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Georgia’s president will not step down until ‘illegitimate’ election rerun

Georgia’s president will not step down until ‘illegitimate’ election rerun

Pro-EU critic of governing Georgian Dream party says she won’t leave office next month as parliament elected fraudulently. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she will not leave office when her term ends because the parliament is “illegitimate”, while the prime minister warned against a “revolution” amid continuing pro-European Union protests. Thousands of Georgians protested on Saturday for a third straight night after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the government will suspend talks on EU accession. The goal to join the 27-member is now enshrined in Georgia’s constitution, but the prime minister – who has been building closer ties with Russia – suspended the talks for four years and accused Brussels of “blackmail”. In an address on Saturday, Zourabichvili, a pro-EU critic of the Georgian Dream governing party, said parliament had no right to elect her successor when her term ends in December, and that she would stay in post. The president, whose powers are largely ceremonial, maintains that the country’s October 26 election, which was won by Georgian Dream with 54 percent of the vote, was fraudulent and therefore renders the elected parliament illegitimate. “There is no legitimate parliament, and therefore, an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president. Thus, no inauguration can take place, and my mandate continues until a legitimately elected parliament is formed,” she said. Georgia’s election commission earlier this month confirmed the governing party as the winner, but watchdogs and politicians in the EU and the United States have also suggested an investigation needs to look into potential fraud. Demonstrators use firecrackers against police as police block a street to prevent protesters [Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP] The country’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday it had arrested 107 people in the capital, Tblisi, overnight during protests which saw some demonstrators build barricades and throw fireworks at riot police, who used water cannon and tear gas. The unrest came as Kobakhidze, the prime minister, accused opponents of the government’s move to halt EU accession talks of plotting a revolution, similar to Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan protest, which deposed a pro-Russian president. “In Georgia, the Maidan scenario cannot be realised. Georgia is a state, and the state will not, of course, permit this,” Kobakhidze was quoted as saying by local media. The US State Department said on Saturday it had suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia following the decision by the Georgian Dream party to suspend accession to the EU. “We condemn excessive force used against Georgians rightfully protesting this betrayal of their constitution – EU is a bulwark against Kremlin,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X. “We have therefore suspended our Strategic Partnership with Georgia.” Georgia gained independence from neighbouring Russia in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the two countries have not had any diplomatic relations since a brief 2008 war over Moscow-backed territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But the Georgian Dream party’s efforts to build closer relations with Russia had already stalled the country’s application to join the EU. The bloc has said laws against “foreign agents” and LGBTQ rights are among the main reasons behind the stall, as they curtail human rights and are modelled after legislation in Russia. Adblock test (Why?)

Qatar GP: Formula 1 qualifying – Vestappen gets pole, Piastri wins sprint

Qatar GP: Formula 1 qualifying – Vestappen gets pole, Piastri wins sprint

Max Verstappen takes pole position for F1’s Qatar GP while Oscar Piastri wins sprint race in Saturday’s qualifying. Lando Norris ignored team orders as he handed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri the win in the sprint race in Qatar on Saturday, while champion Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Grand Prix. With McLaren eyeing its first Formula 1 constructors’ title in 26 years and George Russell close behind for Mercedes, Norris was told by the team over the radio to “finish in this order”, ahead of Piastri. He chose to gift his teammate the win anyway, easing off to the right on the exit of the final corner and then swooping back across in front of Russell, who finished third. “The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it and we did,” Norris said. “Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m not here to win sprint races. I’m here to win races and the championship, but that’s not gone to plan.” Norris had Brazil on his mind in Qatar Norris was paying Piastri back for doing the same in the sprint race in Brazil when Norris was still fighting Verstappen for the driver’s title. “I made my mind up in Brazil when it happened,” Norris said. “I needed to do something to give it back.” George Russell of Mercedes, Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Lando Norris of McLaren after qualifying ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Qatar [Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images] Piastri said he had not expected Norris to take the risk. “I was aware it could happen. I was a bit surprised that with George half a second [away], it did,” Piastri said. “It just shows off our teamwork and the lack of egos within the team.” It continues a season where McLaren’s race tactics have often been a talking point, such as when Norris and Piastri swapped for the lead in Hungary after a lengthy and often awkward radio exchange with the team. On Saturday, Norris started in pole position and kept the lead at the start as Piastri squeezed past Russell for second. As Russell repeatedly attacked Piastri, Norris dropped back instead of building a lead. That put Piastri within one second of Norris, allowing the Australian to use the DRS overtaking aid for extra speed. McLaren teamwork ‘frustrates’ Mercedes Russell said he found the McLaren teamwork “pretty infuriating” while stuck behind Piastri and also objected to what he saw as late moves from Piastri to defend the position. “Hopefully, we can have a proper race [on Sunday] rather than this team orders stuff,” Russell said. The F1 champion was not much of a factor in the sprint but he returned to form in qualifying, taking pole for Sunday’s race from Russell by just .055 of a second on his last run. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri crosses the line to win the sprint race ahead of second place McLaren’s Lando Norris [Altaf Qadri/Reuters] It is his first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, after McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all put pressure on the previously dominant Red Bull team in the second half of the season. “Crazy. I mean, honestly, I didn’t expect that,” Verstappen said. “We did change a bit on the car but I never thought it would make such a swing in performance.” Qatar and Abu Dhabi to play decisive role in F1 championship decider Norris was .252 off the pace and lines up third, with Piastri fourth, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren increased its lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship to 30 points, and has both of its drivers ahead of the Ferraris on the grid. Teams can earn a maximum 88 more points from the Grand Prix in Qatar and next week’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull dropped to 67 points behind McLaren in the standings as Verstappen – crowned the drivers’ champion for the fourth time last week in Las Vegas – finished eighth and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was last after a pit stop to change his car’s nose. Adblock test (Why?)

Trump nominates Kash Patel to serve as FBI director: ‘Advocate for truth’

Trump nominates Kash Patel to serve as FBI director: ‘Advocate for truth’

President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel to serve as the next director of the FBI in the new administration. Patel, 44, is an attorney with experience in national security, intelligence and counterterrorism. He has been a member of Trump’s transition team, advising the administration on other appointments. Trump announced Patel’s appointment in a Truth Social post on Saturday. NEW YORK JUDGE GRANTS TRUMP REQUEST TO FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CHARGES, CANCELS SENTENCING INDEFINITELY “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump’s statement read. “He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.” This story is developing. Check back with us for more updates.

Sanctuary city Denver spending a whopping $356 million on migrants: study

Sanctuary city Denver spending a whopping 6 million on migrants: study

As Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says he would be willing to go to jail over his opposition to the Trump mass-deportation plan, a new study claims the mayor’s Blue city has spent a whopping $356 million of taxpayers’ hard-earned money on migrants. The eye-popping sum, which amounts to $7,900 per foreign national in the city, was revealed by an updated analysis last week by the Common Sense Institut (CSI), a non-partisan research organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the U.S. economy.  The group says it used city data to land on the stunning sum, which equates to 8% of the city’s 2025 budget of $4.4 billion. The figures combine the city’s budget as well as regional education and healthcare organizations. DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON SAYS TRUMP’S MASS MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS WILL CREATE ‘TIANANMEN SQUARE MOMENT’ Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of migrants arrive in the city under the Biden-Harris administration and Johnston has already slashed city services to house and feed those migrants. Cuts included reducing services at recreation centers and stopping the planting of spring flower beds, while the city tapped into a contingency fund to pay for the spiraling costs.  The CSI claims that the bulk of the $356 million spent on migrants was through education, with the city also splashing out on healthcare, hotels, transportation and childcare. Denver is a sanctuary city, meaning it does not enforce immigration law, nor does the city cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The group says that about 45,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver metro area since December 2022, with 16,197 migrant students enrolling in Denver metro schools. DENVER MIGRANT ADVOCATES SAY SIX MONTHS OF FREE RENT, FOOD NOT ENOUGH: ‘A SLAP IN THE FACE’ AND ‘OFFENSIVE’ “The total cost to Denver metro schools related to new migrant students is $228 million annually, which would equate to 1-2% of the total state K-12 education budget for the 2024-25 academic year,” the group writes. “Previous CSI reporting estimated the per-student cost of instruction and support in the Denver metro to be $14,100 per year. Assuming this cost across all recent migrant students totals $228 million. Meanwhile, Denver doctors earlier this year said that the migrant crisis had pushed the state’s hospital system to its breaking point and was causing a humanitarian crisis.  The CSI study estimates that emergency departments in the Denver metro area have delivered an estimated $49 million in uncompensated care to migrants.  “With 16,760 [migrant] visits to Denver metro emergency departments from December 2022 to the present, providers would have delivered $49,124,029 of uncompensated care to migrants. The study reports that at the height of the migrant influx in January 2024, officials estimated Denver was going to spend $180 million through 2024. Actual expenditures tracked by the city now show it will spend about $79 million. “Of the total, 34.5% has been spent on facilities including hotels, 29.4% on personnel, 14% on services, and 11% on food,” the report finds.  Johnston said during a recent interview that he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is “illegal or immoral or un-American” in the city – including the use of military force – and was then asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration. “Yeah, I’m not afraid of that, and I’m also not seeking that,” Johnston said. “I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people [on] how to solve hard problems.” Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” designate, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity this week that he would jail Johnston if he broke the law in shielding illegal migrants.   “All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S., and he would see he’s breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail.” Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report. 

Trump boasts of ‘very productive meeting’ with Canadian PM Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago

Trump boasts of ‘very productive meeting’ with Canadian PM Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago

President-elect Trump says he had a “very productive meeting” with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.  Trudeau jetted into Mar-a-Lago unannounced on Friday just days after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over failures by both nations to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S.  “We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. MUSK, STALLONE AMONG STAR-STUDDED NAMES PARTYING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO CLUB FOR THANKSGIVING “I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic, caused mainly by the drug cartels, and fentanyl pouring in from China. Too much death and hardship!” Trump wrote that Trudeau, who has been serving as prime minister of Canada since 2015, made a commitment to work with the U.S. to “end this terrible devastation of U.S. families.” U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. MEXICAN PRESIDENT MIGHT BE CHANGING VIEW ON US AS TRUMP WIN SENDS WARNING TO RULING SOCIALISTS  Trump said the pair also spoke about many other important topics, including energy, trade and the Arctic, although he did not go into further detail.  “All are vital issues that I will be addressing on my first days back in office, and before,” Trump concluded, without saying whether tariffs were still on or off the table.  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, R-Pa., posted a picture to X late Friday showing him at a Mar-a-Lago dinner table along with President-elect Trump, Trudeau, and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, among others. The ritzy club has been a hive of activity since President-elect Trump’s historic election win over Vice President Harris earlier this month as the 45th president co-ordinates his transition back to the Oval Office.  Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have also met Trump at the famous location, along with many of those nominated for top roles in the incoming administration. Trump selected Musk to lead an outside advisory panel known as the “Department of Government Efficiency” to slash waste in the federal government. As he was leaving his West Palm Beach hotel, Trudeau stopped briefly to answer a reporter’s question about the dinner meeting, saying it had been “an excellent conversation.” An official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said it had been a “positive, wide-ranging dinner that lasted three hours.”  The official said other topics included defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Middle East and pipelines, as well as the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Trump nominates Charles Kushner to serve as US ambassador to France: ‘Strong advocate’

Trump nominates Charles Kushner to serve as US ambassador to France: ‘Strong advocate’

President-elect Trump has nominated Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, to serve in his new administration as the U.S. ambassador to France. “I am pleased to nominate Charles Kushner, of New Jersey, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to France,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday. “He is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests.” In 2020, Kushner was pardoned by Trump 15 years after being found guilty of falsifying tax returns, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. Kushner, the founder of Kushner Companies, served a two-year sentence for his conviction. The witness tampering charge stemmed from an incident where he paid a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law into an encounter that was recorded on video. Kushner then sent the footage to the man’s wife, Kushner’s sister, in order to prevent her from testifying before a grand jury. NEW YORK JUDGE GRANTS TRUMP REQUEST TO FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CHARGES, CANCELS SENTENCING INDEFINITELY Kushner was prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney General Chris Christie in 2005. Christie later called the case “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney,” during a 2019 PBS interview. Trump touted Kushner’s accomplishments in his statement on Saturday, calling Kushner Companies “one of the largest & most successful privately held Real Estate firms in the Nation.” “He was recognized as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, & served as a Commissioner, & Chairman, of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, as well as on the Boards of our top institutions, including NYU,” Trump said. TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’ “His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords,” his statement concluded. “Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!” In 2018, Jared Kushner worked to get the First Step Act passed by Congress, which focused on reforming federal prisons. Kushner became passionate about the issue after witnessing how his father had been treated in prison. “President Trump promised to fight for the forgotten men and women of this country — and that includes those in prison,” Jared Kushner wrote in the Wall Street Journal at the time. Fox News Digital’s Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.