Volvo Releases Pro-Life Ad As Jaguar Pushes Woke

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Volvo Releases Pro-Life Ad As Jaguar Pushes Woke

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A car company, Volvo, released a pro-life ad, while Jaguar, another car brand, released a woke commercial.

“While Jaguar is pushing debauchery, Volvo just put out the most moving, pro-family, pro-life car ad of all time. This is the way,” the Daily Wire’s Senior Editor, Cabot Phillips, wrote.

However, it’s important to note that the ad was released two months ago, even though Phillips claimed it was released recently.

Phillips’s colleague, Andrew Klavan, also responded to people accepting the Volvo ad and rejecting the Jaguar ad.

“Wait, you’re trying to tell me that a loving couple creating life is more moving and appealing than a bunch of hostile, self-satisfied intersectionals striking poses in ugly costumes?” he wrote sarcastically.

A famous movie critic who calls himself the Critical Drinker also pointed out how bizarre it is to see the Volvo ad after witnessing what the Jaguar marketing department released.

“It’s like seeing the best and worst of modern culture side by side,” he wrote.

Joel Berry of the Babylon Bee agreed, stating that the two ads are a “perfect little look at the two spiritual forces at war in the world today.”

“I know which one I want to win,” he wrote.

Conservative commentator Amala Ekpunobi also praised Volvo for releasing its ad.

“Jaguar is focusing on DEI, gender-bending, and telling their consumers they’re ‘deleting ordinary.’ Volvo leans into the ordinary. The ordinary is beautiful and authentic. It’s unique yet universal. Woke ideas and made-up identities are not. I hate ads, but there’s something here,” she wrote.

Other people also pointed out that Volvo’s ad was so effective that people started considering buying the company’s cars.

“Volvo posted a 3 min and 46-second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer. It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced. Every comment under the ad said it immediately put Volvo in their consideration set. It’s f***ing fantastic,” McDonald’s Senior Marketing Director Guillaume Huin wrote.

Some people said Volvo’s ad didn’t have any woke elements because the company’s advertisers were smart enough to “read the room” and see that the culture had changed.

Trump Picks Left’s Worst Nightmare to Oversee Key Administrative Post

Ben Sellers
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Trump Picks Left’s Worst Nightmare to Oversee Key Administrative Post

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Affirming the fever-dreams of leftists everywhere, President-elect Donald Trump delivered a pick that may roil the Swamp even more than erstwhile attorney-general nominee Matt Gaetz.

Trump reappointed Russ Vought to oversee the Office of Management and Budget, a role he had in the previous Trump administration.

“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success,” Trump said in a statement.

“… Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies,” Trump added. “Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People.”

Despite Trump’s having emphatically disavowed the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 on the campaign trail, Vought played a key role in the think-tank’s comprehensive set of policy proposals, designed to be a blueprint for the next incoming GOP administration.

One of the main objectives was to make significant cuts within D.C.’s administrative offices and to replace corrupt officials who have leeched off the dysfunction and inefficiency within the Beltway.

“Mr. Vought’s role in Project 2025 was to oversee executive orders and other unilateral actions that Mr. Trump could take during his first six months in office, with the goal of tearing down and rebuilding executive branch institutions in a way that would enhance presidential power,” fretted the New York Times in its writeup.

“In an interview with The New York Times in 2023, Mr. Vought laid out an agenda of eliminating the independence of certain regulatory agencies that operate outside the direct control of the White House, such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Vought’s point was that many of the bureaucrats currently wielding immense power over the operation of the federal government are highly partisan, but not only unelected—they also have little accountability to those who are elected.

He cited as one other example the Federal Reserve, which controls national interest rates and can influence the direction of the economy, but cannot itself be influenced. It also has been authorized to print the currency that Congress is responsible for regulating according to the U.S. Constitution—and then loaning it back to the government, like a blank check, at whatever interest rate it chooses.

“What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them,” Vought told the Times. “It’s very hard to square the Fed’s independence with the Constitution.”

Vought is likely to work closely with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency being overseen by wealthy entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Vought recently sat down with popular streaming host Tucker Carlson, where he spoke about his past experiences undergoing Senate confirmation—a process that some expect will be contentious even after Gaetz’s surprise withdrawal this week.

“They’re gonna be… they’re gonna be exhilarating if you have the right approach to them,” Vought said of the hearings, which will include Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.

“Bernie Sanders went after me very, very hard in my first confirmation hearing as deputy OMB for essentially believing in John 3:16,” Vought noted in his interview with Carlson.

In addition to Vought, Trump also made several other major appointments after business hours on Friday:

  • Rep. Lori Chavez–DeRemer for Labor secretary
  • Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary
  • Scott Turner for secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for surgeon general
  • Dr. Dave Weldon for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Marty Makary for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
  • Alex Wong and Sebastian Gorka as presidential assistants

Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

FEMA Has Spent at Least $159M on California’s Illegal Immigrants Since 2023

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FEMA Has Spent at Least $159M on California’s Illegal Immigrants Since 2023

(Kenneth Schrupp, The Center Square) The federal government has allocated $159 million in FEMA funding to “provide humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants” in California since 2023, according to federal grants reviewed by the Center Square.

California has been a sanctuary state since 2017, and recently enacted a new law allowing individuals convicted of crimes that could impact immigration proceedings to petition for resentencing. The state has an estimated 1.9 million illegal immigrants, according to Pew.

Given president-elect Donald Trump’s opposition to funding services for illegal immigrants, and California’s limited fiscal capacity, it’s unclear if these programs will persist.

“Republicans have been warning for years that California can’t afford these taxpayer-funded giveaways to illegal immigrants,” said California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, to the Center Square.

“Democrats have a choice to make: either keep encouraging illegal immigration with these handouts or give our citizens the services they need,” he added. “How they respond will say a lot about their priorities.”

California recently provided $4 billion per year in funding to extend taxpayer-funded healthcare to an additional 700,000 illegal immigrants; scaling those costs up to the 1.9 million estimated total in California results in rough total costs of $11 billion per year.

With the state having cut, delayed, or shifted $47 billion to balance the budget this year, California may one day soon have to choose between cutting services or raising taxes.

Meanwhile, the City of Los Angeles, which received $22 million from FEMA for migrant services in 2024, is expediting a sanctuary city ordinance that would bar city staff from inquiring about immigration status or cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

“Especially in the face of growing threats to the immigrant communities here in Los Angeles, I stand with the people of this city,” said Mayor Karen Bass in a statement on the draft ordinance. “This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better.”

Los Angeles is currently “broke” and taking out a $80 million loan to cover lawsuit payments, suggesting it may not be able to afford to spend another $22 million on migrant services on its own.

In 2023 and 2024, FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program issued $364 million and $641 million respectively in federal grants to “​non-federal entities that provide humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants.”

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has reported that nearly 14 million individuals have entered the country illegally since the start of the Biden administration in 2021, with many estimating the number could be much higher.

Pew estimates 10.2 million illegal immigrants were in the country in 2020, and that the number had only increased to 11 million through 2022, suggesting there may be a major disconnect between CBP data and many media reports.

In 2023, California organizations received $48 million in SSP grants, $35 million of which went to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Diego, and $13 million of which went to Riverside County.

In 2024, California organizations received $111 million in SSP grants, $41 million of which went to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Diego, $22 million of which went to Jewish Family Service San Diego, $22 million of which went to the City of Los Angeles, $20 million of which went to San Diego County, and $6 million of which went to Riverside County.

The marked increase in SSP funding for 2024 over 2023 could relate to the increase from 514,000 illegal border crossers into California in 2023 to an expected 625,000 illegal border crossings into California for fiscal year 2024.

That’s all up from nearly 300,000 illegal crossings in 2022. Much of the recent increase in illegal border crossings into California since 2022 can be attributed to Texas’s border crackdown, which has resulted in a significant reduction in illegal crossings into the Lone Star State.

During the first Trump administration, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 54 into law, which  prohibits “state and local law enforcement agencies … from using money or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes.”

State and local law enforcement can still participate in joint law enforcement task forces, but must report detainee transfers to immigration authorities, and grant written consent for any interview between individuals in custody and federal immigration authorities.

The mayor of Newport Beach, an upscale Southern California beach town in Orange County, took to social media to announce that the U.S. Coast Guard had intercepted a boat carrying 21 illegal immigrants into Newport’s harbor earlier this week, including one Russian and two Uzbekistanis, and the issues caused by SB 54 in detaining criminal migrants.

 

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“Clearly folks traveling from Uzbekistan through Mexico to enter our country illegally on a boat off the Orange County coast is – or at least should be – out of the ordinary,” said Mayor Will O’Neill on Instagram.

“It was key that the USCG stopped the boat because, as part of the Federal government, they could cooperate with Customs and Border Patrol,” he added. “Whereas our local police or the OC Sheriffs that patrol our Harbor are prohibited from doing so by a state law called SB54, otherwise known as California’s Sanctuary State policy.”

O’Neill then explained how SB 54 recently prevented Orange County from notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the release of 1,015 inmates with ICE detainers. After those individuals were released, 238 were rearrested within Orange County, including individuals charged with “assault and battery, rape, and robbery.”

As covered earlier this year by the Center Square, serial criminals in California illegally are often released by local authorities before federal immigration authorities can take custody and deport them.

At the beginning of 2024, all undocumented immigrants in California became eligible for taxpayer-funded healthcare despite the state’s healthcare shortage.

Months later, lawmakers proposed expanding the state’s existing taxpayer-funded deportation defense for nonviolent illegal immigrants to include those convicted of serious or violent felonies, and providing access to $150,000 zero-down, zero-payment home “loans” to illegal immigrants.

While the proposal for deportation defense for violent felons did not get out of committee, the homebuying program proposal made it all the way to the governor’s desk.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto cited the program’s “finite funding,” which received no money this year and ran out of funding in 11 days last year, and the state’s budget situation.

This year, the state budget required the cutting, shifting, and deferral of spending by $47 billion.

Late last week, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a lengthy report on its independence from the governor’s office ahead of this week’s preliminary budget analysis.

The timing and nature of the report could suggest the state’s fiscal picture may not be as rosy as the governor portrays—or needs to continue to current spending levels.

Calif. Judge Rules City Can Keep Its Voter ID Law Despite Newsom Ban—for Now

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Calif. Judge Rules City Can Keep Its Voter ID Law Despite Newsom Ban—for Now

(, The Center Square) A California judge ruled the City of Huntington Beach can keep its new rule requiring voters to present identification—for the time being.

“The Court finds that this matter is not ripe for adjudication, as [the change to] the City’s Charter is permissive and discretionary in character, and thus currently presents no conflict with state elections law,” ruled California Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas.

Earlier this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning voter ID requirements in the state. The bill did not have an urgency clause, meaning it goes into effect next year.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed his lawsuit against Huntington Beach after the Huntington Beach voter ID law passed but before the statewide voter ID ban passed. This led Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates to question how the state could sue against a measure lawmakers were in the process of banning with new legislation.

“The Attorney General’s press release that the city’s Voter ID requirements violate state law is inconsistent with, in fact in direct conflict with, [state] Sen. David Min’s, D-Irvine, new bill attempting to make Huntington Beach’s Voter ID illegal,” said Gates at the time.

Because the statewide ban on voter ID did not have an urgency clause or any other effective date, it does not go into effect until January 2025. Thus, while Bonta’s case may not be “ripe,” now, the case could be ready for court early next year.

Dourbetas gave Bonta 20 days to amend the state’s petition, which Bonta seemed ready to carry on.

“Under both existing law and Senate Bill 1174, all local governments—including charter cities like Huntington Beach—are prohibited from disenfranchising voters at the polls by implementing voter ID requirements,” Bonta claimed in a statement on Sunday, seemingly second-guessing the judge.

“Let me be clear: that has not changed,” he continued. “We disagree with the court’s decision that it is too early to bring our lawsuit, and remain confident in the strength of our case.”

Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark celebrated the likely temporary victory, referencing the state’s other lawsuits against the city.

“We have not only successfully defended our City’s Voter ID law, but also the rights of our residents from attacks by Governor Newsom and the State,” said Van Der Mark. “We will not back down and will continue to fight for the City.”

In the same city statement, Gates noted he anticipated the case “isn’t over.”

Earlier this year, Bonta also sued Huntington Beach for not zoning for enough dense housing. In that case, courts ruled in the state’s favor.

Calif. Assembly’s Latino Caucus Discriminates Against Latino Republicans, Denies Membership

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Calif. Assembly’s Latino Caucus Discriminates Against Latino Republicans, Denies Membership

(Kenneth Schrupp, The Center Square) California Republicans managed to flip a State Assembly seat with a nearly 14-point Democratic registration advantage.

Republican Jeff Gonzalez narrowly beat out Joey Acuña Jr. to fill the seat of Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, who opted not to run for re-election in the nearly 60% Hispanic district.

“I am honored that the voters have elected me to serve Assembly District 36 and believe in our mission of bipartisanship, lowering the cost of living, and turning the direction of our state around,” Gonzalez said in a victory statement.

Because he is a Republican, Gonzalez is not eligible to join the state’s Latino Caucus. Earlier this year, the Latino Caucus kicked out State Sen. Marie Alvarado–Gil, R-Jackson, for switching from the Democratic to the Republican party.

“Democrats will not allow Jeff (a Marine Corp veteran) to join the Latino Caucus despite being Latino and representing a Latino district,” said Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, on X. “It’s sad that the Caucuses have become tools of the majority party to simply defeat Republicans, rather than advance policies to improve lives.”

Gonzalez’s victory represents a major turnaround for the Republican Party, which has struggled with Hispanic voters in California since the passage of Prop. 187 in 1994.

Prop. 187 would have banned illegal immigrants from using non-emergency state services, but was ruled unconstitutional before it could take effect.

According to October polling from the Public Policy Institute of California, Latino voters were 75% more likely than white voters to say crime is the most important issue facing California, more than twice as likely to say homelessness, and one-third as likely to say the environment.

In terms of national politics, the same poll found Latino voters were 78% more likely than white voters to say the economy is the most important issue facing the United States.

The district, which stretches across the southeast corner of the state and borders Mexico, includes the Imperial Valley, a key national agricultural center, and El Centro, one of the nation’s busiest border crossings.

Gonzalez, who served in the Marines for 21 years and is a pastor and owner of three small businesses, has won with a more than three point lead against Joey Acuña, a school board member, health clinic development manager, and grant writer for a local tribe.

Poll: Embattled Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s Chatroom ‘Scandal’ Didn’t Sway Most N.C. Voters

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Poll: Embattled Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s Chatroom ‘Scandal’ Didn’t Sway Most N.C. Voters

(Alan Wooten, The Center Square) Nearly half of respondents said the troubles of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson did not impact their choices elsewhere on the ballot, and more than half say because of the election America is now headed on the right track.

Robinson ran for governor and lost handily to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein. Already beginning to slip in polling, the Republican’s campaign was torpedoed on Sept. 19 by a CNN report linking him to a porn chat room more than a decade ago—long before he entered public service.

Robinson has filed a defamation lawsuit.

His deficit in polls grew well past 10%. Speculation swirled that other Republicans would be dragged down with him, while some wondered if, in fact, Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris would get hurt due to the diminished urgency to help Stein at the ballot box.

Asked what extent an “assessment of Mark Robinson” influenced decisions on “other Republican candidates for other statewide offices,” respondents went 46.9% “not at all,” 24.4% “a great deal,” 11.7% “very little” and 9.9% “somewhat.”

By approval rating, Stein was 53.2% approved and 24.9% disapproved.

The Council of State, often called executive offices in other states, includes the governor; lieutenant governor; attorney general; commissioners of agriculture and insurance; the secretaries of state and labor; auditor; treasurer; and superintendent of public instruction.

Republicans did occupy six of those positions, but three flipped in the election, leaving a 5-5 split. Stein remains, though in a new position. Other incumbents winning elections included fellow Democrat Elaine Marshall, and Republicans Steve Troxler as agriculture commissioner and Mike Causey as insurance commissioner.

Newcomers elected were state Sen. Rachel Hunt, the Democratic lieutenant governor; U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic attorney general; Luke Farley, the Republican secretary of labor; Dave Boliek, the Republican auditor; Brad Briner, the Republican treasurer; and Mo Green, the Democratic education superintendent.

Cygnal did the polling for the nonprofit Carolina Journal. The sampling was conducted Sunday through Tuesday, generated 615 responses and has a +/- 3.94% margin of error.

In respective polls taken in August, September and October, respondents saying America was on the wrong track hit 52.6%, 52.6% and 45.4%. This week, with President-elect Donald Trump two months from taking the oath, it’s 27.9%.

In saying America was on the right track, the poll went from 33.8% in August, 32.9% in September and 38.2% in October to 50.1% this week.

Rob Reiner Says He is Checking into a Facility after Claiming ‘MAGA Scum’ Ruined Bluesky

Maire Clayton
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Rob Reiner Says He is Checking into a Facility after Claiming ‘MAGA Scum’ Ruined Bluesky

(Maire Clayton, Headline USA) Director Rob Reiner said he would be checking into a facility after firing off a series of now-deleted social media posts bashing MAGA Republicans late Wednesday night, according to the Wrap.

“I have made the decision to take the next few days to check into a facility for peace and relaxation,” Reiner said. “No phones, social media, no trolls, just calmness to heal my pain.”

His revelation came after Reiner, along with millions of leftists, left Elon Musk’s X and switched to Bluesky in protest of the billionaire’s relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.

Reiner previously expressed his annoyance with the new platform.

“All the abuse and hate from Twitter has now spewed over to here,” he said. “There seems to be no point anymore.”

Reiner continued his attack against the new platform and bashing of Republicans.

“This platform is vile, racist and evil,” he added. “It did not take long for MAGA scum to come spread their lies.”

The 77-year-old also mentioned former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in the late night rant, according to PJ Media.

DeGeneres decided to leave the states for the United Kingdom in response to Trump’s presidential win, along with actress spouse Portia de Rossi.

The All in the Family actor praised DeGeneres for her choice.

“Much respect to her for standing up to madness,” he said.

Reiner was not alone with leaving X for BlueSky. MSNBC host Joy Reid, former CNN anchor Don Lemon, and actor Mark Hamill pledged to leave the platform.

Reiner final X post continued the leftist rhetoric that Trump is bad for America.

“Now that America has elected a Convicted Felon with Authoritarian proclivities, I fear that Democracy’s return won’t be any time soon,” he wrote. “The long term solutions are daunting. Democrats need to re adopt the 50 state strategy.”

Users were quick to point out Reiner’s hypocrisy with the post.

“Wait I thought you were leaving X and leaving the country?” one user asked.

Charlotte Man Charged w/ Selling Guns to Illegal Immigrants

Ken Silva
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Charlotte Man Charged w/ Selling Guns to Illegal Immigrants

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Charges were recently unsealed against a Charlotte resident who allegedly purchased as many as 100 firearms for illegal immigrants in the area.

According to an ATF agent’s affidavit, the defendant, Walter Adonai Rivera Chinchilla, came on the ATF’s radar after DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, seized a shipment of weapons that was heading to Honduras. HSI investigators tracked six 9mm pistols that were purchased by Chinchilla in July 2024.

ATF investigators then approached the gun shop that sold to Chinchilla, pulling surveillance video that showed him with two other men. A gun store employee told the ATF that the men were Hispanic.

The ATF then set up a sting on Chinchilla. On Oct. 2, an undercover ATF agent met with him at The Aisle Pawn Shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. Chinchilla apparently purchased firearms from the pawn shop and then sold them to the undercover ATF agent.

“Once the transaction was complete, CHINCHILLA and the UC began discussing the trafficking of firearms. During this conversation, which was audio and video recorded, CHINCHILLA advised that he had a contact that could smuggle firearms out of the United States for a fee,” the ATF agent’s affidavit said.

Chinchilla spoke with the undercover ATF agent again on Oct. 8, allegedly saying that it would cost about $1,800 to smuggle six firearms to Mexico. He had several more interactions with the undercover agent before his arrest.

Chinchilla had a detention hearing on Nov. 5, and U.S. District Judge David Keesler ordered him to remain in jail.

The Probation Office had recommended that Chinchilla be released on bond, but Judge Keesler disregarded that recommendation.

“Probation recommends a bond. However, the government’s forecast suggests that Defendant has repeatedly made illegal purchases of firearms (perhaps as many as 60 to 100 total) for persons who could not otherwise legally obtain them,” Judge Keesler said on Nov. 8, explaining his reason to keep Chinchilla detained.

“He has multiple failures to appear on traffic offenses; frankly, it appears he rarely went to court on any of his multiple traffic cases. His father is a native of Honduras and may be in the process of moving back there.”

Judge Keesler did add that he might reconsider his decision if Chinchilla can “lock down some things—like greater corroboration of employment, more detail about the proposed residence in Rock Hill, and perhaps a proposed third−party custodian.”

Chinchilla was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 18. His lawyers then filed a motion to have him released. He’s set to be arraigned this Tuesday, and his motion to be released on bond will presumably be considered then.

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

NeverTrump Ga. Attorney Gen. Chris Carr Announces Gubernatorial Bid

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NeverTrump Ga. Attorney Gen. Chris Carr Announces Gubernatorial Bid

(Kim Jarrett, The Center Square) Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Thursday he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.

Carr made the announcement on his personal X page, which also included a link to his campaign website.

“As a proven conservative, building on the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue, I’m running to create jobs for hardworking Georgians, keep our families and our neighborhoods safe, and vigorously defend our constitution and our freedoms,” Carr said in the post.

Kemp is term-limited and cannot run again.

Carr was first elected as attorney general in 2016. Prior to that, he served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development under former Gov. Nathan Deal.

He also worked for the late U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson as his chief of staff.

Carr’s annoucnement is likely the opening salvo in what could be a tense primary battle with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Although both are Republicans, Carr, along with Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, has been inconsistent at best in supporting the “America First” agenda of President-elect Donald Trump.

Carr, while keeping a relatively low profile, has been a reluctant ally when it comes to enforcing election integrity, as the state has faced a barrage of attacks from activist organizations led by failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and bankrolled by dark-money groups linked to the Soros Foundation.

Trump notably made peace with Kemp during the 2024 election after their public feud in the wake of the disputed 2020 election, in which both Kemp and Raffensperger refused to examine widespread evidence of illegal ballot harvesting in Fulton County and elsewhere.

Jones, an outspoken Trump supporter, succeeded anti-Trump RINO Geoff Duncan in the state’s 2022 lieutenant gubernatorial election—vindication after Duncan stripped the former state legislator of his committees for petitioning Kemp to hold a special session and attempting to delay the certification of the 2020 election.

Several other candidates are speculated to join the race, but only one other has officially launched a campaign. Democrat Olu Brown announced his intentions in August.

Brown was formally the founding and lead pastor of Impact United Methodist Church in East Point, according to his campaign website.

Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.

Merchan Puts Indefinite Pause on Trump’s Sentencing as Dismissal Decision Looms

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Merchan Puts Indefinite Pause on Trump’s Sentencing as Dismissal Decision Looms

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) A New York judge on Friday once again delayed the sentencing in President-elect Donald Trump’s porn star case as Trump seeks dismissal of the felony convictions.

Judge Juan Merchan granted Trump’s defense request to file a motion for dismissal. He also set deadlines for future motions and stayed his decision on dismissal. Merchan also hit pause on sentencing, which was set for Nov. 26.

“In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned,” Trump Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement.

“President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases,” he added. “All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again.”

In late May, Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records for listing payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy bunny Karen McDougal as legal costs ahead of the 2016 election.

Under New York state law, falsifying business records in the first degree is a Class E felony with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Trump’s defense team must file a motion for dismissal by Dec. 2. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office plan to oppose that motion. That opposition motion is due by Dec. 9.

Earlier this week, Bragg suggested sentencing could wait until 2029 when Trump finishes his final term in the White House and no longer enjoys the protections of the nation’s highest office.

Trump and his allies slammed the outrageous effort to delay justice, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, calling it an “unprecedented … abuse of power.”

Merchan previously said that if Trump’s dismissal motion fails, “the law requires the imposition of sentence following a guilty verdict without unreasonable delay.”

Trump wants the case dismissed. His defense attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the case based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity decision.

In July, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that presidents and former presidents have absolute immunity for actions related to core constitutional powers and presumptive immunity for official actions. The ruling said the president has no immunity for unofficial conduct.

Prosecutors said they are trying to balance Trump’s next term in the White House with the jury’s verdict in the case.

“The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances and that the arguments raised by defense counsel in correspondence … require careful consideration to ensure that any further steps in this proceeding appropriately balance (1) a jury verdict of guilt following trial that has presumption of regularity and (2) the Office of the President,” prosecutor Michael Colangelo wrote.

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