Assad flees as Syrian rebels take control
Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, resigned and left the nation.After a swift advance across the nation, rebel troops took control of the capital, Damascus, on Sunday. Later, according to Russian official media, Assad reached Moscow, where he is applying for refuge.
Over the weekend, statues of his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, were taken down from their pedestals as celebrations erupted around Syria.
However, the rebel Islamist group that spearheaded the attack, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has historical ties to Al Qaeda and is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations, has caused anxiety in the West. More radical components seem to have been abandoned recently.
In a WhatsApp post, HTS senior commander Hassan Abdul-Ghani wrote: Free Syria is waiting for you, displaced people everywhere.
Following the regime’s fall on Sunday, President Joe Biden praised it, calling it “a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country.” He described the United States’ ongoing engagement in Syria, including its participation in the U.N.-led transition process.
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President-elect Trump sits down for his first postelection broadcast interview
As soon as he takes office, President-elect Donald Trump stated that he plans to pardon supporters of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, claiming that individuals who are currently behind bars are living in hell.
He also stated that some members of the House committee that looked into the Jan. 6 attack should be put in jail and that he will not try to turn the Justice Department against his political opponents in an exclusive interview with NBC NewsMeet the Pressmoderator Kristen Welker.
Regarding whether to look into special counsel Jack Smith, who filed two separate federal cases against Trump that were withdrawn after the election, Trump stated that he would leave the decision to Pam Bondi, whom he has stated he will pick as attorney general.
When asked if he would target outgoing President Joe Biden, Trump responded, “I’m not looking to go back into the past.” My goal is to see our nation prosper. Success will be the means of retaliation.
He made a number of untrue, deceptive, or inflated statements during the interview while outlining the main policy priorities for his second term.
Here, you can see the interviewer read the entire transcript.
More interview coverage:
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Trump says RFK Jr. will investigate
the discredited link between vaccines and autism
.
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Trump says he
won t try to remove Fed chief Jerome Powell
.
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Trump vows major immigration changes,
including ending birthright citizenship
, finding a way to keep Dreamers in the U.S. and starting mass deportations.
Politics in brief
Similar to “Game of Thrones,” Trump has hurried to select key figures for his incoming administration, but he has neglected thorough due diligence, which has resulted in unexpected problems and issues for some of his choices.
Lone Star allies: In a reversal of Biden’s immigration policy, Texas is getting ready to collaborate closely with the Trump administration, with efforts beginning to identify locations that could support deportation operations.
45 Hours in Kash’s Corner: NBC News examined a 45-hour web program co-hosted by Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, Kash Patel, in which he made baseless accusations against media and government figures in an effort to stifle conservative voices, manipulate elections, and jeopardize Trump’s reelection.
Jay-Z accused in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean Combs
In a complaint filed on Sunday, Jay-Z, the well-known musician and businessman whose real name is Shawn Carter, was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 allegedly with Sean Diddy Combs. The incident occurred after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty, according to the anonymous complainant, who went by Jane Doe.
Combs was named as a defendant in the lawsuit when it was first filed in the Southern District of New York in October. Carter was added when it was refiled on Sunday.
I beg you to pursue a criminal complaint rather than a civil one since these accusations are so egregious! Would you not agree that someone who would perpetrate such a crime against a youngster ought to be imprisoned? Carter told NBC News in a statement.
Search for CEO killer enters fifth day
Two additional images of a suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson were made public by additional York police.
As the investigation and manhunt continue, the NYPD has reported that authorities have been able to follow some of his taxi travels. According to three people familiar with the investigation, the person of interest has not yet been identified as of Saturday. A thorough chronology of his known moves may be found here.
The FBI, Crime Stoppers, and the NYPD are offering a total of $60,000 in reward money for information that results in the arrest of the shooter.
The bells ring again as Notre Dame reopens
Five years after a fire nearly destroyed France’s iconic landmark, Notre Dame reopened Saturday with a lavish ceremony.
President-elect Donald Trump, First Lady Jill Biden, Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among the foreign dignitaries present. Prior to the ceremony, Zelenskyy and Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In order to commemorate its rebirth and observe the consecration of its altar, hundreds of people attended Notre Dame’s inaugural Sunday Mass. The cathedral was painstakingly restored to its former splendor by a large team of craftsmen.
“It has been an absolutely beautiful thing to witness and be a part of,” added a Massachusetts carpenter who was involved in the repair. “Visitors will be completely blown away by just how beautiful it is inside.”
South Korean president s impeachment fails
Following a mass departure of members from his party from parliament on Saturday, the attempt to remove South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from office for his brief declaration of martial law failed. The opposition was eight votes shy of the two-thirds majority required for the impeachment resolution to be successful.
In a brief nationally televised speech earlier Saturday, Yoon expressed regret for his conduct and said he regrets causing the public to feel anxious and inconvenienced. Public outrage against him and demands for his resignation from office were sparked by the six-hour announcement.
Yoon went on, “I will not avoid the political and legal responsibility regarding this declaration of martial law.”
Lawmakers from the opposition had stated that they would revisit the impeachment resolution on Wednesday if it failed.
End of an Era(s)
As Taylor Swift’s world tour comes to an end on Sunday night with a final stop in Vancouver, British Columbia, tears will be streaming down her face.
With 149 performances in 53 cities worldwide since its launch in March 2023, the Eras Tour has drawn over 10 million fans.
While a movie version of the concert was released in October and by the conclusion of its first weekend became the highest-grossing domestic concert film ever, the Federal Reserve has credited the tour with stimulating tourism and the U.S. economy.
In case you missed it
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The Food and Drug Administration may finally
move to ban artificial red food dye
, a coloring found in beverages, snacks, cereals and candies.
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The
12-team College Football Playoff
, which will eventually crown a national champion, was unveiled Sunday, with top-seeded Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State earning the top four seeds and first-round byes in the bracket.
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A 12-year-old boy is dead and an 11-year-old girl is in critical condition after
they fe
ll through ice at a park
Saturday in Albany, New York.
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Steve Mensch, president and general manager of Tyler Perry Studios, was killed when
a single-engine plane he was piloting crashed
Friday night in Florida.
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Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said Saturday that she and her family
had been targeted by a bomb threat
. A police spokesperson said it “appears to be one of several unfounded threats against political figures across the country.”
-
Seven people were arrested and charged in connection with
alleg
ations of a
social media drug ring at Rutgers University
, uncovered by a sweeping narcotics operation known as “Operation RU Pharm.”
-
A federal judge approved
a landmark class action settlement between Aetna and same-sex couples
in New York who alleged the insurance giant discriminated against LGBTQ customers seeking fertility treatment.
-
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a staple of the holiday season, but
new data shows Mariah Carey’s classic song
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doesn’t have the hold on October and November it once did.