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Wednesday, December 18, 2024

New York AG Announces Charges Against Alleged Murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Townhall: Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, along with other charges, for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday (Townhall). ABC News: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announces upgraded murder charges against suspect Luigi Mangione for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: “Our work will never be able to undo the fact that a life was lost” (X).

Liz Cheney Accused of Tampering With Jan. 6 Witness; GOP Recommends Investigation

Fox News: Former Rep. Liz Cheney is facing calls from GOP legislators that the FBI investigate her for “potential criminal witness tampering” related to her former role on the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, a report released Tuesday by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight chairman, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., details. “Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge,” the report, which was provided to Fox Digital, found (Fox News). Just the News: The report also took direct aim at former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, Cheney’s star witness at the nationally televised hearings, alleging that Cheney encouraged false testimony about a handwritten document and noting her sensational claim that former President Donald Trump tried to commandeer his presidential limousine that day to take it to the Capitol was directly refuted by the Secret Service (Just the News). Mollie Hemingway: The new Congressional report on Liz Cheney’s unethical behavior in the J6 Show Trial also notes how Cassidy Hutchinson lied about so many things, including about me illegally obtaining classified information from Mark Meadows (X).

U.S. Kills 12 ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Yemen During Airstrikes

Daily Wire: The U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Islamic terrorists on Monday in Syria and Yemen. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) first announced strikes against ISIS in Syria as officials are becoming increasingly worried that the terrorist group could reestablish a caliphate there with the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The precision airstrikes targeted “known ISIS camps,” CENTCOM said in a statement. At least 12 ISIS terrorists were killed during the operation and damage assessments were underway to determine the overall effectiveness of the strike (Daily Wire). Times of Israel: The Houthis began striking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, part of the region-wide escalation following the Hamas-led terror onslaught in southern Israel the previous month that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, which armed groups in multiple countries have claimed as justification for attacks (Times of Israel).

Biden Falsely Claims He Has Rescued 100 Hostages in Gaza

BizPac Review: President Joe Biden dropped another of his tall tales at a White House event, claiming he had gotten “100 hostages” out of war-torn Gaza. Speaking about the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, Biden told those gathered for the White House Hanukkah reception on Monday that he had rescued nearly half of the more than 200 people who had been taken into Gaza as hostages (BizPac Review). Jake Schneider: At the White House Hanukkah reception, Biden claimed he has “gotten over 100 hostages out” from Gaza — which is obviously a lie (X).

Biden Awarded $300 Million to Reuters to Target Elon Musk’s Companies

EconoTimes: The Biden administration reportedly awarded $300 million in government contracts to Reuters while 11 federal agencies conducted investigations into Elon Musk’s companies—Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and X (formerly Twitter). The timing of the contracts has drawn scrutiny, especially as Reuters earned a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on “misconduct” at Musk’s businesses during this period. Critics claim the funding raises ethical concerns, alleging that taxpayer dollars were used to undermine Musk, a figure widely regarded as one of America’s most prominent innovators. Musk’s companies have played a central role in advancing industries ranging from electric vehicles to aerospace technology. Supporters argue the investigations and reporting are part of legitimate government oversight and journalistic efforts (EconoTimes). Mike Benz: The Biden Admin paid Reuters over $300 million in government contracts. 11 different Biden government agencies targeted Elon’s businesses. All 11 agencies paid millions to Reuters. Reuters then won the Pulitzer Prize for “their work on Elon Musk and misconduct at his businesses” (X). Mario Nawfal: This means taxpayer dollars funded media attacks on Elon! It’s a coordinated effort to undermine one of America’s most innovative leaders. Elon keeps building; they keep scheming (X). Elon Musk: Insane (X).

Montana District Judge Blocks Policy Preventing People From Changing Sex on Birth Certificates, IDs

National Review: A Montana judge has temporarily blocked state GOP officials from enforcing policies that prevent transgender people from changing their sex designation on birth certificates and driver’s licenses, as the case plays out in court. In granting the motion for a preliminary injunction, Montana district judge Mike Menahan disagreed with the state’s argument that discrimination on the basis of transgender status does not constitute discrimination on the basis of sex. The judge said it was unnecessary to determine at this point in the case whether transgender Montana residents count as a suspect class, meaning they have been discriminated against in the past on the basis of their transgender status and will likely face discrimination in the future. The court order comes about a week after the Montana supreme court blocked a state law prohibiting physicians from surgically or medically transitioning minors (National Review). Libs of TikTok: Montana, we have a problem (X)!

Ukraine Assassinates Russian Lt. General in Moscow

Townhall: Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical defense forces, was killed in a massive bomb explosion in Moscow on Tuesday. Ukrainian security officials have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, labeling Kirillov a “legitimate target” for his alleged role in the use of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces. This act marks the most high-profile assassination of a Russian military official that took place outside of the battlefield (Townhall). NEXTA: The moment of the explosion that killed General Kirillov and his driver this morning in Moscow. The explosives were placed in an electric scooter parked near the door. At least 10 apartments were damaged by the explosion: windows, loggias and balconies were hit. The explosion was so strong that the walls of the building shook (X).

Biden Loans California $15 Billion to Upgrade Electrical Grid and Fight Climate Change

Wall Street Journal: The Biden administration will provide a record $15 billion low-interest loan commitment to California utility company PG&E to support hundreds of projects aimed at fighting the effects of climate change and improving the electrical grid. The loan by the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office is slated to fund projects that refurbish PG&E’s hydroelectric infrastructure and upgrade power lines to support renewable-energy projects, data centers and electric vehicles. The loan office had planned to provide a $30 billion loan to PG&E a few weeks ago, according to people familiar with the matter. The amount was cut in half, in part because of PG&E concerns about the hefty upfront payments such a large loan would have required. The loan commitment, the largest in the loan office’s nearly two-decade history, will provide PG&E cash in installments over several years as it develops projects that will have to be approved by loan-office officials (Wall Street Journal). Financial Commentator Mark Wahlstrom: The best part is it is structured so that any future administration can NOT claw it back. Disgusting, go to the capital markets if you need money (X).

Mass Grave of 100,000 Found in Syria

New York Post: A mass grave containing the bodies of at least 100,000 people tortured and killed under the brutal dictatorship of ousted President Bashar al-Assad was discovered outside Damascus, according to the head of a US-based Syrian advocacy group — who said the corpses were squished by bulldozers to “fit them in.” Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said the regime’s victims were found in al-Qutayfah, about 25 miles north of the capital (New York Post). Dennis Ross: A mass grave of 100,000 has apparently been discovered in Syria. The world largely watched as Assad was committing his crimes against humanity with the help of Iran and Russia. It is remarkable that those who want to accuse Israel of genocide remain so silent about Assad (X).

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California Governor Newsom Attempts to Make Fun of Musk’s DOGE

Post Millennial: Despite numerous headlines documenting the waste of taxpayer funds in California, Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom mocked President-elect Donald Trump’s Office of Government (DOGE) as a promo stunt and falsely claimed to have been DOGE “before DOGE was DOGE.” Newsom said during a Monday press conference in Redding, CA, “We’ve been working, I don’t know, before DOGE was DOGE,” calling the new agency “a promo project” (Post Millennial). ALX: California spent $24 Billion “fighting homelessness” but didn’t track outcomes and the number of homeless people increased by 30,000 during that period. The state also accounts for 30% of all of the homeless people in the US (X).