Amarillo City Council says it needs more time to debate abortion travel ban
After weeks of debate, the council took no action at a politically-charged meeting Tuesday. It is the largest city in Texas to debate such a rule.
Ramaswamy vows to withdraw from Colorado primary ballot unless Trump is on it, calls on GOP opponents to join
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is vowing to withdraw his name from the Colorado primary ballot unless former President Trump is reinstated following the state’s historic Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday declaring him ineligible for office. “This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado,” Ramaswamy reacted on X. “Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again: the 14th Amendment.” “I pledge to *withdraw* from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state’s ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately – or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country,” he wrote. COLORADO SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIES TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT The Colorado Supreme Court’s disqualification, which was made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, cited Trump’s conduct during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Tuesday’s 4-3 ruling is stayed until January 4 because of likely appeals. Three justices on the Colorado Supreme Court dissented. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP Trump Campaign Spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in a statement that an appeal would be filed on Tuesday night. “Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump’s name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice. Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November,” Cheung wrote. “The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits,” he added. In a previous ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot, but found that Trump “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement that she would “continue to follow court guidance on this important issue.” “The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is barred from the Colorado ballot for inciting the January 6 insurrection and attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. This decision may be appealed,” Griswold wrote. DEMOCRATS DROP ‘BIDENOMICS’ AS SOME VOTERS COMPLAIN IT’S ‘TONE-DEAF’: REPORT The 14th Amendment states: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” Disqualification lawsuits relating to Trump’s appearance on the ballot are pending in 13 states, including Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin. Fox News’ Bill Mears and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
White House says ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ will counter Houthi threats against ships in Red Sea
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a White House press briefing Tuesday that ships and aircraft of several nations will join the U.S. in conducting surveillance and taking defensive action against Houthi rebels who target commercial ships in the Red Sea, in what is being called, “Operation Prosperity Guardian.” Kirby told reporters during a press briefing that the Department of Defense announced the operation on Monday, calling it an international coalition of countries aimed at countering threats from the Iran-backed Houthis. “From the beginning, we’ve said that this is an [initiative] that requires collective and international action, and we’ve been able to bring together, now, a number of partners including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, and even more to address this challenge together,” he said. Kirby also said the U.S. and others – including 44 signatories including NATO, the entire European Union and G7 – condemning “in the strongest terms” the threats and acts by Houthis. PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW RED SEA INTERNATIONAL MISSION TO COUNTER ESCALATING HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SHIPS He explained that there are six countries that border the Red Sea, which is a conduit for 10-15% of all global trade, 8% of global grain trade and 12% of global seaborne oil trade. Of the total trade that flows through the Red Sea, Greek-, Chinese-, Japanese- and German-owned vessels make up about 40-50% of the transits, the spokesperson said. HERZOG SIGNALS ISRAEL READY FOR ANOTHER CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA TO FREE REMAINING HOSTAGES “These attacks have to stop. They need to stop. They’re unacceptable,” Kirby said. “The United States, our Allies and our partners will do what we have to do to counter these threats and to protect these ships.” Kirby added that a review is being conducted on whether to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, though no decision has been made, nor is a timeline available on when a decision will be made. The Pentagon announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian earlier in the day, with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calling the initiative, “an important multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea.” NETANYAHU TELLS BIDEN ISRAEL WILL ACT MILITARILY AGAINST YEMEN’S HOUTHIS IF US WON’T: REPORT The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed. The U.S. Central Command reported two more attacks on commercial vessels on Monday. A strike by an attack drone and a ballistic missile hit a tanker off Yemen at roughly the same time a cargo ship reported an explosive detonating in the water near them, the U.S. military said. Austin said the recent Houthi aggression “threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.” The U.S. is still actively seeking member countries to join the mission and increase the number of navies present and participating. Two U.S. Navy destroyers — USS Carney and USS Mason — are currently moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to help deter and respond to attacks from the Houthis. The move to set up the expanded operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Dec. 3. To date, the U.S. has not struck back at the Houthis operating in Yemen or targeted any of the militants’ weapons or other sites. On Monday, Austin did not answer a question as to why the Pentagon had not conducted a counterstrike. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Chicago mayor says Texas Gov. Abbott ‘attacking our country’ over migrant bussing to Dem cities
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson lashed out at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, saying the Republican leader was creating “chaos” around the country over his bussing program that has transported thousands of asylum seekers from border towns to Democratically-led cities. Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Johnson said migrants were being brought to Chicago in unhealthy conditions and have strained city programs and resources. “They come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, we have mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed,” he said. “The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago,” Johnson added. “It’s the fact we have a governor, a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas, that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized, and then they come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed. We have people who are seeking employment. The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country.” MANY SENATORS HAVE ALREADY LEFT TOWN AMID BORDER NEGOTIATIONS AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS HIT RECORD Texas has transported thousands of migrants to so-called sanctuary cities to bring attention to the influx of illegal immigration to the Biden administration and relieve overwhelmed border towns and border authorities. Officials in New York City have also criticized Abbott as asylum seekers there have strained resources and city agencies. “This is not just a Chicago dynamic. He is attacking our country!” Johnson said of Abbott. Abbott’s Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News Digital that Johnson was “flat out lying.” “If he truly cared about these migrants, he would stop spreading falsehoods and complaining about a few thousand migrants being bused into his sanctuary city,” he said. “Instead, Mayor Johnson should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border — something the President continues failing to do.” SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS Mahaleris noted that migrants willingly sign a voluntary consent waiver available in various languages upon boarding a bus in which the destination has been agreed to. Each bus is also stocked with food and water and makes stops along the route to refuel and switch drivers, he said. Migrants are also allowed to purchase extra items or disembark at any stop because they were previously processed and released by border authorities, said Mahaleris. The mayor’s remarks came after a 5-year-old migrant boy recently died over the weekend and other migrants were hospitalized for illnesses. Johnson has also taken aim at the bus companies being used to bring the asylum seekers to his city. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, his deputy chief of staff, told the Chicago Tribune that the companies are now no longer communicating about where they are dropping migrants off in an effort to avoid city penalties. The city has filed over 50 lawsuits in an attempt to hold bus companies accountable for shuttling illegal immigrants to an already overburdened city amid winter conditions. “Migrants are no longer being dropped off at the city’s landing zone on buses from the southern border, causing people to wander with no direction looking for shelter, according to an aide to Mayor Johnson,” The Chicago Tribune reported. Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Aerial video shows volcano erupting in Iceland
NewsFeed A volcano in Iceland has started erupting after weeks of earthquake activity that forced the evacuation of a nearby town as a precaution. Published On 19 Dec 202319 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
Forget Australia’s referendum. Indigenous people make strides on their own
Shepparton, Australia – Brad Boon gestures towards the towering mural, one of many that dot the small rural town of Shepparton in Australia’s southeastern state of Victoria. The faces of Indigenous heroes William Cooper and Sir Douglas Nicholls stare defiantly across the smattering of shops under the glare of the midday Australian sun. Despite the onslaught of British colonisation and discrimination, Sir Douglas became the first Aboriginal person to be knighted and was made the governor of South Australia; he was also a talented Australian Rules football player. Cooper, meanwhile, long campaigned for Aboriginal rights and is also recognised for protesting against the Nazi regime, seeing correlations between Indigenous peoples’ treatment in Australia and that of the Jewish people under Nazi Germany. Both Cooper and Nicholls came from the Indigenous Yorta Yorta nation – the traditional area surrounding Shepparton. That their faces – along with other Indigenous heroes – are emblazoned on the walls around the town are testament not only to the Yorta Yorta peoples’ survival and resistance to brutal colonisation but also to their enduring legacy. Despite their long history of resistance and activism, however, the Yorta Yorta people are still fighting for their rights in 2023. Brad Boon has lived in Shepparton for 17 years and is proud of the success the local community has had, including the new netball courts at the Indigenous-run Rumbalara Football and Netball Club [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] In October, Australia held a referendum to decide whether to establish a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous “Voice to Parliament“. The proposal was to establish an advisory council in the federal government to advise on matters concerning Indigenous peoples and address the continued inequalities they face in Australia. Despite fierce advocacy from its supporters, the proposal was rejected. In Shepparton, the no vote resounded even louder. More than 76.2 percent of the population voted against the voice – far higher than the national average of 60.62 percent. It was a disappointment to many of the Yorta Yorta who make up one of the largest populations of Indigenous peoples in the state. While living in Shepparton for 17 years, Boon is originally from the Kurnai nation in southeast Victoria. However, he has a Yorta Yorta partner, has worked in the town’s Indigenous legal services and is a former player and now volunteer in the local Indigenous-run Rumbalara Football and Netball Club. The referendum was notable not only for the resounding defeat but also for the racism and negativity that typified the debate. Inside a replica of the houses built for the Yorta Yorta to replace the tin and hessian huts they’d been forced to live in on the Mooroopna Flats. On the table is a historical advertisement urging voters to ‘Keep Australia White’ [Ali MC /Al Jazeera] Well-known local Indigenous rapper Briggs – Brad Boon’s brother-in-law – was a strong advocate of the Voice to Parliament, even holding a free concert in Shepparton to gain more voter support. Despite the loss, Boon says there are many positive Indigenous-led outcomes in small towns like Shepparton that are rarely touted in the media or recognised in politics. “At the minute we’re just seeing bad stuff – domestic violence, sexual abuse, all the stuff that they want to get people up in arms about,” he said. “But they’re not talking about the good that’s happening around the state. And that’s what I think we need to do more of.” Pushed into slums Shepparton is a small town nestled in a riverine floodplain, just two hours north of Melbourne. Surrounded by fragrant gum trees, undulating native bush and once-flourishing river systems, the region has been home to the Yorta Yorta for tens of thousands of years and maintains a rich cultural history still present in the local community. Early colonialists established sheep farming in the region, forcing the Yorta Yorta first into a settlement called Cummeragunja in the 1880s and then into slum housing on the banks of the Goulburn River in 1939. Bushland around the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] The Yorta Yorta lived in huts made from tin and hessian sacks in an area subject to flooding, which was known as the Mooroopna Flats. Leaders – including Cooper and Nicholls – campaigned for better conditions at a time when Indigenous people across the nation were denied equal wages and were subject to punitive legislation that allowed for the removal of their children into white institutions, known as the Stolen Generations. In Victoria, the effects of colonisation were even more severe than in the rest of the country. At least 50 massacres are estimated to have occurred, with some killing up to 200 Indigenous peoples in what is often referred to by Indigenous scholars as a genocide. It is a history that underpins both the struggle and success the community has made since the days of Cooper and Nicholls, but racism still runs deep in the small town. Heidi Knowles says she regularly experiences racism, especially if she wears a T-shirt featuring an Aboriginal flag. She says shopkeepers assume she is going to steal something, perpetuating a stereotype of Indigenous people as criminals. “I might get followed around the supermarket and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “But I’ve got nothing to hide.” Knowles is proud of being an Indigenous woman. “I wear my Koori [Indigenous] top with pride and you will see me [in it] every single day,” she told Al Jazeera. Heidi Knowles is a Yorta Yorta woman who is the manager of operations and student success at the local Academy of Sport, Health and Education [Ali MC] The 39-year-old mother works as the manager of operations and student success at the local Academy of Sport, Health and Education (ASHE), a high achievement centre for predominantly Indigenous young people. She says that such a centre is vital for Indigenous students who may experience racism and discrimination at their local school or who simply do not fit into the mainstream education system. “Our
Over 100 killed and hundreds injured in China earthquake
NewsFeed An earthquake in northwest China has killed at least 118 people and left hundreds of others injured. Published On 19 Dec 202319 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
T-Squared: Texas Tribune is now on Bookshop.org!
Our partnership will feature authors who speak at our Texas Tribune Festival and other events, as well as our journalists’ recommendations of great Texas reads. Donations support local bookstores and local journalism.
Wisconsin GOP leader doubles down on crusade against DEI initiatives
The Republican lawmaker who forced the Universities of Wisconsin to reduce diversity positions called Tuesday for an in-depth review of diversity initiatives across state government and repeated his claim that he has only begun to dismantle equity and inclusion efforts in the state. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos made the remarks after the Legislature’s employment committee voted to release $107.6 million to cover a 6% raise for about 35,000 UW employees. The vote resolved a six-month battle over the raises; the state budget Republicans approved in June included funding for the raises, but Vos refused to allow the employment committee to release the money, using it as leverage in his fight against campus diversity initiatives. Vos and Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman finally reached an agreement earlier this month. The deal called for the regents to freeze diversity hires, re-label about 40 diversity positions as “student success” positions, drop an affirmative action faculty hiring program at UW-Madison and create a position at the flagship university focused on conservative thought. In return, Vos agreed to hand over the money for the raises as well as tens of millions of dollars for construction projects across the university system. EX-WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HAS LAWSUIT DISMISSED AFTER TURNING OVER RECORDS The regents voted to approve the deal last week despite intense criticism from students and faculty that they were selling out students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Vos, who is white, said after the regents’ vote that he had only just begun to remove “these cancerous DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) practices” from UW campuses. He signaled on Tuesday that he won’t stop there, saying he thinks DEI efforts have divided people and that he wants a truly colorblind society. “We’re not done yet trying to look at how pervasive DEI is throughout the entire system of state government,” Vos told the employment committee. “I have faith that legislative Republicans will begin a much needed, long-term, in-depth review of DEI in every state government, be it at the Department of Corrections or the UW system, tech colleges or every part of state government. So stay tuned. This is just the first step and hopefully a lot more to come.” He then wished everyone a merry Christmas. He quickly left the room after the vote, telling trailing reporters that further details might come later this week. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, tweeted that Evers is the governor, not Vos. She said Evers’ administration would continue diversity efforts “notwithstanding the small-minded objections of legislative Republicans.” The governor filed a lawsuit with the Wisconsin Supreme Court in October arguing that lawmakers had overstepped their authority by blocking the raises. Attorney General Josh Kaul, who is representing the governor, sent a letter to the court Tuesday arguing that the vote to release the raises doesn’t render the case moot and that the justice still need to decide the bigger question of whether legislative committees can block previously approved spending. The employment committee voted 6-1 to release the money for the raises. A 4% raise is retroactive to July, with another 2% increase coming in July 2024. Republican Chris Kapenga, who serves as president of the state Senate, was the only committee member to vote against releasing the raises. After the vote, he told reporters that he voted “no” because he wants diversity efforts eliminated altogether. “I want to see DEI dead,” said Kapenga, who is white. “I think it’s disgusting. … We have laws in the Constitution that protect people for what DEI supposedly does.” The Republican-controlled Legislature is expected to vote this spring on bills that would release funding for the construction projects, including about $200 million for a new engineering building at UW-Madison; $78 million to renovate dorms at UW-Whitewater, Vos’ alma mater; and $45 million for demolition projects across the system.
House GOP takes aim at White House for omitting Hunter Biden on Marine One list amid missing visitor logs
House Republicans are taking aim at the White House after President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was left off the Marine One passenger list following a longstanding tradition of omitting him from other records such as its visitor logs. “The White House may not have helped that the president is keeping far away from Hunter’s local woes,” Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported Tuesday. “We were all just watching the First Family’s return from Delaware on Marine One, and my colleague Peter Doocy noticed someone hop off the chopper who was not on the passenger list the White House gave us: Hunter Biden.” “So, Hunter is apparently here at the White House after defying a Congressional subpoena while being indicted and facing a maximum of 17 years behind bars on financial crimes plus another 25 on the gun charges that he is facing,” Heinrich said. BIDEN DAUGHTER ADDS TO LENGTHY FAMILY HISTORY OF TAX ISSUES The Hunter Biden omission prompted the House Republican Conference’s social media account to question what else the White House is leaving out of its records regarding the president’s son. “Fox News reports that Hunter Biden is currently at the White House after being spotted exiting Marine One,” the House GOP account wrote on X. “He was not on the White House’s passenger manifest. What other manifests and visitor logs has Hunter Biden been left off of?” During a Thursday press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a question about whether the White House will announce Hunter Biden’s presence on Marine One moving forward. BIDEN ADMIN AGENCY QUIETLY LEANED ON SOROS AND OTHER BILLIONAIRE-BACKED GROUPS FOR KEY POLICY ROLES “That’s something that we’ve never done,” Jean-Pierre responded. “This is the family. The family gets to travel with the president, and that’s been the case with every other president, and so it’s not something that we have done or we would be doing moving forward.” The Biden White House has repeatedly claimed they are the “most transparent administration in American history.” However, a previous Fox News Digital review found that its visitor logs from the beginning of the Biden administration through February 2023 have not included any of Hunter Biden’s White House visits or extended stays. It appears the White House is still omitting Hunter’s name from the visitor logs. The review included several articles to piece together Hunter Biden’s whereabouts during his dad’s administration and found that he had visited the White House over a dozen times through February 2023. A majority of the White House visits that Fox News Digital found were from 2022, which include the annual egg roll, Medal of Freedom ceremony, France State Dinner on the South Lawn, Christmas tree lighting, and his daughter’s wedding, among others. However, his presence at the White House was absent from the visitor logs, including what appears to be extended stays. A White House spokesperson previously pointed Fox News Digital to a policy released at the start of the administration. “The White House will not release access records related to purely personal guests of the First and Second Families (i.e., visits that do not involve any official or political business),” the policy states, which appears to be less transparent than the Obama administration. While many of these events are ceremonial and a tradition at the White House, Fox News Digital previously reported how Hunter Biden sought to use such events for his personal financial gain during the Obama administration. Hunter, who defied a congressional subpoena last week and was seen shopping with his dad in Delaware on Monday, is currently facing nine tax-related charges in California. If convicted, he could face up to 17 years in prison. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.