ISRAEL/HAMAS:
ISRAEL ORDERS MORE GAZA EVACUATIONS
USA TODAY:
The Israeli military expanded its evacuation zones to include the second-largest city in Gaza, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Since Oct. 13, thousands of Palestinians have fled the northern Gaza territory after the Israeli forces warned them to evacuate.
Long after the conflict is over, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the military needs to maintain unrestricted security control over the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed, most of them civilians, and up to 240 hostages were taken after Hamas militants crossed the border and attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7.
A humanitarian crisis in southern Gaza is getting worse as a result of Israel's expanding airstrikes and ground offensive in response to the attack as thousands Palestinians have fled from the north.
The United Nations' human rights commissioner has called on the international community to act "with one voice" and press for an immediate cease-fire.
“Palestinians in Gaza are living in utter, deepening horror,” the U.N.'s Volker Türk said at a news conference in Geneva. “As an immediate step, I call for an urgent cessation of hostilities and the release of all hostages.”
TWR: Hamas has earned its Fate. While the loss of innocent Palestinian life in this conflict is tragic…This monstrous destruction has been imposed on them by their own leaders.
Hamas must release all Hostages without delay. With that release, and only that, the first steps toward Peace can begin.
Palestinians must choose…Terrorism based on Anti-Jewish Bigotry…Or the Future.
VP CALLS ON ISRAEL TO ‘DO MORE TO PROTECT CIVILIAN LIFE’
USA TODAY:
When Vice President Kamala Harris called on Israel to stop killing so many Palestinian civilians last weekend, she stopped short of saying the country has committed war crimes in its scorched-earth campaign to destroy Hamas.
“The United States is unequivocal; international humanitarian law must be respected,” Harris said during a speech in Dubai on Saturday. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
The vice president isn’t the first Biden administration official to criticize Israel’s conduct in Gaza. But the question of whether Israel is violating the international laws of war and armed conflict is a delicate and hotly debated one in Washington.
Israel is abiding by globally recognized rules of armed conflict, “from the way the goals of the war were crafted and all the way to our operational conduct,” Eyal Hulata, Israel’s national security advisor until earlier this year, told USA TODAY.
“There are teams whose sole responsibility is to verify every strike and every action to see that it doesn’t contradict international law.”
Israel insists it is well aware of the laws of war and armed conflict, and that it has made all reasonable efforts to comply, an assessment shared by many legal experts including former State Department lawyer Orde Kittrie.
TWR: There are two types of official statements Politicians can make:
The political thing.
The right thing.
One is Truth…The other is just politics.
You have already read the political statement…
The right statement would be: “Too many innocent Palestinians have died. I now call on Hamas to release all their hostages immediately, then surrender to the nearest IDF unit. There will be no cessation of hostilities until they do.”
Every call for a premature cease fire guarantees future Israeli deaths, madame Vice-President. Please stop.
AMERICAN EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD HIT BY ROCKETS
FOX NEWS:
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked by several rockets on Friday morning that caused minor material damage but no casualties, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
Explosions were heard near the embassy in the capital city of Iraq at approximately 4:15 a.m. on Friday. An embassy spokesperson then confirmed the U.S. Embassy was attacked by two salvos of rocket, adding: "Assessments are ongoing, but there are no reported casualties on the Embassy compound."
Friday’s attack included 14 Katyusha rockets, some of which struck near one of the embassy’s gates while others fell in the river, according to an Iraqi security official.
The attack was confirmed by a U.S. military official who said the multi-rocket attack was launched at U.S. and Coalition forces in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and embassies.
TWR: The United States of America is being attacked. Our government is not responding.
Inexcusable.
We have the Technology, Weapons, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines required to reduce all our attackers into craters filled with smoking ash.
We do not have the Leadership.
ACADEMY:
UPENN PRESIDENT TESTIMONY COSTS UNIVERSITY 100-MILLION DOLLAR DONATION
FOX BUSINESS:
A major donor to the University of Pennsylvania is withdrawing a donation worth roughly $100 million as a protest against the college’s handling of antisemitism on campus and the controversial testimony by UPenn's president on the subject.
Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, donated to Penn in 2017, a gift that consisted of partnership units in the firm which are now valued at around $100 million to help the university establish a financial innovation center.
Attorneys for Stevens sent the university a letter indicating the school violated Stone Ridge’s limited partnership agreement through its failure to adhere to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rules. The news was first reported by Axios.
The letter said that Stevens and Stone Ridge "are appalled by the University’s stance on antisemitism on campus."
It added that Penn’s "permissive approach to hate speech calling for violence against Jews and laissez faire attitude toward harassment and discrimination against Jewish students would violate any policies of rules that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on religion, including those of Stone Ridge."
TWR: There is only one word to describe the solution to the obvious decay of our Colleges and Universities…
Accountability.
This move by Stone Ridge provides exactly that. Others include lawsuits filed against other blue chip Universities by Jewish Students. I hope they win…
These Presidents should have already resigned. Aside from being anti-Jewish Bigots…They’re simply stupid.
SHOOTINGS:
LVMPD IDENTIFIES UNLV SHOOTER
FOX NEWS:
Police in Las Vegas have identified the suspect in Wednesday's shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that left three people dead and another injured.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the suspect on Thursday during a press conference as Anthony James Polito, 67. McMahill said that Polito was a resident of nearby Henderson, Nevada, and applied "numerous" times for jobs with several higher education institutions in Nevada, and was denied each time.
Polito was killed by police during a shootout on Wednesday.
The sheriff said that Polito had a "list" of people he was "seeking" on the campuses, including faculty from Eastern Carolina, where he previously worked.
TWR: A former College Professor…Shooting only other College Professors.
The intellectual decay of the American Academy has led to this.
HUNTER:
BIDEN SON INDICTED ON TAX CHARGES
USA TODAY:
Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was indicted on charges he failed to pay his income taxes, Justice Department special counsel David Weiss announced Thursday.
The announcement came months after a plea deal over tax and gun charges collapsed. Under the agreement, which a federal judge rejected, Hunter Biden was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018.
Biden is charged in a California federal court with three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanors. He engaged in a scheme in which he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed taxes from 2016 through 2019, and also evaded tax assessment for 2018 when he filed false returns, according to the indictment.
From 2016 to 2020, Biden spent money "on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," according to the indictment.
Lawyers for Biden didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
TWR: Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. This includes Hunter Biden.
After the dismal comedy of Hunter Biden’s original plea deal, Special Counsel David Weiss re-started his legal career. This indictment is his first step since that awakening.
Hunter now faces two possibilities…Take his chances in Federal Court, or sit down with Mr. Weiss and tell the Truth.
INDICTMENTS CALLED’NUCLEAR BOMB’ FOR BIDENS
FOX NEWS:
After a California grand jury handed down an indictment of first son Hunter Biden, political analysts predicted the bombshell would put President Biden in a self-constructed "trap" after he again claimed allegations he was in influence-peddling cahoots with his brother and son were "lies."
A grand jury empaneled in the Central District of California – which comprises Los Angeles – handed down an indictment against Hunter Biden.
"I think a lot of people felt … that David Weiss was going to let these charges skate and Hunter Biden would never be held accountable for making millions of dollars overseas. And a lot of people will say that was inappropriate," former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said.
Washington Times opinion editor Charles Hurt added to Fox News that the indictment must be "like a nuclear bomb going off for the Biden family," saying that it must terrify President Biden as he approaches his reelection contest to have his son indicted for something he may or may not be connected to.
TWR: The analysts are correct…President Biden has trapped himself in a serious mess.
Every untrue statement he makes regarding this indictment against his son, tightens the grip of inevitability around his Presidency and Legacy.
Two things must happen:
President Biden must come clean with the American People.
The Democrat Party needs to find a new 2024 Presidential Ticket.
TRUMP:
FORMER PRESIDENT APPEALS FEDERAL JUDGE’S RULING ON PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
USA TODAY:
Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge's ruling that he isn't protected by presidential immunity from criminal charges tied to his alleged interference in the 2020 election.
The former president filed the appeal Thursday along with a request for a pause in his criminal proceedings while the appeals court considers his arguments. Prosecutors oppose the pause request, Trump said. His trial in the case is currently scheduled to begin in March.
Trump is fighting charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith that could land him in prison for decades, including that he conspired to obstruct the process for certifying the election.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a series of arguments from Trump to have the case dismissed, such as that he can't be prosecuted because his alleged actions were "at the heart of his official responsibilities as President."
"Defendant’s four-year service as Commander in Chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens," Chutkan said in her Dec. 1 ruling.
Trump argued that his alleged statements about the administration of a federal election "unquestionably" fell within the scope of his official duties because presidents are duty-bound to defend themselves publicly and promote policy initiatives.
TWR: Judge Tanya Chutkan’s statement: "Defendant’s four-year service as Commander in Chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens" has closed the book on her pre-trial prejudice.
This was such an egregious error, I can only think that it may have been on purpose.
By evoking “the divine right of kings” she may be looking for a way out of this trial. She should own up to this obvious prejudice and recuse herself.
The Appeals Court should grant an immediate pause in these proceedings to both allow time for an examination of these circumstances, then consider the ramifications of Judge Chutkan’s prejudicial conduct.
MEDIA:
NEWS ORGANIZATIONS TO SPONSOR MORE PRIMARY DEBATES
USA TODAY:
Multiple news organizations said Thursday they will sponsor a series of Republican debates next month in Iowa and New Hampshire ahead of the states' crucial primary contests.
CNN said it will host debates next month in both Iowa and New Hampshire, the first events of their kind not sponsored by the Republican National Committee.
The Iowa debate is being organized for Wednesday, Jan. 10, five days before the caucuses that open the delegate selection process, the outlet said in an announcement. In addition, ABC News and WMUR-TV of Manchester, New Hampshire, announced they would sponsor a debate on Jan. 18.
CNN's New Hampshire debate is planned for Sunday, Jan. 21, two days before the primary in the Granite State.
"The events will provide Republican voters an opportunity to hear the governing philosophies of the leading candidates seeking to challenge the likely Democratic presidential nominee, President Joe Biden, in November," CNN said.
TWR: The Republican National Committee has officially lost control of the GOP’s media messaging.
Why does Ronna McDaniel still have a job?
ECONOMY:
U.S. JOB GROWTH CONTINUES TO BE ROBUST
NY TIMES:
The economy continued to generate robust job growth in November, suggesting there is still juice left in a labor market that has been slowing almost imperceptibly since last year’s pandemic rebound.
Employers added 199,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, while the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent.
The increase in employment includes approximately 41,000 autoworkers and actors who returned to their jobs after strikes, and others in related businesses that had been stalled by the walkouts.
The decline in the unemployment rate is particularly notable because it had been drifting upward. That was a source of concern for many economists because, historically, even small increases in the jobless rate have been a associated with recessions.
TWR: Good News for Everyone. Now if the Biden Administration could just do something about Inflation.
Jon-David Wells, Host - The Wells Report c: 2023
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