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Once regarded as a secondary market to Los Angeles, Orange County’s food scene has come into its own as of late. Find mom-and-pop shops that have spent decades perfecting a singular dish in areas like Westminster, where Vietnamese food rules , and along Anaheim’s Little Arabia District . For upscale, white-tablecloth dining experiences with higher prices to match are fine dining stalwarts backed by big names. There’s something for everyone in Orange County. Here are the 38 best restaurants in Orange County. Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana Listed as one of the best pizzas in America by the Washington Post , the pies at Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana emerge from a nearly 1,000-degree wood-burning oven built in Naples by Stefano Ferrara. Three generations of pizzaiolos continue churning out classic margherita pizzas and the Fuoco pie, which is topped with mozzarella, prosciutto crudo, arugula, and shaved Parmigiano, and drizzled with truffle oil. A mozzarella bar is stocked weekly with cheese imported from Caserta, Italy. A post shared by Tullio Ceccarelli (@fuocopizza) Also featured in: The 16 Essential Pizzerias in Orange County Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen This Michelin-recommended halal restaurant combines the flavors of India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with a modern Californian twist. The tender boneless chicken karahi is served with tomatoes and shishito peppers, and the butter chicken with dried fenugreek is one of the restaurant’s more popular dishes. The pani puri with tamarind water, mint, onion, and potato arrives on a mini cart and is intended to be taken as a shooter. A post shared by Halal Indian/Pakistani Steakhouse, Restaurant + Catering in OC (@khansaab_oc) Also featured in: Save Space for These 22 Orange County Desserts Where to Order Incredible Indian and South Asian Food Adya Chef Shachi Mehra combines her Jersey roots and Indian heritage to create a tangy goat cheese-filled naan. The new RFC sandwich combines flavors of a popular Rajasthani snack, which acts as a coating for crispy fried chicken served inside a custom bun made by Dean Kim’s OC Baking Company. Mehra’s inventiveness garnered her a win on Food Network’s Chopped . Meanwhile, her chef-partner, Sandeep Basrur, combines his background in traditional authentic Indian cooking to prepare classics such as a yellow shrimp coconut curry, dal makhani, and creamy cucumber raita. A post shared by ADYA - fresh Indian flavors (@adyaoc) Kareem's Falafel As one of the first restaurants in Anaheim’s Little Arabia District , Kareem’s remains a go-to for authentic Middle Eastern food. Owner Kareem Hawari’s closely held family falafel recipe is so popular that the Hawaris started selling it wholesale to grocery stores and other restaurants. The baba ganoush, grape leaves, and hummus are staples not to miss, but Kareem’s newer menu items — vegetarian wraps, falafel burgers, and feta fries — also offer a modern Mediterranean vibe without sacrificing traditional flavor. Also featured in: Where to Eat Near Angel Stadium in Anaheim Katella Bakery, Deli & Restaurant The family-owned Los Alamitos landmark founded by Stan Ratman and his wife Shirley is known for its deli food and stocked bakery case that has black-and-white cookies, pastries such as custard-filled eclairs, chocolate chip Danishes, and rugelach. The family-sized portions allow diners to nosh on several dishes at once. Rotund matzo balls are served in Shirley’s chicken soup and rye bread pastrami sandwiches remain a Katella favorite. The vibe is family-friendly with a multi-generational crowd in the dining room, which was remodeled in 2022. The bakery section has illuminated cases filled with slices of layer cakes, cookies, and glistening fruit tarts, baskets filled with bagels, and a smattering of deli items available for takeaway. A post shared by Katella Bakery-Deli-Restaurant (@katella_bakery) Also featured in: 17 Best Jewish Delis in Los Angeles 18 Awesome Orange County Bakeries to Try Right Now Sign up for our newsletter. Check your inbox for a welcome email. Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again. Shootz At Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton, the bustling food hall houses some of the county’s most sought after southeast Asian bites. Beef shank-laden pho from Phoholic and Kra-Z-Kai’s Laotian-style barbecue and sticky rice. At Shootz, reimagined Hawaiian classics include a kimchi butter katsu chicken sandwich stuffed with mac salad and the honey coconut shrimp musubi. Yigah Korean comfort food served in large portions is what Yigah is known for in Orange County. Both the Garden Grove restaurant and its sister location in Irvine at Diamond Jamboree shopping center serve steamy galbi tang, beef short rib soup, as well as the bossam meal with boiled pork belly, napa cabbage, and spicy pickled radish. Also featured in: 15 Essential Korean Restaurants to Try in Orange County Tacos Manuel Santa Ana’s Tacos Manuel truck, open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., serves corn tortilla street tacos with carnitas, chorizo, carne asada, al pastor, and chicken. Most regulars opt for the offals, such as cabeza and tripas (tripe), served with grilled onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. The truck also makes quesadillas, tortas, and burritos, but the huaraches topped with beans, lettuce, sour cream, and meat are the most popular. A post shared by Best Food (@bestfood_aroundtheworld) Omakase by Gino Sushi chef Gino Choi prepares an intricate omakase for 10 diners at his namesake downtown Santa Ana restaurant. (Choi is also a self-taught carpenter who built the sushi counter, entryway, and partitions himself.) Standout dishes include a creamy Hokkaido uni udon garnished with winter black truffles from Spain; Gino’s version of tamago, flavored with shellfish; and a yuzu foam topped with slow-cooked black cod bedded alongside green plum marinated roasted tomatoes. Also featured in: 15 Splurge-Worthy Sushi Restaurants in Orange County Phoholic The hearty portions of Phởholic’s hot beefy pho keep Vietnamese grandparents and social media influencers returning to its original location in Westminster. Owners Gordon and Cathy Pham have opened two more locations , one at South Coast Plaza and another at Rodeo 39 in Stanton. Pham’s parents run the kitchen where the family’s decades-old recipe requires the broth to simmer for 14 hours. Regulars opt for the beef shank and oxtail pho on the “holic” side of the menu, but beginners can start with the steak and brisket version. Nok’s Kitchen Chef Nokmaniphone Sayavong’s Laotian food built a cult following with her grilled sausage and tum mak huong, grated papaya salad mixed with tomato and seasoned with fish sauce. The herbaceous pork sausage should be eaten with sticky rice, a Laotian staple, and dipped in tangy spiced jeow som, interspersed with bites of fresh cucumber. The khao pad, her signature fried rice, comes with either tofu, chicken, pork, shrimp or crab. The restaurant recently moved to a new location on Bolsa Avenue. Brodard Restaurant This timeless restaurant offers a wide array of Vietnamese specialties, starting with 13 types of spring rolls — including the popular grilled shrimp paste with lettuce, carrots, daikon, mint, cilantro, and cucumber wrapped in rice paper. The menu continues with traditional Vietnamese noodle soups, sandwiches, and much more. Also featured in: The 23 Essential Vietnamese Restaurants in Little Saigon, Orange County Save Space for These 22 Orange County Desserts Nep Cafe Nep Cafe is a brunch sensation. At the French Vietnamese all-day cafe, run by the massively successful restaurant group Kei Concepts , the kitchen pays “homage to the traditional Vietnamese morning routine.” The menu includes TikTok-worthy coffee drinks topped with salted egg yolk and delicate dishes like sous vide egg kicked up with hints of truffle. Nep’s second location in Irvine opened in the same plaza as Kei Concepts’ Sup Noodle Bar. Also featured in: The 23 Essential Vietnamese Restaurants in Little Saigon, Orange County The 21 Best Brunch Options in Orange County Terrace by Mix Mix Ross Pangilinan’s Terrace by Mix Mix is known for its open-air patio and the chef’s large raviolo. The hand-rolled pasta is stuffed with a cheese-herb filling and a whole egg yolk. Other popular items include an albacore crostini on a crispy corn tostada and brioche french toast for brunch. Filipino-inspired dishes, including his adobo and lumpia, stand out as nods to Pangilinan’s roots. Also featured in: The 21 Best Brunch Options in Orange County Vaca Top Chef: All Stars’ Amar Santana opened this sleek Spanish hideaway in 2016 inside the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center. Aged steaks hang from illuminated cases as if perched in a sleek showroom. For lunch, the lamb burger is punched up with feta, sumac onion, and red pepper jam. Those looking for paella will find options with saffron-hinted bomba rice. But the sharable tapas are the most fun. The chef’s snacks rotate often, but the creamy chicken croquettes and warm pulp with fingerling potatoes drizzled in Spanish olive oil remain mainstays since it opened. Knife Pleat This modern French-Californian restaurant from chef Tony Esnault and Yassmin Sarmadi is ripe for celebratory meals. The three-course lunch and four-to-six-course dinner prix fixe menus change often. One week, it’s French black truffles; another evening, it’s a Norouz dinner with recipes by Shamsi Katebi, prepared by Esnault and his kitchen team. Its plush banquets and round tables overlook the bar and open kitchen. A sunlit patio is typically booked with private weekend events, and a pricey but impeccable afternoon tea service is available on Saturdays. The surprisingly satisfying non-alcoholic cocktails, like the Cadillac margarita with blood orange and lime, are also worth stopping in for. Also featured in: The 18 Best Places for Afternoon Tea in Los Angeles Los Angeles’s 2024 Michelin Stars, Mapped A&J Restaurant This Taiwanese restaurant in Irvine serves Chinese-style crispy pork chop over rice and thousand-layer pancakes, but the noodle dishes are not to be missed, including a beef noodle soup and noodles with ground pork. For diners who enjoy heat, the menu also features several Sichuan-style dishes, like a beef tendon noodle soup and spicy wontons. A post shared by A&J Restaurant (@ajrestaurant) Also featured in: The Best Chinese Restaurants Around D.C. Where to Eat and Drink in Rockville Hana re The omakase-only Hana re is a 10-seat sushi-ya helmed by Atsushi Yokoyama. Located in an industrial storage crate at the Lab in Costa Mesa, the Michelin star counter feels like a hidden gem, even though its stellar fish preparations are no secret anymore. Yokoyama and one server, who also assists with wine pairings, put out an omakase experience that includes bite sized crab perched atop eel tempura, scallops enveloped in gelee, welk shellfish with celery root, caviar and shiso. Reservations can be made via text at (714) 545-2800 for the $250 omakase. A post shared by Wu Jiang (@w499340317) Vibe Organic Kitchen & Juice The gluten-free, organic, and vegan cafe serves breakfast options all day. The blue-colored spirulina chia pudding with fresh fruit and the tacos made with house-made corn tortillas, cauliflower scramble, pico de gallo, and cashew lime crema are snackable any time of day. For vegan beginners, the cafe serves acai bowls with cacao nibs, an extensive menu of made-to-order juices and smoothies blended with homemade coconut milk, and a kid-friendly organic mixed berry waffle with cashew cream and maple syrup. A post shared by Vibe Organic Kitchen & Juice (@eatdrinkvibe) Fermentation Farm Probiotics rule at Fermentation Farm — thanks to nearly a dozen different on-tap kombucha flavors, and food options like a French onion soup with raw cheese and a kraut-filled grilled cheese sandwich. Visit on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. when a farmers market featuring produce from Rosewood Farms and Sunny Cal Farms pops up in the restaurant’s parking lot. Monthly classes include an intro to bone broth and fermentation techniques like kombucha brewing. A new location opened at River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano. A Restaurant This cozy, red booth hideout on Pacific Coast Highway is known for its Rat Pack atmosphere. The classic martini reigns at the bar and the chicken pot pie is only available on Fridays, but locals love the steaks, the confited Mary’s organic chicken, and pan-seared Niman Ranch pork chops. Put simply: the restaurant is old-school done right. River Jetty Restaurant Group also operates A Restaurant’s sister locales CDM Restaurant, A Crystal Cove, and A Market, which are go-to hot spots in Newport Beach. Fable & Spirit A meal at Fable & Spirit, almost by default, starts with warm Guinness brown bread with European butter and Jacobsen sea salt. From there, the Lido Isle restaurant weaves between European meat and potato influences to pure Californicana, like citrusy salads loaded with cara cara and blood oranges, chevre, and crispy quinoa. Chef David Shofner and the Coyle family are also known for popular Mission Viejo restaurants Wineworks for Everyone and Dublin 4 Gastropub. Also featured in: Orange County's 12 Best Restaurants The 21 Best Brunch Options in Orange County Sushi II The splurge-worthy Sushi II is located in Mariner’s Point in Newport Beach and offers three hyper-seasonal omakase experiences. Named after distinct Japanese pottery — Bizen, Oribe, and Karatsu — the menus range from $150 to $275 per person. At lunch, chirashi starts at $35 and omakase is $120. Order the omakase paired with sake to experience master chef Susumu Ii’s washoku training to the fullest. The takeout offerings, such as the deluxe chirashi ($48) and a classic Japanese cherry blossom chirashi for $27, are exquisitely packaged for impressive meals on the go. A post shared by Sushi ii (@sushi_iirestaurant) Also featured in: 15 Splurge-Worthy Sushi Restaurants in Orange County Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens Chef Richard Mead is a long-standing figure in the Orange County dining scene. At the Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, the chef showcases the best that the season has to offer from the region’s many producers, which means ever-changing takes on dishes like sea scallops, as well as shrimp and mussels served in a tomato-Pernod broth with a polenta cake made from blue corn sourced from the Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project. Also featured in: Save Space for These 22 Orange County Desserts The 21 Best Brunch Options in Orange County Marché Moderne Florent and Amelia Marneu’s white tablecloth restaurant is a stalwart in the Orange County fine dining scene. The Newport Beach restaurant serves traditional French favorites such as roasted bone marrow and duck confit. Amelia’s chopped salad with French feta, cucumber, mint, and honey grapefruit vinaigrette showcases California produce. Other standout dishes include hamachi with a jalapeno-tinged mango-yuzu sorbet, rabbit confit stuffed cannelloni, and the rotating desserts crafted by the Marneus. Also featured in: Save Space for These 22 Orange County Desserts Heritage Barbecue San Juan Capistrano’s award-winning pitmaster Daniel Castillo takes barbecue to the next level with wood-smoked brisket, sausages, turkeys, ribs, chickens, and more. First-timers load up on the brisket and ribs, while regulars order pork belly banh mi sandwiches, brisket tacos prepared with La Palma tortillas, and creamy banana pudding layered with pound cake and vanilla wafer cookies. Get the charred broccoli with cheesy mornay sauce if it’s on the menu. Also featured in: Save Space for These 22 Orange County Desserts 21 Road Trip-Worthy Barbecue Destinations Outside of Los Angeles Mayfield George Barker opened Mayfield in 2020 and sparked a new dining movement in San Juan Capistrano. The food is influenced by Levantine regional flavors, with hints of North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East mixed with California. There’s a solid burger with harissa aioli at happy hour and za’atar fried chicken for dinner. For brunch, there’s avocado toast and egg sandwiches, but there are also Turkish eggs with labneh and fiery tomato shakshuka, showcasing the variety from the kitchen. The restaurant is also known for its cocktails, one of which is featured monthly and whose proceeds are given to a local cause. Kahani Deep in Orange County, hidden away in the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, chef Sanjay Rawat prepares what could be the most incredible Indian fine dining that Southern California has seen. Rawat’s inventive and playful presentations don’t hold back on flavor in a venue that was previously a staid hotel steakhouse. It’s clear that Rawat and his immense wedding feasts for the property translate into something that OC diners can wrap their heads around, like the spiced Chilean sea bass with roasted delicata squash or the exceptional rack of lamb over forbidden rice and handi sauce. — Matthew Kang, lead editor Also featured in: The 21 Best Indian and South Asian Restaurants in Los AngelesNvidia's stock dips after China opens probe of the AI chip company for violating anti-monopoly lawsNEW YORK — With the end of 2024 around the corner, you might be reflecting on financial goals for 2025. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated, said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate for Credit Karma. “Entering a new year doesn’t erase all our financial challenges from the prior year,” Alev said. “But it can really help to bring a fresh-start mentality to how you’re managing your finances.” If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. Here are some tips from experts: Change your relationship with money Think about how you currently deal with finances — what’s good, what’s bad, and what can improve. “Let this be the year you change your relationship with money,” said Ashley Lapato, personal finance educator for YNAB, a budgeting app. If you feel like money is a chore, that there’s shame surrounding the topic of money, or like you were born being “bad at money,” it’s time to change that mentality, Lapato said. To adjust your approach, Lapato recommends viewing money goals as an opportunity to imagine your desired lifestyle in the future. She recommends asking questions like, “What do my 30s look like? What do my 40s look like?” and using money as a means to get there. Liz Young Thomas, head of SoFi Investment Strategy, added that it’s key you forgive yourself for past mistakes in order to move into the new year with motivation. Know your “why” When setting your financial resolutions for 2025, it’s important to establish the “why” of each, said Matt Watson, CEO of Origin, a financial tracking app. “If you can attach the financial goal to a bigger life goal, it’s much more motivating and more likely you’ll continue on that path,” Watson said. Whether you’re saving to buy a house, pay off credit card debt or take a summer vacation, being clear about the goal can keep you motivated. Watson also recommends using a tool to help you keep track of your finances, such as an app, spreadsheet, or website. Budget, budget, budget “After three years of inflation, your pay increases are likely still playing catch up to your monthly expenses, leaving you wondering where all the money is going,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. “Make that monthly budget for 2025 and resolve to track your spending against it throughout the year.” McBride said that you may need to make adjustments during the year as certain expenses increase, which would require cutting back in other areas. “Calibrate your spending with your income, and any month you spend less than budgeted, transfer the difference into your savings account, ideally a high-yield savings account,” he said. Pay down outstanding debt “Interest rates aren’t likely to come down very fast, so you’re still going to have to put in the hard work of paying down debt, especially high-cost credit card debt, and do so with urgency,” McBride said. Start by taking stock of how much debt you have now relative to the beginning of the year. Hopefully you’ve made steady progress on paying it down, but, if you’ve gone in the other direction, McBride encourages making a game plan. That includes looking into 0% balance transfer offers. Take control of your credit card interest rate “You have more power over credit card interest rates than you think you do,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. “Wielding that power is one of the best moves you can make in 2025.” A 0% balance transfer credit card is “a good weapon” in the fight against high card APRs, or annual percentage rates, he said. A low-interest personal loan is an option as well. You may simply be able to pick up the phone and ask for a lower interest rate. LendingTree found that a majority of people who did that in 2024 were successful, and the average reduction was more than 6 points. Set realistic, practical goals When planning for your financial resolutions, it’s important to consider how you’re going to make your goals sustainable for your lifestyle, said Credit Karma’s Alev. “It really is a marathon, not a sprint,” Alev said. Alev recommends setting realistic, practical goals to make it easier to stick with them. For example, instead of planning to save thousands of dollars by the end of the year, start by saving $20 a paycheck. Even when your plans are achievable, there are times you’ll get derailed. Maybe it’s an unexpected medical bill or an extraordinary life event. When these situations happen, Alev recommends trying not to feel defeated and working to get back on track without feeling guilty. Don’t bury your head in the sand “You can’t manage what you can’t see, so set a New Year’s resolution to check your credit score monthly in 2025,” said Rikard Bandebo, chief economist at VantageScore. “Be sure to pay more than the minimum on your credit accounts, as that’s one of the best ways to boost your credit score.” Bandebo also advises student loan borrowers to make all payments on time, as servicers will begin to report late payments starting in January, and missed payments will affect borrowers’ credit scores. Automate savings, where possible Automated changes, like increasing workplace 401(k) plan contributions, setting up direct deposits from paychecks into dedicated savings accounts, and arranging for monthly transfers into an IRA and/or 529 college savings accounts all add up quickly, McBride said. Slow down Your financial goals can encompass more than just managing your money better — they can also be about keeping your money safe from scams. A golden rule to protect yourself from scams is to “slow down,” said Johan Gerber, executive vice president of security solutions at Mastercard. “You have to slow down and talk to other people if you’re not sure (whether or not) it’s scam,” said Gerber, who recommends building an accountability system with family to keep yourself and your loved ones secure. Scammers use urgency to make people fall for their tricks, so taking your time to make any financial decision can keep you from losing money. Focus on financial wellness Your financial goals don’t always have to be rooted in a dollar amount — they can also be about well-being. Finances are deeply connected with our mental health, and, to take care of our money, we also need to take care of ourselves. “I think that now more than any other year, your financial wellness should be a resolution,” said Alejandra Rojas, personal finance expert and founder of The Money Mindset Hub, a mentoring platform for women entrepreneurs. “Your mental health with money should be a resolution.” To focus on your financial wellness, you can set one or two goals focusing on your relationship with money. For example, you could find ways to address and resolve financial trauma, or you could set a goal to talk more openly with loved ones about money, Rojas said.
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Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. It passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Branden Marty, a Navy veteran who served for 13 years, said the loss of health coverage for transgender medical treatments could prompt some with valuable experience to leave the military, affecting national security because "we already struggle from a recruiting and retention standpoint." He also said the bill could regularly force service members into difficult choices financially. "It will be tough for a lot of them because of out-of-pocket expenses, especially enlisted members who we know already struggle with food insecurity," said Marty, the father of a transgender teenager. "They don't get paid very much, so they're going to be making a lot of choices on a day-to-day, tactical level." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. Overall, 81 Democrats voted for the bill and 124 against it. On the Republican side, 200 voted for the bill and 16 against it. "It's disappointing to see 124 of my Democrat colleagues vote against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission," Johnson, R-La., said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.
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Extensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15