I’m sure when JD Vance was writing his best seller “Hill Billy Elegy,” he was not expecting it to be used like this! A new report by authorities in Ohio has revealed a man used Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” to smuggle drugs into prison. The move by the drug smuggler is quite shocking considering in Vance’s book he talks about how drugs wreaked havoc on his family. Drugs sneaked into Ohio prison soaked into the pages of JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ https://t.co/ahRB9z8l5C pic.twitter.com/1o4B3PguxP — New York Post (@nypost) November 25, 2025 CBS News reported more details on “Hill Billy Elegy” being used to smuggle drugs into prison: Vice President JD Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” has a storied history as a New York Times bestseller, as the then-31-year-old’s introduction to the nation as a “Trump whisperer,” as a divisive subject among Appalachian scholars and, eventually, as a Ron Howard-directed movie. Its latest role? Secretly transporting drugs into an Ohio prison. The book was one of three items whose pages 30-year-old Austin Siebert, of Maumee, southwest of Toledo, has been convicted of spraying with narcotics and then shipping to Grafton Correctional Institution disguised as Amazon orders. The others were a 2019 GRE Handbook and a separate piece of paper, according to court documents. On Nov. 18, U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent sentenced Siebert to more than a decade in prison for his role in the drug trafficking scheme. Siebert and an inmate at the prison were caught in a recorded conversation discussing the shipment. He either didn’t know or didn’t care that a central theme of “Hillbilly Elegy” is the impact of narcotics addiction on Vance’s family and the broader culture. “Is it Hillbilly?” the inmate asks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Siebert replies, momentarily confused. Then, suddenly remembering, he says, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s the book, the book I’m reading. (Expletive) romance novel.” Charlie Kirk was a fan of the book. Take a look: Hillbilly Elegy has sold 600,000 copies in the last 10 days. The film has been a Top 10 movie on Netflix for 10 days. The more people know JD Vance, the more they like him, and millions of Americans are getting exposed to his story as we speak. — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 25, 2024 CBS News reported shortly after Trump selected Vance as his running mate sales of Hill Billy Elegy soared: JD Vance published his bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016, just months before former President Donald Trump won his first presidential campaign. Now, with Trump announcing Vance as his running mate on Monday, the book is back in the news — and at the top of the bestseller lists. Trump’s decision to pick Vance out of a crowd of vice presidential hopefuls has also boosted viewership of the film adaptation of “Hillbilly Elegy,” with streams of the Ron Howard-directed 2020 movie surging 1,180% on July 15, according to research firm Luminate. As of Wednesday morning, the film was ranked as the fourth-most streamed show on Netflix. Viewers watched the film for a combined 19.2 million minutes on Monday, the day Vance was picked as Trump’s running mate, compared with 1.5 million minutes on the prior day, Luminate said. “Hillbilly Elegy” also tops Amazon’s Kindle bestseller list, surging from No. 220 prior to Trump’s announcement. Sales of the book now total at least 1.6 million copies, according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of hardcover and paperback sales. Vance’s book, which details his roots in rural Kentucky and blue-collar Ohio, was an immediate hit and made him a national celebrity. The memoir became a cultural talking point after Trump’s presidential victory in 2016, with some readers seeking insights from the book about Trump’s appeal to rural voters.

This is why it’s important to pay your taxes! Republican Senator of West Virginia is facing the heat from the Federal government. The Federal government is suing Gov. Justice for failing to pay $5 million in back taxes. The Guardian reported more on the lawsuit against Justice and provided further details on the back taxes owed: Jim Justice, the Republican US senator, and his wife have agreed to pay more than $5m that the couple owes in back taxes shortly after they were sued over the 16-year-old debt by the federal government. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in their home state of West Virginia, maintained that the Justices had received notice from the US treasury department of the funds due since 2009 but had “neglected or refused to make full payment of those assessments”. The suit demanded that Jim and Cathy Justice – a member of West Virginia’s state board of education – pay back the balance of nearly $5.2m along with any other relief that the court deemed “just and proper”. A separate filing later on Monday said the US justice department had struck a settlement with the political couple, who agreed to satisfy the full amount “plus statutory interest and other additions to tax accruing thereafter”. The agreement was pending a judge’s approval. Justice’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment early on Tuesday. He had previously sought to dismiss as political attacks attempts to collect on financial debts for which he was on the hook. Monday’s lawsuit against Justice – a coal mining heir – and his wife came after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in October filed more than $8m in liens against the Justices over unpaid personal taxes. Furthermore, West Virginia tax collectors placed a $1.4m lien on the luxurious Greenbrier hotel resort that their family owns and operates in White Sulphur Springs, a community in the Alleghany Mountains. The Justice family only narrowly avoided foreclosure for the Greenbrier by reaching an agreement with a credit collection company in August 2024. They bought the 246-year-old property – whose guests have included US presidents from Martin van Buren to Donald Trump – out of bankruptcy in 2009 for $20.1m. Justice who previously was the Governor of West Virginia became a household name after bringing his dog “baby dog” to the Senate floor. Take a look: New: West Virginia Senator Jim Justice and his wife Cathy Justice have agreed to pay over $5 million in unpaid income taxes that the IRS said dated back to 2009 pic.twitter.com/dAFbMs15SX — The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 25, 2025 Politico previously reported Justice owed $8 million in back taxes: In October, POLITICO reported that the Internal Revenue Service had filed a notice of a federal tax lien against Justice, listing him and his wife with over $8 million in unpaid assessments. Justice’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the senator has taken an optimistic tone in the past. “I think the bottom line, the whole thing is we have a dispute,” he said of the IRS lien in October. “I think they owe me a whole lot more money than I owe them.” And he has continued to live in luxury, spending the first several months of his Senate term commuting to Washington daily on a private jet as he scouted homes in the area.

The Democrat Party has a new face according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. In his most recent interview on CNBC, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed who he believes is the new leader of the Democrat Party. Bessent shared that after attending the meeting alongside President Trump and newly elected mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani that it’s very clear Mamdani is the new leader of the Democrats. Fox News reported more on Bessent’s remarks and explained why Bessent believes Mamdani is the new leader of Demcorats: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is the leader of the Democratic Party during an interview on Tuesday. Speaking to CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bessent said, “I was in the room, and I think that you’ve got to have some admiration for a candidate who ran a campaign the way he did. It was a great, great campaign.” “He is clearly the leader of the Democratic Party now. And I think it speaks to how open-minded the president is, that he invited him into the Oval,” Bessent said. The treasury secretary pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not endorse Mamdani in the mayoral race. Other key New York Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul, did endorse the mayor-elect. “President Trump wants the best for New Yorkers,” Bessent added. “I can tell you, my impression of the mayor-elect is he’s a young man with a lot of old ideas that have never worked. Point to one example where policies like his have led to anything other than a decline.” He also said it was easy to run a campaign, but actually governing — “keeping people safe, picking up the trash, making the subways run on time” — was a whole other challenge. “We’ll see,” Bessent added. Watch Bessent below: BREAKING: Secretary Scott Bessent says Zohran Mamdani is "clearly the LEADER of the Democratic Party now" "He's a young man with a lot of old ideas that have never WORKED!" "Point to ONE example where policies like his led to anything other than a decline." "It's easy… pic.twitter.com/9p0Xo8ShMk — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 25, 2025 Despite playing nice with Trump in their meeting together, Mamdani immediately after his meeting with President Trump stood by his comments of calling Trump a fascist, per NBC News: New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Saturday that he still believes President Donald Trump is a “fascist” and a “despot,” but he viewed their first face-to-face meeting at the White House on Friday as an “opportunity” to work together on lowering the cost of living for New Yorkers. After months of trading insults during the campaign, the two were friendly during the meeting, with the president telling reporters he’ll be “cheering” for Mamdani, and the mayor-elect calling the meeting “productive.” Following their meeting, Mamdani was asked by reporters if he stood by his decision to call Trump a “fascist” during his campaign. “That’s OK, you can just say it,” Trump told him, jokingly. “It’s easier, it’s easier than explaining it.” On Saturday, Mamdani told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that he does still believe the president is a fascist. “After President Trump said that, I said, ‘Yes,’” Mamdani said. He added, “That’s something I’ve said in the past and I say today. And I think what I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment, and we also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordability crisis for New Yorkers.” Let’s compare Mamdani. With Trump: Trump is so funny The reporter asked Mamdani if he still stands by his comment saying Trump is a fascist, and before Mamdani could answer, Trump said, "That's okay, you can just say yes… It's easier than explaining it." pic.twitter.com/h3imF08DkR — George (@BehizyTweets) November 21, 2025 Without Trump: Mamdani doubles down and says President Trump is a fascist. If true, he wouldn't be on live TV saying it without consequences. Democrats are so stupid pic.twitter.com/0x6cEWyQ63 — Sara Rose (@saras76) November 23, 2025

Here’s your laugh for the day. President Trump on Tuesday made two important pardons. While standing outside of the White House President Trump pardoned two turkeys named “Gobble” and “Waddle.” While doing the pardons President Trump poked fun at Biden’s previous pardon of the turkey’s Peach and Blossom. Watch the hilarious moment here: TRUMP: "Sleepy Joe Biden used an autopen last year for the Turkey Pardon so I have determined that last year's Turkey Pardons are totally invalid… We have located last year's Turkeys, Peach and Blossom, and they were on their way to be processed but I have stopped that… pic.twitter.com/tsjh8eunBC — Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) November 25, 2025 NBC News reported more on Trump participating on the longstanding tradition: President Donald Trump on Tuesday added two Thanksgiving turkeys to his long list of second-term pardons, offering the birds a dose of his much-discussed presidential immunity. After a White House speech that felt more like a campaign rally than a symbolic ceremony, Trump spared Gobble and Waddle from appearing on Thanksgiving dinner plates. He also joked that he was pardoning last year’s turkeys, Peach and Blossom, after a thorough Justice Department investigation found that President Joe Biden’s autopen use invalidated their pardons. “They were on their way to being processed,” he said. He also quipped that he was considering naming the turkeys Chuck and Nancy — in a reference to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — but that he wouldn’t be pardoning them if that were the case. “I would never pardon those people,” he said. He then got into immigration, crime and other issues, while also taking time to mock Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat. “I refuse to talk about the fact that he’s a fat slob,” Trump said, before adding that “I’d like to lose a few pounds, too, by the way.”   Here’s more footage sure to make you laugh: TRUMP IS ON A ROLL “The turkeys go by the names of Gobble & Waddle.” “When I first saw the pictures I thought we should call them … CHUCK AND NANCY.” “But then I realized I would be pardoning them. And I would NEVER pardon those two people.” pic.twitter.com/NFSzMbaZJ2 — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 25, 2025 More: President Trump: “Gobble, you are hereby UNCONDITIONALLY pardoned! Who would want to harm this beautiful bird?!” HAPPY THANKSGIVING PATRIOTS pic.twitter.com/YNvjzevapA — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 25, 2025 The President and First Lady hosted the annual Turkey Pardon of Gobble and Waddle in the Rose Garden pic.twitter.com/QgTe6Gthxr — Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) November 25, 2025 Catch the entire pardoning ceremony below (It begins at the 9 minute mark): Watch the White House Turkey Pardon Ceremony with @POTUS and @FLOTUS https://t.co/Mr2mytz6Ih — Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) November 25, 2025

This might be a sign the U.S. ongoing tensions with Venezuela isn’t going away any time soon. A new report has revealed U.S. troops stationed in the Caribbean will not be going home for Christmas due to the ongoing tensions with Venezuela. The report comes as the Pentagon has launched dozens of attacks against Venezuela drug boats in the region. Yahoo News reported more on the new development: US troops in the Caribbean have reportedly been told they may not be able to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas as the White House ramps up its pressure campaign against Venezuela. Southcom, the US combat command responsible for South and Central America, is restricting leave over the festive period in preparation for land strikes in the region, according to CNN. The news came as Gen Dan Caine, America’s most senior military officer, was dispatched to the Caribbean on Monday. He is set to visit one of several navy warships sent to the region. Gen Caine is one of the architects of Operation Southern Spear, the largest build-up of American military force in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis, designed to stop the flow of drugs, including fentanyl, into the US. The USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last week along with its strike group, meaning the US has amassed more than a dozen warships, a nuclear submarine and 15,000 troops in the region. The stated reason for Gen Caine’s trip is to thank troops for their service ahead of Thanksgiving on Thursday. However, he is also expected to consult with commanders about the armada’s preparations, sources told The New York Times. The Trump administration has reportedly been briefed by military officials on a range of options, including strikes on military or government facilities and special operations raids, CNN reported. Government officials said that covert operations would likely be the first course of action against the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, according to Reuters. The officials added that options under consideration included attempting to overthrow him. Currently all commercial flights off the coast of Puerto Rico which faces Venezuela have been cancelled. Take a look: BREAKING: Temporary flight restriction over parts of Puerto Rico issued by FAA, air has been identified as "National Defense Airspace." pic.twitter.com/RxD086YWLh — E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) October 31, 2025 U.S. military planes were also seen spotted in the region: US military planes and helicopters were seen at a former base in Puerto Rico. The activity comes amid speculation surrounding a new phase of Venezuela-related operations pic.twitter.com/dEnuDPrvAG — Reuters (@Reuters) November 25, 2025 AP reported the latest on the United States’ tension with Venezuela: The nation’s top military officer is visiting American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the U.S. has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats. Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Donald Trump’s primary military adviser, will be joined by David L. Isom, the senior enlisted adviser to Caine. Caine’s office said in a statement that the men will “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.” This will be Caine’s second visit to the region since the U.S. military started building up its presence, which now includes the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier. Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethcame to Puerto Rico in September after ships carrying hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived for what officials said was a training exercise. Hegseth said then that the deployed Marines were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.” Caine’s visit this week comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela, which he has not ruled out as part of his administration’s escalating campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. The buildup of American warships and the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people on 21 alleged drug boats, are seen by many as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign.