Trump Meets Zelensky in Florida; Progress, but ‘Thorny’ Issues Remain

The two leaders met in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. Financial Times: Donald Trump has said progress towards a deal to end the war in Ukraine was made in a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but the US president warned that several “thorny” issues remained. Speaking soon after the meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida ended, the US president said he had a “terrific meeting” with Zelenskyy and “discussed a lot of things”. “I do think we are getting a lot closer” to a peace deal, Trump added. The US president said he and Zelenskyy had spoken to European leaders including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron since the meeting concluded. Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed “all aspects” of the peace plan, adding that the military dimension was “100 per cent agreed” while the plan generally is “90 per cent agreed”. However, Trump cautioned that there were still “thorny” issues remaining, saying that “the word agreed is too strong, but we are getting closer”(Financial Times).

IDF Announces Delivery of Combat-Ready Iron Beam

Israel’s air defenses proved superb in the onslaught of attacks from Iran, Yemen and Hamas. This will make such defenses not only more effective, but much more cost effective as well. Times of Israel: The Defense Ministry announces the delivery of the first operational high-power laser interception system, dubbed “Iron Beam,” from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to the IDF. The system, which has successfully intercepted rockets, mortar shells and drones during extensive testing, will be absorbed by the air force and integrated into Israel’s multi-layered air defense array alongside the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow systems. Calling the handover “a historic occasion,” Defense Minister Israel Katz says the system marks “the first time in the world that a high-power laser interception system has reached operational maturity,” adding that it “changes the rules of the game and sends a clear message to all our enemies… do not test us” (Times of Israel). Nadav Pollak: This is going to change the dynamics between Israel and its enemies for good. The number of interceptors would eventually become less relevant. And to US commentators saying the U.S. doesn’t benefit from its relationship with Israel, you can be sure the U.S. will get full access to this technology (Pollak).

US Announces Travel Ban on European Censors

The travel ban is related to European digital surveillance measures like the Online Safety Act and the Digital Surveillance Act. Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers explains: These sanctions are visa-related. We aren’t invoking severe Magnitsky-style financial measures, but our message is clear: if you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil. Our targets are foreign, but you’ll notice that some collaborated with U.S. bureaucrats on Murthy-style speech suppression…. WE’VE SANCTIONED: Thierry Breton, a mastermind of the Digital Services Act. In August 2024, while serving as European Commissioner for Internal Markets and Digital Services, he published a letter using the DSA to threaten @elonmusk ahead of his livestream interview with President Trump. Before the interview, Breton ominously reminded Musk of @X’s legal obligations and ongoing “formal proceedings” for alleged noncompliance with “illegal content” and “disinformation” requirements under the DSA (Rogers). Secretary of State Marco Rubio: For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship (Rubio).

EU Leaders Very Angry in Threat to Their Censorship Industrial Complex

So angry that they warn of “possible action.” Sky News: The European Commission is warning of possible action against the US after travel bans were imposed on five Europeans accused of pressuring American technology firms to censor or suppress US viewpoints…. The European Union’s executive branch has warned it would respond to any “unjustified measures” after the US State Department barred five Europeans it accuses of pressuring American tech companies to censor or limit US viewpoints…. “If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures,” the commission said in a statement, without elaborating. “Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination,” it said (Sky). The left today, including the Biden-era American left, is threatened by free expression and determined to use innocuously labeled legal mechanisms to mask their end: Regulation of speech.

Minnesota Fraud Scandal Mushrooms

As young journalist Nick Shirley releases video exposing upwards of $100 million in thinly veiled fraud schemes—all in a day’s work. Guest interviewed identified by his first name David: When I look at the world as whole and I look at fraud, the Twin Cities is ground zero. The fraud is worse here than anywhere else ever in history, anywhere. Shirley visits child care center after child care center that are vacant shells, receiving millions of dollars in government funds (Full video: Shirley). FBI Director Kash Patel: To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network. The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions. Defendants included Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud, Ahmed Ali, Hussein Farah, Abdullahe Nur Jesow, Asha Farhan Hassan, Ousman Camara, and Abdirashid Bixi Dool, each charged for roles ranging from wire fraud to money laundering and conspiracy…. The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing. Furthermore, many are also being referred to immigrations officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings where eligible (Patel). More from Nick Arama at Red State: (Red State).

Somalia to Take Up Presidency of UN Security Council

No, that’s not something from the Babylon Bee. It will happen on January 1. David Strom: If you need a reminder that the world is far more absurd than we can possibly fathom, let me start out my essay with this tidbit: Somalia is about to assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council. Hillel Neuer: Credentials: Ranked #1 Worst Country in the World on failed state index last year; Al Aqeda militia controls large parts of the country; 95% of girls aged 4 to 11 in Somalia face genital mutilation (Hot Air). All Africa News: During its presidency, Somalia will help set the council’s agenda, chair high-level meetings, and oversee discussions on critical global security issues, including peacekeeping operations, counterterrorism, regional stability, and humanitarian challenges, according to diplomats (All Africa).

US Lights Up Skies for ISIS in Nigeria on Christmas

From the President: Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was…. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues (Truth). Long War Journal covers the gamut of jihadists in the area: The strikes consisted of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a US Navy ship. Nigeria has confirmed the bombings, noting that they were conducted in partnership between the two countries…. ISSP is just one jihadist group operating within Nigeria. Nigeria’s largest jihadist group is the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is primarily based in northeastern Nigeria…. Boko Haram, which calls itself Jamaat Ahl al Sunnah li Dawah wal Jihad (JAS), also operates in northeastern Nigeria, though it, too, has shown signs of expansion across northern and central Nigeria. JAS remains independent of both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda also maintains a presence inside Nigeria, primarily in the northwest….  A vast array of bandit organizations also exists in Nigeria’s northwest, further contributing to the region’s instability (Long War Journal).

After-Action Report on California Palisades Fire Was Manipulated

The report was altered so egregiously that the author refused to be identified with the final product. Los Angeles Times: The author of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse it because of substantial deletions that altered his findings, calling the edited version “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.” Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook emailed then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva and other LAFD officials with the subject line “Palisades AARR Non-Endorsement,” about an hour after the highly anticipated report was made public Oct. 8. “Having reviewed the revised version submitted by your office, I must respectfully decline to endorse it in its current form,” Cook wrote in the email obtained by The Times. “The document has undergone substantial modifications and contains significant deletions of information that, in some instances, alter the conclusions originally presented.” …  A section on “failures” was renamed “primary challenges,” and an item saying that crews and leaders had violated national guidelines on how to avoid firefighter deaths and injuries was scratched. Another passage that was deleted said that some crews waited more than an hour for an assignment the day of the fire (Los Angeles Times).

New York—and America—Prepares for Mayor Mamdani

The inauguration of the Socialist will take place on New Year’s Day (New York Times). His win has many thinking about what it means not just for America’s emblematic city but for the Democratic Party. Christopher Caldwell:  He found his mentors in the street-savvy Democratic Socialists of America (where he was close to Bernie Sanders and New York State Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and the city’s Muslim Democratic Club (which pursues its own kind of left-wing politics). He rallied a base of immigrants, Muslims, women, and gays…. Talented though he is, Mamdani the politician is unimaginable without the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the organization that in a certain sense produced him, and which shows signs of turning into the main political organization of the American Left….  A brand-new electorate was revealed in November. The 350,000 Muslims eligible to vote, whose turnout percentages had barely scraped into the double digits in the past, were galvanized by Mamdani’s frequent attacks on Israel, and went to the polls in droves. The city’s Jews, still a mighty force in Democratic Party politics but no longer a hegemonic vote bank, gave Mamdani only a third of their votes, with Cuomo picking up the other two-thirds…. People have long said that the Democratic Party would have to reinvent itself for a more populist age. What that reinvention will look like is now a bit clearer (Claremont).

Trump Administration Has the Audacity to Make Christ Central to Christmas

And elite media is there to throw a flag for the offense. Headline at New York Times: “Trump Administration Emphasizes Religion in Official Christmas Message.” The Hill reports under the title: “Trump, allies lean into religious messaging on Christmas” (The Hill). Washington Post: “Trump aides’ official religious messages for Christmas draw objections Overtly sectarian posts on official social media accounts contrast with a tradition of secular holiday messages.” The story gets to the heart of the offense: The messages sharply diverged from the more secular, Santa Claus-and-reindeer style of Christmas messages that have been the norm for government agencies for years. The posts provided the latest example of the administration’s efforts to promote the cultural views and language of Trump’s evangelical Christian base (Washington Post). The New York Times centered on one particularly egregious post from the administration: One of the most extensive Christmas messages was posted by the Homeland Security Department on Christmas Eve. It read, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior,” and included a video that featured images including the American flag, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, President Trump and a Nativity scene, along with the words “Remember the miracle of Christ’s birth” (New York Times). It’s worth reminding our friends in elite media, that Christ does, in fact, have a long track record of central involvement with the Christmas holiday.