January 1, KIRSTJEN NIELSEN RESIGNING AS DHS SECRETARY

(AP) – Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned on Sunday amid the administration’s growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border, two people familiar with the decision said.

President Donald Trump thanked her for her work in a tweet and announced U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department.

McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name an immigration officer to the post reflects Trump’s priority for a sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Dems will ‘never’ see Trump tax returns

(AP) – Democrats will “never” see President Donald Trump’s tax returns, said White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday, as a new front opened in the confrontation between the administration and Congress.

Mulvaney accused Democrats of engaging in a “political stunt” and wanting “attention” after the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Richard Neal, asked the IRS to provide six years of Trump’s personal tax returns and the returns for some of his businesses.

“That is not going to happen and they know it,” Mulvaney told “Fox News Sunday.” Asked whether he believe Democrats would ever view the president’s returns, Mulvaney replied: “Oh no, never. Nor should they.” 

A Suspected Poacher in S. Africa Killed By Elephant, Eaten By Lions

A suspected rhino poacher was killed in South Africa’s Kruger National Park by an elephant last week and his body was then eaten by lions, ABC News reported over the weekend.

Park officials recovered the remains of the man, whose identity has not been released. Evidence indicates that lions devoured the body, “leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants,” according to officials.

Others who were with the man had told his family that they were in the park to illegally hunt rhinos when he was attacked by an elephant. The family then contacted authorities, who sent out a search party.

RESEARCHERS: This is the Biggest Female Python ever captured in FL

A team of four researchers stood apart from one another, arms outstretched, clutching a giant python, and it takes a wide-angle lens just to capture the length of the beast they found in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida’s Everglades.

The group posted the image to the Big Cypress Facebook page Friday and are calling the catch a record.

The female python was over 17 feet long, weighed 140 pounds, and contained 73 developing eggs. That would make her longer, end-to-end, than a one-story building or a five-meter diving platform.

Wrestler Bret Hart Tackled During WWE Hall of Fame Speech

(AP) – Wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart was tackled by a spectator Saturday while he was giving a speech during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The attacker was promptly subdued by several people, including other wrestlers, who came to Hart’s defense. Hart, 61, is OK.

The person ran toward the ring from the crowd, spectator Alan Fisher told The Associated Press.

“I couldn’t believe that the security had missed him in the first place and the next thing you know there was Shane McMahon and Travis Brown on top of him the crowd was going crazy booing,” Fisher said. “Everyone was cheering when one of the wrestlers punched him.”

2019 ACM Awards: See Backstage Photos & Performances

(Billboard) – Kacey Musgraves accepts the Female Artist of the Year award onstage during the 54th Academy Of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 7, 2019 in Las Vegas.