Posts on Thursday, January 16, 2025
John Ratcliffe’s 2020 nomination to become the next director of national intelligence was a slog. His nomination to become the next CIA director mainly was a cakewalk, now garnering Democratic support. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has already announced that he will vote to support confirmation. The hearing was split into two parts. After a short recess in the afternoon on Wednesday, the session moved behind closed doors. (Video) Ratcliffe promised to investigate Havana syndrome, which has befallen scores of intelligence officials over the past few years.
The most political attorney general in American history has insisted he only ever wanted to pursue justice.
Merrick Garland, who worked tirelessly to harass, persecute and ultimately imprison Donald Trump and his supporters, said in a farewell speech in front of staffers.
“It is the obligation of each of us to follow our norms, not only when it is easy, but also when it is hard, especially when it is hard,” Garland declared.
“It is the obligation of each of us to adhere to our norms, even when and especially when the circumstances we face are not normal.”
On Wednesday night, President Joe Biden's farewell address aired, days before President-elect Donald Trump once more takes office. The outgoing president can say whatever he likes, but polls continue to show that he won't exactly be remembered very fondly. On CNN, they had a panel reacting in real time, which included commentary from Scott Jennings.
Jennings offered that "the way [Biden's] leaving office has been, frankly, pretty terrible," which CNN's own poll released earlier that day would back up. He also spoke to how Biden is going to be remembered as president,
On Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that she spoke to President-elect Donald Trump and explained “it is up to Greenland itself to make a decision on independence.” This conversation came after Trump began saying that the United States should purchase Greenland. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Frederiksen explained that Danish companies have contributed to jobs and growth in the United States and that they both have a common interest in strengthened trade.
In the 45-minute conversation, Frederiksen and Trump also discussed the war in Ukraine,
The cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas was formally signed by negotiators in Doha, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday night.
The proposed terms, which include the release of hostages and at least a temporary pause in fighting in Gaza, were agreed to by the Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement. (Photos) Netanyahu said he would bring his security cabinet together later on Friday and then the government to approve the long-awaited peace deal.
Rudy Giuliani Settles Dispute With Georgia
Election Workers—After Never Showing
Up At His Trial replies
Election Workers—After Never Showing
Up At His Trial replies
Ex-attorney Rudy Giuliani’s trial against the Georgia election workers he’s been forced to turn over his assets to has been called off after the two sides reached a settlement that the parties say allows Giuliani to keep his personal belongings, after a trial over several of the former mayor’s assets was slated to begin Thursday but was postponed after Giuliani never showed up to court. (Photo) Key Facts
Giuliani said in a statement Thursday that he and the plaintiffs have reached a settlement that allows him to keep “all of my personal belongings,” after the former mayor had been in the process of turning over his assets to election workers
MAGA sources could not care less that Michelle Obama is snubbing Donald Trump’s inauguration, a source tells Page Six.
“They are having a good laugh,” a source says of those involved in planning the inaugural festivities. “They didn’t expect her to come anyway.” (Photos) A Democratic source tried to play down the diss, noting, “Donald Trump and Melania didn’t go to Joe Biden’s inauguration and nobody cared. No one said anything.” Barack and Michelle Obamas’ office announced this week that Michelle will skip the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies on Jan. 20th, but that the former president will attend.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) will skip President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday, a spokesperson for the congresswoman said.
While the spokesperson did not disclose a reason why Pelosi will be absent from the event to ABC News, the longtime California lawmaker claimed in a January 5 episode of CBS’s Face the Nation that Trump “called out to these people to continue their violence” on January 6, 2021, and that her husband, Paul Pelosi, ended up “being a victim of all of that” rhetoric.However, she was present for the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, the day after she made that statement on CBS, ABC reported.
The FBI has closed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office, according to an exclusive report from Fox News.
“In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), effective by December 2024,” the agency told Fox News Digital on Thursday. The decision follows growing criticism from Republican lawmakers. Earlier this month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, condemning what she described as “radical” DEI initiatives that she argued had “endangered” Americans, citing the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans as an example.
"While the facts surrounding this unconscionable attack continue to emerge, what we know
Georgia Senator Provides Update From Hospital
After Being Violently Shoved to the Ground (Video) replies
After Being Violently Shoved to the Ground (Video) replies
Georgia Senator Colton Moore was arrested after trying to enter the Georgia Capitol during a joint session on Thursday.
Senator Moore was banned from the House Chamber last year after he made insulting remarks about late House Speaker David Ralston.
The Georgia Senator claimed the order banning him does not apply to a joint session of the General Assembly so he attempted to enter the Capitol. (X) Colton Moore was violently shoved to the ground before Georgia State Patrol arrested him.
Get ready for an even bigger chill. Siberian
air to make Trump swearing-in coldest
in 40 years replies
air to make Trump swearing-in coldest
in 40 years replies
New Orleans—The vast majority of Americans are about to get an extended taste of frigid Siberian weather. Another polar vortex disruption will stretch Arctic air across the top of the globe and make Donald Trump’s second inauguration the coldest in 40 years, meteorologists said.
After starting in the Rockies Thursday night, the cold will blast eastward and as far south as the upper Florida peninsula over several days. Up to 280 million Americans will have a day or two where it’s colder than Anchorage, Alaska, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue.
“This would be one of the coldest outbreaks certainly of the past 10 years, 15 years,” said winter weather expert
I'm old enough that I remember clearly the catchy ketchup jingle from the mid-late 70s, incorporating the Carly Simon song, "Anticipation." Setting aside the irony of its being a plug for Heinz Ketchup (and the connection, through marriage, to former Senator and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry), the tune instantly evokes images of people anxiously awaiting the emergence of ketchup from the bottle to dress up their burger and/or fries. If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm feeling a certain kinship to that little girl with her wire-rimmed glasses in the classic commercial below. (Video)
Toxic RINO Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) was asked whether she will confirm Trump’s nominees on Thursday as confirmations hearings were underway.
Several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have faced questioning from senators this week.
A Daily Caller reporter caught up with Lisa Murkowski and asked her whether she will vote to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks.
Murkowski said it’s “premature.”
“I think it’s premature to ask where I will be on any nominee until this process actually gets moving. I’m doing what I do best which is learning a lot,” Murkowski said.
Canada’s energy minister came to Washington this week to warn U.S. lawmakers about President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs threat on Canada: They’d inflict economic pain on Americans, with higher prices and job losses. Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s minister of energy and natural resources, said he feels obligated to sound the alarm about the inflationary risks being created by a president who was elected in large part on the promise of bringing down prices. “It will mean higher gas prices, it will mean higher food prices, it will mean higher natural gas prices for heating people’s homes. It will mean higher electricity prices."
Attorneys general from 20 states are urging the U.S. Senate to quickly confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for Attorney General, secretary of Homeland Security, and FBI director.
Attorney General Liz Murrill (R-LA) led 19 peers from around the country in a letter, obtained by Breitbart News, supporting Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), the DHS secretary nominee; Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general; and Kash Patel, who Trump tapped to lead the FBI. “Even under ordinary circumstances, it is imperative that President Trump have his national security team in place on Day One. And we are not in ordinary times,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter dated January 15.
The Duchess of Sussex's decision to postpone the release of her long-awaited Netflix cookery show, With Love, Meghan, because of the devastation wreaked by wildfires in her home state of California has been praised by her fans. One of her favoured publications, People, reported that Meghan 'didn't think twice' about delaying the eight-part series until March. [Snip] Some courtiers are even wondering whether the postponement of her cookery programme is a commercial one. [Snip] 'Would people really want to watch a glossy TV show about someone's luxury lifestyle when thousands of Americans have seen their homes and lives destroyed?' ...
AOC Has Sad Feelings About Democrats Supporting
GOP Trans Athlete Bill Before Trump Inauguration replies
GOP Trans Athlete Bill Before Trump Inauguration replies
We are now just four days away from the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States and some are getting in gear by showing off their lack of common sense in public view. The leader of the pack of this group of stellar misfits is one of my fan favs from the state of New York, a young lady by the name of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC.
Our young heroine is quite upset and perplexed that anyone with a "D" after their name would be supporting a bill introduced in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., by her Republican colleagues. Why is she upset about the bill?
Attorneys for Rudy Giuliani and two former Georgia election workers said Thursday they have reached a tentative settlement, a remarkable twist that would end the workers’ extensive litigation to collect their $146 million defamation judgment. [Snip] The notice, which included sparse details about the settlement, indicated that the agreement would “fully resolve” the disputes and result in “the conclusion of all litigation” pending between Giuliani and Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. [Snip] In a statement on social platform X, Giuliani confirmed he reached an agreement with the women but said the resolution does not involve “an admission of liability or wrongdoing by any of the Parties.”
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared on CNBC today and was utterly annihilated for refusing to support President Trump.
The infamous Never-Trump RINO appeared on Squawk Box on Thursday to discuss the incoming Trump Adminstration’s agenda. But things quickly got spicy between him and one of the co-hosts.
Ryan told Squawk Box he wanted to let bygones be bygones and called for the country to rally around Trump’s Administration. But Joe Kernan was not so willing to let Ryan off the hook and proceeded to roast him brutally.
A populist proposal to auction off distressed federal government assets, such as loans, to pay for infrastructure and other policy priorities for working-class Americans is gaining renewed interest ahead of former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House next week.
Back in Trump’s first term in office, a bipartisan group of congressmen—Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and then-Reps. Ted Budd (R-NC) and William Lacy Clay (D-MO)—introduced a plan called the Generating American Income and Infrastructure Act. The so-called GAIIN Act, for short, even won the support of then-President Trump according to an interview Kelly did with Breitbart News in 2018. But, as Trump’s bipartisan efforts stalled out when
President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has elevated the problem of wasteful spending from think-tank white papers to a national cover story. With $36 trillion in national debt — more than $300,000 per taxpayer — there’s a lot of spending to slash.
What better way to start than by cutting the $20 billion the government wastes every year on dead-end experiments that torture dogs, cats and other animals?
Trump 1.0 scored unprecedented wins against expensive and ineffective animal tests. Here are four easy ways the returning administration and Congress can continue to save millions of animals and stop billions in reckless spending.
Ratings-challenged CNN will reportedly move veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer to a new slot in the mornings as part of a wider reshuffle by the embattled cable news pioneer’s boss Mark Thompson. The 76-year-old Blitzer, one of the network’s longest-tenured anchors and current host of “The Situation Room” at 6 p.m., will be teamed with Pamela Brown on a new morning show, sources told Status newsletter on Thursday. The shakeup could also include frequent Donald Trump antagonist Jim Acosta being bounced as anchor of “CNN Newsroom” at 10 a.m., the sources said.
The issue of child grooming has been something conservatives have been sounding alarm bells over for years thanks in part to leftist legislators who think introducing LGBTQ propaganda to children as part of the school curriculum is a good thing, and to educators who eagerly go along with it.
There has also been the rise of so-called "kid-friendly" drag queens, and hyper-sexualized content on Disney, with the latter's opposition to Florida's parental rights bill being one big flashpoint for the national debate on what was needed to be done to protect children - and the rights of their parents
A Georgia senator was exiled from the
GOP caucus. Now Colton Moore is banned
from the state House replies
GOP caucus. Now Colton Moore is banned
from the state House replies
ATLANTA — Colton Moore’s political career has been about setting legislative norms on fire. The Republican Georgia state senator left another one ablaze on Thursday. Moore, who lives in Trenton in the state’s far northwest corner, was banned from the House floor after launching a slashing attack on the memory of House Speaker David Ralston on a day when Ralston, who died in 2022, was being honored in both the House and Senate chambers.
Exclusive: Establishment Georgia House
Speaker Sends America First Sen. Colton
Moore to Jail replies
Speaker Sends America First Sen. Colton
Moore to Jail replies
Establishment Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns directed police to jail America First lawmaker State Sen. Colton Moore (R) after he attempted to attend the State of the State joint session, Breitbart News exclusively learned.
Moore, a conservative who led attacks to impeach Fulton County’s Fani Willis for her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, was sent to jail Thursday after he tried to enter the House Chamber for Gov. Brian Kemp’s seventh State of the State Address. Burns said he would not allow Moore into the chamber because he opposed the former Georgia House Speaker, the Chattanoogan reported Wednesday:
As you will recall, on March 14th, 2024, following your vile,
MILWAUKEE — Bob Uecker, who parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as “Mr. Baseball” and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure, has died. He was 90.
The Milwaukee Brewers, whose games Uecker had broadcast for over half a century, announced his death Thursday morning, calling it “one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history.” In a statement released by the club, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.
“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the family said.
It was a month after her son's election as vice president of the United States and JD Vance 's mother wondered why the city of his birth had yet to recognize him.
“I just think it would be really nice if we could acknowledge that this is his hometown and put up some signs," Beverly Aikins told the city council in Middletown, Ohio, where she and Vance's sister still live, in early December. [SNIP] Perhaps in another historical moment, a few signs would seem like a no-brainer, but not this year and not for this person.
President-elect Trump announced three special envoys on Thursday with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood.
"It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!"
Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee today for his confirmation hearing.
Bessent, a hedge fund manager and Key Square Group founder, expressed hope that the incoming administration will usher in “a new economic golden age.”
Central to Bessent’s testimony was the emphasis on bolstering vulnerable supply chains and ensuring the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.
He advocated for the implementation of tariffs and tax cuts as mechanisms to stimulate economic growth and enhance American competitiveness, in line with President Trump’s America First vision.
David Lynch Dies: ‘Twin Peaks’, ‘Blue
Velvet’, ‘Elephant Man’ & ‘Eraserhead’
Visionary Was 78 replies
Velvet’, ‘Elephant Man’ & ‘Eraserhead’
Visionary Was 78 replies
One of Hollywood’s worst weeks in just got worse. David Lynch, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Wild at Heart, The Elephant Man and others who also created the Showtime drama Twin Peaks, has died. He was 78.
His family posted the news on social media.
Lynch had been diagnosed with emphysema. Sources told Deadline that he was forced to relocate from his house due to the Sunset Fire and then took a turn for the worse. In an interview with Sight & Sound magazine last year, Lynch revealed that due to Covid fears and his emphysema diagnosis, he could no longer could leave the house,
Melania Trump has sensationally claimed the Obamas withheld information from them when they first moved into the White House, making the transition 'challenging'.
Melania, 54, is preparing to return to the presidential residence on January 20 after her husband President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.
But the First Lady expects the move will be easier this time around, suggesting that is partly because she does not need to rely on her predecessors for information about the home and transition process - which she claims the Obamas withheld.
The five tech titans that will
sit with Trump during inauguration and
what their position means replies
sit with Trump during inauguration and
what their position means replies
When Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday he will be surrounded by the tech titans he believes will deliver the jobs and free speech that will define his term.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and Washington Post proprietor, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, Sam Altman, the biggest name in AI, and Shou Chew, chief executive of TikTok, will all have positions of honor on the dais, according to a senior transition official.
It means they have pride of place among the highest rank of VIPs, beside Trump's family and former presidents.
Chaos erupted at Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s final press conference Thursday after an announced Israel-Hamas cease-fire and hostage deal, with State Department employees forcibly removing reporters who accused the cabinet official of allowing a “genocide” in Gaza.
State Department aides escorted Grayzone News journalist Max Blumenthal from the briefing room, while security guards dragged independent journalist Sam Husseini away, as Blinken was hailing the cease-fire agreement first pitched in May and set to take effect Sunday. (X Video) Both Blumenthal and Husseini were enraged that Israel’s war in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which has lasted 15 months and
The official inaugural portrait of President-elect Donald Trump has been released, just days before his swearing-in as the 47th President of the United States.
A portrait of Vice President-elect JD Vance was also released on social media.
Both leaders are set to take office on January 20, 2025, marking a historic return for Trump to the presidency.
Captured by chief photographer Daniel Torok, Trump’s official portrait radiates confidence and readiness, showcasing him in a dignified and commanding pose.
Journalists and aides to President Biden are seething over White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s refusal to let a national security expert discuss the tentative Israel-Hamas cease-fire at her final briefing Wednesday — deeming the occasion her “goodbye party.”
The press secretary’s spotlight-stealing forced the nation to wait an extra hour to learn details of the American hostages being released, including their names — with Jean-Pierre herself providing no new information at her 306th and last briefing and referring reporters to a National Security Council background call that got underway after she left the stage.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan personally asked for his top spokesman, John Kirby
Is there anything Donald Trump can't do...or can't be blamed for?
I just finished a post on how his mere election was enough to lift economic confidence boats across the choppy waters of commerce, from consumers to small business to the like of Goldman Sachs.
And now comes this news that the state willing to put off taking care of their suffering wildfire victims because it's more important they 'Trump-proof' their whack-job woke policies...has suddenly thrown in the towel at the looming inauguration of that very nemesis [snip]
Newsom's Electric Truck mandate was going to be nearly the final nail in the commerce coffin.
The Evolution of Marco Rubio
replies
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sees the Middle East on fire, and he considers it an opportunity. That was the bottom line of his kid-gloves Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday for his nomination to be secretary of state.
During the hearing, Jim Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Republican from Idaho, announced that a three-phase ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas—and Rubio had a reply:
“We don’t know yet for sure, but there are opportunities available now in the Middle East that did not exist 90 days ago,” he said. “Whether it’s what’s happened in Lebanon, whether it’s what’s happened in Syria, whether
Under Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership, Meta Platforms – what most people think of as Facebook – has demonstrated a pattern of actions that starkly contradict its professed commitment to free speech. This duplicity not only undermines public trust but also raises serious concerns about the company’s role in shaping public discourse.
A glaring example of Meta’s hypocrisy is its handling of political figures.
Don’t forget that they proudly throttled posts about Hunter Biden’s laptop in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election to protect Joe Biden, even having a Facebook spokesman post on Twitter that they were doing so.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida attorney general Ashley Moody will fill the Senate seat vacated by Senator Marco Rubio, who is expected to be confirmed in the coming days as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
DeSantis’s announcement is expected to set off a chain reaction among Florida Republicans as the governor’s mansion and the attorney general office open up in 2026. DeSantis is expected to select his chief of staff James Uthmeier to replace Moody as AG, according to Axios.
Moody was first elected Florida attorney general in 2018 and easily won reelection in 2022,
A watchdog investigation into outgoing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization in 2024 found that his secretive hospital stay resulted in heightened national security risk, in part because Austin took medication with the potential to impair cognitive function while still in sole command of the Pentagon.
The Pentagon’s inspector general interviewed 44 witnesses and reviewed 56 million pieces of data during a year-long investigation into three separate periods when Austin was hospitalized for medical procedures related to prostate cancer and kept the White House and top Defense officials in the dark about what was going on, prompting a political firestorm. The review concludes that Austin needlessly risked national security
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to accept an invitation from President-elect Donald Trump to attend his inauguration.
Chew will be seated front and center on the dais with other VIP guests and fellow tech executives Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, according to a report from The New York Times.
The inauguration on January 20 will come one day after TikTok plans to shut down operations within the U.S. Trump is now considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of the law requiring TikTok to divest from Chinese-owned ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S. for 60 to 90 days
A female former colleague of Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth at a veterans’ organization he led slammed Democrats for repeating lies peddled in the mainstream media and for their hypocrisy on supporting women.
Holly K. Talley, who worked for Pete Hegseth as the Louisiana director at Concerned Veterans for America from 2013 to 2015, said she has publicly refuted an anonymously-sourced lie that Hegseth took staffers to a strip club while in her state, but Democrats have ignored her and keep repeating the lie.
In an interview with Breitbart News on Wednesday, Talley said Hegseth was not even in the state at the time of the alleged incident,
Trump Reveals List of People Blacklisted
From His Administration – They're ‘Suffering
From TDS’ replies
From His Administration – They're ‘Suffering
From TDS’ replies
President-elect Donald Trump revealed a list of individuals and their cohorts not welcome in the new administration, citing them as having an acute case of "Trump Derangement Syndrome." One imagines he must be getting requests from some folks associated with previous political adversaries trying to weasel their way into the administration. As such, he touted his hiring efforts for the coming second term and blasted anybody on this shortlist for trying, nay, daring, to latch on.
"As of today, the incoming Trump Administration has hired over 1,000 people for the United States Government. They are outstanding in every way, and you will see the fruits of their labor
Are the Obamas headed for a divorce?
The tabloids are abuzz after Michelle Obama skipped Jimmy Carter’s funeral and announced she won’t be attending Trump’s inauguration.
Barack Obama attended Jimmy Carter’s funeral alone after his wife had a so-called scheduling conflict.
“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.” – Michelle Obama’s spox said.
Rumors are swirling that Michelle and Barack are on the outs.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that the long-awaited cease-fire deal is on hold because of a “last-minute crisis” — as Israel shared a new video of Hamas boasting of its “pride” at the Oct. 7 terror attack and threats of ongoing violence.
Netanyahu delayed his cabinet voting Thursday on approving the historic deal, accusing Hamas of “a last-minute blackmail attempt.”
“Israel will not set a date for a cabinet and government meeting until the mediators announce that Hamas has approved all the details of the agreement,” his office said.
On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight,” MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin reacted to the ceasefire and hostage release deal by arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “could have delivered this victory to Joe Biden eight months ago, prior to a U.S. election in which the U.S. candidate for the Democratic Party, the vice president, could have been running on a ceasefire deal. He did not do that. And he did not do that, by design,” and “it is hard to imagine that the Prime Minister of Israel has entered into this ceasefire deal without knowing that, on the back end of it,
There's an old military saying about a certain material, which was often found on parade grounds back in the days of horse-mounted troops, and how it tends to roll downhill. That's a metaphor, of course, for how pressure on senior officers tends to flow downwards to junior officers, to NCOs, and eventually to the E-4 Mafia and the private soldiers. But in the military as well as in government, sometimes good ideas roll downhill, too.
As an example, we have a very good idea, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being set up by the incoming Trump administration.
Has there ever been a more reprehensible human being in charge of the once-great state of California.?
As fires were consuming homes and destroying neighborhoods – largely due to the criminal incompetence of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the legions of hopeless inept leaders in the one-party state – Newsom seemed to be having the time of his life.
We can’t read his thoughts. But from his expressions, it’s as if this is all great news to Newsom because it gives him more time in the spotlight. He can’t seem to help himself but smile as the news media descend on Los Angeles,
Hey, did you hear about that Trump-loving J6 couple who threw a bomb and permanently injured a cop? He got five years. His wife got no years. Yeah, those J6ers really got off easy. Oh, wait, my mistake. They were not J6 defendants. They were a couple of Antifa s***b*gs who were mad because conservative commentator Michael Knowles was going to speak about transgender baloney. Instead of being treated with the same scorn and harshness that the J6 defendants have been, this federal judge actually said they were something along the lines of very fine people.
There’s going to be hearings about the Los Angeles County fires. Some investigation must be conducted to expose the shambolic response and maybe draft a new plan of attack concerning wildfires in the area before they become massive infernos. This fire is likely to become the costliest natural disaster in American history. It was preventable, but climate change loons and the overall strangeness of California residents prevented the state from enacting common fire prevention protocols; one is clearing brush and dry vegetation in fire-prone areas like under the power lines.
The Santa Ynez reservoir hasn’t been full since last February;
The first round of confirmation hearings for Trump Cabinet appointees shows that Democrats aren’t interested in governing — only grandstanding.
Look at the circus of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s Tuesday hearing.
Hawaii’s Sen. Mazie Hirono, a lefty stalwart, debuted an utterly bizarre line about Hegseth greenlighting military invasions of Greenland or takeovers of the Panama Canal; she also asked if Hegseth would follow a hypothetical order from Trump to shoot protesters. Virginia’s Tim Kaine sternly wagged his finger at Hegseth over allegations of bad behavior toward women — pretty rich coming from a man who went puppy-eyes gaga in public for . . . Bill Clinton.
Up Schiff's Creek
replies
The name is Bondi. Pam Bondi.
I don't know if Bondi takes her vodka martinis shaken, not stirred. Still, if she handles her duties as the nation's attorney general with the same deftness, aplomb, and clarity that she handles the Democrat circus animals of the Senate, I would say we are in good hands.
On Wednesday, Bondi endured wave after wave of left-wing insanity from Democrat senators during her confirmation hearing. At times, the verbal assault from the left seemed to reach Nikita Khrushchev-levels of bluster and bravado. All that was missing was Mazie Hirono banging her shoe on the desk and yelling, "WE WILL BURY YOU!"
Joe Biden is leaving office the way he came in — under a cloud of self-delusion and amid a rancid stench of lies.
He promised to be a standard-bearer of decency, a respecter of norms and the rule of law.
He presented himself as a unifier who would help the country heal after the pandemic, a man of integrity and impeccable character, unlike his wretched predecessor. Yet behind closed doors, in the devious recesses of his soul, Joe plotted and planned just two things: self-aggrandizement and vengeance.
Joe paid lip service to a grab bag of virtuous goals but, really, he was all about himself.
Hunter Biden has reportedly lost hundreds of his treasured artworks in the Los Angeles wildfires.
According to The New York Post, Hunter’s artworks went up in flames as wildfires continued to ravage the city, leaving thousands of properties in its wake.
The report states:
A trove of nearly 200 artworks by Hunter Biden has been destroyed — one of the casualties of the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, The Post has learned.
The controversial art had been in storage near the Pacific Palisades home of Hunter’s Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris and is valued at “millions of dollars,” a source close to the Biden family said.
On the Ides of January, the shrunken head that used to be Joe Biden addressed the American people for the very last time.
(We hope.) [Video]
The same steely-eyed leader who still insists he could deftly serve another four years (and surely would’ve bested Trump!) struggled through his speech, mangling words and swallowing syllables with Hawk Tuah-level proficiency. Even the 2017 Atlanta Falcons were like, “Bro, that’s a weak way to finish.”
But it was a predictable performance. From beginning to end, it was unequivocally Bidenesque, perfectly encapsulating the Man Who Knew Too Little. Almost immediately, Smokin’ Joe did exactly what you knew he’d do.
Armed residents of wildfire ravaged communities in Los Angeles county have reportedly taken to guarding their homes in defiance of government-mandated evacuation orders.
A contingent of homeowners in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades have been on a desperate neighborhood watch amid the ongoing blazes that have wrought destruction and resulted in looters attempting to take advantage of tragic circumstances, Some homeowners have started taking matters into their own hands – patrolling neighborhoods in defiance of Los Angeles County officials.
AP
Some of those residents patrolling their beleaguered streets are even toting firearms for fear of their safety and lawless looters.
On Wednesday, we reported that Israel and Hamas had reached a tentative ceasefire deal, which will result in the release of some of the terror group’s hostages. Debate has raged in the ensuing hours over whether it is a good deal for Israel and which American commander-in-chief deserves the credit: lame-duck President Joe Biden or incoming President-elect Donald Trump. While we certainly hope for the release of all the hostages taken in Hamas’ savage Oct. 7, 2023 attack, their newest chief is sounding anything but peaceful. In fact, despite the deal being reached, Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya delivered a sick,
We start this discussion with a note of thanks to the ridiculous democrats and republicans for using the questioning session for AG nominee Pam Bondi, to out themselves on the issue of FISA-702, the unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens. While many will not see it, the timing here is not coincidental. At the behest of President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Chairman Mike Turner from his position.
Mike Turner is no longer Chairman of HPSCI. This is a big loss for the Deep State.
Remember also, that President Trump had previously announced an intelligence advisory board headed by Devin Nunes
Labour U-Turns Over University Free Speech
as it Brings Back Tory Law – But Removes
its “Teeth” replies
as it Brings Back Tory Law – But Removes
its “Teeth” replies
Labour has U-turned over university free speech as it brings back a Tory law clamping down on ‘woke’ cancel culture – but removes its “teeth” by dropping the ability of academics to sue their institutions. Labour told woke students they cannot “shut down” debate on university campuses today as ministers U-turned and revived a Tory law protecting freedom of speech.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed she would bring in most sections of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 after a major revolt by academics.
At least two American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will be returned to their families as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, according to several reports.
Israeli and Hamas officials reached a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday in the 15-month conflict in Gaza, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday. The deal has been confirmed by the U.S. and Qatar, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday the deal is not yet complete, according to the Associated Press.
The Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack in Israel,
People who are familiar with my work are aware that, put mildly, I'm not very fond of present day Democrats. In fact, I think that if we could time travel some prominent Democrats from the 1980s or early 1990s to 2025, they would be repulsed by the likes of Dick Durbin, Adam Schiff, and Mazie Hirono.
I'm not asserting that all Democrats back in the day were great people (Teddy Kennedy, anyone?), I'm merely saying that they weren't all awful people when I first became politically aware and active.
They're all awful now.
It seems like it's been ages since I had a chance to rattle on about the country's GREATEST FRICKIN' GOVERNOR - that would be Ron DeSantis. I can't believe I've neglected our Free State of Florida for so long, but I do have to admit things nationally have been pretty exciting. (Snip) Governor DeSantis swung into Jacksonville, FL to tout his next steps in reconfiguring how education worked in the state. (Snip)
Something must have been percolating under the surface because eight months after DeSantis laid the marker down in his Jacksonville appearance, the state, FBI, and the IRS descended upon the Duval Teachers United headquarters.
Praise that Israeli hostages are coming
home, but a deal that keeps Hamas in power
is a bad one replies
home, but a deal that keeps Hamas in power
is a bad one replies
The cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas is meant to be a first step, and we don’t know what happens next, or the promises that were made behind the scenes.
It is possible that President-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed on this move merely as a tactical prelude to a set of far-reaching measures that will yet transform the Middle East.
And, most importantly, the idea of dozens of Israelis — including toddlers — returning home after more than a year in purgatory is enough to dull even the most hawkish observer’s concerns.
Netanyahu’s office says cabinet won’t meet to approve ceasefire deal until Hamas backs down on 'last minute concessions'
Israel’s security cabinet has delayed a planned meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas in Gaza, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accusing Hamas of attempting to obtain ‘last minute concessions’ on some aspects of the deal.
Reuters quotes Netanyahu’s office saying “Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last minute concessions. The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
Victor Davis Hanson Can’t Stop Laughing
While Talking About Joe Biden’s Farewell
Address (Video) replies
While Talking About Joe Biden’s Farewell
Address (Video) replies
Conservative scholar and historian Victor Davis Hanson is a very serious minded person. Yet even he could not keep a straight face when talking about Joe Biden’s farewell address tonight.
During an appearance on FOX News with Jesse Watters, Hanson pointed out the many falsehoods and projections voiced by Biden during his talk and repeatedly broke into laughter as he did so.
Even Watters remarked that he had never seen Hanson so giddy about such a topic.
Partial transcript via the Western Lensman on Twitter/X:
On Wednesday, host Rachel Maddow discussed President Joe Biden’s farewell address, saying Biden’s warning about the incoming Trump administration “put a shiver” down her spine.
Maddow said, “I had wondered heading into this speech whether he was going to try to give some sort of warning to the country when we had some advice, basically planning advice, that the speech might not be very long. And when we saw the White House today release what they called a letter, but was really about a hundred plus page long book explaining his his view of his own accomplishments during this term.
A theatre in Paris which is known for its radical shows and exhibitions has been occupied by more than 250 African migrants after they were let in for a free event five weeks ago.
The Gaîté Lyrique theatre in Paris staged the conference, entitled Reinventing the welcome for refugees in France, on December 10.
It involved talks hosted by academics from top universities and Red Cross officials, and saw activists welcome in the migrants. But when the conference was finished, the migrants, who mainly come from France's former west African colonies, refused to leave the venue.
Still occupied, the leftist theatre now faces going out of business.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth.
Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft a half-century ago.
Years in the making with heavy funding by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the 320-foot (98-meter) rocket carried an an experimental platform designed to host satellites or release them into their proper orbits. Company employees erupted in cheers and frenzied applause once the craft successfully reached orbit.
IDF Reserve Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi says "two things" changed regarding the Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement after fifteen months of conflict in the Middle East. "This deal has been on the table since May last year and Hamas opposed it completely. Why? There was no real pressure on Hamas," Avivi told "Your World" on Wednesday. "Israel wanted to stop some of the humanitarian aid, especially some of the gasoline, but the administration wouldn't let us do that. So Israel has no major leverage on them." "What's changed is two things," Avivi told Fox News. "One, Israel defeated Hezbollah and Hezbollah cannot support Hamas anymore.
Disgraced first son Hunter Biden was seated just steps away from his father, President Biden, as the outgoing commander in chief called on Americans to respect “the courts” and “pay their fair share” of taxes during his final Oval Office address Wednesday.
Biden, 82, asserted that his more than 50 years in public office has taught him that “believing the idea of America means respecting institutions that govern a free society,” including “the courts” – as his recently pardoned 54-year-old son looked on.
In his farewell speech, the outgoing president also urged wealthy Americans to “play by the same rules” and “pay their fair share of taxes.”
Pro-Stacey Abrams groups fined $300,000
after admitting they broke Georgia campaign
finance law replies
after admitting they broke Georgia campaign
finance law replies
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to fine two advocacy groups that were founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams and led by Raphael Warnock before voters elected him to the U.S. Senate. The commission found that the New Georgia Project and its affiliated New Georgia Project Action Fund illegally did election work for Abrams and others without disclosing their campaign contributions and spending.
The Confirmation Hearings So Far
replies
Several of Donald Trump’s most important cabinet nominees have now undergone confirmation hearings. I have watched them live in bits and pieces as I have been able, and have seen many clips posted here and elsewhere. Some obvious common threads emerge.
First, Trump’s nominees have uniformly done well. Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio and Chris Wright have all come across as competent and likable, in contrast to most of their Democratic interlocutors, who have been shrill at best, and often dim-witted. (My favorite moment so far might be when the bizarre Mazie Hirono asked Pam Bondi whether she had ever made any unwanted sexual advances. Bondi’s puzzlement was understandable.)
We’re all excited about Trump’s coming inauguration, but in light of the recent attempts on his life, it’s a fair question to ask if all the necessary safety precautions are being taken to ensure his safety.
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino isn’t sure.
“I've been getting a ton of questions, ‘Dan, how do you feel about this inauguration?’ ‘You think it's going to be safe?’ And the answer is complicated. That's not an easy yes or no question.”
In response to the recent Secret Service and FBI briefing, Bongino stated bluntly, “The inauguration is probably not safe.”
He went on to explain that
There’s been a ‘meaningful shift’
in CEO confidence since Trump’s election,
says Goldman’s Solomon replies
in CEO confidence since Trump’s election,
says Goldman’s Solomon replies
The election of Donald Trump in November and a swing back to Republican power in Washington is already starting to make an impact in the business world, according to Goldman Sachs
CEO David Solomon.
The bank executive said on a conference call Wednesday that other CEOs are feeling better about the direction of the economy and their businesses since the presidential election, even though Trump has yet to take office.
“There has been a meaningful shift in CEO confidence, particularly following the results of the U.S. election,” Solomon said, according to a transcript from FactSet.
“Additionally, there is a significant backlog from sponsors and an overall increased appetite for dealmaking