UN envoy warns Israeli attacks in Syria are destabilising
NewsFeed UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has warned that Israeli attacks inside Syria are undermining the country as its tries to rebuild after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Published On 17 Dec 202417 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Conor McGregor announces boxing bout against Logan Paul in India
Ireland’s Conor McGregor confirms preliminary talks to fight American social media influencer-turned boxer, Logan Paul. Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor has reached a preliminary agreement to fight American social media influencer-turned-fighter Logan Paul in an exhibition boxing match, the former UFC champion said on social media. The Irish fighter added in his revelation on X that he is in talks with the family of billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani for the bout. “I am in preliminary agreements with the Ambani family to face Logan Paul in India. I have agreed,” McGregor wrote on Tuesday. McGregor also said that rumours of a potential bout with Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Ilia Topuria were false. McGregor said he would “seek his return to the Octagon” after his boxing exhibition with Paul. Topuria also denied any speculation he would fight McGregor. “The rumors of bout with mchicken are false,” Topuria said on social media. “I don’t fight nor am I interested in fighting with a rapist.” Logan Paul has previously fought Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition [Miguel Rodriguez/Reuters] McGregor’s announcement comes less than a month after a civil court jury in Ireland ruled he must pay nearly $257,000 to a woman who said he “brutally raped and battered” her at a Dublin hotel penthouse in December 2018. Advertisement Nikita Hand said the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. The 36-year-old McGregor was once the biggest UFC star, but he has not fought injuring his leg since during a bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He pulled out of a scheduled UFC 303 match with Michael Chandler last June and said later that it was due to a broken toe. Paul is a YouTuber-turned-boxer. He previously survived eight rounds against retired five-division champion Floyd Mayweather, who is 18 years his senior, in a fight three years ago. His brother Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson last month in Arlington, Texas. The Jake Paul-Tyson fight was the first live sports event on Netflix, which announced that the bout was viewed in 60 million households. Adblock test (Why?)
UN envoy warns Syria’s war ‘has not ended yet’ as US says truce extended
The United Nations special envoy for Syria has warned that the war “has not ended yet” despite the removal of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition fighters, highlighting clashes between Turkish-backed armed groups and Kurdish fighters in the north of the country. “There have been significant hostilities in the last two weeks, before a ceasefire was brokered,” Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday, warning that a military escalation could be “catastrophic”. The remarks come after the Syrian National Army (SNA), a group of fighters backed by Turkiye, has battled with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the wake of al-Assad’s removal. The SDF is the main ally in a United States-led coalition against ISIS (ISIL). It is spearheaded by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara sees as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) armed group that it outlaws and that has fought the Turkish state for 40 years. Last week, SNA fighters seized the northern city of Manbij from the SDF, which then headed east of the Euphrates River as a US-mediated ceasefire came into effect. Advertisement Shortly after Pederson addressed the UN Security Council, a US State Department spokesman said the ceasefire in northern Syria had been extended until the end of this week. “We continue to engage with the SDF, with Turkey about a path forward,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding it was not in the interest of any party to see increased conflict in Syria. “We don’t want to see any party take advantage of the current unstable situation to advance their own narrow interests at the expense of the broader Syrian national interest.” Netanyahu visits Golan Pedersen also called on the UN’s Security Council to ensure that Israel “cease all settlement activity in the occupied Syrian Golan”. Pedersen noted Israel has conducted more than 350 strikes on Syria following the departure of the former regime, including a major strike on Tartous. “Such attacks place a battered civilian population at further risk and undermine the prospects of an orderly political transition,” he said. The UN envoy warned against plans announced by Israel’s cabinet to expand settlements inside the Golan, occupied by Israel since 1967 and annexed in 1981. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security briefing inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights that Israel seized earlier this month. “Israel must cease all settlement activities in the occupied Syrian Golan, which are illegal. Attacks on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop,” said Pedersen. Advertisement Rob Geist Pinfold, a professor of peace and security at Durham University, told Al Jazeera that “Israel is looking to launch as many strikes [as possible] while it still has the freedom to do so.” He suggested that “Israel is adding to the instability [due to their] fear power vacuums and ungoverned spaces on their borders.” Geist Pinfold also said that the “international community’s response has certainly been lacklustre so far.” Sanctions Pederson also called for “broad support” to end the Western-backed sanctions imposed on Syria in order to allow for reconstruction in the war-ravaged country. “Concrete movement on an inclusive political transition will be key in ensuring Syria receives the economic support it needs,” Pedersen said. “The needs are immense and could only be addressed with broad support, including a smooth end to sanctions, appropriate action on designations, too, and full reconstruction.” Western countries are wrestling with their approach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the takeover of Damascus, and is a former al-Qaeda affiliate. Despite moderating its rhetoric in recent months, HTS has been designated as a “terrorist” group by many Western governments. Adblock test (Why?)
Texas House panel subpoenas death row inmate Robert Roberson a second time
The new subpoena comes after lawmakers say Ken Paxton’s office stalled a previous effort to get Roberson’s legislative testimony about his conviction in “shaken baby” case.
A school voucher program in Texas is more likely than ever. Can lawmakers craft a bill they agree on?
Some voucher opponents are ready to compromise; others are hoping supporters will fumble over the program’s size, eligibility and accountability.
Biden’s Cabinet stand by statements of support as term draws to a close
With just over a month left in office, top members of President Biden’s Cabinet are standing behind their past statements expressing support for his leadership and their belief that he is still fit for office — despite a year of controversy and debate over Biden’s ability to serve out his term. Fox News Digital reached out to Cabinet officials and their departments, asking them if they believed President Biden was fit to serve, and if they stood by past statements of confidence in his ability to continue. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in a statement in September, said that he has “full confidence in President Biden’s ability to carry out his job. “As I’ve said before, I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing his questions will be detail-oriented, probing, and exacting. In our exchanges, the President always draws upon our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusions,” he said. BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE ‘MAN THAT WAS TOO OLD,’ SAYS BYRON YORK On Monday, DHS said that the secretary stands by those comments. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has called Biden “one of the most accomplished presidents in American history and continues to effectively lead our country with a steady hand.” “As someone who is actually in the room when the President meets with the cabinet and foreign leaders, I can tell you he is an incisive and extraordinary leader,” Raimondo said. A spokesperson said this week that Raimondo stands by those comments. Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary told Fox in September: “As Secretary Austin has said before, he has watched President Biden make tough national security decisions and seen his commitment to keeping our troops safe – he has nothing but total confidence in our Commander-in-Chief.” This week, Singh said those comments still stand. Biden’s mental acuity was a subject of speculation even preceding him being sworn into office, but discussion about its implications came to a head this year after what was widely seen as a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump that seemingly initiated the process to replace him on the Democratic ticket in the race for the presidency. BIDEN’S AGE MUCH MORE OF A LIABILITY THAN TRUMP’S, POLL FINDS AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Biden eventually dropped out of the race, handing the nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris, who would in turn go on to lose in the November election against President-elect Trump. But while Biden said he would not seek re-election, he chose not to step down from office. The subject of Biden’s acuity re-emerged in September when he handed over the reins of a Cabinet meeting to first lady Jill Biden. But it was then that Cabinet members backed Biden and said they had no concerns about his ability to serve. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra — one of Biden’s staunch defenders — said Biden “has done more as president for this country than any other president whom I have worked with since 1992.” “So yes, not only can he do the job, but he has been doing it,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And we are fortunate to have someone who continues to use all of his experience to take us further. If you recall where we were four years ago, the depth of a pandemic, Americans losing their jobs, Americans losing their health care. Today, more Americans are employed than ever before. Today, more Americans have health coverage than ever before. No President in the history of this country has ever placed 700 million vaccines in the arms of Americans to keep them alive and keep them healthy. The result? Our economy is healthy.” “Is he fit? He’s proving it,” Becerra added. An HHS spokesperson said that Becerra’s comments stand. BIDEN IS SAYING ‘SCREW YOU’ TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BEN FERGUSON ARGUES Spokespersons for other agencies that had previously commented, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, also said they stood by those comments. As it stands, President Biden will finish his term on Jan. 20 when President-elect Trump is sworn into office. Biden spoke this week at a DNC holiday celebration in Washington, D.C. During his remarks he argued that the country is in a “resoundingly” better position today than when he and Harris entered the White House. “The one thing I’ve always believed about public service, and especially about the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, have we left the country in better shape than we found it? Today, I can say with every fiber of my being, of all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes,” he said. He went on to encourage staffers to “stay engaged” in the years ahead. “You’re not going anywhere, kid,” Biden said of Harris. “Because we’re not gonna let you.”
Trump weighs in on political turmoil in the ‘great state of Canada,’ trolls ‘Governor Justin Trudeau’
President-elect Trump weighed in on the political turmoil in the “great state of Canada” after the finance minister resigned from her post amid a disagreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to handle possible U.S. tariffs under the incoming Trump administration. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post Monday. “The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau,” Trump posted to his Truth Social Tuesday, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the USA. “Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!” TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES Freeland’s resignation raises questions about Trudeau’s political future, amid concerns about inflation and immigration. Now, Trudeau is facing calls to resign from critics. However, a no-confidence vote in the government is not imminent. Trudeau last month traveled to Mar-a-Lago unannounced after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Specifically, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over their failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S. Trump called the meeting “very productive.” The president-elect told the prime minister if Canada cannot fix the border issues and trade deficit, he will levy a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods his first day back in office. Trudeau told Trump he cannot levy the tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy. Trump replied, asking something along the lines of, “So, your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?” TRUMP BOASTS OF ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING’ WITH CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU AT MAR-A-LAGO Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, prompting the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News. But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor of the 51st state. Sources told Fox News someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a liberal state, which received even more laughter. Trump suggested Canada could become two states, a conservative and a liberal one. While sources say the exchange got many laughs, Trump delivered the message that he expected change by Jan. 20. The nearly three-hour conversation continued about various other topics. By the end, the Canadian guests called the dinner “very friendly and very positive,” though no reference was made to becoming the 51st state. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Two new student debt relief programs from Biden barrel toward imminent release
As the Biden administration enters its final days, two new student debt relief programs face imminent release as they undergo final review before formal implementation. The two programs include a second attempt at providing sweeping student loan forgiveness for millions of borrowers under the Higher Education Act, known colloquially as “Plan B,” which comes after federal courts ruled that the Biden administration’s initial attempt at providing broad-based student loan forgiveness via executive action was unconstitutional. The second program, focused on people facing financial hardships, seeks to provide student debt relief for millions more. The two programs were submitted for review to the Office of Management and Budget as of Tuesday, one of the final steps before the policies are formally published in the Federal Register. TOP DEMS, ACTIVISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO DOLE OUT MORE STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS BEFORE TERM ENDS After the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s first attempt at providing broad-based student loan forgiveness, ruling it was an overreach of the executive branch’s authority under the Constitution, the president and his team began working on a new plan. It’s “Plan B” seeks to provide relief to roughly 23 million borrowers, in particular those whose outstanding loan balance has been impacted by unrestrained interest accumulation. Meanwhile, the second program seeks to provide additional student loan forgiveness for 8 million borrowers who face financial hardships. If finalized, the new rule would authorize student debt forgiveness on a one-time basis for people who the department considers to have at least an 80% chance of defaulting on loans based on a “predictive assessment using existing borrower data.” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, sent a letter to the Biden administration earlier this month slamming its efforts as a “Band-Aid that forces taxpayers to shoulder the responsibility of paying off someone else’s debt.” “If this administration spent half as much time working to address the root causes of our broken student loan system as peddling this illegal free college agenda, college costs would be lower,” she said. DAD WHO SACRIFICED HIS SAVINGS TO PAY FOR SON’S COLLEGE CALLS STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS A ‘BITTER PILL’ Meanwhile, Madison Doan, a senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, told Fox News Digital that the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness efforts will likely be shot down in court for the same reasons its previous programs have been blocked. She also pointed to the recent ruling that overturned Chevron deference, which previously allowed courts to defer to executive agencies when statutory language, such as that associated with the Higher Education Act, is unclear. “These precedents make it doubtful that the courts will endorse the administration’s attempt to use ambiguous language in old statutes to justify broad new authority for canceling billions in loans at the expense of taxpayers,” Doan said. She also pointed out how two Democratic-appointed judges have indicated that opponents of the rules are “likely to succeed on the merits” of their legal challenges. In addition to the two programs that are in the final approval stages, the Biden administration is also attempting to push through a new interim rule that, once implemented, will reopen enrollment in an income-driven student debt repayment plan that is currently stalled in the courts. The new rule contains certain changes from the original income driven repayment plan in order to provide protections from the same legal challenges that stalled the initial attempt. SENATE DEM IN KEY BATTLEGROUND RACE FLIP-FLOPPED ON STUDENT DEBT UNDER BIDEN: NO ‘MAGIC WAND’ However, the rule is not slated to go into effect until several months into President-elect Trump’s second term, and, as a result, will likely be rescinded. While Trump has not formally laid out plans on how he will approach the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness policies, he has indicated plans to reform the federal government’s role in U.S. education during his term. “The lesson President Biden should have taken from the Supreme Court’s student loan ruling was that, if he wanted to forgive debt, he should hammer out a deal with Congress,” Chad Squitieri, Catholic University of America law professor, told Fox News Digital. “President Biden’s efforts to unilaterally plow forward without Congress, in the waning days of his administration, is just the latest effort to use administrative rulemaking as a substitute for the federal lawmaking process. Publishing a rule might be easier than enacting legislation, but it can come at the cost of undermining a more stable solution on debt relief.” Executive rulemaking has been a staple for the Biden administration, which has used the policymaking avenue to implement a range of reforms. As of Dec. 3, the Biden administration set a new record for the most Federal Register pages filled in a single year – 96,088. The number puts the administration on pace to fill more than 100,000 pages by the end of its term.
Trump’s transition team eyes expansion of ankle monitors for illegal immigrants not in custody
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump transition team is considering a significant expansion of the way ankle-worn GPS monitors are used to track illegal immigrants who are not in federal immigration detention, Fox News Digital has learned. President-elect Trump has pledged to launch a mass deportation operation once sworn into office, and his transition team has already been engaged in planning to make that happen. Multiple sources familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital the priority for the incoming administration is the detention and deportation of illegal immigrants along with preventing them from entering the U.S. in the first place. However, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity in the tens of thousands, compared to the millions who are not currently in detention, officials are also expected to ramp up the monitoring of those not in detention until they can be removed. ‘STANDING BY TO HELP:’ RED STATE REVEALS PLAN TO PURCHASE BORDER WALL MATERIALS TO STORE FOR TRUMP Under the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, newly arrived illegal immigrants going through court proceedings are monitored by either an ankle-worn or wrist-worn device or use a cell phone app under which they are required to check in with ICE. According to ICE data as of November, just 187,747 individuals are being monitored by technology, including about 25,000 on the ankle monitors or wrist-worn devices. Typically, migrants are placed on ATD from their release at the border and earlier on in the lifecycle of their cases. The Trump administration is looking at ways to increase the number of illegal immigrants being monitored by an ankle or wrist monitor, while also sharply reducing the numbers of those not detained. Officials also want GPS tracking to be available for much longer than it is currently. Sources emphasized that if entries at the southern border are shut down, as the administration plans to make happen, it allows for more people in the interior to be moved to devices and for longer because the devices are no longer needed for new arrivals entering into the U.S. ‘LEGAL AUTHORITY’: SENATE DEMS DEMAND BIDEN EXTEND PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN Advocates of ATD and ICE have argued that compliance by those enrolled when monitored remains high, and it is cheaper than detention – $8 a day compared to $150 a day. But some immigration activists have slammed the ATD program as creating “digital prisons,” while some on the right have argued that the technology needs to be extended so that it can allow illegal immigrants to be tracked down and removed if they are given a final order of deportation. The increase in the use of GPS monitoring could also be accompanied by additional penalties for a lack of compliance, although it is still not clear what those penalties would be. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Increasing the number of non-detained immigrants on ATD has been a priority for Republicans. The Justice for Jocelyn Act, introduced this year by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, would require the government to enroll all illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket into continuous GPS monitoring. It would also require those enrolled to be home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and would punish any noncompliance with an order that they be removed in absentia. A significant expansion of ICE capacity has been expected in the upcoming administration, given the promise of a mass deportation campaign. The GEO Group, which is the exclusive contractor for that technology, announced a $70 million investment Monday to increase its capabilities to deliver detention capacity, secure transport and electronic monitoring services to ICE.
Environmental group launches six-figure battleground state ad buy against Newsom’s ‘climate leadership’
An environmental group is calling out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate leadership in a six-figure battleground state ad buy which claims his policies in California have “significantly undermined climate progress.” While running for governor in 2018, Newsom said he would shut down the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility in California – the location of the largest methane leak in U.S. history. “I’m fully committed to doing that,” Newsom told a reporter when asked if he would shut down the facility. “The question is how quickly can we do that, but my commitment is to make that happen. We need to be more aggressive than we have been.” Newsom added that he was “unequivocally” committed to shutting it down, but environmental groups are calling out the governor after allowing the facility to remain open six years later. Food & Water Action, the political and lobbying arm of Food & Water Watch advocating against climate change, announced on Monday a $100,000 ad buy against Newsom across four battleground states – Nevada, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Michigan. GAVIN NEWSOM GRILLED OVER HEFTY PRICE TAG TO HELP ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA: ‘TOTAL WASTE’ The ad buy specifically targets Newsom’s leadership on the climate, specifically for not following through on his campaign promise regarding the Aliso Canyon facility. CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS BILLS KILLED AS NEWSOM SOUGHT TO AVOID APPEARING ‘TOO PROGRESSIVE’ “Americans are looking for leadership to resist Trump’s assault on our climate. Someone who follows through and won’t back down,” the ad says. “Gov. Newsom promised to shut down Aliso Canyon, the site of the largest gas blowout in U.S. history. A public health disaster. But his public utilities commission is considering keeping it open indefinitely – just like the oil and gas industry wants. Climate leadership? We’re looking for it.” However, in a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Daniel Villaseñor, spokesperson for Newsom, said that “the Governor’s energy policy is ambitious, not reckless.” “We are committed to safely closing Aliso Canyon without harming working families with skyrocketing utility bills,” the spokesperson said. “No governor has done more to accelerate our transition to clean and renewable energy, but it would be irresponsible to close Aliso Canyon before demand for natural gas declines. That’s a recipe for precisely the same price spikes we’ve seen in the gasoline market.” Villaseñor added that Newsom “wants to see Aliso Canyon phased out, but not at the cost of enormous price increases for working families and our ability to keep the lights on.” The California Public Utilities Commission is planning to meet on Dec. 19 to discuss the future of the facility. The environmental group claims that Newsom is trying to appear as a climate change champion, but that his record in California suggests otherwise. “Governor Newsom wants to position himself as a national leader on climate and in opposing Trump, but he can’t be a credible national leader if his own house is not in order,” Mitch Jones, deputy director of Food & Water Action, said in a press release. “While Newsom has taken some important steps on oil drilling, other policies have significantly undermined climate progress. These include undermining rooftop solar, embracing industry-backed plans like dirty biogas and carbon capture, and failing so far to keep his promise to close Aliso Canyon,” Jones added. While there is still a push from environmental groups to shut down the facility, it remains California’s largest underground natural gas storage facility and its operation has helped the state avoid potential energy price increases, according to the Energy Information Administration. The ads were notably launched in battleground states amid months of speculation that Newsom could potentially launch a presidential bid in 2028. Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during his re-election bid, and was floated as a leading candidate to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket before the president dropped out of the race. The governor’s second term in Sacramento will finish at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up.