Nebraska grappling with illegal border crosser crime
49ers Name Starting Quarterback For Week 12 Amid Brock Purdy InjurySuze Orman has blunt words on Social Security for retired Americans
The drug dealers, thieves and gang leaders who are granted clemency by Biden
Laser-based lidar tech is rewriting history — if climate change doesn't erase it first
President-elect Donald Trump vowed to make immediate and sweeping changes after he takes office on Jan. 20, such as pardons for those convicted in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and said he wants to find a legislative solution to keep Dreamers in the country legally. In an interview with Kristen Welker , moderator of NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump also said he’ll work to extend the tax cuts passed in his first term. He said he will not seek to impose restrictions on abortion pills. He plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and try to end birthright citizenship. And he said the pardons for Jan. 6 rioters will happen on day one, arguing many have endured overly harsh treatment in prison. > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are “These people are living in hell,” he said. Trump’s first postelection network television interview took place Friday at Trump Tower in Manhattan, where he spoke for more than an hour about policy plans Americans can expect in his next term. Trump said he would fulfill a campaign promise to levy tariffs on imports from America’s biggest trading partners. In a noteworthy moment, he conceded uncertainty when Welker asked if he could “guarantee American families won’t pay more” as a result of his plan. “I can’t guarantee anything,” Trump said. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” Trump also said he will not raise the age for government programs like Social Security and Medicare and will not make cuts to them as part of spending reduction efforts led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Asked if “raising ages or any of that stuff” was “off the table,” Trump agreed, saying, “I won’t do it.” Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world. Trump spoke in a calm, measured tone and at times sparred with Welker when she fact-checked him. He seemed heartened by the scope of his victory on Nov. 5. After winning the popular vote and capturing all seven of the key battleground states, he said with pride, “I’m getting called by everybody.” He’s heard from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post: “We’re having dinner,” he said. “People like me now, you know?” he said, adding: “It’s different than the first — you know, when I won the first time, I wasn’t nearly as popular as this. And one thing that’s very important, in terms of the election, I love that I won the popular vote, and by a lot.” ‘Maybe he should’ Trump did segue into familiar grievances. He would not concede that he lost the 2020 election. Asked how, in his view, Democrats stole that election but not this one even though they control the White House, Trump said, “Because I think it was too big to rig.” He blamed President Joe Biden for the nation’s political divide and heaped insults on perceived foes. Adam Schiff, the incoming Democratic senator from California, is “a real lowlife,” he said. But he delivered something of a mixed message when it comes to political retribution. Trump made clear he believes he’s been wronged, but he also sounded a conciliatory note, saying he will not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “Retribution will be through success.” A fear among Trump’s political opponents is that he’ll use the government’s fearsome investigative machinery to exact vengeance. He has chosen two allies for top law enforcement positions: Pam Bondi for attorney general and Kash Patel for FBI director. If confirmed, Trump suggested, they’d have autonomy in how they go about enforcing the law. Yet he also singled out people he believes crossed the line in investigating his actions, calling special counsel Jack Smith “very corrupt.” Members of the House committee that examined the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol were “political thugs and, you know, creeps,” committing offenses in going about their work, he said. “For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said. Asked if he would direct the Justice Department and FBI to punish them, Trump said, “No, not at all. I think that they’ll have to look at that, but I’m not going to — I’m going to focus on drill, baby, drill” — a reference to tapping more oil supplies. If Biden wants to do it, he could pardon the committee members, Trump said, “and maybe he should.” Minimum wage, immigration and Obamacare The interview covered a range of topics — during which he continued to keep some space between himself and the conservative “Project 2025” that was intended to be a blueprint for his administration to implement new policies. But while he once disavowed the policy guidebook, he embraced it more closely and agreed some of the drafters are now part of his incoming administration. “Many of those things I happen to agree with,” Trump said. He said he would consider raising the federal minimum wage, which has been $7.25 an hour since 2009, but would like to consult with the nation’s governors. “I will agree, it’s a very low number,” he said. He said he’ll release his full medical records. Trump will be 82 by the time his term ends in 2029 — the same age Biden is now. He said he doesn’t plan to divest from Truth Social, the billion-dollar platform he launched after leaving office. “I don’t know what’s to divest,” he said. “All I do is I put out messages.” And he said he will not try to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom he has criticized in the past. He said his children won’t join him as White House aides, a departure from his last term, when daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner both served as senior advisers with West Wing offices. “I’ll miss them,” he said. He didn’t address a question about what role his wife, Melania Trump, will play in the new term, though he described the future first lady as both “very elegant” and “very popular.” Immigration was the centerpiece of Trump’s campaign, and he didn’t flinch in saying he will carry out mass deportation of those who are living in the country illegally. First will be convicted criminals, he said. Pressed on whether the targets would go beyond that group, Trump added: “Well, I think you have to do it, and it’s a hard — it’s a very tough thing to do. It’s — but you have to have, you know, you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally.” It’s also possible that American citizens will be caught up in the sweep and deported with family members who are here illegally, or could choose to go. Asked about families with mixed immigration status, where some are in the U.S. legally and some illegally, Trump said, “I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.” The expense and logistical complexities of deporting millions of people haven’t deterred him, he said. “You have no choice,” he said. “First of all, they’re costing us a fortune. But we’re starting with the criminals, and we’ve got to do it. And then we’re starting with the others, and we’re going to see how it goes.” An exception might be the “Dreamers” — people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and have lived here for years. He voiced openness toward a legislative solution that would allow them to remain in the country. “I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” he said, praising “Dreamers” who’ve gotten good jobs, started businesses and become successful residents. “We’re going to have to do something with them,” he said. He also said he intends to eliminate birthright citizenship, the protection enshrined in the 14th Amendment that guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents. Asked about the likelihood that doing so unilaterally would face legal opposition, Trump said he would consider amending the Constitution. “We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” Trump said. “But we have to end it.” During Trump’s one debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he was criticized for saying he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act, the health care law signed by President Barack Obama. It’s not clear Trump’s ideas have evolved further. “Obamacare stinks,” he said. “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it.” When will he have a developed plan? “Well, I don’t know that you’ll see it at all,” Trump said, adding that health care experts are studying possible alternatives. Foreign policy Later Friday after the interview, Trump flew to Paris for a ceremony marking the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which had been devastated by a fire. After arriving, he met privately with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted on social media that the trio talked about reaching “a just peace” in his country’s war with Russia. Zelenskyy joined for roughly the last 10 minutes of the meeting, a Trump transition official said. In the interview with “Meet the Press,” Trump said he is actively trying to end the war, “if I can,” adding that Ukraine can “possibly” expect it won’t get as much military aid from the U.S. when he’s back in office. He would not commit to keeping the U.S. in NATO, the European military alliance that has been a bulwark against Russia since World War II. “If they pay their bills, absolutely,” he would preserve America’s role in the alliance, he said. On another foreign policy front, Trump expressed doubt that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be able to remain in power. “It’s amazing, because he stayed for years under you would think much more adverse conditions, and all of the sudden, just rebels are going and they’re taking over large pieces of territory,” Trump said. “People have bet against him for a long time, and so far that hasn’t worked. But this seems to be different.” ‘No American carnage’ One phrase that leapt out of Trump’s first inaugural address in 2017: “American carnage.” It evoked a nation ravaged by crime and saddled with rusting factories. This time, Trump said the takeaway from his inaugural speech will be different. “We’re going to have a message,” he said. “It will make you happy: unity. It’s going to be a message of unity.” “And no American carnage?” Welker asked. “No American carnage, no,” the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president said. Asked for his message to the Americans who didn’t vote for him, Trump compared them to his most strident supporters — a shift from his campaign rhetoric. “I’m going to treat you,” he said, “every bit as well as I have treated the greatest MAGA supporters.” This article first appeared on NBCNews.com . Read more from NBC News here:Trump uses image of Jill Biden to sell his perfumes and colognes
Hours after the publication of a bombshell report revealing “substantial evidence” that Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, the former congressman issued a fundraising plea through his recently launched political action committee. Gaetz — who was Donald Trump ’s first pick for U.S. attorney general — is accused of violating federal and state laws against statutory rape, prostitution, illicit drug use and abusing the power of his office. The results of a years-long House Ethics Committee investigation is a “sham witch hunt — just like the ones they conducted against President Trump ,” Gaetz said in an email through his Florida Firebrand PAC Monday. “I need your help. Can you chip in any amount before midnight?” the message asked. “I need your help,” the message continued. “I’ve fought for you in Congress for eight years against the worst of the Radical Left and Uniparty. Now, they’re seeking their revenge. Can you chip in anything you can spare before midnight to help me defend myself?” The former representative from Florida resigned from Congress last month after Trump announced his intention to nominate Gaetz for the top job at the Department of Justice. Facing mounting scrutiny over allegations at the center of the ethics committee probe, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, then announced a new role as a host at right-wing outlet One America News Network . Gaetz has denied wrongdoing, and has characterized the witnesses who testified against him in the committee probe and a parallel federal investigation as not credible. “I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued,” he wrote in his fundraising message. “Instead, House Ethics posted a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.” The ethics committee’s report details Gaetz’s alleged conduct beginning shortly after he was sworn into the House, including a sexual encounter with a high school student in 2017 when he was 35 years old. He denied ever having “sexual contact” with someone under 18 years old, and he repeated his statement that his 30s “were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too.” “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal. I live a different life now,” he added. Through the PAC, Gaetz “hopes to keep Florida Red while supporting President Trump’s mission to Make America Great Again,” according to a description on the PAC’s website and in fundraising messages. “Matt is standing strong for Florida’s values and America’s future,” the description says. “As Chairman of the Florida Firebrand PAC, Matt will fight alongside President Trump to protect the values that make this nation great.”DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule . Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war. The swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," President Joe Biden said , crediting action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a “fundamental act of justice” but also a “moment of risk and uncertainty,” and said rebel groups are “saying the right things now” but the U.S. would assess their actions. Russia requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the U.N., in a post on Telegram. The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani , is poised to chart the country’s future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the U.N. In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as “a victory to the Islamic nation.” Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of “the free Syrian state,” and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. An online video purported to show rebels freeing dozens of women at the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups say thousands were tortured and killed . At least one small child was seen among them. “This happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of prison and know where is he,” said one relative, Bassam Masr. "I have been searching for him for two hours. He has been detained for 13 years.” Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi appeared on state TV and sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects.” “We will not deal with people the way the Assad family did," he added. Damascus residents prayed in mosques and celebrated in squares, calling, “God is great.” People chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. Teenage boys picked up weapons apparently discarded by security forces and fired into the air. Soldiers and police fled their posts and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Families wandered the presidential palace, walking by damaged portraits of Assad. Other parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed. “It’s like a dream. I need someone to wake me up," said opposition fighter Abu Laith, adding the rebels were welcomed in Damascus with “love.” Rebels stood guard at the Justice Ministry, where Judge Khitam Haddad said he and colleagues were protecting documents. Outside, residents sought information about relatives who disappeared under Assad. The rebels “have felt the pain of the people,” said one woman, giving only her first name, Heba. She worried about possible revenge killings by the rebels, many of whom appeared to be underage. Syria’s historically pro-government newspaper al-Watan called it “a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood.” It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing past government statements ordered from above. A statement from the Alawite sect that formed the core of Assad's base called on young Syrians to be “calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country.” The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. In Qamishli in the northeast, a Kurdish man slapped a statue of the late leader Hafez Assad with his shoe. The rebel advances since Nov. 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army melted away. The road to Damascus from the Lebanese border was littered with military uniforms and charred armored vehicles. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts. The end of Assad’s rule was a major blow to Iran and its proxies, already weakened by conflict with Israel . Iran said Syrians should decide their future “without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention.” The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned. Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said it was “effectively impossible” to help the Syrian government after it admitted the insurgents' military superiority. Speaking on Iranian state media from an undisclosed location, he said Syria's government decided Saturday night to hand over power peacefully. “When the army and the people could not resist, it was a good decision to let go to prevent bloodshed and destruction,” Akbari said, adding that some of his colleagues left Syria before sunrise. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on state TV, said there were concerns about the “possibility of civil war, disintegration of Syria, total collapse and turning Syria into a shelter for terrorists.” Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali has said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video on Syrian opposition media showed armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key regional mediator, hosted an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and top officials from eight countries with interests in Syria late Saturday, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said they agreed on the need “to engage all parties on the ground," including the HTS, and that the main concern is “stability and safe transition.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions. Israel’s military later warned residents of five southern Syria communities to stay home for their safety, and didn’t respond to questions. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the U.S., views it as occupied, and the Arab League on Sunday condemned what it called Israel’s efforts to take advantage of Assad’s downfall to occupy more territory. Sewell reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue, Sarah El Deeb and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut; Samar Kassaballi, Omar Sanadiki and Ghaith Alsayed in Damascus; Jon Gambrell in Manama, Bahrain; Josef Federman in Doha, Qatar; and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem, contributed.