Worried about the risks of robot warfare, some countries want new legal constraints, but the U.S. and other major powers are resistant.
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Asylum in America, by the Numbers
Biden skeptical of China’s cooperation on curbing fentanyl: ‘We have to verify it’
President Biden said Tuesday that he took important steps during his meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States, but that he will have to verify that the Chinese follow through.
Biden and Xi met in San Francisco during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and the White House said their conversations on the deadly opioid fentanyl was a top deliverable out of the talks. Biden reiterated Tuesday that he “made important progress” during his meeting with Xi, as well as with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“We took a critical step of resuming counternarcotics cooperation between our two countries,” he said of his talks with Xi.
“The United States is going to seek to work together with China to target the fentanyl components. As a result of our recent diplomacy, China has already taken steps to shut down companies dealing in illicit trade of precursor chemicals. We’re not just going to trust that this is happening — we have to verify it. And that’s going to save lives,” Biden said.
Biden and Xi announced last week that China would tell companies to curtail shipments to Latin American countries of the chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
Biden stressed that the influx of fentanyl is a “global challenge that demands global action.”
He also called on Congress to “step up,” saying lawmakers should pass his supplemental budget request that includes more funding at the U.S. southern border. The production of fentanyl is often finished in Mexico and then comes across the border into the U.S.
The Justice Department last month announced eight indictments against Chinese companies and nationals, charging them with crimes relating to fentanyl and methamphetamine production, the distribution of synthetic opioids and sales of the chemicals used to make them.
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Israeli Government Approves Deal: 4-Day Pause for 50 Hostages
The Israeli government approved a deal Tuesday night that will see the Palestinian Hamas terror group release at least 50 female, child, and elderly hostages over four days, in return for a pause in the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Go to Source: Breitbart News
Flight delayed or canceled? Here are your rights as a passenger
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg released a public service announcement reminding airline passengers of their rights Tuesday morning.
“[I]f your flight does get delayed or canceled, know that the Department of Transportation has your back,” Buttigieg said in the PSA video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “For example, we have secured enforceable commitments from the 10 largest airlines to cover expenses for things like rebooking, meals and more, when you face delays or cancellations that are the airline’s responsibility.
The Transportation secretary also noted that passengers are “entitled to a full cash refund” if a flight is canceled for “any reason.” He also said more airlines are now offering “fee-free family seating,” which he said the Department of Transportation (DOT) is pushing for “across the board.”
“So, before you travel this holiday, take a moment to visit flight rights.gov, know your rights and what to expect as a passenger and know that the Department of Transportation is here to support you,” Buttigieg continued in the video.
Buttigeg’s video comes amid record travel numbers expected over this year’s Thanksgiving break. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it expects 2.6 million passengers to be screened Tuesday and 2.7 on the following day. It also said 2.9 million passengers could be screened Sunday, breaking a record set in June.
The video also comes amid warnings about severe storms and possible snow from officials in the next week.
“Two main storm systems are expected to impact the Nation with rain, thunderstorms, and winter weather,” the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Prediction Center posted on X, formerly known as Twitter Monday.
“Be sure to remain weather aware this week and check weather.gov for local forecasts before traveling,” the service added.
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Biden says ‘things are looking good’ on Hamas releasing hostages
President Biden said Tuesday that efforts to bring home hostages being held by Hamas are “looking good,” amid reporting that a tentative deal has been made to release hostages.
“We are now very close, very close. We could bring some of these hostages home very soon, but I don’t want to get into the details of things, because nothing is done until it’s done. And if we have more to say, we will. But things are looking good at the moment,” Biden said during a meeting at the White House.
The president noted that his top officials have been working for weeks to bring home hostages and that he recently spoke with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, about the hostages. He also said his “team has been in the region shuttling between capitals.”
Netanyahu is convening his war cabinet and then his security cabinet and the government on Tuesday evening local time, which could signal a breakthrough in hostage negotiations.
The leader of Hamas said earlier Tuesday that an agreement was close, Reuters reported.
Hamas kidnapped about 240 people from Israel on Oct. 7, during the attacks by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization that killed at least 1,200 people. Hamas has since released four people as part of intensive negotiations through Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. and Israel.
In recent days, Biden and his top officials have expressed cautious optimism that the negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of hostages, likely women and children, were progressing. The administration has said that the youngest American hostages is a 3-year-old toddler, but it’s not clear how many more, if any, of the hostages are Americans.
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Paris Hilton praises GOP lawmakers for sponsoring bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act
American media personality and businesswoman Paris Hilton gave separate shoutouts online to the Republican and Democratic senators who are supporting the bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act.
“To the 10 republican senators co-sponsoring the #StopInstitutionalChildAbuseAct, thank you,” Hilton posted Monday on X. “I am beyond grateful for you this holiday season.”
Hilton tagged Republican Sens. John Cornyn, Shelley Capito, Katie Britt, Thom Tillis, Tommy Tuberville, Susan Collins, Markwayne Mullin, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall and Pete Ricketts in her post.
PARIS HILTON DETAILS TRAUMA, ABUSE AT ‘TROUBLED TEEN’ FACILITY
The bicameral bill, authored by Cornyn, Tuberville, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Earl Carter, R-Ga., was introduced April 27. It aims to provide stronger oversight for residential youth treatment programs to identify and prevent child abuse.
In another post, Hilton thanked the seven Democrats for co-sponsoring the bill, which is now in committee.
Hilton, an advocate of the bill since its inception, alleged in a New York Times video op-ed series last year that she was a victim of sexual abuse as a teenager in the ’90s, when she attended a boarding school in Utah.
She said she was the victim of a “parent-approved kidnapping” when she was a misbehaving 16-year-old, with two men dragging her out of her home and into a congregate-care facility.
PARIS HILTON SPOTTED AT WHITE HOUSE FOR MEETING ON CHILD ABUSE LAW
“Very late at night, this would be around like three or four in the morning, they would take myself and other girls into this room and they would perform medical exams,” Hilton said in the interview. “It wasn’t even with a doctor, it was a couple of different staff members, where they would have us lay on the table and put their fingers inside of us.”
Hilton later said she realized as an adult it was sexual abuse.
‘PARENTS, DO YOU AGREE?’ BIDEN ALARMS WITH ASSERTION THERE’S ‘NO SUCH THING AS SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD’
In an interview with Fox News earlier this year, Hilton said she was “doing everything I can in my power to fight for these children because these are children who come from families that can’t help and support them, and children from the juvenile justice system, foster care system.”
“And they have no voice,” she said.
Fox News’ Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
NRSC lobs attacks against Arizona lawmakers Sinema, Gallego: ‘We are going to keep exposing the truth’
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) launched attacks against Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Monday in a new ad.
The 30-second ad labeled Gallego as “rotten Ruben Gallego” and said he had “abandoned his wife when she was nearly nine months pregnant, then married a D.C. lobbyist.”
Then, it slammed Sinema – a former Democrat now registered as an Independent – claiming she “voted with President Biden’s agenda 100% of the time,” including the administration’s progressive energy initiatives and the COVID-era American Rescue Plan.
“Deadbeat Dad, or liberal Democrat? Arizonans deserve a better choice,” the ad, titled, “A Choice,” concluded.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, NRSC spokesperson Mike Berg said, “Divorcing your wife when she is nearly nine months pregnant is a low-life move that really speaks to Ruben Gallego’s character.”
Gallego divorced his wife, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, in 2016. Politico reported a source close to Gallego said he and his ex currently have joint custody of their 6-year-old son.
Berg said the committee plans to run more ads “exposing the truth” about Gallego – who could likely become the Democratic nominee in the race – until Election Day.
The ad comes as an internal NRSC polling showed Sinema currently drawing support from more Republican voters than Democrat voters, according to a source familiar with NRSC strategy.
Sinema has not announced whether she will run for re-election yet, but Republican strategists are on the offense.
“National Democrats are fighting a lose-lose civil war over who they’ll make their standard bearer: Rotten Ruben Gallego or liberal rubber stamp Kyrsten Sinema,” NRSC spokesman Tate Mitchell said in a statement.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gallego and Sinema for comment.
In a press release, Gallego’s campaign called the ad “baseless” and a “deeply personal attack.”
“If attacks like these go unanswered, Kari Lake could get the edge on us,” the release said.
RACE TO REPLACE MITT ROMNEY IN UTAH GAINS STEAM AS ANOTHER CANDIDATE JUMPS IN: HE ‘SOLD US OUT’
According to reporting by Politico, Gallego’s memoir details how PTSD from his service as a U.S. Marine in the Iraq War led to the destruction of his marriage.
The stakes are high as Arizona’s Senate seat race could potentially shift the majority leadership in the upper chamber if a Republican is elected.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Pentagon asks for $114M to spend on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in 2024
The Department of Defense (DOD) is requesting approximately $114 million to finance its latest round of diversity initiatives.
The DOD plans to use the funds for “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) programs in fiscal year 2024.
“The FY 2024 President’s Budget request demonstrates the DoD’s commitment to DEIA and includes $114.7 million for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities,” the department wrote in its Strategic Management Plan for fiscal year 2022 to 2026.
It continues, “This funding across the Military Departments, OSD Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute is investing in programs and initiatives aimed at furthering DEIA, and incorporating DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions.”
The funding request is the largest of its kind yet for the DOD, which earmarked $68 million for DEIA initiatives in fiscal year 2022 and $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023, according to reports from the Daily Wire.
“Leaders at all levels are responsible for fostering a climate of inclusion that supports diversity, is free from problematic behaviors, and does not tolerate retaliation or reprisal against those filing complaints,” the DOD previously wrote in its Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request.
PENTAGON CONFIRMS 56 ATTACKS ON US TROOPS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA SINCE OCT. 17
The document continues, “Ultimately, recruiting and retaining a force with diverse backgrounds, thought, experience, expertise, and education enhances DoD’s global joint warfighter capabilities fundamental to all DoD activities.”
The specifics of the planned 2024 DEIA initiatives are not yet known.
The Pentagon is currently in hot water with conservative critics after it failed its annual audit for the sixth year in a row.
Audit investigations were carried out at approximately 700 sites by 1,600 auditors.
The department passed only 7 out of 29 sub-audits in 2023 — identical to last year’s final results. Auditors found that half of the department’s claimed assets could not be accounted for.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Elon Musk’s X/Twitter Files Lawsuit Against Far Left Media Matters
Elon Musk’s X/Twitter has filed a lawsuit against Media Matters over its efforts to link ad placements on the platform to neo-Nazi content, a strategy the far-left nonprofit has used in the past to trigger ad boycotts against conservative media companies.
Go to Source: Breitbart News