News of the World

[kyonides]

Pelé, Brazil’s Mighty King of ‘Beautiful Game,’ Has Died

Pelé, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82.

The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical center where he had been hospitalized for the last month said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer.
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Widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest players, Pelé spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.

His grace, athleticism and mesmerizing moves transfixed players and fans. He orchestrated a fast, fluid style that revolutionized the sport—a samba-like flair that personified his country’s elegance on the field.
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Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pelé’s goal totals anywhere between 650 (league matches) and 1,281 (all senior matches, some against low-level competition.)

The player who would be dubbed “The King” was introduced to the world at 17 at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, the youngest player ever at the tournament. He was carried off the field on teammates’ shoulders after scoring two goals in Brazil’s 5–2 victory over the host country in the final.

January 6 Committee Withdraws Subpoena for Trump

The Jan. 6 House select committee withdraw its subpoena of former President Donald Trump, which prompted a victory lap from his attorney and the former commander-in-chief himself.

The panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a letter to Trump’s attorneys that the committee is no longer pursuing the subpoena that was issued in October for the former president’s testimony and documents regarding the Jan. 6, 2021 incident at the Capitol.
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“Was just advised that the Unselect Committee of political Thugs has withdrawn the Subpoena of me concerning the January 6th Protest of the CROOKED 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote.

“They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court. Perhaps the FBI’s involvement in RIGGING the Election played into their decision. In any event, the Subpoena is DEAD!” he added.

Trump’s mentioning of the FBI is a likely reference to explosive Twitter Files disclosures that show there was an effort by the agency to discredit leaked information about Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The former president has been deeply critical of the Jan. 6 panel, whose probe he has called a partisan “witch-hunt” and a “fake trial.”

Controversial Media Personality Andrew Tate Detained in Romania in Human Trafficking Probe

Controversial social media personality Andrew Tate has been detained by Romanian police on suspicion of rape and human trafficking following a raid of his luxury home and other properties in the capital city of Bucharest.

Tate, 36, a former professional kickboxer, was arrested alongside his brother Tristan and detained for 23 hours, Romanian prosecutors said. The brothers have been under investigation since April alongside two Romanian nationals.

Prosecutors allege that the brothers are suspects in an alleged organized crime ring that sexually exploited women.
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In a press release translated by Business Insider, Romanian authorities alleged that at least one woman had been raped during the organized crime ring, which they said was based between Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The press release did not specifically name the Tate brothers.
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A spokesperson for Tate told the Daily Mirror said the brothers have “the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.”

9 Controversial California Laws Taking Effect on Jan. 1

Jaywalking (AB 2147)

Under the new “Freedom to Walk Act,” pedestrians will no longer be fined for crossing the street outside of designated intersections or crosswalks unless the person causes a hazard on the street.
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Opponents worry that it will lead to more accidents and ultimately cause more pedestrian deaths.
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Criminal Records (SB 731)

At least 225,000 Californians with prior convictions or arrests will be able to have their records automatically sealed from criminal background checks due to a new law.

While these records will be automatically sealed once people complete their sentence and go four years without new arrests, others will be able to petition a judge to have theirs sealed.

In California, there are around 8 million people that have criminal records, according to Californians for Safety and Justice.
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FAST Recovery Act (AB 257)

The new law applies to fast-food chains that have 100 or more locations nationally and would create a council that would set industry-wide minimum standards on wages, working hours, and other conditions.

Under the law, minimum wages could rise to as high as $22 an hour for 2023, with the option to increase further each year based on inflation.

Opponents argue that the law would lead to higher food prices and job losses. Additionally, the effects of the law won’t be limited to just major fast-food chains, but small businesses as well—since they will be compelled to raise pay to compete for staff.

DOJ Files Lawsuit Against One of Largest Pharma Companies in the US

In a civil complaint, federal prosecutors wrote (pdf) Thursday that AmerisourceBergen violated federal laws that require opioid manufacturers to alert the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to any suspicious orders. Pharmaceutical companies, under the law, are also required to block shipments of orders that are deemed suspicious.

It said that AmerisourceBergen and two of its subsidiaries since 2014 had systematically refused or negligently failed to flag suspicious orders by pharmacy customers when it had reason to know that opioids were being diverted to illegal channels.

The suit also said the Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based company, with $238.6 billion of revenue in its latest fiscal year, even intentionally altered how one of its units monitored orders, dramatically reducing the number that underwent internal scrutiny. The lawsuit seeks penalties that could reach billions of dollars, and an injunction against future violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act.
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In a release, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram hailed the lawsuit. “The company’s repeated and systemic failure to fulfill this simple obligation helped ignite an opioid epidemic that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past decade,” she said Thursday.
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Between 1999 and 2020, some 564,000 people died from an opioid-involved overdose, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses last year, the agency said.

Last week, the federal health agency said that new data shows U.S. life-expectancy dropped in the past year to the lowest levels in 25 years. Officials, in part, blamed the decline on the opioid epidemic.

And obviously, that company doesn't admit they've broken the law at all.

[kyonides]

Mark McCloskey Won’t Have Guns or Money Returned,
Despite Pardon, Missouri Judge Rules

St. Louis lawyer Mark McCloskey will not have his guns or the fines he paid returned to him even though he received a governor’s pardon in 2021, a Missouri judge has ruled.

McCloskey and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, both personal injury lawyers, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment, respectively, over an incident in 2020 where they wielded guns as self-defense measures at their property while watching Black Lives Matter protesters walk through their private, gated neighborhood.

They were required to pay maximum fines totaling $2,750. As part of the plea agreement, the two also surrendered the guns they wielded—a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco pistol.

After their convictions, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, on July 30, 2021, pardoned the couple and shortly following the move, McCloskey filed a lawsuit in St. Louis City Circuit Court seeking to have the guns returned and the fines paid back to him and his wife.

Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty rejected the request on Dec. 28, saying that the governor’s pardon doesn’t have any impact on the plea agreement the couple had agreed to.

North Carolina DOJ Not Charging Mark Meadows

The state DOJ’s investigation was prompted by a report in the New Yorker that alleged Meadows potentially committed voter fraud by listing a Scaly Mountain, North Carolina address on his registration form as his residence as of Sept. 20, 2020—three weeks before voter registration cut off.

The report further raised questions about whether Meadows, who worked in the White House during the Trump administration, and his wife actually resided at the residence or used it as a way to vote in the North Carolina elections.

Ultimately, the investigation found there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute Meadows and his wife, Debra Meadows, on voter fraud charges.

The state DOJ found that Meadows was engaged in public service in Washington, D.C., and therefore qualified for a residency exception and that his wife signed a year-long lease for the Scaly Mountain residence provided by their landlord.

Further, Debra Meadows was in and around Scaly Mountain in October 2020, according to cell phone records.

I'm worried about how easily they got those  phone records.

Trump’s Tax Returns Contain a Major Revelation

Former President Donald Trump and his wife Melania reported negative income in four of the six years covered by the couple’s joint tax returns, which were released on Friday by the Democrat-controlled House Ways and Means Committee.
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Key information found in the tax returns includes the fact that the Trumps reported negative income in four of the six years covered by the documentation and paid around $1.8 million in taxes.

The release of the documents prompted a sharp rebuke from Trump, who warned that the move sets a dangerous precedent.
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When the Democrat-led panel earlier released preliminary information about the Trumps’ tax returns, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, opposed the move and argued that the information contained in such disclosures could be spun by political foes.
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“The ‘Trump’ tax returns once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises,” the former president added.

Roger Stone, a longtime Trump ally, took to Twitter to say he expects the tax returns to show that the former president made a lot of money but, thanks to loopholes in the tax laws, didn’t pay much in the way of taxes.

Bahamas Regulators Hold $3.5 Billion Worth of FTX Customer Assets

Regulators in the Bahamas are holding on to $3.5 billion worth of FTX assets that it claims are intended to be transferred to those who were monetarily affected by the crypto-fallout as customers of the company have filed a lawsuit to get their dues prioritized.

After crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in November, around $372 million worth of tokens were stolen from the company by an unknown actor. Based on the information regarding the cyberattack provided by former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas determined that there was a “significant risk of imminent dissipation” of digital assets owned or under the control of FTX.

The commission thus requested, and subsequently obtained, a court order to safeguard these assets by transferring them to secure digital wallets that are under its exclusive control, according to a press release on Dec. 29.
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The transferred digital assets will be held under the control of the commission on a temporary basis until such time that the Supreme Court asks the commission to hand them over to creditors and customers.

Alternatively, the commission might also transfer assets to the joint provisional liquidators (JPL) to be administered under the rules related to insolvency of the FTX estate.

[DerVVulfman]

POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI
DIED AT AGE 95

Borne in 1927, he was the first Pope to resign in over five-hundred years.

Bavarian borne Joseph Ratzinger came of age in Germany after WWI when the Nazi movement was growing in power, and was forced by law to join the hitler youth at 14 alongside all other German children his age. His family, for their Catholic upbringing was tormented by the Nazis, and he was horrified when his cousin who suffered Down's syndrome was killed as part of Germany's Aktion T4 campaign.

He worked to join the Catholic church, but was drafted into the anti-aircraft corps in '43 and the regular army during WWII until he deserted in April 1945. He claimed his decision to desert was after seeing Jewish citizens in Hungary sent to death camps.

Eventually, he and his brother were ordained in 1951, and he did extensive work in theology which saw him promoted to Archbishop of Munich and Freising in May 1977. And only months later, he was promoted to Cardinal.

Under Pope St. John Paul II, he worked in tackling the issues of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and convinced Pope John Paul II to withdraw authority from those involved in abuse cases, and peronally pushed for investigations in multiple prelates later prosecuted or forced to resign.

Known as the "The Pope of Aesthetics," he regularly donned ornate vestments for mass, and returned to use some garments that had fallen out of fashion for the age. He worked to bring back old traditions, but was not totally restrictive as his approval of the theories of Evolution and the Creational theory of the Big Bang demonstrated.

In February 2013, at 85, Benedict became the first pope since 1415 to have retired. And he spent his last years at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City.

PIONEER JOURNALIST BARBARA WALTERS
DIED AT AGE 93

Confirmed by ABC News, the Emmy Award Winning news anchor has passed away.

Borne in 1929 Boston, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and quickly took a job as a writer for CBS. It was in 1974 that she joined NBC's 'Today' show as the first female host, then became the first female anchor of ABC news two years later as the first female anchor of an evening news program.

She made her largest mark on journalism being a co-host on ABC's popular "20/20" news program, and then creating "The View" in 1997. Though she left the TV show in 2014, she remained on with "The View" as an executive producer.

Turing her tenure in the news, Walters had numerous high-profile interviews, including Monica Lewinsky in 1999, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, President Richard Nixon, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and comically the Muppet's own Kermit and Miss Piggy.

NEW TWITTER REVEAL
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PUSHED BANS
UNDER COVID DISINFORMATION

This included "Censoring info that was true but inconvenient" to policy makers.

Though it began with the Trump administration asking Twitter to crack down on stories about panic buying, attacks on content increased under the Biden administration who was focused  on the removal of so-labeled 'anti-vaxxer' accounts.

Just hours after Biden complained that social media companies were "Killing People" under claims of vaccine misinformation, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson was suspended and then banned from Twitter. After suing Twitter, Berenson forced the release of internal communications showing it was indeed the White House that pressured Twitter.  The tweet that was the spark of the controversy was "It doesn't stop infection. Or transmission. Don't think of it as a vaccine."

* I should note that it was eventually confirmed here that Phizer never tested the vaccine against transmission. (Video here)

Among other users were Dr. Martin Kulldorff, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical who noted that those with prior natural infection did not need the vaccine, nor do children. This was confirmed time and time again, both in the States and numerous other countries. And Dr. Andrew Bostorm of Rhode Island sas suspended after highlighting the negative studies about the vaccines.

[kyonides]

NYC Electric Garbage Truck Plans Hit Wall After Trucks "Conked Out" Plowing Snow After Just Four Hours

In a move that absolutely nobody could have seen coming, New York City is scrapping its brilliant idea for electric garbage trucks after finding out the truck simply "aren't powerful enough to plow snow".

The pipe dream of converting the city's 6,000 garbage trucks from gas to electric in order to try and limit carbon emissions (because there's no other problems that need to be dealt with in New York City right now) is "clashing with the limits of electric-powered vehicles," Gothamist wrote this week.

The city's current trucks run on diesel and can be fitted with plows in the winter. 

Despite the shortcomings, the city Department of Sanitation' has already ordered seven electric rear loader garbage trucks, custom-made by Mack, the report says. Those trucks cost an astonishing $523,000 each and are to be delivered this spring. 

Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the NYC city council earlier this month: “We found that they could not plow the snow effectively – they basically conked out after four hours. We need them to go 12 hours. Given the current state of the technology, I don't see today a path forward to fully electrifying the rear loader portion of the fleet by 2040."

“We can't really make significant progress in converting our rear loader fleet until the snow challenges are addressed,” she continued.

Really guys, why did it take them so long to realize that!?

Pro-Trump MAGA Hat Is Free Speech: Court

Eric Dodge, the teacher, wore the hat to two days of teacher trainings in 2019 at schools in Washington state, taking it off before entering the buildings but setting it near him.

Caroline Garrett, the principal of one of the schools, Wy’East Middle School, told Dodge on the first day to “use his better judgement.” On the second day, she allegedly said, “What is the [expletive] deal with you and your hat!” and called the teacher a racist and bigot before telling him to bring his union representative the next time they spoke.

In respond to Dodge’s lawsuit claiming constitutional violations, Garrett said she was motivated by a desire to prevent disruptions to the school, which employed Dodge as a science teacher.

But Dodge’s wearing the hat was speech protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said in its Dec. 29 ruling.

“Principal Garrett’s asserted administrative interest in preventing disruption among staff does not outweigh Dodge’s right to free speech,” U.S. Circuit Judge Danielle Forrest, writing for the majority, said.

Several people attending the trainings complained about the hat but nobody, including the principal, presented evidence that Dodge had disrupted school operations.

When will people understand that wearing a hat or cap is no violation of other people's constitutional rights?
I mean, it wasn't vulgar at all nor portrayed any adult stuff on it.

Man Arrested on Attempted Murder Charges in New York City Machete Attack

Trevor Bickford of Wells, Maine, was taken into custody and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and attempted assault, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) official confirmed to The Epoch Times on Jan. 2.
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Bickford is accused of attacking three officers in Times Square as crowds gathered on New Year’s Eve for the ball drop. He attempted to strike an officer in the head with a machete before hitting two other officers with the weapon, officials said.

One officer, an eight-year veteran, suffered a head laceration while the other suffered a skull fracture and a laceration, police officials said. The second officer had just graduated from the police academy.

When the suspect struck one of the officers, the officer fired their service weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder.

All were taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. The officers were in stable condition after the attack, Mayor Eric Adams told reporters.

The attack was “unprovoked,” NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters.

FBI officials were working with NYPD officers to investigate the attack.
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Images the mother posted to Facebook showed Bickford wearing a head covering and reports said he’d become a Muslim.

 No more  Machete movies for you, Mr. Bickford!
What is the police going to do now in regards to radicalized Muslims?

North Carolina State Broadcaster Suspended Indefinitely After ‘Illegal Aliens’ Remark During Live Show

A longtime North Carolina State play-by-play announcer has been suspended indefinitely after commenting on “illegal aliens” while announcing the score of a bowl game in El Paso, Texas, during the Wolfpack’s game against Maryland in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.

Gary Hahn made the comment as Maryland beat North Carolina State 16-12 in the game in Charlotte.

“In the Sun Bowl and amongst all the illegal aliens down in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6. That’s with 11:15 to go in the second quarter,” Hahn said.

He was later disciplined by N.C. State broadcast rightsholder Learfield Communications, which is his employer.
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Hahn’s comments came shortly after El Paso officials declared a state of emergency as illegal aliens continue to cross into the city from Mexico seeking asylum.

Earlier on Dec. 21, Sun Bowl Association executive director Bernie Olivas announced that the Bowl had canceled its annual “fan fiesta”, scheduled for Dec. 29, because the city’s convention center is temporarily being used to house migrants currently waiting to hear the results of immigration applications.

 Well, the worker wasn't lying about the immigration crisis in El Paso when he mentioned it. The Sun Bowl game takes place in that very same city so why did it spark such a controversy in the first place?

[kyonides]

Adam Schiff dragged after ‘Twitter Files’ shows he asked site to suspend journo: ‘Expel Schiff from Congress'

Critics of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., were outraged after reading Elon Musk and journalist Matt Taibbi’s latest "Twitter Files" entry alleging that Schiff lobbied Twitter to suspend journalists from the platform.

Published Tuesday, the latest round of the Twitter Files – internal documents revealing how Twitter engaged in censorship and promoted disinformation in tandem with government agencies for the past few years – revealed that Schiff’s office asked Twitter to remove journalist Paul Sperry and others from the site.
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The document Taibbi shared featured correspondence between the "House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee" – Schiff’s office – and Twitter, which included a request to "Suspend the many accounts, including @GregRubini and @paulsperry, which repeatedly promoted false QAnon conspiracies and harassed [REDACTED]."

As Taibbi’s documentation indicated however, Twitter was reluctant to fulfill such a request, responding, "we’ll review the accounts again but I believe [REDACTED] mentioned only one qualified for suspension."
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Sperry, an author and New York Post columnist, was later suspended from Twitter for unrelated reasons, telling conservative commentator Glenn Beck in August 2022 it was due to tweets of his about the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

However, Sperry was reinstated to Twitter this week and immediately responded to the latest Twitter Files revelations. He claimed that the real reason Schiff sought his suspension was because, at the time, Sperry was reporting on the whistleblower who exposed the phone call to Ukraine that prompted Trump’s first impeachment.

On Tuesday evening, Sperry wrote, "Around the same time Adam Schiff's office was lobbying Twitter to have me banned, Schiff's chief of staff Patrick Boland was making threats to my employer  http://RealClearInvestigations.com about my stories exposing Schiff's impeachment whistleblower & his ties to Schiff's staffer."

Emphasis is mine.  Oh and REDACTED simply stands for Adam Schiff, just in case you didn't notice it.

US, Germany to Send Tank-Killing Infantry Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine

“To this end, the United States intends to supply Ukraine with Bradley Fighting Vehicles [BFVs], and Germany intends to provide Ukraine with Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Both countries plan to train Ukrainian forces on the respective systems,” according to the statement.

On Dec. 29, Biden signed the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package that includes $45 billion in additional aid for Ukraine. The aid announced on Jan. 5 represents the first part of the package.
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On Jan. 4, France announced it will send its AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

Germany also said on Jan. 5 that it will join the United States in providing an American-made Patriot air defense system.

Last month, the White House announced that the United States would send a Patriot air defense battery to support Ukraine’s war effort.
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U.S. officials told reporters that sending the infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine could eventually lead to supplying that nation with Western tanks, which are deemed more mobile and accurate and have longer ranges than the old Soviet tanks the Ukraine military currently uses.
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The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is not a tank, but it is an armored vehicle that moves on tracks and features a free-turning turret and mounted weapons.

Mexican Authorities Arrest Son of ‘El Chapo’ in Military Raid

Authorities in Mexico captured Ovidio Guzmán López, 32, an alleged cartel leader and the son of convicted cartel drug kingpin Joaquín Archivaldo “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, in a military operation.
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Guzmán López is an alleged high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, leading a faction known as “Los Menores” or “Los Chapitos.”

Following the arrest, Sandoval said authorities transported Guzmán López from Culiacán to Mexico City.

As news of Guzmán López’s arrest began to circulate, Sandoval said cartel forces began to mobilize throughout Culiacán. Sandoval said the cartel forces set up 19 blockades around the city. The Washington Post also shared reports of gunfire and cars set on fire throughout the city. Gunmen also reportedly fired at a National Guard jet parked at the city’s airport.

About 900 Mexican Army and National Guard troops and state police entered Culiacán to support Guzmán López’s arrest, the Washington Post reported.

The Mexican news agency Reforma reported one policeman died and six other security personnel were injured while supporting the high-profile arrest operation.

Take into account that the very same narco had been arrested back in 2019 but AMLO soon ordered his forces to release him after the drug dealer's men began killing people for no good reason.

Multinational Companies Accelerate Moving Production Out of China
Reshaping Global Supply Chains

Global outsourcing of European and American manufacturing began in the early 1960s. European and American companies took control of marketing and innovation functions and gradually moved away from the upstream industry segments of raw material extraction and processing. With its large and inexpensive labor force, cheap land, and huge market, China received capital, technology, and management support from developed companies and opened its economy to foreign trade.

Especially since China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, it has become the “world’s factory” of traditional manufacturing and an integral part of the global supply network due to its demographic dividend and cheap labor.
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Fortune magazine reported that 94 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies worldwide experienced supply chain disruptions in the early stages of the pandemic.
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Two months ago, Apple’s largest supplier, Foxconn, saw a wave of employee departures, protests, and conflicts with police due to COVID measures at its factory in Zhengzhou city, in China’s Henan Province. Consequently, Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max experienced disruptions in shipment.
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The company assembles more than 90 percent of its iPhones in China, while its smartphone rival Samsung exited China in 2019 and has diversified its assembly in at least four countries.
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 3 that Apple is accelerating its plans to move production out of China. The company plans to increase its iPhone production in India by 45 percent, while Vietnam will focus more on the assembly of the Apple Watch, MacBook, and other products.

Similarly, several automakers are accelerating their supply chain reorganization. Mazda is shifting production of some parts previously made in China to its home market in Japan. Ford and GM have been moving parts production to U.S. plants for more than a year. Mercedes is considering shifting its parts purchases to suppliers in Europe, the United States, or Mexico.

Biden Administration Announces Effort to Secure Border, Expand Parole Program

The administration is expanding a parole program that was restricted to Venezuelans to would-be immigrants from three other countries. People from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti are now eligible to apply for legal status for two years, provided they find a sponsor inside the United States and pass a background check.

Under U.S. immigration law, the secretary of homeland security may grant parole to individuals who would otherwise be illegal in the United States. The program, launched in October 2022, leveraged that power to thousands of Venezuelans. Up to 30,000 people per month from the four countries who are paroled can come to the United States for two years and be allowed to work. They’re required to legally enter the United States and aren’t permitted to go to Mexico or Panama without authorization while their application is weighed.

Mexico, which already agreed to accept Venezuelan nationals that illegally crossed the border, has said that it will accept up to 30,000 illegal immigrants per month from the countries, according to the White House.

The program has led to a drop in Venezuelans entering the United States illegally, down to less than 250 per day from about 1,100 per day on average, according to U.S. officials.

Yeah, it might sound wonderful for Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians, but the countries that have become part of their migration route, like Costa Rica and Panama, will still suffer the consequences of the increased migration flux.
Who's gonna pay for their expenses!?
Central American countries can't afford such extra costs that migrants' temporary residence and food supply represent. They have not been included in their annual budgets at all!

[kyonides]

Swiss firm sends Taiwan's 'carrier killer' devices to China for repairs

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has developed the Hsiung-Feng III (雄風三型) anti-ship missile, which has been nicknamed the "Carrier Killer" due to its supersonic speed, range of up to 400 km, and 225 kg warhead. However, Mirror Media on Wednesday (Jan. 4), cited sources as saying theodolites used to calibrate the missiles were sent by a Swiss company to China to make repairs due to malfunctions.
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According to the magazine, the theodolites used to make measurements on the Hsiung Feng III are made by the Swiss firm Leica Geosystems. The Leica Builder T100/T200 is the firm's highest-end electronic theodolite with unique telescope optics, which can accurately measure various azimuths in only 0.5 seconds, so it is widely used in precision components for aerospace, automotive, national defense, and optoelectronics.
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The NCSIST had recently discovered that the connector pins on two Leica theodolites had become loose... People familiar with the matter said that the repairs were very fast and after about three months, the two theodolites were sent back to NCSIST in February and May 2022, respectively.

It was not until September that NCSIST personnel checked the import declaration form and other materials returned by Leica Geosystems' maintenance center.
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The documents revealed the devices had actually been sent back to Taiwan from Qingdao in China's Shandong Province. This means the equipment was repaired in China or was sent to Taiwan via China.
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Due to some equipment defects, after removing the relevant storage memory cards in the devices during the warranty period, the domestic distributor was required to send them to the original Swiss factory for repairs.

NCSIST stated that after the equipment was repaired and sent back, it took the initiative to find that the import declaration stated that it was exported from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport ("the original manufacturer'' Asian maintenance center). Therefore, an information technology security appraisal of the devices was carried out immediately to confirm that no malicious programs were implanted...

 They gotta be idiots for sure. Do they really think that the CCP NEVER demands companies like that maintenance center to share as much information as possible with the Chinese intelilgence agency?  
And even that Taiwanese institute prefers to ignore such concerns by belittling them.

Kristi Noem demands answers
after US Government leaks social security numbers of her and family

South Dakota Govenor Kristi Noem is demanding answers on how federal agencies allowed her personal information to become public in the aftermath of record releases from the Jan. 6 committee, as well as how these agencies plan to combat the potential results of this leak.

"My lawyers have asked the @WhiteHouse, the @USNatArchives, and @BennieGThompson which of them is responsible for leaking the Social Security Numbers of me, my husband, my 3 kids, and my son-in-law." Noem tweeted on Friday evening following the leak of her and her loved ones private information. "What specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect our identities?"
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The night before taking the oath of office for her second term, Noem learned that her Social Security number and those of her immediate family were leaked by the Jan. 6 committee.

Among the hundreds of records posted online by the committee laying out the timeline of the events leading up to the storming of the Capitol was "a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020." The list included several high-profile Republicans.

 This is outrageous! How dare they publish sensitive information of anybody like their SSNs?
 I wonder if the Democrats would love to see how their SSNs get posted online or anywhere else. I mean, that's what they did to the South Dakota Governor, and they don't feel any remorse nor tried to prevent it from happening.

Kevin McCarthy delivers first remarks after winning House Speaker:
'Our nation is worth fighting for'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy officially opened the 118th Congress early Saturday morning, holding the speaker’s gavel and conducting a chamber-wide swearing-in ceremony for new members.

His speakership followed a dramatic week of him slowly winning over 20 Republicans who initially did not support his speakership and defected their votes to other members.

After his victory in the 15th and final vote, McCarthy lauded: "I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. I will never give up for you, the American people. And I will never give up on keeping our Commitment to America."
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"As Speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility – our responsibility – is to our country," the Californian continued. "Two months ago, you voted for a new direction for our country. You embraced our Commitment to America. And now, we are going to keep our commitment to you."
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He added: "To [House Minority] Leader Jeffries – there will be times we will agree and many times we will differ. I promise that our debates will be passionate, but never personal. And now the hard work begins. What we do here today, next week, next month, and next year will set the tone for everything that follows."
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McCarthy also revealed some of his priorities for this session of Congress, which included: investigating China, securing the country’s border, and attempting to eliminate some of the federal debt, which is over $31 trillion.

IRS targeted poorest taxpayers while millionaires went mostly unscathed in 2022

A study of 2022 IRS tax audit data found that a taxpayer in the lowest income bracket is five times more likely to face an audit that would a member of the highest income bracket.
...
The data showed that the IRS conducted 85% of its audits through these letters, which request additional information and documentation related to specific items of interest. Overall audits dropped from 659,003 in FY 2021 to 626,204 in FY 2022 out of 164 million income tax returns filed last year.

The rate of income tax audits for those in the lowest income bracket hit 12.7 per 1,000, compared to 2.3 per 1,000 among theose in the highest – a nearly five-fold increase. The odds of a millionaire facing an audit were around 1.1%.
...
The TRAC report claimed that the lack of attention toward millionaires resulted from "severe budget cutbacks over the years" that forced the IRS to shift its focus to "easy marks in an era when IRS increasingly relies upon correspondence audits yet doesn’t have the resources to assist taxpayers or answer their questions."

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is only beginning to build enforcement for wealthy Americans, will finally force wealthy tax cheats to pay their fair share while making it easier for working Americans to get their tax refunds."
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The Inflation Reduction Act provides the IRS with $80 billion in future funding to ramp up its audits and potentially target the wealthiest taxpayers.

 Or they'll simply spend those billions in dubious ways to make the average joe pay more and more taxes every year that passes.

Billy Idol honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame:
'I couldn't have imagined something like this'

The 67-year-old musician was joined by his girlfriend China Chow, 48, and his family as he attended the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

"It really is crazy to find myself getting an award like this, or being honored in this way," the three-time Grammy Award winner said, per a report from People Magazine.
...
"Initially, we did the music back in the mid-'70s during the punk rock time. There wasn't much hope or anything. We decided if there's nothing, there's no future, we're going to do what we love. And that's what I did. I did the music because I loved it. It wasn't for any other reason, really."

The "Eyes Without A Face" hitmaker added,"Anyway, I didn't really think doing this would last very long. We thought maybe six months, maybe a year, maybe two years."
...
Chow and Idol shared a kiss after the star's unveiling. "The Big Hit" actress and the singer have been dating since February 2018.

Idol was also joined by his son Willem Wolfe, 34, and daughter Bonnie Blue, 33, as well as their spouses and children.
...
Idol's star is the 2,743rd star on the Walk of Fame and the first to be unveiled in 2023.

[kyonides]

Bolsonaro Supporters Breach Brazil’s Congress Building, Presidential Palace

A crowd of protesters broke through security blockades and breached the buildings of the nation’s Congress, Supreme Court, and the presidential palace in Brasilia on Jan. 8, according to videos from local broadcasters and groups related to Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Footage and photographs from the scene showed protesters inside the presidential palace and smashing furniture in Congress and the Supreme Court. The three buildings are linked by the spacious Three Powers Square in Brasilia, the nation’s capital.

Recently-inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula Silva was on a trip to San Paulo, Brazil’s most populous state, when the breach occurred.

Mass protests have persisted in Brazil since the outcome of the national election on Oct. 30 last year. Bolsonaro’s supporters doubt the authenticity of the results. They have blockaded major roads across Brazil and demanded that the military step in to intervene.
...
Security forces appeared to have taken control of the Supreme Court and Congress buildings by 5:30 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters remained in and around the Congress building.

Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida two days prior to the end of his term. In Twitter messages hours prior to the reports of the breach in Brasilia, he wrote about the achievements of his administration.

Kevin McCarthy Credits Trump for His House Speaker Win

I do want to especially thank President [Donald] Trump. I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning.

He was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was—I was just talking to him tonight—helping get those final votes.

What he’s really saying—really for the party and the country—that we have to come together.

We have to focus on the economy. We’ve got to focus, make our border secure. We got to do so much work to do, and he was a great influence to make that all happen. So thank you, President Trump.

But who were those that made it possible for him to become the new speaker?  

In the final vote, six remaining Republican holdouts all voted “present,” paving the way for McCarthy’s victory with 216 votes, while Democrat leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York received 212 votes.

The six House Republicans were Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).

McCarthy Reveals 1st Bill After Being Elected House Speaker

Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says that the first bill he wants to see passed is one to cut back funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, following a several-day-long fight over the speaker’s gavel.
...
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) in a recent letter said there’s legislation that’s “ready to go” that Republicans will bring to the House floor during the first two weeks of 2023. The Treasury Department estimated that in 2021, a nearly $80 billion investment in the IRS would allow the agency to hire about 86,852 full-time IRS employees—not agents—over the course of a decade.
...
They’ve argued that the IRS would target Americans with more and more audits to fund large spending packages that have recently passed Congress.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in 2022 that new funding will allow the agency to modernize and move away from antiquated computer systems, over-reliance on paper filings, and relying too much on paper mail.

Biden Arrives at Border for First Time as President

Biden is due to spend a few hours in the Texas city, currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, and is expected to meet with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increased trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which are driving skyrocketing numbers of overdoses in the United States. Footage released on Sunday afternoon showed Biden exiting Air Force One after the plane arrived at the El Paso International Airport.

Biden will visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the United States. It is not clear whether Biden will talk to any migrants, according to officials.
...
“El Paso rushes to remove illegal immigrants and migrant camps that are crowding downtown before Biden arrives. Predictable,” Abbott wrote on Twitter Saturday. “Biden does not want America to see the chaos that he has caused on the border. This is just a photo op and a game of pretend.”
...
People who do not come to the United States under that program [involving Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela] can be expelled back to Mexico via Title 42, which was allowed to remain for the time being after a Supreme Court decision several weeks ago. These latest moves drew condemnation from left-wing, pro-immigration groups.
...
From El Paso, Biden will continue south to Mexico City, where he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.

Man Arrested After Alleged Terror Incident at Vegas Power Plant

A man is facing terrorism-related charges after he allegedly rammed his car through a gate at a solar power plant near Las Vegas, set the car on fire, and disabled the facility, according to police.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated that its Counter Terrorism division identified the suspect as 34-year-old Mohammed Mesmarian, local media outlets reported.

Mesmarian was taken to the Clark County Detention Center and was charged with committing an act of terrorism, first-degree arson, third-degree arson, destroying or injuring real or personal property, and escape by a felony prisoner, police told local media outlets.

“Mesmarian clarified he burned the Toyota Camry a couple of days ago,” Las Vegas Police said, 8NewsNow reported. “Mesmarian [said] he burned the vehicle at a Tesla solar plant and did it ‘for the future.’”

An employee at the facility told the media outlet that the fire caused “major damage,” estimating that it would take two years to receive replacement parts. The damaged unit was shut down and isn’t producing electricity at this time, officials told the outlet.

Investigators told the channel that they believe Mesmarian siphoned gasoline from his vehicle and placed gas on wires at the transformer before setting them on fire. Security camera footage was also released, allegedly showing the suspect lighting his car on fire near the transformer.

Damage was done to the Mega Solar Array facility, which provides power to MGM properties, including its hotels.

Well,  if he ever cared about the future, why didn't he work in some place where they could find new ways to produce energy?

Ashli Babbitt’s Mother Arrested Outside US Capitol

The mother of Ashli Babbitt—Micki Witthoeft—was detained near the U.S. Capitol on Friday afternoon and was charged with violating two Capitol traffic regulations.

The detainment took place during a demonstration on the second anniversary of the death of Babbitt and three other Americans on Jan. 6, 2021. Witthoeft, 58, told The Epoch Times she was there to honor her daughter, who died two years ago after being shot by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Lt. Michael Byrd.

Witthoeft was arrested around 1:45 p.m. local time by officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and charged with having violated two traffic regulations (pdf)—§16.3.20 Obey An Order, and §16.3.40 Blocking And Obstructing Roadways, the USCP announced in a release.
...
The USCP stated that the group “did not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol Grounds.”
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“When I did not move out of the road, I was arrested and cuffed up by a really angry, aggressive Capitol Police officer, who left wounds on my arm from handcuffing me.”

Video posted to Twitter from News2Share producer Ford Fischer showed that Capitol Police Lt. Ryan Schauf was the officer who arrested Witthoeft.
...
Following the officer’s remarks, Witthoeft was seen handing the rose she was holding to the woman. She then turned her back to the officers and held two hands behind her back, as though ready to be handcuffed.
...
Babbitt’s death was ruled a homicide. Paul Sperry and RealClearInvestigations in late 2021 identified Byrd as the person who shot Babbitt prior to her death.

The deaths of Greeson and Phillips were determined to be due to natural causes. Meanwhile, Boyland’s death was ruled as an accident, but video unsealed in December 2021 showed that she was struck by a police officer prior as she lay unconscious near the Capitol building.

[kyonides]

Ben Gvir visits Temple Mount for 1st time as minister, despite indicating he’d delay

National security minister says ‘government will not surrender to Hamas’ after terror group warned against his visit; Likud denies Netanyahu asked far-right leader to postpone.

This story took place a week ago, but some groups would not let it pass unnoticed by the UN.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Temple Mount early on Tuesday morning, his first trip to the holy site since taking up his ministerial post last week.

The visit came hours after reports that Ben Gvir had agreed to put off the visit following a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and despite condemnation from the opposition and threats from the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

“We maintain freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews also go up to the site, and those who make threats must be dealt with with an iron fist,” the minister added at the conclusion of his visit, which reportedly lasted some 15 minutes and passed without immediate incident.

The visit by Ben Gvir, whose ministry is in charge of policing, was held after an assessment with security and police officials, his office said in a statement.

After his meeting with Netanyahu, Ben Gvir met later Monday with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, as well as Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and the Jerusalem district commander, who “determined there was no obstacle” to the visit, the statement said.
...
The Temple Mount is revered by Jews as the historic location of the two Jewish Temples, making it Judaism’s holiest site.
...
Labor MK Gilad Kariv said Ben Gvir’s decision showed he was prioritizing the “promotion of an extreme nationalistic worldview” over Israeli citizens’s safety.
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In response, Hamas had warned Israel that Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount would be “a detonator” and vowed resistance.
...
His last visit to the Temple Mount was about three months ago, ahead of the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah.

Israel's Ben-Gvir visits Al Aqsa mosque compound, Palestinians incensed

Diplomats said both the United Arab Emirates and China asked the U.N. Security Council to meet publicly to discuss the issue, likely on Thursday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would seek a Security Council condemnation, a statement published by the Palestinian WAFA News Agency said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "calls on all to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around the holy sites," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

When asked about the visit, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo of Jerusalem holy sites is unacceptable.

 I wonder why China cares so much about the Temple Mount all of a sudden.

US warns Israeli sanctions against PA will ‘exacerbate tensions’

US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Monday condemned the sanctions approved by the Israeli government against the Palestinian Authority over Ramallah’s successful effort to have the International Court of Justice weigh in on Israel’s conduct in the Palestinian territories.

Price referred to the sanctions imposed by Israel as a “unilateral response” that will “exacerbate tensions,” while noting that they were no less problematic in Washington’s eyes than the PA’s pursuit of an ICJ advisory opinion at the UN last month.
...
He added that Biden administration officials were discussing the issue with both Israeli and Palestinian officials privately.

The sanctions approved last Friday by Israel’s security cabinet included taking some of the tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the PA and funneling them to Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism; deducting from the revenues to offset payments the PA makes to Palestinian terrorists, attackers, security prisoners and their families; freezing Palestinian construction in much of the West Bank; and revoking the travel permits of senior Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian Authority prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, warned in a rare interview with the Haaretz daily published Monday that the sanctions could spell the PA’s collapse.

He also claimed that Israel was actively profiting from the conflict by charging a monthly commission of NIS 30 million ($8.6 million) deducted from payments for various services provided to the PA.
...
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Sunday that he has “no interest” in the PA continuing to exist.

The hardline stance is likely to be a source of tension in Israel’s ties with the US, given the latter’s support for improved Israeli-Palestinian ties. The Biden administration is also concerned about the new government’s plans to expand Israeli presence in the West Bank by building more settlements, legalizing wildcat Israeli outposts and stifling Palestinian expansion in Area C — the 60 percent of the West Bank where Israel is granted temporary security and civilian control under the Oslo Accords.

The Israeli sanctions decision came roughly one week after the UN General Assembly voted to adopt a resolution requesting that the ICJ submit a legal opinion determining whether Israel’s “occupation” of the Palestinians is permanent and recommending steps that should be taken if that is the case.

Haven't the UN and the ICJ ever considered that it could be the Palestinians (mostly Arabs and jordans) the ones who are occupying Israeli territory?  just saying.

[kyonides]

Former US Capitol Police Commander Reveals Failures in Jan. 6 Evacuation Response

A top U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) commander—recently retired Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman—failed to respond to repeated urgent radio calls to evacuate the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, causing the loss of precious time that might have prevented the shooting death of protester Ashli Babbitt, a former USCP commander said.

The delay caused by the radio silence from the Capitol Police Command Center was so urgent that the 22-year veteran lieutenant located near the U.S. Senate chamber forged ahead with the evacuation anyway. He said he feared lawmakers would be injured or killed if he didn’t lead them to safety before the chamber doors were breached by protesters.

In a series of exclusive interviews with The Epoch Times, former USCP Lt. Tarik K. Johnson, 47, detailed allegations that Pittman failed to respond to multiple urgent calls for help.
...
Pittman, 49, who will begin a new job as chief of police at the University of California–Berkeley on Feb. 1, didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. She announced her retirement from the USCP in November 2022.
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In his new book, “Courage Under Fire,” published on Jan. 3, former USCP Chief Steven Sund, 57, said an area of the Command Center nicknamed “the pit” is used for monitoring “all the camera systems, radios, alarms, and a computer-aided dispatch terminal to monitor USCP and MPD calls for service.”

Founded by an act of Congress in 1828, the U.S. Capitol Police has more than 1,800 sworn officers, more than 500 civilian employees, and an annual budget of $602.5 million.

According to the book, Sund was in the Command Center on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, but was occupied making dozens of calls to the House and Senate sergeants at arms and the Pentagon, trying to get National Guard troops sent to the Capitol. He also made and took numerous calls to arrange for mutual aid from surrounding police agencies, the book said.
...
[USCP Lt. Tarik K.] Johnson became known to much of America as the Capitol Police lieutenant who wore a bright red Make America Great Again ball cap while he worked with a pair of Oath Keepers to rescue 16 USCP officers trapped in the foyer inside the massive Columbus Doors.

Johnson was suspended by USCP and later accused of rules violations, including conduct unbecoming, for wearing the Trump hat and working with the Oath Keepers on the officer rescue. He said he believes those charges were actually brought because the evacuations and other split-second leadership decisions he made embarrassed Pittman.

No Legal Difference’ Between Biden’s Classified Document Stash and Trump’s: Lawyer

The White House’s disclosure that classified documents were found in an office President Joe Biden used before taking office has prompted comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s keeping government records at his Mar-a-Lago home, raising questions about whether the two face the same legal consequences.

Legal experts who spoke to The Epoch Times gave contrasting views on the matter, with some insisting there’s no legal difference between Trump and Biden in terms of possible violations of laws that require classified documents to be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to be stored securely.

The key differences between the two cases that could have implications for how the Department of Justice (DOJ) ultimately views the incidents, according to the experts, boil down to the volume of records kept and the degree of cooperation around their return to NARA.

A “small number” of classified documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement as Biden’s lawyers were clearing out the offices, according to a statement on Jan. 9 by Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president.

Sauber said the documents were in a “locked closet” at the think tank Biden used after he served as vice president and that the records were turned over to NARA a day after they were found.
...
After news broke of the Biden-linked classified-document stash, the president’s allies rushed to his defense, while people in Trump’s camp questioned whether Biden would be treated with kid gloves or whether he, too, would face an FBI raid ... “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified.”

Biden, who in September 2022 called Trump’s handling of classified documents “totally irresponsible,” has not publicly commented on the discovery of records at the think tank.
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“It doesn’t truly differ from Trump’s document stash at Mar-A-Lago,” [attorney Derek] Jacques said. “While there is the implication that storing them in your private residence might seem less secure than an office in a think tank, there is no legal difference between the two.”

 What a hypocrite Biden turned out to be at the end! How dared he criticize his opponent if he had committed a true crime at his own think thank?

IRS Announces It Sent Out 12 Million Tax Refunds After Making Corrections

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced it sent out 12 million refunds totaling nearly $15 billion after making corrections to taxes that were filed in 2020.

The agency said it reviewed forms 1040 and 1040-SR from the 2020 tax year that were filed before March 2021, or when the American Rescue Plan was signed into law. It excluded up to $10,200 in 2020 unemployment compensation, the IRS said, from taxable income calculations.

Other corrections that were made by the agency included adjustments to the Earned Income Tax Credit, Recovery Rebate Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, American Opportunity Tax Credit, Premium Tax Credit, and Advanced Tax Credit, according to the news release.

Taxpayers who are eligible for the unemployment compensation exclusion and whose 2020 taxes were not corrected by the agency should file an amended 2020 tax return to claim refunds or credits, said the IRS. People who believe they qualify for a refund can visit the IRS website for more details on how to file.
...
“Some taxpayers received refunds, while others had the overpayment applied to taxes due or other debts,” the IRS also said. “In some cases, the exclusion only resulted in a reduction in their adjusted gross income.”

US, Canada, and Mexico Announce Plans to Boost Semiconductor Manufacturing

The United States, Canada, and Mexico will deepen “economic cooperation, promote investment, and reinforce competitiveness, innovation, and resilience by organizing the first-ever trilateral semiconductor forum with industry to adapt government policies and increase investment in semiconductor supply chains across North America,” the White House said.

The nations will also work together to coordinate semiconductor supply chain mapping efforts and identify “complementary investment opportunities,” the statement said.

Semiconductor chips are used for multiple purposes, including automotive manufacturing, telecommunication, and defense. The industry has been dominated by Asia for years, and disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic created problems in North American supply chains.

Semiconductor companies constructing new manufacturing facilities in the United States would like to have parts suppliers in Mexico, according to U.S. officials.
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López Obrador’s focus on strengthening Mexico’s state oil company and public power utility has prevented private and foreign investment. Mexico’s energy policy places billions of dollars in U.S. investments at risk, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Canada has joined the complaint.
...
Last September, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo visited Mexico City and said that Mexico would benefit both from manufacturing facilities for semiconductors and from the testing, packaging, and assembly of chips.

She added that the CHIPS Act passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year will create jobs and opportunities for the United States and Mexico.

It's strange that they complain about that oil company for it would certainly keep some level of stability in the oil production sector. After all, if the oil price soars, everything gets more and more expensive  every day that passes. Of course, it would be different if those investments are fake or useless.

Canada to Buy $406-Million Surface-to-Air Missile System for Ukraine

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed U.S. President Joe Biden of the purchase on the sidelines of the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City on Tuesday.

Trudeau’s office said the move would involve buying an American-made National Advanced Surface–to-Air Missile System.

Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office said it will cost $406 million, and is “the first Canadian donation of an air-defence system to Ukraine.”

The money stems from the $500 million Trudeau announced in military aid for Ukraine last November during the G20 summit in Indonesia.

[kyonides]

FLIGHT FIASCO: FAA outage leads travelers to vent frustrations, safety concerns

Americans traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport expressed their frustrations and safety concerns after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all domestic flights Wednesday morning.

"I travel a great deal," said Sharon, whose flight to Puerto Rico was canceled. "The only other time that I've seen it sort of like this was 9/11 when everything shut down."
...
The FAA grounded all domestic flights for hours Wednesday morning after the agency's computer system that issues safety alerts experienced an outage. The White House announced that President Biden was briefed on the issue and said there’s no evidence it was caused by a cyberattack.

Some travelers had concerns about the safety of flights resuming.

Alberto, who works in IT, told Fox News: "Many of these systems are still running on technologies that are decades old and they need to be updated."

House Oversight chair vows to investigate
Biden think tank's potential ties to China: 'This is unprecedented'

REP. JAMES COMER: This is unprecedented to have anonymous donations in the million dollar range, going directly to the immediate family of Joe Biden. It's almost as if there's a money trail from the Biden front door all the way to China and its anonymous sources. This is a problem. This is why Republicans are going to investigate the Biden family influence peddling. We're concerned that this White House is compromised because of the millions of dollars they've received from China.

Joe Biden said he was going to be the most transparent president in history when he was a candidate and I think we can make a strong argument that he is the least transparent president in history.

US, Japan to place anti-ship missiles on Okinawa amid rising China tensions

The U.S. and Japan agreed to boost the readiness of marine forces stationed on Okinawa, as well as provide them with anti-ship missiles and other advanced weaponry by 2025.

The Wednesday report is the latest development in Japan's recent bump in militarization. The country will boost its military spending by 40% and seeks to obtain missiles that could be used to "counterstrike" China or North Korea in the event of a missile attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sought to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship in the face of increased aggression from North Korea and China's burgeoning threats to seize Taiwan.
...
North Korea threatened to take "bold military steps" against Japan in December after Kishida detailed plans to ramp up military spending.

North Korea has long attacked Japan for the atrocities it committed throughout Asia prior to and during the world wars. The country now argues Japan seeks a return to its colonial ambitions through its alliance with the U.S.
...
North Korea fired dozens of missiles in 2022, even going so far as to fire one over Japan itself.

Meanwhile, China continues to hold unprecedented military drills simulating an invasion of Taiwan. The drills first came in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governed island in August, but the live-fire exercises have continued for months.

North Carolina school district used COVID-19 money to boost staff salaries

Chalkboard, a K-12 public education news outlet, reported that Wake County Public School System used more than 40% of $442 million in COVID-19 relief funding to supply "bonus pay" to its employees.

The outlet goes on to say that "77.69% of spending to salaries and benefits, with about 10% or less was spent "on other categories." The report explained further that the school district spent $238.2 million on salaries and benefits, approximately $30 million spent on supplies, $19 million for purchased services, $88,690 for capital outlay, and $9 million for "other" expenses.

"Wake County schools, according to state data through Nov. 30, has spent $120.4 million on bonus pay. Another $10 million went toward the teacher pay scale, $12 million for retirement costs, $15 million toward Social Security, $18 million for ‘Extended Contracts,’ and $26 million for ‘teacher,’" Chalkboard reported.
...
The funding will span the 2021-2024 school years, according to a breakdown of "Pandemic Relief Funds" on their website.

A breakdown of the state data shows Wake County Public School System shows that 64.5% of COVID-19 funds were used to fund "salary." It also shows that 11.1% was used for "employee Benefits," 10.1% for "purchased Services," 11.2% for "supplies and "materials," and 3.0% for "other."
...
The Chalkbeat report comes after national test scores showed sharp declines in math and reading. The test score results raise implications of the COVID-19 pandemic’s toll on the learning of kids across the U.S.

 What a wonderful way to improve the kids' and teenagers' grades by wasting money like crazy. How exactly did they spend those $9 millions? Who said the money should be used to pay the teachers for not teaching the kids while the schools were closed? Even if they claim they had virtual classes, how do they justify the severe drop in their grades?

NYC nurses on strike for third day decry abysmal emergency rooms:
'No more patients in hallways'

The New York State Nurses Association, a union representing some 40,000 members across the state, said Wednesday that nurses at Montefiore Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan "will be back on the picket lines from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and every day until agreements can be reached."

More than 7,000 walked off the job Monday and Tuesday at the two major hospitals. Nurses took also decried the state of their emergency departments on social media, saying hallways are crowded with beds and staffers, causing what they describe as a fire hazard and threat to patient safety.

The union condemned unsafe patient-to-staffing ratios – providing the example of one nurse in the Montefiore Emergency Department who often cares for up to 20 patients and another neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Mt. Sinai who is often responsible for three to four very ill babies at once. Mount Sinai Main has about 3,000 nurses on staff and 500 vacancies.
...
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined the Mount Sinai picketing line Monday and reasserted the nurses’ stance that the strike was not about money, but safety.

Meanwhile, Mount Sinai Hospital ripped NYSNA for its "reckless behavior" in rejecting New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal for binding arbitration, forcing nurses to leave their patients’ bedsides. Temporary nurses were hired to help mitigate the walk-out. In a statement Monday, Mount Sinai Main said nursing union leadership had refused to accept the exact same 19.1% increased wage offer agreed to by eight other hospitals, including two other Mount Sinai campuses.
...
The union contends that hospital executives paid themselves millions in salaries and bonuses during the pandemic at the same time they hiked hospital prices. Top executives at NYC hospitals increased their compensation by 10% between 2019 and 2020, according to institutional cost reports from the state Department of Health.

Top executives' total compensation reportedly on average is $1.1 million.

Talks resumed late Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital, but no deal was reached.

Deer smashes through doors of Minnesota butcher shop

The invasive creature, an out-of-sorts doe, escaped the shop as quickly as it had entered.

"A deer decided to come in and warm up but realized it is a butcher shop and high-tailed it right back out. She caused quite a bit of damage on her way in and out," She Said Butcher Shop shared on Facebook.

Security camera captured the deer crashing through the front door of the local shop in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday afternoon before it clumsily attempted to leave the local establishment. The deer left a shattered trail behind her and slipped around the red cement floor as if it were a sheet of ice.
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"This was truly an ordeal, and I am really not sure who was more scared at the time me or the deer, but it was a pretty terrifying experience overall," owner and butcher Melissa Evans wrote on the business' Facebook page.

 I guess even wild animals can become real terrorists after all.