Today's News: December 28, 2023

WORLD NEWS

Ukraine Claims to Have Destroyed Large Russian Warship With Storm Shadow Cruise Missile

Russia acknowledges a missile attack on warship Novocherkassk, which Ukraine claims to have destroyed in a cruise missile strike in the early hours of Boxing Day. Ukraine appears to have come out of Christmas Day determined to make an impact, as they claim to have destroyed another Russian warship, this time with an air-launched cruise missile strike. Russia acknowledged the attack on the Ropucha-class Novocherkassk, a 1980s-vintage landing ship similar in size to the U.S.-made Freedom-class warship, saying that one person had been killed in the strike.

Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk of the Ukrainian Air Force thanked his pilots for the “fine work” and noted in a statement that the Russian fleet “is getting smaller and smaller”. Ukrainian Pravda reports remarks of the spokesman for the Ukrainian armed forces Yurii Ihnat, who gave more detail on the strike, saying fighter jets launched a barrage of Anglo-French Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles at the target, hoping at least one of the group would evade Russian air defenses.

‘Culture Of Death’: Canada On Track To Let Doctors Offer Assisted Suicide To Mentally Ill People

Canada is set to offer assisted suicide to Canadians with mental illnesses, The New York Times reported yesterday.

The law would make Canada one of the few countries that allow individuals struggling with mental illness to seek assisted suicide through a doctor, according to the NYT. It is set to go into effect in March, and has drawn condemnation from lawmakers and mental health professionals, the latter of whom fear it will undercut their efforts to help their patients and prevent them from committing suicide.

“I’m trying to keep my patients alive,” Dr. John Maher, an Ontario-based psychiatrist, told the NYT. “What does it mean for the role of the physician, as healer, as bringer of hope, to be offering death? And what does it mean in practice?”

Canada made assisted suicide legal in 2016 and currently offers the service to citizens who suffer from terminal illnesses or physical and chronic disorders, according to the NYT. Approximately 13,200 Canadians died by assisted suicide in 2022, a 31% increase from the year prior; roughly 45,000 people in total have died from assisted suicide since the law was enacted in 2016, according to CBC.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has defended the planned expansion of assisted suicide to mentally ill individuals, citing a 2019 Quebec court ruling that mandates its approval, according to the NYT. Canada’s Conservative Party has decried the expansion, warning it will fuel a “culture of death,” and many Canadians feel the focus should be instead on expanding the country’s underfunded psychiatric care services.

Javier Milei Continues Cleaning House: Announces Layoff of 5,000 Government Employees

Argentina’s new president isn’t slowing down. Javier Milei, who was recently elected after a tense race, took office earlier this month and has already been working to fulfill his promise to slash the size of government.

Milei has already done away with most of the government’s various ministries. Now, his administration is further seeking to reduce government expenditures and the overall size of the state by laying off an estimated 5,000 government employees. This move is intended to streamline the government’s workforce as it grapples with devastating inflation.

U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Colorado GOP Takes Trump Ballot Battle to Supreme Court

The Colorado GOP filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking a review of the Colorado Supreme Court decision that allowed the state to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the ballot based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

On Dec. 19, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a controversial move, declared President Trump ineligible, invoking a provision that bars individuals who have engaged in “insurrection” against the United States from holding office. The state’s Supreme Court stayed its ruling until Jan. 4, 2024—the day before ballots are due to be printed—or until an appeal is made to the U.S. Supreme Court (pdf).

Now, with the Colorado GOP’s petition and President Trump’s lawyers indicating their intention to appeal the decision, the stay looks to be extended until the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. In its petition, the state GOP argues that it has been irreparably harmed by the Colorado Supreme Court decision. “The Colorado Supreme Court has removed the leading Republican candidate from the primary and general ballots, fundamentally changing the course of American democracy,” the petition reads.

The filing asserts that unless the state Supreme Court’s decision is overturned, “any voter will have the power to sue to disqualify any political candidate, in Colorado or in any other jurisdiction that follows its lead.”

The Colorado Republican Party, in its petition for a writ of certiorari, wrote that the state Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision urgently merits review to prevent “the potential chaos wrought by an imprudent, unconstitutional, and standardless system in which each state gets to adjudicate Section Three disqualification cases on an ad hoc basis.”

Lawyers for the Colorado GOP argue that, based on the specific language of the U.S. Constitution and historical context, the president is excluded from the disqualification provision of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment because “the President is not an officer of the United States.”

Boebert announces she will switch congressional districts for 2024 election

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) will be running for a different congressional district next year, the lawmaker announced on Dec. 27.

Ms. Boebert, 37, announced the planned switch in a video on Facebook, noting that she “did not arrive at this decision easily.”

The two-term representative currently serves the 3rd Congressional District, which spans Colorado’s Western Slope into Pueblo and southeastern Colorado.

However, she will instead seek to win Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, which spans Weld County, Douglas County, and all of eastern Colorado, which is currently represented by Rep. Ken Buck of Windsor.

Mr. Buck announced in November that he would not run for reelection in 2024.

“Today I’m announcing my candidacy for the 2024 Republican nomination to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District,” Ms. Boebert began the video. “It’s the right move for me personally and it’s the right decision for those who support our conservative movement.”

Ms. Boebert won the 3rd Congressional District by just 546 votes last year in a close race against Democrat Adam Frisch following a recount of votes.

The 3rd District leans 9 percentage points in Republicans’ favor, while the 4th District has a 27-point Republican lean, according to The Colorado Sun. Mr. Frisch, a former Aspen city council member who is running again next year, has so far raised over $7.7 million to Boebert’s $2.4 million. In July, the Cook Political Report, based on Mr. Frisch’s strong fundraising, shifted its rating of Ms. Boebert’s current House district race from “lean Republican” to “toss-up.”

Michigan Supreme Court Rules to Keep Trump on 2024 Ballot

The Michigan Supreme Court rejected an attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot based on a reading of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment, according to a court document posted on Wednesday. The ruling in Michigan starkly contrasts a decision handed down last week by the Colorado Supreme Court that disqualified the former president from serving as president and removed him from the Colorado primary ballot, with a 4–3 majority of judges arguing that he was linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. However, some analysts have suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the ruling—as he hasn’t been charged with either rebellion or insurrection in any jurisdiction.

According to the Michigan court’s brief order, it denied an appeal against the former president because it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.” The order appeared to reject the appeal on procedural grounds and did not address questions about whether President Trump engaged in an “insurrection” or whether the Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s Section 3 applies.

Federal Judge in Trump Documents Case Sets Key Deadline

A federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case has approved a request from the special counsel’s office to require preparation of jury questions ahead of the May 2024 trial. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a paperless order that the former president’s lawyers and special counsel Jack Smith’s office are to “meaningfully confer and file a joint jury questionnaire for the Court’s consideration, clearly denoting any areas of agreement and disagreement” before Feb. 28, 2024. The court also “reserves ruling on the specific process by which questionnaires will be” transmitted or completed before that time. Last week, the special counsel’s team had asked Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee based in Florida, to set a deadline for early February regarding the first jury selection steps.

“Because the pre-trial publicity surrounding this case is substantial, the Government recommends a thorough jury selection process, including a written questionnaire completed by potential jurors before in-person voir dire,” Mr. Smith’s office said in a court filing.

“Accomplishing that requires enough time beforehand to allow for meaningful conferral among the parties and for the Court to consider and resolve disputes. Time may also be required to print questionnaires and conduct other processing.”

However, President Trump’s team opposed the proposal, writing a day later that his request was too early.

“Moreover, in addition to wasting the Court’s resources, this type of litigation detracts from the defendants’ efforts to review voluminous discovery and prepare motions that are crucial to the defense,” his lawyers wrote.

On Dec. 26, Mr. Smith’s team pressed Judge Cannon again to grant his request for a speedy trial in the documents case.

In a new court filing, prosecutors wrote that the U.S. government “hereby files this Speedy Trial Report regarding the status of this case under the Speedy Trial Act of 1984,” noting that the Florida court earlier this year “confirmed that the same Speedy Trial clock applies to each defendant, that it has been tolled until May 20, 2024, and that 70 days remain on the Speedy Trial clock.”

Previously, Mr. Smith’s team had opposed President Trump’s attempts to push back the trial in urging the judge to leave the trial date intact. President Trump’s legal team argued that the move for a speedy trial is “unrealistic” and said it should be postponed until after the November 2024 election. Federal prosecutors accuse President Trump of allegedly retaining at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, reams of classified documents taken with him after he left the White House in 2021 and then repeatedly obstructing government efforts to get the records back. He has pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the charges are politically motivated efforts to block him from returning to the White House.

Appeals court tosses ex-Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s conviction for lying to feds

On Tuesday, Jeffrey Fortenberry, a former U.S. Representative from Nebraska, won an appeal to overturn his criminal conviction. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Mr. Fortenberry should not have been tried in Los Angeles, where the Republican’s campaign allegedly received $30,000 from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, just because federal agents who later interviewed him about the money worked there. Writing for a three-judge panel, Judge James Donato said the U.S. Department of Justice could seek a new trial in Nebraska or the District of Columbia, where Mr. Fortenberry denied knowing about illegal contributions.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

US Home Prices Again Rise as Tight Supply, Mortgage Rates Evaporate Affordability

Home prices rose in October as lackluster housing supply continues to prop up the U.S. real estate market despite higher mortgage rates. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the average price of a single-family home with a mortgage guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac climbed by 0.3 percent in October. This was down from an upwardly revised 0.7 percent increase in September. Compared to the same time a year ago, house prices increased by 6.3 percent. Regionally, seasonally adjusted monthly price changes ranged from a 0.3 percent drop to a 1.1 percent gain.

“U.S. house price gains remained strong over the last 12 months,” Nataliya Polkovnichenko, the supervisory economist in FHFA’s Division of Research and Statistics, said in a statement.

“On a monthly basis, price appreciation moderated in October, with four divisions exhibiting slowdowns from the previous month.”

Likewise, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index (HPI) advanced 4.8 percent year over year in October, representing the strongest annualized gain in 2023. Both measurements witnessed increases amid a sharp rise in mortgage rates. At the end of October, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage flirted with the 8 percent mark, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS). Mortgage News Daily reported in October that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate had crossed the 8 percent threshold.

Poll: 4 in 10 Americans’ Financial Situations Worsened in Past Six Months

More than four in ten (41 percent) Americans say their personal finances have worsened in the past six months, a new Rasmussen Reports survey found.

Additionally, 32 percent expect their personal finances to tank further, while 25 percent expect an improvement, and 36 percent expect conditions to stay the same, the survey found. Just 17 percent say their finances have improved in the past six months, and 38 percent say their situation has stayed about the same.

The survey further found that 28 percent of American adults have been late at least once in the past six months in making a major monthly payment, like rent or mortgage, a car payment, or utility bills. In contrast, 65 percent say they have not missed any payments.

“Twenty-five percent of whites, 40 percent of blacks and 28 percent of other minorities have been late at least once in making a major monthly payment in the past six months. Whites are less likely to expect a worsening financial situation in the new six months,” the survey found, continuing:

Adults under 40 – and particularly men under 40 – are much more likely than their elders to have made late payment on a major bill in the past six months. At the same time, however, older Americans are more likely to say their personal financial situation has gotten worse in the past six months.

Rasmussen Reports did not find much difference between men and women in how they answered the questions, although men are more likely to say their finances remained stable in recent months and are more likely to expect their finances to stay the same in the coming months. By political affiliation, Democrats (26 percent) are more likely than Republicans (16 percent) and unaffiliated voters (nine percent) to say their financial situation has improved in the past six months.

“However, Democrats (36 percent) are also more likely than Republicans (28 percent) or the unaffiliated (20 percent) to have been late on a major payment in the past six months,” the survey report notes.

Married adults and adults with children at home are also more likely than single or childless Americans to expect their finances to worsen in the next six months. Unsurprisingly, Americans who make annual incomes upwards of $100,000 are more likely to say their finances have improved, while those making under $50,000 say their situations have worsened.

“Among those who say their financial situation has gotten better in the past six months, 67 percent expect it to get even better in the next six months,” according to the poll report.

Rasmussen Reports conducted the survey with 1,010 American adults between December 6-7 and 10, 2023. The margin of sampling error is ± three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

It’s Tough Working for Elon: Tesla Engineer Injured by Robot at Texas Factory

A Tesla software engineer working on factory robots at Elon Musk’s Austin, Texas, plant suffered serious injuries due to an unexpected attack by a malfunctioning robot. The robot reportedly grabbed the man by his arm and back, leaving a trail of blood on the factory floor. The newly revealed incident is part of a troubling trend of injured and sick Tesla factory workers. The New York Post reports that a routine day at Tesla’s Austin factory turned alarming when a software engineer, while working on the factory floor, was seriously injured by a production robot. Designed to handle aluminum car parts, the robot suffered a malfunction in which it pinned the engineer, inflicting injuries with its metal claws and leaving a trail of blood smeared on the floor.

The incident, which occurred two years ago but has recently come to light based on an investigation by The Information, involved the engineer programming software for robots tasked with cutting car parts from sheets of aluminum. While two robots were appropriately disabled for maintenance, a third robot was inadvertently left operational, leading to the unfortunate event.

EV Graveyards: Hardly Anyone Wants to Buy a Used One

The market for used EVs is plummeting. What will car rental companies do with the used ones? Problems started in China but have spread to Europe and the US.

Bloomberg notes China’s Abandoned, Obsolete Electric Cars Are Piling Up in Cities

A subsidy-fueled boom helped build China into an electric-car giant but left weed-infested lots across the nation brimming with unwanted battery-powered vehicles.

On the outskirts of the Chinese city of Hangzhou, a small dilapidated temple overlooks a graveyard of sorts: a series of fields where hundreds upon hundreds of electric cars have been abandoned among weeds and garbage.

Similar pools of unwanted battery-powered vehicles have sprouted up in at least half a dozen cities across China, though a few have been cleaned up. In Hangzhou, some cars have been left for so long that plants are sprouting from their trunks. Others were discarded in such a hurry that fluffy toys still sit on their dashboards.

The cars were likely deserted after the ride-hailing companies that owned them failed, or because they were about to become obsolete as automakers rolled out EV after EV with better features and longer driving ranges. They’re a striking representation of the excess and waste that can happen when capital floods into a burgeoning industry, and perhaps also an odd monument to the seismic progress in electric transportation over the last few years.

Shenzhen-based photographer Wu Guoyong was one of the first people in China to document the waste that results from frenetic development, taking striking drone shots of the piles of abandoned bicycles in 2018. In 2019, he filmed aerial footage of thousands of electric cars in empty lots around Hangzhou and Nanjing, the capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province.

HEALTH

Judge denies DOJ request to pause lawsuit challenging Alabama ban on trans care for minors

A federal judge in Alabama denied the Biden administration’s request to pause a lawsuit challenging the state’s transgender care ban while other courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, consider similar challenges in other states.

In his opinion, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke wrote a stay “may indeed be the most efficient way to proceed in this case, but not unless a higher court signals that it will decide the governing standard of review.”

The Justice Department asked for the pause because “this exceptional legal landscape is quickly evolving,” citing a request for the Supreme Court to block Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care, as well as a request for the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to hear arguments on Alabama’s ban.

Burke wrote that if either court agrees to hear its respective case, then a stay “may well be appropriate. But as long as those petitions remain pending, this case will move forward.”

In November, three Tennessee families with transgender children and a doctor asked the Supreme Court to step in to prevent the state from enforcing a law that prevents transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming health care.

7 Cold Weather Myths Debunked

If the weather outside is frightful there’s no reason to panic. You can still exercise, take showers and head outdoors without fear of getting sick. Cold weather myths abound because people do tend to get sick more often in winter, but it’s more about gathering with others indoors than the low temperatures that lead to illness.

Robert Lichfield, a family medicine specialist from Spokane, Washington, says it is the correlation between catching a cold and cold weather that’s partly to blame.

“I think in people’s minds it’s almost irresistible,” he tells USA Today. “It’s cold outside and now I’ve got a cold. The temperature itself does not make us more likely to get sick, but we are more likely to be sick in the winter because we are inside together more.”

Here are more myths:

Leaving the house with wet hair can make you sick. “The short answer is no,” says Lichfield. Diane Pappas, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine adds, “Colds are caused by viruses and not caused by going outside with wet hair.”
Swimming in the winter increases your risk of colds. Another myth, says Lichfield, adding that “any good, healthy, safe physical activity makes us less likely to get sick because it actually stimulates our immune system.”
Drinking alcohol warms you up. Lichfield says that drinking too much alcohol in the winter can be dangerous because it dulls our senses, including our perception of cold and pain. This could prevent our central nervous system from recognizing that temperatures have dropped and put us at risk of hypothermia.
You don’t need to wear sunscreen in the winter. According to the American Academy of Dermatology you need to wear sunscreen year round. In fact, the risk of sunburn can increase when engaging in popular winter activities where one is exposed to higher altitudes and additional UV light reflected from the snow.
You lose 90% of your body’s heat through your head. Not true, says Lichfield. Since our heads have a rich source of blood supply, there is a lot of heat moving around the head, says the expert. The head also has more nerve endings than some other parts of the body, so we feel the cold immediately. We lose about the same amount of body heat throughout its surface area. So, we lose about 10% of heat through the head, because the head represents 10% of our body’s surface area.
Eat snow if you are stranded and thirsty. Hopefully this won’t happen but if it does, know that the risk of eating snow is that it will very quickly lower your body temperature, says Lichfield. “It’s not necessarily comfortable but you can go without water for several days and usually do OK as far as surviving,” he says. You really need to preserve the heat in your body, so eating snow will sabotage your well-being.
You don’t need to drink water in cold weather. You can still get very dehydrated during the winter months because the air is usually so dry. Daryl Gioffre, a board-certified chiropractor, and nutritionist, says: “Your goal should be to drink half your body weight in ounces daily. If you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water daily.” Adding a slice of lemon or lime to improve the taste and alkalinity, or a pinch of pink Himalayan salt, is helpful. Gioffre adds that in winter, soups, and broths, such as mineral-rich bone broth, are excellent alternatives to stay hydrated. Pay attention to indoor heating systems that can dry out the air, leading to increased fluid loss through breathing. Using a humidifier can help maintain indoor moisture levels, while keeping you hydrated at the same time.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Social Media Companies Made $11B in Ads to Minors

Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published Wednesday.

The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. They note such regulations, as well greater transparency from tech companies, could help alleviate harms to youth mental health and curtail potentially harmful advertising practices that target children and adolescents.

To come up with the revenue figure, the researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube in 2022 based on population data from the U.S. Census and survey data from Common Sense Media and Pew Research.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Shocking Discovery: Viral Levels in the Water Supply Skyrockets

The CDC got exactly what it wanted for Christmas: nationwide data showing sky-high levels of the latest COVID strain in the water supply.

The most recent control tactic.

All winter, the CDC and FDA have been using the new contagious JN.1 variant to push their WEF-endorsed policies. Whether we’re supposed to be eating outdoors for the holidays or getting a combined flu + COVID shot, the actual truth is far more troubling.

What they’re not telling you.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest COVID-related story was completely buried by the mainstream media. Despite vaccine status, repeat infections of COVID may actually compound negative effects.

Dr. James Thorp, one of the nation’s leading critics of corrupt Big Pharma, believes that now – more than ever – people should be prepared for the next crisis.

Unfortunately, the list of drugs compiled by the front line doctors that are hosting The Wellness Clinic consist of Big Pharma drugs, with the exception of ivermectin:

Amoxicillin-Clavulanate (generic Augmentin) 875/125 mg – 28 tablets
Azithromycin (generic Z-Pak) 250 mg – 12 tablets
Doxycycline Hyclate 100 mg – 60 capsules
Metronidazole (generic Flagyl) 500 mg – 30 tablets
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (generic Bactrim) 800/160 mg – 28 tablets
Ivermectin 18mg – 7 compounded capsules
Fluconazole (generic Diflucan) 150 mg – 2 tablets
Ondansetron (generic Zofran) 4mg – 6 tablets
1 Emergency Medication Guide Book written by the Chief Medical Board for safe use.

So, which is more shocking? COVID strains in the public water supply or the fact that the very doctors who condemned Big Pharma for producing death jabs are now pandering Big Pharma-produced drugs?

Report: Despite Billions in Government Investments, Electric Vehicles ‘Piling Up on Dealer Lots’

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are “piling up on dealer lots” as American consumers continue buying traditional gas-powered cars at faster rates, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite major investments from the federal government and automakers into EVs, Americans are not warming to President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda the way the administration and the industry had predicted.

The Journal reports:

As a result, electric cars and trucks are piling up on dealer lots, causing auto companies to reassess their investment plans. It takes a dealership around three weeks longer to sell an EV than a gasoline vehicle, according to data from car-shopping website Edmunds. A year ago, battery-powered models were selling faster than their gasoline counterparts. [Emphasis added]

Aside from a lack of electric charging stations and consumer nervousness over reliability, the cost of EVs remains a prime reason why Americans are choosing gas-powered cars instead.

Figures published in the Journal show that the average EV cost buyers nearly $52,000 last month, while the average gas-powered car cost less than $45,000. Industry experts said they do not expect EVs to get any cheaper until 2025.

Also an issue for automakers is that EVs are primarily being bought up in only a few states and cities. For example, from July through September, almost 25 percent of all EVs sold were sold in California, and the top four metropolitan areas for EVs were in California.

The Biden administration’s massive taxpayer-funded investments into EVs have yet to come to fruition. For instance, the $7.5 billion allocated to build electric chargers across the United States has yet to produce a single charger.

As Breitbart News recently reported, U.S. car dealers have urged Biden to abandon his EV mandates and carbon emission regulations, which would effectively force all-electric cars on consumers, pointing to a widespread lack of demand among Americans.

2ND AMENDMENT

R.I.P. Gaston Glock, Groundbreaking Gun Designer

In a piece of sad news for gun owners, shooters, Second Amendment advocates, and concealed-carry folks … Gaston Glock, the man responsible for development the namesake weapon, died yesterday at the age of 94.

Glock developed the famous polymer handgun in the 1980s, when the Austrian military was looking for a new, innovative weapon. Until then, the Glock company had made military knives and consumer goods including curtain rods. Glock assembled a team of firearms experts and came up with the Glock 17, a lightweight semi-automatic gun largely made of plastic. The revolutionary design – with a frame made of a high-strength, nylon-based polymer and only the slide made of metal – beat several other companies’ blueprints and secured his upstart outfit the contract. The easily assembled weapon became a global hit, with the Austrian winning loyal followings among police and military across the world.

“Global hit,” if anything, is an understatement. The various striker-fired Glock sidearms are damn near ubiquitous among United States police departments. Internationally, at least 63 nations use Glock sidearms for police and/or military purposes. The United States military uses the Glock 19, and more locally, the Alaska State Police rely on the .40 caliber Glock 22 Gen 4 pistol as their standard sidearm, and as we’ve seen only recently, they know how to use them.

COVID RELATED NEWS

Study Finds COVID Vaccination Independently Associated With Long COVID Syndrome

People who receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine may be more likely to develop long COVID, according to a new study published in PLOS One. Researchers examined data from 487 and 371 individuals at four weeks and six months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively, to estimate the incidence, characteristics, and predictors of long COVID among patients. Long COVID symptoms were reported by 29.2 percent of participants four weeks following infection. This number dropped to 9.4 percent at six months, indicating symptoms may diminish over time.

Researchers found that the greater the severity of infection a patient had, the more likely they were to experience long COVID. The incidence of long COVID at four weeks of follow-up in those who experienced mild/moderate disease was 23.4 percent compared with 62.5 percent in those with severe cases. At six months, the incidence of long COVID was considerably lower. For those with mild/moderate infection, only 7.2 percent reported symptoms compared with 23.1 percent in those with severe/critical cases.

The most commonly reported symptom was fatigue. Other symptoms included cough, cognitive dysfunction or brain fog, and loss of taste and smell.

During the four-week follow-up, patients were more likely to experience long COVID if they had preexisting medical conditions, a higher number of symptoms during the acute phase of COVID-19 illness, if their infection was more severe or resulted in hospitalization, or if they had received two COVID-19 vaccine doses. Although previous vaccination was associated with long COVID, the authors could not find “any interaction effect of COVID-19 vaccination and acute COVID-19 severity on causing Long COVID.”

CANCEL CULTURE

High School Soccer Coach Busted for Spending $5K at Strip Club on School District’s Credit Card

A Texas high school soccer coach found himself in police custody on Dec. 15 after being caught spending five grand at a strip club using a school district credit card.

J.D. Bales, a now former assistant coach at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Texas, went on his spending spree in July at the Men’s Club of Houston, according to the New York Post.

After being booked, Bales posted a $10,000 bond — presumably on his own credit card — and was released. He was indicted in November, but the indictment was sealed until this month.

The former coach resigned his position on Sept. 11 after the $5,455.81 credit card bill came due. The school reported the theft of the district’s money to the Wise County District Attorney for review upon the coach’s resignation. He has been working for the district since 2018.

“[Bales] resigned from both his coaching position and his role as a [special education] teacher at Bridgeport Middle School [Sept. 8],” the district said in a statement. “Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis confirmed that the decision to accept the resignation is in the best interest of Bridgeport ISD and the athletic program.”

Bales initially told the district that he did not make the expenditure and that it must have been some unknown fraudster who stole the card information. However, investigators found evidence that he was at the strip club on the date of the credit card debits.

“Bales eventually submitted payment for the charge. However, due to the overwhelming evidence in the case (most importantly, the case involved taxpayer money), I believed it was prudent to submit the case to the Wise County District Attorney,” Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said of the case.

In May, six of his soccer team players were arrested for hazing other students, some as young as 14. The hazers allegedly forced the students to strip naked and recorded them making demeaning and sexually explicit phrases.

Florida teen allegedly shoots and kills sister over Christmas gift spat

The 14-year-old was then allegedly shot and wounded by his 15-year-old brother

A Florida woman holding her 11-month-old son in a baby carrier was fatally shot by her 14-year-old brother while trying to defuse an argument over Christmas gifts he was having with a 15-year-old brother who also was armed, authorities said.

The 15-year-old brother then shot his 14-year-old brother, though not fatally, for killing

their sister on Sunday in Largo, Florida, which is located in the Tampa metro area, the

Pinellas County Sheriff’s reported.

The argument over gifts started while the three siblings were Christmas shopping with their mother and the sister’s two sons, ages six and 11 months. It continued when they went to their grandmother’s house where the sister, 23, told the younger brother to stop arguing with his older brother since it was Christmas Eve. The younger brother then told his sister he was going to shoot her and her infant, and then he shot her in the chest, the sheriff’s office said.

The older brother then shot his younger brother outside the home because of what he had done to their sister and he fled the home, tossing his firearm in a nearby yard, authorities said. He was taken to a mental health facility after he was located since he had threatened to harm himself. Once he is released from the mental health facility, he will be taken to a juvenile detention center, the news release said.

The 14-year-old brother was charged with first-degree murder and child abuse and for possessing a firearm as a delinquent. His 15-year-old brother was charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, the sheriff’s office said.

Trans Activist Who Got Shut Down by a Delta Employee Over ‘Misgendering’ Is Identified, and Hoo Boy

The transgender individual who tried to accuse a Delta Airlines employee of “misgendering” him in a now-viral video has been identified as trans activist and “influencer” Tommy Dorfman. The absurdity doesn’t stop there either.

Dorfman confronted a Delta Airlines gate agent, claiming he had been purposely “misgendered” multiple times. After a brief back and forth between the two, the gate agent threatened to have him escorted out of the building with a “make my day” style threat about it being three days before Christmas. Dorfman quickly backed down, realizing he would end up not getting on a flight if he continued his snarky crusade.

This trans activist has a podcast and recently hosted Dylan Mulvaney, another trans influencer most infamous for helping destroy Bud Light as a brand with his disturbing “girlhood” antics. Are you starting to understand how this is all one big grift yet?

Dorfman is also an actor who once appeared in a Netflix film. In a post on Instagram, he accused the Delta employees of “transphobia,” describing their “misgendering” as a “human rights violation.”

“When you try to advocate for yourself at @delta and are met woth [SIC] even more transpbobia [SIC] and threats of being arrested at LaGuardia [SIC],” Dorfman said in the post, which included the video of part of the incident. “Tristan, the employee, said he was fine with me posting this, didn’t realize it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.

PET NEWS

Pets Slow Cognitive Decline in Seniors Living Alone

For the growing number of American seniors who live alone, having a beloved dog or cat by their side could help them maintain a healthy brain.

New research on more than 7,900 people averaging 66 years of age found that those who lived alone were able to stave off losses in memory and thinking if they had a pet.

Pet ownership didn’t seem to affect the cognition of older folks who lived with others, however.

Loneliness — or the lack of it — may be key here.

Owning a cat or dog “is related to reduced loneliness, an important risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline,” wrote a team led by Ciyong Lu, of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. They published their findings Dec. 26 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The researchers noted that people are increasingly living solo as they age — 2021 data found 28.5% of all Americans were residing in single-person households.

Numerous studies have found that “older persons living alone are at high risk of developing dementia,” Lu’s group noted.

Could life with a four-legged friend cut that risk?

The new study was based on data collected on thousands of British people aged 50 or older whose lifestyles and mental acuity were tracked between 2010 and 2019. Just over half (56%) were women.

The team assessed whats known as “verbal memory” — the ability of people to recall what’s been said to them (for example, repeating back a story), verbal fluency and verbal cognition, or mental processes that involve the use of language.

The study found that “pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among individuals living alone, but not among those living with others,” according to the researchers.

In fact, having a pet appeared to “completely offset” any mental decline that had been associated with growing old alone.

Beware of Bloat in Dogs

There’s no quicker way to jump to the front of the veterinary ER line than walking into the hospital with a dog who has bloat — a condition in which a dog’s stomach fills with air, gas, or fluid, which causes the stomach to expand and distend. In some cases, this can progress to a twisting of the dog’s stomach, called gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV).

Bloat is a life-threatening condition that I treat frequently, and a good outcome is time-dependent. That means, if you even remotely suspect your dog has bloat or GDV, take them to a veterinary hospital ASAP. Keep reading to learn the signs of bloat to lookout for, plus how the condition is treated.

What is GDV in dogs?

Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) is the twisting and bloating of the dog’s stomach. Think of a balloon being twisted in half, like when a clown makes an animal figure. The enlarged stomach presses on the major blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart, stopping normal circulation and sending the dog into shock. Making matters worse, the dog’s stomach tissue is literally dying because it is stretched tightly and blood cannot circulate through it. Intense pain is associated with this disease, causing the heart to race at such a high rate that heart failure will result.

Symptoms of GDV or bloat in dogs

The biggest sign of bloat is vomiting. A dog with bloat appears highly nauseated and retches but little comes up. It’s important to recognize the signs of bloat — for each hour that goes by, there is a greater risk for complications. Here are the signs to look out for:

ICYMI

‘They Want To Get Us Killed’: Two GOP House Reps, Multiple Conservatives SWATTED Over Christmas Holiday

Two Republican U.S. House Representatives and multiple conservative commentators were the targets of swatting efforts over the Christmas holiday.

“Swatting” is a malicious act where false reports of violence are illegally made in bad faith by criminal actors, prompting police to be summoned to one’s home. Perpetrators hope the call leads to an armed confrontation where the swatting victim could potentially be killed or at the very least, left terrified.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) reported being swatted last Thursday on Dec. 21, and again on Christmas Day, making it her eighth swatting.

“I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time,” Rep. Greene described on X. “On Christmas with my family here. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) also revealed he was swatted on Christmas.

“Our home was swatted this afternoon. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!” reported Rep. Williams on Monday.

Popular pro-Trump conservative X user CatTurd announced he’d been “swatted” on Dec. 22.

Human Events editor Jack Posobiec declared his parents had been the victim of a swatting attempt after unknown perpetrators told police Posobiec “had shot [his] wife and sons in the kitchen.”

After producing a video analyzing the MTG and Posobiec swattings, conservative-leaning commentator Styxhexenhammer666 was himself swatted.

Styx also produced a subsequent video post-swatting, declaring, “Leftists tried to swat my home and failed like the scum they are.”

As conservative commentator Joey Mannarino put it, “They want to get us killed. Literally. This is who we’re fighting against.”

An ABC News video report from 2019 detailed the 20-year prison sentence of serial ‘swatter’ Tyler Barriss, whose false report caused police to fatally shoot an innocent man. It remains to be seen whether those responsible for these heinous crimes, endangering and disrupting the lives of many, will ever be brought to justice.

Tom Smothers of sibling comedy duo the Smothers Brothers dies at age 86

Tom Smothers, half of the comedy group the Smothers Brothers, has died after a battle with cancer at the age of 86, at home surrounded by his family.

Tom, along with Dick, performed in a folk musical comedy duo, and became known for their controversial political satire. Their variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which ran from 1967 to 1969, was famously pulled by CBS after the two took a stance against the Vietnam war and were in favor of civil rights in their performances.

Although Tom and Dick successfully sued CBS after canceling their show and proved they did not breach their contract, the program never returned to air.

In a 2019 interview shared by All Arts TV, Tom reflected on the cancellation of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and said: “Fifty years later, I look back on us being fired, and I’m still pissed off.”

The Smothers Brothers’ show birthed the careers of other famous comedians, including Steve Martin and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, who were writers on the show. Tom and Dick grew up in California and began performing together shortly after attending San Jose University.