Manifesto gives investigators clearer picture of suspect in Cybertruck explosion
Authorities confirmed that the active-duty U.S. Army soldier, who took his own life before blowing up a Tesla Cybertruck in front of Trump Hotel Las Vegas, had “no animosity” towards President-elect Donald Trump.
During a press conference on Friday afternoon, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill revealed new details into the investigation surrounding 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, who shot himself in the head before he blew up the rented Tesla Cybertruck on New Year’s Day.
McMahill said they were able to recover information from one of his two phones so far that held a journal of his movements leading up to his death and have also received a manifesto, showing that he was suffering from PTSD and appeared to have no animosity towards Trump.
Despite Livelsberger appearing to have no ill-will towards the president-elect, voting records indicated that he was a registered “No Labels” voter.
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According to the party’s website, they are a “nationwide movement of common-sense Americans from both parties and no party who reject extremism, embrace common sense, and believe America only works when we work together.”
The group states that their mission is to give power to the middle, in Washington and across America and they say their “work has never been so essential.”
The El Paso County clerk’s office in Colorado confirmed to Fox News Digital that Livelsberger registered with the No Labels party beginning in 2020. However, the office confirmed that his registration was canceled, before he re-registered in July 2024.
The clerk’s office also noted that Livelsberger voted in the last election.
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When asked about his “No Labels” voter status, officials said they were still looking into his history and could not comment, but reiterated that he did not appear to dislike Trump.
Livelsberger was a U.S. Army special operations soldier who had several addresses associated with him and was on leave from Germany, where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group.
An Army spokesperson told Fox News previously that Livelsberger had begun active duty in the Army in January 2006 and reached the rank of master sergeant.
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Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to the Army Special Forces Command.
Livelsberger joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. The U.S. Army Special Operations Command confirmed Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of his death.
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“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues,” McMahill said.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Judge schedules Trump sentencing and addresses possibility of prison
President-elect Trump’s bid to toss his conviction in his New York criminal hush money case was denied on Friday.
New York Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s request to vacate the verdict in the case based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision.
Sentencing is set for January 10 at 9:30 a.m, with the president-elect having the option to appear in person or virtually. But Merchan said he will not sentence the president-elect to prison.
Merchan wrote in his decision that he is not likely to “impose any sentence of incarceration,” but rather a sentence of an “unconditional discharge,” which means there would be no punishment imposed.
Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
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Merchan noted that he is still reviewing the other motions filed by Trump to dismiss the case.
He also rejected the DA’s suggestion that he preserve the verdict, but end proceedings as it would deny Trump’s right to a path to appeal.
“Today’s order by the deeply conflicted, Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence,” Trump spokesman and incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. “This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed. President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the Witch Hunts.”
Cheung added: “There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.”
Last month, Merchan also denied Trump attorneys’ request to dismiss charges on the basis of presidential immunity.
The ruling comes after President-elect Trump and his team in July requested Merchan overturn his guilty verdict in New York v. Trump, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents have immunity for official acts.
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Merchan ruled that the evidence presented in the trial was related “entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections.”
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump.
After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity for official acts committed while in office.
In the formal motion in July, Trump attorney Todd Blanche pointed to the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, and argued that certain evidence of “official acts” should not have been admitted during the trial.
Trump attorneys, last month, officially requested to “immediately” dismiss charges against the president-elect in New York v. Trump, declaring the “failed lawfare” case “should never have been brought.”
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Trump attorneys said the case “would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond.”
Trump lawyers said that “wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts and his preparations to wield the full Article II executive power authorized by the Constitution pursuant to the overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.”
Bragg, in November, requested to Judge Juan Merchan that the case be stayed until the end of Trump’s second term, but Trump attorneys noted that the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department concluded that “the categorical prohibition on the federal indictment of a sitting president…even if the case were held in abeyance…applies to this situation.”
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They added that Bragg’s “ridiculous suggestion that they could simply resume proceedings after President Trump leaves Office, more than a decade after they commenced their investigation in 2018, is not an option.”
Feds reveal sinister reason why Bourbon Street terror suspect tried to torch Airbnb
The driver behind the deadly terrorist New Years’ attack in New Orleans set fire to his rental property in an effort to destroy bomb-making evidence prior to the attack, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) said.
In a joint statement on Friday, the agencies revealed that they believe 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway of his rented Airbnb before the attack, and “strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime.” But they said the fire burned itself out before spreading to other rooms.
The smoldering of the fire allowed the FBI to recover evidence from the rented Airbnb, including “pre-cursors for bomb-making material and a privately made device suspected of being a silencer for a rifle,” the agencies said.
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The FBI and the ATF also revealed new information on Jabbar’s movements prior to driving a high-speed vehicle down the popular Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
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Jabbar had also placed two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, along Bourbon Street, authorities said. He did not manage to detonate the two explosives prior to his death.
“The FBI assesses that during his attack on Bourbon Street, Jabbar intended to use a transmitter, that was found in the F150 truck, to detonate the two IED’s he placed on Bourbon Street,” the agencies said.
In the latest update, the agencies said that all evidence recovery along Bourbon Street and at the Airbnb rental on Mandeville Street used by Jabbar has been completed.
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“Evidence collected from multiple sites is being evaluated to further the investigation,” the agencies said.
VP Harris mocked for flubbing Pledge of Allegiance: ‘What an embarrassment’
Social media users ripped into Vice President Kamala Harris for appearing to get the words to the Pledge of Allegiance wrong in the U.S. Senate on Friday.
Before swearing in the senators of the 119th Congress, Harris led the pledge and accidentally mixed up its famous opening words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.”
Over the microphone, she could be heard saying, “I pledge allegiance to the United States,” trailing off as she appeared to catch herself, then picked up with the others, “… the United States of America.”
However, the moment went viral on social media, with a multitude of X users mocking her gaffe.
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Outkick.com’s Clay Travis caught the gaffe, sharing, “Kamala Harris just screwed up the pledge.”
“HOLY SMOKES. Kamala just screwed up the pledge of allegiance on the Senate floor. What an embarrassment to this country,” prominent pro-Trump account Johnny Maga posted on the platform.
He added, “Tens of millions of Democrats voted for this woman to be president just weeks ago…”
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Popular conservative poster Mike Engleman, wrote, “Kamala Harris made word salad with the Pledge of Allegiance, lol” – a reference to some of the characteristic rhetorical gaffes Harris has made throughout her vice presidency.
Trending Politics owner Collin Rugg remarked, “JUST IN: Kamala Harris appears to forget the Pledge of Allegiance during the swearing-in ceremony for new senators. This woman is a heartbeat away from being the president.”
Conservative commentator and comedian Terrence K. Williams said, “Kamala Harris doesn’t know the Pledge Of Allegiance. This woman really wanted to be President! It’s actually an embarrassing that the Vice President doesn’t know the Pledge of Allegiance.”
Libs of TikTok added, “OMG. Kamala just messed up saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank God Trump won.”
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Minimum wage hike crushes waffle shop owner’s dream: ‘I’ve cried every day’
Bebop Waffle Shop closed its doors for good on Monday after a new minimum wage hike made operating costs unsustainable.
Corina Luckenbach, the owner of a West Seattle waffle shop, lamented that she had no choice but to close down her business when the city’s new minimum wage law went into effect on Jan. 1, raising hourly pay to $20.76.
“This was my dream. To own my own cafe, to run it how I want to, and to really, like, be in service to people,” Luckenbach told Fox 13, later noting that she has “cried every day,” about its impending closure due to multiple factors.
Luckenbach, who founded Bebop Waffle Shop more than 10 years ago after migrating from New York, specified that her business had already been struggling with both high inflation and lower foot traffic due to the increasing popularity of working from home.
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“This is financially just not going to make sense anymore. Because, just for me, the increase would cost me $32,000 more a year,” she told Fox 13.
According to The New York Post, “The new $20.76 per hour law — which is $4 higher than Washington State’s minimum wage requirement — applies to large and small businesses. It also eliminates tip or benefit credits.”
Numerous locally owned businesses that once served as gathering places for the community have been forced to close down amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, and Bebop Waffle shop, named after the owner’s dog, appears to be no exception.
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Luckenbach revealed to the media that “the hardest thing” about closing the business is that it is ultimately “taking away a safe space for people.”
“The stories of like what it meant to people to come in and feel safe and to feel welcomed — I just, I didn’t know,” she said tearfully.
As 2025 began, nearly half the states in the U.S. saw minimum wage increases, which meant a pay hike for some 9.2 million workers, according to recent data.
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An analysis by The Economic Policy Institute says 21 states were set to raise their minimum wage at the first of the year, along with 48 cities and counties that are lifting their pay floors above their respective state minimums — mostly in California, Colorado and Washington.
Democrat has her mic cut after outcry during House speaker vote
U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett protested the nonvoting status of the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories Friday— sparking mixed reactions after she accused the U.S. in House floor remarks of having a “colonies problem.”
The exchange occurred after Plaskett, a Democrat, stood after the first roll call vote to note what she said was a parliamentary inquiry.
Plaskett then asked the House clerk why she and other delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia were not asked to participate in the House speaker vote.
Combined, she noted that the delegates excluded represent some four million Americans and what she said was “the largest per capita of veterans in this country.”
Speaking over Republican cries of “order!” that could be heard in the background, the House clerk then explained to Plaskett that delegates-elect and the resident commissioner-elect are not qualified to vote in the House speaker election.
“Representatives-elect are the only individuals qualified to vote in the election of a speaker, as provided in Section 36 of the House Rules and Manual,” the clerk said.
That response prompted an impassioned response from Plaskett. “This body, and this nation, has a territories and a colonies problem,” she said, prompting some Democrats to give a standing ovation.
Republicans, for their part, began booing.
“What was supposed to be temporary has now effectively become permanent,” she said. “We must do something about this problem.”
Her mic appeared to have been cut off shortly thereafter.
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Plaskett has served as a non-voting delegate to the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2015, during which time the chamber has voted to elect seven separate House speakers.
Trump reluctantly rehires former admin official: ‘These things usually don’t work out’
President-elect Donald Trump announced via Truth Social Friday night his picks for Deputy Special Presidential Envoy, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia, and spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
Trump’s former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus will serve as Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace, Roman Pipko will serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia, and Tammy Bruce will serve as spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
Morgan Ortagus – Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace
In a post Friday afternoon, Trump announced Ortagus will work under Steven Witkoff, a New York real estate tycoon selected for Middle East envoy in November.
“Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” Trump wrote in the post. “These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens.”
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He added she will “hopefully” be an asset to Witkoff.
“We seek to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region,” Trump wrote. “I expect great results, and soon!”
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Ortagus, an active U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer, served as spokesperson at the Department of State from 2019 to 2021, where she was a member of Trump’s Abraham Accords team.
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Previously, she worked at the Department of the Treasury as a financial intelligence analyst and served as Deputy U.S. Treasury Attaché to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2010 to 2011.
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She is also the founder of Polaris National Security and the host of “The Morgan Ortagus Show” on Sirius XM.
Roman Pipko – U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia
Pipko, who was born and raised in Estonia, represented U.S. interests in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Russian American Enterprise Fund.
“Roman has represented American companies, negotiating projects in Mongolia, Africa, Russia, Western Europe, and his native Estonia, in cooperation with U.S. Government Agencies, and has worked with Foreign Governments on the enforcement of U.S. sanctions,” Trump wrote. “As a legal immigrant, he has lived the promise of America, and I trust that he will advance American interests in his new role.”
Pipko is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Law School.
Bruce will be joining Marco Rubio, nominee for United States Secretary of State, as State Department spokesperson.
Bruce, a political analyst, received her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Southern California.
“After being a liberal activist in the 1990s, [she] saw the lies and fraud of the Radical Left, and quickly became one of the strongest Conservative voices on Radio and Television,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As one of the longest serving News Contributors, Tammy has brought TRUTH to the American People for over two decades. I know she will. bring that same strength of conviction and fearless spirit to her new position as State Department Spokesperson.
Nicole Kidman says bathroom appliance has been key to successful marriage
Nicole Kidman says the key to her successful 18-year marriage to Keith Urban is in their bathroom — more specifically, their shower.
The 57-year-old actress admitted that she sings in the shower and, no surprise, so does her country music star husband.
“I also hear Keith singing in the shower, and I’ll hear his new songs forming,” Kidman told W Magazine.
“We have a double shower. The double-headed shower: key to a successful marriage. Separate commodes and a double-headed shower!”
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The Hollywood actress previously shared another key factor in their relationship.
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The couple decided from the beginning that they would only communicate by voice, Kidman told Parade magazine.
“We don’t text,” Kidman said at the time. “We call. We’ve done this since the very beginning. The reason it started at the beginning was because I didn’t know how to text, and it just kind of worked for us. So, now we don’t.”
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“We just do voice to voice or skin to skin, as we always say. We talk all the time, and we FaceTime, but we just don’t text because I feel like texting can be misrepresentative at times,” she added.
Besides their no-texting rule, their secret to a lasting marriage is easy: “Not having secrets,” Kidman continued.
In 2023, the country music star told Fox News Digital another way they keep their marriage strong.
“It’s always family first,” Urban explained ahead of the ACM Awards.
“It’s balanced, so it means it goes out of balance sometimes, and we just put it back in balance,” he said. “It’s never perfectly in balance, but we get it back on track.”
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Kidman and Urban share two daughters: Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.
The “Big Little Lies” actress additionally has two adopted children with Tom Cruise: Connor and Isabella.
Kidman has a reportedly strained relationship with those children, in part because of their participation in Scientology, alongside Cruise.
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Kidman and Cruise met while working on the 1989 film “Days of Thunder” and married in 1990. They adopted Isabella in 1992 and Connor in 1995. During their divorce in 2001, they shared joint custody.