US ready to take over Gaza, start rebuilding it, says President Trump The United States is ready to take over the #Gaza Strip and redevelop it, President Trump said at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu at the White House.

Trump has informed Israeli officials that he intends to withdraw thousands of US troops stationed in Syria. President Donald #Trump has reportedly informed the Israeli Government of his intent to pull U.S. #troops out of Syria according to #Israel's official public broadcasting Kan: “Senior White House officials conveyed a message to their Israeli counterparts indicating that President Trump intends to pull thousands of US troops from #Syria.”

Trump orders development of Iron Dome for America missile defense shield President #Trump has ordered Secretary of Defense Pete #Hegseth to present a reference architecture and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield, dubbed the #Iron_Dome for America, within 60 days, according to an executive order published on the White House website. "The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States," the document reads. "Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the President a reference architecture <...> and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield," the order adds. Executive Order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/prioritizing-military-excellence-and-readiness/

White House press secretary announces #deportation flights for #illegals have begun.

President Trump signs order announcing 90-day pause in foreign assistance President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reevaluating and realigning foreign #aid, which announces a 90-day pause in #foreign assistance. "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered <...> 90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy," reads the document published on the White House website. According to the order, "disbursements of foreign development assistance funds may resume for a program prior to the end of the 90-day period if a review is conducted." The document points out that "the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values." "They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries," the order adds.

House Intelligence Committee Chair – ‘There are individuals in the US working with ISIS to harm Americans’ House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike #Turner spoke on CBS’s Face the Nation and revealed that there are active #terror cells in the U.S. homeland working in partnership with #ISIS to harm #Americans.

US Congress passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown The US Senate has passed a #stopgap funding bill to avert a government #shutdown. As many as 85 senators backed the bill, while 11 voted against it. The House of Representatives passed the legislation earlier. The bill extends government funding through March 14 and allocates over $100 bln for disaster relief. The document will now be submitted to US President Joe Biden for singing. According to the White House, Biden plans to sign the bill on Saturday. The Congress was expected to pass the bill until midnight (5:00 a.m. GMT on Saturday) in order to avert a government shutdown. US lawmakers have so far been unable to approve a federal budget for the fiscal year that began on October 1. Meanwhile, the White House said earlier that the Office of Management and Budget "has ceased shutdown preparations."

Government Shutdown Looms as Deadline Nears The House of Representatives has rejected a stopgap funding bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump, leaving negotiations in a race against tonight’s midnight deadline. With 38 Republicans joining Democrats, the vote of 235 to 174 has put the federal government on the brink of a shutdown. The Sticking Points - Trump’s proposed resolution included three months of stopgap funding, a two-year debt ceiling suspension, $100 billion in disaster aid, and farmer support packages. This followed his controversial call to permanently repeal the debt ceiling, a rule that currently caps Treasury borrowing at $36 trillion. The debt ceiling suspension, enacted in June 2023, is set to expire on January 1, 2025. Its fate now hangs in the balance as lawmakers scramble to prevent the shutdown. Potential Impact - A government #shutdown would furlough millions of federal workers, though essential services like military operations and air traffic control would remain active.

France's Macron names Francois Bayrou as new prime minister Emmanuel #Macron has officially appointed Francois #Bayrou, leader of the centrist Democratic Movement political party, as the nation's prime minister, the Elysee Palace announced in a statement. "The President of the Republic has designated Francois Bayrou as prime minister and entrusted him with forming a new government," the statement said. Bayrou, aged 73, takes over from Michel Barnier, who also shares the same age and stepped down after France’s lower house passed a successful no-confidence motion against his cabinet on December 4. The Democratic Movement leader becomes France’s fourth prime minister in 2024, following the terms of Elisabeth #Borne, Gabriel #Attal, and #Barnier. Bayrou has been at the helm of the Democratic Movement since 2007. In 2014, he assumed the role of mayor in Pau, a city in southwestern France. Additionally, he has chaired the National Council for Refoundation since 2020. Bayrou is also a seasoned presidential candidate, having run for the French presidency in 2002, 2007, and 2012. In 2017, however, he opted not to run, endorsing Macron.

New rebellion erupts against Assad in the Daraa province #Assad soldiers are either disarmed by the crowds or fleeing their positions. New rebellion erupts against Assad in the Daraa province in southern Syria, right next to the borders with #Jordan and #Israel. In addition, Tensions in #Damascus are rising: footage of #Assad's presidential guard forces on the rooftops of houses in the al-Maliki neighborhood to defend against #drones. #Syria