[NYPOST] An ex-con strangled and decapitated a man who impregnated his wife while he was locked up in prison, authorities say.
The victim's hands were chopped off, too — and one was later found by a 5-year-old boy in a mail box.
Anthony Newton, 45, is now charged in the gruesome murder of Ulisys ''Cesar'' Molina, whose burned, dismembered body was found in a vacant lot outside Las Vegas in 2017 after his family reported him missing, according to KLAS.
Newton, his brother-in-law and another woman allegedly lured Molina into the woman's apartment around Christmas 2016 and killed him over the affair, a Nevada judge heard in court last week.
''This relationship is known by people in Mr. Molina's family, and it's not exactly a secret,'' Newton's lawyer, Pam Weckerly, said.
In a bizarre, grisly twist, one of Molina's severed hands was found in a mailbox by a 5-year-old child almost two years later — although it's unclear how the hand ended up there or if the family who owned the mailbox is connected to Molina.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/21/2025 01:50 ||
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#1
Curious ....
What about the Ex-wife?
What about the others said to be involved?
Check out the image from the security camera at the link.
[IsraelTimes] Police in Nashville, Tennessee, have arrested a man affiliated with a neo-Nazi organization after he attempted to enter a Jewish Community Center disguised as an Orthodox rabbi.
Last week, Travis Keith Garland entered the Gordon JCC wearing a poorly designed disguise with a mock beard, fake peyot, or sidelocks, and a black coat. He held a cellphone in his hand to make it appear that he was recording or streaming, and asked to speak with a rabbi. When told there was no rabbi on the premises, he attempted to continue past a secured door before a security guard intervened and escorted him off the premises.
Since he was unarmed, Garland was allowed to leave the area after being warned. However, police later determined that he should be charged, and he was arrested after being located in Maryville, Tennessee. He told an officer that he was taking part in an internet prank.
Garland was later found to be a member of the Goyim Defense League, a neo-Nazi hate group that held antisemitic demonstrations in Nashville last summer. He was charged with criminal trespassing and assault, and the court set his bail at $250,000.
He has the right to be stupid. He does not have the right to try to terrify others.
#3
The are some Christian security experts on YouTube that are saying that Taliban supporters have been showing up at Protestant parish in Fairfax Va taking pictures and asking questions about procedures.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/21/2025 13:41 Comments ||
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#4
"Fearing Islamophobic backlash from upcoming Islamic terror, local Muslims urge peaceful coexistence, solicit security advice from Christian neighbors."
#5
They were trying to ascertain whether the church live-streamed constantly. They prefer that for attracts so that they have video for recruiting and fundraising.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/21/2025 21:13 Comments ||
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#9
Its all tastes of Ghost of Kyyyyv. Even has a surfer babe in it. Because the media would never stage an event to persuade public opinion, no no no.
If the vehicle is real, I would posit the vehicle was used to escape, had a little radiant heat damage while doing so, windows got busted out from crime, and transported to location for a photo op.
And even if true, if even, then The Magic Bus did more than the LMAO LAFD Leadership to stop the fire.
Think about it, no matter how ditzy an early 20 rich surfer girl may be or how nice the neighborhood, one would not curb park a mint vintage 1970s VW. There are no sweep marks around the vehicle like you snow people culture know, and -nobody- else was curb parked in the entire shot?
Are there any license plate shots? There must be, right, if they were able to do a personal story piece, correct?
With containment of the Eaton Fire at 87%, Los Angeles County announced that all Altadena communities are now open for residents to return; while a new wind event was moving into the Southland that could further challenge firefighters or spark new blazes Tuesday.
--------------
Palisades fire now 59% contained. After this week's wind event, there is an excellent chance of precipitation next weekend.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/21/2025 10:17 ||
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This morning we have an 80-acre fire in Bonsall, a quaint inland community in northern San Diego County. CAL Fire reported at 7:55 am it was 10 percent contained. Hope they stamp it out tout suite. Evacuation orders and evacuation warnings have been issued. Local TV reports a number of back country schools are closed today because SDG&E de-energized power lines in the area. Santa Ana is back.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/21/2025 13:06 Comments ||
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[Jpost] "The special relationship between America and Israel on display!" The House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans said on X Saturday.
A team of Israeli firefighters and wildfire experts has arrived in Los Angeles to assist with ongoing wildfires, hosted by the Consulate General of Israel and Israeli Police and Attaché Gal Ben Ish. They’re working alongside local units and Cal-OES, using advanced Israeli… pic.twitter.com/qP22SSyRVl
…using advanced Israeli technology to help contain the fires. The team also met with Congressman Brad Sherman yesterday, who thanked them for their support. “We are proud to offer our support to California,” said Israel Bachar, Consul General of Israel. The team will continue their mission to protect lives and minimize damage. #Israel #LosAngeles #WildfireResponse #USIsraelPartnership
The Israeli consulate in Los Angeles said on X on Friday that the experts would be working alongside local fire fighting units and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services using “advanced Israeli technology to help contain the fires.”
“This delegation is further evidence of the friendship and deep commitment of the relations between Israel and the United States, and of the importance that the State of Israel places in assisting its great friend as it deals with one of the largest fires that the state of California has ever known,” said the Israeli ministries.
California Congressman Brad Sherman welcomed the Israel firefighters, noting that Israel was absorbing the costs of the delegation.
The Israeli ministries and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said that the Israeli experts were sent with the assistance of the Emergency Volunteers Project, an organization funded by the federation and established 16 years ago to aid Israeli emergency services during national disasters.
Israeli NGO Lev Echad
…”One Heart”…
sent its own delegation of emergency response experts last Tuesday, hoping to help with the development of infrastructure to improve aid efforts in the LA area.
“The goal of the delegation is to work in collaboration with local leadership, aid organizations, and new volunteers, providing tools to build unified systems that enhance community response and recovery,” said Lev Echad CEO Tomer Dror.
Local Jewish groups have also started their own initiatives, with the Jewish Federation Los Angeles working to provide mental health support, meals, and shelter for people displaced by the fires. The Jewish group said on its website that it also started a Wildfire Crisis Relief Fund to “support our neighbors affected by this catastrophic event.”
“In these challenging times, the strength and resilience of our Los Angeles community shines brightest,” JFEDLA said on its website. “Together, we can support those in need and help rebuild what has been lost.”
While Israeli projects have sought to aid victims of the fire, the Adalah Justice Project
… pro-Palestinian group that celebrated the 10/7 invasion of Hamas, they’re funded via the Tides Foundation…
and Jewish Voice for Peace
…another Tides Foundation recipient, they’re a radical anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activist group that advocates for the boycott of Israel and eradication of Zionism, deploying their claimed Jewish identity as defense against the charge of Jew-hate…
took to social media on January 10 to blame Israel for the severity of the disaster.
“Billions for genocide abroad worsen environmental crises at home,” Adalah and JVP said in an Instagram post criticizing the US government for aid to Israel that could have been used to respond to the LA fires.
The anti-Israel groups claimed that the Israeli war against Gazan terrorist organizations had “emitted more carbon than twenty of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries” in a year, “exacerbating climate change.”
Code Pink ... a U.S. anti-war group. The group describes itself as a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. It was founded in 2002 by Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin and of the other usual antiwar suspects. Its website lists hysterical allegations of US war crimes, and states that thousands of civilians were killed in Fallujah in 2004. Maybe it was millions. Benjamin was a 2000 candidate for the U.S. Senate on the Green Party ticket. She lost...
Nowadays the war that Code Pink concentrates on is Israel vs Hamas. They’re funded by Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based American billionaire tied to China’s Communist Party. His wife is Jodi Evans…
also connected the war in Gaza to the LA fires, claiming on Substack that a war economy was prioritized over “respect for indigenous caretaking practices and life.”
“Amidst a world that has gone through imperialist ecocidal war for decades, the world’s biodiversity, much of which is in sovereign indigenous land, has been decimated,” Code Pink said earlier in January.
#1
Wouldn't be necessary if Newsom's priority was public safety instead of scams like high-speed rail to nowhere and housing for the hobos and illegal aliens.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/21/2025 13:09 Comments ||
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As a wag said, California should be a worldwide expert in fire theory, not a charity case.
NewnORLEANS (WVUE) - Southeast Louisiana is bracing for a rare and highly impactful winter storm expected to bring freezing temperatures, ice, accumulating snow, and major travel disruptions.
Monday is the last day to prepare for the storm. You should be ready to shelter in place beginning Monday night as the storm will move in quickly around daybreak Tuesday.
Heavy snow will pick up through Tuesday morning with snow lasting through the day. Multiple inches of accumulations are expected
The NOPD and Louisiana State Police said road closures on Interstate 10, I-510, I-310, all ramps leading to US 90 and elevated bridges will begin Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. The DOTD also will begin closures in Jefferson and St. Charles parishes at 4 a.m. Motorists are strongly encouraged to shelter in place.
-------------------- Not just New Orleans, a long stretch of the I-10 corridor is under this threat. Could be the worst snow storm since 1895 when the city got 1NEW 0". As of a few minutes ago, New Orleans was at 28F with snow and visibility down to less than half a mile.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/21/2025 08:27 ||
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You get this along the coast, kinda like "lake effect" snow.
Frigid air runs up along moisture from the Gulf, and bingo. I'm in Livingston, and we got an inch.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/21/2025 11:21 Comments ||
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#4
Gorebull Warming! In the 1890, the average temperature was 5 degrees cooler than today.
Posted by: Old Salty ||
01/21/2025 11:31 Comments ||
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#5
latest report from New Orleans,
heavy snow, visibility 600 feet, temp 27F
normal max for this time of year is in the 60sF
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/21/2025 14:27 Comments ||
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#6
On the Orleans Parish Lakefront. It's been coming down at a good rate for several hours. 5 inches at the very least.
I hear we have a snowplow somewhere around Shreveport, but that's just a rumor.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/21/2025 16:29 Comments ||
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#7
^^ Road Graders will work in a pinch.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/21/2025 17:05 Comments ||
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#8
^^Ever been on I-10? The whoop de do’s you can’t even see will have you catching air
[ZeroHedge] The EV world has gotten more and more competitive over the last few years. It's become saturated with competition and demand is starting to hit its limits, all while at the same time major Chinese names are dominating the industry.
That's why it's not surprising to see another name in the space, Canoo , file for bankruptcy.
The seven-year-old electric vehicle startup has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware, announcing it will "cease operations immediately." The company is liquidating its assets, citing failed attempts to secure foreign capital and funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Program Office, according to TechCrunch.
Canoo's bankruptcy filing lists over $164 million in liabilities against $126 million in assets, with hundreds of creditors owed.
This move follows weeks of turmoil, including worker furloughs, the shutdown of its Oklahoma factory, and an inability to deliver more than a few electric vans to customers in 2024. By mid-November, Canoo reported having just $700,000 in cash.
TechCrunch writes that Canoo joins companies like Lordstown and Proterra in bankruptcy. After going public in 2020 and raising $600 million, Canoo produced few vehicles, tested by partners like NASA and USPS. A non-binding 2022 deal with Walmart for 10,000 EVs never materialized.
Canoo, founded in 2017 by ex-Faraday Future executives, initially focused on modular EVs and advanced tech, even attracting interest from Apple. After going public, CEO Tony Aquila shifted focus to commercial fleets and frequently changed manufacturing plans, including unfulfilled moves to Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Aquila's financial firm profited from Canoo, collecting payments for office space, a corporate jet, and loans secured by company equipment. Signs of trouble grew in 2024, with office closures, layoffs, and customer deposit refunds. Canoo ultimately declared bankruptcy, ending its turbulent run.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The first three warships of the NATO flotilla, which are tasked with protecting underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, have arrived off the coast of Estonia. This was reported by The Guardian.
"The group will grow in the near future, other ships will join us, so that eventually we will be about six or seven ships," the Belgian task force leader Eric Cox told reporters on January 19.
He said the alliance's flotilla would ensure that no one could damage the critical underwater infrastructure. The ships would guard the area as part of the "Baltic Sentinel" mission.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 13, an underwater cable connecting Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Finland was damaged in the Baltic Sea. During the investigation, a version was put forward that this happened due to deliberate actions of the crew of a Chinese vessel that had previously been anchored in that area. It was also stated that the captain of the ship could allegedly have been recruited by Russian special services.
The Washington Post reported on January 19 that US and European intelligence agencies have found no evidence of Russia's involvement in damaging underwater cables in the Baltic Sea. In addition, the participants in the investigation are leaning toward the version of accidental damage to the infrastructure.
Military expert, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk, in an interview with the Regnum news agency, said that the "Baltic Sentinel" program was launched to create obstacles for the Russian merchant fleet and block the sea route to the Kaliningrad region. These actions by the West will not go unanswered by the Russian side, he emphasized.
The Russian Federation Council is analogous to a senate, or an upper house legislative body.
[Regnum] US President Donald Trump dealt a "monstrous blow" to the values of the European Union elite with his inauguration speech. This opinion was expressed by the head of the Russian Federation Council Commission on Information Policy, Alexei Pushkov.
"A monstrous blow to the entire social doctrine and "values" of the ruling European liberal elite: from now on, only two genders will be recognized in the US - male and female! And this is in the "citadel of liberal democracy", which the ruling elites in Europe have always looked at with bated breath! Euroliberals are shocked and horrified. Trump has effectively blown up the system of "common values" that united the US and the EU. He is also declaring war on the liberal censorship that reigns in the British, French, German media and is supported by the authorities of these countries," the senator expressed his point of view on the Telegram channel.
According to Pushkov, the men in the hall during Trump's inauguration ceremony "warmly and standing" applauded the president's words about recognizing only two sexes - male and female. The senator also believes that Trump's statement gives European liberals and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "bad feelings."
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Trump's list of priorities, titled "America First," published by the White House on January 20, notes that the new president's administration is going to "restore American values" by recognizing only two genders - male and female. In addition, Trump is going to protect women from radical gender ideology.
Trump also promised in December that under his rule there would be only two genders in the United States. He noted that this sounds simple.
In November, The Times reported that after the inauguration of the new president, all transgender people (the international LGBT public movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) will be discharged from the American army for medical reasons. In total, about 15 thousand servicemen are planned to be dismissed.
The publication of classified documents on the assassination of US President John Kennedy in November 1963 and other similar documents that are of great public interest will be a blow to the American "deep state." This was stated on January 20 by the head of the Russian Federation Council Commission on Information Policy, Alexei Pushkov.
The politician noted that US President-elect Donald Trump, with his promise to release classified documents on the assassination of Kennedy, his brother, 1968 presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, and African-American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, as well as other secret dossiers, has effectively declared an information and political revolution.
According to Pushkov, the main ones of these secret documents will be those concerning the real history of the explosion of the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001.
“The publication of these dossiers, if it happens, will in itself be a powerful blow to the ‘deep state’ in the United States and could change the way tens of millions of Americans view their own country,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in August 2024, Trump promised to create an independent commission to investigate the assassinations if he wins the presidential election. According to him, among other things, such a commission would publish documents on Kennedy's assassination in 1963 that are still classified.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States and was fatally shot by a sniper rifle on November 22, 1963, while campaigning in Dallas. He later died at Parkland Hospital. The Warren Commission named former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald as Kennedy's killer.
Trump has proclaimed that "America's sovereignty is under attack", declaring this to be a national emergency that allows him to free up more funding to reinforce the border with Mexico.
The same directive tells officials to relaunch efforts to build a border wall with Mexico that was started under his first presidency. This is not an executive order and it is unclear how such an effort might be funded.
Closing the border
The president has told the military to "seal the borders" - citing the flow of illicit drugs, human smuggling and crime relating to crossings.
Birthright citizenship
Trump has ordered that officials deny the right to citizenship to the children of migrants either in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
But the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution has long been interpreted to enshrine that right, and Trump's order was immediately challenged in federal court.
Terrorism designation for gangs and cartels
Trump has designated drug cartels and international gangs as foreign terrorist organisations - adding the likes of Salvadoran gang MS-13 to a list that includes the so-called Islamic State.
'Remain in Mexico' and no more 'catch and release'
Trump has re-implemented his "Remain in Mexico" policy from his first term. This returned about 70,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers across the border to await hearings, before being cancelled by President Joe Biden.
The same order demands the end of "catch and release", a policy that allows migrants to live in US communities while they await their hearings. Trump has previously promised "the largest deportation program in American history", but this could face legal and logistical challenges.
The order also shut down a major Biden-era immigration pipeline: a sponsorship initiative that allowed up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the US. It had been designed to cut illegal crossings.
Death penalty for some immigrant criminals
Trump has ordered that the federal death penalty be reinstated. Executions have not happened in recent years. It would apply to any "capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country" and anyone convicted of murdering a law-enforcement officer.
Refugee resettlement
Trump has suspended the US refugee resettlement programme, though details remain unclear.
Climate and energy
Pull out of the Paris agreement (again)
Trump has signed off on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement - the landmark international deal to limit rising global temperatures. He will have to wait a year before it happens. He previously withdrew in 2017, before Biden re-entered.
'Energy emergency'
Trump has declared a "national energy emergency", promising to fill up oil reserves. In his inaugural address, he vowed to "drill, baby, drill" for more fossil fuels.
Alaskan fuel
He signed an executive order titled "unleashing Alaska's extraordinary resource potential", pledging to "unlock" oil, gas and other natural resources from the state.
End Green New Deal
Trump has halted the Green New Deal, a series of Biden measures that were aimed at boosting green jobs, regulating the fossil fuel industry and limiting pollution.
He has ordered agencies to halt funds appropriated through two laws, the Inflation Reduction Act and another law on infrastructure and jobs. He said the US would end leasing to wind farms and revoke what he calls an electric vehicle "mandate".
World Health Organization
Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the UN's health body, the World Health Organization (WHO).
This marks the second time Trump has ordered the US be pulled out of the WHO, after Biden re-entered it. He was critical of how the Geneva-based institution handled Covid-19.
Diversity and gender
Transgender people
Trump has declared that the US will only recognise "two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality". It is expected to affect transgender policies relating to government communications, civil rights protections and federal funding, as well as prisons. It will affect official documents like passports and visas.
In the same executive order, Trump ended all government programmes, policies, statements and communications that promote or support "gender ideology".
DEI
Trump has also halted all "diversity, equity and inclusion" (DEI) programmes within the federal government - labelling them "radical and wasteful". The administration has also promised further actions that may affect the private sector.
TikTok
Trump has signed a directive postponing by 75 days the implementation of a law that would ban Chinese-owned app TikTok in the US. The platform had briefly been shut the day before the inauguration, to comply with the law - which demands that a new American owner be found.
Trump formerly backed a TikTok ban, but indicated he reversed course after his campaign videos attracted billions of views. Asked what the action does after he signed it, he said it gives him the right to "sell it or close it".
2021 Capitol riot
Pardoning hundreds who stormed US Capitol
Trump announced he was issuing pardons for nearly 1,600 of his supporters who were arrested in the riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
Trump has repeatedly referred to those arrested in the riot as "hostages". At least 600 were charged with assaulting or impeding federal officers.
Commuting sentences of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys
Trump also commuted sentences for members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, far-right groups who were convicted of seditious conspiracy in relation to the riot.
A lawyer for former Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, who was jailed for 22 years for seditious conspiracy, said his client also expected to be released.
Government reform
Doge and Elon Musk
Trump has signed a directive creating the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - a new advisory body on cutting government costs. It is expected to be led by Elon Musk - who Trump separately said would get an office for about 20 employees.
Freeze on federal hiring
Another order halts any new federal hiring - except within the US military and several other categories - until the Trump administration has full control over the government.
Federal employees returning to the office
Trump has also signed a memorandum mandating that federal workers must work in the office and are not allowed to work from home.
Censorship
Another directive orders the "restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship". It directs the attorney general to investigate the activities of officials at certain agencies - such as the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Trade Commission - during the Biden era.
Political prosecutions
Another executive order seeks to end the "weaponisation of government against political adversaries". It mandates a review of the work of various law enforcement and intelligence agencies under Biden to "identify any instances" of alleged weaponisation, and then recommend "appropriate remedial actions".
Reversing Biden policies
'American-First'
Trump has announced he is pausing foreign aid, outlining that he wants a review of foreign assistance programs. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said this was part of a new "American-First" foreign policy.
Cuba
Trump wants to undo Biden's recent decision to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. He could also reinstate sanctions against Venezuela. Both countries were frequent targets of his ire during his first administration.
Regulatory freeze
Another order directs federal agencies to refrain from issuing any new regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government.
Unvaccinated federal workers
As part of a directive reversing Biden-era policies, Trump revoked a mandate that federal workers must be vaccinated with the Covid vaccine. He has promised to reinstate the 8,000 military service members who were discharged due to the Pentagon's Covid vaccine mandate - with full backpay.
Economy
Tackling inflation
Trump has signed a directive asking every US federal department and agency to address the cost of living. The directive, which is not an executive order, asks agencies to look at lowering the costs of housing, healthcare and key household items, groceries and fuel.
It asks for a report in 30 days. It not clear how the Trump administration intends to lower these costs - and this is not detailed in the directive.
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
'Gulf of America' and Alaska's Mount Denali
Trump has directed the secretary of the interior to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America".
The same order also directs the secretary to rename Alaska's Mount Denali to Mount McKinley - in honour of America's 25th president whose tariff policies Trump admires. President Barack Obama changed the name from McKinley to Denali to reflect what North America's highest peak was called by native tribes.
What Trump has not acted on - yet
Tariffs
After bracing for weeks for a trade war with the US, Canada has - for now - evaded import taxes that Donald Trump had threatened to impose on the country as soon as he takes office.
But Trump said on Monday the tariffs on Canada and Mexico could come on 1 February, and ordered federal officials to review US trade relationships for unfair practices, including those with Canada, Mexico and China.
Secret documents
At a rally on Sunday, Trump said he would release classified documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963, a subject of countless conspiracy theories, as well as the 1968 killings of Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Crypto pile
Trump has championed cryptocurrency, and his election saw the value of Bitcoin increase by 30%. Some believe Trump will move quickly to create a federal "Bitcoin stockpile" - a strategic reserve similar to the US's stockpile of gold and oil - that he has said would serve as a "permanent national asset to benefit all Americans".
[FoxNews] 'It is incredibly frustrating that the prior administration allowed this to happen,' Gov. Maura Healey said
Massachusetts must pay the federal government $2.1 billion over the next 10 years to resolve a debt after the state under former GOP Gov. Charlie Baker's administration mistakenly used federal pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits.
Mistakenly. Sure it was.
Current Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, and her deputies released details on Monday of a settlement they reached with the outgoing Biden administration last week in which the state will repay most of the money it owed because of the error, the State House News Service reported.
In 2023, Healey announced that her administration uncovered that the prior administration improperly used about $2.5 billion in federal pandemic relief funds to cover unemployment benefits that should have been funded by the state.
The total liability exceeded $3 billion, including fees and interest, according to Healey’s office. Negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor dropped the total owed to $2.1 billion over the next decade.
"We were dismayed to uncover early on in our term that the previous administration misspent billions of dollars in federal relief funds and that our state was facing what could have been a more than $3 billion tab to pay it back," Healey said in a statement on Monday.
"For the past year and a half, we have engaged in extensive negotiations with the U.S. Department of Labor to minimize the impact on Massachusetts residents, businesses and our economy," she continued. "Today, we have reduced our potential liability by over $1 billion and negotiated a decade-long payment window to mitigate the impact."
The governor added that it is "incredibly frustrating that the prior administration allowed this to happen" but that the current administration is "going to use this as a moment to come together with the business and labor community to make meaningful reforms to the Unemployment Insurance system."
Payments will begin Dec. 1 and continue each year for the next decade.
The agreement states that principal payments must come from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund, which is funded by a tax on employers and is also used to cover benefits, according to the State House News Service. Interest payments will come from the state’s General Fund.
Healey’s office said businesses will not face higher rates on their unemployment insurance payments through at least the end of next year, at which point rates will depend on system reforms.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
01/21/2025 10:39 Comments ||
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#2
They'll do what California did and not pay and pass the default to employers to pay by drastically increasing unemployment insurance rates. Of course forcing businesses to close and increasing the rates even further to those employers that can afford to pay.
[FOX] Not only did Carrie Underwood display her musical chops to the world at the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday, but she also flaunted her professional prowess.
Tapped to perform "America the Beautiful" at the 60th Presidential Inauguration Day Ceremony, held this year inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Underwood was escorted inside and awaited her musical cue to begin singing in front of Trump, his family, distinguished politicians and other celebrities.
But no cue would come.
For a fleeting moment, an instrumental track played before cutting out. Underwood, positioned in front of former President Biden, quickly ascertained that something was awry, leaving her to improvise. Video circulating online shows the country star speaking with someone on the production team saying, "I can just sing it."
#2
Instrumental track? Underwood's performance was probably much better it.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/21/2025 13:26 Comments ||
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#3
The rotunda is an amazing acoustic venue.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/21/2025 13:37 Comments ||
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#4
Underwood's performance was probably much better without it.
That's just sloppy, Abu.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/21/2025 13:50 Comments ||
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#5
Oh, stupid me, elsewhere I called her "Kelly Clarkson"! I don't know one from the other, anyway, I did notice Old Joe checking her out from top to bottom. FJB!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/21/2025 18:57 Comments ||
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#9
Ohhh miii.
Along those lines, I get Musk's participation, if one believe Zecky's participation because of government coercion, but Bezos didn't quite make sense until realized that Amazon dumped some $1Billion on Rings of Power vanity project which was absolutely ruined by woke DEI requirements. That flagship project was worm eaten before even launching.
Not the biggest fan of Underwood by far, but I wouldn't put it past an Airplane! "pulling the power plug" gag scene to make an embarrassment disruption, and she Judo rolled with it expertly.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Elon Musk has revealed the Department of Government Efficiency's first task since Donald Trump returned to Oval Office.
'It begins,' the tech billionaire wrote alongside a post from the department's official X account.
DOGE has set to work removing the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council website from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
President Trump has been highly vocal about his intention to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion offices across federal government, describing them as 'Marxist.'
'I will end all of the Marxist diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the entire federal government immediately,' Trump said in December.
Now, Musk is ensuring that Trump's vision is carried out at the highest level, with the removal of the executive council website.
Just yesterday the website described its services as the 'principal interagency forum to implement and sustain a national strategy for DEIA across Federal government.'
But Musk's call to wipe the website from the personnel platform indicates the entire department will be - or has already been - shuttered.
#1
As we have seen time and time again, this ain't the 60's.
We are 4+/- generations past those dark days that the North and Southern Democrats forced on many non-whites.
There is now nothing now keeping any mentally and law-abiding, stable citizen from advancing to any level in Corporate America or Government in the USA.
(Obama)
All any person has to do, is 1st decide to do, is quit blaming others for everything. Learn all Choices have consequences. Learn to put in the effort needed to advance and earn the things that come with making the right choices.
Doubt the claims?
Google "diversity on Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 boards"
or
"Minorities gave Trump the win"
Wow, we're getting a lot of good news this Inauguration Day. Not only do we have a new president, but as we reported earlier, the Senate Armed Services panel voted 14-13 to advance Pete Hegseth's nomination out of committee. That's not the only news, though; Marco Rubio has been confirmed as Secretary of State by a 99 to 0 vote in the Senate.
[X] The same information for those who prefer to read rather than watch and listen:
BREAKING
President Trump has granted full pardons to over 1,500 January 6th participants.
He has also granted six commutations to individuals whose cases, he says, require more research. He stated that upon further review, he may grant them full pardons.
President Trump was reading and signing Executive Orders, listening to a reporter's question, context switching to conversationally answer another question and directing the stage staff, "... give me another one". Simultaneously. In realtime. Establishing eye contact with everyone.
We haven't seen that in a looong time. If ever.
A prime example of the busy executive doing all the things at once. Multitasking, they call it.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump spent his first session back in the Oval Office signing executive orders to pardon all January 6 defendants and declare dangerous Mexican drug cartels as 'terrorists' while finding a letter written to him by Joe Biden.
Trump said he was pardoning about 1,500 defendants and issuing six commutations. He also directed the attorney general to seek dismissal of about 450 pending criminal cases against Jan. 6 defendants.
The pardons fulfill Trump's promise to release supporters who tried to help him overturn his election defeat four years ago.
'These are the hostages,' he said while signing the paperwork in the Oval Office.
After hours spent celebrating his new administration, Trump invited the press to his first Oval Office appearance.
Trump found a letter from Biden in the Resolute desk, but only after a journalist reminded him to look for it.
While signing a series of executive orders, a reporter asked Trump if he'd received a letter. Trump said he didn't know and checked the desk drawers, holding up the letter for the cameras.
'Maybe we should all read it together,' Trump said before setting it aside. He said he'll read it himself before sharing it publicly.
He signed an initial flurry of executive orders at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, where thousands of his supporters gathered to celebrate an inaugural parade that was moved indoors due to the cold.
The president signed several other orders, including one overhauling the refugee admission program to better align with American principles and interests and another declaring a 'national emergency' at the U.S.-Mexico border, while designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Trump said he favored legal immigration as he signed orders declaring a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, suspending refugee resettlement and ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the U.S.
He acknowledged an imminent legal challenge to overturning birthright citizenship, which has been enshrined in the U.S. Constitution since 1868.
Trump said automatic citizenship was 'just ridiculous' and that he believes he was on 'good (legal) ground' to change it.
'That's a big one,' he bantered with reporters while signing an order declaring the border emergency.
Trump said immigrant labor was needed for investment that he anticipates will accompany higher tariffs.
Trump has also signed an executive order beginning the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization.
It was the second time in less than five years that he's ordered the country to withdraw from the organization, despite it being a move many scientists fear could roll back decades-long gains made in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Experts also warn it could weaken the world's defenses against dangerous new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.
Trump continued to riff and answer questions from reporters in the Oval Office as he signs another round of executive action.
The president said he could place 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1. He declined to give a date on China tariffs.
Trump has talked extensively about his tariff plans and his affection for the levies on imported goods during his multiple public remarks today.
He then revoked protections for transgender troops set by Biden.
The number of transgender troops known to be serving is possibly from around 9,000 to potentially as many as 14,000.
The Department of Defense has referred queries on the number of transgender troops to the individual services, and because of the different ways transgender troops can identify and whether or not they have received medical procedures, there is no one database that tracks them.
As he sat down to sign executive orders, Trump was asked which former president he would call for advice.
He responded that Bill Clinton was a 'very interesting politician' and said he had a 'great political sense.'
Trump said Clinton was 'disrespected' and 'not used properly.'
Trump was also asked about his friendly chat with former President Barack Obama during former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral.
'We were having some crazy conversations,' he said.
Trump discussed the war between Russia and Ukraine and says he'll talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.
Earlier, Trump turned his rally at a downtown Washington arena into a signing ceremony as he grabbed his pen and issued multiple executive actions to institute major policy changes.
Trump officially halted over 78 Biden-era executive orders, announced a regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats from issuing regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government and a freeze on all federal hiring except for military and a few other essential areas.
He also ordered a requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work, a directive to every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis, and announced withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty.
Trump also signed a government order restoring freedom of speech and preventing censorship of free speech and one ending the 'weaponization of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration'
Some of the orders he signed first including a Biden border bill, a regulatory freeze and a freeze on federal hiring.
On his first day, Trump rescinded 78 orders and actions signed by Biden. Among Trump's rescissions was a Biden order that canceled some of the orders signed by Trump during his first term.
As the American Bar Association notes, the orders do not require congressional approval and can't be directly overturned by lawmakers. Still, Congress could block an order from being fulfilled by removing funding or creating other hurdles.
“All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds,” reads the executive order signed by Trump just hours after he took office for a second term.
It is not immediately clear how broad the order is and what programs, countries, non-governmental organizations and international organizations would be affected by the move. It is also unclear what funding could be cut given the US Congress sets the federal US government budget.
The move would likely impact US aid to the Palestinians, which was cut by Trump during his first term. The executive order echoes a return to the approach Trump took during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021.
Another Trump order targets foreign nationals who ‘support designated terrorists’
[IsraelTimes] An executive order signed by US President Donald Trump appears to target, among others, foreign nationals participating in anti-Israel protests that have swept throughout the country since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught. The Executive Order Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Threats states that the government must be “vigilant” in issuing visas to foreign nationals and ensure that those approved “do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests.”
The order requires the US government to ensure that foreign nationals “not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.”
Trump campaigned on cracking down on the anti-Israel protests, particularly those on college campuses, but it is not yet clear how exactly he’ll go about doing it, given free speech laws in the US.
TikTok? The Communist Chinese Party will no doubt find something interesting as they poke through the pope’s internet-connected devices.
[Breitbart] Pope Francis made his debut on TikTok Sunday to promote his new autobiography, written with Italian journalist Carlo Musso for Mondadori.
“I would like to thank Mr. Carlo Musso who had the patience to help me remember so many things about my life,” the pontiff said on the controversial Chinese social media platform in regard to his book titled Hope: The Autobiography.
“It is an autobiography, but for me autobiographies are to thank God for what he has done with my life,” he said from the study of his Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. “Ultimately, the real protagonist is the Lord who took me by the hand and led me forward.”
On Sunday evening the pope appeared on Italy’s number-one television talk show Che Tempo Che Fa (“What Weather We’re Having”), during which he also spoke of his autobiography with host Fabio Fazio.
The book “gives a sense of what I am like,” Francis said.
The pope has suffered criticism from conservatives for doubling down in the autobiography on his decision to ban the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in Catholic parishes, specifically lamenting its appeal to the “younger generations.”
The “rigidity” of those who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass “is often accompanied by elegant and costly tailoring, lace, fancy trimmings, rochets. Not a taste for tradition but clerical ostentation, which is none other than an ecclesiastical version of individualism” the pope declares.
“These ways of dressing up sometimes conceal mental imbalance, emotional deviation, behavioral difficulties,” he continues.
“Not a return to the sacred but to quite the opposite, to sectarian worldliness,” he adds.
As one review noted, the pope comes close to “conflating a love of the Old Mass with psychosexual disorder” and to “equating liturgical conservatism with effeminacy.”
#2
Just in case anybody was still wondering, all doubts about the pope were dispelled when he recently accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/21/2025 13:33 Comments ||
Top||
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Breitbart] 
