News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
15-year-old girl killed, man critical after shooting in SW Atlanta
Detectives said a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder and later died. A man in his 20s was shot several times and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Police said several people have been detained, including the suspected shooter.
Authorities said they believe a confrontation led to the double shooting but they’re trying to figure out why it escalated to gunfire.
“Preliminary investigation shows that the suspect and the victims are all familiar with each other. We do have several people detained at this time.
We do have what appears to be one suspect detained at his time,” said Atlanta Police Capt. Jessica Bruce.
Doorbell camera recorded ex-college football player’s admission to sister’s murder: reports
Witnesses told police they heard Egwuagu utter those words when they saw him leaving the house with a smile on his face and a bloody kitchen knife in his hand, KEYE-TV reported.
The witnesses told police they had heard Egwuagu and his sister yelling and screaming, the station reported.
An autopsy confirmed Ebichi was about three months pregnant. Officials said she was stabbed multiple times.
West Virginia governor approves firing of all employees involved in apparent Nazi salute photo
The photograph, released publicly earlier this month by the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, showed more than 30 trainees from Basic Training Class 18 with their arms raised in a salute.
The caption “Hail Byrd!” – a reference to the trainees’ instructor – is visible above the group.
Before the image was released, Jeff Sandy, the agency’s secretary, had written a memo in which he derided the image as “distasteful, hurtful, disturbing, highly insensitive, and completely inappropriate.”
He said the image “betrays the professionalism I have seen time and time again displayed and practiced by our brave correctional employees.”
2 arrested in murder of DoorDash driver during Virginia Denny’s robbery: police
(Prince William County Police)
Jordan Anderson, of Manassas, Va., and Ryan Thomas Walker, of Chesapeake Beach, Md., were arrested Sunday in Maryland and Virginia, Prince William County police said. They are both 22.
They have been accused of robbing the Denny’s in Manassas overnight Thursday. About 23 people were in the restaurant at the time.
They are also suspected in three other stick-ups just before Christmas, police said.
Hanukkah Attack Suspect Charged with Federal Hate Crimes
Grafton E. Thomas was expected to appear in federal court in White Plains to face five counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon and causing injuries.
The attack on the seventh night of Hanukkah occurred amid a series of violent attacks targeting Jews in the region that have led to increased security, particularly around religious gatherings.
Thomas’ family said he was raised to embrace tolerance but has a history of mental illness.
Thomas was arrested within two hours of the Saturday night attack in Monsey.
When police pulled his car over in Manhattan, he had blood all over his clothing and smelled of bleach but said “almost nothing” to the arresting officers, officials said.
Gunman in Texas church had trained worshippers to shoot: state prosecutor
(Reuters) – The gunman who opened fire in a Texas church on Sunday, killing two before dying from gunshot wounds, owned a shooting range and had taught its parishioners how to shoot, the Texas Attorney General said on Monday.
“My understanding is he was a reserve deputy and had significant training, his own shooting range and taught other people how to shoot, and taught many people in this church how to be prepared,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told reporters on Monday.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick praised the church’s volunteer security guards for taking down the shooter.
“Because of the quick action of these two men, this evil event was over in six seconds,” Patrick said in a statement on Sunday.
‘Do Not Sell My Info’: U.S. retailers rush to comply with California privacy law
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. retailers including Walmart Inc will add “Do Not Sell My Info” links to their websites and signage in stores starting Jan. 1, allowing California shoppers to understand for the first time what personal and other data the retailers collect, sources said.
Others like Home Depot will allow shoppers not just in California but around the country to access such information online.
At its California stores, Home Depot will add signs, offer QR codes so shoppers can look up information using their mobile devices and train store employees to answer questions.
Large U.S retailers are rushing to comply with a new law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which becomes effective at the start of 2020 and is one of the most significant regulations overseeing the data collection practices of U.S. companies.
It lets shoppers opt out of allowing retailers and other companies to sell personal data to third parties.
In addition to retailers, the law affects a broad swath of firms including social media platforms such as Facebook and Alphabet’s Google, advertisers, app developers, mobile service providers and streaming TV services, and is likely to overhaul the way companies benefit from the use of personal information.
Super-friendly Chick-fil-A employee in North Carolina charms Internet in viral vid: He’s ‘like this ALL the time’
Jeremiah Murrill, who works at the Oleander Drive location in Wilmington, was recently filmed taking a customer’s order on a chilly December day — but that didn’t seem to do anything to dampen his demeanor.
During the process, he compliments Liles and her passenger for being “very good” at the whole process, and even commends them for their “amazing ordering” just before swiping Liles’ credit card on his point-of-sale machine.
“You’re one swipe away from an awesome lunch, ma’am,” he tells her at one point.
Just before the customer drives away, however, Murrill informs her that he isn’t done with her just yet.
Top animal hijinks of 2019: Here are the most viral moments, from hysterical gorillas to cannibalistic snakes
Overly dramatic gorillas fleeing raindrops, a cannibalistic snake and a thieving seagull were some of the animals in videos and photos that went viral in 2019.
In a year consumed by the Russia investigation and President Trump’s impeachment inquiry, the animal hijinks offer a brief respite.
Here are some of the year’s most amusing animal moments:
Mexican cartel violence, Notre Dame up in flames and Justin Trudeau blackface scandal: World in review 2019
From attempts to topple a Latin American socialist leader to the destruction of one of the world’s most visited cathedrals to the massive months-long protests ongoing in Hong Kong, here are some of the events from around the world that captured headlines this year.
So much happened with the ongoing Brexit saga and the rise and fall of ISIS, that they required their own end-of-year reviews.
Pompeo talks rise in religious attacks, US strikes on Iraq and Syria
Commentary/Opinion: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the news of the day.
Politics:
DNC shoots down Andrew Yang’s request for more polling
A DNC spokesperson told Fox News on Monday, “The DNC will not sponsor its own debate qualifying polls of presidential candidates during a primary.
This would break with the long standing practice of both parties using independent polling for debate qualification, and it would be an inappropriate use of DNC resources that should be directed at beating Donald Trump.“
Yang was the only Democratic presidential candidate of color to make December’s debate stage, after California Sen. Kamala Harris dropped out of the race and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former HUD Secretary Julian Castro failed to meet the party’s polling qualifications.
Census: California to Lose Congressional Seat for First Time in History
While other “Sun Belt” states stand to gain congressional representation, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing U.S. Census Bureau figures on state population changes through July 1, California — once a symbol of the nation’s westward growth — will likely lose a congressional seat.
The Journal reported that California will join the cold states of the Northeast and Midwest in losing political clout:
Based on Monday’s figures, Texas is poised to gain two congressional seats, and Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon are expected to gain one.
Eight states are expected to lose one seat: California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
Hecklers chant ‘quid pro Joe’ at Biden event in New Hampshire
2020 White House hopeful Joe Biden is shouted at by protesters at a New Hampshire campaign event; Ellison Barber reports from the campaign trail.
CBS Reporter Says Trump’s Record With Minorities Is One ‘Any President After 3 Years Would Want To Claim’
Garrett was part of a panel discussion on CBS’ “Face the Nation” addressing some of the most under-reported stories of the year, and he counted among them the major inroads the Trump administration had made in promoting an agenda that was good especially for the black community.
“That is a legacy on the agenda side that almost any president after three years would want to claim, particularly President Obama,” Garrett concluded.
“Many of those things were sought, but you know what, Republicans would not go for it.
Quietly, persistently, President Trump has pushed Republicans in this direction and I think that’s an under-covered story.”
Bill De Blasio Calls NYC ‘The Safest Big City In America’
De Blasio also defended his policies on policing and crime, arguing that it is more effective than Giuliani’s.
“If you’re gonna police communities effectively, you have to do it with the people we serve,” de Blasio said. “That’s what our police have done so much more effectively in recent years.”
New York City had its fewest homicides in 70 years in 2018, and is frequently ranked as one of the safest big cities in the world.
However, the NYPD did report a spike in murder rates earlier this year, noting that the homicide rate increased by 28% during the months of September and early October.
The murder rate as a whole was up over 8% in 2019, according to The Brooklyn Eagle.
Joe Biden Reveals Potential Pick for Supreme Court
Want to know Joe Biden’s potential pick for the supreme court? WATCH THIS!
This may come as a surprise to some that Joe Biden, the Former Vice President has actually come out and said who he may nominate to the Supreme Court if he won the presidency, that’s according to several new reports.
Stick with us until the end and we’ll also disclose Biden’s list of top Donors. All in the lead up to the 2020 election.
Tom Homan shares his take on the state of the US immigration system
Commentary/Opinion: Former acting head of ICE Tom Homan reacts.
World News:
Hong Kong braces for fresh protests during new year festivities
The demonstrations planned over new year follow an increase in clashes since Christmas Eve, when riot police fired teargas at thousands of protesters following scuffles in shopping malls and in a prime tourist district.
While the protests – now in their seventh month – have lessened in intensity and size in recent weeks, marches or rallies continue to occur almost daily.
Hundreds of people gathered in the Central district on Monday night to remember people killed or injured during the protests.
More than 2,000 protesters have been injured since June.
Japan prepares to build landing strip for carrier-based U.S. planes in East China Sea
Dec. 30 (UPI) — Japan will begin construction in 2022 of an airfield, government sources said on Monday, on an uninhabited East China Sea island it recently bought.
The island is central to the planned relocation of a “field carrier landing practice” site needed by aircraft aboard U.S. aircraft carriers.
A three-year construction schedule is planned, and the landing site could become operational by 2025, pending an agreement between Japan and the United States.
Construction of the airfield, with a control tower and communications facilities, is expected to begin in 2022. The site will be a permanent training environment to maintain carrier-based pilot skills.
Australian tennis great Margaret Court hit out at transgender athletes on Sunday and branded the teaching of LGBT rights as “of the devil.”
She also claimed children as young as seven were beginning to change gender, adding: “It’s so wrong at that age because a lot of things are planted in this thought realm and they start to question, ‘what am I?’
“You know, even that LGBT in the schools, it’s of the devil, it’s not of God…”
Court is known as an opponent of gay unions and stated in the past that lesbianism on the women’s tour has a corrupting influence on young players, as Breitbart Sports reported.
Twelve-times grand slam champion Billie Jean King last year called for Court’s name stripped to be from the Australian Open showcourt in Melbourne because Court’s views on sexuality, including the claim that “tennis is full of lesbians”, are offensive to her.
Sudan sentences 29 intelligence agents to hang for teacher’s killing
REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – A Sudanese court sentenced 29 members of the national intelligence service to death by hanging on Monday over the killing of a teacher in detention in February during protests that led to the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir.
The group that spearheaded the protests welcomed the ruling, the first to deliver sentences over crackdowns on demonstrations in the months before and after Bashir was toppled in April.
Prosecuting members of the intelligence services is seen as a test of how far Sudan’s transitional government will go to erase Bashir’s legacy and challenge the security apparatus.
US conducts airstrikes in Iraq, Syria after contractor killed, American troops injured in rocket attack
Military jet fighters conducted “precision defensive strikes” on five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, Jonathan Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Pentagon told Fox News.
Two defense officials added that Air Force F-15 jet fighters carried out the strikes.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien traveled Sunday to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with President Trump and discuss the strikes, a senior administration official told Fox News.
U.S. officials have blamed the militia for a rocket barrage Friday that killed a U.S. defense contractor, wounded four U.S. troops and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.
Video shows aftermath of US strike on Iran-backed group in Iraq amid concerns violence could escalate
Aerial footage released by the Pentagon showed the aftermath of at least one of the American strikes on an Iranian-backed group operating in Iraq over the weekend, as concern grew Monday that violence against American troops could escalate.
But asked about concerns over the threat of retaliation by Iran or its proxies, a senior State Department official told reporters on Monday, “We don’t have any fears.”
In the aftermath of the strikes, a top Iraqi militia chief warned that there will be a strong response against the U.S.
Commentary/Opinion:
Tucker Carlson on the Silencing of “Dissident Voices” on the Left & Right
Tucker Carlson on the Silencing of “Dissident Voices” on the Left & Right
“It makes me very upset with the institutions that purport to be conservative in our country…& they’re doing nothing to protect these people.
In fact, they’re the first to abandon them.”
What Was the Enlightenment?
The European Enlightenment of the 18th century introduced the world to modern science, economics, medicine, and political freedom – or so we’re told.
But is what we’re told accurate?
Political philosopher Yoram Hazony explores this question and offers some surprising answers in this truly enlightening video.
Obama Was the Most Anti-Semitic President in History, So Let’s Stop Pointing Fingers at Trump
In the wake of the Hanukkah celebration stabbing in Monsey, New York, rather than blame the attacker, Democrats chose to blame Trump — who has done more for Israel and the Jewish people in three years than his predecessor did in two terms.
The left is deliberately trying to whitewash Obama’s record of anti-Semitism, and the welcoming of anti-Semites into their party.
When Barack Obama entered the national stage and rose to become the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2008, defending him at all costs mattered more than exposing his hateful roots and record.
Here are a few examples: