United States | News & Politics

WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden on Saturday named former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire political activist and philanthropist George Soros recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, part of a group of 19 people selected for the nation's highest civilian honor.

Others presented the medal by the outgoing president at a White House ceremony included U2 frontman Bono, actor Michael J. Fox, actor Denzel Washington, chef José Andrés and William Sanford Nye, better known as television's "Bill Nye the Science Guy."

From the sports world, decorated professional soccer player Lionel Messi of Argentina and retired NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson also received the medal. Messi did not attend the ceremony because of a scheduling issue.

According to Brown University’s Watson Institute, the U.S. has provided 22.76 billion in military aid to Israel from October 7, 2023 to September 30 2024, including 22.76 billion in military aid to Israel from October 7 2023 to September 30 2024, including 17.9 billion in direct military assistance and $4.86 billion for regional operations.

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The State Department has notified Congress "informally" of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel that will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.

"Scott-Windham returned to Mobile on Wednesday night with the bullet still in her foot, along with multiple fractures. Whitsett remains in Touro Hospital with injuries to his leg, shoulder, back and head, but on Thursday, he was recovering well, Scott-Windham said. Two other friends with them suffered minor injuries, she said.

She'll need to return to an orthopedist in two weeks to check on her foot. The Amazon warehouse where she works originally denied her request for a leave of absence, but the company said in a statement Friday that they've since spoken with her and given her time off with pay.

"We wish her a full recovery and look forward to welcoming her back to work once she's able," said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel."

US President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose devastating sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague immediately after taking office, Israel Hayom newspaper reported citing informed sources.

The sources claimed the “executive orders could be unveiled as soon as January 21”, just one day after Trump’s inauguration and “will target both individual ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, and the institution as a whole.”

“The administration intends to classify the ICC as an organisation threatening US interests, employing designation procedures similar to those used by the State Department for terrorist organisations globally. This designation will trigger severe restrictions on anyone involved with the court’s operations,” it added.