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Political News Compilation - Weekend Updates - Jan. 4 & 5 , 2025
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Higher Social Security payments are coming for millions of people from a bill that Biden is signing
By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Updated 5:28 PM CST, January 5, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday signed into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs.
Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also put strain on Social Security Trust Funds, which face a looming insolvency crisis.
The bill rescinds two provisions the Windfall Elimination Provision
and the Government Pension Offset that limit Social Security benefits for recipients if they get retirement payments from other sources, including public retirement programs from a state or local government.
“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their life to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity — that’s the entire purpose of the Social Security system,” Biden said during a signing ceremony in the White House East Room.
“This is a big deal,” he said. ...
READ THE FULL STORY - AP
Trump invites House Republicans to Mar-a-Lago ahead of inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump is set to host several groups of House GOP lawmakers in Florida next weekend.
www.nbcnews.com
GOP congressional leaders set the stage to move on Trump’s agenda | CNN Politics
Donald Trump and his GOP allies in Congress have recently shared some of the first details of their ambitious agenda — sweeping tax cuts, border security and raising the debt limit — which they hope to muscle through in the first 100 days of the president-elect’s term.
www.cnn.comAs he prepares to leave office, Biden urges incoming Democratic lawmakers to reach across the aisle
The new slate of roughly 30 Democratic lawmakers arrive prepared to be in the minority in the executive and legislative branches.
apnews.com
Thune has privately told Trump that Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed as Defense Secretary, sources say
When asked for comment, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune said "two things we don't discuss publicly: Whip counts and private conversations with the president."
www.cbsnews.com
Trump rounds out White House team with four new picks - Washington Examiner
Trump made four picks for his White House staff on Saturday night, three of whom served in his first administration.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Biden signs Social Security Fairness Act into law
President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law Sunday, marking what is expected to be one of the last major pieces of legislation of his presidency.
Pro-Israel Dem could tip scales in key Senate committee as Middle East war continues
Sen. Jacky Rosen, a new Democrat assigned to a key Senate committee, could bolster support for Israel in the new Congress.
Lawmakers brace for Trump's promised Jan. 6 pardons. Some are urging restraint
More than 1,250 have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials in connection with Jan. 6, with more than 650 receiving prison time ranging from a few days to 22 years.
apnews.com
Hamas says it’s ready to free 34 captives under ceasefire deal, reports say
Israeli and Hamas officials are holding talks in Qatar in renewed push to secure ceasefire deal.
Sen. Adam Schiff says the New Orleans attack shows Kash Patel shouldn’t lead the FBI
Schiff told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that it was an “easy” decision to vote against Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI.
www.nbcnews.com
Russia ‘getting what it deserves,’ Ukraine says, after launching counterattack in border region | CNN
Ukraine has launched a counterattack in the southern Russian border region of Kursk, warning that Russia is “getting what it deserves.”
www.cnn.com
'Is it realistic to deport everybody?' Top Senate Republican on Donald Trump's mass deportation promises
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also said in an interview Sunday that he's willing to stand up to President-elect Donald Trump when they disagree.
www.usatoday.com
Trump appears with Italian Prime Minister Meloni at his Florida club
Meloni follows Argentina President Javier Milei, who became the first world leader to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his Election Day victory in November.
apnews.com
Winter Storm Blair latest: Millions hit by huge winter storm as seven US states declare state of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in seven states, with the storm set to bring the coldest temperatures in over a decade.
www.bbc.com
Ukraine presses attacks in Russia's Kursk region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will urge allies to boost his country's air defenses at a meeting this week in Germany.
apnews.com
Nancy Pelosi says violence of Jan. 6 "didn't end that day"
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, "didn't end that day," accusing president-elect Donald Trump of stoking continued violence in the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol.
www.cbsnews.com
Joe Biden sits down with USA TODAY's Susan Page for exclusive interview about his legacy, 2024 election
Susan Page, USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief, exclusively interviewed outgoing President Joe Biden about his legacy, the 2024 election and more.
www.usatoday.com
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WATCH: Michael Strahan, Will Reeve get ready for Super Bowl LIX
The “GMA” co-anchor and correspondent prepare for the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Continue reading...ICC condemns sanctions by Trump administration and pledges to continue its work
ICC condemns sanctions by Trump administration and pledges to continue its work
Continue reading...Former National Labor Relations Board member fired by Trump speaks out
Washington — Gwynne Wilcox, who is suing President Trump for ousting her from the National Labor Relations Board, said she was "stunned" when she received a letter from the White House late on Jan. 27 firing her.
"I handled cases where workers were fired and retaliated against for their conduct, but I never imagined that I would be the person being fired for doing my job," Wilcox, 71, told CBS News in an interview Thursday.
First appointed to the five-person board by President Joe Biden in 2021, Wilcox was confirmed by the Senate in December to...
Continue reading..."I handled cases where workers were fired and retaliated against for their conduct, but I never imagined that I would be the person being fired for doing my job," Wilcox, 71, told CBS News in an interview Thursday.
First appointed to the five-person board by President Joe Biden in 2021, Wilcox was confirmed by the Senate in December to...
The Hitchhiker's Guide to House Republicans releasing their tax and spending cut plan
House Republican leaders spent nearly five hours at the White House on Thursday – some of it with President Donald Trump – as they tried to finalize the outline of their tax and spending cut package.
The plan is to release a framework with some numbers in the coming days.
Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump
Continue reading...The plan is to release a framework with some numbers in the coming days.
Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump
Plane crashes into bus on busy São Paulo street
Two people were killed in the accident, the Brazilian city's fire department said.
Continue reading...Judge in Boston to consider latest bid to block Trump's birthright citizenship order
A federal judge in Boston on Friday will consider a request from 18 state attorneys general to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally.
The hearing comes after a federal judge in Seattle blocked the order Thursday and decried what he described as the administration’s treatment of the Constitution, saying Trump was trying to change it with an executive order. The Seattle ruling in a lawsuit brought by four states and an immigrant rights group followed one...
Continue reading...The hearing comes after a federal judge in Seattle blocked the order Thursday and decried what he described as the administration’s treatment of the Constitution, saying Trump was trying to change it with an executive order. The Seattle ruling in a lawsuit brought by four states and an immigrant rights group followed one...
MAGA law group files briefs in support of Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship
America First Legal filed two amicus briefs this week in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
The firm filed the briefs on behalf of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and 17 other committee members.
Despite there being nearly two dozen Democrat-run states and civil rights groups suing to stop the order and two federal judges ruling to temporarily block it, America First is arguing that there is a clear constitutional basis for denying...
Continue reading...The firm filed the briefs on behalf of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and 17 other committee members.
Despite there being nearly two dozen Democrat-run states and civil rights groups suing to stop the order and two federal judges ruling to temporarily block it, America First is arguing that there is a clear constitutional basis for denying...
House Democrat leaves congressional DOGE caucus, saying Musk is 'blowing things up'
Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus due to Elon Musk's cost-cutting measures in the executive branch.
Hoyle made the announcement via a statement and said her intentions on the caucus were to serve as a good steward for her constituents' tax dollars and to make the government more streamlined and efficient.
However, she said Musk’s actions, which are separate from the congressional caucus, have made that impossible, and she claimed DOGE’s work is to find...
Continue reading...Hoyle made the announcement via a statement and said her intentions on the caucus were to serve as a good steward for her constituents' tax dollars and to make the government more streamlined and efficient.
However, she said Musk’s actions, which are separate from the congressional caucus, have made that impossible, and she claimed DOGE’s work is to find...
'Staggering' rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti, says UN
Aid organisations say gang control has led to a ten-fold increase in sexual violence towards children.
Continue reading...More than 100 venomous snakes found in Sydney yard
Reptile handlers say they initially found 40 red-bellied black snakes - before some began giving birth.
Continue reading...US job market likely began the year strong, but faces cloudier future
The U.S. labor market probably started 2025 the way it spent most of last year: generating decent, but unspectacular, job growth
Continue reading...USAID could slash staff to hundreds after placing most on leave
But US President Donald Trump's plan to dramatically cut back US foreign aid faces a legal challenge.
Continue reading...China lashes out at US 'coercion' as Panama declines to renew agreement
China on lashed out at what it called U.S. “coercion” after Panama declined to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing following Washington’s threat to take back the Panama Canal
Continue reading...Netanyahu gifts Trump golden pager in nod to Lebanon explosions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted President Donald Trump a golden pager during their meeting at the White House this week.
Continue reading...