US president-elect Donald Trump on Sunday announced that he had chosen his personal lawyer Alina Habba to be his legal counsel when he is in the White House, making her at least the third Arab American to be picked for the new administration.
“She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles and countless days in court,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Few understand the weaponisation of the 'injustice' system better than Alina, who has fought relentlessly against the full force of lawfare with courage and an unshakable commitment to justice.”
Ms Habba, 40, a New Jersey lawyer of Iraqi descent, is managing partner of Habba Madaio & Associates. She represented Mr Trump in a series of legal challenges, including in a defamation lawsuit from a former Apprentice contestant, Summer Zervos, who accused him of sexual assault. Ms Habba established a case that led the contestant to drop her lawsuit.
Other Arab Americans in the new Trump administration include Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos, who will be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, and Janette Nesheiwat as his surgeon general. She is of Jordanian descent.
Ms Habba identifies herself as an Arab American Catholic whose family comes from Iraq and she says she is “very religious”. The family left Iraq in the early 1980s to escape persecutions against Chaldean Christians.
“As a first generation American of Middle Eastern heritage, she has become a role model for women in law and politics, most recently being named Chaldean Woman of the Year,” Mr Trump said.
In a post on X, Ms Habba said serving in her new role would be the “honour of her life”.
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Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
