US News, World News, Politics, Commentary.
US News:
Anthony Avalos case: California boy looked like ‘cancer patient’ after alleged murder by mom, lover, EMT says
Kareem Ernesto Leiva, a 37-year-old illegal immigrant and MS-13 member, and his American girlfriend Heather Maxine Barron, 33, are both charged with murder and torture in the death of Anthony as well as child abuse against two other children in the home.
Prosecutors allege the boy had been beaten, starved, forced to kneel on rice, force-fed, whipped and more in a home where he was allegedly subjected to “extreme physical pain and suffering” by the time his mother called 911 on June 20, 2018, to report her son was unconscious.
Ronald Watts, a former Los Angeles firefighter who is now retired, also took the stand – reportedly telling the court he was “skeptical” of the parent’s version of events and that the scene still troubled him today.
“His eyes were sunken,” he said. “You could count his ribs. His knees had sores on them. He looked dead.”
Transgender Instagram model allegedly murdered dad, stabbed sister after ‘argument over a laptop’: prosecutors
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement that “this defendant is charged with brutally killing her own father and then stabbing her younger sister, allegedly following an argument over a laptop,” according to the New York Post. “My office will vigorously prosecute this horrific case and seek justice for the victims.”
Prosecutors said Nikki Secondino “snapped” after years of family turmoil when her father told her she had to move out of the house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, within 30 days. The six-count indictment, which was unsealed during the hearing, alleges Secondino admitted to coming out of her bedroom around 5:20 a.m., spotting her father asleep on the couch and bashing his head with a hammer, WNBC reported.
She then allegedly told investigators she “grabbed my favorite German steel knife and stabbed the s— out of him,” the complaint says, according to the Post.
Pennsylvania man repeatedly raped child, taped her to punching bag and beat her for feeding dog: police
The abuse was allegedly carried out in 2018 and 2019 at Roy’s home in Mechanicsburg. Roy most recently lived in the neighboring Harrisburg area, but has since been described as homeless by police, according to Penn Live.
Court records report the girl said she would sleep in Roy’s bed and had woken up on one occasion to him raping her. During another attack, the girl said she passed out and thought she would die, only remembering Roy’s hands allegedly around her neck, Penn Live reported.
The girl also alleged that she angered Roy on a different occasion when she fed a dog in his house. He allegedly responded by duct-tapping her to a punching bag and beating her. He allegedly told her he would kill her if she told anyone about the abuse.
Active shooter at Target in Omaha killed by police
Police were alerted to the active shooting just before noon, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The first responding officers confronted the shooter and killed him.
The shooter was a white male in his 30s with “plenty of ammunition,” according to Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer. The World-Herald reported that he had an AR-15 rifle, and that officials believe he entered through a front entrance.
The situation was deemed secure at 12:52 p.m., the World-Herald reported. By 1:45 p.m., there were still several police cruisers at the store but law enforcement presence had decreased.
Trump files $50 million lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward for publishing interview recordings
In the lawsuit filed Monday in the Northern District of Florida, Trump seeks just under $50 million in damages from Woodward, publisher Simon & Schuster Inc., and Paramount Global, the publisher’s parent company.
Trump alleges that he did not consent to the release of 19 taped interviews conducted for Woodward’s 2020 book, “Rage.” The taped interviews, conducted between 2019 and 2020, were ultimately released last year by Simon & Schuster in audiobook format.
The former commander-in-chief alleges that he had agreed to record his exchanges with Woodward for the “sole purpose of Woodward being able to write a single book,” according to language from the 31-page complaint.
Trump’s legal team arrived at $50 million in damages by assuming 2 million sales of the audiobook at $24.99.
Migrants remain camped in NYC street after nearly 48 hours to protest eviction from free stay at luxury hotel
After entering into the U.S. through the southern border, tens of thousands of migrants were sent to New York City where they were given free housing at luxury hotels, while Mayor Eric Adams prepared a facility to control the influx of migrants pouring into the city.
The city prepared to move migrants, specifically single adult men, from the Watson Hotel in New York City to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal facility, but faced pushback on Sunday night from the individuals who refused to relocate.
The illegal migrants, who were given free rooms at the $300-per-night Hells Kitchen hotel, refused to vacate when asked to leave and were joined by migrant activists to rally outside the building. As of Tuesday morning, the group of migrants was still camped outside the hotel, according to several local news reports.
Florida mom found dead in street near SUV with her sleeping toddler inside, homicide detectives investigating
Police arrived and found a sleeping male toddler in a car seat inside a Ford EcoSport SUV. Next to the vehicle, officers discovered an adult woman in her 20s lying dead.
Investigators said the woman had upper body trauma while the child was unharmed. The child was placed in the care of a relative.
Authorities asked anyone with information about the incident to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or share a tip through TIP411, accessible through the TampaPD app.
New York drunk driving crash suspect told of future family’s fate just before court appearance: reports
“No one told him that his fiancé and baby had passed,” Fonte told The Post. “He found out minutes ago, just before he came out [into the courtroom]. When I told him, he broke down crying, sobbing. He was at first completely in disbelief.”
New York City Police said on Sunday that Nikeziq was charged with manslaughter, criminal negligent homicide, vehicular assault, assault, DWI, reckless endangerment, and driving while ability impaired by alcohol in a fatal wreck.
“She was found at the intersection,” Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Agostino, The Post reported, told Judge Raja Rajeswari. “Her severed leg was found 20 feet past her body. Her unborn child, ripped from her body, was found 20 feet past her leg.”
Texas DPS troopers turn in 4 illegal immigrants following chase involving a child
The driver, later identified as Jose Maximo Viera of Penitas, evaded the trooper through multiple cities, rural roads and dirt roads. During the pursuit, speeds reached 110 miles per hour.
Viera reportedly lost control of the vehicle several times due to its speed and wet road conditions.
Viera and the passengers bailed out of the car and ran toward the brush, where troopers located them.
Along with Viera, troopers located two men, one woman and a 2-year-old boy from El Salvador hiding in the brush.
Oregon suspect accused of torturing woman released day he arrived at Nevada prison
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, faced decades in prison in Nevada after he was charged with five felonies in 2019.
William Quenga, a spokesperson for the Nevada prison system, told The Associated Press on Monday that Foster arrived on Oct. 18, 2021, at a prison intake facility but was released the same day. The judge had factored into Foster’s punishment the 729 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial.
Before moving to Oregon, Foster held his former girlfriend captive inside her Las Vegas apartment for two weeks. A Las Vegas police report obtained by the news agency said that she had been forced to eat lye, was choked to the point of unconsciousness, and suffered broken ribs, two black eyes, and injuries from being bound at the wrists and ankles.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told The Associated Press that it is “extremely troubling” that Foster wound up being sought for attempted murder in Oregon instead of still being behind bars in Nevada.
Politics:
Virginia Foxx Takes Over Education and the Workforce Committee
The Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans holds its first hearing of the new Congress.
Domestic violence victims to be entitled to paid leave
Domestic violence victims across Australia will be able to access 10 days of paid leave from today.
The Prime Minister says he’s proud of a push that advocates believe will save lives.
Sahra Wagenknecht on the Ukraine War & the State of German Politics | SYSTEM UPDATE
This is a clip from our show SYSTEM UPDATE, now airing every weeknight at 7pm ET on Rumble. You can watch the full episode for FREE here: https://rumble.com/v27rlj8-system-upd…
Tulsi Gabbard: This Biden official just ‘exposed’ the administration
Former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard discusses how the U.S. allegedly sabotaged Nord stream 2 on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
Exclusive — Banks Presses Biden: Release Classified Swalwell, Fang Fang Intelligence Report
“According to a July 2021 report from the news outlet Breitbart, the White House possesses a classified report that includes publicly unavailable details about Rep. Swalwell’s relationship with Fang Fang,” Banks wrote to Biden. “If the White House’s position is correct and Rep. Swalwell’s past association with a Chinese spy does not preclude him from serving on the House Intelligence Committee, then the White House should immediately declassify its report on Rep. Swalwell. If the report proves that, as the White House is suggesting, Rep. Swalwell’s relations with Fang Fang were innocuous and do not threaten our national security, then many House Republicans, including me, would support allowing Rep. Swalwell to serve on the House Intelligence Committee.”
As Breitbart News reported in July 2021, the classified report per multiple officials familiar with its contents “contains details of the nature of Swalwell’s relationship with Fang Fang including certain sexual acts they allegedly engaged in together.”
“Sources familiar with it, however, would not provide any more detail on the nature of those acts or other details in the report—which is currently classified,” the July 2021 Breitbart News story continues.
Report: FBI Conducted Previously Undisclosed Search at Penn Biden Center in November
Republicans have taken issue with the fact that both the White House and DOJ knew about the classified documents issue before the November 8 midterm election but that the public did not become aware of it until CBS reported it on January 9.
“Early on, Biden’s attorneys and Justice Department investigators both thought they had a shared understanding about keeping the matter quiet,” the Washington Post noted in a report about the White House’s strategy for handling the document discovery.
In CBS’s report on Tuesday, the outlet highlighted how Biden’s attorney Bob Bauer announced in a detailed statement on January 21 that the FBI had conducted a planned search of Biden’s Wilmington home, in coordination with the president, the prior day.
China Issues New Threat to America
China is once again talking big and “preparing for an invasion!” Have you seen their new threat? I’ve got questions and Retired Navy Commander Kirk Lippold has answers:
Tucker: This is a matter of national survival
Fox News host Tucker Carlson voices his concerns over the egg shortage on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
World News:
Gold snatched up by central banks at fastest pace in 55 years
Last year’s buying spree is believed to have been sparked by sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow’s clash with the West “drove home the point that assets from the ‘Western’ economic sphere, like dollars, are risky to hold,” said financial and precious metals analyst Koichiro Kamei.
China was the standout buyer.
The year brought its first reported increase in gold reserves in three years, with a total of 62 tonnes added in November and December.
Its actual purchases may have been even larger, given the roughly 20% drop in its holdings of U.S. debt over the year through November. This came as Beijing has taken steps to move away from the dollar, including buying oil in yuan.
Other central banks that made major gold purchases include inflation-hit Turkey with 148 tonnes; India with 33 tonnes; Qatar with 35 tonnes; and Uzbekistan with 34 tonnes.
Russia claims to have seized village near Ukraine’s eastern Bakhmut town
Ukrainian servicemen ride atop BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles driving down an icy road in the Donetsk region on January 30, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photograph:(AFP)
On Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said that “as a result of successful offensive actions” its forces “liberated the settlement of Blagodatne of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” using Moscow’s term for the eastern Donetsk region, reports AFP news agency.
On Saturday, the Russian mercenary Wagner Group said its forces had taken control of Blahodatne, but Kyiv said it had repelled an attack on the village.
Bakhmut has emerged as the latest flashpoint of the Russia-Ukraine battle as Moscow looks to gain control of the prized Donbas region.
Meanwhile, UK’s Ministry of Defence said that Russian forces are advancing on the towns of Vuhledar and Pavlivka in western Donetsk but are “unlikely” to secure a breakthrough.
US and South Korea scale up military drills
It’s part of a range of commitments the US Defence Secretary gave his South Korean counterpart during a brief visit to Seoul.
The carried-out drills are likely to aggravate North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un.
Turkey Signs $200 Million Deal With South Korea As Seoul Starts Eating Into European Defense Market
According to the company, the export agreement includes a supply commitment of $74.9 million through 2027 and an option for additional sourcing valued at $141 million between 2028 and 2030.
In the longer run, Turkey wants to produce its engines and transmissions. However, until its defense industry can produce these parts locally, the South Korean supplies will serve as a stop-gap solution.
Turkey is going to produce a thousand Altay tanks under the project. The Turkish tank is believed to be very similar to the South Korean K-2 Tank.
Originally, the Altay tank was intended to incorporate technologies from multiple players, with Germany transferring technology for its 55-caliber Rh-120 gun, MTU833 engine, RENK transmission, and Hyundai-Rotem from South Korea providing the turret design of its indigenous K2 Black Panther tank for $424 million.
However, due to an arms embargo placed on Turkey, the agreement with Germany did not go through. Around this time, Turkey began looking for new engines to power its ambitious and first-ever main battle tank project.
Israel to thwart Iran’s nuclear race; PA updates CIA on security coordination TV7 Israel News 31.01
1) Israel and the United States are intensifying preparations for a plausible military option vis-à-vis Iran – amid the latter’s determination to develop its nuclear program far beyond civic applications.
2) Israel’s Defense Establishment is holding deliberations regarding Iranian attempts to carry out attacks against Israeli targets overseas.
3) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tells CIA Director William Burns that suspension of security coordination with Israel is merely temporary.
U.S. curbs exports to Iranian firms for producing drones for Russia
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian entities for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Commerce said.
The firms and other organizations were added to a U.S. export control list for those engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
The additions to the Commerce Department’s “entities list” were posted in a preliminary filing in the U.S. Federal Register, the government’s daily journal, and will be officially published on Wednesday.
Iranians Use Sadeh Festival To Protest Against Lack Of Freedoms
Iranian protesters have staged fresh anti-government demonstrations by taking to the streets during the Sadeh festival, a traditional ancient celebration in which fire is used to defeat the forces of darkness and cold.
Protesters in Tehran’s Ekbatan neighborhood celebrated the Sadeh festival by lighting huge fires, saying they showed the depth of their anger toward the government’s intrusion on their freedoms and chanted “death to the dictator,” a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Similar scenes were repeated in the Iranian cities of Yazd, Kerman, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Kerman, and Mashhad.
Ukraine PM says EU-Ukraine summit to take place in Kyiv on Friday
“The Ukraine-EU summit will be held in Kyiv on Feb 3,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a government meeting on Tuesday, calling the event “extremely important” for Kyiv’s bid to join the European bloc.
“The fact that this summit will be held in Kyiv is a powerful signal to both partners and enemies.”
Mr Shmyhal said that the fact that the high-profile summit will take place in war-time Kyiv is meant to demonstrate to Russia that its efforts to sow discord among Kyiv’s Western allies and prevent Ukraine from joining the EU have been futile.
The Ukrainian prime minister said that another key event will take place on Thursday, when consultations between the government of Ukraine and the European Commission will take place “for the first time in our history.”
Historic Kill! Shooting Down MiG-29 In Aerial Combat, Ukraine Hails Dutch Prowess & Cleverly Demands F-16 Jets
A video posted on Twitter by the official account of the Defense of Ukraine on January 30 appeals to The Netherlands for the F-16 fighter jet. The video opens by appreciating the Netherlands and says, “A country that fought a battle against the seas and won knows there is no such thing as an unwinnable war.”
The video soon switches tempo and lists the military equipment Kyiv has received or is yet to receive from Amsterdam. This includes howitzers, armored carrier vehicles, Patriot missile defense, and the Leopard-2 tanks. The video ends with “Thank you, The Netherlands!”
While the video appears to be an exercise of gratitude at face value, the message is in the caption. It reads:
“The land that famously beat the sea will help us beat our enemy. Thank you, the Netherlands! PS And you know that we would appreciate F-16s!”
Australians to face gas bill price hike
AGL, Energy Australia and Origin Energy will increase prices affecting customers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.
The gas industry has criticised the government for failing to have a plan to fix supply shortages as prices increase.
Cannabis compound CBD now banned in Hong Kong – 7-year jail term for possession to match meth, cocaine
The ban involves the addition of CBD to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, joining over 200 substances listed in the ordinance, among them fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, ketamine and methamphetamine.
While CBD is not psychoactive, authorities say it is inseparable from tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the compound responsible for the high produced by cannabis, which is illegal in Hong Kong.
Supporters of CBD have argued that the small amount of THC found in CBD products is not sufficient to produce its associated effects.
With its criminalisation, the trafficking and manufacturing of CBD will now be subject to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine. Possession and consumption of CBD are subject to up to seven years’ imprisonment and a HK$1 million fine.
68-year-old Hong Kong woman to serve 3 month jail term over ‘seditious’ words after giving up appeal
Chiu was convicted of “uttering seditious words” under the colonial-era sedition law, and was handed a three-month prison term last October. She was granted bail pending appeal.
The defendant’s lawyer told the court on Tuesday that she had withdrawn her appeal, and Chiu was remanded in custody after the court hearing ended.
People in the public gallery stood up and waved to Chiu as the elderly woman left the dock, with some shouting “take care.”
Before the court hearing began, over 30 people gathered outside the courtroom, with many hugging Chiu. With help from her daughter, the 68-year-old removed the shoelaces from her shoes outside the courtroom to prepare herself for prison.
Commentary:
Groundbreaking Cancer Patient Study Using Psychedelics As Therapeutics, with Dr. Roland Griffiths
Megyn Kelly is joined by Dr. Roland Griffiths, Director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss the groundbreaking cancer patient study using psychedelics as therapeutics, the role of psychedelics in understanding death, and more.
‘Wearable technology’ is BEYOND DANGEROUS to YOUR free will
Wearable technology is not longer a prediction for our future. It’s HERE, and a recent clip Glenn plays from a presentation done by the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this month proves that world elite already are planning how to use it.
This kind of technology and artificial intelligence can monitor your BRAINWAVES, tracking your productivity and effectively diminishing YOUR free will.
Glenn explains just how dangerous this new type of technology truly is…
Parents need to hear this…
Watch the FULL episode with Matt Beadreua here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtXe3…