Secret Vote to Sink Gaetz, SCOTUS to Rule on TIKTOK Ban, Russia Arrests Bomber, Fed Cuts Rates, Worst Quote of the Year Award

 Welcome to Ranting Politics Headline Updates We've got a packed show that'll make your head spin faster than a congressional flip-flop. Coming up, we're diving into the House Ethics Committee's hush-hush vote on Matt Gaetz - because nothing says transparency like a secret vote, right? Then we're hitting the Supreme Court's latest dance with TikTok, where the justices are about to decide if your favorite dance trends are actually a national security threat. But wait, there's more! We've got a wild tale of espionage from Russia, where an assassination plot straight out of a spy thriller has everyone talking. Plus, the Fed's playing with interest rates again, and we've got the latest media drama that'll make you either laugh or cry - maybe both. 

 Stick around, because this is the kind of show that'll make your politically savvy friends jealous at the next dinner party. Let's dive right in! 

 The House Ethics Committee has quietly dropped what might be the last bombshell of 2024, folks. According to reports from CNN, the committee has secretly voted to release their investigation findings on former Representative Matt Gaetz before the year wraps up. Talk about a holiday surprise nobody asked for! The 42-year-old Florida Republican, who recently traded his congressional seat for a hosting gig at One America News Network, has been under the ethics microscope for years over allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, despite previous Republican efforts to keep this report under wraps, it looks like we're finally going to see what's inside. 

 Gaetz isn't taking this lying down. He fired back on social media, maintaining his innocence and pointing out that the Department of Justice never charged him with any crimes. He's calling it a full exoneration, though he did make some interesting admissions about his younger days, acknowledging what he calls an embarrassing period of partying and womanizing in his thirties. The timing here is fascinating. Remember, Gaetz resigned from Congress just last month when he was briefly tapped as Trump's attorney general pick, before that whole plan fell apart faster than a house of cards in a hurricane. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially argued against releasing the report after Gaetz's departure, but it seems the committee had other ideas. 

 This latest development comes after House Republicans previously blocked the report's release, with the Ethics Committee voting along party lines to keep it sealed. But apparently, what happens in the Ethics Committee doesn't always stay in the Ethics Committee. We're expecting to see the full report drop before we ring in the new year, and something tells me it's going to make for some interesting holiday reading. 

 In a move that's got social media buzzing more than your aunt's holiday TikTok dance challenge, the Supreme Court has agreed to fast-track a major case on the controversial TikTok ban. Mark your calendars for January 10th, folks, because that's when the justices will dive into this constitutional showdown 

 The timing couldn't be more dramatic. The ban is set to take effect on January 19th, just one day before President-elect Trump's inauguration. And speaking of Trump, he's thrown an interesting wrench into the works. Fresh from a meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's suddenly singing a different tune about the platform, citing its apparent role in his strong performance with young voters. Here's where it gets juicy: Congress passed this ban with bipartisan support earlier this year, citing national security concerns over Chinese control of the app. But TikTok's not going down without a fight, arguing this is a clear violation of the First Amendment. With 170 million American users at stake, this isn't just about dancing teenagers anymore. 

 The Supreme Court's handling of this case has been unusually swift, skipping their typical review process to get straight to oral arguments. They're even holding off on deciding whether to temporarily block the ban until the day of the hearing. Talk about keeping everyone on the edge of their seats! ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has made it clear they won't sell the platform, setting up a potential clash that could reshape how we think about social media, national security, and free speech. And with Trump's newfound warmth toward the platform, we might be looking at a plot twist that nobody saw coming. 

 Source citation: This reporting comes from CNN's coverage of the Supreme Court's decision, with additional details from various media outlets tracking the ongoing TikTok controversy. 

 In a dramatic turn of events straight out of a spy thriller, Russian authorities have arrested a 28-year-old Uzbek national for the assassination of one of their top military figures. The target? Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's chemical, radiological, and biological weapons unit, who was killed alongside his assistant in a sophisticated bomb attack outside his Moscow apartment. The alleged assassin's weapon of choice reads like something from a techno-thriller - a homemade bomb concealed in an electric scooter, detonated remotely while a hidden camera livestreamed the whole operation. Russian officials claim the suspect has admitted that Ukrainian intelligence promised him a cool $100,000 and a one-way ticket to the European Union for the hit. 

 But here's where it gets even more interesting - Ukraine's SBU intelligence service isn't exactly being shy about this one. They've claimed full responsibility for the attack, arguing that Kirillov was a legitimate target due to his alleged involvement in deploying banned chemical weapons during the invasion of Ukraine - something Moscow, of course, firmly denies. This isn't just an isolated incident, folks. We're seeing a pattern here. Just last month, Ukrainian forces took credit for taking out a Russian naval captain and a former prison chief in separate bombing attacks. It's part of what appears to be a coordinated campaign targeting key Russian military figures connected to the war in Ukraine. 

 The UK and other Western nations had previously sanctioned Kirillov for his alleged role in chemical weapons deployment and spreading disinformation, though Russian officials maintain he was a patriot working against Western interests. The Kremlin is calling this an act of terrorism, while Ukraine argues these military figures are fair game in the ongoing conflict. Source citation: This report is based on coverage from San News, with additional context from international media sources tracking the ongoing conflict in Ukraine 

 Breaking economic news today as the Federal Reserve has made a significant move, cutting interest rates by a quarter percentage point - the third consecutive reduction. This brings the overnight borrowing rate down to a target range of 4.25% to 4.5%, taking us back to where we were in December 2022. 

 Now, while the rate cut itself wasn't exactly a shock to market watchers, the real story is in the Fed's crystal ball gazing for 2025. They're pumping the brakes on future cuts, signaling just two more reductions next year - that's half of what they were suggesting back in September. Looking further ahead, they're penciling in two more cuts in 2026 and another one in 2027. Here's where it gets interesting - the Fed is actually feeling pretty bullish about economic growth, bumping up their GDP forecast to 2.5% for the full year. That's half a percentage point higher than their previous estimate. But don't get too excited - they're expecting things to slow down to a more modest 1.8% in the coming years. 

 What about inflation? Well, it's still playing hard to get with that 2% target. The Fed's now expecting both headline and core inflation to run a bit hotter than previously thought, coming in at 2.4% and 2.8% respectively. And in an unusual twist, we saw Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack breaking ranks, voting against the rate cut - marking only the second dissenting vote we've seen in recent meetings. Source citation: This report is based on CNBC's coverage of the Federal Reserve's December 2024 rate decision and economic projections. 

 And now, in our media watch segment, we've got a real head-scratcher that's been crowned the "Worst Quote of the Year." The Media Research Center has awarded this dubious honor to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough for a truly remarkable take on President Biden's mental fitness. Back in March, while pretty much everyone else was debating Biden's cognitive abilities, Scarborough went full throttle in the opposite direction. He boldly declared - and I'm quoting here - "This version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever. Not a close second." He even threw down the gauntlet, telling viewers "F-you if you can't handle the truth." This isn't Scarborough's first rodeo with controversial statements either - he's actually making this a habit, winning this not-so-coveted award two years in a row. Last year, he clinched it with some pretty dire predictions about Donald Trump potentially executing political opponents. 

 The competition for worst quote was fierce this year, with some real doozies in the running. We had Newsweek veteran Jonathan Alter comparing Biden to George Washington, and The View's Sunny Hostin drawing some rather extreme historical parallels about Trump's campaign rhetoric. Source citation: This report is based on coverage from Newsbusters' annual "Worst Quote of the Year" awards announcement for 2024. 

 And that wraps up today's whirlwind tour through the political landscape, from the House Ethics Committee's secret deliberations on Matt Gaetz to the Supreme Court stepping into the TikTok controversy. We've covered everything from international assassinations to Federal Reserve rate cuts, and even crowned this year's champion of questionable commentary. 

 These stories just scratch the surface of what's happening in our fast-paced political world. For more in-depth coverage and our signature take on the day's events, make sure to follow us on X at Ranting RP. You can also catch all our latest episodes and exclusive content at RantingPolitics.com. Until next time, keep questioning, keep thinking, and most importantly, keep questioning. Thanks for tuning in to Ranting Politics Headline Updates, where we bring you the news you need with the attitude you love.