At Least Three Wounded in Berlin Shooting, Reports Say

According to Berliner Zeitung, the incident occurred on Saturday morning. At least three people have been taken to hospitals with serious injuries, the emergency services stated. One more man was pulled from the nearby Landwehr Canal after having jumped into it of his own volition, police said.

Police are searching for attackers who began firing in the Kreuzberg district of the German capital, according to preliminary reports. Law enforcement officers have arrived at the scene in the district. A helicopter is also involved in the operation.

The newspaper Die Welt has stated the incident occurred near the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

At the moment, there is no official information about the perpetrators or their motives.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/202012261081572495-at-least-three-wounded-in-berlin-shooting-reports-say/

Indian Call Center Scams $14 Million From Americans In Elaborate Scheme

Sometimes we have to question the intelligence of Americans. It's no secret that unhealthy lifestyles and eating mounds of junk food can impair brain function. With that being said, intelligence is lacking for some Americans as thousands were recently swindled out of millions of dollars by a scammy Indian call center.

According to the NYTimes, an Indian call center in Peera Garhi, west of Delhi, tricked victims into believing their bank accounts were frozen as part of an elaborate drug investigation. As many as 4,500 victims were told, they had to transfer money to the scammers or risk serious jail time.

On Dec. 17, as many as 50 people from the call center were arrested. Authorities alleged the employees learned American accents and pretended to be officials of various American law enforcement agencies.

Investigators said the victims were given an ultimatum: Face jail time or take an "alternative dispute resolution" to avoid criminal charges.

Over two years, the call center bilked more than $14 million from gullible Americans who "were asked to buy Bitcoins or Google gift cards worth all the money in their accounts," said Anyesh Roy, a police officer in New Delhi. The monies were then transferred to what the victims thought was a "safe government wallet" but were actually accounts tied to the call center.

The South China Morning Post said the "call center even had a human resources policy offering graded salary scales, bonuses for Christmas and for those who could get people to capitulate fast, as well as paid holidays."

The stupidity of some Americans makes you wonder if IQ rates in the country are dropping?

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/indian-call-center-scams-14-million-americans-elaborate-scheme

Lin Wood

@LLinWood

God bless you, Charles Gwin @charlesg411

. You are America.

Wake up Patriots!

Be Charles Gwin. Fight like a Flynn!

@GenFlynn

@SidneyPowell1

https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1342720053800792064

Casinos, cruises and Costco: How federal workers abuse their travel credit cards

Recent $40,000 shopping spree by DOT employee who never went on official travel mirrors years of similar abuses seen government-wide.

A U.S. Transportation Department employee went on a recent $2,500 shopping spree, using a government credit card reserved for official travel to buy items at a local Costco and other stores and restaurants.

Remarkably, the transactions initially went undetected even though they occurred at stores near the worker's home, not on travel, and while the worker was on vacation.

The DOT's internal watchdog, the inspector general, told the story of the shopping spree in an investigative report earlier this month.

"The Federal Travel Regulation states that travelers may not use travel cards for personal reasons while on official travel," the report said. "Contrary to this regulation, we found that a TCH (Travel Card Holder) made an unauthorized $217 purchase at a Costco warehouse located near their residence.

"We also reviewed this TCH's transactions in the universe and identified $2,351 in additional unauthorized purchases at restaurants and grocery stores that were located in close proximity to the TCH's residence. These purchases occurred before the TCH's authorized trip and while they were on break."

File

DOT Travel Card Audit Final Report^12.16.2020.pdf

The episode was hardly isolated. The IG estimated nearly 10% of all charges made on DOT employees' travel credit cards were improper.

"We found that TCHs did not follow prescribed policies and procedures for an estimated $18.6 million in purchases of a universe totaling $193.6 million,” the report concluded.

While the shopping spree by the vacationing employee was shocking, it wasn't even the worst example uncovered by the DOT inspector general investigators.

Another employee ran up about $40,000 in charges on a government credit card — including for a cruise — without ever traveling for official business.

"We found a TCH without authorized official travel who made personal purchases on their travel card. These purchases — totaling approximately $40,000 — included payments for cruises, for airline tickets, to a utility company, and at a supermarket in close proximity to the TCH's residence," the report lamented.

The IG cited widespread weaknesses in the Transportation Department's oversight of travel cards, including an inability to monitor charges near employees' homes or to flag expenses that did not occur around the time of official trips.

"DOT's controls are not sufficient to prevent or detect inappropriate use of travel cards," the report concluded. "… We identified internal control weaknesses in multiple areas within DOT's travel card program."

Remarkably, many of the problems that surfaced in the December report were first flagged in a 2014 audit of the same travel card program. "Excessive or unauthorized cash advances and instances of travel card misuse are going undetected because DOT lacks robust internal controls to prevent these transactions," that report noted.

File

Travel Card - Audit Report 09-18-14_web file.pdf

https://justthenews.com/accountability/waste-fraud-and-abuse/casinos-cruises-and-costco-federal-workers-continue-abusing

IDF strikes Gaza in response to earlier rocket attacks

Hamas: Such attacks only strengthen the resolve of the Palestinian people.

The IDF struck targets belonging to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip late Friday night in response to rockets fired from Gaza into Israeli territory earlier in the night.

During the IDF operation, a rocket weapon production site was targeted in addition to underground infrastructure and a Hamas military post.

Two Palestinians were reportedly lightly injured as a result of the attack. According to Ynet, a source in Gaza said that shrapnel caused by the bombing hit a hospital for children and a center for disabled persons situated in Gaza.

"Attacks by the IDF won't break the will of the Palestinian people, but strengthen their resolve to insist on their rights," a Hamas statement released after the attacks read.

Earlier Friday night sirens sounded in the Gaza border communities of Ashkelon, Mavki'im, Karmiya, Zikim and Nativ Ha'asara.

The IDF confirmed soon after that its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted two missiles above the city of Ashkelon.

One woman was reportedly taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon to be treated for anxiety following the interception.

The last rocket attack launched on Israel occurred a month ago on November 21. It was not intercepted by the Iron Dome and instead landed on a factory causing damage.

A week prior, two rockets were launched towards Israel. However, Israeli defense forces estimated that the attack occurred by accident after lighting struck a loaded rocket-launcher, Kan News reported.

Palestinian sources claimed at the time neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had intended for the attack to happen, and would therefore investigate the reportedly accidental launch.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/rocket-sirens-sound-in-gaza-border-communities-653289

Flights grounded, 911 services down amid widespread communications outages after blast damages AT&T building in Nashville

AT&T has confirmed that one of its facilities was damaged in what authorities call an “intentional” blast in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, amid reports of mass communications outages and 911 services down across multiple states.

The telecoms giant declined to say how widespread outages were, but confirmed that one of its buildings, housing telephone exchange network equipment, was “affected” by the explosion, causing “some” service interruptions.

“We are in contact with law enforcement & working as quickly as possible to restore service for some customers in Nashville & surrounding areas. This is due to damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning,” the company said on Twitter.

Multiple law enforcement agencies across Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama reported their 911 systems were down following the blast, including Murfreesboro, Knox County, Muscle Shoals, and Madison County, according to local media.

UPDATE: Flight service at BNA continues to be impacted by telecommunications issues. Some flight corridors have been restored while others remain closed. Updates will be provided.

— Fly Nashville (@Fly_Nashville) December 25, 2020

The telecommunications issues in the aftermath of the blast also forced the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily halt flights out of Nashville International Airport.

While police said the blast was clearly “intentional,” it remains unclear whether it had specifically targeted the AT&T infrastructure. Besides damaging one of the company’s tech facilities, the explosion also occurred just about a block away from AT&T tower Nashville, known colloquially as the Batman Building.

The explosion rocked Nashville on Christmas morning, around 6:30am local time. The blast was apparently preceded by a chilling pre-recorded message through a loudspeaker, which counted down to zero, while warning anyone within earshot to “evacuate now.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/510771-nashville-explosion-communications-down/

ISRAEL attacks its enemies on Christmas

>>12179845 Gaza

Syrian Air Defense Intercepts Israeli Missile Barrage Over Hama District

In the early hours of December 25th, Israel carried out missile strikes on Syrian territory, over the Misyaf region.

https://southfront.org/syrian-air-defense-intercepts-israeli-missile-barrage-over-hama-district/

Nashville via its Chinese / C_A / FBI Proxies????

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

IS this the beginning of the physical coup, take out comms????

China extends tariff exemptions for US chemical and oil products

Six US chemical and oil products will not be targeted by additional duties for another year, according to China’s finance ministry. The exemptions were initially introduced after the two countries reached a phase-one trade deal.

The extension will come into force on Saturday and last until December 25, 2021, the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The tariff waivers cover refined oil products such as white oil and food-grade petroleum wax, as well as metallocene high-density polyethylene and a special grade of linear low-density polyethylene.

China unveiled the tariff exemptions last December in a goodwill gesture, after Beijing and Washington agreed to a phase-one deal. The accord, officially signed by the two sides in January, prevented new bilateral tariffs and partly cut some of the punitive duties imposed by the world’s two largest economies in the course of their trade conflict.

Under the deal, Beijing agreed to boost purchases of American goods and services to $200 billion in 2020 and 2021. However, recent studies show that Chinese imports from the US still lag behind the promised levels. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, China bought $82 billion of US products between January and November this year, meaning the purchases amounted to just 58 percent of their year-to-date targets.

It is still unclear if the second part of the deal will be finalized, as the outgoing Trump administration is unlikely to sign any new agreement. US President-elect Joe Biden is not going to immediately remove existing tariffs on Chinese exports either, the New York Times reported earlier this month, quoting Biden. The new administration also wants to review the existing deal and focus on what Biden called “China’s abusive practices – that’s stealing intellectual property, dumping products, [and] illegal subsidies to corporations.”

https://www.rt.com/business/510739-china-us-tariff-exemptions/

Taliban Captured Afghan Army Military Base In Atghar District

The Taliban captured a military base of the Afghan Army in the Atghar district of Zabul province.

https://southfront.org/taliban-captured-afghan-army-military-base-in-atghar-district-video-photos/

$2000 Stimulus Checks Dead After Republicans Block Trump/Democrat Team Up

A proposal from Donald Trump to increase direct aid to Americans from $600 to $2000 was shot down by House Republicans

Democrats had long supported bigger checks and plan to try again on Monday

The fate of the funding bill now falls to Donald Trump, who must decide whether to veto or pass before the government shuts down Monday night

Republican leadership in the House blocked a proposal from President Trump to upgrade the value of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. It now falls to Trump to decide whether he will assent to the original bill or veto it, bouncing it back to Congress for revisions.

The hard-fought omnibus budget bill squeaked in right before the deadline of a government shutdown. Unless a package is signed into law before midnight Monday, federal services will vanish. Special COVID-19 measures like eviction protections and unemployment benefits are set to expire right after Christmas.

“Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.”

Trump had latched onto larger checks after public outcry when it was announced the bill would contain checks of only $600 after months of deliberations. Democrats, who had been forced to give up larger payments early on in negotiations, threw their weight behind him.

Democrats had also, however, blocked a Trump-backed proposal to revisit the foreign aid section of the year’s budget. Their opponents derided it was “selective hearing.”

Several sources within the White House told the Washington Post that Trump was yet to decide one way or the other, characterizing the odds as about 50/50. House Democrats are planning to try again to increase the checks on Monday.

https://www.ibtimes.com/2000-stimulus-checks-dead-after-republicans-block-trumpdemocrat-team-3109122

Millions set to lose jobless benefits amid Trump standoff with Congress

Millions of people will lose federal unemployment benefits on Saturday as a result of the standoff between Congress and President Trump over the COVID-19 relief measure passed by the House and Senate this week.

Twelve million people will lose benefits through two programs set up under legislation earlier this year in the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an estimate by The Century Foundation.

One program set to expire provided benefits to gig workers and other people not eligible for traditional unemployment, while another program set to expire provided 100 percent federal funding for benefits for people who are long-term unemployed.

The Century Foundation estimates that 7.3 million people who benefitted from the first program for gig and other workers not covered by regular unemployment will lose their benefits Saturday. Nearly 1 million more will lose the help before December ends.

In a surprise, President Trump announced after the bill's passage that he opposed the measure. Trump criticized direct payments included in the COVID-19 relief package as too stingy, arguing the $600 payments should be raised to $2,000.

Most Republicans in Congress had opposed the higher payments, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, negotiating for Trump, had signed off on the measure with the $600 direct payments.

Trump also criticized certain spending provisions in a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill attached to the COVID-19 relief measure that will fund the government through October. The provisions he opposed were also backed by the administration during negotiations over the package, with some of them reflecting provisions in presidential budgets.

The government is set to shut down on Tuesday unless Trump signs the package, or the Congress approves another measure before Tuesday that keeps government operations funded.

The White House has given little signal of what Trump might do next. It's possible Trump could veto the package or do nothing, which would result in the unemployment benefits expiring.

It's also possible the president could still sign the package despite his criticism of it.

A number of Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have urged him to do so, though some other Republicans have criticized the package.

The White House said the legislation approved by Congress was flown to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where the president is spending Christmas.

Trump was on the golf course on Friday. The president has had little on his calendar according to the releases sent out each day by the White House press office, though it has emphasized that Trump is hard at work.

"During the Holiday season, President Trump will continue to work tirelessly for the American People. His schedule includes many meetings and calls," the daily guidance from the White House said Thursday evening.

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/531683-millions-set-to-lose-jobless-benefits-amid-trump-standoff-with-congress

>>12180013

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