Sun, December 1, 2024

by: Brian Stokes

A Second Trump Term Poses a Crucial Test of the Senate's Independence

President-elect Donald J. Trump is threatening to challenge the institution's historic role, and the Constitution, with his prospective nominees and threats to push the boundaries of executive authority.

by: Brian Stokes

Pat McFadden denies 'tawdry and chaotic' Government claims

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden has denied that Labour is behaving like the previous Conservative government after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh was forced to resign after a decade-old fraud conviction resurfaced.

by: Brian Stokes

Donald Trump tests the system of checks and balances just weeks after election

In the two weeks since his Election Day victory, President-elect Donald Trump has already suggested he is ready to push the limits of those checks and balances, setting up a potential constitutional showdown with a Congress controlled by members of his own party and a Supreme Court with a conservative supermajority.

by: Brian Stokes

Almost half of voters 'want a general election' within six months after being 'betrayed' by Labour Government

Nearly 50 per cent of voters are unhappy with the Labour Government and "want a general election" within the next six months, a new poll has revealed. A petition which is calling for a new election has been circulating online,

by: Brian Stokes

Labour still better than 'chaotic' Tories, says CBI chairman

Corporate Britain is better off with Labour than the "chaotic" Tories, the chairman of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said. Rupert Soames said the stability offered by the new Government was preferable to the turnover seen under the previous administration, despite a backlash to Rachel Reeves's Budget.

by: Brian Stokes

These cabinet picks and others in Trump's inner circle got their start at Philly-area universities

Individuals poised to hold high-level positions in the Trump administration used college to develop their goals, conservative values, and personalities that have led them to political prominence.

by: Brian Stokes

Thanks for dinner: Trudeau's all-smiles pic with Trump amid tariff hike threat

Canada's Justin Trudeau made an unannounced visit to Florida on Friday evening and became the first G7 leader to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump amid fears of the US President-elect threatening tariffs on Canadian products.

by: Brian Stokes

Trump picks Kash Patel to head FBI

Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday said he wanted former National Security official and firebrand loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI, signaling an intent to drive out the bureau's current director,

by: Brian Stokes

Putin alerts Trump to life-threatening danger

US President-elect Donald Trump's life is still in danger," his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told Russian media on Thursday after his visit to Kazakhstan. "The methods of fighting Trump were totally uncivil,

by: Brian Stokes

BJP's Kamaljeet Sehrawat blames public outrage for liquid attack on Arvind Kejriwal

BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat commented on the incident where a liquid was thrown at former Delhi CM and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal, stating that such events occur whenever a leader goes on a Padyatra,

by: Brian Stokes

Hunter Biden's team issues a fiery defense ahead of sentencing, possible pardon

In a 52-page paper titled "The political prosecutions of Hunter Biden" released Saturday, Hunter Biden's lawyers criticize the foundation of the investigations into their cl

by: Brian Stokes

The International Criminal Court has zero credibility left. It cannot survive

The International Criminal Court (ICC) lost any vestige of legitimacy it may have had by issuing its recent arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As France and other countries have since made clear,

by: Brian Stokes

This is a political masterstroke by President Zelensky

For some time, the ground has been shifting in Kyiv as Ukraine braces for a potential Trump presidency and his much-touted promise of a ceasefire within 24 hours of taking office on 20 January 2025. Senior figures,

by: Brian Stokes

President Trump threatens 100% tariffs and permanent breakup for Putin's BRICS if they dethrone US dollar

by: Brian Stokes

Who is President Bashar al-Assad? Target of Islamist rebels in Syria

Assad? Rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad roamed the streets of Syria's Aleppo on Friday night (November 29), saying they have liberated it from al-Assad's hold.

by: Brian Stokes

Anthony Albanese expected to reshuffle cabinet in January

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in January ahead of the 2025 federal election.

by: Brian Stokes

Lawmakers, former officials react to Trump's FBI director pick Kash Patel

President-elect Trump's decision to nominate Kash Patel to serve as FBI director has sparked mixed reactions from lawmakers and former officials, with Republicans praising the controversial pick. "It's a terrible development for the men and women of the FBI and also for the nation that depends on a highly functioning professional independent Federal Bureau

by: Brian Stokes

Armed rebels occupy centre of Aleppo, Syria's largest city

Thousands of insurgents also fanned out across Aleppo in vehicles with improvised armour and pickups, a day after they entered the city. View on euronews

by: Brian Stokes

Federal DEI spending explodes under Biden-Harris administration

President Donald Trump has promised to reduce government waste and employed wealthy businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the charge. So far, spending on federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies are prime targets for Musk and Ramaswamy,

by: Brian Stokes

Syria Conflict Latest: Turkey's First Reaction on Aleppo Attacks - 'Won't Allow Terrorist-Led State'

In the latest development from Syria, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has firmly stated that Turkey will not allow the establishment of a "terrorist-led state" in Syria, specifically referring to the ongoing conflict in Aleppo and Idlib.

by: Brian Stokes

Coalition frontbencher says voters conned into backing independents

Opposition communications spokesman Paul Fletcher, facing a battle against an independent at the next election, says teals had duped traditional Coalition supporters.

by: Brian Stokes

Politics latest: Minister denies Labour as bad as Tories after Louise Haigh scandal

Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips he was "sorry" to see the departure of Louise Haigh as transport secretary. Watch the show live below.

by: Brian Stokes

Chinese county grapples with how to lure and reward workers for difficult, low-level jobs

by: Brian Stokes

Starmer accused of 'burying head in sand' over deal to allow young Britons to live and work in Europe

Exclusive: Despite repeatedly citing economic growth as a number one priority, the government has refused to conduct an assessment of how a deal for young people to live and work across the bloc could

by: Brian Stokes

5 times Starmer called for softer immigration rules as Government blasts 'broken' system

The Government sets out a plan to restore order to the "broken" immigration system as new data shows net migration hit a high of nearly one million last year.

by: Brian Stokes

How Starmer's missteps are fuelling Nigel Farage's rise

In October, UK PM Keir Starmer's favourability went below far-right Reform UK Party Leader Nigel Farage. Here's a look at how Starmer lost his charm a few months after a landslide victory and how Fara

by: Brian Stokes

Trump's Call for Mexico to Stop Migrants and Drugs May Never Be Met

It would take years, if ever, for Mexico to accomplish what incoming US President Donald Trump is demanding to avoid tariffs: stemming the flow of migrants and drugs over the border.

by: Brian Stokes

GENEVA IN 1899: The local election of 1899, Part 2

The Geneva Daily Times, then as now, framed the 1899 local election as a horse race. "More wagers have been placed on the result in this city than has been

by: Brian Stokes

Musk's team-up with Trump is different to how media barons operated in the past

Elon Musk's regular posts of strong support for president-elect Donald Trump on his social media platform X and his expected role within the new US administration present a rolling live case study on the role of social media within public and political debate.

by: Brian Stokes

Elon Musk is attacking Britain. Former PMs are building ties

by: Brian Stokes

At the root of slowdown: It's politics, stupid

The murmurs and fears echoing in living rooms, bazaars and C-suites for weeks and months have come home to roost. All is clearly not well with the economy. On Friday, the ministry of statistics informed India that GDP growth in the July-September quarter,

by: Brian Stokes

Hipkins says 'yes' to Dunedin Hospital and 'no' to Aukus

Leader Chris Hipkins has said Labour will not allow New Zealand to be a part of Aukus He made the announcement at Labour's annual conference in Christchurc
Sat, November 30, 2024

by: Brian Stokes

Georgia ballot-image audit shows accuracy of Dominion voting machines over paper ballots

A first-of-its-kind ballot-image audit conducted in all 159 counties after this month's elections found discrepancies on only 87 of the nearly 5.3 million ballots cast across Georgia on Nov. 5. All but one of those discrepancies occurred on hand-marked paper ballots.

by: Brian Stokes

What to know about Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the FBI

Kash Patel has called for radical changes at the FBI and was a fierce and vocal critic of the bureau's work as it investigated ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign

by: Brian Stokes

Demonising Dutton will backfire for Labor, just as it did for Harris with Trump

Amid the welter of commentary and post-mortems among Democrats to explain Kamala Harris's loss to Donald Trump, there is one theory that has received widespread acceptance. The Democrats made a serious tactical mistake in concentrating too much on Trump, and spent too little time promoting positive messages about Harris.

by: Brian Stokes

This man has the job of working out how Australia's social media ban will work

There are three key options to assess the age of a social media user. The company that will trial technologies for the Australian government explains what happens next.

by: Brian Stokes

Who is Kash Patel, Trump's pick to replace FBI director Chris Wray

by: Brian Stokes

Trump nominates loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director

Patel, who still must be confirmed by the Senate, has promoted the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and that a secret "deep state" cabal tried to overthrow Trump.

by: Brian Stokes

Some way to go before final election picture emerges

With counting after Friday's election still in the relatively early stages - after an exit poll that showed the main three parties effectively neck-and-neck - there is some way to go before the final picture emerges and the options for government formation crystalise.

by: Brian Stokes

'We didn't have a good day': Greens set to suffer significant election losses

The Green Party is set to suffer significant losses in the Irish General Election, with its leader expecting just a handful of parliamentarians to be returned.

by: Brian Stokes

Trudeau and Trump talk trade, border security at Florida dinner, but PM receives no promise tariff pledge will be shelved

Trump's team appeared to like the border investments that Canada has said it's planning, a source said, and the plan now is for the country to follow up with concrete actions

by: Brian Stokes

Keir Starmer to unveil plan for change with tough new targets on NHS, crime and living standards

Keir Starmer will use a major speech this week to set specific goals to meet on his flagship 'missions' by the election as the PM seeks to hammer home 'change' message to voters

by: Brian Stokes

'Clear route back to government' declares Martin as FF & FG set to keep SF out of power again while Hutch still in fight

BEAMING Micheal Martin declared he has a "clear route back to government" as Fianna Fail aim to become the most popular party in the country. But as the count continued late into the night, Fianna

by: Brian Stokes

Counting is underway in Ireland's election as 3 parties battle for top place

The outgoing government was led by the two parties that have dominated Irish politics for the past century: Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. They have similar policies, but are longtime rivals with origins on opposing sides of Ireland's 1920s civil war. After the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat, they formed a coalition.

by: Brian Stokes

New abandoned shopping cart retrieval program draws criticism from outgoing city councilor

Tulsa City Councilor Jayme Fowler questions why Tulsa taxpayers, not retailers, are footing the $100,000 bill for the abandoned shopping cart pilot program.

by: Brian Stokes

Harris: Fine Gael 'will gain seats' amid further fragmentation of Irish politics

Irish premier Simon Harris has said Fine Gael will gain seats in the General Election despite a further fragmentation of Irish politics. Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday's poll.

by: Brian Stokes

Donegal General Election 2024 updates: Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher delighted to be returning to politics

Senator Niall Blaney, who is Charlie McConalogue and Pat the Cope Gallagher's Director of Elections said the tallies revealed that Charlie McConalogue's vote in Inishowen was down but his vote has increased in other areas such as Letterkenny.

by: Brian Stokes

Government formation will not be pretty when dust settles

The first time line to form a coalition will be on 18 December when the Dail next sits. It is unlikely a government will be voted in on that day. Micheál Martin has hinted at another deadline, suggesting during the campaign that a government should in place by the time Donald Trump is inaugurated as US President, on 20 January.

A Second Trump Term Poses a Crucial Test of the Senate's Independence

President-elect Donald J. Trump is threatening to challenge the institution's historic role, and the Constitution, with his prospective nominees and threats to push the boundaries of executive authority.

The article from The New York Times, published on December 1, 2024, discusses former President Donald J. Trump's influence on the Senate's independence. It highlights how Trump's endorsements and political pressure have significantly impacted the GOP's internal dynamics, leading to a more unified but less independent Senate. Key points include Trump's role in the selection of candidates, his sway over party leadership, and the implications for legislative processes. The piece also touches on the tension between party loyalty and individual senatorial autonomy, with some senators expressing concerns over the erosion of the Senate's traditional role as a deliberative body. The article suggests that while Trump's influence has made the GOP more cohesive, it has also raised questions about the future of checks and balances within the legislative branch.

Read the Full The New York Times Article at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/us/politics/trump-senate-independence.html