News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World news, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Greg Abbott to award man who shot Texas church gunman the Governor’s Medal of Courage
Jack Wilson, 71, shot and killed a gunman who opened fire in a church seconds after the shooting started, likely saving dozens of lives.
Wilson, who is running to be a county commissioner, said he never envisioned he would be in the position where he would have to return fire on an active shooter.
“The events at West Freeway Church of Christ put me in a position that I would hope no one would have to be in, but evil exist and I had to take out an active shooter in church,” Wilson wrote.
The medal is reserved for “great acts of heroism” by individuals “risking their own safety to save another’s life.”
NYC woman sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning to build bomb to use in a terrorist attack
Asia Siddiqui, 35, who pleaded guilty in August to posting information online about how to build and use an explosive, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday in Brooklyn Federal Court.
“Asia Siddiqui and co-defendant Noelle Velentzas were more than prepared to kill Americans and fellow New Yorkers,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney.
“Today, Siddiqui’s fate has been sealed as we await one final sentencing that will decisively bring this case to a close.”
Siddiqui and Velentzas, her former roommate, first began learning how to build a bomb in 2013, prosecutors said.
They planned to use the explosives on law enforcement and members of the military, and even lauded the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The pair also discussed pressure cooker explosives used in the Oklahoma City bombing, the Boston Marathon bombing and the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
‘He just radiated love’: Army recruiter killed in AL shooting
A U.S. Army veteran killed in a hail of gunfire Wednesday night is being remembered as a faithful servant to his country and his family.
Army Sgt. Tristian Jackson, 36, was shot to death as he arrived at an east Birmingham home to visit a relative.
The gunfire erupted in the garage area and Jackson was able to make it inside before he collapsed in or near the living area. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
More than a dozen of Jackson’s family members and friends rushed to the scene Wednesday night, visibly upset by the crime.
The family friend said Jackson was devoted to his mother and his 4-year-old daughter. “He was the one that always wanted to the family to be together,’’ she said. “He was a good dad and the life of the party.”
Army vet’s prosthetic legs taken away after VA refuses bill; company won’t fix it until they’re paid
Jerry Holliman was sitting in Veterans Home in Collins, Miss. in the days before Christmas when a man arrived to take his prosthetic legs that replaced the ones he lost from his military service
Holliman, 69, learned his limbs had been repossessed by their manufacturer, Hanger, amid a dispute between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare over who should pay for the limbs, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
In August, Holliman had received the prosthetics, made by the national prosthetic company Hanger.
Hanger reportedly helped Holliman through several training lessons before he was told the VA would not cover the cost of the prosthetic.
Women hold more US jobs than men
In December, for the first time since April 2010, women held a majority of jobs in America, not counting self-employed individuals and farm laborers.
The data released by the Labor Department on Friday shows women holding 50.04 percent of jobs, outpacing men by 109,000.
The only other time the number of women equaled or outnumbered men in the workplace was 2009 and 2010. That power shift was attributed to the manufacturing and construction jobs lost during the recession, which disproportionately affected men.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the gain by women was due to strong hiring in the education, hospitality and health care industries.
Highlights from the Consumer Electronics Show
With over 175 thousand attendees, it’s the world’s largest consumer technology show. Some of the most iconic tech of our lifetimes have been unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Show, like the VCR in 1970, the cd player in 1981, or satellite radio in 2000.
This year, it seems like every tech company was trying to out-future each other. Here are some highlights.
Uber driver allegedly sexually assaulted woman he picked up from police station after DUI arrest
After being arrested, Attia confessed to sexually assaulting the woman and was booked into an Orange County jail on suspicion of digital penetration and sexual battery, police said.
Bail was set at $150,000 for Attia, who had a previous conviction for sexual battery from 1993, according to Santa Ana police.
In a statement, Uber described the accusations against the driver as “deeply troubling.” “We removed the driver’s access to the app back in 2018 after we learned of this disturbing incident,” the statement reads.
Uber revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018, according to a report released in December.
Seven people have been arrested and charged after a three month long police operation targeting bikers
Seven people have been arrested and charged, after a three month long police operation targeting bikies in the southeast came to a head today.
Operation Metro was believed to be specifically targeting members and associates of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
Detectives from the Major and Organised Crime Squad and Logan District executed five different raids early this morning, at properties in Ormeau, Marsden, Parkinson, Daisy Hill and Springwood.
Police say more arrests are likely.
Associated Press changes ‘shockingly bad’ headline about Soleimani, Ukrainian plane crash after backlash
The AP’s story about the situation was widely ridiculed and critics condemned the AP’s initial headline, “An Iranian general dies in U.S. attack, and innocents suffer,” which quickly became a hot topic on social media.
The AP’s White House reporter Zeke Miller eventually tweeted that the earlier link to the story was deleted and it was republished with a different headline: “As Iran and U.S. take step back from the brink, Canada grieves.”
Criticism continued to pour in once the headline was changed.
Surveillance video from Epstein’s first suicide attempt erased: prosecutors
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York reveals video from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s jail cell from the night of his first suicide attempt was ‘inadvertently’ deleted by MCC; Bryan Llenas reports.
Three-story ‘tree house’ homeless shelter in Los Angeles is torn down as authorities ramp up efforts to rid the city of its many encampments
In a recent report, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority claimed the number of people who were homeless countywide in 2019 was 58,936 residents, up from 52,765 in 2018.
In the city of Los Angeles, the homeless population grew 16 percent since last year. LAHSA estimates that 36,300 people are homeless within city limits.
California continues to grapple with an escalating homelessness crisis.
Governor Gavin Newsom is seeking $1.4billion dollars from lawmakers to tackle the growing problem in his state and plans to use the money to open shelters, pay rent and provide health care, his office said.
The Democratic governor, who plans to formally submit his proposal on Friday, this week also signed an executive order directing agencies to identify state-owned land that can be used as temporary shelters for the homeless.
7 of the Most Beautiful 3D Printed Houses and Cabins
3D printing is changing many industries around the world. The construction industry, especially for domestic premises, is no exception.
3D printed houses are still something of a novelty and are largely still in development, but you can 3D print a house for a lot less money than having one built using more traditional construction methods.
For projects that are currently in development, costs are somewhere in the order of $10,000.
So, if you want to see some examples of 3D printed houses then here are 7 interesting examples.
This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order.
Politics:
5 Legal Fights You Must Follow in 2020
As the U.S. Supreme Court enters into the new year, the justices are preparing to confront a series of hot-button issues in the second half of what is widely viewed as a historic term.
Here are 5 Legal Fights You Must Follow in 2020.
Democrat says Second Amendment supporters in Virginia have ‘mental issues’
A Virginia state senator called Second Amendment supporters “little kids” at a public meeting over the weekend as tensions between gun rights activists boil over in the state.
Sen. Dave Marsden, who supports Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, is an advocate of proposed gun control legislation and is part of the Democratic majority in the Virginia General Assembly.
Instead of apologizing for the insensitive remarks, Marsden called Second Amendment supporters “mentally ill” in a letter he sent following a meeting with constituents.
Trump signs SPOONSS Act into law to mandate DOD use American flatware
President Donald Trump has signed the Support Procurement of our Nation’s Stainless Steel Act (SPOONSS Act) into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, according to U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi’s office.
The primary beneficiary of the SPOONSS Act will be Sherrill Manufacturing in Sherrill, as the last flatware maker in America.
The Department of Defense had to purchase American-made flatware until 2007, when a supply issue removed the requirement from the NDAA.
Warren town hall interrupted by angry protester accusing her of ‘siding with terrorists’
Conservatives in recent days have slammed Warren over her comments criticizing the United States’ killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, especially after she held back criticism of Soleimani himself and said it was “reasonable” to ask whether Trump ordered the killing to distract from his pending Senate impeachment trial.
The outburst comes as Republicans have faced pushback over similar language. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., apologized Friday after claiming in a television interview that Democrats are “in love with terrorists.”
Warren talked about the protester when she gaggled with reporters when the town hall was over.
Trump administration marks 100 miles of border wall, vows ‘many more’ to come
“Today is a milestone that has been reached and a celebration is in order,” Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in front of wall in Yuma, Arizona.
“Today I am proud to report that the Trump administration has constructed 100 miles of border wall system along the southern border.”
“This is a milestone achievement for the president, for the department and more importantly for our country — including communities like Yuma,” he said.
“The 100 miles we celebrate today are only the first of many more miles to come,” he said.
Trump tells Fox News’ Laura Ingraham ‘four embassies’ were targeted in imminent threat from Iran
President Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an exclusive interview Friday that the imminent threat from Iran that provoked the United States to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani involved planned attacks on four U.S. embassies.
Asked specifically what was targeted, Trump revealed: “We will tell you that probably it was going to be the embassy in Baghdad.”
Pressed on whether large-scale attacks were planned for other embassies, the president said: “I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”
Also during the interview, the president responded to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that Democrats will send impeachment articles to the Senate next week – after delaying the move for several weeks in a failed attempt to extract concessions from Republicans.
L.A. Mayor Garcetti Asks Trump Administration for Federal Funding to Address Homelessness Crisis
(Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Equality California)
In a letter sent on Thursday, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Garcetti said the following to President Trump and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
“I write to request federal assistance that would aid Los Angeles with the urgent work that our City is doing to move our unhoused neighbors into shelter, build permanent housing, and supply the services they need to stay housed for good.”
Carson acknowledged the request and signaled a new spirit of cooperation with the city of Los Angeles by tweeting, “The homelessness crisis in California has been an entrenched problem for a longtime. Per the request of @MayorOfLA & @kathrynbarger we look forward to a new partnership that will benefit our fellow citizens.”
Pelosi to send impeachment articles to Senate
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will transmit the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump next week, ending a heated standoff with Senate Republicans over the terms of the impeachment trial.
“I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,” Pelosi said in a letter to House Democrats Friday.
Pelosi added she will talk to the caucus at their weekly meeting Tuesday morning on “how to proceed further.”
AOC riles Dems by refusing to pay party dues, bankrolling colleagues’ opponents
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already topped the fundraising charts in her short time in Congress, but the liberal darling won’t donate a cent of her millions to Democrats’ House campaign organization — a position that has rankled some of her colleagues, Fox News has learned.
Instead, Ocasio-Cortez is building her own fundraising operation for fellow progressive candidates to bypass the official Democratic Party infrastructure. Already, she’s actively funding primary challengers to oust certain Democratic colleagues.
The DCCC declined to comment further on the matter of Ocasio-Cortez and her dues.
Another Democrat was less diplomatic: “Deadbeat Cortez should pay her bills,” complained the Democratic source. “She’s always whining about people paying their fair share and here she is leaving her friends with the bill.”
The Left’s Nepotism Money Train and Chelsea Clinton’s Dubious Earnings • Ingraham Angle
Commentary/Opinion: With all the talk about Hunter Biden these days, one might get the impression that he is the only child of a politician to benefit from his parents’ position and the last name they inherited.
Tammy Bruce, president of Independent Women’s Voice, joins Laura Ingraham to discuss others who have been similarly rewarded.
World News:
Unidentified Aircraft Strikes Iran-Backed Group in Syria, 8 Dead: Rights Group
(AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Unidentified aircraft struck targets in Syria near the border with Iraq on Friday, killing eight Iran-backed Iraqi militiamen, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The rights group, which is based in the United Kingdom, obtains information through a network of activists on the ground in Syria, documenting the war in Syria over the past decade.
The attack, carried out by “unknown drones,” targeted vehicles and armories, according to the organization.
However, the head of the Syrian Observatory said it was “unidentified aircraft” that launched the attacks, without elaborating.
Pakistan Mosque Blast Kills 15, Including Senior Police Officer
A senior police officer and 14 other people have been killed in a suicide bomb blast in the Pakistani southwestern city of Quetta, officials say.
Balochistan Province’s Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said 19 people were also wounded in the January 10 explosion, which took place during evening prayers at a mosque in a satellite town of Quetta, the provincial capital.
Some of the injured were said to be in a critical condition.
Langove said a suicide bomber detonated explosives attached to his body among the worshipers.
The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was a suicide attack.
Bulldozers And Scavengers: Concerns Over Iran Crash Site
On the day the Boeing 737-800 carrying 176 people slammed into the ground just outside Tehran and before Ukrainian investigators had even arrived, Iran began using heavy machinery, including bulldozers, to help clear parts of the crash site.
Two days later, on January 10, CBS reported that there were no investigators or security left and that scavengers were already combing the site.
Officials in Tehran have said the crash, which killed everyone on board, was caused by a technical malfunction while officials in Washington say it was highly likely a surface-to-air missile.
Iran’s decision to immediately clear parts of the site has raised suspicions it is seeking to cover up evidence and avoid blame for the tragedy.
#COP25 hypocrites line up for beef burgers while lecturing us on the climate dangers of meat
Photo by James Taylor.
Participants at the United Nations’ COP25 climate conference in Madrid in December hypocritically formed long lines to buy Burger King flame-broiled hamburgers, all while the U.N. climate establishment lectures down to the rest of us about eating less meat — and particularly beef — to stop climate change.
Oddly, the menu did NOT include the meat-free climate friendly “Impossible Whopper”. Photo by James Taylor.
The U.N. hamburger hypocrisy comes as climate activists call on the United Nations to impose a “peak meat” deadline, taking effect no later than 2030, after which global livestock production and dietary meat consumption must begin a perpetual decline.
If global warming is truly an existential threat, the most dangerous threat of our lifetime, and caused largely by meat (and especially beef) consumption, then why do U.N. climate conference participants line up in droves to purchase Burger King hamburgers at their climate conference?
White House announces additional sanctions on Iran after attack on US troops
Press Briefing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.
VIDEO: Russian ship ignores collision warnings in ‘aggressive approach’ to US Navy destroyer
“On Thursday, Jan. 9, while conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea, USS Farragut was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy ship,” the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in a statement to CNN.
“Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision, and requested the Russian ship alter course in accordance with international rules of the road,” the statement continued. “The Russian ship initially refused but ultimately altered course. While the Russian ship took action, the initial delay in complying with international rules while it was making an aggressive approach increased the risk of collision.”
Two defense officials told CNN the Russian ship got within 180 feet of the Farragut in spite of bridge to bridge communication between the ships.
The USS Farragut is part of the U.S. Fifth Fleet which oversees operations in the Middle East. The Farragut is part of USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier group and one of its responsibilities includes intercepting potential enemy ships approaching the carrier.
ISIS welcomes the death of Iran’s Qaseem Soleimani and declare it an act of ‘divine intervention’ that will let them regroup in Iraq
ISIS has claimed the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was an act of ‘divine intervention’ and that it will benefit their jihadist cause.
In the weekly ISIS newspaper al-Naba, the extremists said that while their enemies were fighting each other, draining energy and resources, the jihadists would be able to regroup, according to the BBC.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) a state-sponsored umbrella organisation composed of some 40 independent Shi’a militia groups, have pledged to drive US forces from the region and have not opted out of attacking Western personnel as Iran are alleged to have done with their botched missile strike.
This bodes well for the Sunni extremists who were only stopped by a two-year campaign carried out by a US-led coalition advising the Iraqi army, according to the BBC.
Boy, 11, who shot female teacher dead and wounded five pupils before killing himself at Mexican private school ‘may have been influenced by video game’ Natural Selection
A boy of 11 who shot dead his teacher before killing himself in Mexico today may have been influenced by a violent video game and told classmates before his attack: ‘Today is the day.’
The youngster opened fire with two handguns at Cervantes College in Torreón killing Maria Assaf Medina, 60, and injuring five pupils – including two girls aged seven and eight – and a male PE teacher.
Coahuila state governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme said there were suspicions the boy had been influenced by video game Natural Selection where human ‘space marines’ shoot aliens.
He said at a press conference: ‘The boy was wearing a T-Shirt from the video game Natural Selection.
Commentary/Opinion:
Ex CIA: How The CIA Manipulates You With Media (Pt. 3) | Bryan Dean Wright | POLITICS | Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Bryan Dean Wright (former CIA ops officer) about how the Deep State use leaks to the media like the New York Times and the Washington Post to steer the narrative in a direction more favorable to their interests.
Bryan has a unique perspective being a former CIA agent and a lifelong Democrat. Bryan shares how both Democrats and Republicans use these tactics to their advantage.
Bryan discusses how most often the culprits in strategic leaking to the media are done by the White House or senior level officials and not low level employees.
Bryan shows how James Comey successfully used leaks to the media to get a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation.
It is tactics like these that the FBI, and CIA have used to harm a duly elected President. Bryan while being a Democrat acknowledges that media mostly has a bias in favor of the Democratic party and that what passes for journalism these days is mostly just opinion.
Finally he shares why he was suspended from Twitter and the dangers of Big Tech controlled social media.