December 19th, 2024

• Did Assad trade military secrets with Israel? Turkish claims make global headlines - Hurriyet report, echoed by Daily Mail, claims Syria's ousted leader shared locations of weapons stockpiles and missile launchers with Israel in exchange for guarantees to ensure safety of his escape route
• 'Post' unveils Syrian army logs documenting final days of Assad regime - Documents detail the moment Syrian soldiers started to flee, their watching of IDF maneuvers, and their feelings on "the beloved leader," Bashar Assad
• 'Horrible wounds consistent with torture': Clarissa Ward gets a glimpse of Assad's last victims from inside a morgue
• Syrian mass graves show the worst abuses 'since the Nazis,' top prosecutor says
• One of Assad's mass graves is found, with as many as 100,000 bodies
• Revenge attacks in post-Assad Syria fuel fear and mistrust
• U.S. officials worry about ISIS jailbreak in Syria: 'Ticking time bomb' - Lightly armed Kurdish forces are guarding more than 9,000 Islamic State terrorists in Syria
• PM tells mom of missing US journalist Israel won't strike part of Syria he may be in
• Khamenei: After Syria developments, Israel 'gravely mistaken' thinking uprising over - "The young Syrians will liberate the territories occupied by the Zionist entity," Khamenei previously wrote in a Hebrew post
• Syrian rebel leader al-Jolani vows Syria will honor 1974 ceasefire agreement, says Israel doesn't need buffer zone
• Netanyahu tells Israeli troops to stay in area of Syria's Mount Hermon until end of 2025, source says
• Switzerland breaks neutrality, votes to ban Hezbollah after outlawing Hamas and cutting UNRWA funding
• Israel committing 'acts of genocide' by cutting off water in Gaza, HRW says
• Hamas' Gaza death toll questioned as new report says its led to 'widespread inaccuracies and distortion'
• Report exposes Hamas terrorist crimes against families during Oct 7 massacre: 'kinocide'
• C.I.A. Director Arrives for Talks Amid Rising Hopes for Gaza Cease-Fire
• Downing Street says UK using 'every diplomatic manoeuvre available' to try to free hostages
• Blinken: Saudis are even more convinced now of the need for a Palestinian state - US Secretary of State tells Foreign Affairs magazine that Hamas has been more productive on getting a ceasefire and hostage release deal done "because they've seen that the cavalry is not coming to the rescue."
• MKs push bill to block West Bank territorial concessions, prevent Palestinian state
• Palestinian Gunmen Wound Israeli Near Joseph's Tomb
• Palestinians shoot at bus of Israelis illegally visiting Nablus tomb, injuring one
• Another Synagogue Attacked in Trudeau's Canada: Firebombed in Montreal
• Pro-Palestinian activists storm basketball court during Israeli team's game against France
• US won't sanction Smotrich and Ben Gvir before end of Biden's term - officials
• Judges express skepticism over dozens of incidents cited in Netanyahu indictment
• IDF strikes Houthi targets in Yemen after downing missile fired at central Israel
• Israel Hits Houthis in Yemen; Strikes Capital, Sana'a, for First Time
• IDF pounds Yemen, believes it paralyzed all 3 Houthi ports; missile fired at Israel
• Iranian rial falls to record low amid war, energy crisis, and anticipation of Trump
• Report: Revolutionary Guards control up to 50% of Iran's oil exports, using income to fund proxies
• UN Nuclear Inspector: Iran At 'Practically The Same Level As Nuclear-Armed States'
• Iran's nuclear program alarms world powers: No 'civilian justification' - The United Kingdom, France and Germany warned that Tehran must "reverse its nuclear escalation."
• Blinken says Iran will think more about going nuclear after losing 'lines of defense'
• Danny Danon calls for UN to designate IRGC as a terrorist organization
• Blinken to announce more funding for Sudan at UN on Thursday, official says
• Pakistan denounces US sanctions on its missile program as biased and putting regional peace at risk
• Drones Wearing Christmas Ornaments Helped Kill Or Wound 200 North Korean Troops in Kursk
• Videos show North Koreans in Ukrainian trenches as Russia 'hides casualties'
• Top Russian General Who Accused Democrats of Funneling Profits from Secret Ukrainian Biolabs to Fund Elections - Is Blown Up in Moscow
• Killing of Top Russian General Is a Message From Ukraine: You Aren't Safe - Even at Home - The aim of Kyiv's campaign is to bring the fight to Russia, raising the immediate costs of the war for Moscow's leaders
• Russia arrests suspect in Moscow bombing that killed chemical weapons chief - Prosecutors say the 29-year-old Uzbek man confessed to being recruited by Ukraine
• NATO leader says he wants to put Ukraine in a position of strength for any peace talks with Russia
• Ukraine unveils new 'Trident' laser weapon that can take out aircraft over a mile away
• U.S. tech continues to power Russian weapons despite export controls, Senate Democrats find
• US slaps sanctions on companies tied to Nord Stream 2 in bid to squeeze Russia
• Ex-president Sarkozy faces house arrest in France after corruption charge upheld
• Cuba Admits 'Concern' over Return of Trump but Vows Revolution Will 'Survive'
• Once a political star, Canada's Justin Trudeau is fighting for his job amid Trump tariff threats
• Brazil Traders 'Sell First, Ask Later' as Panic Hits Markets - First it was a collapse in the currency. Now the rest of Brazil's financial markets are in the cross-hairs as investors lose faith in the government's ability to contain a deepening fiscal crisis
• Fed Cuts Interest Rates By 25 Basis Points as Dow Tanks by More Than 1,100 Points – Longest Losing Streak Since 1974
• Stocks Tank As Fed Sees Fewer Rate Cuts, More Inflation Ahead
• Florida Announces Charges Connected to Trump Assassination Attempt After Being 'Stonewalled' by Feds
• Ryan Routh charged for seriously injuring, almost killing 6-year-old girl while fleeing Trump assassination attempt
• J6 Bombshell: Trump Didn't Just Offer Military to Protect Capitol, He Ordered It but Was Disobeyed
• Donald Trump Claims Liz Cheney Could Be 'in a Lot of Trouble' After She's Accused of Witness Tampering in January 6 Investigation
• Jan. 6 Select Committee's political probe diverted resources from real security failures
• In reversal, key House panel votes to release Matt Gaetz ethics report
• Matt Gaetz Floats Vengeful Plan to Rejoin Congress, Reveal Colleagues' #MeToo Secrets, And Then Resign
• DA suggests Georgia election interference case against Trump may continue
• Top Democrat on House Oversight Committee Promises 'Trench Warfare' Against Trump's Agenda
• An unpopular Congress that failed to cut big spending tries giving itself a year-end pay raise
• 'I don't like it either': Mike Johnson to avoid government shut down in weeks before Trump inauguration by passing 'pork'-filled CR - "Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?" Elon Musk wrote
• Shutdown watch: Musk barrages GOP to blow up "criminal" spending deal
• Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington
• Elon Musk Launches All-Out War Against 'Outrageous' Spending Bill - The leaders of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency are attacking a spending bill zipping its way through Congress
• 'No choice': DOGE leaders rally House conservatives against 1,500+ page 'pork-fest' - Musk called on supporters of the spending bill to be primaried in 2 years
• Trump, Musk fire back after Dem leader blames House GOP for breaking bipartisan agreement - Elon Musk responds to Hakeem Jeffries: 'You seem to think the public is dumb. They are not'
• Bernie Sanders blasts 'President Elon Musk' for derailing spending deal
• Sen. Josh Hawley: Speaker Johnson's Spending Bill Is 'Hugely Harmful to President Trump
• Trump says he's 'totally against' massive 'pork'-filled spending bill as Speaker Johnson considers dropping it for 'clean CR' bill: report
• No Vote on Speaker Johnson's Spending Bill After President Trump and Elon Musk Reject Resolution
• Report: House Republicans Scrap Federal Spending Plan to avert a partial government shutdown
• Johnson considers plan B amid Trump World opposition to spending deal
• Jeffries suggests Democrats will oppose a 'clean' funding bill after Johnson's plan falters
• Jeffries warns GOP will 'own any harm' from government shutdown amid outcry over spending bill
• Rand Paul Calls Speaker Mike Johnson a 'Weak Man' After Spending Deal Is Revealed: 'A Sad Day for America'
• Mike Johnson's House Speaker Job Now in Jeopardy as Backlash Against Massive Spending Bill Grows: Report
• Speaker Johnson 'faces challengers' in new year as anger grows in GOP over stop-gap bill
• France adopts stopgap budget to avoid US-style shutdown
• ABC inks new deal with George Stephanopoulos as anchor cost network millions in Trump defamation suit - Stephanopoulos and ABC News were forced to issue an apology and handed Trump a whopping $15 million
• Jeff Bezos saved around $1 billion in taxes by moving to a 'billionaire bunker' in Florida
• 'Big Brother' isn't just watching - He's changing how your brain works
• Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to TikTok ban - The law is set to go into effect Jan. 19, and the court won't block it while the case is being considered
• Counter terror chief warns of 'smouldering' UK threat - with three late stage attacks foiled
• FBI raids home of LA deputy mayor who allegedly made bomb threat against City Hall
• 'They're looking for something': rumors abound over unsettling drone sightings in New Jersey - At first, the relentless flocks of drones were unusual but nothing to worry about - now, people want answers
• Biden Finally Addresses Drones: 'No Sense of Danger'
• Biden says there's 'nothing nefarious' about recent drone sightings
• Military Expert: Mystery Drones Are 'Telegraphing' America's Weak Defenses
• Rep. Michael McCaul Says Drones Seen Flying Over US Military Sites are 'Adversarial' and Likely Coming from Communist China
• They're in the UK Too - Drones Buzzing Presumed US Nuclear Base, FBI Has Known for a Year
• It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a superweapon: How drones are reshaping modern warfare
• Exceptionally fast, Extremely Rare CME launched from farside of the Sun
• Rescuers race to find survivors as 14 dead after Vanuatu earthquake
• 5.7 magnitude earthquake hits west of Macquarie Island
• 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Port-Vila, Vanuatu
• 5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Puro Pinget, Philippines
• 5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Puro Pinget, Philippines
• 5.0 magnitude earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands region
• 5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Puro Pinget, Philippines
• Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 23,000ft
• Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 21,000ft
• Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 20,000ft
• Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft
• Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
• Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft
• Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 14,000ft
• Ibu volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
• French president arrives in Mayotte to survey Cyclone Chido damage
• Mayotte authorities fear hunger, disease after cyclone; death toll rises in Mozambique
• Tens of thousands without water in Mayotte as curfew brought in
• Lake Pontchartrain Causeway reopens after 50 cars pile up during fog
• Joe Biden's EPA Grants California Permission to Ban All New Gas-Powered Car Sales by 2035
• Biden makes a last big push to keep Trump from killing the electric car - His agencies are leveraging California's vast market power to prod the auto industry to ramp up production of battery-powered vehicles - regardless of what Trump wants
• DR Congo Files Criminal Complaint Against Apple for Using 'Blood Minerals'
• Canada launches $1.3 billion border security initiative after Trump pressured Trudeau
• "It Sounds Like Governor Hobbs is Bound to be Guilty of Multiple Things" - Border Czar Tom Homan Suggests AZ Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs Will be "Behind Bars on Day 1" For Refusal to Comply With Mass Deportation Efforts
• Biden Admin Released Suspected Terrorist After Texas Warned of Connection, Later Re-Arrested
• Illegal Alien Wanted in Florida for Allegedly Filming Himself Raping Child
• Wisconsin school shooter was in contact with California man plotting his own attack, court documents say
• California man Alexander Paffendorf, 20, detained after allegedly 'plotting' coordinated attack with Wisconsin school shooter Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow
• Christian Restaurant Owners Refuse to Back Down After LGBT Mob Comes for Them Over Wedding Decision
• District attorney forced to refer to male rapist as 'she/her' in California court
• Trans killer complains after being removed from WA state women's prison following sex with inmate
• Disney Pulls Trans Storylines from Upcoming Series, Suggests an End to LGBT Themes Altogether
• Transgender Teen Actor 'Disheartened' Disney Cut Storyline from Children's Show: 'Another Setback for the LGBTQ Community'
• Outrage After Netflix's Latest Cancellation 'Joins the Depressingly Long List of Queer Shows Axed in 2024'
• Kia, TJ Maxx Listed as Corporate Sponsors of 'Rainbow Library' Pushing Trans Books to Preschool Kids
• 'Buy a Spine!': U.S. Senators Blast NCAA Prez for Not Protecting Women's Sports from Trans Athletes
• Transgender Americans rush to finalize name changes, healthcare proxies and estate planning before the inauguration
• Trans laird sues NHS for refusing to carry out third sex change surgery - Lady Samantha Kane, who is thought to be only person in Britain to have changed gender three times, alleges health service was negligent
• Defense bill passes Congress despite transgender provision
• Senate passes military spending bill, cutting child sex changes, DEI
• Nissan becomes latest car company to walk back 'woke' DEI practices, following Toyota and Ford
• Biden-Harris admin seeks to hire up to 1,200 DEI staffers prior to Trump's second term: report
• Icelandic Man Under Investigation for Criticizing Controversial Claim That Men Can Breastfeed
• O'Keefe Media Group: DHS Under Secretary For Policy Reveals Biden's Mental Decline 'Accelerated 12 to 24 Months' Into Biden's Presidency
• Feds Quietly Ban Liability for Vax Makers Through Trump's Full Term as FDA Exposes RSV Trial Harm
• How measles, whooping cough, and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.'s watch - "He'll make America sick again," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University
• Gov. Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana
• California Gov Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency over bird flu after 34 human cases - In the proclamation, Newsom wrote that "all residents are to obey the direction of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety."