Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said Thursday the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, comments that came after President Donald Trump mused about returning to the kingdom as his first foreign trip.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district borders Mexico, said he supports President Trump’s decision to send 1,500 troops to the southern border.
He added, however, that the move is expensive and it’s important to utilize the military as effectively as possible.
“I support them, but keep in mind that they are limited as to what they can do,” Cuellar said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“They don’t have enforcement power,” he continued. “I don’t want them to be sitting in cars or vehicles. I don’t want them to be there with the joysticks on the cameras. I want them to do things that they can provide.”
Cuellar said military can help provide surveillance, assist with helicopters and provide certain temporary barriers.
“We just got to make sure that we use the military the right way because it’s very expensive, very expensive to have them down there,” he said.
Cuellar said the military can help provide surveillance, assist with helicopters, and provide certain temporary barriers.
“I’d rather hire the Border Patrol agents,” he said. “And as you know, we have a problem trying to hire that. We put money for 22,000 new border patrol agents and we have not been able to hire that amount yet.”
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses was expected to sign a release order sending up to 1,500 troops to help secure the southern border as Trump pushes to stem the tide of migrants entering the country.
The exact number of troops and which would be deployed was still fluid as of earlier Wednesday.
The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.
President Joe Biden announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal which includes a hostage release. President-elect Donald Trump immediately claimed credit. On social media MAGA partisans began echoing Trump, calling the cease-fire a “humiliation” for Biden, who had outlined this kind of settlement months ago.
The argument from Trump world was that it was Trump’s vow to go after Hamas full-force that provided the impetus for the cease fire. Biden later was asked about whether history would say he got credit for the deal His reaction?
President Biden brushed off a question about who would get the credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal struck Wednesday.
“Is that a joke?” Biden responded when asked by a reporter whether he or President-elect Trump would get credit for the deal, which could bring an end to the 15-month conflict in Gaza.
Trump publicly celebrated the news of the deal before an official statement from the White House was released hours later. The president-elect also claimed the credit for himself, saying a deal would not have happened without his victory in November over Vice President Harris.
While announcing the deal with Harris by his side, Biden acknowledged it will be implemented after he leaves office and said his team has been working with Trump’s incoming team. Trump is set to be sworn in Monday.
“I’d also note, this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented, for the most part, by the next administration. For these past few days, we’ve been speaking as one team,” the president said in remarks from the White House.
He also highlighted that the deal is the same framework of a deal his administration helped negotiate in May, and that Israel was able to weaken Hamas with the help of aid from the U.S.
Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post reported Biden’s comments in an article titled “Biden says Americans will be among Gaza hostages released, snarkily refuses to credit Trump in sealing deal: ‘Is that a joke?’
Retiring President Biden said Wednesday that US citizens will be among those released by Hamas as part of a Gaza Strip cease-fire deal with Israel — while refusing to give any credit to President-elect Donald Trump for escalating pressure on the terrorist group.
“I’m proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release in phase one,” Biden, 82, said at the White House after Qatar’s government announced the agreement, in which hostages are expected to be released as early as Sunday.
[…]Biden credited his own administration and repeatedly refused to give any credit to Trump, 78, who had threatened “hell” for Hamas if it did not release the hostages by the time he took office on Monday.Asked about the contribution of Trump’s envoys to sealing the agreement, Biden replied, “Well, you know, this is the exact framework of the deal I proposed back in May, the exact.”
When a reporter pressed whether Biden or Trump deserved credit, the president said, “Is that a joke? Oh —” before walking away.
Trump, whose Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was heavily involved in the endgame of negotiations, claimed credit earlier Wednesday, saying it “could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November.”
Ilan Goldenberg writing on The Contrarian:
As for who takes credit for this agreement—you’ll hear a lot of crowing from the right that this was somehow Trump who negotiated the deal. He does deserve some credit for applying public pressure and signaling his desire to end the war. The fact that both Trump’s representative and Biden’s were in Doha together was an exceptionally rare example of bipartisan cooperation on a seemingly impossible issue. But the Biden administration has worked tirelessly for the past fifteen months to bring about this deal.
It’s like they live in an alternate reality. ? pic.twitter.com/jg5DXoS7z9
— Carlos Turnbull (@cturnbull1968) January 15, 2025
Trump had nothing to do with this ceasefire agreement Biden laid out this plan May 31, 2024.
— 2RawTooReal (@2RawTooReal) January 15, 2025
BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump Is Not President Yet and Had Nothing to Do with the Ceasefire Deal Beyond Tweeting About It Like a Six Year-Old Girl on a Sugar High; The Deal Was Negotiated By President Biden and Other Serious People Who Are Actual Adults and Have Human-Colored Skin https://t.co/UHsT2Bqqwd
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 16, 2025
Hell no Trump shouldn’t take credit for the ceasefire in Gaza. To all of you #MAGAMorons posting ” thank you President Trump “, let me dumb it down so you can understand: pic.twitter.com/EImrks8OeK
— StandLikeASuperHero (@ShePersisted001) January 15, 2025
The ceasefire negotiations started in May.
This is all Biden.
— Aes?? (@AesPolitics1) January 15, 2025
Thank you president trump for not knowing that Biden got the deal for the hostages, not you. #idiot
— steven gordon (@stevenkgordon) January 15, 2025
If Trump is trying to take credit for the ceasefire deal before he’s president then maybe he should be responsible for the wild fires too?
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 15, 2025
Pathetic little man Donald Trump continues to try to take credit for the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that he didn’t negotiate and MAGA is clapping like seals.
Thank you, President Biden for getting it done.
??????? pic.twitter.com/DP2DCQ8kc3
— Art Candee ?? (@ArtCandee) January 15, 2025
someone tell him?? https://t.co/ebxBQZVaVo
— RolloSports (@SportsRollo) January 15, 2025
The post BIDEN ANNOUNCES ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE: TRUMP IMMEDIATELY CLAIMS CREDIT FOR DEAL appeared first on The Moderate Voice .
Considering her grandfather and father were both boys basketball coaches, Oswego East’s Aubrey Lamberti has been around the sport since she was very young. And for good reason.
She comes from a basketball family, so it was only natural that she took up the game early.
“I was put into basketball,” Lamberti said, confirming the familial influence on her athletic career. “I did a couple of other sports, too. I think I just fell in love with the game right away.”
The junior forward has used that passion become a key contributor for the Wolves.
Her entire repertoire on display Wednesday night as Lamberti poured in a game-high 23 points to lead visiting Oswego East to a 62-51 Suburban Prairie West win at Oswego.
Lamberti shot 5 of 8 from 3-point range and added 10 rebounds and five steals for Oswego East (11-7, 5-3). Maggie Lewandowski and Desiree Merritt chipped in with 14 points apiece.
Kendall Grant scored 15 of her team-high 17 points in the second half for Oswego (10-12, 3-7). Maggie Voller added 11 for the Panthers.
Lamberti wasted little time getting going Wednesday. She shot 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and hit a 3-pointer as the Wolves built a 21-7 lead after a quarter.
“In warm-ups, I got a lot of shots up, I felt good and I continued that with my teammates,” Lamberti said. “They found me getting open.”
Lamberti also got hot to start the second half. She hit a 3-pointer to kick off the scoring, followed by an assist to Merritt on the Wolves’ next possession.
Then, Lamberti hit another 3-pointer to push the lead to 45-27. Oswego East led by as many as 25 points early in the fourth quarter.
“The girl can play,” Oswego East coach Abe Carretto said of Lamberti. “The nice thing was she didn’t hesitate on those shots. She got inside a little bit, good passing. I thought she played pretty well defensively, too. That was nice to see her get rolling a little bit.”
When Lamberti heats up from the perimeter, it gives Lewandowski, who loves getting downhill and going to the basket, more room to operate.
“It really helps open things up for Maggie more when she starts hitting,” Carretto said of Lamberti. “That helps Maggie or ‘Des’ attack a little bit more.”
Lamberti said she and Lewandowski feed off of each other. When things roll like they did Wednesday, it makes the Wolves a dangerous team.
“When one of us is shooting well, we can drive and it leaves people open,” Lamberti said. “It helps multiple people. Everyone knocked down shots, so that helped.
“One of the things we practice all the time is transition, and (Carretto) really stresses pushing it and making the other team get tired right off the bat.”
Oswego ended the game on an 18-4 burst, but the 25-point deficit was too much to overcome.
“Too little, too late,” Oswego coach Dave Lay said. “We’ve been doing that way too much this year. We get into a big hole and think we’re going to turn on the light switch and fight out of it.
“We ran out of time. The last five minutes, that’s how we should have played the whole game.”
Lamberti knows that because her grandfather, Tom , is the former boys coach at Bartlett and her father, Steve , also coached the boys at Plainfield Central.
Carretto enjoys coaching players like Lamberti who are immersed in the game from a young age.
“Any time you get her or other players that have been coached, it makes it easier,” Carretto said. “They get what you’re doing and what you’re trying to accomplish.”
And Lamberti is proud to keep the family legacy going.
“My dad always taught me the right way to play and how to be a good teammate,” Lamberti said. “I think that’s really helped improve my game as a good teammate as well.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
President Trump on Wednesday tapped Sean Curran to serve as the director of the Secret Service, elevating a long-time agent who was protecting Trump during an assassination attempt last July.
“Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Curran joined the Secret Service in 2001 as a special agent in the agency’s Newark field office. He served as the assistant special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division during Trump’s first term in office.
“Sean has distinguished himself as a brilliant leader, who is capable of directing and leading operational security plans for some of the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country, and the World,” Trump posted. “He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania. I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before.”
The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny last year after Trump was grazed by a bullet during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., in July. Another alleged would-be assassin was able to bring a gun along the perimeter of Trump’s golf club in Florida in September. He was apprehended by agents before Trump was in proximity.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in late July following the Butler shooting.
An unusual thing happened at the Capitol on Monday. No, not Donald Trump giving three inaugural addresses—the first semi-normal, although he forgot to put his
Where Naperville gets its electricity from isn’t just a utility decision, Naperville District 203 teacher John Klein-Collins told the Naperville City Council Tuesday night. It signals the city’s values, he said.
“(Do we value) our own needs over the needs of others?” he said. “Convenience over conscience? Or will we demonstrate integrity and take steps towards a more sustainable and equitable energy future?”
Despite the bitter cold, the Naperville City Council chambers were packed with community members like Klein-Collins imploring elected officials to chart a greener path forward for the city. The pleas were in response to the council grappling with the issue of whether now’s the time for a contract extension with its current electricity provider, the coal-heavy Illinois Muncipal Electric Agency (IMEA).
Teachers, students — from middle school to college — members of the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force, religious leaders and local residents turned out to speak. Many wore red and held signs that read, “Say No To Coal.”
Together, they represented the Say No To Coal consortium , a group of environmental and civic organizations that have teamed up to raise awareness about the current state and future of Naperville’s electric supply.
Alongside NEST, which is an official Naperville advisory body, other consortium members include the League of Women Voters of Naperville, First Congregational UCC Naperville, Accelerate Climate Solutions and Green Scene North Central College.
About 18 people spoke at the meeting about Naperville’s electric utility and its contract with IMEA. All but one speaker on the matter urged the city away from renewing the deal or encouraged officials to be prudent in any contract decisions.
“I’m here today to ask you to protect all of our children’s future,” said Paul Bloom, a professor of physics at Naperville’s North Central College.
“The future citizens of Naperville deserve to live in a city that is both healthy and sustainable,” said Astha Savalia, a seventh-grader at Kennedy Junior High School.
Say No To Coal messages flooded the council’s public forum a day after President Donald Trump declared a “national energy emergency” as one of his first acts as president. Trump also signed an executive order Monday directing the United States to again withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
Council members responded to the pleas with assurances that they are listening and do not want to rush into any decisions.
“We’re really, in my opinion, at the start of a pretty long road. … We’re literally in this together,” Councilman Patrick Kelly said. “We’re all part of the same communities. We’re trying to find a path forward to working together and figure out the best result. It’s really critical.”
Councilman Josh McBroom said, “It’s important to you guys so that means it’s important to us.” He added that if there was a way to ensure Naperville could continue to have reliable and affordable electricity “all on renewables and all on clean energy, I think you would have a unanimous vote up here,” noting that he really wants “to believe that’s possible.”
Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor said “that I know, from at least myself and I believe from many others I’ve heard up here, that we’re not allowing IMEA to dictate the timeline as to our processes here, that we’re going to follow all of the proper processes to make sure that we can make a decision that’s best for our community as a whole.”
Discussions over Naperville’s electric utility and IMEA are expected to continue over the next few months, city staff say. The city’s current contract with IMEA is due to expire in 2035. The agency, however, wants Naperville to extend its commitment to 2055 and has requested that the city make a decision on that by April 30.
As that deadline draws closer, there will be several more opportunities for officials and community members to learn more about what energy supply options are available and where it could go from here.
In mid- to late-February, the city anticipates receiving a report back from consultant Customized Energy Solutions on options for how it can power its electric grid in years to come, including alternatives to IMEA and how they measure up to what the agency currently provides.
The city also is planning to hold a special meeting of its Public Utilities Advisory Board in early March to discuss those options, according to Electric Utility Director Brian Groth. Then in April, staff are looking to hold a council workshop on the matter.
Staff do not anticipate bringing asking for a council vote prior to the council election on April 1, City Manager Doug Krieger says. Eight candidates vying for four open council seats. The new council will be seated in May.
The Associated Press contributed.
Senior forward Kendall Webb has turned into an invaluable leader for Tinley Park, but he almost never even made it to the varsity level.
As a sophomore, Webb quit the junior varsity team and prepared to walk away from basketball entirely. But he’s sure glad he reconsidered.
“Sophomore year, I had some ups and downs, I wasn’t playing much on JV and I quit the team,” Webb said. “I came back because I knew that was a bad choice. I had friends I’ve been playing with since before high school and I didn’t want to let them down.
“I didn’t want to let the team down or let Tinley Park down. I came back, I ran and did what I had to do to get back on the team. And I’ve just gotten better since then.”
The 6-foot-5 Webb is now doing big things for the Titans. He stepped up with 16 points and six rebounds Wednesday night and came through with a win-sealing blocked shot as host Tinley Park rallied for a 65-62 win over Shepard in a South Suburban Conference crossover.
Daniel Jervier led the Titans (10-9, 4-3 SSC Blue) with 22 points and five rebounds. Nolan Maciejewski scored 15 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go, while Keoni George pitched in with four points and eight rebounds.
Jovan Thomas scored 16 points and eight rebounds for Shepard (7-13, 0-7 SSC Red), while Amari Williams picked up 14 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Monteclaro and Aaron Arrambide added 10 points apiece and Aurion Lee-Barnes chipped in with six points.
Webb came up with two huge defensive plays in the final minute. With Tinley Park leading 63-62, he intercepted a Shepard pass and got the ball to Jervier.
“I thank my coaches,” Webb said. “They told me to get in front of him and make the play. He made a bad pass and I came up with the steal, got the ball to ‘DJ’ and he made the free throws to seal the win.”
Actually, it still took one more play from Webb to really clinch it. He blocked Lee-Barnes’ 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded.
Those are the types of plays Tinley Park coach DJ Brown has gotten used to seeing Webb make.
“Kendall’s a big part of our offense and our defense,” Brown said. “We run a lot through him and teams do see him as a presence and a lot of times they avoid him. That helps us defensively.”
Webb’s older brother, Tony Jr. , also starred for the Titans and now plays at Benedict College in South Carolina. Kendall recently made a trip to see his brother play.
“Going out there and watching college players definitely gave me a different look at the game,” Webb said. “I saw stuff that I have to be able to do at the high school level to even be able to make a college team.”
Shepard, meanwhile, led by as many as nine points Wednesday and held a 46-40 advantage going into the fourth quarter, but Webb’s six points in the third quarter kept the Titans in the game and Jervier took off for 14 points in the fourth.
Maciejewski’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left gave Tinley Park the lead for good.
“Down the stretch, I knew I could trust my team,” Maciejewski said. “We were down seven at halftime, we came out with a game plan, we executed, we had momentum.
“I knew I could trust my guys, and if the game comes to me, it comes to me, so it did there.”
It was the type of game Webb has seen from the Titans since he was in junior high cheering on his brother.
“I’d watch Tinley Park and see how they always have to battle back and it’s never easy,” he said. “We always have to work hard here, and I love it.”
The Daily is ad-free thanks to the support of our subscribers. Please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.Subscribe nowLawrence O’Donnell Shows How Low Trump Will GoWhat did the American