Happy Friday, Wake Up Right fam! Wanna know how bad inflation has gotten under Joe Biden? A single banana just sold for $6.2 million. Seriously. An "artist" duct-taped a banana to a wall and called it art, and some schmuck paid for it at a Sotheby’s auction.

In other news, I duct-taped my half-eaten apple to a piece of plywood. I will start the bidding at $1 million for anyone who wants it…

• ❎ 72% of Americans want Trump to deport all illegal criminals

• 🤡 MSNBC cut Rachel Maddow’s salary by $5 million

• 🚗 10% of US adults almost never drive

• 🤖 Business spending on generative AI grew 500% in 2024

^{Sources: Harvard-Harris, NY Post, Pew, Menlo Ventures}

Transition in transition: Gaetz steps down, Bondi steps in

President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Florida AG Pam Bondi to serve as the United States Attorney General hours after his first pick, Matt Gaetz, withdrew himself.

Matt Gaetz steps down: Matt Gaetz announced his decision in a post on X, saying: "[I]t is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction" to the Trump transition and added, "I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General."

• The buzz: According to reports, Gaetz didn't have support from four Republican Senators [Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and John Curtin] and could only afford to lose three.

• Baggage: Allegations that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old [the DOJ investigated and found no charges to bring] gave the Trump-hating Senators an excuse to withhold their support.

Pam Bondi steps in: Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, writing: “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again… She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter.”

• Background: Bondi served as Florida's first female Attorney General between 2011 and 2019. In 2020, she was one of the lawyers defending Trump during his first impeachment.

• Baggage? No, but the left will try to scandalize that she was a registered lobbyist for Qatar.

MSNBC melts down: One commentator on the left-wing network warned their audience: "We should all fear [Bondi] because she's competent... She is a dangerous and effective pick."

Big picture: There is only one Matt Gaetz... There’s a reason that the mere thought of him as AG struck fear into the hearts of the deep state. But Bondi is a good replacement who should have a much easier time getting 50 votes in the Senate.

[Source: WSJ, The Hill]

The left is trying to smear Pete Hegseth’s good name, but the story smells.

Note from G: I wasn’t going to justify this story with an article, but after the media weaponized unproven allegations against Matt Gaetz to drive him out, I think we must stay on top of this.

The left is trying to sabotage President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense with news articles about an alleged sexual assault that took place seven years ago. But the allegations don’t smell right…

High-level details: Back in 2017, a woman filed a sexual assault complaint against Pete Hegseth, which he denies. At the time, police investigated the accusations but declined to file charges because they could not be "supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

The long story: Hegseth was at the hotel bar after attending a Republican conference in California when he became intoxicated while flirting with two women [he was single at the time]. A female “handler” for the event was called to help him back to his hotel room. Security footage shows the pair arm-in-air and smiling, heading back to his room, where she also entered. And both agree a sexual encounter occurred.

• Hegseth claims they had consensual sex and that she was the aggressor. He claims that afterward, she expressed concern because her husband and kids were waiting for her in her hotel room and told him he planned to tell them she fell asleep on someone’s couch.

• The unidentified woman says she awoke feeling “hazy” [suggesting she was drugged?] and went back to her hotel room, where her husband was relieved to see her after he had been searching for her. She claimed she had been raped after bringing Hegseth back to his room.

The investigation: The woman went to the emergency room where she was given a rape kit exam, which showed she was positive for semen but did not show evidence of forced contact [my hundreds of hours of watching Law & Order SVU suggests that means there was no bruising or tears]. Monterey County police found no evidence to charge Hegseth.

• It’s worth noting that in her story, the woman suggests she was drugged. But the rape kit exam would have tested to see if drugs were in her system.

The NDA: In February 2020, the woman and her husband hired a lawyer to go after Hegseth. He ultimately paid her for a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), with his lawyer noting it was the height of the #MeToo movement and Hegseth was a public figure.

Big picture: Only Pete and this woman know what happened. But police investigated and found no evidence, and that should count for something in a nation where we believe in being innocent until proven guilty. But no matter if its Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, or Pete Hegseth... It seems like every time the left is backed into a corner, they play the same hand.

The last word goes to Megyn Kelly, who reacted to the story, saying, "I'm sorry. This smells. This one smells. Her husband's in the hotel room? She spent nine hours in Pete's hotel room? ... This is like a worst nightmare, where you make an incredibly stupid decision, and then you're in an all-out panic to save your marriage... And you come up with something dramatic… I am open-minded to more proof if this woman's got it. But so far, this smells."

[Source: Megyn Kelly Show]

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🚀 Russia says it responded to Ukraine's use of U.S. and U.K. missiles by firing a new kind of hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian military facility and warned they were escalating toward a global conflict. Read more.

✅ Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey finally conceded defeat against his Republican challenger, Dave McCormick, giving Republicans a 53-seat majority. Read more.

🇮🇱 The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read more.

🧠 Elon Musk's brain-chip company, Neuralink, has been approved to recruit participants in Canada for its first test outside the U.S. Read more.

🏈 The NFL warned teams and the players' union about skilled criminals targeting athletes' homes, citing recent burglaries of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Read more.

✅ Republican Nick Begich defeated the Democrat incumbent to secure Alaska's lone House seat. Read more.

🎭️ The Illinois Supreme Court overturned disgraced actor Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax, dropping all charges against him and ruling that he cannot be tried again. Read more.

🇧🇷 Brazil’s federal police indicted ex-President Bolsonaro and 36 others for allegedly plotting a coup to retain power following his 2022 election defeat. Read more.

🔎 The DOJ wants Google to sell off its Chrome browser following a ruling in August that the company holds a monopoly in the search market. Read more.

⚧️ HBO released a statement defending its decision to keep Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling involved in upcoming projects after transgender activists denounced her opposition to affirming trans identity. Read more.

🆘 A Venezuelan illegal alien was charged with raping his boss' 14-year-old daughter in Colorado. Read more.

📚️ MIT says that starting in the fall of 2025, students from families with incomes under $200,000 a year will not be charged tuition. Read more.

🎥 This arrogant illegal alien criminal robbed the Manhattan DA's assistant. Watch.

🎥 Weird. AOC really wants dudes in her bathroom. Watch.

🎥 Browns QB delivers the pregame interview America needs. Watch.

🎥 In a world of woke TV commercials, Volvo made this masterpiece. Watch.

🎥 A mentally unwell transgender dude melts down at a Nancy Mace event. Watch.

🎥 Rep. Tom Tiffany calls out Biden's HHS Secretary for allowing children to be pimped out after they cross the border. Watch.

🎥 Megyn Kelly and Glenn Greenwald explain why the 7-year-old Pete Hegseth sexual assault allegations don't pass the smell test. Watch.

🎥 Biden hosts NBA champions, the Celtics, and makes a joke that I actually thought was funny. Watch.

🎥 Pete Hegseth responds to media questions about sexual assault allegations. Watch.

🎥 Nikki Haley is slandering Trump cabinet picks Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. Watch. SMH…

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