Recent NYC Subway Burning Murder Highlights Safety Concerns

The horrific murder of Debrina Kawam, a New Jersey woman, on the New York City subway has reignited safety concerns for NYC residents and visitors. On December 22, 2024, a woman was fatally set on fire while sleeping on an F train in Brooklyn. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a Guatemalan migrant residing illegally, was charged with murder and arson.

The attack, along with other recent violent crimes, has heightened fears among riders despite increased security measures. Governor Hochul deployed additional National Guard members and installed cameras in subway cars, yet many New Yorkers remain skeptical about their safety on public transportation.

 

H-1B Visa Debate Exposes Division in Conservative Ranks

A heated debate over H-1B visas has emerged among conservatives, highlighting tensions between right-leaning tech industry advocates and "America First" supporters within President-elect Donald Trump's base. The controversy has been particularly visible on social media, where figures like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both Trump advisers, have faced backlash for supporting the visa program. Musk has emphasized what he calls a "permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent" in the U.S., while in an X post Ramaswamy criticized American culture for prioritizing mediocrity over excellence, suggesting a need for foreign tech talent.

This stance has sparked the ire of other osn the right,  many of whom view the H1-B program as undercutting wages of American citizens through. Opponents of the program have posted screenshots of H-1B jobs, many of which have listed salaries close to the American median or even below.

As this debate unfolds, it may pose a significant challenges for Trump as he navigates between the GOP’s newfound tech industry support and the expectations of his broader voter base.

 

Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at 100

Former US President James Early "Jimmy" Carter dies Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. Carter, who had been in hospice care since February 2023, turned 100 in October of this year. 

Jimmy Carter, the 39th 
president of the United States,
died Sunday at 100

Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia, the eldest son of businessman James Earl Carter, Sr. and his wife Lilian. Graduating from Plains High School in 1941, he attended college at Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Tech before being nominated to attend the US Naval Academy in 1943, graduating in 1946. During this time he fell in love with his future wife, Rosalynn Smith, and married her in 1946. 

Carter served as an active duty naval officer until 1953, focusing on the use of nuclear technology in the Navy. He moved back to Plains after the death of his father and became a successful agricultural businessman.

Carter turned to politics in the 1960s as a staunch opponent of segregation, first serving a s Sumter County school board member and then Georgia state senator. He first ran for governor in 1966, losing in the Democratic primary. He ran again in 1970, winning the primary and the general to become Georgia's 76th governor. During his term as governor, he focused on integration efforts, civil rights issues, and reforming government hiring practices. 

Prohibited from running for a second term under the term limits in place at the time, he announced presidential campaign in 1974. Running an energetic, ubiquitous primary campaign, he won the Democratic nomination, and benefitting from the fatigue of Watergate, narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Gerald Ford in the general.

His presidency, initially marked by optimism, faced major challenges, including high inflation combined with sluggish economic growth (stagflation), the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iranian Islamist revolution resulting in the American embassy worker hostage crisis. He appointed Paul Volcker as Federal Reserve chairman, who is often credited for helping to end the high inflation of the era, though this relief came after Carter's presidency had ended.

Carter's achievements included the Camp David Accords that established relations between Israel and Egypt, signing the SALT II nuclear arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union, and deregulating the airline industry.

Carter, facing low approval ratings, lost reelection in 1980 to former California Governor Ronald Reagan. Carter then started the longest post-presidency in American history, lasting nearly 44 years. He returned home to Plains, notably leading a Sunday School class at his church. Carter devoted his post-presidency to several causes, including disease eradication, building homes as part of Habitat for Humanity, and promoting democratic reforms in countries across the world. For his diplomatic and human rights work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. 

Carter's Nobel Prize on display the Carter Presidential
Library and Museum in Atlanta, GA

Carter survived several health challenges, including metastatic melanoma in 2015 and a broken hip in 2019. 

In 2023, he decided to go into hospice care rather than continue receiving curative treatment for an unspecified disease. Rosalynn, who had been diagnosed earlier with dementia, died in 2023. Carter attended her funeral in his first public appearance since entering hospice.

In 2024, Carter celebrated his 100th birthday and supported Kamala Harris for president in the presidential race. 

Carter was the longest lived president in US history. 

Upon news of Carter's death, all living former presidents issued statements marking his passing, praising his attitude of public service and his productive post-presidency. President Joe Biden, an early endorser of Carter's 1976 campaign, praised Carter in a statement and said Carter will receive a state funeral. 

Assad Regime Faces Collapse as Rebels Take Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime faces rapid collapse as opposition forces have reportedly taken control of the country's capital Damascus. Assad's whereabouts are unknown, though a plane that was purportedly carrying the president appears to have crashed near the city of Homs. 

This latest offensive started late November following the ceasefire that had largely held since 2020. The swift fall of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, on November 29, 2024, caught many by surprise, especially with Assad's forces putting up little resistance. The main opposition force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and its allied factions capitalized on a weakened Syrian military. Rebel forces swiftly moved south, capturing Hama by December 5. By the 7th, they had entered Homs, effectively cutting off the regime's control over the crucial M5 highway that connects Damascus to the north.

Simultaneously, in the south, opposition groups, including those in the newly formed Southern Operations Room and Al-Jabal Brigade, took control of Daraa and Suwayda, further isolating Damascus. The speed of these offensives suggests a significant breakdown in Assad's military structure due to a combination of factors including low morale, economic collapse, and lack of support from key allies like Russia and Iran, who have been distracted by conflicts in Ukraine and Lebanon respectively.

Regime forces remain in control for now of the country's west coast, including Assad's stronghold of Latakia. This area hosts two Russian military bases, with reports that Russia has begun evacuations. 

How Did Assad's Regime Fall?

Since the Idlib ceasefire in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Assad's regime, has faced increasing economic challenges, with the Syrian pound losing value dramatically against the US dollar, exacerbating the already dire living conditions for millions of Syrians trying to recover from years of fierce fighting.

Despite occasional flare-ups, the frontlines were largely static until mid-2024. The Assad regime relied heavily on its allies Russian Iran, but both now face competing priorities: Russia with its ongoing war in Ukraine and Iran with its proxy conflicts, especially with Israel, which targeted Hezbollah, a key ally of Assad in Syria.

The widespread poverty and dissatisfaction with the Assad regime set the backdrop for the sudden rebel offensive in late November 2024, which exploited the weakened state of the regime's forces, leading to the capture of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and parts of the south in a matter of days.

This article was written with AI assistance.

 

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