Reckdahl clinches Palo Alto council seat by 10 votes
Adams has 19 as CSU Northridge defeats Denver 89-60
Adams has 19 as CSU Northridge defeats Denver 89-60ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — What's stoking the Denver Broncos' surprising surge is the growing connection between rookie quarterback Bo Nix and veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Whenever the Broncos (7-5) need a clutch catch, a key flag or a timely touchdown, Sutton is usually the one delivering it like he did Sunday when he caught eight passes on 10 targets for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns that sparked the Broncos' come-from-behind 29-19 win at Las Vegas. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
First on Scripps News: Biden administration details plan to combat IslamophobiaStruggling Syracuse looks to climb back above .500 when it hosts Albany on Tuesday night. The Orange (4-4) are coming off a conference loss to Notre Dame where they failed to make a 3-pointer in a game for the first time in more than 10 years, going 0-for-9 from behind the arc. They will be without leading scorer J.J. Starling, who broke his hand in practice last Monday. Orange coach Adrian Autry said there was "no timetable" for Starling's return after the loss to the Fighting Irish and lamented his team's struggles with turnovers and free-throw shooting in the defeat. "Too many blown opportunities," Autry said. "We're not shooting the ball well. We have to adjust and go game by game now. Our front court has been pretty secure, but we have to keep working and getting better." Starling was averaging a team-high 19.8 points before his injury. The Orange may need to lean more on freshman Donnie Freeman, who has been a standout for Syracuse this season. He's averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds and already has four double-doubles. He was co-ACC Rookie of the Week last week. Defensively, the Orange have struggled. They rank No. 329 in scoring defense, giving up 79.4 points per game. Albany is scoring 77.2 ppg so far this season. The Great Danes (6-4) were downed by Boston University 80-74 in overtime on Saturday. They started the season 5-1 but have lost three of their last four. Senior guard Byron Joshua, a transfer from Alcorn State, is the Great Danes' leading scorer at 13.6 ppg. Amar'e Marshall was an All-America East Conference pick last season after averaging 16.7 points, but his field goal shooting has dropped from 43.4 percent last season to 34.5 percent this season. He is scoring 11.7 ppg. "I think we're learning how to compete at the right level," Albany coach Dwyane Killings said after a loss to Georgetown on Nov. 30. "I think the one thing that troubles us a lot is that our identity and our energy comes when the ball goes in the basket. When it doesn't, I don't think we have the grit that we need right now." Albany has been one of the best teams in the country in terms of steals. The Great Danes average 10.2 steals per game, which is tied for No. 12 in the nation. Syracuse is 8-0 against Albany all-time with the teams last meeting in 2011. Syracuse is 4-0 at home and 4-0 against non-power-conference opponents. --Field Level Media
John Healey said that the Government’s “interest” in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is “that they live up to their promises to protect” rights, when he spoke to reporters after a Cobra meeting on Thursday. HTS is banned in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden. But its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate and inclusive organisation, leading some to suggest the group should no longer be proscribed. When asked whether the Government was considering the status of the group, Mr Healey said: “Proscription is not a matter for now. “It doesn’t stop us talking to all the parties, and our interest in HTS is that they live up to their promises to protect the rights of all individuals and all groups, to respect international law and to prevent Syria becoming a base for a fresh terrorist threat.” Mr Healey said that Thursday’s meeting was “about making sure we have, as a Government, a laser focus on the role that we can play with allies to see a stable, peaceful transition. “So that the Syrians get the government they need for the future, and the region can see the stability in the future that it also needs.” Cobra meetings are called when ministers or officials need to respond to urgent matters. Following the toppling of the Bashar Assad regime over the weekend, the UK has paused decisions on asylum applications from Syria. Thousands of Syrians have been granted asylum in the UK but, earlier this week, the Home Office said decisions on applications would be paused while events unfold in Damascus. When asked how long the system would be paused for, and whether the move was fair, Mr Healey said on Thursday: “This is early days. “It’s a measure in response to rapidly changing developments, and the most important thing for us now is that the UK plays and will continue to play a full role with allies to see a stable, peaceful, orderly transition and that requires a political process. “It requires dialogue at the heart of it, and today’s ministerial meeting, the Cobra meeting, was about making sure that we do just that.” Earlier on Thursday, G7 leaders said that they “stand with the people of Syria” and “denounce terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms”. In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer and his counterparts said: “The G7 will work with and fully support a future Syrian government that abides by those standards and results from that process.” It went on: “After decades of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, we stand with the people of Syria. We denounce terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms. “We are hopeful that anyone seeking a role in governing Syria will demonstrate a commitment to the rights of all Syrians, prevent the collapse of state institutions, work on the recovery and rehabilitation of the country, and ensure the conditions for safe and dignified voluntary return to Syria of all those who were forced to flee the country.”AQABA, Jordan (AP) — Top U.S. officials were in the Middle East on Thursday, pushing for stability in Syria and an end to Israel’s 14-month war in the Gaza Strip in a last-ditch diplomatic push by the outgoing Biden administration before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in a few weeks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jordan and Turkey for talks on how to ensure a peaceful transition of power in Syria following the ouster of longtime President Bashar Assad , while White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was in Israel in a bid to wrap up a ceasefire with Hamas militants. A ceasefire would give President Joe Biden a final diplomatic victory after a turbulent term in which his administration has been unable to halt a brutal war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in Gaza and plunged the territory into a humanitarian crisis. Trump has demanded the immediate release of hostages , threatening on social media that otherwise there would be “HELL TO PAY,” and has urged the U.S. not to get involved in Syria , where some 900 troops are based to combat the Islamic State militant group. Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, Sullivan expressed cautious optimism that conditions were ripe for halting the long-running conflict before the Biden administration leaves office. “I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t think this thing was just waiting until after January 20,” he said. That's when Trump will be inaugurated. The war erupted with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, in which militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 others hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials, caused widespread displacement and led to severe hunger across the territory. U.S.-led ceasefire efforts have repeatedly faltered throughout the war, with the warring sides blaming each other for the failure. Israel has said it is seeking the destruction of Hamas’ governing and military capabilities, and at times has pressed ahead with the offensive in the face of U.S. calls for restraint. Hamas, meanwhile, has stuck to its demands that any ceasefire include a permanent end to the fighting and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The U.S. has backed Israel with key military and diplomatic support. But at times, it also has appeared helpless in urging Israel to minimize civilian casualties and to enable the delivery of more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Sullivan said the rapid-fire changes across the region have improved the chances for success. He said Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, ending more than a year of fighting, the collapse of Syria’s government and the heavy blow Israel has inflicted on Hamas have all changed the negotiating climate. He also said there has been good cooperation with the incoming Trump administration , with widespread agreement between them. “The surround sound of these negotiations is different today than it has been in the past,” Sullivan told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I got the sense from the prime minister that he’s ready to do the deal,” Sullivan added. “We see movement from Hamas.” Sullivan is now scheduled to head to Qatar and Egypt — two Middle Eastern powers that have served as mediators throughout the war. Any deal would include the release of hostages held by Hamas, an exchange of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and a surge in badly needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel says Hamas is holding about 100 hostages — at least one-third of whom are believed to have died. As Sullivan was in Israel, Blinken was meeting with Jordanian and Turkish leaders to push for a peaceful transition of power in post-Assad Syria. “We’re back in the region at a time of both real promise but also peril for Syria and for its neighbors,” Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan, after meeting with King Abdullah II. He said the U.S. was working with its partners across the region to help Syria “transition away from Assad’s brutal dictatorship” and toward a new government that isn’t dominated by any single religious or ethnic group or by an outside power or the Islamic State militant group. “We’re determined to do everything we can, working in close coordination with partners, to help the Syrian people realize that aspiration,” Blinken said. Syria is home to an array of armed groups with competing interests and allies. In northern Syria, U.S.-backed Kurdish separatists are battling to fend off fighters supported by Turkey. In the country’s center and northeast, the extremist Islamic State group maintains a presence that generates concern for the U.S. And the rebels, hailing mainly from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, face the daunting task of creating a transitional government for the war-ravaged country. The leader of Syria’s biggest rebel faction is a former al-Qaida commander whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group is poised to chart the country’s future. The U.S. and the U.N. have designated the hard-line Sunni Islamist group a terrorist organization. The goal of creating a free and pluralistic Syria will be a challenge given the bad blood stretching across Syria’s sectarian lines after over half a century of Assad family rule and more than 13 years of civil war that claimed an estimated 500,000 lives. Blinken started his trip in Jordan, a close U.S. ally whose fragile economy has been strained over the years by an influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Next, he was headed to Turkey — a backer of Sunni rebels but a foe of the Kurds. Israel, meanwhile, has sent troops into Syria — its northern neighbor — and seized a former buffer zone that had been demilitarized since a 1974 truce. Israel has described the move as defensive, meant to protect its border and to prevent armed groups from seizing weapons left behind by Assad’s army. Netanyahu said Thursday that the move was temporary. But he said Israel would remain inside Syria until another party can secure the border, raising the likelihood of a prolonged and open-ended presence. Sullivan tried to play down the Israeli move, noting that Assad was toppled just days ago and it is too early to jump to any conclusions. But Blinken was more cautious as he called for restraint by all regional players with interests in Syria. He said the U.S. is “already talking to Israel” and others about the future of Syria. “Across the board, when it comes to any actors who have real interests in Syria, it’s also really important at this time that we all try to make sure that we’re not sparking any additional conflicts,” he said. Federman reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed from Washington.
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. Shareholder Notice: Robbins LLP Reminds Investors of the ZETA Class Action Lawsuit
Israel launches new strikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with Hezbollah
By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”
Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas tree WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 will expand the grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a federal investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti, who has since stepped aside. The 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year's Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes.DWTS' Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran reunite with familiar face at Christmas market
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Monday it is not actively reviewing the “foreign terrorist organization” designation of the main Syrian rebel group that overthrew Bashar Assad’s government this weekend. But, it said such designations are constantly under review, and that even while it's in place, the label does not bar U.S. officials from speaking with the group. “There is no specific review related to what happened” over the weekend, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “That said, we are always reviewing. Based on their actions, there could be a change in our sanctions posture, but we have nothing today.” He said a review could be initiated if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham , known as HTS, takes steps to reverse the reasons for its designation. That would be based entirely on its actions , he said. The designation imposes numerous sanctions against those targeted, including a ban on the provision of “material support” to such groups, although Miller said that would not necessarily prevent discussions between its members and U.S. officials. HTS will be an “important component” in what transpires in Syria and the U.S. needs to “engage with them, appropriately, and with U.S. interests in mind,” said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Miller cited the case of the Trump administration negotiating with the Taliban over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, but later conceded that the Taliban has never been designated in the same way. Instead, the Taliban was listed as a “specially designated terrorist organization,” a label that comes with less stringent sanctions. Nevertheless, Miller said U.S. officials “do have the ability, when it is in our interest, legally to communicate with a designated terrorist organization.” Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke by phone about the rapidly evolving situation in Syria and joint efforts to keep the Islamic State militant group from exploiting the situation, according to the White House. In their call, Biden and the Jordanian monarch also discussed the dozens of U.S. airstrikes conducted on Sunday targeting IS leaders and fighters in the Syrian desert as well as ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. The call came as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf were in the region holding consultations with key partners. They are in Amman, Jordan, on Monday and were in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend, the State Department said. READ: More than a million Syrian refugees have flooded into neighboring Jordan since the civil war ignited in 2011, and officials in Amman are hoping to avoid another refugee crisis following the fall of Assad’s government. “The President emphasized the support of the United States for the stability of Jordan and Jordan’s central role in maintaining stability and de-escalating tensions throughout the Middle East region,” the White House said in a statement. Separately, the State Department said the U.S. had arranged with local groups to secure the shuttered U.S. Embassy compound in Damascus, which suspended operations in 2012 and had been until recently under the protection of the Czech Embassy. The Czechs, however, closed their own embassy in Damascus as the situation in the capital grew more uncertain. It would not say with what groups the U.S. made the arrangements. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog, “At home, fellow citizens, you best know whether we have done well or ill. The suppression of unnecessary offices, of useless establishments and expenses enabled us to discontinue our internal taxes. These covering our land with officers, and opening our doors to their intrusions, had already begun that process of domiciliary vexation which, once entered, is scarcely to be restrained from reaching successively every article of produce and property.” – Thomas Jefferson – 2nd Inaugural Address – 1805 “There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. The worst evils which mankind ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster.” – Ludwig von Mises – 1944 In 1805, only a few short years after the creation of our nation, Thomas Jefferson boasted that he had reduced the size and cost of government by eliminating useless offices, allowing him to discontinue unnecessary taxes and halt the government bureaucracy in its tracks. Jefferson hated big government, but most of his successors loved growing the government bureaucracy and taxing us directly through the hundreds of income, property, sales, and myriad of other taxes and fees, while taxing us indirectly through Federal Reserve purposely created inflation. In addition, the government lies to us every time they issue their monthly reports about inflation, employment, economic growth and government spending. Anyone living in the real world knows everything the government proclaims is a bold-faced lie. We know for a fact the average price of a new vehicle is up 130% ($48k vs. $21k) since 2000, while the government reported increase reflected in the CPI is 25% – because you can now push a button and heat your ass. You know the mega-food corps have reduced the amount of chips in the bag they are selling you by 20%, while charging more, but the government does not calculate this shrinkflation into their manipulated excel spreadsheet models. It is crucial for them to hide the truth, so they can underpay your granny in her monthly SS pittance. Whenever I see a government report I’m reminded of the scene from Clint Eastwood’s Outlaw Josey Wales . “Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.” – Fletcher to U.S. Senator There have been very few presidents in our 235 years of existence who made any attempt to restrain, let alone reduce, the size of government, with only Andrew Jackson and the Gingrich/Clinton years coming to mind. The weeks since the election of Trump have been a whirlwind of cabinet announcements, regime media hysterics, and Deep State traitors (Brennan, Schiff, Cheney, Bolton, et al) vehemently attacking Trump’s selections in order to deflect focus away from their treasonous coup against Trump. It has been fascinating to observe the wide range of reactions to Trump’s election and his subsequent appointments to his cabinet. As Mises pointed out 80 years ago, there is nothing more dangerous than a menacing government of incompetent, corrupt, vile men (now includes women). It’s as if he was describing Biden, Harris, and their entire degenerate administration. Now we get to find out if the 2nd Trump administration is different than the 1st. We know it can’t be as horrific as the last four years of criminality, degeneracy, debt creation, societal chaos, DEI and trannie absurdity, warmongering and denial of reality. There are those who will claim Trump is controlled opposition playing his part in this theater of the absurd. They allege he is just the pendulum swing of the uni-party to keep the masses entertained, hopeful, and distracted, while the real controllers continue to pillage the wealth of the masses, and increase their control over our lives through threats, intimidation, and fear. Has he been purposely installed to enable the next phase of their malevolent plan? Maybe. On the other hand, there are a large percentage of Trump voters who are on Cloud 9 regarding his victory, believing he will transform the country, putting us back on the path to prosperity. He will deport the illegal invaders, build the wall, end the wars, cut the budget, end inflation, bring back good paying jobs, and make America great again – Again. They heartily applaud every cabinet selection, believe Elon and Vivek will cut $2 trillion of government waste, Putin and Xi will acquiesce to his demands, the lunatic Democrat party will be vanquished for a generation, and the Deep State will be defeated by RFK Jr. , Tulsi , Pam and the rest of the MAGA army. The celebratory spirit and tremendous enthusiasm for his agenda among his ardent supporters is at a crescendo level. They really believe this time will be different. When Trump won the 1st time I was reminded of the final scene in the 1972 movie – The Candidate . Redford’s character shockingly won a Senate race and was totally unprepared for the prospect of being a Senator. He asks the question, but no one answers him. Trump admitted he was completely unprepared when he won the first time. He was asking the same question as Redford. And he got rolled. He listened to the advice of Washington insiders, neocons, and traitorous RINOs. Surrounding himself with the likes of Sessions, Barr, Pence, Wray, Haley, Pompeo, Bolton, Kelly, Mattis, Esper, Milley, Fauci, Birx and thousands more deceitful Deep State snakes, guaranteed his administration would accomplish little of the agenda he ran on. With RINO establishment whores, McConnell and Ryan, controlling Congress, his border wall and ending Obamacare were DOA. At the outset of the Covid scamdemic his initial instincts told him the fear mongering was overdone, but again, he naively believed the “experts” and Big Pharma captured “scientists” and “doctors” regarding a flu that ended up having a lower mortality rate for those under 40 years old than the annual flu. Hospitals, reaping millions by playing along with the scam killed more people by putting them on vents and giving them Fauci’s Remdesivir , than the actual virus. The average age of death was 85. In my opinion, Trump’s worst sin during his first term, and one which he has failed to repent for, was his warpspeed support for an untested Big Pharma gene altering concoction , marketed as a vaccine, which failed to keep anyone from contracting or spreading the virus, and has killed and continues to kill and disable millions across the globe, while reaping obscene profits for Big Pharma, Big Media, and the entire Sickcare complex. Natural immunity, along with existing safe, cheap and effective treatments ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine would have sufficed, with no masks, no social distancing, and no lockdowns. This was a test by our overlords to see how far they could push us and treat us like cattle before we would resist and push back. The test was a resounding success, as over 80% of Americans took the knee, taking the jab, masking, imprisoning themselves in their homes, and never questioning why it was safe to go to Wal-Mart but not Joe’s Steak shop. And Trump still openly boasts about his warpspeed jab, saving the lives of hundreds of millions. He hasn’t learned anything from the disastrous debacle he allowed to happen on his watch. This fact alone should make you question his judgement and motives. We are less than two months from Trump’s inauguration and the raging battle between diehard Trumpers and the “Trump is a Nazi” loonies never subside on regime media outlets and the Twittersphere. I’m already tired of the shtick before his administration even launches. Trump’s cabinet level picks may not meet the requirements of those looking for perfection in an imperfect world, but compared to the woke diverse nutjobs who would have inhabited a Harris administration, this bunch has the potential to be the disruptors this country needs. I’m sure many are disappointed about the number of neo-cons, vaccine supporters, Soros acolytes and Israel advocates inhabiting his cabinet. I’m also disappointed in several picks, worried the Swamp has rolled him again. The real question is whether his key picks will do what Trump wants them to do. Gabbard , Hegseth , Bondi , and RFK Jr. need to ruthlessly purge the top ranks of their departments and install competent, loyal, courageous patriots into key positions. The middle level bureaucrats are the lifers who throw sand in the gears of change whenever those above them attempt to reform or cut anything in their bloated departments. They need to go. The Deep State will use every Machiavellian method at their disposal to derail the nominations of Trump’s key disruptors and/or infiltrate their organizations with moles to undermine everything they try to accomplish. The Deep State blob is profoundly entrenched and will not be extinguished without an epic battle. My fear is that Gabbard , Hegseth , Bondi , and RFK Jr. , even if they can get confirmed by a RINO dominated Senate, will not be ruthless enough in purging the traitors within their departments. I do think Elon and Vivek are ruthless enough and rich enough to not care about what the Swamp thinks about their recommendations. We’ll see how much authority and backing Trump gives them when the rubber meets the road. I consider it a long shot that there will be substantive cuts in this $7 trillion bloated rancid pig of a deeply rooted bureaucratic state. Defeating the Deep State will require cold blooded, brutal disregard for the malevolent parasites governing the Swamp . The chart below is a visualization of the government since 1950. It never shrinks. It grows ever larger like a blood sucking organism, adding more regulations, laws, rules, codes, and taxes to pay for their freedom destroying, soul crushing demands upon its citizenry. Those who oppose chopping away at these rules and regulations, while drastically reducing the cost of government, hysterically rant about the tragedies which await if government control over our lives is reduced. This is a laughable argument as the weight of these regulations crushes small businesses, while benefiting the mega-corps who help write the regulations and can afford to comply with them. As I mentioned previously, our beloved bought off politicians are spending approximately $7 trillion per year, while only bringing in approximately $5 trillion, for a deficit of about $2 trillion, funded by Federal Reserve created debt and heaped upon the backs of future generations. The regime media, mouthing the Deep State narrative they have been paid to spew, predict a nation destroying disaster if Musk’s DOGE cuts of $2 trillion are enacted. The horror!!! And a huge percentage of the NPC ignorant masses believe the drivel they are fed without the slightest hint of skepticism. Critical thinking skills, concern for the truth, and appreciation of mathematical facts are non-existent among these clueless drones. I wonder how many far-left Trump haters and their dying regime media talking head nitwit propaganda chiefs know Federal spending in 2017 during Trump’s 1st year in office was under $4 trillion. It surged to almost $8 trillion during the covid plandemic and still hovers in the $7 trillion range. Has the $3 trillion increase in Federal spending since 2017 benefited average Americans in any way? Is your life better than it was in 2017 when the Feds “only” spent $4 trillion? This is how it works every time. They create a crisis (2008 Financial crisis, 2020 Covid crisis), create trillions of new spending and debt to “solve” the emergency, and then purposely keep the spending at “emergency” levels permanently – until the next manufactured crisis. Cutting $2 trillion of government spending will not gut the Federal government. It would just be eliminating the bullshit Covid spending, which was supposed to be temporary. Cutting $4 trillion of unnecessary military, social welfare, and foreign aid would be a good start. The Department of Education and Department of Energy were both created in 1979 under the previous worst president in history. National education scores have plummeted, and the cost of energy has soared since 1979. The 20,000 government drones in these two agencies should be fired ASAP. The reality is there are more than 12 million Federal government employees/contract workers and over 20 million state and local government workers, representing 24% of all employed Americans. There are millions more, mostly working for the monstrous arms dealers, who are totally dependent upon the Federal government teat. This is why lispy Lindsey Graham thinks the Ukraine and Middle East wars are good for business, and WW3 would really create a BOOM!! The only way to confront our crushing debt problem is to stop digging, defund agencies, defund wars, defund illegal immigrants, defund diversity bullshit, defund climate nonsense, and defund worthless government drones in mass quantities by firing them. If you don’t fund something, it withers and dies. One of the main reasons Trump was elected was border security and the invasion of illegal dregs who are raping, killing and sucking our social welfare systems dry. The dying legacy media decry the cost of deporting millions of illegal vermin and the poor families who would be broken up. The sob stories will be never-ending, while they ignore the rapes and murders of American citizens at the hand of these animals. They ignore the never-ending cost of allowing them to stay, the drug and child trafficking piggybacking on the invasion, and the fact it has been mostly young military age men from around the world invading our country for the last four years. The key to stopping this invasion and deporting the invaders is actually funding a real border wall, funding border patrol and letting them do their jobs, and most importantly, defunding every benefit being handed out to these leeches. And if the Democrat governors and mayors refuse to cooperate with the defunding and extraction of these scum from their urban shithole cities, their federal funding needs to be cut off. Money talks. When the spigot of welfare goodies gets turned off, self-deportation will commence. Tom Homan will take care of the rest at the point of a gun. Illegal means illegal. What I truly don’t understand are the Trump acolytes, right wing Twitter influencers, and right leaning websites, caring so much about the reaction of MSNBC, CNN, The View, and Hollywood elite to Trump’s victory. Who cares what they think? They need to be shunned and turned off. Their ratings have plummeted, their credibility is shot, and mass layoffs are in the works. The only visibility these left-wing lunatics get is when popular right wingers post their unhinged rants on Twitter. We need to deny they even exist and let them bloviate in obscurity. Their networks and shows will wither and die, as advertisers flee. Harris and her shadowy handlers spent $1.2 billion trying to convince Americans she wasn’t a dim witted, vacuous, diversity trollop, and she lost in a landslide, despite their best vote rigging efforts. Let them labor in the land of oblivion, wailing and gnashing their teeth, as normal Americans support Trump’s efforts to reverse the degeneracy and deviancy, they glorified during the Biden reign of terror and error. I’m a highly skeptical individual who isn’t prone to over-optimism when it comes to government reform and promises of politicians. Despite a number of questionable cabinet picks, I do believe Trump does want to accomplish much of what he ran on. It is just unlikely he will succeed, given Thune and McConnell despise him and will install roadblocks every step of the way, and Johnson is a weak-kneed RINO with a minuscule majority in the House. Of course, there are likely to be far bigger events which will propel the next four years than the slow walking machinations of Congress critters. We have entered the most dangerous, and potentially bloody, time frame of this Fourth Turning . Violent upheaval and the destruction of the existing social order is in the cards. The Deep State , after spending $1.2 trillion and two assassination attempts to stop Trump, are capable of anything when it comes to retaining control over the levers of government power and the obscene wealth generated by such control. Would they even be willing to start World War 3 in order to derail Trump’s agenda before he even takes office? It certainly appears they are doing their utmost to goad Putin into retaliating in a manner which would ensure a global conflagration. Since Putin is the only adult in a room filled with low IQ lunatic woke western politicians, he will likely disappoint their ambitions to draw him into WW3 . He knows Trump will work towards peace if given the chance. But will they give him the chance? His cabinet choices have insured the military industrial complex, surveillance state, and sickcare complex consider him the enemy. And they consider Vance an even more dangerous enemy. Having Trump and Vance at the same venue would be a high-risk proposition with this many enemies aligned against them. The Deep State is controlled by actual psychopaths in suits who will stop at nothing to win this battle. We know Fourth Turnings never de-intensify and peter out. They build towards a climactic violent resolution, with much bloodshed. I would be entirely satisfied if Trump could just end the wars, close our southern border, eliminate the DEI gibberish, and make some cuts in the size of government. But a vaster societal altering fate is in our foreboding future. The self-destruction of the American Empire has been underway since the start of this century and is poised to accelerate during Trump’s last term. I would love it if he actually made America great again, but it is too late to accomplish that arduous task. With $36 trillion of debt, $2 trillion annual deficits, $200 trillion of unfunded liabilities, global conflict imminent, and the social cohesion of the country destroyed, Trump may end up being the patsy for when it all goes to hell. The Civil War Fourth Turning ended in 1865, amidst mass carnage. Exactly 80 years later, the Great Depression/WW2 Fourth Turning ended in 1945, with 65 million deaths. If this Fourth Turning were to follow suit and end 80 years later in 2025, I fear the outcome, which would bring about such an abrupt ending – nuclear war – would result in billions of deaths. I am a realist who believes there are too many roadblocks and entrenched enemies, on both sides of the aisle, for Trump to achieve his stated agenda, but I hope for the best, while preparing for the worst. “Humans are wired to advance. Humans do whatever it takes. And yet, nuclear war zeros it all out. Nuclear weapons reduce human brilliance and ingenuity, love and desire, empathy and intellect, to ash.” -― Annie Jacobsen, Nuclear War: A Scenario Storm clouds are building, and the next four years will be fraught with danger. Batten down the hatches and choose your friends and allies carefully. May God be with the good guys.
Cover Five: What to make of wild week around Nebraska football, and 5 biggest impact signees