Biden admin lifts $10M bounty on the head of leader of Islamist group now in charge in Syria
The Biden administration has lifted a $10 million bounty on the head of Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in Syria. In exchange, al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, agreed to a U.S. demand not to allow terrorism groups in Syria to threaten the U.S. or Syria’s neighbors. “We had a good, thoroughgoing discussion on a range of regional issues,” Barbara Leaf, the U.S.’s top envoy to the Middle East, told reporters of her Friday meeting with al-Sharaa. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) drove Assad out of Damascus earlier this month. While other rebel factions remain throughout the country, HTS has amassed control over much of Syria. HTS was founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda but broke away from the group in 2016. It evolved from the Nusrah Front, which was designated as a terrorist group in 2012, and in 2018 the U.S. added HTS’ terrorism designation. FALL OF ASSAD, RISE OF TRUMP: WHY 2024 WAS A VERY BAD YEAR FOR IRAN “It was a policy decision… aligned with the fact that we are beginning a discussion with HTS,” Leaf explained. “So if I’m sitting with the HTS leader and having a lengthy detailed discussion about the interests of the US, interests of Syria, maybe interests of the region, it’s suffice to say a little incoherent then to have a bounty on the guy’s head.” The group has been trying to shake its extremist reputation and the designation, with al-Sharaa claiming he does not want Syria to become the next Afghanistan and he believes in education for women. “We’ve had universities in Idlib for more than eight years,” Sharaa told BBC, referring to Syria’s northwestern province that HTS has held since 2011. “I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%.” “He came across as pragmatic,” Leaf said. “It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words.” U.S. officials have visited Syria to push for a pragmatic government and to find information on the whereabouts of detained U.S. journalist Austin Tice. TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY ESCALATE OVER SYRIA: ‘IT’S TIME TO PAY ATTENTION’ The U.S. has had a mixed relationship with HTS due to its militant Islamist roots. Al-Sharaa has said HTS is not a terrorist group because it does not target civilians or civilian areas, and they consider themselves to be the victims of the crime of Assad’s regime. The U.S. has launched an aggressive campaign of airstrikes in northeastern Syria to take out ISIS militants, fearing a resurgence amid the upheaval in Syria which could lead to the release of more than 8,000 IS prisoners, “a significant security concern,” according to the Pentagon. The Pentagon revealed on Thursday that the U.S. doubled the number of its forces from 900 to roughly 2,000 to fight IS before Assad’s fall.
‘Squad’ Dem applauds Biden for sparing murderers from ‘racist’ death penalty in 11th-hour clemency move
A leading progressive House Democrat is commending President Biden’s sweeping commutation order for people on the federal death row, calling the death penalty itself “racist.” “The President’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row is a historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, address the deep racial disparities in our criminal legal system, and send a powerful message about redemption, decency, and humanity,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said in a statement on Monday. “The death penalty is a racist, flawed, and fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society.” BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE’S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK Pressley argued the death penalty has overwhelmingly targeted Black and Brown communities “and failed to make America any safer.” The Massachusetts lawmaker, a member of the hardline-left group of House Democrats dubbed the “Squad,” has been on the forefront of the progressive push to abolish the death penalty. Biden’s clemency order affects nearly everyone on the federal death row in the United States. Just three of 40 inmates remain – Dylann Roof, who murdered nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2015; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty for carrying out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; and Robert Bowers, who killed 11 worshipers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018. TRUMP EXECUTION RESTART TO PUT BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER, CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTER, MORE KILLERS IN HOT SEAT Among those whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment are Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Jorge Avila-Torrez, who sexually assaulted and stabbed two young girls to death and strangled a 20-year-old female Naval officer four years later; and Anthony Battle, who murdered an Atlanta prison guard with a hammer 30 years ago. Democrats had been mounting pressure on Biden to use his clemency powers after the controversial and broad pardon he granted to his son, Hunter Biden, just weeks before he was expected to be sentenced on federal gun charges. Biden heeded that pressure earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 Americans in the largest such single-day order. It comes as President-elect Trump has touted plans for months to expand the death penalty to drug traffickers, child rapists and illegal immigrants who kill U.S. citizens. At the tail end of his first term, Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) performed the first federal executions in 20 years, carrying out sentences for 13 federal prisoners on death row. BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: ‘LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a top Trump ally, blasted Biden for his order on Monday. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases. Democrats are the party of politically convenient justice.”
Gaetz sues to block release of Ethics Committee report
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is suing to block the release of a House Ethics Committee report on his alleged behavior. In a complaint filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the Republican’s attorneys maintain Gaetz’s innocence, say that the conduct detailed in the report is untrue, and claim the committee does not have jurisdiction over him because he is no longer in office. The House Ethics Committee’s multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew his nomination. “The anticipated statements and release of information by Defendants is expected to include reference and make conclusions that Plaintiff engaged in conduct amounting to ‘misconduct’ or was otherwise unethical,” the complaint says. “The anticipated statements and information is false, factually incorrect, and untrue because Plaintiff did not violate any criminal code or other standard of ethics within the jurisdiction of Defendants.” “Once released, the damage to Plaintiff’s reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible, particularly because: a. The Committee’s findings would carry the imprimatur of official Congressional action; b. Media coverage would be immediate and widespread; c. The allegations would permanently remain in the public record; d. No adequate remedy exists to retract or correct information once released,” it adds. MATT GAETZ REPORT BY HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO BE RELEASED The report could be released by the House Ethics Committee as early as Monday. The filing says “After Plaintiff’s resignation from Congress, Defendants improperly continued to act on its investigation, and apparently voted to publicly release reports and/or investigative materials related to Plaintiff without proper notice or disclosure to Plaintiff.” “The Committee’s apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” it also states. Last week, after the Committee voted to release the report, Gaetz wrote on Z that “”I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED.” GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE “Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued,” Gaetz said. “In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18,” he continued. “Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court.” “My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too. It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,” Gaetz concluded. “I live a different life now.” The House Ethics Committee did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
TikTok divestment could be ‘deal of the century’ for Trump, House China Committee chair says
EXCLUSIVE: House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar told Fox News Digital that President-elect Donald Trump is the “perfect leader” to negotiate and deliver the “deal of the century” to keep TikTok available in the U.S. The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on Jan. 10, 2025 on the law that requires a divestment of TikTok from foreign adversary control. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in Beijing and connected to the Chinese Communist Party. TIKTOK: MCCAUL SAYS HE ‘CAN’T THINK OF A GREATER PROPAGANDA TOOL’ FOR CHINA That legislation, which was signed into law in the spring, requires a sale of TikTok from ByteDance by Jan. 19. If ByteDance does not divest by the deadline, Google and Apple are no longer able to feature TikTok in their app stores in the U.S. Supreme Court Justices said they will hold a special session on Jan. 10 to hear oral arguments in the case — an expedited timeline that will allow them to consider the case just nine days before the Jan. 19 ban is slated to take effect. The law allows the president to extend the deadline by up to 90 days if ByteDance is in the process of divesting. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Moolenaar, R-Mich., said he has been meeting with top investors, and that he has “full confidence” that Trump “will be able to make a great deal for America.” “It will be the deal of the century,” Moolenaar said, noting that the divestment “could happen in phases.” “First with a buyout and then a massive IPO—probably the largest IPO in history,” he said. “And I believe President Trump is the perfect leader to negotiate and deliver this win.” He added: “President Trump has the opportunity to make the deal of the century because of the leverage of the TikTok legislation passed by Congress.” SUPREME COURT TO TAKE UP CHALLENGE TO TIKTOK BAN Moolenaar predicted that the sale of TikTok could be completed quickly after it exhausts its appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court decides the case. He said a “massive” IPO could occur “later, as one piece of the solution.” “I think TikTok and ByteDance have been dragging their feet,” Moolenaar said. “Once they realize they’re required to follow U.S. law, I believe this will move forward fairly quickly.” TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency application to the high court earlier this month asking justices to temporarily block the law from being enforced while it appealed a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Lawyers for TikTok have argued that the law passed earlier this year is a First Amendment violation, noting in their Supreme Court request that “Congress’s unprecedented attempt to single out applicants and bar them from operating one of the most significant speech platforms in this nation” and “presents grave constitutional problems that this court likely will not allow to stand.” But Moolenaar warned that without divestment, the CCP could attempt to “manipulate perceptions in the United States,” and said they have “access to Americans’ data” through TikTok. “It is very profitable, very popular, and it is a major inroad for the CCP to influence American culture,” said Moolenaar. But as for CCP access to the data of U.S. citizens, TikTok created its “Project Texas” initiative, which is dedicated to addressing concerns about U.S. national security. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says “Project Texas” creates a stand-alone version of the TikTok platform for the U.S. isolated on servers in Oracle’s U.S. cloud environment. It was developed by CFIUS and cost the company approximately $1.5 billion to implement. Chew has argued that TikTok is not beholden to any one country, though executives in the past have admitted that Chinese officials had access to Americans’ data even when U.S.-based TikTok officials did not. TikTok claims that the new initiative keeps U.S. user data safe, and told Fox News Digital that data is managed “by Americans, in America.” But Moolenaar says that even “Project Texas” “really is not enough.” TECH LEADERS BEZOS, ZUCKERBERG, COOK AND PICHAI LOOK FOR FACE TIME WITH TRUMP “When you consider that ByteDance is affiliated with the CCP, and they call the shots for TikTok, the TikTok algorithm is very different in the U.S. than it is in China,” he explained. “There needs to be a divestment, and we need to know either an American company or a company affiliated with like-minded nations, friendly nations, not adversarial nations, is in charge of this app.” He added: “Only that will satisfy the law and protect our national security.” Moolenaar said that, until now, the Chinese Communist Party “didn’t have a reason to allow the sale of TikTok.” “But that has changed, and President Trump knows from experience that the only language the CCP speaks is hardball,” Moolenaar said. “He is an incredible negotiator, and our legislation is giving him the leverage he needs to make this historic deal.” Yet, Trump has signaled support for TikTok. Earlier this month, he met with Chew at Mar-a-Lago, telling reporters during a press conference ahead of the meeting that his incoming administration will “take a look at TikTok” and the looming U.S. ban. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump told reporters.
Panama’s president hits back at Trump idea to reclaim key canal
Panama’s president has responded to President-elect Trump’s idea that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal. After Trump said Sunday that the United States “foolishly gave it away” and is now “being ripped off” at the waterway, Panama’s conservative President José Raúl Mulino released a video declaring that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong” to his country. Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trump’s complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors. “The tariffs are not set on a whim,” Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic “on its own initiative,” and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements. TRUMP FLOATS IDEA OF US RECLAIMING PANAMA CANAL: ‘FOOLISHLY GAVE IT AWAY’ “Panamanians may have different views on many issues,” Mulino said. “But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” Trump then took to his social media site to offer in response, “We’ll see about that!” He also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, “Welcome to the United States Canal!” FETTERMAN: THOSE HOPING TRUMP FAILS ARE ‘ROOTING AGAINST THE NATION’ Trump had previously addressed the canal in a Saturday Truth Social post, where he complained at length about the fees levied on U.S. ships going through the Big Ditch. The Panama Canal’s tolls can range from three to six figures depending on how large a vessel is and how much cargo it carries, with the largest ships being charged as much as $500,000. The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American drought that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot. With the weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized, but price increases are still expected for next year. Fox News’ Andrea Margolis and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Retiring GOP congresswoman’s decline has been ‘very rapid,’ son says
Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, experienced a “very rapid” decline since moving into a retirement facility, her son said, after it was discovered over the weekend that the congresswoman had been absent from her duties in the Capitol for nearly six months. Brandon Granger told the New York Post that his mother made the decision to move into the retirement community on her own, though she has since shown signs of dementia over the past three months. The 81-year-old congresswoman, who did not seek re-election and is retiring at the end of this congressional term, has largely remained absent from the Capitol in recent months, having last cast votes on July 24. She was not present for over 54% of votes this year. Granger’s absence was first reported by the Dallas Express on Friday in a piece that quoted a constituent of her district who said that Granger was residing in a memory care facility in Texas. HOUSE PASSES FUNDING BILL WITH JUST HOURS UNTIL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN A source in Granger’s office spoke to Fox News on Sunday, denying that the congresswoman was in the facility’s memory care unit. The source said Granger was residing in the retirement facility where memory care is provided, though not in the memory care unit itself. Brandon Granger excoriated the reports that said his mother was in the memory care unit after she was found wandering as “a load of bulls–t.” “They have a memory care facility there, but she’s in [an] independent living facility,” Brandon Granger told The Post. “It’s a nice condo. I helped her move in.” Brandon Granger added that his mother’s decline has been “very rapid and very difficult,” though he did not say whether she had received treatment at the memory facility, the Post reported. GOP REP-ELECT OUTLINES HOW DOGE, TRUMP AGENDA WILL GET COUNTRY ‘BACK ON TRACK’: ‘NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’ Granger released a statement Sunday saying that she has faced “health challenges” and is “deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern” over the weekend. “As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” Granger said in the statement. “However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.” While Granger appears to not have cast a vote since July, she did return to the Capitol in November for the unveiling of her portrait as Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, and a reception that followed. House Speaker Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., were both present at the event. Granger has served in the House since 1997. She previously served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, Texas. Republican congressman-elect Craig Goldman will succeed Granger in January. Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen hospitalized after he was bucked off a horse
Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen was injured and transported to a hospital on Sunday after he was bucked off a horse. Pillen, 68, is expected to be hospitalized for several days. The first-term governor was riding horses with his family when he was thrown off a new horse and suffered injuries, according to the governor’s office. ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN NEBRASKA TOWN BRINGING ‘STRESS’ TO SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SAFETY Pillen was rushed to Columbus Community Hospital in Columbus, Nebraska, before he was transported, out of an abundance of caution, to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. “The Governor is alert and is in continuous touch with his team,” Pillen’s office said. DRONE MISHAP DURING ORLANDO HOLIDAY AERIAL SHOW SENDS CHILD TO HOSPITAL Pillen’s office did not detail what injuries he suffered or the severity. The GOP governor was elected in 2022, running in the gubernatorial election that year because former Gov. Pete Ricketts, also a Republican, was term-limited. Pillen then appointed Ricketts to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, who resigned in 2023 to become president of the University of Florida. Sasse has since stepped down as the university’s president. Pillen worked as a veterinarian and owned a livestock operation before he was elected as governor. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New York Gov. Hochul orders prison staffers involved in inmate’s deadly beating to be fired
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has ordered the firing of more than a dozen prison staffers in connection with the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month. Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state’s corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in a Dec. 9 incident at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County that led to 43-year-old Robert Brooks’ death the following day at a hospital. Brooks had been in prison since 2017 and was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault. The governor’s office said the decision came after an internal review, but did not offer details on the circumstances leading up to Brooks’ death. HOCHUL SLAMMED FOR SAYING SHE’S MADE SUBWAYS SAFER ON SAME DAY WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON TRAIN “The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service,” Hochul said. “But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.” The corrections department provided a list of 13 employees, including corrections officers, sergeants and a nurse who have been suspended without pay. It also included another corrections officer who resigned. State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III condemned the staffers’ involvement and said the suspensions are “in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve.” LOUISIANA PRISONS ROUTINELY HOLD INMATES PAST THEIR RELEASE DATE, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ARGUES “There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press. “These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued.” Brooks’ family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are “incredibly shocked and saddened” about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany. “We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place,” the family said. “No one should have to lose a family member this way.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said her office is also investigating the use of force by corrections officers that led to Brooks’ death. She said her staff has obtained video of the incident and it will be made public after Brooks’ family has seen it. “Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve,” James said in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden commutes sentences of 37 federal death row inmates in final month of presidency
President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, a move that comes not even two weeks after he went through with the “largest single-day grant of clemency” in American history, the White House announced Monday. Of the 40 inmates on federal death row, according to DeathPenaltyInfo.org, Biden is commuting 37 men sentenced to death, reclassifying their sentences to life without the possibility of parole. The three inmates not included are: Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetuate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds. BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE’S HOW OTHER PRESIDENTS RANK The men being resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole are convicted of various murderous acts against one person or multiple. Among the victims of the 37 men are law enforcement officers, children and other inmates. A handful of the men on death row were also set to be executed with their co-defendants. Biden, who only supports the death penalty at the federal level for “terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder,” said this move will prevent President-elect Donald Trump’s administration from “carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice,” according to the White House statement. The president declared a moratorium on federal executions after taking office in 2021. TRUMP EXECUTION RESTART TO PUT BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER, CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTER, MORE KILLERS IN HOT SEAT The convicted murderers who will now escape execution include: Marcivicci Barnette, who killed a man in a carjacking and his ex-girlfriend; co-defendants Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, who kidnapped and killed a woman after escaping prison; Anthony Battle, who killed a prison guard; Jason Brown, who stabbed a postal worker to death; Thomas Hager, who committed a drug-related killing; David Runyon, who participated in the murder-for-hire plot of a Naval officer; Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and killed a 12-year-old girl; Rejon Taylor, who carjacked, kidnapped and killed a restaurant owner; and Alejandro Umana, who killed two brothers inside a restaurant. Two men were on death row for the murders of witnesses: police officer Len Davis, who ordered the murder of a witness who was part of an investigation into a misconduct complaint against him, and Ronald Mikos, who killed a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation. Ex-Marine Jorge Torrez was set to be executed for killing another servicemember. The list also includes men who committed deadly bank robberies, such as co-defendants Billie Allen and Norris Holder, who killed a bank guard during their crime; Brandon Council, who killed two bank employees; and Daryl Lawrence, who killed a special-duty police officer during an attempted bank robbery. BIDEN COMMUTES 1,500 JAIL SENTENCES, GRANTS PARDONS FOR 39 OTHERS: ‘LARGEST SINGLE-DAY GRANT OF CLEMENCY’ Co-defendants James Roane, Jr., and Richard Tipton committed a series of drug-related murders as gang members with Corey Johnson, who was executed in 2021. Julius Robinson killed two people over drugs, and so did co-defendants Ricardo Sanchez, Jr., and Daniel Troya, who killed a family, including two children. Drug lord Kaboni Savage murdered or directed someone else to murder 12 people during a 16-year period – including an arson that killed six members of a federal informant’s family. Edward Fields was on death row for murdering two campers on federal land, while Marvin Gabrion and Richard Jackson were both there for killing a woman on federal land in separate cases. Co-defendants Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel were convicted of kidnapping and killing five Russian and Georgian immigrants for ransom. Lastly, the following men were sentenced to death in various cases for killing a prisoner in federal prison: Shannon Agofsky, Carlos Caro, co-defendants Wesley Coonce and Charles Hall, co-defendants Christopher Cramer and Ricky Fackrell, Joseph Ebron and co-defendants Edgar Garcia and Mark Snarr. Monday’s commutations join Biden’s list of similar moves during his presidency, which have sparked mixed reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and have outpaced any president in modern history when compared to length of service. Biden faced criticism earlier this month when he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 prisoners placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and pardoned 40 others, including his son, Hunter. As of Dec. 13, Biden has pardoned a total of 65 individuals and commuted sentences for 1,634 inmates during his time as president, according to the Department of Justice. “The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms,” White House officials said in a previous statement. PRO-TRUMP PRISON WARDEN ASKS BIDEN TO COMMUTE ALL DEATH SENTENCES BEFORE LEAVING Various groups and people, including former corrections officials, praised Biden’s decision ahead of the public announcement, calling him “courageous” and thanking him for sending a “strong message.” Biden was urged by 28 former corrections officials in a letter to commute sentences on federal death row for the safety of federal correctional professionals who participate in executions. “President Biden has made a courageous decision that will benefit many within the federal Bureau of Prisons. Resources can be allocated more rationally, and staff will not face the harm of participating in executions any time soon. I hope state leaders follow suit, for the benefit of their own correctional staff,” said Justin Jones, the former Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, was also among those who issued a statement, saying, in part, that this decision “marks an important turning point” and sends a “strong message to Americans that the death penalty is not the answer to our country’s concerns about public safety.”
Fall of Assad, rise of Trump: Why 2024 was a very bad year for Iran
The fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was the crescendo of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime. The Islamic Republic suffered major blows in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, diminishing the power of its so-called Axis of Resistance. Its currency officially became the lowest valued in the world and when Israel decimated its proxy forces, the U.S. elected a president whom Iran so despises that it spent years trying to assassinate him. Here’s a look back at blows suffered by Ayatollah Ali Khameini and his regime over the past year: In April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Syria, prompting Iran to strike back with more than 300 drones and missiles aimed into Israel. But Israel worked with the U.S., Jordan and Saudi Arabia to shoot down nearly every missile and drone. The late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash while visiting a remote area. Iran has blamed the crash on dense fog. Raisi was a protégé and potential successor of Iran’s supreme leader, Khameini. While Iran inaugurated a new president this summer, Israel infiltrated to take out Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran for the inauguration. While Haniyeh was staying in a VIP government guest house, Israel detonated a remote-controlled bomb. TRUMP TANGLES WITH REPORTER ON IRAN PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE: ‘IS THAT A SERIOUS QUESTION?’ Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took out Hamas head Yahya Sinwar after encountering him on a routine patrol in the Gaza city of Rafah. Sinwar was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and was one of the most wanted men of the war. Hamas has lost thousands of fighters and much of its leadership ranks to Israel’s attacks and is nowhere near the threatening force on Israel’s borders Iran hoped it would be. Iran’s currency tanked to an all-time low upon news of the Trump election, and the expectation that he might bring back a “maximum pressure” policy. The Iranian rial is down 46% this year, making it officially the least-valuable currency in the world. Iran has long vowed revenge for Trump approving the 2019 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani – and U.S. intelligence revealed Tehran plots to kill the president-elect. After the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, it imposed harsh sanctions on the regime to stop its funding of proxies abroad, banning U.S. citizens from trading with Iran or handling Iranian money. It also punished entities in other countries that did business with Iran, by cutting them off from the dollar. TENSIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY ESCALATE OVER SYRIA: ‘IT’S TIME TO PAY ATTENTION’ President Joe Biden often waived enforcement of such sanctions, keen to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and fearful of driving up global oil prices. Iran gained access to more than $10 billion through a State Department sanctions waiver that allowed Iraq to continue buying energy from Iran, which the Biden administration argues is necessary to keep lights on in Baghdad. In the fall, Israel reoriented much of its efforts toward pummeling Hezbollah after a series of cross-border attacks from the Lebanese militant group. Israel targeted Hezbollah’s leadership and detonated hundreds of pagers the group had been using to communicate. At the end of November, Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire where it and Israel must both end their armed presences in southern Lebanon. Both sides have claimed the other has broken the fragile truce, but it has ostensibly held for weeks. Syrian rebels sent Iran’s Quds forces, an extension of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, running as they captured Damascus and pushed out President Bashar al-Assad. Iran’s forces had been in Syria propping up Assad since civil war broke out in 2011, but had been diminished since the outbreak of war elsewhere in the Middle East. Syria’s new government is set to be run by Sunni Muslims, hostile to Iran’s Shiite government. And Iran lost a key supply line through Syria it had used to arm Hezbollah in its fight against Israel.