Trans rights activists stage ‘bathroom sit-in’ near Mike Johnson’s office amid Capitol Hill restroom ban
Transgender rights activists on Thursday participated in a “bathroom sit-in” in a restroom across from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in protest of a new policy barring trans people from using bathroom facilities that match their gender identity. Around 15 people were arrested on suspicion of crowding, obstructing or incommoding for illegally protesting inside the Cannon House Office Building, the U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News Digital. The protest was organized by the Gender Liberation Movement, which describes itself as a grassroots organization that focuses on bodily autonomy and gender. NANCY MACE’S EFFORT TO BAN TRANSGENDER DELAWARE DEMOCRAT FROM CAPITOL WOMEN’S RESTROOMS GAINS SUPPORT A video posted on the group’s Instagram account shows protesters holding signs calling for a “Ban on bathroom bigotry,” occupying a restroom and blocking a hallway. The Hill reported that Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower, was one of those being led away by authorities in zip ties. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 after disclosing classified documents and military reports to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The sentence was commuted in 2017 by former President Obama and Manning was released from prison after serving seven years. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, announced the new bathroom policy in November after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., tried to block trans people from Capitol restrooms that don’t match their gender at birth. MACE FACES BACKLASH OVER EFFORT TO BAN NEW TRANSGENDER MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM WOMEN’S BATHROOMS The move came ahead of the first openly transgender lawmaker, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., joining Congress in January. McBride is a biological male who identifies and presents as a woman. Mace recently introduced a resolution to ban men who identify as female from women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, she posted a video on X of herself standing outside a Capitol Police station. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Using a bullhorn, she read the Miranda rule to the protesters arrested. Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson’s office.
Pete Hegseth on the Hill for another day of meetings to rally support: ‘It’s been a wonderful process’
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth, spent another day courting support from Republican senators on Capitol Hill and taking a few questions from reporters while he was at it. The military vet turned “Fox & Friends” co-host met with senators Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., Thursday. The meetings followed others Hegseth held earlier in the week with GOP senators, including Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who will be the next chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Hegseth has been facing a mountain of criticism with accusations against him ranging from fiscal mismanagement to alcoholism to sexual misconduct. Nevertheless, Hegseth said Thursday while walking between meetings on Capitol Hill that Trump supports him “fully.” TRUMP FLOATS DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL DEFENSE SECRETARY REPLACEMENT IF HEGSETH FALTERS “I’ll tell you why I support him,” Scott told reporters after his meeting Thursday with Hegseth. “I admire people who are willing to put on the uniform and lead troops into battle. … When he goes in the Department of Defense, he will walk in with the mentality that he’s going to take care of our warfighters.” Scott added that he will do “everything” he can to ensure Hegseth is confirmed. “Pete Hegseth won’t back down from the media or the Pentagon bureaucracy,” Banks added after his own one-on-one meeting with the defense nominee. “And he won’t back down from China, Russia or Iran. He will help President Trump make America strong again.” Between meetings on Capitol Hill Thursday, Hegseth was pressed about his meeting a day earlier with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Ernst said earlier Thursday morning she was not yet willing to throw her support behind him. ARE PETE HEGSETH’S TATTOOS SYMBOLS OF ‘CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM’? “Productive meeting. Excellent,” Hegseth said of his meeting with Ernst as he was peppered with questions during his meeting with Rounds. “Constructive, candid. It was great,” Hegseth told a different reporter. When asked if the allegations about him were a topic of his conversation with Ernst, Hegseth declined to comment further, citing the private nature of their conversation. “It’s been a wonderful process,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday. “There’s an incredible amount of knowledge in the U.S. Senate — in the Senate Armed Services Committee — men and women who have studied these issues, have invested their lives in it. And as someone who is hoping to earn their support as the nominee for secretary of defense, I welcome that knowledge, I welcome that advice. And that’s why we’re here in all these meetings.” Hegseth’s meetings Thursday coincided with visits to Capitol Hill by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The pair convened on Capitol Hill to discuss their new role running President-elect Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with Thune.
‘We’re going to gut the fish’: Republicans give details from closed-door meetings with DOGE’s Musk, Ramaswamy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Republicans are planning to work closely with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the pair co-leading Trump’s newly formed spending cuts project, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The DOGE duo made their rounds with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, spending the morning with members of the Senate DOGE Caucus before heading to a meeting with House GOP leaders and House DOGE Caucus representatives. The pair, who will spearhead efforts under President-elect Trump to slash government spending and strengthen government efficiency under the incoming Trump administration, wrapped up their day on Capitol Hill by addressing a joint meeting with Republicans of both chambers. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., incoming chair of the DOGE House subcommittee, revealed that, during the meeting, Musk said there would be a “naughty list” and a “nice list” for lawmakers. GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL “There will be a lot more that is expressed in the days ahead,” Johnson said as he left the meeting. “Stay tuned for more to come.” Co-chairs of the DOGE House caucus said there was a “big discussion” during the meeting with Musk and Ramaswamy about education and the redundancy of government workers. “There is so much waste, fraud and abuse. There is so much inefficiency. Where do we begin?” DOGE Caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said. He suggested there was already “low-hanging fruit” for improving government efficiency that Republicans could agree on that included the issues of education and the federal workforce. “There was a big discussion about education. There was a big discussion about redundancy of government workers as they exist in programs across the country. This was not a ‘pick your program and select it and get agreement.’ This was the idea forum,” said co-chair Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO JOIN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS Sessions also highlighted how the timeframe for DOGE, which is expected to conclude no later than July 4, 2026, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing, will help ensure agency efficiency. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, walking out of the meeting, told reporters that “we’re going to gut the fish.” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, however, was skeptical of them relying on the new department to cut costs. “It’s a little rich to go, ‘Oh DOGE, save us.’ What, from ourselves?” Roy told reporters. “What I told them is, their best role is to expose the absolute stupidity coming out of this body.” But Rep-elect Mike Haridolopos, R-Fla., argued it was good to have an outside eye looking at how the federal government is run. “The lowest-hanging fruit, one overall thing we need to do is eventually pass a balanced budget amendment,” he said of where Congress could help cut waste. “I think the second one is that people have to show up to work. Everybody else in America, they don’t show up to work, they don’t get paid. And so these government employees need to show up to work.” Ahead of the meeting with Congress, Musk was asked if he wanted Democratic members to be part of DOGE conversations, to which he was heard answering “yes.” Musk sat down with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday morning, while Ramaswamy met with the Senate DOGE Caucus to hear from chair Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., who unveiled a 60-page proposal for potential spending cuts.
GOP AG predicts which side has advantage in historic SCOTUS transgender case with ‘divided’ justices
In oral aruments, Supreme Court justices discussed the high-profile, first-of-its-kind case involving transgender medical treatment for children. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, the lawmaker at the center of the suit against the Biden administration, told Fox News Digital that over the next few months, the justices will be “thinking a lot about the case.” When asked whether he ever foresaw himself in such a high-profile legal matter, he said, “not remotely.” “I do think the fact that there’s so much disagreement weighs in favor of our side,” Skrmetti said in a phone interview. “This is an area where the court really shouldn’t come in and pick a winner. The data is still very underdeveloped.” SOTOMAYOR COMPARES TRANS MEDICAL ‘TREATMENTS’ TO ASPIRIN IN QUESTION ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS “All the research that both sides point to is unresolved,” Skrmetti said. “This is an unsettled area of science, and in situations like that, the best way to resolve it is through the democratic process. Our legislators appropriate people to deal with that uncertainty and make the call for each individual state.” The justices appeared divided on Wednesday after oral arguments, and the three appointed by former President Trump could be the key to deciding the socially divisive question. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett asked tough questions of both sides, and Justice Neil Gorsuch did not speak during the marathon public session. For its part, the Supreme Court is considering whether the Equal Protection Clause, which ensures equal treatment under the law for similarly situated individuals, bars states from prohibiting medical providers from administering puberty blockers and hormones to help minors transition to a different gender. The case is U.S. v. Skrmetti and is challenging Tennessee’s state law which bans medical procedures for minors. Outside the court, hundreds of demonstrators rallied both for and against gender transition treatments for children. One of those rally-goers, detransitioner and activist Chloe Cole, told Fox News Digital in an interview that if the justices oppose the ban on trans medical treatments, “it’s going to make things a lot more difficult on legislative fronts in terms of protecting our children and our youth.” ‘THE PENDULUM IS SWINGING’: EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON HISTORIC SCOTUS TRANSGENDER CASE AMID ORAL ARGUMENTS “If we want to create a precedent for other states, for first this law, to be upheld in courts and for other states to be upheld as well, we have to do this now,” Cole said. Cole, who detransitioned at the age of 16, told Fox News Digital that doctors had done an “incredible disservice” to her at a young age by helping her transition in the first place. “I’m never going to even have a chance at nursing my children with what God gave me,” Cole said. “An incredible disservice has been done to me by these irresponsible doctors who knew better. They knew better than to do this to a child. They still chose to do it. But they messed with the wrong kid, and I am going to make sure there is never another child in America who is abused in the same way I was ever again.” The court’s decision could have sweeping implications, potentially shaping future legal battles over transgender issues, such as access to bathrooms and school sports participation. A decision is expected by July 2025. “So if the court puts a thumb on the scale and says that the courts could be second-guessing state governments on these issues, I think you’re going to see an inhibited debate, and we’ve seen this happen before in other contexts where democracy is subverted by judges who step a little too far into the policy arena, and that ultimately hurts the country,” Skrmetti said. “It de-legitimates the government,” he added. “It makes people feel alienated from the political process. The alternative is it stays open to our democratic system of resolving disagreements, and you’ll see a lot of debate, and different states will go in different directions, and over time, we’ll have better research, and people will have a chance to debate this extensively, and that’s just the better way to come to a resolution on such a hot button issue where the Constitution is silent.” The Justices’ decision may also influence broader debates about whether sexual orientation and gender identity qualify as protected classes under civil rights laws, akin to protections for race and national origin. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRANSGENDER YOUTH TREATMENTS IN LANDMARK CASE When asked whether Skrmetti believes the incoming Trump administration could persuade the justices one way in the case, he said, “It’s ultimately up to the court how they want to handle that.” Trump promised during his campaign he would outlaw transgender medical procedures for minors and open the doorway to allowing individuals to sue medical providers for conducting them. “But there is a path there for them to continue this, and I think it’s important that we get clarity soon, because there are so many cases involving these issues, and the lower courts have not been consistent and are looking for guidance, and it would do everyone good to have a more clear answer to the state of the law,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Another major blue city doubles down on vow to obstruct Trump’s mass deportations plan
The Boston City Council unanimously voted this week to double down on a measure designed to obstruct President-elect Trump’s plans for mass deportations. According to the Boston Herald, Boston council member Gabriela Coletta said the measure is an important step “as we brace for [the] impact” of a second Trump presidency. Titled the “Trust Act,” the law was first passed in 2014 and was amended during Trump’s first term in 2019. It seeks to protect immigrant communities from “unjust enforcement actions” and restricts Boston police’s ability to cooperate with ICE and bans police from keeping migrants in custody for possible deportation unless there is a criminal warrant. TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP REVEALS ROADMAP TO REBUILD NEW US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM ‘FROM THE ASHES’ The resolution adopted by the council states that “proposals for mass deportations represent a direct attack on Boston’s immigrant families, and threaten to tear communities apart.” “In the face of changing federal leadership, the City of Boston must reaffirm our support for the Boston Trust Act to protect our immigrant residents,” the resolution goes on. “The City of Boston shall continue to monitor and respond to federal immigration policies that may impact its residents, reaffirming its commitment to protect immigrant communities from unjust enforcement actions and to uphold the Trust Act, recognizing that protecting the rights and dignity of all residents, regardless of immigration status, is essential for a safe and welcoming city for all.” According to the Boston Globe, all 13 council members voted to reaffirm the Trust Act on Wednesday. Per the Boston Globe, Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said that “as the national climate grows increasingly hostile towards immigrant communities, we must reaffirm who we are as a city.” FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR ON IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY IN 2025 HOMAN SENDS FIERY WARNING TO DEMS: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’ “As a city built on the strength of its diverse communities,” she went on, “Boston remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the rights [and] dignity of all its residents, regardless of status.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, has also vowed the city would not cooperate with Trump and his incoming border czar Tom Homan’s plans for mass deportations. “The federal government is responsible for a certain set of actions, and cities, no individual city, can reverse or override some parts of that,” Wu said during a local news interview. “But what we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way, that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large-scale economic impact.” This comes after the Boston area has seen several ICE arrests of illegal immigrants who have been charged with crimes, including child sex offenses, released back onto the streets. ICE announced in November that it apprehended a Colombian illegal immigrant, who had been arrested on charges of enticing a child under 16, distribution of obscene matter, and lascivious posing and exhibiting a child in the nude. ICE had filed a detainer against him, but it was ignored, according to the agency. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has similarly said she is prepared to use “every tool in the toolbox” to protect residents, vowing that state police would “absolutely not” assist Trump in the mass deportations operation. Several other Democratic leaders have also pledged resistance to Trump’s deportation plans, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Johnston got into a spat with Homan after he vowed to have Denver police physically block ICE officials from carrying out deportations and predicted a “Tiananmen Square moment.” In response, Homan has warned resisters to “get the hell out of the way” and cautioned he is “not afraid” to jail those who illegally obstruct ICE enforcement.
Nevada Dems say ‘working-class’ states need to be prioritized in 2028 primary schedule
The Nevada Democratic Party is imploring its national party leaders to focus more on “diverse, working-class states” when it considers how to “rebuild” after this year’s election. A Thursday press release from the state-level party in Nevada called on national party leaders and potential candidates under consideration to be the next Democratic National Committee Chair to “elevate” working-class states to the front of the presidential primary calendar for 2028. The press release cited a process that has typically started with states that are “overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive.” DNC CHAIR FIRES BACK AFTER BERNIE SANDERS CLAIMS DEMS LOST WORKING CLASS IN ELECTION: ‘STRAIGHT UP BS’ “If Democrats want to win back working class voters and rebuild our broad coalition of voters of color, we should elevate the most working class and most diverse battleground state in the nation to be the first presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle,” Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said. Selecting the Democratic Party’s calendar for presidential primaries is a main responsibility of the Democratic National Committee. Nevada has historically been a caucus state, but in 2008, the state’s Democratic Party ushered in a new era of state-run primaries, which the group said in its press release led to increased voter turnout. NEVADA GOV SPEAKS OUT AGAINST TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS AHEAD OF CONTROVERSIAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT Nevada has historically been among the first few states to hold either a presidential primary or caucus during the last several elections, according to Federal Elections Commission data, but it has been preceded by states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Last month, after it became apparent that Democrats would not come out of the election with the upper hand, Democratic lawmakers, labor leaders, students and political pundits all came out with their own forensic analysis of what happened, with many suggesting the party needed to refocus on winning back working-class voters. CENTRIST DEMS TURN ON FAR LEFT AFTER THE ELECTION: ‘IDENTITY POLITICS’ IS ‘ABSOLUTELY KILLING US’ “There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said following the election. “The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.” Meanwhile, Brent Booker, the general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, said that the party has not “fully embraced, and hasn’t for decades, really, working-class people.” “We have to deconstruct and reconstruct the Democratic Party if they’re going to be the party of working people,” Booker added. In response to similar claims from progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., arguing that Democrats have lost the working class, former Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison called the idea “straight-up BS.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic National Committee for comment on this story but did not hear back in time for publication.
Israel wants to continue war on Gaza, but to what end?
US president-elect Donald Trump is handing over US Middle East policy to people “who see God as some kind of cosmic real estate agent”, argues Stephen Zunes, chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Regarding Trump’s “to whom it may concern” threat that “there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East” regarding Israeli hostages, Zunes tells host Steve Clemons that the situation for Palestinians is likely to get even worse. But at least Trump “can’t pretend that he’s trying to reach an equitable, just peace” like his predecessors, Zunes says. Adblock test (Why?)
Bahamas rejects Trump proposal to take in deported third-country migrants
The Bahamas says it has rejected a proposal from the transition team of United States President-elect Donald Trump to take in migrants from other countries who may be deported by the incoming administration. In a statement on Thursday, the office of Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said the scheme to have the Bahamas accept deportation flights “was reviewed and firmly rejected”. “The Bahamas simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request,” Davis’s office said. “Since the Prime Minister’s rejection of this proposal, there has been no further engagement or discussions with the Trump transition team or any other entity regarding this matter. The Government of The Bahamas remains committed in its position.” Trump, who won last month’s US presidential election and will take office on January 20, has promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in the country’s history. The Office of the Prime Minister wishes to address recent reports regarding a proposal from the Trump transition team in the United States for The Bahamas to accept deportation flights of migrants from other countries. This matter was presented to the Government of The Bahamas… — Latrae L. Rahming (DOC)🇧🇸 (@latraelrahming) December 5, 2024 Advertisement The proposed effort has spurred condemnation from rights advocates and raised questions about the feasibility of removing millions of undocumented immigrants from the country. The Department of Homeland Security estimates 11 million “unauthorised” people lived in the US as of 2022. The Bahamas census for the same year shows the country has less than 400,000 people total. Trump’s deportation plans will also likely test the limits of his power as president, as any “mass deportation” would involve legal challenges and cooperation with foreign governments. Citing three unnamed sources, NBC News reported earlier on Thursday that Trump’s team was preparing a list of countries that it could send migrants to should their home countries not agree to take them back. The list included the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama and Grenada, the sources told the US news outlet. In 2019, during Trump’s first term as president, the US signed a deal with Guatemala forcing asylum seekers who transited through the Central American country on their way to the US-Mexico border to first apply for protection there. The so-called “safe third country” agreement allowed the Trump administration to deport people from third countries, such as Honduras and El Salvador, to Guatemala. It remains unclear whether any countries will agree to take in deported, third-country migrants and asylum seekers when Trump takes office again in January. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California sued US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to obtain records revealing how the agency’s deportation flights could be expanded to carry out a mass deportation programme. Advertisement “Little is known about how President-elect Trump would carry out its mass deportation agenda, but what we do know is that this proposal has already instilled fear among immigrant communities,” Eva Bitran, director of immigrants’ rights at the ACLU chapter, said in a statement. “The public has a right to know how its taxpayer dollars could be used to fund deportation flights that would tear apart not only families, but also our communities.” Meanwhile, Trump continues to promote his hardline immigration policies, threatening last month to impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Canada has since promised to bolster border security while Mexico — which has already been carrying out a crackdown on migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the US — made the largest fentanyl seizure in its history this week. During a news conference on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she hoped to reach a deal with the Trump administration so that Mexico would not have to take in third-country deportees. “We hope to reach an agreement with the Trump administration so that, in case these [massive] deportations happen, they send people from other countries directly to their countries of origin,” she said. Mexico, she added, was “in solidarity with everyone, but our main purpose is to receive Mexicans”. Adblock test (Why?)
Hezbollah backs Syria’s al-Assad as opposition forces intensify offensive
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns tens of thousands in Syria are at risk. Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem has pledged the Lebanese group will stand by the Syrian government amid an advance by “terrorist groups” trying to sow chaos in the country. “They will not be able to achieve their goals despite what they have done in past days, and we as Hezbollah will be by Syria’s side in thwarting the goals of this aggression as much as we can,” Qassem said on Thursday, adding that the “aggression” is sponsored by the United States and Israel. His comments came hours after Syrian opposition forces captured the strategic city of Homs in central Syria, their latest victory in a lightning offensive that was launched eight days ago. Qassem did not give details of how Hezbollah would support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but said the Iran-aligned group would do what it could. Hezbollah is currently observing a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel, after a year of war that has brought much devastation to Lebanon’s south in particular. Many of the group’s leadership have been killed in Israeli attacks, while tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been driven from their homes. Advertisement ‘Region already on fire’ Civilians have also borne the brunt of Syria’s 13-year-long war, which had been largely frozen since 2020 until opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, launched a new offensive from their strongholds in northwest Syria last week. Over the weekend the rebels captured Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, before pushing south and entering Hama on Thursday. More than 280,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting, the United Nations World Food Programme said in a post on X. People gather near tents for the displaced who fled the Aleppo countryside, in Tabqa, Syria [Orhan Qereman/Reuters] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the fighting and said the escalating conflict in Syria is the result of a “chronic collective failure” of diplomacy. Guterres called for immediate humanitarian access to all civilians in need in Syria and a return to a UN-facilitated political process to end the bloodshed. “Tens of thousands of civilians are at risk in a region already on fire,” Guterres told reporters. “We are seeing the bitter fruits of a chronic collective failure of previous de-escalation arrangements to produce a genuine nationwide ceasefire or a serious political process to implement Security Council resolutions,” he said. He urged “all those with influence to do their part for the long-suffering people” of Syria and said all parties are obligated to protect civilians. While al-Assad relied heavily on Russian and Iranian backing throughout the most intense years of Syria’s war, some opposition groups established ties with Turkiye. Advertisement Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called on al-Assad to urgently find a “political solution” to the war. “The Syrian regime must commit urgently with its people in favour of a global political solution,” Erdogan said in a call with Guterres, according to a statement released by the presidency. Erdogan, whose country has become home to about three million Syrian refugees since the war started in 2011, has held several discussions with other leaders on the crisis in recent days. “Turkiye has been striving to reduce tensions, protect civilians and open a political process and will continue to do so,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in the statement. Highlighting that the conflict has reached a “new stage”, Erdogan said, “Turkiye’s biggest wish is that Syria does not become embroiled in bigger instability and see even more civilian victims.” Erdogan was an outspoken critic of al-Assad for much of the war but has recently taken a more conciliatory line. Adblock test (Why?)
Musk, Ramaswamy huddle with lawmakers in quest to downsize widely-distrusted federal government with DOGE
Many Americans don’t trust the federal government, and Elon Musk — an eccentric billionaire business tycoon tasked by President-elect Donald Trump with helping slay the unwieldly bureaucratic leviathan — thinks that’s just the right attitude. “I think we should not trust the government,” Musk has previously declared. Apparently, people are way ahead of him. “As of April 2024, 22% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (21%),” Pew Research Center noted earlier this year. GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL Trump tapped Musk and self-identified “small-government crusader” Vivek Ramaswamy to helm the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an effort that puts Washington D.C.’s profligate spending in the crosshairs. “We will serve as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees. Unlike government commissions or advisory committees, we won’t just write reports or cut ribbons. We’ll cut costs,” the dynamic duo declared in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece last month. Ramaswamy appears to share similar views to Musk on public trust in government. “The reason the people don’t trust the government is that the government doesn’t trust the people. In God we trust and government we distrust,” Ramaswamy declared in a post on X last year. MUSK, RAMASWAMY VISIT CAPITOL HILL TO DISCUSS TRUMP’S DOGE VISION FOR CUTTING GOVERNMENT WASTE But in order to realize their cost-cutting ambitions, Musk and Ramaswamy will need to get government figures on board with their plans. Lawmakers met with the two entrepreneurs in D.C. on Thursday. THIS WAS A CHANGE ELECTION, DOGE ADDS TO IT: SEN. CORNYN “Under President Trump, we will take a blowtorch to the administrative state and reduce the size and scope of government. House and Senate Republicans look forward to hosting Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy tomorrow to discuss how the Department of Government Efficiency can help us get it done,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a Wednesday post on X.