December 16, 2024

Monday, December 16, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

A thousand or more feared dead on French Island off of Africa . . . Residents of Mayotte have spoken of "apocalyptic scenes" caused by by the worst storm in 90 years to hit the French Indian Ocean territory. Cyclone Chido brought wind speeds of more than 140mph, flattening areas where the poorest lived in sheet-metal roof shacks. "We've had no water for three days now," one resident of the capital city, Mamoudzou said. "Some of my neighbours are hungry and thirsty," another one said. Rescue workers, including reinforcements from France, are combing through the debris searching for survivors. Twenty people have been confirmed dead, but the local prefect said it could be thousands. BBC

Politics

DOGE zeroes in on report showing Biden's Education Department spent $1 billion on DEI grants . . . Key figures in the incoming Trump administration have spotted a ripe target for their federal waste-cutting mandate: the $1 billion that the Department of Education spends on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. An investigation by Parents Defending Education found that the department sank more than $1 billion into grants to K-12 school districts and universities from 2021 to 2024 for DEI hires, programs and "mental health/social emotional learning."

Trump eyes privatizing U.S. Postal Service, citing financial losses . . . President-elect Donald Trump has expressed a keen interest in privatizing the U.S. Postal Service in recent weeks, three people with knowledge of the matter said, a move that could shake up consumer shipping and business supply chains and push hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of the government.

Trump has discussed his desire to overhaul the Postal Service at his Mar-a-Lago estate with Howard Lutnick, his pick for commerce secretary and the co-chair of his presidential transition, the people said. Washington Post

Hegseth to release sexual misconduct accuser from non-disclosure agreement, Lindsey Graham says . . . GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that Pete Hegseth, the president-elect's secretary of Defense pick, told him that he would release the person who accused him of sexual misconduct from her non-disclosure agreement. "He told me he would release her from that agreement," Graham (R-S.C.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker. "Just think about what we're talking about — I'd want to know if anybody nominated for a high-level job in Washington legitimately assaulted somebody." Politico

Stephanopoulos silent on ABC News' $15M settlement with Trump . . . ABC News host George Stephanopoulos ignored the news about his network's massive defamation suit settlement with President-elect Donald Trump on his Sunday show. The ABC News anchor also deleted his X account. Stephanopoulos was the focus of the lawsuit after he asserted that Trump was found "liable for rape" in a civil case during a contentious interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., last March. After playing a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape, Stephanopoulos asked her, "How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?" Fox News

Pelosi has her hip replaced in Luxembourg . . . Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi underwent hip replacement surgery after she fell during a congressional delegation trip abroad, according to a Saturday statement from spokesperson Ian Krager. Pelosi, 84, was admitted to a hospital in Luxembourg following the incident during a visit with bipartisan lawmakers to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the California congresswoman's spokesperson revealed Friday. Daily Caller

Frightening moment Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz collapses . . . Alex Bruesewitz, a political strategist who worked on Donald Trump's successful 2024 campaign, has collapsed and fallen from the stage during a speech in New York City. The 27-year-old was in the middle of speaking to the 112th annual New York Young Republicans gala alongside Trumpworld heavyweights like Steve Bannon and Dan Scavino on Sunday night when he suddenly toppled over the podium. Daily Mail

He returned to consciousness, but it's not yet been made clear what happened.

Culture

NYTs Puts Menstrual Products in Men's Bathrooms . . . The paper's decision was announced by the vice president for global real estate and facilities, Victor Liu, in a company-wide Slack message. From July 26 to July 29, Liu said, the company would begin "adding menstrual products and sanitary baskets" to the office's men's restrooms "to support transgender and non-binary colleagues." The company also announced that it was "removing gendered imagery and adding language that colleagues are welcome to use the restroom in which they feel most comfortable." Washington Free Beacon

National Security

Feds to deploy 'state-of-the-art' detection system to NY as drone swarms have experts baffled . . . New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the feds were finally "deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system" to New York. Hochul did not elaborate on exactly what that system was, nor how or where it would be used, but stressed that the area still needs more help to address the baffling sightings. New York Post

Feds insist drones aren't dangerous but can't say who's flying them . . . New Jersey leaders are not buying the Biden administration's explanation that most of the drones reported swarming the state's coastline in recent weeks are regular aircraft, saying that's a demeaning answer given what residents have seen with their own eyes. Gov. Phil Murphy has urged President Biden to get personally involved, while members of New Jersey's congressional delegation say the feds are straining credulity by ruling out nefarious intent or foreign control even as they can't say who is really flying the aircraft and why. Washington Times

Fortunately, the federal government has done so much to earn our trust in recent years that, of course, we can believe them.

The Drone Warfare frontier Is Deep Underwater . . . Drones have revolutionized modern warfare in the sky. Now defense companies and navies are betting they can do the same underwater. The new underwater drones, with names such as Ghost Shark, Herne and Manta Ray, can typically dive thousands of feet below the surface and operate largely without human interaction for days on end. That ability makes them ideally suited to gather intelligence, protect undersea infrastructure and counter potential threats in the Pacific, advocates say. Wall Street Journal

Under Biden, docket for deportation explodes to 6.3 million . . . The greatest number of illegal foreign nationals on the docket for deportation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Non-Detention Docket (NDD) was reported under the Biden administration. The greatest number was 6.2 million in fiscal 2023, followed by 4.7 million in fiscal 2022 and 3.6 million in fiscal 2021, according to an ICE 2023 annual report. Just the News

Seeking Relief From Brain Injury, Some Veterans Turn to Psychedelics . . . Psychedelic therapy trips like this are increasingly common among military veterans. For years, psychedelic clinics in Mexico were a little-known last-ditch treatment for people struggling with drug addiction. More recently, veterans have found that they also got lasting relief from mental health issues they had struggled with since combat. New York Times

International

China Races to Squelch Unrest as Signs of Economic Malaise Spread . . . Faced with rising social frustrations and public unrest, China's leaders are ramping up security measures and squelching discordant views on the country's economic health. A spate of deadly attacks in China in recent weeks—including mass stabbings and car-ramming incidents—has unnerved officials and ordinary people alike, raising concerns that stagnating growth has played a role in fueling unrest and even outbursts of violence, amid an increase in public protests over economic grievances. Wall Street Journal

The country's population is rapidly aging because of its previous, totalitarian one-child policy. Its economy is in the dump and getting dumpier. Is China really the future? No, America still is.

Tourists in Fiji ill after suspected pina colada poisoning . . . Seven foreigners in Fiji were sent to hospital for suspected poisoning after drinking pina coladas at a five-star resort's bar, local authorities said. Five are tourists, with one from the US and the rest from Australia, aged between 18 and 56. Two others are foreigners living in Fiji, according to local media reports citing the health ministry. Some were previously reported to be seriously ill, but local officials said on Monday that their symptoms have since improved and some were set to be discharged. BBC

More bad publicity for Pina Colodas.

Money

Powell's Fed Appears Headed for Another Collision With Trump . . . The president-elect promised "interest rates cuts the likes of which you have never seen before" while campaigning. Fed officials have been cutting rates since September and are on course to lower them further as inflation cools, but they are unlikely to reduce them as much as Mr. Trump is hoping. A combination of strong growth, a resilient labor market and somewhat stubborn price increases could add up to slower Fed rate cuts in 2025 than central bankers themselves expected. New York Times

You should also know

Crowdfunding donations for Luigi Mangione exceed $100,000 . . . A legal defense fund for accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione has received more than $100,000 on GiveSendGo after similar sites removed such fundraisers. As Mangione, 26, faces charges in Pennsylvania and soon New York for the fatal December 4 shooting of Brian Thompson and subsequent five-day manhunt, an anonymous group called "The December 4th Legal Committee" has raised $111,981 of its $200,000 goal. Breitbart

Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time . . . President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation," he wrote. Associated Press

Bronze Age massacre victims likely cannibalized. . . Scientists have uncovered the aftermath of an "exceptionally violent" attack about 4,000 years ago in Somerset when at least 37 people appear to have been butchered and likely eaten. It is the largest case of violence between humans identified in early Bronze Age England, which had been considered a peaceful time. The victims' bones were found by cavers in the 1970s. Experts believe they were thrown into a 15m shaft by the prehistoric attackers. BBC

Guilty Pleasures

Trump mocks Chris Christie with AI-generated Mcdonald's theme . . . President-elect Donald Trump posted a meme depicting former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) as the culprit behind the mysterious drone sightings across the northeast. The image, which appears to be AI-generated, shows Christie hunched over a large spread of McDonald's food while half a dozen drones fly toward him with more fast-food deliveries in tow. Breitbart

Finally, someone is willing to tell the truth about what's going on.