![Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump's appointee for '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''border czar', speaks before a visit by Trump during the AmericaFest 2024 conference sponsored by conservative group Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, December 22, 2024 [Cheney Orr/Reuters]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Trump-admin-to-launch-immigration-raids-on-day-one-amid-deportation-push.jpg)
Several large cities are reportedly expected to be hit by Trump’s immigration authorities shortly after inauguration. Donald Trump’s top border official has said the new Republican administration will launch large operations to detain and deport undocumented immigrants beginning on the day of the United States President-elect’s inauguration on Tuesday. The incoming administration’s so-called “border czar”, Tom Homan, told Fox News on Saturday that he would not categorise the expected actions as “raids”. “There are going to be targeted enforcement operations,” he said, adding that Chicago would be among cities that will see raids shortly after Trump takes office for a second four-year term. Homan also suggested the Trump administration would target city jails in so-called sanctuary cities that house a large number of migrants. He said the government wants to
Category Archives: POLITICS
![President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in November [Evan Vucci/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/How-will-Trump-approach-—-and-possibly-transform-—-presidential-power.jpg)
Washington, DC – United States President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office in just five days, completing a stunning reversal of fortune that saw him rebound from defeat after his failed 2020 re-election bid. Trump’s second term in the White House, starting Monday, will serve as the latest test to his strong-armed approach to presidential power. How he proceeds could transform an office that has, for decades, grown in potency, despite its constitutional design as a balance to the legislative and judicial branches of the US government. Indeed, Trump’s sweeping claims of presidential authority — both in his norm-breaking first term and in the years since — have caused disquiet among experts who question what may come in the next four years. Marjorie Cohn, a professor emerita at the
![Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 15 [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Key-takeaways-as-Trump-nominees-face-US-Senate-confirmation-hearings.jpg)
For a second day in a row, the United States Senate has weighed nominees for key positions in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet, grilling candidates on their backgrounds and qualifications. Wednesday was a busy day for the Senate, as it held hearings for six Trump nominees, including heavy-hitters like Senator Marco Rubio — his pick to be secretary of state — and Pam Bondi, tapped for the attorney general’s seat. The hearings come as Republican leaders in Congress hope to give Trump a strong start to his second term, which begins on Monday. High-level cabinet positions need Senate approval, and Republicans hold 53 seats to the Democrats’ 45. Still, controversial nominees will need every vote possible to succeed in their appointment. Wednesday’s hearings, for instance, were preceded by fiery proceedings a day
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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 15 — Members of the National Assembly from the Mt. Kenya region are returning to their constituencies with development-styed tours in a bid to counter hostility arising from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s camp. In what appears to be a shift in strategy, the legislators allied to the Kenya Kwanza government are visiting their constituencies to launch projects while shunning political rallies. The lawmakers have also adopted a visibly scaled up security approach with youths in tow to ensure their meetings proceed undisrupted. One such MP is Mathira legislator Eric Wamumbi, who has been engaging with his constituents. In the week beggining January 13, he launched a community water project worth Sh40 million, which will serve over 1,000 residents in Lower Magutu Ward. He also commenced the
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President Joe Biden on Wednesday will give his last Oval Office address as he prepares to hand over power to President-elect Donald Trump and exit politics after a decadeslong career. Biden is delivering his farewell address to the nation in prime time. He is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Biden is leaving the White House after four years with a complex legacy bookended by Trump’s historic return to Washington. The speech comes just five days before Trump’s inauguration. Biden will be in attendance as his successor is sworn in, resuming a tradition of American democracy that Trump himself sidestepped in 2021. In a letter released Wednesday morning, Biden reflected on where his administration started in the shadows of COVID and the Jan. 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob
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Former first lady Michelle Obama will skip the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, the second time in two weeks that she is not attending a gathering of former US leaders and their spouses. Former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will come together again for the inauguration. Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the January 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, representatives said. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the coming inauguration,” said a statement from the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama. No explanation was given for why Michelle Obama was skipping Trump’s inauguration. She also did not attend last week’s state funeral in
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Special counsel David Weiss slammed President Joe Biden’s characterization of his probe as being infected with “raw politics” in his final report detailing his investigations into the president’s son Hunter Biden, which was released Monday by the Justice Department. Weiss’ work culminated in two separate criminal convictions of Hunter Biden that his father wiped clean with a sweeping pardon in early December, just weeks after Election Day. In July 2024, Weiss’ office secured a guilty verdict from a Delaware jury on three felony gun charges, and months later, on the eve of trial, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to numerous tax crimes, including six felonies. Weiss’ report — 27 pages in length plus hundreds of pages of public filings — caps a yearslong and politically fraught probe that remained a source
INDIA, Jan 12 – President Droupadi Murmu has emphasized the vital role of the Indian diaspora in shaping a developed India by 2047. She spoke when she addressed the valedictory session of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, where she also presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards to distinguished members of the diaspora at the event held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. President Murmu lauded the Indian diaspora as ambassadors of the country’s values, culture, and achievements. “The Indian diaspora represents the best of our country. They have carried not just the knowledge and skills acquired here but also the values and ethos that have defined our civilization for millennia,” she said. Highlighting the contributions of the diaspora in fields such as technology, medicine, arts, and entrepreneurship, the President noted that
Donald Trump Jnr, the son of the incoming US president, and his companions are reported to have recruited people in Greenland with the prospect of a free lunch in an expensive hotel to portray them as Trump supporters in videos. The Danish radio station DR reported that it had heard from several sources that the videos, made during the group’s short trip to Greenland, showed homeless people and others who often hang around in front of a supermarket next to the hotel. “These are homeless and old people who could suddenly eat in a restaurant they have never been to before,” a long-time resident of the capital Nuuk was quoted as saying by the broadcaster. All they had to do to be part of it was put on “Make America
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President William Ruto, Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson, Dagoreti North MP Beatrice Elachi, and Dagoreti South MP John Kiarie attended the United Pentecostal Church of Kenya in Dagoreti North. During the event, Ruto lauded Nairobi County MCAs for their unwavering support for the Governor and pledged his support to transform the city.[Elvis Ogina/Standard] President William Ruto has praised Nairobi County MCAs for their unwavering support of Governor Sakaja Johnson, highlighting the county’s progress despite a minority of MCAs aligning with the Governor. He specifically acknowledged the bipartisan backing from the majority opposition, Azimio, which has strengthened governance in the city. “Nairobi started a broad-based Government. Let me say, you understood the letter in the envelope. This unity is the way forward, and we will continue to support the county to perform,”
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji pulled no punches when he launched a scathing attack at former president Jacob Zuma and SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila on Friday. This happened when he addressed the Peter Mokaba Memorial Lecture in Khayelitsha as part of the build-up to the ANC 113 anniversary celebrations to be held on Saturday. Malatji labelled Zuma, who is the leader of MK Party, a counter-revolutionary and an enemy. He said there were people in the country they supported for close to 30 years and they never delivered anything. “There is a man there in Nkandla who thinks we have forgotten that he stole from the poorest of the poor and moves around like a Messiah, going around collecting money like an apartheid operative to displace the ANC,”
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Herald Reporter GOVERNMENT, in partnership with private players, has rolled out 250 000 developed residential stands and flats in Manyame, which will benefit both civil servants and ordinary citizens. Out of the residential stands, 20 000 have been ring-fenced for civil servants. Already, the Government has surpassed its target of ensuring one million housing units by the end of this year, and has subsequently revised the target to 2 million units. Speaking at a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and Pinnacle Holdings in Harare yesterday, Local Government and Public Works Minister Dr Daniel Garwe said Zimbabweans were guaranteed well-designed, well-constructed and well-planned houses. The availing of housing for all and sundry, he said, was an important pillar for the attainment of Vision 2030.
A prominent leftist party in the Philippines has renewed calls for the removal of US troops, warning that US president-elect Donald Trump ’s aggressive foreign policy and recent threats against other nations underscore the dangers of a bigger American military presence in the Southeast Asian country. However, observers say their appeals, and those of other progressive groups, are unlikely to gain traction given overwhelming political and public support for stronger ties between Manila and Washington to counter China’s maritime aggression. “The ascendancy of Trump is a reminder that the expanded US military presence in the Philippines poses grave danger to our security and long-term stability in the region,” Bayan Muna said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Trump administration could use the Philippines as a staging ground to aggressively assert
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump hosted 22 of the nation’s 27 Republican governors for dinner at his Florida club on Thursday night, looking to help drive the agenda in conservative-run states after he takes office in 11 days. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte told reporters outside the gathering that some of the GOP governors unable to attend were being inaugurated, and that one was delayed by snow and was unable to make it to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. But he said attendees who could come were “thrilled to accept the president-elect’s invitation” and welcomed a coming “collaborative, working relationship, which we have not had for four years” during the Biden administration. “It’s been a long period without cooperation from Washington,” Gianforte told reporters outside. “So, we’re looking forward to
The Johannesburg municipality has an acting city manager after Floyd Brink’s appointment was overturned by the High Court. Residents of Johannesburg are begging for the revitalisation of their city, but nobody is in a position to take the reins. The municipality’s Chief Operating Officer Tshepo Makola is occupying the city manager position in an acting capacity, but the specialist role requires full dedication considering the task at hand. A city manager works under the mayor, guiding the municipality’s various entities to achieve the goals and ambitions of the city. Position to be advertised After the Gauteng High Court nullified the appointment of former city manager Floyd Brink in early December, Mayor Dada Morero appointed Maloka on 27 December. The Municipal Systems Act (MSA) states that an acting municipal manager