Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda

Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson applauds as Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump holds an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Updated 07 November 2024
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Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda

Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda
  • A few individual seats, or even a single one, will determine the outcome and Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House “remains very much in play”
  • If House Speaker Mike Johnson’s slim four-seat majority were to shrink any further, governing could come to a standstill

WASHINGTON: The US House majority hung in the balance Wednesday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a Trump second-term White House agenda.
A few individual seats, or even a single one, will determine the outcome. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond.
After Republicans swept into the majority in the US Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted his chamber would fall in line next.
“Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.
President-elect Donald Trump, who won the Electoral College and the popular vote against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, has consolidated growing power around his MAGA movement, backing newcomers to Washington and setting the stage for his own return to the White House.
Johnson said Republicans in Congress are preparing an “ambitious” 100-day agenda with Trump, who he has said is “thinking big” about his legacy.
Tax cuts, securing the southern border and taking a ”blowtorch” to federal regulations are at the top of the agenda if the GOP sweeps the White House and Congress. Trump himself has promised mass deportations and retribution against his perceived enemies. And Republicans want to push federal agencies out of Washington and to restaff the government workforce with the help of outside think tanks, Johnson has said, to bring the federal government “to heel.”
But Johnson, after just a year on the job, has had difficulty governing the House, and the new Congress would be no different. Hard-liners led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz and others have often confronted and upended their own GOP leadership in what has been one of the most chaotic sessions in modern times.
If Johnson’s slim four-seat majority were to shrink any further, governing could come to a standstill.
Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House “remains very much in play.”
With Democrats having defeated two House Republicans in Jeffries’ home state of New York, he said the path to the majority now runs through pickup opportunities in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California that are still too early to call.
“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.
The House contests remained a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions.
Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.
Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.
Trump, speaking early Wednesday at his election night party in Florida, said the results delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.
He called the Senate rout “incredible,” and he praised Johnson, saying he’s “doing a terrific job.”
From the US Capitol, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, privately a harsh Trump critic, called it a “hell of a good day.”
Senate Republicans marched across the map alongside Trump, flipping the three Democratic-held seats and holding their own against Democratic challengers who failed to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas and Sen. Rick Scott in Florida.
In West Virginia, Jim Justice, the state’s wealthy governor, flipped the seat held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans toppled Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio with GOP luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno. And Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.
Democrats avoided a total wipeout by salvaging seats in the “blue wall” states. Rep. Elissa Slotkin won an open Senate seat in Michigan, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected in Wisconsin. Pennsylvania’s race between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick was still undecided.
In other developments, Democrats made history by sending two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, to the Senate. Just three Black women, including Harris, have served in the Senate, but never two at the same time.
All told, Senate Republicans have the potential to achieve their most robust majority in years — a testament to McConnell, who made a career charting a path to power, this time aligned with Trump whom he has privately called “despicable” in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
During a news conference Wednesday, McConnell declined to answer questions about his past stark criticism of Trump and said he viewed the election results as a referendum on the Biden administration.
He told reporters at the Capitol that a Senate under Republican control would “control the guardrails” and prevent changes in Senate rules that would end the filibuster.
“People were just not happy with this administration and the Democratic nominee was a part of it,” McConnell said.
What’s still unclear is who will lead the new Republican Senate, as McConnell prepares to step down from the post.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously held that post, are the front-runners to replace McConnell in a secret-ballot election scheduled for when senators arrive in Washington next week.
 


Festive spirit in full swing as Filipinos observe world’s longest Christmas season

Festive spirit in full swing as Filipinos observe world’s longest Christmas season
Updated 4 sec ago
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Festive spirit in full swing as Filipinos observe world’s longest Christmas season

Festive spirit in full swing as Filipinos observe world’s longest Christmas season
  • Most Filipinos start celebrating the Christmas spirit in September, some even earlier
  • Blend of Catholic, folk, and Western influences creates a unique holiday season

MANILA: In many parts of the world, the holiday rush has just begun, but for Filipinos, it is already in full swing as they embrace local traditions and the festive spirit of what is known as the world’s longest Christmas season.

Christmas songs begin airing on the radio as early as September and continue through October, November, and December — the so-called “ber months,” a time when the northeast monsoon brings cooler weather.

“As soon as September rolls around, Christmas songs start playing, and the festive spirit begins to take over. Personally, I love it — it’s such a reflection of our celebratory and joyful nature as a culture. Stretching out the season just gives us more time to embrace the happiness and togetherness that Christmas brings,” Noelle Lejano, 24, a writer and brand strategist, told Arab News.

For her, Christmas is a time that brings people together like no other.

“Christmas in the Philippines stands out because it’s not just a day or even a week — it’s a months-long celebration that showcases our strong sense of community and joy,” she said. “The blend of our festive spirit, the warmth of our traditions, and our love for making every moment count makes Christmas in the Philippines truly one-of-a-kind.”

A blend of the country’s deep-rooted Catholic influences, indigenous folk traditions, and adopted Western commercial practices has created a unique holiday season for Filipinos.

Its significance is especially felt in provinces such as Pampanga, about 80 km north of Manila, where the season also marks a surge in livelihood opportunities.

The province is known as a food capital and a hub for lantern makers, with traces of the holiday spirit season felt even earlier in the year.

Parol, the traditional star-shaped lantern that Filipino households hang in front of their homes each year, is one of the most famous items produced in Pampanga’s capital city, San Fernando. The parol symbolizes the star that guided the Three Wise Men to the manger of Jesus in Bethlehem.

“The festive spirit begins as early as July, when lantern makers start crafting their giant creations for the famous Giant Lantern Festival. By August, streets are adorned with vibrant lanterns of all shapes and sizes. From the food to the atmosphere and various festivities, Pampanga truly embodies the essence of Christmas,” said Gerald Gloton, a Pampanga-based photographer.

Many Filipinos believe in the spirit of the holidays as a time for families to reunite, with Filipinos in the country and abroad traveling to their native towns to be with their loved ones.

“That is the only time we can spend time together as a family. They are staying in Sorsogon while I’m currently working and living in Quezon City,” said Nicca Parico, a government employee.

“It’s magic. It’s also a time for reconciliation. Those who do not speak for months suddenly smile at each other or have small talks.”

While Christmas is marked by traditional delicacies that many Filipinos eat only once a year, what truly matters is not what is on the table, but the time spent reuniting with loved ones and witnessing the joy of children like never before.

“This is the season where kids are anticipating so many things to happen and of course for them to receive gifts,” said Paul Caneda, an executive at a sporting company. “(Christmas for me) is mainly for family gatherings, being with people you love most.”


More Bangladeshis choose to leave Lebanon as Israel violates ceasefire

More Bangladeshis choose to leave Lebanon as Israel violates ceasefire
Updated 50 min 20 sec ago
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More Bangladeshis choose to leave Lebanon as Israel violates ceasefire

More Bangladeshis choose to leave Lebanon as Israel violates ceasefire
  • Almost 1,000 Bangladeshis have returned to their country on special flights
  • Bangladeshis in Lebanon are the largest group of migrants from Asia

DHAKA: Bangladeshis living and working in Lebanon continue to return home, saying they fear Israeli attacks that have not stopped despite last week’s ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

There are about 100,000 Bangladeshis in Lebanon — the largest group of migrants from Asia. Thousands have been displaced since the beginning of Israel’s invasion of the country’s south in October and strikes on other cities.

Last month, a Bangladeshi man was killed by an Israeli strike while he stopped at a coffee shop on his way to work in Beirut.

Almost 1,000 Bangladeshis have since returned to their country on special repatriation flights financed by the Bangladeshi government and the International Organization for Migration. The latest flight reached Dhaka on Thursday night.

“The number of intended returnees is increasing,” Mohammad Anwar Hossain, first secretary of the Bangladeshi embassy in Beirut, told Arab News.

“Despite the ceasefire agreement, a tense situation still persists in Lebanon. We have observed Israeli surveillance drones over Beirut.”

Although a US-brokered ceasefire has been in place since last week, it has been repeatedly breached by Israel. A source from the UN’s peacekeeping force told CNN on Monday that Israeli forces had violated the agreement “approximately 100 times.”

Shahnaz Begum, who was among 105 Bangladeshis evacuated on Thursday, decided to leave her domestic helper job behind despite being her family’s sole breadwinner.

“Israel started bombing maybe one or two days after the announcement of the ceasefire,” she said.

“For over two months, we’ve been counting the days until we can return home. I can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep. Every moment felt like it could be the last.”

Israeli air and ground raids, many of which have targeted civilian and medical infrastructure, have killed more than 4,000 people since October, according to Lebanese Health Ministry estimates. More than 16,000 have been injured.

Liton Rahman, who for the past seven years worked as a driver in Jezzine, southern Lebanon, was hopeful that the ceasefire would allow him to stay longer in Lebanon. But the wait was “in vain,” he said.

“I had been considering staying for a few more months if the ceasefire had truly been effective. But, unfortunately, Israel continues its attacks on various parts of southern Lebanon ... I am forced to return home. Otherwise, I might end up being counted as collateral damage.”


South Korea president close to averting impeachment

South Korea president close to averting impeachment
Updated 07 December 2024
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South Korea president close to averting impeachment

South Korea president close to averting impeachment
  • Yoon Suk Yeol stunned the nation and the international community Tuesday night by suspending civilian rule
  • The probable outcome is likely to enrage crowds demonstrating outside parliament for Yoon’s ouster

SEOUL: A motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was on the brink of failing Saturday, after lawmakers from his ruling party boycotted the ballot despite huge protests outside parliament.

Yoon stunned the nation and the international community Tuesday night by suspending civilian rule and sending troops to parliament, but was forced into a U-turn after lawmakers nixed his decree.

Opposition parties, which hold 192 seats in the 300-seat parliament filed the impeachment motion, which needed 200 votes to pass and went to the vote on Saturday evening.

But almost all 108 members of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) filed out of the chamber before the vote, prompting critical shouts from the opposition — with one yelling “where are you going?” and others calling them “accomplices to insurrection.”

Only three PPP members cast ballots, but speaker Woo Won-shik stopped short of calling the result, appealing to PPP lawmakers to return “to protect the Republic of Korea and its democracy.”

The probable outcome is likely to enrage crowds — numbering 150,000 according to police, one million according to organizers — demonstrating outside parliament for Yoon’s ouster.

Demonstrators booed while some sighed or even wept in frustration as the ruling party lawmakers walked out of the chamber. Some protesters went home.

“Even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted today, I am neither discouraged nor disappointed because we will get it eventually,” said Jo Ah-gyeong, 30.

“I’ll keep coming here until we get it. I’d like to tell ruling MPs this: Please do your freaking job,” she said.

Across town, thousands of pro-Yoon protesters gathered for a rally in Seoul’s main square.

Before the vote, Yoon, 63, apologized for the turmoil but said he would leave it to his party to decide his fate.

“I caused anxiety and inconvenience to the public. I sincerely apologize,” he said in the televised address, his first public appearance in three days.

He said he would “entrust the party with measures to stabilize the political situation, including my term in office.”

The backing of PPP lawmakers came despite party head Han Dong-hoon — who was allegedly on an arrest list on Tuesday night — saying Yoon must go.

If the motion does still pass, Yoon would be suspended from duties pending a ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Yoon’s comments on Saturday were “very disappointing” given widespread anger among South Koreans.

His speech “only exacerbates the sense of betrayal and anger among the citizens,” Lee said, adding the only solution was “the immediate resignation of the president or an early departure through impeachment.”

An opinion poll released Friday put backing for the president at a record low of 13 percent.

“The public will not forgive him,” 63-year-old retiree Lee Wan-pyo said at Seoul’s main train station before the vote.

“I just want him to step down,” said Han Jeong-hwa, a 70-year-old housewife.

Regardless of the vote, police have begun investigating Yoon and others for alleged insurrection.

In his address declaring martial law late Tuesday, Yoon claimed it would “eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness.”

Security forces sealed the National Assembly, helicopters landed on the roof and almost 300 soldiers tried to lock down the building.

But as parliamentary staffers blocked the soldiers with sofas and fire extinguishers, enough MPs got inside — many climbed walls to enter — and voted down Yoon’s move.

Soldiers had been ordered to detain key politicians, lawmakers from both parties have said, with the special forces chief later describing being given orders to “drag out” MPs from parliament.

Experts and lawmakers have speculated that the elite special forces soldiers may have slow-walked following orders, after discovering themselves to be involved in a political rather than national security incident.

The episode brought back painful memories of South Korea’s autocratic past and blindsided its allies, with the US administration only finding out via television.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul on Friday that he “expects the... democratic process to prevail.”


Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted

Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted
Updated 8 min 49 sec ago
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Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted

Pakistan national airline to resume flights to Europe after ban lifted
  • The airline remains banned from operating in the United States

Islamabad: Pakistan’s beleaguered national airline will resume flights to Europe on January 10 after European Union authorities lifted a four-year ban on the carrier, the company said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement from Pakistan International Airline (PIA), which was at the center of a pilot license scandal, said a “PIA flight will depart from Islamabad to Paris on January 10.”
“Initially, two flights will be operated weekly (on Friday and Sunday), which will gradually be increased.”
PIA was barred from flying to the EU in June 2020, a month after one of its aircraft plunged into a street in the southern city of Karachi, killing nearly 100 people.
The disaster was attributed to human error by the pilots and air traffic control, and was followed by allegations that nearly a third of the licenses for its pilots were fake or dubious.
The airline remains banned from operating in the United States.
After Europe’s ban was lifted last week, a spokesman for the carrier said they would “strictly adhere to EASA’s regulations and guidelines,” referring to the European Union’s aviation authority.
PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatising the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer.
Last month, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
The sale was also part of IMF demands in exchange for aid programs, including the privatization of public companies, establishing a broader tax base and ending subsidies for the 40 percent of Pakistanis who live below the poverty line.
In 2023, PIA had losses of $270 million according to local media.
Its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, about five times the total worth of its assets.
Last year, dozens of flights were canceled when it could not afford fuel for its planes.
While speaking to reporters last week, Pakistan’s aviation minister Khawaja Asif called the restoration of flights to Europe a “major value addition” that will make the airline more attractive to potential buyers.
PIA came into being in 1955 when the government nationalized a loss-making commercial airline and it enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s.


India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
Updated 07 December 2024
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India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester

India’s top diplomat to visit Bangladesh as tensions fester
  • Relations soured when ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, toppled after uprising this year, fled to India
  • Bangladesh’s current government leader has accused India of destabilizing his administration

NEW DELHI: India’s top diplomat will head to Bangladesh Monday after the student-led revolution in August that toppled autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina’s government in Dhaka soured ties between the two neighbors.
Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India and the 77-year-old remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster, despite Bangladesh announcing it would seek her extradition.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading an interim government tasked with implementing democratic reforms, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” that he alleged were intended to destabilize his administration.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal confirmed late Friday that his department’s secretary Vikram Misri would visit Bangladesh on Monday.
Misri “will meet his counterpart and there will be several other meetings during the visit,” Jaiswal told journalists in New Delhi.
Yunus, 84, faced numerous criminal proceedings during Hasina’s regime that her critics say were concocted to sideline one of her potential rivals.
He has been a vocal critic of India for backing Hasina’s rule to the hilt despite the mounting rights abuses seen over her 15-year tenure.
India for its part has accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu community from reprisals.
The arrest of a prominent Hindu priest in Bangladesh on sedition charges last month further added to tensions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing supporters urging his government to take a more hard-line stance on Dhaka.
“We want to reiterate our position again that they have legal rights and we hope that these legal rights will be respected and that the trial will be fair,” Jaiswal said of the case.
Yunus’s administration has acknowledged and condemned attacks on Hindus, including during the chaotic hours after Hasina’s ouster, but said that in many cases they were motivated by politics rather than religion.
He has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence and running a “propaganda campaign.”
“They are undermining our efforts to build a new Bangladesh and are spreading fictitious stories,” Yunus said this week.
Numerous street demonstrations have been staged against India in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster.
Several rallies were held this week to protest an attempt by Hindu activists to storm a Bangladeshi consulate in an Indian city not far from the neighbors’ shared border.
India condemned the breach afterwards and arrested seven people over the incident.
Despite cratering diplomatic ties the two neighbors are key economic partners with with annual bilateral trade worth about $14 billion.