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TL/DR: "It is a fiscal calamity. Unfortunately, members of the House and Senate have done little to force a course correction from this calamity," The House Freedom Caucus said in the statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is in hot water with his conservative colleagues after announcing Sunday that congressional leaders had reached a tentative $1.66 trillion agreement to fund the government in 2024. The deal, which includes $886 billion for defense and $704 billion for nondefense spending, was called a "total failure" by the House Freedom Caucus because they believe the spending levels are too high and not in line with what they expected from a Republican-led House.
Why it matters: Critics argue that the agreement's price tag brings the spending in line with the deal struck last year between Democratic President Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy that led to the former speaker's removal. Representatives like Chip Roy and Matt Rosendale also said the deal does not tackle issues like border security and continues wasteful spending. Johnson noted in his letter that the deal's "spending levels will not satisfy everyone". However, it provides Congress with a way to "move the process forward," he said. Democrats Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a joint statement on the agreement saying that it includes funding for "key domestic priorities like veterans benefits, health care and nutrition assistance from the draconian cuts sought by right-wing extremists."
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Republican Warns Mike Johnson He's Running Out of Time
Mike Johnson's Year Has Gotten Off to the Worst Possible Start
What happens now? President Joe Biden said the bipartisan deal "moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown." However, the question remains whether Congress can pass the deal in time. Two funding deadlines remain: January 19 and February 2.
TL/DR: Donald Trump will this week deal with multiple court deadlines and meetings as his many legal cases unfold.
Donald Trump will this week deal with multiple court deadlines and meetings as his many legal cases unfold. The former president and GOP frontrunner is facing four criminal indictments with a total of 91 charges, all of which he denies, while calling them part of a political witch hunt. One of them is a Georgia racketeering case in which he and 18 co-defendants stand accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. On Monday, lawyers in the case must file all their motions in the case.
Why it matters: The Georgia case is one of two indictments relating to Trump's behavior surrounding the election. Trump is appealing a decision made in December by Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is hearing the trial, that he does not have absolute immunity from decisions made while he was in the White House. Oral arguments in this immunity case will begin Tuesday at the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Trump will attend this trial. In June, Trump was charged with retaining national defense information. There is a "joint discovery status report" for the classified document case on Tuesday, which is a phase in pre-trial when parties involved in a case can examine each other's evidence. Finally, on Thursday, the final arguments will take place in Trump's civil fraud trial.
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Legal Analyst Points to 'Key Question' About Donald Trump's Court Cases
Donald Trump Issues Ominous Threat to Joe Biden
Donald Trump Poised to Win More Black Votes Than Any Republican in History
What happens now? Trump's fight to appear on election ballots continue. On Tuesday, there will be a supplemental briefing on whether plaintiffs have standing in Oregon to challenge the Republican's appearance on the GOP primary ballot over a clause in the Constitution's 14th Amendment that bars insurrectionists from holding office. Multiple states have filed lawsuits to remove Trump from their state ballots, and he is currently disqualified from Colorado and Maine, though the Supreme Court is hearing his appeal in the Colorado case.
TL/DR: “It is only natural that as Indonesia develops, as it grows, it must assume the new responsibilities that come with its position as an emerging power,” Indonesian presidential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto told Newsweek.
Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto has expressed his desire to assert his nation's role on the world stage and revealed his strategy toward global conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific region in an exclusive wide-ranging interview with Newsweek. Once exiled from Indonesia and banned from the United States, Subianto now brands himself as the man who will usher in a new era for famously non-aligned Indonesia in an era of deep crises rocking the international order and rising tensions between the U.S. and China that threaten to destabilize his own region.
Why it matters: Indonesia's election comes when more nations across the Global South seek to raise their voices and assert themselves in an increasingly multipolar world. As the country becomes more developed with a more robust economy, Indonesia is playing a more significant role on the global stage, Subianto said. "It is only natural that as Indonesia develops, as it grows, it must assume the new responsibilities that come with its position as an emerging power," he told Newsweek.
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Indonesia Elections: 192 Million Head to Vote In World's Biggest One-Day Polling
Chinese Media Issues Warning to Europe, Calls for 'Revolution'
'US Faces New 'Axis of Evil' in Iran, China and Russia: Mitch McConnell
What happens now? With just weeks until Indonesia holds its national vote on February 14, Subianto is holding a strong lead against his two top rivals. He has particularly emphasized a commitment to defense and security, though he told Newsweek that he plans to develop far more than the military if chosen as the country's next leader. “I believe that our path to a truly secure and powerful Indonesia passes through the development of our country and the welfare of our people and the strength of our society,” he said.
TL/DR: "We urge relevant countries to stop their irresponsible actions and earnestly respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
China and the U.S. conducted competing military exercises in the disputed South China Sea, less than a month after Philippine and Chinese ships collided near a contested reef in the area. Beijing criticized the U.S.-Philippine drills as "provocative military activities," warning the exercises were "detrimental" to management and control of the maritime situation and related disputes. China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines all claim islands and reefs in the sea, largely grouped within the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, and the Scarborough Shoal. The matter remains a divisive one for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, in which Beijing has built significant influence.
Why it matters: The U.S. has repeatedly pushed back on Beijing's efforts to establish dominion over the sea, conducting regular freedom of navigation exercises in coordination with local and international allies. The Philippines has been drawing closer to the U.S. amid resurgent tensions with Beijing, with American troops returning to the country some 30 years after the closure of large U.S. bases there. More broadly, Washington is working to shore up and expand its regional network of allies—including South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand—in a bid to contain Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and deter Beijing's designs on Taiwan.
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Pictures Show Chinese Warships Shadowing US and Ally in South China Sea
South China Sea Map Shows Beijing's Claims Amid US Navy Drills
China Is Still the King of Shipbuilding, Data Shows
What happens now? ASEAN foreign ministers have said the bloc is "closely” following the recent developments in the South China Sea that may “undermine peace, security, and stability in the region.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged a stop to the exercises, vowing that Beijing will "continue to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."
TL/DR: "Over the past two years, Americans' credit card balances have skyrocketed 40 percent, according to the New York Fed," Bankrate Senior Industry analyst Ted Rossman said.
Roughly 56 million U.S. credit cardholders have been in debt for at least a year, according to a new survey, showing many are still struggling despite lower inflation. The Bankrate survey, shared with Newsweek, found nearly half of cardholders (49%) carry a balance month to month, up from 39% in 2021. The top reason for an outstanding balance was an emergency or unexpected expense, like medical bills or car/home repairs, followed by day-to-day expenses. Bankrate estimated that the average credit card rate reached a record high of 20.74% in 2023, up 4.4 percentage points compared to the beginning of 2022.
Why it matters: While inflation has considerably gone down from the 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, Americans are still suffering from a high interest rate environment, while many have burned their savings during the pandemic. "Most cardholders' rates have risen five-and-a-quarter percentage points during that span [the past two years] as a result of the Fed's rate hikes meant to combat inflation," Bankrate's Ted Rossman said. Gen Xers and Millennials were more likely to have credit card debt than Baby Boomers and Gen Zers.
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Americans Fear They Can't Pay Back Their Debts
Americans in 3 States See Dramatic Drop in Credit Lines
Americans Find Silver Lining to Soaring Debt Delinquencies
What happens now? More than one in four (26%) surveyed believe they cannot repay their debt for at least five years. Those who cannot pay off their debt for an extended period are likely to face unwanted interest, which runs the risk of dragging them deeper in debt, in a loop that's hard to escape. For those in debt, Rossman suggests signing up for a 0% balance transfer card– which allows cardholders to move existing debt to a new card that won't charge interest for up to 21 months.
TL/DR: "They look at the monarchy and they just can't see themselves reflected back in that." Chief executive of Republic, Graham Smith, told Newsweek.
Opposition to the British monarchy has surged, surpassing sentiments witnessed during the collapse of Princess Diana's marriage, marking a concerning trend for King Charles III. Triggered by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's allegations in 2021 and the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein scandal, dissatisfaction with the royals, especially among young people, remains high. A November Savantapoll showed 49% of 18–24-year-olds favor scrapping the monarchy. While historical crises were mitigated by royal weddings, the data suggest a more prolonged decline with little sign of a snap back to the reverence of past eras.
Why it matters: Young people's progressive views, economic hardships with inflation and cost of university fees rising, and anti-establishment sentiments may pose enduring threats to the royal family. A Newsweek analysis shows the November polling may be significantly worse than past eras. Charles was hugely popular until revelations of his affair with Queen Camilla sent his popularity plummeting in the 90s, when just 39% felt Britain would be worse without a royal family. The monarchy recovered after Diana's death but slumped again in 2000 when The Guardian declared dissatisfaction among the young the "highest ever," with 40% of 18–24-year-olds believing the country would be better off without the monarchy.
Read More In-Depth Coverage:
Prince George, Charlotte and Louis Are Monarchy's Greatest Hope
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Face Pivotal Year to Improve Their Fortunes
King Charles' Latest PR Project Undermines Prince Harry
What happens now? Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, a pressure group pushing to abolish the monarchy, told Newsweek he believes support for keeping the monarchy could drop below 50% by the end of the decade. Commentators have been divided on whether those Gen Z royal skeptics will retain their opposition or whether, in time, they will fall in love with royal fairy tales all over again. A younger generation of royals—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis— have won over public affection, however fueling resentment towards people achieving power through privilege and inheritance rather than through hardship, which could hurt the monarchy in years ahead.
Hamas Has My Son. Peace Is Possible—on One Vital Condition
We will soon mark 100 days of subhuman, life-threatening captivity for my son Sagui, and 133 Israeli hostages still held since the October 7 Hamas attacks, all denied Red Cross visits in Gaza's hellish tunnels. Among them, Sagui is one of six Israeli-American hostages.
Sagui and his fellow hostages are running out of time, and Israel needs to make sure all the remaining hostages come back alive. Not just for his safety, but for Israel's future safety and security.
I can't imagine the trauma Sagui has endured. What little we do know is frightening. As an Israeli citizen, I believe we will never be able to heal our nationwide trauma if all the hostages aren't freed.
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