Wednesday, December 18, 2024

December 18, 2024

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Leading the News . . .

Republicans decorate 'Christmas-tree' funding bill with $100B for disasters, other measures . . . Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal Tuesday to keep the government funded through mid-March and provide more than $100 billion in relief to disaster victims and farmers, but the sprawling nature of the package angered some House Republicans. The legislation was released just days ahead of Friday's deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. While keeping federal operations running for several months, the bipartisan proposal also includes a slew of other measures, ranging from funding the rebuilding of Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, to expanding the sale of ethanol, to limiting some investments in China. Wall Street Journal

Some furious conservatives are talking about trying to remove Johnson as speaker, but given he has secured Trump's backing, that's unlikely.

Musk comes out against massive emergency spending plan: 'This bill should not pass'

Politics

Education Department Targets Christian Schools, Career Colleges . . . A new report highlights a disparity in the Department of Education toward both Christian and career colleges through its Office of Enforcement, an "obscure agency" created during the Obama administration and revived under President Joe Biden. The American Principles Project's report reveals that "nearly 70% of penalties imposed by the Office of Enforcement have been against Christian institutions and career colleges, even though these schools represent less than 10% of college students."

Liz Cheney accused of breaking 'numerous federal laws' as GOP calls for FBI probe . . . Liz Cheney likely broke 'numerous federal laws' and should be investigated by the FBI for witness tampering, a Republican-led report published Tuesday found. House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., was tasked with investigating the now-disbanded January 6 Select Committee led by Cheney and others when Democrats and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi controlled the House from 2019 - 2023. Daily Mail

Pelosi's fall down marble staircase on Europe trip caused by extra high heels

Dems reject AOC for senior post . . . Rep. Gerry Connolly cemented his victory as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, besting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a closed-door caucus vote Tuesday morning, according to two people in the room for the vote. On Monday, Connolly (D-Va.) won the recommendation of the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which oversees committee assignments. The caucus has generally followed the steering panel's picks. Politico

Sen. Kennedy grills NCAA president on transgender athletes, urges him to buy a spine on Amazon . . . Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana took the president of the NCAA to task on Tuesday for not taking a firm stand against biological men participating in women's sports. At a Senate hearing on sports betting, Mr. Kennedy questioned why Charlie Baker, the former Massachusetts governor who heads the NCAA, wasn't doing more to bar transgender biological males from competing against females. Washington Times

Sadly, Black Friday sales are over.

Culture

41% of young voters say UnitedHealthcare CEO murder acceptable . . . poll found 41% of adults younger than 30 say the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was acceptable while more than the 40% in that same demographic consider it unacceptable. A new Emerson College Polling national survey found 68% of all voters consider the actions of the killer unacceptable. Seventeen percent found the actions acceptable, while 16% were unsure. Just the News

Drive through any suburb and what do you see? Well, houses, parked cars, maybe a dog going for a walk. What other sight would there have been 30, 40 years ago or more? Two kids throwing a football. A boy with a bat and a glove hanging from it over his back. Where are these kids? They're inside killing as many people as possible on video games. And perhaps rewiring their brains.

San Francisco hires new taxpayer-funded 'weight stigma' czar . . . The San Francisco Department of Public Health has hired a consultant on 'weight stigma and weight neutrality' despite the city being in the midst of a battle against rampant homelessness, open-air drug use, and violent crime. Virgie Tovar, a self-described 'anti-weight-based discrimination' expert describes herself as a prominent advocate for 'fat positivity' and body acceptance. Announcing her appointment on her Instagram, she called it 'an absolute dream come true.' Daily Mail

National Security

Pentagon funds alternative meat protein from fungus for military food to meet sustainability goals . . . The Pentagon is funding alternatives to meat protein, which includes using fungi for food for U.S. service members as part of the White House's sustainable bioeconomy agenda. The Department of Defense is focusing on investments into fungi protein as an alternative to animal protein, after initially seeking to fund lab-grown meat earlier this year in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Critics have pushed back on such initiatives, arguing that they are negatively affecting the military. Just the News

If our troops are not eating meat, preferably cooked rare, don't send them into battle.

International

Pope assassination plot foiled by UK intelligence . . . A plot to assassinate Pope Francis during a trip to Iraq was stopped following a tip-off from British intelligence, according to his upcoming autobiography. The Pope writes that, after landing in Baghdad in March 2021, he was told an event at which he was set to appear was being targeted by two suicide bombers. Both attackers were subsequently intercepted and killed, he said in excerpts published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. BBC

Russia detains an Uzbek man over general's killing in Moscow . . . Russia's security service says a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan has been detained over the killing of senior general Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow. Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces, was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely. The Russian security service said the unnamed suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, according to state media agencies. BBC

Video shows moments before the assassination.

Money

Honda and Nissan Say They Are Exploring Merger . . . Honda and Nissan said they were exploring a merger following a downturn in Nissan's results and struggles for both automakers in China. The discussions between two of Japan's biggest carmakers and longtime rivals highlight how China's rapid rise in the global auto market is reconfiguring the industry. Both are struggling in China, the world's largest auto market, after being caught flat-footed by that country's rapid shift to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Nissan has also posted weaker results in the U.S. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Feds quietly ban liability for vax makers through Trump's full term . . . The federal government is protecting the manufacturers of COVID-19 and flu vaccines from product liability for another five years, on the cusp of a new administration likely to aggressively look for vaccine injuries and release its hidden books that Just the News went to court to obtain. The Department of Health and Human Services does not appear to have told the public outside a Dec. 11 Federal Register notice, primarily read by regulated entities, and a generic page buried deep within HHS's website. Just the News

Natalie Rupnow had disturbing fascination with other school shooters before her deadly rampage . . . Newly uncovered photos and online accounts purportedly associated with the Wisconsin teen school shooter suggest a deeply disturbing obsession with other school shooters such as Columbine killer Eric Harris — and even show her wearing a T-shirt of his favorite band. A now-eerie snapshot of Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow, 15, was posted on her father's Facebook page and shows her aiming a rifle at a shooting range wearing a shirt from the German industrial rock band KMFDM. New York Post