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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Pete Hegseth: "I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state of Israel"

The comment came amidst Senate confirmation hearings that look promising for Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Defense. Townhall: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked Hegseth if he considered himself a Christian Zionist (Townhall). Townhall: COTTON: “Do you consider yourself a Christian Zionist?” HEGSETH: “I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state of Israel” (X).

Pete Hegseth Asked About Gender-Neutral Standards for Military Personnel

National Review: Secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth faced questions about his position on women serving in the military from several members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a hearing that marks the first step in his contentious confirmation process. A number of Senate Democrats went after Hegseth over past public comments criticizing the Pentagon leadership’s emphasis on promoting women to a degree that hurts military readiness and lethality. Based on his experience serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and countless conversations with fellow veterans, Hegseth believes that the military brass has relaxed standards of physical fitness to accommodate female recruits. If confirmed as secretary of defense, Hegseth vowed to reinvigorate standards and hold all personnel to the same requirements, regardless of gender (National Review). Charlie Kirk: Notice that an Army servicewomen get a “perfect score” deadlifting 210 pounds, which is notably not as heavy as one soldier wearing a full, 100 pound kit. Men need to dead lift 340lbs to get a perfect score. Pete Hegseth is 100% right to demand gender-neutral combat standards (X).

First Lawsuits Emerge in Wake of Southern California Fires

Daily Caller: Los Angeles-area utility Southern California Edison (SCE) was hit with multiple lawsuits on Monday alleging the company’s operations helped spark a deadly fire that tore through Pasadena and Altadena, with one attorney telling the Daily Caller News Foundation it’s just the beginning. While state and local leadership has been heavily criticized for the lack of preparation for the wildfire crisis, some residents have already begun to file lawsuits over the origins of the fires. Five lawsuits against SCE were filed through the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, two for personal injury/property damage/wrongful death and three for claims involving mass tort — all alleging the state’s utility company had a role in the Eaton Canyon fire (Daily Caller). Collin Rugg: First lawsuits have been filed relating to the Los Angeles fires. Four new lawsuits have been launched against Southern California Edison in connection to the Eaton Fire. In a statement, Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian said they believe the Eaton Fire was caused due to Southern California Edison’s failure to “de-energize its overhead wires.” According to the second lawsuit, there is “clear evidence from video footage, photographs, and witness accounts that the fire was caused by electrical equipment operated by SCE” (X).

House Votes to Protect Integrity of Female Sports; Only Two Democrats Vote in Defense of Women

HotAir: Democrats talk a big game about protecting and valuing women, but when the rubber meets the road, almost all of them voted today to let men beat up women on the playing field. The House of Representatives held a vote on the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025,” and only two Democrats bucked the pressure of their party leaders and activists to lay down a marker beyond which the ideologues could not go (HotAir). Clay Travis: Only two Democrats voted yes to keep men out of women’s sports. How insane is this? I can’t believe that it is Democrat party orthodoxy that men pretending to be women should be able to play women’s sports. Legit crazy town (X). Independent Women’s Voice: This is what AOC thinks about the over 70% of Americans who don’t want men in women’s sports or locker rooms (X).

Israel, Hamas Near Ceasefire Deal to Return Hostages

Wall Street Journal: Israel and Hamas are finalizing the terms of a cease-fire deal, raising hopes of an agreement that would at least pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and free some of the hostages held there. Negotiators—including Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump’s designated Middle East envoy, along with officials from the U.S., Israel and Arab countries—met midday in Doha, Qatar, to finalize a draft of a deal, said the Arab officials, who are helping to mediate the talks… An Israeli official said Tuesday that this was the most serious round of negotiations between the two sides since a hostage deal in November 2023. “We are close. We are not there,” he said. Hamas on Tuesday also said that the deal was in its final stages, the first time it has made such a statement. Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, where fighting has continued, agreed in principle to the terms of the deal overnight, Arab officials said (Wall Street Journal). Ed Morrissey: In another sign that this might be more serious, Hamas has begun to notify the other terror factions in Gaza to prepare for a deal. That’s necessary because the hostages and the bodies have been delegated out to these factions, presumably to complicate any deal negotiations, but also to free up Hamas terrorists to fight. Hamas has balked at identifying the living hostages in part with the excuse that they do not control all of them, but now that they appear to have gotten enough from the Israelis, they have to coordinate those releases quickly. This looks like a last step before the actual exchanges begin (HotAir).

Denver City Council Allows Needle Exchanges to Be Built Next to Schools

National Review: Supporters of needle exchanges could distribute drug paraphernalia next to Denver schools and day care centers if mayor Mike Johnston signs an ordinance approved by the city council Monday night. The Denver council voted 8-5 in favor of a bill that removes the three-site cap on the number of needle exchanges allowed in the city. The bill also strikes language from the municipal code that prohibits operating needle exchanges within 1,000 feet of elementary or secondary schools or day care centers (National Review). Denver Gazette: Needle exchanges, in fact, shouldn’t be tolerated at all. Touted as an effort to curb the spread of hepatitis, the exchanges only make it easier for addicts to stay on a self-destructive path that likely will end in an overdose. That’s not to mention the spent syringes and other drug debris that end of up in parks and playgrounds. Meanwhile, the council is pondering a proposal to prohibit new gas stations within a quarter-mile of an existing gas station, a quarter-mile of light-rail stations and 300 feet of a protected or “low-density” residential neighborhood. And existing gas stations couldn’t add gas pumps unless they add electric vehicle chargers. (Denver Gazette).

Jack Smith’s Report Released at Midnight Reveals January 6th Not An Insurrection, Hard Time Proving Trump Incited Anything

Smith spent two years investigating Trump and wasted $50 million. Fox News: In the lengthy report released early Tuesday by Attorney General Merrick Garland, Smith said his office fully stands behind the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump because he “resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power” after he lost the 2020 election. Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the “superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity” when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined the case must be dismissed before he takes office because of how it interprets the Constitution (Fox News). Byron York: New Jack Smith report reveals why Smith didn’t charge Donald Trump with insurrection: Because January 6 was not an insurrection. Or at least Smith was not confident he could convince even a deep-blue DC jury that it was. And whatever it was, he could not prove Trump incited it (X). Jim Jordan: Jack Smith released his bogus report in the dead of night while Americans were sleeping. If he actually had the “goods,” that wouldn’t have been the case. Embarrassing (X)!

Walgreens Prepares to Close 12 Stores in San Francisco

Fox Business: Walgreens will permanently shut the doors of 12 of its San Francisco locations. Residents of the Golden City will see the 12 stores that Walgreens has chosen to shutter stop serving consumers in late February, the pharmacy store chain confirmed Monday…The move to shutter the 12 locations was linked to “increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures” that the pharmacy store chain said were “weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.” The pharmacy store chain said at the time that the effort to optimize its footprint would involve about 1,200 stores facing closure over a three-year period (Fox Business). Charlie Kirk: Walgreens will now close 12 more stores in San Francisco. How much more self-inflicted abuse will Californians absorb before they demand change (X)?

South Korean Authorities Attempt to Arrest Impeached President a Second Time

Associated Press: Hundreds of law enforcement officials in South Korea entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday morning in the capital Seoul. It was their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law last month. More than a thousand anti-corruption investigators and police officers could be deployed in the operation to apprehend Yoon, who has been holed up in the Hannam-dong residence for weeks. Yoon had not been apprehended as of Wednesday morning, as investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials were negotiating with the president’s attorneys. Yoon’s lawyers were trying to persuade investigators not to execute the detention warrant, saying the president would voluntarily appear for questioning (Associated Press). Washington Post: A Seoul court issued a warrant for his arrest after he ignored three summonses to appear for questioning, but prosecutors have not been able to get to the impeached leader (Washington Post).

10.

Trump Announces New Agency “to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources”

CNBC: President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he will create an “External Revenue Service” to collect “Tariffs, Duties and all Revenue from Foreign sources.” Trump did not give any further details about the proposed government entity. Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for collecting tariffs (CNBC). Donald Trump: For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves. It is time for that to change. I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources. We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025, will be the birth date of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN (Truth)!