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Lawmakers ‘may slip by a day’ in releasing text on emergency spending bill days before deadline

Lawmakers ‘may slip by a day’ in releasing text on emergency spending bill days before deadline

The details surrounding the emergency spending bill are expected to be delayed and may “slip by a day” as the deadline to avoid a government shutdown looms. Lawmarkers were expected to share the text of the emergency spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and address disaster relief on Sunday, but Fox News is told the text “may slip by a day.” It comes as both House and Senate lawmakers negotiate over how large the disaster aid package should be, and whether it should be attached to an end-of-year federal funding bill that’s critical to avoiding a partial government shutdown during the holiday season. This could pose a problem because government funding expires at 11:59:59 p.m. on Friday. Pushing this back means the House may not be able to process the bill until the end of the week.  GOP REBELS GO TO WAR OVER BIDEN’S MAMMOTH $98B DISASTER AID REQUEST It is also noted that it doesn’t take much for the Senate to slow things down if senators demand time.  The House has a so-called “three-day rule” which requires text to be posted for three days before debate and vote. However, waiting until tomorrow means the House may not consider the bill until Thursday or Friday – the peak of the deadline.  Fox News is told there are no hold-ups with government funding, through mid-March, or the disaster package for Hurricanes Helene, Milton, wildfires in Maui, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and tornadoes in the Midwest, but that there is an issue with agricultural provisions “and other things important to leaders on both sides.” BIDEN ASKS CONGRESS FOR $98 BILLION IN HELENE, MILTON DISASTER RELIEF FUNDING One source declined to answer when Fox was asked if there was an effort to tuck last-minute provisions into the catch-all measure for Syria or drones.  In early October, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Digital that Helene would likely be “one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered.” The Biden administration has asked for over $100 billion in funding for disaster aid in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton. The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is calling on Republican leaders to reject President Biden’s disaster aid request. The group is demanding a slimmed-down package covering what is “absolutely necessary,” to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere. “Congress should not pass a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill — that Democrats will use to cement their own unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrat control in Washington right before Republicans take control of the White House and both Chambers,” the House Freedom Caucus statement read. “The House should consider only what is absolutely necessary right now to provide critical relief to hurricane victims and farmers, and pay for it with offsets from wasteful spending elsewhere in the government, then wait for President Trump to take office to better manage disaster relief.” If new spending is not approved by way of appropriations bills or a stopgap measure, a partial government shutdown could happen before Christmas.  Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Who is Alina Habba? Trump’s fierce legal defender picked to serve as counselor to the president

Who is Alina Habba? Trump’s fierce legal defender picked to serve as counselor to the president

New Jersey-based attorney Alina Habba hit the nation’s radar back in 2021, becoming President-elect Trump’s fierce legal defender and then spokeswoman as he battled an onslaught of legal cases and criminal charges ahead of his decisive win against Vice President Kamala Harris last month.  Now, Habba is readying to take on a new role: counselor to the president under Trump’s second administration.  “Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social last week, announcing her new role. “She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles, and countless days in court.” Following the once and future president’s announcement, Fox News Digital took a look back at Habba’s legal career and meteoric rise in Trump’s orbit and, now, the White House.  TRUMP NAMES ALINA HABBA AS COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT; REVEALS SEVERAL STATE DEPARTMENT PICKS Habba is the managing partner of Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, a law firm based in Bedminster, New Jersey, that also practices in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Habba, 40, is a New Jersey native, ​​born to Chaldean Catholic Iraqi immigrant parents. She attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania as an undergraduate before earning her J.D. from Widener University.  GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “As a devout Catholic, a proud first generation Arab American woman, and a feisty Jersey girl who’s fed up with far-left corruption in Washington – President Trump championed my journey, empowering me to become who I am today. His unwavering support not only shaped my career but has inspired other young women with big dreams,” Habba declared in her RNC speech in July from Milwaukee.  Ahead of joining Trump’s legal team, Habba litigated cases related to negligent nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also earned recognition on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars List between 2016-2022, as well as a spot on the “Top 100 Lawyers in America” list, and has supported a handful of charity efforts, including a charity that benefits pregnant homeless women, Birth Haven.  Habba has seen a meteoric rise to national prominence in recent years, after Trump hired her in 2021 to help litigate a barrage of cases leveled at him ahead of the 2024 election, becoming his legal spokesperson and trusted adviser.  Habba hit the Trump legal scene when she spearheaded a lawsuit against the former and upcoming president’s niece, Mary Trump, and the New York Times for “tortiously breaching and/or interfering with his contractual rights and otherwise maliciously conspiring against him” to obtain and publish his tax records in 2018. ‘SELF-INTERESTED’ BRAGG JUST WON’T QUIT, ALINA HABBA SAYS Habba’s legal successes for Trump include former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos dropping a defamation suit against Trump in 2021 and the dismissal of another case related to New York state-level charges over allegations Trump and the Trump Organization were involved in a fraudulent marketing company. She also notched a win earlier this year when the Supreme Court dismissed ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s appeal to revive a lawsuit against Trump as he sought monetary damages over his 2020 imprisonment related to lying to Congress and his previous work for Trump. ​​”Michael Cohen has exhausted every avenue of his pathetic attempt to drag my client into court time and time again.  As expected, the Supreme Court has correctly denied Michael Cohen’s petition and he must finally abandon his frivolous and desperate claims,”Habba told Fox News Digital in a statement in October.  Habba’s national name recognition grew as Trump battled the E. Jean Carroll cases.  Carroll, who previously worked as a columnist for Elle magazine, had filed two lawsuits against Trump since 2019, when she first accused him of raping her in an excerpt in her book “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.” Trump vehemently denied the allegation, saying, “it never happened,” ultimately leading Carroll to sue Trump for defamation when he was still president. At the time, she was barred by the statute of limitations from suing him over the underlying rape allegation. A jury would eventually find Trump had sexually abused Carroll and that, in denying it, defamed her, awarding her $5 million. But while that case was tied up in appeals, and with Trump continuing to deny ever even meeting Carroll, she filed another suit in 2022 alleging both defamation and rape. She was able to do this because earlier that year, New York had passed a law that allowed sex abuse plaintiffs to file a one-time civil case despite the expiration of the statute of limitations.  ALINA HABBA: BIDEN IS HANDING OUT PARDONS LIKE TIC TACS Habba joined the Trump legal team for the second case, in which the former president was accused of rape and defamation for social media posts in which Trump denied the allegations and accused Carroll of promoting a “hoax and a lie.”  Trump was never criminally charged with sexual assault, and the initial jury found him liable for sexual abuse – though not rape. The jury specifically said Carroll hadn’t proven that Trump raped her. The second case sought more than $10 million for damage to her reputation stemming from Trump’s comments in 2019, when he was still president. The jury ultimately awarded her $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages. “I have sat on trial after trial for months in this state, the state of New York, Attorney General Letitia James and now this. Weeks, weeks. Why? Because President Trump is leading in the polls and now we see what you get in New York,” Habba said earlier this year following the verdict.  “So don’t get it twisted,” she continued, calling the case evidence of the “violation of our justice system.” “I am so proud to stand with President Trump. But I am not proud to stand with what I saw in

Top adviser to NYC Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigns amid federal investigation

Top adviser to NYC Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigns amid federal investigation

A top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigned on Sunday amid a federal investigation into a corruption and bribery indictment against Adams. The adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, has had her phones seized and her home searched as part of the investigation. She issued a lengthy statement regarding her departure in tandem with Adams on Sunday, saying she plans to spend more time with her family. “To my political partner, brother, and friend, Mayor Eric Adams: I thank you for seeking me out, way back in 2004, and asking me to run your Senate campaign. I thank you for seeing in me things that I did not see in myself,” Lewis-Martin said.  “I extend humble gratitude to you for encouraging me to be my authentic self and for having my back during some trying times. As you would say, this has been a good ride; I will use author’s license and say that this has been an amazing ride,” she added. NYC MAYOR ADAMS MEETS WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR: ‘WE HAVE THE SAME DESIRE’ TO GO AFTER ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRIMINALS Adams’ statement echoed his aide’s friendly tone. “Ingrid has not been just a friend, a confidant, and trusted adviser, but also a sister. We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and while we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day,” Adams said. “I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city. While she gets to spend a lot more time with her granddaughter, I know Ingrid will still stay involved in moving our city forward from the sidelines as she continues to root for our administration and our city,” he added. VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS LINKED TO VIOLENT APARTMENT TAKEOVER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY The announcement comes just days after Adams met with incoming border czar Tom Homan. Adams has adopted a more aggressive immigration stance following President-elect Trump’s win in November. “It went great,” Homan told Sean Hannity on Thursday night. “Look, I sat down with the mayor for well over an hour. He gets it. And today he proved that as the mayor in New York City, he’s more concerned with public safety than politics. I wish the mayor of Chicago and the San Diego City council mayor and Governor Pritzker, I wish they’d all take a page out of Mayor Eric Adams’ playbook.” Homan recalled how the “ex-cop” came out of Adams during their closed-door meeting Thursday in New York. NYC HOME IS NEARLY 60K ‘CRIMINAL’ MIGRANTS: REPORT “He really cares about public safety, and he’s putting politics aside. He wants to help ICE take criminal threats off the street. He wants to help ICE look for national security threats. He wants to help ICE find over 340,000 missing children, which many are going to be in the city. So a great meeting.” “Hats off to the mayor for coming to the table and working with us,” credited Homan. Homan disclosed that since his meeting with the New York mayor, other leaders from across the aisle have reached out to him.

What to know about Syria’s new caretaker government

What to know about Syria’s new caretaker government

After toppling the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader and commander-in-chief of the new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has appointed Mohammed al-Bashir to lead a caretaker government until March 1. The move aims to stabilise the country by providing basic services to civilians and preventing a power struggle between armed groups over state resources and ministries, experts told Al Jazeera. “[A caretaker government is needed] to ensure the state keeps functioning and that people have electricity, water sewage and the internet,” said Thomas Pierret, an expert on Syria for the Institute for Research and Study of the Arab and Muslim World. However, the caretaker government – and HTS – could lose credibility if it refuses to share power after three months, experts have warned. Here’s what we know about the caretaker government and its head: Who is Mohammed al-Bashir? The head of the caretaker government is a technocrat who headed the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) in Idlib, a province in northwest Syria. Advertisement After the Syrian uprising erupted in March 2011, Idlib became an opposition stronghold. By 2017, HTS consolidated control and created the SSG out of civilian technocrats. “Mohammed al-Bashir … has done a reasonably good job in Idlib,” said Robin Yassin-Kassab, an expert on Syria and the co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and in War. “I understand that it makes sense to scale [the Salvation Government] up to the whole of Syria, for now,” he added. Al-Bashir’s background in electrical engineering, project management and administrative planning suggests he has the professional know-how to maintain basic services in the country, analysts said. He first emerged as a minister in the HTS-backed Salvation government in 2021, according to the caretaker government’s official website For two years, he served as the head of development and humanitarian affairs, according to Assaad Al Achi, executive director of Baytna, a non-governmental organisation that supported local civil society groups in Syria throughout the war. “He was definitely interested in humanitarian work because that’s where the money was,” Al Achi said, referencing the SSG’s policy of taxing aid organisations. On January 13, 2024, the Shura Council in Idlib elected al-Bashir as prime minister of the SSG. Who are the other ministers? Al-Bashir has told Al Jazeera Arabic that, for the time being, the ministers from the SSG would take over the national ministerial portfolios. The current ministerial lineup is: Advertisement Minister of Interior Mohammed Abdul Rahman Minister of Economy and Resources Basel Abdul Aziz Minister of Information Muhammad Yaqoub al-Omar Minister of Justice Shadi Muhammad al-Waisi Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mohamed Taha al-Ahmad Minister of Health Mazen Dukhan Minister of Development Fadi al-Qassem Minister of Local Administration and Services Mohamed Abdel Rahman Muslim Minister of Endowments Hussam Haj Hussein Minister of Education Nazir al-Qadri Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Abdel Moneim Abdel Hafez Is there going to be a transition? Despite al-Bashir’s prominent role, Al Achi does not believe the caretaker prime minister has ambitions to consolidate power over Syria. “What worries me is if [this caretaker government] extends [its term] for more than three months, but if it just for three months … then that’s alright,” he said. Experts are concerned that HTS will try to rule all of Syria with an iron fist. According to a report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, HTS subjected critics and opponents to enforced disappearances and tortured people to death. Al Jazeera asked the HTS media office to respond to these allegations, but they had not commented by the time of publication. Setting up to succeed The caretaker government and HTS could ease concerns of a power grab by proposing a roadmap detailing when negotiations with other stakeholders would begin ahead of forming a broader coalition, Yassin-Kassab told Al Jazeera. Advertisement He added that a plan should aim to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for a transitional period of 18 months, during which an inclusive coalition will draft a constitution and prepare for elections under United Nations supervision. “[HTS] need to say this is the beginning of a process that will involve every aspect of society and all political leaderships,” said Yassin-Kassab. “That would reassure Syrians and the international community and give the new government much more legitimacy.” Who’s going to pay for the transition? Syria’s economy is in tatters – the World Bank ranks its gross domestic product (GDP) at 129 out of 196 states. HTS managed to raise revenue during its rule in Idlib by taxing residents, as well as goods and relief passing through from the Turkish border. However, it is unclear whether the group has enough finances to bolster the economy and supply basic provisions in the short to medium term. Experts believe HTS can be incentivised to share power by linking sanction relief to political reforms. Syria is on the United States list of “countries that sponsor terrorism” and, on top of that, HTS is considered a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the European Union, Turkiye and the US. The EU and US have also sanctioned much of the Syrian economy, including the energy sector and the trading of goods related to technology or electricity provision, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). It’s imperative that HTS shares power with other stakeholders and civil society in order to convince Syrians and the international community that the group has changed, argues Yassin-Kassab. Advertisement “[I]t remains to be seen if this is the beginning of a power grab by HTS and HTS-aligned civilian bodies,” he told Al Jazeera. “I certainly hope not.” Adblock test (Why?)

Syrians return to the homes they fled, only to find them levelled

Syrians return to the homes they fled, only to find them levelled

Damascus, Syria – Nizar al-Madani, 34, stood with tears in his eyes as he looked around Qaboun. After seven years of displacement, he returned on Tuesday to his neighbourhood in Syria’s capital, Damascus, only to find it levelled. “We’d heard that the regime demolished the neighbourhood, but seeing it with my own eyes was utterly shocking,” he said. When al-Madani and his family were displaced from Qaboun in 2017, many of the neighbourhood’s buildings were damaged. “But today, there is no trace of these buildings… The regime has obliterated the neighbourhood’s features.” He was not the only one who came out to Qaboun to see what was left after the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell. Several residents of Qaboun who had also fled for their lives are walking around, trying to figure out where their houses could have been. Revenge and destruction The al-Assad regime would deliberately destroy areas that rose against him after regaining control, employing various laws to legitimise that. Chief among these was Law No. 10 of 2018, which authorised the establishment of new urban zones in war-damaged areas and gave Syrian refugees only 30 days to prove ownership of their property. Failure to do so would result in the property being confiscated. Advertisement Many people were too afraid to come back to Syria or to their neighbourhoods, fearing that they would be arrested and charged with opposing al-Assad. Nadeedah Hannawi, 50, told Al Jazeera that her family was unable to prove ownership of their home, having fled to the north where there was no regime-controlled bureaucracy, and because they did not have their ownership documents with them. “The fallen al-Assad regime didn’t just displace us; it sought to steal the homes we had built with our life savings,” said Hannawi. “Identifying where my home and my husband’s shop used to be was no easy task,” she added. “Even the cemetery holding the graves of our loved ones has been destroyed. “The most important thing today is that the criminal Bashar al-Assad has fled, his regime has fallen, and our land has been returned to us. Together, we will rebuild it,” Hannawi said. Mahmoud Jahbar, 53, echoed her sentiments. “Al-Assad’s regime destroyed our homes and memories, but we’re hopeful that we’ll rebuild so our children have a place to call home.” Adblock test (Why?)

Brazil’s Lula released from hospital after brain bleed surgery

Brazil’s Lula released from hospital after brain bleed surgery

Doctors say leftist leader has been cleared to work while recovering at home after being rushed to hospital last week. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been released from hospital following an emergency surgery to treat bleeding in his brain. The 79-year-old Brazilian leader delivered brief remarks upon his release on Sunday, days after he was rushed to the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in Sao Paulo after experiencing headaches. “I’m here alive, well, with the urge to work. And I’ll tell you something I used to say during the campaign. I’m 79 years old, I have the energy of a 30-year-old and the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old to build this country,” Lula said. Doctors have said Lula would continue to recover from his home in Sao Paulo. He will be able to walk and hold meetings, but has been advised against international travel for the time being. The medical team said the leftist leader should be able to travel domestically, including to the capital Brasilia, following further assessment. A handout picture released by the Brazilian vice presidency shows President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva walking with his neurosurgeon in the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil [AFP] Lula underwent two surgeries while at the hospital, both aimed at blocking blood flow in parts of his brain to prevent haemorrhaging. His personal doctor had described the procedures as “routine” and “minimally invasive”, requiring only sedation as opposed to anaesthesia. Advertisement His neurologist, Rogerio Tuma, reported last week that Lula’s examination results were “normal”. Lula, who was sworn in as president in early 2023, had suffered trauma to the back of his head after falling in his home in October. At the time he received several stitches. He had curtailed travel following the fall. ‘Disrespect of democracy’ Speaking on Sunday, the president also offered his first response to the arrest of General Walter Braga Netto, in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot. Braga Netto, who was a defence minister in right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s government as well as the former leader’s running mate in the 2022 election, was arrested on Saturday after he was formally accused last month with 35 others – including Bolsonaro himself – of allegedly plotting a coup to keep the former president in power following his 2022 re-election loss. “It is not possible for us to accept disrespect for democracy, disrespect for the constitution,” Lula said. “And it is not possible for us to accept that in a generous country like Brazil, we have people of high military rank plotting the death of a president, his vice president and a presiding judge of the Supreme Electoral Court,” said Lula. Prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges against Braga Netto, although authorities have said his arrest was related to allegations that he was obstructing the collection of evidence. Adblock test (Why?)