Page 558 – Texas Weekly Online

Trump meets with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni at his Mar-a-Lago resort

President-elect Trump appeared Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Trump appeared at a screening of a documentary detailing challenges some conservative lawyers say they face in the legal system. He entered the grand ballroom around 7 p.m. and returned about two hours later after eating dinner. JAVIER MILEI FIRST WORLD LEADER TO MEET WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: ‘GREATEST POLITICAL COMEBACK IN HISTORY’ “This is very exciting,” Trump told the crowd of Meloni. “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy,” he continued. “She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight.” Other notable people in attendance for the screening of the documentary include his pick for his incoming administration’s Secretary of State, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, and his selection for national security adviser, Florida Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, as well as his choice for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent. Meloni’s visit to Trump’s resort comes after other world leaders met with the president-elect in Florida. Argentina’s President Javier Milei was the first world leader to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his Election Day victory in November, followed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who each traveled to the Sunshine State to meet with Trump. CANADIAN MINISTERS HEAD TO FLORIDA FOR TALKS WITH INCOMING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: REPORT President Biden is set to travel later this week to Rome to meet with Meloni and then Pope Francis. The White House said Biden’s meeting with Meloni will “highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship” and will include the president thanking the prime minister “for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Coast guard helicopter crashes in Gujarat’s Porbandar during training, 3 dead

The incident happened during a routine training sortie, officials said.

NY governor touts increased surveillance amid MTA mayhem: Cameras in ‘every single subway car’

After a surge in violence on the New York City subway in the last few weeks, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that security cameras have been installed in “every single subway car” in the city, which she said will help police fight and “solve crimes even faster.” This comes amid a wave of violent crime incidents in the New York City subway system, including a homeless woman being burned alive by an illegal immigrant and a man being pushed in front of an approaching subway. It also follows the high-profile trial of former Marine Daniel Penny, who was charged but later cleared of homicide for his actions defending subway passengers from a mentally unstable homeless man named Jordan Neely. Hochul, a Democrat, touted her deployment of 1,000 National Guard members to patrol the New York City subway, saying: “Public safety is my top priority.” She also claimed credit for directing the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install cameras in subway cars, which she said has now been completed. HOCHUL SLAMMED FOR SAYING SHE’S MADE SUBWAYS SAFER ON SAME DAY WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON TRAIN “The recent surge in violent crimes in our public transit system cannot continue — and we need to tackle this crisis head-on,” she said. “I directed the MTA to install security cameras in every single subway car, and now that the project is complete, these cameras are helping police solve crimes even faster.” Hochul went on to emphasize that “many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness,” which she said is “the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system.” She blamed weak state laws and “nearly half a century of disinvestment in mental health care and supportive housing,” which she said “directly contributed to the crisis we see on our streets and subways.” HOCHUL DEPLOYS HUNDREDS OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS TO NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM Hochul said she would introduce legislation to change New York’s laws governing the involuntary commitment of dangerous mentally unstable individuals to improve the process through which a court can order certain individuals to participate in assisted outpatient treatment. “We can’t fully address this problem without changes to state law,” she said. “Currently, hospitals are able to commit individuals whose mental illness puts themselves or others at risk of serious harm, and this legislation will expand that definition to ensure more people receive the care they need.” Despite these commitments, Hochul is being criticized for not being stronger on protecting New Yorkers traveling on the subway. “The Governor is all talk and no action,” said Curtis Sliwa, an activist and founder of the “Guardian Angels,” a citizen law enforcement group known for patrolling and offering assistance to subway passengers. ‘GUARDIAN ANGELS’ FOUNDER SLAMS NEW YORK SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES AFTER WOMAN SET ON FIRE Sliwa told Fox News Digital that Hochul should “lever her power” and call out individual members of the state legislature who refuse to support legislation to commit the emotionally disturbed to state psychiatric hospitals. “She has to tell them she will not sign any of their initiatives into law until they support her signature subway initiative,” said Sliwa. He also claimed that the MTA further spurred on violent crime by allowing fare evasion to “explode to the point where 30% of subway riders don’t pay their fare.” “The governor must get control back of who comes in and out of the system,” he said. “Without control of who comes in then all of the other gubernatorial initiatives will result in more tax money spent with little if any results. Everything will change when you restrict who comes into the subway.” CRITICS WARN OF ‘DANIEL PENNY EFFECT’ AFTER WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON NYC SUBWAY CAR AS BYSTANDERS WATCHED New York Council member Joe Borelli, a Republican, meanwhile, blamed Democrats for instituting soft-on-crime policies that have resulted in more violence in New York. “Successive Democratic governors have closed mental health facilities and eroded the very same system she is now saying we need,” Borelli told Fox News Digital. “What we really need to do is look at the bail reform and ‘raise the age’ laws her party put into effect in 2019 and see how the trajectory of criminal behavior increased thereafter.”

Pro-Israel Dem could tip scales in key Senate committee as Middle East war continues

A new addition to the Democrat side on a key Senate committee could bolster U.S. support for Israel as the country’s war against terror group Hamas continues in Gaza. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is assigned to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SFRC) in the new Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Thursday. The Nevada Democrat, who was re-elected in November by a narrow margin in the state that President-elect Donald Trump flipped, is notably the third Jewish woman to ever serve in the U.S. Senate. Rosen is also the co-chair and co-founder of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism alongside Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. ‘LIVES DEPEND ON IT’: REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR PROMPT TRUMP CONFIRMATIONS IN WAKE OF NEW ORLEANS ATTACK During her time in federal office, Rosen has supported Israel’s right to self-defense, especially amid the ongoing war against Hamas. “At a time when America’s adversaries are looking to upend our global leadership and destabilize our alliances, I’m joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be a strong voice supporting our allies and fighting for freedom, democracy, and justice around the globe,” Rosen said in a statement. “I’ll continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strengthen U.S. global partnerships and counter threats from Iran, Russia, and China. As a member of the committee, I’ll also make sure the United States’ commitment to supporting our democratic ally Israel remains unwavering and unconditional.” MIKE JOHNSON GETS PUBLIC GOP SENATE SUPPORT AHEAD OF TIGHT HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE Outgoing SFRC Chair Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., has long supported Israel, and his departure from the committee would normally leave the Democrat side somewhat unbalanced as several other members have been more critical of the U.S. ally. Current Democrat committee members include Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Chris Coons, D-Del., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. HEALTHY LIVING, PARTY UNITY, AND ‘TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES’: CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Six of the nine current Democrat members recently voted in favor of resolutions aimed at blocking weapon transfers to Israel. Incoming SFRC ranking member Shaheen, Merkley, Schatz, Van Hollen, Kaine and Murphy were among 19 Democrats who favored some or all of the three measures to do this on the Senate floor in November. BERNIE SANDERS PLANS TO SPEARHEAD LEGISLATION ON KEY TRUMP PROPOSAL With Rosen’s addition, there could be a greater potential for bipartisan action from the committee, particularly as it relates to Israel. The committee will be chaired by Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, in the new Congress.

Palestinian man mourns his mother outside morgue in Gaza

NewsFeed A Palestinian man was seen crying outside the door of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital’s morgue in Deir el-Balah, pleading for an answer from his mother who was killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza. Published On 5 Jan 20255 Jan 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

Syria to resume international flights from Damascus airport next week

Airport authority says flights will resume on January 7 as Qatar Airways set to begin flights to Damascus after 13 years. Syria’s Damascus airport will resume international flights on Tuesday for the first time since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown last month by armed opposition fighters. No flights had taken off or landed since pro-Assad forces abandoned the airport in the Syrian capital on December 8 after the opposition fighters marched on the city following a lightning offensive that began on November 27. “We announce we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International Airport” from Tuesday, state news agency SANA said on Saturday, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, who heads the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport. “We reassure Arab and international airlines that we have begun the phase of rehabilitating the Aleppo and Damascus airports with our partners’ help, so that they can welcome flights from all over the world,” he said. Al Jazeera’s Hashim Ahelbarra, reporting from Damascus, said the announcement has a “significant political and economic implication” for the war-torn nation. Advertisement “The new administration has been in touch with key regional players, particularly Qatar, on the need to help them rehabilitate their airport in Damascus to be in line with international safety standards,” he said. “They want to send a message that life is back to normal in Syria and to allow hundreds of thousands of Syrians who live abroad to come back home. And also, it’s a message to the international community that the new administration, which is in control, and despite the situation across the country, they are managing to ensure safety standards across Syria.” International aid planes and foreign diplomatic delegations have already been landing in Syria. Domestic flights resumed on December 18, when a flight from Damascus left for Aleppo, according to the AFP news agency. Syrian Airlines will resume flights from Damascus to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, starting on Tuesday, an employee told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. On Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to the Syrian capital after nearly 13 years, starting with three weekly flights from Tuesday. Adblock test (Why?)

Australia beat India to reclaim Border-Gavaskar Trophy and enter WTC final

Australia have beaten India by six wickets in the fifth Test of their five-match series and won back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade. The hosts held their nerve to chase down their victory target of 162 after lunch on the third day of the final Test in Sydney on Sunday, prompting wild celebrations from their camp as they also sealed a spot in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June. Travis Head, who was 34 not out, and debutant Beau Webster, unbeaten on 39, got their team over the line to end the series on a high. “It’s unreal, it’s been an amazing series,” Australia skipper Pat Cummins said shortly after the win. “It felt like it was kind of seesawing throughout the whole series so to finish it 3-1, to hold the trophy, is an amazing feeling,” he added. “I’m immensely proud, I absolutely love playing with these guys and it’s been a lot of fun along the way as well.” India captain Jasprit Bumrah was unable to bowl in Australia’s second innings because of a back issue but his fellow pace bowlers Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj kept the match on a knife edge by removing four top-order Australian batters. Advertisement The match had been played on fast forward over the first two days with 15 wickets falling on Saturday, and Australia removed four more in the first hour on Sunday morning to dismiss India for 157. The track retained some spice, and Krishna stood up in Bumrah’s stead and sent back opener Sam Konstas for 22, Marnus Labuschagne for six and Steve Smith for four before lunch. Smith trudged off, head bowed, on 9,999 career runs, and was followed soon after the break by Usman Khawaja, who was caught behind off Siraj for 41 to leave Australia on 104-4. The end of a topsy-turvy Test, where the momentum had shifted by the over, came almost as an anti-climax for another big crowd bathing in the sunshine at Sydney Cricket Ground. Head and Webster got the job done with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 58, the latter continuing his nerveless debut by clubbing the winning runs with a straight four. Travis Head (R) and teammate Beau Webster celebrate after winning the match on day three of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground [David Gray/AFP] “It was a little frustrating but sometimes you have to respect your body,” said Bumrah, who was named Player of the Series for his 32 wickets over the five matches. “It was a great series. The whole series was well-fought and we were still in the match today. Our young players will take a lot of learnings for the future.” The bulk of the Australian side has been together for years and beating India remained an elusive goal for many of them. Only Smith, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc were part of the squad that played in the last series win over their rivals a decade ago. Advertisement It was Cummins’ 20th win as captain. “It is one that a few of us didn’t have. The boys have had their eye on it and it has lived up to the hype. “We’ve spent a lot of time together as a group over the years, so we knew we weren’t at our best at Perth. “But it was never as bad as it seems. So you stick tight and double down on what makes us a really good side.” Australia handed out three debuts during the series – opener Nathan McSweeney who was axed after the first three Tests, the man who replaced him, Sam Konstas, and all-rounder Beau Webster in the fifth Test. They also heavily relied on stalwarts such as Smith, Starc and Head. “Always nice to have a squad,” said Cummins. “The three debutants in this series fitted in well. They contributed at different times. “There were some key moments when our mainstays really stood up. You need to do that to beat a side like India.” Ready to defend their World Test Championship mace 👊 Australia qualify for the #WTC25 Final at Lord’s 🏏 More 👉 https://t.co/EanY9jFouE pic.twitter.com/xcpTrBOsB8 — ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

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