Month: December 2024

On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the war between Russia and Ukraine, writing in a post on social media, “there should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin,” and calling the war between Russia and Ukraine one that “should never have started, and could go on forever.”

Trump has repeatedly pledged that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine immediately upon returning to the White House. He met with world leaders while in Paris on Saturday to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron. It was Trump’s first in-person conversation with Zelenskyy since he won the presidential election in November.

Trump said in the post on Truth Social that “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”

Additionally, in a television interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,” Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO. When asked if he were actively working to end the nearly 3-year-old Ukraine war, Trump said, “I am,” but would not say if he had spoken to Putin since winning election in November. “I don’t want to say anything about that, because I don’t want to do anything that could impede the negotiation.”

Zelenskyy himself said Sunday that he had a “good meeting” with Trump, and told the president-elect that Ukraine needs “a just and enduring peace” that “Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have done repeatedly in the past.” The Ukrainian president said in a post on social media that the war “cannot simply end with a piece of paper and a few signatures,” urging that a ceasefire “without guarantees can be reignited at any moment.” Zelenskyy argued that Putin “can only be stopped by strength — the strength of world leaders who can become leaders of peace. We count on America and the entire world to help stop Putin. The only things he fears are America and global unity.”

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Rebel forces invaded Syria and captured Damascus on Sunday, bring a decades-long reign by the Assad family to an end.   President Bashar Assad fled the country and relinquished the presidency, with Russian state media reporting that Assad fled to Moscow.

Hassan Abdul-Ghani, senior commander of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, claimed victory for the rebel forces that had stormed across Syria, entering Damascus overnight. Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free (per AP News.)

The statement read: “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad. To the displaced people around the world, Free Syria awaits you.” Syrians were shown celebrating across Damascus in videos airing across social media, with crowds honked horns and waving flags. Photos and video showed people toppling statues of Hafez al-Assad, father of ousted President Bashar Al-Assad, in cities across Syria.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video statement the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government:  “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” adding that he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property. He said the government is ready to cooperate with “any leadership chosen by the Syrian people.”

According to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement: “As a result of negotiations between Bashar Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.”

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria; while the White House said the U.S. had no intention of intervening. President Biden said in a statement: “At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country, but it’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next. We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime, toward independent, sovereign and independent … Syria with a new constitution, new government that serves all Syrians.”

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The New York Police Department released two new photos of the ‘person of interest’ in the ongoing manhunt for the masked gunman who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a  New York City hotel on Wednesday, in what the NYPD are calling a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack.”

NYPD released the first unmasked images Thursday of the individual wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting, and asked the public for help identifying that individual. The images were taken from a hostel in the Manhattan Valley area of the Upper West Side. Authorities described the gunman as a white male who wore a tan-colored jacket, a black face mask and black-and-white sneakers, and carried a gray backpack.

Additional evidence in the case was discovered, in which shell casings found at the scene had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them. officials said they are examining whether the words relate to a possible motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims. ABC News reported that officials said they are examining whether the words relate to a possible motive, with the alliteration  a comment on the tactics that opponents say insurance companies use to delay or deny policyholders’ claims.

Thompson, 50, didn’t travel with any personal security detail despite known threats against him, and was staying at the nearby Marriott hotel across the street before heading to the Hilton Midtown Hotel for the UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference. The CEO was shot multiple times before 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, by the masked gunman who fled on a bike and headed to Central Park before police arrived. Authorities recovered three live rounds and three discharged shell casings from the scene.

Police have asked anyone who might know something about the shooting or the gunman to either report what they know to Crime Stoppers or submit tips anonymously online. The NYPD is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

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A federal judge on Thursday rejected a plea deal between Boeing and the Justice Department, after they agreed to plead guilty to a fraud charge and pay more than $243 million to resolve cases linked to two fatal plane crashes, which killed a total of 346 people in 2018/2019.

According to court filings, Judge Reed O’Connor rejected Boeing’s plea agreement, citing criticism from victims’ family members that Boeing’s deal to have an independent monitor oversee its compliance and safety programs was a “sweetheart deal”. The Judge has given both Boeing and the Justice Department 30 days to update the court on how they plan to proceed in the case.

Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge in July and pay a fine of $243.6 million, as well as invest about $455 million in compliance and safety programs and implement a third-party monitor to track the company’s compliance with regulations. O’Connor argued that the agreement had improperly required prosecutors to consider diversity and inclusion when selecting the monitor, a consideration that minimized the position’s role, stating “these provisions are inappropriate and against the public interest.” O’Connor also disagreed with the monitor answering to the Justice Department rather than the court, saying the provision would “erroneously marginalize” the court.

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Sources close to President-elect Donald Trump said that he is considering selecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his pick for defense secretary, to replace embattled former Fox News host Pete Hegseth. The Wall Street Journal, who first broke this story, reported that the news comes after Trump and DeSantis attended a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers Tuesday in Florida.

DeSantis was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as JAG officer while attending Harvard Law School, and later served in Iraq, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. NBC News cited sources that that DeSantis is “very much in contention,” and that Trump and DeSantis directly spoke about the issue. Another source reiterated that “Trump talked to the governor and wants him to do it.”

Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans’ charities, repeated intoxication and infidelity. He has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearing. However, Hegseth told CBS News on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, that he does not intend to withdraw his name from consideration, saying he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning, and Trump told him to keep going:  “I spoke to the president-elect this morning. He said, ‘Keep going, keep fighting. I’m behind you all the way. Why would I back down? I’ve always been a fighter. I’m here for the fighters. This is personal and passionate for me.”

In a post to X on Wednesday morning, again Hegseth vowed not to withdraw as Trump’s pick, stating: “I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers. The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump —and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth. Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.”

Other possible contenders for the Pentagon top job include Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. Additionally, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., whom Trump had chosen for White House national security adviser, is also a possible pick for leading the Pentagon.

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UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed at point-blank range by a masked gunman in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, shortly before he was set to attend an investor conference, according to police. Police said the 50-year-old CEO was shot once in the back and once in the leg; he was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital, but did not survive his injuries.

News outlets reported the attacker used a silenced firearm in what is believed to be a targeted attack of Thompson.  NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that the gunman appeared to be lying in wait and shot Thompson several times from behind, at around 6:40 a.m.  Tisch stressed that the shooting appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack” that was “premeditated,” but the motive remains unknown.

Thompson was in New York City for the UnitedHealthcare investors conference set to be held at the Hilton Hotel,  outside of which he was shot. The hotel is by the intersection of West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, though Thompson was not staying there.  More than a dozen officers responded and blocked off West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues for the morning commute.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at the news conference that the shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before Thompson arrived; after Thompson exited his hotel across the street and walked to the Hilton for the investors conference, the shooter stepped onto the sidewalk from behind a car and shot the CEO in the back. Kenny said: “the shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions, as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” adding that the suspect fled on foot into an alley, where a phone was recovered. He then fled on an e-bike and he was last seen riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m.  The bikes are equipped with GPS and police are following up.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media: “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.  Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”

A spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare said that the company’s investors conference was scheduled to be livestreamed from a hotel ballroom starting at 8 a.m. but had since been canceled. According to UnitedHealthcare’s website, Thompson had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and was named CEO in 2021. He was a father of two and an active member of his community. UnitedHealth Group said in a statement: “we are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

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