Georgia Gov. Kemp pledges $1.8 billion for infrastructure, plus more for training doctors
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told a business group on Wednesday that he’ll propose $1.8 billion in additional spending on infrastructure, as well as expand health care training for dentists and physicians, showing how the state’s $11 billion in surplus cash is giving the Republican the power to spend big even as state revenues slow. Kemp also told the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, that he’ll need more than a year to follow through on a pledge to limit lawsuits, and that he wants to make it harder for workers to unionize at the big developments Georgia is subsidizing. “If we want to maintain this incredible position we’re in today for another generation, we need to make smart moves right now to secure that future,” Kemp said, arguing his plans would keep Georgia’s economy humming. GEORGIA GOV. KEMP APPOINTS LAUREN CURRY AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF OF STAFF Wednesday’s speech by the second-term incumbent was a meaty preview of his Thursday State of the State address. Kemp promised more to come Thursday, including a likely proposal to raise pay for public employees and teachers. Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, also speaking Wednesday, again voiced openness to expanding health care coverage to low-income adults through Georgia’s Medicaid program. “Expanding access to care for lower income working families through a private option in a fiscally responsible way that lowers premiums is something we will continue to gather facts on in the House,” Burns said. Kemp says he wants to allot $1.5 billion to the Georgia Department of Transportation before June 30 to speed planned roadwork and establish a freight infrastructure program. Of that money, $200 million would go to cities and counties, increasing what the state sends local governments to maintain their own roads and bridges. Kemp said he also wants to invest another $250 million in the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, which loans money to local governments for water and sewer projects. Kemp earlier gave out $442 million in water and sewer grants using federal COVID-19 aid. The governor wants to allot another $50 million to a fund to develop land for housing, and then spend at least $6 million a year on such grants going forward. Lawmakers earlier allotted $35.7 million for Kemp’s “rural workforce housing” plan, and $17 million has been spent so far. Kemp proposed spending $178 million to create a new public dental school at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, in addition to the current Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. Kemp also proposed $50 million to create a separate medical school at the University of Georgia in Athens. Now, a four-year medical program operates there in partnership with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. SPORTS BETTING IN GEORGIA SEES RENEWED SUPPORT AMID OPPOSITION “With these new assets on the way, we will further address the growing need for health care professionals in our state,” Kemp said. Like he did before the chamber in Athens this summer, Kemp argued lawsuits are driving up insurance premiums and retarding business. “I will be introducing legislation this year that reflects my priorities to stabilize the market for insurers, stabilize premiums for Georgia families, and level the playing field in our courtrooms so we can continue to create even more quality, good-paying jobs,” he said. But Kemp now says the effort will take more than one legislative session, promising to take “the first step” this year. Georgia Chamber President and CEO Chris Clark said after the speech that limiting lawsuits has “always been a difficult issue” to make progress on. He said this year’s steps would include a study to determine “the true impact of these nuclear verdicts” on insurance rates. Kemp also promised to make it harder for workers to form unions to bargain with employers in Georgia, echoing the chamber’s own agenda. Kemp seeks to bar any business that benefits from state business incentives from allowing employees to unionize without a formal election. Now, businesses can accept unions without an election. Only 4.4% of Georgia workers are union members, the eighth lowest rate among states. Unions did win a notable victory in May when workers at Georgia school bus maker Blue Bird Corp. voted to be represented by the United Steelworkers. Kemp portrayed the move as protecting workers’ “right to opportunity” from President Joe Biden’s pro-union agenda and outside forces “who want nothing more than to see the free market brought to a screeching halt.” Burns said he wants to further cut taxes by increasing the deduction for a child on state income taxes from $3,000 to $4,000, which would save a typical family about $45. He also is seeking a slight cut in property taxes. Burns also said he wants to boost the number of state troopers from 700 to 1,000 and expand state-paid prekindergarten classes.
Hilarious Jayapal gaffe proves Dems find saying ‘insurrection’ to be hard
A Democrat serving in the House of Representatives was at the center of an apparent blunder Wednesday when she claimed former President Donald Trump “incited an erection.” The comment from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., came during the House Judiciary Committee’s consideration of a resolution that, if passed, would set up a full House vote on whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. “I think we’re all outraged about many things, but if we’re gonna talk about outrageous things that have happened or things that have never happened, let’s talk about the fact that President Trump incited an erection.” Quickly realizing what she had said, Jayapal began laughing and said, “Maybe that, too.” JAYAPAL TELLS FELLOW DEMS NOT TO ‘OUT-REPUBLICAN THE REPUBLICANS’ ON IMMIGRATION AMID FUNDING TALKS “You can talk about that too, I guess,” Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., chimed in. “Maybe we should talk about that, too,” Jayapal responded. Correcting herself and moving on from the awkward situation, Jayapal said, “The president incited an insurrection.” Jayapal is not the first Democrat to use the word “erection” instead of “insurrection” when talking about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and President Trump’s actions on that day. In January 2021, while pushing for an impeachment trial of Trump on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claimed the former president was responsible for an “erection.” “Make no mistake, there will be a trial and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection – insurrection – against the United States,” Schumer said at the time. HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING Jayapal’s colleague, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has also been guilty of using the word “erection” to describe the events from more than three years ago. Schiff’s slip-up came during a November 2021 appearance on “The View,” where he responded to pressure from one host who asked him whether he regretted talking up the discredited Steele dossier. “But let’s not use that as a smokescreen to somehow shield Donald Trump’s culpability for inviting Russia to help him in the election, which they did, for trying to coerce Ukraine into helping him in the next election, which he did, into inciting an erection…” Catching himself immediately, Schiff corrected himself and used the word “insurrection” before continuing his comments. Schiff also slipped up and used the word during a January 2021 appearance on CNN, where he claimed then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., incited an “erection.”
House GOP erupts in division over call to push Johnson out of speakership: ‘Working for Joe Biden’
House Republicans are once again finding themselves at odds with each other as threats to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership begin to emerge from the right flank of their conference. “Anyone that wants to go in that direction is showing how unserious they are about us maintaining the majority,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital about suggestions of filing a motion to vacate against Johnson, R-La. “It looks like they’re just trying to sabotage the future, and they’re working for Joe Biden at that point.” GOP hardliners are furious over Johnson’s deal aimed at averting a government shutdown that he struck with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Several have previously told Fox News Digital that it put the conference in the same or worse position than after ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., struck a similar deal with President Biden last spring. CHIP ROY SAYS BOOTING MIKE JOHNSON FROM SPEAKERSHIP ‘ON THE TABLE’ Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on “The Steve Deace Show” Tuesday of filing a possible motion to vacate, “I’m leaving it on the table. I’m not gonna say I’m gonna go file it tomorrow. I’m not saying I’m not going to file it tomorrow.” However, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a conservative who is also skeptical of the deal so far, told Fox News Digital, “It’s not our leader that’s the problem, it’s the leader in the Senate and the White House that’s the problem.” As part of a deal to win the speakership last January, McCarthy allowed the threshold for a motion to vacate — which triggers a vote to oust the House speaker — to just one lawmaker needed to trigger it. HOUSE, SENATE RELEASE BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING AS SHUTDOWN DEADLINES LOOM Johnson, who took over the role in late October after McCarthy was ousted, did not change the rule. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a hardliner who opposes Johnson’s deal, told Fox News Digital Wednesday morning that he was “not one to start a fight” over his leadership but agreed the option should remain there. “I think that the motion to vacate is an important measure,” he said. “I don’t think members should take it off the table. Because at the end of the day, my district, people are very frustrated. And if you’re in a situation where… you’re more fearing the moderates than you are the conservatives, that we’re going to… continue to have bad outcomes.” Like his predecessor, the threats to Johnson’s job came up after he cobbled together a bipartisan spending deal while negotiating against a Democratic Senate and White House. Establishment conservatives and mainstream Republicans acknowledged his predicament and said there would be severe consequences for the party if they booted another leader. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called it “a ludicrous notion.” WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS “Nobody should be bringing up the word vacate. The speaker is doing and getting the best deal you can get with… 1/3 of government,” he said. “We should support him.” Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., did not speak directly about the threats but acknowledged the predicament Johnson is in while speaking to reporters Wednesday after a House GOP meeting to discuss the deal. “It’s kind of hard to worry about bailing water when you’ve got the alligators nipping at you, and that’s exactly the kind of conditions the speaker finds himself in,” Womack said. Even some hardliners are opposed to the idea, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — who initiated McCarthy’s ouster. “I’m not supportive of a motion to vacate Speaker Johnson,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital. “What comes next could be worse.” The speaker himself brushed the threats off during his weekly House GOP leadership press conference that same morning. “I’m not concerned about that, we’re leading” he said. “We have very difficult challenges, but we’re going to advance the ball, we’re going to advance our conservative principles, and we’re going to demonstrate that we can govern well.”
WATCH: Nancy Mace shreds Hunter Biden for having ‘no balls’ after surprise visit derails House hearing
Hunter Biden’s surprise appearance at a Wednesday House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill set off a firestorm of reaction among the committee’s members, including Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who accused the president of having “no balls.” Biden, alongside his attorneys, unexpectedly showed up at the hearing as the committee was preparing to consider the resolution that, if passed, would set up a full House vote on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against his father. “My first question is who bribed Hunter Biden to be here today? That is my first question. Second question, you are the epitome of White privilege coming into the Oversight Committee, spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed. What are you afraid of? You have no balls to come up here and –” Mace said before being interrupted by a Democrat on the committee. HUNTER BIDEN MAKES SHOCKING APPEARANCE AT HIS OWN CONTEMPT HEARING The hearing spiraled into a screaming match with Mace accusing Moskowitz of not allowing a woman on the committee to speak. Once Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., got the hearing back on track, Mace declared that Biden “should be arrested right here, right now, and go straight to jail.” “Our nation is founded on the rule of law and the premise that the law applies equally to everyone no matter what your last name is —” she added, before being interrupted by another Democrat objecting to her statement. HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION In a point of order, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., then called on members of the committee to show respect by not interrupting each other before Comer called on Mace to continue. “It does not matter who you are, or where you come from, or who your father is, or your last name. Yes, I’m looking at you Hunter Biden as I’m speaking to you. You are not above the law at all,” Mace said. She argued that Biden had no privilege to claim to avoid a subpoena to appear before the committee for testimony, and said his team didn’t contest the reasons the subpoena was issued. She accused him of “refusing” to comply. Mace noted that former President Donald Trump’s sons previously appeared for subpoenas, and that Biden broke the law “deliberately” and “flagrantly” by ignoring his. “The question the American people are asking us is what is Hunter Biden so afraid of? Why can’t you show up for a congressional deposition? You are here for a political stunt. This is just a PR stunt to you. This is just a game that you are playing with the American people. You are playing with the truth,” she said. “Hunter Biden wasn’t afraid to sell access to Joe Biden to the highest bidder when he was in elected office. He wasn’t afraid to trade on the Biden brand, peddle influence, and share the ill gotten gains with members of his family, including Joe Biden, he wasn’t afraid to compromise the integrity of the presidency and vice presidency by involving Joe Biden in shady business deals with our foreign adversaries,” she said. Mace said she believed Biden should be held in contempt, and that “he should be hauled off to jail right now.” She then accused Democrats of “hypocrisy” regarding a subpoena for Biden versus past subpoenas for Republicans. “It brings no joy for us to do this but the president’s son broke the law and must be held accountable in the same way anybody else would. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do so,” she said. “My last message to you, Hunter Biden: You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes,” she added.
Some companies want to bet on US elections. Not everyone agrees.
Tarek Mansour spent several years working in finance at firms like Goldman Sachs and Citadel before launching the groundbreaking fintech startup Kalshi. Using his background in finance, he built the first regulated exchange, running what are called “event contracts” or ways to trade on current affairs like national elections. With the upcoming 2024 United States presidential election, increasingly razor-thin Republican control in the House of Representatives and the contentious GOP primaries, Kalshi and platforms like it – including PredictIt, Polymarket and Smarkets – are in the spotlight for allowing financial bets that critics worry could sway voters. Event contracts are comparable to trading on the stock market. Like the speculative nature of Kalshi’s offerings, its product is more closely aligned with commodity trading – hedging on the future price of oil, natural gas, wheat or coal. “We focus on events that are of economic and social value,” Mansour told Al Jazeera. Like trading on the stock market, a given company’s share price could rise and fall based on current events. For instance, if there is an escalation in COVID-19 cases, Moderna’s stock could be affected. But Kalshi allows consumers to trade event contracts on COVID-19 itself. Mansour says that trading on events in a speculative nature is comparable to insurance. There are also event contracts on Kalshi that allow users to wager on the likelihood of natural disasters. There are, for instance, two listings on its homepage for disasters hitting cities like Columbus in Ohio and Houston in Texas – the fourth-most-populous city in the US, which was decimated by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Individual event contracts on Kalshi are less than a dollar but that can really vary across the sector. On Smarkets for example, as of January 9, the last traded minimum price on [US President] “Joe Biden to serve full term” was $1.05. Across the sector, there is nothing stopping users from buying a lot of that, much like they would for shares in a company. Proponents argue this is no different than insurance companies factoring in whether or not to provide flood insurance to a home. In the last year alone, several insurance companies including Farmers announced they will no longer offer flood insurance to Florida homeowners because of the increased risks of climate change. “There are all these commercial and financial risk management needs out there that financial markets over time accommodate,” said lawyer Robert Zwirb, who served as the counsel for two former chairpersons of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). “Things that are considered revolutionary today, in 30 years won’t be,” Zwirb added. [Screen grab/Smarkets.com] Not everyone thinks predictive betting is a good thing, especially when it comes to elections. Ahead of the 2024 election cycle, there are serious concerns about the precedent it sets. Last year, Kalshi requested approval to trade contracts during elections. The backlash that followed was primarily from progressives. Several Democratic senators feel the same way. Senators Chris Van Hollen (Maryland), Jeff Merkley (Oregon) Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island), Ed Markey (Massachussetts), Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), and the late Dianne Feinstein (California) – all Democrats – called on the CFTC to reject Kalshi’s proposal. In an August release, the group of senators said: “There is no doubt that the mass commodification of our democratic process would raise widespread concerns about the integrity of our electoral process. Such an outcome is in clear conflict with the public interest and would undermine confidence in our political process – we urge the CFTC to deny Kalshi’s proposal.” ‘Financial incentive to voting’ “Electoral betting is really dangerous because it makes a huge financial incentive to voting,” said Sydney Bryant, the author of a piece calling out Kalshi last year for the Center for American Progress. While election betting is frowned upon in the US, it is allowed under specific circumstances. Companies like Kalshi have made efforts to move the goalposts. “This isn’t the Kentucky Derby. Our Democracy is not a stakes race,” Bryant added. Election betting is frowned upon in the US but is allowed under certain situations [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters] The CFTC shared those concerns and rejected Kalshi’s proposal in September. The agency said: “The contracts would have been cash-settled, binary contracts based on the question: Will <chamber of Congress> be controlled by <party> for <term>?” which is “contrary to the public interest”. There were more than 1,300 public comments on the matter. Many of them echoed the think tank and the group of progressive senators. Jennifer Venar, one of the public commenters, wrote: “Allowing bets to be placed on the outcome of elections is a truly horrendous idea. At best it further delegitimize[s] the voting process by making it a game and at worst, it encourages further tampering in elections. Please! Do no[t] do this.” Another commenter, named Ken Bell said: “This is absolutely insane. It would greatly contribute to the continued deterioration of our tenuously held democracy by encouraging and rewarding intervention in the political process for monetary gain.” In November, Kalshi filed a lawsuit challenging the agency’s decision. For now, Kalshi will not trade on individual congressional races, which can often come down to slim margins. “We are not looking through the small congressional elections; we are looking at who is going to control the House or the Senate,” Mansour says. Slim margins a deciding vote Representative George Santos was recently expelled from the House [File: Amr Alfiky/Reuters] But a small congressional race could very well be the deciding factor for who controls the US House of Representatives. That’s thanks to several recent changes in the House, including the expulsion of controversial member George Santos amid a scathing ethics report that found several alleged campaign finance violations. Kevin McCarthy, who was removed as House speaker, announced he would also leave Congress, making Republicans’ already razor-thin majority that much more vulnerable. There were several congressional races in 2020 with very slim margins. Such races, argue experts including Tom Moore, a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, have the power to
‘Threatened with rape’: Lama Khater recalls horrors while in Israeli jails
Hebron, occupied West Bank – Lama Khater sits quietly, ready to talk but seemingly exhausted. The mother of five’s face is pale and her lips dry, but an air of relief hangs around her. The 47-year-old had just been released from prison at the end of November, part of the sixth batch of Palestinian prisoners Israel released in exchange for Israeli captives released from Gaza by Hamas. Khater had been in prison for about a month, an exceptionally painful one, it seemed. She was one of hundreds of Palestinians who had been arrested after the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians there to date. After Israeli forces stormed her home in Hebron and arrested her, she was shuttled from one detention centre to the other, unsure of what she was charged with or what would happen to her next. Dirty and cramped A writer and journalist who has covered crimes and violations committed by the Israeli occupation – and who has been in Israeli jails herself – Khater found herself subjected to pain and indignities all over again. She had been detained in the past for 13 months but said her detention after October 7 was “incomparable” to the previous jail time. Writer Lama Khater with four of her children, clockwise from left, Yaman, Osama, Bissan and Yahya [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] “Handcuffed” with plastic zip ties that dug painfully into her wrists, Khater was thrown on the floor of the army jeep and taken to the Kiryat Arba settlement camp. She could not see the face of her husband Hazem al-Fakhouri or her five terrified children – Osama, 26, Bissan, 23, Yaman, 18, Izz al-Din, 15, and Yahya, 7 – as she was driven away. Her interrogation began in Kiryat Arba, and during the first session, the Israeli officers threatened her with rape, among other things, she said. “They threatened to kill me, my family, burn my house down,” Khater recalled. They also, she added, threatened to deport her to Gaza and more, telling her that she was a prisoner of war and they could do whatever they wanted. From there, Khater was moved for four days to Hasharon Prison, where she was held with five other Palestinian women in a tiny cell built for one prisoner and “extremely dirty”, she said. They did not have access to water to clean the cell either, she added, explaining that their water supply was cut off for eight hours a day. There was so little room that the six women had to take turns to sit and sleep. [embedded content] After Hasharon, she was moved to Damon Prison in northern Israel, where she was strip-searched and insulted. She also saw other prisoners being “badly beaten”. Missing her family, suffering in prison Sentenced to six months of administrative detention – which allows Israeli authorities to hold people indefinitely without charge – Khater resigned herself to her fate and wondered how her children and husband were doing without her. But then she met a woman from Hebron who had just been rounded up in the Israeli dragnets and the woman told her that her husband had also been arrested, taken from their home on November 8 two weeks after she had been taken and also held under administrative detention since. That meant that their five children were alone, probably even more worried and scared now that both their parents had been taken. Khater couldn’t help but wonder if the raid into their home frightened her children, especially seven-year-old Yahya. “A Shabak officer came to gloat at me, smiling and saying: ‘Your kids are now alone’,” Khater said. Twenty-three-year-old Bissan told Al Jazeera that she had to leave her job and become “both a mother and father” to her siblings because the three youngest are in school and need constant care and attention. Khater did not worry much about the Israeli officers’ threats; she was too happy to be going home [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] She would take care of their food and clothing and tend to their emotional needs, she added. “Yahya used to ask me and my father about my mother – whether she was eating, if she was okay, and when she’s coming home,” Bissan said. The questions became even harder to answer when al-Fakhouri was also arrested, she said. During that time, Khater was shocked at the level of inhumane treatment the Damon guards meted out to the women. Sometimes they would use pepper spray point-blank against the women for any perceived slight. They would also put prisoners in solitary confinement, severely limit their access to food and canteens to buy necessities, and deny them sanitary pads, she said. Finally, she was moved to Ofer Prison at the end of November, to wait in a cold cell for hours with neither food nor water until she was freed at dawn. Up to the very last minute, the officers and guards were threatening her. “They told me that any celebration is prohibited and that I was forbidden from receiving any well-wishers upon my release,” she said, adding that the Israeli officers also warned her not to publish on social media. Bissan, 23, had to leave her job and become ‘mother and father’ to her siblings [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] “They said they would re-arrest me if their ‘rules’ were broken,” she said. But she was not so concerned, as she was filled with “joy and happiness” at the thought of seeing her children. “Everyone knows that the most difficult thing for a mother is being away from her children.” Like all the other prisoners freed in the deal, Khater felt happiness overshadowed by the massacres being committed against Palestinians in Gaza, she said. Since October 7, Israeli authorities have arrested nearly 6,000 people in the occupied West Bank while Israeli forces or settlers have killed more than 270 Palestinians during that time in individual attacks and near-nightly raids, which
WHO facing ‘near insurmountable challenges’ in Gaza aid delivery
The UN health agency has deplored the lack of access to Gaza for the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance, amid intense bombardment in the southern part of the besieged Palestinian enclave. “Delivering aid to Gaza continues to face near insurmountable challenges,” the World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said during a news conference on Wednesday in Geneva. “We have the supplies, the teams and the plans in place. What we don’t have is access,” he said, stressing that the UN and its partners remained “completely ready” to deliver assistance to Gaza Palestinians. Israeli authorities have repeatedly refused to allow UN aid teams to deliver desperately needed humanitarian relief inside Gaza, effectively cutting off hospitals and residents from lifesaving medical supplies. “We call on Israel to approve requests from WHO and its partners to deliver humanitarian aid,” Ghebreyesus said. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, has repeatedly blamed the world body for failing to deliver supplies at a fast enough pace. Moshe Tetro, head of COGAT, on Wednesday denied any bottlenecks on the Israeli end preventing aid from reaching the enclave. “The problem lies with the international organisations processing and receiving the aid,” he said, according to The Times of Israel. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, claimed instead that the UN has been operating within a “shrinking humanitarian space”. “There should be more avenues to get into Gaza, but also to work within Gaza,” he said, adding that humanitarian corridors were to be expected even in the absence of a ceasefire. The UN health agency said six humanitarian missions to northern Gaza – where the situation is most dire amid a total collapse of the healthcare system – have been cancelled since December 26 due to the lack of necessary permissions to proceed safely. “If you do not get a permission, you cannot move, and our requests were repeatedly rejected,” Peeperkorn said. Only about a third of Gaza’s hospitals are functioning totally or partially WHO officials on Tuesday voiced concern about the possible collapse of hospital provision in southern and central Gaza, as fighting intensifies and hundreds of medical staff and patients flee medical facilities. “The international community must not allow this to happen in the middle and southern areas,” Peeperkorn said. Three hospitals located near evacuation zones – European Gaza Hospital, Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Aqsa – are providing a lifeline to about two million people. On Wednesday, Al Jazeera correspondents reported explosions in front of the Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. The area around the compound has come under intense fire in recent days. Sean Casey, WHO emergency medical teams coordinator in Gaza, warned on Tuesday that Gaza cannot afford to lose more medical infrastructure. “We cannot lose these health facilities. They absolutely must be protected. This is the last line of secondary and tertiary healthcare that Gaza has – from the north to the south, it’s been dropping, hospital after hospital,” he said. At least 23,357 people have been killed and more than 59,410 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian authorities. Significant damage has been inflicted upon critical infrastructure, including water purification systems. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s infectious disease epidemiologist expert, said the organisation detected a number of indicators – including respiratory illnesses and diarrhoea – that point to the spread of infectious diseases in Gaza. “These are a manifestation of multiple diseases, but we can’t get to the bottom of it because we don’t have access to testing,” Van Kerkhove said. “By the time we identify the disease, it will be at a late stage,” she added. Adblock test (Why?)
Meet ‘Mauni Mata’, an 85-year-old woman who will break 32-year-long ‘Maun Vrat’ after Ayodhya Ram Temple inauguration
Saraswati Devi, a Dhanbad resident, took her vow on the day Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, promising to break it only when the Ram temple was inaugurated.
Former military pilots demand Austin’s resignation: ‘Complete dereliction of duty’
A congressional coalition of former military pilots sent a letter to President Biden demanding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s resignation or immediate dismissal amid ongoing questions surrounding his medical treatment in the ICU without the White House’s knowledge for days. “We believe Secretary Austin’s blatant violation of the Pentagon’s Principles of Information and serious lapse in judgment warrants his immediate resignation, as well as the resignation of any staff involved in covering up his hospitalization. If he does not resign, he should be immediately dismissed,” the MACH 1 Caucus wrote to Biden in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday. The MACH 1 Caucus comprises Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas), Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), and Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), all former military pilots. The caucus was officially announced in February 2022 and advocates for fighter pilots and “educating other members” in Congress on military pilot-related issues, the caucus said when it was officially formed. Pfluger, who spearheaded the letter, told Fox News Digital that Austin’s absence in a hospital room without the president’s knowledge for days is “a complete dereliction of duty.” SECDEF AUSTIN’S ‘RECKLESS’ HANDLING OF HOSPITALIZATION ‘UNDERMINED’ CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENTS: EXPERT “As a former combat commander, I know how important it is to have secondary layers of authority in place during times of absence.” Pfluger said. “These contingency plans have life-or-death implications. Secretary Austin has weakened our military from day one — by advocating for a woke and weak military and now by abdicating his post without properly appointing a proxy or notifying the President of the United States or the National Security Council. PENTAGON SLAMMED FOR CALLING LLOYD AUSTIN’S SURGERY TO REMOVE CANCER ‘ELECTIVE’: ‘ARGUING SEMANTICS’ “This is an incredible threat to our national security and a complete dereliction of duty. Secretary Austin, and any staff members involved in covering up his hospitalization, must resign or be dismissed.” Calls for Austin to resign or be fired have rung out repeatedly among conservative leaders and lawmakers since last week, when the media was made aware on Friday of Austin’s hospital treatment. Reports quickly followed that Biden, the National Security Council and top Pentagon leaders – including Austin’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks – were kept in the dark regarding the hospitalization for days. The Pentagon’s press secretary told the media Monday that it took so long to flag the White House and National Security Council of the hospitalization because Austin’s chief of staff had the flu. On Tuesday, it was revealed Austin underwent a prostatectomy late last month after a prostate diagnosis and was admitted to the ICU last week due to developing a urinary tract infection following the procedure. BIDEN NOT INFORMED OF SECRETARY AUSTIN’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS UNTIL WEEKS AFTER, SAME DAY AS PUBLIC: ‘NOT OPTIMAL’ “It is unacceptable and unconscionable that the principal cabinet member responsible for U.S. national security would be absent without notice of leave, designating an alternative chain of command, or making relevant Members of Congress and the Executive Branch aware of such an absence. At a time of significant global instability as Ukraine defends itself against Russia and a regional conflict continues in the Middle East, it is dangerous, reckless, and beyond concerning that the individual you have designated to lead our men and women in uniform does not follow the proper protocol when undergoing surgery,” the MACH 1 Caucus wrote in their letter to Biden. “This failure to notify the proper officials is an extraordinary breach of protocol, and at most, dereliction of duty,” the caucus added. Fox News Digital spoke to former assistant U.S. attorney and Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy earlier this week, who detailed that there is a clear chain of command within the Department of Defense and federal government at large, and that Austin “undermined” the U.S. “constitutional commitment to civilian control of the military” and the nation’s “readiness in a time of crisis” when his admission to the ICU was concealed from the White House. BIDEN’S HANDLING OF DEFESNE SEC AUSTIN’S MYSTERIOUS ABSENCE FACES BACKLASH FROM FORMER AMBASSADOR: ‘ALARMING’ “The Constitution reposes all executive power in a single official, the president, and makes the president commander in chief of the armed forces. This ensures civilian control of the armed forces: the U.S. military does not have independent constitutional standing – it answers to the chief executive and relies for its existence, operations and armaments on congressional legislation,” McCarthy said. “Austin’s behavior was reckless, particularly at a time when war has broken out in Europe and the Middle East, China is a major threat in the Pacific, global commerce is being paralyzed by piracy in the Red Sea, and American forces are not only in harm’s way but being attacked by Iranian proxies. By keeping his incapacity a secret from the White House, he undermined our constitutional commitment to civilian control of the military and undermined U.S. readiness in a time of crisis,” McCarthy added in his comment earlier this week. PELOSI SAYS LLOYD AUSTIN HOSPITALIZATION ‘COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED MUCH BETTER’: BIDEN ‘SHOULD HAVE KNOWN’ The MACH 1 Caucus is calling on Biden to answer a series of questions by Jan. 23, such as whether “any key national security decisions [were] made during [Austin’s] absence;” details and a timeline on communication between Austin and federal government leaders that ensured “our military’s chain of command was intact should there have been an emergency.” “What specific disciplinary action, if any, will Secretary Austin and any staff members who failed to meet the standards of public disclosure for senior government officials unable to exercise their duties?” they asked. DEFENSE SECREATARY AUSTIN UNDER FIRE FROM WASHINGTON POST FOR KEEPING AMERICA ‘IN THE DARK’ ON HOSPITALIZATION The Pentagon and White House have pushed back on calls for Austin to resign or be fired, with a White House official telling Fox News Digital earlier this week that Biden “continues to have full trust and confidence in the Secretary.” The Pentagon said Monday evening that the Department of Defense will review the process
Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth claims she didn’t kill her son, says ‘when I woke up…’
The accused has denied her involvement in the crime during the interrogation and claimed the child was already dead when she got up from sleep.