Wed, December 18, 2024

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Hill

Congress strikes deal to avert government shutdown

Congressional leaders have struck a bipartisan deal to keep the government funded beyond a looming Dec. 20 shutdown deadline. Legislation rolled out by leadership on Tuesday would kick the Friday

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Yahoo News UK

Why has Elon Musk met Nigel Farage and what could it mean for Reform UK?

The billionaire owner of X is reportedly keen to influence UK politics, but would the current rules allow him to?

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: WLRN

'Culture for Service and Service for Humanity': Phi Beta Sigma Way touches down in Miami Gardens

The City of Miami Gardens will rename a section of Northwest 191st Street "Phi Beta Sigma Way" on Dec. 19. The Rho Sigma Chapter, established in 1927, has played a pivotal role in South Florida, advocating for education and social justice.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Daily Mirror

Map shows how many WASPI women missed out in your area and how much they would have got

Keir Starmer faces fury over Labour's decision to reject compensation for over 3.5million women in spite of a bombshell watchdog report calling for payouts of nearly £3,000

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: BBC

Badenoch attacks PM over 'cruel' Winter Fuel Payment cuts in final PMQs of year

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: KXXV News Channel 25

Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services

The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: WESA

Pa. casts 19 Electoral College votes for Donald Trump

Pennsylvania's 19 Republican electors submitted ballots in support of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Tuesday at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The largely ceremonial vote brings the country one step closer to a nationwide congressional certification in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Scranton Times-Tribune

Musk and Trump are viewed roughly the same by Americans, new poll finds

Musk's attachment to Trump has created an alliance between America's most powerful politician and its richest businessman — and roughly the same percentages of Americans have favorable views of each, according to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: syracuse.com

Congress unveils funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid

Washington — Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Daily Express

Lee Anderson's scathing two-word attack on Keir Starmer after PM 'told lies to pensioners'

The outspoken Reform MP spoke out as details Labour backtracking on pledges to pensioners and WASPI women have emerged.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Independent

Musk and Farage have handed Starmer a golden chance to clean up political murky money

It's in the Labour Party's interest to have a cap on individual donations, otherwise Musk's attempt to buy votes could put Reform in the running for the next election, writes Andrew Grice

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: PBS

Congress nears funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid, avoiding government shutdown

Congressional leaders have unveiled legislation that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: ABC News

Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms

Still, there is a clear silver lining for democracy. The same Pew poll that found its appeal slipping also found that it remains by far the preferred system of government worldwide. And people turned out to demonstrate that, during elections and in protest ...

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Florida Politics

Bill Posey looks back at accomplishments and sudden close to years of service

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey spent decades urging greater transparency and accountability in government. Heading into 2024, he felt optimistic he could serve one last term with President-elect Donald Trump back in the White House.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: USA Today

Trump is promising deportations on 'day one.' Who is he targeting and what can he do?

Donald Trump wants to deport millions as soon as he takes office. But there are laws that could slow him down.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Sacramento Bee

Union membership continues slow decline as California hires more rank-and-file employees

At SEIU Local 1000, 456 fewer members paid dues in October 2024, compared to the previous year's payroll period. Meanwhile, the state hired nearly 3,000 more employees among the nine units represented by SEIU Local 1000, which resulted in a two point decrease in the union's due-paying membership.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: KGOU

Mangione charged with murder as act of terrorism. And, path to unionizing reality TV

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The New York Times

Who Is Friedrich Merz, a Leading Candidate to Be Germany's Next Chancellor?

If polls are correct, Olaf Scholz's successor could be Friedrich Merz, 69, leader of the Christian Democratic Union. He is offering to get the German economic engine humming again.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Florida Politics

Orange County government picks up the tab for Glen Gilzean's employees

In court and public meetings, the Orange County government is openly feuding with Gilzean over allegations of mismanagement and misspending. The Orange County Commission voted earlier this month to withhold Gilzean's December budget payment but agreed Tuesday to pay Gilzean's $250,000 payroll to payroll company ADP.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: StamfordAdvocate

What Americans think of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his health stances

That's why Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to "Make America Healthy Again" as he campaigned alongside Donald Trump caught her attention. She liked the questions Kennedy raised about the role of processed foods in America's obesity epidemic.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: American Banker

Politics, history, hubris: why agency consolidation isn't easy

Proposals to streamline U.S. banking regulators have resurfaced with the Trump administration's focus on efficiency, but experts and history suggest such changes are unlikely amid political and industry resistance.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Daily Mirror

PMQs watch live - WASPI women fury as Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch go head-to-head

On Tuesday the government was accused of betraying the 3.5million women born in the 1950s who missed out pension payments. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who previously supported the WASPI campaign in opposition, defended the decision not to pay out ...

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: News24

WATCH | Government extends spaza shop registration deadline

The government has extended the registration deadline for spaza shops and other food handling shops to 28 February 2025.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: CNN

How Trump's lawyer could steer the Supreme Court on abortion and trans rights

President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be the government's top lawyer before the Supreme Court burst on the national scene about a year ago and is best known for winning Trump immunity from prosecution for election subversion.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Politico Europe

Elon Musk is 'right behind us,' boasts Farage

Brexiteer says X owner was 'very generous with his time' in Mar-a-Lago meeting — and floats prospect of snaring some Musk cash.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Independent

Trump claims Liz Cheney 'could be in a lot of trouble' over Jan 6 probe and makes ex-NFL star ambassador: Live

Meanwhile, Trump has announced two more nominees to his incoming administration, naming Florida philanthropist Nicole McGraw as the the next US ambassador to Croatia and, more surprisingly, ex-NFL star and failed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Daily Telegraph

Musk considering Reform donation to avoid economic 'catastrophe' under Labour, suggests Tice

Party's deputy leader says Tesla and X boss recognises UK economy is 'in a terrible state' and 'wants Britain to do well'

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Jewish Insider

How Australia went from 'goldene medina' to 'vitriol and vilification' of Jews

The number of antisemitic events in Australia spiked this month, and the response from the authorities, especially in Victoria, has been viewed as lackluster by much of the Jewish community, leaving t

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Deal to Avert Government Shutdown Includes $110 Billion in Disaster, Farm Aid

Party leaders want to pair stopgap bill with disaster relief ahead of possible government shutdown this weekend.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Waspi women criticise 'bizarre and unjustified' as they are denied compensation

Use precise geolocation data and actively scan device characteristics for identification. This is done to store and access information on a device and to provide personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. List of Partners (vendors)

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Salvini's migrant verdict to test balance between rights and security in Italy

Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, faces a possible six-year prison term if a court finds him guilty on Friday of kidnapping a boat full of migrants who were held offshore Italy for almost three weeks in 2019.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: India Today

Binaca Geetmala and the Kishore Kumar-Indira Gandhi rift that led to his ban

Binaca Geetmala, the iconic radio show that defined Indian music for over 40 years, found itself mired in politics during the 1975 Emergency, when a Kishore Kumar-Indira Gandhi rift led to a radio ban on the voice of the King of Bollywood playback singing.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Assam: Unsafe water and poor roads, Bhittorpowai villagers plead for government intervention

Residents of Bhittorpowai Gaon Panchayat under Dirok Tea Estate in the 83 Number Margherita Constituency continue to face deprivation of fundamental necessities, despite being part of an established electoral region.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Major change to bin collections and recycling in England coming in just three months

Households around England will be given new bins for a huge change in waste management involving a new policy for recycling and waste collection in England

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Daily Telegraph

Timeline of hypocrisy: how Labour betrayed Waspi women

Labour has been accused of "betraying" millions of women who lost out over changes to the state pension, after refusing to pay a penny in compensation. Liz Kendall, secretary of state for work and pensions,

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Hill

Here's what made the cut in Congress' 1,500-page government funding deal

Congress on Tuesday rolled out its last major funding deal of the year and is expected to move quickly to try to pass it ahead of a Friday government shutdown deadline. The bill, which is more

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Priyanka Gandhi's bag creates a stir in politics, listen to what the Congress MP says in answer to the questions | ABP News

Anchor: 'Priyanka Gandhi's politics and style, opponents are not able to ignore even if they want to. 'From Adani to Palestine', this is Priyanka's political claim which is making the BJP angry. Ever since the members of the Gandhi family are doing politics,

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Waspi women slam Government's 'bizarre and unjustified' no compensation decision

Waspi women criticise 'bizarre and unjustified' ruling out of compensation - The Government said a blanket compensation scheme for Waspi women, which could cost taxpayers up to £10.5 billion, cannot be justified.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: Yahoo

Musk in talks over Reform UK donation, says Farage

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and the party's new treasurer Nick Candy have met US billionaire Elon Musk at Donald Trump's Florida retreat. The party said the pair had "learned a great deal from Musk about the Trump ground game" during an hour-long meeting at Mar-A-Lago on Monday.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

German election: CDU manifesto proposes rightward shift on migration and strong support for Ukraine

Germany's largest opposition party is heavily favoured to form a government after snap elections slated for February 2025. View on euronews

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: The Globe and Mail

Ottawa's plan to secure border includes more dogs, drones and action to combat fentanyl trade

Newly appointed Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc hesitant to say if the measures would be enough to lift Donald Trump's vow to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on imports from Canada

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Albanese government has 'no spending restraint'

KPMG Chief Economist Brendan Rynne has criticised the Albanese government for having "no spending restraint". Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher have handed down the government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Brit's said for huge council tax rise - without a referendum - and it can't be stopped

Households are set to face a staggering council tax rise as part of Labour's new policing plan, with households facing increases of up to £14 per person next year

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Musk and Trump are viewed roughly the same by Americans, an AP-NORC poll finds

Experts are split on whether that overlap in public opinion is a good or bad thing for Musk's businesses or for Trump's politics. But it could have ... and working at the job of having to fire government employees ... as a shareholder, I'm paying ...

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Trump sues Des Moines Register and Iowa pollster, escalating attacks on media

Trump's lawsuit claims a poll by Ann Selzer for the Des Moines Register that incorrectly found he was behind in Iowa amounted to consumer fraud.

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

Gerakan, Pas, and Bersatu have differences but will stay united in PN - Dominic Lau

According to him, although Bersatu, Pas, and Gerakan had different missions, these differences would not lead to major conflicts that could result in Gerakan leaving PN. Dominic w

[ Wed, Dec 18th 2024 ]: MSN

AIMIM to protest if scholarships and fee reimbursement dues of BC, SC, ST, and minority students are not cleared

The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has warned the ruling Congress government that the party will take to the streets if scholarship and fee reimbursement dues of Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes,
Tue, December 17, 2024

[ Tue, Dec 17th 2024 ]: MSN

'Ready to work with India': China ahead of key meet between Ajit Doval and Wang Yi

China and India are preparing for high-level talks aimed at improving bilateral relations. The meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will focus on border issues, including finding a resolution to the boundary question.

Who Is Friedrich Merz, a Leading Candidate to Be Germany's Next Chancellor?

If polls are correct, Olaf Scholz's successor could be Friedrich Merz, 69, leader of the Christian Democratic Union. He is offering to get the German economic engine humming again.

The article from The New York Times discusses the political landscape in Germany, focusing on Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who is positioning himself as a potential candidate for the chancellorship in the upcoming elections. Merz, known for his conservative stance, has been critical of the current coalition government led by Olaf Scholz, particularly on issues like immigration, economic policy, and Germany's role in the European Union. He advocates for stricter immigration controls, tax cuts, and a stronger national identity. The piece highlights Merz's recent activities, including public speeches and policy proposals aimed at appealing to voters disillusioned with the current administration. It also touches on the internal dynamics within the CDU, with some members seeing Merz as a return to traditional conservative values, while others are skeptical about his ability to modernize the party's image. The article concludes by noting that while Merz's rise is significant, his path to the chancellorship is fraught with challenges, including competition from other parties and the need to broaden his appeal beyond the CDU's traditional voter base.

Read the Full The New York Times Article at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/world/europe/germany-friedrich-merz-chancellor.html