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 The XRP token, which is linked to Ripple Labs, has become the fourth-largest cryptocurrency in the world in terms of market cap, after a weeks-long rally triggered by President-elect Donald Trump's election win in November and recent speculation about the SEC potentially dropping its legal case against Ripple.

Key Facts

What Fueled The Xrp Surge This Weekend?

While the price of XRP has risen steadily since election day, the surge in its prices over the weekend came after Fox Business reported that the New York Department of Financial Services may soon approve the launch of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. The report said the company may be preparing to launch RLUSD as early as December 4.

News Peg

Ripple Labs, which developed the XRP payment protocol and uses the token for its payments platform, was sued in 2020 by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency accused the company of selling XRP tokens without registering it as a security. In July last year, the regulatory agency was dealt a blow after a federal judge ruled Ripple did not violate securities law by selling the token on public exchanges. In October this year, the SEC appealed the ruling before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. However, Trump’s electoral victory and SEC chair Gary Gensler’s announcement that he is stepping down in January, has triggered speculation about the Ripple case. Speaking to Fox Business last week, former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Chris Giancarlo said he thinks the SEC should drop the case against Ripple. Giancarlo is one of the top contenders to serve as the “Crypto Czar” in the incoming Trump administration.

 President-elect Trump predicted back in October that President Biden would pardon his son Hunter. 

Trump, speaking to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin on the sidelines of a campaign rally in Arizona, was asked, "If you are president again, in the name of unity, would you consider pardoning Hunter Biden?" 

"I wouldn’t do anything that would be over in terms of Hunter. It’s a sad situation," Trump responded. 

"I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him, let's see what happens, but he’s a bad boy, there is no question about it," Trump added. 

TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6 HOSTAGES’ IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER 

President-elect Trump predicted to Fox News in October that President Biden would pardon his son Hunter. (Fox News)

On Sunday, President Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was "treated differently" by prosecutors in announcing his decision to pardon his son. 

Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September.  

"From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," the president's statement read. 

2 TIMES BIDEN SAID HE WOULD NOT PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN 

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 7 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

"Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form," he continued. "Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions." 

Biden also evoked Hunter's battle with substance abuse and asked Americans to "understand why a father and a President would come to this decision." 

President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Sunday, Dec. 1. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

"There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution," the president continued. "In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough." 

 Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Sunday said Kash Patel will need to prove to Congress he will reform and restore public trust in the FBI if he is to win confirmation to the role.

President-elect Trump on Saturday night said he would nominate Patel, a Trump loyalist who has vowed to go after the media and president-elect’s opponents, to lead the FBI.

The choice, which had been the subject of speculation for some time, excited Trump’s MAGA movement but sparked immediate concerns from Democrats.

Patel has called for mass firings, particularly at both the Justice Department and the FBI, and has also called for stripping security clearances of anyone involved in investigating Trump while he was a candidate in 2016. He has regularly accused a “deep state” of thwarting Trump during his first term.

Grassley suggested he was happy to see Trump replace FBI Director Chris Wray, who Trump nominated to lead the law enforcement bureau after he fired former FBI Director James Comey.

But Grassley stopped well short of saying he would definitively back Patel’s nomination.

“Chris Wray has failed at fundamental duties of FBI Dir,” Grassley wrote in a message on X. “He’s showed disdain for cong oversight & hasn’t lived up to his promises It’s time 2 chart a new course 4 TRANSPARENCY +ACCOUNTABILITY at FBI.”

“Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform &restore public trust in FBI,” stated Grassley, a veteran lawmaker known for his scrutiny of federal law enforcement and his protection for whistleblowers.

Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, meaning Trump and Patel can afford three defections, assuming Democrats are unified against the pick.

Patel was immediately seen as Trump’s most controversial nomination since former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who the president-elect initially picked to be attorney general. Gaetz asked that his nomination be withdrawn as it became clear he lacked the support for confirmation.

So far, reaction to the Patel pick has been relatively predictable, with Trump supporters hailing the decision and critics of Trump expressing revulsion.

 A Taylor Swift fan has revealed she discovered she is expecting while attending the popstar's Eras Tour. 

 

Kelsey Bryson and her husband had been been hoping to have a baby for the past couple of months so the mom-to-be was tracking her ovulation dates. 

Last month, she attended the New Orleans Eras Tour concert and saw the 34-year-old Shake It Off songstress put on a jaw-dropping performance.

Having been taking many pregnancy tests in the past few months, Kelsey knew she should take another test before sipping on booze at the fun-filled event.

So while on her way to see Taylor on stage, she and her best friend picked up a pregnancy test.

Just before the concert began, Kelsey headed to the bathroom and took the test - anticipating a negative result. 

However, the mom-to-be was left stunned when the test came back positive. 

She shared her reaction to discovering she was going to be a mom while at her favorite singer's concert in a TikTok video, which has so far amassed over 2.1 million views.

The clip was captioned: 'Pregnancy Testing (Taylor’s Version) 10 days post-ovulation was at the Eras Tour so I decided to bring a test with me. 

'What a memorable way to get your first positive pregnancy test.' 

The video began with Kelsey pulling the pregnancy test out of the packaging while at the concert. 

While donning a bedazzled ensemble and glittery makeup, she peed on the stick. 

'Womanhood is taking a pregnancy test in the bathroom of the Eras Tour concert before you start drinking.. just to be sure,' she said. 

After waiting for three minutes, she pulled the test out of the packaging once again. 

Kelsey was shocked when she read the word 'pregnant' on the test.

'But it actually comes out positive, shut the f**k up,' she said as she showed the camera her positive test. 

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She shared her reaction to discovering she was going to be a mom while at her favorite singer's concert in a TikTok video, which has so far amassed over 2.1 million view

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Viewers flooded the comments section and congratulated her as they suggested she name her child 'Taylor'

The clip then cut to the mom-to-be singing Taylor's latest hit, But Daddy I Love Him. 

Kelsey yelled out the lyrics, 'I'm having his baby,' as she held up the pregnancy test. 

Viewers flooded the comments section and congratulated her as they suggested she name her child 'Taylor.' 

One person said: 'Finding out you’re becoming a mother while seeing mother live.'

Someone else wrote: 'Baby’s first concert is THE concert'

Another person commented: 'The Eras Tour started a new era for you. Congratulations.'

'Stop this is so cute!!! Congrats on your little Taylor tot!' a fourth person said. 

 Hailee Steinfeld has love to be grateful for this Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday, the singer-actress and her partner, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, announced their Nov. 22 engagement with a sweet post on Instagram.

Steinfeld and Allen co-posted a photo of the proposal on Instagram, capturing Allen on one knee as Steinfeld leans down to give him a kiss. In the photo, the lovebirds can be seen surrounded by a gorgeous flower backdrop and the sun setting over the ocean.

Steinfeld and Allen were first linked in May 2023, after they were spotted out and about in New York City. People confirmed they were in a relationship that month.

Although they’ve rarely spoken publicly about their relationship, Allen visited the Pardon My Take podcast in August 2023 and joked about headlines regarding a recent vacation the pair had taken. “The fact that anybody cares about that still blows my mind,” he said.

Last summer, Allen made things “Instagram official” as he shared a photo with Steinfeld in Paris, with the two of them looking at the Eiffel Tower. Several weeks ago, the pair hosted a circus-themed Halloween party where they welcomed many of Allen’s teammates. “Welcome to the showdown,” she captioned her post, on which Allen commented:

Steinfeld has been on a break from music recently. Her last drop came in 2023 with “SunKissing,” which followed 2022’s “Coast” with Anderson .Paak. This year, she voiced Hawkeye in the animated Marvel series What If…? and Vi in Netflix’s Arcane, which premiered a new season earlier this fall. The actress is also set to star in the Ryan Coogler-directed Sinners next year.

 Black Friday deals are officially here! It's finally the big day, and there are deals, deals and more deals releasing at Amazon. There are so many big sales going on that it can be overwhelming, but that's where I come in to help.

I'm a deals writer for Tom's Guide, and I've spent every working day of the last three years tracking price drops on Amazon products. Whether you want an OLED TV or a new pair of sneakers this Black Friday, I have your back with the best possible savings on the products we've tested and recommend.

The biggest deal of the day has to the the LG C4 OLED 4K TV sale from $896 at Amazon. This is one of the best OLED TVs we've tested and is a hugely popular purchase, so add it to your cart while it's still in stock! You can also get great savings like the Crocs Classic Clogs on sale from $29 at Amazon and the AirPods Pro 2 for $153 at Amazon.

• shop all Black Friday deals at Amazon

Make sure to bookmark this page as I'll be here all day bringing you the best Black Friday Amazon deals. There's plenty more deals coverage happening at Tom's Guide, so check out our Amazon promo codes page too.

• shop all Black Friday deals at Amazon
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