News of the Week for December 8th, 2024
- Election 2024
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Election 2024
Former SoCal candidate is accused of registering cartoon cats to vote. It’s ‘plausible,’ he says
Authorities said they began looking into four voter registration forms after the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Office flagged them as being suspicious. Though authorities did not specify what prompted their concerns, court records show the applications all listed the names of cats: Cool T. Cat, Estrea D. Tigre, Fritz T. Cat and Sylvester T. Cat.
Abortion
Dobbs Decision
Court upholds injunction preventing Idaho from prosecuting doctors for out-of-state abortion referrals
On Wednesday, a federal court upheld an injunction preventing Idaho’s Attorney General from prosecuting doctors who refer patients out of state to receive abortions.
Gun Rights
Chicago Appeals Court rules in favor of Illinois gun ban continuing as case proceeds
A federal appeals court in Chicago ruled that the Illinois assault weapon ban can remain in effect while the law is debated.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Now, It’s ‘Whale Rights’
The “nature rights” project — and its ancillaries — keeps advancing, mostly ignored by those who could stop it in its tracks with legislation declaring that only humans and our associations and juridical entities have legal standing in courts or enforceable rights.
RFK Jr. taps California raw milk CEO to advise FDA
A California raw milk producer has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet to advise the Food and Drug Administration. Mark McAfee, CEO of the Fresno-based company Raw Farm, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that he has complied with the request from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, to advise the FDA on the Raw Milk Standards and Policy for Human Consumption panel.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Let Pharma Advertise
When he’s not planning to “Make America Healthy Again” — by force of compelling government authority, whether you like it or not — Donald Trump’s nominee-designate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is plotting out his campaign of vengeance against one of America’s most profitable enterprises: the pharmaceutical sector.
War & Terror
Iran in crisis: Battling Israel left Tehran too weak to deal with Syria, researcher says
“The Iranians have paid a very high price for operating all their proxies against Israel over the past year,” explained Sabati.
Netherlands Defense Chief Says 2 Percent NATO Benchmark Is ‘Not Enough’
The Netherlands’ top military officer said NATO’s current defense-spending target of 2 percent of GDP is not sufficient, in view of the threats facing the alliance.
South Korea’s Opposition Leader Doesn’t Want Anything to Do with Taiwan
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed bid to impose martial law on his country could have severe consequences for Seoul’s approach to China. With Yoon jettisoning himself onto rockier political terrain than he was even on before, his willingness to take a stand on issues crossing Beijing is not likely to continue under a government run by Korea’s opposition.
China’s Gray-Zone Offensive Against Taiwan Is Backfiring
Washington and Taipei Must Prepare for Further Escalation
South Korea’s Opposition Leader Doesn’t Want Anything to Do with Taiwan
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed bid to impose martial law on his country could have severe consequences for Seoul’s approach to China. With Yoon jettisoning himself onto rockier political terrain than he was even on before, his willingness to take a stand on issues crossing Beijing is not likely to continue under a government run by Korea’s opposition.
More mystery drones spotted over N.J. Here’s what we know.
For more than two weeks, New Jersey residents have reported seeing mysterious drones hovering over their homes and neighborhoods at night in the northern part of the state.
FBI Warns iPhone And Android Users—Stop Sending Texts
Timing is everything. Just as Apple’s adoption of RCS had seemed to signal a return to text messaging versus the unstoppable growth of WhatsApp, then along comes a surprising new hurdle to stop that in its tracks. While messaging Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone is secure, messaging from one to the other is not.
Manufacturing is a war now
And the democracies are losing.
China slaps sanctions on 13 US military firms over Taiwan arms sale
China has decided to impose sanctions on 13 U.S. military firms from Thursday, in response to the sale of U.S. arms to Taiwan, the foreign ministry said after the United States arranged for Taiwan’s president to transit through its territory.
US to donate small boats to Vietnam to boost maritime law enforcement
The United States will provide $12.5 million to Vietnam to enhance its maritime law enforcement capabilities and combat illegal fishing, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said on Thursday.
The Assad Regime Is Now in Real Trouble
Less than one week ago, the Turkish-backed Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) exploded out from its positions in Northwestern Syria and captured the city of Aleppo. But that rebel group has not halted its advance. Now in control of the entire Idlib province, HTS has set its sights on Hama, a city in the west-central part of the country. It was there that Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its allies would mount a determinative defense.
Pentagon alert: U.S. runs out of missiles in a ‘matter of days’ in China war, can’t match production
‘Arsenal of democracy’ would face deep strains in major conflict, simulation reveals
Newsmax Host Says Pete Hegseth Is ‘Blackmailable’ With ‘Serious Baggage’
Pete Hegseth’s bid for defense secretary is so radioactive that even a Newsmax host who once worked for Fox News like Hegseth is railing against it.
China and Russia plotting military stranglehold on Arctic, warns Pentagon
Growing naval cooperation between two nations in waters north of Alaska may mean US increases its own patrols
Syrian rebels ENTER Damascus & topple statue after seizing key cities as butcher Assad holes up in presidential palace
Rebels have continued their lightning advance on Saturday
China’s Global Maritime Ambitions 10,000 Miles Beyond Taiwan
While its immediate territorial aspirations are focused on Taiwan and the South China Sea, China wants to achieve naval power that spans the globe by mid-century.
Sergei Lavrov must think the West are fools. Or perhaps just Tucker Carlson
The Russian foreign minister’s interview with the pundit exposed the naivety of those who think Moscow will accept a durable peace
The U.S. Navy’s DDG(X) Nightmare Explained in 1 Number
With estimates reaching $3.5 billion per DDG(X) destroyer, Congress has raised concerns about affordability. Despite this, the next-gen destroyer’s potential could prove critical in a South China Sea conflict with China.
U.S. admiral: No signs of North Korean attack plans amid South’s political unrest
North Korean military forces have shown no signals of attacking South Korea during the current political unrest, the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Saturday.
Retreat of Syrian Forces Threatens ‘Saigon Moment’ for Russia
Moscow’s support for the Assad regime has helped it project power throughout the region
Assad given asylum in Moscow ‘on humanitarian grounds’
Russia has granted Syria’s ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and his family asylum on “humanitarian grounds”, according to Russian state media.
Syrian rebels loot banks, ransack Assad’s millions & storm embassies after toppling tyrant as nation descends into chaos
Assad and his family fled the capital on a plane
National
Joe Biden Pardons Son Hunter before Sentencing For Gun, Tax Crimes
President Joe Biden announced on Sunday night that he will be issuing a pardon to his son Hunter ahead of the younger Biden’s sentencing date for federal gun and tax offenses, reversing the White House’s promise that the president would not pardon or commute his son’s sentence.
The casual moviegoer is a thing of the past. That’s a big problem for Hollywood
It was on a spontaneous trip to the movie theater that James Young took a chance on “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” Same with 2004’s “Garden State.” And the quirky “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
Vanderbilt does not have to turn over private data to union: federal court
Three Vanderbilt graduate students are fighting against Vanderbilt’s union to keep their personal information private
How Do Work Colleges Work?
At Warren Wilson and elsewhere, students are benefitting from a unique higher-ed model.
Dinesh D’Souza apologizes for false claims in election conspiracy theory film ‘2000 Mules’
Far-right provocateur and pardoned felon Dinesh D’Souza has issued an apology over false accusations he made in his 2022 election conspiracy theory movie 2000 Mules, acknowledging that his claims about illegal “ballot trafficking” during the 2020 presidential election were misleading and inaccurate.
Ohio Woman Charged With Killing, Eating Cat Pleads Guilty To Animal Cruelty
The Ohio woman charged with killing and eating a cat today pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and was sentenced to a year in jail, records show.
A Communist Manifesto for Christian Nationalists: Testing the Woke Right
As many of you know and fewer appreciate, I have been aiming to expose a phenomenon called the “Woke Right” for some time now. This whole matter is an issue of considerable and rather fierce debate.
Texas’ war on porn
Last year, the state enacted a law mandating that adult content websites verify the age of their users. Since its implementation, a dozen such websites have blocked access. Meanwhile, critics argue that the law infringes on fundamental rights to freedom of expression and privacy
How Raw Milk Went From Hippie to MAGA
America’s hottest new drink is unpasteurized.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot outside Hilton hotel in Midtown in targeted attack: sources
The CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division was gunned down Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown in what police say was a targeted attack. Brian Thompson, 50, was at the hotel around 6:46 a.m., arriving early for a conference, when a masked man allegedly waiting for the CEO repeatedly shot at him along Sixth Avenue before dashing off on a bicycle, police sources told The Post.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ‘shot and killed’ outside New York City Hilton hotel in ‘targeted attack’
Swaths of first responders were seen racing to the hotel
Tucker Carlson Back In Moscow For Interview With Russian Foreign Minister To ‘Help Avoid World War III’
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has returned to Moscow, nine months after his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to speak with the country’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an effort to prevent what he described as an impending nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia.
Ohio Satanic Temple to offer religious program for elementary school students
Move is in response to parental requests for alternative to Christian ‘release time’ religious instruction
Asian Parents Lawsuit Challenging Discriminatory NY STEP Program Can Go Forward, Court Rules
Case filed by Equal Protection Project and Pacific Legal Foundation. Court rules: “plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that their children have been treated differently than members of the historically underrepresented minorities included in the STEP eligibility criteria…. If this Court were to grant plaintiffs the relief they have requested, their children would cease to experience the stigmatic injury they suffer by being treated differently based on their race.”
Woke Gender Madness Grips a California University
Among the issues that helped to sink Kamala Harris was the perception among a great many Americans that the Democrats have completely thrown in with the transgender crowd. They insist that athletes who are male must be allowed to compete in sports against women, so long as they “identify” as women. Lots of people think that’s ridiculous.
Trump’s Cabinet Picks Can Probably Get the Job — But Can They Do the Job?
I spend far too much time workshopping my material to death in drafts before publishing, which means that I often miss the opportunity to use the Corner for its proper purpose: making stupidly obvious, yet important, observations. To wit: Does anybody seriously expect Donald Trump’s motley crew of cabinet nominees to actually “drain the swamp” in their new positions, or in fact get anything substantive done in changing the culture of the large, inefficient, and corrupt bureaucracies they’ve been chosen to lead and purportedly “fix”?
Is Kristi Noem ready to run FEMA? South Dakota flood victims doubt it.
The McCook Lake neighborhood had never flooded in the nearly three decades that Kathy Roberts had lived there, and nobody warned her that it would on the night of June 23.
Felony Charge Over Dipping Sauce Dispute
Woman, 31, busted for “hostile” altercation at Raising Cane’s
Kagan’s Play in Skermetti: Find that the Tennessee Law Imposes a Valid “Quasi-Suspect” Classification on Transgender People under Cleburne
And Justice Kagan will try to persuade Justices Gorsuch and Barrett to concur in the judgment, creating a 4-3-2 split.
Trump’s transition running into early problems
Donald Trump’s second transition was supposed to be different than the first, designed to be “orderly” by advisers who have more eager congressional Republican allies this time around.
Georgia election workers move for ‘severe’ sanctions against Giuliani
The ex-mayor was ordered last year to pay nearly $150 million for defaming them.
Nancy Mace Is Already Eyeing a Run for Governor — Or a Senate Primary
Four sources told NOTUS that Mace has been discussing a statewide bid in 2026.
Traces of fentanyl and other drugs found in bottlenose dolphins in Gulf of Mexico
Many of us know just how harmful fentanyl can be in humans, but what about animals? That’s what several researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are peeling back the layers after finding traces of the drug in bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.
NASA delays crewed Artemis II launch to April 2026 after heat shield issues
The Artemis II launch is to send four astronauts around the moon as part of NASA’s effort to establish a long-term presence there for science and exploration.
Bounty Hunters for Immigration? Missouri’s Controversial New Bill Explained
Missouri Senate Bill 72 has ignited a fiery new national debate on illegal immigration.
US judge upholds Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions policies
A federal judge on Friday ruled that the U.S. Naval Academy may continue to consider race when evaluating candidates to attend the elite military school, even after the U.S. Supreme Court last year barred civilian colleges from employing similar affirmative action policies.
Boston City Councilor Fernandes Anderson accused in bonus kickback scheme, arrested by FBI
Mayor Wu among those calling for Fernandes Anderson to resign
Solicitor General’s ‘Same Treatments’ Fallacy in Skrmetti
We’ve already seen (in two posts by Christopher Mills and me) that the Solicitor General can’t coherently maintain that Tennessee’s law facially discriminates on the basis of sex. Here I would like to address an additional fatal defect in the Solicitor General’s position—namely, her contention that the treatments for gender dysphoria in children that the Tennessee law prohibits are the “exact same treatments” that Tennessee allows “when prescribed for any other purpose.” (SG Brief at 15.)
Democrats Consider Course Correction on Immigration
Was the problem in 2024 the message or the messenger?
Nevada Democrats restart push to be nation’s first presidential primary in 2028
Daniele Monroe-Moreno put out a memo detailing Nevada’s case as national Democrats look to elect a new party chair.
USDA Requires Raw Milk Be Tested For Bird Flu As Outbreak Concerns Grow
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will start requiring that raw milk be tested for bird flu in escalated efforts to address the outbreak of the illness in dairy cattle that began in March, the organization announced Friday—as raw milk continues to be promoted by the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
A Conspiracy Against Specialized High Schools?
Opponents angle to defund the entrance exam.
Harvard students are graduating ‘without finishing a book’
Student calls for university to make reading course compulsory
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Foreign adversaries, abortion trafficking, and Virginia’s readmission.
Trump’s pick for Surgeon General caused tragic gun accident as child that left dad shot dead
President-elect Donald Trump’s Surgeon General nominee caused a gun accident when she was 13-years-old that left her dad shot dead — a tragedy which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine, but which she only partially revealed to the public, according to a revelatory new report.
Trump details sweeping changes he’ll carry out on day one and beyond in an exclusive interview
Trump vowed to launch a mass deportation effort, impose tariffs and pardon many convicted in the Jan. 6 attack in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
‘They Should Go To Jail!’ Trump Stuns Kristen Welker By Saying ALL Jan 6 Probers Should Be In Prison
President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News anchor Kristen Welker that Liz Cheney and his other opponents on the January 6 committee should all “go to jail” — but claimed he won’t push for it in the same breath he was pushing for it.
Economy & Taxes
China Announces a Ban on Rare Minerals to the U.S.
China said on Tuesday that it would begin banning the export of several rare minerals to the United States, an escalation of the tech war between the world’s two biggest powers. The move comes a day after the Biden administration tightened Chinese access to advanced American technology.
Donald Trump picks Kelly Loeffler as head of the Small Business Administration
President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration, a move that catapults one of his most loyal Georgia allies to a key position in his administration while jumbling the state’s political landscape.
Trump Betrays the Truckers With Chavez-DeRemer
His Labor nominee’s views on gig workers could cost thousands of jobs.
The One Cabinet Pick Who Is a Complete Reversal
For most of Trump’s cabinet picks, the conventional wisdom is that 53 Republican senators are inclined to vote for the president’s nominee, and the administration can live with three or fewer defections from members of its party. (A 50–50 tie would be broken by Vice President–elect JD Vance.)
Russia turns to bartering
The country’s agricultural companies explore trading chickpeas for rice and mandarin oranges with other Asian countries to get around international sanctions. The Kremlin has put together a guide for such transactions and is confident that bartering ‘will increase competitiveness’
Assessing Claims About Social Security Contributions for High Earners
Wealthy Americans pay tax on a smaller share of their income, but benefits are capped as well.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer Wants to Ban the Red-State Model
Donald Trump swept the battleground states in 2024, which won him the Electoral College and the presidency. But he won the national popular vote in large part because he reduced Democrats’ margins in blue states. Compared to Joe Biden’s 2020 vote share, Kamala Harris did five points worse in New Jersey and Massachusetts, four points worse in New York and California, and three points worse in Illinois and Connecticut, netting Trump millions of votes.
Despite rosy economic projections, a ‘check engine’ light flickers
Before Nevada can enjoy a record-setting projected tax revenue increase, it must first weather the next six months.
International
The ‘big head’ people: Scientists uncover a lost human species in Asia
Could another group of ancient humans have lived alongside Homo sapiens? A new study suggests that they did, and scientists are starting to piece together the clues of their forgotten past. A researcher from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa is revealing new insights into a group called the Julurens — meaning the “big head” people.
Watch live: Protesters storm South Korea’s National Assembly after president declares emergency martial law
South Korean police are clashing with protestors while blocking entry to the country’s parliament after president Yoon Suk Yeol made the declaration in a surprise late-night TV address, claiming he would eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces”.
South Korea declares martial law for first time in 50 years over North Korea threat
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday said he had no choice but to resort to the measure to safeguard free and constitutional order in his country. The National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law.
Soldiers surround parliament after South Korea declares martial law
Protesters and parliamentary staff clash with security forces after shock ruling
Cuba’s electric grid collapses after power plant failure
Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed early on Wednesday morning after the country’s largest power plant failed, the energy and mines ministry said, plunging millions of people into darkness.
Top virologist makes stunning claim about what’ll happen when Trump takes office as Congo is put on ‘max alert’ for pandemic
A pro-lockdown virologist has warned that Donald Trump faces a torrent of infectious disease outbreaks when he takes office.
Cuba’s electrical grid suffers another complete collapse, plunges entire nation into darkness
Cubans all across the island were left without power early Wednesday morning when the nation’s largest power plant unexpectedly shut down, causing the entire electrical grid to collapse. This is the third time since October that Cuba has suffered a complete collapse of the electrical grid with no relief in sight or hope for a solution.
Activist in Cuba arrested for possessing copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Cuban State Security agents on Monday arrested Yoan Ricardo Llerena after they found copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during a search of his home. The human rights activist was arrested on charges of possession of “enemy propaganda” and “assault.”
Romanian court cancels presidential election amid Russian influence fears
Ultranationalist candidate Calin Georgescu slams constitutional court ruling and urges supporters to show they are “brave.”
Mysterious, Flu-Like Illness Claims 143 Lives in Democratic Republic of Congo
The illness is of unknown origin and has already claimed the lives of 143 people (the majority of who were in their teens).
Sickest of the sick: Dating website for PAEDOPHILES exposed by Mirror investigation
A Sunday Mirror investigation discovered Family4Love.com encourages male and female paedophiles to get together and raise their own little victims to rape and abuse
Opinion
Trump Should Submit His Nominees to FBI Background Checks
To do otherwise would be self-sabotage.
The End of Democratic Delusions
The Trump Reaction and what comes next
RFK Jr. Is a Bellwether
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a tangle of biographical ironies. He is an anti-elite renegade bearing the most elite surname in politics. Once feared for his left-wing radicalism when Barack Obama considered him for a Cabinet appointment in 2008, he has now been nominated to lead a major department for a right-wing administration. A notorious vaccine skeptic, Kennedy is set to direct health policy under the president who oversaw Operation Warp Speed, the country’s most successful vaccine-development program.
Murdering CEOs Is Evil
Socialism is always motivated by envy and often brought about by violence. If there is some kind of organized effort to target CEOs with violence to win applause from the public, that ought to fail because the American public would be repulsed by it. All of us need to be repulsed by this murder. Basic human decency and a commitment to a free society demand it.
The Supreme Court Should Rule That Reality Exists
In United States v. Skrmetti, which was argued Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s justices are asked to decide whether the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause is violated by a Tennessee law that restricts the use of puberty blockers and hormones by minors.
RFK Jr.’s Race Against the Cure
His nomination to be HHS secretary is a threat to American medical innovation.
Bloodlust & the New Christian Right
A deleted post by the movement’s idea and money man speaks volumes
Pass Our Bill to Sanction the ICC
The rogue organization has been outrageously targeting America’s ally Israel. It’s time to push back.
States Should Stop Subsidizing Union Politicking
In almost every state, government workers are doing labor unions’ political bidding on the taxpayer’s dime. This must end.
God and Man at the Federalist Society
A debating society of lawyers shows our universities how intellectual freedom is done.
Casting A Wide Net
A conversation about culture in the age of Trump 2.0, the bro-caster scourge, the masculinity crisis, fake heretics and faux populists, America’s spiritual malaise,The Bear, and much more
On this day in 1941 Dec
My father joined the Army when he was 16. He lied about his age.
The Senate Map
The dominant fact of 21st century political life is the Great Sort–Americans separating themselves into increasingly distinct camps, red and blue, by state. This has obvious implications for the Senate.
Constitutional Originalism Requires Birthright Citizenship
Among the ideas that percolate now and then on the Right is the idea of reforming or eliminating birthright citizenship, the policy by which anyone born on American soil automatically becomes a natural-born citizen. From a policy perspective, there is fair grounds for debate: there are reasonable objections to the abuse of birthright citizenship, but also serious problems of principle and practice with changing it. But from a legal perspective, the answer should be clear: a proper originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, as presently written, guarantees American citizenship to those born within our borders, with only a few limited exceptions.
The Perplexing Postelection Pessimism of White Evangelicals
Some in this demographic view Trump’s win not as a relief but only as a temporary reprieve against a rapidly secularizing America.
