News Summary-Intelligence Report 1/3/2025*Newsdump Friday*Eight Billion Military Aid Deal For Israel*Arms Twisted To Elect Johnson House Speaker*Russia Seeks End To Ukraine War, Not A Freeze*Arrest Attempt Of Impeached South Korean President Fails*

"We are the United States of America, the best country people ever to exist, but right now we are terminally ill and headed towards collapse" That's from the writings of US Army Master Sergeant Matthew Livelsberger...

At least 13 dead and 30 others hurt after a bus plunged into a ravine in Colombia...

The Biden Administration informally notifying Congress of a plan to sell Israel eight billion dollars..

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting a two-week delay in the continuation of his testimony...

The Foreign Ministers of France and Germany in Syria today meeting the new jihadist leader...

Russia seeks an end to the Ukraine War, not a freeze in the fighting. Russia's UN Ambassador speaking...

The leftist government in Venezuela offering a 100,000 dollar reward for the exiled opposition...

A dual US-Irish national indicted after he was arrested for attempting to join the Hezbollah...

An executive shakeup at the social media giant Meta the parent company of Facebook...

In South Korea the attempt to arrest impeached and suspended President Yoon Suk-Yeol...authorities have pulled back...

In the Netherlands the public now has online access to files related to collaboration...

ndtv.com-——The outgoing Biden administration has relaxed rules for H-1B visas that will make it easier for American companies to hire foreign workers with special skills and facilitate a smoother transition from F-1 student visas to H-1B visas, a move that is likely to benefit thousands of Indian tech professionals.

The most sought-after H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise......mostly from India.

Jill Biden got the priciest gift from a foreign leader in 2023 — a $20,000 diamond from India

By Associated Press—— cnn.com
Published 8:17 AM EST, Fri January 3, 2025

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on June 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Washington
AP
—
President Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting published by the State Department on Thursday, with first lady Jill Biden receiving the single most expensive present: a $20,000 diamond from India’s leader.

The 7.5-carat diamond from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was easily the most costly gift presented to any member of the first family in 2023, although Jill Biden also received a brooch valued at $14,063 from the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States and a bracelet, brooch and photograph album worth $4,510 from the president and first lady of Egypt.

President Biden also received a number of expensive presents, including a commemorative photo album valued at $7,100 from South Korea’s recently impeached President Suk Yeol Yoon, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from the sultan of Brunei, a $3,160 sterling silver tray from the president of Israel, and a collage worth $2,400 from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Federal law requires executive branch officials to declare gifts they receive from foreign leaders and counterparts that have an estimated value of more than $480. Many of the gifts that meet that threshold are relatively modest, and the more expensive ones are typically — but not always — transferred to the National Archives or put on official displays.

The $20,000 diamond to Jill from India was retained for official use in the White House East Wing, according to a State Department document, while the other gifts to the president and first lady were sent to the archives.

Vanessa Valdivia, a spokesperson for Jill Biden, said the diamond will be turned over to the archives after the Bidens leave the White House. She did not say what it was being used for.

Recipients also have the option to purchase a gift from the US government at its market value, although that is rare, particularly with high-end items.

This just in: “Biden’s Eight Billion Military Aid Deal For Israel”

pbs.org

Record military aid.

Israel — a protege of the United States since its 1948 founding — is the biggest recipient of U.S. military aid in history, getting $251.2 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1959, the report says.

Even so, the $17.9 billion Biden spent since Oct. 7, 2023, in inflation-adjusted dollars, is by far the most military aid sent to Israel in one year.

Biden committed to providing billions in military assistance to Israel. Biden aid since the Gaza war started includes military financing, arms sales, at least $4.4 billion in drawdowns from U.S. stockpiles and gifts of other equipment.

Much of the U.S. weapons delivered in the year were munitions, from artillery shells to 2,000-pound bunker-busters and precision-guided bombs.

Expenditures range from $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems to cash for rifles and jet fuel, the study says.

Unlike the United States’ publicly documented military aid to Ukraine, it was impossible to get the full details of what the U.S. has shipped Israel since last Oct. 7, so the $17.9 billion for the year is a partial figure, the researchers said.

They cited Biden administration “efforts to hide the full amounts of aid and types of systems through bureaucratic maneuvering.”

Funding for the key U.S. ally during a war that has exacted a heavy toll on civilians has divided Americans during the presidential campaign. But support for Israel has long carried weight in U.S. politics, and Biden said Friday that “no administration has helped Israel more than I have.”

Source: The Atlantic

J Street Lobby Exhorts its Supporters
“On Friday, October 20th, 2023, the Biden Administration sent a Supplemental Funding Request to the Congress that contains key priorities for the American Jewish community:

Please urge your federal elected officials to take action by sending an email below or picking up the phone to call using the script at the end of this form. Your advocacy will help ensure Congress passes the Supplemental Budget Request, which includes the following:

<><>$14.3 Billion in Emergency assistance to Israel: This emergency assistance will bolster Israel’s ability to defend herself and replenish vital defense systems, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense programs.

<><>Increased Funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP): Jewish communities are in a state of elevated readiness and have already been forced to increase their security measure. FEMA’s Nonprofit “Security Grant Program” helps ensure the safety and security of Jewish and other faith-based community institutions. The increased funding included in Biden’s Supplemental Budget Request will help bolster our Jewish community’s capacity to protect itself at this challenging time.

<><>$61.4 Billion in Emergency Assistance to Ukraine: The J Street Lobby stands in solidarity with Ukraine and supports efforts to strengthen its democracy in the face of aggression. This funding will aid Ukraine’s efforts to safeguard its democracy and protect its citizens. Jewish Federations are actively engaged in supporting the Ukrainian people—including by resettling over 2,600 displaced Ukrainians across the United States—and we seek continued U.S. support for these critical efforts.”

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