Pete Hegseth
@PeteHegseth
I just had another substantive conversation with Senator Ernst, I appreciate her sincere commitment to defense policy, and I look forward to meeting with her again next week.
https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1865172113008492784
Reports: Turkey-Backed Militias Trap 15,000 and Engage in ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Syria
Both Kurdish forces in Syria and humanitarian organizations on the ground warned this week that militias backed by Turkey are seizing territory in northern Syria and endangering Kurdish civilians, including potentially engaging in “ethnic cleansing.”
The Syrian National Army (SNA), an amalgam of various militias supported by the Turkish government, announced a military campaign in Syrian Kurdistan this week shortly after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist outfit with ties to al-Qaeda, conducted a surprise siege of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria. The dictatorship of Syrian leader Bashar Assad lost control of Aleppo last week; reports on Thursday indicate it may have also lost control of the city of Hama.
The clashes between the SNA and Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan do not appear to be in support of HTS. Rather, it is an operation, overtly supported by the Islamist government of Turkey, to erode Kurdish control over northern Syria. The Kurds lead the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through their military, the People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ). The YPG and its all-female partners in the YPJ were instrumental in helping the United States dismantle the Islamic State “caliphate” in Syria in the last decade and are now warning that some Islamic State elements are taking advantage of the chaos to attempt to regroup.
The government of Islamist Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers the SDF, despite its affiliations with NATO ally America, to be a terrorist organization indistinguishable from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a U.S.-designated Marxist terrorist organization. Erdogan’s regime insists the SDF poses a national security threat to Turkey.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a non-governmental organization (NGO), reported on Tuesday that its sources on the ground had seen evidence of “ethnic cleansing” by pro-Turkish militias in Aleppo governate and areas where the SDF and SNA are fighting.
“SOHR activists reported that Turkish-backed factions carry out humanitarian crimes and violations,” the organization relayed, “in light of the cut of communication and electricity off the civilians being sieged in Al-Shuhabaa area and northern Aleppo countryside that was taken control over in the ‘Dawn of Freedom’ operation.” “Dawn of Freedom” is the SNA operation to oust Kurdish forces from the Turkish-Syrian border.
The group reported that it could confirm, based on its sources, the massacre of at least 11 people in al-Shahabaa (Shahba), part of Aleppo governate, and the mass arrest of unnamed “young men.”
The Kurdish Iraqi-based news organization Rudaw reported on Thursday that the SDF believed the pro-Turkish militants had “detailed 15,000 people” from Shahba, with whom they had lost all communication.
“Turkish-backed mercenaries have launched a large-scale kidnapping and enslavement campaign against civilians besieged in the Shahba region, north of Aleppo,” the SDF denounced in a statement. “Over 120 vehicles carrying hundreds of civilians, who were attempting to evacuate to areas in north and eastern Syria, were abducted and taken to an unknown destination near the Sheikh Najjar area.”
The SDF went on to accuse the militias of seeking the “enslavement” of the missing people, who are “facing starvation and water shortages.”
Rudaw cited a second source — local administration Sheikhmous Ahmed — who also reportedly confirmed the disappearance of 15,000 people “to an unknown place.” Ahmed added that another 100,000 people were reportedly displaced by the current conflict between the SDF and the SNA.
The SDF further warned on Thursday that it is documenting heightened Islamic State activity in the region since the pro-Turkish militias began to attack. The Kurdish outlet Bas News reported that the SDF documented attacks by Islamic State terrorists outside of Aleppo, in Homs and Deir ez-Zor. The outlet also reported, similarly, on the missing 100,000 displaced people affected by the SNA and noted that the militias are not allowing civilians from leaving Shahbah.
Bas News added the alarming detail that “Turkish-backed armed factions have seized over 120 humanitarian vehicles intended to transport civilians to safety, further complicating the crisis.”
The Turkish government has overtly invaded Syrian territory in the interest of eliminating Kurdish forces in the past five years, but Erdogan is also stridently opposed to the Assad dictatorship. In 2016, justifying another military adventure into Syria, Erdogan declared, “We entered there to end the rule of the tyrant al-Assad who terrorizes with state terror.”
The Turkish National Defense Ministry reiterated on Thursday that the SDF was allegedly a “serious” threat to the Erdogan regime in apparent support of the SNA’s attacks. The Turkish state news outlet Anadolu Agency paraphrased a statement from the defense ministry insisting that Turkey would “not allow terrorist groups to exploit the instability in the region,” referring to the SDF.
“All necessary measures are being taken by our troops to maintain stability in the region, and close cooperation and coordination with our counterparts have continued since the very beginning of the process,” a Defense Ministry spokesman reiterated on Thursday, according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. “We emphasize once again … that we will not allow the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, which poses a serious threat to Syria’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and the security of our region, to take advantage of the instability in the region.”
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/12/05/reports-turkey-backed-militias-trap-15000-engage-ethnic-cleansing-syria/
Trump says he is confident Pete Hegseth will be confirmed
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1865251883973071125
$45,000 Worth of Generators From Hurricane Helene Victims Disappear…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R9_K5azJmU
Unknown flu-like disease kills at least 79 people in DR Congo
At least 79 people have died from an unknown disease that is causing flu-like symptoms in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry says.
The health ministry says the majority of people who have died are between the ages of 15 and 18.
More than 300 people have been infected with patients exhibiting symptoms like fever, headaches, runny noses and coughs, breathing difficulties and anaemia.
Response teams have been sent to Kwango Province, specifically the Panzi health zone, where the disease is most common, to manage cases and investigate the nature of the disease.
Symphorien Manzanza, a civil society leader, told Reuters news agency the situation was worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise.
"Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines," he said.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region official told the BBC they have "dispatched a team to the remote area to collect samples for lab investigations".
Authorities have urged the population to remain calm and vigilant.
They urged people to wash their hands with soap, avoid mass gatherings, and avoid touching the bodies of the deceased without qualified health personnel.
A local MP told Top Congo Radio that about 67 people had fallen sick and died between 10 and 26 November.
"It should be noted that Panzi hospital is short of medicines to cope with this epidemic. We really need assistance," said the MP.
The central African country has also been dealing with a severe outbreak of mpox. Between January and July this year, they recorded about 14,500 infections.
DR Congo has also dealt with bouts of Ebola over the years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y83ejz7eeo
FBI arrests Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson on public corruption charges
FBI special agents in Boston arrested City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson Friday morning on public corruption charges.
Fernandes Anderson was under investigation by federal authorities and FBI agents were seen outside her home in Dorchester this morning as she was taken into custody, according to WCVB. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is now calling on her to resign.
The Democrat lawmaker is facing five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, a court filing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts says.
Federal prosecutors allege that in late 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired a staff member that was related to her and then defrauded the city by proposing an arrangement in which the person would receive "additional compensation but would kickback most of this bonus pay."
"From in or about early to mid-2023, Fernandes Anderson was facing personal financial difficulty, which included missing monthly rent and car payments, an impending $5,000 civil penalty from the Ethics Commission, and incurring bank overdraft fees, which resulted in Fernandes Anderson maintaining low daily bank balances," read the filing, which was obtained by the Boston Globe.
"On or about June 9, 2023, at approximately 4:11 p.m., Staff Member A texted Fernandes Anderson, "Bathroom" to let Fernandes Anderson know that Staff Member A was waiting in the bathroom to hand the $7,000 cash to Fernandes Anderson," the court document continued. "Within seconds, Fernandes Anderson texted Staff Member A, "Ready" to confirm that Fernandes Anderson was ready to accept the $7,000 cash kickback from Staff Member A.
"Shortly following these texts, Staff Member A handed Fernandes Anderson approximately $7,000 in cash at a bathroom in City Hall."
The filing also says Boston City Councilors were not allowed to hire immediate family members to their paid staff, yet in 2022, Fernandes Anderson hired two such individuals.
Prosecutors say Fernandes Anderson later fired those two employees and was informed by the Ethics Commission of a $5,000 fine relating to that incident.
Then last month, Massachusetts’ Office of Campaign and Political Finance informed her campaign that it took contributions over the legal limit and failed to file deposit information in a timely manner, WCVB reported.
"Her behavior, as alleged in today's indictment, is a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers in the city of Boston who have every right to expect that the city's funds are in good and honest hands," Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen said in a statement. "This case illustrates how the FBI, and our partners, are working hard every day to battle public corruption and the corrosive damage it does to people's faith in government."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement that "Like any member of the community, Councilor Fernandes Anderson has the right to a fair legal process."
"But the serious nature of these charges undermines the public trust and will prevent her from effectively serving the city. I urge Councilor Fernandes Anderson to resign," Wu added.
Anderson represents District 7, which includes the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and a portion of the South End.
"Councilor Anderson was elected to the Boston City Council on November 2, 2021, becoming the first African immigrant and Muslim-American elected to the Boston City Council," reads a bio of her on the City of Boston’s website.
"Before serving as Councilor, Tania was the Executive Director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets, a parent advocate with the Boston Public Schools, program manager for a homeless women’s shelter, a business owner, and a child social worker. She has also been a foster mom to 17 kids while raising two biological children," the bio added.
Anderson is expected to appear in federal court in Boston later this afternoon.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-arrests-boston-city-councilor-public-corruption-charges
Eric Adams on Daniel Penny: "I think we've always asked New Yorkers, you see something, say something, do something."
Adams was asked by Kernan about the precedent a 15-year sentence for Penny would set:
"It would seem like no one would step in on a situation like that again."
https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1865043464653537407
Mike Johnson says he’s aiming to ax 75 percent of all federal agencies with Elon Musk’s help
House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to cut 75 percent of all federal agencies with the help of Elon Musk’s outside commission known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“We certainly hope” to slash the number of federal agencies from 428 to 99, as Musk has vowed, Johnson said in response to a question from Fox News host Martha McCallum in an interview Wednesday night. “We want to be willing partners in that,” he added.
He noted he aims to cut all funding for PBS and Planned Parenthood. “I would like to, that’s for sure,” said Johnson.
As for dismantling agencies, “We have the opportunity to go in and really take back control from the administrative state,” he said.
“For a long time they’ve been acting as judge, jury and executioner on the rules that they make on industries and small business owners and the rest,” he added. “We have the ingredients, we have the conditions right now to actually be ablemake really dramatic change.”
Johnson said dismantling the goverment will be part of “the playbook to unleash and unroll in January.”
Johnson added on X on Wednesday night: “Under President Trump, we will take a blowtorch to the administrative state and reduce the size and scope of government,”
He conceded in the Fox interview: “We got to build consensus to have the votes to do that. Where Congress is involved, that’s where it takes the hard work of legislating and getting everybody on the same page.”
But he emphasized that some of the work can be accomplished by executive order. President-elect Donald Trump “has a broad authority to do a lot of that,” he noted
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate who will head up DOGE (the name of Musk’s bitcoin), are meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
The two billionaires have been tasked with firing federal workers and cutting government programs and federal regulations. Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is set to chair a new House Oversight subcommittee to oversee DOGE.
Attempts to slash the federal government have been resisted in the past as Americans grapple with cuts to programs they know and trust. Millions of Americans depend on these programs for jobs, health care, security, and other needs.
Trump has appointed people to his administration hellbent on slashing the size of the federal government, such as Russ Vought, the former and next head of the Office of Management and Budget.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on November 20, Ramaswamy and Musk cited a key Supreme Court case mentioned by Johnson on Fox News that they view as authorization for the draconian cuts.
“In West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (2022), the justices held that agencies can’t impose regulations dealing with major economic or policy questions unless Congress specifically authorizes them to do so,” they wrote.
“In Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), the court overturned the Chevron doctrine and held that federal courts should no longer defer to federal agencies’ interpretations of the law or their own rulemaking authority. Together, these cases suggest that a plethora of current federal regulations exceed the authority Congress has granted under the law,” the duo added.
https://news.yahoo.com/news/mike-johnson-says-aiming-ax-180630295.html
Melania Trump talks 'incredible' win in 1st interview since election
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hb-VXELyEc
Eric Adams to meet with Tom Homan to coordinate deportations
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that he and President-elect Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan have set a meeting date to discuss deportation plans.
“I am looking forward to sitting down and speaking with the border czar next week, I believe we have a meeting on the 12th, and I want to hear the actual plan, how we are going to actually operationalize this plan,” Adams said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday.
Homan, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, has vowed to address concerns about migrant crime and unaccompanied children at the border, promising aggressive action to protect public safety and vulnerable youth.
Earlier this week, Homan said he was planning to call Adams, who previously raised alarms about undocumented migrants with criminal records in New York City.
“I plan on calling him either tonight or first thing in the morning. I certainly will meet with him. I’m looking for partnerships. I’m not looking for enemies,” Homan said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”
New York City reportedly has roughly 60,000 undocumented migrants wanted for deportation, with more than 1,000 suspected of being gang members. As the incoming Trump administration advances its immigration crackdown, Adams is breaking ranks with other Democratic leaders in sanctuary cities.
At nearly every campaign rally this cycle, Trump’s prepared remarks included the line: “On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history,” which he has said will target those in the country illegally and particularly those with criminal records. Trump has said he will rely on local police departments for assistance, but the effort will require extensive coordination with federal agencies and will likely face resistance from some local jurisdictions.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5025475-eric-adams-and-trump-border-czar-set-meeting-date/amp/
House Intel: Havana Syndrome is real
60 Minutes Overtime
Foreign adversary was likely behind Havana Syndrome, House Intelligence leaders say
60-minutes-overtime
By Scott Pelley, Aliza Chasan, Oriana Zill de Granados, Michael Rey, Emily Gordon, Jaime Woods
December 5, 2024 / 6:09 PM EST / CBS News
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said in an unclassified report released Thursday that it "appears increasingly likely that a foreign adversary is behind some" cases of what officials refer to as "anomalous health incidents" – mysterious illnesses suffered by U.S. national security officials.
The House Intelligence Committee concluded in the report that an intelligence community assessment from 2023 of anomalous health incidents (AHI), commonly called Havana Syndrome, "lacked analytic integrity and was highly irregular in its formulation."
That 2023 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had deemed it "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was behind the mysterious injuries, though it did acknowledge that some intelligence agencies had only "low" or "moderate" confidence in that conclusion. Until now that has been the government's leading assessment of what's behind the Havana Syndrome.
Thursday's report also accused the intelligence community of interfering with the House Intelligence Committee's ongoing investigation.
"Sadly, the [intelligence community] has actively attempted to impede our investigation, but we have nonetheless been able to gather significant evidence, and I have reason to believe that its claims of environmental or social factors explaining AHIs are false," said Rep. Rick Crawford, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Central Intelligence Agency, who led the investigation.
What is Havana Syndrome?
A total of 334 American officials have qualified for AHI care in the military health system as of January 2024, according to Thursday's report. They have symptoms that scientists say could be caused by a beam of microwaves or acoustic ultrasound. White House staff, CIA officers, FBI agents, and military officers and their families are among those who say they were wounded by a secret weapon.
A March 31 60 Minutes report on Havana Syndrome, based on a five-year investigation, revealed new evidence of a potential Russian nexus tied to mysterious illnesses suffered by U.S. national security officials.
Calls for a new Intelligence Community Assessment
After the 60 Minutes report in March, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden calling for a "renewed assessment by the U.S. government" of what officials call "anomalous health incidents."
In the unclassified report released Thursday, House officials called for the Intelligence Community to release a new report on anomalous health incidents.
"The Subcommittee is aware that the IC (intelligence community) continues to withhold valuable information from the Subcommittee," House leaders wrote. "For this reason, a final unclassified report cannot be issued at this time. In addition, the Subcommittee plans to issue a classified report that explains why the Subcommittee finds the conclusions reached in the ICA (intelligence community assessment) dubious at best, and misleading at worst."
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's investigation
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said it conducted 48 interviews of current and former members of the CIA, FBI, ODNI, Defense Intelligence Agency and the U.S. military, as well as interviews of non-government officials. Committee members reviewed more than 7,500 pages of official records and more than 3,400 pages of records provided by whistleblowers.
Based on their review, committee members said they believe the intelligence community was involved in "stonewalling, slow-walking, and cherry-picking of information" in its Havana Syndrome investigation.
"The Biden Administration and IC (intelligence community) leadership has sought to hinder the Subcommittee's investigation into AHIs to keep the truth about AHIs from Congress and, by extension, the American public," committee members wrote in Thursday's report. "This is unacceptable."
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it disagreed with many of the Committee's interim findings. An ODNI spokeswoman said, "Most IC agencies assess that it is very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs, and the assertion that we are withholding information that contradicts this analysis or would otherwise illuminate this complex subject is unfounded."
Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA operations officer who was injured in Moscow in December 2017, spoke out about the Thursday report.
"The report indicates to me that not only was there incompetence on the part of CIA, but also willful malfeasance," Polymeropoulos said.
He was the first CIA officer to go public about his experience.
"They failed to properly investigate the attacks, then cooked the books analytically, while also launching a campaign to belittle the victims as well, denying them medical care. In totality, this ultimately is a staggering betrayal of the CIA's own people. That is very hard to stomach, from an organization that I dedicated my life to. This report seems to open the door for Congress to fully investigate what looks like a truly historic scandal at CIA. I am both angry, but also feel vindicated, in what has been a very long seven year battle," Polymeropoulos told 60 Minutes.
The 60 Minutes Havana Syndrome investigation
Greg Edgreen, a now-retired Army lieutenant colonel who ran the Pentagon investigation into anomalous health incidents, previously told 60 Minutes that the bar for proof was set impossibly high. He said it was set so high because the country didn't want to face hard truths, like the existence of possible failures to protect Americans.
After speaking with 60 Minutes, Edgreen testified before the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-questioned-house-committee-60-minutes/
Trump appointments set off special elections to fill House seats: What to know
The move by President-elect Trump to tap several House Republicans to fill positions in his Cabinet and beyond has set off a fresh round of special elections next year to replace them.
Trump chose Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to be his national security adviser and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, respectively. The president-elect also tapped former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be his attorney general, though Gaetz later withdrew from being considered amid concerns over Senate holdouts. Gaetz, however, decided against returning to Congress.
Here’s a look at what to know about the upcoming special elections for each of these outgoing or former lawmakers.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)
Trump initially tapped Gaetz to be his pick for attorney general — raising questions almost immediately about whether the conservative firebrand and Trump loyalist would be able to clinch enough votes during Senate confirmation.
The House Ethics Committee has been probing Gaetz over whether he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other aspects, though the Florida Republican denies any wrongdoing.
Gaetz’s office announced last year that a separate sex-trafficking probe conducted by the Justice Department did not result in any charges against the Florida Republican.
He resigned from the House quickly after Trump’s announcement in preparation for the nomination, but some Senate Republicans signaled he had an uphill battle, as some members of the party wanted to see the committee release its findings about the ex-congressman.
Gaetz later dropped his nomination bid amid questions over his Senate confirmation path but also reiterated he would not be rejoining Congress, leaving his seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District open.
Gaetz’s district includes the northwestern tip of the state, including all of the Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Escambia counties in addition to some of Walton County. Florida set the date for the special election to fill Gaetz’s seat, with the primary for the special election taking place Jan. 28 and the special general election being held April 1.
A handful of GOP candidates are running for the seat, including former Navy and Air Force pilot Greg Merk, state Rep. Joel Rudman, former Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino, business owner Bernadette Pittman, management consultant and fighter pilot Jeff Witt, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, epidemiologist Uloma Ekpete Kama and teacher Kevin Gaffney.
The president-elect has already waded into the primary to endorse Patronis.
There are also several Democrats running, though the seat leans heavily Republican.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.)
Trump selected Waltz to be his national security adviser, and the Florida Republican is expected to resign from Congress on Jan. 20. His appointment doesn’t require Senate confirmation.
Walz represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which is sandwiched between Jacksonville and Orlando and includes Palm Coast and Daytona Beach.
The primary for the special election to replace Walz will also be held Jan. 28, with the special general election scheduled for April 1.
Trump endorsed Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R) to run for the district, which is also comfortably red, prompting some contenders, declared and prospective, to drop their bids.
Fine, a former ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), garnered attention last year when he decided to change his endorsement in the GOP presidential primary from DeSantis to Trump, arguing the Florida governor had not done enough to tackle antisemitism.
The DeSantis campaign called the switch “shameful political theater” and argued that “when it comes to standing in defense of Israel,” DeSantis has “always been a leader who acts and delivers.” DeSantis lost to Trump during the GOP contest.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
Trump nominated Stefanik to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., leaving a void in New York’s 21st Congressional District, which encompasses the northernmost tip of the state, largely bordering Canada and Vermont.
Stefanik has been ardent supporter of Trump and gained prominence last year when she grilled university presidents over antisemitism on college campuses during a House hearing, drawing praise from both sides of the aisle.
Stefanik has not yet resigned from Congress or publicly outlined when she expects to officially step down. Her role requires Senate confirmation.
Among the names that have been floated as potential candidates include Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), who lost reelection New York’s 19th Congressional District last month; Assembly Members Chris Tague and Robert Smullen; and state Sen. Dan Stec, among others, according to Spectrum News 1.
Cannabis tax attorney Paula Collins, the who lost to Stefanik last month in the 2024 general election, has thrown her name in the ring on the Democratic side.
Unlike in Florida, where the state holds primaries for a special election, parties choose their candidate to run in New York special elections.
Hochul is required by law to set the date for a special election within 10 days of Stefanik announcing her resignation, and the special election must happen within 70-80 days.
One variable looming over the race is whether Trump will weigh in and endorse a candidate before Republicans choose their replacement.
Though the district is GOP-leaning — it went for Trump by close to 16 points in 2020 – it’s also been represented by a Democrat more recently, too. Former Rep. Bill Owens (D) preceded Stefanik in representing the district.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5017494-trump-appoints-house-republicans/amp/
Trump picks economist Faulkender for No. 2 position at Treasury
President-elect Trump announced economist Michael Faulkender as his pick for deputy secretary of the Treasury on Wednesday, the second-highest ranking position at the department.
If confirmed, Faulkender would serve under Scott Bessent, Trump’s nominee to be Treasury secretary.
During Trump’s first term, Faulkender ran the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) at the Treasury, a stimulus policy that sent out nearly $800 billion in loans to businesses to keep workers on payrolls during the pandemic, almost all of which were forgiven.
Faulkender is currently a professor of finance at the University of Maryland’s business school. He’s also the chief economist at the America First Policy Institute, the Trump-aligned think tank that has staffed much of the president-elect’s new administration.
Faulkender teaches graduate-level business administration classes at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
The school’s website says his research focuses on “corporate capital structure, risk management, corporate liquidity and executive compensation.”
“Mike is a distinguished economist and policy practitioner who will drive our America-first agenda,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
The PPP came under scrutiny for benefiting the wealthiest taxpayers. One study found that only 23 to 34 percent of PPP bucks went directly to workers who would have otherwise lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“Program incidence was ultimately highly regressive, with about three-quarters of PPP funds accruing to the top quintile of households,” economist David Autor and co-authors wrote in a 2022 study of the program for the American Economic Association.
PPP loans were also susceptible to fraudulent claims, with researchers finding that roughly a tenth of the forgiven loans, amounting to more than $64 billion, were “questionable,” with the most suspicious activity occurring in the financial technology sector.
“Overall, we find 1.41 million questionable loans representing $64.2 billion in capital,” University of Texas economists wrote in 2022. “FinTech market share increased significantly over time, and suspicious lending by FinTechs in 2021 is four times the level at the start of the program.”
“Suspicious loans are being overwhelmingly forgiven at similar rates to other loans.”
Faulkender defended the program earlier this year, writing in a paper for the Treasury that “that PPP saved 10.9 million jobs at sub-100 employee businesses and 14.0 million jobs overall, at an average cost of approximately $33,200 to $37,600 per job saved.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/5022675-trump-names-faulkender-deputy-treasury/amp/
Vivek breaks down plan for spending cuts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWVqH0v6Dnc
Simon Ateba
@simonateba
Trump Nominates Combat Veteran and Yale Law Graduate Daniel P. Driscoll as Secretary of the Army
Trump writes, "I am pleased to nominate Daniel P. Driscoll, from the Great State of North Carolina, to serve as the Secretary of the Army. As a former Soldier, Investor, and Political Advisor, Dan brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent. Dan graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in three years to join the fight with the U.S. Army. After completing U.S. Army Ranger school, Dan deployed with the 10th Mountain Division as a Cavalry Scout Platoon Leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After returning from combat, Dan graduated from Yale Law School on the Post-9/11 GI Bill."
https://x.com/simonateba/status/1864361608157516181
British Rock Band Shares Video of Moment They're Robbed at Gunpoint While Ordering Coffee '10 Minutes' into U.S. Tour
A British rock band is reliving the moment they were robbed at gunpoint on the first day of their U.S. tour.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Sports Team — which is made up of Alex Rice, Oli Dewdney, Al Greenwood, Rob Knaggs, Ben Mack and Henry Young — shared a video of the moment a group of masked men started attacking their van as they ordered coffee at a Starbucks.
“Just been robbed at gun point 10 minutes into the US tour,” the caption read about the incident, which occurred outside Starbucks in Vallejo, California, according to CBS News and the BBC.
“Stopped for coffee. Man runs in saying some guys are smashing into a van. Ran out to try to stop it and find masked guys ransacking the van,” the band added. “Start yelling and they pull out a gun. Police response was ‘submit an online report.’ ”
The rock band added that while some of their personal items were stolen, this did not include any of their instruments.
"So driving on to Sacramento to play tonight,” the band added. “They can take our Nintendo Switches but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways (freeways)."
"In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it, ‘It happens.’ 9am at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild,” they added on a more serious note.
In the video, someone can be heard shouting ”Get down, Lauren get down,” from behind the camera shouting, before the band members run back inside the Starbucks. “Ring the police, ring the police. Guys, somebody ring the police," the voice added.
Others could also be heard shouting “Stay inside” as two people were filmed running for safety.
Speaking to the BBC about the incident, Sport Team's drummer Al Greenwood said that the band was inside Starbucks when somebody entered and asked if anyone had “a white Sprinter van? Because you're being robbed right now.”
"So we all ran out, shouting. Lauren, our tour manager, was slightly ahead of me, and somebody else ran past us in the opposite direction, and said, 'Careful, he's holding something,’ ” Greenwood recalled.
"I really thought I was about to watch someone get shot, because it took a while for our tour manager to realize," he added. "In the video, you can hear me screaming at her to get down."
The band also expressed how they were surprised by the calm reactions of people nearby.
"Obviously, if someone pulls a gun, you run for cover," singer Alex Rice told the outlet. "But the thing that struck me about it was the resignation. The people around us weren't very panicked at all. It seemed like a very everyday occurrence."
The Vallejo Police Department did not immediately reply when approached by PEOPLE for comment.
https://people.com/british-rock-band-shares-dramatic-video-gunmen-ransacking-van-8755014
Mexico makes record fentanyl bust days after Trump tariff threat
Mexican authorities have announced what they say is the largest fentanyl bust in the country’s history, with over a ton of the synthetic opioid seized in two raids in the cartel-ridden northern state of Sinaloa.
“It is the largest seizure of fentanyl pills that has ever been made,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday morning during her daily press conference, adding that the amount seized surpasses 20 million doses.
“Think (about it), the consumption of a person addicted to fentanyl over the course of a year is like a packet of sugar. Then think about a ton of fentanyl, we are talking about more than 20 million doses, and close to eight billion Mexican pesos ($394 million),” the president said.
The raids come days after US President-elect Donald Trump promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods from Mexico on the first day of his administration – a move he claims to be in retaliation for illegal immigration and “crime and drugs” coming across the border.
“This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on November 25.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, said the “historic” bust was achieved in two raids spearheaded by the country’s navy and that two men were arrested and several weapons seized.
Harfuch didn’t identify those arrested but posted pictures of walkie-talkies and bags full of pills inside a red pick-up truck allegedly seized during the operation.
“These actions will continue until the violence decreases in the state of Sinaloa,” Harfuch wrote on X early Thursday.
On Tuesday, Harfuch touted Sheinbaum’s security achievements during her first 60 days in office, claiming that nationwide authorities have arrested over 5,000 criminals and seized nearly 58 tons of drugs and over 2,400 firearms.
However, the state of Sinaloa – home to one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations, the Sinaloa Cartel – has seen a spike in murders with more than 50 people killed in the past week, according to data from the state’s prosecutor’s office.
The wave of violence in Sinaloa, according to Harfuch, was triggered by “a specific situation, a few months ago,” which caused a “fight” between criminal groups.
Last July, two of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders – Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of infamous cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who co-founded the cartel with El Chapo – were arrested in the US during an operation in Texas.
The Sinaloa Cartel is thought to be responsible for the trafficking of vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the US.
https://lite.cnn.com/2024/12/04/americas/mexico-fentanyl-seizure-trump-tariffs-intl-latam/index.html
Two California boys shot at Christian school in revenge for Gaza 'genocide'
Two kindergarten-age boys were shot at a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian school in California on Wednesday by a man with a lengthy criminal and mental health history claiming to be taking revenge of American involvement with a supposed Gaza "genocide" and attacks on Yemen, according to a Thursday Butte County Sherriff's office briefing.
Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5, were in critical but stable condition following the attack on the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo by gunman Glenn Litton.
The 56-year-old assailant, who was found at the school by first responders with a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound, had left a statement justifying the shooting as revenge for the ongoing Israeli military operation against Hamas in Gaza and operations to counter Ansar Allah's maritime terrorism and missile attacks.
"Countermeasures involving child execution has now been imposed at the Seventh Day Adventist school in California, United States by the International Alliance," read the manifesto shared by Butte County Sherriff Kory Honea at the Thursday briefing. "I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the Alliance, carried out countermeasures in necessitated response to America's involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen."
Honea noted that Litton had "significant" mental health issues and had likely cobbled together information from various different sources to create a different reality.
The shooter, Glenn Litton, age 56 (credit: Butte County Sherriff)
Law enforcement was working to identify if there was indeed an organization by the name of "International Alliance" or if it was a fabrication of a Litton's. Investigators have thus far found no indication that such an organization exists.
Honea said that the suspect had explored other Seventh Day Adventist schools as alternative targets. Litton had attended a Seventh Day Adventist school as a young man, and had targeted the religious group due to his "notions" about the Christian movement's activities.
Litton, who according to Honea had a lengthy criminal record and mental health issues, arrived at the school on Wednesday after having booked an uber under the name Mark Hansen. Litton had reportedly scheduled an appointment with the school's administrators under the alias Michael Sanders, an identity that he had previously used in a November license forgery and theft of a U-Haul truck. Under the guise of Sanders, Litton pretended to be interested in enrolling his fictitious grandson at the school.
After a tour of the facilities, Honea said that Litton headed toward the school's parking lot, then turned toward the playground. The attacker pulled out a concealed ghost gun pistol and shot the two boys.
Honea said that the children would likely have to undergo multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery process.
"The people that truly matter are the victims," rather that the perpetrator, Honea remarked.
Community initiatives
Several community initiatives have been organized to aid the families. The North Valley Community foundation is holding an online fundraiser and a chili buffest fundraiser is set to be held on Monday at the Oroville Southside Community Center. A candelight prayer vigil was scheduled for Friday in front of the downtown Oroville Christmas tree.
Oroville Mayor David Pittman said that the entire community was thinking and praying for the wounded boys and all the students, staff, and families associated with the school.
"Sadly, our schools must plan and train for these kinds of events and pray they never occur," Pittman said in a Thursday statement. "Our schools must be safe places. To the Feather River Adventist School staff, you and your students have suffered unimaginable trauma today. We, as a community, are here to support you through your healing."
Litton was homeless and moved between locations and hotels in the Sacramento and Chico areas. His criminal history included robbery, forgery, and theft. In March Litton stole over 1000 dollars from the cash register of the CVS pharmacy at which he worked.
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/two-california-boys-shot-at-christian-school-in-revenge-for-gaza-genocide/ar-AA1vogCY
United Health Group dig.