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About three dozen former US officials who served under President Donald Trump jumped on a conference call this week to figure out how to thwart Trump's efforts in the 2022 and 2024 elections, according to CNN.

Jake Tapper reported on the call, which was said to have taken place last Monday and involved high-profile Trump officials including John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff. Also on the call, per CNN, were the former White House staffers Alyssa Farah Griffin and Anthony Scaramucci, the former Department of Homeland Security official Elizabeth Neumann, and Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

CNN noted that the people associated with the call were known critics of Trump. Kelly has made several statements about Trump, saying the former president "doesn't know any history at all, even some of the basics on the US." He also said in August 2020 that informing Trump that the things he planned to do were illegal was like "French kissing a chainsaw."

Scaramucci, who held the role of White House communications director for less than two weeks, has broken with Trump and repeatedly feuded with the former president. Griffin, a former spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence who also served as Trump's communications director, was ridiculed by the president, who called her a "clown." She also commented in January that the Republican Party was "morally in disrepair" because of the GOP's failure to acknowledge the January 6 Capitol riot was a "big deal."

According to Tapper, Miles Taylor, a Trump official turned prominent Trump critic, helped lead the call and told CNN the participants were "overflowing with ideas" on how to stop Trump. Ideas, according to Tapper, included "shining a light" on the former president's financial backers and figuring out how to defeat Trump-endorsed candidates running in 2022 and 2024.

"We all agreed passionately that letters and statements don't mean anything," Taylor told CNN. "The two operative words are 'electoral effects.' How can we have tangible electoral effects against the extremist candidates that have been endorsed by Trump?"

Taylor is best known for anonymously writing a scathing 2018 New York Times op-ed article titled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration."

The Trump-era White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham was said to have missed the call because of a COVID-19 infection but told CNN she was still engaged with the group. Grisham signaled the group's plans earlier this month, saying on January 6 that the group planned to meet to talk about how they could "formally do some things to try and stop" Trump.

The group which has not released its name or published a list of members is among several GOP-linked organizations that have expressed opposition to Trump. In October, a Republican group called Republicans for Voting Rights put up several billboards across the US, including in Times Square, to remind the former president that he lost the 2020 election. The Lincoln Project, founded by current and former Republicans, also worked during the 2020 election to prevent Trump's reelection.

Trump has not yet announced a 2024 presidential run and said in November that he would "probably" wait until after the 2022 midterm elections to confirm his decision on a 2024 presidential bid.

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Dozens of former Trump staff had call to figure out how to thwart Trump in 2022, 2024 - Business Insider

Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Late-night hosts were not surprised to hear that New York States attorney general, Letitia James, is accusing Donald Trumps family business of repeatedly misrepresenting the value of its assets.

One year ago today, Donald Trump was still in the White House, throwing chicken nuggets at the TV, and one year from today, he could be in jail, Jimmy Kimmel said.

For almost two hours, Biden took question after question about Russia, Covid, voter rights. He really got into why Dennys breakfast menu is so sticky all the time. JIMMY KIMMEL

The president took a lot of questions, too many questions. You know how at the end of most press conferences, the reporters are yelling Mr. President, Mr. President!? At the end of this one, they were like, Goodbye. Were good. We got plenty. JIMMY KIMMEL

On Wednesdays Late Show, Christine Baranski said fans who mistake her for her sophisticated characters wouldnt believe how loud she gets when watching the Buffalo Bills.

Twitter legend Dionne Warwick will pop by Thursdays Late Show.

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Jimmy Kimmel Not Surprised by Trump Fraud Allegations - The New York Times

Prior to New Year's Eve 2021, Jason Aldean had never partied with a United States president, either former or active. In fact, before his night at Donald Trump's New Year's Eve party, he'd never met a president, and from the looks of it, he's still buzzing.

Talking to Taste of Country Nights, Aldean shares that he's met all types of celebrities as a headlining country musicact for nearly 20 years. This was about coolest, though.

"Being around somebody like a president, that's a whole different level of celebrity," the "Trouble With a Heartbreak" singer says. "Especially with President Trump."

During the full interview, Aldean opens up about the several days he spent with 45th president of the United States. He alsoreveals the very personal reason whyhe'sbecome more politically active in recent months.

"It was really cool man," Aldean adds. "I got to spend a couple of days with him, played golf with him, got to know him a little bit and it was definitely a different kind of new year."

Aldean also dishes on what it would take to get wife Brittany to sing a duet with him.

"Trouble With a Heartbreak" isthe country star's new single from his upcoming Georgia album, due in April. It's the companion album to Macon,released last fall, and a continuation ofits sound and structure. Ten new songs will be followed by five live tracks to give fans a well-rounded idea of whereAldean is musically, plus where he's been and where he's headed.

The Grammy-nominated "If I Didn't Love You" with Carrie Underwood was the only single from Macon, althoughAldean's cover of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" became very popular.

The first half of this interview finds Aldean digging intothe process of song selection. The 44-year-old also takes stock of his career thus far and explains what it would take for him to retire.

Aldean paid $4.1 million for the new 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 4,452-square-foot beach house. The spectacular property affords the singer and his family the opportunity to walk out their back door and down a bridge to their own private beach, and the exterior of the villa features a courtyard with iron gates that includes gas lanterns, a swimming pool and a fountain.

The home's interior includes a downstairs with an open floorplan and oversized windows, chiseled stone floors, a gourmet kitchen, a bedroom and study and a fireplace, with coffered ceilings throughout. The upstairs of the home includes two separate master bedrooms that both overlook the Gulf, as well as two more bedrooms that each have their own attached bathrooms.

The stunning home is also set for whatever weather might blow in from the Gulf. Built in 2005, the house features all-impact windows and doors, as well as Geo-Thermal heating and cooling, cellulose insulation, foam ceiling and floor insulation and more.

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WATCH: Jason Aldean Talks About New Year's Eve With Donald Trump - Taste of Country

A look at some of the top headlines trending online today around the world including what you need to know about potential problems for Donald Trump, updates on the Russia-Ukraine standoff, the latest developments surrounding the Omicron surge and much more.

N.Y. Attorney General Outlines Pattern of Possible Fraud at Trump Business (NY Times)

Rudy Giuliani, three other Trump allies subpoenaed in January 6 riot probe (CNBC)

Former Trump officials plotting effort to blunt his impact on elections: report (The Hill)

Blinken launches fresh diplomatic push in Ukraine as fears of Russian invasion mount (NBC)

Airlines scrap or change flights to U.S. over 5G dispute, even though technologys rollouts been delayed near some airports (AP)

Federal N95 mask giveaway will start soon (cleveland.com)

Omicron is not that mild: 50,000 to 300,000 more US deaths projected by March (USA Today)

Nearly 1 million pediatric Covid cases reported last week (NBC)

COVID-19 health emergency could be over this year, WHO says (ABC)

Lawmakers call for investigation into at-home COVID test price gouging (CBS)

Fashion Icon and Former Vogue Creative Director Andr Leon Talley Dead at 73 (People)

Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott apologizes for comments about fans throwing objects at officials (ESPN)

Harder They Fall, Insecure, H.E.R. nab NAACP awards noms (AP)

Microsoft buys gaming giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion (AP)

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Omicron news, Donald Trump, Russia & more: Whats trending today - cleveland.com

Sen. Rand Paul blasted Dr. Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing Thursday over gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China calling for his resignation and alleging hes learned nothing from this pandemic.

Paul (R-Ky.) grilled the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, on why he repeatedly denied that the virus research was funded by the NIH prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gain-of-function could cause a pandemic even worse next time, Paul said. [It] could endanger civilization as we know it.

The firebrand conservative claimed NIH-funded scientists created viruses not found in nature and that Fauci misled the American public by refusing to admit it.

Your repeated denials have worn thin and the majority of Americans, frankly, dont believe you, Paul said. Your persistent denials are not just a stain on your reputation but are a clear and present danger to the country and to the world.

You appear to have learned nothing from this pandemic, Paul said. I think its time you resign.

Regardless of whether the viruses created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were linked to COVID-19, similar research funded by the NIH could spark another pandemic, Paul said. He also alleged that Fauci changed the definition of the term gain-of-function in order to deny it had happened.

Youve changed the definition on your website to cover your ass, Paul said.

But Fauci fired back, telling the Senate Health Committee that Paul is egregiously incorrect in what he says.

Senator, with all due respect, I disagree with so many of the things youve said, Fauci responded. First of all, gain of function is a very nebulous term.

He said the definition was developed over a period of two or three years beginning in 2014, and thatoutside bodies have spent a lot of time to give a more precise definition because it is a research of concern that might lead to a dangerous situation.

The gaudiness are clear that you have to be dealing with a pathogen that clearly shows [that its] very likely to be highly transmissible in an uncontrollable way in humans and to have a high degree of morbidity and that you do experiments to enhance that, he said.

In the case ofthe Wuhan Institute, Its much more likely that [COVID-19] was a natural occurrence, Fauci said.

The heated back-and-forth came two weeks after the NIHadmitted to funding gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at Chinas Wuhan lab, despite Fauci repeatedly insisting to Congress that no such thing happened.

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Rand Paul calls on Fauci to resign over gain-of-function ...