Republican leaders still at odds on reconciliation debate after Trump meeting
House and Senate leaders left a meeting at the White House on Tuesday with varying levels of optimism about being able to fit their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul into one bill. “The reason the president talked about the one big, beautiful bill, and the reason we talk about it as well, is because that’s the most efficient and effective way to get it done,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the meeting. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters, “We’re moving forward with one bill on the House.” NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING “We’ve had a lot of member briefings, but we’ve also been talking about this with President Trump,” Scalise said. “When you look at what gives us the best path to success – to secure the border, lower energy cost and get stable tax policy instead of a tax increase – all of those things we want to do. One bill’s the best path.” However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who has advocated for a two-bill approach, couched expectations when asked about Scalise’s comments. “I think that discussion is always predicated on what we can get done, and we’re obviously all interested in getting to the same destination,” Thune told reporters. “There’s a lot to do, and part of it is just figuring how to stage it, and what’s the best way to get all those results.” NEW OHIO AND FLORIDA SENATE-APPOINTEES SWORN IN AS VANCE AND RUBIO’S REPLACEMENTS One Senate GOP leadership source pushed back on House leaders’ suggestions that the outcome of the joint discussion was broad agreement on a one-bill approach. Many Republicans in the upper chamber have maintained that their preference would be two reconciliation bills, even after Trump’s meeting with the Senate GOP earlier this month. Dealing with the debt limit, California wildfire aid and the March 14 government funding deadline were also topics that arose at the Tuesday meeting. The sit-down comes as congressional Republicans are preparing for a massive conservative policy overhaul through the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for passage in the Senate from 60 votes to 51, reconciliation allows the party controlling Congress and the White House to pass broad policy changes — provided they deal with budgetary and other fiscal matters. ‘DESPERATE ATTEMPT’: SENATORS RECEIVE AFFIDAVIT WITH ALLEGATIONS ABOUT HEGSETH’S PREVIOUS MARRIAGE GOP lawmakers are angling to use reconciliation to pass sweeping measures on border security, government spending, defense, energy and to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts – with several key provisions from that bill expiring at the end of this year. Advocates of the two-bill approach, which include Thune and the House Freedom Caucus, argue that splitting their priorities into separate pieces of legislation will allow Republicans to score early wins on issues like border security and energy, which generally fuel less division within the GOP, while leaving more time for complex matters like taxes. LAKEN RILEY ACT SET TO BECOME ONE OF FIRST BILLS TO HIT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DESK Critics of that plan include members of the House Ways & Means Committee, who have warned that the complex political maneuvering needed for reconciliation could put two bills out of reach, given the GOP’s razor-thin margins in Congress. “The last time we had two was when Newt Gingrich was the speaker. He had a much larger majority. That was 1997. We have a majority of one,” committee member Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told reporters this month. Congress is aiming to get a reconciliation plan on Trump’s desk by spring, Scalise said Tuesday.
At least 11 killed after being run over by train in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon
At least 11 people have been killed after they jumped out of Pushpak Express train, eventually being run over by another train coming from the opposite direction North Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening.
‘No more shivering’: Why Delhi, North India experiencing warmer days
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), North Indian regions like Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Delhi-NCR, and North Rajasthan may witness rain on Wednesday and Thursday, January 23.
‘Prompt removal’: Trump DHS expands expedited deportation powers as operations ramp up
The Trump administration is significantly expanding its powers to quickly deport illegal immigrants, one of a number of rapid-fire moves made by the administration to fulfill its promise to launch a mass deportation operation. A Department of Homeland Security notice, issued Tuesday, removes limits put on the power of expedited removal put in place in March 2022 during the Biden administration. Until the new memo, officials were limited in their use of the power to 100 miles of the border or recent arrivals. Expedited removal allows for the rapid removal of illegal immigrants who have failed to meet the standard for asylum or have not requested asylum. The new power takes off the 2022 limits, allowing agents to remove those who are unable to prove they have lived in the U.S. for at least two years. TRUMP BORDER CZAR REVEALS ICE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ARRESTING ‘PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’ “Presently, immigration officers may apply expedited removal to aliens apprehended anywhere in the United States for up to two years after the alien arrived in the United States, provided that the alien arrived by sea and the other conditions for expedited removal were satisfied,” the notice, signed by acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman, said. “In particular, the full application of expedited removal authority will enable DHS to address more effectively and efficiently the large volume of aliens who are present in the United States unlawfully, without having been admitted or paroled into the United States, and ensure the prompt removal from the United States of those not entitled to enter, remain, or be provided relief or protection from removal,” it says. The memo comes a day after DHS rescinded a Biden-era memo limiting the places in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could arrest illegal immigrants. Another memo ordered a review of the use of humanitarian parole to admit migrants. TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW That, in turn, came after a slew of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that declared a national emergency at the border, halted refugee resettlement, ordered a removal process without asylum, ordered border wall reconstruction and deployed the military to the border. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Trump promised a “historic” mass deportation operation, and his border czar, Tom Homan, said on Tuesday that the operation was already underway. “No, it started [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Teams are out there as of today,” Homan said on “America’s Newsroom.” “We gave them direction to prioritize public safety threats that we’re looking for. We’ve been working up the target list.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Trump, GOP leaders meet at White House as president plans visit to NC, defends executive orders
Congressional Republican leaders met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and the president gave some public remarks after the White House summit. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana are expected to address the press as to what was discussed in their first meeting with the new president since he began his second term. Trump clashed with some congressional Republicans late last year as the federal government was facing a potential shutdown that was ultimately narrowly averted. Other Republican leaders present at Tuesday’s meeting include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan. DESANTIS CITES ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ IN WINTER STORM ORDER AFTER TRUMP REBRANDING On the Senate side, Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming and Conference chairs Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia were also part of the discussion. While Trump had signed a slew of executive orders on his first day in office, he also signaled eagerness to work with congressional Republicans to pass key parts of his agenda through the legislature. During a press availability following his meeting with Republicans, Trump mentioned the get-together as well as his new executive orders renaming Mt. Denali and the Gulf of Mexico. He said President William McKinley was worthy of having his name put back on North America’s highest peak, quipping that his fellow Republican was known as the “tariff king” and presided over one of the strongest economies in U.S. history. Trump claimed the U.S. was “the richest country” in the world between 1870 and 1913. McKinley had just begun his second term when he was assassinated in Buffalo, New York, in 1901. TRUMP HEADLINES INAUGURAL BALLS IN DC When asked about pardoning Jan. 6 convicts, Trump agreed it is never right to assault a police officer but suggested the press and the left have not expressed the same concern for those involved in the weekslong conflagrations in Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. Trump also spoke about stripping Secret Service protection from his former advisor John Bolton, calling the Baltimore native a “warmonger” and a “very dumb person.” Later in his presser, Trump announced he would be visiting North Carolina and California in the coming days. Trump made implicit reference to areas of the Smokie Mountains decimated by Hurricane Helene, claiming Democrats had abandoned the Tarheel State in the wake of the historic storm that affected a large swath of the U.S. and particularly the area from Damascus, Virginia, to Augusta, Georgia. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump also appeared to suggest Democrats and Democratic policy failures in the lead-up to the Los Angeles wildfires have left the party “dead, politically” in California. “What they’ve done is destroyed [Los Angeles],” he said, speaking of sprinklers without water and hydrants without proper water or pressure. He said California’s leaders either have “a death wish [or] they are stupid, or there’s something else going on.” When he travels to California, he may notably encounter one of his longtime political foes, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is now the state’s junior senator.
‘Desperate’: Pastors, conservatives unleash on Episcopal bishop for ‘weaponizing’ the pulpit against Trump
The Washington, D.C., pastor who delivered a liberal sermon during a church service attended by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance is facing fierce backlash from fellow pastors, as well as critics on social media for “weaponizing” the pulpit instead of promoting unity. “Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She’s the first woman to hold the position. She was given a great honor today, a chance to unify America around a Christian message at the dawn of a new administration. Instead, she disgraced herself with a lecture you’d hear on CNN or an episode of The View. What an embarrassment,” Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk posted to X. Catholic Vote, a conservative nonprofit, added on X, “Liberal Protestant Pastor Mariann Edgar Budde blindsides Trump and Vance, weaponizing her sermon to attack them in front of their families by saying they should ‘have mercy’ on gay, lesbian, and transgender children. Unbelievable.” Trump and Vance, alongside their respective families, took part in a long presidential tradition of attending the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the inauguration. The National Cathedral, an Episcopal Church, has hosted the prayer service the day after the presidential inauguration since 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn-in. TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS This year’s service, however, took a turn when the bishop of the protestant church warned that gay and transgender children allegedly “fear for their lives” and that Trump should “have mercy,” before turning her attention to illegal immigrants living in the U.S. Trump and Vance appeared visibly annoyed by the comments, as Trump looked off to his side, while Vance shot a look over at Trump. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” Mariann Edgar Budde claimed in the church service. REVEREND ASKS TRUMP TO HAVE ‘MERCY’ ON IMMIGRANTS, LGBTQ CHILDREN WHO ‘FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES’ “And the people who pick our crops, clean our office buildings, labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat at restaurants and work the night shifts at hospitals, they may not be citizens, or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” she continued. Pastor and former NFL star Jack Brewer told Fox News Digital that the sermon is “just the beginning of Democrats’ desperate attempts to race bait America back into the pernicious grips of DEI.” “The fact that President Trump demanded that God remain as the foundation of America should have received non-partisan praise from all of our nation’s clergy. We are addressing DEI and wokeness in our government and businesses and it’s time to address wokeness in churches as well,” he said. Pastor Rob Pacienza of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida and founder of the Institute for Faith and Culture slammed the comment in a statement to Fox Digital. “Ironically, the bishop used the pulpit and the service to not only lecture the president but to promote a secular worldview and her woke ideology. Unity can only be achieved through a commitment to biblical truth, not cultural assimilation. Her sermon was indicative of the heresy being taught by mainline denominations. Our nation was founded upon the truth that there is God, and he alone defines good and evil,” he said. Chicago Pastor Corey Brooks added that he “would like to know … why she didn’t ask for the previous administration to have mercy on these trans kids and immigrants.” “This Bishop asked Trump and his administration to have mercy on trans kids and immigrants. What I would like to know is why she didn’t ask for the previous administration to have mercy on these trans kids and immigrants? Where was she when it counted? We have children who are so young that they do not know the ways of this world and yet we are doing irreversible damage to their bodies — damage that many have since regretted. Where was she when Biden opened the borders and allowed millions of people who knew they were breaking the law to cross over,” Brooks told Fox News Digital following the sermon. A LOOK AT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST FULL DAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE “We knew a day of reckoning was coming. Yet where was her request for compassion back then. What the previous administration did was not compassion but ideological malpractice. They operated on children out of ideology. They allowed in people from other countries out of ideology. This was not compassion. Our compassion must be for our citizens first and foremost,” he added. Other critics of the remarks slammed Budde on social media for what they described as an attack on Trump and his policies. The pastor of Kings Church in New York City, David Englehard, added in a comment provided to Fox News Digital that “when compassion divorces itself from truth, it becomes a counterfeit virtue—easily manipulated, shallow, and destructive.” FAITH ADVISER TO TRUMP SAYS HE CAN ‘TRANSCEND POLITICAL DIFFERENCES,’ URGES ALL AMERICANS TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE “As Christ warned in John 8:44, the father of lies thrives where truth is discarded, twisting kind intentions into tools of hell. True compassion bows to the authority of law and justice-for his throne is established on Justice; without these, it is not compassion at all, but indulgence in sophistry that serves the enemy of God,” Englehard said. Additionally, country music artist John Rich responded to the sermon by citing scripture. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:30” Trump demanded an apology from
Mahakumbh 2025: Indian Railways to run over 150 special trains on THIS date; check details
The special trains will be operated direction-wise from all nine stations in Prayagraj.
Panama and China push back against Trump’s canal threats
Panama’s president insists canal ‘was not a gift’ from the US; China declares it does not interfere. Panama and China have pushed back against United States President Donald Trump’s controversial claims regarding the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal “was not a gift” from the US, Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino said on Wednesday in response to Trump’s threat to seize control of the strategic waterway. Beijing, meanwhile, rejected the US president’s assertion that it is effectively in control of the canal. “We reject in its entirety everything that Mr Trump has said,” Mulino said during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “First because it is false and second because the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama. The Panama Canal was not a concession or a gift from the United States.” Trump has previously refused to rule out military action to take control of the canal, which the US opened in 1914 to provide a trade route linking its east and west coasts but handed to Panama in 1999. During his inauguration on Monday, the US president repeated his complaint that China was effectively “operating” the canal, which was “foolishly given to Panama,” thanks to a growing presence around the waterway, Advertisement “We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump declared. ‘Never interfered’ Panama City on Tuesday made a formal complaint to the United Nations, referring to an article of the UN Charter precluding any member from “the threat or use of force” against the territorial integrity or political independence of another. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, it requested that the UN Security Council – on which the US has a veto – take up the matter. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said, “China does not participate in the management and operation of the canal and has never interfered in the affairs of the canal.” Mulino has previously denied that any nation interferes with the Panama Canal, saying that it operates on a principle of neutrality. However, Panama has announced that it now plans an audit of the canal and the Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings that operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal on either end of the canal. As well as outlining his determination to seize the Panama Canal, Trump has also provoked a mixture of worry and mirth with threats to use military or economic power to force Denmark to sell Greenland to the US, and plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”. Adblock test (Why?)
Why is ‘anti-Semitism watchdog’ ADL defending Elon Musk’s ‘Nazi salute’?
NewsFeed A group that says it fights anti-Semitism rushed to defend Elon Musk over his apparent Nazi salutes at Trump’s inauguration. The ADL is now accused of going soft on bigots, as long as they support Israel. Soraya Lennie explains. Published On 22 Jan 202522 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s top general resigns over Oct 7 failures
NewsFeed Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi has resigned over security and intelligence ‘failures’ of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 2023, leading to opposition calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the same. Published On 22 Jan 202522 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)