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Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a roundtable discussion with local Black business leaders in Atlanta, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 11 November 2024
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Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away

  • The Senate has not allowed presidents to make so-called recess appointments since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling limited the president’s power to do so
Updated 11 November 2024
AP

WASHINGTON: Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote.
Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running in a secret ballot election Wednesday to lead the GOP conference and replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping aside from the job after almost two decades. All three have courted Trump’s support in the race, vying to show who is the closest to the president-elect as they campaign to become majority leader.
Trump has not endorsed in the race, but on Sunday he made clear that he expects the new leader to go around regular Senate order, if necessary, to allow him to fill his Cabinet quickly. In a statement on X and Truth Social, Trump said that the next leader “must agree” to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is on recess, bypassing a confirmation vote.
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump posted, adding that positions should be filled “IMMEDIATELY!”
The Senate has not allowed presidents to make so-called recess appointments since a 2014 Supreme Court ruling limited the president’s power to do so. Since then, the Senate has held brief “pro-forma” sessions when it is out of town for more than 10 days so that a president cannot take advantage of the absence and start filling posts that have not been confirmed.
But with Trump’s approval paramount in the race, all three candidates quickly suggested that they might be willing to reconsider the practice. Scott replied to Trump, “100 percent agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.” And Thune said in a statement that they must “quickly and decisively” act to get nominees in place and that “all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”
Cornyn said that “It is unacceptable for Senate Ds to blockade President @realDonaldTrump ‘s cabinet appointments. If they do, we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent.” He noted that recess appointments are allowed under the Constitution.
The social media exchange on Sunday became a first test for the three candidates since Trump was decisively elected last week to a second term.
Trump’s relationship with Congress — especially the advice and consent role afforded to the Senate when it comes to nominations — was tumultuous in his first term as he chafed at resistance to his selections and sought ways to work around lawmakers. With Trump now entering a second term emboldened by his sweeping election victory, he is already signaling that he expects Senate Republicans, and by extension, their new leader, to fall in line behind his Cabinet selections.
Trump also posted on Sunday that the Senate should not approve any judges in the weeks before Republicans take power next year — a more difficult demand to fulfill as Democrats will control the floor, and hold the majority of votes, until the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. Trump posted that “Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.”
With days to go, the race for Senate Republican leader is deeply in flux.
Thune and Cornyn are both well-liked, longtime senators who have served as deputies to McConnell and have been seen as the front-runners, despite past statements criticizing Trump. Scott — a longtime friend of Trump’s and fierce ally — has been seen as more of a longshot, but he has mounted an aggressive campaign in recent days on social media and elsewhere with the aim of getting Trump’s endorsement.
Senators who are close to Trump, such as Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida, have endorsed Scott, as have tech mogul Elon Musk and other people who have Trump’s ear.
“We have to be the change,” Scott said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “That’s what Donald Trump got elected to do, to be the change.”
All three candidates are promising that they will be more open and transparent than McConnell was and that they would give senators more power to get their priorities to the floor. They have also tried to make clear that they would have a much different relationship with Trump than McConnell, who once called the former president a “despicable human being” behind closed doors.
As the Senate haggles over how to fill Trump’s Cabinet, many of his allies are campaigning for the nominations. Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said on ABC’s “This Week” that there are “a couple of great options on the table.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee who served as US ambassador to Japan between 2017 and 2019, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that one of his greatest honors was to represent the Trump administration overseas. He said he would advance “the positions that President Trump has articulated.”
“I’ll do that in whatever role necessary,” said Hagerty, who has endorsed Scott in the leadership race.
While Trump has made only one personnel move public so far, naming Susie Wiles his chief of staff, he has already ruled out two names for top positions.
Trump said Saturday that he would not be inviting Mike Pompeo, his former US Secretary of State and CIA chief, and Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as his UN ambassador and challenged him for the GOP nomination. Pompeo rallied with Trump on the night before Election Day.
“I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country,” Trump posted on his network Truth Social.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., reposted on X a message by podcaster Dave Smith suggesting to put pressure to “keep all neocons and war hawks out of the Trump administration.”
“The ‘stop Pompeo’ movement is great, but it’s not enough,” Smith posted on X. “America First: screw the war machine!”
 

 

Topics: Donlad Trump

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WHO sounds alarm over surging global cholera cases in 2025

Updated 5 sec ago
Arab News
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WHO sounds alarm over surging global cholera cases in 2025

  • Dr. Philippe Barboza, cholera team lead at the WHO, said that more than 100,000 cases and 1,300 deaths have already been reported globally in the first few months of 2025
Updated 5 sec ago
Arab News

GENEVA: The World Health Organization has raised serious concerns over a sharp global rise in cholera infections and deaths, warning that the disease is spreading to new regions and threatening vulnerable populations already burdened by conflict and climate-related crises.

Speaking in Geneva on Friday, Dr. Philippe Barboza, cholera team lead at the WHO, said that more than 100,000 cases and 1,300 deaths have already been reported globally in the first few months of 2025.

Preliminary data from 2024 revealed 810,000 cases and 5,900 deaths, which marked a significant increase compared to 2023. However, Barboza cautioned that the actual numbers are likely higher due to incomplete reporting.

“Cholera should not exist in the 21st century,” he said. “Yet it is now spreading to countries where it had never been present before, such as Namibia and Kenya.”

In several countries, the case fatality rate has exceeded 1 percent, with Angola standing out as particularly hard-hit.

Barboza, who recently returned from the country, reported a fatality rate of over 4 percent, and warned of the disease’s rapid spread within Angola and to neighboring nations.

Angola currently accounts for 36 percent of all global cholera cases reported in 2025.

The WHO and its partners have responded by dispatching rapid deployment teams, setting up treatment facilities, and conducting staff training across affected regions.

Elsewhere, Myanmar has reported 12,000 acute cholera cases since July 2024, while Haiti is grappling with an outbreak but lacks the necessary funding to manage it effectively.

Barboza emphasized the compounded impact of armed conflict and climate change in accelerating the spread of cholera, stressing the need for joint action and sustained investment to prevent further outbreaks.

As of late March, the WHO had 5.6 million treatment doses stockpiled for emergency responses. However, soaring global demand highlights the urgent need for expanded vaccine production, with Barboza saying: “Cholera should not be killing anyone in the 21st century.”

Topics: World Health Organization (WHO) cholera

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Russian missile strike kills 14 in Ukraine leader’s home city

Updated 17 min 6 sec ago
AFP
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Russian missile strike kills 14 in Ukraine leader’s home city

  • The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground and wounded more than 50 people
  • “It was preliminarily a ballistic missile attack. As of now, 14 people have been killed, including six children,” Zelensky said
Updated 17 min 6 sec ago
AFP

KYIV: A Russian ballistic missile strike on Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rig killed 14 people on Friday, including six children, the Ukrainian leader said.
The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground and wounded more than 50 people, according to the head of the city’s military administration.
Unverified videos on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a street, while another showed a plume of smoke rising into the evening sky.
“It was preliminarily a ballistic missile attack. As of now, 14 people have been killed, including six children,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
The rescue operation was ongoing, he added.
Regional governor Sergiy Lysak said the number of reported casualties was “constantly increasing.”
“There is only one reason why this continues — Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it. The whole world sees it,” Zelensky said.
“And only the world’s pressure on Russia, all efforts to strengthen Ukraine, our air defense, our forces — only this will determine when the war will end.”
The Ukrainian leader was born in Kryvyi Rig, which had a pre-war population of around 600,000 people.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out talks with no intention of halting its offensive.
Kryvyi Rig, in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the front line but has regularly been targeted by Russian drones and missiles.
A previous Russian ballistic attack on the city on Wednesday killed at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others.
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s military administration, said the missile landed near a children’s playground.
Five apartment buildings were damaged, interior minister Igor Klymenko said.
He said police had blocked off the area to maintain order.
“The police are documenting the consequences of Russia’s war crime and accepting statements from the victims,” he added.
Social media video from the scene showed a car in flames, while people could be heard shouting.
Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official tasked with countering disinformation, described the missile involved in the attack as an “Iskander.”
The Iskander is a Russian ballistic missile system that can have a range of up to 500 kilometers (311 miles).
“This is a deliberate strike to kill a large number of people,” Kovalenko said.

Topics: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky houthi ballistic missile ballistic missile Kryvyi Rih

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New humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan as Pakistan forces refugees to return

Updated 04 April 2025
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New humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan as Pakistan forces refugees to return

  • Mass deportation coincides with huge foreign aid cuts under new US policies
  • Deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghans to leave Pakistan was March 31
Updated 04 April 2025
MODASER ISLAMI

KABUL: Pakistan’s plan to expel most of its Afghan refugees this year will trigger a new humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, aid groups warn, as foreign funding has been slashed and existing infrastructure is inadequate to support returnees.

Pakistan is home to about 3 million Afghans, many of whom fled their country during decades of war. This number includes Afghans born in Pakistan, as well as those who sought shelter after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

They are the main group facing deportation under the Pakistani government’s nationwide crackdown to force out foreigners living in the country illegally. The drive also includes Afghan Citizen Card holders, who were given a deadline to leave by March 31. Pakistani authorities confirmed last week they were not extending the deadline.

According to UN data, 800,000 people with Afghan Citizen Cards and 1 million undocumented Afghans are currently set to be expelled. Since the launch of the crackdown in 2023, more than 843,000 Afghans have returned to their homeland.

“If they come in hundreds of thousands or millions, it will create another crisis in the country,” Abdul Fatah Jawad, director of Ehsas Welfare and Social Services Organization, told Arab News.

“Finding houses, jobs, and educational opportunities will be very difficult for this huge number of returnees. Health is another challenge.”

Over the past two months, more than 200 health facilities across Afghanistan have been either suspended or closed, and another 200 will shut by June due to external funding shortfalls, which come amid massive US aid cuts under the Donald Trump administration.

The US, which invaded Afghanistan in 2001, was its largest aid donor. It has been cutting its support since 2021. Washington withdrew its troops from Afghanistan after the collapse of its Western-backed regime and imposed sanctions on the country’s new rulers. It also froze all projects after spending billions on two decades of military and development operations.

The moves led to Afghanistan’s economic collapse and the disruption of basic services such as healthcare, education, and food distribution. Millions of people were left without essential support due to the collapse of institutions and infrastructure.

As the economy continues to reel and new aid cuts are implemented, the return of refugees will place an additional strain on a system that may not be able to bear it.

“With the overall shortage of donors’ financial aid, especially after the recent US funding cuts, Afghanistan is not prepared to receive large numbers of returnees at once and provide them with housing and livelihood facilities. This is a significant challenge and will certainly exacerbate the ongoing crisis in the country,” said Fareed-ud-Din Noori, country director of Women for Afghan Women, a US-based organization that has been providing shelter, protection and food services to returnees.

“Several international and national organizations that provided critical services to returnees in resettlement and reintegration areas in the country were forced to either close their offices or suspend their projects due to unavailability of funds.”

The prospect of immediately finding jobs for hundreds of thousands of families is unlikely.

“With unemployment levels skyrocketing across the country and livelihood prospects looking grim, these returnees will face significant challenges in starting a new life in the country. Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy will come under increasing pressure,” Noori said.

“The international community’s financial support is compulsory to enable a proper response to the influx of returnees.”

The Afghan government, too, does not have a clear plan of how to handle the number of returning nationals and integrate them with the rest of the society. Its Refugee and Repatriation Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said last month that Afghanistan would encourage its nationals to come back to the country, but they should be given time and return “according to an organized and gradual mechanism instead of forced deportation.”

Dr. Tayeb Khan, economist and lecturer at Kateb University in Kabul, warned that refugee children in particular will be affected by the forced migration.

“All of this is putting increasing pressure on the country’s fragile economy, leading to greater dependence on humanitarian aid and deepening the poverty situation. The government alone will not be able to integrate children of these returnees into schools and provide them with essential health services,” he said.

“Most of these refugees have established their own lives and businesses over the years they have lived abroad … When they are forced to return to Afghanistan against their will, they will struggle with finding a job or work at first. Tens of thousands of people in the country are already finding it very difficult to get employed, especially after development projects were suspended following the withdrawal of international funding from Afghanistan.”

Topics: Afghanistan Pakistan

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Police summon US scholar in Thailand after army alleges he insulted the monarchy

Updated 04 April 2025
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Police summon US scholar in Thailand after army alleges he insulted the monarchy

  • A copy of the police summons says the regional army command filed charges against Chambers, including violating the law against defaming the monarchy
  • The 3rd Army Area, covering Thailand’s northern region, was named as the plaintiff in the document
Updated 04 April 2025

BANGKOK: The Thai army has filed a criminal complaint against an American scholar working in Thailand, alleging that he insulted the country’s monarchy, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Paul Chambers, a political science lecturer, said police came to his workplace at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Friday morning to serve him with an arrest warrant and summoning him to the local police station to formally hear the charges.
Chambers said he will report himself on Tuesday and hopes to get released on bail.
“I’m basically in limbo because I can’t go anywhere. I’m not supposed to,” he told The Associated Press. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m kind of nervous.”
A copy of the police summons, seen by the AP, says the regional army command filed charges against Chambers, including violating the law against defaming the monarchy and the Computer Crime Act.


The letter, signed by Phitsanulok City police chief Watcharapong Sitthirungroj, said the warrant was approved by the Phitsanulok Provincial Court on March 31. Watcharapong denied any knowledge of the charges against Chambers when first reached by the AP, but when asked about his signature on the document, said he couldn’t immediately comment and asked a reporter to call back.
The 3rd Army Area, covering Thailand’s northern region, was named as the plaintiff in the document, but could not be reached for comment. Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree could not immediately be reached.
The summons did not explain the details of the offense that Chambers was accused of. Chambers said he believes it was related to a webinar last October in which he discussed the influence of the military in Thai politics.
Thailand’s lese majeste law calls for three to 15 years’ imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent.
Critics say it is among the harshest such laws anywhere and has been used in Thailand to punish critics of the government and institutions such as the military. The army plays a major role in politics and has staged 13 successful coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently just 11 years ago.
It is rare for a foreigner to be charged under the law, which has been applied frequently in the past decade during a period of political polarization.
Public criticism of the monarchy, a linchpin of Thai identity, used to be rare, but student-led pro-democracy protests began to challenge that taboo in 2020, openly criticizing the institution. That led to vigorous prosecutions under what was previously a little-used law.
The advocacy group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people — many of them student activists — have been charged with violating the lese majeste law, often referred to as Article 112.

Topics: Thailand American Thai army

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Everything I did was for my country, Duterte says via daughter

Updated 04 April 2025
AFP
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Everything I did was for my country, Duterte says via daughter

  • “Everything I did, I did for my country. (I don’t know) whether that statement is acceptable or not, but I want it out to the world,” said Sara, relaying her father’s words
  • The vice president would not be drawn as to whether this amounted to an admission of responsibility for the crimes her father is facing at the ICC
Updated 04 April 2025
AFP

THE HAGUE: Philippine ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, facing International Criminal Court charges over his deadly narcotics crackdown, said “everything I did, I did for my country,” his daughter told reporters Friday.
Sara Duterte, who is also her country’s vice president, was briefing journalists at the detention center in The Hague after a long conversation with her father interned inside.
She also relayed that her father wants proceedings against him to move as quickly as possible, with the 80-year-old fearful of dying in custody.
“Everything I did, I did for my country. (I don’t know) whether that statement is acceptable or not, but I want it out to the world,” said Sara, relaying her father’s words.
The vice president would not be drawn as to whether this amounted to an admission of responsibility for the crimes her father is facing at the ICC.
It was the first reported comments from Rodrigo Duterte since he appeared tired and dazed at an initial appearance at the ICC, which he attended by videolink and barely spoke.
In a video posted when Duterte arrived in the Netherlands last month to face the charges, he had said “I will be responsible for all of this.”
Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands.
In the prosecutor’s application for his arrest, he said Duterte’s alleged crimes were “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines.”
“Potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated,” the prosecutor alleged of the campaign that targeted mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.
In an interview with AFP earlier Friday, a lawyer for victims, Gilbert Andres, said loved-ones of those affected were seeking “truth and justice” from a potential trial.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 23, where the charges against him will be laid out, but Sara Duterte said her father was eager to get proceedings underway.
“He wants to go back to the Philippines. He said, ‘I am an old man. I can die anytime. But I want to die in my country’,” said Sara Duterte.

Topics: The Hague former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte International Criminal Court (ICC) narcotics

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