By Kristina Harazim, Mohammed R Mhawish and Enes Abuomer
El-Sayed urges Hegseth to resign after impeachment bid fails
Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has questioned Pete Hegseth’s competency to lead the Defense Department and urged him to resign.
In an interview with CNN, El-Sayed spoke directly to Hegseth, asking: “Why are you still doing this job You are really bad at this. You are failing your responsibility. You have mishandled this war.
“So just resign. Make it easy for everybody instead of, in the end, getting taken out, because that is clearly what’s happening,” he added.
Asked about the 11 Democrats who did not show up for the vote, El-Sayed said, “You should show up and do your job.”
Hegseth has described the impeachment proceedings as a “farce and a stunt”.
US embassy in Saudi Arabia warns of Houthi attacks, Iranian threats
The US embassy in Riyadh has urged Americans in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East to exercise heightened vigilance, warning of threats from Iran-backed Houthis and alleged Iranian efforts to target US government officials.
In a security alert posted on X, the embassy said the Houthis had carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure, resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.
“These hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area,” the embassy warned.
The US mission also urged American citizens to review the State Department’s travel advisory for Saudi Arabia for additional security information and guidance.
The warning came amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
Iran’s Pezeshkian to raise US, Israeli ‘environmental crimes’ at COP31
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he will use the COP31 UN climate summit in Turkiye to highlight what he described as US and Israeli crimes against Iran’s environment.
“The UN climate summit is a good opportunity to discuss the actions the US and Israel have taken to damage the environment in Iran and the region,” Pezeshkian said before departing for Antalya on Wednesday, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
He also said he would raise Tehran’s position during bilateral meetings with other world leaders. “We will discuss the legitimate positions of the Islamic Republic and the crimes the US and Israel have committed in the region,” he said.
Pezeshkian claimed Washington had already seen the consequences of its actions in its own elections and among the American public. US President Donald Trump is not attending the summit, with Washington sending no official delegation for the second consecutive year.
COP31, which began on November 9 and runs until November 20, brings together representatives from nearly 200 countries to discuss climate action and financing.
‘We’re here to do a job’: AOC criticises Democrats for missing Hegseth impeachment vote
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says lawmakers need to show up and do their jobs, after 11 Democrats missed a House vote that effectively killed an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The people send us here to do a job,” the New York Democrat told CNN. “I don’t know if anyone had any real health issues or anything significant. So I want to leave room for that. But that being said, at the end of the day, we’re here to do a job. And the same way I had to clock in when I worked at a restaurant, we got to clock in and do our work here.”
She said she hoped Congress would not have to wait for the new session to move against Hegseth.
Lou Correa backs Hegseth impeachment after missing House vote
Representative Lou Correa says he “vehemently” supports Hegseth’s impeachment, hours after missing a House vote that effectively stalled an effort to impeach the defence secretary.
“I vehemently support the impeachment of Secretary Hegseth,” the California Democrat wrote on X. “Hegseth has dragged us into another endless war. He has fired experienced generals who disagree with him and the president.
Correa was one of 11 Democrats who did not vote on Tuesday, when the Republican-led House voted 211-204.
US senator urges Israel to allow winter supplies into flood-hit Gaza
US Democratic Senator Brian Schatz has called on Israel to immediately allow building materials, rescue equipment and winter supplies into Gaza after heavy rainfall flooded tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians.
Schatz said more than 70,000 tents had been flooded over the weekend, displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians again and leaving four people dead, including three children and a woman.
He described the situation as a humanitarian emergency, saying Israel’s continued restrictions on fuel and the destruction of equipment had made relief efforts more difficult.
Schatz also cited criticism from US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which he said had found that delays in Israel’s response had worsened the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian crisis.
“This isn’t from me. This isn’t from the Democrats. This is from the President’s Board of Peace,” he said.
Warning that conditions would worsen as winter approached, Schatz urged immediate action to help displaced families.
“We don’t need to agree about everything else before we help these people,” he said. “We should help them because they are people.”
UKMTO reports suspicious activity involving tanker in Strait of Hormuz
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an incident involving a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, citing military authorities.
In a warning posted on X, the maritime security agency said the status of the crew, the extent of any damage, and the possible environmental impact remained unknown.
The agency did not provide details about the nature of the incident or when it occurred.
Democrats who missed vote offer varied excuses
As we reported earlier, 11 Democrats are among the 18 lawmakers who did not vote on whether to impeach Hegseth.
Democrat Brittany Pettersen said on X that she was “denied the ability to vote” on the motion. She did not give details.
Democrat Lou Correa posted a statement on X saying he was following medical advice to avoid travel due to an upcoming procedure.
Others, including Jonathan Jackson and Melanie Stansbury, blamed their absence on traffic.
Absent Democrats could have tipped Hegseth impeachment vote, records show
Official figures on the website of the Clerk of the US House of Representatives list the 11 Democrats who missed Tuesday’s vote on the resolution to impeach US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The House voted 211 to 204 to refer the resolution, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, to the Judiciary Committee. Eighteen lawmakers in total did not vote.
The Office of the Clerk website shows the names of the 11 Democrats whose votes could have tipped the balance.
Senator says Democrats plan budget fight to cut Iran war funding
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff says his party plans to use the coming negotiations over government funding to try to cut off money for the war on Iran.
“On December 11, the government funding bill is running out, which means we will have a negotiation over continuing funding,” Schiff said in a video statement on X. “That gives us the opportunity to do one of the things that voters said they wanted: an end to the war in Iran.”
He said Democrats would be able to use the budget process “to cut off funding to apply pressure to bring this war to a conclusion”. The war “was never authorised by Congress, never sought by the American people”, Schiff said, and the administration’s justifications “have been moving and shifting”.
“It’s done nothing but emboldened Iran, which now has more say over the Strait of Hormuz than it even had before the war,” he added.
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
Mr.BadGuy
Publisher
These soldiers are from a country whose president is a Jew Zelensky. Orthodox churches are also being destroyed in this country. Synagogues are not touched. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jews get along well with the Bandera Nazis.