Fulton County prosecutor, Fani Willis romantic partner, met with Biden White House twice before charging Trump
The Fulton County prosecutor, who District Attorney Fani Willis allegedly had an “improper” romantic relationship with, met with the Biden White House twice last year as he worked to investigate former President Trump’s alleged election interference, according to court documents. According to a new filing from a co-defendant in the Trump case, Willis hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade, her alleged partner, to prosecute Trump, and benefited financially from the relationship in the form of vacations the two took using funds his law firm received for working the case. TOP TRUMP PROSECUTOR, GEORGIA DA ALLEGED TO BE IN ‘IMPROPER’ ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP: COURT FILING But also embedded in the filing are invoices for the Law Offices of Nathan J. Wade. One invoice calls attention for “Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.” Wade billed the county for a May 23, 2022, event described as “Travel to Athens; Conf with White House Counsel.” Wade charged $2,000 for eight hours at $250 an hour. Several months later, Wade billed for “Interview with DC/White House” on Nov. 18, 2022. Wade, again, charged $2,000 for eight hours at $250 an hour, according to the documents. The subject of the meetings remains unclear. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. “Fani Willis’ alleged romantic partner/special prosecutor coordinated with the White House while building the political prosecution of Donald Trump,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., posted on X reacting to the filing Tuesday. “All on the taxpayer dime.” “It has become increasingly clear that the Biden White House is directing these baseless, political prosecutions against President Trump because they know they cannot beat him fair and square at the ballot box,” MAGA Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “This latest news about Fani Willis is disturbing, yet sadly unsurprising.” Meanwhile, Fulton County records show Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case. The revelations come as part of a motion that was filed on behalf of former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, a co-defendant in the case, in a bid to have the charges against him dismissed. It cites “sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney” as confirming “they had an ongoing, personal relationship.” The filing also calls for the entire District Attorney’s Office, including Willis and Wade, to be disqualified from prosecuting the case. In August, Willis charged Trump out of her investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. Roman, alongside Trump, was hit with a racketeering charge as part of Willis’ case, and was charged with seven felony counts last August.
Fourth Circuit Judge James Wynn to step back from full service, giving Biden another court vacancy to fill
The federal judiciary has announced that Judge James Wynn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will be stepping down from an active role to take senior status, leading the way for President Biden to get another vacancy to fill. On its website, the federal judiciary says Wynn — who was nominated to the court in November 2009 by former President Barack Obama — informed officials of his decision on Friday, Jan. 5 with a vacancy date still to be decided. A clerk at the court confirmed the development to Fox News Digital while the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is comprised of 15 active circuit judges and is served by four senior judges, hears appeals cases from federal district courts in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. SEN. MENENDEZ RESPONDS TO LATEST SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT ON CORRUPTION CHARGES: ‘SENSATIONALIZED ALLEGATIONS’ The court currently has seven judges appointed by Democratic presidents, including Wynn, 69, from North Carolina. Two of the judges — Toby Heytens and DeAndrea Benjamin — have been appointed during Biden’s presidency while he has nominated Nicole Berner, the general counsel to the Service Employees International Union, to fill another seat. TRUMP ATTORNEY ARGUES BIDEN IS ‘PROSECUTING HIS NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT’ AT IMMUNITY HEARING The federal judiciary says, “Article III of the Constitution governs the appointment, tenure, and payment of Supreme Court justices, and federal circuit and district judges. These judges, often referred to as ‘Article III judges,’ are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. “Article III judges who have met age and service requirements set by federal statute are eligible to take senior status if they are at least 65 years old and have served at least 15 years on the bench, or any combination of age and years of service thereafter that equals 80. Regardless of age, judges must serve at least 10 years to qualify for senior status,” it continues. “Upon taking senior status, judges may choose to handle a reduced caseload. Senior judges handle about 20 percent of the total district and appellate caseload,” the website adds. “By taking senior status, even if maintaining a full caseload, a judge creates a vacancy on the court, to be filled by the nomination and confirmation process for Article III judges.”
Is Trump up by nearly 20 points in New Hampshire or is Haley hot on his heels? New polls diverge
Former President Donald Trump remains the frontrunner in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, with GOP rival Nikki Haley firmly in second place. But the big question with two weeks to go until New Hampshire holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican nomination calendar following the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses is how formidable is Trump’s lead? Two polls released on Tuesday paint very different pictures. A University of New Hampshire/CNN survey shows Haley within striking distance of Trump, who remains the commanding frontrunner in the latest polls in Iowa and in national surveys as he makes his third straight White House run. TRUMP TAKES ON CHANCES AS IOWA’S REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES DRAW CLOSE Trump stands at 39% in the UNH/CNN survey among those likely to vote in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, with Haley at 32%. The poll of 1,864 New Hampshire voters likely to cast a ballot in the state’s Republican presidential primary was conducted online Jan. 4-8. But a Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA Today survey indicates Trump holding a 19-point lead over Haley, 46% to 27%. The survey of 1,000 voters was conducted by live operators to landlines and mobile phones from Jan. 3-7. HALEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND BIDEN DURING FOX NEWS TOWN HALL Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, has soared in recent months, thanks in part to her well-regarded performances in the first three Republican presidential primary debates. Over the past month, Haley has caught up with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the latest Iowa polls and in national surveys, for a distant second place behind Trump. And Haley has surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire. Helping to boost Haley in New Hampshire, where independent voters play a crucial role in the state’s storied primary, is popular Gov. Chris Sununu, who backed her last month and has repeatedly joined her on the campaign trail in both the Granite State and Iowa. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a vocal anti-Trump Republican, stands at 12% support in polls, for a distant third place. DeSantis and multimillionaire entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stand in the single digits in both surveys. Christie is once again staking his presidential campaign on New Hampshire as he makes a second bid for the White House following an unsuccessful run in the 2016 cycle. Christie has rejected recent calls to end his campaign and back Haley in order to prevent a fracturing of the anti-Trump vote. “You saw all these people tonight who don’t want me out of this race. They want to vote for me. And I suspect a lot of these people here, if I dropped out, wouldn’t vote at all, because she’s unwilling to take Trump on,” Christie told Fox News and other news organizations following a town hall in Hollis, New Hampshire, last Thursday, as he pointed toward Haley. But the UNH poll suggests that nearly two-thirds of those supporting Christie would vote for Haley if he wasn’t in the race. The survey also indicated Haley grabbing 43% support from independent voters, with Christie at 23%. “The race among Republicans is over. Every single poll that comes out is consistent if you look at the crosstabs,” longtime New Hampshire-based GOP strategist Michael Dennehy told Fox News, as he pointed to Trump’s dominance among registered Republican voters. “The race comes down to independents and whether or not Nikki Haley can motivate enough undeclared voters to come out and overpower Donald Trump’s strength among Republicans,” Dennehy, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns, emphasized. But Jim Merrill, another seasoned New Hampshire-based Republican consultant and presidential campaign veteran, highlighted that “regardless of the poll, I think the underlying message is that Nikki Haley is still on the move in New Hampshire, and she is the one candidate in the race who has a chance to knock off Donald Trump in New Hampshire. She’s within striking distance with two weeks to go.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin diagnosed with prostate cancer
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent a prostatectomy late last month, Fox News has learned. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22, 2023 and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer. Secretary Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1, 2024 with complications from the procedure, including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain. Per Walter Reed, Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and he was returned the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early and his prognosis is “excellent,” the hospital said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
White House launching review of Cabinet protocols after defense secretary’s secret hospitalization: memo
The White House is launching a review of Cabinet protocols for delegating authority in the wake of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization in the wake of a procedure to treat prostate cancer, according to a memo obtained by Fox News. The memo from White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is addressed to Cabinet secretaries and directs departments and agencies to “submit their agency-specific delegation of authority protocols by Friday, January 12, 2024, to the Office of Cabinet Affairs.” “The White House is conducting a review of agency protocols for a delegation of authority from Cabinet Members,” the memo states. “The purpose of this memo is to direct your agencies to submit your existing protocols for a delegation of authority to the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, and to ensure an updated process for such delegations in the interim. The Office of Cabinet Affairs will convey these protocols to the White House Chief of Staff.” The memo says that while the review is “ongoing,” Cabinet agencies “must ensure” they follow procedures “in the event that a delegation of authority is required.” SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN REMAINS HOSPITALIZED AFTER MYSTERY PROCEDURE; DOD REMAINS MUM ON RELEASE The memo directs the agencies to “notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation.” READ THE MEMO – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: It also directs agencies to “document in writing that the delegation of authority is in effect.” The memo comes after it was revealed that Austin was hospitalized for days without notifying the White House. The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that Austin went under general anesthesia for a prostatectomy on Dec. 22, 2023. “His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent,” Walter Reed Hospital said. Austin was on leave at the time of the procedure, and he returned home the next day. The hospital said Austin started to experience “severe pain” on Jan. 1 and was admitted to the intensive care unit ICU, where the medical team treated a urinary tract infection. Austin was also treated for a backup of his small intestines with a tube placed through his nose to drain his stomach. Walter Reed said it anticipates him making a “full recovery although this can be a slow process.” DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HAS NO PLANS TO RESIGN, PENTAGON SAYS Austin did not notify the chairman of the Joint Chiefs or his deputy until the following day. The White House and President Biden were unaware until Jan. 4, and Congress and the press were notified on Jan. 5. Calls for Biden to remove Austin from his post and for Austin to resign have been mounting, but the White House said Austin will remain in his post. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said this week “there are no plans for anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue in the leadership that he’s been … demonstrating.” Department of Defense press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told Fox News Digital that Austin doesn’t have any plans to leave his post. “Secretary Austin has no plans to resign,” Ryder said. “He remains focused on conducting his duties as secretary of defense in defense of our nation.” But Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Austin on Tuesday afternoon. Austin is no longer in the ICU, but it is unclear when he will be released from the hospital. Austin and Biden authorized the Jan. 4 strike in Baghdad before Austin was hospitalized. “The secretary was aware of the strike/actions on Jan. 4,” a senior U.S. defense official said. Ryder previously told Fox News he could not provide additional information about Austin’s ailments for privacy reasons. Austin resumed his duties from the hospital on Friday. Fox News Digital’s Houston Keene, Greg Wehner and Liz Friden contributed to this report.
How and where to watch Ron DeSantis’ town hall with Fox News
Fox News Channel is set to host a live town hall with Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, January 9. The hour-long event will air at 6 p.m. ET in front of a live audience in Iowa — where GOP candidates are competing for voter attention ahead of the state’s Jan. 15 caucuses that kick off the 2024 presidential nominating calendar. Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who co-moderated the first presidential primary debate of the 2024 cycle in Milwaukee, will lead the questioning during Monday’s town hall. TUNE INTO FOX NEWS TO WATCH GOP HOPEFUL RON DESANTIS IN AN EXCLUSIVE TOWN HALL DeSantis is a must-watch GOP candidate ahead of the Iowa caucuses set for early next week. The presidential hopeful has been a vocal frontrunner on the campaign trail thus far. Baier and MacCallum are expected to discuss numerous issues with DeSantis, on a broad range of topics important to American voters. The town hall event featuring DeSantis will be televised on FOX News Channel, and viewers can access a live stream on FOX Nation, FOX News Media’s streaming platform, as well as on FOXNews.com and FOXBusiness.com. FOX websites will also include debate reporting and a live blog throughout the night. The event is the second during the week of highly anticipated Fox News town halls. Pesidential candidate Nikki Haley participated in a Fox News town hall Monday and former President Donald Trump will be at an Iowa town hall on Wednesday evening. Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
Georgia voting system under scrutiny as trial over constitutional challenge draws near
Opening statements are expected Tuesday as the trial in a long-running legal challenge to the constitutionality of Georgia’s election system begins in federal court in Atlanta. Election integrity activists argue the system is vulnerable to attack and has operational issues that amount to an unconstitutional burden on citizens’ fundamental right to vote and to have their votes counted accurately. State election officials insist that they’ve taken appropriate protective measures and that the system is reliable. The case stems from a lawsuit originally filed in 2017 by election integrity activists — individual voters and the Coalition for Good Governance, which advocates for election security and integrity. It initially attacked the outdated, paperless voting machines used at the time but has since been amended to target the newer machines in use statewide since 2020. GEORGIA LAWMAKERS WILL TURN ATTENTION TO ANTISEMITISM, ELECTIONS AS 2024 REGULAR SESSION BEGINS That newer system, made by Dominion Voting Systems, includes touchscreen voting machines that print ballots with a human-readable summary of voters’ selections and a QR code that a scanner reads to count the votes. The activists argue the current system is no more secure or reliable than the old system and are asking U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg to order the state to stop using it. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has repeatedly defended the system and has dismissed the concerns raised by the activists as unfounded. He and his lawyers have at times lumped the plaintiffs in this lawsuit in with supporters of former President Donald Trump who have pushed false allegations of election fraud after the 2020 election, including outlandish claims about the Dominion voting machines. “Georgia’s election security practices are top-tier. Casting doubt on Georgia’s elections, which these plaintiffs and deniers are doing, is really trying to cast doubt on all elections. That is dangerous and wrong,” secretary of state’s office spokesperson Mike Hassinger said in an emailed statement Monday. “Our office continues to beat election deniers in court, in elections, and will ultimately win this case in the end as well.” Totenberg, who has expressed concerns about the state’s election system and its implementation, wrote in a footnote in an October order that the evidence in this case “does not suggest that the Plaintiffs are conspiracy theorists of any variety. Indeed, some of the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts and computer scientists have provided testimony and affidavits on behalf of Plaintiffs’ case in the long course of this litigation.” GEORGIA CONSERVATIVE GROUP CLEARED OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT VIOLATION ACCUSATIONS One of those experts, University of Michigan computer science expert J. Alex Halderman, examined a Georgia voting machine and wrote a lengthy report identifying vulnerabilities he said he found and detailing how they could be used to change election results. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, in June 2022 released an advisory based on Halderman’s findings that urged jurisdictions that use the machines to quickly mitigate the vulnerabilities. Dominion, which has consistently insisted its equipment is accurate and secure, issued a software update last spring that it says addresses the concerns. Raffensperger has said the time and effort needed to install that update on every piece of voting equipment means it is not feasible before the 2024 election cycle. RFK JR. MEETS REQUIREMENTS TO APPEAR ON FIRST 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT AS CAMPAIGN SEASON HEATS UP The plaintiffs and their experts have said they have seen no evidence that Georgia’s elections have been manipulated by bad actors, but they argue existing security flaws must be addressed to prevent future harm. The need to act became more urgent after unauthorized people accessed voting equipment in a rural Georgia county elections office in January 2021 and distributed the software and data online, they argue. The plaintiffs advocate the use of hand-marked paper ballots tallied by scanners. Totenberg already wrote in October that she cannot order the state to switch to a system that uses hand-marked paper ballots. But she wrote that she could order “pragmatic, sound remedial policy measures,” including eliminating the QR codes on ballots, stronger cybersecurity measures and more robust audits.
Sen. Menendez responds to latest superseding indictment on corruption charges: ‘Sensationalized allegations’
Embattled Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey gave an impassioned response on the Senate floor Tuesday pushing back against the latest superseding indictment that alleges he was involved with federal bribes in exchange for various gifts and cash to benefit Qatar. “Sensationalized allegations are now creating a rising call for my resignation, despite my innocence and before a single piece of evidence has even been introduced in a court of law,” Menendez said on the Senate floor Tuesday. Menendez repeatedly asserted his innocence and claimed “there is no evidence” of the gifts and payments he allegedly received as a suspected foreign agent. “In fact, there will be at trial, a full explanation of what is the truth about those issues, a truth that proves I am entirely innocent of the charges,” he said. Menendez accused federal prosecutors of exaggerating the allegations to tarnish his image in the media and prejudice potential jurors and said it would have a “chilling effect” on foreign engagement involvement among other members of Congress. DEMOCRAT SEN. MENENDEZ’S WIFE HIT, KILLED PEDESTRIAN WHILE DRIVING IN 2018: REPORTS “I understand how the government’s accusations may be in the most sensational and purposely damning way possible,” Menendez continued. “It’s misuse of the grand jury system to bring superseding indictments, even though it had all the information they allege from the beginning, can be a source of concern and content by some of my colleagues, the political establishment, and most importantly, the people of New Jersey… I am suffering greatly as a result of what they have done after 50 years of public service – this is not how I wanted to celebrate my golden jubilee.” DEMOCRAT SEN BOB MENENDEZ FACING INDICTMENT ON BRIBERY CHARGES According to the latest superseding indictment unsealed last week, Menendez is now accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for helping to benefit Qatar as part of a corruption scheme from 2021 through 2023, one year longer than originally thought, the Justice Department said. Menendez is already facing federal charges for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his power and influence as a senator. DEMOCRAT SEN. BOB MENENDEZ SETS UP DEFENSE FUND AMID CRIMINAL PROBE INTO GIFTS TO HIS WIFE: REPORT Menendez, along with his wife Nadine and three other New Jersey businessmen – Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes – were first charged in the federal bribery scheme on Sept. 23. All have pleaded not guilty. The Democrat senator allegedly made several public statements supporting the Qatari government and then provided them to Daibes so he could share them with the Qatari investor and a Qatari government official. The investor negotiated a million-dollar investment real estate project with Daibes. Among the new allegations is that Menendez and hs wife enriched themselves with cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The couple received the gifts in exchange for Menendez using his influence to induce the Qatari Investment Co. to invest with Daibes, prosecutors say. FBI and IRS criminal investigators allege that Menendez and his wife accepted several gold bars and other gifts from Daibes, a New Jersey developer and former bank chairman accused of banking crimes. Menendez allegedly worked to help appoint a prosecutor who would be sympathetic to Daibes, according to the indictment. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and David Spunt contributed to this report.
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor died from ‘natural causes’, coroner confirms
The Nothing Compares 2 u singer was pronounced dead at her London home in July last year. Acclaimed Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, who was found dead in her London home in July last year, died of natural causes, the coroner has said. The Nothing Compares 2 u singer was pronounced dead at the scene, and police said her death, at the age of 56, was not being treated as suspicious. “This is to confirm that Ms O’Connor died of natural causes. The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death,” London Inner South Coroner’s Court said in a statement on Tuesday. The coroner’s court said at the time of her death that an autopsy would be conducted before a decision was made on whether to hold an inquest. O’Connor’s death prompted an outpouring of sympathy from her fans, including other musicians and celebrities worldwide, particularly in her homeland of Ireland. On the day of her funeral in August, hundreds lined the route of her cortege in Bray, the Irish town 20km (13 miles) south of Dublin that she called home for 15 years. Some who came to honour her sang along to hits blasted from a vintage Volkswagen camper van, and others showered her hearse with flowers. Sinead O’Connor performs on stage at Glastonbury, United Kingdom, 1990 [File: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images] The musician, who rose to fame in the 1990s, changed the image of women in music at the time. Her shaved head, pained expression, and shapeless wardrobe were seen by many young women as a direct challenge to popular culture’s long-prevailing notions of femininity and sexuality. She was also vocal about her political stance against the Catholic Church. O’Connor was vilified by some and praised as a trailblazer by others. Her agents revealed that she had been completing a new album and planning a tour as well as a movie based on her autobiography, Rememberings, before she died. She converted to Islam in 2018 and took the name Shuhada’ Davitt, later Shuhada’ Sadaqat, but she continued to use Sinead O’Connor in her professional life. The musician had also spoken publicly about her mental health, telling the American television host, Oprah Winfrey, in 2007 that she struggled with thoughts of suicide and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. More recently, she had left the limelight following the death of her son Shane, who died by suicide in 2022 at age 17. Adblock test (Why?)
Blinken tells Israel to avoid ‘further civilian harm’ in Gaza
In Tel Aviv, the US secretary of state says that while Israel has a ‘right’ to prevent terrorist attacks, a sustainable peace includes the creation of a Palestinian state. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to avoid further civilian harm in its war on Gaza and to seek a path towards the creation of a Palestinian state as a way to resolve the long-running wider conflict. In a Tel Aviv meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Blinken “stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. He reaffirmed US “support for Israel’s right to prevent the terrorist attacks of October 7 from being repeated”, Miller added, and “reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realisation of a Palestinian state”. The top US diplomat is on his fourth visit to the Middle East since the war broke out on October 7 when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed 1,139 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded with a devastating bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza that has destroyed much of the territory and killed more than 23,200 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian officials. The secretary of state voiced hope that, after the war, Israel could push on with its efforts towards regional integration following its US-brokered normalisation deals with the United Arab Emirates and other states. “I think there actually are real opportunities there, but we have to get through this very challenging moment,” Blinken said after meeting Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Met with @IsraeliPM and reaffirmed our support for Israel’s right to prevent another October 7 from occurring. I also stressed the importance of avoiding civilian harm, protecting civilian infrastructure, and ensuring the distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza. pic.twitter.com/1g7h27Ci8f — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 9, 2024 On Monday in Riyadh, he said countries in the region wanted integration with Israel but only if plans to normalise relations included a “practical pathway” to a future Palestinian state. Blinken was to meet with families of captives taken by Hamas and discuss the “relentless efforts” to bring them back. Several dozen protesters gathered outside the hotel where he was having meetings and called for a ceasefire to secure the release of the captives. Israel said that of about 240 people seized by Palestinian armed groups on October 7, 132 are still being held in Gaza and 25 have died in captivity. Blinken travelled to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates before reaching Israel and the occupied West Bank. In Jordan on Friday, Blinken noted “real concern” over the Israel-Lebanon border, where the Israeli army and Hezbollah are trading fire and stoking fears of a wider regional conflagration. Israel’s defence minister was quoted as saying in a government statement that increasing pressure on Iran was “critical” as it could prevent a regional escalation as war grinds on in Gaza. “An increase in the pressure placed on Iran is critical and may prevent regional escalation in additional arenas,” Gallant was quoted as saying. Adblock test (Why?)