Senate Republicans try to fast-track emergency military pay as they brace for shutdown
FIRST ON FOX: Two Senate Republicans are leading the charge to ensure military members are paid during a potential partial government shutdown as Congress inches closer to the midnight deadline on Saturday morning. Three Senate sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is leading an attempt to “hotline” a bill to make sure all armed services and the coast guard are paid in the event of a partial government shutdown. A hotline is a procedure used by senators usually to pass procedural motions or relatively noncontroversial measures. The practice allows bills or motions to pass with often very little or no public debate at all. TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: ‘READY TO STAY’ THROUGH CHRISTMAS Sullivan will take the Senate floor to make a live request for unanimous consent to consider the measure at 6 p.m. The bill is entitled the Pay Our Troops Act. It is cosponsored by Republican Sens. Lisa Murskowski of Alaska, Ted Budd and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and JD Vance of Ohio. A spokesperson for Murkowski told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Murkowski is adamant that our Armed Forces should not worry about their paycheck or their mission to keep Americans safe because of Congressional politics. This is non-negotiable for her.” The effort is extending to the House side again as well, where Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is pressing for a vote on the version she introduced in the House. “We’re obviously pushing to keep the government open, but as a backup plan, we need to be providing reassurance to our military,” Kiggans said, adding she’s spoken with House GOP leaders about getting a vote on her bill. One Republican source told Fox News Digital that they expect Senate Democrats to object to the request, noting that they have done so in the past. Republicans previously sought to pass this bill in September 2023, with Sullivan and Cruz requesting it on the floor. However, this effort was blocked by a Democrat objector. At the time, Sullivan said in a statement, “There is precedent–very strong precedent–on this very bill, this commonsense bill that has historically received the strong support from both sides of the aisle and in both Houses.” “Facing an imminent government shutdown in 2013, which ended up lasting 16 days, this bill, the Pay Our Military Act, was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and unanimously by the U.S. House and signed by the President. Congress recognized then the importance of uninterrupted military pay for our military members and their families.” Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Noida: Authority takes action, seals 27 apartments in Skytech Matrott society for unpaid dues in sector…
The issue traces its roots back to 2010, when the Noida authority leased a plot of 20,900 square meters of land to Skytech for the development of a housing project; Skytech, having constructed and sold apartments on this land, did not adhere to the payment schedule for the land cost.
Haryana govt declares three-day state mourning to honour late Om Prakash Chautala
The Haryana government has declared a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala who passed away here on Friday.
House Republicans reach new plan to avoid government shutdown after back-to-back defeats
House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a partial government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital. Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital that the deal would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers – but under three separate bills. It would also involve an agreement to act on the debt limit next year as part of Republicans’ planned massive conservative policy overhaul via a process called reconciliation. The new strategy comes after President-elect Trump and his allies torpedoed Congressional lawmakers’ initial plans to avert a partial shutdown ahead of the holidays. Trump had called on Republicans to act on the debt limit as part of their talks to avert a government shutdown, a demand that dozens of conservative GOP lawmakers bristled at given their concerns about the national debt – which has exceeded $36 trillion. A plan by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to follow Trump’s directives went down in flames on Thursday evening, after 38 Republicans voted with all but two Democrats to kill that bill. And Trump, along with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, spearheaded opposition to congressional leaders’ original bipartisan agreement and even threatened to force lawmakers who supported it out of office.
Trump files amicus brief to ‘immediately’ stop Biden sale of border wall, says conduct is ‘possibly criminal’
President-elect Donald Trump filed an amicus brief late Thursday in support of a legal effort by Texas and Missouri to “immediately” stop the Biden administration’s sale of border wall materials, saying the action is “possibly criminal.” Texas and Missouri filed a motion earlier this week in a district court in the southern district of Texas to hold a status conference to determine if the government is in breach of the court’s permanent injunction from earlier this year. That injunction barred the Biden administration from using funds obligated for wall construction for anything other than that purpose. ‘PATTERN OF DISREGARD’: RED STATES SEEK COURT ACTION AGAINST BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘SHAMEFUL’ BORDER WALL DISPOSAL “The Court should issue an order directing the Defendants to immediately stop any ongoing sale of border-barrier materials to private parties pending the Court’s review of Defendant’s conduct, and the Court should swiftly conduct a searching examination of the Government’s conduct, by formal discovery if necessary, to examine the Government’s compliance with the law, the Constitution, and the Court’s injunction,” Trump’s amicus brief states. The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021. Those auctions have continued, with border officials telling Fox that auctions now occur weekly and have been for some time. However, the practice made news last week, when The Daily Wire published video showing parts being transported and cited Border Patrol agents who said the goal was to clear them out before Christmas. Trump’s amicus brief states that if officials in the Biden administration are “deliberately selling off border-wall materials at a major financial loss to the Government to obstruct the pro-wall policy of Congress and President Trump, such conduct likely constitutes a criminal act, such as a conspiracy to defraud the United States.” “At the very least, the reported conduct raises troubling concerns of potentially criminal behavior,” the filing states. GOP SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK FEDS FROM DISPOSING OF BORDER WALL MATERIALS AMID AUCTION BACKLASH A Defense official told Fox News last week that the Pentagon has been disposing of excess wall construction in accordance with the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the Defense secretary to submit a plan to use, transfer or donate all remaining wall material purchased with Pentagon funds. That plan was submitted in March. The official said border states, including Texas, were first offered that material for purchase before auction. The official also said the materials no longer belong to the U.S. government, adding the Defense Department has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of it. “Through our reutilization, transfer and donation process, nearly 60% of those materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California,” the official said. “The remaining 40% was sold to GovPlanet under a competitive sales contract process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GovPlanet online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DOD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS However, those statements have not stopped the outrage from Republicans, who see the auctions as a move to stop the Trump administration from building the wall. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., introduced legislation this week to put a halt to the auctions. Trump, meanwhile, said on Monday he had been working with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others to acquire the materials. “What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it, and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it. And it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.” Paxton said in a statement that Texas is going to court to “prevent any border security materials from being unlawfully sold and to find out the truth about what the federal government may be doing to subvert border wall construction.” ‘STANDING BY TO HELP’: RED STATE REVEALS PLAN TO PURCHASE AUCTIONED BORDER WALL MATERIALS TO STORE FOR TRUMP “President Trump has an overwhelming mandate from the American people to build the wall and I will do everything in my power to prevent any acts of sabotage by the outgoing administration,” he said. Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office. “The Biden Administration’s latest attempt to block Texas and President-Elect Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the southern border is downright shameful and demonstrates a continued pattern of disregard for the safety of Texas and American families in favor of increasingly disastrous open border policies,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Officials said this week they intend to purchase the auctioned off materials, and Buckingham said she intends to store it on state land for the new administration. “I made a promise to use every tool at my disposal from the GLO to secure our border and protect Texans,” Buckingham said in the statement to Fox. “That is why I have offered state leaders and President-Elect Donald Trump the opportunity to store any wall panels his incoming administration may acquire on state land. I will never give up the fight to secure our porous southern border and protect our sons and daughters from violent, criminal illegal immigrants.” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Biden heading to Vatican City next month to meet with Pope Francis, Meloni in final overseas trip
The White House announced that President Joe Biden will head to Italy next month for a public meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City before his term comes to an end. Biden accepted the invitation to visit Vatican City during a phone call with Pope Francis Thursday, according to the White House. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden would meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella during the overseas trip. The four-day trip is planned for the second week in January, and the meeting between Biden and Pope Francis will occur in front of an audience on Jan. 10. “President Biden will have an audience with the Pope and discuss efforts to advance peace around the world,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “He will also meet with Italy’s leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world.” Italy’s position as president of the G7 countries, a position that rotates annually, will come to an end in the new year. The G7 is a cohort of the world’s largest advanced economies. BIDEN TRAVELS TO AFRICA WHERE POLICIES WERE ‘OVER-PROMISED AND UNDER-DELIVERED,’ AMID MASSIVE CHINA EXPANSION Biden’s trip to meet with Pope Francis will come shortly after the Vatican begins its Holy Year on Dec. 24, a centuries-long tradition that occurs every 25 years, during which pilgrims travel to Rome to visit holy sites and receive forgiveness. Biden is only the nation’s second Catholic president, after John F. Kennedy. He has met with popes, including Francis, throughout his political career. The trips have also been reciprocated by Francis, who made his first formal visit to the U.S. when Biden was vice president. Biden last met with Pope Francis in June, during which the pair discussed both the war in Israel and the war Russia is waging against Ukraine. The leaders reportedly emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the need to cement a hostage deal during their talks. They also spoke about the ongoing humanitarian impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to the U.S. embassy in Italy. The pair met in 2021 as well, which was only the second time a U.S. president other than Kennedy had met with a pontiff. During the private talk, Biden reportedly lauded Francis’s leadership “in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and equitable global economic recovery.” MAR-A-LAGO TRUMPS WHITE HOUSE AS PRESIDENT-ELECT OVERSHADOWS BIDEN ON WORLD STAGE One area where the two leaders’ viewpoints notably diverge is abortion, however. Due to Biden’s pro-choice stance, many critics, including Catholic bishops, questioned early on in his presidency whether Biden could continue receiving Holy Communion. But following the June meeting at the Vatican, Biden said that Francis expressed support for Biden to be allowed to continue receiving the sacrament. Biden’s trip in the final month of his presidency is expected to be his last overseas. It will mark a rare occurrence, according to the Associated Press, which noted that the last president to travel overseas during the final month of his presidency was fellow one-term President George H.W. Bush. Bush traveled to Moscow and Paris on diplomatic missions to shore up a nuclear treaty and discuss the Bosnian war that was taking place at the time with France’s then-president, according to historical records from the State Department.
Top Senate Dems pour cold water on latest GOP spending bill plans: ‘Ready to stay’ through Christmas
Top Senate Democrats, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., made clear they only intend to move forward on the original stopgap spending bill plan that Republicans scrapped after pressure from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump. Murray said she is prepared for a partial government shutdown and to stay in Washington, D.C., for the Christmas holiday if Republicans do not return to the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier this week and subsequently killed after Musk and others publicly opposed its provisions. “I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” she said in a Friday morning statement, hours before the government could be sent into a partial shutdown if a bill is not passed. TIM SCOTT’S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. “Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America out-compete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal-we should stick to it,” Murray said. In floor remarks on Friday morning, Schumer said, “if Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight.” “It’s time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago. It’s time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It’s the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people.” He also said that if House Speaker Mike Johnson were to put the original bill on the House floor for a vote, “it would pass, and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us.” ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING Murray added, “The deal that was already agreed to would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms. The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots — I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible.” After Musk and conservatives railed against the 1,547-page bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance ultimately condemned it as well, killing whatever chance it had left. Murray’s Friday statement came shortly after it was revealed that House Republicans were planning a new continuing resolution vote in the morning on a different proposal. It is unclear whether negotiations are taking place across party lines or bicamerally, however. DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told reporters Friday morning that House Republicans were “very close to a deal” and that a vote could happen in the morning. However, if that deal is not the original stopgap spending bill, it sounds like Murray and Democrats in the Senate would be prepared to oppose it. Murray also is not the only one who saying they are prepared to let the government’s funding expire before the holiday. Several Republicans have expressed their willingness to let it shut down if Republicans are not able to get a better deal. PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN’T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE ‘ERROR’ DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE Trump himself wrote on Truth Social Friday morning, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!” Congress must pass a measure, and it must be signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning in order to avoid a partial shutdown.
Watchdog seeks to halt 11th-hour Biden DOJ effort to ‘handcuff’ Kentucky police over Breonna Taylor incident
EXCLUSIVE: A conservative legal watchdog is expected to file a brief with a Kentucky court to urge a judge against blessing a consent decree forged by Attorney General Merrick Garland and the city of Louisville and Jefferson County, Ky., that would reform police practices after the controversial 2020 death of Breonna Taylor. The Oversight Project is placing its amicus brief on the docket of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Friday morning as a judge prepares a schedule to rule on activating the agreement. Oversight Project Executive Director Mike Howell said the consent decree includes a “laundry list of BLM-type standards that have been argued for over the years since George Floyd[‘s death in 2020]” and the riots that followed. “Louisville would be a sanctuary city for gangbangers,” Howell warned, adding he hopes Friday’s addition to the docket gives the court pause before agreeing to any accelerated timeline for approval. PROPOSED CHICAGO POLICE RESOURCE CUTS COULD LAND CITY IN COURT UNDER CONSENT DECREE, OFFICIALS WARN Taylor was killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers sought to serve a drug warrant at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker’s house, when her beau fired a “warning shot” through the door and struck Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg. A hail of return fire followed, fatally wounding Taylor, and five officers were later involved in legal cases where one was found guilty of deprivation of rights under the color of law for reportedly firing blindly through a window amid the chaos. Walker later alleged he mistook the police for intruders and did not hear them announce themselves. Louisville wound up paying Taylor’s family $12 million in a wrongful death settlement. Last week, Garland announced the consent decree with Louisville, saying it will bring about needed systemic reforms to policing to prevent a repeat of what happened to Taylor. Howell said, however, that the decree will only hamstring the police department and also defy the will of Kentucky voters who elected new Republicans on the Louisville council on the issue of law and order. “[The decree] basically limits the ability for officers to react quickly and in a strong way. It’s very heavy on the de-escalation techniques, particularly as it relates to this category of people who they call ‘behaviorally impaired’ or something to that effect,” Howell said. BIDEN ADMIN HIT WITH FOIA SEEKING 25TH AMENDMENT-RELATED COMMS Howell said there is concern over the spiking teenage murder rate – violence committed by suspects aged 11-17 – and that the decree wrongly imposes new standards for dealing with youth offenders as well as stop-and-frisk restrictions. One of the most glaring issues with the agreement is the fact Louisville councilmen, Kentucky lawmakers and the general public will all be prevented from making further adjustments to policing policies for five years, if the judge signs the decree. In a consent decree system, an official monitor appointed by the judge, and not the relevant legislature, is the arbiter of policies that fall under said agreement unless both parties that forged it agree to change them. Howell said, in that regard, the Biden Justice Department and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, appear to be rushing through the legal process to head off the likelihood a Trump Justice Department will balk at the agreement. “The most basic responsibility of government is to keep our people safe while protecting constitutional rights and treating everyone fairly,” Greenberg said in a statement about the decree. “As mayor, I promised to uphold that responsibility, and I have.” “The Department of Justice saw the action we’ve already taken and our commitment to aggressively implement police reform. As a result of these improvements, we have a consent decree unlike any other city in America.” Greenberg said any decree must build on reforms made in recent years, cannot “handcuff police as they work to prevent crime” and also be financially responsible and have a clear sunset date. “I felt comfortable signing this because our officers will have clear guidance and goals to meet, the DOJ can’t move the goalposts, and our officers can focus on good police work, not paperwork,” added Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey. The Oversight Project’s amicus brief is backed by law enforcement advocacy leaders like Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Johnson, whose group promotes constitutional policing and studies similar consent decrees, told Fox News Digital it’s clear the Biden DOJ realizes such an agreement would be “D.O.A.” when President-elect Donald Trump assumes the Oval Office. “Most of these police consent decrees are more of an activist wish list than effective means to remedy constitutional violations by police agencies. The Justice Department is trying to impose burdensome rules that far exceed their authority under law,” Johnson said. He suggested that technical assistance letters, which aim to encourage reforms without imposing a judicial arbiter, are generally preferred in most cases. “But, the activist lawyers in the Biden administration prefer to use a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel. This approach has proven counterproductive time and again — hurting public safety, police morale, and police-community relations more than it helps.” Meanwhile, Howell said he hopes the Kentucky judge will see that Greenberg and Garland are trying to “turn him into a legislature” when it comes to law enforcement practices. Under the consent decree system, the policy changes will be untouchable by a more hawkish Trump DOJ for up to five years, rendering the new administration’s predicted actions in the law enforcement realm moot in Louisville. Criminals will likely endorse the decree, he said, as they will use the encyclopedia of new policing standards to their benefit.
Can D. Gukesh, world chess champion can save his Rs 11.45 crore prize from heavy taxes? know here
His remarkable achievement has filled the country with pride. However, a pressing question arises: how much of that prize money will he actually keep after taxes?
Sambhal: ASI inspect five shrines and 19 wells in Uttar Pradesh
A 4-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspected five ‘teerth’ (shrines) and 19 wells in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh on Friday, officials said.DM Dr Rajender Pensiya informed that the inspection continued for 8-10 hours adding that a total of around 24 areas were surveyed.”It was a 4-member team. In Sambhal, 5 ‘teerth’ and 19 wells were inspected by ASI. The new temple that was found was also inspected.