Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Death Row Prisoners
These individuals, all convicted of murder, will now serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.
This Week in the World Affairs Brief
DRONE SIGHTINGS INCREASE AND SPECULATION GETS WORSE
For weeks now public sightings of multiple drones over New Jersey and Ohio has fueled a host of rumors that don’t show any signs of slowing down. Much of the problem stems from the fact that everyone has now become accustomed to calling any unidentified moving object with lights at night a “drone.” And, given people’s inability to carefully distinguish between airplanes, airliners, helicopters and drones (or UFOs) at night when only the lights are visible, has really muddied the water. The internet is ablaze with videos of multiple lighted objects that are too far away to tell what they are. And some of the observations are certainly noteworthy, with objects showing extreme speeds of travel that could mean extraterrestrial UFO’s, not drones. Another problem stems from people’s idea that government “has to know what’s going on and what’s out there,” based on the common perception that government has total surveillance capabilities. Although electronic surveillance of phones and internet traffic is very precise, radar surveillance is not. Small drones at a distance are very difficult if not impossible to detect on radar, and radar alone doesn’t allow them to distinguish between the types they can see nor where they originate from. While I sympathize with government’s claim of not knowing everything that’s out there, it is suspicious that they can also make assuring statements that there are “no foreign actors involved.” That implies they know the origin and purpose of every flying object out there, which they clearly do not. This week, I’ll take you through the most important myths and unknowns of the drone hype. To receive a free sample of this brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left
Also:
- Another Bad Year-End Spending Bill
- More Bad Pardons
- Netanyahu Finally Goes on Trial for Corruption
Daily News
House Ethics Committee Releases Its Report Into Matt Gaetz
. The committee investigators wrote that they found substantial evidence that Gaetz regularly paid women for sexual activity between 2017 and 2020. The report alleges he engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl in 2017; possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, between 2017 and 2019; accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging related to a 2018 Bahamas trip; and sought to impede and obstruct the committee’s investigation.
China Behind Super Highway That Targets US With Mass Migration, Economic Warfare
China is ‘like a boa constrictor that’s tightening and tightening around the United States,’ expert says regarding the CCP’s vast investments in Latin America.
Syria's Jolani Vows To Disarm The Pentagon-Backed Kurds
The career jihadist and leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Damascus on Sunday, in a first since the overthrow of Assad earlier this month.
Elon Musk: "The Fed Is Absurdly Overstaffed"
The Ron Paul 'Revolution' could be on the horizon as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office next month. Elon Musk, one of Trump's top advisors, wrote on X about creating efficiencies at the Federal Reserve.
Montana Supreme Court Sides with 16 Kids, CO2 Can’t Be Ignored
Kids in Montana filed a lawsuit against state law based on environmental stress. They won.
"Deportation Now!": Germans Outraged After Deadly Christmas Market Attack
Germans took to the streets on Saturday night in Magdeburg to protest a deadly Christmas Market attack carried out by a 50-year-old immigrant from Saudi Arabia. The car-ramming attack on Friday night claimed five lives and left 200 people injured.
60 To 80 Injured After Car "Attack" On German Christmas Market, Saudi Driver Arrested
...German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.-AP News
Six Embassies Damaged In 'Barbaric' Russian Attack On Kiev
Portugal, whose diplomatic mission was among those hit, summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn the assault and damage. "It is absolutely unacceptable that any attack should target or have an impact on diplomatic premises," the Portuguese government said in a written statement.
Denmark Passes the World’s First ‘Burp Tax’—But This is No Laughing Matter
Denmark, according to The New York Times, is going ahead with its livestock “Burp Tax.” Though hotly contested, the Danish government has nevertheless finally settled on levying farmers 300 kroners (~$43) per ton for carbon dioxide emissions, ramping to $106 per ton by 2035. As is the case with many of these farm-targeted green interventions, the action is ludicrously ineffectual at addressing the trumped-up problem, while remarkably effective at further cementing state controls over economic production.
GOP To Split Bill, Hold Separate Votes; Still Working On Debt Limit
House Republicans are now likely to split the bill in pieces and hold different votes. A longer-term debt limit deal is NOT part of it, per Jake Sherman - however it appears that they will attempt to kick the can to March.
Biden Commuted Sentences for Scammers Who Defrauded $5 billion From Over 1 Million Victims
Biden also intervened on behalf of former CEO Gregory J. Podlucky, who ran a bottled water company and had been accused of a $685 million pyramid fraud loan scheme in which the money was spent on jewels and toy trains.
President Biden commutes sentence for former Dixon, Ill. Comptroller Rita Crundwell, who embezzled over $53M
Crundwell had been due to serve 85% of her sentence, which would have kept her in prison until Oct. 20, 2029. But she ended up being released more than eight years early on Aug. 4, 2021. Crundwell has been on home confinement since her release.
Netanyahu’s trial: corruption, war crimes, and an Israel in crisis
Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial unfolds against a backdrop of bribery and fraud allegations, international war crimes charges, domestic scandals, and mounting global condemnation
MORE THAN TWO DOZEN: New Report Reveals How Many Informants FBI Had on Jan. 6
Two dozen FBI confidential sources were part of the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and four of those informants illegally entered the building, according to a new report by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. Another 13 of the 26 confidential human sources were in restricted areas around the Capitol that day as lawmakers prepared to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, the report by the DOJ’s internal watchdog found.
Federal Judge Stops Biden Agencies from Opening Obamacare to Illegal Aliens
On Monday, District Judge Daniel Traynor granted a preliminary injunction and stay to ensure that Biden’s agencies cannot implement such plans while the issue makes its way through federal court.
Trump Allies Fear Watered Down Deportation Efforts
In the weeks since the election, and even in some rally speeches toward the end of the campaign, Trump and his incoming advisers have alluded to a mass removal effort of immigrants with a criminal record, a far narrower set of people than the 15 million to 20 million Trump pledged to deport earlier in the year. Tom Homan, the president-elect’s incoming border czar, has said Trump’s team isn’t planning to perform mass raids in immigrant enclaves—the worst fear of immigrants-rights activists.
Turkey Masses Troops On Syria Border For Bigger, 'Imminent' Invasion
Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed urged President-elect Donald Trump to prevent a new Turkish invasion. Turkiye's goal is to “establish de facto control over [Kurdish] land before [Donald Trump] take[s] office, forcing [the US] to engage with them as rulers of [Kurdish] territory,” Ahmed wrote to Trump in a letter viewed by the WSJ. “If Turkey proceeds with its invasion, the consequences will be catastrophic.”
China Shows Off Mach 7 Hypersonic Drone, Launched From Near-Space Balloon
The MD-22 – the latest known model in the series – was first unveiled at the 2022 Zhuhai air show. The aircraft boasts a maximum range of 8,000km (4,971 miles) and can carry payloads of up to 600kg (1,323 pounds), delivering substantial strategic capabilities. A video of the test shows the unmanned Chinese MD series drone launched from a high-altitude balloon, reaching speeds of as much as Mach 7 before landing safely.
Watch: Syrian 'Moderate Rebel' Removes ISIS Patch At Prompting Of American Journalist
One of the militants, who might be a member of the US-designated terror group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or possibly another hardline Islamist faction, attempts to claim to the US journalist that the emblem does not represent ISIS. Still, the man wearing the ISIS patch seems to take the hint and dutifully removes it for the camera. They swear to ABC's Longman that they are not Daesh (or ISIS), even while openly sporting its symbols.
How the West Rebranded Al-Qaeda’s Jolani
Still on the U.S. terrorist list today, the F.B.I. is offering a $10 million reward for information about his whereabouts. Washington and other Western governments consider Jolani’s new organization, Hay?at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as one and the same as Al-Qaeda/Al-Nusra. This poses a serious public relations dilemma for Western nations, who supported the HTS-led overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. And thus, Politico and others report there is a “huge scramble” in Washington to remove HTS and Jolani from the terrorist list as quickly as possible.
US Marines Confirm Drones Spotted Over Camp Pendleton Airspace in California
Six drones were seen flying over the Marine Corps base near San Diego, from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, officials confirmed.
Unidentified Drones In America's Skies? Smells Like A False Flag...
Misinformation like this suggests an attempt to pin the drone activity on civilian sources, or, a foreign adversary working with civilian sources. In other words, they are preparing the ground for one of two outcomes: More aggressive restrictions on civilian drones, or, a drone attack that is blamed on a foreign government. The size of the drones is what worries me most. If the goal of a foreign government was to monitor sensitive sites and collect information, they wouldn’t use car-sized drones. Large drones would be too easy to trace.
Drone Activity Closes Airspace Over Wright–Patterson Air Force Base
Purtiman told defense industry news outlet The War Zone that the drones ranged in size and configuration, without elaborating further. It was not immediately clear where the drones came from. The air base issued a Notice to Air Missions to announce the airspace closure after the drones were detected. The airspace has since been reopened.
Feds Have Limited Authority to Shoot Down Drones Seen Over New Jersey, Mayorkas Says
“I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities,” Mayorkas said. “And it is critical, as we all have said for a number of years that we need from Congress additional authorities to address the drone situation. Our authorities currently are limited, and they are set to expire. We need them extended and expanded.”
ABC To Pay Trump $15 Million For Defamation, Issue Apology
During his contentious discussion with Mace, Stephanopoulos repeated the claim 10 times despite the fact that a jury only found Trump liable for "sexual abuse" - which under New York law is distinctly different from rape.
Judicial Watch Helps Unearth 911 Call Made By Trump Shooter's Dad
It’s not clear why Allegheny County disclosed the call to ABC after denying it to NBC—and successfully arguing in October that it wasn’t in the public interest. However, Allegheny County only disclosed the call after Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit. ABC did reveal that the call was made at 10:56 p.m., which settles conflicting reports of whether the father called before or after his son shot at Trump at 6:11 p.m.—grazing Trump’s ear, killing a firefighter, and seriously wounding two others before dying from law enforcement’s return fire.
Fury Erupts As Biden Commutes Sentence Of Infamous 'Kids-For-Cash' Judge
none more disturbing than Biden's commutation of a sentence given to a Pennsylvania judge convicted of railroading children to prison in exchange for $2.1 million in kickbacks from the private prison's operator to himself and Judge Mark Ciaverella.
Biden Admin Scrambling To Auction Off Border-Wall Sections Before Trump Takes Office
With Donald Trump set to retake office in January, the Biden administration is scrambling to auction off unused sections of Trump's border wall, the Daily Wire reports. According to an anonymous US Customs and Border Patrol agent, wall sections are being removed from key areas such as Tucson, Arizona - a notorious hotspot for illegal border crossings.
Russian Forces Positioned To Take Key City Of Pokrovsk As Ukrainian Manpower Falters
The key logistical hub of Ukraine's eastern front, Pokrovsk has been under steady contention for the past three months. Russian forces have spent the better part of that time pushing westward to flank just south of the city. They have now taken Kurakhove and cut off supply routes coming from Pokrovsk to a large portion of the front line. Some reports indicate that Ukrainian troops trying to leave Kurakhove may be cut off. The slow motion flanking maneuver has set the stage for Pokrovsk to be enveloped from the south.