Thu, December 19, 2024

by: The New Zealand Herald

Policy and priorities, Wellington council in 'shambles', and a historic h?koi: a year in NZ politics - The Front Page

The coalition Government dived in quickly to reverse previous Labour policy and pushed numerous bills through Parliament to meet quarterly deadlines and targets -with a mixed response from voters around some policies.

by: WSB Radio

Government shutdown at risk as Trump's demands put Speaker Johnson in a bind

A government shutdown at risk, House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to figure out how to meet President-elect Donald Trump's sudden demands — and keep his own job

by: The New York Times

Elon Musk Flexes His Political Strength as Government Shutdown Looms

The world's richest man led the charge to kill a bipartisan spending deal, in part by promoting false and misleading claims about it.

by: CNN

DOGE vs. DEI: Republicans' promise to purge government diversity initiatives could be wide-ranging, and hard to pull off

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the two billionaires tasked with slashing government waste, are expected to recommend an agency-wide purge of spending on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, three sources familiar with their plans tell CNN.

by: NBC News

Trump calls for abolishing the debt ceiling

In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said getting rid of the debt ceiling entirely would be the "smartest thing it [Congress] could do. I would support that entirely."

by: Detroit News

UK considers Musk-proofing donation rules amid Farage talks

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government is talking to Britain's election watchdog about tougher rules on political donations, amid fears that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage may secure funding from Elon Musk.

by: FOX59 News

Congress agrees to fully fund Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild in plan to avert government shutdown

Congressional leaders struck a deal to avert a government shutdown that includes a provision to cover the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

by: RealClearPolitics

Rep. Casar: We're Seeing The Chaos And Billionaire Corruption Of The Trump Era, Elon Musk Is Cosplaying As Co-President

There are a few weeks left until the Democratic Party faces Republican majorities in Congress. After a decisive loss in the presidential election, Democrats have been at odds over their future and direction during the new Trump era.

by: Austin American-Statesman

When is the government shutdown deadline? What to know as shutdown looms

In the midst of a looming government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump has come out against Congress' plan to fund the government through March. Trump's statement comes after Congressional leaders released the text of a short-term bill to keep the ...

by: Inside Climate News

Social Scientist Dustin Mulvaney Discusses Solar Power, Trump and the Need to Prioritize Environmental Justice

The rapid rise of renewable energy has made aspects of his 2019 book on solar power read like ancient history.

by: NJ.com

GOP senator floats shocking idea for Trump ally Elon Musk

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) floated a surprising new position for tech billionaire Elon Musk after he spearheaded the charge to tank a bipartisan spending deal on Wednesday.

by: RTE Online

Labour withdraws from government formation talks with FF and FG

The Labour Party has decided to end exploratory government formation talks with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. In a statement, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she believed that the policy gap between the parties "is such that it would not be possible to ...

by: BBC

Congress in disarray and shutdown looms as Trump, Musk slam spending deal

The president-elect and Elon Musk rejected the bipartisan spending plan that would prevent a government shutdown.

by: FOX59 News

Trump says Mike Johnson will 'easily remain speaker' if he acts 'decisively and tough' on spending bill

EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will "easily remain speaker" for the next Congress if he "acts decisively and tough" and eliminates "all of the traps being set by Democrats" in the spending package.

by: politicsweb

2024 had both high and low points - COSATU

COSATU celebrated its 39th anniversary on 1 December and marked almost four decades of defending and advancing workers' and working-class communities rights and interests. As the Federation heads towards its 40th anniversary in 2025, it remains determined to wage working class battles and win.

by: Penn Live

A key Trump ally on immigration explains how mass deportations could work

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach expects Trump to take action that will spark a legal challenge over the citizenship status of children born in the U.S. to immigrants living in the country illegally.

by: FOX59 News

What to expect as Republicans try to salvage spending package, avoid government shutdown

Republicans in the House are not willing to raise the debt ceiling and Democrats claim Republicans have reneged on their deal. Now, chances of a government shutdown are high.

by: ABC

Government funding plan collapses after threats from Trump and Musk as shutdown looms

With a shutdown looming by the end of the week, Republicans face pressure from Trump and his ally Elon Musk to drop the funding bill they negotiated with Democrats.

by: deseret

Election confidence flip-flop: Poll shows trust in state election officials increase among Utah GOP

A new Deseret News/Hinckley of Institute Politics poll found 9 of 10 Utah Republicans trust state election officials compared to 7 of 10 Utah Democrats

by: Florida Politics

Fiona McFarland wants politics out of child welfare and transparency introduced to AI

Rep. Fiona McFarland wants proper funding around child protection and an easier ability to identify artificial intelligence-created content. As she starts a third term in the House, the Sarasota Republican will tackle those topics and improvements to transportation policy.

by: CNN

GOP scraps government funding bill after Trump demands changes

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed Wednesday that the current government funding plan that was negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson is officially scrapped after President-elect Donald Trump came out against it.

by: Florida Politics

Personnel note: Nikki Whiting to lead government relations for Miami Dade College

Nikki Whiting's workload at her alma mater just got heavier. Miami Dade College (MDC) just promoted Whiting to Assistant Vice President of Communications and External Affairs, a role in which she'll oversee all the institution's government relations.

by: The New York Times

Here Are 4 Reasons China Meddles in Local U.S. Politics

American intelligence agencies have warned of influence operations targeting city halls and statehouses. But what's in it for Beijing?

by: Lincolnshire Live

RAF Scampton, elections and farming: Why 2024 was a year of change in Lincolnshire

As the year came to an end, eyes turned towards the big political event of 2025 - the election of the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. Years of negotiations finally led to approval for a devolution deal that would move powers from Whitehall to Lincolnshire, along with £24m per year.

by: The New York Times

Chaos Consumes Drive to Avoid Government Shutdown, With 2 Days to Go

By Chris Cameron Reporting from Washington President-elect Donald J. Trump denounced a bipartisan spending deal that would fund the government until mid-March, telling Republican lawmakers that it would be "suicidal" to vote for it. His intervention ...

by: Daily Record

Deal struck to save shipbuilder Harland and Wolff which has two Scottish yards

The Belfast-based company - which has yards at Methil in Fife and Arnish on the Isle of Lewis - was placed into administration in September for the second time in five years.

by: FOX59 News

Oklahoma lawmakers on board with abolishing the Department of Education

The Oklahoma delegation is all in on abolishing the Department of Education after President-elect Donald Trump floated the idea. However, one of them doubts he'll get the Senate votes.

by: The Daily Signal

Here's How Trump Can Make America Beautiful Again

This week on The Signal Sitdown, National Civic Art Society president Justin Shubow explains how Trump can make America beautiful again.

by: MSN

Congress claims Centre asked X to remove Amit Shah's video from their platform as it violates Indian laws

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Thursday alleged that social media platform 'X' has told them through an e-mail that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the IT Ministry has asked them to remove the video of Amit Shah as it violates Indian Laws.

by: The Daily Mirror

'Women hit by state pension age rise had right to expect better from this government'

Millions of women had the right to expect things would change under a Labour government but now Keir Starmer is ignoring their plight claiming the cost is unaffordable

by: RTE Online

Trump opposes deal to avert government shutdown

US President-elect Donald Trump has urged Republican politicians to scupper a cross-party deal to avert a fast-looming US government shutdown.

by: The Hindu

Elon Musk's possible meddling in U.K. politics stirs concern

Elon Musk's involvement in U.K. politics raises concerns, with fears of influencing ties with Washington and party donations.

by: Sky News Australia

NSW government to begin pill testing at music festivals from early 2025 as contents of illicit drugs become more unpredictable

The New South Wales government has agreed to a 12-month trial of pill testing at music festivals in a bid to "reduce harm and save lives" of young people.

by: The West Australian

The Mocker's 2025 predictions: Peter FitzSimons, Tony Armstrong and PM Peter Dutton

Albo gives the Solomon Islands an NRL team, Wayne Swan appoints Tim Pallas as Cbus exec and Tony Burke publishes an biography titled: 'Australia's First Palestinian MP'.

by: MSN

Tech giants, Wall Street, and corporate elite are pouring millions into Donald Trump's inauguration

The president-elect's inaugural fund donors range from CEOs like Sam Altman and Ken Griffin, to Meta, Amazon, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.

by: MSN

New Electricity Act from January and loadshedding predictions

There are two new updates regarding electricity supply in South Africa, both of them said to come into effect from January 2025.

by: MSN

Grassley comments on Hegseth nomination, says he and Ernst have a duty to vet candidates

Iowa spoke about Trump's Dept. of Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth during his weekly call on Wednesday.Hegseth has been fa

by: MSN

As shutdown looms, government funding plan in jeopardy after Trump demands

With a shutdown looming by the end of the week, Republicans face pressure from Trump and his ally Elon Musk to drop the funding bill they negotiated with Democrats.

by: CNN

Trump slams government funding bill, undermining efforts to avoid shutdown

President-elect Donald Trump received enough electoral votes to officially clinch the presidency, as lawmakers unveiled a stopgap spending bill to prevent a shutdown. Follow the latest updates.

by: MSN

Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington

Welcome to the new Washington of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The president-elect and the world's richest man combined Wednesday to smash a short-term spending compromise orchestrated by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to keep the government open until early in Trump's new term.

by: The Boston Globe

Trump brings chaos back to Washington by attempting to kill bipartisan budget deal with Musk's help

Billionaire Elon Musk joined calls by Trump to kill a bipartisan spending bill that would avoid a Christmastime government shutdown.
Wed, December 18, 2024

by: The New York Times

Trump Denounces Spending Deal as Shutdown Looms

President-elect Donald J. Trump tapped Herschel Walker on Tuesday to be the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. Mr. Walker is a longtime Trump ally and former football star who generated national headlines in his failed run for a Senate seat in Georgia in 2022. Read more ›

by: MSN

Failed bill included disaster relief and other key funding measures

The bill was laden with dozens of add-ons making it resemble the massive end-of-year spending packages that GOP leaders have vowed to avoid. House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the measure's release on Tuesday that it was originally intended to be "a very simple,

by: Sydney Morning Herald

Albanese has taken hits but isn't a terrible PM. Cut him some slack

Despite the media pile-on, it has not been a terrible first-term government. The Labor leader brings substance to the job and is moving Australia forward after years of inaction.

by: MSN

Report ranks countries where religion faces highest government and social persecution

The Pew Research Center's annual report on government restrictions on religion highlights that governmental attacks on religion and social hostility toward religion usually 'go hand in hand.'

by: Sky News Australia

There is a 'significant increase' in government expenditure

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox says there is a "significant increase" in government expenditure. This comes after Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) for 2024-25.

by: Fox Business

LARRY KUDLOW: There is no growth strategy right now in the political system

FOX Business host Larry Kudlow says it is no wonder why "stocks are falling day after day" as he analyzes the state of the American economy on "Kudlow."

by: MSN

U.S. Congress unveils bill to avoid government shutdown

A vote from Congress could come soon on a budget bill to keep the government funded through the holidays and the next few months.

Justice Secretary and family member 'driven to Old Firm in Government car'

Justice Secretary Angela Constance travelled with a close family member in a ministerial car to the Old Firm league cup final on Sunday.

The article from MSN discusses a controversy involving Justice Secretary Angela Constance, who was driven to an Old Firm football match in a government car. The vehicle, a black Jaguar, was used to transport her and a family member to the Rangers vs. Celtic game at Ibrox Stadium. This action has raised questions about the appropriate use of government resources, especially given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The Scottish Government has stated that the use of the car was in line with the ministerial code, which allows for such transport when ministers are on official business. However, opposition parties have criticized the move, highlighting the perceived extravagance and questioning the necessity of using taxpayer-funded resources for personal or leisure activities. The incident has sparked a debate on the transparency and accountability of government officials' use of public assets.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/politics/government/justice-secretary-and-family-member-driven-to-old-firm-in-government-car/ar-AA1w9mT4