Mon, December 9, 2024

by: Hindustan Times

SM Krishna passes away: The veteran's political career, legacy, and 'Brand Bengaluru'

SM Krishna, who had been with the Congress for more than 45 years, quit the grand old party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2017.

by: Business Line

SM Krishna: A rare politician who excelled in state and national leadership roles

by: Associated Press

Trump's Cabinet picks set off political chain reaction in Florida congressional races

The field of candidates has been set for two special elections in Florida to replace members of Congress nominated for positions in President-elect Donald Trump's new administration.

by: PBS

What is birthright citizenship and could Trump end it?

Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. It's been in place for decades and applies to children born to someone in the country illegally or in the U.S. on a tourist or student visa who plans to return to their home country.

by: SheKnows

Prince William's Meeting With Donald Trump Showed the Royal Family Treading Softly in Politics

The Prince of Wales was spotted in Paris on Saturday with Donald Trump, the president-elect who will officially be in office on Jan. 20, 2025. According to The Telegraph, William's trip for the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening was a "hastily arranged diplomatic mission" because there is so much "at stake" with a second Donald Trump administration.

by: NBC News

Democrats and Republicans in Congress worried that Gabbard might leak to Assad regime

When she arrived in Congress, Tulsi Gabbard was seen as a rising Democratic star. But over time, her views on Russia and Syria shocked, puzzled and alarmed her colleagues.

by: USA Today

Donald Trump names Mark Paoletta general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget

WASHINGTON − President-elect Donald Trump designated Mark Paoletta, a former congressional staffer and White House veteran who has represented the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to serve as general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget in his second administration. Paoletta filled that role in Trump's first term as well.

by: News4Jax

US indictment accuses two Syrian officials of torture at notorious prison

U.S. prosecutors are accusing two senior Syrian officials of overseeing a notorious Syrian torture center that abused peaceful protesters, including a 26-year-old American woman who was later hanged.

by: clickondetroit.com

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria fallout

President-elect Donald Trump's pick for intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, is making her case on Capitol Hill.

by: ABC

Experts say Biden has a constitutional right to issue preemptive pardons

Experts President Biden has the constitutional right to issue preemptive pardons to people President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to seek retribution against.

by: ABC

Gabbard's bipartisan congressional connections could be crucial to confirmation

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard returns to the Senate this week to meet with lawmakers about her being Donald Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence.

by: Click2Houston

Five years since its inception, a US development agency competes with China on global projects

Since its inception in 2019, a U.S. development agency has created a portfolio of more than $50 billion worth of projects in 114 countries, including a trans-Africa railway corridor, a power plant in Sierra Leone,

by: Roll Call

Republicans start making immigration plans for next year

Republican have started plotting how to use unified control of government next year to best address funding and policy needs for immigration.

by: Slate

The Moment Is Ripe to Push the Middle East in the Direction of Peace. What Will Trump Do?

The Middle East seems to be on the brink of a transformation—whether toward stability or fiercer mayhem is hard to say, all the more so with Donald Trump returning to the White House in six weeks.

by: The New York Times

Syrian Military Officials Charged With War Crimes as Government Falls

Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud ran an infamous prison in Damascus and "sought to terrify, intimidate and repress any opposition, or perceived opposition, to the regime," according to the indictment.

by: National Post

Liberal government survives third Conservative non-confidence vote

OTTAWA - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest attempt to topple the minority Liberal government in a non-confidence vote failed on Monday, thanks to the New Democrats.

by: USA Today

'Agent of transformation': GOP senators praise Donald Trump's FBI director pick, Kash Patel

Kash Patel is an agent of transformation. He'll do a great job,' Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, told USA Today.

by: USA Today

Can Trump use Jill Biden's image to sell perfume?

Trump posted a picture of himself with Jill Biden on social media Sunday to help sell a new line of perfumes and colognes.

by: Fox News

Here is who is vying for power in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad

The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the culmination of years of civil war, has given way to a power vacuum with different factions protecting their own interests - and vying for power in the Middle Eastern nation.

by: Yahoo

Syrian government services come to a 'complete halt' as state workers stay home after rebel takeover

Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were still at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country's public sector had come "to a complete and abrupt halt.

by: The New York Times

The Fall of Assad in Syria: How It Happened and What Comes Next

The main rebel group behind Assad's ouster is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, whose name means Organization for the Liberation of the Levant. It began to come together at the beginning of Syria's civil war, when jihadists formed the Nusra Front to fight pro-Assad forces with hundreds of insurgent and suicide attacks.

by: Detroit News

Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next

Trump's cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail.

by: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

International Institute of St. Louis' CEO is out

International Institute president and CEO Arrey Obenson's last day with the organization was Friday, according to an internal email obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

by: Buffalo News

And then there were 3: Council Member Rasheed Wyatt enters Buffalo mayor's race

Wyatt becomes the third candidate to officially declare his candidacy after State Sen. Sean Ryan and former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield Jr., who both threw their hats in the ring last month.

by: Smithsonian Magazine

'Polarization' Is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2024

The winning word beat out finalists such as "demure," "pander," "totality," "fortnight," "allision" and "democracy"

by: AOL

Ghana becomes record fifth African nation to see opposition victory this year

This year has been an "annus horribilis" for those governments in sub-Saharan Africa that have had to face voters at the ballot box. In almost every election held in the region this year under reasonably democratic conditions, the governing party either lost a significant number of seats or lost power completely.

by: BBC

Rachel Reeves signals wider reset of EU relations

Closer relations between the UK and the EU will boost economic growth, Rachel Reeves will tell European finance leaders on Monday. In the first address by a British chancellor to the Eurogroup since Brexit, Reeves will say resetting relations means "breaking down barriers to trade" as well as helping "businesses sell in each other's markets".

by: MSN

Polish EU presidency to focus on energy, defence and economic security

With Trump's arrival in the US White House, a new EU Commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine, security in all its possible dimensions will be the main priority of the next rotating EU presidency, said Poland's Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol.

by: MSN

Business leaders and families of murder victims urge Biden to commute federal death row sentences

Business leaders and families of murder victims urge Biden to commute federal death row sentences - Advocates fear Trump will ramp up federal executions upon taking office

by: MSN

Germany and Austria freeze Syrian asylum claims

Germany and Austria have frozen Syrian asylum applications in the wake of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime. All asylum requests from Syrian citizens will be put on hold until there is more clarity on political developments in the country,

by: MSN

UK limits ties with Georgia after crackdown on anti-government protests

Lammy stated that the UK will immediately halt programmatic support for the Georgian government, restrict defense cooperation, and limit interactions with representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

by: MSN

Trump says RFK Jr. may study discredited link between autism and childhood vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead Health and Human Services, has spread false or misleading claims that autism is linked to vaccines.

by: MSN

Canadian government to present mini budget on Dec. 16

The Canadian government will present its fall economic statement on Dec. 16, the finance ministry said on Monday, announcing a date for the budget update that will show the government's revised deficit estimate.

by: MSN

'The View' co-hosts get into heated back-and-forth over whether they should panic over Trump's plans

"The View" co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Ana Navarro got into it on Monday over whether people should be panicked about Donald Trump's plans ahead of his inauguration in January.

by: Journalist's Resource

If you report on US colleges and universities, get to know these 19 higher education databases

We spotlight free higher education databases that offer information on U.S. student demographics, campus safety, faculty pay and other topics.

by: Yahoo

Syrian PM says government still works, but UN official says public sector is at a 'complete halt'

Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were still at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country's public sector had come "to a complete and abrupt halt.

by: The New York Times

Supreme Court Turns Down Cases on Admissions, Gender Identity and Guns

Conservative justices voiced objections and concerns about the court's failures to take up a series of cases on major social controversies.

by: MSN

Kelly says Secret Service being put under DHS 'took away their identity and their exclusivity'

The chair for the House task force assembled to review the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump's life said that the Secret Service being put under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) "took away their identity and their exclusivity.

by: MSN

Sanjay Malhotra appointed as new RBI Governor: Here's all about Shaktikanta Das' successor

The central government on Monday appointed Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra as the new Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a three-year term. This appointment puts an end to weeks of speculation about who would lead monetary policy in the world's fastest-growing major economy.

by: Sydney Morning Herald

Voters back migration cuts as Dutton retreats on target

The Coalition is standing by its stated goal of reducing permanent migration after scrapping a separate pledge to cut the number of net arrivals to 160,000 a year as an exclusive survey shows strong majority support for a lower intake.

by: Mother Jones

How Kash Patel Became a Useful Idiot for Vladimir Putin

With Donald Trump tapping Kash Patel, the MAGA provocateur, conspiracy theory monger, and grifter, to be FBI director, it's time to revisit the Trump-Russia scandal. I know many folks think this is old news.

by: CNN

'Someone who sees enemies everywhere': How Kash Patel's years as a government lawyer fueled his disdain for Washington elites

Years before he was Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel was a midlevel Justice Department lawyer who once drew the ire of a Texas judge who described Patel as being precisely the kind of federal bureaucrat he has vowed to weed out in his crusade against the so-called deep state.

by: MSN

'Historic moment and historic opportunity': John Kirby on the fall of Syrian regime

John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, joins Andrea Mitchell Reports to discuss the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, highlighting the profound implications for regional stability.

by: The Independent

Trump's controversial nominees Patel, Gabbard and Hegseth on Capitol Hill in attempt to win over senators: Live

President-elect promises to free Capitol rioters and says representatives that investigated him 'should go to jail' in Meet the Presss interview with Kristen Welker

by: WESA

Meet Pennsylvania's 2024 electors and learn about the Electoral College

Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes. Like most states, Pennsylvania awards all of them to the winner of the popular vote. Trump won 3.5 million votes to Democrat Kamala Harris' 3.4 million, giving him all of Pennsylvania's electoral votes. In total, Trump won 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226.

by: The Mirror

Downfall of 'rat of Damascus' Assad is a 'humiliation' for Russia and Iran, says David Lammy

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Syrian tyrant Bashar al Assad had 'the blood of countless innocents on his hands' who had fled to Moscow 'with his tail between his legs'

by: London Evening Standard

Government accused of 'tinkering' with housebuilding permissions

A Conservative shadow housing minister has suggested the Government is "tinkering" with planning decision-making, instead of "getting developers developing and builders building" new homes.

by: MSN

Pressure piles on Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst over Pete Hegseth confirmation fight

Ernst, the first female combat veteran in the Senate, has been threatened with a primary challenge over her reticence - so far - to confirm Hegeseth.

Government recklessness is swindling the taxpayer out of billions of pounds

The public pay their taxes begrudgingly or otherwise in the knowledge that it allows the state to perform essential tasks no one else can do, such as maintain public services, national defence, and so on.

The article from MSN discusses the issue of government waste and inefficiency in the UK, highlighting how taxpayers are losing billions due to various forms of mismanagement. It points out that despite promises of fiscal responsibility, government departments have overspent by significant amounts, with examples including the Department for Work and Pensions overshooting its budget by £1.3 billion. The article criticizes the lack of accountability and the culture of "reckless spending" where projects like the HS2 rail line have seen costs balloon from an initial £37.5 billion to over £100 billion. It also mentions the frequent occurrence of fraud, with billions lost to fraudulent activities, and the failure of IT projects which often exceed their budgets and timelines. The piece argues for a need for stricter oversight, better project management, and a cultural shift towards valuing taxpayer money, suggesting that without these changes, the cycle of waste will continue, undermining public trust and financial stability.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/government-recklessness-is-swindling-the-taxpayer-out-of-billions-of-pounds/ar-AA1vxJbm