Arizona Governor Appoints Rep. Martha McSally to McCain’s Senate Seat

Republican Arizona Governor Doug Ducey appointed Rep. Martha McSally to replace Senator McCain’s seat on Tuesday.

Senator Jon Kyl was previously appointed to replace McCain’s seat in September after the longtime Arizona Senator passed away.

“With her experience and long record of service, Martha is uniquely qualified to step up and fight for Arizona’s interests in the U.S. Senate. I thank her for taking on this significant responsibility,” Ducey said in a statement.

“I am humbled and grateful to have this opportunity to serve and be a voice for all Arizonans,” McSally said in a statement released by the Governor’s office.

McSally lost the Senate race in November to radical code pink activist Kyrsten Sinema several days after the election as thousands of votes for the Democrat candidate mysteriously appeared.

Arizona is now one of the few states with two female US Senators.

McSally and Ducey will be speaking at a news conference in Phoenix later Tuesday morning.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/just-in-arizona-governor-appoints-rep-martha-mcsally-to-mccains-senate-seat/

Trump Foundation Agrees To Dissolve Amid A "Shocking Pattern Of Illegality"

President Trump's charity, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, has agreed to dissolve amid allegations from the New York Attorney General's office that it engaged in a "shocking pattern of illegality."

However, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced on Tuesday that her office will continue to pursue its lawsuit against the foundation.

The Trump Foundation was never the most impressive part of Trump’s portfolio: At its peak, in 2009, it had only about $3.2 million in the bank, a small sum for a billionaire’s charity.

• • *

Full Statement from AG Underwood

A.G. Underwood Announces Stipulation Dissolving Trump Foundation Under Judicial Supervision, With AG Review Of Recipient Charities

AG Underwood's Lawsuit Remains Ongoing

Today, Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced that – following a court decision in favor of the Attorney General – the Trump Foundation has signed a stipulation agreeing to dissolve under judicial supervision, with review and approval by the Attorney General of proposed recipient charities of the Foundation’s remaining assets.

This stipulation follows the court decision last month allowing Attorney General Underwood’s lawsuit against the Trump Foundation to move forward.

Attorney General Underwood’s lawsuit sought the dissolution of the Foundation under judicial supervision and with the oversight of the Attorney General's Charities Bureau. The lawsuit – which also seeks millions in restitution and penalties and a bar on President Trump and his three eldest children from serving on the boards of other New York charities – remains ongoing.

Attorney General Underwood released the following statement:

“Our petition detailed a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation – including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more. This amounted to the Trump Foundation functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests.

“Today’s stipulation accomplishes a key piece of the relief sought in our lawsuit earlier this year. Under the terms, the Trump Foundation can only dissolve under judicial supervision – and it can only distribute its remaining charitable assets to reputable organizations approved by my office.

“This is an important victory for the rule of law, making clear that there is one set of rules for everyone. We’ll continue to move our suit forward to ensure that the Trump Foundation and its directors are held to account for their clear and repeated violations of state and federal law.”

The Attorney General filed the stipulation with the court today; it is awaiting the judge’s signature.

We are sure the probe of The Clinton Foundation will be along shortly.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-18/trump-foundation-agrees-dissolve-amid-shocking-pattern-illegality

"Outraged" Trump Claims 19,000 Missing Strzok Texts Would Have Exposed Mueller Probe "Hoax"

Mere hours before his former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, is expected to be sentenced for lying to the FBI (and hours after Robert Mueller finally released a heavily redacted sentencing memo), an angry President Trump once again lashed out at the FBI on twitter over former Agent Peter Strzok and his former "FBI lover" Lisa Page, who deleted some 19,000 texts exchanged on their company phones that should have been collected during a Congressional investigation into the presence and influence of anti-Trump bias inside the bureau.

Trump raged that the "biggest outrage yet" in the "long, winding and highly conflicted" Mueller 'Witch Hunt' was the fact that some 19,000 text messages between Strzok and Page were "purposely & illegally deleted." Trump believes those messages, if recovered, would have explained the whole "hoax."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-18/furious-trump-claims-19000-missing-strzok-texts-would-have-exposed-mueller-probe

Trump White House Signals It Will Back Down from Shutdown Over Wall — Has Found Other Ways to Fund Wall

The Trump White House signaled today they would back down from their promised shutdown over the border wall.

White House spokeswoman made the comments Tuesday morning on FOX News Channel.

According to the Washington Post the Trump Administration has found other ways to fund the much-needed wall on the US southern border.

The White House wants to avoid a partial government shutdown and has found other ways to get the border wall President Trump is demanding, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.

Sanders’ comments come four days before large portions of the federal government will begin shutting down unless Congress and Trump reach a funding deal.

Trump has been demanding $5 billion from Congress for his border wall, which Democrats refuse to give.

But Sanders told Fox News Channel: “We have other ways that we can get to that $5 billion.”

“At the end of the day we don’t want to shut down the government, we want to shut down the border,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the White House was exploring other funding sources and believed it could be legally done.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/trump-white-house-signals-it-will-back-down-from-shutdown-over-wall-has-found-other-ways-to-fund-wall-video/

USDA Warns Consumers Against Eating ‘Cannibal Sandwiches’

The name alone should already sow some fear or inspire concerns from consumers but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a warning for people to stay away from so-called “cannibal sandwiches.”

“Cannibal sandwiches” may not sound appetizing at all, if not outright scary, but it actually refers to a dish featuring raw ground beef, garnished with onions and spices and served on bread or crackers.

The meal may not be what others may initially fear it to be, but it remains dangerous still because it is uncooked and therefore could contain harmful bacteria. The USDA said that such dangerous bacteria can only be killed by cooking the meat at a minimum temperature of 160 degrees.

The USDA reported that the said dish which also goes by the name “Tiger meat” or steak tartare is never safe to consume for the fact that it involves raw meat.

The USDA has stressed that steaks, chops and roasts that use red meat like steaks, chops and even roasts that use beef, pork, lamb and veal as their main ingredients must still be cooked at a minimum of 145 degrees.

Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal must be cooked, in fact, at 160 degrees. On the other hand, any kind of poultry should be heated at 165 degrees.

Cannibal sandwich is a Wisconsin tradition but it has triggered several outbreaks already. Eight recent instances of people becoming sick from the raw meat have been registered. In the 1994 outbreak alone, more than 150 people were affected.

The USDA is also advising anyone with questions about preparing a safe alternative to cannibal sandwiches to call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or chatting live online at AskKaren.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.

https://thegoldwater.com/news/43720-USDA-Warns-Consumers-Against-Eating-Cannibal-Sandwiches

Pentagon ready to 'admit problem' of rampant Special Forces crimes – report

After a string of horrific PR disasters saw elite US soldiers arrested for drugs, abuse, rape and murder, the Pentagon is cracking down on disciplinary issues in its Special Operations Command, according to a new report.

With "allegations of serious misconduct" piling up too high to ignore after two decades of war, General Raymond 'Tony' Thomas, head of Special Operations Command, and Owen West, head of Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict for the Pentagon, have outlined an ambitious 90-day plan to find out how the military's most elite corps lost its way.

The first of its kind, the professional assessment is intended to "review and reinforce ethical and conduct standards," according to documents acquired by the Washington Times.

"The first step in any treatment program is admitting you have a problem," an unnamed Special Operations Command official told the Times. "Special operators want to be known for the vast accomplishments and sacrifice of the team in defense of our nation, not the misdeeds of the rotten apples."

And there are a lot of rotten apples. In the 7th Special Forces Group alone during the past year, officers have been arrested for attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Colombia, raping two young girls at their home near Eglin AFB, killing a spouse, and beating a wife and child.

The deplorable state of military discipline has worried Congress enough to insert a provision in the last defense authorization bill, directing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to review USSOC's ethical and professional standards. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) also sponsored legislation last year to require USSOC and Pentagon Special Operations chiefs to conduct a review after hearing of a SEAL townhall meeting, at which soldiers were warned to curtail what had become widespread use of illicit drugs.

Two members of the famed SEAL Team 6 face murder charges – as well as conspiracy, hazing, burglary, and obstruction of justice – related to the death of Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar last year in Mali, where he was allegedly choked to death in retaliation for his threat to go public with information that they were embezzling funds intended for intel-gathering operations.

SEAL Edward Gallagher is accused of stabbing an Islamic State detainee to death in Iraq after other members of his team had treated the man's injuries. Gallagher is also accused of premeditated murder and aggravated assault for shooting civilians in Iraq, and around 20 other SEALs and Navy officers are implicated in the case.

https://www.rt.com/usa/446739-special-forces-crimes-report/

Escort was killed in self-defense, banker claims he attacked woman after she strangled him

A banker accused of murdering Christina Abbotts, an escort, bludgeoning her to death with a pestle has told a court he was acting in self-defense, doing “everything possible” to stop her trying to kill him.

Zahid Naseem denies murdering Abbotts, whose body was found on her 29th birthday this May.

The banker is accused of striking her intentionally 13 times on the back of the head with the pestle during a cocaine fueled evening. The incident occurred while Naseem was house sitting a flat in Crawley, West Sussex.

Giving evidence to Lewes crown court, Monday, Naseem wept as he admitted that while he inflicted the injuries they were done in self-defense.

Previously the banker had claimed to have awoken to find Abbotts dead, having “no idea” as to what had happened.

While Abbotts told family she worked in IT in London, she was secretly working advertising services on AdultWork.com. On the site she listed BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism) as a service she offered.

Naseem told the court that Abbotts, sitting on top of him, had put her hands around his throat after she allegedly suggested that is was something “fun” she had done with other clients. Jurors listened as an emotional Naseem said: “While it was still in the silly stage, I didn’t have any issue with it. At some stage, she did hold my neck and she didn’t let go.

“I did try and push her off and I couldn’t push her off and all of a sudden I realized I was beginning to choke. I was being strangled to death.”

Prosecutor, Christopher Tehrani, dismissed his testimony as a “pack of lies,” suggesting that Naseem became angry with Abbotts and carried out the “savage” attack.

The trial continues.

https://www.rt.com/uk/446758-murder-trial-escort-banker/

Cruz, Cotton Submit Resolution Urging Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have introduced a Senate resolution urging the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The resolution points out that “until 1967, Syria controlled the Golan Heights and used the topographical advantage it provided to attack Israeli troops and civilians,” that “in the Six Day War of 1967, Syria intensified its attacks against Israel from the Golan Heights, and Israel captured the area in a defensive war”; that “in October 1973, the Golan Heights provided Israel with critical strategic depth to repel a surprise attack by Syrian forces, and that on September 1, 1975, President Gerald Ford offered a diplomatic assurance to Israel that ‘the U.S. will support the position that an overall settlement with Syria in the framework of a peace agreement must assure Israel’s security from attack from the Golan Heights’ and that ‘‘the U.S. has not developed a final position on the borders. Should it do so it will give great weight to Israel’s position that any peace agreement with Syria must be predicated on Israel remaining on the Golan Heights.’”

The resolution continues by noting that “in October 1991, Secretary of State James Baker provided a diplomatic assurance to Israel that ‘the United States continues to stand behind the assurance given by President Ford to Prime Minister Rabin on September 1, 1975,’ and that “in 1981, Israel applied its ‘law, jurisdiction, and administration’ over the Golan Heights and has controlled the Golan Heights for 51 years.”

Then Cruz and Cotton get down to the current situation, asserting that “since 2011, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians, including with weapons of mass destruction, and has pursued an ethnic cleansing campaign against Syrian Sunnis,” and that “Iran has used the war in Syria to establish a military presence in the Levant, including thousands of Iranian troops and proxies, and now seeks to create territorial corridors that solidify its control, expand its activities, establish a permanent military presence, and provide arms to its terrorist proxies.”

The resolution states that the leaders of Iran often state their intention to eradicate Israel; Iran and its proxies have repeatedly attacked Israel from within the boundaries of Syria, and that “in December 2014, Congress unanimously resolved that the United States supported the sovereign right of the Government of Israel to defend its territory and its citizens from attacks against Israel by Hamas, which is supported by Iran.”

Finally the resolution opines, “Whereas Israel’s control over the Golan Heights provides a defensible border, deters attacks from hostile forces, facilitates intelligence gathering, and allows Israel to detect threats to its national security.”

The resolution concludes that Lebanon cannot be guaranteed without Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, thus it is in the United States’ national security interest to ensure Israel’s security, and “it is in the United States’ national security interest to ensure that the Assad regime faces diplomatic and geopolitical consequences for the killing of civilians, the ethnic cleansing of Syrian Sunnis, and the use of weapons of mass destruction, including by ensuring that Israel retains control of the Golan Heights; and the United States should recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “

https://www.dailywire.com/news/39463/cruz-cotton-submit-resolution-urging-israeli-hank-berrien

Fox News Goes Fake News: Napolitano Says Trump is an ‘Unindicted Co-Conspirator,’ Claims ‘Ample Evidence’ to Indict POTUS

The Fox News senior judicial analyst gave an interview on Fox News earlier Monday in which he rebuked Rudy Giuliani for saying that Robert Mueller will never be allowed to interview the president. Hours later, he doubled down when he joined Fox News anchor Shepard Smith and said Trump could end up getting indicted over his most recent legal woes.

“Last week in a federal direct court here in New York City, a federal judge at the end of Michael Cohen‘s sentencing said the president orchestrated and paid for this crime,” Napolitano said.

“So you’re saying he’s an unindicted co-conspirator?” Smith asked.

“Yes,” Napolitano answered. “There’s ample evidence – this doesn’t require too much analysis – to indict the president, the question is do they want to do it. The DOJ has three opinions in this: two say you can’t indict a sitting president, one says you can, but all three address the problem of ‘what do you do when the statute of limitations is about to expire?’ All three agree in that case you indict in secret, keep it sealed and release it the day he gets out of office.”

https://truepundit.com/fox-news-goes-fake-news-napolitano-says-trump-is-an-unindicted-co-conspirator-claims-ample-evidence-to-indict-potus/

Democrat Reps., Lawyers Escort Caravan Migrants Across the Border

Two Democratic legislators and immigration lawyers escorted a group of Central American caravan migrants in Tijuana past U.S. guards and through border gates on Monday evening.

The group of favored migrants at the Otay Mesa port of entry included Maria Meza, the Central American woman who was photographed when she brought her two children right up to the U.S. border as border officers launched tear gas to repel aggressive migrants. The group also included several teenagers who will soon turn 18 and lose the legal protections set for non-adult migrants.

“After 7hrs, I can now confirm: Maria Meza & her kids — featured in this @Reuters image fleeing tear gas at the border last month — just filed for asylum,” tweeted California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gonzalez. “They’re on American soil.”

More:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/12/18/democrat-reps-lawyers-escort-migrants-across-the-border/

Eurocrats Award Themselves Christmas Pay Rises, Juncker ‘Causes Stir’ at Festive Dinner

European Commissioners and other eurocrats are receiving substantial pay rises for Christmas, while the unelected executive’s controversial president Jean-Claude Juncker has been pictured having to be “supported by two employees” at a festive dinner in Vienna.

Top grade bureaucrats’ pay increases are being applied retroactively from July 2018, taking Juncker, as President of the European Commission, and fellow mandarin Donald Tusk, as President of the European Council, to salaries of around €32,700 a month.

This works out as a boost of roughly €6,600 extra over the course of a year, compared to the annual sum of their previous monthly earnings.

The news comes as Mr Juncker, whose pay rise will be covered in part by British taxpayers’ multi-billion pound annual net contributions to the EU’s coffers, was reported as having “had to be supported at the gala dinner again by two employees” by the Austrian media.

President Juncker has featured in a number of viral videos in which he seems to behave rather erratically, kissing and slapping world leaders and appearing unsteady on his feet.

Am Associated Press video from a NATO summit in July 2018 shows Juncker repeatedly losing his footing, requiring help from other politicians to remain upright — an incident Austrian MEP Harald Vilimsky attributed to drunkenness, but which the EU blamed on the eurocrat’s long-standing “sciatica”.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/18/eurocrats-award-themselves-christmas-pay-rises-juncker-causes-stir-at-festive-dinner/

UK Govt Set to Open Visa Route for Low-Skilled Migrants Against Official Advice

Post-Brexit Britain will open visa routes for low-skilled migrants, according to immigration plans set to be unveiled this week, despite the government having been urged not to do so by its own expert policy body.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid will also reportedly announce an end to the current cap on high-skilled migrants when he lays out plans for a new immigration system “based on skills, not where people come from” to mark the United Kingdom’s exit from Free Movement migration rules within the European Union.

According to the Daily Mail, low-skilled workers who have no history of immigration abuse will be handed short-term visas which expire after a year and bar holders from returning for up to 12 months under the new regime.

This would go directly against proposals outlined in the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) long-awaited report in September, which — to the alarm of business interests and corporate lobbyists who have claimed that Britain would “wither away” without a limitless supply of cheap foreign labour — said there was no need to create routes for low-skilled migrants.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/18/uk-open-route-low-skilled-migrants/