers.

He was arrested on Dec. 4, when he was arrested at the Raleigh-Durham Airport attempting to board a flight to Paris.

White was arrested for allegedly trying to provide material support to a terrorist organization. According to a motion to unseal the case on Tuesday, White has already struck a plea deal with the Justice Department.

White’s case is just the latest instance where FBI agents and informants goad their target into committing crimes. Read about other such cases here.

White’s case was first reported by Court Watch.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Elon Musk to Have an Office at Trump’s White House

Ken Silva
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Elon Musk to Have an Office at Trump’s White House

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The New York Times reported Monday that billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk is going to have an office at the White House complex for his nascent Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to cut up to $2 trillion in federal spending.

According to the Times, Musk is expected to use the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.

“Musk has had discussions with transition officials about what his level of access to the West Wing will be, but that was left unclear,” the Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter. “Staff members and others who are able to come and go freely in the West Wing typically require a special pass.”

The newspaper added that it’s unclear whether failed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s involved with DOGE, will also have office space. Ramaswamy has fallen out of favor with the MAGA crowd in recent weeks after he revealed himself to be a second-generation American ingrate.

DOGE has already begun its work, with agents having visited the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services, the Washington Post reported last week, citing four people familiar with the matter.

Federal bureaucrats apparently aren’t taking the DOGE visits well.

“Two government employees said remarks Musk and Ramaswamy have made about the civil service have made them wary of the entire DOGE effort. Longtime civil servants — some who have built their careers learning the intricacies of the federal bureaucracy — are an awkward fit with Silicon Valley’s fast-moving and disruptive culture,” the Post reported.

“Many in Washington regard the tech entrepreneurs as arrogant or naive about the complexity of reining in government.”

The Post added that DOGE is also encountering a reluctance among congressional Republicans to approve deep budget cuts.

It’s not clear what impact DOGE will have, as it holds no constitutional or legal authority. As the Post noted, it’s unclear who is paying the salaries of DOGE staffers or exactly how they work with Trump’s formal transition team.

Musk reportedly remains optimistic.

“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s like the best-case outcome,” he reportedly said Wednesday. “But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting $1 [trillion].”

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Shell-Shocked Hegseth Gets Hen-Pecked in ‘Liberal Woman Hell’ at Confirmation Hearing

Julianna Frieman
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Shell-Shocked Hegseth Gets Hen-Pecked in ‘Liberal Woman Hell’ at Confirmation Hearing

(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, found himself at the epicenter of “Liberal Women Hell” Tuesday at his confirmation hearing.

A deck of female Democrat senators melted down as they tried to tank Hegseth’s nomination, including one who could not compute answers beyond “yes or no” and another who wants to send your mom to war.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., was not interested in hearing Hegseth’s responses to her questions as she repeatedly reveled in the opportunity to yell at the former Fox News host seemingly every time he opened his mouth.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., slammed on her desk as she lectured Hegseth about her belief that mothers should be sent to war.

“What’s wrong with a mom, by the way? Once you have babies you therefore are not about to be lethal? I mean, you’re basically saying women after they have children can’t ever serve in the military in a combat role. It’s a silly thing to say. It’s thing to say. Beneath the position that you are aspiring too,” Gillibrand ranted and raved.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who bashed Hegseth for weeks on social media ahead of his confirmation hearing, asked, “You are quite sure every General who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years but you’re not willing to make that same pledge?”

Hegseth left the room laughing when he replied, “I’m not a General, Senator.”

Hegseth even got to experience a crew of classic leftist women screaming in protest of his nomination. Multiple female Code Pink activists sporting bright pink shirts infiltrated the confirmation hearing early on, holding signs characterizing Hegseth as a “religious extremist” as they shouted about “murdering babies.”

U.S. Capitol Police dragged the Democrat demonstrators out of the room as they made a ruckus.

SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly took at at the female Democrat senators who “embarrassed” themselves at Hegseth’s confirmation hearing after she spent hours watching the entire spectacle in Washington, D.C.

“I was humiliated for them. Why do the women always have to be so shitty? Why do the women have to be like these hysterical fools? Why can’t they be more dignified?” Kelly asked on Tuesday’s episode of her show, filmed after she attended Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.

She added, “I was embarrassed for them. I was embarrassed for my sex.”

Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.

Man Arrested Near Calif. Fire Turns Out to Be Illegal Alien

Luis Cornelio
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Man Arrested Near Calif. Fire Turns Out to Be Illegal Alien

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The man allegedly seen holding a blowtorch near one of the wildfires ravaging California has been revealed to be an illegal alien from Mexico, Fox News reported Tuesday. 

The man, identified as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was apprehended by Los Angeles residents and later arrested by law enforcement officials, as seen in a viral video shared widely across social media. 

The video shows Sierra-Leyva holding what appeared to be a yellow fuel tank in one hand and a nozzle in the other while a neighbor confronted him over an undisclosed issue. 

Sierra-Leyva is seen shrugging his shoulders while the neighbor shouts and points at the apparent blowtorch. 

Two other men, presumably neighbors, rushed to the scene and tackled Sierra-Leyva to the ground. Law enforcement then arrived and arrested him. 

Sierra-Leyva has not been charged with arson but remains in state custody due to a probation violation. 

The outlet also reported that ICE plans to issue a detainer request for him. It is unlikely that state authorities will comply, given California’s sanctuary laws, which prohibit local police from holding individuals for immigration offenses. 

While Sierra-Leyva has not been charged with arson, the video drew social media criticism, with many highlighting assumptions that some of the wildfires in Los Angeles may have been caused by human activity. 

“When you have wind conditions like this, it brings out the serial arsonists, who are sickos,” a Los Angeles law enforcement source told Fox News. 

In California, the wildfires have claimed the lives of 23 individuals and destroyed over 12,300 homes and structures, burning more than 40,644 acres of land.  

There have been approximately 135 wildfires, over 22,000 emergency responses and 85,000 residents displaced. 

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Kenneth Fire, near where Sierra-Leyva was arrested, burned over 1,000 acres in three days. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement commenting on the irony that Los Angeles taxpayers were paying for essential services, only to have their money redirected to illegals who wound up burning their homes down.

Meanwhile, rumors were spreading online that Gov. Gavin Newsom planned to rezone the high-end Pacific Palisades district from single-family homes to high-density housing to accommodate more homeless people and illegal immigrants.

Newsom denied the rumors, insisting they were “not true.”

 

No Regrets: Karen Bass Doubles Down on Ghana Trip as LA Burned

Luis Cornelio
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No Regrets: Karen Bass Doubles Down on Ghana Trip as LA Burned

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass emphatically said Tuesday she did not regret traveling abroad in the days before the wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area. 

Bass, a Democrat and former congresswoman, had drawn widespread criticism and public condemnation for traveling to Ghana despite alerts from officials that the wildfires posed a grave danger to her city. 

Bass took the trip, funded by U.S. taxpayers, at the request of the Biden-Harris administration to represent the U.S. in the inauguration of Ghana President John Mahama. It’s not immediately clear what purpose the mayor served on this trip.  

A CBS News reporter asked Bass if she would have taken the trip in retrospect. Bass tried to evade the question before abruptly shouting, “No!” 

“You know, I am going to focus today on what we…No!” Bass began as the reporter interrupted. She then walked away as reporters shouted more questions. 

This wasn’t the first time Bass faced tough questions. While waiting in Ghana for a military plane to return to the U.S., Sky News’s David Blevins pressed her on the trip. 

“Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the Fire Department by millions of dollars, madam mayor? Have you nothing to say today?” Blevins asked as Bass stood in silence. 

The video went viral, with many criticizing what they viewed as Bass’s failure as an elected official. 

The Bass administration has faced scathing rebuke for the disastrous handling of the wildfires, which have claimed at least 23 lives. 

AccuWeather estimates the damage and economic loss could exceed $250 billion. The relentless fires have destroyed over 12,300 homes and other structures, 

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fires have also scorched over 40,644 acres of land.

Starbucks Reverses Free Bathroom Policy

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Starbucks Reverses Free Bathroom Policy

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) The Wall Street Journal reported that Starbucks recently reversed its policy of providing free bathrooms, stating that only customers can now use them.

The newly updated “Coffeehouse Code of Conduct” stated, “Starbucks spaces are for use by our partners and customers — this includes our cafes, patios and restrooms,” and prohibits harassment, violence, outside alcohol, smoking, begging and threatening language inside its establishments,” adding that “water is also now reserved only for paying customers.”

The new policy also indicated that anyone “not following this code of conduct” would be asked “to leave the store.” Those who refuse to do that would be escorted out of Starbucks by law enforcement.

“There is a need to reset expectations for how our spaces should be used and who uses them,” Starbucks North America president Sara Trilling told store managers in a letter this week, according to Blaze Media.

Starbucks began allowing non-customers to use its bathrooms after an April 12, 2018, incident in Philadelphia where two men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested after being accused of trespassing. Leftists quickly turned the situation into discrimination based on race since both Nelson and Robinson were black.

The Journal stated that the company told its employees that “any person who enters our spaces, including patios, cafes, and restrooms, regardless of whether they make a purchase, is considered a customer.”

After that, Starbucks employees in Seattle started talking about people “doing drugs in bathrooms” and frequently cleaning up drug paraphernalia and needle debris, as reported by the Post Millennial. The employees also said that homeless people “wander in off the streets and harass employees and customers.”

“It’s like a light bulb is going on in all of these companies’ brains. Turns out drug addicts and vagrants scare off the paying customers. Who knew?” @1BethDutton wrote.

Podcaster Brad Binkley also joked about Starbucks reversing its “Do heroin in our bathrooms” policy, jokingly claiming that they are racists.

LA Times Owner Regrets Endorsing LA Mayor

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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LA Times Owner Regrets Endorsing LA Mayor

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) The Los Angeles Times owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, said in a Monday interview that the newspaper made a mistake when it endorsed Democratic Mayor Karen Bass in 2022, adding that the Times would “accept some blame.”

Soon-Shiong’s recent remarks came after Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., became infamous for letting Los Angeles and other parts of the state burn, leaving many people homeless. 

“At the L.A. Times, we endorsed Karen Bass. I think right now that’s a mistake, and we admit that,” Soon-Shiong said on the Morning Meeting podcast. “This fire has given us a wake-up call as a paper.”

Even though Bass previously voted for leftist legislation in Congress, lectured Americans about racism and indicated that she has a Trump Derangement Syndrome, the Times’ editorial board endorsed her, claiming she was the right person for “Angelenos [to] look to in a crisis, who can set the tone of the political discourse and should act as the moral compass for city policy.”

The leftist editors also stated that Bass was the “most experienced public official in the race” and an outsider willing to challenge the status quo.

“Los Angeles needs a leader who can bring Angelenos together and who has a holistic vision for a better city. Karen Bass is that person,” the Times wrote.

However, after realizing President-elect Donald Trump would win the 2024 election, the newspaper quickly changed its tune, primarily by refusing to endorse former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. That decision resulted in one of the leftist newspaper’s editors quitting her job.

After that, the Times fired the entire editorial board to “work towards making [the] paper and media fair and balanced so that all voices are heard.”

“Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy,” Soon-Shiong wrote.

The newspaper also hired CNN’s Scott Jennings and decided not to write about Trump as much as its reporters used to do.

WOAH: Nancy Mace Tells Jasmine Crockett to Settle Beef ‘Outside’

Luis Cornelio
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WOAH: Nancy Mace Tells Jasmine Crockett to Settle Beef ‘Outside’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., took the gloves off Tuesday during a heated exchange with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, about transgender issues, particularly the use of women’s bathrooms by biologically male individuals. 

The fiery confrontation took place during a live-streamed House Oversight Committee meeting, where both lawmakers shouted at each other. At one point, Mace offered to settle the dispute “outside.” 

At the center of the tension was Mace’s demands that Congress protect women by banning transgender individuals from women’s sports and from using women-only facilities. In response, Crockett appeared to attack Mace’s words. 

“I can see that somebody’s campaign coffers really are struggling right now. So, she’s going to keep saying ‘trans, trans, trans’ so that people will feel threatened,” Crockett claimed. 

Mace, clearly offended, believed Crockett had referred to her as a “child,” a term used by urban communities to express dismissal.  

“Child? Do not call me a child. I am no child. Don’t even start. I am a grown woman. I am 47 years old. … You will not do that. I am not a child. If you want to take it outside, if you want,” Mace shot back. 

As the back-and-forth escalated, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., intervened to restore order. Meanwhile, Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., called for Mace’s words to be stricken from the congressional record. 

“I believe it’s against the rules to incite violence against another member of Congress,” Frost argued, prompting Comer to suspend the meeting temporarily. 

When the meeting resumed, Comer suggested Mace’s comments could have been interpreted as an invitation for coffee and ruled that her remarks were permissible. 

“I threatened no violence—none,” Mace clarified. “You’re making sh*t go as you go along. You might want to figure this one out.” 

The fiery exchange quickly went viral on social media, drawing reactions from both Mace and Crockett on X. 

“Chile…” Crockett wrote. 

Mace shared the exchange, writing, “I’m no child. And if I wanted a physical fight, you’d know it. That’s not what this was.”  

Mace added, “I won’t be bullied by someone who wants to take away women’s rights while lecturing about civil rights. I won’t be bullied by someone who thinks being scared of rape is a ‘fantasy.’” 

Trump to Create External Revenue Service for Tariffs

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Trump to Create External Revenue Service for Tariffs

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump wrote in his Tuesday post on Truth Social that he plans to create an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs and other revenue from foreign countries.

“For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World while taxing ourselves,” Trump wrote, adding that this would change because he would create the External Revenue Service “to collect our Tariffs, Duties and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.”

During a town hall segment with Fox News at a barbershop in the Bronx, New York City, Trump said he would be open to abolishing the IRS and income tax because, in the 1890s, the U.S. relied on tariffs and didn’t have a federal income tax.

“Now we have income taxes, and we have people that are dying, they’re paying tax, and they don’t have the money to pay the tax,” he said. “In the old days, 1890, 1880, we had so much money they had to set up committees, blue-ribbon committees, how to spend our wealth. We had no idea how to spend it. It was so much money. Then we went to the income tax system, and the rest is sort of history.”

Trump added in his recent post that the U.S. will begin “charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share.”

“January 20, 2025, will be the birthdate of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.

Last year, Trump stated that he plans to enact tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on goods from China because of “thousands of people” who bring “crime and drugs at levels never seen before.”

“This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post.

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