Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger discloses “health challenges” after congressional absences
The Fort Worth Republican’s last vote in Congress was in July. She did not seek reelection this year.
Trump reveals the exact time his admin will be ‘fully operational’ in first rally-style speech since election
President-elect Trump estimated the exact time his administration will be “fully operational” on Jan. 20 in his first rally-styled speech since his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month. “You just have a few days to wait. We’re going to be fully operational, I would say, by about 2:00 on the 20th,” Trump said from the AmericaFest stage. Trump took the stage of the Phoenix Convention Center Sunday as part of Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest – a four-day event billed as part of the “biggest conservative movement in the country” – where the president took a victory lap for his electoral win last month, and to also preview his administration in the waning days of the transition period. “The thing that brings people together is victory. It’s winning. And we had that for much of my first year. We had the most – we had the greatest economy in history, in our first term. We can now call it a first term. We had the greatest economy in the history of our country, maybe in the history of any country, frankly. And we had – we did things that nobody could have done. And we’re going to do them even better now. We’re going to be drilling, as we say, ‘drill, baby, drill.’ We’re going to drill, baby drill, but we’re going to be doing a lot more than drilling,” he said of his win and upcoming administration. TRUMP SET TO DELIVER FIRST RALLY-STYLED SPEECH SINCE DECISIVE ELECTION WIN: ‘BIGGEST CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT’ On Saturday evening, Trump issued a message on Truth Social, calling for the U.S. to regain control of the Panama Canal. He elaborated during his speech Sunday that “we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.” “A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. commerce and rapid deployment of the Navy from the Atlantic, all the way to the Pacific. It’s an incredible thing. And drastically cut shipping times down to U.S. ports by days and even weeks. The United States is the number one user of the Panama Canal, with over 72% of all transits heading to or from U.S. ports. Think of that. So we built it. We’re the ones that use it. They gave it away,” he said. The canal had been under American control since its construction was completed, and it began operations in 1914. It was handed over to Panama during President Jimmy Carter’s administration in 1977. Trump also previewed his upcoming administration, saying that in addition to carrying out the “largest deportation operation in American history,” his admin will also roll out an advertising campaign highlighting the evils of drug use, spotlighting fentanyl that flows across the border. “We’re going to do very big advertising campaigns, just like a campaign for running for president. We spend a lot of money, but it’ll be a very small amount of money, relatively. We’re going to advertise how bad drugs are for you, how bad they are. They ruin your look. They ruin your face. They ruin your skin. They ruin your teeth. If you want to have horrible teeth, take a lot of fentanyl. If you want to have skin that looks so terrible, take fentanyl,” he said. Efforts to bolster border security and deport illegal immigrants in the nation, Trump said, will also include efforts to secure the northern border. “Canada allows people and drugs to flood in through our northern border. You know, we have a northern border that’s not doing so well either. Likewise, people are coming in from Mexico in numbers that have never, ever been seen before. We had 21 million people come in over the past four years,” he said. WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON BIDEN REFUSING TO SPEAK PUBLICLY AHEAD OF SHUTDOWN Trump’s speech on Sunday followed Congress avoiding a prolonged government shutdown early Saturday morning. Members of the House returned to the negotiating table last week after Trump and allies such as Elon Musk slammed a more than 1,500-page bill as “outrageous” and rife with excessive spending. Trump called on Republicans to suspend the debt limit as part of their talks to avert a government shutdown. The final bill, however, did not include a suspension of the debt ceiling. Trump has not spoken publicly since the bill’s passage, including on Sunday, although sources told Fox News that the incoming president is not that happy with the bill. In his speech, Trump again reaffirmed his support for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense in his second administration, as Hegseth battles allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking while rallying support for his confirmation among senators. Hegseth has denied the allegations and vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet. TRUMP NOMINATES TV PRODUCER, CREATOR OF ‘THE APPRENTICE,’ TO SERVE IN NEW ADMINISTRATION “To get wokeness out of our military and restore the unquestioned strength and fighting spirit of the American armed forces, I have appointed Pete Hegseth to be our next secretary of the defense. He’s going to be great. You know, I’ve interviewed with him a lot on Fox, and all he ever wanted to talk about was the military,” he said. Trump also celebrated his other Cabinet picks, including Pam Bondi as attorney general, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “When you look at, like, autism from 25 years ago, and you look at it now, something’s going on. And I nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Think of it. Think of this: 25 years ago, autism, 1 in 10,000 children. Today it’s 1 in 36 children. Is something wrong? I think so, and Robert and I, we’re going to figure it out,” he said. TRUMP NOMINATES PAIR TO HELP LEAD DOJ, ANNOUNCES FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION PICK The former and upcoming president continued in his speech with his typical campaign talking points,
GOP rep who hasn’t voted in months living in retirement facility: source
Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, has been living in a retirement facility, a source told Fox News on Sunday. The source also denied a local news report that said she was in a memory care facility. Granger, who is retiring at the end of this congressional term, has largely remained absent from the Capitol in recent months, having last cast votes on July 24. She was not present for over 54% of votes this year. The Dallas Express investigated the 81-year-old congresswoman’s absence, publishing a report on Friday that quoted a constituent of her district who said that Granger was residing in a memory care facility in Texas. The report was later picked up by other news outlets. Fox News spoke with a source from Granger’s office who denied that Granger was in a memory care unit. The source told Fox News that Granger is in a retirement facility where memory care is provided, though not in the memory care unit itself. HOUSE PASSES FUNDING BILL WITH JUST HOURS UNTIL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Granger released a statement to Fox News, saying that she has faced “health challenges” and is “deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern” over the weekend. “As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,” Granger said in the statement. “However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.” Granger, who did not seek reelection for the coming term, has served in the House since 1997. She previously served as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, Texas. While Granger appears to not have cast a vote since July, she did return to the Capitol in November for the unveiling of her portrait as Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, and a reception that followed. House Speaker Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise both spoke at the event. GOP REP-ELECT OUTLINES HOW DOGE, TRUMP AGENDA WILL GET COUNTRY ‘BACK ON TRACK’: ‘NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’ One senior Republican source told Fox News that Granger did not step down earlier due to the paper-thin GOP House majority. “Frankly, we needed the numbers,” the source told Fox News. The slim majority presents a challenge for the speaker of the 119th Congress, in which vote attendance could be the difference between success or defeat for Republicans. Fox News reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. Granger’s long absence was blasted by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in a post on X. “Kay Granger’s long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas,” he wrote. “We have a sclerotic gerontocracy. We need term limits. We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve.” Khanna was one of the few lawmakers who previously criticized what he referred to as the “gerontocracy.” In May 2023, he called on Democratic Rep. Dianne Feinstein, who was then aged 89, to step down as her own health issues kept her away from the Capitol. Feinstein died months later in September 2023.
Fetterman: Those hoping Trump fails are ‘rooting against the nation’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., says he hopes President-elect Trump is successful, and spoke out against those who feel otherwise. Fetterman appeared Sunday on ABC’S “This Week.” His more than 10-minute sit-down segment was pre-recorded with co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “I’m not rooting against him,” the Democratic senator said. “If you’re rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation. And and I’m not ever going to be where I want a president to fail. So, country first. I know that’s become maybe like a cliche, but it happens to be true.” The senator told Karl he never believed Trump’s movement was about fascism, while noting that it was Vice President Kamala Harris’ “prerogative” to call Trump a fascist during her campaign. FETTERMAN MEETS WITH TRUMP NOMINEES, PLEDGES ‘OPEN-MIND AND AN INFORMED OPINION’ FOR CONFIRMATION VOTES “Fascism, that’s not a word that regular people use, you know?” Fetterman said. “I think people are going to decide who is the candidate that’s going to protect and project, you know, my version of the American way of life, and that’s what happened.” Fetterman has been meeting with Trump’s Cabinet nominees, noting that his decision about whether to vote to confirm the candidates will stem from an open mind and informed perspective. FETTERMAN SAYS DEMS SHOULDN’T ‘FREAK OUT’ OVER EVERYTHING TRUMP DOES: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE 4 YEARS’ “I believe that it’s appropriate and the responsibility of a U.S. senator to have a conversation with President-elect Trump’s nominees. That’s why I met with Elise Stefanik and Pete Hegseth, just wrapped with Tulsi Gabbard, and look forward to my meetings with others soon,” Fetterman declared in a post on X. “My votes will come from an open mind and an informed opinion after having a conversation with them. That’s not controversial, it’s my job,” he continued. More than a month ago, Fetterman said Democrats cannot afford to “freak out” over everything Trump says or does. He echoed that sentiment on Sunday, again mentioning that Trump has not even taken office yet. Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Sen. Rand Paul pledges to get Trump’s cabinet picks approved ‘as quickly as possible’
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Sunday said he “couldn’t be happier” with President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees, saying he will work to push them through as quickly as possible. When Paul was asked during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures” whether he would support all of Trump’s picks for his inner circle, the senator responded, “I couldn’t have picked better.” “The vast majority I will support on day one,” the senator said. “We’ll try to get Kristi Noem through Department of Homeland Security, Russ Vought for [Office of Management and Budget]. … I think in the first week you’ll have half a dozen of them approved in the first week.” Paul said that he will control one committee in charge of confirming the nominees, adding, “I pledge to get them through as quickly as possible.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TAKES SHAPE: PRESIDENT-ELECT COMPLETES TOP 15 CABINET PICKS Paul has said that he will chair the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with the start of the new Congress in January. Trump has handpicked an array of establishment and unconventional officials for the 15 top posts in his Cabinet, including Health and Human Services pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FBI Director selection Kash Patel and Sen. Marco Rubio as the nominee for Secretary of State. ABC, CBS AND NBC EVENING NEWSCAST COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS ‘ALMOST UNIFORMLY NEGATIVE,’ STUDY FINDS Some of Trump’s picks proved controversial, such as Patel, Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard. In late November, Fox News Digital learned that nearly a dozen of Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other appointees tapped for the incoming administration were targeted with “violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them.”
‘Bargaining chip’: Trump allies dismantle Liz Warren’s claim GOP blocked childhood cancer research
Conservatives and allies of President-elect Trump are dismantling a narrative put forth by Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren that Republicans blocked funding for childhood cancer research in the spending bill, pointing to a stand-alone bill that had languished in the Democratic-controlled Senate for months. Congress passed a pared-down spending bill early Saturday morning as the government careened toward a prolonged shutdown. The bill’s passage followed tech billionaire Elon Musk and other Trump allies slamming a more than 1,500-page piece of legislation earlier last week as “outrageous” and “full of excessive spending, special interest giveaways and pork barrel politics,” demanding lawmakers return to the negotiation table. The Senate advanced a third version of a short-term funding bill on Saturday morning, following negotiations that whittled down the legislation to not include measures such as providing lawmakers a pay raise. As negotiations were hashed out, Warren and other Democrats attempted to slam Republicans for allegedly blocking funding for childhood cancer research in the bill. TRUMP SET TO DELIVER FIRST RALLY-STYLED SPEECH SINCE DECISIVE ELECTION WIN: ‘BIGGEST CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT’ “We actually are now getting our first taste – this is it live and in living color – about what it means to have this DOGE,” Warren said on CNN as the government prepared to shut down on Friday evening. LAWMAKERS REACT TO STOPGAP FUNDING AND AVERTING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, is an upcoming presidential advisory committee that will be led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to cut excessive government spending and slash the size of the government under Trump’s second administration. “Right out here, and what that’s going to mean. And that’s where Elon Musk’s fingerprints are all over this. Because, for example, what this bill says is all, let’s get rid of funding for research on pediatric cancer. Let’s get rid of funding for research on early detection of cervical cancer and breast cancer. Let’s get rid of funding for research on children with Down Syndrome and on sickle cell anemia. Let’s get rid of those things so that we could make way for tax cuts for billionaires, that is Elon Musk’s notion of efficiency,” she continued. PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL INTO LAW, NARROWLY AVERTING SHUTDOWN While the Democratic Party’s war room published a press release declaring: “Trump and his MAGA minions in Congress have decided to threaten a government shutdown for his political gain – and now they’ve stooped as low as cutting child cancer research.” “Lyin’ Liz Warren aka Pocahontas,” Musk shot back in response to Warren’s comments, referring to Trump’s common taunt against Warren. Other conservatives and Trump allies slammed the narrative that the GOP blocked funding for childhood cancer research, pointing to a stand-alone bill that passed in the Republican-led House in March, and had for months languished in the Democratic-led Senate. WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON BIDEN REFUSING TO SPEAK PUBLICLY AHEAD OF SHUTDOWN “Elizabeth Warren repeats the lie that @elonmusk and Republicans blocked funding for child cancer research. A stand alone bill for child cancer research funding passed the Republican controlled House in March and got held up in the Democrat controlled Senate,” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted in response to Warren’s CNN interview. “Democrats blocked funding for child cancer research.” The House passed a stand-alone bill on March 5, at a vote of 384-4, that allocated millions of dollars per year for pediatric research through 2028. The bill was delivered to the Senate on March 6, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had not taken action on the legislation, sparking condemnation from conservatives months later that Democrats used the research funding as a “bargaining chip.” TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS “Democrats are using children with cancer as political shields in the shutdown game to blame Republicans after using them as political shields to help defend all the slop Democrats wanted included in the bill. If this funding is so important, it can be passed on its own as a stand-alone bill. You know, like how the government is supposed to work, instead of cramming hundreds of useless proposals into the same bill as pediatric cancer research funding in a 1,500-page mess that no one actually reads so that you can attack anyone who doesn’t support the useless stuff by claiming they hate children with cancer,” an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner outlined. A review of the legislation shows that on Friday evening, the Senate passed the legislation by a voice vote, following condemnation targeting the GOP for allegedly blocking funding for the research. The legislation extends $12.6 million a year in cancer research funding through 2031. Fox News Digital reached out to Warren’s office for additional comment Sunday morning, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Joe Manchin calls Democratic Party ‘toxic,’ blames progressives
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., delivered a parting shot to the Democratic Party, calling his former party “toxic” as he prepares to retire from office at the end of the congressional term. Manchin, who was a lifelong Democrat before registering as an Independent earlier this year, blasted the Democratic Party in an interview with CNN’s “Inside Politics with Manu Raju” that aired on Sunday. “The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic,” Manchin said, adding that he left the party because he no longer considered himself a Democrat “in the form of what Democratic Party has turned itself into.” Manchin blamed progressive lawmakers for shifting the party’s brand away from issues such as ensuring good jobs and good pay for Americans to instead focus more on sensitive social issues like transgender rights and telling Americans what they can or cannot do. MANCHIN DELIVERS EMOTIONAL FINAL FLOOR SPEECH AS WEST VIRGINIA SENATOR: ‘HONOR OF MY LIFE’ “They have basically expanded upon thinking, ‘Well, we want to protect you there, but we’re going to tell you how you should live your life from that far on,’” Manchin said of the Democratic Party. He claimed the progressives in Washington, D.C., are out of touch with Americans, stating, “This country is not going left.” But Manchin did not only criticize Democrats, pointing the finger at Republican lawmakers who he claimed are “too extreme” and lack common sense on the issue of guns. OUTGOING SEN. JOE MANCHIN PUSHES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT FOR SUPREME COURT TERM LIMITS “I’m not going to ban you from buying it,” Manchin said of guns, “but you’re going to have to show some responsibility.” “So the Democrats go too far, want to ban,” Manchin said. “The Republican says, ‘Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have anything they want.’ Just some commonsense things there.” Manchin, who has often been a crucial swing vote, was known for his moderate approach and bipartisan work on national issues in the Senate. Manchin served 14 years in the Senate. His political career began as a state delegate in the early 1980s, before being elected as a state senator until the late 90s. Manchin served as Secretary of State for four years, and then was elected as governor of West Virginia in 2005. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
Celebrating with Christian friends in Syrian church, Sarah in Syria
NewsFeed For Sarah Kassim and many other Syrians, al-Assad’s regime marked a period of sectarianism. Now Sarah is free to visit the church with her Christian friends as they prepare for Christmas Eve and the new year. Published On 22 Dec 202422 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Historic achievement’: Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City’s first metro line opens
Thousands of selfie-taking Ho Chi Minh City residents crammed into train carriages on Sunday as the traffic-clogged business hub celebrated the opening of its first-ever metro line after years of delays. Huge queues spilled out of every station along the $1.7bn line that runs almost 20km (12 miles) from the city centre – with women in traditional “ao dai” dress, soldiers in uniform and couples clutching young children waiting excitedly to board. “I know it (the project) is late, but I still feel so very honoured and proud to be among the first on this metro,” said office worker Nguyen Nhu Huyen after snatching a selfie in her jam-packed train car. “Our city is now on par with the other big cities of the world,” she added. It took 17 years for Vietnam’s commercial capital to reach this point. The project, funded largely by Japanese government loans, was first approved in 2007 and slated to cost just $668m. When construction began in 2012, authorities promised the line would be up and running in five years. Advertisement But as delays mounted, cars and motorbikes multiplied in the city of nine million people, making the metropolis hugely congested, increasingly polluted and time-consuming to navigate. The metro “meets the growing travel needs of residents and contributes to reducing traffic congestion and environmental pollution”, the city’s deputy mayor Bui Xuan Cuong said. Cuong admitted authorities had to overcome “countless hurdles” to get the project over the line. Back on the train, 84-year-old war veteran Vu Thanh told the AFP news agency he was happy to experience below-ground in a more positive way after spending three years fighting American troops in the city’s famous Cu Chi tunnels, an enormous underground network. “It feels so different from the underground experience I had years ago during the war. It’s so bright and nice here,” he said. Professor Vu Minh Hoang at Fulbright University Vietnam warned that with just 14 station stops, the line’s “impact in alleviating traffic will be limited in the short run”. However, it is still a “historic achievement for the city’s urban development”, he told AFP. Adblock test (Why?)
German Christmas market attack suspect to face murder charges
A man accused of driving a car into crowds at a German Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200, has been detained on multiple charges of murder and attempted murder. The Magdeburg police department said in a statement on Sunday the man had been issued a warrant for pre-trial detention on charges of murder on five counts as well as multiple counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. Those killed were a nine-year-old boy and four women aged 52, 45, 75 and 67, the police statement said. Among the wounded, about 40 had serious or critical injuries. Authorities reported that the suspected attacker used emergency exit routes to access the Christmas market grounds, where he accelerated and drove into the crowds, striking more than 200 people in a three-minute rampage. He was arrested at the scene. Simmering tensions The attack on Friday evening in the central city of Magdeburg shocked Germany and reignited simmering tensions around the issue of migration. The suspect, who was named as Taleb A, is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric, who has resided in Germany for nearly two decades. Advertisement The motive for the attack remains unclear, but the Magdeburg prosecutor, Horst Nopens, said on Saturday that one possible factor could be what he called the suspect’s frustration with Germany’s handling of Saudi refugees. The suspected attacker had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities, leading German media to question whether the government could have done more to prevent the attack. News magazine Der Spiegel, quoting security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned Germany’s spy agency BND a year ago about a tweet in which Taleb threatened Germany would pay a “price” for its treatment of Saudi refugees. And in August he wrote on social media: “Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?… If anyone knows it, please let me know.” The Die Welt daily reported, also quoting security sources, that German state and federal police had carried out a “risk assessment” on Taleb last year but concluded that he posed “no specific danger”. Emboldening the far right Police reported scuffles and “minor disturbances” during a far-right demonstration in Magdeburg on Saturday night, attended by approximately 2,100 people. Protesters, some wearing black balaclavas, held a large banner reading “remigration”, a term used by far-right supporters advocating for the mass deportation of immigrants and individuals considered not ethnically German. The incident comes before a pivotal election in Germany on February 23, prompting sharp criticism from far-right and far-left parties opposed to the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Advertisement The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)’s parliamentary head Bernd Baumann demanded Scholz call a special session of the Bundestag on the “desolate” security situation, arguing that “this is the least that we owe the victims.” Meanwhile, the head of the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party, Sahra Wagenknecht, demanded that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser explain “why so many tips and warnings were ignored beforehand”. Scholz has condemned the “terrible, insane” attack, calling for national unity. In the past, the suspect had voiced support on social media platform X for the AfD as well as for United States billionaire Elon Musk, who has backed the AfD. The party has a strong support base in former East Germany, where Magdeburg is located. Its members, including the candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel, planned a rally in Magdeburg on Monday evening. Adblock test (Why?)