This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In what officials have described as a "major incident," Congress has been warned that Chinese hackers infiltrated work stations at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
A report from Just the News said the situation developed on Dec. 8 when a Chinese-backed agent used a stolen key to remotely access work stations and unclassified documents.
"Based on available indicators, the incident has been attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor," explained Aditi Hardikar, assistant secretary for management at the federal agency.
Officials confirmed the affected stations were taken offline and a law enforcement investigation was launched.
Fox Business said it had gotten a copy of the letter to Congress and that officials called it a "major incident."
"Once Treasury was alerted by the service provider, we immediately contacted Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and have worked with law enforcement partners across the government to ascertain the impact of this incident," a Treasury official told the publication.
"The compromised BeyondTrust service has been taken offline and there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury systems or information."
Fox Business said word of the infiltration came as state-affiliated Chinese hackers continue to pursue a campaign of espionage against the U.S., pursuing phone accounts through telecoms.
"Last week, the White House said that Chinese officials accessed Americans' private texts and phone conversations through the targeting of a U.S. telecommunications company – the ninth telecom company to be affected by Chinese hacking," the report said.
Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser, explained, "We believe it was the goal of identifying who those phones belong to and if they were government targets of interest for follow-on espionage and intelligence collection of communications, of texts and phone calls on those particular phones."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Only a day after WND revealed the odd circumstance in the U.S. House of Representatives that could produce an extended dispute over the speakership, President-elect Donald Trump has issued a no-holds-barred endorsement of the present speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson.
"Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!" Trump said on social media.
His statement said, "We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS (Despite large scale voter fraud taking place in numerous states, including California, where votes are ridiculously still being counted, or under review!), ALL WON WITH EASE, CALM, & PROFESSIONALISM. Republicans are being praised for having run a 'legendary' campaign!'"
He continued, "Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for, with some being used to illegally buy endorsements ($11,000,000 to Beyoncé, who never even sang a song, $2,000,000 to Oprah for doing next to nothing, and even $500,000 to Reverend AL, a professional con man and instigator, who agreed to 'interview' their 'star spangled' candidates, Kamala and Joe). We ran a flawless campaign, having spent FAR LESS, with lots of money left over. They ran a very expensive 'sinking ship,' embracing DOJ & FBI WEAPONIZATION against their political opponent, ME. BUT IT DIDN'T WORK, IT WAS A DISASTER!!! LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration."
Johnson must stand for re-election to the leadership post this week and has only a slim Republican majority in the House.
WND had reported only a day earlier that the narrow GOP margin in the House, and disagreements within the party, could create an unprecedented circumstance for the nation because of the House post.
On "Sunday Morning Futures" on the Fox News Channel, host Jason Chaffetz quoted Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram who said:
"The House absolutely, unequivocally cannot do anything until it elects a speaker, period. This also means that the House cannot certify the results of the Electoral College, making trump the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 6. What happens if the Electoral College isn't sorted out by Jan. 20? Well, President Biden is done, so he's gone. The same with Harris. Next in the presidential line of succession is the speaker of the House.
"Well, there's no speaker, so who becomes the president? If the House is still frittering away time trying to elect a speaker on Jan 20, [president pro tempore of the Senate Chuck] Grassley, likely becomes 'acting president.' I write likely because this gets into some serious, extra-constitutional turf. These are unprecedented scenarios. Strange lands never visited in the American political experience."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President-elect Donald Trump reacted to Sunday's death of former President Jimmy Carter at the age of 100 by saying, "We all owe him a debt of gratitude."
"I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter," Trump said on Truth Social.
"Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History."
"The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude."
"Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers."
Trump later added: "While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for. He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed.
"He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office. Warmest condolences from Melania and I to his wonderful family!"
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden issued a statement on Carter's death, saying: "Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.
Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what's extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.
With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.
He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.
We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts.
To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy.
And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.
To honor a great American, I will be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington D.C. for James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, 76th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a joint statement about their relationship with Carter, indicating they were "proud, early supporters" of his campaign for president.
"I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House," Bill Clinton said.
Former President George W. Bush said on X:
"Laura and I send our heartfelt condolences to Jack, Chip, Jeff, Amy, and the entire Carter family.
"James Earl Carter, Jr., was a man of deeply held convictions. He was loyal to his family, his community, and his country. President Carter dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations.
"We join our fellow citizens in giving thanks for Jimmy Carter and in prayer for his family."
Barack Obama noted: "President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Israel has submitted a report to the United Nations from the country's health ministry, which outlines the abuse Israeli hostages suffered at the hands of their Gazan captors – cataloging physical and mental torture – and the lasting effect it has had on them, including children.
The Health Ministry's report, which it submitted to Alice Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, is compiled from the testimonies of hostages who were released in the first – and to date, only – deal in November 2023.
It also includes accounts from hostages who were rescued in IDF operations. It details how they were burned and beaten, starved and humiliated, as well as how the abuse impacted their mental and physical health, even long after they were freed.
Descriptions of brutality and torture make for excruciating reading, especially testimonies about physical and sexual torture directed at men, women, and children. The report breaks down the abuse into three general areas: Torture by withholding medical treatment or causing intentional pain during treatment, starvation, poor nutrition and holding of hostages in harsh sanitary conditions, and psychological abuse.
The first section describes how those who were wounded in the Oct. 7 attacks and taken back to Gaza as trophies were given entirely rudimentary medical attention.
"Fractures, shrapnel wounds, and burns were treated inadequately, leading to complications which required
additional surgeries, which could have been prevented with proper care. Upon arrival in Israel, intensive treatment was given to the returned hostages," the report states. There are also descriptions of medical procedures without anesthesia, as well as chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, and hypothyroidism, leading to severe short-term deterioration. Also, several older women required urgent life-saving treatment due to untreated hypertension and hypothyroidism.
When Israelis saw the condition in which the released hostages returned in that first deal, public pressure – as well as a sense of national horror up to and including the government – catalyzed enormous pressure on international bodies – particularly the Red Cross – to deliver life-saving medicines to those captives in the worst physical condition. They refused. Considering its abysmal record in missing the signs of Nazi brutality toward Jews during the Holocaust, we need not be surprised by this position.
The report also details how hostages were largely starved, only given meager rations, as well as being deprived of sunlight, and hence suffering from Vitamin D deficiencies. On average, the captives lost between 18-35 pounds in weight, approximately 10% to 17% of body weight.
Inadequate nutrition can lead to a number of complications, including delayed wound and fracture recovery, and a weakened immune system. Severe malnutrition can impair cognitive function and cause mental health problems. In children, it may hinder normal development and growth.
The captors attempted to fatten up hostages in the few days before their release, which put them at risk of Refeeding Syndrome. There are also allegations that captives were injected with drugs in advance of the transfer to make them seem more pliable and that the conditions of their incarceration were less harsh than reported.
"The poor quality of food and water, combined with unsanitary conditions, led to increased morbidity among the hostages. Many suffered from diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes constipation. They had limited access to showers and returned with skin infections, including dermatitis, the report cited.
The litany of psychological trauma is the longest section of the Health Ministry's report and provides a harrowing account of the means and ways Hamas – and other Gazan captors – attempted to extract the most mental anguish.
The events of Oct. 7 were traumatic in and of themselves. Men, women, and children were either aware or witnessed the murder and sometimes sexual assaults of either family or community members.
"The captives were transported to Gaza in open vehicles, often alongside the bodies of those murdered. They endured beatings, humiliation, and verbal, physical, and sexual violence during the journey," according to the report.
It highlighted how hostages' captors attempted to break their morale and torture them psychologically, with the aim of making them easier to control. Some captives witnessed the killing of other captives, further deepening their sense of helplessness and hopelessness, as well as seemingly arbitrary transfers from one place to another.
"In captivity, the hostages were often subjected to solitary confinement, poor sanitation, severe medical neglect, lack of sleep, starvation, sexual abuse, violence, threats, and brainwashing through media designed to break their spirit and make them submissive," the report added.
The report concluded with the ongoing psychological and physical trauma, which nearly all the returned hostages suffer from, and the length of time needed for them to even attempt to heal. Some were too afraid to respond to the Health Ministry for fear of the danger they felt they might put family members still in Hamas captivity in, were they to do so.
There was even a dark prognosis for the hostages remaining in Gazan captivity, and whether, considering they have been held for nearly 400 days more than some of the hostages interviewed in the report, they will ever be able to return to some semblance of normal life if they were to be released.
Health Minister Uriel Basso said, "The report we are submitting to the U.N. is a harrowing testimony to the brutal experiences suffered by the hostages in Hamas captivity – cruel violence, psychological abuse, physical torment, and unfathomable acts of horror. These actions cannot be tolerated. The report highlights the horrors endured by the hostages and reveals the brutality of the enemy with whom Israel is engaged. The testimonies presented in this report serve as a wake-up call for the international community to apply increased pressure on Hamas and its supporters to release all hostages without delay … It is a moral and humanitarian imperative, and the time to act is running out."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Who knew, but Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, is racist. And a parking lot in Lake Merritt, California. And the University of Michigan.
And "guru," milk, "Nikki Haley," math, immunology, marriage or being married, not pronouncing Kamala Harris name the way she wants, colorblindness, and Christianity.
That's all according to a report from College Fix, which researched comments and statements from America's higher education industry.
The organization said, "Racism is the intentional mistreatment of someone on the basis of their race – at least in the normal world. But in academia, racism is anything producing disparities, according to Professor Ibram Kendi."
Then it delivered a list of "people, places, actions, and other things declared racist this year by higher ed, though a few came from K-12."
It explains, "If something needs 'anti-racist' action or 'diversity, equity, and inclusion,' it follows it must be racist, or else it would not need correction."
The list includes academic disciplines: "Chemistry, Classics, Evolutionary biology, Engineering, Immunology, Math and more.
Actions finding themselves targeted for condemnation include: Accusing a black student of plagiarism, Banning DEI, Being Asian but romantically interested in white people, Course evaluations, Criticizing a black female reporter, Criticizing plagiarism, Marriage/being married, Mentioning a black female congresswoman has fake eyelashes, Murder, Not pronouncing Kamala Harris' name right and pages more on the list.
Condemned beliefs include: Being pro-life/pointing out high abortion rates for black women, Christianity, Colorblindness and Nostalgia.
Among others were Counseling, Dentistry, Geology, Medicine, Ocean sciences, Dolly Parton's free book program, Dressing as a Native American at a Kansas City Chiefs game, Paintings of British countryside, Porcelain, Fried chicken, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and …
Greenhouses!
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President-elect Donald Trump is demanding Democrats take a vote on the U.S. debt ceiling immediately, saying the extension of the ceiling is "one of the dumbest political decisions made in years."
In a statement Sunday evening on Truth Social, Trump indicated:
"The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.
"There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost.
"It was Biden's problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours.
"I call it '1929' because the Democrats don't care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer 'Depression' as long as it hurt the Republican Party.
"The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
Is Iran's energy crisis a historic opportunity for President Trump?
"Fools" flocking to the "scent of kebab": That's how Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently described audiences abroad who sense an opportunity to support Iran's people against their clerical overlords in the face of his regime's myriad challenges, according to Behnam Ben Taleblu senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, writing in the New York Post.
But the joke's on Khamenei: When President Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the United States will have a chance to end Tehran's menace for good.
Iran is sunk in a months-long energy crisis that's rocking the regime to its foundations.
Over the past three years, the regime has managed to illicitly sell over $140 billion worth of oil.
Yet years of economic corruption and mismanagement, coupled with competing priorities over what to do with energy revenues – spend them on terror proxies abroad, or on the Iranian people at home? – has yielded gas shortages, hindering electricity generation and chilling millions of Iranians this winter.
The contradiction is so severe that even Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials have called the predicament "disgraceful."
Netanyahu to be hospitalized for several days for surgery
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be put under full anesthetic for his operation Sunday to remove his prostate and will remain in the hospital for "several days" following the surgery, his defense lawyer told the Jerusalem District Court, reported the Times of Israel.
The details were relayed to the court by Amit Hadad, an attorney representing the prime minister in his criminal trial, in a request to have the trial hearings in which Netanyahu was scheduled to give testimony this week canceled.
The court quickly acceded to the request, adding that the hearings are "expected to resume next week, on Monday, Jan. 6," and wished the prime minister a complete recovery.
"Last Wednesday the prime minister underwent a test at the Hadassah hospital that revealed an urinary tract infection stemming from a benign enlargement of the prostate," Hadad told the court, saying that Netanyahu would undergo an operation under full anesthetic to treat the problem.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office announced that he would be having his prostate removed.
'Unfathomable acts of horror': Israel says hostages, including children, now getting branded with hot object
As WorldNetDaily indicates, Israel has submitted a report to the United Nations from the country's health ministry, which outlines the abuse Israeli hostages suffered at the hands of their Gazan captors – cataloging physical and mental torture – and the lasting effect it has had on them, including children.
The Health Ministry's report, which it submitted to Alice Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, is compiled from the testimonies of hostages who were released in the first – and to date, only – deal in November 2023.
It also includes accounts from hostages who were rescued in IDF operations. It details how they were burned and beaten, starved and humiliated, as well as how the abuse impacted their mental and physical health, even long after they were freed.
Azerbaijan Airlines says downed plane crashed due to 'external interference'
Azerbaijan Airlines said a preliminary probe found the plane crash that killed 38 people last week was "due to physical and technical external interference" as questions grew over Russia's potential involvement, according to Semafor.
The airplane was flying from Baku to Grozny in southern Russia on Wednesday when it changed course toward Kazakhstan to attempt an emergency landing, authorities said.
Baku government sources told Euronews early investigations showed the aircraft was struck by a Russian air-defense missile. Reuters reported a source as saying: "No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft."
Meanwhile, Russian officials posited it was a bird strike which caused the crash, and warned against "hypotheses."
Israel's Foreign Ministry budget for public diplomacy rises to $150 million
Israel's Foreign Ministry budget for public diplomacy is set to increase some 20-fold from before the start of the 2023 Iron Swords war in the 2025 budget to $150 million as the country counters an information war just as vicious as the one its military personnel are fighting against the enemies arrayed against it.
Dozens of "influencers and public opinion leaders," as the Foreign Ministry described them, attended a recent brain-storming session, ranging from people like former government spokesman Eylon Levy, former IDF English-language spokesman and current Foundation for Defense of Democracies fellow Jonathan Conricus, Institute for National Security Studies fellow Ophir Dayan and StandWithUs Jerusalem Executive Director Michael Dickson to makeup YouTuber-turned-hasbara influencer Ashley Waxman-Bakshi, Israeli model Nataly Dadon and comedian Yohay Sponder, reported Jewish Insider.
"We are in the middle of an effort to change the approach toward the whole topic that was once called hasbara, and that I call 'consciousness warfare,'" Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said. "The democratic world is influenced by public opinion… and when it is not good for us, then it influences the elected political level's space to maneuver in the international arena."
Nasrallah assumed he was safe from Israel's military until the end
Hezbollah's longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah assessed he was safe from being killed by the IDF up until the moment his life ended in an IAF airstrike in Beirut in September, according to a report published by the New York Times Sunday on Israel's intelligence infiltration of the Lebanese terrorist organization.
Reported on Israel National News, the terrorist leader reportedly brushed off concerns from his aides amid requests he go to a safer location than the underground bunker in which his life ended on Sept. 27. Nasrallah assessed Israel was uninterested in full-scale war with Hezbollah, even after it detonated thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the terrorist organization's operatives just two weeks earlier.
IDF detains more than 240 Gaza terrorists at Hamas hospital base
The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Sunday it had detained more than 240 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, even as some of the fighters posed as patients and attempted to flee in ambulances, reported the Jewish News Syndicate.
Approximately 15 terrorists who infiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre as well as Hamas engineering and anti-tank missile operatives were taken in for questioning.
The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, who is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative, was also taken in for questioning.
IDF special forces conducted precise activities inside the hospital locating and confiscating weapons in the area, including grenades, guns, munitions, and military equipment.
IAF downs two rockets fired from Gaza toward Jerusalem, military subsequently destroys launch site
At around 6 p.m. Saturday, Jerusalemites came under rocket attack from two projectiles fired out of the Gaza Strip, reported the Jewish News Syndicate.
"Urgent warning to all those who have not yet evacuated the area specified in the map, and the Beit Hanun area [in the Strip's northeast] in particular," Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman, posted to X.
Overnight, IAF fighter jets targeted the launchers involved in Saturday's rocket attack, supported by firepower from the 933rd "Nahal" Brigade operating in the Gaza Strip.
"The targeted launchers contained a rocket ready for launch toward Israel," the IDF said on Sunday morning.
10-year-old boy discovers pilgrim's cross medallion in Jerusalem neighborhood
A remarkable discovery was made in Jerusalem's Ein Karem neighborhood when a 10-year-old student stumbled upon a century-old cross medallion during a school excursion, Breaking Israel News reported.
Nehorai Nir, who attends the Argentina Experimental High School in Kiryat Hayovel, made the discovery while searching for edible plants with his classmates. Initially attracted by a pomegranate on the ground, his attention was subsequently drawn to a glinting object in the soil, which turned out to be the historic medallion.
Upon examination by Dr. Amit Re'em, Jerusalem District archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, the artifact was revealed to be an exquisite golden cross medallion crafted using micro-mosaic techniques.
Though not technically classified as an antiquity due to its relatively young age of 100-200 years, the piece showcases exceptional craftsmanship.
83-year-old Holocaust survivor murdered in stabbing attack in Herzliya
Holocaust survivor Ludmila Lipovsky, 83, was murdered in a terrorist stabbing attack outside her nursing home in Herzliya on Friday. Security guards neutralized the attacker before arresting him, reported the Jerusalem Post.
An initial investigation revealed the terrorist was a Palestinian resident of Tulkarm who had previously served a prison sentence in Israel. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) added that the suspect was a former Shin Bet informant who had helped thwart terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.
The Shin Bet's initial investigation of the attack, which occurred on Herzliya's Kdoshei Hashoah Street (Holocaust Martyrs Street), indicated the terrorist committed the murder due to believing his life was in danger.
THAAD missile defense system shoots down ballistic missile over Israel for first time
For the first time since its deployment in Israel, the US made THAAD air defense system intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis from Yemen towards Israeli territory overnight, according to Israel Hayom.
During footage of the interception, an American soldier can be heard saying after the interceptor's launch, "I've waited 18 years for this moment."
The advanced system was positioned to bolster Israel's capabilities in intercepting ballistic missiles and defending against potential threats, such as attacks from Iran. For several years, a joint exercise known as Juniper Cobra has been conducted between the US and Israel.
Syria's de facto leader warns it'll take 4 years to organize elections, with draft constitution in 3
The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa (known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani), stated in an interview with the Saudi news channel "Al-Hadath" on Sunday that organizing elections in Syria will require four years, reported Israel Hayom.
Al-Sharaa explained that preparations are currently underway for a "transitional government that will serve for an extended period." Additionally, he pledged to disband the headquarters of Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist coalition that played a significant role in toppling the Assad regime.
The new Syrian ruler outlined several political stages that will precede the election of a president, noting that a new census will be necessary before any voting process can take place. He also declared, "The liberation of Syria will bring security to the region and the Gulf for the next 50 years."
Watch: Former Australian news anchor Erin Molan calls out pope over positions on Israel-Gaza
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – Despite Donald Trump's landslide victory over Kamala Harris in November, it's possible he may not become president on Jan. 20 if there' still no speaker of the House who has certified the election results.
That alarm is being sounded on national TV as Mike Johnson, the current speaker of the House, is facing the threat of not being voted as speaker again this Friday.
On "Sunday Morning Futures" on the Fox News Channel, host Jason Chaffetz quoted Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram who said:
"The House absolutely, unequivocally cannot do anything until it elects a speaker, period. This also means that the House cannot certify the results of the Electoral College, making trump the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 6. What happens if the Electoral College isn't sorted out by Jan. 20? Well, President Biden is done, so he's gone. The same with Harris. Next in the presidential line of succession is the speaker of the House.
"Well, there's no speaker, so who becomes the president? If the House is still frittering away time trying to elect a speaker on Jan 20, [president pro tempore of the Senate Chuck] Grassley, likely becomes 'acting president.' I write likely because this gets into some serious, extra-constitutional turf. These are unprecedented scenarios. Strange lands never visited in the American political experience."
U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the House Oversight Committee chairman, addressed the concern, saying: "No one ran against Mike Johnson. To this day, and here we are inside a week of the speaker's vote, there is still not a single declared candidate.
"But as you know, we have five Republicans that won't commit to voting for Mike Johnson, and he can only lose one or two votes. So I sure hope we don't repeat this, and I'm strongly encouraging my colleagues and go ahead and elect Mike Johnson, and let's get started on passing President Trump's agenda."
Chaffetz brought up Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, who is not necessarily fully committed to Johnson as speaker, and asked if the Republicans can stay united.
"It's a terrible challenge. We've seen it play out over the past two years," Comer noted. "It was very difficult for Kevin Mccarthy, it's been very difficult for Mike Johnson. It would be very difficult for whomever would be elected speaker of our conference.
"But at the end of the day, the difference between the 119th Congress and the 118th Congress is we'll have a Republican president, a strong Republican president who's very popular with Republican congressmen's constituents back home, and that's Donald Trump.
"I strongly encourage Donald Trump to to get on the phone with those five or six members who won't commit to voting for Mike Johnson, because all this is going to do is delay us.
"It's going to delay the certification of President Trump's election, it's going to delay the start of his first hundred days in office which is the most important time frame of his whole presidency. That's when you get the most done, historically. So I strongly encourage President Trump to get on the phone and try to get everyone united so we can work together as a team and make America great again."
Later in the broadcast, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, the incoming House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said: "In the end I think Mike Johnson will be a great speaker, he's going to be known as the DOGE speaker."
"I think he's gonna do a damn good job."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – Another Florida lawmaker is announcing her switch to the Republican Party less than two months after running and being elected as a Democrat.
State Rep. Hillary Cassel of Dania Beach in Broward County announced her political party change online this week, citing Democrats' lack of support for Israel.
"The decision was not made lightly but comes from a deep sense of responsibility to my constituents and my commitment to the values that guide my service," Cassel indicated.
"As a mother, I want to help build a world where our children are judged on their character and their actions not their labels," Cassel said.
"As a proud Jewish woman, I have been increasingly troubled by the Democratic Party's failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism."
"I'm constantly troubled by the inability of the current Democratic Party to relate to everyday Floridians."
"I can no longer remain in a party that doesn't represent my values," she continued.
"I know I won't always agree on every detail with every Republican, but I do know that I will always have input, collaboration and respect."
"I ran for office to make my community and this state better," she concluded. "I want my constituents to know my resolve to deliver on these promises has never been stronger."
Just weeks ago on Dec. 9, another Democrat in the Florida House, Tampa state Rep. Susan Valdés, also switched from Democrat to Republican, after feeling she was ignored by fellow Democrats.
"In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas," she said.
"I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – On a recently released episode of the smash-hit podcast "TRIGGERnometry," Soviet-born businessman and entrepreneur Dimitry Toukhcher, who has designed and constructed custom-made suits for the likes of Jordan Peterson, claimed he knew U.S. President Joe Biden was going to be replaced in the presidential race, the moment he saw him at his disastrous June debate with President-elect Donald Trump.
Speaking to the show's two hosts – Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin – Toukhcher noted with a critical eye how the president and the at-the-time Republican nominee for the role differed in their approach to clothing.
"What I proposed [in a video shot with a colleague] is that Biden will immediately be replaced after the debate," he explained. "And it looked pre-planned before the debate just based on what Biden was wearing. I made a very cogent argument … and still remember these points."
"We all see the world through the lens of what we do. A doctor might be looking for signs of dementia, for example. As a haberdasher, I see Biden's outfit and I go, 'Oh, they're gonna replace him.'"
He looked back at the 2016 campaign when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, whom most people assumed to be the front-runner or even odds-on favorite to win the presidency.
"Look at how he was dressed in 2016. He had this sort of ominous message, and he himself had an ominous image. He wore very dark suits that looked completely oversized. He looked like a classic American industrialist, a sort of Henry Ford figure. He came in and said, 'Guys, we need rules, we need boundaries, we need tariffs. We need all these things and the messaging was sort of negative."
In contradistinction he said of the 2024 debate with Biden that Trump walked out in a Kennedy-blue suit: "'Oh, my God what a brilliant guy,' I thought. He's wearing a light blue suit, which shows a message of hope, a message of perseverance of illuminating the future, which was not his previous image. I did a granular analysis of what Trump wore in 2016 vs. 2024."
With regard to the ousted Biden, Toukhcher said whoever dressed him was trying to convey a message, although one neither of competence nor hope.
"When Biden walked out, I said, 'This is wrong.'"
He was wearing a suit a shade darker, which was an "intentional decision," according to the designer.
"There is no way someone dressing Biden would miss that. But when you're old and everyone questions your mental capacity, and thinks you're about to die, what you don't want to do is wear a black suit. Because what does black psychologically trigger? The idea of a funeral, of death. He was wearing a very dark navy blue suit, and that is not the color you put an 80-year-old guy in, who might have dementia."
Toukhcher added other decisions were made, which in his opinion was a tacit – although subtle – admission that the man we were all told in Joe Scarborough's impenetrable cant was the "best version of Biden I've ever seen," was far from at his physical or mental peak.
He suggested the use of the overhand tie knot was one of these clues, as its use highlights haptic incapability.
"An overhand tie knot is the first knot your father teaches you to tie, it's a small knot you tie very quickly. I guarantee you Biden doesn't tie his own ties, but the fact they put him in an overhand knot was to show he is haptically incapable."
As a result, he was immediately drawn to Biden's shirt cuffs, which he noted used buttons rather than cufflinks – as opposed to Trump.
"If I'm dressing an 80-year old guy and people are asking, 'Hey, is this guy potentially incapable of leading a country,' I'm giving him a beautiful full Windsor tie, I'm giving him cufflinks to show he is able to eloquently place cuffs into his shirt, and I'm giving a lighter suit. He also wore the wrong shirt collar; you never wear a pointy collar with an oblong face. To me he was designed to fail, which is why I knew they were going to replace him."
He initially demurred when asked about Kamala Harris' clothing, saying that it might be more complicated for women to project power in the same way as men; acknowledging the usual attire for high-profile women in politics was a pant suit.
"I don't know how to signal competency better than with a suit. But, what the heck is her branding anyway? This might be the more base [sic] question. What does she really stand for? I can't really answer that, so how do I design an image for someone when I don't really know what their ethos is."