President-elect Donald Trump is set to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Monday at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida, as the popular social media app faces a looming U.S. ban.
CNN's recent story featuring correspondent Clarissa Ward purportedly rescuing a Syrian prisoner has come under intense scrutiny after a Syrian fact-checking organization suggested the man may not be who he claimed to be. The prisoner, initially identified by CNN as Adel Ghurbal, a supposed rebel fighter, is now suspected of being Salama Mohammed “Abu Hamza” Salama, a known torturer and corrupt official within the Assad regime’s Air Force Intelligence.
With a federal shutdown looming on Friday, congressional leaders are in a race against time to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running. Key sticking points include farm aid and disaster assistance, with bipartisan negotiations at a standstill.
In a surprising move, the judge overseeing the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan instructed the jury on Monday to disregard all testimony from Illinois state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island. Judge John Robert Blakey gave no explanation for the decision, despite Rita’s brief testimony on October 24.
Travis Timmerman, an American detained in Syria for seven months, has been freed and flown out of the country by U.S. military forces. His release came after rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and liberated thousands of prisoners, including Timmerman.
A 2023 whistleblower has alleged that FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate instructed subordinates to conceal the identities of at least 25 confidential informants who were present at the January 6, 2021, protests. According to investigative journalist Kerry Picket, Abbate reportedly stated that revealing the informants’ involvement would be too embarrassing for the agency, prompting the decision to keep their existence hidden from the public.
Another tragic death has underscored the consequences of lax immigration enforcement in Harris County, Texas. On December 1, 7-year-old Ivory Smith was killed by a drunk driver in northeast Houston. Her mother sustained serious injuries in the crash. The alleged driver, 41-year-old Venezuelan national Joel Enrique Gonzalez Chacin, was in the country illegally and had a prior criminal record. He now faces charges of intoxicated manslaughter.
Dutch populist leader Geert Wilders was awarded the Jabotinsky Prize for Liberty during his visit to Israel, where he affirmed his unwavering support for the Jewish state. Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana presented the award, commending Wilders for his decades-long advocacy against radical Islam and support for Israel’s sovereignty. Wilders met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and other senior officials during his diplomatic visit.
MSNBC's flagship morning program Morning Joe is facing a sharp decline in viewership, with ratings down 35% among total viewers and 37% in the key 25-54 age demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. The drop comes after co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski disclosed their controversial meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November.
