A fucking stooge....

Trump's attorney general nominee quizzed on her loyalty to him

Ana Faguy

Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she would not use the US justice department to target people based on their politics during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

"There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice," she told senators as she was repeatedly pressed on her loyalty to Trump. "I will not politicise that office."

But Bondi, who would become the nation's top law enforcement official if confirmed to the role by a Senate vote, did not directly rule out launching investigations into those the president-elect has clashed with.

"It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment regarding anything," she said when asked whether she would investigate Jack Smith, who led two criminal cases against Trump.

Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate and potentially prosecute his political enemies during the election campaign.

Bondi, who is likely to be confirmed as the 87th US attorney general given the Republican majority in the chamber, stressed throughout the hearing that she would remain independent.

But she echoed Trump's view that federal prosecutions against him were political persecution, saying the department "had been weaponised for years and years and years".

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said the department had become "infected with political decision-making" and said it has been "weaponised" under the Biden administration, particularly against Trump.

These descriptions were repeated by other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Bondi agreed with their assessment.

Questions from Democratic senators, meanwhile, focused on whether Bondi would say no to the president-elect.

"The concern is that weaponisation of the justice department may well occur under your tenure," Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse told Bondi. "We want to make sure that's not the case, that you remain independent."

They also focused a portion of their questioning on FBI director nominee Kash Patel who, if confirmed, would report to Bondi.

The FBI nominee has said he has an "enemies list" of people he will pursue if confirmed. Multiple senators asked Bondi about those comments, but she said she had not heard them and the justice department would not have such a list.

Bondi also told the committee that she would look at potential pardons of Capitol rioters on a "case by case basis" but added that she condemned "any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country".

The attorney general serves as the head of the Department of Justice, which enforces federal laws. If confirmed to the role, Bondi would give legal advice and opinions to the president and heads of executive departments.

Her confirmation vote has not yet been scheduled, but is expected in the coming days.

On Wednesday, Senators also quizzed Marco Rubio who is expected to be confirmed as Trump's secretary of state.

He warned that Washington must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China and promised to overhaul US foreign policy to focus on American interests.

Rocket launch

Rocket launch challenges Elon Musk's space dominance

Georgina Rannard

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's space company has blasted its first rocket into orbit in a bid to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 02:02 local time (07:02 GMT).

It firmly pits the world's two richest men against each other in a commercial space race, vying to fly bigger and more powerful rockets.

Both want to populate the skies with more satellites, run private space stations, and provide transport for regular trips by people to the Moon.

"Congratulations on reaching orbit on the first attempt!" Musk wrote in a post to Bezos on X.

Dave Limp, CEO of Bezos's space company Blue Origin, said he was "incredibly proud".

"We'll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring," he added.

Bezos's team overcame technical barriers that caused delays earlier this week when ice formation halted a launch.

Blue Origin's employees and crowds gathered near Cape Canaveral cheered as the 98 meters-high rocket hurtled into orbit.

But the company failed to land New Glenn's main rocket engine, or booster, onto a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

It had hoped that the booster would be reusable for future launches but after about 20 minutes of flight, the company confirmed it had lost the engine.

Bezos's company Blue Origin has struggled to match the pace set by SpaceX. But this launch will be seen as a major step forward for the business.

The New Glenn rocket was named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth more than 60 years ago.

The rocket is more powerful than SpaceX's most commonly used rocket, the Falcon 9. It can also carry more satellites, and Bezos wants to use it as part of his Project Kuiper, which aims to deploy thousands of low-earth satellites to provide broadband services.

That project would compete directly with Musk's Starlink service.

Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin 25 years ago, claiming he wanted "millions of people working and living in space."

For years the venture has sent a smaller, reusable rocket called New Shepard to the edge of Earth's atmosphere. It has carried passengers and payloads, including Bezos himself in 2021.

But Blue Origin has been dramatically outperformed by SpaceX, which launched its rockets 134 times last year.

And SpaceX's new generation of rocket, called Starship, is more powerful still. The company hopes to launch it in its seventh test flight later today.

Some experts say a successful New Glenn rocket will create real competition between the two companies and could drive down the costs of space operations.

"What you are going to see are these two companies challenge each other to make even greater strides," suggests Dr Simeon Barber at the Open University in the UK.

Governments have historically spent billions on building rockets and sending missions into space.

But US space agency NASA is increasingly moving away from relying only on public money and has issued huge contracts to private companies to provide rockets and other space services.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has already received billions of dollars worth of space contracts.

His close relationship with the next US president, Donald Trump, could strengthen his company further.

Just stupidity...

Up to Greenland to decide its future, Danish PM tells Trump

Laura Gozzi

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has told Donald Trump that it is up to Greenland to decide its own future.

The US president-elect sparked turmoil in Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland's capital, last week when he signalled that the US wanted to acquire the huge arctic island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

In a 45-minute phone call on Wednesday, Frederiksen told Trump that Denmark was prepared to increase its responsibility for security in the Arctic.

She also reiterated the statements of the Greenland PM, Mute Egede, who recently said that Greenland was not for sale.

Trump did not react to the call publicly. However, he reposted on his TruthSocial account a 2019 poll that indicated 68% of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark.

A referendum on independence is thought to be on the cards and Denmark has said it would respect any result.

When he was last president, Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland. When Frederiksen called the proposal "absurd", he abruptly cancelled a trip to Denmark.

The Danish government said that in her phone call with Trump, Frederiksen also emphasised that "Danish companies contribute to growth and jobs in the US, and that the EU and the US have a common interest in strengthened trade."

Last week, Trump threatened Denmark with high tariffs if the country did not give up Greenland.

The suggestion set off alarm bells among Danish industry leaders, as the US is Denmark's second largest export market and any targeted tariffs would have a significant impact on the Danish economy.

On Thursday, Frederiksen will hold what Danish media dubbed a "crisis meeting" with business leaders, including the CEOs of beer giant Carlsberg and drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which produces obesity and diabetes drugs popular in the US.

She is also due to host an extraordinary Foreign Policy Council meeting with members from across parliament.

Greenlandic member of parliament Aaja Chemnitz said she was satisfied with Frederiksen's line that any decision about Greenland should be taken by Greenlanders.

"I have great confidence in the prime minister's task, and I also have great confidence in Egede. I think it is important that they have a close dialogue," she said.

Earlier this week, Egede said his government was ready to start a dialogue with the incoming Trump administration.

But opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov said that he disapproved of Frederiksen's approach.

Writing on X, he said: "It is completely unacceptable that [Frederiksen] renounces Denmark's rights in Greenland and places sovereignty solely with the [Greenlander] self-government when she talks to the President of the United States."

Trump's comments and his son's visit to Greenland last week sparked huge concern in Denmark. Faced with the prospect of angering what she repeatedly called "Denmark's closest ally", Frederiksen measured her words while emphasising Greenland's right to self-determination.

Hans Redder, TV2's political editor, said the fact that Trump had set aside 45 minutes for a phone call with Frederiksen indicated that "this Greenland thing is really something that is on Trump's mind - it's not just a passing thought".

Deportations?

From snowy cities to Mexican border - Trump deportations loom

Bernd Debusmann Jr and Mike Wendling

As light snow fell outside, worshippers gathered at Lincoln United Methodist Church in Chicago to pray and plan for what will happen when Donald Trump takes office next week, when the president-elect has promised to begin the largest expulsion of undocumented immigrants in US history.

"The 20th [of January] is going to be here before we know it," Reverend Tanya Lozano-Washington told the congregation, after passing out steaming cups of Mexican hot chocolate and coffee to warm the crowd of about 60.

Located in Pilsen, a mostly Latino neighbourhood, the church has been a long-time hub for pro-immigration activists in the city's large Hispanic community. But Sunday services are now English-only, since in-person Spanish-language services were cancelled.

The decision to move them online was made over fears that those gatherings might be targeted by anti-immigration activists or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The incoming president has said he will deport millions of illegal immigrants, threatened workplace raids, and reports suggest that he could do away with a longstanding policy that has made churches off-limits for ICE arrests.

According to one parishioner, American-born David Cruseno, "the threat is very real. It's very alive".

Cruseno said his mother entered the country illegally from Mexico but has been working and paying taxes in the US for 30 years.

"With the new administration coming in, it's almost like a persecution," he told the BBC. "I feel like we're being singled out and targeted in a fashion that's unjust, even though we co-operate [with] this country endlessly."

• Are 300,000 migrant children missing in the US?
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• How would Trump’s promise of mass deportations of migrants work?

But across the country, over 1,400 miles (2,253km) to the south in Texas's Rio Grande Valley, another mostly immigrant community has a very different take on the impending inauguration – a sign of how Latino communities have become starkly divided on illegal immigration and Donald Trump's approach to the US-Mexico border.

"Immigration is essential... but the right way," said resident David Porras - a rancher, farmer and botanist.

"But with Trump, we're going to do it correctly."

The region is separated from Mexico only by the dark, shallow, narrow waters of the river and patches of dense vegetation and mesquite - locals say that the day-to-day realities of living on the border have increasingly opened their eyes to what many see as the dangers of illegal immigration.

"I've had families [of migrants] come knocking on my backdoor, asking for water, for shelter," said Amanda Garcia, a resident of Starr County, where nearly 97% of residents identify as Latino, making it the most Latino county in the US outside of Puerto Rico.

"We had once incident where a young lady was by herself with two men, and you could tell she was tired - and being abused."

Over dozens of interviews in two of the Rio Grande Valley's constituent counties - Starr and neighbouring Hidalgo - residents described a litany of other border-related incidents, ranging from waking up to migrants on their property to witnessing busts of cartel stash houses used for drugs, or dangerous high-speed chases between authorities and smugglers.

Many in the overwhelmingly Latino part of Texas are themselves immigrants, or the children or grandchildren of immigrants. Once a reliable Democratic stronghold in otherwise "Red" Texas, Starr County swung in Trump's favour in the 2024 election - the first time the county was won by Republicans in over 130 years.

Nationally, Trump garnered about 45% of the Latino vote - a mammoth 14 percentage-point bump compared to the 2020 election.

The victory in Starr County, locals say, was in no small part due to Trump's stance on the border.

"We live in a country of order and laws," said Demesio Guerrero, a naturalized US citizen originally from Mexico who lives in the town of Hidalgo, across the international bridge from the cartel-plagued Mexican city of Reynosa.

"We have to be able [to say] who comes in and out," added Mr Guerrero, speaking in Spanish just metres from a brown, tall metal barrier that represents the end of the US. "Otherwise, this country is lost."

Like other Trump supporters in the Rio Grande Valley, Mr Guerrero said - repeatedly - that he "is not against immigration".

"But they should do it the right way," he said. "Like others have."

Trump "is not anti-immigrant, or racist at all," agreed Marisa Garcia, a resident of Rio Grande City in Starr County.

"We're just tired of them [undocumented immigrants] coming and thinking they can do whatever they want on our property or land, and taking advantage of the system," she added. "It's not racist to say that things need to change, and we need to benefit from it also."

Support for deportations is so strong that the Texas State Government offered Donald Trump 1,400-acres (567 hectares) of land just outside Rio Grande City to build detention facilities for undocumented migrants - a controversial move the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas described as "mass caging" that will "fuel civil rights violations".

While the patch of land - nestled between a peaceful farm-to-market road and the Rio Grande - is currently quiet, officials in town believe it could ultimately be a boon for the area.

"If you look at it from a developmental way, it's great for the economics of the city," Rio Grande City manager Gilberto Millan told the BBC.

"It's got some negative connotations to it, obviously, being a detention area," he said. "You can see it that way, but obviously you need a place to house these people."

The number of migrants coming in through Mexico has been trending sharply downwards - with last month's crossings at the lowest they've been since January 2020

But the issue is still very much alive on the streets of cities like Chicago, far from the southern border.

It is one of several Democrat-run cities which have enacted so-called "sanctuary city" laws that limit local police co-operation with federal immigration authorities.

In response, since 2022, Republican governors in southern states like Texas and Florida have sent thousands of immigrants northward in buses and planes.

Tom Homan, who was chosen by Trump to lead border policy, told a gathering of Republicans in Chicago last month that the midwestern city would be "ground zero" for mass deportations.

"January 21st, you're going to look for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for criminals and gang members," Homan said. "Count on it. It will happen."

Many local politicians, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the state's governor, JB Pritzker, have continued to back sanctuary city laws, dubbed the "Welcoming City" ordinance here.

But the policy is not universally loved. In November, Trump made gains in many Latino neighbourhoods.

Recently, two Democratic Hispanic lawmakers attempted to change the ordinance and allow some co-operation by Chicago police with federal authorities. Their measure was blocked Wednesday by Johnson and his progressive allies.

For now, the worshipers at Lincoln United Methodist are making plans and watching carefully as they see how Trump's plans play out.

"I'm scared, but I can't imagine what people without papers are feeling," said D Camacho, a 21-year-old legal immigrant from Mexico who was among the congregation at the church on Sunday.

Mexican consular officials in Chicago and elsewhere in the US have also said they are working on a mobile app that will allow Mexican migrants to warn relatives and consular officials if they are being detained and could be deported.

Officials in Mexico have described the system as a "panic button".

Organisers at Lincoln United are also reaching out to legal experts, advising locals on how to take care of their finances or arrange childcare in case of deportation and helping to create identification cards with details of an immigrant's family members and other information in English.

And several second-generation immigrants here said they were working to improve their Spanish, in order to be able to pass along legal information or translate for migrants being interviewed by authorities.

"If someone with five children gets taken, who will take the children in? Will they go to social services? Will the family be divided?" said Rev Emma Lozano - Reverend Tanya Lozano-Washington's mother and a long-time community activist and church elder.

"Those are the kinds of questions people have," she said. "'How can we defend our families - what is the plan?'"

Highest death toll

Israeli airstrikes cause Gaza’s highest death toll in over a week on Thursday

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman and Sana Noor Haq

Israeli bombings in Gaza have killed at least 81 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, according to health authorities in the enclave, as emergency crews reported heavy and intense strikes overnight into Thursday.

At least 188 other people have been injured, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday. The number of people killed by Israeli attacks over the past day marked the highest daily death toll in 11 days, according to a CNN tally of recent figures from the health ministry.

Local emergency crews described scenes of relentless bombardment since Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage release deal on Wednesday.

At least 77 Palestinians were killed – including 21 children and 25 women – since the ceasefire was announced, Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told CNN. More than 250 other people were injured, he said.

Among those killed on Thursday were two Palestinians at a school where displaced people sought refuge, in the Zeitoun neighborhood, central Gaza, according to the civil defense. In northern Gaza, Israeli aircraft struck a house near a mosque, killing at least two people, the civil defense said.

The Israeli military told CNN that it “targeted a Hamas terrorist in that area around that time.”

“Every time there is talk about a truce or a ceasefire, we witness an escalation in the intensity of the bombardment,” Basal said in a voice message.

The onslaught overnight came after an agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday – with the first phase expected to start on Sunday and last for six weeks. Human rights groups welcomed the news and ramped up calls for a permanent ceasefire.

Hostage deal

Biden administration "fully" expects hostage deal to be implemented Sunday despite delay

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

The Biden administration “fully” expects the ceasefire-hostage deal in the Middle East to be implemented Sunday – despite a delay in approval of the agreement by Israel’s cabinet.

Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CNN Thursday that complications were expected “in deals that are complicated… and when there is literally zero trust between the two parties to the agreement.”

“We fully expect the deal to be implemented as described by the president and by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar yesterday, and on the timeline that was described” Finer told CNN’s Kate Bolduan. “What we’re doing now is working through details of implementation.”

Finer said the United States was in “very close touch with the mediators” and with the Israeli government.

President-elect Donald Trump took full credit for the deal Wednesday, and when asked about it, Finer said he was “certainly not going to respond directly to the president-elect.”

“What I would say is the contours of this deal, the details of this deal, all of the elements, were laid out by President Biden back in May,” he said. “The reality is, to be honest, we’ve not been focused on the political outcomes here and on who gets the credit. What we’ve been focused on is the outcome in the region trying to get this deal done and achieved.”

Return to war

Key party in Netanyahu government threatens to quit if Israel doesn’t return to war after ceasefire

From CNN's Tamar Michaelis and Mostafa Salem

A key party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition is threatening to quit if the prime minister doesn’t return to war in Gaza after the first phase of a ceasefire-hostage agreement that was reached with Hamas on Wednesday. The move could lead to the collapse of the Israeli government.

The agreement announced by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt stipulates that Hamas and Israel start negotiating a permanent ceasefire during the 42-day first phase of a truce.

The Israeli cabinet delayed a Thursday vote to ratify the deal, citing last-minute changes by Hamas – which the militant group denied.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionist Party on Thursday conditioned that Israel must “return to the war in order to destroy Hamas and the return of all the hostages… immediately after the conclusion of the first phase of the deal” to remain in government, it said in a statement.

The party did not say if it sought a written guarantee from Netanyahu to return to war.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a fellow far-right member of the government, has also threatened to resign and has called on Smotrich to join him. Neither party has enough lawmakers in parliament to collapse the government alone.

Together, both ministers control 14 seats in the legislature, enough to topple the government.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered Netanyahu a “safety net” to protect his government from collapse. That support, however, would almost certainly be tied to the ceasefire deal, and could be withdrawn after all hostages are released, collapsing the government.

Killed 77 Palestinians

Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians after the ceasefire was declared. 

From CNN Staff

In the hours after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire and hostage deal on Wednesday, many Palestinians took to the streets celebrating what looked like a potential end to the war.

In Israel, some also looked to the agreement with hope that some hostages would be soon returned from Gaza, having been kidnapped since October 2023.

But overnight, shortly after the deal was agreed, local emergency crews in Gaza described a relentless bombardment on the territory, with Israeli strikes killing at least 77 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. Of those killed, 21 were children and 25 women, it said.

Then on Thursday, Israel said it had delayed a cabinet vote on the agreement, blaming Hamas for reneging on parts of the agreement. Hamas, for its part, said the group was “committed to the truce.”

Despite this, there is no indication that the deal has fallen through. In fact, US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CNN the Biden administration “fully” expects the ceasefire-hostage deal to be implemented Sunday, adding that complications are to be expected “in deals that are complicated.”

However, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionist Party – which is a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government – on Thursday threatened to quit the governing coalition if the PM does not return to war after the first phase of the agreement. This move would have the potential to collapse the Israeli government.

Released

Three female Israeli civilians to be released on Sunday, US officials tell CNN

From CNN's Zachary Cohen and Alex Marquardt

If the ceasefire deal goes into effect as planned, three female hostages are expected to be released on Sunday, two US officials told CNN. They would be the first of 33 hostages in Gaza, both living and deceased, to be released as part of the first phase of the agreement. Hamas announced the same on Wednesday.

The hostages to be released in the first phase are the so-called “humanitarian” cases: women – including soldiers – older men, and the wounded. Male soldiers or men of fighting age are only expected to be released in a second phase.

This aligns with a document shared by senior Hamas official Bassem Naim Wednesday, which said three female hostages would be released first.

The ceasefire and hostage deal is expected to come into effect on January 19 and include three phases, each of which will last 42 days, according to the document.

Chance to de-escalate

Gaza deal offers Iran a chance to de-escalate, analyst says. Whether it will remains "far from certain"

From CNN's Lauren Kent

The Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal could provide an opportunity for wider de-escalation in the Middle East, particularly if Iran uses the opportunity to bring the temperature down, a senior fellow at UK-based think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says.

Iran – which backs Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen – has long engaged in a shadow war with Israel. Last year, Israel and Iran traded direct attacks for the first time.

“The ceasefire opens the possibility for Iran, having already lost significant strategic and hard power in the region, to reconsider its transnational proxy policy and deescalate with Israel,” said Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at RUSI.

“It is far from certain that Tehran will seize the opportunity for de-escalation, despite needing it on many fronts.”

“There are several regional moving parts that will have a bearing, such as constraints on the US, Qatar and Egypt to facilitate the survival of the agreement and move beyond the impasse in the next phases,” Ozcelik said Thursday.

Ozcelik added that Houthi militants in Yemen will “now be expected to halt disruptive maritime activities in the Red Sea, something that the US, UK and allies will be watching closely.”

Over the past year, the Houthi group has been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and launching missiles at Israel, saying it will only stop once a Gaza ceasefire is reached.

“All actors will apply a wait-and-see approach during a still volatile conflict environment,” Ozcelik said. “And the risk remains that the deal could prove to be a tentative lull rather than mark the end of the war.”