Posts on Monday, December 16, 2024
Shooter at Abundant Life Christian School
in Wisconsin ID’d as 15-year-old Natalie
‘Samantha’ Rupnow replies
in Wisconsin ID’d as 15-year-old Natalie
‘Samantha’ Rupnow replies
The teen girl who shot dead a student and teacher and left two more pupils clinging to life at a private Christian school in Madison, Wis., on Monday has been identified.
Police said Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, a 15-year-old student at the K-12 Abundant Life Christian School, brought a handgun to campus and opened fire around 11 a.m., Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Monday night.
The teenage student and teacher were pronounced dead at the scene while another teacher and five more students were wounded. Two of the students are in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, he said.
Madison Police Department Police Chief Shon Barnes announced Monday evening during a press conference that officials have identified 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name “Samantha,” as the shooter of Abundant Life Christian school.
On Monday morning Madison, Wis. authorities received a call at 10:57 a.m. from a second grade student at the Christian school reporting a shooting. In the fourth press conference of the night, Barnes revealed that authorities had officially identified Rupnow as the suspect, stating the 15-year-old had suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.
Judge Juan Merchan on Monday upheld the 34 felony convictions against President Trump despite the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling.
In April, Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts after he was accused of paying porn star Stormy Daniels, AKA, Stephanie Clifford, ‘hush payments’ through his then-attorney Michael Cohen in a scheme to silence her and stop the story about their alleged affair from being published in the National Enquirer.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged Trump committed fraud because the payment was labeled “legal fees.”
Over the weekend, as Matt covered, ABC News reached a $15 million settlement with President-elect Donald Trump, after "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed that Trump had been found liable of rape. The network may soon be in even further trouble, though, with a report involving Linda McMahon, Trump's pick to head the Department of Education.On Monday, The Daily Signal put out a piece highlighting coverage from ABC News that came out on December 11. The live report from Jay O'Brien came during "ABC News Live Prime." (X)
Israel is likely to finally respond to Yemen’s Houthis in the coming weeks, The Jerusalem Post learned on Monday following yet another ballistic missile attack by the Iranian proxy.
The IDF air defense intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis on Monday, setting off sirens across central Israel, the army announced at 3:23 p.m.
The IDF added that the missile did not cross into Israeli territory. However, alerts were triggered due to the possibility of falling debris from the interception. Generally, only the Arrow missile defense system is capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, as opposed to the Iron Dome, which shoots down lower-grade rockets.
Welp.
Everyone's best guess was correct. Scholz lost the no-confidence vote today... ..As intended, the Chancellor fell well short of the required majority of at least 367 votes.
...and is out as chancellor of Germany. It has been all about money and what Scholz's coalition has done to the German economy in the years they've been in power.
He met with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier to formally ask for the Bundestag to be dissolved and for new elections to be called. Scholz and Steinmeier are said to be on the same page as far as dates go.
MADISON, Wis. — Madison police confirmed that a residence on Delaware Boulevard is connected to the deadly shooting at Abundant Life School in Madison, where three people died and six others were injured.
Law enforcement conducted an extensive search of the home, located approximately eight miles from the school. SWAT teams and federal agents descended on the property, using tactical vehicles and breaching equipment to enter the residence. Witnesses told 12 News that they heard what they described as "a bomb going off" when authorities forcibly removed the front door from its hinges.
The operation began around 1 p.m. and continued for several hours
Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly told Knesset lawmakers on Monday that Israel is “closer than ever” to closing a deal with Hamas to free the hostages held in Gaza, bolstering Arab media reports of heavy optimism on the chances for an agreement in the coming weeks.
Katz’s comments to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were made behind closed doors but leaks of his remarks were reported widely in the Hebrew press.
“Israel is closer than ever to another hostage deal,” Katz was quoted as saying. He added that the less said the better, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday after
Bluesky's Death Threat Problem
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Bluesky advertises itself as the X-alternative for the nice, compassionate left. It claims to be less toxic and a place for civil discussion, without all the misinformation that plagues X.
What crap. Bluesky is a leftist sewer in which anybody who deviates from leftist orthodoxy is not only shunned but outright threatened, often with death.
That's not hyperbole, and to demonstrate how awful it is let's discuss the case of Jesse Singal.
For those of you who don't know, Jesse is one of the leaders of the gender-critical movement, focused mainly on saving kids from alphabet ideology and its sick consequences.
President-elect Donald Trump is taking a media break from being called a fascist or Nazi to the latest criticism of filling his cabinet positions with those not deemed to be “experts” by the self-proclaimed “expert class” of government.
Who defines “expert”? Simple: those deemed experts by the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, or administrative class embeds. In other words, it is a circle-jerk of self-professed experts insisting they are the only true experts. Confirmation bias anyone?
Reuters bemoans Trump’s approach of going outside the “expert class”, who have gotten so much wrong over the years, instead favoring those with practical experience. “U.S. President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists
Well, this is interesting. Justin Trudeau is reportedly considering resigning as Prime Minister of Canada, according to sources cited by CTV News. This development comes on the heels of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s announcement that she plans to step down from cabinet, as PJ Media's Chris Queen reported earlier on Monday.
"In an explosive resignation letter published Monday morning, Freeland ignited a storm of confusion and speculation on Parliament Hill the same day she was set to table her fall economic statement—a document that typically includes key economic metrics such as the size of Canada's deficit," CTV reported. "Leaders from the Conservative party and the Bloc Quebecois have demanded an election.
The ERA was once the great white hope of feminists. Now the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is the great hope of those who want to eliminate the ladies’ room, women’s sports, and women.
A coalition of more than 100 lawmakers wrote a letter on Sunday urging President Biden to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would outlaw gender discrimination in the Constitution.
“We must continue our efforts to fully affirm and recognize the equality of rights for all people, regardless of sex, as part of our Constitution, a vital effort that has never been more urgent,” Congress members penned.
“People”. Not women. Which people do they mean? Men in dresses.
'Large-scale withdrawal': Officials say
Russian military has began withdrawing
soldiers from Syria replies
Russian military has began withdrawing
soldiers from Syria replies
The Russian military has begun withdrawing soldiers from Syria, CNN reported on Monday night, citing Western and American officials who referred to the withdrawal as "large-scale" and "significant."
Moscow also continued withdrawing military equipment from bases across Syria, as reported last week by The Jerusalem Post.
EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Monday after meeting with European foreign ministers that extremism, Russia, and Iran should not have a place in Syria’s future,
"Many foreign ministers emphasized that it should be a condition for the new leadership to eliminate Russian influence (in Syria)," Kallas said.
The US Homeland Security secretary has said states need the power to shoot down drones following criticisms of the government’s response to sightings across the East Coast. Alejandro Mayorkas made the comments after state officials in New York and New Jersey said that Joe Biden’s administration had failed to get a grip on the issue. [Snip] State and local law enforcement agencies do not have the power to counter drone technology. Only a select number of agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, such as the US Secret Service, are authorized to take action.
The White House ordered the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal regulatory agency, to expand its use of "Indigenous Knowledge" on Monday, as part of a last-minute push in the federal government to embrace what scientists call pseudoscience. (snip) "Indigenous Knowledge" is a discredited belief system positing that native-born peoples possess an innate understanding of how the universe works. While scientists have referred to its ideas as "dangerous" and a rejection of the scientific method, those criticisms have not stopped the Biden administration from ordering the federal government to consider "Indigenous Knowledge" when implementing rules and regulations.
The Constitution Does Not Grant Birthright
Citizenship to the Children of Illegal Immigrants replies
Citizenship to the Children of Illegal Immigrants replies
Dozens of media outlets are reporting in unison that Donald Trump cannot stop the U.S. government from awarding birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. They claim this is the case because the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires it.
In reality, the legislative history of the 14th Amendment is clear that it only grants birthright citizenship to the children of people who are legally and permanently living in the United States. This does not apply to the children of illegal immigrants, temporary residents, visitors, or tourists.
President-elect Donald J. Trump further solidified his position as a defender of the working class this week. Mr. Trump met with leaders of the Longshoreman’s Association, and it was an experience that the top officials of this labor union couldn’t have imagined. Its vice president, Dennis Daggett, posted on Facebook that the meeting was nothing short of historic in his mind. “I have never seen a Republican take up the mantle for working-class people,” he wrote.
It’s a statement that has to make Democrats sick (via NY Post): (X)
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is contending people “can’t complain” about President-elect Donald Trump‘s Cabinet picks given Trump signaled he would make such picks before he was elected.
Romney, a longtime critic of the president-elect, is leaving the Senate in January, after one term representing Utah. He said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that since Trump won the election “overwhelmingly,” he should be given a chance to enact the policies he desires. “Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do, and that’s what he’s doing."
Liberal ESPN host Stephen A. Smith highlighted the “bombshell” DOJ report during a podcast episode Sunday and ripped the Democrats for lying about January 6 and smearing anybody who suggested the FBI was involved as a “conspiracy theorist.”
“You know what I’m getting really p***** off about? I’m getting really ticked off that every time they open their mouth about something pertaining to y’all, they seem right!” Smith said of conservative commentators who he realized have been right all along.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Inspector General David Horowitz released his much-anticipated January 6 report on Thursday. In the IG report released last week, the DOJ admits to 26 “confidential human sources”
WINNING: Donald Trump, SoftBank CEO Announce
Huge Deal - and Hundreds of Thousands
of American Jobs replies
Huge Deal - and Hundreds of Thousands
of American Jobs replies
Boy howdy, isn't it nice to see some real leadership again? Granted, President-elect (I'd argue "Acting President") Trump isn't yet seated at the Resolute Desk, but he's pretty much doing the job. On Monday morning, at Mar-a-Lago (otherwise known as the Southern White House), the President-elect held a free-wheeling presser, and one of the high points of that event was the announcement of a $100 billion investment by the Japanese technology firm SoftBank - expected to create 100,000 American jobs. [Tweet, video]
In one humorous exchange, the CEO of SoftBank admitted the possibility of doubling the investment amount,
Despite the best efforts of legacy media to portray President-elect Donald Trump as "literally Hitler," the true character of the man can often be found in his more private moments at Mar-a-Lago, AKA "the southern White House."
Such was the case this past weekend when the Trumps welcomed the widow of the late Shinzo Abe, former prime minister of Japan, to Mar-a-Lago. Melania Trump tweeted out a picture from the occasion: [Tweet]
Few other details of the dinner have emerged, but what is coming to light is the fact that Donald Trump has kept in regular contact with the Mrs. Abe since the 2022 assassination of her husband.
I don't think it's a surprise that folks in Washington, D.C., tend to be liberal.
So it probably wouldn't be surprising to have people who might not be fans of the Department of Government Efficiency just because of its connection to the Trump administration.
But when Fox interviewed folks about government spending, the exchanges were hilarious when they found out just how our money was being spent. [Tweet, video]
They thought the government spent too much money, one saying, "By definition."
But then, when Fox asked about some of the crazy things that the government spent money on, they were stunned at how ridiculous the expenditures were.
Lame-duck President Joe Biden took the stage at the Democratic Party’s holiday party Sunday evening, reflecting on his time in office and touting his supposed international achievements. Unsurprisingly, his speech was packed with the usual dose of delusion.
Of course, before Biden spoke, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, First Lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Harris all spoke briefly. I wonder how hard it was for them all to offer kind words to each other.
But Joe Biden really delivered a masterclass of delusion.
If you were expecting humility or even an honest assessment of the state of the country, you haven’t been paying attention to this presidency.
A shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin left five people dead on Monday, including the suspected shooter, and at least five others injured, authorities said. Children were among the dead, authorities said. The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private non-denominational institution that teaches some 390 pupils from kindergarten to high school, the Madison Police Department said on social media. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a press conference that at least five people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter,
Call me old-fashioned, but I've always believed that the government's job was to provide basic services like roads and infrastructure and otherwise stay out of the way so people could make their lives better. At the very least, I figured it was the government's job to not make things worse.
That's exactly why I left San Francisco 30 years ago when, as I liked to joke, the state had made it impossible even to take a leak without first filing a CalEPA environmental impact statement. In triplicate, of course. And with a hefty filing fee.
On January 1, life in San Francisco will get that much worse
Prisoner CNN helped free from Syrian prison
was actually notorious Assad regime torturer: report replies
was actually notorious Assad regime torturer: report replies
The prisoner CNN helped free from a secret facility in Syria was actually a notorious member of Bashar al-Assad’s forces known to torture those who refused to pay him off, according to a shocking local fact check.
The network went viral last week with footage of the startled prisoner being led from the prison by journalist Clarissa Ward, who called it “one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed” in her 20 years of reporting.
[snip]published a detailed report Sunday saying that the seemingly innocent prisoner was actually Salama Mohammad Salama — a first lieutenant in Syrian air force intelligence with a long history of alleged war crimes.
MUST-SEE: CNN Makes a Massive, Shocking
Mistake in Syria During Pathetic Attempt
to Go Viral replies
Mistake in Syria During Pathetic Attempt
to Go Viral replies
CNN is in quite a bit of hot water after a desperate attempt to go viral went horribly wrong in Syria.
It all started when the left-wing network's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward produced a story about how she and others supposedly released a man from a prison formerly controlled by Bashar al-Assad. CNN immediately published the video of the ordeal, bragging about how their cameras "caught the moment" he was "freed."
Ward then went to social media to garner clicks, calling it "one of the most extraordinary moments" she had ever witnessed.
Are the Years of Madness Ending?
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Never in U.S. history has a president-elect been welcomed as the real president before his January 20 inauguration. And never has the incumbent president so willingly surrendered his last two months in office and all but abdicated—to the relief of his nation and the rest of the world. One reason so many are welcoming Trump’s return is the universally desperate hope that his election spelled an end to a collective madness at home and its ripples abroad during the last four years. And why not?
It was a moment I’ll never forget: Friday afternoon, November 15, 2019. After spending Veterans’ Day week in snowy, freezing Leavenworth, Kansas, I returned to Charlotte for a court appearance that morning in neighboring York County. I was talking to a friend on my cell phone, driving eastbound on Pineville-Matthews Road, when my phone beeped with an incoming call.
The screen flashed: The White House.
I pulled off the road into a Panera Bread parking lot and answered the call. It was the president’s military attaché.
“Mr. Brown, I’m here with the president. The president wants to know if he has permission to call your client.”
Warmongering Never-Trumper Liz Cheney may have gone into hiding since the election, but some old words of hers regarding J6 are coming back to haunt her, and we can thank Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) for this.
As Jim Hoft reported, Inspector General David Horowitz released his much-anticipated January 6 report on Thursday. It showed the DOJ admitting that 26 undercover operatives were working inside the crowd that fateful day.
Moreover, The DOJ admitted that 4 entered the US Capitol and 13 entered the restricted area. This is very likely inaccurate. Furthermore, they do not include the many dozens or hundreds of “cutouts” who were operating inside the enormous crowd that day.
MSNBC's Symone Sanders-Townsend has blasted ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the chief anchor and the broadcaster he works for agreed to settle a $15 million defamation lawsuit between the network and Donald Trump.
But it was not just Democrat-leaning commentators who appeared unhappy with the settlement. Republicans also appeared frustrated with the news organization believing the company should have been forced to pay more, while hoping other broadcasters might also soon be brought to account.
The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed by Trump over comments Stephanopoulos made during
President-elect Donald Trump fought the establishment media and won during his 2024 campaign. Now his return to the White House draws closer and already legacy journalists are fearful given his combative nature and refusal to be intimidated, a report Monday details.
In a closely-watched case settled over the weekend, ABC settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump over a false statement made by George Stephanopoulos by agreeing to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library, as Breitbart News reported. Trump claimed his “reputation was besmirched” by Stephanopoulos claiming during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) that two juries had found Trump
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son will announce a $100 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years during a Monday visit to President-elect Donald Trump's residence Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC's Sara Eisen.
The billionaire investor and founder of the Japanese tech-investing firm will also promise in the joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure, the sources said. The money will be deployed before the end of Trump's term.
Stipulated in Part I of this analysis: government efficiency efforts have a DOGE-y record at best. Thousands of recommendations over the years largely dissed despite prodigious effort. And contributions to actual reduction of the size of and increase in the productivity of government proving to be a) paltry and b) overtaken by events (e.g., more spending and bureaucracy).
So, should business rock stars Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy just surrender before they start?
Well, maybe not so fast.
Dec 16 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group (9984.T), opens new tab CEO Masayoshi Son will announce a $100 billion investment in the United States over the next four years during a Monday visit to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's residence, Mar-a-Lago, CNBC reported.
Son will also promise in a joint announcement with Trump to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and related infrastructure, with the money to be deployed before the end of Trump's term, CNBC said, citing sources.
A man believed to be the oldest World War II veteran in Florida will celebrate a milestone on Tuesday and reactions to the news have exploded online.
Chief Petty Officer William “Bill” Monfort is getting ready to celebrate his 108th birthday at his home at a care center in Clearwater, 11 Alive reported Wednesday. A man believed to be the oldest World War II veteran in Florida will celebrate a milestone on Tuesday and reactions to the news have exploded online.
Chief Petty Officer William “Bill” Monfort is getting ready to celebrate his 108th birthday at his home at a care center in Clearwater, 11 Alive reported Wednesday.
Responding to a powerful backlash from the public, big companies and universities are having second thoughts about their adoption of sweeping “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” programs. Many Americans complain such programs make America more divided, not less, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.
A noticeable rise in the number of companies and educational institutions throttling back their DEI programs suggests that public pressure is having an impact, the national online I&I/TIPP Poll of 1,411 adults taken from Nov. 27-29 found. The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.
I&I/TIPP asked this question: “A number of universities and major
Turkey's Syrian Jihadists Take Over Syria:
Kurds, Half a Million Christians Under
Intolerable Threat replies
Kurds, Half a Million Christians Under
Intolerable Threat replies
A former branch of Al Qaeda, in 2018, HTS [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] was officially designated a terrorist organization by the US government. HTS, which cooperates with the Turkish military and Turkish-backed groups in Syria, is committed to establishing an Islamist state across Syria, at least for a start.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Al-Jolani are now making all sorts of human-rightsy promises that they know the West likes to hear – just as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini did before he took over Iran, and as the Taliban did before they quickly demolished 20 years of US human rights progress in Afghanistan.
President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS), according to a report from the Washington Post.
Three people with knowledge of the matter told the outlet that Trump had been talking with Howard Lutnick, who Trump picked to serve as the Commerce Secretary, about carrying out an “overhaul” of the U.S. Postal Service.
While Trump’s plans regarding how he plans to overhaul the Postal Service were not “immediately clear,” one of the sources told the outlet that Trump had met with “a group of transition officials” and had requested their input on “privatizing the agency.”
Kellyanne Conway Needs Only Two Words
to Explain Why More Women Didn't Turn
Out for Kamala Harris replies
to Explain Why More Women Didn't Turn
Out for Kamala Harris replies
During a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kellyanne Conway, former senior advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, was asked what she thought a second Trump term would look like, why Trump won, and why more women didn't turn out to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
I found Conway's explanation of why Harris lost to be the most interesting part of the interview.
The interviewer asked:
"Why wasn't there this wave of women voters for Kamala Harris that a lot of people thought would emerge and basically save the day for her?"
How Much Voter Fraud In 2020?
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There is no doubt that improprieties impacted the 2020 presidential election. Suppression of free speech by social media platforms, Zuckbucks, and above all the concealment of definitive evidence of Joe Biden’s corruption by the Dirty 51 and the press, very likely swung the election to Biden.
But how about outright voter fraud? We will never know how extensive the fraud was, since the essence of a successful fraud is that it is not detected, or at least not proved. But a look at the gross numbers can provide a meaningful context for the question.
Shortly after the election,
Alex Bruesewitz, a political strategist who worked on Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign, has collapsed on stage during a speech in New York City.
The 27-year-old was in the middle of speaking to the 112th annual New York Young Republicans gala alongside Trumpworld heavyweights like Steve Bannon and Dan Scavino on Sunday night when he suddenly toppled over the podium.
Bruesewitz started looking visibly amiss as he began slurring his speech - and at one point, the MAGA strategist openly stated: 'I'm forgetting my words.'