Quote:The Biden administration must end its resettlement of migrants on National Park Service land, says House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
Westerman used a Wednesday oversight hearing to highlight the Biden administration’s construction plan for migrant camps on “some of America’s most treasured lands.”
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More than 100,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022, according to Westerman. The city is so overwhelmed with migrants that Democrat Mayor Eric Adams recently claimed that the Biden administration’s current immigration policies will “destroy the City.”
The city’s own policies transformed it into a magnet for migration despite the city’s inability to handle the influx. New York identifies as a “sanctuary city” and refuses to cooperate with federal agencies in identifying and removing illegal aliens, even those with prior felony convictions.
New York also has a “right to shelter” law, which requires all persons, regardless of their legal status, to be provided with shelter and food, paid for by the city.
The staggering numbers of migrants prompted the administration’s plan to construct housing in Floyd Bennett Field in the NPS’s Gateway National Recreation Area. The city has entered into lease agreements with the NPS to permit the construction of the migrant encampment where area residents have long escaped to kayak and fish.
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The administration is circumventing environmental regulations to expedite the construction, a concession rarely afforded to American citizens seeking housing that further inflamed members of the committee.
Quote:President Joe Biden should smash the public’s growing opposition to migration by importing migrants into Americans’ jobs, according to Mike Bloomberg, the multi-millionaire, pro-migration chief of the Bloomberg news empire.
By “taking more steps forward, [Biden] can strengthen the economy, support cities, and strike a blow against xenophobia and candidates who promote it,” Bloomberg wrote Wednesday.
Wealthy Bloomberg is saying that “the American people are the problem, and if you change our society through mass immigration, you’ll reduce the political opposition that he’s encountering,” Jon Feere, who served as an immigration official in former President Donald Trump’s administration, told Breitbart News.
It “is a perfect example of how the wealthiest people in our society … have insulated themselves to such degree that they couldn’t care less the about the [damaging] impact on our middle class and low wage workers,” Feere added.
Bloomberg is a political progressive with $100 billion in the bank in a nation where half of Americans have a net worth below $123,000.
Based in New York, Bloomberg and his billionaire peers have repeatedly called for more migrants to replace the many Americans who do not meet their economic priorities.
Quote:United States Space Force Commander Gen. Chance Saltzman said Monday that collaborating on space exploration with China would reduce tensions between the two countries.
Saltzman told Reuters there have been “internal discussions” within the Biden administration about setting up a “direct line of communication” or “crisis hotline” between the U.S. Space Force and the China National Space Administration.
“What we have talked about on the U.S. side at least is opening up a line of communication to make sure that if there is a crisis, we know who we can contact,” he said.
Saltzman said it would be up to the Biden White House and State Department to negotiate such an arrangement with China. The Chinese might need some convincing since the Space Force established a branch in South Korea last year and held talks in Tokyo this week about opening a branch in Japan.
Beijing frequently complains that the United States is dragging South Korea and Japan into an anti-China alliance or “Asian NATO” because Washington is gripped by a “Cold War mentality” that sees China as the new Soviet Union.
Saltzman said close cooperation with South Korea and Japan was necessary to monitor China’s “gray zone activities” in space.
“We have to be able to have those indications and warnings and see what they’re doing and call them on the intent,” he said, which is both very reasonable and guaranteed to infuriate Beijing.
Gray zone activity is a Chinese specialty — essentially aggressive behavior that falls short of military provocation designed to exhaust China’s adversaries through the sheer effort of monitoring its mischief.
I'm sorry to tell you this, but monitoring other nations' movements is a burden any world power has to live with by default.
Quote:A judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House, and he ordered some of the former president’s companies removed from his control and dissolved.
Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling in a civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, found that Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing loans.
Engoron ordered that some of Trump’s business licenses be rescinded as punishment, making it difficult or impossible for them to do business in New York, and said he would continue to have an independent monitor oversee Trump Organization operations.
If not successfully appealed, the order would strip Trump of his authority to make strategic and financial decisions over some of his key properties in the state.
Trump, in a series of statements, railed against the decision, calling it “un-American” and part of an ongoing plot to damage his campaign to return to the White House.
“My Civil rights have been violated, and some Appellate Court, whether federal or state, must reverse this horrible, un-American decision,” he wrote on his Truth Social site. He insisted his company had “done a magnificent job for New York State” and “done business perfectly,” calling it “A very sad Day for the New York State System of Justice!”
Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, said they would appeal, calling the decision “completely disconnected from the facts and governing law.”
Quote:Former top NATO commander cautions si vis pacem, para bellum — if you want peace, prepare for war — for the West as NATO faces an “existential threat” in a conflict in Europe it may be unequal to preventing.
Europeans do not yet feel truly threatened by the war in Ukraine and this generates a lack of political will to prepare Western nations and NATO for a “potentially existential threat”, says General Sir Richard Shirreff. The retired General, who was a commander in Kosovo and Iraq, and was NATO’s Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe until 2014 made the remarks speaking to the Daily Telegraph, and said that while he highly rated the “operational art” of the Ukrainian military, there were serious questions to be answered and the West should start preparing for them now.
Shirreff, who has long warned of the danger posed by Russia to Europe while highlighting what he sees as NATO’s failure to prepare to counter it, decried the state of European militaries — a weakened posture effectively permitted by the United States underwriting NATO’s joint defence while many other members get a near-free ride — strongly inferring that an even bigger war in Europe or Asia was possible if NATO didn’t effectively deter it.
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The only way to ensure this war does not turn into something much, much worse that engulfs us all is through effective deterrence. Effective deterrence means military capability and strength.
A NATO member state like the United Kingdom should “talk softly but carry a big stick” to deter aggression, Sir Richard warned, remarking “Prepare for the worst case. Prepare for war, because that’s the way to prevent war, or prevent Britain being engulfed in a war”.
Quote:A Black Lives Matter activist, who was instrumental in the infamous protest that toppled the statue of Sir Edward Colston, has pleaded guilty to fraud after money donated to a fundraising page she established went missing.
Xahra Saleem, 23, who is also known as Yvonne Maina, pled guilty this month to one count of fraud at the Bristol Crown Court after £30,000 in donations from the public disappeared.
Saleem, a founding member of the BLM-offshoot ‘All Black Lives Bristol’ group, had established an online fundraiser in the days prior to the toppling of the Colston statue, in order to allegedly raise funds for the George Floyd-inspired protest.
According to a report from The Times, the fundraiser promised to donate any additional funds to a local charity to subsidise the cost of a trip to Africa for deprived local children in Bristol. However, the youth group, Changing Your Mindset, claimed that it never received the money and raised the issue with local police. The youth group later shut down entirely after reportedly being disillusioned over the incident.
Saleem was charged with fraud “while occupying a position, namely organiser, in which you were expected to safeguard or not act against the financial interests of ABL Bristol”.
“You dishonestly abused that position intending to make a gain, namely used the funds raised for yourself,” the charge added.
It's seems quite self evident that the judge had no other choice but to punish her for scamming her followers and the youth group. She pleaded guilty for not having any serious way to prove she never did it.
Keep in mind this is the second member of Black Lives Matter, to our knowledge, that has been charged for committing fraud... with donations! The first one being one of the founders herself!
Quote:Speaking at the opening of the Hungarian parliament’s autumn session, Viktor Orbán warned that the battle between Brussels and Budapest will likely “deepen” in the coming weeks over the EU’s latest migration pact, which was passed over the objections of the conservative governments in Hungary and Poland. Under the terms of the pact, member states will be forced into taking in illegal migrants who entered other nations within the EU or face fines of €20,000 per migrant they refuse.
The Hungarian leader said this represented a desire from Brussels to “force the migrant compact down our throat” prior to the European Parliament elections next year.
He said that instead of pushing migrant quotas, the EU should instead focus on “fences and border controls,” adding that the migrant crisis will not be resolved until “Brussels accepts that nobody should enter EU territory without an application approved and entry permit granted”.
Orbán noted that Hungary’s EU accession treaty “doesn’t contain a single word about the mandatory admission of migrants, migrant quotas or migrant ghettos, and we can’t approve anything like this afterwards, either.”
The conservative prime minister went on to claim that Hungarian authorities have prevented some 128,000 migrants from crossing their border illegally. Orbán said that attacks against border officials by migrants have become daily occurrences and that there have been 168 “severe attacks” this year.
He said that last week, joint Serbian-Hungarian border patrols came under fire from migrants with automatic weapons, which, Orbán declared, represented a crossing of the Rubicon, a reference to Julius Ceasar’s crossing of a river outside of Rome which ultimately spurred a civil war and the eventual end of the Republic. The idiom has, of course, since gone on to mean “passing the point of no return”.
Quote:Late Wednesday, an 18-year-old man was shot dead in a Stockholm suburb. Hours later, a man was killed and another was wounded in a shooting in Jordbro, south of the Swedish capital.
Early Thursday a woman in her 20s died in an explosion in Uppsala, west of Stockholm. The blast, which damaged five houses, is being treated by the police as a murder. Swedish media said the woman who died likely was not the intended victim and that the target was the house next door.
Swedish broadcaster SVT noted that the two fatal shootings brings the death toll from gun violence in September to 11, making it the deadliest month for shootings since police started keeping statistics in 2016.
It was not known whether the shootings or the blast were related to each other but Swedish media said at least two of the three events were somehow connected to a feud between criminal gangs, a growing problem in Sweden with drive-by shootings and bombings.
Speaking Thursday on Swedish broadcaster TV4, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said “it is a deeply tragic development. I understand that people feel anger, fear and sadness.”
Quote:Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate will have to be cleaned at greater effort and expense than initially thought after climate activists sprayed orange paint on the German capital’s signature landmark earlier this month, a company that manages official buildings in the city said Thursday.
Members of the Last Generation group used fire extinguishers filled with paint to spray all six columns of the gate on Sept. 17 – the latest in a series of eye-catching actions. It is best known for protests in which activists glue themselves to roads and block traffic, a polarizing tactic.
The group´s priorities include getting Germany to stop using all fossil fuels by 2030 and take short-term measures, including imposing a general speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) on highways, to cut emissions more quickly.
The cost of cleaning the gate was initially put at about 35,000 euros ($36,900). But the management company, Berliner Immobilienmanagement, made clear that it now expects a bigger and much more expensive effort.
The color that was used has seeped deeper into the sandstone monument than originally thought because of its water content, BIM said in a statement. It added that various cleaning techniques have been tested, and a combination of those methods will probably have to be used – as well as the potential use of laser technology.
Quote:Harry Potter star Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in the films, died on Thursday at the ae of 82 after suffering from pneumonia.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” read a statement to The Messenger by the actor’s publicist on behalf of his wife and son. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
Gambon reportedly died peacefully in a hospital with his family by his side after having suffered from pneumonia, his widow, Lady Gambon, and son, Fergus, said.
The actor played Albus Dumbledore in several of the Harry Potter films, following the death of Gladiator star Richard Harris, who had played the role before Gambon.
“I just stick on a beard and play me, so it’s no great feat. I never ease into a role — every part I play is just a variant of my own personality. I’m not really a character actor at all,” Gambon once said about playing the iconic Harry Potter character.
Quote:Pop legend Cher is being accused of hiring four men to kidnap her own son, Elijah Blue Allman, according to the man’s estranged wife.
Marieangela King, who is married to the 47-year-old Allman, alleges Cher sent the men to the couple’s hotel room in New York City last year to forcibly remove him from the hotel, The Messenger reports.
In a court filing, King says the two were talking about reconciling during the hotel visit. Allman had filed for divorce from King in 2021, but the case was not yet concluded when they met in New York City.
King says the two spent 12 days at the hotel but on Nov. 30, the four men appeared and tried to take Allman away with them.
“I was told by one of the four men who took him that they were hired by petitioner’s mother,” the filing reads. “Since August 2022, I have been told that I am not allowed to see or speak to [Allman] who is currently in lockdown at a treatment facility that is undisclosed to me. I am also told [Allman] has no access to his phone.”
King also alleges Cher told her to vacate the home she was living in with Allman after their split.
Quote:The singer’s team announced Wednesday that Springsteen, 74, will reschedule the rest of his 2023 shows with the E Street Band as he continues to recover from peptic ulcer disease.
“Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover steadily from peptic ulcer disease over the past few weeks and will continue treatment through the rest of the year on doctor’s advice. With this in mind, an out of an abundance of caution, all remaining 2023 tour dates for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be postponed until 2024,” a notice reads.
Springsteen canceled two concerts in Philadelphia in August after “having been taken ill” and postponed his remaining September shows earlier this month due to “symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.”
Rescheduled dates for the 2023 shows will be announced next week. Tickets for postponed performances will remain valid for the new dates, while those no longer able to attend will have 30 days to request a refund.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has passed away at the age of 90.
Feinstein was nearing the end of her sixth Senate term after previously serving as Mayor of San Francisco.
The California Senator stepped down from her perch atop the powerful Judiciary Committee due to poor health and political pressure after bouts with illness had prevented her from reporting to work, most notably for three months in 2022, and reports of her diminished capacity, including her inability to remember her colleague’s names.
The Senator’s death comes as Congress is barreling towards a shutdown as government funding ends on September 30.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will appoint her successor. He has said he would appoint an interim Senator in the event of Feinstein’s death.
Quote:Republicans have drafted a resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) after he allegedly pulled a fire alarm to delay a vote on a bill to avert a government shutdown.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) authored the resolution, which is expected to be formally filed Monday when the House is next in session. Expulsion is the most serious form of disciplinary action available to the House for its own members.
Only five members have been expelled from the House in history.
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Bowman’s alleged actions are being investigated by the House Administration Committee and the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and elicited widespread condemnation from his Republican colleagues.
Rep. Lisa McClain is drafting a motion to censure Bowman, a serious but less severe step than expulsion. She said Bowman’s alleged action “is a felony, plain and simple. USCP had to waste resources investigating rather than actually keeping the Capitol safe. The House must hold Rep. Bowman accountable.”
Quote:The House passed a stopgap spending bill that keeps government spending levels, otherwise known as a continuing resolution (CR). The CR will keep the government open for 45 days.
Although this will not serve as a long-term solution for government funding, the CR will not have any Ukraine aid.
President Joe Biden initially asked for $24 billion for Ukraine, and Senate leaders have tried to pass a similar CR with $6 billion.
The federal government has provided more than $113 billion in aid to Ukraine in its protracted conflict with Russia.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) argued during a private Republican conference meeting on Friday that a clean CR would “dare” Democrats to support a bill that lacked Ukraine aid.
“I think if we had a clean one without Ukraine, we would probably be able to move it through,” the California Republican explained after the conference.
House Republican leadership also managed to pass its stopgap bill without Ukraine aid before the Senate passed its CR with Ukraine aid, putting pressure on the Senate to pass the House version.
Quote:The Biden administration released finalized energy efficient standards for residential gas furnaces on Friday, September 29, and they come with a high cost for many households.
The Department of Energy (DOE) expects the rules to slash household utility bills from gas furnace use by $1.5 billion annually and reduce pollution.
By 2028, residential gas furnaces will be required to provide an annual fuel utilization efficiency of 95 percent. This means that a furnace must convert 95 percent of its fuel into heat. The current market standard for annual fuel utilization efficiency is 80 percent, and it was last updated in 2007, Fox News Digital reported.
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Furnaces account for approximately 19 percent of residential energy use annually. With the updated efficiency standards, the Department of Energy predicts 332 million metric tons of carbon emissions will be cut over 30 years. This, they say, means savings in 34 percent of homes in the United States. The Department also expects to see a cut in methane emissions by 4.3 million tons, which they claim is roughly equivalent to emissions from 29 coal plants.
The more energy efficient furnaces are more expensive than the ones they will replace on the market, and they are costly to install, FoxNews reported.
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Last month, Breitbart News reported that the Biden Administration’s green energy standards for ceiling fans could put 30% of manufacturers out of business. Those ceiling fan rules came after gas stove and water heater regulations.
Quote:A Las Vegas man was indicted and arrested on murder charges in connection with the 1996 shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur.
Duane “Keefe D” Davis was arrested on Friday and charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon, according to Rolling Stone.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo claimed Davis was the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of the famed rapper.
The case was reignited after the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD) conducted a search of Davis’s home in July. The LVPD reported that Davis was under suspicion of being part of the murder plot but did not release specific information.
The warrant reportedly gave the police the right to search Davis’s electronic storage devices and covered thumb drives, computers, phones, CDs and DVDs, external drives and storage devices, iPads and other devices, NBC News reported.
The police were also on the lookout for “notes, writings, ledgers, and other handwritten or typed documents concerning television shows, documentaries, YouTube episodes, book manuscripts, and movies concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur,” according to the warrant.
Davis’s own book may have been one reason the investigation into Shakur’s death was reopened. He has long claimed to have been in a car present during the shooting and in a 2018 episode of Death Row Chronicles, he claimed he knew who shot and killed the famed rapper.
Quote:The event marked a new development in support of Ukraine, with the previous focus being on the delivery of weapons, repair of damaged equipment and military training of Ukrainian soldiers.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the opening of the International Defense Industries Forum, said that around 250 defense companies from more than 30 countries had gathered Friday in Kyiv. Defense ministers and representatives of several countries also attended the event.
“Heroism alone cannot intercept missiles. Ukraine needs capabilities, high quality, high quantity, and quickly. There is no defense without industry,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who spoke by video link during the forum on the day after his visit to Kyiv.
Stoltenberg said that Wendy Gilmour, who is NATO’s assistant secretary general for defense investments, was representing the trans-Atlantic alliance at the event.
Stoltenberg acknowledged that many allies have significantly depleted their stocks in order to support Ukraine. “This was the right thing to do, but now we need to ramp up production, both to meet Ukraine´s needs and to ensure our own deterrence in events,” he said.
Zelenskyy disclosed the details of his recent trip to Washington, where he agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden on “the establishment of a new industrial ecosystem that will strengthen both Ukraine and all the partners.” Zelenskyy described it as “one of the key outcomes” of his negotiations with Biden in Washington.
Quote:Ukrainian Army spokesman Capt. Ilya Yevlash said on Wednesday that about five hundred mercenaries from the infamous Wagner Group have returned to fight for Russia on the battlefield, a month after Wagner’s founders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin were reportedly killed in a highly suspicious plane crash near Moscow.
Yevlash said in a Ukrainian broadcast interview that hundreds of Wagner fighters negotiated contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry so they could return to combat.
“These individuals are indeed among the most well-trained in the Russian army, but they will not become a game-changer,” he predicted.
Yevlash’s account was supported by the deputy communications commander for Ukraine’s eastern forces, Serhii Cherevatyi, who told CNN on Wednesday there were several hundred Wagner troops “in our direction, on the eastern front, in different areas.”
Cherevatyi said Russia brought the Wagner mercenaries back to the front lines because they are “short of everyone there now, so any man is good for them.”
“They came back, they swiftly changed their commanders and returned here,” a Ukrainian drone operator said.
A week earlier, Ukrainian Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky, leader of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces, said “their badges appear here and there” when asked about Wagner’s comeback.
Quote:In remarks released Friday by the Kremlin, Putin told Andrei Troshev that his task is to “deal with forming volunteer units that could perform various combat tasks, primarily in the zone of the special military operation” – a term Moscow uses for its war in Ukraine.
Wagner fighters have had no significant battlefield role since the mercenary company captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle and then withdrew to march toward Moscow in a brief insurrection.
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Since Prigozhin’s death, Wagner troops in neighboring Belarus, where they had moved following their mutiny, have reportedly been packing up and dismantling their camps.
Troshev is a retired military officer who played a leading role in Wagner since its creation in 2014 and faced European Union sanctions over his role in Syria as the group’s executive director.
Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was present late Thursday at Putin’s meeting with Troshev, a sign that Wagner mercenaries will likely serve under the Defense Ministry´s command. Speaking in a conference call with reporters Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Troshev now works for the Defense Ministry and referred questions about Wagner’s possible return to Ukraine to the military.
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The meeting appeared to reflect the Kremlin’s plan to redeploy some Wagner mercenaries to the front line in Ukraine following their brief mutiny and the suspicious deaths of Prigozhin and the group’s senior leadership in an Aug. 23 plane crash.
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Belarusian Hajun, an activist group monitoring Russian troops in Belarus, said Friday that Wagner mercenaries continued to dismantle their field camp there and only about 100 of some 300 tents remained.
Quote:The government of Greece is planning to put approximately 300,000 illegal migrants to work on public works projects to update the nation’s infrastructure, Anthens’ minister for migration announced on Tuesday.
Greek Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis said that while the government realises that putting illegals to work could incentivise further flows of migration into the Mediterranean country, the move would serve to benefit the country’s ageing infrastructure amid shortages in the labour force, including in the tourist and agricultural industries.
“We do not want to create new incentives for further illegal flows because that is the danger,” Kairidis said in comments reported by The Telegraph.
“On the other hand, we want to go… from undeclared to declared labour to boost public revenue with employment taxes and contributions and help address dramatic shortages in certain sectors.”
Among the projects that could see illegals be put to work on will include the construction of a subway metro system in the city of Thessaloniki, which has faced over a decade of delays following the 2009 financial crisis that crippled the nation’s finances.
In addition, migrants will be put to work on the building of a new airport outside the Cretian city of Heraklion, which also faced delays following the Chinese coronavirus crisis.
Quote:The Australian army will never again fly its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters following a crash in July that killed four soldiers, the defense minister said Friday.
Australia´s fleet of more than 40 European-designed Taipans has been grounded since July 28 when one crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a nighttime training operation in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.
Defense Minister Richard Marles told Nine Network television that permanently ending Taipan flying operations was the “only decision that makes sense.”
“We´re making this decision today. In many ways it was inevitable, but it´s an important step to take so that we can get our Black Hawks in the air as quickly as possible,” Marles said, referring to the U.S.-built helicopters that will replace Australia´s Airbus-manufactured fleet.
The government announced plans in January to replace the Taipans with 40 UH-60M Black Hawks. The Taipans´ retirement date of December 2024 would have been 13 years earlier than Australia had initially planned.
The government made the decision now to stop flying the Taipans because one of the four investigations into the crash will take another 12 months, Marles said. After the cause of the crash is explained and any faults in the Taipan fleet are rectified, that would have left only a few weeks for them to fly before they were retired, he said.
Since the January announcement, the Taipan fleet was grounded in March after a helicopter ditched off the southeast Australian coast during a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
Quote:The Chinese propaganda outlet Global Times joined the global chorus of disgust and mockery of the Canadian parliament on Wednesday, calling the government of radical leftist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the “laughingstock of the world” for offering a standing ovation to a 98-year-old former Nazi soldier.
“Since the end of World War II, no country’s parliament or politicians have ever honored Nazi war veterans in an official event, as, obviously, it is an act violating the most fundamental value of human society in today’s world,” the Chinese government mouthpiece observed. “But Canada did.”
“The mentality of Westerners is so deeply trapped in the Cold War, and they have lost in the hysteria on the path to completely defeat their opponents,” the publication thundered.
The Global Times accused Canadian politicians of habitually “seek[ing] attention” on the international stage and accusing Trudeau of having “little sense of historical and moral justice.” It also mocked Trudeau personally for responding to the condemnation of the event by warning observers to beware of unspecified “Russian disinformation” instead of taking responsibility for applauding a Nazi.
The incident occurred on Friday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Canadian Parliament. Ottawa has vocally supported Zelensky’s military efforts against the full-scale Russian invasion of his country that began in February 2022.
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Canadian Parliament Speaker Anthony Rota complicated this narrative during Zelensky’s visit to the legislative chamber, however, by inviting Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka to the event as a guest of honor.
“He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service,” Rota said, prompting a standing ovation from Trudeau, Zelensky, and all others in the chamber for the 98-year-old.
Hunka served in the 4th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician), a Nazi division recruited from.
Quote:A private law firm released a controversial video showing a top politician in northern Mexico openly talking about using government funds to buy the allegiance of state congressmen. The video is part of a private investigation by the law firm representing a former governor from Tamaulipas. The governor claims to be the target of political persecution and that the current government turned the state over to criminal organizations.
This week, representatives from the Coello, Trejo, and Associates law firm released a video showing Ricardo Gamundi, a top political operator and former politician from Tamaulipas, having dinner with an unknown woman and one of his associates as they talk about his political work. Gamundi has been investigated for his role as a close advisor to former Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores. The former governor is currently wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice on money laundering charges.
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In the video, Gamundi claimed that one of the current problems faced by current Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal is the state congress had been put in place by former Tamaulipas Governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca. While making a hand gesture, Gamundi said that the way to solve that was by using government funds to pay them off, claiming that that is how things are done.
Gamundi also claimed that his client Americo was ill-suited for his role as governor, not knowing how to run things, but had gotten the position because of his closeness to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the political environment.
And still, Mexican media dared to accuse the Costa Rican president of being corrupt, influenced or even controlled by the Mexican cartels. Why don't they focus on their own issues instead of publishing stuff without producing any convincing evidence of the committal of any crime at all?
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Trump appeared in court Monday for the first day of James’ civil fraud trial against him. The former president gathered reporters and criticized the court’s proceedings, Judge Arthur Engoron, and James.
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And you ought to go after this attorney general because she’s turning off everybody from coming in. You know, I don’t know if you take a look at the outflow of business. Businesses are fleeing New York because of horrible, horrible attorney generals and judges like we have.
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At various times before the proceeding began, during recess, and at the end of the day, Trump highlighted that James campaigned to prosecute him.
“When you have a radical left attorney general like Letitia James, who’s a disgrace to our country, who got elected on the fact that she’s going to ‘take down President Trump, we’re going to take him down.’ She knew nothing about me. But she got elected on that basis,” he added.
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As Breitbart News reported, “In 2018, when James was elected, the Washington Post noted that she had run on promises to punish Trump. And while other Democrats in other states had done the same, New York was the “most important” jurisdiction.”
Trump also labeled James as a “racist attorney general,” as he has previously done.
“This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time,” Trump said, adding, “We have a racist attorney general who’s a horror show who ran on the basis that she was gonna get Trump before she even knew anything about me.”
“She used this to run for governor; she failed in her attempt to run for governor; she had virtually no polling. She came back, and she said, ‘Well, now I’ll go back to get Trump again.’ And this is what we have. It’s a scam. It’s a sham,” Trump said.
Quote:Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) issued a defiant statement Monday blaming a staff member for referencing “Nazi” Republicans in a talking points memo sent by his office to every Democrat House member.
Bowman’s memo urged his colleagues to come to his defense after he reportedly pulled a fire alarm in the Capitol complex Saturday to delay a vote to prevent a government shutdown.
The Brooklyn Congressman’s bizarre non-apology acknowledged the “inappropriate” usage of the term, which he claimed was used “without [his] consent,” while specifying the instances in which the term should be used.
“I just became aware that in our messaging guidance, there was inappropriate use of the term Nazi without my consent,” Bowman, or his staffer, tweeted from his official account. “I condemn the use of the term Nazi out of its precise definition. It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party & neo-Nazis.”
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The embattled lawmaker, by throwing his staffer under the bus, seemed to suggest that the memo was sent without his consent. Bowman has called Democratic colleagues insisting that he did not approve the statement, according to Politico.
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The Congressman continues to insist he pulled the fire alarm either by “accident” or because he thought the switch would open the door, claims discredited by exclusive Breitbart News reporting that Bowman threw to the ground two signs warning that the doors were for emergency use only before running to another floor to exit the building.
Quote:The House Oversight Committee is looking to bring in whistleblower Tony Bobulinski, as well as other associates, to testify before the House Oversight Committee, a source familiar with the committee’s deliberations told Breitbart News.
Bobulinski, a former partner of the Bidens, met Joe Biden in the lobby of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in May 2017 to discuss CEFC China Energy Co., an entity closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Bobulinski is also the whistleblower who confirmed the infamous message about a stake of “10 held by H for the big guy,” as referring to Joe Biden.
“Hunter and Jim [Biden] and I are there, and Hunter gets up and talks to his father when he comes in,” Bobulinski told the New York Post. “He then brings Joe [Biden] over and introduces me, saying he’s the one who’s helping us with the business we’re doing with the Chinese.”
“I’ve heard Joe Biden say that he’s never discussed business with Hunter,” Bobulinski added. “That is false. I have firsthand knowledge about this because I directly dealt with the Biden family, including Joe Biden.”
Suspicious activity reports obtained by House Republicans show Hunter Biden’s business partner, Rob Walker, received a $3 million wire transfer from CEFC in 2017. In turn, four Biden family members — Hunter, James, Hallie, and an unidentified “Biden” — received a collective $1.3 million cut.
Quote:Federal immigration policy allows employers to exploit poor people just like slavery enabled employers to exploit African people, according to a pro-amnesty article published by the New York Times.
“This is nothing new,” says the Monday article by Marcela Valdes, a progressive writer at the New York Times Magazine. It continues:
America’s economy has always relied upon a mass of disempowered, foreign-born laborers, whether it was enslaved Africans picking cotton, Chinese building railroads, Irish digging coal, Italians sewing garments or Mexicans harvesting fruit … “These [economic] spaces that were once filled by slaves are now filled by immigrants,” Anita Sinha, a professor of law at American University told me. “They are exploitative by design.”
“In the United States, versions of these economic dynamics have always been in play, but what has changed over the past 100 years is the way that immigration policy has created a permanent class of disenfranchised ‘illegal’ workers,” writes Valdes, who declines to name this type of exploitative economy.
Bizarrely, Valdes justifies this slavery-like economic model because it aids migrants and delivers cheap products and services to Americans. She writes:
The “solutions” [to migration] rarely address the root cause: Unauthorized immigration, for all the obstacles America throws at it, remains a boon for countless U.S. employers and a reasonable bet for migrants who seek a better life.
Help? You call that help or aid!?
They get a low income for doing the same job an American could have done. If businesses were requested to pay them the same wages and retirement plans and dental plans as Americans, they'd immediately stop hiring / enslaving them for sure.
Quote:The Biden administration is in the process of moving 2,000 migrants from an overcrowded Border Patrol processing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to a CBP source. The mass transfer of detainees began early Monday and is aimed to alleviate the strain on Border Patrol facilities and a non-government shelter overwhelmed by the influx of more than 1,000 migrants into Eagle Pass daily.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the sudden surge of migrants began two weeks prior as more than 1,500 migrants crossed the Rio Grande within six hours. The migrants traveled to the border area from southern and central Mexico by freight train. Within days, single groups of mostly Venezuelan migrants numbering more nearly 3,000 strong arrived almost daily in the same manner.
Although the pace of the entries has slowed in recent days to, at times, 1,000 to 1,500 migrants daily, the surge has brought detention numbers to record levels. At the height of the current migrant surge on Thursday, more than 20,000 migrants were being detained by the Border Patrol nationwide, according to the CBP source. The soft-sided processing facility in Eagle Pass, commonly referred to by Border Patrol agents as “Firefly,” is meant to accommodate 1,000 migrant detainees. It has been holding roughly 5,000 migrants of late.
...[Congressman Tony] Gonzales [R-TX] said, “My message is clear – end catch and release, stop using asylum as a hall pass, and put our Border Patrol Agents back on the frontlines.”
As the transfers proceeded, Breitbart Texas posted at the bank of the Rio Grande, where a continuous flow of migrants into the city continues. The overwhelming surge of almost 20,000 migrants into the city in two weeks resulted in the closure of the Eagle Pass International Bridge 1 after CBP Office of Field Operations personnel were redirected to assist the Border Patrol with migrant processing and security.
Quote:As information about the business dealings of accused money launderer Sam Bankman-Fried leaks out, reports say that Super Bowl champion Tom Brady earned a whopping $55 million for about seven days’ worth of work as an FTX pitchman.
According to author Michael Lewis, Bankman-Fried, who is now on trial in a federal court accused of fraud and money laundering, spent big dollars on endorsements from celebs including Brady, Brady’s ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, Jaguars player Trevor Lawrence, Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry, and actor Larry David.
Bankman-Fried’s empire was once valued at $32 billion until it all collapsed after a long series of risky investments by his hedge firm, Alameda Research.
“He paid Tom Brady $55 million for 20 hours a year for three years,” Lewis told CBS’ 60 Minutes, according to the New York Post.
...
Lewis added that Brady was “sad” and was “crushed” when he first learned the news about the accusations of fraud lodged against Bankman-Fried.
“Brady really liked him, and he really liked the hope that he brought,” Lewis added.
But later, Brady reportedly became angry.
“As time has gone by and he’s ceased to get a really good explanation about what’s happened, I think [Brady] is just like, ‘He tricked me. I’m angry. I don’t want to have anything to do with it anymore,'” Lewis said of Brady’s reaction.
Quote:European-origin Americans deserve respect even after they become a minority in the United States, President Joe Biden told a friendly interviewer in an October 1 interview.
“We’re going to be — very shortly — a minority-white European country, and sometimes my [Democrat] colleagues don’t speak enough to make it clear that that is not going to change how we operate,” he told the progressive billionaire-funded ProPublica website.
Democrats must treat white Americans with respect, as they and their children quickly become a racial minority in their own nation, Biden insisted, saying:
It’s not so much the economic benefits; it is treating them with respect, treating them with respect. … The Democratic Party in the past has — on occasion — spoken less to their needs and fears or concerns. And so, I think a lot of the guys that I grew up with in Delaware and in Scranton, Pennsylvania, they feel like they’re not being respected. Not so much by policy — just by the failure to talk about their needs.
Current polls show mainstream, plurality, or majority opposition to the federal policy of mass migration that has helped suppress incomes for most Americans since 1990. That opposition is rising quickly because Biden has deliberately accelerated the wealth-shifting and population-replacing inflow into Americans’ workplaces, schools, housing, and politics.
Quote:A huge fireball was witnessed near the English city of Oxford as an explosion erupted at a power station after reportedly being struck by lightning.
Severn Trent Green Power said that a lightning strike sparked an explosion at its facility in Yarnton on the northern outskirts of Oxford on Monday evening.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the energy company said that they “can confirm that at around 19:20 (7:20 pm) this evening, a digester tank at its Cassington AD facility near Yarnton, Oxfordshire, was struck by lightning resulting in the biogas within that tank igniting.”
“We are working with the emergency services to secure the site and will provide further comments in due course,” the company added.
A local witness told the Oxford Mail that they saw “strange pulsing sky out of our windows looking northwest of Oxford”.
...
The Met Office had issued a yellow warning in the region between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The Thames Valley Police said in a statement that officers have been dispatched to the scene, adding: “It is believed that lightning struck gas containers at the site during bad weather this evening, causing a large fire.”
A resident from Somerton, about 15 miles north of Oxford told Sky News: “We’ve had the most unbelievable thunder and lightning storm ever… it came out of nowhere and the noise was incredible.
Take in consideration that the energy crisis had already overwhelmed many Britons in the last year. Now they get a reduction in energy production right before winter makes its comeback this year. And that's not their only problem as of now...
Quote:The levels of money the government takes from families and businesses is at an all-time high and has seen the most rapid ever increase in a single peace-time Parliament, yet there is no end to this pain in sight, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) will say at his conference speech today.
Elements of this speech were previewed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as he toured the broadcast studios ahead of his address, and he said he wouldn’t be promising a tax cut, didn’t know when he’d be able to promise one, and that doing so would be detrimental to his goal of getting inflation down. Speaking to The Times on their Times Radio, the Chancellor said: “…if we want faster growth and an end to taxes ever ratcheting higher, it is possible to do that, but there are no shortcuts. At the moment if we had big tax cuts, they would be inflationary because we would be putting extra money into people’s pockets, they would spend it, and that would push up prices.”
The Chancellor’s remarks betray his own perspective of biases, including that letting people keep more of their own money is actually giving them more money, a view associated with those who support a large state, and the economic belief that individuals spending money causes inflation, but the government taking and spending exactly the same money itself doesn’t.
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Breitbart London reported last week on a new paper by the Institute of Fiscal Studies which warned the present high-tax system risked becoming a permanent state of affairs and that the considerable rises were a consequence of government choices, not circumstances out of their control, as Hunt claims. Responding to this, Hunt said: “I don’t agree with people like the Institute for Fiscal Studies who say that this shift to a more highly taxed economy is likely to be permanent. It doesn’t have to be permanent. You have to take the difficult decisions and with Rishi Sunak you have a Prime Minister who is willing to take those difficult decisions.”
As for how it would actually be possible to make tax cuts — one day — Hunt told the BBC Today Programme on Monday morning of those ‘difficult decisions’: “there are no shortcuts, we’ve got to make difficult decisions to make it easier for companies to grow. We’ve got to be much more efficient in how we spend taxpayers’ money, but the encouraging thing is we’re starting to get there, we know we recovered faster than France or Germany from the pandemic…”.
As reported, the tax burden is presently on course to rise to 37 per cent of GDP by the end of this parliament, up from 33 per cent at the time of the last election. This is the highest level since the Second World War and this Parliament is due to be the highest period of rises since records began.
Quote:Following comments from Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who suggested that British troops could be deployed to the west of Ukraine to train the nation’s soldiers “in country” rather than on NATO bases throughout Europe, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denied that his government has any such plans, at least not in the immediate future.
In comments reported by the Press Association, Sunak claimed that there was “some misreporting”, although he did not deny that Shapps had made the comments.
“What the Defence Secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine,” the prime minister said.
“But that’s something for the long term, not the here and now, there are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict. That’s not what’s happening. What we are doing is training Ukrainians. We’re doing that here in the UK,” Sunak stated.
Defence Secretary Shapps, who assumed the top role at the MoD in late August, also said that the UK is considering an increased role for the Royal Navy in the Ukrainian conflict, saying that British maritime might could be used to protect commercial shipping lanes in the Black Sea from potential attacks from Moscow’s Navy.
The statements from Shapps drew a quick response from the Kremlin, with Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev writing on Telegram that the West was seeking to escalate the proxy war into a full-blown conflict between NATO and Russia, saying: “These morons are actively pushing us towards World War Three.”
Quote:Polish border guards successfully repelled dozens of migrants as they attempted to violently break through from neighbouring Belarus in what may signal a return of the Lukashenko regime using illegals as a “hybrid warfare” vector against the West.
On Sunday a group of around 60 mostly young male migrants, reportedly predominantly comprised of Iranian and Iraqi nationals, clashed with Polish border guards as they tried to push their way into the country from Belarus at the border region of Dubicz Cerkiewne.
Footage posted by Poland’s Ministry of Defence showed migrants throwing stones and sticks at the border guards as they tried to breach through the wire fence separating the two countries with bolt cutters and wooden logs. In response, Poland’s border guards pushed back the migrants from the fence with pepper spray.
The MoD said: “Defending the inviolability of the border is an obligation, but also the right of every state. We reacted to the actions of the Lukashenko regime inspired by Moscow. Soldiers and service officers defending the Polish border faced and still face a real threat. We are grateful to them for this and we will continue to support them.”
...
According to the Gazeta Współczesna, there have been 1,077 attempted illegal crossings of the border between Belarus and Poland in September, with nearly 22,000 since the start of the year.
The conservative government of Poland has previously accused the Moscow-aligned Lukashenko government in Minsk of using migrants as a means of “hybrid warfare” to destabilize Europe. In 2021, for example, Warsaw claimed that Belarus was encouraging mostly Middle Eastern migrants to attempt to cross the border with Poland on promises of free passage to Germany. Violent clashes broke out on numerous occasions as the migrants were repelled from crossing.
To deter further exploitation of the plight of stranded migrants, Poland erected a 5.5-meter (18-foot) high wall along 186 kilometres (115 miles) of the border with Belarus as well as installing surveillance equipment.
Quote:Two migrants, described as being 17-year-old males of Algerian and Palestinian origin escaped from their individual cells at the Quiévrechain juvenile facility in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to a report in France Bleu, they used a hacksaw blade to cut through the bars on their windows before using sheets to climb down to ground level. The publication notes the escape was “well-prepared, well-organized” but nevertheless the facility has been previously reported to suffer from security issues, including the outer fence being “regularly cut”.
A manhunt has been launched to recover the pair who, as Le Figaro notes, as thought to be dangerous. As the paper states, one of them was jalied for “murder”, and the other over “rape at gunpoint”. L’Observateur reports speculation the pair received outside help to make good their escape.
Quote:King Felipe VI on Monday began a new round of talks with Spanish political party leaders with a view to choosing the person in the best position to gather enough support in Parliament to form the country’s next government.
All signs indicate that king will call on acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to try to do so following the failure by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the conservative opposition Popular Party, to win sufficient parliamentary support last week.
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Sánchez’s party finished second behind the Popular Party in July 23 elections. The elections produced a splintered parliament made up of 350 legislators from 11 parties, making the path to power difficult for any party.
If no government is in place by Nov. 27, another national election will be held on Jan. 14.
Feijóo’s bid was rejected by a vote 177-172 on Friday. Sánchez, whose party holds 122 seats, hopes he can now persuade the legislators that voted against Feijóo to back him and capture at least the required 176 votes for a majority.
But to do this he needs to win the support of two small parties that want independence for the northeastern region of Catalonia. In exchange for their support, both parties have made potentially explosive demands for a self-determination referendum for the region and an amnesty for hundreds of people who participated in a failed 2017 Catalan secession push.
Sánchez, 51, has been Spain´s prime minister for the past five years and is the country´s acting leader until a new government is formed.
One of the reasons why Feijóo didn't get enough support is that he pushed extremist covidian measures during his tenure as president of the region of Galicia.
Quote:Both the United States and the European Union expressed concern earlier this week about what they said was an increased military deployment by Serbia’s border with its former province, and they urged Belgrade to scale down its troop presence there.
Kosovo’s government said Saturday it was monitoring the movements of the Serbian military from “three different directions.” It urged Serbia to immediately pull back its troops and demilitarize the border area.
“A campaign of lies … has been launched against our Serbia,” President Aleksandar Vucic responded in a video post on Instagram. “They have lied a lot about the presence of our military forces …. In fact, they are bothered that Serbia has what they describe as sophisticated weapons.”
Tensions have soared following the violence in northern Kosovo last Sunday involving heavily armed Serb gunmen and Kosovo police officers. The clash was one of the worst since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and prompted NATO to announce it would beef up a peacekeeping force stationed in the country.
Serbia has denied Kosovo’s allegations that it trained the group of some 30 men who opened fire on police officers, leaving one dead, and then barricaded themselves in an Orthodox Christian monastery in northern Kosovo. Three insurgents died in the hours-long shootout that ensued.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Hunter Biden pled not guilty to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware Tuesday morning after being charged out of Special Counsel David Weiss' years-long investigation.
The president's son is appeared in person in court for his arraignment Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Biden was charged by Weiss this month with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
The next steps for prosecutors in their criminal case against
Hunter Biden will be to challenge a flurry of motions from the defense.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges Tuesday brought by Special Counsel David Weiss. The president's son has been charged with lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in court the defense will file a motion to dismiss the charges, challenging their constitutionality. An appeals court previously found that a federal ban on drug users having guns violates the Second Amendment under recent Supreme Court precedent.
Earlier this summer, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and would have also avoided prosecution on the gun charges had he stayed out of trouble for two years. It was the culmination of a yearslong investigation by federal prosecutors into the business dealings of the president's son, and the agreement would have dispensed with criminal proceedings and spared the Bidens weeks of headlines as the election loomed.
But the deal fell apart after a judge raised several questions about the arrangement.
Now, Weiss was appointed special counsel and is considering tax charges against Hunter Biden as well. If additional charges are filed, they could come in Washington or in California, where Biden lives.
Meanwhile in Congress, House Republicans are searching for a link between Hunter Biden's business dealings and his father as part of an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024 amid the political tumult.
The Manhattan judge deciding the $250 million civil fraud case against Donald Trump on Tuesday clarified comments he made about the statute of limitations that the former president had hailed as a win.
Trump, appearing jovial as he left Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday afternoon, proclaimed that Justice Arthur Engoron had agreed that “80 percent” of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit was thrown out due to the statute of limitations.
“The last five minutes was outstanding because the judge essentially conceded that the statute of limitations, that we won at the court of appeals, is in effect,” Trump, 77, said to reporters as he left court on the first day of trial. “Therefore about 80% of the case is over.”
Engoron had suggested the day prior that testimony from Donald Bender, Trump’s former accountant, about the ex-president’s 2011 financial statements might be time-barred — meaning having taken place before the time period where claims could be brought.
The AG claims in her lawsuit that from 2011 through 2021, Trump lied on his statements of financial condition, exaggerating his net worth to get better loan and insurance terms.
While claims relating to alleged conduct from before 2014 can’t come into the case, Engoron set the record straight Tuesday — saying that evidence from before that time could still be used to help prove newer claims.
“If you were here for yesterday’s excitement, welcome back,” Engoron said as Trump looked on.
“As I stated yesterday, the statute of limitations bars claims, not evidence.”
Bender, a partner at accounting firm Mazars USA, is continuing his testimony Tuesday at the second day of trial.
Wouldn't be the first ignoring statue of limitations. Alvin Bragg in NY took bookkeeping misdemeanor charges that have a 2-year statute of limitatations... already expired. And was already examined by the Federal Elections board, found it a misdemeanor and dismissed.
NY Law ignored
S 175.05 Falsifying business records in the second degree. A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the second degree when, with intent to defraud, he: 1. Makes or causes a false entry in the business records of an enterprise; or 2. Alters, erases, obliterates, deletes, removes or destroys a true entry in the business records of an enterprise; or 3. Omits to make a true entry in the business records of an enterprise in violation of a duty to do so which he knows to be imposed upon him by law or by the nature of his position; or 4. Prevents the making of a true entry or causes the omission thereof in the business records of an enterprise. Falsifying business records in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.
Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday to replace late California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as speculation swirls about her intent to seek a full term next year.
Butler, who was appointed by Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom, took the oath of office and received a standing ovation from her new Senate colleagues after a swearing-in ceremony presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris.
She moved to the Washington, DC, region to become the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democratic female candidates who support abortion.
Butler maintained a residence in California from 2009 to 2021, according to records, but a spokesperson for Newsom previously told The Post that she recently re-registered to vote in the Golden State.
Her X account, formerly known as Twitter, and Wikipedia page both stated that she lived in Maryland, with the latter being quickly edited to reflect her ties to Los Angeles.
Sen. Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday to replace the late Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein as speculation swirls about her intent to seek a full term next year.AP
Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday to replace late California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as speculation swirls about her intent to seek a full term next year.
Butler, who was appointed by Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom, took the oath of office and received a standing ovation from her new Senate colleagues after a swearing-in ceremony presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Democrat has been a Silver Spring, Maryland, resident since 2021, FEC filings and public records show.
She moved to the Washington, DC, region to become the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democratic female candidates who support abortion.
Butler maintained a residence in California from 2009 to 2021, according to records, but a spokesperson for Newsom previously told The Post that she recently re-registered to vote in the Golden State.
Her X account, formerly known as Twitter, and Wikipedia page both stated that she lived in Maryland, with the latter being quickly edited to reflect her ties to Los Angeles.
Sen. Laphonza Butler was sworn in Tuesday to replace the late Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein as speculation swirls about her intent to seek a full term next year.AP
Feinstein died of natural causes at her DC home Thursday, according to her office, hours after casting her last vote in the upper chamber.REUTERS
The social media scrubbing could leave Butler open to criticisms from opponents of being a “carpetbagger” — but she has declined to say whether she will seek election next year.
The governor celebrated her appointment on Tuesday, saying she would “make history as California’s first openly LGBTQ United States Senator and the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress in American history.”
Butler took the oath of office and received a standing ovation from her new Senate colleagues after a swearing-in ceremony presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris.AFP via Getty Images
“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” Newsom said in a statement.
“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault.”
Newsom ruled out nominating any of the declared contenders for Feinstein’s seat in the Democratic primary, including state Reps. Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter.
Feinstein was hospitalized earlier this year due to a case of shingles, suffered facial paralysis from Ramsay Hunt syndrome and even contracted encephalitis before returning to Capitol Hill in May.CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
President Biden also called Butler to congratulate her on her appointment to the Senate, the White House announced.
Butler worked for Harris’ failed 2020 presidential campaign and at the Service Employees International Union for nearly two decades and briefly as a director at Airbnb before being elevated to president of Emily’s List.
Feinstein died of natural causes at her DC home last Thursday, according to her office, hours after casting her last vote in the upper chamber.
She was hospitalized earlier this year due to a case of shingles, suffered facial paralysis from Ramsay Hunt syndrome and even contracted encephalitis before returning to Capitol Hill in May, the New York Times reported.
Butler worked for Harris’ failed 2020 presidential campaign and at the Service Employees International Union for nearly two decades before being elevated to president of Emily’s List.Getty Images for EMILY's List
After returning, Feinstein was occasionally seen disoriented and denying that she had been absent. Aides often helped her around in a wheelchair — and sometimes barred reporters from interacting with her.
The eldest daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Nancy Corinne Prowda, was also seen at the senator’s side — in what some saw as a power move given the former House speaker’s endorsement of Schiff to run in 2024.
Newsom had been expected to potentially choose Lee to replace Feinstein after he pledged to replace the long-time Democratic female senator with a black woman.
Butler is now the only black female senator in the upper chamber. The deadline for her to file paperwork for a potential 2024 run is Dec. 8.AP
Lee posted on X that she was “singularly focused on winning” her 2024 campaign for Senate following the slight, saying that California “deserves an experienced senator who will deliver on progressive priorities.”
Newsom previously appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Harris after she was elected vice president along with President Biden in 2020.
Butler is now the only black female senator in the upper chamber. The deadline for her to file paperwork for a potential 2024 run is Dec. 8.
The [i]resolution to strip McCarthy (R-Calif.) of the gavel, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), passed 216-210 — with Gaetz and seven other Republicans joining 208 Democrats in voting to remove the California Republican from the speakership.
The lower chamber is now tasked with electing a new speaker before it can move forward with any other business.
While McCarthy is now the first House speaker to ever be stripped of his power, the process for selecting a new leader of the lower chamber will be reminiscent of the four-day, 15-ballot election in January that resulted in McCarthy’s elevation.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), a staunch McCarthy ally, has been appointed speaker pro tempore and will oversee the House until a permanent speaker is elected.
McHenry was chosen because his name topped a list of replacements that McCarthy was required to provide the House clerk in January.
Speakers have been required to submit a non-public succession list since 2003, part of a post-9/11 contingency plan to keep the government functioning in the event of a foreign attack or other catastrophe.
As speaker pro tempore, McHenry will only have the power to recess the House, adjourn the chamber and recognize nominations for the vacant speakership.
The North Carolinian is not, most notably, part of the presidential line of succession.
In the 234-year history of the House of Representatives, lawmakers removing and replacing a House speaker has never been done before.
The House last voted on a motion to remove a speaker in 1910, when an attempt was made to oust then-Speaker Joe Cannon (R-Ill.) The resolution did not succeed.
Following the vote to remove McCarthy, McHenry recessed the chamber “subject to the call of the chair,” which means lawmakers can reconvene at any time.
During a Tuesday night meeting of the Republican conference, McHenry announced he planned to keep the House out until next week, with a candidate forum to be held Oct. 10 and an election by the full House to be held Oct. 11.
Whenever the House reconvenes, lawmakers can nominate any individual they wish for the speaker position, followed by a roll call vote.
House members are not bound to vote solely for nominated individuals, and the winner must win by a simple majority of those who vote for a candidate (meaning “present” votes lower the threshold of support needed).
McCarthy was elected speaker early on the morning of Jan. 7 after the most rounds of voting since the mid-19th century.
Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), former Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and former President Donald Trump ® all received votes for speaker during the marathon process in January.
The longest election for speaker of the House lasted two months – Dec. 3, 1855, to Feb. 2, 1856 – and saw Nathaniel Banks (R-Mass.) elected on the 133rd ballot.
Gaetz has reportedly floated House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) as possible successors to McCarthy.
The Florida Republican also noted Monday that he thinks “very highly” of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who announced in August that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
“I would probably vote for Steve Scalise,” Gaetz said of the 57-year-old lawmaker, while adding that there are probably 100 members of the Republican caucus that he would support.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted in favor of ousting McCarthy, suggested on Monday Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) would also make a good speaker.
It’s unclear if any of those potential candidates would put themselves forward.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:About 25,000 auto workers across the United States are striking against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis after the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced the strike nearly a month ago in the hopes of scoring higher wages to keep up with inflation and commitments that their members’ jobs will not be quashed by Biden’s EV mandates.
In interviews with E&E News, auto workers made clear: Biden’s EV mandates very well could be the end of the road for their jobs in the American auto industry.
“I think EVs are going to wipe us out,” 28-year-old Whitney Walch, who works at Stellantis’ Portland Parts Distribution Center in Beaverton, Oregon, said. “… [EVs] don’t need spark plugs, what else, oil filters, we sell a lot of those. If we don’t have all those parts, I feel like we don’t have a lot to do.”
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“I don’t trust [EVs] to drive long distances, I’d rather just do the regular, go get some fuel, and go about my day,” Moore told E&E News.
In Roanoke, Texas, the UAW president for GM’s distribution warehouse said the strike against the Big Three is all about commitments that auto workers will not have their jobs ripped out from under them because of Biden’s EV mandates.
Quote:Eridson Rodriguez, who is believed to be in his late 20s, faced a 20-count indictment accusing him of sexual assault, but later pleaded guilty to a single charge of aggravated criminal sexual contact, according to a report from NJ.com.
The deal calls for him to serve 882 days behind bars, or the time he had already spent in the county jail — otherwise known as “time served.”
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Rodriguez was arrested in 2020 and charged with raping one woman in March 2019 and another two months later. The victims were 19 and 20 years old, according to reports.
Four additional women later came forward accusing Rodriguez of sexual assault, leading a judge to order him detained for the duration of the case.
But despite the 20 counts against him, Rodriguez ended up accepting a plea bargain on a single charge of aggravated criminal sexual contact.
A mother of one of the accusers blasted the outcome as a miscarriage of justice.
“It’s not even a slap on the wrist,” the woman told NJ.com.
Quote:Just hours after the House voted Tuesday on the motion to vacate the speakership, House Speaker pro-tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) kicked Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from her Capitol Building hideaway office. A video circulating on X showed Pelosi’s office being vacated just after Republican leadership gave the order. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the second-ranking member of the House Democrat leadership, was also asked to vacate his hideaway office in retaliation on Wednesday.
The hideaway offices appeared to be courtesies extended by House Republican leadership. Both Democrat members maintain smaller offices in the congressional office buildings.
McHenry notified Pelosi of the eviction by email, Politico reported. “Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” the email read, noting it was reassigned “for speaker office use.”
The revenge came as McCarthy took aim at Pelosi for failing to hold up her end of the agreement. She apparently promised to “back” McCarthy if the motion to vacate was used against him.
“Interesting, it was in this room, after we had won the majority and I had become speaker, Nancy Pelosi came to me, she was speaker at the time on the way out, and I told her I was having issues with getting enough votes,” McCarthy explained during a speech in the Capitol Building. “And she said, ‘What’s the problem?’ I said, ‘They want this one person can rule you out.'”
Quote:As close to 125,000 border crossers and illegal aliens have arrived in the sanctuary city of New York City since the spring of last year, Adams traveled to Mexico on Wednesday and plans to visit Ecuador and Colombia to tell would-be illegal aliens that they should not expect “to stay in a five-star hotel” if they travel to the Big Apple.
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We want to give an honest assessment of what we are experiencing here in this city. We are at capacity, over 117,000. We’re still getting, at one time it was 10,000 a month but I think in the last few days we’re looking at almost 600 a day. These are real numbers, and I must have a local, I must have a statewide plan, a federal plan and I must have an international plan of how do I speak with people in South and Central America.
Although Adams has warned that illegal immigration “will destroy” New York City, he — along with Gov. Kakthy Hochul (D) — has not asked President Joe Biden’s administration to stop its expansive Catch and Release network which is freeing at least 60,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the United States interior every month.
Instead, Adams and Hochul lobbied Biden to expedite giving work permits to border crossers and illegal aliens as they are released into American communities and provide Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans.
And if you're one of those people that firmly believe that crime is not a serious issue in US, think it not twice but ten times!
Quote:Free-lance Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, journalist Josh Kruger was shot and killed at his home in the city on Monday morning around 1:30 a.m. after mocking those who raised concerns about surging crime.
Kruger was shot seven times, according to ABC News.
The Associated Press reported that Kruger made it out of his home after being shot and was seeking help when he “collapsed in the street.” He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police theorize that either Kruger’s door was unlocked, allowing the shooter to enter, or the shooter knew how to get in.
Kruger had written for the Philadelphia City Paper, the Philadelphia Weekly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Philadelphia Citizen.
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Journalist Andy Ngo noted on X, “Leftist journalist and activist Josh Kruger has been tragically shot dead at his Philadelphia home. Kruger has long downplayed gun violence in his city and publicly chastised others who spoke about it.”
Prior to going into journalism full-time, Kruger worked for the city of Philadelphia, where he ran “social media for the mayor and communications for the Office of Homeless Services from about 2016 to 2021.”
Quote:Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) announced on Tuesday that it had decided to add China’s three largest oil and gas companies to its list of “international sponsors of war” for their lucrative business interests in Russia, potentially driving a wedge between Kyiv and Beijing.
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The Chinese Communist Party also enjoys close ties to the government of Ukraine, however. Ukraine is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initative (BRI), a debt-trap scheme in which Beijing offers predatory loans to poor countries that serve to erode their sovereignty and increase Chinese influence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has encouraged Chinese businesses to help rebuild a post-war Ukraine and invited dictator Xi Jinping to maintain communication lines open. Xi and Zelensky last spoke in April, in a phone call Zelensky described as “long and meaningful.”
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The NACP’s decision to brand the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC Group), China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) “international sponsors of war” on Tuesday may complicate Zelensky’s efforts to maintain friendly ties with China.
The three companies, the Ukrainian government agency asserted on Tuesday, “continue to implement joint projects with Russia and finance Russia’s strategic industry by paying significant taxes.” The NACP listed several business interests that each company maintains with Russia. CNOOC, it detailed, has “a 10% stake in the Arctic LNG-2 project located on the Gidan Peninsula in the Arctic region of Russia. Capital investments for the launch of the Arctic LNG-2 project at full capacity are estimated at USD 21.3 billion.”
Sinopec has openly defied calls to stop importing Russian oil, the agency noted, and CNPC “has significant integration with Russia’s largest oil and gas companies as well as the government of the terrorist state.”
“Owning a share of companies in Russia, CNPC pays significant taxes to the aggressor’s budget, which allows it to continue this war. For example, Yamal LNG paid RUB 80 billion (or USD 1.14 billion) as income tax in 2022,” the NACP continued in its announcement of the blacklisting.
Quote:Western states like the United Kingdom saved money after the Cold War — the ‘peace dividend’ — by making military stocks much more efficient, but decades of slimming down suddenly meeting an unexpectedly long-lasting and intense war in Ukraine means some weapons have simply run out. This news comes in remarks from Armed Forces Minister James Heappey at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, as well as from an anonymous “senior military source” briefing on empty stockpiles to a British newspaper on the subject at the same time.
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Heappey emphasised his view that just because the stocks were running low the West couldn’t simply stop giving Ukraine equipment, but his remarks nevertheless underlined the fact that supplies were scarce and a major change in the way the defence industry worked was needed to overcome that. He told the audience it would be wrong to stop handing weapons over to Ukraine “just because our stockpiles are looking a bit thin” and that as well as keeping the conveyor belt of munitions going east working, the United Kingdom and others also need to work on “rebuilding our own stockpiles”.
The Daily Telegraph reported their own “senior military source” anonymously on Monday evening, with the unnamed figure hitting similar notes on how the Ukraine war has worn down reserves. They said: “We’ve given away just about as much as we can afford… We will continue to source equipment to provide for Ukraine, but what they need now is things like air defence assets and artillery ammunition and we’ve run dry on all that.”
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The old Cold War way was “highly resilient [with] enormous stockpiles”, he said, but such a system comes at a financial cost. The war against terror era brought predictable cycles of military deployments with comparatively low-intensity use of munitions and defence acquisition run on “just-in-time” delivery principles used by civilian industry.
Efficient as that may be, Heappey said it “does not work when you need to be ready for a fight tomorrow and crucially your capacity to fight that fight tomorrow is part of the deterrence.”
Quote:London’s Metropolitan Police has revealed that nearly 800 spy cameras installed to enforce far-left Mayor Sadiq Khan’s green agenda car tax have been stolen or destroyed since May.
In August, Mayor Khan expanded the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) — a system of fines and levies originally intended to reduce traffic and pollution in Central London — to the entire greater area of the British capital, thereby taxing thousands of workers driving anywhere in the city, including in suburban and semi-rural areas between £12.50 to £27.50 if their vehicle does not meet the local Labour Party government’s climate standards.
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The widely unpopular move has been met with widespread acts of civil disobedience, with individuals and groups such as the “Blade Runners” targeting the licence plate reading surveillance cameras that were installed across the city to enforce the green taxes.
According to figures released by the Met Police, there have been reports of 200 of the spy cameras stolen and another 595 being damaged between April 1st and the end of September. The police force said that an operation was launched in May to investigate ULEZ-related crimes, to which the Met said they are dedicating “considerable resources”.
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Despite dedicating “considerable resources” to the operation, the Met only claimed to have arrested three individuals since May, one of whom has already had the case against them dropped, until making a fourth apparent arrest on Wednesday morning of actor and campaigner Laurence Fox. While he is not accused of having actually damaged any cameras himself, he was arrested for “conspiring” and “encouraging”.
Quote:An Iraqi-born bomber originally entered the UK on a temporary visa to go to a taping of a reality television show but remained in the country for seven years as the government failed to deport him before he attempted to launch an attack against a hospital.
A two-year investigation into the November 2021 bombing at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital by Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, has found that while he had a history of mental illness, the attack was likely motivated by Britain rejecting his claims for asylum.
According to initial findings from Operation Itonia, Al Swealmeen originally came to the United Kingdom on a Jordanian passport with a six-month visitor visa to allegedly attend the filming of the Britain’s Got Talent television programme in Belfast. However, just days later, the would-be bomber falsely told authorities that he fled from Syria in an attempt to gain asylum status in the country.
His asylum requests were rejected the following year, and by rights, should have been deported. Yet, he launched a series of appeals and dubiously converted to Christianity from Islam in 2017 and legally changed his name to Enzo Almeni. His appeals were rejected, but the government failed to deport him before he died during the 2021 bombing.
The police investigation cast doubt on his conversion to Christianity — which was heavily reported on in the legacy media in the wake of the bombing — with investigators saying that “the authenticity of this conversion is in doubt” and that a copy of the Qu’ran and a prayer mat were found in one of his flats after the attack. Yet, police claimed to have found no other evidence of extremism and said that they believed the attack was inspired by anger over having his asylum requests rejected in combination with poor mental health.
Quote:Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to remove the wreckage of a bus that crashed in a borough of Venice, Italy, across the lagoon from its historic center, killing 21 people and injuring at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby camping site.
The victims included at least four Ukrainians and a German citizen, according to Venice prefecture. Injured people, including five in serious condition, included French, Spanish and Croatian nationals, local officials said.
At least two of the dead were children, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said, adding that many of the people involved in the accident were “young.”
The bus – which was new and electric – was carrying foreign tourists when it fell from an elevated street on Tuesday evening, catching fire. The shuttle was connecting Piazzale Roma, in Venice’s historic center, to the Hu campground in Marghera, another borough of Venice neighbouring Mestre.
The Italian driver, Alberto Rizzotto, was killed in the crash. Venice prosecutors are investigating if he felt ill while he was driving. He was an experienced driver, Venice city councilor Renato Boraso said.
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Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the scene was “apocalyptic” and declared the city in a state of mourning.
In 2017, 16 people on a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona. And in 2013, 40 people were killed in one of Italy´s worst vehicle accidents when a bus plunged off a viaduct close to the southern city of Avellino.
Quote:German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock declared on Monday during a visit to Kyiv that the European Union will extend its borders into areas of Ukraine that are occupied by Russia, vowing that the EU will span from “Lisbon to Luhansk”.
Despite the much-touted Ukrainian Spring counteroffensive having failed to regain much ground this year before the winter sets in, German Foreign Minister Baerbock expressed certain confidence the coming years would absolutely see the Russian occupation comprehensively rolled back.
Speaking from Kyiv at a meeting between the foreign ministers of the 27 European Union member states and President Zelensky, Baerbock said: “With this Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Kyiv we are bringing the European Union to where the heart of Europe is currently beating most strongly. The future of Ukraine lies in the European Union, our community of freedom. This will soon stretch from Lisbon to Luhansk.
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Responding to Baerbock, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joked that the EU would have to accept Russia in as a member for its borders to extend to Luhansk.
While opposition to the continued funding of the war has begun to grow in the United States, there has been an increased push from the top brass in Brussels to solidify the European Union’s claim on Ukraine. Last week, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that there is “nothing off the table” in terms of accelerating the typical membership ascension process to see Ukraine join the bloc at record speed, adding that she hopes that formal talks will begin before Christmas.
This came after EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen declared earlier last month that “history is on the move” and that “the future of Ukraine is in our Union”. There does seem to be some debate within Brussels about the speed at which Ukraine can feasibly be admitted as a member, however, with EU Council President Charles Michel previously saying that he expected the country to join the bloc by the end of the decade.
Quote:Robert Fico, the anti-mass-migration, anti-coronavirus lockdown two-time Prime Minister of Slovakia won the national elections at the weekend at the head of his left-wing party and will soon attempt to form a coalition government, returning to power again on a populist platform vowing to disentangle the nation from the war in Ukraine, which borders Slovakia to the east. Media reports have called this a propaganda coup for Putin by the “pro-Russian” Fico.
Despite almost universal agreement in media reports that his party is clearly Russophile, Fico’s allies deny these claims and say they will continue to support Ukraine, just not with military equipment.
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Robert Kalinak, who was Fico’s deputy Prime Minister and who is described as being part of his “inner circle” spoke to the Italian broadsheet La Repubblica, and said of the allegations against the election winner: “…we are not pro-Russian, but pro-Slovak. Although we will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine, we will continue to support them with humanitarian aid… We must try to achieve peace in Ukraine. And that is doable.”
Explaining their position, Kalinak said in remarks that might confound the otherwise uncompromising view of his party held by some observers, saying they are pro-Europe, supported Ukraine joining the European Union, but opposed them joining NATO as that would be “dangerous”.
London’s The Times reported the remarks of Fico himself, made after the results came in, when he said: “Slovakia and the people in Slovakia have bigger problems than [dealing with] Ukraine”. Fico has said he wants to push for peace talks and remarked he would not be “changing [our view] that we are prepared to help Ukraine in a humanitarian way … we are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state. But you know our opinion on arming Ukraine.”
Quote:The Senegalese navy announced Sunday it had intercepted four boats, filled with migrants, bound for Europe over the previous three days. The grand total of migrants captured since July 1 reached 1,995 with these latest interceptions.
“Two more boats carrying 262 would-be migrants, including 26 women and 13 minors, were boarded late Saturday. The navy also stopped a boat with 272 passengers on Friday and 71 a day earlier,” Deutsche Welle (DW) reported, citing representatives of the Senegalese navy.
Another wooden boat, or pirogue, loaded with migrants was forced back to the Senegalese coast by strong winds on Saturday. Social media videos showed dozens of migrants leaping into the water before the ship ran aground, desperate to avoid arrest by the navy.
The increased tempo of migrant boat interceptions was part of a ten-year plan announced by Senegal in late July, which included stronger border security, a crackdown on human smugglers, and more funding for repatriating intercepted migrants.
The plan, formally known as the National Strategy to Combat Irregular Migration (SNLMI), is intended to “drastically” reduce the number of migrants passing through Senegal. It was not announced with a budget, but the Senegalese government said it would receive funding from “external partners” as well as Senegal. In April, Senegal’s Directorate of Air and Border Police inaugurated a new $9.5 million high-tech headquarters financed by the European Union.
There's an article published last month but I seriously thought we should not skip it. Especially true if we wanna understand what's coming up next in other parts of the world.
Quote:Ali Sidi, infrastructure minister in Libya’s eastern government, said Monday that China will take the lead in rebuilding the flood-ravaged city of Derna, where thousands were killed after two poorly maintained dams collapsed during a powerful storm on September 11.
Sidi told Radio France Internationale (RFI) that an international reconstruction conference will be held on October 10, but his government has concluded China is the only party with both the ability and willingness to begin reconstruction work on the city quickly.
“We are aware that China is today the effective power that could build bridges, infrastructure and roads in a very short time,” he said.
“We have received an official document from the BFA coalition, a coalition that links China to Libya. So I have the agreement to inaugurate the reconstruction of the disaster zone in partnership with China,” he said.
BFA is the Boao Forum for Asia, a Chinese-founded organization created to give Beijing influence over Asian trade with the rest of the world. China has used the BFA to push propaganda about its supposedly exemplary handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its miraculous economic recovery.
No one claims China has a booming economy anymore, but Sidi’s government is apparently convinced the Chinese can still loan it significant amounts of money and get reconstruction projects moving.
First Russia and now China as well. It cannot be a coincidence, right?
Quote:The government of Turkey announced a bombing campaign on Sunday consisting of airstrikes on 20 alleged strategic positions within the borders of Iraq, a response to a suicide attack against the Turkish General Directorate of Security in Ankara this weekend.
The latest bombing campaign across Iraq follows nearly a decade of Islamist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conducting airstrikes in Iraq without consulting Baghdad, outraging Iraqi officials despite their mutual opposition to the PKK.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a U.S.-designated Marxist terrorist organization, took responsibility for the bombing in Ankara through its “People’s Defense Forces,” (HPG), a militant wing. The PKK seeks the formation of an independent state for the Kurdish people, which are spread throughout Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The PKK maintains cordial relations with separatist Kurdish groups in Syria but has faced years of vocal rejection from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, which condemned the suicide attack on Sunday.
Turkish authorities said in a statement on Sunday that two terrorists planned to attack the General Directorate of Security. One detonated a suicide bomb, killing himself, and the other was “neutralized,” meaning either killed or captured. They were the only deaths occurring as a result of the attack. Authorities described two police officers as “slightly” injured and not in mortal danger as of Sunday evening.
Quote:Iraqi Christian leaders on Monday demanded an international investigation into a fire that killed 113 people at a wedding in a predominantly Christian town last week.
Not only are the Christian leaders displeased with how the Iraqi government handled the situation, but some of them said the deadly fire was “intentional.”
Father Boutros Sheeto, an Iraqi Syriac Christian priest who lost ten members of his own family in the terrible blaze, claimed the fire was set deliberately during a telephone interview with the Associated Press (AP) on Monday.
“We reject the idea that the cause of the fire was an accident. We are confident that it was intentional and therefore we demand an international investigation,” Father Sheeto said.
One of the victims was Sheeto’s Iraqi American sister, who had traveled to Iraq from Arizona to be at the wedding.
Sheeto found bitter irony in his city’s ability to survive occupation by the Islamic State, only to suffer horrific casualties from incidents like the wedding fire.
Quote:The Taliban blasted Pakistan Wednesday for ordering roughly 1.73 million Afghans living in the country illegally to leave by November 1.
The Pakistani government said it was prepared to use force to expel the migrants if they did not depart voluntarily.
“The behavior of Pakistan towards Afghan refugees is unacceptable,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
“The Pakistani side should reconsider its plan. Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them,” he said.
Mujahid was referring to Pakistan’s contention that the flood of migrants from Afghanistan poses a major security risk. Pakistani Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti noted on Tuesday that Afghan nationals were involved in 14 of the 24 suicide bombings carried out against Pakistan so far this year:
There are no two opinions that we are attacked from within Afghanistan and Afghan nationals are involved in attacks on us. We have evidence that Afghans were involved in these attacks and are taking up the issue through our foreign ministry with Taliban authorities in Afghanistan.
Quote:Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kana’ani told reporters on Monday that his regime is ready to “resume negotiations” with the United States if President Joe Biden returns to the 2015 nuclear deal signed by predecessor Barack Obama.
Any negotiations between Tehran and Washington must hinge on the return to that agreement, the spokesman said, but talks would only be limited to implementing the provisions of the deal.
“If the other side shows its readiness to return to the JCPOA, Iran is ready to help in this regard,” Kana’ani asserted.
The remarks follow the spokesman’s boss, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, telling reporters during a visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York last week that his government is “serious about returning to the” deal and reports, later denied in Tehran, claiming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had greenlit “direct talks” with America.
It also follows the suspension of Biden’s top envoy on Iran issues, Robert Malley, and the suspension of his security clearance. Reports have suggested Malley had “mishandled” classified information or potentially fallen within the sphere of an Iranian regime influence operation, though the U.S. government has not confirmed any such report.
Quote:The U.N. Security Council voted on Monday to authorize a multinational military intervention against the gang lords of Haiti, led by Kenya, which volunteered to take point in July.
The resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador at the request of Haiti’s government, passed with 13 votes in favor, zero against, and two unsurprising abstentions: Russia and China.
“Russia and China’s abstentions suggested that neither country endorsed the resolution but they were not going to block it. Diplomats said that negotiations had been tense with the two countries for several weeks, with the text being rewritten multiple times, but that, ultimately, a consensus was reached,” the New York Times (NYT) reported on Monday.
Monday’s vote was the first time the Security Council has authorized multinational intervention in a conflict since 2007 when it approved the African Union’s intervention in Somalia to fight Islamist terrorist gangs. The Kenyan government said it would not lead the Haitian intervention unless it received similar authorization.
Haiti dissolved into gang warfare and anarchy after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. The remnants of the Haitian government are run by Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has yet to stand for an election. The last elected officials in Haiti resigned in January 2023.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
US NEWS
Here the author of a book and editor-in-chief of Breitbart News reminds people of several weird events taking place in the Biden family's life starting decades ago...
Quote:During the course of research for Breaking Biden, my new book that was released earlier this week, there were only a few moments that humanized the current president.
Though I tried to locate the humanity in Joe Biden time and again, I was shocked at how infrequently I was able to do that. I concluded that a key reason Joe Biden has a “DGAF” attitude is that he has faced personal tragedy so acute that it’s hardly a surprise that being the subject of online ridicule doesn’t faze him.
The first of those tragedies took place on December 18, 1972, when his wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, age 30, and their infant daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash when their station wagon collided with a hay truck while they were out shopping for Christmas presents. His two young sons, Hunter and Beau, were badly injured in the accident, requiring extended hospitalization, but survived. As it would have any human, the accident took an incalculable toll on Joe.
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I document several instances in the book of where Frank Biden used his connection to his famous and powerful money to make ill-gotten cash, but the most shocking Frank Biden story involved a hit-and-run car crash.
In July of 1999, Frank Biden let a young friend named Jason Turton drive his Jaguar to a concert at a tavern in Cardiff, California. Frank’s Florida driving license had been suspended, so he rode shotgun during the trip, controlling the stick shift himself while giving Turton instructions.
At one point, they had the Jaguar humming along at over 70 mph in a 35-mph zone when they slammed into a pedestrian crossing the street. They drove off, leaving the victim to die at the scene. Two witnesses who were in the back seat during the crash claim that Frank Biden told Turton to “keep driving” after the fatal collision. The victim, Michael Albano, was a single father whose death left behind two young daughters.
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Turton eventually pleaded guilty to “felony hit and run” charges, while Frank was hit with a wrongful-death lawsuit in August 2000 by the guardians of the Albano daughters. Frank never showed up to the court-house for any hearings, and he refused to reply to “any legal correspondence from the court, including a court final judgment in September 2002 that Frank owed each of the girls $275,000 for his role in the tragedy,” Peter Schweizer reported in his book Profiles in Corruption.
The Albano girls eventually hired a private investigator to track down where Frank was hiding so he could accept service of documents. Investigators said they had received information that Frank occasionally lived at his brother Joe’s house in Delaware, but they were unable to locate a bank account for Frank, who had become evasive.
Quote:Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Thursday on CNN’s “Primetime” she believed there needed to be a “formal deprogramming of the cult members” who support former President Donald Trump.
Clinton said, “You saw the number of Republicans who voted along with Democrats to keep the government open, so there’s clearly a common sense, sane part of the Republican caucus in the House. But I think they are intimidated. They oftentimes, you know, say and do things which they know better than to say or do. It will require us defeating those most extreme measures and the people who promote them in order to try to get to some common ground where people can again work together.”
She continued, “That’s the way it used to be. I mean, we had very strong partisans in both parties in the past and we had very bitter battles over all kinds of things, gun control, and climate change, and the economy, and taxes. But there wasn’t this little tail of extremism wagging the dog of the Republican Party as it is today. And sadly, so many of those extremists, those MAGA extremists, take their marching orders from Donald Trump, who has no credibility left by any measure. He’s only in it for himself. He’s now defending himself in civil actions and criminal actions. When do they break with him? You know, because at some point, you know, maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members. But something needs to happen.”
Quote:Costco is voluntarily recalling ham sold in Northern California and Western Nevada because of a possible listeria contamination.
In its recent announcement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) named the Kirkland Signature Applewood Smoked Master Carve Half Ham Boneless With Natural Juices as potentially dangerous, Fox Business reported Friday.
The food has a Use/Freeze by date of January 2024, and its lot number is 264-4.
In a September 29 letter, Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats of Manteca, California, which produced the ham, wrote to Costco members:
Costco records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #46655 Kirkland Signature Master Carve Half Ham, Natural Juices Boneless Smoked Half Ham between September 26, 2023 and September 29, 2023.
Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats Inc. is recalling a single code date due to potential Listeria contamination. Recalled units can be identified by the Use / Freeze by Jan 2024 and Lot # 264 – 4 sticker.
Please do not eat any remaining product marked with the above code date; return the item to your local Costco for a full refund.
According to the FSIS, the possible contamination was found following Sunnyvalley’s laboratory test.
However, “there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions after eating the product, the agency noted,” according to the Fox article.
Quote:In a statement published by Trump’s son, Eric, the Trump Organization thanked the Appellate Division for staying a decision last month by judge Arthur Engoron.
Eric Trump Wrote:We thank the Appellate Division for staying the NY Attorney General’s and Judge Engoron’s overzealous attempt to cancel our New York business certificates. Judge Engoron’s order erroneously sought to adjudicate the rights of non-party business entities that employ nearly 1,000...
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The case is being heard in a bench trial, meaning Judge Arthur Engoron will have the final decision on whether Trump and his co-defendants are liable and what damages, if any they must pay.
James’ trial against Trump began Monday, but Engoron already concluded James proved her case before Trump’s attorneys could mount their defense. In a rare summary judgment, Engoron found Trump and his co-defendants were liable for fraud.
Engoron revoked Trump’s license to do business in New York as part of the summary judgment after determining he committed “repeated and persistent fraud” on his financial statements.
However, a New York appeals court on Friday temporarily halted Engoron’s order revoking Trump’s license to do business in New York, allowing him to maintain control of his businesses while the trial is pending.
If the former president’s New York business license is ultimately revoked, a court-appointed receiver would take possession of all Trump’s businesses within the state, where they would be sold to the highest bidder. Trump would receive the proceeds and still be able to manage his properties outside New York, despite Engoron determining Trump overvalued his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida by 2,300 percent and other properties throughout the country and one in Scotland.
Quote:The Danish company Ørsted is scheduled to begin construction of its controversial Ocean Wind 1 offshore power complex next week at Island Beach State Park, one of New Jersey’s most popular family beach destinations, as surveys show a dramatic decline in support for “green” offshore wind projects statewide.
A poll published this week by Stockton University found that about half of New Jersey residents support offshore wind development. In 2019, that number was 80 percent. Active opposition to offshore wind development more than doubled from 15 percent in 2019 to 33 percent.
Along the Shore, support has dwindled further: from 77 percent in 2019 to 33 percent this week.
The local radio station NJ 101.5, which reported on the Stockton poll, noted that a similar survey published in August by Monmouth University found that statewide support for offshore wind development fell from 76 percent to 54 percent between 2019 and 2023.
The administration of radical leftist Governor Phil Murphy has disregarded concerns about the potential environmental and economic consequences of the Ocean Wind projects. Ørsted reportedly began preparatory construction work on land on October 2 for the Ocean Wind 1 project. This week, more onshore construction began on Monday and will move into Island Beach State Park next week.
Thus Biden and other Democrats still claim they care for the environment. What a good way to demonstrate such care in real life situations.
Quote:The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched unprecedented terror attack on Israel, which has included the firing of thousands of rockets onto the Israel and the infiltration of Israeli territory by land, air, and sea. Responding to the surprise attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that the nation is “at war” and the terrorists “will pay a price it has never known before.” Thus far, the attacks in Israel have reportedly left 300 people dead and nearly 1,600 wounded. Hamas claims it has captured Israel Defense Force soldiers and civilians during its assault on Israeli border towns outside Gaza. Israel’s military response –“Operation Sword of Iron”– has led to the deaths of 198 Palestinians and 1,610 people injured. The attack occurred on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle.
9:00 P.M.
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Palestinian terrorists seized dozens of Israeli civilian hostages on Saturday, holding some in Israel and dragging at least 50, including women and children, to Gaza.
The images and videos of women — and the corpses of women — being abused by Palestinian gunmen caused shock and anguish throughout Israel.
Most of these are too graphic to publish, and some cannot yet be confirmed. Some have been published by news wire agencies, with the identities of the victims concealed, as in the photo below.
9:40 P.M. — A Hamas spokesperson, Ghazi Hamad, says in a statement to BBC that the terror organization had direct backing from Iran for its deadly assault on Israel.
Quote:Photos and videos were uploaded to social media that showed Palestinians praising the violent terror attack.
Some Palestinians were pictured celebrating after they were able to capture an Israeli tank. The photos showed the Palestinians waving the Palestine flag and posing with the “victory” hand symbol. Another Palestinian was seen praying on the ground in front of the captured Israeli tank.
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One video showed Palestinians in Gaza celebrating and running towards the captured Israeli tank.
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Another video from the West Bank showed Palestinians cheering, clapping, and chanting things to show support for the violent terror attack on Israel. The crowd could be seen holding guns in the air and shooting them, including a young girl holding two guns surrounded by men.
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Another video showed Palestinians in the West Bank marching through the streets supporting the attack on Israel.
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The celebration extended across the globe as well.
Iranians in Tehran gathered to support the Palestinians, lighting fireworks and waving Palestinian flags.
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Similarly, Palestinian supporters in Istanbul, Turkey, were seen cheering and waving Palestine flags to show support for the violent attack on Israel.
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In Berlin, Germany, Hamas supporters gathered on the streets to clap and chant songs in support of the terror attack on Israel.
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Palestinians in London were also seen waving flags in the streets to show their support for Hamas.
Quote:During an interview with CNN on Saturday, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) stated that “Israel is going to have to dismantle Hamas” and “can’t leave this monster in Gaza any longer.” And he would support a large-scale ground invasion of Gaza by Israel if it’s needed.
Sherman stated, “This is Israel’s 9/11. This will have to go on for some time, because Israel is going to have to dismantle Hamas. They can’t just absorb these casualties. Because if they do, then this will happen again two months from now, four months from now.”
He added that America should give Israel diplomatic support, “because there are already those who are telling Israel to stand down, to do nothing, to absorb the casualties and not respond. And, in fact, Israel’s going to have to respond. You can’t leave this monster in Gaza any longer.”
Sherman further stated that “the vast majority of members” of the House will be “making it clear that we don’t just stand with Israel when it’s the victim. We stand with Israel when they do the necessary retaliation.”
Host Wolf Blitzer then asked, “Because we’re seeing a lot of support for Israel coming from Democrats like you and Republicans, conservatives and liberals. Do you see that going forward?”
Sherman responded, “I think that keeps going. There may be some who take a step back when Israel does what it has to do. But Israel can’t just be a victim in this case. It has to make itself safe for the future.”
Quote:Russia, which was ousted from the UN Human Rights Council after its forces invaded Ukraine, will attempt a return to the body on Tuesday — an uncertain move that will provide a gauge of its international support.
The UN General Assembly will vote that day to elect 15 new members to the Geneva-based UN body, for terms running from 2024 to 2026.
The council’s 47 members are allocated by region, and each large regional group usually pre-selects its own candidates, which the General Assembly then generally approves.
But this year two groups have more candidates than available seats: Latin America (candidates from Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Peru will contest three seats), and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria and Russia will vie for two seats).
Moscow’s candidacy has drawn skepticism, and the vote will come just days after a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian village of Groza killed more than 50 people in a scene of carnage.
“We hope UN members will firmly reject (Russia’s) preposterous candidacy,” a State Department spokesperson told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Members of Russia’s forces have committed violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine,” the spokesperson added.
Mariana Katzarova, a top UN expert, recently said repression inside Russia had intensified since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reaching levels “unprecedented in recent history.”
Quote:When the gathering to honor Andrii Kozyr was struck by a precision missile that Ukrainian officials said was fired by Russia, almost every household in Hroza in eastern Ukraine lost someone. The cafe was obliterated. Entire families perished in an instant. In all, 52 people died out of a population of 300. Many villagers now suspect that a local may have tipped off Russian forces.
On Friday, a day after the strike, an earth mover extended the graveyard to make room for them all. Among the dead were a couple who left behind four children, a community leader and three generations of the soldier’s family, including his wife, mother and son, who also fought for Ukraine and had requested leave to attend the funeral held shortly before wake.
It could be months before DNA identifies most of the remains. For now, the names are scrawled on cardboard or white plastic squares, and string marks the boundaries of the fresh graves.
Only six people in the cafe survived, and the town is trying to fathom why and how the wake was targeted.
Quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Thursday that Wagner private army boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and his men died when, while probably drunk and high, they accidentally set off a grenade during a flight that exploded and killed all on board in August.
Putin has blocked international investigators from examining the wreckage of the flight; his claims were based on a Russian government assessment of the remains of the plane.
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Putin, speaking in Moscow on Thursday, claimed he had been briefed by the “head of the Investigative Committee” and blamed Prigozhin himself for the crash based on the evidence they provided him.
The Russian President claimed it was “established fact” there was no external impact on the plane – exonerating himself from a missile attack on his rival’s plane if true – and that hand grenade fragments “were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash.”
Making implicit the view that those onboard had accidentally killed themselves by playing with a live grenade while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, Putin expressed his regret the investigation team had not taken the time to do a toxicology screening on the remains of the deceased to “determine whether alcohol or drugs were present.” Implying they were drug users, Putin said “we all know” the security services “found five kilograms of cocaine in the company’s office.”
Quote:A 36-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap Holly Willoughby, one of Britain’s most high-profile television personalities.
In a statement Friday, Essex Police said the suspect was arrested on Wednesday and is due to appear in court in Chelmsford, around 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of London later.
It said the man was “arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap as part of an ongoing investigation.”
Willoughby, who presents the ITV network´s flagship daytime program `This Morning´ and `Dancing on Ice´ during the early months of the year, has been off air since Thursday.
Though police didn’t mention Willoughby, she has been widely identified across British media and even by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“I´m so sorry to hear everything going on with Holly,” he said while appearing on “This Morning” on Friday. “I just want to send my best to her and her family.”
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that none of the $6 billion released by the U.S. for humanitarian aid in Iran was used to help fund Hamas’ attack against Israel on Saturday, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “While we’re talking about Iran, I have to ask you to, if you want to respond to what we’re hearing from Republicans who are over and over since this happened using word appeasement when it comes to Iran and they criticized the decision to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds. I know and want to state that that money has not yet been unfrozen. Iran does not yet have it. But the accusation is that…your administration posture towards Iran has helped contribute to this. I want to give you a chance to respond.”
Blinken said, “Well, there are two things here. First, with regard to the funds that you mentioned, that were made available to Iran for humanitarian purposes. As part of getting Americans back who were being held or detained in Iran. Let’s be very clear about this and it is deeply unfortunate that so many are playing politics when Israel is under attack.”
He continued, “The facts are these, no U.S. taxpayer dollars were involved. These are Iranian resources that Iran has accumulated from the sales of oil that were stuck in a bank in South Korea. They have had from day one the right to use these monies for humanitarian purposes. They were moved from one account to another in another country to facilitate that use. As of now, not a single dollar has been spent from that account. The account is closely regulated by the U.S. Treasury Department. It could only be used for things like food, medicine, medical equipment. That is what this is about.”
Quote:A claim in a news report that American weapons seized in Afghanistan have ended up in the hands of Palestinian groups operating in the Gaza Strip has taken on renewed significance after Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, launched an attack on Israel on Saturday.
According to a Newsweek report published in June, an Israeli commander said some of the US. small arms seized in Afghanistan have already been observed in the hands of Palestinian groups operating in the Gaza Strip.
The report began recirculating on social media, amid accusations that the Biden administration funded Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel by releasing $6 billion in frozen funds to Iran, the main backer of Hamas.
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The Biden administration pushed back against those accusations that the $6 billion unfrozen for Iran went to Sunday’s attack, saying it has not yet been released, is controlled by a Qatari bank, and only will be used for humanitarian purposes.
However, critics of the Biden administration argued that since money is fungible, it is still adding to Iran’s coffers and frees up the government to spend on other things, such as supporting terrorist groups like Hamas.
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He also noted that Iran has already expressed it would use the money however it desired.
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The Israeli commander interviewed by Newsweek also said he was “very worried” that U.S. and Western-provided weapons to Ukraine could also end up in Hamas’ hands.
As far as I can remember, those were paid with the taxes paid by Americans.
Quote:President Joe Biden ordered US ships and warplanes to move closer to Israel in a show of support on Sunday, while sending fresh military aid after attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Pentagon said it was sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying warships to the eastern Mediterranean, while boosting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. US Central Command confirmed Sunday afternoon that ships and planes had begun moving to their new posts.
The United States, a major supplier of arms to Israel, has moved quickly to affirm its backing for Israel after Saturday’s surprise attack from the Gaza Strip, vowing “rock solid” support and warning other parties to stay out of the conflict.
Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “conveyed that additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days,” the White House said.
“The leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to ensure that no enemies of Israel believe they can or should seek advantage from the current situation,” it said in a statement.
The US president further “pledged his full support for the Government and people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists.”
Hamas later accused the United States in a statement of “actual participation in the aggression against our people” by moving the aircraft carrier.
Quote:Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that they have reports several Americans were killed during Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on Saturday, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “I want to ask about any Americans in Israel. Is there any indication that Americans were killed or kidnapped by terrorists?”
Blinken said, “Yes. We have reports that several Americans were killed. We’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans, and, there again, we’re working to verify those reports.”
Bash said, “It does seem like this very coordinated attack came out of nowhere. I want our viewers to listen to what the U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said just nine days ago.”
During an interview with The Atlantic, Sullivan said, “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades. Now challenges remain, Iran’s nuclear weapons program, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians but the amount of time that I have to spend on crisis and conflict in the Middle East compared today to my predecessors going back to 9/11 is significantly reduced.”
Blinken said, “What Jake Sullivan said is right.”
Now I truly believe that Blinken and Sullivan gotta be real lunatics. They definitively live in another world where practically all acts of terrorism are deemed as "peaceful protests" just because.
Quote:A couple’s recent trip from Grand Rapids, Michigan, became a nightmare after reaching crime-ridden and Democrat-controlled Portland, Oregon.
Adrian Hammerle and Eleora Gouine were excited about the 2,300-mile journey to Portland, where Adrian previously lived for a few years, KATU reported Thursday.
They'd heard about Portland's crime issues but understood it's something all big cities are going through.
This understanding changed after their windows were broken out and all their belongings were stolen two different times in a matter of days.
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Eleora said they knew about the crime plaguing the city but were not too worried about it. One day after settling into their Portland hotel, Adrian and Eleora found their car window had been smashed.
A Nintendo Switch video game was missing, but the couple’s camping equipment remained. To try and avoid a second instance, the two parked their car on the top floor of a different parking garage.
However, a few days later, the couple found the vehicle in even worse condition.
Quote:Police appear to not know why carjackings in Washington, DC, dramatically increased 111 percent in the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same time period in 2022, even though authorities refused to prosecute 67 percent of those arrested last year.
A total of 760 carjackings occurred in the first ten months of 2023 in the nation’s capital, police statistics show. During the same time period in 2022, 360 carjackings occurred.
The number of carjacking in 2023 is higher than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined.
Carjackings occur nearly everywhere in the District. The hot spots are near the H Street Corridor and across the Anacostia River bordering Maryland, police data shows.
Those arrested for jacking cars are primarily below 18 years of age. Sixty-five percent of those arrested are juveniles, according to police data.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves suggested in August that his office would crack down on some crimes involving juveniles. His office does not generally prosecute them. According to 2022 District statistics, Graves refused to prosecute 67 percent of those arrested who could have stood trial in the D.C. Superior Court. Among juvenile crime, he refused to prosecute 26 percent, according to data obtained by the Washington Post.
President Joe Biden nominated Graves to his position in 2021, and the Senate confirmed him.
Do you remember that I had reported the decease of a journalist that didn't believe that crime was a serious issue at all? Here's an update provided by the local police department.
Quote:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, journalist Josh Kruger was allegedly killed by someone he was trying to “help … get through life,” according to police.
Philadelphia police named Robert Davis, 19, as the suspect in Kruger’s death.
The suspect allegedly shot Kruger seven times in the chest and abdomen around 1:30 a.m. on Monday.
Kruger then left his home in search of help, but collapsed on the street. Someone found him and he was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Philadelphia Police Department Lieutenant Hamilton Marshond said, “At this time we believe that Mr. Kruger was trying to help Mr. Davis, and they were acquaintances. He was just trying to help him just get through life.”
The police put out an arrest warrant for Davis for murder and other related offenses.
“We are also asking Mr. Davis to surrender himself to the police,” the police officer said. The police did not disclose a potential motive for the killing.
Quote:The Office of the Governor-General of Canada apologized on Wednesday after the discovery that a 1987 recipient of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s top honors, was a veteran of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen-SS, stating that honoring Nazi soldiers is not “reflective of Canadian values.”
The discovery that Order of Canada recipient Peter Savaryn served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a Nazi division serving in Ukraine, followed the outrageous standing ovation offered to a soldier from the same unit, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, in Canada’s Parliament in late September.
Now-former Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota invited Hunka to a special session of the legislature attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ... Zelensky, radical leftist Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the lawmakers of the Canadian Parliament gave Hunka a standing ovation as Rota described him as a “veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today even at his age of 98.”
The fighters in Ukraine at the time “against the Russians” were Nazis.
Rota resigned after Hunka’s history with the Waffen-SS surfaced. Trudeau, who has a prolific history of wearing racist “blackface” costumes, has refused to take any responsibility for the affair, blaming “Russian disinformation” for the outrage.
Pressure continues to mount on Trudeau’s government to expose the people living in Canada, such as Hunka, who may have committed war atrocities as part of the Nazi forces and took refuge in the country, facing no consequences. Among the most prominent demands of human rights groups in the country has been the publication of the results of a 1968 investigation into the Nazis Canada allowed to move into the country after World War II. The Deschênes Commission report included a classified list of individuals believed to be Nazis living in Canada at the time, potentially as many as 2,000 from the Ukrainian division of the Waffen-SS alone.
A couple of days ago, the following had happened in Canada & US...
Quote:Smoke from Canada’s still-burning wildfires once again drifted across the border into the northern United States this week, prompting smoke and haze advisories until Wednesday, although the air quality remained much higher than it was during Canadian wildfire smoke plumes this summer.
“The smoke and haze will likely stay much higher up in the air than it was in June and July, meaning the impacts won’t be nearly as severe for those on the ground. As compared to the summer, when air quality reached hazardous levels, this week will be far less severe,” NBC News in New York explained on Monday.
Those high-altitude winds and high-pressure zones helped the wildfire smoke travel all the way to Florida, where milky hazes were observed as far south as Miami on Tuesday. The sky in Orlando was visibly tinged orange on Monday evening, triggering “moderate” air quality ratings across the Tampa-Orlando area.
On Tuesday, some surprisingly heavy concentrations of imported Canadian smoke gave parts of Florida the worst air-quality ratings in the country.
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Seattle also reported “unhealthy” air quality on Tuesday due to the Canadian wildfire smoke. New York, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Detroit were among the cities that reported Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers high enough to be considered “unhealthy for some.”
The Canadian government said last week that almost 500 wildfires are still burning out of control. Over 37 million acres have been damaged by the fires this year, a total area comparable in size to New York state.
If anything, the wildfire situation appeared to be growing worse over the past week, after a month of improvements. Some experts said the latest round of fires pumped more carbon emissions into the atmosphere in a matter of days than Canadian fires usually produce during an entire summer.
Quote:The Indian government reportedly instructed Canada on Tuesday to withdraw 41 members of its diplomatic corps from Indian soil, a sign that relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of murdering Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Financial Times quoted sources who said New Delhi threatened to revoke diplomatic immunity for any of the 41 diplomats who remain in India after October 10.
“We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats’ safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters on Tuesday.
Canada’s diplomatic staff in India is much larger than the reverse, so evicting a few dozen Canadians would bring them into “parity,” according to India’s only public statements on the matter. One of the reasons Canada has such a large diplomatic entourage in India is because so many Indians live in Canada, especially Sikhs.
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India furiously denied the accusation, then lashed out at Canada for not taking its security concerns about the Khalistanis seriously. India and Canada each expelled a diplomat the day after Trudeau leveled his accusation. India then announced an indefinite halt to visas for Canadians.
Quote:An investigative group opposed to the Putin regime claims the Moscow city authority accidentally uploaded a sensitive document listing “special” buildings in the area, inadvertently revealing the locations of military intelligence operatives, safehouses, and undercover buildings.
A 434-page document of “special list” addresses across Russia, meaning they should continue to receive electricity even during power cuts, has revealed the locations of large numbers of sensitive state employees, spies, and hidden government buildings, the Dossier Centre investigative group claims. Among those ‘doxed’ by their own government in the middle of a war are officers of the army intelligence branch GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate), locations of offices of KGB successor the FSB (Federal Security Service), and even newly built border posts near Ukraine, they say.
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The document appears to have now been taken down from the website of Moscow City Hall.
As noted in a report of Le Figaro, the Dossier Centre is an investigative project of the outlawed Russian political opposition, and funded by exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The group says the bumper PDF was uploaded by Moscow’s city government to their own website listing special consumers of electricity to be guaranteed a connection in all circumstances, and most of the content is not secret, as many of the institutions are things like hospitals, police stations, and federal buildings.
Yet other entries in the document reveal “outwardly inconspicuous buildings” harbouring intelligence agencies. Many of these are in ordinary residential buildings, and the detail of the list — the group claims — reveals what may be the true purpose of several mysterious buildings in Russia that have been the subject of past speculation.
Comparing the data with satellite and other imagery, the Dossier Centre concludes that intelligence officers appear to be fond of living or working in historic houses in elite neighbourhoods. In North Ossetia, a Russian Republic in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, there are security services outposts on the special list in “almost every village”.
Quote:The German government’s development minister, Svenja Schulze, announced on Sunday that as a result of the “terrible turning point” of Saturday’s surprise terror attacks and invasion of Israel by Hamas, a review will be conducted of the hundreds of millions that Germany supplies to Palestine.
“These attacks on Israel are a terrible turning point,” the Social Democrat Party politician said according to German broadcaster NTV. “We will therefore examine our entire commitment to the Palestinian territories.”
The Federal Development Ministry went on to state that all aid has been suspended amid the review, saying that current humanitarian support payments are “not currently being made”.
According to the ministry, Germany is “one of the largest donors in the Palestinian territories.” For 2023 and 2024, Germany has committed €250 million (around $265 million) in aid to Palestine, half of which is spent through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
The government has maintained that there is “no direct financing of the Palestinian Authority” but rather the money goes directly for projects to improve water quality, healthcare, food security, and employment, which the ministry claimed is often in Israel’s interest.
A woman seen stripped half naked in a pickup truck and flanked by Hamas terrorists has been identified as German citizen Shani Louk.
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Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), one of the members of the “traffic light” coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called for a swift decision to be made on the aid being sent to Palestine in the aftermath of the attacks against Israel over the weekend.
Quote:Gasgrid Finland and Elering, the Finnish and Estonian gas system operators, said they noted an unusual drop in pressure in the pipeline shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, after which they shut down the gas flow.
“Based on observations, it was suspected that the offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia was leaking,” Gasgrid Finland said in a statement. “The valves in the offshore pipeline are now closed and the leak is thus stopped.”
The Finnish operator gave no reason for the suspected leak and said it was investigating together with Elering.
Gasgrid Finland said the Finnish gas system is stable and the supply of gas has been secured through the Inkoo floating LNG terminal, referring to the offshore support vessel Exemplar – a floating liquefied natural gas terminal at the southern Finnish port of Inkoo.
Elering said the accident did not affect the gas supply to Estonian consumers. After the shutdown of Balticconnector, gas for Estonian consumers was coming from Latvia, it said.
No Evidence Russia Involved in Nord Stream Blasts Found So Far, German Investigators Admit.
Quote:The scale of the gang wars in Sweden has grown to such an extent establishment media has seemingly begun to realise multiculturalism has ravaged the country.
“Everyone feels at risk,” declared Charlie Duxbury of the neo-liberal POLITICO website on Tuesday, as he reported that a fourth bombing had occurred in his area of Stockholm since the start of the year. In total, there have been at least 134 bombings across Sweden in 2023, compared to 90 for the entirety of last year. Meanwhile, there have been 289 shootings since the start of the year, following 391 in 2022.
“The upswell of violence has been so intense, widespread and chaotically executed — inexperienced teenage boys are often recruited to carry out the attacks — that there is a growing sense here that no one is safe from it,” the establishment journalist said of his adopted country.
While the POLITICO article seemingly sought to overlook the impact of mass migration on the situation in Sweden as a talking point of the right, it did acknowledge that much of the gang violence is believed to be a result of a battle between the so-called “Kurdish Fox”, Iraqi-born Rawa Majid, and a former fellow gang member Islmail Abdo.
However, the Times of London was more blunt in its assessment last week, noting that the gunmen fighting for the rival factions are “typically first or second-generation immigrants who often grow up in the crime-ridden suburbs of Sweden’s larger cities, with little sense of having a stake in mainstream society.”
The scale of immigration to the country, which soared in the wake of the 2015 European Migrant Crisis, has meant that now at least one-fifth of Sweden’s population are foreigners.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday backtracked from Biden administration statements made this week that cited the need to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in South Texas.
"I want to address today’s reporting relating to a border wall and be absolutely clear," he said in a statement. "There is no new Administration policy with respect to border walls. From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer."
"That remains our position and our position has never wavered," he added. "The language in the Federal Register notice is being taken out of context and it does not signify any change in policy whatsoever."
The remarks by Mayorkas came a day after DHS posted an announcement in the U.S. Federal Register that outlines construction in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where the administration says there is "high illegal entry."
The agency says there have been more than 245,000 migrant encounters in the sector this fiscal year.
In the Federal Register announcement, Mayorkas said he is using his authority provided by Congress to waive 26 federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act.
Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News last week there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which would be the highest monthly total on record.
Mexico Migrants Kidnapped
Republicans have blamed the surge on the rollback of Trump-era border policies and the halting of border wall construction. Biden has also been criticized for suing Texas over floating barriers on the Rio Grande.
"President Trump is always right," the Trump campaign previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "That’s why he built close to 500 miles of powerful new wall on the border, and it would have been finished by now. Instead, Crooked Joe Biden turned our country into one giant sanctuary for dangerous criminal aliens."
Note: U.S. President Biden now admits he must use the money set aside for the wall since it was mandated by law.
Dick Butkus, arguably the fiercest Monster of the Midway, has died at age 80, the Chicago Bears announced Thursday.
Butkus became a Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer in his nine-year career, which started in 1965. The middle linebacker was a vicious tackler whose intimidating presence put some players on their heels before the ball was even snapped.
In a statement released through the Bears, Butkus' family said he "died peacefully in his sleep overnight" at his home in Malibu, California.
"Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history," team chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. "He was Chicago's son. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidentally, what George Halas looks for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership.
"He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates. ... His contributions to the game he loved will live forever and we are grateful he was able to be at our home opener this year to be celebrated one last time by his many fans."
The Bears took on the Commanders on Thursday night in Landover, Maryland, and a moment of silence for Butkus was held before kickoff.
Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones once called Butkus a "maniac" and "well-conditioned animal." Butkus appeared to want to send a message with every tackle.
"I want to just let 'em know that they've been hit, and when they get up, they don't have to look to see who it was that hit 'em," Butkus once told NFL Films. "It shouldn't be any puzzle. When they come to, they got to say, 'It must've been Butkus that got me.'"
In a game against the rival Green Bay Packers during the 1970 season, Butkus and teammate Willie Holman hit quarterback Bart Starr so hard Starr lost his helmet and began walking toward the wrong bench.
Said the Chicago Tribune: "[Starr] looked like Oscar Bonavena after Cassius Clay [Muhammad Ali] had finished with him."
He made the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons, but a chronic knee injury abruptly ended his career in 1974 at age 31.
"Dick Butkus was a fierce and passionate competitor who helped define the linebacker position as one of the NFL's all-time greats," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Thursday. "Dick's intuition, toughness and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears.
"... We send our deepest condolences to the Butkus family, the Bears organization and the many fans and people he impacted throughout his life."
Butkus finished his career with 1,020 tackles and 22 interceptions. He was named first team All-Pro five times, won the George Halas Award in 1974 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1979.
He also was named to the NFL's all-decade teams in the 1960s and 1970s and is a member of the league's 75th and 100th anniversary all-time teams.
Butkus spent his entire football career in Illinois. Born on Dec. 9, 1942, as the youngest of eight children, he grew up on the city's South Side as a fan of the Chicago Cardinals, the Bears' crosstown rivals. He played high school football for Chicago Vocational High School, earning a high school player of the year award as a junior.
He went on to compete in college at Illinois, where he played both center and linebacker. He helped the Fighting Illini to an 8-1-1 record and Rose Bowl victory in 1963. In his senior season, he made the All-America team and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.
That led to Butkus being selected by the Bears with the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft. He had to fill the big shoes of Hall of Fame linebacker Bill George, but Butkus quickly showed he was up to the task. He set career highs with five interceptions and seven fumble recoveries during his rookie season.
Butkus would hit runners high, wrap them up and drive them to the ground like a rag doll. Sports Illustrated once called him "The Most Feared Man in the Game."
When the Detroit Lions unveiled an I-formation against the Bears at old Tigers Stadium, Butkus knocked every member of the "I" -- the center, quarterback, fullback and halfback -- out of the game.
Said teammate Ed O'Bradovich: "Just to hit people wasn't good enough. He loved to crush people."
"I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately," Butkus once replied tongue-in-cheek when asked about his on-field reputation. "Unless it was, you know, important... like a league game or something."
Butkus played for only two winning teams with the Bears, however, and never made the playoffs. He came on during the end of the George Halas era, just missing the 1963 championship season. In his final season, the Bears went 3-11.
After he retired, Butkus sued the Bears for $1.6 million, contending he was provided inadequate medical care and owed the four years of salary remaining on his contract. The lawsuit was settled for $600,000, but Butkus and Halas didn't speak for five years.
That divide healed, however, and he became a staunch public supporter of the franchise. A year ago, he even took over the team's social media account for an evening, thrilling fans.
Through the Butkus Foundation, he helped establish a program at a Southern California hospital to encourage early screenings to detect heart disease. He promoted a campaign to encourage high school athletes to train and eat well and avoid performance-enhancing drugs.
The foundation oversees the Butkus Award, established in 1985 to honor college football's best linebacker. It was expanded in 2008 to include pros and high school players.
"Dick had a gruff manner, and maybe that kept some people from approaching him, but he actually had a soft touch," McCaskey, who is Halas' grandson, said in his statement. "His legacy and philanthropy included a mission of ridding performance enhancing drugs from sports and promoting heart health."
Many people knew Butkus more for his appearances in films -- such as "Brian's Song" in 1971 and "The Longest Yard" in 1974 -- and on television ("My Two Dads" and "Hang Time") after his playing days. He became a well-known pitchman in commercials. His Miller Lite commercials with Bubba Smith, in which they played off their menacing reputations, were especially well-known.
Butkus also was a sports broadcaster, even serving as a color analyst on Bears games.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame lowered its flags to half-staff in Butkus' honor.
"Playing in an era when middle linebacker became one of the game's glamour positions -- and several of Dick's contemporaries also would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- his name most often was cited first as the epitome of what it took to excel at the highest level," Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement.
Butkus is survived by his wife, Helen, and children Ricky, Matt and Nikki. Nephew Luke Butkus has coached in college and the NFL, including time with the Bears.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:“While welcoming our Iran hostages home, I said at the time — paying ransom (eg unfreezing $6 billion) is problematic because it incentivizes new hostage taking & gives terrorists money for new operations. I didn’t think we would see these points illustrated so vividly, so quickly,” O’Brien posted on X.
O’Brien served during the Trump administration as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs from 2018 through 2019 and helped secure the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey in 2018. He also helped secure the release of Danny Burch, an American oil worker in Yemen.
O’Brien said he called on President Joe Biden on Saturday to deploy the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and Joint Special Operations Command’s hostage extraction forces to assist Israel.
“We now know [American citizens] have been taken by Hamas,” O’Brien posted. “Those teams should be airborne to the region now to be in a position to rescue our countrymen.”
Quote:The Biden White House was reportedly in the midst of hosting a barbecue, even as Americans were announced as among those confirmed killed or taken hostage during Hamas’ surprise attack over the weekend.
The White House National Security Council verified Sunday that multiple Americans lost their lives in the unexpected assault by Hamas on Israel.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a memo detailing the scheduled barbeque was revealed.
“The President and First Lady are hosting a barbecue for White House Executive Residence staff and their families,” the memo reads.
...
In response, many expressed outrage over the event in light of reports of an unknown number of missing and murdered Americans.
“While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band,” wrote Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.
...
“Americans are being held hostage by terrorists, and Biden stopped working before noon,” wrote MAGA Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “Having worked in the Trump White House, I can tell you President Trump would have been working in the Oval all day and night.”
“Then again – this would have never happened under his watch,” she added. “Even worse – BIDEN IS HOSTING A BARBECUE. There are no words.”
Quote:Pompeo, who served as former President Donald Trump’s secretary of state when the administration moved to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, shared the Wall Street Journal’s report Monday morning that Iran assisted in coordinating Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The Journal, citing a “senior member of Hamas and Hezbollah,” reported Sunday night that “Iranian security officials helped plan Hamas’s Saturday surprise attack on Israel and gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut last Monday.”
“We told the Ayatollah and Soleimani: If you plot against or kill an American, we won’t stop by fighting the knucklehead proxies you fund and hide behind. We will hold the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leadership accountable. They did and so we did,” Pompeo wrote in his tweet sharing the article:
“If this article has it right – Iran has now killed Americans. Appeasement will cause more death,” he added.
At least nine Americans were killed in the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, according to the State Department, and the death toll in Israel has surpassed 700 people.
“We have reports that several Americans were killed. We’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union Sunday morning:
Per the Journal, the plan was devised over multiple meetings in Lebanon between officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard and Hamas in the past couple of months, although a “spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the Islamic Republic stood in support of Gaza’s actions but didn’t direct them.”
Blinken told Bash that the Biden administration had “not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there’s certainly a long relationship” between Iran and Hamas.
Quote:An American scholar was killed in Israel during the violent terror attacks when the Palestinian terror group Hamas found him hiding in a closet with his neighbors, his mother revealed.
Thirty-two-year-old American-born Dr. Hayim Katsman was one of at least 11 Americans killed during the violent terror attacks.
“As we continue to account for the horrors of the appalling terrorist assault against Israel this weekend and the hundreds of innocent civilians who were murdered, we are seeing the immense scale and reach of this tragedy,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday. “Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel.”
Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel from Gaza over the weekend on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle. The attack has resulted in over 900 deaths and at least 2,500 wounded, according to the latest reports.
Katsman was living in a Jewish commune in Israel conducting research. The Association for Israel Studies described Katsman as “an emerging scholar in the field of Israel studies, who was “deeply committed to community service,” the Daily Mail reported.
Katsman’s mother revealed he was killed when Hamas militants broke into his home and found him hiding in a closet with one of his neighbors, according to ABC News. One of Katsman’s neighbors was released, but he and a female neighbor were immediately shot dead, his mother said.
Quote:Highlighting Israel’s costly failure to secure its border over the weekend, Republicans are speaking out on the increasing threat of terrorism on U.S. soil due to poor border security that has already seen an unprecedented amount of people on the terrorist watchlist caught attempting to cross the southern border, leading to concerns of untold amounts of others who have managed to successfully infiltrate the country.
“Now is the time for bold action,” declared former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). “Here’s how America must meet the moment:"
1. Rescue all American hostages
2. Provide full support for our ally Israel
3. Confront Iran and the new Axis of Evil
4. Focus on securing our own open border
5. Condemn antisemitism in the United States.
“We should wake up ourselves. We could have the same thing happen next week to us,” McCarthy noted. “We caught more people on the terrorist watchlist in February than we caught in the entire administration. We could have cells sitting inside of America right now.”
“The same people that raided Israel are pouring into our once beautiful USA, through our TOTALLY OPEN SOUTHERN BORDER, at Record Numbers,” former President Donald Trump wrote. “Are they planning an attack within our Country? Crooked Joe Biden and his BOSS, Barack Hussein Obama, did this to us!”
...
Calling to cut off any and all types of foreign aid flowing to Hamas, Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on America to “immediately shut down America’s wide-open southern border to ensure we are in a position to better protect Americans here at home from these real threats.”
Quote:“Dear Members of the Harvard Community,” the statement began. “We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now under way.”
The statement continued:
The violence hits all too close to home for many at Harvard. Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have been unable to reach loved ones. And, even for people at Harvard who have not been affected directly by the fighting, there are feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and more that create a heavy burden. We have heard from many students, faculty, and staff about the emotional toll that these events are taking.
The statement — signed by Harvard President Claudine Gay, Provost Alan M. Garber, Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick, and 15 deans — did not push back in any way against the scores of student groups that issued a statement expressing their support for terrorists and blaming Israel for Hamas killing hundreds of Israelis.
“Across Harvard, we will continue providing as much support to our students and colleagues as possible,” the statement read. “We have also heard an interest from many in understanding more clearly what has been happening in Israel and Gaza.”
Quote:Hamas supporters chanted, “Gas the Jews,” beside the world-famous Sydney Opera House in Australia, according to a video shared by the Australian Jewish Association.
...
The event was held to celebrate Hamas’ massacre of Jews and its simultaneous attacks on Israeli security forces.
The shouters waved their home country flags, including the flags of Turkey and Lebanon. Some waved the flag adopted by people who identify as Palestinians.
Drew Pavlou Wrote:Masked men chant “Fuck The Jews” at pro-Palestine rally on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Completely despicable anti-semitic hatred, I can’t believe we are seeing this on the streets of Sydney.
Hamas supporters held many similar celebrations in the Arab world, as well as in Europe and the United States.
BrotherRachid Wrote:I was raised as a Muslim, I was taught religiously to hate Jews, the majority of Muslims around the world are raised to do the same. The ones who didn’t are the exception not the norm. It’s embedded, it’s horrible, it’s time to address it boldly. This is not an isolated incident.
The Australian government has imported roughly 800,000 Muslims to help local employers, real estate investors, and retailers. About one in every 33 Australians are Muslim. The giveaway to businesses has hurt Australian families by spiking the cost of housing and by expanding diversity to create Muslim enclaves, such as Lakemba Station.
Many Muslim immigrants likely object to the hatred — but have not yet organized any resistance.
The crowd at Sydney Hall also burned an Israeli flag.
Quote:Latin American leftists, including the leaders of the region’s three authoritarian regimes, openly expressed support or justification for the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas’s killing spree in Israel this weekend.
The vocal leftist voices justifying the killing, torturing, abducting, and desecrating of corpses beginning in Israel this weekend continued as reports have grown of missing and/or dead Latin Americans in Israel.
Young Israeli woman named Noa who was attending a music festival promoting peace near the Gaza border has been kidnapped by Hamas militants and driven away on a motorcycle.
At press time, there are several reports of dead Latin American citizens among the over 800 killed by Hamas. The number of injured or missing Latin Americans continues to grow, though it remains fluid and unconfirmed.
Some of the confirmed reports include four Argentine citizens dead as a result of Hamas’ terrorist attacks and four more missing. Two Chilean nationals have also been confirmed dead. Authorities at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry confirmed that one of their nationals was injured by the attacks and three Brazilian men remain missing as of Sunday.
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A Colombian couple attending the Supernova music festival in southern Israel is also reported missing. At least two confirmed Mexican nationals are being held hostage by Hamas, according to the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena.
..
While a Paraguayan husband-and-wife couple were reported dead by local Paraguayan media over the weekend, the nation’s Foreign Minister stated on Monday that Paraguay has not yet received official confirmation from Israeli authorities.
Some regional governments began to initiate on Monday proceedings towards providing assistance to the hundreds of Latin American nationals currently in Israel and arranging for their eventual return to their respective countries. Out of the roughly 14,000 Brazilians currently living in Israel, some 1,000 Brazilians currently in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have requested Brasilia’s aid to facilitate their safe return home.
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Venezuela’s socialist regime was among the first to justify Hamas’s terrorism through a statement issued by its Foreign Ministry on Saturday. The regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro expressed its “profound concern” about the events and blamed them on the “impossibility of the Palestinian people to find in the multilateral international law a space to assert their historical rights.”
Cuba’s communist Castro regime, through its Foreign Ministry, avoided condemning Hamas’s attack, opting to refer to the incident as an “escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine.” While Hamas is a Palestinian terrorist organization, the Palestinian Authority is the current ruling entity in Gaza and the West Bank. the Castro regime blamed Hamas’ unilateral assault on Israeli civilians on “75 years of permanent violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and of Israel’s aggressive and expansionist policy.”
In Nicaragua, communist dictator Daniel Ortega issued a statement via state-owned media in which he refused to condemn Hamas while expressing his regime’s “solidarity with the Palestine cause.”
“The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, and the people of Nicaragua, always in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, always fraternal, always close, condemning the barbarism unleashed again between two brotherly peoples, from our own experiences of imposed wars,” the statement reportedly read.
In a post on Twitter on Sunday morning, Petro, a former member of the Marxist M19 guerrilla organization, claimed that he had studied the Israeli-Palestine conflict since he was “very young” and asserted that he knows the “immense injustice that the Palestinian people have suffered since 1948. Just as I know about the immense injustice that the Jewish people suffered from the Nazis in Europe since 1933.”
...
Local media reported that the Colombian government had initially issued a statement where it condemned the terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. While the original statement saw the Colombian government express its solidarity with the victims and their families, it failed to directly mention Hamas.
The statement disappeared from the Colombian Foreign Ministry’s website and replaced with a new version that removed the word “terrorism,” replacing it with “attacks on civilians.” While the original statement is now inaccessible, it can still be read through Google’s cache at press time.
Brief Open Editorial on Some Morons That Have Forgotten How to Interpret World Events
Content Hidden
The Colombian president ignores the suffering of his fellow Colombians that have lost relatives during the attacks, and who knows if some group of them are being held hostage right now. Then he claims that the Palestinians are the victims. How so? They killed civilians just because! They might have even thought they all were Israelis, even if several of them were Americans, Germans or Latin Americans!
Please get it. This is not a battle between 2 armies but a bunch of terrorists against the average joe living in Israel or working there or visiting the country.
The Jews didn't raise their weapons against the Nazis back in the pre-WWII period like the Palestinians did now against Israel. There's no point of comparison, this is just another attempt of exterminating another ethnic group just because they hate it.
No Palestinians in the Judea and Samaria regions are being bothered or attacked by Israeli army or police. This proves that Israel is not after any ethnic group but just focused on actual terrorists as any independent nation that strives to survive would do around the world. And yes, the US should be looking for them in the southern border and in many other states right now...
Oh but it's important to replace a previously posted statement just because it could make Petro look guilty of being a terrorist himself. Not like anybody could get that wrong any time soon.
Anyway, why don't we take a look a Palestinian's point of view now?
Quote:The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, categorically condemned the ongoing terrorist rampage by the Hamas jihadist group in Israel, writing on social media on Sunday that, as someone of Palestinian heritage, he hoped to see the region “get rid of those animals and let the good people thrive.”
Bukele compared Hamas to the various violent gangs that controlled his country for many years – most prominently, the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 – and described the Palestinian terrorists as “savage beasts” who are not representative of the Palestinian people. Just as his administration has, most experts agreed, eradicated the dominant presence of gangs in his country, Bukele urged the eradication of jihadist terrorists from Israel.
“As a Salvadoran with Palestinian ancestry, I’m sure the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear. Those savage beasts do not represent the Palestinians,” Bukele wrote in a post published to Twitter on Sunday night. “Anyone who supports the Palestinian cause would make a great mistake siding with those criminals.”
“It would be like if Salvadorans would have sided with MS13 terrorists, just because we share ancestors or nationality,” he continued. “The best thing that happened to us as a nation was to get rid of those rapists and murderers, and let the good people thrive.”
“Palestinians should do the same: get rid of those animals and let the good people thrive,” he advised. “That’s the only way forward.”
Quote:Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said following a situation assessment with Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Southern Command the military will enact a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, preventing supplies such as water, food and electricity from entering the region.
The Defense Minister said, according to The Times of Israel: “I ordered a full siege on the Gaza Strip. No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed.
“We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” Gallant added.
The Israel Defense Forces has also said it is currently waging “widespread” air strikes against Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip.
The IDF’s top spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the military has mobilised 300,000 reservists over the past 48 hours, saying: “We have never drafted so many reservists on such a scale… We are going on the offensive.”
The chief military spokesman went on to say that Israeli troops have regained control over the border towns but that some clashes with Hamas terrorists are continuing, saying: “We are now carrying out searches in all of the communities and clearing the area.”
...
[Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan] Conricus went on to say that one of the chief goals of the military operation will be to ensure that “Hamas will no longer be able to govern the Gaza Strip,” adding that the situation is “fundamentally different than what it was two days ago.”
“At the end of this war, we will change the situation for the better… for Israeli civilians and it will be better for the Palestinians as well,” he said.
According to the latest estimates, over 800 people in Israel have been killed by Hamas terrorists, including approximately 260 who were massacred at a music festival in Southern Israel on Saturday. More than 2,500 have also been wounded in the fighting, and over 100 are believed to have been taken hostage by the Palestinians.
According to RAdm. Hagari, at least 4,400 rockets have rained down on Israel since the start of the fighting on Saturday morning, which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle. The Palestinians, meanwhile, have claimed that 493 people have died in Gaza, with a further 2,751 wounded.
And just in case you ever think the Israeli government is exaggerating here, please read the following article.
Quote:The families of several kidnap and murder victims from the savage Hamas attack on Saturday have reported the terrorists using the cell phones and social media accounts of their victims to send them graphic photos and taunting text messages.
In one of several similar incidents, Hamas terrorists broke into a grandmother's home in Nir Oz, near Gaza, took her phone, logged into her Facebook, and live streamed himself murdering her. That’s how her granddaughter found out she was murdered.
...
The woman referenced in the above incident, Mor Bayder, said Hamas uploaded a graphic photo of her grandmother’s corpse to her own Facebook account on Saturday morning. The photo was taken with her slain grandmother’s phone.
“A terrorist came home to her, killed her, took her phone, filmed the horror and published it on her Facebook wall. This is how we found out,” Bayder said.
“The purest thing in the world, the light of my life, my whole world, my grandmother, can’t make it real,” she mourned.
A woman named Tamar David received a taunting phone call from a Hamas terrorist on Saturday, informing her that her daughters Hodia and Tair, 25 and 27 years old respectively, had been kidnapped from a music festival and dragged back to Gaza as prisoners.
...
Friend of the family Tal Hezekiah took the phone from Tamar as she wailed in anguish, and said he could hear the terrorist laughing on the other end.
“Then the terrorist laughed and said to me in broken Hebrew: ‘Do you want to marry her?’ And hung up,” he told reporters.
Hezekiah said one of the sisters was able to call home during the savage assault on the Tribe of Nova music festival. He said one of them “may have been injured” during the attack.
Quote:The Palestinian terror group Hamas has threatened to execute Israeli hostages, one-by-one, “with video and audio,” for every time that Israel launches an airstrike against a Palestinian target in Gaza without warning.
The threat came via a Hamas spokesman, and was reported by the Times of Israel:
The Hamas terror group is threatening to begin executing hostages in response to Israeli strikes in Gaza carried out without warnings, the spokesperson for Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades says, according to Gaza’s Shehab news outlet.
“From this hour, any targeting of our people in the safety of their homes, without warning, will be met with the execution of civilian hostages, which will be broadcast with video and audio,” says the spokesperson, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida.
In past conflicts, Israel has often warned the civilian occupants of buildings that are also Hamas targets to flee, by dropping dummy bombs on building a few minutes before they are attacked with live bombs.
...
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that the goal of Israel’s attack on Gaza is to remove Hamas as a military and governing force.
Hamas appears to be taking a page from the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, which infamously broadcast executions of hostages.
Quote:The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose by around four percent to close to $88 a barrel. Brent prices are most closely associated with the price of gasoline in the U.S.
The price of West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, rose by just over four percent to around $86 a barrel.
Israel has announced a “complete siege” of the Gaza strip following Hamas’s massive attack on the Jewish state. The death toll has risen to 800 people as of Monday morning and more than 2,500 are reported wounded.
Oil traders are speculating what the war could mean for global oil supplies. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Iran was involved with planning the attack. Oil traders believe this could result in increased enforcement on exports of Iranian oil.
Prolonged fighting could also complicate efforts by the Biden administration to convince OPEC+ to increase production to lower the price of oil. Iran is a member of the oil cartel.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
WASHINGTON, DC: In a stark divergence from the bipartisan support typically seen in Congress regarding US-Israel relations, members of "The Squad," a group of far-left House Democrats, have ignited a controversy with their statements on the ongoing Hamas attack on Israel.
The notorious group, which includes representatives Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, has sparked calls for their removal from Congress and has drawn condemnation from some of their own party colleagues.
Representative Cori Bush of Missouri stated that the United States should cease its support for the "Israeli military occupation and apartheid." Her comments reflect a growing sentiment within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party that views US support for Israel as problematic and in need of reassessment.
Meanwhile, Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York called for an end to Israel's "blockade of Gaza." He argued that this blockade exacerbates the suffering of Palestinians in the region and that addressing this issue is critical for achieving peace and stability.
Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, from New York and Massachusetts, respectively, called for an "immediate ceasefire and de-escalation" in the ongoing conflict. They expressed concerns that Israel's military actions could lead to further loss of life and suffering among Palestinians in Gaza.
Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota initially criticized the violence caused by Hamas while urging "de-escalation and ceasefire." She framed the ongoing conflict as part of a "back and forth cycle," highlighting the cyclical nature of violence in the region. However, she later emphasized the need for a "moral awakening" in the US to address the human suffering in Gaza.
Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan placed the blame for Israel's suffering squarely on Israel itself. She advocated for lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling what she termed the "apartheid system" that creates the conditions conducive to resistance. Tlaib also called for the end of US support for Israel, linking it to the perpetuation of violence in the region.
The controversial rhetoric from these Squad members has triggered a growing chorus of calls for their expulsion from Congress.
"Ilhan Omar, AOC, Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib and the entire SQUAD should be expelled from Congress for their hateful rhetoric towards Israel," one posted on X.
"Need to remove the Squad Team that supports Hamas," another wrote.
"They should be expelled for violating their oaths of office," a comment read.
"Will this be the last straw? Most Dems in Congress support Israel and always have. Once a new Speaker is elected, will Congress finally expel the anti-Semitic, anti-American members of 'the Squad'?" someone else chimed in.
"Send them on a plane to the Gaza Strip," another quipped.
As reported by National Review, the controversy has not been confined to external voices, as members of their own party have also offered strong condemnations.
Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey expressed his dismay, stating that it "sickens" him that while Israelis grapple with the aftermath of violence, some in Congress advocate for stripping U.S. funding to a democratic ally, potentially causing further civilian suffering.
Representative Ritchie Torres of New York labeled the Squad members' comments as "reprehensible and repulsive." He stressed the need for Congress to provide Israel with necessary support to defend itself amid unprecedented terrorism.
Torres also condemned the portrayal of violence as "resistance," particularly given the tragic historical context of anti-Semitic violence. "Shame on anyone who glorifies as ‘resistance' the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust," he said.
Some members of the Squad, also self-identified as Democratic Socialists, had in the past been kicked out of Israel as it was found they only wished to enter in order to join an Anti-Israeli convention.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We always take our use of language very seriously. Anyone watching or listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorist’ used many times – we attribute it to those who are using it, for example, the UK government. This is an approach that has been used for decades, and is in line with that of other broadcasters. The BBC is an editorially independent broadcaster whose job is to explain precisely what is happening ‘on the ground’ so our audiences can make their own judgement.”
The BBC has been told by the British government to review its opposition to calling Hamas a terrorist organization amid the Israel-Gaza crisis.
The BBC refers to Hamas as a “militant” group or variations of this phrase, pointing to its editorial guidelines which state that the word “terrorist” should not be used without attribution.
It is not clear how long this position will hold, however, given the BBC is now under political pressure to use more specific language after 1,000 people in Israel were killed during Hamas attacks.
During a pre-planned meeting, culture secretary Lucy Frazer asked Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, if the corporation should review its guidelines.
She disclosed the meeting in a letter to Marie van der Zyl, president of Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has said it is “obscene” that the BBC refuses to brand Hamas terrorists.
“I made extremely clear [to the BBC] my view that these were acts of terror carried out by a terrorist organisation,” Frazer told the Board of Deputies.
“I noted that, as you have, Hamas have been proscribed as a terrorist organisation since 2021 by the UK government, and are designated as such by many other international organisations and governments.”
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “This is not a time for equivocation, we should call it out for what it is.”
The BBC is under no obligation to act on the concerns of ministers because it is editorially independent of the government.
Frazer questioned whether the BBC was observing its news style guide, which states that “an action or event can be described as a terror attack or an act of terror.”
The BBC’s guidelines also state that the word “terrorist” can be a “barrier rather than an aid” to helping audiences understand news stories.
“We should convey to our audience the full consequences of the act by describing what happened. We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as bomber, attacker, gunman, kidnapper, insurgent and militant,” the BBC says.
“We should not adopt other people’s language as our own. Our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.”
Van der Zyl said the BBC’s position was “insulting to the many British Jews whose friends and families are currently under attack by genocidally antisemitic terrorists and performs a profound disservice to millions of viewers.”
Thousands of "special interest aliens" from numerous countries, including the Middle East, have been arrested by Border Patrol agents while attempting to cross the U.S. southern border illegally over the last two years, according to internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data leaked to Fox News.
"Special interest aliens" are people from countries identified by the U.S. government as having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the U.S.
That data, confirmed by multiple CBP sources and reflects apprehensions between ports of entry between October 2021 and October 2023, shows that agents encountered 6,386 nationals from Afghanistan in that period as well as 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran and 538 from Syria.
Agents also encountered 12,624 from Uzbekistan, 30,830 from Turkey, 1,613 from Pakistan, 164 from Lebanon, 185 from Jordan, 123 from Iraq and 15,594 from Mauritania. The data does not include information on how many of those migrants were removed or who were released into the U.S. with a court date.
Those numbers do not include encounters by CBP’s Office of Field Operations at ports of entry. It also does not include the numbers who have snuck past agents without detection -- sources say there have been over 1.5 million such "gotaways" during the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, fiscal year 2023 broke the record for encounters on the FBI terror watch list with 151 people encountered at the southern border between ports of entry, higher than the previous six years combined.
Border Patrol sources tell Fox they have extreme concerns about the people coming across from special interest countries, given they have little to no way to vet them. Unless they have committed a crime in the U.S. or are on a federal watch list, agents have no way of knowing their criminal history because their countries do not share data with the U.S., so there is nothing to match their name against when authorities run their fingerprints.
The data comes as the U.S. is struggling to deal with a new wave of migrants at the southern border, with numbers again hitting historic highs. Sources have told Fox that there were more than 260,000 encounters in September, which marks a new monthly record. Republicans in particular have raised concerns about the potential security threat of an environment in which Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed and migrants are being processed in significant numbers into the U.S. interior.
The Department of Homeland Security’s threat assessment, published last month, noted that agents have encountered a growing number on the watch list and warned that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."
"Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States," the assessment also said.
Last week, the Biden administration moved to waive more than two dozen federal regulations in order to build a border wall in South Texas, citing an "acute and immediate need" in order to prevent unlawful entries. However, the administration has since distanced itself from the move, noting that it was funding appropriated in 2019 and which Congress has refused to divert to other projects.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
News of the World
It's seems quite self evident that the 
judge had no other choice but to punish her for scamming her followers and the youth group. She pleaded guilty for not having any serious way to prove she never did it.
The first one being one of the founders herself!![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
![[Image: QrnbKlx.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/QrnbKlx.jpg)
![[Image: sGz1ErF.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sGz1ErF.png)
![[Image: liM4ikn.png]](https://i.imgur.com/liM4ikn.png)
![[Image: fdzKgZA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/fdzKgZA.png)
![[Image: sj0H81z.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sj0H81z.png)
![[Image: QL7oRau.png]](https://i.imgur.com/QL7oRau.png)
![[Image: uSqjY09.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uSqjY09.png)
![[Image: GAA3qE9.png]](https://i.imgur.com/GAA3qE9.png)
![[Image: 2Hmnx1G.png]](https://i.imgur.com/2Hmnx1G.png)
![[Image: BwtNdKw.png%5B]](https://i.imgur.com/BwtNdKw.png%5B)
It cannot be a coincidence, right?
Right and the moon is made out of cheese...
Now I truly believe that Blinken and Sullivan gotta be real lunatics. They definitively live in another world where practically all acts of terrorism are deemed as "peaceful protests" just because.
please read the following article.
