WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump, making the announcement on his Truth Social account, said, “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The administration has begun urging Ukraine to and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more before Biden leaves office in less than two months. The U.S. has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. Trump has criticized the billions the Biden administration has spent in supporting Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is designed to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump's , U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg featured in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” ___ Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Lolita C. Baldor And Fatima Hussein, The Associated PressShopping on Shein and Temu for holiday gifts? You're not the only one
Maple Leafs hit quarter mark of season in a good spot, but aren't satisfied yet
Celebrities who had the worst year in 2024It's safe to say Arnott's biscuits have lived rent-free in my brain for almost the entirety of 2024, if not longer. It was during my son's time in hospital six years ago that my family's love of these delicious treats was cemented. He'd broken his arm and needed surgery then additional care after he developed an infection. Sleeping by his bedside for nights on end, I was introduced to the parents' and carers' space, which included showering facilities and a kitchen with appliances and snacks including cereals, fruit and those little two-packs of Arnott's biscuits you normally find at work conferences. READ MORE: TV station under fire amid scandal, prime minister's office involved Fun fact: you can buy boxes of these two-packs of Arnott's biscuits at Officeworks. Mine and my son's favourite combo was the one with a Scotch Finger biscuit and a choc-chip cookie in it. There were also plenty of Nice biscuits at the hospital , which became my son's favourite. We'd both have cups of tea and biscuits whenever we were feeling tired and sad, and continue this shared activity to this day, through him leaving school, during his recent exams, and even just because. So earlier this year when Nice biscuits disappeared from shelves, we understandably panicked, and were so relieved when they returned. READ MORE: 'Worst moment of my life': Former child star hospitalised after accident Same with Raspberry Shortcake biscuits, which I had forgotten about but since their return to shelves have now become another staple. (And if you keep these in the fridge they become so delicious and chewy.) 9Honey readers have been equally invested in these incidents of missing Arnott's biscuits, with many reporting other 'missing' varieties on our social media accounts. It was after talking to a colleague that I was reminded of where many of these 'missing' biscuits may be. I used to work at Bankstown Airport as a traffic reporter for the Australian Traffic Network, and there was a Super IGA at George's Hall I'd stop at to get biscuits for me and my team to see us through long and busy shifts. I remember feeling so happy at the varieties they stocked – so many more than my local Coles and Woolies. I visited again this weekend, and found most of the 'missing' biscuits. Check them out in the gallery below! So exciting. There were some I didn't locate: Scalliwags (formerly Golliwogs), Morning Coffee, Lattice, Honey Jumbles and Custard Creams. Arnott's Australia offered 9Honey a comment on the Custard Creams but hasn't yet commented on the other varieties, but I will stay on the case. For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here . "For nearly 160 years, Arnott's has been baking some of Australia's most iconic biscuits and crackers," their statement read. "Sometimes we have to make the difficult decision with our retail partners on the products we continue to produce at our bakeries around Australia and sell on supermarket shelves. "With the changing tastes and preferences of our Australian consumers, we have retired the production of Arnott's Custard Creams." Super IGA stores are at select locations, but IGA also has some smaller stores in most locations and a great online store where I often stock up on products only IGA sells, such as my daughter's favourite gluten-free bread and Fantastic chicken-flavoured rice crackers. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can come between me and my family and our favourite biscuits. So, enjoy! With coffee or tea or whatever your favourite comforting beverage is. FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE : Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details. MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin public worker and teachers unions scored a major legal victory Monday with a ruling that restores collective bargaining rights they lost under a 2011 state law that sparked weeks of protests and made the state the center of the national battle over union rights. That law, known as Act 10, effectively ended the ability of most public employees to bargain for wage increases and other issues, and forced them to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits. Recommended Videos Under the ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost, all public sector workers who lost their collective bargaining power would have it restored to what was in place prior to 2011. They would be treated the same as the police, firefighter and other public safety unions that were exempted under the law. Republicans vowed to immediately appeal the ruling, which ultimately is likely to go before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That only amplifies the importance of the April election that will determine whether the court remains controlled 4-3 by liberal justices. Former Gov. Scott Walker, who proposed the law that catapulted him onto the national political stage, decried the ruling in a post on the social media platform X as “brazen political activism.” He said it makes the state Supreme Court election “that much more important.” Supporters of the law have said it provided local governments more control over workers and the powers they needed to cut costs. Repealing the law, which allowed schools and local governments to raise money through higher employee contributions for benefits, would bankrupt those entities, backers of Act 10 have argued. Democratic opponents argue that the law has hurt schools and other government agencies by taking away the ability of employees to collectively bargain for their pay and working conditions. Union leaders were overjoyed with the ruling, which affects tens of thousands of public employees. “We realize there may still be a fight ahead of us in the courts, but make no mistake, we’re ready to keep fighting until we all have a seat at the table again,” said Ben Gruber, a conservation warden and president of AFSCME Local 1215. The law was proposed by Walker and enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in spite of massive protests that went on for weeks and drew as many as 100,000 people to the Capitol. The law has withstood numerous legal challenges over the years, but this was the first brought since the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped to liberal control in 2023. The seven unions and three union leaders that brought the lawsuit argued that the law should be struck down because it creates unconstitutional exemptions for firefighters and other public safety workers. Attorneys for the Legislature and state agencies countered that the exemptions are legal, have already been upheld by other courts, and that the case should be dismissed. But Frost sided with the unions in July, saying the law violates equal protection guarantees in the Wisconsin Constitution by dividing public employees into “general” and “public safety” employees. He ruled that general employee unions, like those representing teachers, can not be treated differently from public safety unions that were exempt from the law. His ruling Monday delineated the dozens of specific provisions in the law that must be struck. Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he looked forward to appealing the ruling. “This lawsuit came more than a decade after Act 10 became law and after many courts rejected the same meritless legal challenges,” Vos said in a statement. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business lobbying organization, also decried the ruling. WMC President Kurt Bauer called Act 10 “a critical tool for policymakers and elected officials to balance budgets and find taxpayer savings." The Legislature said in court filings that arguments made in the current case were rejected in 2014 by the state Supreme Court. The only change since that ruling is the makeup of Wisconsin Supreme Court, attorneys for the Legislature argued. The Act 10 law effectively ended collective bargaining for most public unions by allowing them to bargain solely over base wage increases no greater than inflation. It also disallowed the automatic withdrawal of union dues, required annual recertification votes for unions, and forced public workers to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits. The law was the signature legislative achievement of Walker, who was targeted for a recall election he won. Walker used his fights with unions to mount an unsuccessful presidential run in 2016. Frost, the judge who issued Monday's ruling, appeared to have signed the petition to recall Walker from office. None of the attorneys sought his removal from the case and he did not step down. Frost was appointed to the bench by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who signed the Walker recall petition. The law has also led to a dramatic decrease in union membership across the state. The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum said in a 2022 analysis that since 2000, Wisconsin had the largest decline in the proportion of its workforce that is unionized. In 2015, the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature approved a right-to-work law that limited the power of private-sector unions. Public sector unions that brought the lawsuit are the Abbotsford Education Association; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Locals 47 and 1215; the Beaver Dam Education Association; SEIU Wisconsin; the Teaching Assistants’ Association Local 3220 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 695.