McConnell warns RFK Jr. to steer clear of the polio vaccine
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a stern warning to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after a report highlighted how one of Kennedy’s associates had sought to rescind approval for a polio vaccine. McConnell, a polio survivor, said in a statement that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed – they’re dangerous.” “Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts,” he added, without naming Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who is President-elect Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. NOBEL LAUREATES CRITICIZE RFK JR. HHS NOMINATION OVER ‘LACK OF CREDENTIALS,’ VACCINE STANCE McConnell’s statement follows a New York Times report on Friday that highlighted how Kennedy’s personal attorney, Aaron Siri, had represented clients in cases that sought to rescind approval for a version of the polio vaccine and others. “Like millions of families before them, my parents knew the pain and fear of watching their child struggle with the life-altering diagnosis of polio. From the age of two, normal life without paralysis was only possible for me because of the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love. But for millions who came after me, the real miracle was the saving power of the polio vaccine,” McConnell said. RFK JR. WANTS TO CLEAR OUT ‘ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS’ IN THE FDA: ‘THEY HAVE TO GO’ “For decades, I have been proud to work with devoted advocates – from Rotary International to the Gates Foundation – and use my platform in public life to champion the pursuit of cures for further generations. I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress, and I will not today. The GOP leader was joined by his Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who demanded that RFK Jr. make his position on the polio vaccine clear. TRUMP TAPS RFK JR. TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES “This would undoubtedly make America sick again,” Schumer said, sharing the Times report on X. “It’s outrageous and dangerous for people in the Trump Transition to try and get rid of the polio vaccine that has virtually eradicated polio in America and saved millions of lives. RFK Jr. must state his position on this.” The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
‘Until my last breath’: Searching for relatives at Syria’s ‘slaughterhouse’
Sednaya, Syria – For decades, Sednaya prison was only ever mentioned in hushed tones in Syria. Torture and death were known to be routine in this place everyone called the “human slaughterhouse”. But on the evening of December 7, that all ended when Syrian opposition fighters burst through doors and liberated the prisoners. In no time, thousands of Syrians descended on the prison in the mountains north of Damascus, desperately seeking news of the loved ones they believed had disappeared behind the prison’s walls. Standing in front of the prison, Jumaa Jubbu, who is from al-Kafir in Idlib, said: “The liberation [of Syria] is an indescribable joy. “But the joy is incomplete because there are [hundreds of thousands] of missing detainees, and we haven’t heard any news about them at all.” Jumaa Jubbu feels the joy of liberation is incomplete so long as people remain disappeared in Sednaya Prison [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] False hope Sednaya’s two buildings may have been holding as many as 20,000 prisoners, according to Amnesty International. Advertisement Many of the prisoners were freed a week ago – on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. But by Monday, thousands of people were still waiting for news. The scene inside the prison was chaotic. Rumours were circulating that there were hidden underground sections of the prison which they could not access. A former prisoner told Al Jazeera that military police had told him there were three underground floors with thousands of people held there. This week, people were using water conductors in the hopes of finding gaps in the walls or floors. Thousands of people have descended on Sednaya prison in search of missing friends and family [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] At one point, a loud bang rang out from a far wall of the prison and shouts spread through the crowd. Someone had broken through and there were hopes they had found an entry to the rumoured cells. People began running towards the sound, shouting “God is the greatest”. But, seconds later, the shouts died down and people turned away – a false hope. There was no entrance. “We’re waiting, hoping that God will guide us to find the underground prison, because most of the prisoners who were released before, they say the prison has three underground levels,” Jubbu said. “We only saw one floor.” Jubbu said he was searching for 20 people from his village, among them his cousins. All had been taken in the early years of the war, between 2011 and 2013 and were believed to have ended up at the “slaughterhouse”. But just a few hours later, a statement was released by the Association of Detainees and Missing in Sednaya Prison which said the last liberated prisoner had been released at 11am the day before. Advertisement The White Helmets, Syria’s Civil Defence force, continued to search but finally suspended operations on Tuesday after finding no more prisoners. Families seeking loved ones wait hopefully as a member of the civil defence force, the White Helmets, attempts to locate an entrance to rumoured underground cells [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] ‘The smells are indescribable’ Syrian opposition fighters liberated Aleppo, Hama, and Homs on their way to Damascus. In each city, they opened up the prison doors and liberated tens of thousands of people. But more remain missing. On the road to Sednaya, people drove as far as they could before the crush of people forced them to park and continue on foot. Young and old, men and women, some holding children – all climbed up the unpaved incline to the infamous prison. Under the now-defeated regime, Sednaya was a military prison where many were held on charges of “terrorism” which, in reality, meant had been arrested for any number of arbitrary reasons. Many of the people Al Jazeera spoke to there said their relatives had done nothing wrong. Some weren’t even sure their loved ones were here, they had come because they’d heard from someone that their relative “might” be here. Or they had checked other prisons and still hadn’t found any trace. A man looking for relatives at Sednaya prison holds up blood-stained nooses found inside [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Mohammad al-Bakour, 32, said his brother Abdullah was arrested in 2012 for protesting peacefully in Aleppo. He has not seen him since. Advertisement At 2am the previous morning – around the time al-Assad fled Damascus for Moscow – al-Bakour headed straight from his home town near Aleppo to Sednaya to search for his brother. “His children are now young adults, they don’t remember him and wouldn’t recognise him,” al-Bakour said. Inside, he searched the prison for any sign of Abdullah. “The smells in there are indescribable. The suffering of the prisoners inside is unimaginable,” he said. “Many times, they wished for death but couldn’t find it. Death became one of the prisoners’ dreams.” Mohammad al-Bakour’s brother Abdullah has been missing for 12 years since his arrest while peacefully protesting [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Life in limbo At Sednaya, many prisoners said they had been tortured and raped. Others were killed so the world won’t know what happened to them. The corpse of prominent activist Mazen al-Hamada was found in a military hospital morgue showing signs of torture. Another former prisoner, Youssef Abu Wadie, described to Al Jazeera how the guards treated inmates: “They would knock on the door, yell, ‘Quiet, you dog!’ and wouldn’t let us speak. The food was scarce. They would take us outside, beat us, break us. “Sometimes two people would hold us down and beat us. They would drag us around and take away our medicine.” ‘They would break us’. Youssef Abu Wadie, a former prisoner at the notorious Sednaya prison, described how prison guards would beat inmates [Ali Haj Suleiman/Al Jazeera] Many inmates told Amnesty International in 2016 that they were not allowed any contact with the outside world or to send anything to family members. Advertisement In many cases, families of prisoners were told incorrectly that a prisoner
Images and narratives of Syria’s historic moment
With the end of the al-Assad regime and half a century of dictatorship, Syria’s media space is undergoing tumultuous changes. State TV and social media users are weaving new narratives, while the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues its rebrand. Contributors:Ibrahim Olabi – Lawyer, Guernica 37Kholoud Helmi – Co-founder, Enab Baladi NewspaperRasha Elass – Editorial Director, New Lines MagazineZaina Erhaim – Managing Editor, Jeem On our radar: Israel’s latest land grab and bombing raids in Syria run counter to international law – but you would not guess it from the coverage in Western and Israeli media. Meenakshi Ravi reports. How ‘smart cities’ make us more surveilled than ever before As urban populations soar, surveillance is intensifying in the form of “smart cities” built around the collection of data. But beneath promises to improve services lie serious concerns for residents’ privacy and freedoms. Featuring: Anna Kwok – Executive Director, Hong Kong Democracy CouncilDhaksh Raj Sooriya – Senior Researcher, Surveillance Resistance LabJulia Angwin – Investigative Journalist Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
India vs Australia: Border-Gavaskar third Test opens with a near washout
The first day of the third Test is a near washout as Australia and India are left frustrated by rain in Brisbane. India’s bowlers were left frustrated and wicketless as rain wiped out most of the opening day’s play in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. Australia were 28-0 when play was abandoned, with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 19 and Nathan McSweeney on four after facing only 13.2 overs at a rain-sodden Gabba. India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first but his hope of early wickets proved forlorn, with rain halting play in the sixth over for about 30 minutes and dashing his pace bowlers’ hopes of finding their rhythm. The rain returned to bring an early lunch and persisted until play was abandoned late in the afternoon, short-changing a crowd of 30,145. The Gabba pitch had a green tinge on what had been a steamy, overcast morning, promising a stiff examination for Australia’s top order, but the ball ultimately did little off the spongy pitch. Barring a probing, opening burst by Bumrah, who repeatedly beat Khawaja’s bat, the Indian pacers were culpable of bowling too short. Advertisement Khawaja capitalised, smashing Mohammed Siraj to the fence with a couple of sweetly struck pull shots but the weather denied a healthy crowd more action. With the five-Test series poised at 1-1, India made two changes to the side that lost by 10 wickets in the day-night Test in Adelaide — Ravindra Jadeja replacing spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Akash Deep coming in for struggling paceman Harshit Rana. Australia made only one change, with quick Josh Hazlewood replacing Scott Boland after recovering from a side injury. Rohit, whose poor form with the bat has heaped pressure on his captaincy, will continue to bat at number six, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal retained as the opening combination. “There’s a lot of grass and it looks a little soft as well so we want to try and make the best use of the conditions and try and see what we can do with the ball up front,” Rohit had said after winning the toss, adding that the mood in the Indian dressing room was “absolutely buzzing”. “The guys are looking forward to the Test match. It’s been always nice to come here and play some really good cricket and yeah, when you talk about how everyone’s feeling, they want to come out here and showcase themselves.” As it was, India will have to wait until day two to show their skills and may need early wickets to force a third consecutive result in the series. Adblock test (Why?)
PM Modi slams Congress over Emergency, says, ‘this sin on forehead of…’
Referring to the Nehru-Gandhi family, PM Modi alleged that it ‘has challenged the Constitution at all levels’
Farmer leader announces ‘Tractor March’, ‘Rail Roko’ in Punjab on…
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced that a tractor march would be organised outside Punjab, followed by a ‘Rail Roko’ protest.
Trump-backed candidate aiming to replace Matt Gaetz wants Florida to adopt gold and silver as legal tender
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — who was urged by President-elect Donald Trump to run in the special election to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District — hopes to win so he can support the incoming commander-in-chief’s agenda. Patronis told Fox News Digital during an interview on Thursday that he is eager to run and “support President Trump’s agenda about” eliminating “wokeness” which has “infiltrated” government and society. “We need common sense,” he said, asserting that it is not currently “very common” in the U.S. WITH TRUMP PLEDGING ENDORSEMENT, FLORIDA CFO WILL RUN FOR MATT GAETZ’S FORMER HOUSE SEAT Asked whether he would be interested in joining the House Freedom Caucus if he wins the House seat, Patronis indicated that he would “love to know what they’re all about,” and said that many of the things he is familiar with the group participating in “make sense to” him. He said, “the citizens of the United States, or in this case District 1, spend their money better than Washington D.C. does.” Patronis wants the Sunshine State to adopt gold and silver as legal tender and has called for a study on the issue. HOUSE GOP LEADERS ENDORSE TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE JIMMY PATRONIS FOR MATT GAETZ’S OLD SEAT “Gold and silver have been trusted assets for thousands of years, and it makes perfect sense to use them as legal tender. I’m launching this study to determine the best way to get it done,” Patronis said in a statement included in a press release earlier this week. He indicated to Fox News Digital that he hopes the study will pave the way for the state legislature to approve legislation “to allow this type of economic freedom right here in the state of Florida.” In addition to Trump’s backing, Patronis also has scored endorsements from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. FLORIDA CFO REQUESTS REPORT ON POTENTIAL FOR INVESTING SOME STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM FUNDS INTO DIGITAL ASSETS Election Day for the special election is set for April 1, but Patronis will first face the special Republican primary contest next month.
Trump brings political drama to Army-Navy game sidelines
President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will attend the annual Army-Navy game in Landover, Maryland, on Saturday, and they are bringing some guests who are sure to stir debate. In what will be the 125th meeting of the Black Knights and Midshipmen, a source tells Fox that Trump is taking Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth to the highly anticipated football clash, while Vance confirmed on social media that he will have Marine veteran Daniel Penny by his side. Penny was found not guilty in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely in New York City earlier this week, a decision which was criticized by some commentators on the left and underscored a divide between crime and mental health. DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL Hegseth is still battling it out to secure his nomination for the top defense role and the dynamics of his appearance will be interesting given Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will also be in attendance. DeSantis at one point was touted as a possible replacement for Hegseth, although it is unclear if he will be seated with Trump in a suite. Hegseth’s appearance will mark a very public declaration of support from Trump, as some senators are still holding out on committing to his confirmation. Hegseth, an Army National Guard and former longtime Fox News host, deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and has been the focus of misconduct reports. Trump’s defense secretary nominee has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed as defense secretary. JD VANCE CONFIRMS DANIEL PENNY WILL ATTEND ARMY-NAVY GAME AFTER ACQUITTAL IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who President-elect Trump has tapped to serve as director of national intelligence, is also understood to be going to the game along with Speaker Mike Johnson, per reports. Gabbard, like Hegseth, is facing an uphill battle for confirmation. Meanwhile, Vance took a swipe at New York City prosecutors for taking on the case in a post on X confirming Penny’s attendance. “Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance wrote. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.” Penny, 26, was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the May 2023 subway chokehold death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia who had barged onto the train shouting death threats while high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump attended the game as president in 2018, 2019 and 2020, while he also appeared as president-elect in 2016. President Biden has never attended the annual clash as president, although he did appear as vice president. This season has been a banner year for both football programs, adding buzz to the annual rivalry match. The teams have a combined 19 wins this year and with victories over Air Force, the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy will be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s game. Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie, Paulina Dedaj and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Democrats need new playbook to confront Trump, Kamala Harris pollster tells party
As President-elect Trump gets ready to return to the White House, a leading Democratic pollster and strategist highlights that her party needs a new game plan to confront the former and soon-to-be future president. “The 2025 playbook cannot be the 2017 playbook,” Molly Murphy, a top pollster on Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, emphasized as she gave a presentation at the first meeting of the Democratic National Committee’s executive committee since last month’s election. Trump’s convincing win over Harris — he captured the popular vote and swept all seven key battleground states — as well as the GOP flipping the Senate and holding on to their fragile majority in the House, has Democrats searching for answers as they now try to emerge from the political wilderness. Murphy, pointing to post-election polls, said most Americans give the president-elect a thumbs up on how he’s handling his transition, and that Trump will return to the White House next month more popular compared to eight years ago, when he first won the presidency. REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT THE PARTY’S 2026 GAME PLAN And she noted that voters “give him a pass on the outrageous” comments he continuously makes because they approve of his handling of the economy. Murphy, in her comments Friday as DNC leaders huddled at a hotel near the U.S. Capitol, said the Democrats’ mission going forward is to change that perception. “We want to focus on this term … and tell the story about how this term is worse and things are not going to be good for the American people,” Murphy said. The Democrats’ message should be “Donald Trump does not care about you. He is going to screw you,” Murphy argued. “As a north star, I think we need to stay focused on … the economy and costs.“ “A lot of people are expecting the price of milk to go back where it was,” Murphy noted. TRUMP ALLIES TURN UP THE HEAT ON HOLDOUT GOP SENATORS She said Democrats need to borrow a page from the GOP’s 2024 campaign playbook: “We can do what they did to us … even if the economy is stronger, costs are still going to be too high for people.” And she added that Democrats need to spotlight what she called unpopular parts of the Trump agenda, including “tax breaks for the wealthy” and “letting corporations drive up prices and making you pay for it.” And she said the party needs to frame Trump’s proposed tariffs on key American trading partners “a sales tax on the American people that will drive up prices,” which was a line that Harris used on the campaign trail. Murphy also spotlighted that Trump and Republicans made gains with key parts of the Democratic Party’s base – younger voters, Latinos, and Black voters because of the economy, but also because of the Democrats’ “wonky” messaging. “A lot of times we’re talking about polices,” Murphy said, while Republicans have “culture conversations that create a connection between the party and the people that go beyond polices.” DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR FRONT-RUNNER OFFERS ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ ADVICE Murphy argued that “these culture conversations that conservatives have been able to have in an organic way have been able to draw a connection that we know is not supported by policy … and we know that we have a lot of shared values with these working Americans and we need to find ways to have more authentic connection points there.” DNC chair Jaime Harrison complimented Murphy’s presentation. But, Harrison, who is not running for a second four-year term steering the national party committee, pointed to the next White House race and offered that the party should also target Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance. “I think it will be a big error on our part if we focus all of our attention on Donald Trump and not JD Vance, particularly as we start to look at the 2028 race,” Harrison highlighted.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt sold Christmas trees to local residents on his own estate in the 1930s
Franklin D. Roosevelt had many Christmas traditions he took part in with his family and White House staff during his time in office. Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, a place he called home throughout his life. The start of Roosevelt’s time in the political sphere started in 1910, when he was elected to the New York Senate. ‘HOME ALONE’ HOUSE AND OTHER POPULAR CHRISTMAS MOVIE LOCATIONS TO VISIT IN AMERICA Soon after, in 1912, he stepped into the role of chairman of the Forestry Committee of the New York Senate. At this time, he began to plant trees on his land, which he continued for 34 years, according to the National Park Service website. By the 1930s, Roosevelt had gotten into the rhythm of having 20,000 to 55,000 trees planted on his land annually, according to the National Park Service. During the 1930s, Roosevelt began to grow Christmas trees on his estate in Hyde Park, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Some of the Christmas trees grown on the estate were sent to Winston Churchill, according to the National Park Service. 25-30M CHRISTMAS TREES ARE CUT DOWN ANNUALLY, DISPLAYED IN HOMES, BUSINESSES ACROSS THE US Holiday spirit was on full display in the White House during Roosevelt’s time in office. Roosevelt, who spent 12 years in office, the longest term of any U.S. president, spent many of his Christmases the same way while in the White House. Roosevelt spent 10 consecutive Christmases in the White House, and the last two at home in Hyde Park, according to the White House Historical Association. Staples of a Roosevelt Christmas included a Christmas Eve party held by the president and the first lady for White House staff and the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, per the source. It was 1933 when Roosevelt gave his very first holiday message, his “fireside chat,” to the nation. GROVER CLEVELAND, FRANCES FOLSOM’S WEDDING: THE ONLY U.S. PRESIDENT TO MARRY INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE On Christmas morning, the president often spent time with family attending services and opening presents with his grandchildren. The annual Christmas feast included dishes like roasted turkey, chestnut dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pineapple salad, with plum pudding, eggnog, ice cream and cakes for dessert, according to the White House Historical Association. Roosevelt’s long span in office included devastating events in history, like the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. During years of turmoil, Christmas traditions saw a shift. For example, during World War II, four of Roosevelt’s sons were serving in the armed forces, according to the White House Historical Association, leaving his family scattered around the globe. During the White House holiday gathering in 1942, the gift given out to employees was “a black leather folder filled with war savings bonds,” according to the White House Association. In 1944, a scroll with the president’s “D-Day” prayer was handed out to employees. Roosevelt’s last Christmas message was delivered from his home in Hyde Park in 1944. “We pray that with victory will come a new day of peace on earth in which all the Nations of the earth will join together for all time. That is the spirit of Christmas, the holy day. May that spirit live and grow throughout the world in all the years to come,” he said, per the White House Association.