According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed, and at least five people have died. There have been nearly 13,926 total emergency responses, 92 wildfires and 29,053 acres burned, per the department.
Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard has been deployed to assist the hundreds of firefighters – including many from other states – fighting the fires.
President Joe Biden has approved further federal assistance for Los Angeles County as the fires continue to raze homes, schools, businesses and other structures, in addition to scorching vegetation and wildlife in their wake.
“The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Los Angeles County,” said a Wednesday statement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”
The White House announced late Wednesday that Biden will not be making a scheduled trip to Italy this week so he can monitor the raging wildfires in Southern California.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday afternoon during a briefing on the fires, Biden said federal funding will cover debris removal, setting up temporary shelters, and paying first responders.
“I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense,” Biden said in noting he’s surging federal resources into Southern California, including 400 federal firefighters, 30 federal firefighting aircraft and other assets.
The president provided some moral support as well for those enduring the fires that have turned portions of Southern California into a hellscape.
“We are with you,” Biden said. “We’re not going anywhere. To the firefighters and first responders, you are heroes.”
There was at least a brief respite on Thursday morning as the Santa Ana winds lessened somewhat, but forecasters warned that critical fire weather conditions would continue over the next several days.
While winds aren’t expected to reach the extremes of Tuesday night – gusts of up to 100 mph were recorded – potentially damaging winds remain in the forecast into the next week.
“High winds and low relative humidity will continue to support critical fire weather conditions in southern California through Friday,” the National Weather Service said on its website as of Thursday afternoon. “Red Flag Warnings remain in effect.”
]]>Why?
Biden trailed President-elect Donald J. Trump in all seven swing states. Trump would’ve smashed the blue wall handily and swept the Sun Belt. Biden led Trump a whopping zero days when he was at the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket. Trump was ahead of Biden in those swing states by 3 and 6 points. It wouldn’t have been close. Biden’s support was collapsing in Northern Virginia. That development got buried since Biden dropped out in July, but it seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Based on the polling data, I categorize Biden's statement that he could have beaten Trump as "flat out bonkers."
Biden was well behind Trump when he dropped out. Biden never led in all of 2024. And no incumbent president who was anywhere near as unpopular as Biden has ever won. pic.twitter.com/lGk9h8pygU
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) January 8, 2025
Biden also had a net negative 19-point approval rating heading into Election Day. No president has ever been re-elected with such atrocious approvals. Biden would likely have had a carbon copy of Kamala Harris’ dismal 2024 performance, though slightly worse, as Virginia likely would’ve flipped for Trump. That’s 325 electoral votes for Trump to Biden’s 213.
Again, a total landslide for the GOP. It’s not quite a 1980s-style beatdown, but a drubbing nonetheless.
]]>(Natural News)—As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, the outgoing Biden administration is making a frantic, last-ditch effort to entrench woke diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government and public education system.
This move, which includes funneling over $1 billion into DEI initiatives and hiring hundreds of DEI staffers, appears designed to undermine Trump’s promised reforms and punish red states that overwhelmingly supported the incoming president.
Since 2021, the Biden-Harris administration has aggressively funded DEI programs, with the Department of Education alone spending more than $1 billion on initiatives that critics argue prioritize ideological indoctrination over academic excellence. A recent report by Parents Defending Education reveals that these grants have disproportionately targeted schools in conservative-leaning states, including Iowa, Missouri, and South Carolina – states that voted for Trump in the 2024 election.
For example, the University of Iowa received $1.2 million to train elementary-school teachers in “equity-centered education.” Meanwhile, the University of Missouri–St. Louis was awarded $306,209 to train school counselors in “trauma-informed, antiracist social-emotional learning.” The Laurens County School District 55 in South Carolina secured a staggering $13.6 million over three years to integrate DEI into its school culture, including policies on gender identity.
These programs have drawn sharp criticism for embedding race and gender ideologies into curricula and reducing academic rigor. By embedding DEI programs in conservative regions, the administration is ensuring that even Trump’s strongest supporters cannot escape the reach of its progressive agenda.
The timing of these grants, less than three weeks before Trump’s inauguration, has raised eyebrows. Critics argue that the Biden administration is rushing to cement its ideological agenda in red states, effectively using taxpayer dollars to punish voters who rejected Biden’s policies.
Biden also embedding DEI hires in federal agencies
But the outgoing Biden administration’s DEI push extends far beyond education. A recent analysis of federal job postings reveals a hiring spree for DEI roles, with salaries reaching up to $310,000 annually. The administration is racing to onboard as many as 1,200 DEI staffers before Trump takes office, a move that could cost taxpayers $160 million per year. (Related: Biden admin races to fill 1,200 DEI positions – with $160M price tag – before Trump inauguration.)
These positions, advertised across agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are designed to embed DEI frameworks deep within the federal bureaucracy.
For instance, the FDIC is seeking a Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion with a $310,000 salary, while the HHS recently closed applications for a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health role offering a salary of up to $221,900. These hires are widely seen as an attempt to create a permanent ideological resistance within the federal government, ensuring that Trump’s efforts to dismantle DEI programs and reduce government spending face stiff opposition from within.
The Biden administration’s DEI blitz is not just a parting shot at Trump; it’s a calculated effort to entrench progressive policies in institutions across the country. By targeting red states with DEI grants and stacking federal agencies with ideologically aligned staff, the administration is effectively weaponizing taxpayer dollars to advance its agenda and undermine the incoming president.
One thing is clear as Trump prepares to take office: Biden’s DEI push is a direct challenge to Trump’s vision for America, and it’s a challenge that will shape the political battles of the coming years.
Listen to “Where The Money Go Joe,” a new song by the Health Ranger Mike Adams about the outgoing Democratic chief executive.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
- Biden’s Education Department has allocated more than $1 billion in grants to public schools to promote DEI PROGRAMS.
- Department of Education was WEAPONIZED under Biden to attack, fine and bankrupt religious schools across America.
- Report finds cash-strapped NASA still spending MILLIONS on grants to DEI and “environmental justice” initiatives.
- Vote-buying scheme FAILED: Biden drops student debt forgiveness plans.
- Tennessee Rep. Burchett: Kamala Harris is a DEI VICE PRESIDENT.
Sources include:
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(DCNF)—Criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala ignited a debate Thursday night when he reminded former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois that Democrats pursued President-elect Donald Trump with multiple legal probes.
President Joe Biden awarded former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming the Presidential Citizens’ Medal for her role in a House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol building. Walsh urged Biden to pardon Cheney in order to “protect” her from the incoming Trump administration, prompting Aidala to point out how the Biden administration targeted Trump.
“Joe Biden should try to pardon as many people as possible to protect from a guy who said, ‘I want to be an authoritarian,’” Walsh said, prompting Aidala to respond, “I know, but, congressman, his — the Democratic administration just went after Trump and his whole family. His whole family.”
“Wait, wait,” Walsh said, with CNN host Abby Phillip asking, “Hang on. What do you mean, the Democratic administration? What are you talking about?”
When panelist Cari Champion asked who had “gone after” Trump, the panel laughed.
“Last I looked, Joe Biden is a Democrat. Last I looked, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, is a Democrat,” Aidala responded. “They hired a special prosecutor who went after him in several jurisdictions. The Democratic Manhattan D.A. went after him. The Democratic attorney general of the state of New York went after him.”
Trump faced multiple legal battles, including efforts to throw him off the ballot for the presidential election, a criminal trial in Manhattan during which a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30.
Trump was also indicted by special counsel Jack Smith on charges based on allegations involving classified documents and efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also secured an indictment on state charges over Trump’s efforts to contest the results in Georgia in 2020.
“The Democrats went after Donald Trump and his entire family,” Aidala said, prompting former Hillary Clinton campaign aide Amanda Litman to say, “It was not President Joe Biden saying, ‘I’m going to put Donald Trump…’”
“It’s his administration. It’s his administration. And it’s his entire family,” Aidala responded. “Ivanka had to testify. Donald Jr. had to testify. Eric had to testify.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
]]>According to the Associated Press, whoever is running the country decided that Cheney, Thompson, and 18 other individuals will receive the Presidential Citizens Medal on Thursday.
“President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House said in a statement. “The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.”
That said, we all know it was a sham from the beginning…
The J6 Committee was controversial and heavily partisan from the beginning. When it was first announced, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) a chance to seat the conventional number of Republicans on the committee. However, she rejected two of his choices, Congressmen Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), for being too conservative, which led to McCarthy refusing to name any Republicans to the committee.
Pelosi herself then chose just two Republicans for the committee, both of whom were known for being radically anti-Trump: Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Both Cheney and Kinzinger became extremely unpopular as a result of their involvement, with Kinzinger choosing to retire ahead of the 2022 midterms, while Cheney was defeated by primary challenger Harriet Hageman in one of the biggest landslides against an incumbent in the history of the House of Representatives. –American Greatness
Meanwhile, as Julie Kelly noted last week, it appears that Cheney is preparing to fight any Trump-era federal and/or congressional probe into her ‘demonstrably corrupt role’ as vice chairman of the J6 committee.
Text messages obtained by Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga), chair of a House subcommittee looking into the J6 committee, prove that Cheney colluded behind the scenes with star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, who dramatically changed her testimony after connecting with Cheney. The communications could represent witness tampering, subornation of perjury—every former White House official including the driver of the presidential vehicle on January 6 has refuted Hutchinson’s account of Trump’s behavior that day—and obstruction.
Based on the results of his ongoing inquiry, Loudermilk determined that “numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney” and called for the FBI to investigate her.
Cheney immediately responded by playing the victim and, of course, by blaming Donald Trump. But the American people appear uninterested in Cheney’s excuses; a new Rasmussen poll shows strong public support, including three-quarters of Republicans, for an FBI investigation into the bitter and defeated nepobaby.
If Trump’s Department of Justice decides to proceed, Cheney undoubtedly will seek immunity protections in an attempt to keep records away from federal investigators; members of Congress are entitled to immunity under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, which shields lawmakers from criminal liability related to their legislative duties.
]]>(Natural News)—Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has once again stirred controversy with his candid remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a recent post on X, Musk referred to Zelensky as the “all-time champ” of securing financial aid, a comment that has sparked debate amid President Biden’s latest $2.47 billion military aid package to Ukraine. Musk’s critique highlights growing concerns about the transparency and accountability of U.S. aid to Ukraine, as well as the Biden administration’s relentless push to send billions of dollars overseas in its final days in office.
Musk’s assertion that Zelensky is unparalleled in convincing the U.S. to open its coffers is not without merit. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration has approved billions of dollars in aid to Kiev, including military, economic, and humanitarian assistance. Zelensky’s impassioned appeals to Western leaders, coupled with his skillful use of media and diplomacy, have made him a central figure in rallying international support. However, critics like Musk argue that this generosity has come at the expense of American taxpayers, with little oversight into how these funds are being used.
The latest aid package, announced on December 30, includes $1.25 billion in weapons drawn from U.S. stockpiles under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and an additional $1.22 billion through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The PDA package focuses on immediate battlefield needs, providing Ukraine with air defense missiles, artillery ammunition, and anti-tank weapons. Meanwhile, the USAI funds will be used to procure advanced systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and air-to-ground munitions from defense contractors.
This brings the total U.S. military aid to Ukraine under the Biden administration to over $66 billion, a staggering figure that has drawn bipartisan criticism. Utah Senator Mike Lee has called the aid “money laundering,” echoing concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in how these funds are allocated.
Biden’s last-minute push for Ukraine
The timing of this latest aid package has raised eyebrows, coming just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office. The Biden administration has been scrambling to allocate remaining funds before its authority expires, with the USAI account now completely emptied. This raises questions about the administration’s priorities, especially as the U.S. national debt surpasses $36 trillion and domestic issues like inflation and border security remain unresolved.
Critics argue that Biden’s unwavering support for Ukraine has come at the expense of American interests. While the administration claims that aiding Ukraine is essential to counter Russian aggression, skeptics like Musk contend that the conflict cannot be resolved militarily and that a negotiated settlement is the only viable path to peace. Musk has long advocated for greater oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine, urging Kiev to provide a detailed accounting of how these resources are being used.
Biden’s lack of accountability
Musk’s comments underscore a broader debate about the role of the U.S. in the Ukraine conflict. While supporting a sovereign nation’s right to defend itself is commendable, the sheer scale of American assistance demands greater scrutiny. The Biden administration’s decision to send billions in aid during its final days in office, without a clear strategy for ending the conflict, has only fueled skepticism.
As the U.S. continues to pour resources into Ukraine, it is imperative to ensure that these funds are being used effectively and that American interests are not being sidelined. Musk’s critique serves as a reminder that while Zelensky may indeed be a master at securing aid, the U.S. must prioritize accountability and fiscal responsibility in its foreign policy decisions.
Sources for this article include:
]]>(DCNF)—CNN’s Scott Jennings said Sunday that President Joe Biden will leave office “in disgrace” after former Hillary Clinton campaign senior adviser Karen Finney attempted to defend the president’s last four years.
Approval for Biden began to plummet after September 2021, hitting an all-time low in June with just 37.4% support from Americans, while his disapproval stood at 56.7%, according to data collected by FiveThirtyEight. During CNN’s “State of the Union,” Finney stated that while Biden’s mental health had recently come as a shock to her, she believed Biden would be remembered for his “accomplishments” in the Middle East and with foreign policy.
“You think the Middle East is in better shape today than when he took office?” Jennings pressed.
“Well, I think he got our hostages home. I think that’s a big deal. I think it’s important — ” Finney responded.
Jennings then jumped in to question which hostages Finney was referring to, to which she responded that Biden has “gotten a number of people home” before Jennings cut her off again.
“There’s still 100 people over there,” Jennings said. “Including some Americans. Look, I think he’s going to, I think he’s going to leave office in disgrace. The Hunter Biden pardon was disgraceful. He’s going to be remembered largely for inflation and for the disastrous Afghanistan pullout.”
“We’re just getting the first draft of this now, but as we continue to learn about the massive cover-up that went on, not about his health, but about his mental acuity to cover that up, the efforts that were undertaken by the White House staff, by his family, not in the last couple of months, but for all four years, I think it’s going to be a really ugly chapter. It’s a diminished presidency because of it,” Jennings said. “I think we still don’t know the full extent of what they did to try to hide what they’ve been doing over in the West Wing.”
During Biden’s presidential campaign against President-elect Donald Trump, polls showed voter concerns over Biden’s handling of the economy, with inflation ranking among their top worries before the November election. Polls also revealed concerns about Biden’s mental fitness following his poor debate performance against Trump in June, in which he was seen freezing mid-sentence and struggling to finish his arguments.
Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have received push back for their handling of the disastrous 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 service members outside Kabul International Airport. In September, Gold Star family members criticized Harris for “gaslighting” and ignoring them for the past three years after she attempted to call out Trump for filming videos at the third anniversary event at Arlington Cemetery.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
]]>As Biden prepares for the end of his term, Americans’ assessment of his performance shows that just 39% approve of the job he is doing as president, while only 19% expressed satisfaction with the country’s trajectory, according to Gallup’s latest survey.
Since “at least 2010, the nation has been in a public opinion rut,” Gallup said. “Presidential job approval has rarely exceeded 50%, and congressional job approval hasn’t exceeded 36%.”
Biden’s approval rating fluctuated in his early days in office, with slightly positive scores above 50%. However, those swiftly declined due to various economic challenges and policy issues, including his administration’s failure to address rapid rises in inflation, as well as his failed withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden’s approval ratings settled in the high 30s to low 40s leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
According to the poll, Congress’s job approval rating was just 17% in December, remaining under 20% for most of 2024.
The Gallup poll also stated that only 20% of Americans were currently satisfied with the nation’s course, a figure that stayed relatively unchanged in recent surveys.
Approval has not been above the 50% mark since December 2003, two years into the George W. Bush presidency.
“[E]xcept for a brief period before the start of the pandemic in 2020, less than 40% have been satisfied with the direction of the country,” Gallup noted.
It reached its lowest point in October 2008, with only 7% approving of the country’s direction after the economic meltdown that fueled the so-called Great Recession and all but secured the election of Barack Obama over GOP rival John McCain.
Obama’s lowest point—11% in September 2011—equalled that of his successor, Donald Trump, following the U.S. Capitol uprising in January 2021. However, the public’s satisfaction with the direction of the country then was likely impacted somewhat by Biden’s inauguration, as well.
By contrast, the highest number recorded during Obama’s presidency, 37%, came in November 2016, the month that Trump was elected.
The number rose to 45% in February 2020, which also marked the conclusion of congressional Democrats’ first impeachment attempt against Trump. Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted on Feb. 5 of that year to acquit Trump of pressuring new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate the Biden family’s corruption involving the Burisma energy company.
Roughly a month later, the first cases of COVID-19 reached the U.S. and Europe, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic emergency and public satisfaction to once again plummet.
As the nation prepares for a leadership transition when Trump is sworn in again on Jan. 20—this time as the 47th president of the United States—these steady yet subdued ratings offered insight into the challenges faced by the outgoing administration and underscored the public’s cautious outlook on the future.
The recent Gallup poll was conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 18. Biden’s final job approval reading is expected in January.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
]]>His remarks came a day after outgoing President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row prisoners to life in prison, including several mass murderers and child killers.
Trump first criticized Biden’s decision to grant the commutations—in all cases to murder convicts—writing in a post on Truth Social that relatives and friends of the victims are “further devastated” by the move. The president-elect then declared in a separate post his intention to prioritize justice for victims of violent crime and broaden the use of capital punishment.
“As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters,” Trump wrote in the post. “We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!”
Besides generally signaling a tough-on-crime approach for his administration, Trump’s message suggests he intends to pursue legal reform that would restore the use of the death penalty as a punishment in cases of rape.
A 1977 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Coker v. Georgia, however, rendered the death penalty for rape unconstitutional in cases where adult victims survived the assault, further narrowed to include surviving child victims by a ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana in 2008.
This is not the first time Trump has signaled his intention to expand the use of capital punishment and reverse the moratorium on federal executions imposed by Biden. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump signaled he would undo the moratorium and make more categories of criminals eligible for capital punishment, including child rapists and drug and human traffickers.
During Trump’s first term in office, the federal government carried out 13 executions after resuming federal executions in 2020, following a 17-year hiatus. This marked the highest number of federal executions carried out under a single president since the 1950s and reflected Trump’s long-standing pledge to get tough on crime.
The Biden administration, by contrast, has prioritized a shift away from the death penalty in favor of life sentences without parole for nearly all crimes.
Biden, in a Monday statement explaining his actions, said his commutation decision was driven by a commitment to ending the federal death penalty, which he believes is inconsistent with a just and effective legal system.
“These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder,” Biden said.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.
“In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of convicted killers sparked outrage among many conservatives, while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the move, pointing out that it aligned with calls from more than 130 civil and human rights organizations, faith leaders, exonerees, victims’ family members, and law enforcement officials urging Biden to act on federal death row cases.
“President Biden has reaffirmed the power of redemption over retribution and reminds us that state-sanctioned killing does not make us safer,“ Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement. ”The ACLU has long advocated against the death penalty and shed light on its fundamental flaws: it is error prone, racially biased, and a drain on public resources.”
Critics of the death penalty, including the ACLU, argue that the punishment does not serve as a significant deterrent to violent crime and that the high costs associated with capital trials and prolonged appeals could be better spent on crime prevention and victim support.
Supporters of capital punishment argue that it serves as ultimate justice for heinous crimes, provides closure to victims’ families, and that the financial burden of executions is a necessary cost to uphold justice and deter would-be offenders.
In his Dec. 23 decision, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 death row inmates. The three federal inmates who continue to face execution are 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; Dylann Roof, who fatally shot nine people at a church in South Carolina in 2015; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018.
]]>(DCNF)—Neither the White House nor the Pentagon seem to know how the official count for the number of U.S. troops in Syria has more than doubled.
White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to explain Friday how there could be an 1,100 troop discrepancy in reported U.S. forces in Syria, instead pointing to the Pentagon. Similarly, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said Thursday at a press conference he couldn’t speak for the Oval Office on whether or not they were aware of the true number of troops in the nation.
“That is their purview,” Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. “That is something that we have always been pretty consistent on.”
Ryder said he had “recently learned” that the number had been 2,000 since “before the fall of Assad regime.” The original 900 figure counts the long-term personnel stationed in the country, while the additional 1,100 were described as “temporary rotational forces,” Ryder told the press Thursday.
It remains unclear whether or not President Joe Biden knew of the true number of troops, and the White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment on the discrepancy.
The U.S. operates military bases in Syria to counteract ISIS, most frequently aiding the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). ISIS’ presence was drastically cut down in the Middle East during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
The SDF are fighting the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). If the SNA continues to push into SDF territory, it may compromise the detainment of 9,000 ISIS fighters in SDF custody, which may allow them to reestablish themselves in the region.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled on Dec. 8 by a rebel group spearheaded by Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). U.S. troops are currently deployed to counter ISIS and aid the SDF.
President-elect Donald Trump may decrease involvement in Syria, as he stated in a post on Truth Social Dec. 7 that he wants the U.S. to stay uninvolved in Syria and that there was not much to gain.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.