The resignation of U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida’s 1st Congressional District was formally recorded Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives. This development came as U.S. Representative Mike Johnson was elected House Speaker. Gaetz’s resignation concludes his tenure in the 118th Congress and the 119th Congress following a tumultuous series of events.
Documents obtained by the Washington Examiner reveal that the U.S. State Department is preparing to redistribute employees from the now-shuttered Global Engagement Center (GEC) into a newly created “hub” that will continue similar activities, including efforts to counter what it calls foreign disinformation.
On Thursday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser officially announced his candidacy for the state’s 2026 gubernatorial election. Weiser, a Denver Democrat, has held the position of Attorney General since 2019 and is the first major figure to declare their intention to run for governor in the upcoming election.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered an open investigation into the mayor of Coalcoman, Michoacan, after a controversial Christmas party where local government officials allegedly praised drug lords from the notorious Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). The party, attended by city officials and a high-ranking military officer, reportedly saw cartel members distributing gifts to children, with a banner later thanking the cartel’s leader, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, and his sons for their “generosity.”
After 43 years, the murder of 18-year-old Ohio waitress Debra Lee Miller has been solved through advanced DNA technology. Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann announced Monday that James Vanest, Miller’s upstairs neighbor at the time of her death, was conclusively identified as her killer. Vanest, who was 26 in 1981, was fatally shot in November while authorities attempted to serve him an indictment on unrelated federal gun charges.
The state of Georgia was shaken by the tragic death of Effingham County Judge Stephen Yekel, who reportedly took his own life in his courtroom just before his scheduled retirement. At 74, Judge Yekel was discovered by a deputy around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, though he is believed to have died late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
