Former Trump co-defendants want judge to block Special Counsel Jack Smith report
Two of President-elect Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case want a judge to block Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report from being released to the public. Trump’s valet Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, want U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to keep Smith’s report out of the public eye. Fox News is told the report is days from being released. It could be later this week or sometime next week. Smith will resign from his position before Trump takes office on January 20. “These Defendants will irreparably suffer harm as civilian casualties of the Government’s impermissible and contumacious utilization of political lawfare to include release of the unauthorized Report,” Nauta and De Oliveira’s attorneys wrote in an emergency motion filed on Monday. “The Final Report relies on materials to which Smith, as disqualified special counsel, is no longer entitled access— making his attempt to share such materials with the public highly improper.” SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH PLANS TO RESIGN, FILE REPORT BEFORE TRUMP CAN FIRE HIM: REPORT The emergency motion asked the Court for an immediate hearing to “establish the impropriety of unchecked release; the scope of the resulting prejudice; and the specific materials contained in the Report for which release is impermissible.” “The Final Report promises to be a one-sided, slanted report, relying nearly exclusively on evidence presented to a grand jury and subject to all requisite protections—and which is known to Smith only as a result of his unconstitutional appointment—in order to serve a singular purpose: convincing the public that everyone Smith charged is guilty of the crimes charged,” Nauta and De Oliveira’s attorneys wrote. “But Nauta’s and De Oliveira’s criminal cases are not over; the appeal of this Court’s dismissal order by Smith is still pending,” the motion says. “The Government notably continued briefing the appeal even following the dismissal of the appeal as to President Trump. There remains the threat of future criminal proceedings as to Nauta and De Oliveira, and those proceedings will be irreversibly and irredeemably prejudiced by dissemination of the Final Report.” It is customary for a special counsel to release a final report when his or her work is done, detailing the findings of their investigation and explaining any prosecution or declination decisions they reached as a result of the probe. In Smith’s case, the prosecution decision is immaterial, given Trump’s status as president-elect and longstanding Justice Department policy against bringing criminal charges against a sitting president. The report would first go to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office for review, according to standard practice. Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche, who is poised to be in a senior role at the Department of Justice, is asking Garland not to release the report. “Smith’s proposed plan for releasing a report is unlawful, undertaken in bad faith, and contrary to the public interest,” Blanche wrote in an exhibit attached to the same motion. “Smith’s conduct also raises grave concerns under Article II because it unlawfully encroaches on the Executive authority of the incoming Administration of President Trump to resolve the issues surrounding Smith’s Office in accordance with President Trump’s commanding national mandate from the voters.” SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH REQUIRED TO SUBMIT TRUMP FINDINGS TO DOJ BEFORE LEAVING. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? “The time has come to put an end to this weaponization of the justice system and move forward constructively,” he argued further. “No report should be prepared or released, and Smith should be removed, including for even suggesting that course of action given his obvious political motivations and desire to lawlessly undermine the transition.” Trump, Nauta and De Oliveira all pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging they conspired to obstruct the FBI investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Smith was tapped by Garland in 2022 to investigate both the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Florida residence. But he still must outline the investigation and its findings in his report to Garland, who will then decide whether to share it publicly. Notably, Garland has opted to release the reports from two other special counsels whose investigations concluded during his tenure — publishing both the summary reports submitted by John Durham, who was tapped by then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019 to review law enforcement and intelligence gathering during the 2016 presidential campaign and the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, as well as the final report from Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney whom he tapped in 2023 to investigate President Biden’s handling of classified documents. These reports were made public at the same time as they were shared with members of Congress. It is unclear whether Garland will move to do the same with Smith’s findings, given their sensitivity and Trump’s status as president-elect. Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Maharashtra govt makes FASTag mandatory at all toll plazas from THIS date; check details
Vehicles without FASTag or those entering the dedicated lanes without proper tags will have to pay double the toll fee.
Meta ends fact-checking program as Zuckerberg vows to restore free expression on Facebook, Instagram
FIRST ON FOX: Meta is ending its fact-checking program and lifting restrictions on speech to “restore free expression” across Facebook, Instagram and Meta platforms, admitting its current content moderation practices have “gone too far.” “We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a video posted Tuesday morning. “More specifically, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with Community Notes similar to X, starting in the U.S.” Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, will be on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning for an exclusive interview to discuss the changes. Meta’s third-party fact-checking program was put in place after the 2016 election and had been used to “manage content” and misinformation on its platforms, largely due to “political pressure,” executives said, but admitted the system has “gone too far.” HOUSE WEAPONIZATION PANEL RELEASES 17,000-PAGE REPORT EXPOSING ‘TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT’ “We went to independent, third-party fact-checkers,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It has become clear there is too much political bias in what they choose to fact-check because, basically, they get to fact-check whatever they see on the platform.” Kaplan told Fox News Digital that Meta is “ending that completely” and will replace it with a “Community Notes” model similar to the one used on X, formerly Twitter. “Instead of going to some so-called expert, it instead relies on the community and the people on the platform to provide their own commentary to something that they’ve read,” Kaplan explained, noting that if a note gets support from “the broadest cross-section of users,” that note can be attached to the content for others to see. “We think that’s a much better approach rather than relying on so-called experts who bring their own biases into the program,” Kaplan said. ZUCKERBERG SAYS TRUMP FIST-PUMP REACTION TO SHOOTING WAS ‘BADA–’ Kaplan also told Fox News Digital that Meta is changing some of its own content moderation rules, especially those that they feel are “too restrictive and not allowing enough discourse around sensitive topics like immigration, trans issues and gender.” “We want to make sure that discourse can happen freely on the platform without fear of censorship,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital. “We have the power to change the rules and make them more supportive of free expression. And we’re not just changing the rules, we are actually changing how we enforce the rules.” Kaplan said Meta currently uses automated systems, which he said make “too many mistakes” and removes content “that doesn’t even violate our standards.” He also said there are certain things Meta will continue to moderate, like posts relating to terrorism, illegal drugs and child sexual exploitation. But as for the timing of the changes, Kaplan told Fox News Digital the company has “a real opportunity now.” ZUCKERBERG, EXPRESSING REGRETS, ADMITS BOWING TO BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PRESSURE TO REMOVE CONTENT “We have a new administration coming in that is far from pressuring companies to censor and [is more] a huge supporter of free expression,” Kaplan said, referring to the incoming Trump administration. “It gets us back to the values that Mark founded the company on.” Last year, Zuckerberg sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in which he admitted that he felt pressure from the Biden administration, particularly with regard to COVID content, and even items like satire and humor. “The thing is, as American companies, when other governments around the world that don’t have our tradition or our First Amendment, when they see the United States government pressuring U.S. companies to take down content, it is just open season then for those governments to put more pressure [on their companies],” Kaplan explained. “We do think it is a real opportunity to work with the Trump administration and to work on free expression at home.” MUSK PROVES HUNTER BIDEN CENSORSHIP CAME FROM COLLUSION AMONG BIDEN CAMPAIGN, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TWITTER Kaplan also said Meta sees “opportunities for partnership” with the Trump administration, not only on issues of free expression but also in “promoting American business and America’s technological edge.” “Those are issues of great importance to Meta and our sector,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital. “And we’re excited to work with the Trump administration to advance those goals.” Meanwhile, Meta also said it plans to take a more personalized approach to political content, so that users who want to see more posts of that kind can do so. Meta said it will refocus its enforcement efforts to “illegal and high-severity violations.”
Pence calls it ‘particularly admirable’ for VP Harris to preside over election certification following loss
Former Vice President Mike Pence said it was “particularly admirable” that Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw certification of the 2024 presidential election, which she lost to President-elect Donald Trump. “The peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of our democracy and today, members of both parties in the House and Senate along with the vice president certified the election of our new president and vice president without controversy or objection,” Pence declared Monday in a post on X. He congratulated Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on their victory, and hailed the “return of order and civility” to the certification process. KAMALA HARRIS MAKES TRUMP’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL WIN OFFICIAL DURING JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS “I also commend the members of the House, Senate and the Vice President who did their duty under the Constitution of the United States, it being particularly admirable that Vice President Harris would preside over the certification of a presidential election that she lost,” Pence noted. After Trump and Pence lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, then-Vice President Pence presided over the certification during a joint session of Congress in 2021 that was temporarily interrupted due to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Pence, who mounted then later dropped a GOP presidential primary bid in 2023, did not endorse Trump in 2024. PENCE SAYS HE OPPOSES RFK JR.’S NOMINATION FOR HHS SECRETARY BECAUSE OF HIS STANCE ON ABORTION The last time a sitting vice president who lost a presidential bid presided over the certification of their own presidential election loss was in 2001, after outgoing Democratic Vice President Al Gore lost to Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 White House contest. Pence congratulated House Speaker Mike Johnson last week after the congressman won the speakership again. GOP REBELS SWITCH VOTE TO JOHNSON AFTER TRUMP’S 11TH HOUR CALLS, PUSHING HIM OVER THE FINISH LINE “Well Deserved! Our prayers are with you as you take the gavel once again to lead the Peoples House!” Pence declared in a tweet.
With lawsuits and legislation, Texas Republicans take aim at abortion pills
More than 2,800 Texans are getting abortion pills through the mail from out-of-state every month, prompting a lawsuit and legislation seeking to end the practice.
Georgia GOP expels former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan from party, citing alleged disloyalty
The Georgia Republican Party’s State Executive Committee has voted to expel former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan from being associated with the party, pointing to his alleged efforts to undermine Republican candidates. The decision, approved unanimously, was finalized on Jan. 6, cutting Duncan’s ties to the GOP after years of accusations of disloyalty. The resolution makes several allegations against Duncan, including accusations that he undermined GOP candidates, endorsed Democrat opponents and used his affiliation with the Republican Party for personal gain. In a post on X, Duncan suggested that the resolution was not a good use of the party’s time. JIMMY CARTER’S FUNERAL SERVICES BEGIN WITH TREK TO CHILDHOOD HOME, ATLANTA “Hard to believe this is a good use of time for a party that’s only got a limited amount of time to figure out mass deportations, world peace and global tariffs. Learn how to take a victory lap not light another dumpster fire @JoshMcKoon,” he wrote, calling out the Georgia GOP chair. According to the resolution, Duncan is “banned from all property owned or leased by the Georgia Republican Party and all events held by or under the authority of the Georgia Republican Party.” The Georgia GOP said Duncan is prohibited from qualifying as a candidate for the Georgia Republican Party. The group also said his previous GOP nominations for lieutenant governor and, before that, the state House of Representatives, both races in which he won the primary and general elections, have been expunged. The resolution demanded Duncan cease calling himself a Republican for personal profit or to undermine and sabotage the Republican Party and its candidates. The state party also urged media outlets to refer to Duncan as an “expelled Republican” in future references. The resolution claims Duncan undermined and sabotaged some Republican candidates, including current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and failed 2022 Senate candidate Herschel Walker. It also notes Duncan’s public endorsements during the 2024 presidential race of President Biden and, when Biden dropped out, his subsequent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as a violation of his allegiance to the GOP. GEORGIA AG URGES STATE SUPREME COURT TO REJECT DA WILLIS’ APPEAL IN TRUMP CASE Georgia Republican Party chair Josh McKoon previously demanded that Duncan stop using his Republican credentials in public and media appearances. The resolution also claims Duncan engaged in a “pattern of false and exaggerated claims” about his education and career. The Georgia GOP additionally said Duncan, in his role as a CNN commentator, used his Republican title to “attack the Republican Party.”
US pauses select restrictions on Syria, offering hope on Western sanctions
Washington opens the way for transactions needed for humanitarian purposes in a move seen as an ‘important step’ towards easing the West’s sanctions. The United States has announced it is easing select restrictions on Syria’s transitional government. Late on Monday, the US Treasury issued a general licence, lasting six months, that authorises certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions. The move is designed to allow the entry of humanitarian aid following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month, the US said. It suggests some progress in the efforts of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main group that overthrew al-Assad and now leading Syria’s transition, to strengthen international relations. The action does not remove any sanctions but will ensure they “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance”, the US Treasury said. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said the end of al-Assad’s “brutal and repressive rule, backed by Russia and Iran”, provided a unique opportunity for Syria and its people to rebuild. Advertisement “During this period of transition, Treasury will continue to support humanitarian assistance and responsible governance in Syria.” A wide array of Western sanctions is debilitating Syria’s economy and threatening its recovery after more than 13 years of civil war. The US, as well as the European Union, imposed sanctions against al-Assad and his regime for war crimes and human rights violations. Despite the removal of al-Assad, however, the sanctions remain in place. European officials recently said they would not be lifted until Syria’s new rulers demonstrate that they will protect minorities and share power. Syria’s new trade minister warned on Monday that Damascus was unable to make deals to import fuel, wheat and other vital items due to strict US sanctions, despite many countries, including Gulf Arab states, wanting to do so. Maher Khalil al-Hasan told the Reuters news agency Syria’s new administration had managed to scrape together enough wheat and fuel for a few months, but the country faces a “catastrophe” if sanctions are not frozen or lifted soon. ‘Important step’ “The new administration … wants all of these sanctions lifted. But this is an important step coming from the US – because Western sanctions are in place from the European Union and other allied Western countries too, but they think they mainly take their lead from the United States,” Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from Damascus, said. The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of HTS, Ahmed al-Sharaa – who was once aligned with al-Qaeda – and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf. Advertisement The US and United Nations have long designated HTS as a terrorist organisation. However, the US has gradually lifted some penalties since al-Assad’s departure, including dropping a $10m reward on al-Sharaa. Takeoff In another positive development for Syria’s new rulers, international flights to the war-battered nation resumed on Tuesday. Airport official Saad Khair Bek said two flights from Damascus international airport departed for the United Arab Emirates in the morning. Its first arrival, from Qatar, was due to land at noon. On Thursday, Qatar Airways announced it would resume flights to Damascus after nearly 13 years, with three flights per week to start with. No flights had taken off or landed since pro-Assad forces abandoned the airport in the Syrian capital on December 8. Adblock test (Why?)
No food, no sleep, no hope in Gaza
I have spent a total of four years in Gaza, six months of them during the ongoing war. I have never felt so helpless in the face of the formidable war machine that shoves a new bullet into its gun as soon as it has fired the previous one, while having a seemingly unlimited supply of ammunition. In September, I spoke to a matriarch who ran a shelter for displaced people in Khan Younis. I asked her what hope she had about the prospect of peace. She pointed at a small girl holding her mother’s hand and sucking her thumb. “Her father was killed when their house was bombed five days ago, and they’ve not been able to retrieve his body from the rubble because the area is under constant fire,” she said. “What hope?” In hopeless Gaza, sleep is among the most precious commodities. Back in January, we would run to the window to watch the plume of smoke painting the sky after a particularly loud and close hit. But with time, they have become so commonplace that hardly anyone bothers to look any more. Advertisement On an average night in my neighbourhood in Deir el-Balah, bombardment would start at night, just as people would prepare to try to sleep. We would hear the whistling of a missile and then a loud explosion, shaking the windows. The blast would wake up the local dogs, the donkeys, the babies and any other soul who dared to sleep, starting a chain reaction of barking, crying and other agitated noises. More bombs would come that would then be followed by various types of gunfire until all quiets down for a short while. The dawn call to prayer would usually trigger another series of attacks. The apocalyptic scenes that everyone sees on TV are even more harrowing in person. I often find myself deleting photos and videos from my phone because the camera does not do justice to just how grotesque the surroundings appear to the naked eye. In person, the visuals are accompanied by a slew of sounds. This includes the now-daily ritual of people fighting for bread at the nearby bakeries as food supplies are dwindling, amid the almost total cut-off of commercial goods and the persistent and paralysing restrictions on the entry of humanitarian assistance. Just the other week, a woman and two girls suffocated after being trampled in front of a bakery when a fight broke out because there was not enough bread for everyone. My dear friend Khaled, who runs community kitchens across Gaza, worried that soon there would be no food at all and his kitchens would have to close. I struggled to find anything helpful to say to him given the reality around us and would cry every time we spoke, as I too was losing hope. “Don’t cry, Olga,” he always said. “Be strong, like we are.” Indeed, the strength of Palestinians is unparalleled. Advertisement In November, the Famine Review Committee, an ad hoc body of international technical experts that reviews classifications of potential famine identified by the United Nations and other actors, published a report, ringing another alarm over the imminent threat of famine, particularly in the beleaguered north of Gaza. Since then, things have only been getting worse. On several occasions, I saw people scooping up dirty flour that had spilled on the road after some bags of flour had fallen off an aid truck. Prioritising the most vulnerable in Gaza is a hopeless task since there is almost no aid to provide. With 100 percent of a population of about 2.3 million people in need, do you choose to help a pregnant woman, a domestic violence survivor, or someone who is homeless and disabled? Do you look for all of these risks in a single person? The agony of these choices will keep us awake long after our jobs in Gaza end. During the months we have spent in Gaza, my colleagues and I have witnessed so much pain, tragedy and death that we are at a loss for words to convey the horror. We have picked up dead bodies from the side of the road – some still warm and bleeding profusely, others with rigor mortis, half-eaten by dogs. Some of these bodies were young boys. Boys who were killed senselessly, some of them dying slowly as they bled out, terrified and alone, while their mothers agonised over why their sons had not come home that night. For the rest of the world, they became just another number in the grim statistic of people killed in Gaza so far – now more than 45,500, according to the Ministry of Health. Advertisement In the rare moments of quiet and between the chaos of constant crises, I reflect on everything around me and ask myself: “What hope?” The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Earthquake hits Tibet’s Shigatse: What we know so far
A powerful earthquake has struck a remote region of Tibet, killing at least 95 people and wounding dozens, with tremors felt in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northern India. Videos aired by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with the official Xinhua News Agency saying more than 1,000 houses were damaged. The epicentre of the quake was Shigatse, one of the holiest cities of Tibet. Here is what we know so far: What was the magnitude of the Tibet earthquake? The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, while the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) recorded a magnitude of 6.8. The quake, just after 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT), shook the region of western China at a depth of about 10km (6 miles). Where was the epicentre of the earthquake? The epicentre of the quake was the Shigatse high-altitude county of Dingri, located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and home to about 62,000 people. Tuesday’s quake was the most powerful recorded within a 200km (124-mile) radius in the last five years, the CENC added. Advertisement Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual authority is second only to the Dalai Lama. Dingri is currently experiencing temperatures of about minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The China Meteorological Administration forecast that the mercury will drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday evening. The remote Shigatse is far from China’s main cities. This, combined with the extreme cold, has hindered rescue efforts, according to Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing. What do we know about the victims? At least 95 people have been killed and another 130 people are injured, according to Chinese state media. A man in Kathmandu was injured after jumping off the top of a house following strong tremors, Nepal Police spokesman Bishwa Adhikari told Reuters. No other casualties or damages have been reported so far from Nepal, India and Bhutan. Were houses damaged in the quake? The earthquake caused infrastructural damage, with images showing collapsed homes and other buildings reduced to rubble. The Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 houses have been damaged to varying degrees. “Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed,” according to the state broadcaster CCTV. In the town of Lhatse, videos geolocated by AFP showed debris scattered in front of streetside eateries. Rescue teams look through rubble in Shigatse City [Screengrab obtained from a handout video via Reuters] Where were the tremors of the Tibet earthquake felt? Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, was rattled by the tremor and aftershocks, forcing some residents to rush from their homes. Kathmandu is about 230km (140 miles) south of Shigatse. Advertisement Tremors were also felt in India’s northern state of Bihar which borders Nepal. They were also felt in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu. According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), shocks were experienced in seven hill districts which border Tibet. People leave their houses during an earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal [Stringer/Reuters] How has the government responded? The government has deployed some 1,500 rescue workers, including military personnel, to the area. Al Jazeera’s Yu said there are pictures of those affected by the earthquake being treated on the streets. Xinhua reported that some 22,000 items of disaster relief aid have been dispatched to the affected areas, which include cotton tents, quilts and items for high-altitude areas. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised “the all-out search and rescue efforts, minimising casualties to the greatest extent possible, properly resettling affected residents, and ensuring their safety and warmth through the winter”, CCTV added. Xinhua said that “local authorities are reaching out to various townships in the county to assess the impact of the quake”. Have the Himalayas recently experienced earthquakes? The Tibetan Plateau is prone to earthquakes because of colliding tectonic plates. Tibet and Nepal lie on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence. The region is seismically active, causing tectonic uplifts that can grow strong enough to change the heights of the Himalayas’ peaks. Advertisement There have been 29 earthquakes of magnitude three or above in the past five years within 200km (124 miles) of the Shigatse quake epicentre, according to CCTV. However, authorities say that Tuesday’s quake has been “more powerful” than the other earthquakes in the past five years, Al Jazeera’s Yu reported. In 2015, nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured when a magnitude 7.8 quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes. On May 21, 2021, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 rattled China’s southern Qinghai province. Tuesday’s quake is among the worst earthquakes to hit the Himalayan region in 100 years. Adblock test (Why?)
HMPV virus cases in India: Centre asks states to increase surveillance for respiratory diseases and…
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Monday chaired a virtual meeting with states and union territories to take stock of respiratory illnesses and HMPV cases in the country and public health measures for their management, a health ministry statement said.