Scott Turner says HUD is failing its mission and outlines plan for more housing
Picked to lead HUD, the former Texas House member tells senators there is a housing crisis. Democrats question whether any plans will succeed without more spending.
President-elect Trump taps slew of administration picks days before inauguration
President-elect Trump on Thursday announced multiple nominations just days before his inauguration on Jan. 20. In a series of posts on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon, Trump congratulated his picks. Nominees include a former test engineer of missile defense systems for secretary of the Air Force, as well as a trade partnership CEO for secretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs. TRUMP NAMES LATEST WHITE HOUSE STAFF PICKS AS JAN. 20 INAUGURATION APPROACHES Trump selected Chris Stallings to be assistant administrator for disaster recovery and resilience of the Small Business Administration. Stallings currently serves as the director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and will work closely with Kelly Loeffler, the incoming small business administrator. “[Stallings and Loeffler will] make sure that when disasters happen, our Government responds quickly and capably to protect our Small Businesses, which are the backbone of our Economy,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump tapped Luke Lindberg as U.S. undersecretary for trade and foreign agriculture affairs at the Department of Agriculture. During Trump’s first term, Lindberg served as chief of staff and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank, where he earned the Distinguished Service Award. He is currently the president and CEO of South Dakota Trade and a member of the board of directors of the National Association of District Export Councils. JEAN-PIERRE BRISTLES WHEN PRESSED ON PAST ‘DEMOCRACY’ WARNINGS: ‘DO NOT APPRECIATE HAVING MY WORDS TWISTED’ South Dakota Trade is a 501(c)(6) public-private partnership that navigates international trade for the state, according to the organization’s website. Lindberg has been featured on Fox News and other outlets for his “Thought Leadership” on international affairs and agricultural policy. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Lindberg would make sure American farmers and ranchers get the “smart” trade deals they deserve. Troy Meink has been picked to serve as secretary of the Air Force. Meink is serving as the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and he began his career as a KC-135 tanker navigator, according to Trump’s post. He later worked as a test engineer for missile defense systems. “Troy will work with our incredible Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to ensure that our Nation’s Air Force is the most effective and deadly force in the World, as we secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations Troy!” Dudley Hoskins was selected as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the Department of Agriculture. He currently holds the title of “counsel” on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and he previously spent four years at the Department of Agriculture during Trump’s first term as the chief of staff for marketing and regulatory programs and senior adviser to the secretary, according to Trump’s post. “[Hoskins] will work with our great Secretary of Agriculture Nominee, Brooke Rollins, to make sure American food is the safest and healthiest in the World,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations Dudley!”
While Trump, Biden claim credit for Israel-Hamas cease-fire, some Republicans call it a ‘bad deal’
While President-elect Trump and President Biden are jockeying for credit for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, some Republicans are wary of the deal and whether it will stick. “There’s no part of me that trusts Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa martyrs Brigade, Fatah or the rank-and-file people that voted for Hamas,” Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the House’s new Foreign Affairs Committee chair, told Fox News Digital. “There’s no part of me that trusts them in any way whatsoever. I do trust there’s a fear of God in them from the fact that President Trump is coming in, Secretary Rubio and Stefanik, others, [and] what’s not going to continue with programs like UNRWA,” he added, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. “I trust that there is a chilling effect, you know, how they see the world going forward. But there’s no part of me that trusts them in any way.” Asked if he was celebrating the deal itself alongside some of his colleagues, Mast said, “I’m skeptical, like anything.” “If it gets Americans home, I’m happy about getting Americans home,” Mast went on. “That’s been a problem for me that, you know, if there’s Americans detained abroad, I would have every expectation that there’s an American coming to get them. And, to me, unfortunately, that hasn’t been the result.” The cease-fire is meant as a way to bring home the remaining hostages taken from Israel and provide a path to peace for the 2 million Palestinians who have been living in a war zone since Hamas’ bloody attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The deal has implications for the U.S.: Seven hostages who remain in Hamas’ clutches are Americans. “Why is lame duck Joe Biden trying to cram down a bad deal on Israel on his way out the door?” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X. “The only ‘deal’ should be unconditional surrender by Hamas—which is already nearly destroyed—and return of ALL hostages. Instead, we hear reports that Biden is demanding that Israel withdraw from key terrain in Gaza, release dozens of hardened terrorists for every one hostage, and get back only SOME hostages?” Sources confirmed Israeli reporting to Fox News Digital that it was Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who traveled to Doha, Qatar and strong-handed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into sitting down to finalize the deal that had evaded the Biden administration’s mediation for the better part of the past year. The first cease-fire in November 2023 lasted only one week, with both sides accusing the other of breaking it. In that time, 105 hostages were released, as were 240 Palestinian prisoners. ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU DELAYS GAZA CEASE-FIRE VOTE, ACCUSING HAMAS OF TRYING TO BACK OUT OF DEAL Trump had promised there would be “hell to pay” if a cease-fire was not reached by the time he took office, which will be on Jan. 20. His surrogates developed close relationships with Arab leaders in swing states like Michigan throughout the campaign, promising Trump would bring peace to the Middle East. ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: ‘AMERICANS WILL BE PART OF THAT’ The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators, with the help of mediation from both the outgoing Biden administration and Witkoff, is set up in three phases. It will see three hostages released on the first day – Sunday – with new hostages released each week. That phase will entail a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi corridor on Egypt’s border and the so-called buffer zone in the Gazan territory bordering Israel. Women, children and men over 50 will be prioritized initially. Over the course of the 42-day first phase, 33 of the remaining Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. That group is likely to include some who have been convicted of murder. On Thursday, Netanyahu delayed ratification of the deal over disagreements about whether he would get a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released. Israel’s Cabinet will now meet Friday to ratify the deal. “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on social media. Biden said from the White House that “my diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.” He added, “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration.”
Trump’s pick as HUD secretary, a former NFL player, says he wants to help Americans get off government aid
Former NFL veteran-turned-Texas state legislator Scott Turner said Thursday during his confirmation hearing to be the next Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary his goal will be to help people get off government assistance and become more self-sustainable. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Turner said, if confirmed, his priorities would be to advance and expand polices heralded by the incoming Trump administration. “This moment is not just about fixing what’s broken, it’s about continuing and expanding the policies from the first Trump administration — policies that worked,” Turner said Thursday. He added that his “goal” as HUD secretary will be “to help people get off government assistance, become self-sustainable and achieve the American dream.” Turner previously served as executive director of the Trump administration’s Opportunity and Revitalization Council that established “Opportunity Zones,” an economic revitalization plan aimed at helping low-income, minority communities, which Turner said he hopes to expand. Turner also said he plans to cut red tape, engage with state, local and private partners to improve the cost of housing and “maximize” HUD’s current budget. ‘CLEAR VISION’: CONSERVATIVES RALLY AROUND HEGSETH AFTER ‘CRUSHING’ FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING “There are many factors to why housing is so expensive now, and I believe first we need to get our own fiscal house in order,” Turner told Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., when she asked Turner if he would support additional federal investment to lower the cost to build more affordable housing. “I do look forward to looking at the HOME Program and other programs, but there’s record funding from HUD. HUD’s budget is nearly $70 billion at this point, and we’re still not meeting the need that we’re supposed to be meeting.” Democrats at the hearing suggested they were concerned that Turner would slash federal funding for certain programs, such as HUD’s Section 8 housing program and the agency’s flagship HOME Investment Partnership Program. When probed about his approach to funding certain programs, Turner told Democrats he would work with them to review their concerns on a case-by-case basis but did not confirm one way or the other whether he would slash funding. “The federal financing is a key part of financing housing, and affordable housing in Nevada,” Sen. Catherine Cortez, D-Nev., said Thursday. “We need to make some big changes,” Warren added. “To really move the needle, the federal government needs to be a good partner, investing in affordable housing and spurring local innovation to cut red tape.” At one point during the hearing, Turner was asked about his support for work requirements for those receiving Section 8 housing assistance, telling committee members he thought it was a good idea. When Turner tried to explain his reasoning, he was cut off by the senator questioning him and unable to respond. In addition to their questions about funding HUD programs, Democrats also questioned Turner over whether he would work to remove alleged racial bias from the housing appraisal industry and whether he intends to go after “price gouging” from real estate investors. Again, Turner did not say “no” but said he would commit to looking into the issue with Democrats and make a determination from there. However, Turner did rail against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements at HUD for housing grant applicants. CONFIRMATION DELAYS STACK UP FOR TRUMP NOMINEE AS PAPERWORK LAGS IN FEDERAL OFFICES “When we grant assistance, obviously there’s accountability, there’s transparency, but to hold anyone hostage because of a politicization of an agency, or a process, is wrong across the board,” Turner said when asked if he would investigate such polices. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chairman of the committee, echoed Turner’s concerns that HUD has failed to live up to its mission and that housing is about more than just putting a roof over someone’s head. “Housing isn’t just about shelter, it’s about opportunity, and it is about stability,” Scott said Thursday. “Despite all the subsidies and all the trillions of dollars [the Biden administration] spent, not much good has happened. But, today, it is a new day in America, and new leadership brings hope and opportunity and enthusiasm back to the American people.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 22 other states sue to halt planned federal methane fines
The rule fines certain oil and gas facilities that exceed federal limits for methane emissions.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Sparring with Bondi
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Biden warns of ‘ultra-wealthy’ ‘oligarchy’ despite accepting donations from Dem mega-donors -‘Worst farewell speech in presidential history’: Biden’s Oval Office goodbye panned as ‘dark’ -Race for DNC chair narrows after longshot candidate drops out, endorses Minnesota’s Ken Martin Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Justice, was involved in a sharp clash with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Wednesday as the California senator quizzed Bondi over whether she would prosecute Trump’s political opponents. Schiff, a vocal critic of the president-elect, asked Bondi about whether she would investigate former Special Counsel Jack Smith and also former Rep. Liz Cheney. “I’m asking you sitting here today whether you are aware of a factual predicate to investigate Liz Cheney,” he said….Read more FAILURE TO LAUNCH: Comer calls out Biden’s ‘failure’ to get fed employees to return to the office, vows to get it done…Read more ‘DISGRACEFUL’: Lame duck Biden’s DOJ gives brutal gang leader sweetheart plea deal in murder spree that killed 7…Read more ‘RINGS HOLLOW’: Biden ripped for warning of oligarchy ‘taking shape’ in US despite deep ties to billionaires…Read more ‘UNNECESSARY BURDENS’: President Biden’s climate standards for walk-in freezers could face reckoning under new GOP resolution…Read more ‘WE’RE CONFIDENT’: Kirby ‘confident’ Americans in Gaza will be freed Sunday amid reports of Israel, Hamas deal holdup…Read more DEAL IN JEOPARDY?: Israel’s Netanyahu delays Gaza cease-fire deal, accusing Hamas of trying to back out…Read more YOU’RE NOT HIRED: President-elect describes the type of people he doesn’t want to hire…Read more ‘BACK TO BASICS’: Trump AG pick Pam Bondi would ‘make America safe again’ with firm but fair approach: former colleague…Read more STEADY PRESENCE: AG nominee Bondi seen as steadying force to steer DOJ in Trump’s second term…Read more ON THE GUEST LIST: Trump invites TikTok CEO to inauguration…Read more ‘NO BETTER DEALMAKER’: ‘No better dealmaker’: Trump reportedly considering executive order to ‘save’ TikTok…Read more FOSSIL FUEL ‘ENTHUSIAST’: Trump energy nominee heckled by climate protesters, derided by Dem senator as ‘enthusiast for fossil fuels’…Read more ZELDIN HEARING: Zeldin grilled by Democrats on climate change, Trump’s stance on carbon emissions during EPA hearing…Read more HEIR APPARENT: Vance hosts top-dollar fundraiser ahead of Trump inauguration…Read more ARTWORK: Trump, Vance official portraits released ahead of inauguration…Read more ‘IDEALOGUES WITH AN AGENDA’: Conservative group reveals how Trump can clean house at Department of Education, lists top bureaucrats to fire…Read more SWAMP SHAKEUP: Trump transition asks 3 State Department officials to resign…Read more CONSPICUOUS ABSENCE: Nancy Pelosi will skip Trump’s inauguration…Read more FAMILY FIGHT: House Freedom Caucus to draw battle lines on reconciliation fight after presenting plan to Trump…Read more JAN 6TH: Jan. 6 committee member says pardons are unnecessary: ‘We didn’t do anything wrong’…Read more CASE DISMISSED?: House Dems push Garland to drop charges, release second part of Jack Smith report…Read more ‘UNFAIR MANDATE’: Service members who refused the COVID ‘jab’ would get their jobs back and back pay, too, under new GOP bill…Read more DESANTIS APPOINTS STATE AG: Who is Ashley Moody?: The Senate’s newest member from Florida…Read more REDIRECTING FUNDS: House Republican introduces bill to redirect funds from the IRS to hire more southern border agents…Read more U-TURN: Dem Massachusetts governor now wants to limit illegals in crime-ridden migrant shelters…Read more TUNNEL VISION: Feds shut down cross-border tunnel used by Mexican cartels for smuggling into US…Read more LONE WOLF: Gov. Newsom joins handful of GOP governors raising flags to full height for Trump inauguration…Read more BORDER SECURITY: 145 House Dems vote against bill to deport migrants who commit sexual assault…Read more WILD WEST: Los Angeles wildfires: Armed homeowners patrol for looters inside evacuation zone…Read more NEARLY 50,000: Red state illegal immigration crackdown produces nearly 50,000 criminal arrests…Read more ‘DESPICABLE’: Newsom calls for looting to be a felony in evacuation zones amid LA inferno…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com
State senator pushed to the ground, arrested while trying to enter Georgia House chamber
A Georgia state senator and hardline supporter of President-elect Trump was pushed to the floor and arrested while trying to enter the state House chamber on Thursday. State Sen. Colton Moore, who last year tried to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for indicting Trump, tried to enter the House floor to attend Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State Address — but was ultimately led away in handcuffs. Moore is currently banned from entering the chamber after he blasted the state Senate’s decision last year to consider a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia after the now-deceased former speaker David Ralston. GEORGIA LAWMAKER SAYS WHISTLEBLOWER ALERTED HIM OF SECRET MIGRANT ROOM AT AIRPORT “This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime,” Moore exclaimed at the time. On Wednesday, Moore wrote to current House Speaker Jon Burns outlining why he thought the ban was unconstitutional and said he intended to be at today’s joint session. “I will NEVER back down,” Moore wrote on X, sharing the letter he penned to Burns. “I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator.” But when he tried to enter the chamber on Thursday, he was met by a wall of resistance and pushed back by attending doormen. Moore told state troopers in attendance that he had a constitutional right to enter and that a doorman should be arrested for breaking the law. “This is a joint session of the General Assembly. Your House rules do not apply,” Moore told the men. “I’m going into the chamber.” Unable to get in, Moore asked a state trooper whether he was stopping him from entering. The trooper appeared to say that the doormen were responsible for who entered. A scuffle ensued, with video showing Moore appearing to be pushed to the floor by one of the doormen. He was then surrounded by state troopers and subsequently arrested. TRUMP CHEERS DISQUALIFICATION OF ‘CORRUPT’ FANI WILLIS, SAYS CASE IS ‘ENTIRELY DEAD’ Fox News Digital reached out to Georgia state police, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office and the state speaker about the scuffle but did not receive a response in time for publication. Moore said that the state was “ruled by authoritarians” on his way out and that the ban was censorship of his voice as an elected official. Georgia Republican chairman Josh McKoon said that he was “deeply disappointed” that Moore had been denied admission to the chamber and “shocked” that he had been taken into custody. “It was not only legally appropriate to admit him to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do,” McKoon wrote in a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta. “Our focus should be on the excellent agenda being outlined by Governor Kemp today to continue to make Georgia the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family — not internal conflicts.” In 2023, Georgia’s Republican Senate Caucus suspended Moore for attacking them for opposing his plan to impeach Willis for indicting Trump in an election interference case. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Georgia RINOs responded to my call to fight back against the Trump witch hunts by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus,” Moore wrote on X at the time. “But I’m not going anywhere.” Moore was the most prominent backer of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, winning Trump’s endorsement. Kemp denounced the call as “some grifter scam” to raise campaign contributions for Moore. The Willis case eventually unraveled, due in part to her having a romantic relationship with a prosecutor she had hired. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ICE says it will needs massive funding hike, tens of thousands more beds to implement Laken Riley Act
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is telling lawmakers that the Laken Riley Act, an anti-illegal immigration bill expected to hit President-elect Trump’s desk in the coming weeks, will cost an additional $3 billion due to the agency needing an additional 60,000 detention beds. ICE responded to questions by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., on the impact of the Laken Riley Act. The bill passed the House this month and looks likely to pass the Senate. It requires DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft-related crimes. It also allows for states to sue DHS for alleged failures in enforcing immigration law. The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela last year. It has picked up the support of Republicans as well as a number of Democrats. BIDEN DHS EXEMPTED THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANTS FROM TERROR-RELATED ENTRY RESTRICTIONS IN FY 2024 In the letter, obtained by Fox, ICE says it has identified tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who would meet the criteria for arrest both on its detained docket and non-detained docket. It said that its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) has estimated that the number of illegal immigrants on its national docket who meet the criteria would be over 60,000. The letter was first reported by Politico. “Since the Laken Riley Act requires ERO to immediately detain those noncitizens, ERO would then require, at minimum, 64,000 additional detention beds; however this does not account for other immigration enforcement mandates that may place a need for increased detention capacity.” SENATE DEMS TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO ADVANCE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BILL NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY ICE estimates that increasing that capacity would require a funding increase of approximately $3.2 billion. Additionally, it estimates that it will need 10 new Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCAT) and a HQ law enforcement officer across eight field offices, requiring an additional nearly $15 million along with associated equipment. Notably, ERO says it currently possesses the authority to fulfill the requirements of the Act and would require no additional authorities. The agency warned that it may have to release tens of thousands of illegal immigrants if it does not get the additional bedspace. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “…[I]f supplemental funding is not received and ICE remains at its current bed capacity, the agency would not have the detention capacity to accommodate the immediate arrest and detention of noncitizens convicted or charged with property crimes,” it says. “ERO anticipates that tens of thousands of noncitizens would need to be released by the end of the fiscal year, resulting in the potential release of public safety threats.” As challenges to implementation, it cites the challenges of having ICE officers, and also the challenges of sanctuary cities: “A complicating factor is a lack of cooperation from ICE’s state and local law enforcement partners.” This is not the first alarm that ICE has sounded about its funding levels, noting in its FY 24 report that it is already underfunded with its existing responsibilities. “Throughout the year, the agency was called on to do more without commensurate funding, working within the confines of strained resources and competing priorities while steadfastly supporting the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies in their efforts to secure the border,” the agency said. President-elect Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation, in which ICE would be the operative agency. In Congress, Republicans are preparing to make significant funding changes via the budget reconciliation process. Border security and interior enforcement would likely be top priorities for Republicans, given the issues’ prominence in the 2024 election.
Biden’s Meta ‘censorship’ revelations ‘vindicated’ Alito dissent in RFK Jr case
The announcement by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Facebook and Instagram would end their work with third-party fact-checkers and ease certain content restrictions was praised by some conservative activists, who cheered it as a “vindication” for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who dissented from the rest of the court in late 2023 in a case involving content regulation that included a post by the former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The case centered on whether Meta was acting outside its scope when its platform, Facebook, temporarily removed a 30-minute video posted by Kennedy, which included vaccine misinformation and other false claims about COVID-19. The Supreme Court majority declined to take up the case without explanation, but Alito disagreed, writing as the sole dissenter for the court. Alito, a George W. Bush appointee, blasted the video’s removal in a scathing dissent, saying that the platform had censored a type of political speech in its attempts to crack down on misinformation, and could therefore be seen as acting on behalf of the U.S. government and possibly causing what he described as “irreparable” harm. AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI SEEN AS STEADYING FORCE TO STEER DOJ IN TRUMP’S SECOND TERM “Our democratic form of government is undermined if government officials prevent a candidate for high office from communicating with voters, and such efforts are especially dangerous when the officials engaging in such conduct are answerable to a rival candidate,” Alito said in the dissent. “I would allow him to intervene to ensure that we can reach the merits of respondents’ claims and to prevent the irreparable loss of his First Amendment rights,” he added. “Because Mr. Kennedy’s arguments on the merits are essentially the same as respondents’, allowing intervention would not significantly affect petitioners’ burden with regard to that issue,” Alito wrote. “But the denial of intervention is likely to prevent Mr. Kennedy from vindicating the rights he claims until the spring of 2024 and perhaps as late as June of that year. And by that time, several months of the presidential campaign will have passed.” TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK Zuckerberg announced earlier this month that Meta would end its previous content restrictions used on Facebook and Instagram — which were put into place after the 2016 elections — acknowledging in a video posted on social media that they had “gone too far” and allowed for too much political bias from outside fact-checkers. “We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said in the announcement. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech. So we are going to get back to our roots, focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.” Meta will now replace that system with a “Community Notes”-style program, similar to the approach taken by social media platform X, he said. X is owned by Elon Musk, the co-director of the planned Department of Government Efficiency. That news was praised by Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of The Federalist, who noted on X that the decision from Zuckerberg “vindicated” Alito’s dissent. “Kind of crazy how Zuck was like ‘what they did had to be illegal’ but majority on Court was like ‘I mean, who can know?’” Hemingway said of the Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case.
Palestinian doctors hope ceasefire will revive Gaza’s healthcare sector
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine – In the dimly lit corridors of al-Amal Hospital in western Khan Younis, one of the 17 partially operational healthcare facilities in Gaza, a rare sense of hope grips the staff and patients. Mediators have announced a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to end the 15-month war on Gaza, and although the Israeli cabinet has yet to approve the deal, optimism is contagious. For the first time in months, orthopaedic consultant Dr Khaled Ayyad speaks with confidence as he reassures patients of soon receiving the medication and procedures they urgently need and hospitals have been unable to provide due to Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza. “We’ve done the impossible. We’ve had to improvise ways to handle cases so grave in scope and so large in number and for the longest stretch of time to get this far,” Ayyad explains. Along with other medical staff and patients, he was forced by the Israeli army to leave his post at the Palestinian Red Crescent-run al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City a month after the war began on October 7, 2023. The 53-year-old surgeon had since been operating out of al-Amal, relying on what he describes as “minimal capabilities”. Advertisement Throughout Israel’s war on Gaza, “each medical centre or humanitarian delivery system has been or is being destroyed,” according to a January 7 report by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF. Ayyad had to endure two Israeli raids on al-Amal Hospital in February and March and had to navigate displacement in the arid area of al-Mawasi in southwestern Gaza along with his family, including his six children. He says he is lucky to have survived: More than 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed, and many have been detained by Israeli forces. “The number of cases I examined shot up to 70 patients and injured people a day in addition to the hospitalised cases in the departments, which are no less than eight cases,” Ayyad tells Al Jazeera. As he speaks, countless patients and visitors crowd the hospital’s wards as external clinics and corridors overflow with those seeking care. Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis is still partially operational, but its supplies are severely limited [Mohamed Solaimane/Al Jazeera] Patience Ayyad explains how he often resorted to temporary measures to treat fractures until the fixation plates required for operations became available. “Soon they will be,” he says with a big smile, reassuring Hani al-Shaqra, a patient whose collarbone was fractured on Monday in an Israeli attack near the Deir el-Balah home he had sought refuge in. Unable to return Ayyad’s enthusiasm because of his pain, al-Shaqra says he cannot wait for a ceasefire to come into effect so he can undergo the surgery he needs. Advertisement “Amid this genocide, the care I received is to be expected, especially since everyone faces great difficulties in obtaining treatment or even reaching hospitals. I am optimistic … that treatment is possible after the ceasefire,” he says, speaking cautiously, careful not to move his arm or the sling that is helping lift the weight off his shoulder. “I just hope it happens soon before my condition deteriorates,” he adds. Talks to reach a ceasefire and end a war that has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians had faltered repeatedly over the past year until mediators announced on Wednesday that a deal had been reached. The inauguration of Donald Trump as United States president on Monday served as a de facto deadline, and the ceasefire is due to come into effect the day before. With it, larger supplies of much-needed humanitarian aid are to be allowed to enter the enclave after a massive dearth in aid deliveries, which were exacerbated by the May closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, through which most of the supplies came in. ‘A lot more work to be done’ While Ayyad hopes that the influx of humanitarian supplies will lead to some respite for Palestinians in Gaza, he knows he and other medical staff will have a lot of work to do. “Many of the wounded who we sent away with temporary treatment will need to be reoperated on, properly, once supplies are available,” he says. Dr Adnan al-Zatma, a general surgeon working alongside Ayyad, emphasises the enormity of the challenges. Advertisement Putting aside the obvious shortages of medication and supplies, he lists the devastation seen across the hospital: from the X-ray machines and electricity generators destroyed during the Israeli invasion to the burned-down wards, bullet-ridden walls and the bulldozed entrances and roads leading to the hospital. “A ceasefire would be a respite, but it won’t be magical,” al-Zatma says. According to Dr Haidar al-Qudra, executive director of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza, the healthcare sector is operating at less than 10 percent of its pre-war capacity. The condition of the pre-war healthcare system was already below what was needed, according to MSF, because of Israel’s 17-year blockade on Gaza. It is now in shambles. “Tens of thousands of patients have suffered because of the healthcare collapse,” al-Qudra says. “This includes fatalities, disabilities and severe complications for those unable to access proper care during the war,” he adds, highlighting that facilities like al-Amal Hospital and al-Wafaa Hospital were nonoperational for most of the war. “For many patients, rehabilitation was their only path to regaining mobility or basic functions. The loss of these services has been catastrophic,” he says. Major hospitals like al-Quds and al-Shifa were heavily damaged, and facilities like al-Amal Hospital suffered significant infrastructural damage. Despite these challenges, Red Crescent hospitals treated more than 500,000 cases and received an additional 900,000 patients at their primary care centres during the conflict. Al-Amal Hospital alone has been handling 1,500 cases daily alongside two field hospitals and 10 primary care centres in northern Gaza. Advertisement ‘Gradual recovery’ “A ceasefire would bring a gradual recovery of the healthcare system, supported by international aid,” al-Qudra says. “The Red Crescent plans to establish five field