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Monday, December 18, 2023

Nearly Half of Young Americans Support Hamas Over Israel

National Review: Roughly half of young Americans say Israel should be “ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians” amid the ongoing war despite continuing support for the Jewish state among older Americans. While 51 percent of 18–24-year-olds in the U.S. want Israel to lose to Hamas, that sentiment decreases significantly among the higher age brackets in the monthly Harvard CAPS/Harris poll. Thirty-one percent of 25–34-year-olds, 24 percent of 35–44-year-olds, 15 percent of 45–54-year-olds, 13 percent of 55–64-year-olds, and only 4 percent of Americans aged 65 and older say Israel should be wiped out. In comparison, an overall 81 percent of Americans support Israel over Hamas (National Review). Harvard/Harris Poll: Inflation and immigration are considered the top issue facing the country (Harvard/Harris Poll).

U.S., UK Warships Shoot Down 15 Terrorist Attack Drones in Red Sea

Associated Press: A U.S. warship shot down 14 suspected attack drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, and a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships, the British and American militaries said. Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and have launched drones and missiles targeting Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to spread. U.S. Central Command said that the destroyer USS Carney “successfully engaged 14 unmanned aerial systems” launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen (Associated Press). UK’s Ministry of Defense: HMS Diamond, one of the Navy’s most advanced warships, swiftly intercepted and neutralized a potential threat to merchant vessels in the Red Sea using a Sea Viper missile. Alongside Royal Navy, we remain steadfast in safeguarding the lawful passage of ships in the region (X).

LA DA Gascón Promotes Anti-Police Radical to Chief of Staff of DA Office

Daily Mail: Los Angeles’ District Attorney George Gascon has promoted a self-professed looter to serve as Chief of Staff for the largest prosecutorial office in the country. George Gascon, who’s famed for his progressive views, announced on Friday that he will be assigning Tiffiny Blacknell to the Chief of Staff position in his office (Daily Mail). Bill Melugin: Per sources in LA DA office, DA George Gascon just announced former public defender Tiffiny Blacknell will be promoted to his chief of staff. Blacknell has called for abolishing prisons & defunding police. She called LAPD “barbarians” & an “occupying army”, & said “cry me a river” re: looting in LA. She will now oversee the largest prosecutorial office in the country (X).

10 IEDs Discovered Along Southern Border by Mexican Authorities

Fox Business: A federal law-enforcement source shared with FOX Business Network an internal officer safety alert dated December 13th that warns CBP agents to be vigilant after the Mexican military seized 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the border (Fox Business). Charlie Kirk: What in the fresh hell is this? 10 IEDs have been found at the US-Mexico Border. 12,000 mostly military aged men every day crossing with deadly fentanyl. Chinese nationals crossing in large pods. Hundreds of terrorist “gotaways’” We are being invaded by a foreign force (X). Cartel Watch: The IEDs were found by Mexican authorities after Tucson border patrol observed gunshots at the U.S.-Mexico border and a Tucson supervisory border patrol agent arrested an armed person on the U.S. side who had a loaded AK-47 rifle, two loaded AK magazines, loose rounds and a handgun (X).

Major Law Firm Pulls Out of Campus Recruiting Events Citing President Gay’s Antisemitic Testimony

Just the News: Edelson PC, a major national law firm representing plaintiffs, said it will no longer participate in on-campus recruiting events at Harvard Law School, citing how the university president refused to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews before Congress. “Regrettably, I must address a recent incident that has deeply concerned us. We, along with the rest of the nation, observed Dr. Claudine Gay’s testimony before Congress, wherein she refused to unequivocally state that advocating for genocide would breach the school’s code of conduct,” the law firm’s founder, Jay Edelson, wrote in a letter last week to Harvard Law’s recruitment office. Additionally, because Gay’s colleagues had been asked the same question before Gay and she had time to prepare with a crisis management team before the hearing, her answer “cannot be seen as merely a slip of the tongue,” Edelson also said (Just the News). Edelson PC: We trust that Harvard Law School understands the position we find ourselves in and the importance of upholding the highest ethical standards, particularly in the realm of legal education and practice. Our firm remains dedicated to fostering a legal community that resolutely combats injustice in all forms (Edelson PC).

United States Military Reaches Smallest Number Since Before World War 2

Daily Mail: The United States is set to enter 2024 with its smallest military in more than eight decades and faces one of its ‘greatest challenges’ as it tries to boost recruiting from Gen Z, Pentagon officials said. Under the $886 billion annual defense bill passed by Congress this week total active-duty troop numbers will fall to 1,284,500 next year. That is the lowest total since before the U.S. entered the Second World War in 1941 and officials said there should be a ‘national call to service.’ Recent recruitment targets were missed in the Army, Navy and Air Force, although the Marine Corps and the newly established Space Force reached their goals (Daily Mail). Daily Wire: Some branches of the armed forces have gone to more extreme lengths recently to boost their recruitment levels. Earlier this year, the Navy made Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, an active-duty sailor and drag queen, one of five Navy Digital Ambassadors in a pilot recruitment program. The Air Force made a move in April to recruit more Americans into its ranks by decreasing weight standards. The strategies didn’t appear to work, as both the Navy and the Air Force are expected to be down thousands of airmen and sailors from its 2021 numbers. The Army is facing the largest recruitment problem out of the military branches as it’s down over 40,000 troops over the past three years (Daily Wire).

Capitol Police Investigates Sex Tape Filmed in Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room, Democrat Staffer Fired

Daily Wire: U.S. Capitol Police is reportedly investigating a gay sex tape that appears to have been filmed in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. The Daily Caller obtained and released the recording of the alleged staffer having anal sex with another man, who is not identified. The staffer allegedly is Aidan Maese-Czeropski, who worked as a legislative aide for Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). Maese-Czeropski has since responded to the allegations in a statement on social media, saying that he has been “attacked for who I love,” and that he “would never disrespect my workplace” and is “exploring what legal options are available to me” (Daily Wire). Politico: Cardin’s office, after not commenting yesterday on what it called a “personnel matter,” this morning tells Playbook in a statement that “Aidan Maese-Czeropski is no longer employed by the U.S. Senate.” “We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” the statement added (Politico).

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Into the Water, Blames U.S. for Destabilizing the Region

Fox News: North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea said, as Pyongyang blamed the U.S. for escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The missile was fired off North Korea’s east coast near its capital of Pyongyang and flew 354 miles (570 kilometers) before landing in the sea. The South criticized the launch as a “clear violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions that have banned the North from using ballistic technologies (Fox News). Associated Press: The North Korean ministry also criticized the United States for increasingly deploying major military assets to South Korea in a show of strength, including strategic bombers and nuclear-powered submarines, which it claimed amounted to a “reckless military threat” that was destabilizing the region. The North has test-fired more than 100 missiles since the start of 2022 as Kim used the distraction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to speed up the expansion of his military nuclear program (Associated Press).

Vladimir Putin Promises to Create Problems After Finland Joins NATO

CNN: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned there will be “problems” with neighboring Finland after it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year. Finland’s ascension to NATO marked a major shift in the security landscape in northern Europe, and added some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia. It was also a blow for President Putin, who has long warned against NATO expansion. Putin said in an interview published on Sunday, “There were no problems, but now there will be, because we will now create the Leningrad military district there and definitely concentrate military units there,” Putin added in the interview by Russian state broadcaster Russia 1. Putin also dismissed as “complete nonsense” remarks from US President Joe Biden, who earlier this month warned that Putin would “keep going” if he takes Ukraine (CNN). Fox News: At the end of November, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government opted to close the entire 830-mile border for at least two weeks over concerns that Moscow was using migrants to destabilize Finland in an alleged act of “hybrid warfare” (Fox News).

10.

Pennsylvania School District Sends Memo Forcing All Employees to Remove Christmas Decorations From Their Vehicles

Post Millennial: On Friday, bus drivers with the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District in Delaware County, Pennsylvania were informed that they had to remove any Christmas-themed decorations on their buses and were prohibited from wearing clothing referring to any religious holiday. A memo sent to all Drivers and Aides stated that the district “has been receiving complaints from parents concerning District employees displaying ‘Christmas’ themed decorations and/or wearing clothing of the same nature.” “If you have decorated your bus with anything specific to the Christmas holiday or any other decorations relating to a specific religion, please remove them immediately,” it continued. “In addition, employees are instructed not to wear clothing related to Christmas or any other religious holiday (Post Millennial). Libs of TikTok: WSSchools sent out a memo to employees that they can’t put up Christmas decorations, play Christmas music, or dress up for Christmas. Meanwhile they proudly celebrate pride month in their schools (X)! Reporter Meg Brock: Did they also tell them not to smile? Equity for all (X)!