Timing up in the air for Congress to vote on spending bill as government shutdown looms
GOP lawmakers indicated that the House could vote on another CR proposal Friday to avert the looming partial government shutdown, but the timing still remains unclear. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaking to reporters outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, said that lawmakers are “very close to a deal” and suggested that a vote could be held that morning. “I do not believe the government is going to be shutting down. You guys will see some great stuff, very similar to President Trump’s plan yesterday,” the congresswoman said. Luna added that “there will be no deals with the Democrats.” TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS However, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters that was not certain a vote would come as early as Friday morning. CAPITOL HILL BRACES FOR HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER $36T US DEBT CRISIS “I don’t have any reason to believe there will be a vote at 10 o’clock,” Johnson said. “I know some people would like to get something on the floor this morning.” Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, leaving a Democratic caucus meeting on Friday, also told reporters that Democrats had no update on the timing for a potential vote. Democratic members told reporters that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was in talks with Johnson to try and reach a deal ahead of the partial government shutdown deadline, but suggested that the GOP put the original bipartisan deal on the floor. House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a partial government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital. Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital late Frisy morning that House Republican negotiators had tentatively reached an agreement that would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers – but under three separate bills. The speaker originally put forward a 1,547-page bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14, but the proposal crumbled after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the spending bill. A new proposal, backed by Trump, was hastily negotiated on Thursday, but failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night. The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass, but failed to even net a majority, with two Democrats voting with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill, and 38 GOP lawmakers against. The national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.
House vote on ‘very similar’ spending bill expected Friday morning, GOP lawmaker says
The House is planning to vote on another CR proposal Friday morning to avert the looming partial government shutdown, a GOP lawmaker told reporters on Capitol Hill. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaking to reporters outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, said that lawmakers are “very close to a deal” and suggested that a vote could be held at 10 a.m. on Friday. “I do not believe the government is going to be shutting down. You guys will see some great stuff, very similar to President Trump’s plan yesterday,” the congresswoman said. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS Luna also added that “there will be no deals with the Democrats.” CAPITOL HILL BRACES FOR HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER $36T US DEBT CRISIS However, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters that he is not certain a vote will come as early as Friday morning. “I don’t have any reason to believe there will be a vote at 10 o’clock,” Johnson said. “I know some people would like to get something not on the floor this morning.” Legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown that was backed by Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night. The proposal was hastily negotiated on Thursday after the initial 1,547-page bipartisan deal crumbled after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the spending bill that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14. The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass but failed to even net a majority, with two Democrats voting with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill and 38 GOP lawmakers against. The national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.
Mike Lee predicts demise of Johnson speakership, calls for ‘DOGE speaker’
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not retain the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role. “I don’t think the speaker is going to remain in power,” Lee predicted during a Thursday night appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” The senator went on to say if he is correct, the next speaker should be a “DOGE speaker,” a reference to the Department of Governmental Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the effort to advocate for reduced government spending. “Vivek, Elon if you’re watching, please sign up, America needs you,” Lee said. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE In a Thursday morning post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had floated the idea of Musk for House speaker. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds),” Paul posted Thursday morning. This week, with the prospect of a potential partial government shutdown looming, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure advocated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in, declaring in a statement, “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.” Before a vote on Thursday, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with a much lower page count, Trump lambasted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming that the lawmaker was “getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.” “Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again,” Trump asserted in a Truth Social post. TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star State lawmaker. “There is not a more faithful advocate of conservative policy, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX,” Lee declared in a post on X. “President Trump will not have a more principled, hardworking ally than @ChipRoyTX,” he added. “If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person.” Roy delivered a fiery speech ahead of the vote on Thursday, in which he blasted the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans supporting it. “Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects,” Roy noted, adding that to “congratulate yourself because it’s shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine.” Roy said he was “sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity” to suggest the proposal was “fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous,” he asserted. Sen. Paul, R-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy’s speech, and commented, “We are either fiscally conservative or not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected.” MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON RETAINING SPEAKER’S GAVEL: ‘HE DOES NOT HAVE MY VOTE’ In a post on X, Roy noted, “Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform.” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passing the spending proposal on Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on a catchall measure, there should be multiple measures that receive individual votes. “This isn’t complicated. Separate the bills and vote on them individually. one vote on the clean CR one vote on the debt limit one vote on disaster relief one vote on farm bailouts Radical right? Individual bills for each issue,” he posted. Lee agreed with him. “Separate the bills,” he wrote. “Vote on them individually,” he added. “Revolutionary!”
Noem boasts outpouring of police, border union support for DHS chief: Current leaders ‘betrayed us’
Law enforcement organizations and unions nationwide are throwing their support behind Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security chief, citing her as the “best leader to restore justice” and tackle immigration woes left over from the Biden administration. “We respectfully urge you and your colleagues in the Senate to confirm Governor Noem without delay. The border security crisis demands immediate attention, and the confirmation of Governor Noem is a critical step in addressing this urgent issue,” International Union of Police Associations Local 6020, Broward Deputy Sheriffs Association, President Donald Prichard wrote in one of the endorsement letters to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., earlier this month. At least eight police groups or unions have issued letters to Paul, calling on the upcoming chairman of the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to swiftly confirm Noem to combat the immigration crisis along the southern border, as well as stem the flow of deadly narcotics coming across the border and crack down on crime. Trump announced Noem as his pick for DHS chief shortly after his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris in November. The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ‘KNOWS HOW TO GET THINGS DONE’: BORDER PATROL UNION RALLIES AROUND NOEM AS DHS CHIEF Law enforcement groups that have endorsed Noem include: the National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the U.S.; the National Association of Police Organizations; the International Union of Police Associations; the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association; International Union of Police Associations Local 6020; the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; the Police Officers Association of Michigan; and the National Border Patrol Council. ‘SECURE OUR BORDER’: MASSIVE POLICE ORG CALLS FOR SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF NOEM TO DHS The Police Officers Association of Michigan – the Great Lakes State’s largest law enforcement group – endorsed Noem in a letter to Paul this month, lamenting that, under the Biden administration, police have faced a more difficult job as illegal immigration moved north and rocked the state. “We represented our members as they reported for work every day while others remained home during COVID and as groups of rioters attacked our members with a variety of weapons,” James Tignanelli, the president of the Michigan police group, wrote in a letter to Paul on Dec. 5. “The job has grown even more difficult because the Biden Administration has intentionally failed to enforce our immigration laws. Criminal aliens and deadly fentanyl have crossed our open borders and have increased crime in both rural and urban communities across Michigan. We always had the northern border to patrol. Now, the open border across the south has consumed Michigan as well. The current leadership of the Department of Homeland Security has betrayed us. Claims of ‘the border is secure’ were and are absurd,” he continued. The National Border Patrol Council, a union representing about 18,000 Border Patrol agents, called on Paul and his Senate colleagues to “quickly” consider Noem’s confirmation. TRUMP SELECTS SOUTH DAKOTA GOV KRISTI NOEM TO RUN DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY “On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) who protect our nation’s borders, we are excited to provide our support for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, Governor Kristi Noem, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez wrote in a letter this month. The union said Noem has already established her ability to “get things done” both at home in South Dakota, and on the national stage when she aided Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” to battle the immigration crisis. ”Governor Noem was the first governor to deploy National Guard personnel to the border in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. This deployment bolstered our resources at a critical time along the border and helped to protect Texans and Americans alike.” GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ Noem has repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings as part of Operation Lone Star. “The border is a war zone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said in a press release in February, which marked the fifth deployment of National Guard troops to the border under the Biden administration. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.” Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes wrote in his letter to Paul that his organization also looks “forward to working with [Noem] to secure our border.” “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employs more law enforcement than any other Federal department, and as such we ask the Committee to expeditiously review and confirm nominees as soon as possible to ensure a seamless transition. We especially encourage the committee to hold the earliest possible hearing on Governor Kristi L. Noem to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The FOP supports her nomination, and we look forward to working with her to secure our border,” Yoes wrote. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS Trump, who ran on a pledge to end the immigration crisis at the southern border and crack down on the deadly drug epidemic ravaging communities across the nation, announced his nomination of Noem just days after winning the election. “Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York arrested a Mexican-born illegal immigrant who sexually abused a child after being removed from the country five times. According to ICE, the criminal immigrant, 36-year-old Raymond Rojas Basilio, sexually abused an 11-year-old child in the U.S. Rojas committed this crime after being removed from the country five times and then re-entering once again on an unknown date and at an unknown location, without admission by an immigration official. The New York Police Department arrested Rojas on Aug. 28, 2023. He was then convicted of forcible touching of the intimate parts of an 11-year-old victim by the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him to 60 days of incarceration and six years’ probation and required him to register as a sex offender. DRUNK IMMIGRANT KILLED 7 YEAR OLD MONTHS AFTER HE WAS RELEASED FROM ICE DETAINER New York ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents then arrested Rojas outside his residence in Queens on Dec. 17. U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. near Douglas, Arizona, in May 2002. Border protection officials then arrested Rojas again on Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he attempted to enter the country using a fake Arizona Driver’s License and U.S. birth certificate. Just days later, on Jan. 11, border authorities again removed Rojas after he attempted to enter the country using fraudulent documents at another port of entry in Nogales. New York ICE Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo commented on the arrest, saying: “This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation’s laws, as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States.” ICE NABS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ALASKA, WASHINGTON STATE, OREGON, TEXAS WITH CONVICTIONS FOR CHILD EXPLOITATION “As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community,” he continued. He said that local “non-cooperation policies” in place had prevented ICE from taking immediate custody of Rojas following his sentencing by the Brooklyn court. “However, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers,” said Genalo. According to the statement, Rojas is currently in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico.
Cartels turn to social media to lure Americans into human smuggling as Texas enforces stricter laws
Thousands of people have been arrested under Texas’ human smuggling law. Now they face at least a decade in prison under sentencing guidelines that took effect this year.
Texas House panel may never hear Robert Roberson’s testimony after new legal move
Attorney General Ken Paxton sought to delay legal proceedings until Jan. 13 — the day before the committee disbands — even as lawmakers vowed to continue fighting to hear from Roberson.
A ‘miracle’: Pakistani survivor of a deadly Mediterranean sea crossing
Islamabad, Pakistan – When Hassan Ali fell into the icy waters of the Mediterranean Sea, he thought of his two children – of their smiles, their hugs and his hopes for their future. Then he remembered the others from his small village in Pakistan’s Punjab province who had dreamed of making it to Europe and wondered if they, too, had spent their last moments in the pitch-black sea, thinking of home and the people they had left behind. “I’d heard about so many others,” says Hassan, speaking on a borrowed phone from Malakasa, a refugee camp near Athens. Unable to swim, he says he felt certain that he would drown. Then, he felt the rope – thrown from a merchant navy ship. “I held onto it with my life,” he says. Hassan was the first person pulled on board in the early hours of Saturday, December 14, near the Greek island of Crete. Many others would follow during the two-day rescue operation that involved nine vessels, including the Greek coastguard as well as merchant navy ships and helicopters. Advertisement But not everyone made it. Greek authorities confirmed at least five deaths and more than 200 survivors, following four separate rescue operations by the coastguard over the weekend, though the total number of missing people remains unclear. Three boats carrying migrants capsized between December 14 and 15, near the island of Gavdos, which is further south of Crete, and another boat capsized near the Peloponnese peninsula. Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed that the bodies of five Pakistani nationals were recovered, while at least 47 Pakistanis were rescued. The Pakistani embassy in Athens said that at least 35 Pakistani nationals remain missing. A view shows a capsized migrant boat off the island of Gavdos, Greece, on December 14, 2024 [Handout/Hellenic Navy via Reuters] ‘To live with dignity’ Hassan’s journey had started about three and a half months earlier when the 23-year-old left his wife and two toddler sons in their village near the major industrial city of Gujrat. The third of five siblings, he worked on construction sites as a steel fixer, earning 42,000 rupees ($150) per month, if he worked 10 to 12 hour days, seven days per week. But no matter how hard or long he worked, he struggled to stay afloat as prices kept rising. “My electricity bill would be anywhere between 15,000 ($54) and 18,000 rupees ($64) [per month],” he explains. “And groceries would cost nearly the same for my family, including my parents and two younger siblings.” Hassan often had to take small loans at the end of the month just to make ends meet and he always worried about what would happen if there was some kind of emergency, like an illness in the family. Advertisement “In Pakistan, it’s impossible to live with dignity on such earnings,” he says. It drove him to take desperate measures. “Nobody willingly risks their life like this,” he explains. Hassan first spoke to his wife, mother and older brother to suggest that he follow others in their village and attempt to reach Europe. His family agreed and decided to sell a small plot of land, along with Hassan’s mother’s jewellery, to help fund the journey. They raised nearly two million rupees ($7,100) to pay an “agent” who promised safe passage to Europe. The family had heard of people who left but never made it, but also of those who had safely reached Italy within just a few days of leaving Pakistan. Hassan felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement. Just a few weeks later, he said goodbye to his family and boarded a flight from Sialkot to Saudi Arabia. He spent two days there before flying to Dubai. From Dubai, he flew to Egypt and from there, he took his final flight to Benghazi in Libya. ‘Beaten ruthlessly’ In Libya, Hassan was told that he would be put on a boat that would take him to Italy, but instead, he was taken to a warehouse where more than 100 men were confined to a 6-metre x 6-metre (20-foot x 20-foot) room. Most of the men were from Pakistan. Many had been there for months. The smugglers took Hassan’s phone, passport and backpack with a few items of clothing inside, and the 50,000 rupees ($180) he carried with him. Hassan says guards from Libya and Sudan watched them at all times and warned them not to make any noise. Advertisement “We received a piece of bread daily,” he explains, adding: “The guards allowed us one five-minute bathroom break a day.” He describes how anyone who complained about the lack of food or asked to use the toilet or shower was beaten with steel rods and PVC pipes. “All we were able to do was to look at each other or whisper with each other a little. Anybody making a little bit of noise, the guards would pounce and just beat them ruthlessly,” he says. Sometimes, the men would beg to be sent back home. But that, too, would be met with violence. Then, at the beginning of December, the guards told the men that bad weather meant that instead of being sent to Italy, they would be heading for Greece. They were given 30 minutes to prepare to leave the room where they had been held for months. Their phones and passports were returned to them. Pakistani authorities say at least 47 nationals were rescued whereas at least four were identified among the dead [Handout/Hellenic Navy via Reuters] ‘Everyone began praying’ Hassan, who had never seen the sea before, was terrified. “I begged to be sent back to Pakistan, but they told us, ‘There is no going back. Either go forward or die’,” he says. More than 80 men were crammed on board a rickety wooden boat designed to carry no more than 40 passengers, Hassan explains. The sea was treacherous. Hassan describes how “stormy winds and huge waves” left the men “soaked and terrified”. “The engines broke down and everyone
Sri Lanka Navy rescues over 100 Rohingya adrift in the Indian Ocean
The 102 refugees, including 25 children, were taken to Sri Lanka’s eastern port of Trincomalee. More than 100 Rohingya refugees from war-torn Myanmar have been rescued while adrift on a fishing trawler off the Indian Ocean island nation by Sri Lanka’s navy, bringing them safely to port. The 102 people, including 25 children, were taken to Sri Lanka’s eastern port of Trincomalee, a navy spokesman said on Friday. “Medical checks have to be done before they are allowed to disembark,” the spokesman said. The Muslim-majority ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long sea journeys, the majority heading southeast to Malaysia or Indonesia. But fisherman spotted the drifting trawler off Sri Lanka’s northern coast at Mullivaikkal at dawn on Thursday. The navy spokesman said on Friday that language difficulties had made it hard to understand where the refugees had been headed, suggesting that “recent cyclonic weather” may have pushed them off course. While unusual, it is not the first boat to head to Sri Lanka, which is about 1,750km (1,100 miles) across open seas southwest of Myanmar. Advertisement In October, six people died as nearly 100 Rohingya landed by boat in Indonesia’s Aceh province in one of the latest waves of arrivals from Myanmar. The Sri Lankan navy rescued more than 100 Rohingya refugees in distress on a boat off their shores in December 2022. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh during a crackdown by the military that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case. Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup and a grinding civil war since then has forced millions to flee. The Rohingya have borne the brunt of the latest fighting because they have been forcibly drafted into the army despite not being recognised as citizens. Adblock test (Why?)
Malaysia to resume search for missing Malaysian Airlines MH370
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Malaysia’s government has agreed in principle to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, more than 10 years after it disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries, the country’s transport minister announced. Anthony Loke said on Friday that the proposal to search a new area in the southern Indian Ocean came from United States-based exploration company Ocean Infinity, which had also conducted the most recent search for the plane that ended in 2018. “The proposal for a search operation by Ocean Infinity is a solid one and deserves to be considered,” Loke told reporters. “Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin. We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families.” Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Loke said Ocean Infinity would receive $70m if the wreckage found is substantive. Advertisement Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course. Investigators previously found that less than an hour into the overnight flight, its communications systems were turned off. Military radar then revealed the aircraft had turned back across Malaysia, skirted the island of Penang, and headed towards the northern tip of Sumatra. Some 26 countries joined the search and rescue mission that followed the disappearance, but could find nothing. Weeks later, the Malaysian government announced MH370 had flown until it ran out of fuel, ending its journey thousands of kilometres from Beijing in the depths of the southern Indian Ocean. Debris, some confirmed and believed to be from the aircraft, has washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean. Relatives had been demanding compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and the Allianz insurance group, among others. Malaysia engaged Ocean Infinity in 2018 to search in the southern Indian Ocean, offering to pay up to $70m if it found the plane, but it failed on two attempts. That followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia and China, which had 150 nationals on the flight, in a 120,000sq km (46,332sq mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean, based on data on automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane. Adblock test (Why?)