An Embarrassed Pope Francis Apologizes After Angrily Slapping Woman Who Grabbed Him

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/watch-pope-francis-reacts-furiously-he-breaks-free-womans-grasp

A stunning and unusual incident played out as cameras rolled while Pope Francis greeted the crowd in St. Peter's Square ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.

A visibly shocked and angry Pope Francis is seen frantically slapping a woman's hand after she lunged from the crowd to grab his hand and yank the pontiff toward her.

Disgruntled Pope Francis pulls himself free from a woman's clutch in Vatican City https://t.co/2nap3R0iQ4 pic.twitter.com/f87A9belnn

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 31, 2019

The Pope's Swiss Guard, which is a papal 'secret service' protection unit of sorts, does not appear nearby at the moment the bizarre incident went down. The Pope walks away visibly flustered and angry.

According to Reuters, Pope Francis had been making a visit to the large traditional Nativity scene at the center of St. Peter's sprawling esplanade. As is customary, he was greeting and blessing some of the pilgrims along the way, and that's when all hell broke loose:

After reaching out to touch a child, the pope turned away from the crowd only for a nearby woman to seize his hand and pull her toward him. The abrupt gesture appeared to cause him pain and Francis swiftly wrenched his hand free.

The woman had made the sign of the cross as the pope had approached. It was not clear what she was saying as she subsequently tugged him toward her.

The video immediately went viral once it hit the web, with conflicting reactions as Francis' supporters were relieved he survived the apparently crazed or deeply in-need woman's violent grasp, while others took the 83-year old bishop of Rome to task for what appeared to be him hitting back.

Predictably, the contentious hot takes analyzing the tense encounter began inundating the web:

Pope John Paul II met with the man who shot him and nearly killed him, held his hand, and prayed with him. Pope Francis slapped a woman for grabbing his hand. Two different people.

— John of Westeros (@JohnofWesteros) December 31, 2019

The clip shows him angrily slapping her hand until she releases her grip.

WATCH: Pope Francis was greeting people in St. Peter's Square on New Year's Eve when he had to pull himself away from a woman who grabbed the Pope's hand and pulled him toward her. pic.twitter.com/eeafEU6mGi

— CBS Newspath (@cbsnewspath) December 31, 2019

An embarrassed Pope issued a public apology the next day for his angry reaction.

The New York Times described that he "apologized on Wednesday for the flash of anger — or self-defense — that he exhibited while greeting the faithful around the Vatican’s giant Nativity scene after a New Year’s Eve liturgy the evening before."

“Many times we lose our patience,” Francis said. “I do, too, and I’m sorry for yesterday’s bad example.”

Regardless, it was a rare moment in which a flash of rage was captured by cameras on the part of the man propped up by the media as "the people's Pope".

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/watch-pope-francis-reacts-furiously-he-breaks-free-womans-grasp

Happy New Year? New Census Data Shows Illinois Lost Population For The Sixth Year In A Row

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/happy-new-year-new-census-data-shows-illinois-lost-population-sixth-year-row

Authored by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner via Wirepoints.org,

New U.S. Census data shows that Illinois’ population fell again in 2019, making this the sixth year in a row Illinois has shrunk.

Here are the key facts you need to know:

1. Illinois’ population fell by 51,000 in 2019, the 2nd-most in the nation.

Only New York lost more people than Illinois in 2019.

Illinois also had the third-worst loss as a percentage of population. Only West Virginia and Alaska lost more in percentage terms.

Overall, Illinois shrunk the most of any state in the nation between 2010 and 2019. There are now 170,000 fewer people in Illinois today than in 2010.

1. Illinois has lost population six years in a row.

Cumulatively, the state has lost 223,000 people since 2014. That’s the equivalent of losing the entire city of Aurora.

Only West Virginia and Connecticut have also lost population for six years or more.

1. Illinois netted a loss of nearly 105,000 residents to domestic out-migration in 2019.

A key reason for Illinois’ loss in population is its continuous stream of residents leaving the state. Illinois lost a net of 105,000 residents to other states in 2019.

1. Illinois has one of the worst rates of domestic out-migration.

Illinois’ domestic migration losses are some of the nation’s worst. When measured per 1,000 people, Illinois lost over 8 people to out-migration in 2019, the 4th-highest in the nation.

And as the list below shows, none of Illinois’ neighbors come close to those losses. Michigan lost 2.4 people per 1,000 residents. Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin were almost flat. And Indiana actually had positive net migration.

1. Illinois’ neighbors are gaining population.

Bad weather – the favorite excuse of those who deny Illinois’ population problems – is not to blame for the state’s ills.

All of Illinois’ neighboring states gained population in 2019. In fact, Indiana gained nearly 37,000 people last year – 2/3rds of what Illinois lost.

Overall, Illinois has lost about 1.3 percent of its population since 2010. And while Illinois has shrunk six years in a row, none of its neighbors have shrunk even once in that time period.

• • *

Illinois politicians seem to have no plan to stem the state’s population losses. There’s no talk of an amendment to the pension protection clause nor are there plans to address the drivers of Illinois’ second-highest-in-the-nation property taxes.

Instead, their only plan is a for of a multi-billion dollar progressive tax hike – something that will only chase even more people out.

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/happy-new-year-new-census-data-shows-illinois-lost-population-sixth-year-row

The Dirty Truth “Josh”

@AKA_RealDirty

https://twitter.com/AKA_RealDirty/status/1212408918506389504

.

@RudyGiuliani

just got back from Ukraine and he learned there is a lot of corruption involved in the Democrats. He said he would love to be the prosecutor in the case. If he was he would charge it as a racketeering case.

https://twitter.com/AKA_RealDirty/status/1212408918506389504

Giuliani Says Ukraine Corruption Came From 'Highest Levels Of Obama Administration'; Wants To Testify, Try Case

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/giuliani-says-ukraine-corruption-came-highest-levels-obama-administration-wants-testify

Rudy Giuliani is not only willing to testify in President Trump's Senate impeachment trial, he wants to "do demonstrations" in order to outline what he described as a "series of criminal acts" involving "the highest levels of the Obama administration," adding that Democrats Adam Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will go down in history like Joe McCarthy when people "calm down and watch this carefully."

"What I learned is the corruption in Ukraine is vast, it's extensive, it highly involves the Democratic party - not just in 2016 but for many years," the former New York City mayor said at Trump's New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

"When the full scope of what happens in Ukraine comes out, there are going to be a lot of Americans who participated in the corruption," adding "The Bidens took millions of dollars laundered out of Ukraine, and the only reason they're getting away with it is because you and the press protect them…"

When asked what he discovered, Rudy replied "I'm not going to tell you what I found out until I have a proper forum… but it's devastating," adding "We will figure out the right forum."

"This is expanding, it will turn out to be a series of criminal acts. It will involve the highest levels of the Obama administration. It's the reason the Democratic party is in panic."

"I would testify, I would do demonstrations, I'd give lectures, I'd give summations. Or, I do what I do best, I try the case," adding, with a smile, "I'd love to try the case."

"If you give me the case, I will prosecute it as a racketeering case. Which I kind of invented anyway."

(Relevant part begins at 3:15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3dilVeCiQc

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/giuliani-says-ukraine-corruption-came-highest-levels-obama-administration-wants-testify

China drops tariffs on hundreds of Pakistani products as wide-ranging trade agreement takes effect

https://www.rt.com/business/477245-pakistan-china-trade-deal-fta/

A newly implemented deal between Beijing and Islamabad will eliminate tariffs on hundreds of products, a move which is expected to provide a billion-dollar boost to bilateral trade.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA)–II, which started on Wednesday, will waive or ease 75 percent of tariffs imposed by each country, over a period of 15 years. Beijing will immediately drop tariffs on more than 300 Pakistani exports, including textiles and garments, seafood and leather.

In exchange, Islamabad has provided greater market access to Chinese raw materials and heavy machinery.

The deal, inked in April 2019, will increase Islamabad’s exports to China by between $500 million and $600 million in the short-term, according to an official from Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry. The figure is expected to rise to $4 billion over the next five years.

https://www.rt.com/business/477245-pakistan-china-trade-deal-fta/