Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has announced she is dropping out of the race for governor of New York and will not seek re-election to Congress. Her announcement comes days after Republican Bruce Blakeman, who like Stefanik is a close Donald Trump ally, said he intended to challenge her in»»»

The Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case on Friday in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and said more are coming. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Justice Department on Friday rele»»»

The US Justice Department has released a large tranche of records related to its investigations into late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, publishing the files online on Friday. The documents were made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation signed by Presi»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. On Friday he gave a year-end news conference and spoke about deals to end the war in Ukraine and Russia. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that U.S. negotia»»»

Attorneys for former Special Counsel Jack Smith on Thursday asked House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to hold a public hearing regarding Smith's efforts to prosecute President Donald Trump. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Attorneys for former special cou»»»

It’s not clear if the Trump administration wants to genuinely resolve the proxy war with Russia, or if it is merely trying to extricate itself from the mess Washington helped instigate. But one thing is clear: the major Western European capitals are desperate to keep the war going. Various pretexts»»»

Mediators are convening for fresh talks in Miami, Florida, as efforts to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement remain stalled, months after the truce came into effect on Oct. 10. The meeting, which mediators say will focus on outlining a framework for the next phase, comes amid a»»»

Aero,exico remain Mexico's flagship carrier, but faces competition from low-cost carriers. File Photo by Jose Mendez/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Mexican low-cost airlines Volaris and Viva Aerobus announced an agreement to create a new holding company through a merger of equals -- a deal aimed at expanding»»»

Jeddah, Dec. 19 (SANA) The Muslim World League welcomed Friday the United States’ decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” describing it as a pivotal step toward a more promising future for the Syrian people. In a statement posted on the League’s official website, Secretary-General Muhammad bin Abdul K»»»

Two Wisconsin Republican lawmakers on Friday told Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan to resign or be impeached after being convicted of felony obstruction in federal court on Thursday. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Wisconsin's Republican leaders will begin»»»

Manama , Dec. 19 (SANA) The Kingdom of Bahrain welcomed the U.S. administration’s decision to lift sanctions imposed on Syria under the “Caesar Act,” praising the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump in this regard.“The Kingdom of Bahrain congratulates Syria on the issuance of this important deci»»»

Palestinians crowd to receive hot meals in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza, in June. A hunger watch group said Friday that Gaza is no longer in famine, but there is still critical food insecurity. File Photo by Anas Deeb/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- An international hunger watchdog g»»»

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the Ukraine War and matters between Ukraine and Poland while at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday. Photo by Pawel Supernak Poland Out/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Ze»»»

1 of 2 | Former President Donald Trump and Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, greet the crowd at the North Carolina Republican Convention in Greenville, N.C., on June 5, 2021. Now-President Trump will travel to Rocky Mount, N.C. on Friday to campaign for Whatley, who »»»

Mostafa Madbouly vows to avert Israeli escalation. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) shakes hands with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday. Photo by Lebanese Presidency Press Occie/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- E»»»

The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has said the Turning Point USA organisation he founded will help elect JD Vance for president in 2028, although Vance, the current US vice-president, has yet to announce he is running. Erika Kirk's endorsement on Thursday came on the opening day of Tu»»»

1 of 3 | Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche participates in a roundtable at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 23. He said the Justice Department doesn't have all files related to the Epstein case ready to be released by the Friday deadline. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Ph»»»

The Department of Justice filed a notice today saying it intends to appeal a ruling that said it couldn't withhold research grants. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice is appealing a ruling that prevents it from freezing federal research funding to Harvard. U.S. »»»

WASHINTON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Venezuela "is the largest source of terrorism leading to instability in Central America." Rubio added at a press conference that his country faces significant threats from countries in Central America, notably Venezue»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US State Secretary Marco Rubio said on Friday that the decision to shut down the Agency for International Development (USAID) was the right move, and all predictions of negative consequences have not occurred. On December 16, Vanity Fair published an interview with White Hous»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that there are nontrivial factors that contribute to the continuation of the Ukraine conflict, and that only the United States is able to negotiate with both parties to the conflict. "There's a reason why this war hasn't ended,»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual live broadcast press conference with Russian federal, regional, and foreign media in Moscow. Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was determined to continue the war in Ukraine until his condi»»»

Syria’s government and its allies on Friday welcomed the final lifting of the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country in recent decades. The US Congress imposed the so-called Caesar Act sanctions on Syria’s government and financial system in 2019 to punish then-President Bashar al-Assad for»»»

TikTok said on Thursday it had agreed to a joint venture with investors to keep operating in the United States, averting a potential ban tied to its Chinese ownership, US media reported. CEO Shou Chew said ByteDance approved the deal, with Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX as major invest»»»

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump signed a law on Friday repealing a final batch of crippling economic sanctions on Syria, under the Caser Act.The legislation includes requiring the lifting of sanctions on Syria, was passed by the Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 77 to 20.Durin»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, December 19: A new batch of Epstein files includes photos of famous men, chat screenshots and "Lolita" quotes written on a woman's body. Next, Kristin Cabot, the HR boss caught on the Coldplay kiss cam, speaks out in an exclusive interview. Finally, we bring you some Christma»»»

The justice department plans to release the long-awaited files related to Jeffrey Epstein as required by a new law, but not all documents would be published on Friday, an official says. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said they expect to publish "several hundred thousand pages", and then o»»»

Beijing again lashed out at a planned US arms sales package to Taiwan on Friday, with the Chinese defence ministry threatening to take "forceful measures" over the $11 billion weapons package approved by US State Department and awaiting congressional approval. China's military will s»»»

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no more wars after Ukraine if Russia is treated with respect - and claims that Moscow is planning to attack European countries are "nonsense". In a marathon televised event lasting almost four and a half hours, he was asked by the BBC's Steve»»»

Ankara ,Dec. 19 (SANA) Turkey welcomed the U.S. decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” stressing the importance of this step in promoting stability and reconstruction in Syria. “We hope this step will further encourage international cooperation for Syria’s reconstruction and revival, thereby contribu»»»

A judge in the US state of Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstruction for trying to help a Mexican man evade immigration officials during an arrest attempt. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April after ushering Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeano»»»

Ukraine struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with ​aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping. The vessel was empty when it was struck by drones in neutral waters more than 2»»»

US President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program after officials said the suspect in the shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had entered the country through that system. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said late on Thursday that,»»»

Syria's foreign ministry on Friday welcomed the permanent ending by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation. The U.S. Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who »»»

Kuwait , Dec. 19 (SANA) The State of Kuwait welcomed the U.S. decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” stressing that this step will contribute to supporting Syria’s economic recovery and reconstruction efforts.Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed, in a statement on Friday, the country’s sup»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin credited his US counterpart Donald Trump with making "serious and genuine efforts" to end the Ukraine conflict, but what's blocking a diplomatic breakthrough? The EU and NATO leadership stands in the way of the peace solution, retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwi»»»

One of two alleged drug boats speeding through the waters of Eastern Pacific on Thursday night seconds before it was hit in a "lethal kinetic strike," by U.S. military forces. Image courtesy U.S. Southern Command Dec. 19 (UPI) -- American warplanes struck two drug boats traveling known trafficking »»»

1 of 8 | Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20. File Pool photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Be»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday applauded the US decision to repeal sanctions on Syria that had been imposed according to Ceasar Act and lauded role of the US President Donlad Trump in this respect.The ministry in a statement said this crucial step will back up Sy»»»

TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed a deal with investors to run its business in the US. But what does this mean for the over 170 million Americans (or so the social media platform claims) who use the app? The key may lie in how TikTok's recommendation algorithm - the powerful system that c»»»

Amman, Dec. 19 (SANA) Jordan welcomed on Friday Washington’s decision on to repeal the Caesar Act, calling it an important step toward supporting Syria’s reconstruction, strengthening recovery, and fulfilling the aspirations of its people for development and prosperity. Fuad al-Majali, official spo»»»

Damascus, Dec. 19 (SANA) Syria’s Central Bank (CBS) Governor Abdulkader Husrieh said that the repeal of the Caesar Act removes a major legal obstacle to Syria’s reintegration into the international financial system, particularly with regard to obtaining a sovereign credit rating. In a post on his F»»»

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein victim Haley Robson speaks during a press conference with other victims on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, in November. The House Oversight Committee is investigating as many as 95,000 photos of Epstein with high »»»

US President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery programme on Thursday that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that at Trump’s direction she is ordering»»»

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Friday the suspension of a lottery run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that allocates up to 50,000 green cards to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | Lice»»»

Damascus, Dec. 19 (SANA) Syria welcomed on Friday the full repeal of the Caesar Act sanctions, describing the move as a significant step toward easing the burdens on the Syrian people and opening the door to recovery and stability. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the Uni»»»

The South African government has dismissed accusations by the US that it harassed and intimidated American officials during a raid on a centre processing applications by white South Africans for refugee status in the US. Tuesday's raid saw seven Kenyans expelled from South Africa for working in the»»»

The move by the United States to lift sweeping sanctions on Syria could encourage more refugees to return to their country and also help encourage investments, the head of the U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon said. The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to permanently remove the so-called Caesar Act sanc»»»

A top Hamas official said that talks in Miami on Friday to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must aim to end Israeli truce "violations" in the Palestinian territory. U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is to meet senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Fl»»»

RIYADH, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Saudi Arabia welcomed Friday the US decision to lift the sanctions imposed on Syria pursuant to the Caesar Act, as contributing to supporting its stability, prosperity, and development.In a press release, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs commended the significant and p»»»