News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Burned-out Christmas tree lights lead woman to $171,000 lottery jackpot
A Virginia woman said finding the lights on her Christmas tree were burned out turned out to be a lucky discovery when it led to her winning a lottery jackpot of more than $171,000.
Phyllis Houston of Yorktown told Virginia Lottery officials she was setting up her Christmas tree when she discovered the lights she packed last year would no longer illuminate.
Houston said she took a trip to Home Depot to buy new lights, and on the way home she stopped at the Wawa store in Yorktown and bought some tickets for the Virginia Lottery’s Cash 5 with EZ Match Nov. 25 drawing.
Oklahoma man accused of shooting woman to ‘teach her a lesson,’ police say
Shane Dale Perosi, 30, of Enid, is charged with first-degree murder in the death Sunday of Martika Ferguson. Perosi is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and destruction of evidence.
The investigation led detectives to Perosi’s house, where they served a no-knock warrant Tuesday. During the execution of the search warrant, evidence was found that tied him to Ferguson’s death.
“During an interview with Perosi, he confessed he shot and killed Ferguson,” police officials said in a news release. “Perosi said he’d done so to teach her a lesson.”
Feds charge 13 in drug trafficking ring that sold to UT students in Austin
At least 13 people, including former and current University of Texas students, have been charged in connection with a drug trafficking operation that sold counterfeit prescription drugs laced with LSD, fentanyl and methamphetamine to college students in Central Texas.
“When unsuspecting college kids and other drug users put these pills in their mouths they are playing Russian roulette,” he continued. “They are gambling that the drug dealers did not place lethal doses of drugs like methamphetamine or fentanyl in these pills.”
Authorities on Thursday arrested 23-year-old Varun Prasad of Austin, accusing him of leading the drug operation since April 2019.
Police: Man fatally shot 72-year-old woman in face during argument over feeding feral cats
Sean Eric Malahy, 49, of Lexington, is accused of shooting Judy Dyanne Burnett, 72, of Gilbert, in the face, according to Lexington police officials. Along with the murder charge, Malahy faces a charge of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
“Prior to the shooting incident, Judy Burnett had gotten into an argument about feeding feral cats with a witness who was with Sean Malahy,” Green said. “Sean Malahy engaged in the argument with Judy Burnett, which turned into a physical fight.
Investigators learned that Malahy and Burnett, who both were involved in feeding the stray cats that lived behind the businesses along West Main Street, had been feuding for a number of years about the feeding, trapping and releasing of the animals, Green said. The feud boiled over Thursday night.
Soldier Found Dead at Fort Bragg Was a Green Beret
Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II, 37, with the command’s headquarters and headquarters company, was found dead Wednesday afternoon in the training area on Fort Bragg, along with a veteran previously assigned to the base, the military said in a statement.
Timothy Dumas, a 44-year-old Army veteran from Pinehurst, N.C., was the other man whose body was found, Fort Bragg officials said in a separate statement.
“Master Sgt. Lavigne dedicated himself to the Army for 19 years and deployed multiple times in the defense of our nation,” Duvall said.
Lavigne enlisted in the Army in 2001 and graduate the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2007, after which he was assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), then to USASOC.
Dish Network reaches $210 million ‘robocall’ telemarketing settlement
According to a filing on Friday with the federal court in Springfield, Illinois, Dish will pay a $126 million civil fine to the United States and the remaining $84 million to California, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio.
The lawsuit began in March 2009, accusing Englewood, Colorado-based Dish and its contractors of dialing consumers on the Do Not Call Registry, and placing calls that delivered prerecorded or “robocall” messages.
Dish was accused of violating several federal and state telemarketing and consumer fraud laws, and in June 2017 was found liable in a 475-page decision by U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough for more than 65 million calls.
San Diego Requires Anti-Racism Training for Teachers
Christopher Rufo, a contributing editor at City Journal, obtained slideshows from the presentation, which he published Thursday.
The training began with an “acknowledgement” that “we meet on stolen land” and continued with discussions on “white culture” and “white fragility.”
The presentation defined “white fragility” as “emotions (racial stress) that are stirred when making white people consider racial realities” and that include “closed-mindedness” and “defensiveness.”
One slide told teachers that “you are a racist” and “you are upholding racist ideas, structures, and policies.”
Another slide on “white privilege,” referring to a white person in the first person, said, “My ability to THRIVE, not just survive in this country, is being preserved at every level of power without me having to do anything at all. I don’t even have to vote.”
Authorities Offering $60K Reward For Info In Death Of 1-Year-Old In Southeast D.C.
The FBI is asking the public for help in finding the suspect responsible for the death of a 1-year-old boy. On Wednesday, 15-month-old Carmelo Duncan was fatally shot in southeast Washington, D.C. while strapped in his car seat.
He was riding in a vehicle driven by his father, along with his 8-year-old brother. Neither of them were injured in the shooting. Duncan is among one of the youngest homicide victims in D.C. this year.
“Unfortunately, it was learned the 15-month-old Carmelo Duncan had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital,” announced Chief Peter Newsham of the Washington, D.C. Police Department.
Southern Calif. Wildfire Forces 25K Evacuations
Officials said the blaze started inside a home Wednesday and quickly spread. Plenty of tinder dry brush and unfavorable weather conditions are making it particularly challenging to fight the flames.
“We had erratic, strong Santa Ana winds…quickly pushed the flames from the house into the vegetation and the fire grew rapidly,” said Fire Captain Thanh Nguyen of OCFA PIO. “It caused a robust response.”
Officials said two firefighters were injured and were transported to a hospital. Meanwhile, residents were reportedly met with challenges as some were unaware of the evacuation order.
Some residents said they were unable to receive the evacuation orders due to a public safety power shutoff. Southern California Edison utilities began cutting power Wednesday with the goal to prevent new wildfires from starting.
Jackson Man Stabs 71 y/o Female and 69 y/o Male After Break In, Also Assaults Another Woman Prior To That Early This Morning
An investigation revealed that for unknown reasons, the male suspect left his residence located on North Hope Chapel Road and went to a neighboring residence where he kicked and punched the front door.
The residents woke up but did not answer the door and after a few moments the suspect left the area.
He then went to a second residence where he kicked the door, causing it to open.
He entered the residence and encountered the 71 year old female resident who had been awoken and came out of her bedroom to check on the cause of the noise.
Democrat Mayor Arrested After Throwing Crack From Window During Pursuit
Massena mayor Timmy Currier was allegedly involved in drug sales and possession, according to an investigation involving local police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Currier attempted to evade police in his vehicle on Tuesday, and during a short pursuit the mayor allegedly threw a bag containing approximately one gram of crack cocaine out of his passenger-side window.
Currier was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence, and failing to comply with police.
Before he was elected mayor in 2014, Currier served as the city’s police chief and worked on the force for nearly 30 years.
11-year-old dies after shooting during Zoom class in San Joaquin County
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office announced the student was an 11-year-old.
Shortly after 11 a.m., the sheriff’s office said it received several calls reporting that someone had been shot.
Deputies went to the 300 block of Sterling Street in Woodbridge and said they found a juvenile with a head injury.
He was rushed to an area hospital where he later died of his injuries.
California may have sent $1 billion in jobless benefits to people outside the state, D.A.s warn
California may have sent a billion dollars or more in unemployment benefits to people out of the state, including to other countries, and much of it may be based on fraudulent claims, several prosecutors warned Thursday.
District attorneys from nine counties including San Diego, Sacramento and Riverside sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to use his executive powers to increase resources investigating widespread unemployment benefit fraud involving prison inmates and to immediately check jobless claims against personal data of those behind bars.
“We are deeply concerned that the fraud will continue to grow exponentially,” the district attorneys wrote to the governor.
Trump: GA. election vid shows cheating, Gov. urges signature audit; Election fraud is treason: Gen.
Fulton County video footage allegedly shows cheating during the 2020 election, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are demanding a full review of the presidential election, and the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Facebook saying the company discriminated against American workers.
REPORT: Man Who Planned To Rape, Kill And Cannibalize Children In Homemade Dungeon Appeals For Compassionate Release Due To COVID-19
Geoffrey Portway, a British citizen living in Worcester, Mass., wishes to be released from the federal prison he is being held at in Virginia, MassLive reported.
In a 45-page motion, Portway said his existing medical conditions put him more at risk of catching COVID-19, the outlet said in its report.
The 47-year-old pleaded guilty in 2013 to charges of the solicitation to commit a crime of violence and distribution and possession of child pornography, according to a press release from the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Police: Nearly 30 found in Texas human smuggling operation
One of the men was seen Thursday running down a residential street in his underwear, yelling that he had been kidnapped, according to a social media post by Houston police.
The man led officers to a home where at least 25 men and one woman were found, all only wearing undergarments.
A police spokesperson told reporters that some of the people inside the home appeared to have been wearing only underwear to blend in with the others, but they were clean while the others were dirty, tipping off officers that those few may have been running the operation.
‘Defund the Police’ Minneapolis Sees Most Homicides Since Mid-1990s
On June 12, 2020, Breitbart News reported the Minneapolis city council pledged unanimously to disband the city’s police department.
On September 16, 2020, Breitbart News reported the city council that pledged to abolish the police was suddenly wondering where police had gone.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reported: “Just months after leading an effort that would have defunded the police department, City Council members at Tuesday’s work session pushed Chief Medaria Arradondo to tell them how the department is responding to the violence.”
New council member Jamal Osman observed, “Residents are asking, ‘Where are the police?’”
Toddler busted after creating secret hiding space in cabinet to watch cartoons, eat crackers
“He’s hidden in cabinets before but never set it up this way,” Walker tells Fox News of a now-viral video she shared to Instagram, in which she catches Noah enjoying alone time in his secret space.
“OK, so we’re in the basement. He thinks nobody knows about his hiding spot,” said Walker in the video.
She then opens up the cabinet door to reveal Noah, silent and content, chewing a mouthful of crackers while watching cartoons on an iPad.
Man shot by St. Paul officer streamed sex assault, officials say
The complaint filed in Dakota County District Court said Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, forced the woman to drive from her home in Lakeville to St. Paul following the assault on Saturday and caused the vehicle to crash.
Police tracked Washington to a dumpster after he fled on foot. When he climbed out, the Black man was stunned with a taser and attacked by a police dog before being shot by Officer Anthony Dean.
Police Chief Todd Axtell said the suspect was naked and unarmed at the time and shouldn’t have been shot.
Axtell said Tuesday he took “swift, decisive and serious action” against the officer, but didn’t release details.
Several media reports, citing law enforcement sources they did not identify, said that Dean was fired following Saturday night’s shooting.
Missouri man charged in ‘violent killing’ of pregnant woman who disappeared on Thanksgiving
Amethyst Killian, 22, of St. Peters, Mo., was five months pregnant when she was brutally stabbed more than 20 times in the head, neck and abdomen, authorities said Thursday.
Damion Delgado, 27, of O’Fallon, Mo., was arrested on murder charges in the deaths of Killian and her unborn baby, according to St. Charles Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar.
“They had made a connection through an online website, exchanged numbers, and communicated throughout the evening. They agreed to meet up and their intention was to have consenual sex,” Lohmar said of Killian and Delgado.
Fugitive who allegedly shot Massachusetts trooper dies in gun battle with US Marshals in NYC; 2 agents wounded
The two marshals were injured in the confrontation in the Bronx but were in good condition, the agency said in a press release.
Three marshals hunting for Sterling took fire as soon as they entered the Bronx home where they believed Sterling was located, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
“The task force was in the Wakefield section of the Bronx searching for Andre Sterling, 35, when the shootout began,” the press release states. “Sterling died in the exchange.”
The agency said one deputy marshal was struck in his arm and leg, while the second was struck in the leg.
Facebook to start policing anti-Black hate speech more aggressively than anti-White comments, documents show
The overhaul, which is known as the WoW Project and is in its early stages, involves re-engineering Facebook’s automated moderation systems to get better at detecting and automatically deleting hateful language that is considered “the worst of the worst,” according to internal documents describing the project obtained by The Washington Post.
The “worst of the worst” includes slurs directed at Blacks, Muslims, people of more than one race, the LGBTQ community and Jews, according to the documents.
Tucker: The hypocrisy of lockdowns across America
Commentary/Opinion:
‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ host calls out the hypocrisy of COVID-19 lockdown lawmakers across America.
Politics:
Election Rule Changes “Blew Up” Election Integrity Measures Guarding Against Potential Fraud!
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton joined @ Newsmax TV with Sean Spicer and Co. to discuss many voter irregularities in different states during the 2020 Presidential Election.
Omar Husband’s Firm Received Half Million in COVID Bailouts
Mynett’s firm, whose LinkedIn page says it has between 11 and 50 employees, received the aid as it was being showered with cash from Omar’s campaign.
Throughout the 2020 election cycle, Omar’s campaign steered nearly $3 million to the E Street Group to cover advertisements, consulting, travel expenses, and production costs.
It was by far the campaign’s largest vendor.
The firm also hauled in hundreds of thousands of dollars from other campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The additional payments include $175,000 from Omar mentor Pramila Jayapal’s (D., Wash.) committee, nearly $130,000 from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for Omar mailers, and $40,000 from the Democratic National Committee.
House passes legislation to decriminalize marijuana at federal level
Marijuana legislation has been largely stagnant on the federal level, but more states have moved toward legalization in recent days. Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voted to legalize marijuana in election referendums, bringing the total to 15 states where the drug will be legal. In addition, 38 states allow medical marijuana.
“We’re not rushing to legalize marijuana.
The American people have already done that. We’re here because Congress has failed to deal with a disastrous war on drugs and do its part for the over 15 million marijuana users in every one of your districts,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a key player behind the bill, said on the House floor before the vote.
“It’s time for Congress to step up and do its part. We need to catch up with the rest of the American people.”
20 House Republicans demand Barr investigate ‘suitcases’ of ballots in Georgia
Citing video showing suitcases of ballots during the counting, the 20 lawmakers, led by Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and including incoming members, also urged Barr to issue a restraining order or temporary injunction to block groups suspected of registering illegal or invalid voters from the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff election.
Brooks, who has already pledged to challenge state Electoral College votes in the House, said, “The evidence is overwhelming that Georgia’s election process has been corrupted by voter fraud and election theft.
The perpetrators of these heinous acts must be investigated, and, as appropriate, prosecuted to the fullest.”
Biden to ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days – BBC News
US President-elect Joe Biden has said he will ask Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
He told CNN he believed there would be a “significant reduction” in Covid-19 cases if every American wore a face covering.
The US has recorded 14.1 million cases and 276,000 deaths from Covid-19 – the highest of any country in the world.
GOP Lawmakers Warm to Bipartisan Stimulus Plan
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer have already endorsed using the bipartisan proposal in negotiations. Several Republican senators, including South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said Thursday that it contained elements for an agreement.
Graham said he pitched it to the president, whose support would be crucial to get more Republicans on board.
“The president is of the mindset that we need relief sooner rather than later, and that the package that’s being talked about is well in the ballpark of what he would would support if it had the right policy provisions,”
RUMBLE VIDEO: Jenna Ellis Breaks Down BOMBSHELL Video of Ballots in Suitcase From Georgia
“I don’t think about any honest person can look at this say yeah this was an election conducted fairly there is nothing to see here let’s move on.”
Report: Maxine Waters’ Campaign Paid Her Daughter $240k Last Election Cycle
Being Maxine Waters’ daughter is proving to be almost as lucrative as being Ilhan Omar’s husband.
Maxine Waters represents California’s 43rd district, a district she doesn’t reside in.
Given the conditions of her district that she’s done nothing to improve, it’s not hard to see why.
She has been productive enriching members of her own family however.
According to a report from the New York Post:
RUMBLE VIDEO: Giuliani insists ‘we have a real good shot’ at overturning election
President Trump’s attorney gives an update on progress of lawsuits on ‘Hannity.’
Georgia’s Kemp Urges Signature Audit After ‘Smoking Gun’ Video Emerges
“Yes, people were sent home, told to stop working, stop counting, but some people stayed behind:
Sure enough, just as our poll watchers – well, our monitors – had said,” Pick maintained.
Pick, who presented the evidence to the state Senate earlier on Thursday, said the video shows suitcases being pulled from under a table covered by a black cloth — purportedly holding thousands of ballots.
As result of the video, Kemp called for the signature audit on Thursday during an interview on the Fox News show, “The Ingraham Angle.”
World News:
Russia to Germany gas pipeline targeted in U.S. defense bill
The $11 billion Nord Stream 2 project, led by Russian state energy company Gazprom and aimed at doubling the existing pipeline’s capacity, is more than 90% complete. Russia says the project to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea to Europe via Germany will begin operating next year.
But President Donald Trump’s administration, which is eager to offer Europe U.S. shipments of gas, and many U.S. lawmakers oppose the pipeline. They say the project, which would bypass Ukraine, depriving it of lucrative transit fees, would boost Moscow’s economic and political leverage over Europe.
The sanctions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) target any companies and individuals providing help to the project, including upgrading of a ship needed to lay the pipeline, verification of equipment used to lay the pipeline, and insurance.
China Forced Detained Uighur Muslims to Eat Pork on ‘Holy’ Fridays, Report Claims
Sayragul Sautbay, a former detainee and a medical doctor, detailed the ordeal Uighurs and other Muslim minorities had to face in detention camps in the country’s Xinjiang region, which is dominated by the ethnic Uighur population.
She alleged the detainees were subjected to forced sterilization, made to witness beatings and were sexually abused.
“Every Friday, we were forced to eat pork meat,” Sautbay told Al Jazeera.
“They have intentionally chosen a day that is holy for the Muslims. And if you reject it, you would get a harsh punishment.”
Israel braces for an Iranian attack; European patience with Turkey runs-out-TV7 Israel News 04.12.20
1) Jerusalem’s National Security Council warns of concrete concerns over Iranian attempts to take action against Israeli targets – both civilian and diplomatic – overseas.
2) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif asserts that the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with the West over Tehran’s missile program and regional activities – because of Western support for the Jewish State.
3) European Council President Charles Michel stressed that the European Union’s patients with Turkey over its activities in the Eastern Mediterranean (among others) is running-out.
Israel’s preparedness for a wide-scale conflict – Jerusalem Studio 563
Commentary/Opinion:
With the Middle East, just like the rest of the world, pre-occupied with the year-long COVID-19 crisis, Israel’s enemies are in no rush or indeed position to initiate large-scale hostilities against the Jewish State.
If there is any movement at all, it is in the opposite direction – with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan officially leaving the anti-Israel front.
Yet the conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran persists and may engulf Syria, where there are Iranian-backed militias and proxies;
Lebanon, home base to Hezbollah; and Gaza, out of which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operate.
How well is Israel prepared for such an eventuality?
Hong Kong police officer convicted of misconduct after beating elderly detainee tied to hospital bed
A District Court judge found Lam Yik-sing guilty of misconduct in public office, saying he “intentionally” neglected his duty by failing to stop Au Kwok-wai and Tang Man-him from attacking Chung Chi-wah in the North District Hospital on June 26 last year.
In August last year, Chung’s sons and former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting revealed security camera footage which appeared to show uniformed police officers Au and Tang punching the 62-year-old’s genitals, slapping his face and prodding him with a baton. Chung had been arrested – and was later convicted – for assaulting an officer while drunk.
The trio faced one count of misconduct in public office, with assault causing actual bodily harm as the alternative charge. Au, 26, and Tang, 25, admitted to the charge earlier, while Lam pleaded not guilty.
Death by Firing Squad for North Korean Man Who Breached Covid-19 Quarantine Rules
The regime did this in order to scare people into following measures put in place to check the spread of Covid-19. However, the irony remains that the communist regime has not acknowledged a coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party ordered the public execution by the firing squad, Radio Free Asia reported, citing sources within North Korea. This happened in the ‘border area’, the report said. According to the report, the execution took place on November 28.
“The public execution happened because the victim was charged with violating quarantine right before the ultra-high-level emergency measures took effect around November 20th,” a source told RFA. The victim was a man in his 50s who tried to ‘smuggle with Chinese business partners’, the report added.
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson arrested in fraud investigation
Anderson, who has led Liverpool for a decade, was one of five men arrested across Merseyside on Friday in an investigation into building and development contracts in the city. He is being interviewed by police on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.
Merseyside police have not named any of the men arrested, but the Guardian has been told by several sources that the 62-year-old mayor is one of those being held.
A Liverpool city council spokeswoman said: “Liverpool city council is cooperating with Merseyside police in relation to its ongoing investigation. We do not comment on matters relating to individuals.”
France Mourns ‘Great European’ Giscard After COVID Death
Tributes poured in Thursday after the death of former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing from COVID-19 aged 94, with French and European leaders hailing him as an ambitious reformer and great statesman.
Giscard, who had been in the hospital several times in the last months for heart problems, died surrounded by his family on Wednesday at the family estate, the family said in a statement.
He governed for a single seven-year term from 1974-1981, when France made great strides in nuclear power and high-speed train travel and legalized abortion.
Commentary/Opinion:
12 Rules for Life Tour – Sydney, Australia.
Today we are releasing the third lecture of our 6 part series. These lectures are taken from Dr. Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life Tour.
Joe Biden’s Bizarre Admission & Leaked Teacher’s Racism Training | DIRECT MESSAGE | Rubin Report
First Dave discusses the latest in a line of Biden gaffes or is it an admission of how he plans to leave office to make way for President Harris?
In Georgia there appears to be possible voter fraud evidence that was caught on tape.
The video allegedly shows suitcases full of ballots that were taken out after counting had stopped for the night.
According to Trump’s lawyers this could be enough votes to possibly change the election results.
Journalist Christopher Rufo has released a leaked racism and diversity training given to San Diego teachers that he received from a whistleblower.
It has all the hallmarks of critical race theory where all the white teachers are lectured about their white privilege and internalized racism.