Adam Schiff lost some weight.
https://x.com/drefanzor/status/1868410432475758892
Luigi Mangione Pictures Met With Cheers at Boston Concert
Attendees at a dance party in Boston cheered when pictures of Luigi Mangione, the man accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, appeared on screen, according to videos posted on social media.
Bop to the Top Tours' Jingle Bop was being held at Big Night Live, a venue in Boston, on Friday night.
During the show, a DJ played Miley Cyrus' "He Could Be The One" as several pictures of Mangione appeared on a big screen.
The crowd can be heard cheering as photos of Mangione taken from his social media accounts appear on screen.
The cheers appear to get louder as Mangione's booking photos are shown on screen, according to a clip shared by a user on TikTok that racked up more than 1.2 million likes.
"Give the people what they want," the user wrote alongside the video.
Bop to the Top Tour shared the user's clip on its Instagram page with the caption: "Too unserious."
Newsweek has contacted Bop to the Top Tour for comment via a contact form on its website.
Mangione, 26, has become an online sex symbol since he was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9. A fundraiser has since raised more than $100,000 to go toward his legal fees and his lawyer said he has received offers from people wanting to pay Mangione's legal bills.
He remains incarcerated without bail at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, where he has been charged with gun and forgery offenses.
Prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking to extradite Mangione to New York to face second-degree murder and other charges in connection with Thompson's killing.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down early on December 4 as he walked alone to his company's annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Mangione's lawyer Thomas Dickey has said his client will plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania and will contest his extradition to New York.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Friday said that there were signs that Mangione may now given up on that fight.
"We [are] going to continue to press forward on parallel paths, and we'll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he is going to contest extradition," Bragg said at a press conference about public safety in Times Square.
00:38
Luigi Mangione Pictures Met With Cheers at Boston Concert
By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
FOLLOW
13
Attendees at a dance party in Boston cheered when pictures of Luigi Mangione, the man accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, appeared on screen, according to videos posted on social media.
Bop to the Top Tours' Jingle Bop was being held at Big Night Live, a venue in Boston, on Friday night.
During the show, a DJ played Miley Cyrus' "He Could Be The One" as several pictures of Mangione appeared on a big screen.
The crowd can be heard cheering as photos of Mangione taken from his social media accounts appear on screen.
The cheers appear to get louder as Mangione's booking photos are shown on screen, according to a clip shared by a user on TikTok that racked up more than 1.2 million likes.
"Give the people what they want," the user wrote alongside the video.
Bop to the Top Tour shared the user's clip on its Instagram page with the caption: "Too unserious."
Newsweek has contacted Bop to the Top Tour for comment via a contact form on its website.
Mangione, 26, has become an online sex symbol since he was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9. A fundraiser has since raised more than $100,000 to go toward his legal fees and his lawyer said he has received offers from people wanting to pay Mangione's legal bills.
He remains incarcerated without bail at the State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, where he has been charged with gun and forgery offenses.
Luigi Mangione is led from the courthouse
Luigi Mangione is led from the Blair County Courthouse after an extradition hearing on December 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Pictures of Mangione were shown on the big screen during a concert in Boston. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking to extradite Mangione to New York to face second-degree murder and other charges in connection with Thompson's killing.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down early on December 4 as he walked alone to his company's annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Mangione's lawyer Thomas Dickey has said his client will plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania and will contest his extradition to New York.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Friday said that there were signs that Mangione may now given up on that fight.
"We [are] going to continue to press forward on parallel paths, and we'll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he is going to contest extradition," Bragg said at a press conference about public safety in Times Square.
Read more
How Luigi Mangione became a "gay icon" online
"SNL" jokes about Luigi Mangione becoming "sex icon"
Who is Karen Friedman Agnifilo? Luigi Mangione hires new lawyer
Police said the gun found on Mangione when he was arrested matched shell casings found at the site of the shooting. His fingerprints have also been matched to a water bottle and a wrapper that police found near the scene, police said.
A handwritten note that was also found on him referred to "parasites" that "had it coming."
The U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and the profits of large corporations continue to rise while "our life expectancy" does not, the note said.
It also condemned corporations that "continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it."
It added: "It is not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play. Evidently, I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty."
https://www.newsweek.com/luigi-mangione-pictures-met-cheers-boston-concert-2001010
Thugs terrorized Florida motorists, including one with a baby on board, during an illegal street takeover
https://x.com/unlimited_ls/status/1868251506467647658
Many on Wall Street see Adderall and Vyvanse as tools to plow through long hours of tedious work amid high-pressure competition
https://archive.is/prPvS#selection-2183.0-2183.127
Incoming West Virginia state lawmaker arrested after allegedly threatening to kill fellow lawmakers
An incoming West Virginia state lawmaker was arrested Thursday after he allegedly threatened to kill other state lawmakers.
Joseph de Soto, who was elected in November to serve as a delegate in the West Virginia House, was arrested by troopers early Thursday morning after an investigation showed he "had made several threatening/intimidating threats against government officials," West Virginia State Police Lt. Leslie T. Goldie Jr. said in a statement.
"The West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Capitol Police take all threats against government process seriously," Goldie Jr. said. "Any person making these threats used to intimidate, disrupt, or coerce the members of our West Virginia legislature or other governmental bodies will not be tolerated."
He was charged with one count of threats of terrorist acts, a felony, and the bond was set at $300,000.
A witness told police on Wednesday that de Soto was upset following a recent meeting where Republican state lawmakers discussed whether to expel him from the caucus, according to a complaint shared with NBC News by an official with the Berkley County Commission. It's unclear what prompted the discussion and de Soto had not yet been sworn in.
De Soto had been elected as a Republican but the West Virginia secretary of state’s office confirmed to NBC News on Friday that he switched his affiliation on Wednesday to the Democratic Party.
The witness who spoke to police talked on the phone Tuesday to de Soto, who detailed the meeting and said "he was going to kill delegates," according to the complaint. The complaint named a handful of Republican state lawmakers, including Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Roger Hanshaw, as targets.
Hanshaw didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
"When asked what he meant by using the word 'kill,' he advised God called him to kill them," the complaint said.
In an email provided to police by the witness, de Soto wrote that the delegates "can all go to hell, I will send them there as commanded." A text message the witness provided to police also showed that de Soto said, "I did say I am going to kill people I said I am going that is necessary to put them from office."
The witness told police that de Soto "has a temper and can become very angry," the complaint said.
"Mr. DeSoto has been very upset over things that have been occurring with the political group and things that he believes are being said against him and feels that he is being attacked and forced out of his position," the complaint said.
Defense attorney Jacob Mills told NBC News that his firm, Criminal Law Center Kevin D. Mills & Associates, is representing De Soto, who he said "is presumed to be innocent."
"He has entered a plea of not guilty. My firm will be presenting his case in court and expect his vindication," Mills said.
West Virginia Republican Party chairman Matt Herridge in a statement criticized de Soto's actions and said the party supports his expulsion.
“Our elected officials sacrifice a lot to serve their communities, and it is a travesty for anyone to face the additional burden of threats made against themselves and their families,” Herridge said in a statement.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/incoming-west-virginia-state-lawmaker-arrested-allegedly-threatening-k-rcna184063
Two Russian oil tankers wrecked in Black Sea leaving major oil spill
Two Russian oil tankers have been badly damaged in the Black Sea, causing an oil spill, authorities in Russia have said.
Footage released by Russia's Southern Transport Prosecutor's Office showed the bow of one tanker completely broken off, with streaks of oil visible in the water.
Both tankers are believed to have drifted before running aground offshore. At least one crew member was reportedly killed.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea - the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.
A rescue operation involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 personnel saw 13 crew members rescued from one tanker, before being suspended due to bad weather.
The 14 remaining crew members aboard the second tanker are said to have "everything necessary for immediate life support" on board with them, but look set to be stranded until conditions improve.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a working group to be set up to deal with the incident, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev - and authorities are investigating for criminal negligence.
Michelle Bockmann, an analyst at shipping industry journal Lloyd's List, told the BBC the two vessels are owned by the company Volgatanker and were relatively small.
They had been carrying around 4,300 dead weight tonnes of oil each, according to Russian officials quoted by Tass news agency.
A tanker used for trading Russian crude oil internationally generally has a much larger carrying capacity of around 120,000 dead weight tonnes, Bockmann said, meaning it is likely these tankers were used for transporting oil through Russia's rivers or in coastal waters.
The Kerch Strait is a key route for exports of Russian grain and it is also used for exports of crude oil, fuel oil and liquefied natural gas.
In 2007, another oil tanker - Volgoneft-139 - split in half during a storm while anchored off the Kerch Strait, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of oil.
Russian oil imports have been heavily sanctioned by allies of Ukraine since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
In recent years, Russia has been accused of using a so-called ghost fleet of tankers, which are often poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, to move oil and circumvent sanctions - though Bockmann said it did not appear the tankers involved in Sunday's incident were part of that fleet.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dq6q0m862o
Uyghur fighters in Syria vow to come for China next
A Uyghur militant group that helped to topple Bashar-al Assad has vowed to take the fight to China.
The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) threatened Beijing in a video released on Dec 8, the day the Syrian regime collapsed, showing its fighters holding machine guns and wearing military fatigues.
“Now here in Syria, in all the cities here, we fight for Allah, and we will continue to do this in our Urumchi, Aqsu and Kashgar in the future,” said one masked man, listing cities in China’s Xinjiang region, from where the Uyghurs hail. “We will chase the Chinese infidels away.”
Using the Uyghurs’ preferred name for their homeland, he added: “We have fought in Homs, in Idlib and we will continue the fight in East Turkistan.
“Allah has given us a victory here. May he also grant us a victory in our own land.”
The TIP has been based in Syria for more than a decade, with its members fleeing to the Middle East to escape China’s severe oppression of the Uyghurs, a largely Muslim minority group. Its fighters joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that led the rebel offensive, in a thrust out of the north-west of Syria.
In recent days TIP has engaged in an unusual publicity blitz, showcasing its leader Abu Muhammed alongside his battalions.
One video claims to show the TIP fighting against Assad’s forces on the front lines in late November 2024, shortly after the rebel offensive was launched. Another shows TIP fighters rolling into Damascus on tanks, waving light blue flags bearing the group’s crescent-and-star symbol.
According to the video captions, TIP fighters entered the strategic port cities of Latakia and Tartus on Dec 10 and 11. Both are situated along Syria’s coastline and previously hosted Russian forces.
“So many groups allied against us. Russia came, Iran came, Hezbollah came – with strong weapons and all kinds of soldiers,” said one man in the Dec 8 video. “But each time, Allah as our witness, we did not retreat.
“With the help of Allah, we have fought our way here. We did not once show weakness or fear; we were never afraid.”
TIP certainly had a role to play in the rebel victory, said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, an independent researcher who specialises in the Syrian civil war.
“They weren’t necessarily a larger force than the other Syrian insurgent groups that were assisting HTS, but they were part of the offensive,” he said.
In 2021, Syrian television reportedly described the group as HTS’s “favourite ally”. TIP senior leadership have also indicated previously that the group was glad to support their “Syrian brothers’ demand that the Assad regime leaves”.
TIP has stayed in Syria during 13 years of civil war and appears to have retained an independent identity despite ties to other factions.
The group, established some time in the 1990s with a previous presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has continually highlighted its priority as Uyghur independence, describing a goal to “liberate the Muslims of East Turkistan from the Chinese occupation”.
On Dec 6, as the Syrian rebel offensive pushed onward, TIP’s emir, Abd Haq al-Turkistani, released a statement stressing the group’s plans to attack China in the future.
“While the Muslims are celebrating these victories in every place, the Muslims of oppressed East Turkistan remain far removed from the news of them as they live under a filthy oppressive, disbelieving occupation that suppresses them by every means possible,” he said.
“Through God’s support, the Chinese disbelievers will soon taste the same torment that the disbelievers in al-Sham have tasted, if God wills.”
The group has posted pictures on social media of blood splattering the face of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.
Other clips highlight grievances such as the 1990 Baren Uprising, when possibly thousands of Uyghur protesters were killed by the Chinese government, a massacre that was later whitewashed by the authorities. The real number of fatalities is unknown.
Rune Steenberg, an anthropologist who specialises in the Uyghurs at Palacky University Olomouc, said: “They see this as one step of a global jihad, where one day all Muslims will be free, and part of that will be the Muslims in East Turkistan. They’re saying, ‘Now we are guests, but with God’s help, we will soon be hosts.’”
China’s crackdown on the Uyghurs has seen more than one million people forced into re-education camps, with thousands more imprisoned for “crimes” such as praying or fasting.
In interviews with The Telegraph, former detainees have described being beaten in solitary confinement and made to pledge loyalty to Mr Xi.
Many chose to flee China by paying thousands of dollars to smugglers.
Some hoped to go abroad to learn more about their own religion of Islam, the independent practice of which is banned by the government. Only state-sanctioned Qurans and state-controlled imams are allowed.
A handful of Uyghurs who either planned to go or went to the Middle East have told the Telegraph before that they wanted to learn from other Muslims ‘how to perform jihad the right way’, without violating religious principles.
Whether TIP can materially organise and launch attacks against the Chinese government remains to be seen.
Beijing has long emphasised and perhaps overstated TIP’s strength as a pretext to justify its crackdown on the Uyghurs, while some Uyghur experts have debated how cohesive the group really is, saying that it’s virtually non-existent.
While TIP’s latest propaganda – set to a score of sweeping music – indicates that it does indeed exist and is active, it remains unclear what their full capabilities are in terms of numbers, training and firepower.
China boasts the world’s largest military at two million strong, and has advanced weapons systems and armed drones.
But the country’s growing overseas investments – a cornerstone of Xi’s foreign policy – means there are infrastructure assets and an influx of Chinese workers internationally that could be at risk of attack.
China is very likely to request the extradition of TIP members, a group it considers a terrorist organisation.
Its presence in Syria “will definitely be a sticking point if the new Syrian government wants a relationship with China”, said Mr Jawad al-Tamimi, adding: “But if HTS hands them over, it’s a big compromise of one of their principles.”
One of HTS’s founding principles, he said, was that the foreigners who joined the Syrian insurgency had to be protected. In exchange, they had to promise not to use Syria as a launching pad for terrorist attacks abroad.
In 2020, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of HTS, said: “These guys have been in Syria for seven years and have never constituted a threat to the outside world.
“They are committed solely to defending Idlib against regime aggression.
“As Uyghurs, they face persecution in China – which we strongly condemn – and they have nowhere else to go. Of course, I sympathise with them, but their struggle in China is not ours, so we tell them that they are welcome here as long as they abide by our rules – which they do.”
There is also a question of how much influence TIP will have as al-Jolani and other armed groups set up a new governing system in Damascus, said Broderick McDonald, an associate fellow at King’s College London’s international centre for the study of radicalisation.
“For the Uyghurs and other foreign fighters now stepping out of the shadows [in propaganda videos] as they feel more secure, what does that mean for what they do with minority groups, and will they try to shape the future of Syria?
There is a chance that a more hardline faction could splinter off, but for now, TIP propaganda indicates the group is grateful for their gracious host in Syria.
In one video from Dec 10, a masked fighter addressed a congregation at what the group says was a mosque in Latakia.
“The Chinese government drove us out of our country, oppressed us, killed us and imprisoned us,” he said. “We left our country and came here … we have seen from you all the goodness for the past 10 years. We are the mujahideen of East Turkistan.”
Hezbollah chief says group lost its supply route through Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah head Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the Lebanese armed group had lost its supply route through Syria, in his first comments since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive.
Under Assad, Iran-backed Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on Dec. 6, anti-Assad fighters seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, Islamist rebels captured the capital Damascus.
"Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance's work," Qassem said in a televised speech on Saturday, without mentioning Assad by name.
"A new regime could come and this route could return to normal, and we could look for other ways," he added.
Hezbollah started intervening in Syria in 2013 to help Assad fight rebels seeking to topple him at that time. Last week, as rebels approached Damascus, the group sent supervising officers to oversee a withdrawal of its fighters there.
More than 50 years of Assad family rule has now been replaced with a transitional caretaker government put in place by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al Qaeda affiliate that spearheaded the rebel offensive.
Qassem said Hezbollah "cannot judge these new forces until they stabilise" and "take clear positions", but said he hoped that the Lebanese and Syrian peoples and governments could continue to cooperate.
"We also hope that this new ruling party will consider Israel an enemy and not normalise relations with it. These are the headlines that will affect the nature of the relationship between us and Syria," Qassem said.
Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire across Lebanon's southern border for nearly a year in hostilities triggered by the Gaza war, before Israel went on the offensive in September, killing most of Hezbollah's top leadership.
(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Mark Potter and Helen Popper)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hezbollah-chief-says-group-lost-172916685.html
Lindsey Graham says Pete Hegseth is in a good spot
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1868346299529228414
Navy Midshipmen vs. Army Black Knights | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFKvvlpd_rk
Army vs. Navy
https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1868030394928599429
Navy side
https://x.com/Jeffknipe1125/status/1868038569627152836
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi undergoes hip replacement after sustaining injuries in Europe
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement surgery in Germany after sustaining an injury during a congressional trip to Luxembourg, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
Ian Krager, the spokesperson, described Pelosi as "well on the mend."
"Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg for their excellent care and kindness. Speaker Pelosi is enjoying the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and well wishes and is ever determined to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans," Krager added.
The former speaker was taken by MEDEVAC to Landstuhl, Germany, a defense official told NBC News, after Pelosi was injured Friday in Luxembourg.
In a statement Friday, Krager told reporters that Pelosi, 84, "sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation."
Krager added, "Speaker Emerita Pelosi is currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals. She continues to work and regrets that she is unable to attend the remainder of the CODEL engagements to honor the courage of our servicemembers during one of the greatest acts of American heroism in our nation’s history."
Friday's statement did not include any details about Pelosi's injury or how she sustained it.
Pelosi was first hospitalized in Luxembourg while on a trip with over a dozen other members of Congress to honor the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
One of the oldest members of the House, Pelosi stepped down from her speakership position in 2022, ushering in a wave of generational change among the party's leadership.
First elected in 1987, Pelosi made history in 2007 when she became the first female speaker of the House.
She was just re-elected to another term in November, which would allow her to serve through 2026. Pelosi has not announced whether she plans to seek another term in two years.
News of her injury came just days after outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell during a lunch with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill. McConnell, 82, sprained his wrist and sustained a minor cut to the face in that incident, according to his office.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/former-speaker-nancy-pelosi-undergoes-hip-replacement-sustaining-injur-rcna184243
Luigi Mangione makes a bold legal play as he hires powerhouse ex-DA who knows 'every judge' in NY
Luigi Mangione has taken on a powerful New York attorney to represent him as he faces charges over Brian Thompson's death.
The murder suspect, who is accused of shooting the top brass dead in the streets of New York City, has captivated the country after he was captured by authorities following a five-day run from police.
It appears now he is replacing his initial representation Thomas Dickey with Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former assistant district attorney who helped prosecute the Harvey Weinstein case in New York.
She's considered a veteran of the New York state court system, with one source telling CNN Friedman Agnifilo 'knows every corridor, every judge, every clerk in the courthouse.'
'She's got as much experience as any human being, especially in the state court.'
CNN had previously employed Friedman Agnifilo as a legal analyst.
Friedman Agnifilo left Cyrus Vance Jr.'s Manhattan DA office after seven years in 2021 to go and work in private practice, including at Geragos & Geragos, the high-powered LA firm that currently represents the Menendez brothers.
She studied political science and government before getting her Law degree at Georgetown.
Friedman Agnifilo also co-hosts a podcast called MissTrial, with former New York Congresswoman Kathleen Rice and ex-federal prosecutor E. Danya Perry.
It comes as multiple crowdfunding attempts have been made to raise money for Mangione's defense, according to ABC News.
The suspect, 26, has been accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside of a New York City hotel on December 4.
He was arrested in Pennsylvania on firearms charges and had an actioned-packed day in court Tuesday fighting extradition to the Big Apple.
While Mangione is working to extend his stay in the Keystone State, New York officials are hoping to get him back with what is called a governor's warrant.
It's a warrant signed by the governor of a state where a fugitive flees after a crime. The governor in that state acts upon an official request from the governor of the state where the crime occurred.
In this case, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to seek a governor's warrant from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, but the process could take more than a month.
On Wednesday, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police have matched a gun found on Mangione with the shell casings recovered at the scene and his fingerprints with a water bottle and energy bar wrapper found nearby.
Other evidence includes handwritten documents found in his possession casting his alleged crime as a legitimate response to what he viewed as corporate greed, some media outlets have reported.
Mangione lashed out on Tuesday as he was led into a courthouse, shouting in part, '…completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people!'
The former Ivy League student had been apprehended with a 3D-printed pistol and black silencer, as well as a manifesto condemning the American healthcare system.
Mangione also had a spiral notebook in which he wrote a 'to-do list,' ahead of the grizzly shooting, CNN reported.
In it, he allegedly toyed with the idea of using a bomb to kill Thompson - but he decided against the prospect because it 'could kill innocents,' and determined a shooting would be more targeted.
He also reportedly mused that it couldn't get any better than 'to kill the CEO at his own bean-counting conference,' as Thompson was set to disclose the financial gains the company made this year.
Authorities have said Mangione's three-page manifesto is currently being investigated, which they have labeled a 'claim of responsibility.'
The document is a different piece of evidence from notebook - where he flirted with the idea of bombing Midtown to kill the millionaire healthcare boss.
In the manifesto, Mangione allegedly wrote about the grandiose size of UnitedHealthcare and how much profits it makes, and went on to condemn health insurance companies more broadly for placing profits over care.
Details about his writing come amid the backdrop of the UPenn graduate's own experience with the medical world, as he had been struggling after a spinal injury. His elaborate online presence also showed he'd read multiple books on back pain.
'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, [and] a lot of patience,' he allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.
He went on to say he had 'respect' for federal investigators, and apologized for causing any 'traumas,' but seemed to defend his alleged actions.
'Frankly these parasites had it coming,' the manifesto read.
It claimed that the United States had the 'most expensive healthcare system in the world,' but blasted the system for making America only the 42nd in life expectancy.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14192107/Luigi-Mangione-legal-play-powerhouse-lawyer.html
Closer look at X-P4 prototype drone
teroDynamics’ innovative folding wing Transwing drone has completed a vital sea trial for the United States Navy. Fully autonomous, the all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was able to approach and land safely on a moving target. If the drone is to have any future with the likes of the Navy, this test has been a necessary hurdle to overcome, and, by all accounts, it passed it with flying colors.
Sea trials passed
Last week, PteroDynamics’ latest prototype, the Transwing X-P4, demonstrated its capabilities by completing nine autonomous launch and recovery flights from the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport USNS Burlington deck sailing near Key West, Florida. The demonstration was attended by Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and representatives from the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Swedish Navy.
“Participating in The Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event brought us closer to our goal of providing the U.S. Navy with a flexible and scalable shore-to-ship, ship-to-ship, and ship-to-shore automated cargo delivery capability,” said Tim Whitehand, PteroDynamics VP of Engineering.
“Flight testing on board the USNS Burlington gave us a unique and valuable opportunity to collect performance data on the Transwing system in an operational environment. The information gathered during the event will accelerate development and seed further innovation. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this important exercise and the support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR),” he added.
The Transwing platform has a unique dihedral folding wing system that enables it to switch between hover and cruise modes, providing significant advantages. Regarding aviation, dihedral refers to the inclination of an aircraft’s wing from the horizontal, especially upwards away from the fuselage. The dihedral hinges, around which the wings rotate, are the cornerstone of Transwing’s design. They enable the wings to tilt as they fold so that when they rest against the aircraft’s body, they face upwards along with the propellers.
In this sense, it works similarly to the United States Air Force’s veteran VTOL aircraft, the Bell Boeing V-22 “Osprey,” but on a much smaller scale. The entire transformation is smooth and “aerodynamically benign,” driven mechanically by small struts extending from the fuselage on a linear actuator. The company asserts that its innovative and patented design resembles a forward-flight plane with propellers along its wings.
However, during landing, the wings fold back. As a result, the Transwing can vertically take off and land like a multi-copter drone but then travel proficiently by utilizing wing lift during forward flight. When the wings are vertical, the drone can also hover and maneuver at low airspeeds.
The X-P4 has a wingspan of 13 feet (4 meters) and can lift 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) of payload, with a maximum takeoff weight of 84 pounds (38 kilograms). It can travel up to 69 miles (111 kilometers) at a cruising speed of 1 hour before its battery runs out. It can also reach a maximum speed of 115 mph (185 kph).
Bigger to come
PteroDynamics now plans to develop even larger drones. The next drone in line, X-P5, will have a wingspan of 22 feet (6.7 meters) and can carry up to 50 pounds (23 kilograms) of payload using a hybrid power system. And finally, X-P6 will take things to the next level with a turbogenerator powertrain and a wingspan of 30 feet (9.1 meters). It will carry 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of payload up to 978 miles (1,574 kilometers).
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/pterodynamics-transwing-passes-navy-trials
Mystery Drones Forced New York Airport to Shut Down
An airport in Orange County, New York, was forced to shut down on Friday night as mysterious drone activity blocked the airspace, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Saturday, saying, "This has gone too far."
Drones have been spotted in recent weeks across New Jersey and neighboring states, prompting concern among residents and lawmakers and launching investigations by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. The FBI says that it has received over 3,000 tips related to the drone sightings, with most of the purported observations occurring at night.
"Last night, the runways at Stewart Airfield were shut down for approximately one hour due to drone activity in the airspace," Hochul said in a statement on Saturday.
New York Stewart International Airport is located in New Windsor, over an hour's drive north of Manhattan.
Newsweek has reached out to Hochul's office via email for comment Saturday afternoon.
The New York State Police (NYSP) said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that they have received "numerous reports of drone sightings over the past 24 hours."
NYSP said they have "no evidence at this point that any of the reported sightings pose a public safety threat." Authorities said they are investigating each drone sighting report they receive and sharing information with their federal and local law enforcement partners.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a joint statement on Thursday that there was "no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus."
Hochul said in her Saturday statement that she directed the New York State Intelligence Center in mid-November "to actively investigate drone sightings and coordinate with federal law enforcement to address this issue, and those efforts are ongoing."
The governor, then urged Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, so that state police can continue to investigate the mysterious drone sightings.
"This bill would reform legal authorities to counter-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) and strengthen the FAA's [Federal Aviation Administration] oversight of drones, and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies," she said. "Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential. Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people."
The day after Houchul released her Saturday statement about the drone activity, she wrote on X, "In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are sending a drone detection system to New York. I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones."
Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shared a letter on Friday he sent to President Joe Biden that requested more federal resources to investigate the mysterious drone sightings in his state's airspace.
New Jersey State Police have been getting reports of UAS sightings over the Garden State since November 18, according to Murphy's letter. While New Jersey has been getting help from the DHS and the FBI, "it has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity," Murphy wrote in the letter.
Murphy also called on congressional lawmakers to reauthorize the federal government's counter-UAS authority in a separate letter dated Thursday and addressed to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"As New Jersy works alongside our federal partners to identify the sources of these UAS, the clock is ticking on the authorization language that enables us to do so," Murphy said. "State and local law enforcement entities lack the authority and capability to counter and mitigate UAS, which would significantly hamper our ability to understand what is happening, so it is of utmost importance that this language is reauthorized in a timely manner."
Murphy also encouraged congressional leaders to "empower" state and local police with "the ability to use advanced detection and mitigation technology."
Meanwhile, on Friday night, President-elect Donald Trump spoke out in favor of shooting down the mysterious drones if necessary, while suggesting that the Biden administration was withholding information about the sightings.
"Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country," he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. "Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge. I don't think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT."
https://www.newsweek.com/drone-sightings-new-york-stewart-airport-kathy-hochul-2000891
Behind-the-scenes of President Trump’s Time Magazine Person of the Year shoot 📸🔥
https://x.com/margomartin/status/1867273057783468125
Elon Musk hits $400 billion record, teases bold Bill Gates bankruptcy if Tesla rules
Elon Musk has reached an extraordinary milestone, becoming the first person to surpass $400 billion in net worth.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his wealth now stands at an astounding $447 billion. This massive financial leap was propelled by record-breaking Tesla stock prices and a significant insider share sale of his private space exploration company, SpaceX, which reportedly added $50 billion to his fortune.
Adding to the intrigue, Musk stirred the pot on social media. In a jab at Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Musk quipped on X (formerly Twitter) that Gates might face “bankruptcy” if Tesla becomes “the world’s most valuable company by far.”
This comment reignites their long-standing feud, which centers on Gates’ short position against Tesla’s stock.
A wealth surge backed by Tesla and SpaceX
Musk’s fortune has soared thanks to the meteoric rise of Tesla’s stock, which hit an all-time high of $424.77 per share. The company’s value has surged 65% since the recent U.S. presidential election, buoyed by optimism about Musk’s collaboration with President-elect Donald Trump.
Investors anticipate that Musk’s influence in the new administration, including his role in overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, will bring deregulation and growth opportunities for his ventures.
SpaceX, another pillar of Musk’s empire, continues to dominate the private space exploration market. The recent share sale not only boosted Musk’s wealth but also emphasized SpaceX’s critical role in shaping the future of space travel.
Additionally, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has emerged as a key player in the tech world. Its valuation has doubled to $50 billion since May, driven by advancements in cutting-edge AI technologies and a successful funding round.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1866373389528826058
Challenges amidst unprecedented success
While Musk’s wealth continues to climb, he hasn’t been immune to setbacks. A Delaware court recently struck down his historic Tesla pay package worth over $100 billion, marking a rare legal defeat.
However, this decision is unlikely to make a dent in his status as the world’s wealthiest individual.
Despite these challenges, Musk remains far ahead of his competitors in the global wealth rankings. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, holds the second position with $249 billion, followed by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg at $224 billion. Other billionaires on the list include Larry Ellison, with $198 billion, and Bernard Arnault, at $181 billion.
Musk’s dominance isn’t limited to electric vehicles and space exploration. With ventures like Neuralink, the Boring Company, and xAI under his leadership, his portfolio spans industries poised for future growth. His growing influence in business and politics positions him to maintain his wealth and expand his reach in the coming years.
A billionaire rivalry in focus
The Musk-Gates rivalry remains a talking point as both billionaires champion different approaches to technology and philanthropy. While Musk pushes boundaries in electric vehicles, space travel, and AI, Gates has focused on global health and sustainability initiatives.
Musk’s recent comments highlight not just his competitive streak but also the sharp contrast in their worldviews. As Tesla and SpaceX continue to scale new heights, Musk’s wealth trajectory seems unstoppable.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-hits-400-billion-102038173.html
The flyovers may be the coolest part #GoArmyBeatNavy
https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1868033394158055702
Stephen Miller appears in 2006 with Bill O'Reilly to discuss the lacrosse rape scandal that turned out to be a hoax, as many had suspected
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1867741779132305660
Poland’s first LGBTQ+ history museum opens to eager crowd: ‘Exceeded all expectations’
The first LGBTQ+ museum in Poland was overwhelmed with visitors when it opened its doors to the public, with staff saying attendance was beyond anything they could have imagined.
QueerMuzeum, in Warsaw’s Marszałkowska Street, opened its doors on Friday (6 December).
Created by Poland’s oldest LGBTQ+ group Lambda Warszawa, the museum offers visitors a look at the country’s queer history, including covert correspondence between activists, as well as photographs and pamphlets. In the archive, which opens at the end of the month, there are a further 100,000 items.
Miłosz Przepiórkowski, Lambda Warszawa’s president described the museum’s opening as a truly historic moment.
“Lambda Warszawa functions primarily as an aid organisation, so our activities aren’t visible from the outside but that’s changing today,” he said, according to Polish news outlet TVP World.
“It is a statement. We are right in the heart of [the capital] Warsaw [and] this should be a message to politicians: ‘Look, we are opening the fifth queer museum in the world in a country where the legal situation for queer people is the worst in the whole of the EU’.”
The museum’s director, Krzysztof Kliszczyński, said the opening represented a “milestone in the life of our community”, adding: “We wanted to express an obvious truth: that since there have been people on Polish soil, there have been queer people on Polish soil. Different terms were used but they have always been there.”
The first weekend was so busy that officials had to limit the number of visitors.
“Your interest in the QueerMuzeum exceeded all our expectations,” a post on the official social media pages read. “Today, on a small area, at one point there were more than 100 of you. Therefore, for the convenience and safety of both yours and ours, we need to introduce a limit of people participating in the tour. The first 40 people from the queue will be let in.”
The opening marks an important moment for the LGBTQ+ community in a country that scores just 53 per cent in Equaldex’s equality rankings.
While homosexuality is legal, Poland does not recognise same-sex marriage or allow same-sex adoption and does not have tough laws have to protect against discrimination.
Last year, LGBTQ+ people celebrated after the Law and Justice Party – which oversaw more than 100 municipalities in the country declaring themselves free of so-called LGBT ideology – was ousted from power.
Covering one-third of Poland at their height, the “LGBT-free zones were condemned by the European parliament. Municipalities that enacted them were threatened with funding cuts, prompting a number of them to change tack.
In 2022, an appeal court ruled that four of the zones had to be abolished, and the last remaining one was scrapped earlier this year. Last month, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk approved draft legislation that will outlaw anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech in the country.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/12/11/poland-lgbtq-museum-history/
California young adult mortality rate above pre-pandemic levels, fueled by overdoses
(The Center Square) – A new report from California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office shows that the young adult mortality rate has remained much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“Overall mortality among Californians between the ages of 15 and 44 is still much higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the report. “In 2023, 15-to-44-year-old Californians (to whom we refer as “young adults” in this report) died at a rate of 128 per 100,000 people, compared to just 99 per 100,000 in 2019—representing an increase of nearly 30 percent.”
Notably, 60% of the increase in deaths among those aged 15 to 44 are from overdoses - a sharp increase in 2020 fueled by the prevalence of fentanyl.
“Age 15 to 44 drug overdose deaths were growing before the pandemic, but this growth accelerated substantially in early 2020,” reads the report. “Since then, this growth has slowed but not reversed, so young adults are still dying from overdoses at a much higher rate than before the pandemic.”
Prior to 2020, young adult overdoses usually involved synthetic opioids - not psychostimulants. However, after 2020, overdoses have been driven primarily by a mix of synthetic opioids and psychostimulants with 95% of those deaths involving fentanyl.
“Due to fentanyl’s low cost, high potency, and ubiquity in drug markets, people often intentionally or unintentionally use it along with other drugs,” reads the report. “As a result, many fentanyl overdose deaths involve other drugs as well. One of the most common pairings consists of fentanyl and a psychostimulant, typically methamphetamine… this pairing of drugs has played a large and growing role in the fentanyl overdose crisis.”
In addition to the available quantity of fentanyl, the report notes two other things that may be contributing to the increased number of overdoses - declining participation in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use and increased homelessness among young people. Medication-assisted treatment is where buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone is used to block the effects of opioids and reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
“Enrollment in these programs was 42 percent lower in March 2020 than in March 2019,” reads the report. “These enrollment numbers rebounded by March 2021 but still remain noticeably below pre-pandemic levels. This pattern suggests that early-pandemic changes in access to medication-assisted treatment might have contributed to the rapid growth in overdose deaths in 2020.”
While substance abuse is prevalent among the homeless population, the report notes that the rate of overdose deaths among the homeless has grown much faster than the homeless population itself.
“Among people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County, the total number of overdose deaths grew from 341 in 2019 to 826 in 2022—an increase of 142 percent,” reads the report, concluding that easy access to fentanyl is the more likely contributor to overdoses.
“These numbers suggest that most of the county’s growth in overdose deaths has not occurred simply because more people are living on the streets,” reads the report. “Rather, other factors that affect the risk of overdose death both for housed and unhoused people—such as the pervasive presence of fentanyl—appear to be more important.”
The other types of young adult deaths are alcohol-induced (10%), motor vehicle crashes (10%), firearm homicides, Covid-19 and other causes of death.
Based on these findings and the high number of young adult deaths, the Legislative Analyst’s Office urges the legislature to explore ways to reduce the young adult mortality rate.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_b7f102b4-b8d2-11ef-b695-c371ec59ee51.html
Biden Commutes Northbrook Businessman's Sentence In Largest Day Of Clemency
Eric Bloom, ex-CEO of Sentinel Management, was sentenced to prison in 2015 after being charged with defrauding customers of $665 million.
NORTHBROOK, IL — President Joe Biden on Thursday commuted the sentences of 1,500 Americans who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pardoned more than three dozen other people. Among those who saw their sentence commuted was Eric Bloom, the former CEO of Northbrook-based Sentinel Management Group, Inc., who defrauded hundreds of customers of more than $665 million.
Bloom, 59, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2015. At the time, Patch reported Bloom's case was the largest financial fraud case ever prosecuted in the Federal Court of Chicago. His firm collapsed in 2007. Bloom's sentence was to end in May 2026 reports Chicago Tribune.
Bloom was convicted in 2014 of 18 counts of wire fraud and one count of investment adviser fraud after a four-week trial in U.S. District Court. Between January 2003 and August 2007, Bloom fraudulently obtained and retained under management more than $1 billion of customers' funds.
The sweeping action by Biden was the largest act of clemency in a single day and includes 39 pardons for non-violent crimes, including drug offenses, for people who had "turned their lives around," the White House said.
Those granted clemency had been serving longer sentences than would have been imposed under more recent laws and practices and were placed on home confinement during the pandemic, and are people who have successfully reintegrated into their communities, Biden said. The full list of those granted clemency can be found here.
The commutations are for people who have served out home sentences for at least one year after they were released from prison. Prisons were uniquely bad for spreading the virus and some inmates were released in part to stop the spread. At one point, 1 in 5 prisoners had COVID-19, according to a tally kept by The Associated Press.
Biden, whose single term in the White House is drawing to an end, said in a statement that his administration will review other clemency petitions in the weeks ahead.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.”
Clemency is the term for the power the president has to pardon, in which a person is relieved of guilt and punishment, or to commute a sentence, which reduces or eliminates the punishment but doesn’t exonerate the wrongdoing.
It is customary for an outgoing president to use the executive power to wipe away records and end prison terms. Even before Thursday’s announcement, Biden has granted more clemency requests than any other president at this point in his first term in recent history, the White House said. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by Barack Obama, with 330, shortly before leaving office in 2017.
Biden’s earlier actions include categorical pardons to people convicted under federal law of simple marijuana violations and former LGBTQ+ service members convicted of private conduct because of their sexual orientation.
Biden continues to face criticism for the blanket pardon earlier this month for his son, Hunter, despite previous pledges not to do so. The president’s action spared the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
The full list of people granted clemency is found on the White House website.
https://patch.com/illinois/northbrook/biden-pardons-northbrook-businessman-largest-ever-day-clemency
Inside Assad’s Ransacked Palace: Anxiety Pills, Graffiti and Shredded Posters
DAMASCUS, Syria—Rebel fighters and civilians strolled through the grounds of Bashar al-Assad’s presidential palace on Tuesday, stepping on shredded posters of the former dictator who had fled to Russia days earlier.
In Assad’s abandoned office, his desk and floor were littered with books and papers: a history of the Russian military, a map of northeastern Syria, a biography of himself. Strips of benzodiazepine antianxiety pills were in their packaging on the desk.
On one of the yellowed windows overlooking Damascus, someone had spray-painted, “God damn your soul, Hafez,” a reference to Bashar’s late father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for some three decades before his son inherited power.
The palace afforded a glimpse into the last days of a dictator who for more than a decade used torture, bombings and chemical weapons in a war to suppress a rebellion against him, which began during the Arab Spring protests in 2011.
In recent days, demonstrators have swarmed into Umayyad Square in the center of the capital, posing with rebel fighters holding assault rifles and waving the green, white and black flag of the Syrian revolution.
After a yearslong civil war, the regime crumbled in less than two weeks as its allies, Russia and Iran, weren’t able to help it stop a rebel advance. Rebels aligned with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS, seized a series of Syrian cities, paving the way for an almost frictionless takeover of the capital Sunday.
On Tuesday, in the entry hall to the wing of the palace housing Assad’s office, a rebel soldier with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder meandered with two comrades down a strip of red carpet that bisects a marble floor.
“The nightmare is over,” said the soldier, Mustafa Hassan, a former history teacher from the Syrian city of Raqqa who joined the 2011 protests and took up arms in the rebellion. He was later imprisoned by Islamic State when the extremist group took over the city.
“We’re done with one battle, and we’re beginning another: a battle of building and developing relations with other countries,” said Hassan.
The now-emptied presidential palace, perched on a hilltop next to Damascus, remains as a monument to a vanquished regime. Designed by a Japanese architect and completed in 1990 under the rule of Assad’s father, the building is a relic of authoritarian architecture, with vast, cuboid halls.
The palace has at least two rooms for cabinet meetings: one above ground and one underground. The subterranean room is part of a bunker that appeared to be built for a last stand.
In the cabinet room, three stories beneath the palace in Syria’s Mount Qasioun, brass plates label the seats for the defense minister and various military commanders. At the head of the table, Assad’s place is marked: The Commander in Chief. The room is connected to underground living quarters, with a bedroom and bathroom, as well as accommodations for staff.
HTS fighters secured the palace after crowds of euphoric Syrians stormed into the complex on Sunday, carting away furniture and artwork. Some took videos of themselves as they stumbled into a garage full of sports cars, including Aston Martins and a Lamborghini.
The calm at the palace on Tuesday was part of a broader effort by HTS to avoid chaos during the transition to a new government. The rebels have sought to preserve many government institutions and keep some former regime police in place.
The rebel victory has the potential to alter the global balance of power, dealing a stinging defeat to Russia, which launched a punishing campaign of airstrikes in 2015 that helped push back rebel advances and rescue Assad’s regime from collapse. The opposition takeover also rolls back Iran’s footprint in the Middle East, cutting Tehran off from areas near its rival Israel and severing key supply routes to allied militias such as Hezbollah.
Assad’s defeat came when his allies were distracted with other troubles. Russia is mired in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while Iran has been bruised from Israel’s military offensive this year against Hezbollah, which intervened in the war on the side of the Assad regime.
There are already signs of the uncertain future that lies ahead. Israel said it moved its troops into a buffer zone next to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and carried out airstrikes on Syrian military assets. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization member Turkey is increasing pressure on Kurdish militants it views as terrorists, some of whom are allied with the U.S., pursuing a longtime political and military goal that puts it at odds with Washington.
A debate is beginning abroad about how to handle HTS, a U.S.- and U.N.-designated terrorist group that was once an ally of al Qaeda. The organization’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, has said he has given up extremism, and the group has articulated a vision for protecting minorities in Syria under its rule. The Biden administration has kept its distance from HTS, though some Western diplomats have argued that it should be stripped of its terrorist label.
In Damascus, distant explosions and celebratory gunfire could be heard. The ruins of military vehicles lay on the highway between Beirut and Damascus, some still smoldering.
Elsewhere along the road were signs of the lightning rebel attack that seized the capital. On the edge of Damascus, an abandoned Assad regime troop carrier stood on the side of the highway, its windows pierced by bullets. In the street lay a pile of army uniforms, evidence of how many government soldiers simply gave up in the final hours and days of the rebel advance.
Throughout the capital in recent days, Syrians tore Assad’s face off posters of the former leader. They toppled statues of his father across the country. They tore down the red, black and white flag of the regime, replacing it with the rebel banner.
Youssef al-Masri, a 54-year-old Islamic scholar from Damascus, was beaming when he stood on the edge of Umayyad Square on Tuesday. He had been shot in the chest, he said, during the initial uprising against Assad and traveled abroad for surgery. He later returned to the capital and remained there, he said, waiting for Assad’s fall throughout the war. He had brought his daughters to join the celebration of the dictatorship’s collapse.
“There are no words in Arabic or in any language to express the joy that is in our hearts after the end of 45 years of repression,” he said. “Today, we breathe.”
https://archive.is/pb5hf#selection-2721.0-2729.161
Infomercials be like.
This 2,000-year-old sapphire ring belonged to the Roman Emperor Caligula, it's depicting his wife Caesonia.
Lawmakers struggle to reach deal to avert government shutdown
Congressional negotiators are struggling to reach a deal to keep the government’s lights on past Dec. 20.
Text of a continuing resolution (CR) for a government funding package was expected on Sunday ahead of the looming shutdown deadline.
But lawmakers failed to release the text, with economic assistance for farmers emerging as an apparent last-minute sticking point.
Key players had indicated this week that the forthcoming CR, which keeps the government funded at current levels, would also include another one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, as both sides have struggled to agree on a longer-term plan. But lawmakers had also ramped up talks of potential add-ons to provide economic assistance for farmers as part of the broader funding plan.
Sen. John Hoeven (N.D.), the top Republican on the subcommittee that oversees agricultural funding, said in a statement on Saturday that GOP leadership backed a proposed package of “$12 billion of relief for economic losses and $16 billion in weather-related assistance” that he was hopeful of being attached as part of the year-end stopgap funding deal.
“While we have kept this proposal clean of potentially partisan additions, we have not yet received the Democratic support we need,” he said at the time. “We encourage the nation’s farmers, ranchers, and agriculture stakeholders to let their representatives know how critical it is for the Continuing Resolution to include both economic and weather agriculture assistance for America’s producers.”
Meanwhile, Democrats took aim at Republicans over the sputtered talks.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and House Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.) said on Saturday that GOP leadership turned down a $10 billion offer, rejecting “needed economic assistance and increased conservation spending for decades.”
“For weeks, congressional Democrats have provided a pathway to a farm bill extension that will deliver tens of billions of dollars in economic assistance and investments in farm bill programs that farmers rely on,” they said.
“Their eleventh-hour offer fell short of what farmers need, shortchanged critical farm bill programs, and steals from critically needed assistance to address recent natural disasters. We can and should do both economic and disaster assistance, not pit one against the other.”
They also stressed the importance that the proposal be “paid for and does not take any funding away from the critical natural disaster aid that has been requested.”
The emphasis comes as the Biden administration has called on Congress to approve more $100 billion in disaster aid from Congress for a number of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation.
Stabenow also told The Hill this week that she “found resources” to pay for the additional economic assistance, but wouldn’t offer specifics. However, Politico reported Democrats were hopeful of reinvesting billions of dollars in climate conservation funds from the party’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Congress is facing a quickly narrowing window to act on legislation to avert a shutdown. The House’s self-imposed 72-hour rule means the legislation must be released within the next couple days for the lower chamber to act on it and give the Senate time to pass it as well.
But the absence of further economic support for farmers could pose a hurdle to the forthcoming stopgap’s chances of passage.
Rep. Peter Sessions (R-Texas) said in a post this weekend that he “will vote NO to any Continuing Resolution that does not include economic support for our farm and ranch families.”
“I am distressed by the news that the planned government funding bill to reach the House floor this week will not include funding for our farmers and ranchers. The agricultural community is the backbone of not just TX-17, but our entire nation.”
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) also said he would not “relent” in getting farmer the support they need.
“For years, our farmers and ranchers have sounded the alarm on the looming financial crisis in rural America.”
Groups are also dialing up the pressure on Congress.
In a statement on Saturday, the American Soybean Association that it will “oppose any supplemental spending package that does not provide meaningful assistance to farmers who need help now to stay afloat in 2025 and beyond.”
“While talks continue on an extension of the farm bill and a package to fund the government, soy farmers and other agricultural groups have expressed they do not support a package that fails to acknowledge the economic realities farmers are facing.”
In making the case for the assistance earlier this week, Sen. John Boozman (Ark.), top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, told The Hill that “the last two years have seen the greatest drop in income in history.”
“Our farmers right now are in a situation where, because input costs are so high and the commodity prices are so low they’re not breaking even, they’re losing money,” he said, adding the economic help could be key to helping farmers get “through this year.”
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5041514-government-funding-deal-shutdown-farm-assistance/amp/
Netflix executives exhausted by Meghan Markle, Polo show bombs
The critics were swift, and brutal. ‘Unintentionally hilarious,’ said one, who half-wondered whether it was a spoof. ‘Tedious,’ was a further verdict – while, bruisingly, another just deemed it ‘tacky’.
These, then, are some of the responses to Prince Harry and Meghan’s newly released Netflix five-part series, Polo.
Little wonder that the streaming giant now appears to be distancing itself from the show. Indeed, there has been no serious attempt by Netflix to promote the series – something surely almost unheard of for a five-episode programme.
The company invested in no poster campaigns for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s latest project and its sole promotional attempt consists of a two-line statement from Harry on the streamer’s website.
‘This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour,’ says the Prince. ‘We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport – and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.’
Yet we can reveal that, despite the streaming giant’s lack of promotional zeal for the project, in reality the couple were heavily involved with the making of the show, which is part of the Sussexes’ much-vaunted $100million deal with Netflix.
Executive produced by both Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43 – they also make a brief appearance onscreen in the documentary – the series reflects the prince’s enthusiasm for this elite sport.
And, indeed, behind the scenes, both he and Meghan were very hands-on when it came to the filming and editing of the show.
The pair, I am told, spent many, many hours poring over footage, offering advice on what should make the cut.
Fascinatingly, the show’s other executive producer Milos Balac worked on the hit FX/Disney+ documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, which followed Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of the Welsh lower-league football club.
While undoubtedly a much less glamorous sport, it certainly made better viewing. Audience figures are a closely guarded secret, no less than four further series were commissioned. Disney+ is reported to make an astonishing £400,000 per episode.
Part of that success, as some critics have commented, is that Welcome to Wrexham had a gritty, underdog appeal which, despite Balac’s attempts to talk up how much the duke and duchess wanted to show polo’s more ‘down-to-earth’ side, is sorely missing from the Sussex series.
Although the duchess, in particular, was keen to highlight the fact that ordinary people can watch polo while having a picnic next to the match fields – a practice known as tailgating – there’s little getting away from the fact that the ponies can cost from £50,000 to £200,000, and elite players may use up to eight of them in a single game.
For his part, Balac said of the couple: ‘They were wonderful. They were extremely hands on. They really had a vision for trying to get polo to be accessible to a wider audience.
‘Prince Harry knows the sport inside and out. To be able to have him as someone to bounce ideas off and then also to get notes…
‘“Maybe if you edit it like this, the polo will just feel even more exciting.” Or “You have got to make sure that the point is played out like this because that’s how you keep it factually accurate.” A lot of projects have EPs [executive producers] who can give great notes, but it’s rare that you have someone who’s truly an expert in the subject that you are documenting.’
And it was Meghan, Balac said, who opened his eyes into the informality of the sport.
‘It was Meghan who really prepped me for how wonderfully casual polo can be. Sunday polo on Field One at the US Polo Center is a big to-do where people have champagne brunches and come with their beautiful outfits.
‘But the rest of the week, every polo match is actually so down-to-earth. It’s a lot of people pulling up in their pickup trucks and their cowboy boots, if not barefoot, with their dogs and their families and their kids to watch the game that they love.’ In the event, the series focuses only on the wealthy sportsmen who play the game. Perhaps, and not for the first time, Meghan’s slant got lost in translation.
It would seem that another reinvention for Harry and Meghan has not had the desired impact.
What a contrast to William and Kate who, despite their most challenging year yet, have been projecting an entirely more marketable image.
Indeed, the Princess of Wales was this week nominated for the prestigious Time Magazine person of the year title, while William has received many plaudits for his well-judged handling of President-elect Donald Trump when both recently attended the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
William also spoke warmly this week of spending Christmas Day with 45 members of his family.
Unsurprisingly, the question of whether Harry and Meghan will be welcome among the royal throng pulling crackers at Sandringham is something of a moot one.
While nobody is commenting officially – on either side of the Atlantic – the answer to that question is clearly ‘No’.
A royal source says: ‘The unspoken understanding is that an invitation is not on the cards.’
Next year, then, looks to be an uncertain year for the Sussexes, particularly for Meghan, who faces her greatest solo challenge of all – the launch of her Netflix cookery show and of her much-discussed lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
Indeed, after the apparent failure of Polo, so much hangs on her cookery show that some are calling it the ‘last chance’ for her to ‘save’ the couple’s lucrative Netflix deal – which is, after all, their chief source of funding.
One Californian source tells me: ‘It’s make or break. People say Netflix are exhausted. It’s so much work with her and, bluntly, the “deliverable” does not seem to be worth it.’
Another entertainment executive remarks: ‘Her show will have to be an enormous hit to turn around their deal and their reputations in this town.’
But if – and, as we shall see, it’s a big if – people start buying her crockery, biscuit mixes, rose wine and napkins, that might just be the sustainable revenue stream which the couple have been in desperate need of since Megxit, when, as Harry memorably complained: ‘My family literally cut me off financially.’
Well-placed sources indicate the launch of the show and the brand will happen in the first quarter of the year and, judging by the fact that it’s not part of any Netflix schedules in January, we must expect late February – after
Harry’s Invictus Games in Whistler, Canada – or even March for the launch.
A Netflix source says details of Meghan’s project are being shared with only a ‘tiny’ audience of executives in the US.
‘It’s a very tight circle,’ I am told. ‘Everything to do with her is kept completely secret.’
We do know the show will be very much made according to Meghan’s vision, all neutral shades and soft-focus camera lenses.
The shows – filmed not at her Montecito home but at a nearby mansion – have been directed by veteran Michael Steed, who worked with the revered late chef Anthony Bourdain.
The show-runner is Leah Hariton, who previously made Selena + Chef in 2020 featuring the actress Selena Gomez.
They have been produced for Netflix by The Intellectual Property Corporation, which is an off-shoot of Sony Pictures Television.
This is an interesting choice by Netflix as The IPC has also made a number of shows for Joanna Gaines, a likeable Texan who is the face of a hugely lucrative
lifestyle brand and who has just made her own cookery show. Sound familiar? Add the fact that brunette Gaines bears an astonishing resemblance to Meghan, and you can see why people have started openly comparing the two women.
It’s also fascinating to note that Netflix were desperate to sign Gaines and her husband, Chip, back in 2017. However, much to Netflix boss Ted Sarandos’s ire, they lost out to Warner/HBO, who offered them their own TV channel.
So striking are the parallels between the two women some believe Sarandos is betting big that Meghan will strike a chord with ordinary viewers like down-to-earth Gaines has.
They say the duchess will be his version of Gaines – although Meghan’s sophisticated vibe is far distant from Gaines’s down-home Texan charm. Sarandos said of Meghan in September: ‘I’ve been out with a lot of famous people before – the way that people react to Meghan is otherworldly.’
It will need to be. Because time is ticking. That big money Netflix deal for Harry and Meghan comes to the end of its five-year period in autumn next year, and Sarandos will want to see results.
However, well-placed Hollywood executives say that the deal will amount to nothing like $100 million because of the lack of content the couple have actually produced.
Notably, the Sussexes have failed to produce a single drama or movie – unlike their role models Barack and Michelle Obama, whose company Higher Ground has made the hit film Leave the World Behind and critically acclaimed Rustin.
Netflix have bought the rights to the chick-lit book Meet Me At The Lake for the Sussexes – an unusual move, as you would expect the producers to find the cash. But whatever stage the scripting is at, it has yet to enter production.
The same is true for the couple’s TV series retelling the story of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations through a feminist lens with Miss Havisham as the heroine. Again, it has yet to enter production. Neither show, then, looks likely to be completed or broadcast before the Netflix deal is up for renewal.
In March it will be a whole year since the rather underwhelming ‘soft launch’ of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard. So far there have been batches of jam and dog biscuits sent out to friends in numbered jars bearing its heraldic logo, one Instagram video in soft focus… and a slew of difficulties about its trademark with the US Patents and Trademarks Organisation.
Much hinges, then, on how the brand is received by the public. And sources are certain Meghan is determined to ‘own’ the project, as the duchess might put it herself.
I’m told: ‘She is the CEO of the American Riviera Orchard brand – she started out that way and that remains the case.’
However, my understanding is that many of the brand’s staff, who are separate from the couple’s media entity Archewell, joined the company directly from Netflix.
They may even still be being paid by Netflix, who are partnering with American Riviera Orchard, to launch the brand.
Netflix decline to comment in any way – and some sources say their link remains ‘unconfirmed’.
It is, though, perhaps significant that the chief marketing officer for Netflix, Marian Lee, follows the American Riviera Orchard Instagram page.
Another key fact to note is that the brand is being run separately, and by a separate team, to Archewell. Prince Harry has no involvement in it – it’s all down to the duchess.
With all that in mind, one can only hope for Meghan’s sake that she’s more at ease with pots and pans than polo ponies.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-14190917/Netflix-bosses-exhausted-working-Meghan-reveals-ALISON-BOSHOFF.html
1990s be like.