Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s top official for the Middle East, will travel to Damascus this week, marking a significant step in U.S. diplomatic engagement with Syria.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which killed 103 people and caused an estimated $53 billion in damages, North Carolina has received significant aid for recovery efforts, including over $1.1 billion in state relief and billions more in federal requests. The storm, considered the state’s worst natural disaster, has prompted both state and federal governments to take action, though criticism has followed regarding the adequacy of those efforts.
A federal appeals court has ruled that the Biden administration can open the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, to illegal aliens enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision comes after the Biden administration’s May announcement that it would allow some DACA recipients to access Obamacare. The DACA program, created by former President Barack Obama through executive order, shields over a million illegal aliens from deportation.
A heated exchange between New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark escalated this week after Rodgers’ recent comments about critics and their vaccination status.
George Stephanopoulos, the prominent host of This Week on ABC News, may be out of a job after a defamation settlement involving former President Donald Trump. The deal, authorized by Disney CEO Bob Iger, includes a $15 million payout to Trump, plus an additional $1 million to cover Trump’s legal fees. This settlement stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump earlier this year after Stephanopoulos inaccurately claimed that Trump was “found liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case.
The prosecution concluded its case on Wednesday in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, setting the stage for closing arguments in the coming days.
