Author: Buzzo

PoliticusUSA is brought to you ad-free by our subscribers. Please join a community of people who want their opinion and analysis billionaire-free by becoming a subscriber. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) doesn’t believe in using his power to pass legislation. Jordan is consistently one of the least productive legislators in the House. The fuel that runs Jordan’s right-wing political star is investigating Democrats and doing clean-up for Trump.With Republicans in control of the entire federal government, Jordan seemed to be out of targets to go after from his perch as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which is one reason why…

Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. has warned that President-elect Trump’s administration will “undermine” democratic principles with a “maximum disruption” agenda, according to a report.Reuters reported that it viewed a confidential briefing document signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis that describes the incoming Trump agenda as “a redefinition of the constitutional order – maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states.””Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given…

The future is “uncertain and unclear” in Gaza after a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began, BBC Middle East Correspondent Rushdi Abualouf has said. “People don’t know if it’s a real ceasefire on the ground, or a fragile ceasefire”, he added.You can follow live updates on this story on the BBC.

Motivational quotes. Videos of Steve Jobs saying absolutely anything. Clips of a baby elephant being rescued from a river. You do not have to scroll for long on LinkedIn, a networking site ostensibly for people at work, to find “inspirational” content. There may be people who need only to read “We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are” written in a nice font to feel amped up on a Monday morning. But there will be just as many who want to snigger or vomit. For bosses interested in how to motivate the people around them, there are…

President Biden issued five more pardons on Sunday on his last full day in office, including for political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey. “America is a country built on the promise of second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As President, I have used my clemency power to make that promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other President in U.S. history. Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon 5 individuals and commute the sentences of 2 individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption. These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions…

Only 1.5% of the money lost by gamblers in poker machines in Victorian RSLs over several years went towards improving veteran welfare, new research shows.The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, analysed records submitted to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission over a 10-year period.Between 2009 and 2019, it found, licensed RSL (Returned and Services League of Australia) clubs in the state netted $2.097bn in revenue from gambling.A detailed analysis within that period showed that for every $100 lost on pokies, only $1.50 was spent on veteran support.There are nearly 300 RSLs in…

President Biden and his aides came into office with deep experience in trans-Atlantic affairs. But over four years, they focused too on the Pacific, where China strains to be the dominant player. Their main effort: building up alliances to counter China.President-elect Donald J. Trump has already signaled a different approach to China. He invited Xi Jinping, China’s leader, to his inauguration on Monday. The two spoke by phone on Friday, and Mr. Xi is sending China’s vice president, Han Zheng, to the ceremony, a break from China’s tradition of having its ambassador in Washington attend.The Biden administration’s final activities aimed…

Reuters / HandoutRomi Gonen is among those due to return home after being held hostageA daughter described as “at her happiest when she dances” will be among the three Israeli women due to be released after 471 days hostage by Hamas.Romi Gonen, 24, was among those captured by the militant group as she tried to escape the Nova festival during the 7 October 2023 attack.She is expected to be freed alongside Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, and Emily Damari, 28, who holds dual British-Israeli nationality.Their release forms part of the first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas…

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks’ best player on Saturday night may not even be part of the team on Sunday. A couple of hours after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canucks had planned to hold Miller out of Saturday’s game until a potential trade with the New York Rangers either collapsed or hit a snag, the centre who has led with his heart since coming to Vancouver six years ago played a virtuoso shutdown game against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid’s most notable accomplishment was delivering a cross-check to the side of the head of Canuck winger Conor…

2025 marks the 50th anniversary since the BMW Group set up shop in South Korea. The year is off to a strong start, thanks to four special editions available to order exclusively online. Leading the way is the M4 CS of which just 20 units are planned for the local market. Globally, the Competition Sport is capped at 1,700 vehicles.As you would expect, the meanest auto-only, all-wheel-drive M4 isn’t exactly cheap. It costs 188.9 million won, which works out to about $130,000 at current exchange rates. Like the global variant, it’s based on the M4 Competition Coupe with xDrive but…