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Matt Gaetz's past behavior isn't role-model material.  By his own admission, Gaetz, in his 30s was "playing too hard....womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have." But that doesn't excuse CNN for its double standard on the subject. At the end of a segment on today's CNN This Morning regarding the House Ethics Committee's impending release of its report on its investigation of Gaetz, host Kasie Hunt, speaking of Gaetz's activities, dubiously wondered, "in his 30s?" Hunt was apparently suggesting that the 30s are too old to still be a hard partier.  Annie Linskey of the Wall Street Journal agreed, saying, "I know. Maybe in your 20s." Not so surprisingly, CNN never mentioned two other men who were still partying hard at an advanced age. By his own admission, Hunter Biden didn't get sober until 2019--when he was 49. And then there's Ted Kennedy, who was 37 at the time of Mary Jo Kopechne's death at Chappaquiddick. At age 53, there was Kennedy's infamous "waitress sandwich" with fellow Dem Senator Chris Dodd. The episode's label might be lighthearted, but the details are anything but.  Kennedy was still going on Spring Break at age 59, when he accompanied his nephew William Smith to a Florida bar, leading to Smith's prosecution [and ultimate acquittal] for rape. Of all the panelists, it was, interestingly, Republican strategist Brad Todd who had the toughest takes on Gaetz. Todd said of him: "In a town full of reptiles, Matt Gaetz is the least popular snake," adding "He's about to be a footnote in history. This may be the last story we write about him." Maybe so, but today's story was CNN's way of kicking Gaetz on his way out the door--while conveniently omitting mention of other notorious miscreants.  Here's the transcript. CNN This Morning  12/19/24 6:15 am ET MIKE JOHNSON: Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress. He is no longer a Member. There's a very important protocol and tradition and rule that we maintain, that the House Ethics Committee's jurisdiction does not extend to non-Members of Congress. I think that would be a Pandora's box.  KASIE HUNT: That was House Speaker Mike Johnson urging the Ethics Committee to keep a report into Matt Gaetz under wraps a month ago. But now, the committee seems ready to open that Pandora's box. Sources tell CNN the panel authorized the report's release in a secret vote earlier this month. It is now expected to be made public any day now before Congress leaves Washington for the holidays.  The report caps a years-long probe by the Ethics Committee into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, used illicit drugs, and, quote, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor. Gaetz posted on X, denying any wrongdoing, writing, "I was charged with nothing, not even a campaign finance violation. My 30s were an era of working very hard and playing too hard. It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now." Gaetz also reiterated his innocence in an interview last month after his bid to be the next Attorney General fell apart.  MATT GAETZ: Like, if the things that the House Ethics report were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell. But of course, they're false.  HUNT: Oka-a-a-y. . . .  BRAD TODD: In a town full of reptiles, Matt Gaetz is the least popular snake. [Laughter] You know, it's . . . The lesson in all of this is Matt Gaetz made no friends. He helped nobody with their objectives in the U.S. House. And so, therefore, no one's ready to stand up for him right now. He also had bragged about his exploits, according to Markwayne Mullin and others. So it's no surprise, I think, that these members of the Ethics Committee, they don't want to be on the hook for this. They want the world to know what they know because they don't want to be accused of covering up for him.  Something else happened, though. Ballots dropped in the 1st District of Florida yesterday. Absentee ballots did, in the special election to replace Matt Gaetz. He's about to be a footnote in history. This may be the last story we write about him.  KATE BEDINGFIELD: And I would imagine they're also, the same people are trying to kind of put a political nail in his coffin, too, right? There's been discussion of does he run for governor someday? I would imagine that these members of the Ethics Committee looked at the report and said, you know what? We need to make sure that we do everything that we can to ensure that there's no great political revival here.  Just judging by Matt Gaetz's own response, I mean, the detail that he goes into in responding to what he expects will be in this report just gives you a little bit of an idea what's expected to be in there.  HUNT: Yeah. Is it just me, like, for most of us, is this stuff, I mean, the partying too hard, we'll set aside the more, you know, problematic allegations. Like, your 30s?  ANNIE LINSKEY: I know. Maybe your 20s.  BEDINGFIELD: I'm much younger. I'm like, 35, okay. 

Speaker Mike Johnson is scrambling to put together a new funding bill after Republican heavyweights like President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA allies tanked Johnson's first continuing resolution. With the funding deadline fast approaching, the chances of a government shutdown are becoming more likely. Johnson unveiled his original CR on Tuesday night after several delayed negotiations. The funding bill was received poorly, to put it lightly. With the mounting pressure and a fast-approaching deadline of December 20, Johnson is going back to the drawing board.Within 24 hours, dozens of lawmakers and Trump allies launched a pressure campaign targeting the CR. Many raised concerns about the price tag, calling the 1,547-page bill "criminal" and "full of pork." Trump delivered a final blow to the already sinking funding bill in a statement Wednesday night, calling the bill "destructive" and instead pushing for a clean CR. "Sounds like the ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive Continuing Resolution, PLUS, is dying fast, but can anyone imagine passing it without either terminating, or extending, the Debt Ceiling guillotine coming up in June?" Trump said in a Wednesday post on Truth Social. "Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend Debt Ceiling now, I will fight ‘till the end. This is a nasty TRAP set in place by the Radical Left Democrats!" US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (C) walks under US President-elect Donald Trump (L) as he speaks at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)Trump raised the stakes of the already high-pressure spending fight by demanding that leadership also address the debt limit in negotiations. Trump doubled down on his last-minute command by calling for Republicans to be primaried if they don't follow through. "If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat 'bells and whistles' that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration," Trump added. "Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried." "Increasing the debt ceiling is not great, but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch," Trump said in a joint statement with Vice President-elect JD Vance on Wednesday. "If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want."With the mounting pressure and a fast-approaching deadline of December 20, Johnson is going back to the drawing board. In the late hours of Wednesday night, Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rules Committee Chairman Burgess Owens, and Vance were spotted going in and out of the speaker's office as Johnson figures out a path forward. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on October 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida later confirmed that there would be no more votes on Wednesday, likely signaling that the pressure campaign against Johnson's CR led him to scrap it entirely. Luna confirmed additional reports that Johnson and others in the Republican conference are "re-working legislation" and that they will "likely" do a clean CR. That being said, the clock is ticking. Every hour that goes by, the possibility of a government shutdown becomes more and more likely. The threat of a government shutdown just days before Christmas has historically incentivized lawmakers to pass a Christmas omnibus like the one Johnson originally proposed on Tuesday. Johnson notably said in September that he had "no intention of going back to that terrible tradition." At this point, a government shutdown very well may be on the table with several lawmakers and Trump allies calling for it. "The Uniparty and the mainstream media want you to be terrified of a government 'shutdown,'" Republican Rep. Andy Biggs said in a Thursday post on X. "Here's the truth: 85% of the government is business as usual. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are all paid in full. Perhaps a pause in nonessential spending would be beneficial.""The government doesn’t actually shut down when they say 'shut down,' as all essential personnel keep working," Musk said in a Wednesday post on X. "So ... shut it down."At this point, no CR votes have been scheduled, and no new text has been released. With the possibility of a shutdown looming over lawmakers, we will have to see what the Hill can come up with in the 11th hour. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Workers at seven Amazon facilities across the United States went on strike early Thursday morning.The walk-off, occurring during peak holiday shopping season and just days before Christmas, was intended to push Amazon into contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. However, the company does not recognize the employees' affiliation with the union.'The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them.'The union claims it represents roughly 10,000 workers at 10 of the company's facilities. Employees at seven facilities — including those in Illinois, Georgia, New York, and three California locations — walked off the job. Workers at other Amazon locations are also prepared to join the strike, Fox Business reported. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters called it the "largest" strike against Amazon, warning that it could cause delivery delays for customers.The union's general president, Sean O'Brien, stated Wednesday evening, "If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed.""We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it. This strike is on them," he added.The union provided Amazon with a deadline of December 15 to begin negotiation talks. Reuters reported that Amazon is unlikely to initiate discussions over concerns that it will lead to additional actions by the union.The company is not concerned that the walk-off will impact delivery times through the holidays. The union represents roughly 1% of Amazon's workforce.Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, told Fox Business, "For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public — claiming that they represent 'thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.' They don't, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.""The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union," she added.Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokesperson, responded to Amazon's statement, claiming the company is "gaslighting the American public with their false narratives.""The truth is, over 20 bargaining units, representing nearly 9,000 employees, have successfully organized because for many years the company has exploited and abused workers, and these workers are fed up and fighting back," Deniz stated."No matter how massive Amazon's corporate PR machine is, they cannot fool the American public into believing drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don't actually work for Amazon," she continued. "No one believes this nonsense. Amazon needs to stop avoiding their legal obligation to these workers and get to the bargaining table now."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski told New England Patriots coaches that he couldn't remember how he got home from college parties before they drafted him.In what the former tight end called "one of the worst draft meetings of all time," Gronkowski's last meeting before entering the 2010 NFL Draft was with the New England Patriots. Gronk said he had already been on "17 flights in 15 days," visiting teams in hopes of becoming an NFL player."I was sick of that s***, bro," the 35-year-old told the hosts of the "Spittin Chiclets" podcast.'I needed a nap. It wasn't like I was in a meeting or anything.'With a motto of "I'm over this s***" and "if a team wants to take me, take me," Gronkowski recalled walking into the Patriots' facility feeling "like ass."Gronk distinctly remembered making the decision to walk into the facilities like he owned the place, sick of putting on a fake persona."I'm going all out ... I'm going to walk in like I'm at the University of Arizona walking into a party because I'm sick of putting on a show," he told hosts Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette.However, Gronkowski acting like himself was a show in its own right. His first order of business was to "fall asleep on the table right in front of one of the highest members of the team.""But I needed a nap. It wasn't like I was in a meeting or anything," the former player clarified, as Whitney laughed hysterically.When he was brought into the meeting room, Gronk said he started talking about how much he was liked at Arizona University and even told then-Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien that he "absolutely" did not remember walking home from parties during college."It was a disaster, bro," Gronk explained. He added he told the coach that he should join him at some of the Arizona parties.The coach then decided to test Gronkowski's memory when it comes to football by drawing a play on a white board, erasing it, and then seeing if the young athlete could remember it."He draws the play up, erases it, [then says] 'Write the play on the board!' I'm like, 'I don't even know the play that you drew, I have no clue.' Like, that was too difficult for me," Gronk continued."I was over the whole process," he added, with the hosts now laughing uncontrollably.In Gronk fashion however, the five-time Pro Bowl player told the coach, "Draw up a play and throw me the ball, I guarantee I'll catch it."O'Brien asked how he could get the ball to Gronkowski if he didn't remember the play, to which 21-year-old Gronk said, "You'll find a way to throw me the ball."Gronkowski said he left the meeting feeling like the team either hated him or loved him, and the rest was history. Gronkowski was drafted No. 42 in the second round by the Patriots and went on to play eight remarkable seasons.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reign over, or will he run again and be elected to a fourth term? Whatever the answer may be, Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” and Rebel News founder Ezra Levant believe Trudeau’s time should be up. “Trudeau loves the sizzle of being prime minister. He loves the adulation,” Levant tells Glenn. “For example, he went to the recent Taylor Swift concert, and he exchanged friendship bracelets with teenage girls. That’s his market these days. Everyone else shouts at him.” “Canadians can hardly wait to get rid of Trudeau. I don’t want to sound overconfident, but the conservative opposition leader, his name is Pierre Poilievre, he’s excellent. He’s way out ahead in the polls,” he continues. There are about five parties in Canadian Parliament, and the conservative party is polling at 43%. “I know that might sound low in an American two-party system, but when you’ve got five parties, 43% means you’re going to have a massive victory,” Levant explains. “And last night, after Chrystia Freeland detonated Trudeau and quit, there was a pollster named Abacus Data that went into the field immediately.” “His results have just been posted. Only 11% of Canadians approve of Trudeau. 11%; it’s going to be a massacre,” he continues. “Glenn, I’ve got to tell you, people of every background, according to the pollsters, men and women, young and old and minorities, they all want Trudeau gone.” “Canadians are finally done with him. We just need that moment where we get to go to vote,” he adds. “How much of a role did the election of Donald Trump play in this?” Glenn asks, curious. “I don’t know if you remember, but about a month ago, Trump tweeted, ‘25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada if they don’t seal their borders. Stop the illegal drugs, stop illegal immigrants,’” Levant explains. “What if Trump actually implements the tariff on Canada? It hurts our economy, so now Trudeau can say, ‘This terrible economy, it’s not my fault, it’s Trump’s fault. Vote for me if you want to stand up to Trump, vote for me if you don’t like Trump,’” he continues. “I think Trudeau is willing to sacrifice Canada’s economy for this desperate chance to run and win again. That’s my theory,” he adds. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.