News of the World

[kyonides]

USA

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Illegal VS Undocumented Person

Biden: I Regret Using ‘Illegal’ for ‘Undocumented Person’ Suspected in Riley Case

During a portion of an interview with MSNBC set to air on Saturday’s broadcast of “The Saturday Show,” President Joe Biden stated that he regrets using the word “illegal” to describe the “Undocumented person” who is the suspected killer of Laken Riley.

Host Jonathan Capehart asked, “I noticed the look of surprise on your face when you walked into the chamber and you saw Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). It was priceless. You feigned shock at seeing her. But, during your response to her heckling of you, you used the word ‘illegal’ when talking about the man who allegedly killed Laken Riley.”

Biden responded, “Undocumented person. And I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal,’ I should have — it’s undocumented. And look, when I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of things I talked about on the border was the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood. I talked about what I’m not going to do, what I won’t do. I’m not going to treat any of these people with disrespect. Look, they built the country, the reason our economy is growing. We have to control the border and [have] more orderly flow, but I don’t share his view at all.”

Capehart then asked, “So, you regret using that word?”

Biden answered, “Yes.”

Pro-Palestinian Protesters

Pro-Palestinian protesters attempt to disrupt SOTU near Capitol: 'Biden's legacy is genocide'

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside President Biden’s State of the Union on Thursday night in an apparent attempt to disrupt proceedings.

About 100 protesters showed up at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 3rd Street in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night, about an hour before Biden was set to deliver his State of the Union address.

Protesters could be seen holding up a sign that said, "Biden’s legacy is genocide."

Photos from the scene showed protesters, many of them wearing face masks, blocking the street.

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department told Fox News Digital, "MPD is monitoring First Amendment activity at this location and no arrests have been made at this time."

Fox 5 DC reported earlier in the day that another pro-Palestine protest had taken place nearby in Lafayette Square around 6 p.m. ET. 

Police say one person was arrested and charged with reckless driving.

The protests further highlight the growing animosity Biden faces within his own party from activists calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and demanding the president do more to address the issue of civilian loss of life in Gaza.

Recent Fox News polling showed that support for Palestinians among Democrats has increased 17 points since October.

Schiff: Dumb Down Trump's Briefings

Schiff: I Hope Intelligence Community Will ‘Dumb Down’ Trump’s Briefings

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he hopes the intelligence community will “dumb down” former President Donald Trump’s briefings once he has the nomination.

Anchor Kristen Welker said, “Let me ask you about this development. This weekend, U.S. intelligence officials are planning to provide briefings for Donald Trump. One will see if he officially secures the nomination despite the fact that he’s facing 40 felony charges for his handling of classified documents as the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Do you think it’s appropriate for him to receive intelligence briefings,

Schiff said, “Well, then that is the practice but we never had a situation where one of the candidates for president has been so criminally negligent when it comes to handling if not worse when it comes to handling classified information. So I have to hope, knowing the intelligence community as i do that they will dumb down the briefing for Donald Trump. That is they will give him no more information than absolutely necessary, nothing that would reveal sources or methods because we can’t trust that he will do the right thing with information. He’s been so reckless. So yes, it does concern me. It is part of a long tradition they will be wary of what they share with him and they should.”

 Well, Biden did a terrible job at safekeeping his own share of classified documents.

Let's Probe All Booing Firefighters

FDNY Commissioner Blasted for Planning to Track Down Firefighters Who Booed NY Attorney General Letitia James

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been given a not-so-nice name after she said officials would try to identify firefighters that erupted in jeers on Thursday at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously vowed to take down former President Donald Trump.

The Daily Mail reported Saturday that Kavanagh has been labeled a “fascist pit bull” for planning to go after the first responders.

The initial incident happened Thursday as James prepared to give a speech at a New York Fire Department promotion ceremony. When she took the stage, shouting was heard and the firefighters also chanted Donald Trump’s name, the outlet said.

Video footage shows James behind a podium telling those in attendance to “simmer down” before the chant “Trump, Trump, Trump!” begins.

The Mail article continued:

FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens sent an email to department leaders warning of an impending investigation by the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) into the booing and ‘Trump’ chants directed at James.

Hodgens has urged those involved to come forward voluntarily to avoid being pursued by the department which is currently reviewing video footage of the entire ceremony.

Per the outlet, an FDNY firefighter criticized the chief’s response to the incident, saying, “It was a political stunt for the city to have the AG there. When it backfired, they sent their fascist pit bulls after guys for exercising their First Amendment rights,” adding that many in the crowd were off-duty and not wearing their uniforms at the time.

Even if they were wearing their uniforms, they still have rights. Plus, they weren't criticizing their own boss.

Oscars or "The Fence Gala"

Oscars Erect Wall of Steel Fencing to Avoid Humiliation by Pro-Palestinian Protesters

The Oscars will be conducted behind a massive screen of chain-link fencing this year as organizers are faced with threats of disruption by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The city block surrounding the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles has been blocked off with the fencing and, according to the New York Post, thousands of police and security personnel will be deployed to guard the venue.

The Los Angeles Police Dept. confirmed to the Post that they intend to have a large presence.

“We will deploy enough officers to ensure the safety of all the citizens and Oscar attendees. We hope for the best and are prepared for the worst,” the LAPD spokesman told the paper.

Oscars organizers are desperate to avoid what happened to the Grammy Awards when pro-Hamas protesters blocked roadways and prevented awards show participants from getting to LA’s Crypto.com Arena.

As Variety noted last month, the red carpet was shut down for a period of time as celebrities and other awards participants were prevented from reaching the arena.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences told the media that it hopes to avoid politics this year and that the safety and security of attendees is of primary importance.

Still, Oscars organizers also said they have not mandated that winners keep politics out of their stage speeches.

Venezuela

Biden Admin Official: Concessions Granted to Venezuela’s Brutal Socialists ‘Not Sufficient’

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols said on Thursday that the incentives the administration of President Joe Biden granted to Venezuela’s socialist regime were not “sufficient” to convince dictator Nicolás Maduro to carry out a “free and fair” presidential election.

Nichols made the assertion during a conference held by the Americas Society on the subject of the Biden administration’s Western Hemisphere policies.

Nichols said:

I think we have to make it very clear that the incentives that we and I think others in the international community have put on the table to move towards a competitive election in Venezuela have not been sufficient to motivate reforms and openness that Maduro’s side believes would jeopardize his government.

The Biden administration, which, for years, has encouraged Maduro to hold a “free and fair” election, offered the dictator lavish concessions in exchange for vague promises that the regime never indicated it would honor. By far the most lucrative incentive given was a broad oil and gas sanction relief package in October that allows Venezuela to once again freely sell its oil in U.S. and international markets.

LATIN AMERICA

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US Flies Away From Haiti

US flies forces in to beef up security at embassy in Haiti
and evacuate nonessential personnel

The U.S. military said Sunday that it had flown forces in to beef up security at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and allow nonessential personnel to leave.

The aircraft flew to the embassy compound, the U.S. Southern Command said, meaning that the effort involved helicopters. It was careful to point out that “no Haitians were on board the military aircraft.” That seemed aimed at quashing any speculation that senior government officials might be leaving as the gang attacks in Haiti worsen.

The neighborhood around the embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is largely controlled by gangs.

“This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” according to the Southcom statement.

In many cases, nonessential personnel can include the families of diplomats, but the embassy had already ordered departure for nonessential staff and all family members in July. The personnel ferried out of the embassy may have simply been rotating out, to be refreshed by new staff.

The statement Sunday said that the United States remains focused on aiding Haitian police and arranging some kind of U.N.-authorized security deployment. But those efforts have been unsuccessful so far.

Haiti’s embattled prime minister, Ariel Henry, traveled recently to Kenya to push for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from the East African country to fight the gangs. But a Kenyan court ruled in January that such a deployment would be unconstitutional.

Henry, who is facing calls to resign or form a transitional council, remains unable to return home. He arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday after he was unable to land in the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti.

On Saturday, the office of Dominican President Luis Abinader issued a statement saying that “Henry is not welcome in the Dominican Republic for safety reasons.” The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has closed its land border.

And that last part sounds a lot like an overstatement because Haitians have been crossing to the Dominican Republic with ease, pretty much like US Southern Border.

EUROPE

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Peace & Security?

Hungarian Foreign Minister: Trump Presidency Will Ensure ‘New World Order’ of Global ‘Peace, Stability’

The world “needs President Trump to win” this coming election because only a “strong” American leader can offer “stability and security to the international order,” according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who argued the war in Ukraine “cannot be resolved on the battlefield” and that Trump “can make peace” between the sides.

Szijjártó also slammed President Joe Biden’s weakness on the global stage and relentless push for a Palestinian state as well as the EU’s “hypocrisy” over Israel, asserting that Hamas’s defeat is critically imperative for global stability.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, Szijjártó discussed global geopolitical dynamics, and what a future working together with Trump would look like in the international arena.

The interview comes as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán along with the Hungarian Foreign Minister traveled to Mar-a-Lago on Friday to meet with the former president, in a move that was harshly criticized by President Biden, who accused the Hungarian premier of “looking for dictatorship.”

Trump, who hailed Orbán as a “Great Leader” ensuring his country’s safety, currently leads Biden by four points, indicating a decline in Biden’s favorability ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, according to a recent New York Times poll.

Russia-Ukraine War: ‘No battlefield solution’

Underscoring the need for a non-military resolution, Szijjártó highlighted the widespread displacement, significant casualties, and educational disruption that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has led to:

Look, we have now been living in the neighborhood of the war for more than two years, and I can tell you that this war has really tragic consequences. While we have received more than a million refugees in Hungary, there are multiple millions who had to flee from Ukraine, millions of families torn apart, and hundreds-of-thousands in casualties. We still have more than 1,500 schools and kindergartens where Ukrainian children are being enrolled.

“So we see the devastating impact of this war,” he added, “and we also see that this war cannot be resolved on the frontlines.”

I wonder why it reminds me of 1 Tessalonians 5:3 warning people about the time when they say "peace and security..."

Poland Wants to Wage War Now?

Polish Foreign Minister Says Sending NATO Troops Into Ukraine ‘Not Unthinkable’

Poland’s foreign minister says the presence of NATO forces “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciates the French president for not ruling out that idea.

Radek Sikorski made the observation during a discussion marking the 25th anniversary of Poland’s NATO membership in the Polish parliament on Friday, and the Foreign Ministry tweeted the comments later in English.

Last month French President Emmanuel Macron said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out, a comment that prompted an outcry from other leaders.

French officials later sought to clarify Macron´s remarks and tamp down the backlash, while insisting on the need to send a clear signal to Russia that it cannot win its war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has warned that if NATO sends combat troops, a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia would be inevitable. Russian President Vladimir Putin said such a move would risk a global nuclear conflict.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among those European leaders who ruled out sending troops to Ukraine after Macron’s remarks, saying: “Poland does not plan to send its troops to the territory of Ukraine.”

Sikorski did not speak of a plan to send Polish troops to Ukraine, but struck a different tone.

“The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable,” he said, according to the Foreign Ministry. He said he appreciated Macron’s initiative “because it is about Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin.”

Vatican's Latest Political Crisis

Pope Francis: Ukraine Should Have the Courage of the ‘White Flag,’ Negotiate End of War with Russia

Pope Francis has said in an interview that Ukraine, facing possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks.

The pope made his appeal during an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, which was partially released on Saturday.

“I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates,” Francis said, adding that talks should take place with the help of international powers.

Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded.

Russia is gaining momentum on the battlefield in the war now in its third year and Ukraine is running low on ammunition. Meanwhile, some of Ukraine’s allies in the West are delicately raising the prospect of sending troops.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Saturday that Francis picked up the “white flag” term that had been used by the interviewer. He issued a statement of clarification after the pope’s “white flag” comments sparked criticism that he was siding with Russia in the conflict.

Throughout the war, Francis has tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality, but that has often been accompanied by apparent sympathy with the Russian rationale for invading Ukraine, such as when he noted that NATO was “barking at Russia’s door” with its eastward expansion.

Francis said in the RSI interview that “the word negotiate is a courageous word.”

“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” he said. “Negotiations are never a surrender.”

The pope also reminded people that some countries have offered to act as mediators in the conflict.

Arrested for Being Anti-Hamas

London Police Under Fire for Arresting Man Carrying Sign Calling Hamas a ‘Terrorist’ Group

London’s Metropolitan Police have come under heavy criticism for arresting a man carrying a sign calling Hamas a “terrorist” organisation during a pro-Palestinian protest in the British capital on Saturday.

Niyak Ghorbani, a 38-year-old Iranian-born man who lives in London was arrested by police while holding a sign saying “Hamas is terrorist” during the latest anti-Israel rally in the city.

Footage posted on social media showed officers dragging the counter-protester to the ground as he shouted out: “Shame on you!” and adding: “I wrote down Hamas is a terrorist organisation… but they arrested me”.

The Met claimed that the arrest was not motivated by the message on the sign but rather for assault. However, footage appeared to show that it was Mr Ghorbani who was assaulted by a pro-Palestinian mob that had surrounded him.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Ghorbani said: “They attacked me from behind and hit me in the head. They pushed me and told me Hamas is a protector of Palestine.”

“The police destroyed my sign and told me that I had harassed someone in the protest and that is why they arrested me.

“They arrested me because someone who supports Hamas attacked me and I defended myself. After 10 minutes my friends showed them a video of what I was doing and they released me.

“The person who attacked me was not arrested.”

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “The man was arrested after an altercation was ongoing, and officers intervened to prevent a breach of the peace. He was arrested for assault.

“Officers then fully reviewed footage provided of the incident, and he was later de-arrested. The arrest was not made in relation to the placard.”

So now a person is not released but "de-arrested" according to this bozos.  Nope. They never ever arrested the man because of his anti-Hamas stance. And who cares if they never detained the other guy.

Don't Ever Call Them Terrorists!

UK Foreign Office Staff Told Not To Call Hamas ‘Terrorists’, Israel a ‘White, Settler Colonialist Nation’

UK Foreign Office staff were reportedly told that it was wrong to call Hamas terrorists and that Israel, as a “white, settler colonialist” nation, was ultimately to blame for the conflict in the Middle East.

A report from the London-based Jewish Chronicle claimed that the Foreign Office held a seminar for civil servants in which they were lectured by four academics, Professor Jeroen Gunning from King’s College London,  Dr Tristan Dunning of the University of Queensland, Dr Anas Iqtait of Australian National University in Canberra, and Dr Martin Kear of the University of Sydney, on how to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks.

The session, which was attended by around 100 top staff members from the government’s diplomatic arm, was billed “Israel/Gaza: What next for Hamas” and was set up by the senior Middle East research analyst from the Foreign Office, Martin Hetherington.

Despite Hamas terrorists killing around 1,200 people in Israel and taking hundreds more captive, Foreign Office staff were reportedly told that using the “terrorist label” for Hamas was “unhelpful” and that it may serve to derail efforts to achieve a peace settlement under the pretence that the “political wing” of Hamas was more “moderate” and therefore necessary to “engage with them”.

After being pressed by Foreign Office staff was whether the October 7th massacre should be described as terrorism, the academics are said to have refused to respond, however, Professor Gunning reportedly said that it should be viewed in the context of Palestinian “resistance” to the supposed “occupation” from Israel, despite the Jewish state withdrawing from Gaza in 2005.

Meanwhile, Dr Dunning said that as an Australian: “I know all about white, settler colonialism and stealing land from the native population,” comparing Israel to the British colonisation of Australia.

Responding to the revelations from the seminar held for civil servants, a Foreign Office spokesman said: “The UK Government’s position is unequivocal that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. Many of the views expressed by the academics in the seminar were wrong and contrary to the government’s position.

Zelensky

Zelensky Sidelines Chief Political Rival as He Taps Ex-Top General Zaluzhny for Next UK Ambassador

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has officially backed the appointment of former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s armed forces Valerii Zaluzhny as the next ambassador to Britain in a move widely regarded as an attempt to sideline the president’s top political opponent.

In a video statement, President Zelensky announced this week his support for General Zaluzhny to serve as the country’s next diplomat to the United Kingdom after being removed from his top military post earlier this year following the failures of the counteroffensive launched against Russia last year.

“Gen. Valery Zaluzhny told me that this is the direction he would like to take — diplomacy,” Mr Zelensky said, adding: “Our alliance with Britain should only get stronger”.

Upon the likely approval of London, Zaluzhny would replace Vadym Prystaiko, who was kicked out of his role last July after mildly criticising President Zelensky in public.

Zaluzhny earned widespread respect in Ukraine and internationally for leading the successful pushback of the Russians from Kyiv during the outset of the war in 2022. However, he appeared to lose the confidence of the government following the much-heralded, yet ultimately failed counteroffensive last year.

The final straw was seemingly his public admission that the war had devolved into a World War I-style stalemate, with him being removed from his position as Commander-in-Chief three months later.

Although a significant step-down, Zaluzhny will likely serve as one of Ukraine’s top international figures lobbying Western powers to continue supplying the country with weapons and money, with the UK being one of the leading financial and military supporters of Kyiv on the international stage.

Russia Once Again

Russia Artillery Strikes on Ukraine Kill Two, Including Teenage Boy

Ukrainian authorities said two people including a teenage boy were killed Saturday in Russian artillery attacks and Russia reported it had shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet and destroyed a wave of drones over several regions.

The attacks came as Russia is gaining momentum on battlefield and Ukraine is running low on ammunition.

Ukraine’s allies in the West are delicately raising the prospect of sending troops. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said Friday that deploying NATO troops to Ukraine “is not unthinkable.” French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that the idea should not be ruled out.

Serhiy Lysak, governor of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, said a 16-year-old boy was killed and a 22-year-old man injured in a morning artillery attack that hit the town of Chervonohryhorivka. The town is on the opposite bank of the river from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, and the area is subject to almost-daily Russian attacks.

In the town of Chasiv Yar, one person was killed in artillery fire, according to authorities in the Donetsk region, much of which is under Russian control and where fighting has been heavy throughout the war that is now in its third year.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 41 drones that were launched over the Rostov region, which borders Ukraine and is home to Russia’s southern military command, along with two drones over the Kursk region and three over Volgograd. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The ministry also said the air force had shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over Pokrovsk, a city and important railway junction in the Donetsk region that is a prime Russian target following Ukrainian forces’ February withdrawal from Avdiivka, a significant setback for Ukraine’s struggling war effort.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, reported that Ukrainian drones attacked two villages near the border Saturday, but that no one was injured. The governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, did not specify damage from the attacks.

Despite its military setbacks, Ukraine resists suggestions of peace negotiations with Russia. During a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was willing to host a peace summit of Russia and Ukraine.

Amsterdam Against the Holocaust Museum?

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Swarm Holocaust Museum Opening in Amsterdam

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters converged on Amsterdam on Sunday as the Dutch city unveiled the National Holocaust Museum in a ceremony attended by Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Riot police were forced to be deployed to hold back over 2,000 anti-Israel protesters as they attempted to march on the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam during the opening of the new National Holocaust Museum.

Demonstrators were seen waving Palestinian flags, carrying signs accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, and calling for Israeli President Herzog to be tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported. Clashes with the police were also witnessed, while some activists were seen climbing on top of police vehicles.

According to the De Telegraaf newspaper, the activists also took to shooting fireworks and throwing eggs at the police. They also were seen plastering stickers on police vans with the face of Herzog with the text “wanted”.

King Willem-Alexander, who gave a speech at the opening ceremony held at the synagogue, was booed as he officially opened the museum’s building.

For his part, President Herzog used the occasion to once again call upon Hamas in Gaza to release the hostages taken from Israel during the October 7th terror attacks by the jihadist Palestinian group.

“Let’s pray in this house of prayer for the release of the hostages,” Herzog said.

During his speech, the Israeli president invoked World War II, saying that too many people in the Netherlands stood by as Jews were being gathered up to be exterminated. However, Herzog also praised the courage of the people who resisted the Nazis, recounting an instance of two Dutch citizens who risked their lives by hiding Jews.

Herzog said that after the war, the Jews housed by the Dutch later moved to Israel and that their grandson died fighting to protect the Jewish state.

The Israeli president’s presence at the unveiling of the museum drew the ire of local activists, who accused him of war crimes over his country’s military response to the October 7th terror attacks, in which Hamas terrorists slaughtered around 1,200 people in Israel and took hundreds more captive.