Politics

Gothamist reports: A Turkish transportation app that connects users with taxis, e-bikes and electric scooters has named the attorney representing Mayor Eric Adams in his federal corruption case to its board of directors. The Istanbul-based Marti Technologies announced late last week that its board elected Alex Spiro as a director during its 2024 annual shareholder meeting. In New York, Spiro …

The Hill reports: “It is utterly preposterous to suggest that we are going to send our military into Panama to, quote, ‘take back the Panama Canal,’” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said during a Thursday appearance on CNN. “We have a treaty with Panama. We have a free trade agreement with Panama,” she added. “We are no more going to take …

NBC News reports: The Kremlin on Thursday warned against speculating what may have caused an Azerbaijan Airlines flight to crash, killing 38 of the 67 on board, after an aviation expert said evidence indicated that a Russian anti-missile battery may have brought down the passenger plane. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the investigation into the cause of the crash was …

“It should be called the Biden Tunnel. It is the most complex infrastructure project funded by Joe Biden. It will provide a third tunnel across the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, one of the most important interstate links in the country. “As the vehicular traffic has increased across the Hudson River over the last 50 years, …

The New York Times reports: King Charles III on Wednesday thanked the medical workers in Britain who helped treat him and his daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, after their cancer diagnoses, and praised communities that came together after anti-immigrant riots gripped the country in the summer. In his annual Christmas message, the British monarch spoke from the chapel of a …

The Associated Press reports: All you have to do to become a South Dakota resident is spend one night. Stay in a campground or hotel and then stop by one of the businesses that specialize in helping people become South Dakotans, and they’ll help you do the paperwork to gain residency in a state with no income tax and relatively …

USA Today reports: President Joe Biden on Tuesday enacted the first federal anti-hazing law, marking the end of a yearslong push by victims’ families for more transparency and accountability on college campuses. The Stop Campus Hazing Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September and the U.S. Senate this month, requires universities to start collecting hazing statistics to …

Reuters reports: A Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon. They normally occur every 25 years. Pilgrims coming to Rome during the year can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins. This Jubilee will run through Jan. 6, 2026. “The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us …

The Arizona Republic reports: A government watchdog group has filed a complaint against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, alleging that her recent pricey travel expenditures broke campaign-finance laws. The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is accusing Sinema, I-Ariz., of breaking election rules that prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for strictly personal purposes. Sinema announced in March that she …

The Florida Phoenix reports: DeSantis administration officials haven’t said whether the state will again reject a federal program that gives low-income families money for groceries during the summer. More than 2 million kids in the state could again miss out on the SUN Bucks program, or summer EBT, if the Florida Department of Children and Families doesn’t tell the federal …

Politico reports: Congress has long been home to aging politicians facing serious health woes. But the case of retiring Rep. Kay Granger is the latest evidence that a new generation of Washington players are growing fed up with the tradition of shielding officials’ infirmities from the world. The revelations are sparking a bipartisan backlash and drawing scrutiny to other elderly …

Courthouse News reports: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Governor-elect Josh Stein filed a lawsuit Monday over a bill that stripped appointment abilities from the state’s highest seat. Opponents heavily protested the bill, which lawmakers originally advertised as targeting disaster relief. It removed the governor’s ability to fill seats on the North Carolina State Board of Elections, instead administratively transferring …

CBS News reports: Former President Bill Clinton checked into a Washington, D.C., hospital Monday afternoon for “testing and observation after developing a fever,” an aide said in a statement. “President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” Angel Ureña, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, wrote on X. “He remains …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Sunday he sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association, accusing the organization of misleading college sports fans by allowing transgender women to participate in events marketed as women’s competitions. Paxton said the NCAA violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by deceiving fans who want to support sporting events that only …

SF Gate reports: The California exodus that’s been declared over and over again isn’t real, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau published this week. The Golden State’s population grew by 0.6% between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024. That’s an addition of almost a quarter of a million people, pushing the number of residents closer to …

The Telegraph reports: The Government has opened the door to blocking Elon Musk from donating millions of pounds to Reform UK with new laws. Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, suggested the reforms could form part of government plans to tighten up rules around political donations. Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, recently revealed that Mr Musk, a …

Axios reports: Congress’ long-simmering debate over the age of its members has resurfaced over revelations that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) has been living in an independent living facility in Texas. Granger’s son Brandon told the Dallas Morning News that she has been “having some dementia issues late in the year.” Brandon Granger pushed back on a report from the Dallas …

The Dallas Express reports: Amid the ongoing drama in D.C. with Congress furiously debating and voting on an interim spending bill a key question has arisen from constituents in Texas Congressional District 12, “Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger?” According to Ms. Granger’s roll call vote page, Grangers last vote was on July 24th, 2024 as she voted No to the …

St. Louis’s NBC affiliate reports: Missouri’s near-total abortion ban was deemed unenforceable by a judge on Friday, but some aspects of the state’s laws against abortion remain in place, even after voters enshrined reproductive rights into the state’s constitution by passing Amendment 3. Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang ruled Missouri’s total ban, eighteen-week ban, fourteen-week ban, eight-week ban, and “reasons …

CBS News reports: Legislation to expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans passed the U.S. Senate early Saturday and is now headed to the desk of President Biden, who is expected to sign the measure into law. Senators voted 76-20 for the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate two federal policies that prevent nearly 3 million people, including …