President Joe Biden Wrote:Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.
The law voids the Defense of Marriage Act (aka DOMA) passed by President Bill Clinton (September 21, 1996) which defined marriage as between only Man and Woman.
Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2015 Wrote:They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
So the law that Biden signed ... was already law for the past 8 years. Even so, DOMA was struck down and ruled unconstitutional in 2013 in cases such as United States v. Windsor (2013)and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). (Links via Cornell University Law).
Personally, with character names like Victor Fries (FREEZE) and Ed Nygma (enigma for the RIDDLER ), doesn't the name BANKMAN FRIED sound too much like a BATMAN VILLAIN???
The House Financial Services Committee prepared themselves to question Mr. Bankman-Fried on Tuesday over the swift collapse of his crypto-currency system that was once worth Tens of Billions in US Dollars. However, the disgraced FTX founder said he would only appear remotely as he is "quite overbooked" and claimed he had security concerns about the "Paparazzi".
Bankman-Fried was questioned if his refusal to appear in person was for fear of being arrested...
Sam Bankman-Fried Wrote:I don’t think I will be arrested.
The Grand Jury Report released a report on the 5th of December faulting Loudoun County Schools and its former Superintendent for Loudoun County Public Schools for lack of transparency about two sexual assaults that occurred.
The first assault took place in Stone Bridge High School during in May 2021. The student who committed the assault was transferred to Broad Run High School where he abducted and sexually assaulted another female student in Oct. 2021. Said teen pled guilty and was convicted in juvinile court.
The former Superintendent for Loudoun County Public Schools, Mr Scott Ziegler, is facing three misdemeanor charges of false publican prohibited, conduct and penalizing an employee for a court appearance. And the division’s Public Information Officer Wayde Byard was also indicted on a felony count of perjury, and has been placed on leave.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:Lieutenant General Robert Magowan, who reportedly serves as the UK’s Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability), reportedly confirmed that the Royal Marines have been actively engaging in operations in Ukraine in an article in the Globe and Laurel, the official magazine of the Royal Marines.
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The revelation comes shortly after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that things could go “horribly wrong” with the conflict, resulting in a “major war” between the west and Russia.
According to a report by The Times, at least 350 Royal Marines from 45 Commando were deployed in the country to escort diplomats from the British embassy shortly before this year’s Russian assault. Troops reportedly then returned to Kyiv last April in order to defend the UK embassy as the country worked to re-establish its diplomatic presence within the Ukrainian capital.
Cryptically, however, Magowan reportedly also confirms the Royal Marines as having taken part in other unnamed “discrete operations”, the details of which he does not disclose.
...
Meanwhile, it has already long been confirmed that U.S. forces have been active in Ukraine, with the Pentagon confirming early last month that personnel have been deployed to the country allegedly for the purposes of ensuring taxpayer-funded military gear ends up in the hands of its intended recipient.
Said to be operating under the command of Brig. Gen. Garrick Harmon, a “defence attaché” from the U.S. is regularly conducting arms inspections of weaponry supplied to the Ukrainians in order to alleviate concerns that high-grade munitions could end up on the black market.
Quote:Among the 59 percent that prefer another Democrat to Biden, only 51 percent say they will “definitely” vote for Biden if he were the party’s 2024 nominee. Just 28 percent say they “probably” would vote for Biden.
Overall, 86 percent say they would support or would likely support Biden in a 2024 election if he were the party’s nominee.
Among those who prefer someone else to Biden, 72 percent have no specific alternative, which speaks to the Democrat Party’s dilemma of future succession.
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Biden’s favorability rating is greater than the two greatest potential challengers to Biden. Biden’s favorability rating is 83 percent with 11 percent holding an unfavorable view. Newsom’s favorability is only 45 percent with 9 percent unfavorable, while Harris’s favorability score is 66 percent positive with 14 negative.
They gotta be quite desperate as to consider that they have to vote for Biden again or even think that Newsom is a valid alternative at all. He can't even run California properly!
Quote:Recently, authorities in the state of Guerrero found the body of Samuel “El Vago” Avila Marin, a lieutenant with a cartel cell called Tequileros, formerly part of Cartel Jalisco New Generation. Next to his body, gunmen left a message allegedly signed by La Familia Michoacana.
The murder comes almost a week after roughly 80 gunmen stormed a prison in Guerrero to break out El Vago, El Pais reported. The gunmen were able to overpower the prison guards and take El Vago with them.
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The murder by La Fresa’s cell of La Familia Michoacana comes days after a mass killing also in Guerrero where his gunmen ordered locals to gather at a soccer field for executions, including an 11-year-old boy. Law enforcement sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that the massacre at El Durazno is tied to plans to build a military base in the region to boost local security.
Criminals, now you can't even trust your so called comrades because they could kill you at any moment.
Quote:Far-left protesters have rioted for nearly a week in support of Castillo, who was impeached on December 7 after he attempted to dissolve the Peruvian Congress and rule by decree. Castillo made the move hours before Congress was set to vote for a third time on removing him from office. The act of dissolving Congress to stay in executive power is commonly referred to in Peru as a “self-coup” (autogolpe) since conservative ex-President Alberto Fujimori successfully did it in 1992.
Castillo was arrested shortly after his national address announcing a self-coup and is imprisoned in the same jail as Alberto Fujimori at press time.
The protesters, who have caused damages across the capital city of Lima and other regions, shut down airport operations, damaged the buildings of local television channels and radio stations, and injured over 100 policemen, according to government reports. They are demanding Castillo’s return to power and the resignation of the nation’s current president, Dina Boluarte, who up until Castillo’s impeachment served as the nation’s vice president. Furthermore, the rioters are demanding the closure of the Peruvian Congress and the immediate holding of general elections.
Quote:The National Police, led by dictator Daniel Ortega’s brother-in-law Francisco Díaz, accused the prelate of trying to “organize violent groups,” allegedly “for the purpose of destabilizing the State of Nicaragua and attacking the constitutional authorities,” but brought forward no evidence to substantiate this claim.
A month after his arrest, a judge granted a 90-day extension of the bishop’s detention before charges would have to be brought, according to the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In its announcement Tuesday of the opening of Álvarez’s case, the judicial authority of the Managua Criminal District Courts decreed that the bishop be held under house arrest until an initial hearing scheduled for January 10, 2023.
He is accused of “the crimes of conspiracy to commit impairment to national integrity and propagation of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the Nicaraguan State and society.”
...
The Diocese of Matagalpa as well as Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes have called for the release of the detained bishop. At the same time, Pope Francis has remained conspicuously silent on the matter, to the consternation of many Nicaraguans.
Quote:Federal authorities on Tuesday charged FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried for making “tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions” to influence policies and laws around cryptocurrency.
Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, told reporters Tuesday that Bankman-Fried—sometimes known as SBF—faces charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, and campaign finance violations.
“From 2019 until earlier this year, Bankman-Fried and his co-conspirators stole billions of dollars from FTX customers,” Williams said. “He used that money for his personal benefit, including to make personal investments and to cover expenses and debts of his hedge fund, Alameda Research.”
Elaborating, the FTX founder was also charged with violating campaign finance laws “by causing tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to be made to candidates and committees associated with both Democrats and Republicans,” he said, adding that his team’s investigation into alleged fraudulent FTX activity and sister company Alameda Research is moving quickly.
“And all of this dirty money was used in service of Bankman-Fried’s desire to buy bipartisan influence and impact the direction of public policy in Washington,” Williams said. Reports have indicated, however, that Bankman-Fried made more donations to Democrat candidates than Republicans.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have walked out in a one-day work stoppage, the biggest-ever strike by nurses in the UK, after the government rejected their pay demand as unaffordable.
It’s the first time the RCN has taken action across the whole of the UK in its 106-year history. The move is affecting around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all trusts in Northern Ireland, and all but one health board in Wales. Scotland is currently unaffected, as the local government has reopened pay talks for the National Health Service (NHS).
Health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News on Dec. 15 that 70,000 appointments, procedures, and surgeries will be lost in England because of the nursing strike.
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The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5 percent above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the government is sticking to the recommendations of the independent pay review body, which said nurses should get a pay increase of about £1,400 ($1,730).
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She said nurses are asking for the “20 percent that has been eroded” from their pay over the past decade to be put back, but the health secretary had told her she could talk about “anything but pay.”
Downing Street has said a 1 percent pay boost for all NHS staff except doctors, dentists, and very senior managers would cost £700 million ($865 million).
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said that double-digit pay rises across the board for public sector workers would cost £28 billion ($35 billion), which he said “could be inflationary” and would have to come from higher taxation or borrowing.
“The government does not think those sorts of sums are affordable in the current circumstances,” he said.
Quote:“An information campaign has been launched in the United States about alleged preparations for sending cutting-edge air-defense systems to Kyiv,” the Russian Embassy in Washington said in a Dec. 15 statement.
“If this is confirmed, we will witness yet another provocative step by the [U.S.] administration that may lead to unpredictable consequences.”
Several Western media outlets recently have reported that Washington is poised to provide Kyiv with advanced Patriot air-defense missile batteries.
If the White House approves the move, it would be the most advanced U.S. surface-to-air missile system to be delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February.
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On Dec. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a meeting of G-7 leaders, during which he reiterated Kyiv’s longstanding request for longer-range missiles, artillery, and advanced air-defense systems.
Two days later, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby declined to confirm whether a decision had been made regarding proposed Patriot deliveries to Ukraine.
Quote:A Chinese student was charged with stalking for allegedly threatening and harassing a U.S. permanent resident who posted fliers in support of democracy in China, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said on Dec. 14.
Wu Xiaolei, a Chinese citizen studying at Berklee College of Music, Boston, allegedly threatened a person who posted a flier near the campus demanding democracy and freedom in communist China.
“Post more, I will chop your bastard hands off,” Wu told the activist in a group chat on WeChat, a Chinese social media app, according to the charging documents.
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Wu, 25, also said he had reported the activist to the public security agency in China and that the Chinese police would visit the activist’s family, according to the complaint.
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Federal prosecutors in Boston said Wu had been arrested on Dec. 14 on the charge of stalking.
Wu made his appearance in federal court in Boston later that afternoon.
Quote:Twitter owner Elon Musk wrote on Wednesday that a car carrying his son in Los Angeles was allegedly followed by a “crazy stalker” before releasing a video of the alleged perpetrator and his vehicle.
The video posted by Musk showed a male wearing a black mask and hoodie, driving a white Hyundai sedan. The person did not say anything and held up a phone as if recording a video.
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Musk drew criticism, however, for posting a video of the man wearing a mask and his car—which included the license plate number—when it was not clear whether he was the individual who allegedly jumped on the car. Musk has about 120 million followers on the platform.
It came as Musk announced that he would be taking “legal action” against Jack Sweeney, who runs the “ElonJet” account that tracks the movement of his private jet. Also around the same time, he announced a new policy around “doxxing,” or the practice of revealing an individual’s location or real identity.
Quote:Publisher Fred Ryan appeared at a town hall event on Wednesday, according to an apparent staffer’s video footage that was published online.
According to The Washington Post, Ryan said that there will be a “single-digit percentage” worth of job cuts but did not detail the exact numbers. Currently, the newspaper employs around 2,500 people.
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Ryan told staffers in an email that the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper’s plans to slash jobs “in no way signals that we are scaling back our ambitions.” But, he stressed, “like any business, The Post cannot keep investing resources in initiatives that do not meet our customers’ needs.”
The video appeared to show Ryan walking out of the town hall event as dozens of Washington Post employees asked him questions about the job cuts. The Post’s report on the layoffs confirmed he walked out of the meeting.
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During the meeting, Ryan cited the U.S. economic situation and noted that firms dependent on advertising, such as newspapers and websites, are suffering, according to the Post’s report.
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Media and entertainment firms that recently started conducting layoffs include Facebook parent Meta, Twitter, Roku, Gannett, Disney, Warner Bros., Comcast, Paramount, CNN, ABC, and more, according to reports.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Over 150 eMails exchanged between the two since 2020. Orders to ban given.
Between January 2020 to just this November, there were over one-hundred and fifty eMails went between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth. This was an extreme number of requests given by the FBI claiming it was for election misinformation, but it even involved joke tweets being removed. A spokesperson for the FBI claims they wish to contact private sector entities to deal with foreign malign influence actors. Explain the banning of Hollywood Actor Alec Baldwin's brother, Billy Baldwin.
Substack writer Matt Taibbi shared an eMail from November 5, 2022 from the FBI, before Musk acquired the company, a lengthy list of Twitter accounts that suggested they "may warrant additional action." But that was one example. The FBI in one case sent over so many 'possible violations' that Twitter employees were ecstatic over reviewing who to deal with. And there was even a a platform through which Twitter could receive reports from the FBI itself. State governments could flag content.
This is the sixth of the Twitter dumps showing full board coordination with the FBI. The second dump which was delayed by former FBI James Baker while he still worked for Twitter showed blacklisting and shadowbanning of conservatives and medical professionals. The third, fourth and fifth installments about shadowbanning and their role to create a faux excuse to ban Former President Trump. So what's next?
At long last, over 13,000 files of the Kennedy Assassination were released by the National Archives this week. though President Biden ordered thousands more to remain sealed until at least the middle of 2023. However, the current batch of records revealed little insofar as new revelations about the assassination itself. However, it revealed that the CIA did intercept a phone call between Lee Harvey Oswald with the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City just weeks before the murder. Documents on the wiretapping revealed assistance by the then-President of Mexico, but without any knowledge among Mexico's law enforcement apparatus.
This is the largest release of records pertaining to the JFK assassination since 2018 by then President Trump. However, over 4000 documents remain sealed, apparently to protect military defense, intelligence operations, foreign relations, or other various reasons to prevent disclosure, this a claim by the White House. And then there are 3,000 other documents that are being withheld due to being sealed as they were part of Grand Jury proceedings, involve individual tax records, or other details that forbid disclosure.
Biden's order sets a new deadline for the remaining redacted documents to be reviewed and released by May 1, 2023.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a six-pillar plan (pdf) on how it plans to cope with the challenges posed by the scheduled termination of Title 42 and the major policy shift that this represents.
The department’s plan includes accelerated processing for illegal aliens in custody on the border, more temporary detention tents, staffing surges, bolstering NGO capacity to receive people after they’ve been processed, and increased criminal prosecutions of smugglers.
The agency estimates that 9,000 to 14,000 migrants could try to enter the country illegally each day when the Title 42 policy ends.
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A federal judge in Washington ordered Title 42 to end on Dec. 21 but Republican-led states asked an appeals court to keep it in place.
The Biden administration has also challenged some aspects of the ruling, though it doesn’t oppose letting the rule lapse next week.
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A number of GOP lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to extend the emergency order, arguing that terminating Title 42 will “result in a complete loss of operational control over the southern border, a profoundly negative impact on border communities, and significant suffering and fatalities among the migrants unlawfully entering the United States.”
The group of lawmakers said in their letter to Biden that legislative action is probably the only solution, but that could take time.
The DHS, too, called for Congressional action to fix what it described as an outdated and dysfunctional immigration system, in which “incentives are misaligned, asylum court backlogs stretch for years, and the border security challenge is exacerbated.”
Quote:Forces to be deployed include elements of the 136th Airlift Wing, Texas Air National Guard, and the 236th Military Police Company.
“These actions are part of a larger strategy to use every available tool to fight back against the record-breaking level of illegal immigration and transnational criminal activity,” the department advised in a statement.
Created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Title 42 empowers federal health authorities to prohibit immigrants from entering the United States to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
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In preparation for that possibility, Col. Matt Groves, 136th Airlift Wing commander, said that 136th Airlift Wing C-130J cargo aircraft, air crews, support, and response airmen had been placed on standby, ready to assist the governor in whatever way he might require.
Quote:The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), accounting watchdog in the United States, has received full access to inspect and investigate companies operating in China for the first-ever time. The PCAOB is also tasked with overseeing registered public accounting firms worldwide.
The PCAOB had the sole discretion to select which firms to audit, the potential violations it looked into, and also audit engagements without having any input or influence from Chinese authorities. Staff at the accounting watchdog selected two companies for inspection: PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong and KPMG Huazhen LLP in mainland China. The firms were selected using the same methodology that is usually applied in PCAOB inspections.
Inspectors from the PCAOB were able to view complete audit work papers without any redactions, and the agency was able to retain critical information to finish the work. The PCAOB was also able to interview and take testimony of all individuals linked to the audits which the agency inspected or investigated.
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Some have raised concerns about the information the audits might uncover. While speaking to Reuters, Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder, said that the agreement takes one of the risks “off the table” when it comes to investing in Chinese firms.
However, issues identified due to the more strict accounting oversight “could be very bad for the sector, especially if there is then no effort to correct it or come clean,” he said.
According to the PCAOB release, Williams admitted that the agency staff had identified “numerous potential deficiencies” in their inspection work. The reports are expected to be finalized and published next year.
Why ain't I surprised at all, guys?
There had to be a reason why they had refused to be audited by US authorities for quite some time.
Quote:A judge overseeing an Arizona electoral lawsuit ruled on Friday that GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake may appoint an inspector to analyze a small selection of Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2022 midterm election.
The inspection may begin on Dec. 20, unless Lake’s lawsuit is dismissed beforehand, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said in his ruling.
Lake, who filed a lawsuit on Dec. 9 (pdf) seeking to overturn the election for Arizona’s governor, petitioned the court to inspect a random selection of ballots cast in different Maricopa County voting centers on Nov. 8.
The lawsuit alleged that “hundreds of thousands of illegal ballots infected the election in Maricopa County.”
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The trial date is set for Dec. 20.
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Thompson agreed that an inspector named by Lake may analyze 50 randomly selected “ballot-on-demand” (BOD) printed ballots; 50 “randomly selected early ballots;” and 50 “randomly selected BOD printed ballots that were marked spoiled” on Election Day.
The ballots will be randomly selected from ballots cast at six separate vote centers in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous electorate.
The only request Thompson rejected was to inspect 50 “randomly selected early ballot envelopes for early ballots.” The judge said state election contest statutes prohibit scrutiny of ballot envelopes.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:The National Weather Service (NWS) wrote on Dec. 18 that a “major storm system is forecast to impact much of the Nation leading up to Christmas Eve, with widespread gusty winds, areas of heavy rain and heavy snow, as well as bitter cold in its wake.”
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“Our confidence is growing, and what that means is that there’s more agreement on the forecast data, so the significant winter storm becomes more likely,” Fox Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze said via the outlet. “The timing right now is that this could last into Christmas weekend. For some, it’s a nightmare. For others, this could be dreaming of a white Christmas come true.”
The anticipated storm, according to AccuWeather, will send a “wide swath of snow, rain and fierce winds from the Plains to the Atlantic Seaboard.”
The storm will hit alongside “a surge of frigid air that will send temperatures to bone-chilling levels through the holiday weekend and could be one of the most intense and prolonged periods of Arctic air in decades during Christmastime,” the forecaster said, warning of a “rapid freeze-up.”
For much of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, the travel outlook on Dec. 22 is “poor,” according to AccuWeather.
Quote:The son of David DePape, the man alleged to have attacked Paul Pelosi—the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)—in their home, said that he has “more questions than answers” about the incident, nearly two months after it happened.
“‘I’m surprised about the whole thing. There is still a lot of info that hasn’t been given to the public. I have no clue what happened or how it happened. There are more questions than answers right now. Do we even know what really happened?” Sky Gonzalez, who lives with his family in Berkeley, California, told the Daily Mail last week.
“He isn’t a danger to society, I don’t even know if he even attacked Mr. Pelosi,” he said, countering claims made by federal officials and the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.
Gonzalez also claimed that the attack was not politically motivated, although San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins indicated that it was and that DePape had a list of targets that he wanted to attack.
“My father had a lot of political views and told me about a lot of different things, but he didn’t subscribe to either political party, Democrat or Republican,” he said, adding that he believed his father was a member of the Green Party.
Quote:Lionel Messi led Argentina to overcome a French rally from Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick for Argentina’s third World Cup victory in a penalty shoot-out following a 3–3 draw in extra time, on Dec. 18 in front of 88,966 fans at Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar.
Argentina won its first World Cup since Diego Maradona’s 1986 victory in dramatic fashion, dominating the first half, controlling the midfield, and shutting out France from any shots, maintaining 60 percent of the possession while scoring two goals on six total shots.
Messi was awarded the Player of the Tournament award, bolstering the argument that he is the greatest player in the sport’s history by winning his first of five World Cup appearances.
Messi, 35, was tied with fellow Paris Saint-Germain teammate Mbappe for the most goals coming into the Finals.
The Golden Boot award for the top goal-scorer of the tournament would eventually go to Mbappe with three goals on the day for a total of eight in the tournament.
Argentina’s 34-year-old DiMaria was most valuable in the first half, making a stunning move around Ousmane Dembele in the box, and was rewarded with a penalty kick as Dembele pushed DiMaria from behind.
Messi would convert the penalty kick, 1–0, in the 23rd minute to the right corner, waiting for Hugo Lloris to dive to the left.
Messi became the first player in history to score in every round of a World Cup including the Finals.
It's curious how Argentina can't win a world cup without a guy whose surname begins with the letter M.
Quote:El Paso, a Democrat stronghold in Texas located on the U.S. border with Mexico, has a history of welcoming immigrants but has struggled in recent months to deal with tens of thousands of illegal aliens crossing the southern border into the United States.
Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the emergency measures will allow the city to have more resources and authority to shelter those who have crossed the southern border, and that this is expected to become more necessary with the Title 42 policy’s ending on Dec. 21, reported the El Paso Times.
He said he was prompted to consider issuing the state of emergency declaration after seeing scores of illegal aliens, who have been released into the city, sleeping in downtown streets in freezing temperatures on the night of Dec. 16. Leeser said he decided to declare a state of emergency after conference calls with federal, state, and municipal officials.
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On Dec. 21, the increase in illegal aliens would be “incredible,” and daily apprehensions and street releases could reach up to 6,000 per day, Leeser told reporters, according to the El Paso Times.
Border agents have encountered an average of more than 2,400 illegal aliens a day in a 268-mile stretch of the border known as the El Paso Sector over the past week, according to figures published by the city. This marks a 40 percent increase compared with October.
El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino said that the emergency declaration means the city will have more help from state law enforcement, more flexibility in operating larger shelters, and more transportation options to send the illegal aliens to other locations.
Yeah, other locations like Martha's Vineyard and Washington DC.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California on Tuesday injured two people, damaged a bridge and several roads and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.
The earthquake 215 miles (350 km) north of San Francisco caused gas leaks, downed power lines and set one building on fire, which was quickly extinguished, and caused two other buildings to collapse, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department fielded 70 emergency calls after the quake struck at 2:34 a.m. (1034 GMT), including one report of a person left trapped who needed rescuing, according to spokesperson Tran Beyea.
Two people were injured near the quake's epicenter in Humboldt County, where widespread damage to roads and homes was reported, the sheriff's office said. One of those injured was a child with a head injury and the other an older person with a broken hip, according to local media citing the sheriff's office.
It is unclear if the earthquake caused any deaths.
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Some 79,000 homes and businesses were without power in Ferndale and surrounding Humboldt County, according to the electric grid tracking website PowerOutage.us.
PG&E crews were out assessing the utility's gas and electric system for any damage and hazards, which could take several days, company spokesperson Karly Hernandez said.
Quote:The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to pause the expiration of Title 42 after 19 states filed an emergency application for a stay.
Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily stayed a lower court’s decision that would lift Title 42 on Wednesday. He called for an “administrative stay” that puts the order on hold while the justices consider the multistate request.
Earlier on Monday, Arizona, Louisiana, Texas, and 16 other GOP-led filed an emergency application urging the SCOTUS to reverse the lower court’s decision to strike down Title 42.
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On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the motion to intervene.
Now, the coalition cited there would be “irreparable harm absent a stay.”
...
“The likelihood of irreparable harm to the States is underscored by the fact that DHS has requested $3-4 billion in emergency funding to deal with the imminent calamity that the district court’s decision will occasion,” the document continued.
According to preliminary Customs and Border Protection data provided to The Epoch Times, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 19, the border’s two busiest sectors—El Paso and Del Rio in Texas—counted 70,288 illegal alien apprehensions and an additional 28,913 who evaded arrest.
Quote:A Maricopa County, Arizona judge ruled that two out of 10 claims brought by GOP gubernatorial candidate that challenges Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’ election win can go to trial.
Maricopa County Superior Judge Peter Thompson dismissed (pdf) the eight other claims in Lake’s lawsuit, ruling they didn’t meet the criteria to bring election challenges under state law. Filed earlier this month, Lake’s suit asked the judge to either declare her the victor or hold another vote in Maricopa County.
Lake’s remaining claims alleging intentional interference with ballot printers and chain-of-custody problems will be heard later this week. The parties will meet on Tuesday to allow Lake’s team to inspect a small sample of Maricopa County ballots.
...
The judge dismissed a number of claims, including Lake’s assertion that Hobbs, in her capacity as secretary of state, and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer engaged in censorship by targeting social media posts for possible removal by Twitter.
But Hobbs, according to the judge, could be called to testify in her capacity as Arizona’s secretary of state, a position she currently holds. Earlier in the week, lawyers Hobbs submitted a motion to quash attempts to testify in her official capacity.
Quote:A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Dec. 19 voted to refer former President Donald Trump for criminal charges, including a charge that would, if a conviction is secured, bar him from becoming president again.
Members of the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol cast votes for the four referrals during a hearing in Washington. They unanimously voted to refer insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, making a false statement to the federal government, and conspiracy to defraud the federal government to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where prosecutors will ultimately determine whether to act on the recommendations.
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“I DID NOTHING WRONG!” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
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U.S. law bars insurrection, with the code stating that “whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
One law bars obstruction of official proceedings, starting in part that a person may not “corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law” by Congress.
A third statute forbids people from conspiring to defraud the United States. The code was defined by a Supreme Court justice as “primarily to cheat the Government out of property or money, but it also means to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful governmental functions by deceit, craft or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest.”
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Commentary: Think I'm surprised? The bulk of the members wanted Trump out before he was even elected.
Ignored by the committee.. with links
Sure, U.S. law bars insurrection, this about anyone who incites violence, sets foot, assists or engages in rebellion. Given that, one individual named Ray Epps found on this video fit the build. However, Democrats refuse this acknowledgement and Epps is not being pursued at all.
And yet, law bars obstruction of official proceedings. Did not the democrats attempt to overturn the election of Donald Trump? But not once, Twice no less? They in fact, continued with the Russia Collusion hoax... even considering impeachment based on its false findings.
There are documents (pg 5 of the 'U.S. Capitol Police' January 6 Timeline) showing requests on January 4th that the National Guard be present on the 6th, and that Senate Sergeant At Arms Michael Stenger denied it. A civilian cannot issue a direct order to military. A senator cannot give a direct order. It must follow a chain of command. and this is just that one piece alone is exculpatory evidence, among other pieces that this 'committee' refuses to acknowledge.
Pg 5 of 24: Monday, January 4:
"COP Sund asks Senate Sergeant At Arms Michael Stenger to have National Guard to assist..."
The scruffy FTX Founder is now out and under house arrest under a record-setting $250 Million bond, the largest ever pre-trial pond ever proposed by the feds. The house arrest taking place in his parent's Palo Alto residence is certainly more comfy than his previous incarceration, that of a prison in the Bahamas. Given conditions, he voluntarily concented to extradtion to the United States. Fitted with an electronic monitoring device, he may leave his parent's house for exercise, mental health and substatnce abuse treatment, but little else.
Things are not appearing great for Bankman-Fried as he's accused of illegally using invester's money to buy real estate, make political donations and much more. And on top of that, FTX co-Founder Gary Wang and former FTX CEO and Ex-Girlfriend Carolyn Ellison agreed to plea deals and will be testifying for the prosecution.
Still, I wonder. When it comes to bail, the defender must acquire at least 10% of the sum. Bankman-Fried claimed he only had $100,000 left to his name, his parents put up $4 Million for his bail. So who put up the remaining $20 Million?
Ms Carolyn Ellison is the former CEO of NTX and says she has intimate of what happened ahead of FTX’s sudden bankruptcy in November. Court documents would have her facing over 100 years in prison. But she, along with co-Founder Gary Wang, are now testifying on behalf of the prosecution for lighter sentences.
And not only is Bankman-Fried going to have his tatements undermined by electronic evidence and documents recovered, but by cooperating witnesses.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Friday announced it would delay a rule that would have required tens of millions of Americans who received payments of at least $600 to report their earnings, following widespread confusion and angst about the new requirements.
Under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, anyone who earned $600 via platforms like PayPal, Etsy, Venmo, Airbnb, eBay, and others, would receive a 1099-K tax form from those services. Previously, those payment apps were required to send users the tax form if their gross income exceeded $20,000 or if they had 200 separate transactions in a calendar year.
But acting IRS Commissioner Doug O’Donnell told news outlets Friday that the rule triggered confusion and would be delayed by another year.
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The rule does not change what income is taxable, just what payment information the IRS will receive. Gig workers and sellers who use online platforms are required under the law to report and track their income.
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In a statement earlier this month, Scott accused the Treasury Department of launching “an outrageous violation of Americans’ privacy” and added the reporting rule is “stuff we see in communist China.” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the head of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to Yellen urging the IRS to improve its communication about the pending rule change.
Quote:Japan’s government approved a new policy on Thursday to maximize nuclear energy use in a major turnaround after the country shut down most of its nuclear reactors in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The nuclear reactor guidelines were approved by an advisory panel, which is led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan Times reported.
The guidelines will require the development of next-generation reactors and allow extending the lifespans of nuclear reactors beyond the current maximum of 60 years. It also allows replacing aging nuclear reactors with new ones to ensure a stable power supply.
The approval came a day after Japan’s nuclear watchdog, the Nuclear Regulation Authority, approved a draft review of nuclear reactor safety regulations. The new policy will still need to be put into law and approved by parliament.
Kishida said that he planned to get the Cabinet to approve the policy and submit the necessary bills to Parliament.
Quote:The budget includes 36.9 trillion yen ($277.6 billion) for social security and 6.8 trillion yen ($51 billion) for defense, a 26.3 percent increase from 5.4 trillion yen ($40.6 billion) in the current defense budget, Kyodo News reported.
The defense budget includes expenditures for the improvement and mass production of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s surface-to-ship guided missiles, which are expected to be a key component of Japan’s counterstrike capabilities.
Other items on Japan’s military spending list over the next five years include high-speed glide weapons, hypersonic missiles, surveillance drones, and U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles.
The budget also accounts for expenses related to hosting U.S. military bases, according to local reports.
The hikes came as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to increase defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product over the next five years to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities.
To fund spending for Japan’s military, the government planned to implement corporate, tobacco, and income tax hikes but stopped short of deciding when the measure would go into effect.
Japan seeks to have the ability to counterattack as it deals with regional security challenges from China, North Korea, and Russia. The government approved three key defense documents last week, including the National Security Strategy, which refers to China as Japan’s “greatest challenge.”
...
Both countries agreed to “enhance trilateral defense cooperation and to invite Japan to integrate into our force posture initiatives in Australia,” [U.S. Defense Secretary Llyod] Austin said.
Quote:An Arizona judge ruled against Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s election case, confirming the election of Katie Hobbs as Arizona governor-elect.
The court didn’t find any clear or convincing evidence that misconduct happened during the 2022 Arizona general election and confirmed Katie Hobbs’s election, Arizona Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said in the ruling.
Thompson also ordered Hobbs’s side to file a statement of costs and motion for sanctions before Dec. 26.
Lake vowed to appeal the ruling.
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Hobbs, who is currently the secretary of state, certified the results of the gubernatorial election on Dec. 5, which show Lake lost the race to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes.
Guys, does it even make sense that the very same candidate that allegedly won the gubernatorial elections certifies the results herself? I mean, this is a clear conflict of interests involved here. One of the problems with the US state and federal legislations is that it doesn't require candidates to quit their jobs if they're currently working for the government. Now we can see how that ends up working against the interests of voters and electoral transparency.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
Quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s very confident that Moscow will destroy the Patriot air defense systems that the United States has promised to Ukraine in a new security assistance package.
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A day after the U.S. State Department announced a new $1.85 billion aid package for Ukraine, bringing the overall financial support to about $22 billion, Putin said “the Patriot is a fairly outdated system” and an “antidote” to these systems will be found.
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“We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them—we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are,” Putin told the station.
However, there is little end in sight to the war as Moscow vows it will fight until all its aims are achieved.
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Russian missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have recently increased, depriving citizens of heat and other resources during the harsh winter months.
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The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defense system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp. and considered one of the most advanced air defense systems in the U.S. military’s arsenal.
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It’s a mobile system that usually includes powerful radar, a control station, a power generator, launch stations, and other support vehicles.
Quote:SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Monday that the company is now close to having 100 active Starlinks, the firm’s satellite internet service, in Iran, three months after he posted on Twitter that he would activate the service there amid protests around the Islamic country.
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The billionaire had said in September that he would activate Starlink in Iran as part of a U.S.-backed effort “to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information” to Iranians.
The satellite-based broadband service could help Iranians circumvent the regime’s restrictions on accessing the internet and certain social media platforms amid protests around the country.
Quote:Millions of U.S. citizens who enrolled in the Medicaid insurance program during the COVID-19 pandemic could soon lose their coverage due to the passage of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
Back in January 2020, the Trump administration declared a public health emergency (PHE) that has been renewed every 90 days since. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed into law in March 2020 prohibiting states from removing Medicaid recipients from the program as long as the PHE is in effect, thereby ensuring that Americans have access to continuous medical coverage during the pandemic.
The $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, however, contains a provision that will eliminate Medicaid coverage protection from PHE, implying that states can start removing individuals who do not meet Medicaid criteria beginning in April 2023.
Medicaid is a form of free or low-cost health care in which people qualify based on income and family size. People usually lose their Medicaid coverage when their incomes increase and they fall outside its eligibility requirements.
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A group of 25 Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Dec. 19, requesting that he end the PHE in April.
The letter points out that PHE negatively affects states as it artificially raises the number of Americans under Medicaid even when they are ineligible. As a result, states have to shell out more money for the program.
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In a press release on Dec. 20, the National Association of Medicaid Directors pointed out that more than 90 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, which is the largest number of members in the program’s history.
Quote:The DOJ stated that Durham’s office spent about $2.08 million from April 1 to Sept. 30. His team has been quiet in recent weeks, after a jury found Russia analyst Igor Danchenko not guilty of a charge of lying to the FBI.
“The review identified no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the design or operation of SCO controls,” the DOJ stated.
SCO refers to the Special Counsel’s Office of John Durham.
A large portion of the funds allocated to Durham went to personnel compensation and benefits, while the rest dealt with rent, travel, utilities, and related expenditures. About a third went to “contractual services,” including IT services and “litigative support,” according to the report.
“The Department will continue to dedicate and leverage resources to maintain strong program and financial management controls. Management takes its program and financial accountability seriously and is dedicated to ensuring that funds are used in a responsible and transparent manner,” the DOJ report reads.
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“Now, thanks to John Durham, we know definitively that James Comey, Andy McCabe, Peter Strzok, and all the others at the FBI—Thibault, Auten, Somma—lied to a federal court, lied to the American public and intentionally—intentionally—did not do their jobs because they knew the answers to the questions about the Steele dossier, its source network, and its veracity would fail and would destroy their investigation,” Patel said in October.
“These political witch hunts and prosecutions are very real, whether it’s January 6 or otherwise.”
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So far, Durham has obtained one guilty plea. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who was accused of altering a document to renew a FISA surveillance warrant for former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, was sentenced in 2021 but avoided prison time.
Quote:Devin Nunes subpoenaed the DOJ and FBI for documents related to their involvement with the Russia collusion hoax when he was a congressman and chair of the House Intelligence Committee. In response, the DOJ engaged in “reverse spying” to try and stop the investigation, Nunes alleged in an interview that aired on Newsmakers by NTD and The Epoch Times on Dec. 21.
“It’s all common knowledge now that the FBI, DOJ, the Democrat National Party, they were all in cahoots together, taking made-up, phony dirt and taking it before a FISA court,” said Nunes, who was chair of the intelligence committee from 2015–2019.
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So, what do they do? … They target my lawyers so they can try and figure out what we knew, when we knew it, and what we were going to do with the information.”
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“It wasn’t like they were in search of some crime. What they were really after was intelligence, and potentially blackmail, to figure out how they could stop the information,” Nunes alleged.
But ultimately, the DOJ’s reverse spying was unsuccessful, Nunes stated, and he was able to openly shed light on the cooperation between the DOJ, the FBI, and the Democrat National Party to bring down then-President Donald Trump.
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According to Nunes, if the DOJ was acting in compliance with the law, it should have informed Nunes when it demanded Google turn over personal email and phone data from at least two senior intelligence members of Nunes’ team. Nunes specified that the team members were working on the congressional probe into the Russia hoax.
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Nunes said that the only way for the DOJ to get around that requirement is to use the National Security Division and “essentially accuse” Nunes and his team of being “agents of Putin.”
So guys, if you had ever thought this was just about Trump, you're wrong. They're going after anybody that opposes Biden and his regime.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
News of the World
Hold up, Wait a minute!!!
So the law that Biden signed ... was already law for the past 8 years. Even so, DOMA was struck down and ruled unconstitutional in 2013 in cases such as United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). (Links via Cornell University Law).
Personally, with character names like Victor Fries (FREEZE) and Ed Nygma (enigma for the RIDDLER 
), doesn't the name BANKMAN FRIED sound too much like a BATMAN VILLAIN???
REALLY???![[Image: QrnbKlx.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/QrnbKlx.jpg)
![[Image: sGz1ErF.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sGz1ErF.png)
![[Image: liM4ikn.png]](https://i.imgur.com/liM4ikn.png)
![[Image: fdzKgZA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/fdzKgZA.png)
![[Image: sj0H81z.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sj0H81z.png)
![[Image: QL7oRau.png]](https://i.imgur.com/QL7oRau.png)
![[Image: uSqjY09.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uSqjY09.png)
![[Image: GAA3qE9.png]](https://i.imgur.com/GAA3qE9.png)
![[Image: 2Hmnx1G.png]](https://i.imgur.com/2Hmnx1G.png)
![[Image: BwtNdKw.png%5B]](https://i.imgur.com/BwtNdKw.png%5B)
He can't even run California properly!
Criminals, now you can't even trust your so called comrades because they could 
kill you at any moment.![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png){kind=tracking}
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
does it even make sense that the very same candidate that allegedly won the gubernatorial elections certifies the results herself? 
I mean, this is a clear conflict of interests involved here. One of the problems with the US state and federal legislations is that it doesn't require candidates to quit their jobs if they're currently working for the government. Now we can see how that ends up working against the interests of voters and electoral transparency.
