Good morning, Wake Up Right fam! Stevie Wonder could see this coming, but today, I can tell you — officially — that Republicans have secured majority control of the House of Representatives. This, along with their control of the White House and Senate, gives the good guys full control of the D.C. swamp.

With great power comes great responsibility.

• 🌐 Rep. Elise Stefanik will become Trump’s UN Ambassador

• ♻️ Lee Zeldin will serve as Trump's head of the EPA

• 🗓️ On this day in 1954, Ellis Island closed

• 🚘️ Tesla stock price climbed above $1 trillion market cap

• 🪙 Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $87,000+ per coin

• 🚺️ 51% of married women voted Trump vs. 38% of unmarried women

^{Sources: Trump/Truth Social, Trump/Truth Social, History, WSJ, AP}

Friends with benefits: How Kamala paid millions for celeb events

Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records reveal Kamala Harris’ campaign ended up $20 million in debt after raising more than $1 billion — partly from blowing millions on star-studded events and performances.

The details: FEC records show the Kamala campaign spent at least $20 million on celebrity appearances throughout the campaign. However, it is not known if or how much the stars were paid directly because the reports list the expenses as “event production.”

• The “event production” expense reports coincide with performances from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, rapper 2 Chains, and The Isley Brothers and are estimated to have cost over $20 million.

The Big O: One celebrity who directly benefited from Kamala’s spending spree was Oprah Winfrey, whose Harpo Productions was paid $1 million after she hosted a town hall for the presidential hopeful.

• When confronted about the payments by a TMZ reporter, Oprah said: “I was paid nothing — ever." The FEC filings are indisputable.

Paying social media influencers: Kamala also paid $3.9 million to Village Marketing Agency, which funneled that cash to thousands of influencers in an attempt to appeal to young voters.

Viral claims: There have been claims on social media that Beyonce was paid $10 million and Megan Thee Stallion was paid $5 million for their respective appearance and performance at Kamala rallies. I have found nothing to substantiate this.

What about the other $980 million? A huge chunk, $654 million, was blown on advertising. [For reference, that’s more than twice what Trump spent on ads.] $56.6 million was spent on payroll. [Trump spent $9 million.] 

Zoom out: Despite the reckless spending, Kamala still lost to Trump in every battleground state.

In-fighting words: DNC Finance Committee Chair Lindy Li took the gloves off and said: “The truth is this is just an epic disaster, this is a $1 billion disaster."

Real talk from G: Putting aside how Kamala blew her donors’ money, the key takeaway is that she ended up in debt despite having more than $1 billion. We dodged a bullet having that in charge of our country.

[Source: Washington Times]

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Taxpayers foot the bill for Fauci’s security

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical advisor to Joe Biden, has enjoyed $15 million in taxpayer-funded security since retiring in 2022.

The details: According to Open The Books, which obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act request, Fauci has been enjoying a full US Marshal security team, including a chauffeur.

Back up: Fauci is best known for his actions during the Covid-19 pandemic — denying the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab and pushing for mass vaccinations while lying about their efficacy.

Zoom out: Fauci was the highest-paid federal employee between 2019 and 2022, and since retiring, he has earned an estimated $355,000 annual pension.

Big picture: The role of the U.S. Marshals Service isn't to be personal, long-term security detail. Open The Books could find no other example where a former federal employee received this level of protection.

[Source: The Post Millennial]

Who do you like for Secretary of State?

Yesterday, I asked you who you wanted to see as Trump’s Secretary of State based on a list of rumored candidates. Since that poll, reports have dropped that Marco Rubio is the pick, but it’s not confirmed. Here’s what you thought:

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔘 Ric Grenell (202)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔘 Marco Rubio (141)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🔘 Vivek Ramaswamy (678)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔘 Bill Hagerty (17)

Total votes: 1038

🤝 Elon Musk has been seen at Mar-a-Lago nearly every day since the election, weighing in on staffing decisions for Donald Trump's new administration. Read more.

🔞 Iraq is close to lowering the age of consent for girls from 18 to 9 years old. Read more.

😡 Dr. Fauci has enjoyed a $15 million taxpayer-funded security detail since retiring from public service in December 2022. Read more.

👸 Toy company Mattel apologized after it was discovered that the packaging for its “Wicked” themed toys directed customers to an explicit pornography site. Read more.

📰 The Washington Post has announced a return-to-office mandate for employees, signaling a shift from pandemic-era remote work practices. Read more.

✈️ A Spirit Airlines flight was battered with gunfire as it tried to land in Haiti, injuring a flight attendant and forcing a diversion to the Dominican Republic. Read more.

👩‍⚖️ Liberal Justice Sonya Sotomayor is expected to remain on the Supreme Court despite calls from Democrats for her to step down and be replaced with a younger justice before Trump takes office. Read more.

✅ RFK Jr. intends to terminate 600 employees at the National Institutes of Health and replace them with a new group of workers. Read more.

🫖 Melania Trump snubbed Jill Biden, choosing not to attend her husband's meeting with Joe Biden tomorrow, where First Ladies traditionally have tea in the residence. Read more.

📉 Obama insider and former speechwriter Jon Favreau says prior to Biden dropping out, his internal polling had Trump winning 400 electoral votes. Read more.

🎥 Meet Tom Homan, your new Border Czar. Watch. It gets spicy towards the end!

🎥 Federal employees say they're “anxious and scared” of Trump's plan to fire anyone not on board with his policies. Watch. That's the point. 😊

🎥 Young, Black Trump supporter in high school defends himself against his classmates and his teacher. Watch.

🎥 A tram has been set on fire, and at least one man attacked in the streets, as pro-Palestinian “youths” have taken to the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands days after prior antisemitic violence. Watch.

🎥 Donald Trump's granddaughter Kai posted a VLOG from Election night. Watch.

🎥 LMAO, there's a new social media trend of liberals filming themselves leaving the U.S. since Trump won. Watch. Bye bye!

🎥 West Virginia college football players celebrate a touchdown with the Trump dance. Watch.

🎥 CNN's Fareed Zakaria gives Democrats a reality check. Watch.

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