Podcasts about democratically

By one measure, building a house now costs $11,000 more due to the new tariffs. Some builders are concerned about possible labor shortages to come. Meanwhile, the political discourse on the left is focused on why it's even more expensive to build new homes in Democratically governed states and cities. We explore the myths and realities with our guest:Matthew Denker, owner of LBLD Living and operator of Rochester Construction Watch 

We have a crisis in our healthcare system - so imagine an activist judge forcing the Province of Ontario to pay for a gender reassignment surgery in Texas that allows a person to keep their male organs and have female genitals added (somewhere)! All the while we have to suffer with waiting lists a mile long, and hallway medicine. Wait! There is more–the Ontario Government is trying to deal with gridlock and safety by removing underused, and misplaced bike lanes - only to be stopped by an activist judge. How about keeping street drug providers near schools! This is the insanity taking place in our democracy. Appointed judges are nullifying decisions made by duly-elected officials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the S-hole that is Chicago a microcosm of the country as a whole? Or perhaps these big Democratically run cities are the canary in the coal mine.Support The Show:https://peddlingfiction.substack.com/

There's a grab bag of sexual and reproductive health news from around the U.S. From the wins to celebrate to the updates to keep an eye on, Garnet Henderson, investigative reporter specializing in sexual and reproductive health and disinformation, sits down to talk with us about a host of SRHR issues that are moving through the political and judicial landscape.  Issues discussed include: Nevada's parental notification law, blocked since 1985 and made permanent in 1991, was overturned recently by a judge and will go into effect on April 30th; the Trump administration has been citing “DEI” as a reason Planned Parenthood and other affiliate's Title X funding is being “reviewed” and threatened; the Supreme Court recently heard the arguments for Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic at the beginning of the month; and Wisconsin voters elected a Democratically-backed candidate to serve on the state's Supreme Court, despite Elon Musk's fundraising and $100 million dollars invested in the opposing candidate.You might be interested in the Public Health is Dead podcast: https://www.publichealthisdead.com/ 9o03Support the showFollow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Bluesky: @reprosfightback.bsky.social Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Can You Segway?Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.So exactly who was going to be sympathetic to their plight, who we cared about?Beyond my fevered dream of making a difference there was a pinch of reality. See, the Cabindans and the people of Zaire were both ethnic Bakongo and the Bakongo of Zaire had also once had their own, independent (until 1914) kingdom which was now part of Angola. The Bakongo were major factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -(formerly for a short time known as the nation of Zaire, from here on out to be referred to as the DRC and in the running for the most fucked up place on the planet Earth, more on that later)- and Congo (the nation) yet a minority in Angola. Having an independent nation united along ethnic and linguistic lines made sense and could expect support from their confederates across international boundaries.The Liberation Air ForceThe Earth & Sky operated under one constant dilemma ~ when would Temujin make his return? Since they didn't know and it was their job to be prepared for the eventuality if it happened tomorrow, or a century down the line, they 'stockpiled', and 'stockpiled' and 'stockpiled'.That was why they maintained large horse herds and preserved the ancient arts of Asian bowyers, armoring and weapons-craft. That was why they created secret armories, and sulfur and saltpeter sites when musketry and cannons became the new ways of warfare. They secured sources of phosphates and petroleum when they became the new thing, and so on.All of this boiled over to me being shown yet again I worked with clever, creative and under-handed people. The Khanate came up with a plan for a 'Union' Air Force {Union? More on that later} within 24 hours, and it barely touched any of their existing resources. How did they accomplish this miracle? They had stockpiled and maintained earlier generation aircraft because they didn't know when Temujin would make his re-appearance.They'd also trained pilots and ground crews for those aircraft. As you might imagine, those people grew old just as their equipment did. In time, they went into the Earth & Sky's Inactive Reserves ~ the rank & file over the age of 45. You never were 'too old' to serve in some capacity though most combat-support related work ended at 67.When Temujin made his return and the E&S transformed into the Khanate, those people went to work bringing their lovingly cared for, aging equipment up to combat-alert readiness. If the frontline units were decimated, they would have to serve, despite the grim odds of their survival. It was the terrible acceptance the Chinese would simply possess so much more war-making material than they did.Well, the Khanate kicked the PRC's ass in a titanic ass-whooping no one (else) had seen coming, or would soon forget. Factory production and replacement of worn machines was in stride to have the Khanate's Air Force ready for the next round of warfare when the Cease-fire ended and the Reunification War resumed.Always a lower priority, the Khanate military leadership was considering deactivating dozens of these reserve unit when suddenly the (Mongolian) Ikh khaany khairt akh dáé (me) had this hare-brained scheme about helping rebels in Africa, West Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea coast/Atlantic Ocean, far, far away, and it couldn't look like the Khanate was directly involved.They barely knew where Angola was. They had to look up Cabinda to figure out precisely where that was. They brought in some of their 'reservist' air staff to this briefing and one of them, a woman (roughly a third of the E&S 'fighting'/non-frontline forces were female), knew what was going on. Why?She had studied the combat records and performance of the types of aircraft she'd have to utilize... back in the 1980's and 90's and Angola had been a war zone rife with Soviet (aka Khanate) material back then. Since she was both on the ball, bright and knew the score, the War Council put her in overall command. She knew what was expected of her and off she went, new staff in hand. She was 64 years old, yet as ready and willing to serve as any 20 year old believer in the Cause.Subtlety, scarcity and audacity were the watchwords of the day. The Khanate couldn't afford any of their front-line aircraft for this 'expedition'. They really couldn't afford any of their second-rate stuff either. Fortunately, they had some updated third-rate war-fighting gear still capable of putting up an impressive show in combat ~ providing they weren't going up against a top tier opponents.For the 'volunteers' of the Union Air Force, this could very likely to be a one-way trip. They all needed crash courses (not a word any air force loves, I know) in Portuguese though hastily provided iPhones with 'apps' to act as translators were deemed to be an adequate stop-gap measure. Besides, they were advised to avoid getting captured at all cost. The E&S couldn't afford the exposure. Given the opportunity ~ this assignment really was going above and beyond ~ not one of these forty-six to sixty-seven year olds backed out.No, they rolled out fifty of their antiquated aircraft, designs dating back to the 1950's through the mid-70's, and prepared them for the over 10,000 km journey to where they were 'needed most'. 118 pilots would go (72 active plus 46 replacements) along with 400 ground crew and an equally aged air defense battalion (so their air bases didn't get blown up). Security would be provided by 'outsiders' ~ allies already on the ground and whatever rebels could be scrounged up. After the initial insertion, the Indian Air Force would fly in supplies at night into the Cabinda City and Soyo Airports.The composition,14 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 jet fighters ~ though she entered service in 1959, these planes' electronics were late 20th century and she was a renowned dogfighter. 12 were the Mig-21-97 modernized variant and the other two were Mig-21 UM two-seater trainer variants which could double as reconnaissance fighters if needed.14 Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighter-bombers ~ the original design, called the Su-17, came out in 1970, the first 12 were variants with the 22M4 upgrade were an early-80's package. The other 2 were Su-22U two-seat trainers which, like their Mig-21 comrades, doubled as reconnaissance fighters. The Su-22M4's would be doing the majority of the ground attack missions for the Cabindans, though they could defend themselves in aerial combat if necessary.6 Sukhoi Su-24M2 supersonic attack aircraft ~ the first model rolled off the production lines in the Soviet Union back in 1974. By far the heaviest planes in the Cabindan Air Force, the Su-24M2's would act as their 'bomber force' as well as anti-ship deterrence.8 Mil Mi-24 VM combat helicopters ~ introduced in 1972 was still a lethal combat machine today. Unlike the NATO helicopter force, the Mi-24's did double duty as both attack helicopter and assault transports at the same time.4 Mil Mi-8 utility helicopters, first produced in 1967. Three would act as troop/cargo transports (Mi-8 TP) while the fourth was configured as a mobile hospital (the MI-17 1VA).4 Antonov An-26 turboprop aircraft, two to be used as tactical transports to bring in supplies by day and two specializing in electronic intelligence aka listening to what the enemy was up to. Though it entered production in 1969, many still remained flying today.2 Antonov An-71M AEW&C twin-jet engine aircraft. These were an old, abandoned Soviet design the Earth & Sky had continued working on primarily because the current (1970's) Russian Airborne Early Warning and Control bird had been both huge and rather ineffective ~ it couldn't easily identify low-flying planes in the ground clutter so it was mainly only good at sea. Since the E&S planned to mostly fight over the land,They kept working on the An-71 which was basically 1977's popular An-72 with some pertinent design modifications (placing the engines below the wings instead of above them as on the -72 being a big one). To solve their radar problem, they stole some from the Swedish tech firm Ericsson, which hadn't been foreseen to be a problem before now.See, the Russians in the post-Soviet era created a decent AEW&C craft the E&S gladly stole and copied the shit out of for their front line units and it was working quite nicely ~ the Beriev A-50, and wow, were the boys in the Kremlin pissed off about that these days. Whoops, or was that woot?Now, the Khanate was shipping two An-71's down to Cabinda and somewhere along the line someone just might get a 'feel' for the style of radar and jamming the Cabindans were using aka the Swedish stuff in those An-71's. The Erieye radar system could pick out individual planes at 280 miles. The over-all system could track 60 targets and plot out 10 intercepts simultaneously. NATO, they were not, but in sub-Saharan Africa, there were none better.Anyway, so why was any of this important?Why the old folks with their ancient machines? As revealed, since the Earth & Sky had no idea when Temüjin would return, they were constantly squirreling away equipment. World War 2 gave them unequaled access to Soviet military technology and training.Afterwards, under Josef Stalin's direction, thousands of Russian and German engineers and scientists were exiled to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan who were then snatched up (reportedly died in the gulags/trying to escape) and the E&S began building mirror factories modeled on the 'then current' Soviet production lines.So, by the early 1950's, the E&S was building, flying and maintaining Soviet-style Antonov, Beriev, Ilyushin, Myasishchev, Mikoyan-Gurevich, Sukhoi, Tupolev and Yakovlev airplanes. First in small numbers because their pool of pilots and specialists was so small.The E&S remedied this by creating both their own 'private' flight academies and technical schools. They protected their activities with the judicious use of bribes (they were remarkably successful with their economic endeavors on both side of the Iron Curtain) and murders (including the use of the Ghost Tigers).By 1960, the proto-Khanate had an air force. Through the next two decades they refined and altered their doctrine ~ moving away from the Soviet doctrine to a more pure combined-arms approach (the Soviets divided their air power into four separate arms ~ ADD (Long Range Aviation), FA (Front Aviation), MTA (Military Transport Aviation) and the V-PVO (Soviet Air Defenses ~ which controlled air interceptors).).It wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the various former SSR's that the E&S program really began to hit its stride. Still, while Russia faltered, China's PLAAF (Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force) began to take off. Since the Chinese could produce so much more, the E&S felt it had to keep those older planes and crews up to combat readiness. The younger field crews and pilots flew the newer models as they rolled off the secret production lines.Then the Unification War appeared suddenly, the E&S-turned Khanate Air Force skunked their PLAAF rivals due to two factors, a surprise attack on a strategic level and the fatal poisoning of their pilots and ground crews before they even got into the fight. For those Chinese craft not destroyed on the ground, the effects of Anthrax eroded their fighting edge. Comparable technology gave the Khanate their critical victory and Air Supremacy over the most important battlefields.What did this meant for those out-of-date air crews and pilots who had been training to a razor's edge for a month now? Their assignment had been to face down the Russians if they invaded. They would take their planes up into the fight even though this most likely would mean their deaths, but they had to try.When Operation Fun House put Russia in a position where she wasn't likely to jump on the Khanate, this mission's importance faded. The Russian Air Force was far more stretched than the Khanate's between her agitations in the Baltic and her commitments in the Manchurian, Ukrainian, Chechen and Georgian theaters.With more new planes rolling off the production lines, these reservist units began dropping down the fuel priority list, which meant lowering their flight times thus readiness. Only my hare-brained scheme had short-circuited their timely retirement. Had I realized I was getting people's grandparents killed, I would have probably made the same call anyway. We needed them.The KanateThe Khanate's #1 air superiority dogfighter was the Mig-35F. The #2 was the Mig-29. No one was openly discussing the Khanate's super-stealthy "Su-50", if that was what it was, because its existence 'might' suggest the Khanate also stole technology from the Indian defense industry, along with their laundry list of thefts from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the PRC, Russia and half of NATO.Her top multi-role fighters were the Su-47, Su-35S and Su-30SM. The Su-30 'Flanker-C/MK2/MKI were their 2nd team with plenty of 3rd team Su-27M's still flying combat missions as well.Strike fighters? There weren't enough Su-34's to go around yet, so the Su-25MS remained the Khanate's dedicated Close Air Assault model.Medium transport aircraft? The An-32RE and An-38. They had small, large and gargantuan transports as well.Bombers? The rather ancient jet-powered Tu-160M2's and Tu-22M2's as well as the even older yet still worthwhile turboprops ~ from 1956's ~ the Tu-95M S16.Helicopters? While they still flew updated variants of the Mil Mi-8/17 as military transports, the more optimized Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28 had replaced them in the assault role.Bizarrely, the Khanate had overrun several Chinese production lines of the aircraft frames and components ~ enough to complete fairly modern PLAAF (Peoples Liberation Army Air Force) FC-1 and J-10 (both are small multi-role fighter remarkably similar to the US F-16 with the FC-1 being the more advanced model, using shared Chinese-Pakistani technology and was designed for export,).They did have nearly two dozen to send, but they didn't have the pilots and ground crews trained to work with them, plus the FC-1 cost roughly $32 million which wasn't fundage any legitimate Cabindan rebels could get their hands on, much less $768 million (and that would just be for the planes, not the weeks' worth of fuel, parts and munitions necessary for what was forthcoming).Meanwhile, except for the An-26, which you could get for under $700,000 and the An-71, which were only rendered valuable via 'black market tech', none of the turboprop and jet aircraft the Khanate was sending were what any sane military would normally want. The helicopters were expensive ~ the 'new' models Mi-24's cost $32 million while the Mi-17's set you back $17 million. The one's heading to Cabinda didn't look 'new'.The Opposition:In contrast, the Angolan Air Force appeared far larger and more modern. Appearances can be deceptive, and they were. Sure, the models of Russian and Soviet-made aircraft they had in their inventory had the higher numbers ~ the Su-25, -27 and -30 ~ plus they had Mig-21bis's, Mig-23's and Su-22's, but things like training and up-keep didn't appear to be priorities for the Angolans.When you took into account the rampant corruption infecting all levels of Angolan government, the conscript nature of their military, the weakness of their technical educational system, the complexity of any modern combat aircraft and the reality that poor sods forced into being Air Force ground crewmen hardly made the most inspired technicians, or most diligent care-takers of their 'valuable' stockpiles (which their officers all too often sold on the black market anyway), things didn't just look bleak for the Angolan Air Force, they were a tsunami of cumulative factors heading them for an epic disaster.It wasn't only their enemies who derided their Air Force's lack of readiness. Their allies constantly scolded them about it too. Instead of trying to fix their current inventory, the Angolans kept shopping around for new stuff. Since 'new'-new aircraft was beyond what they wanted to spend (aka put too much of a dent in the money they were siphoning off to their private off-shore accounts), they bought 'used' gear from former Soviet states ~ Belarus, Russia and Ukraine ~ who sold them stuff they had left abandoned in revetments (open to the elements to slowly rot) on the cheap.To add to the insanity, the Angolans failed to keep up their maintenance agreements so their newly fixed high-tech machines often either couldn't fly, or flew without critical systems, like radar, avionics and even radios. Maybe that wasn't for the worst because after spending millions on these occasionally-mobile paperweights, the Angolans bought the least technologically advanced missile, gun and rocket systems they could get to put on these flying misfortunes.On the spread sheets, Angola had 18 Su-30K's, 18 Su-27, 12 Su-25's, 14 Su-22's, 22 Mig-23's, 23 Mig-21bis's and 6 Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano (a turboprop aircraft tailor-made for counter-insurgency operations), 105 helicopters with some combative ability and 21 planes with some airlift capacity. That equated to 81 either air superiority, or multi-role jet fighters versus the 12 Union Air Force (actually the Bakongo Uni o de Cabinda e Zaire, For as Armadas de Liberta  o, For a Area ~ Liberation Armed Forces, Air Force (BUCZ-FAL-FA) Mig-21-97's.It would seem lopsided except for the thousands of hours of flight experience the 'Unionists' enjoyed over their Angolan rivals. You also needed to take into account the long training and fanatic dedication of their ground crews to their pilots and their craft. Then you needed to take into account every Unionist aircraft, while an older airframe design, had updated (usually to the year 2000) technology lovingly cared for, as if the survival of their People demanded it.A second and even more critical factor was the element of surprise. At least the PRC and the PLAAF had contingencies for attacks from their neighbors in the forefront of their strategic planning. The Angolans? The only country with ANY air force in the vicinity was the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and they had ceased being a threat with the end of Apartheid and the rise of majority Black rule in that country nearly two decades earlier.In the pre-dawn hours of 'Union Independence Day', the FAL-FA was going to smash every Angolan Air base and air defense facility within 375 miles of Cabinda (the city). Every three hours after that, they would be hitting another target within their designated 'Exclusion Zone'. Yes, this 'Exclusion Zone' included a 'tiny' bit of DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) territory. The DRC didn't have an air force to challenge them though, so,Inside this 'Exclusion Zone', anything moving by sea, river, road, rail, or air without Unionist governmental approval was subject to attack, which would require neutral parties to acknowledge some semblance of a free and independent B U C Z. Worse for Angola, this 'Zone' included Angola's capital and its largest port, Luanda, plus four more of their ten largest urban centers. This could be an economic, military and humanitarian catastrophe if mishandled.The Angolan Army did not have significant anti-aircraft assets. Why would they? Remember, no one around them had much of an air force to worry about. The FAL-FA in turn could hit military convoys with TV-guided munitions 'beyond line of sight', rendering what they did have useless. It got worse for the Army after dark. The FAL-FA could and would fly at night whereas the average Angolan formation had Zip-Zero-Nadda night fighting capacity.Then geography added its own mountain of woes. As far as Cabinda was concerned, there was no direct land line to their border from Angola. Their coastal road only went as far as the port of Soyo where the Congo River hit the South Atlantic Ocean. Across that massive gap was the DRC where the road was not picked back up. Far up the coast was the DRC town of Muanda (with an airport) and though they did have a road which went north, it did not continue to the Cabindan border.Nope. To get at Cabinda from the south meant a long, torturous travel through northeastern Angola, into the heart of the DRC then entailed hooking west to some point 'close' to the Cabindan frontier before finally hoofing it overland through partially cleared farmland and jungle. Mind you, the DRC didn't have a native air force capable of protecting the Angolans in their territory so,In fact the only 'road' to Cabinda came from the Republic of Congo (Congo) to the north and even that was a twisted route along some really bad, swampy terrain. This had been the pathway of conquest the Angolans took 39 years earlier. The difference being the tiny bands of pro-independence Cabindan guerillas back then couldn't hold a candle to the Amazons fighting to free Cabinda this time around in numbers, zeal, training and up-to-date equipment.Next option ~ to come by sea. They would face a few, stiff problems, such as the FAL-FA having ship-killer missiles, the Angolan Navy not being able to defend them and the Unionists having no compunction to not strike Pointe-Noire in the 'not so neutral' Republic of the Congo if they somehow began unloading Angolan troops. It seemed the Republic of the Congo didn't have much of an Air Force either.Before you think the FAL-FA was biting off more than they could chew, Cabinda, the province, was shaped somewhat like the US State of Delaware, was half the size of Connecticut (Cabinda was 2,810 sq. mi. to Conn.'s 5,543 sq. mi.) and only the western 20% was relatively open countryside where the Angolan Army's only advantage ~ they possessed armed fighting vehicles while the 'Unionists' did not (at this stage of planning) ~ could hopefully come into play.Centered at their capital, Cabinda (City), jets could reach any point along their border within eight minutes. Helicopters could make it in fifteen. To be safe, some of the FAL-FA would base at the town of Belize which was in the northern upcountry and much tougher to get at with the added advantage the Angolans wouldn't be expecting the FAL-FA to be using the abandoned airfield there, at least initially.Where they afraid attacking Angolan troops in the DRC would invite war with the DRC? Sure, but letting the Angolans reach the border unscathed was worse. Besides, the DRC was in such a mess it needed 23,000 UN Peacekeepers within her borders just to keep the country from falling apart. Barring outside, read European, intervention, did "Democratically-elected since 2001" President (for Life) Joseph Kabila want the FAL-FA to start dropping bombs on his capital, Kinshasa, which was well within reach of all their aircraft?Congo (the country), to the north, wasn't being propped up by the UN, or anything else except ill intentions. In reality, it hardly had much of a military at all. Its officer corps was chosen for political reliability, not merit, or capability. Their technology was old Cold War stuff with little effort to update anything and, if you suspected corruption might be a problem across all spectrums of life, you would 'probably' be right about that too.If you suspected the current President had been in charge for a while, you would be correct again (1979-1992 then 2001- and the 'whoops' was when he accidently let his country experiment with democracy which led to two civil wars). If you suspected he was a life-long Communist (along with the Presidents of the DRC and Angola), you'd be right about that as well. Somehow their shared Marxist-Leninist-Communist ideology hadn't quite translated over to alleviating the grinding poverty in any of those countries despite their vast mineral wealth,At this point in the region's history, little Cabinda had everything to gain by striving for independence and the vast majority of 'warriors' who could possibly be sent against her had terribly little to gain fighting and dying trying to stop them from achieving her goal. After all, their lives weren't going to get any better and with the Amazons ability ~ nay willingness ~ to commit battlefield atrocities, those leaders were going to find it hard going to keep sending their men off to die.And then, it got even worse.See, what I had pointed out was there were two oil refineries in Angola, and neither was in Cabinda. Cabinda would need a refinery to start making good on their oil wealth ~ aka economically bribe off the Western economies already shaken over the Khanate's first round of aggressions.But wait! There was an oil refinery just across the Congo River from Cabinda ~ which meant it was attached to mainland Angola. That had to be a passel of impossible news, right?Nope. As I said earlier, it seemed the people of northern Angola were the same racial group as the Cabindans AND majority Catholic while the ruling clique wasn't part of their ethnic confederacy plus the farther south and east into Angola you went, the less Catholic it became.But it got better. This province was historically its own little independent kingdom (called the Kingdom of Kongo) to boot! It had been abolished by Portugal back in 1914.The 'good' news didn't end there. Now, it wasn't as if the leadership of Angola was spreading the wealth around to the People much anyway, but these northerners had been particularly left out of this Marxist version of 'Trickle Down' economics.How bad was this? This northwestern province ~ called Zaire ~ didn't have any railroads, or paved roads, linking it to the rest of the freaking country. The 'coastal road' entered the province, but about a third of the way up ran into this river, which they'd failed to bridge (you had to use a single track bridge farther to the northeast, if you can believe it). It wasn't even a big river. It was still an obstacle though.How did the Angolan government and military planned to get around? Why by air and sea, of course. Well, actually by air. Angola didn't have much of a merchant marine, or Navy, to make sealift a serious consideration. Within hours of the 'Union Declaration of Independence' anything flying anywhere north of the Luanda, the capital of Angola, would essentially be asking to be blown out of the sky.Along the border between Zaire province and the rest of Angola were precisely two chokepoints. By 'chokepoints', I meant places where a squad (10 trained, modernly-equipped troopers) could either see everything for miles & miles over pretty much empty space along a river valley and the only bridge separating Zaire province from the south, or overlook a ravine which the only road had to pass through because of otherwise bad-ass, broken terrain.Two.Zaire Province had roughly the same population as Cabinda ~ 600,000. Unlike Cabinda, which consisted of Cabinda City plus a few tiny towns and rugged jungles, Zaire had two cities ~ Soyo, with her seventy thousand souls plus the refinery at the mouth of the Congo River, and M'banza-Kongo, the historical capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, spiritual center of the Bakongo People (who included the Cabindans) and set up in the highlands strategically very reminiscent of Điện Biàn Phủ.Of Zaire's provincial towns, the only other strategic one was N'Zeto with her crappy Atlantic port facility and 2,230 meter grass airport. The town was the northern terminus of the National Road 100 ~ the Coastal Road. It terminated because of the Mebridege River. There wasn't a bridge at N'Zeto though there was a small one several miles upstream. N'Zeto was also where the road from provinces east of Zaire ended up, so you had to have N'Zeto ~ and that tiny bridge ~ to move troops overland anywhere else in Zaire Province.So you would think it would be easy for the Angolan Army to defend then, except of how the Amazons planned to operate. They would infiltrate the area first then 'rise up in rebellion'. Their problem was the scope of the operation had magnified in risk of exposure, duration and forces necessary for success.The serious issue before Saint Marie and the Host in Africa were the first two. They could actually move Amazons from Brazil and North America to bolster their numbers for the upcoming offensive. Even in the short-short term, equipment wouldn't be a serious problem. What the Amazons dreaded was being left in a protracted slugfest with the Angolan Army which the Condottieri could jump in on. The Amazons exceedingly preferred to strike first then vanish.There was reason to believe a tiny number could have stayed behind in Cabinda to help the locals prepare their military until they could defend themselves. They would need more than a hundred Amazons if Cabinda wanted to incorporate Zaire. The answer was to call back their newfound buddy, the Great Khan. While he didn't have much else he could spare (the Khanate was ramping up for their invasion of the Middle East after all, the Kurds needed the help), he had other allies he could call on.India couldn't help initially since they were supposed to supply the 'Peace-keepers' once a cease-fire had been arranged. That left Temujin with his solid ally, Vietnam, and his far shakier allies, the Republic of China and Japan.First off ~ Japan could not help, which meant they couldn't supply troops who might very well end up dead, or far worse, captured.. What they did have was a surplus of older equipment the ROC troops were familiar with, so while the ROC was gearing up for their own invasion of mainland China in February, they were willing to help the Chinese kill Angolans, off the books, of course.The ROC was sending fifteen hundred troops the Khanate's way to help in this West African adventure with the understanding they'd be coming home by year's end. With Vietnam adding over eight hundred of her own Special Forces, the Amazons had the tiny 'allied' army they could leave shielding Cabinda/Zaire once the first round of blood-letting was over.To be 'fair', the Republic of China and Vietnam asked for 'volunteers'. It wasn't like either country was going to declare war on Angola directly. Nearly a thousand members of Vietnam's elite 126th Regiment of the 5th Brigade (Đặc cáng bộ) took early retirement then misplaced their equipment as they went to update their visas and inoculations before heading out for the DRC (some would be slipping over the DRC/Cabindan border).On Taiwan, it was the men and women of the 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade, 871st Special Operations Group and 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion who felt the sudden desire to 'seek enlightenment elsewhere, preferably on another continent'.They too were off to the Democratic Republic of Congo, man that country was a mess and their border security wasn't worth writing home about, that's for damn sure, via multiple Southeast Asian nations. Besides, they were being issued fraudulently visas which showed them to be from the People's Republic of China, not the ROC/Taiwan. If they were captured, they were to pretend to "be working for a Communist Revolution inside Angola and thus to be setting all of Africa on fire!" aka be Mainland Chinese.There, in the DRC, these Chinese stumbled across, some Japanese. These folks hadn't retired. No. They were on an extended assignment for the UN's mission in, the DRC. OH! And look! They'd brought tons of surplus, outdated Japanese Self Defense Forces' equipment with them, and there just so happened to be some Taiwanese who had experience in using such equipment (both used US-style gear).And here was Colonel Yoshihiro Isami of the Chūō Sokuō Shūdan (Japan's Central Readiness Force) wondering why he and his hastily assembled team had just unloaded,18 Fuji/Bell AH-1S Cobra Attack helicopters,6 Kawasaki OH-6D Loach Scout helicopters,12 Fuji-Bell 204-B-2 Hiyodori Utility helicopters,6 Kawasaki/Boeing CH-47JA Chinook Transport helicopters and4 Mitsubishi M U-2L-1 Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft.Yep! 46 more aircraft for the FAL-FA!Oh, and if this wasn't 'bad enough', the Chinese hadn't come alone. They'd brought some old aircraft from their homes to aid in the upcoming struggle. Once more, these things were relics of the Cold War yet both capable fighting machines and, given the sorry state of the opposition, definitely quite deadly. A dozen F-5E Tiger 2000 configured primarily for air superiority plus two RF-5E Tigergazer for reconnaissance, pilots plus ground crews, of course.Thus, on the eve of battle, the FAL-FA had become a true threat. Sure, all of its planes (and half of its pilots) were pretty old, but they were combat-tested and in numbers and experience no other Sub-Saharan African nation could match.The Liberation Ground Forces:But wait, there was still the niggling little problem of what all those fellas were going to fight with once they were on the ground. Assault/Battle rifles, carbines, rifles, pistols, PDW, SMGs as bullets, grenades and RPG's were all terrifyingly easy to obtain. The coast of West Africa was hardly the Port of London as far as customs security went. They were going to need some bigger toys and their host nations were going to need all their native hardware for their upcoming battles at home.And it wasn't like you could advertise for used IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), APCs (armored personnel carriers) and tanks on e-Bay, Amazon.com, or Twitter. If something modern US, or NATO, was captured rolling around the beautiful Angolan countryside, shooting up hostile Angolans, all kinds of head would roll in all kinds of countries, unless the country,A) had an Executive Branch and Judiciary who wouldn't ask (or be answering) too many uncomfortable questions,B) wasn't all that vulnerable to international pressure,C) really needed the money and,D) didn't give a fuck their toys would soon be seen on BBC/CNN/Al Jazeera blowing the ever-living crap out of a ton of Africans aka doing what they were advertised to do and doing it very well in the hands of capable professionals.And politics was kind enough to hand the freedom-loving people of Cabinda & Zaire a winner, and it wasn't even from strangers, or at least people all that strange to their part of the Globe. If you would have no idea who to look for, you wouldn't be alone.That was the magic of the choice. See, the last three decades had seen the entire Globe take a colossal dump on them as a Nation and a People. They were highly unpopular for all sorts of things, such as Crimes Against Humanity and 'no', we were not talking about the Khanate.We would be talking about Република Србија / Republika Srbija aka Serbia aka the former Yugoslavia who had watched all their satellite minions (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia) slip away. Despite being reduced to a tiny fraction of their former selves thus fighting two incredibly brutal and bloody World Wars for nothing, Serbia insisted on maintaining a robust armaments industry.Mind you, they didn't make the very best stuff on the planet. That didn't stop them from trying though. Of equal importance was their geographic location and the above mentioned desire for some hard currency without asking too many questions. The geography was simple, you could move even heavy gear unnoticed from central Serbia to the Montenegrin port of Bar by rail and load them up on freighters and off to the Congo you went.The Serbians produced an APC called the BVP M-80A's which weren't blowing anyone's minds away when they started rolling off the production lines back in 1982, plus some over-eager types on the Serbian Army's payroll sweetened the deal by offering 'the rebels' some BVP M-80 KC's and a KB as well.Then they slathered on the sugary-sweet Maple syrup by upgrading a few of the M-80A's to BVP M-98A's. Why would they be so generous? The KC's and KB were the Command & Control variants, so that made sense (C = company & B = battalion commander). The -98A had never been tested in the field before and they were kind of curious how the new turrets (which was the major difference) would behave. 'Our' procurement agents didn't quibble. We needed the gear.Besides, these Slavic entrepreneurs gave them an inside track on some 'disarmed/mothballed' Czech (introduced in 1963) armored mobile ambulances and Polish BWP-1 (first rolled out in 1966) APC's which were either in, or could be quickly configured into, the support variants those ground-fighters would need. The 'disarmed' part was 'fixable', thanks to both the Serbians and Finland. The 'missing' basic weaponry was something the Serbians could replace with virtually identical equipment.It just kept getting better. Unknown to me at the time, the Finnish firm, Patria Hágglunds, had sold twenty-two of their 'most excellent' AMOS turrets ~ they are a twin 120 mm mortar system ~ then the deal fell through. Whoops! Should have guarded that warehouse better. Those bitches were on a cargo plane bound for Albania inside of six hours.The ammunition for them was rather unique. Thankfully, it was uniquely sold by the Swiss, who had no trouble selling it to Serbia, thank you very much! Twenty-two BWP-1's became mobile artillery for the Unionist freedom fighters, though I understood the ship ride with the Serbian and Chinese technicians was loads of fun as they struggled to figured out how to attach those state-of-the-art death-dealing turrets to those ancient contraptions.To compensate, the Serbians added (aka as long as our money was good) two Nora B-52 155 mm 52-calibre mobile artillery pieces and one battery of Orkan CER MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) for long-range artillery, two batteries of their Oganj 2000 ER MRLS for medium range carnage and six batteries of their M-94 MRLS for 'close support' as well. More field-testing new gear for the "freedom fighters" We also managed to 'purchase' ten M-84AS Main Battle tanks plus an M-84A1 armor recovery vehicle. It should have been twelve tanks, but two had 'loading issues'.Not to be deterred, our busy little procurement-beavers discovered four tanks no one was using, in neighboring Croatia. Why wasn't anyone immediately keen on their placement? They were two sets of prototypes, Croatia's improvements on the M-84; the M-95 Degman which was a 'failed redesign' and the M-84D, which was a vast up-grade for the M-84 line which had been sidelined by the 2008 Global economic collapse, after which the project stagnated.It seemed they were all in working order because late one night 'my people' exited a Croatian Army base with them, never to be seen again, until two weeks later when an intrepid news crew caught the distinctive form of the M-95 sending some sweet 125 mm loving the Angolan Army's way. Whoops yet again! At least they hit what they were aiming at and destroyed what they hit, right?By then, millions of other people would be going 'what the fuck?' right along with them as Cabinda's camouflage- and mask-wearing rebel army was laying the smack-down on the Angolans. That was okay; over a million 'free Cabindan Unionists' were in the same boat. Over a thousand Asians with their mostly-female militant translators were right there to prop up their 'Unionist Allies', but then they were the ones with the tanks, armored vehicles, planes and guns, so they were less worried than most.To pilot these tanks, APC, IFV and man this artillery, they had to go back to the Khanate. Sure enough, they had some old tankers used to crewing the T-72 from which the M-84's and -95 Degman were derived. They'd also need drivers for those BVP M-80A's and Polish BWP-1's and OT-64 SKOT's... who were, again, derived from old Soviet tech (just much better). The Serbian artillery was similar enough to Soviet stuff, but with enough new tech to make it 'more fun' for the reservists to 'figure out' how to use.More volunteers for the Liberation Armed Forces! More Apple sales, great apps and voice modulation software so that the vehicle commanders would be heard communicating in Portuguese if someone was eavesdropping. As a final offering the Turkish Navy spontaneously developed some plans to test their long range capabilities by going to, the South Atlantic.On the final leg they would have six frigates and two submarines, enough to give any navy in the region, which wasn't Brazil, something to think about. This was a show of force, not an actual threat though. If anyone called their bluff, the Khanate-Turkish forces would have to pull back. These were not assets my Brother, the Great Khan, could afford to gamble and lose.If someone didn't call that bluff, he was also sending two smaller, older corvettes and three even smaller, but newer, fast attack boats, a "gift" to the Unionists ASAP. The frigates would then race home, they had 'other' issues to deal with while the submarines would hang around for a bit. The naval gift was necessitated by the reality the Unionists would have to press their claim to their off-shore riches and that required a naval force Angola couldn't hope to counter.As things were developing, it was reckoned since a build-up of such momentous land and air power couldn't be disguised, it had to happen in a matter of days ~ four was decided to be the minimum amount of time. More than that and the government of the Democratic Republic might start asking far too many questions our hefty bribes and dubious paperwork couldn't cover. Less than that would leave the task forces launching operations with too little a chance of success.Our biggest advantage was audacity. The buildup would happen 100 km up the Congo River from Soyo, the primary target of the Southern Invasion, in the DRC's second largest port city, Boma. Though across the river was Angolan territory, there was nothing there. The city of roughly 160,000 would provide adequate cover for the initial stage of the invasion.There they grouped their vehicles & Khanate drivers with Amazon and Vietnamese combat teams. The Japanese were doing the same for their 'Chinese' counterparts for their helicopter-borne forces. Getting all their equipment in working order in the short time left was critical as was creating some level of unit dynamic. Things were chaotic. No one was happy. They were all going in anyway.What had gone wrong?While most children her age were texting their schoolmates, or tackling their homework, Aya Ruger ~ the alias of Nasusara Assiyaiá hamai ~ was getting briefings of her global, secret empire worth hundreds of billions and those of her equally nefarious compatriots. She received a very abbreviated version of what the Regents received, delivered by a member of Shawnee Arinniti's staff.When Aya hopped off her chair unexpectedly, everyone tensed. Her bodyguards' hands went to their sidearms and Lorraine (her sister by blood), also in the room on this occasion, stood and prepared to tackle her 'former' sibling to the ground if the situation escalated into an assassination attempt. No such attack was generated, so the security ratcheted down and the attendant returned her focus to her Queen. Aya paced four steps, turned and retraced her way then repeated the action three more times."How many people live in the combined areas?" she asked."The combined areas? Of Cabinda and Zaire?""Yes.""I," the woman referenced her material, "roughly 1.1 million.""What is the yearly value of the offshore oil and natural gas production?""Forty-nine billion, eighty hundred and sixty-seven million by our best estimates at this time,""How many live in Soyo City proper?""Roughly 70,000.""We take Soyo," she spoke in a small yet deliberate voice. "We take and hold Soyo as an independent city-state within the Cabindan-Zaire Union. From the maps it appears Soyo is a series of islands. It has a port and airport. It has an open border to an ocean with weaker neighbors all around.""What of the, Zairians?""Bakongo. As a people they are called the Bakongo," Aya looked up at the briefer. "We relocate those who need to work in Soyo into a new city, built at our expense, beyond the southernmost water barrier. The rest we pay to relocate elsewhere in Zaire, or Cabinda."By the looks of those around her, Aya realized she needed to further explain her decisions."This is more than some concrete home base for our People," she began patiently. "In the same way it gives our enemies a clearly delineated target to attack us, it is a statement to our allies we won't cut and run if things go truly bad.""In the same way it will provide us with diplomatic recognition beyond what tenuous handouts we are getting from Cáel Wakko Ishara's efforts through JIKIT. Also, it is a reminder we are not like the other Secret Societies in one fundamental way, we are not a business concern, or a religion. We are a People and people deserve some sort of homeland. We have gone for so long without.""But Soyo?" the aide protested. "We have no ties to it, and it backs up to, nothing.""Northern Turkey and southern Slovakia mean nothing to us now as well," Aya debated. "No place on Earth is any more precious than another. As for backing up to nothing, no. You are incorrect. It backs into a promise from our allies in the Earth & Sky that if we need support, they know where to park their planes and ships."Aya was surrounded with unhappy, disbelieving looks."The Great Khan is my mamētu meáeda," she reminded them, "and I have every reason to believe he completely grasps the concept's benefits and obligations."The looks confirmed 'but he's a man' to the tiny Queen."Aya, are you sure about this?" Lorraine was the first to break decorum."Absolutely. Do you know what he sent me when he was informed of my, ascension to the Queendom?""No," Lorraine admitted."We must go horse-riding sometime soon, Daughter of Cáel, Queen of the Amazons."More uncertain and unconvinced looks."He didn't congratulate me, or send any gifts. He could have and you would think he would have, but he didn't. He knew the hearts of me & my Atta and we weren't in the celebratory mood. No. The Great Khan sent one sentence which offered solace and quiet, atop a horse on a windswept bit of steppe."Nothing.Sigh. "I know this sounds Cáel-ish," Aya admitted, "but I strongly believe this is what we should do. We are giving the Cabindans and Bakongo in Zaire independence and the promise of a much better life than what they now face. We will be putting thousands of our sisters' lives on the line to accomplish this feat and well over two hundred million dollars.""What about governance of the city ~ Soyo?" the aide forged ahead."Amazon law," Aya didn't hesitate. "We will make allowances for the security forces of visiting dignitaries and specific allied personnel, but otherwise it will be one massive Amazon urban freehold.""I cannot imagine the Golden Mare, or the Regents, will be pleased," the attendant bowed her head."It is a matter of interconnectivity," Aya walked up and touched the woman's cheek with the back of her small hand. "We could liberate then abandon Cabinda with the hope a small band could help them keep their independence. Except we need the refinery at Soyo so the people of Cabinda can truly support that liberty.""So, we must keep Soyo and to keep Soyo, we must keep Zaire province. There is no other lesser border which makes strategic sense ~ a river, highlands, a massive river, an ocean ~ those are sustainable frontiers. You can't simply keep Soyo and not expect the enemy to strike and destroy that refinery, thus we must take Zaire province.""But the Bakongo of Zaire cannot defend themselves and will not be able to do so for at least a year, if not longer. That means we must do so, and for doing so, they will give us Soyo and we will be honest stewards of their oil wealth. We cannot expect any other power to defend this new Union and if we don't have a land stake we will be portrayed as mercenaries and expelled by hostile international forces.""So, for this project to have any chance of success, we must stay, fight and have an acknowledged presence, and if you can think of an alternative, please let me know," she exhaled."What if the Cabindans and Bakongo resist?""It is 'us', or the Angolans and they know how horrible the Angolans can be. Didn't you say the average person their lives on just $2 a day?""Yes.""We can do better than that," Aya insisted."How?" the aide persisted. "I mean, 'how in a way which will be quickly evident and meaningful?'""Oh," Aya's tiny brow furrowed. Her nose twitched as she rummaged through the vast storehouse of her brain."Get me in touch with William A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. He should be able to help me navigate the pathways toward getting aid and advisors into those two provinces ASAP.""I'll let Katrina know," the attendant made the notation on her pad."No. Contact him directly," Aya intervened. "We established a, rapport when we met. I think he might responded positively to a chance to mentor me in foreign relations.""Really?" Lorraine's brows arched."Yes," Aya chirped."Are you sure, Nasusara?" the attendant stared. She used 'Nasusara' whenever she thought Aya had a 'horrible' idea instead of a merely a 'bad' one."Yes. He owes me. Last time we met I didn't shoot him.""Didn't?" the woman twitched."Yes. I drew down on him with my captured Chinese QSW-06. I didn't want to kill him, but I felt I was about to have to kill Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken and he was the only other person in the room both armed and capable of stopping me.""Why is he still alive?""Cáel Ishara saw through my distraction and then took my gun from me, asked for it actually," she shyly confessed."Would you have shot him?" the aide inquired."What do you think?" Aya smiled.And Then:So, given t

Let's Talk Anything but HIM! Karel Cast 25-46 Remember a time when our entire time wasn't spent talking about what the US President was doing, no matter who it was? Remember when we talked about ANYTHING other than the horrors of the US President's actions? Bush had Iraq and we talked about it a lot, but we didn't speak of his actions every single day. Reagan ignored AIDS and had Iran-Contra but STILL we managed to not have all conversations be about him. So first, we'll nod to the liberal victory in Wisconsin in spite of Elon's money, we'll admit no shock about Republicans winning the Florida panhandle but are shocked that over 44% voted Democratically. And Corey Booker, vegan goes for 25:05 on the Floor setting a record. And? Meanwhile there's lots of other headlines we can cover like Death Penalty for Luigi? Four Beatle's movies? Hooters Goes Bust! There's a lot of other headlines that don't have HIS name directly attached. So let's talk about those. The Karel Cast is heard on all streaming services from Apple Music to iHeart Media, Spotify to Spreaker. The show is Monday through Thursday at 10:30 am Live PST. It can also be seen on TikTok and Instagram. Karel is a history-making broadcaster and entertainer currently in Las Vegas with his little service girl Ember. The Karel Cast is supported by your donations at patreon.com/reallykarel Please watch, like and subscribe to the videos at youtube.com/reallykarel

Lester Kiewit speaks with Jan Bosman of the AfrikanerBond, on their views of the executive order signed by Donald Trump this past weekend, affecting South Africans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: REICHSTAG: Author Timothy Ryback, "Takeover," explains that the NSDAP under Hitler used its democratically elected power to destroy democracy with gridlock. More tonight. 1930 Reichstag

"A Line Has Been Crossed" Hosts: Darren Weeks, Vicky Davis Website for the show: https://governamerica.com Vicky's websites: https://thetechnocratictyranny.com COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AND CREDITS AT: https://governamerica.com/radio/radio-archives/22596-govern-america-december-7-2024-a-line-has-been-crossed Listen LIVE every Saturday at 11AM Eastern time at http://governamerica.net Text GOVERN to 80123 to be notified of live transmissions that may occur outside of our regularly-scheduled Saturday broadcasts. These transmissions will occur when/if circumstances warrant. Joe Biden pardons his son, leaving propaganda media scrambling. Pardon covers wide time span, going all the way back to 2014, the U.S. government overthrow of Democratically-elected government of Ukraine, and Hunter's time on the board at Burisma Holdings. What was the FBI role in Biden-Ukraine corruption? Tucker Carlson interviews Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov. Unrest in Georgia has CIA fingerprints. Obama is suddenly concerned about the weaponization of government. Trump border czar pick Tom Homan issues a warning. Deputy AG pick Todd Blanche caught cozying up to Trump hater CNN propagandist. NYC mayor Eric Adams signals willingness to work with incoming administration to deport violent illegals. United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson assassinated in midtown Manhattan. Will Rothschild dies in pre-Thanksgiving house fire, and more.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan expresses glee that he'll have over a thousand acres in Texas upon which to crowd the detainees he plans to round up in the "biggest mass deportation in history": https://thehill.com/regulation/national-security/5001566-tom-homan-says-trump-admin-will-absolutely-use-gifted-texas-land-for-deportation-program/ ...The resistance of Democratically-led states and cities to Trump's roundup may lead to the "concentration" of these arrestees in red states like Texas: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87xqwd71wzo ...Let's recall Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham's past experience serving on the board of a bogus college known for ripping off veterans and leaving them buried in debt with useless degrees: https://www.texasgopvote.com/education/dawn-buckingham-candidate-resume-fraud-file-008818 Several bills have been filed for next year's legislative session by Republicans looking to limit the development of renewable energy facilities, including battery storage: https://bsky.app/profile/philjankowski.bsky.social/post/3lbfetozqus24 We join President Biden in saluting Texas heroine Cecile Richards, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House yesterday: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-awards-medal-freedom-former-planned-parenthood-president/story?id=116067740 Our annual holiday fundraising parties approach! We'll be gathering both in Dallas and Austin this December, and there are sponsorship opportunities available and individual tickets are now on sale: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Project 2025 is no longer a warning: it's now the playbook of the next American administration: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠@progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Donald J. Trump has returned to his rightful position as KING of Amer.. er, I mean.. DEMOCRATICALLY elected President of the United States of America! And arguably.. The best part of the night was seeing leftists freak out, much like they did in 2016 — and even did before the 2020 election was stolen in the middle of the night. Luckily for you all, we've compiled some of the best and most unhinged FREAKOUTS from Election Night and after.. Get ready for 4 MORE YEARS of unhinged liberal madness.Ben from Australian Talk joins us TONIGHT for NIGHTLY OFFENSIVE!__ ⇩SUPPORT THE SHOW⇩➤ JOIN CENSORED TV: Watch this FULL EPISODE ad free + EXCLUSIVE content at https://censored.tv/ promo code “OFFENSIVE” for 20% - Keep free speech media alive!➤ JOIN THE PRIVATE LIVE COMMUNITY: https://elijahschaffer.locals.com/➤ NOTICER T-SHIRTS / MERCH: https://slightlyoffensive.com/__⇩ SHOW SPONSORS⇩➤ VAN MAN COMPANY: Vanman Co. is the go-to source for all-natural, non-toxic and chemical free products — from creams to deodorant, soap and mouthwash, Vanman Co. is one of the only companies to deliver on quality without cutting corners when it comes to your health and well-being. Go to https://www.vanman.shop/offensive and use promocode OFFENSIVE for 10% OFF!➤ MYPILLOW: A large retail store canceled a huge order, leaving MyPillow with extra stock, which means you can now get MyPillows at wholesale prices for the first time ever. Standard classic MyPillows are just $14.88, Queen size for $18.88, King size for $19.88, body pillows for $29.88, and multi-use pillows for $9.88. Go to https://www.mypillow.com or call 800-210-8491 and use promo code ELIJAH to take advantage of these prices, with free shipping on orders over $75. Limited quantities are available, so act fast before they're gone!​➤ WAGYU BEEF JERKY: Modern food and farming is broken - the good news is, we can change that! By regenerative farming, we strive to stay in harmony with nature. Healthy soil, happy animals, good food - Farmer Bill's Provisions. https://farmerbillsprovisions.com/ - promocode ELIJAH20 for 20% OFF.___⇩ELIJAH'S SOCIAL MEDIA ⇩➤ X: https://X.com/ElijahSchaffer➤ RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/c/SlightlyOffensive➤ INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/slightlyoffensive.tv➤ TELEGRAM https://t.me/SlightlyOffensive➤ GAB: https://gab.com/elijahschaffer⇩ BEN'S SOCIAL MEDIA ⇩➤ X: https://x.com/australiantalk __➤BOOKINGS + BUSINESS INQUIRIES: MIKE@SLIGHTLYOFFENSIVE.COM__⇩EXCELLENT RESOURCES FOR KIDS ⇩Head to https://bit.ly/teach-freedom for a unique book series that introduces the important ideas that schools no longer teach.Support the show

Early voting is almost here, and while many of our regulars are excited to vote for Kamala Harris and Colin Allred, we remind you that it's important to understand and vote your ENTIRE ballot - and nowhere in Texas is that more true this time than in Dallas. Propositions S, T, and U are written for the ballot to appear common sense, public safety and accountability measures, but in reality, they threaten to bankrupt the City of Dallas' budget and grant unprecedented local control to wealthy activists - many of whom directly involved don't even live or work in Dallas. We're happy to welcome back Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua, who has a keen understanding of how these measures threaten to upend Big D, and investigative reporter Steven Monacelli, who has just dropped a major expose on the "Dallas HERO" group behind these three measures, exposing their funding, their motives, and how they hope to establish a model for the future short-circuiting of other Democratically-run big cities in Texas. Find Steven's piece in the Texas Observer at https://www.texasobserver.org/dallas-hero-initiative-monty-bennett-crowds-on-demand/. Find Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua at https://dallascityhall.com/government/citycouncil/district7/Pages/default.aspx Thanks for listening! Learn more about how you can support Progress Texas' important work, through the election and into next year's pivotal legislative session - including by attending or sponsoring our December holiday parties in Dallas and Austin - at https://progresstexas.org/.

There's turmoil in the People's Republic of The Dispatch. Democratically elected President Jonah J. Goldberg was deposed in the early hours of the morning by dissident General Kevin D. Williamson, who has taken over The Remnant airwaves in an often-precedented coup d'état. Kevin is joined by Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the John Locke Foundation, to discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and the potential consequences on the fast-approaching presidential election. Kevin and Mitch negate the loony conspiracies stemming from the storm, discuss the status of polling sites across the state, and dig into the voter demographics of the southern swing state. Mitch explains why North Carolina is in a unique position this election season, and makes a case that it's time for the sane among us to reclaim the term “RINO” once and for all. Show Notes: —Kevin's reporting from Asheville —Learn more about the John Locke Foundation —The Carolina Journal The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including Jonah's G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reese Tisdale is joined by Bluefield's Senior Research Director Greg Goodwin to explore the upcoming Supreme Court case: City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency. The outcome of this case could reshape the balance of regulatory authority between federal and state governments, with major implications for water quality standards across the U.S. The case centers on San Francisco's challenge to the EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act, particularly its use of vague discharge rules that lack clear numerical limits. San Francisco argues that the EPA's reliance on generic prohibitions without quantifiable limits makes compliance difficult and could result in up to US$10 billion in additional capital expenditures. On the other side, thirteen Attorneys General for Democratically governed states are urging the Court to preserve the EPA's authority to set “narrative” limits, supported by scientists who claim that narrative-based limitations can be more effective in certain cases, such as nutrient discharges, by allowing more flexibility for the permit holder. Reese and Greg dive into six key questions: What is the significance of the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on the EPA and water regulations? How does the case challenge the Clean Water Act? What are the potential legal implications for cities and industries if the Supreme Court limits the EPA's regulatory power? How does this Supreme Court case tie into broader regulatory shifts in the water sector, especially with the 2024 elections on the horizon? What impact could a decision in favor of San Francisco have on national water policies? How this case connects to broader concerns in the water industry, such as PFAS and lead service line replacement? If you enjoy listening to The Future of Water Podcast, please tell a friend or colleague, and if you haven't already, please click to follow this podcast wherever you listen. If you'd like to be informed of water market news, trends, perspectives and analysis from Bluefield Research, subscribe to Waterline, our weekly newsletter published each Wednesday. Related Research & Analysis: U.K. Water Utilities' Road to AMP8: Proposed Business Plans and Regulator's Review 2024 U.S. Elections: Implications for the Water Industry

Dictatorships can be classified into Military, Hybrid, Dynastic Civilian and the Democratically elected dictatorships. Dictators aspire to stay in power for a long time and do so by instilling fear in their citizens. And once they've achieved this, some prefer to build a cult following. But under certain circumstances Dictatorships can be toppled and replaced by Democracy.

  This episode is sponsored by: Ready for some retail therapy with a side of laughter and community? Look no further than Erin.Lane's monthly live sales! Each sale features a fresh theme (think whimsical unicorns, sassy llamas, you name it!), and you'll be the first to snag brand spankin' new fabrics. Who knows, you might just find your new favorite bag too.   Make sure to never miss a minute (or fabric) by signing up for the newsletter, and keep up with us in real time by with our Facebook community, Erin.Lane Bag Buddies. Bag buddies always get first access to new bags and fabrics, because who doesn't want to share the love of their besties?     Have you ever had to frog because you forgot a step several rows back? Or lost your spot because you dropped your magnet board or lost track with your highlighter tape? Instead of wrestling with paper, use the knitCompanion app. It keeps you on track so you can knit more and frog less. knitCompanion works with ALL your patterns and is available for Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire Devices                     Are you feeling dis-GRUNT-eled about your stash? Are you browsing Insta-HAM looking for knitting inspiration? Is color "kind of a PIG deal" in your life? Oink Pigments offers over one hundred forty PIG-ture perfect colorways to make you SQUEAL with delight. For a limited time only, bring home the bacon with code KNITMORE and get fifteen percent off in-stock yarns and fibers at oinkpigments dot com. Shop soon, because these pigs will FLY! Episode 750   Administrative stuff: And then Mom got Covid! Yay paxlovid!  Covid/Paxlovid Rebound Ads. Added the bumper ads back to the beginning and end of the podcast- pulling in income from other industries to help put income into ours.  Also! We've joined the Mood Affilliate program. No cost to you, but some cash from your purchases comes our way if you click one of our links. Ads: if you're a small business (in our industry, related to this), and you're struggling and could use some ads, message me and we'll give you access to our audience, on the house.  If your politics include voting for someone who would have mom's citizenship stripped, and block us from visiting our family in Iran, we will not be airing (or comping) ads for your business, of course. On the Needles (:34)   Gigi ;  Meadowlands blanket # 13 Color way: Satyrs fourth triangle finished waiting for crochet border  Jasmin: almost done with the back of the vintage dolman sleeve cabled cardigan in undyed Tencel from Wool2DyeFor   Jasmin is 2ish inches from finishing Maxie's top test knit for Ainur Berkambayeva in Lisa Souza's Sylvie Silk in “Ruby" Gigi: Meadowlands #15 Sasquatch  Jasmin: Need to put in my yardage so BostonJen knows how close I am to kicking her bootie #StashDash   Events:(:11:41)   Jasmin: Cognitive Fiber Retreat X! I'm teaching a steeking class Jasmin: Visible Mending class for Sheepspot peeps/Sasha Torres' spinning school Paris Oympics! TOUR DE FLEECE/TOUR DE FRANCE Mother Knows Best:(15:22) VOTE. Talk to everyone. Have them check their voter registration status! Bookmark the voter registration website on your phone, and get people registered. Voting is a privilege!  Kamala Harris "We Choose Freedom" Knit-along with Knitrino We discuss NO Nukes, grape Boycott, Nestle Baby Formula disaster, Iceberg Lettuce boycott Democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh Professor Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky   When knitting attacks:(35:31) Started on 3rd triangle of Meadowlands blanket, messed up the sequence and had an extra row on the wrong side  Gigi: I am making a lot of mistakes in my garter stitch project.  Dropping stitches,adding yarn overs  Gigi: started another meadowlands blanket.  Messed up decreases, ripped most os it out, started again  Meadowlands ripped out 3x Also dropped stitches at the beginning of the row. Trying to fix it makes it worse. Will need to rip back a few rows    Knit more, know more A segment about Persian culture, history, or just generally cool stuff about Persian people. 2024 Iranian election Ja'at Khalee And sew on: (44:31) Gigi: Wish I had taken history of this western fashion  Gigi: Great British Sewing Bee on Facebook.  Not on Netflix yet Jasmin:  Jasmin: Lucille pants (by Gertie) done. Millicent skirt by Gertie done and attached to the top from last year's pride dress. Lucy hostess gown , finished! LINK? Panties (RadPatterns), because Lisa Woolfork espoused how great they are.  Speaking of Lisa Woolfork: STITCH BETTA HAVE MY MONEY fundraiser! Goal is $50K.  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bws Mood trip while in NYC! Sewing is on a roll! Adjustable sewing table Aaronica Cole from The Needle and the Belle Tracing! Muslins! Projector!L Vintage 3 piece dress (flamingo dress) needs bias tape sewn on and buttons/snaps attached 1 yard vintage top: finished!   Gigi:     - Costuming: Bridgerton new season: enjoying the show and costumes in particular. Francesca, this season's debutant is wearing a jacket that is not a Chanel cut, but it seems like a Chanel fabric 

TIMESTAMPS: Intro (0:00) Under Pressure (5:58) Centrist Collapse In Europe (50:06) Outro (1:27:41) - - - Watch full episodes on Rumble, streamed LIVE 7pm ET. Become part of our Locals community - - -  Follow Glenn: Twitter Instagram Follow System Update:  Twitter Instagram TikTok Facebook LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 27, 1954. Democratically elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán is deposed in a CIA-backed coup, bringing an end to a brief era of democracy and social progress and ushering in decades of violence and oppression. This episode originally aired in 2023.Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rebel News podcasts features free audio-only versions of select RebelNews+ content and other Rebel News long-form videos, livestreams, and interviews. Monday to Friday enjoy the audio version of Ezra Levant's daily TV-style show, The Ezra Levant Show, where Ezra gives you his contrarian and conservative take on free speech, politics, and foreign policy through in-depth commentary and interviews. Wednesday evenings you can listen to the audio version of The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid the Chief Reporter of Rebel News. Sheila brings a western sensibility to Canadian news. With one foot in the oil patch and one foot in agriculture, Sheila challenges mainstream media narratives and stands up for Albertans. If you want to watch the video versions of these podcasts, make sure to begin your free RebelNewsPlus trial by subscribing at http://www.RebelNewsPlus.com

The Virginia General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday to consider Governor Glenn Youngkin's 223 budget amendments and a record-setting number of vetoes. A deal was quickly struck between the governor and the legislature to work together on a new state budget, averting a crisis — at least for now. Virginia Delegate Marcus Simon, who represents Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County, joined us in the studio to discuss how it all came together. He said Youngkin now realizes the limits of his executive power and the need to negotiate with the Democratically-controlled General Assembly. “We are a co-equal branch of government. We are not a board of directors where you just tell us what the decision is going to be, we actually participate.” One of the biggest points of contention when the General Assembly meets again next month will be Metro funding. Lawmakers want the state to pony up $150 million dollars, while the governor wants most of the funding to come from money previously allocated to Northern Virginia jurisdictions. On Thursday, a teen was charged with threatening mass violence at a Montgomery County high school. County Executive Marc Elrich joined the show directly from a press conference where the FBI, Montgomery County Police, and the State's Attorney's Office detailed what led up to the arrest of eighteen-year-old Alex Ye. Officials tracked Ye for months and obtained a copy of a manifesto, where the eighteen-year-old wrote about carrying out mass violence at Wootton High School in Rockville. Law enforcement also noted Ye did not have access to firearms. On the show, Elrich praised Maryland's strong gun safety laws. “It's good to hear that somebody had a hard time getting guns because if he had been able to easily get these guns, who knows how this would have transpired in reality.” Elrich also talked about the potential reopening of White's Ferry. The County Executive addressed why he's not proposing to raise taxes, unlike last year, and the current state of Maryland's expensive U.S. Senate race. Become a member of WAMU: wamu.org/donate Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.org Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885 Follow us on Facebook:facebook.com/thepoliticshour

Any time a bright idea comes springing from the Republican-led Texas Legislature, alarm bells should go off for Texas progressives - and newly-created elected positions of oversight for county appraisal districts are certainly no exception. Should the GOP succeed in their plans to monkey-wrench the tax apprasal processes of large (and generally Democratically-run) cities, you can count on them to create as much havoc for us, and as much profit for themselves, as humanly possible. Which is why we've invited two Democrats and longtime PT partners running for these important seats to explain what all of this means, and why it's so important to vote in EVERY election - even the ones that seem vague and unimportant (there's no such thing)! Dick Lavine is endorsed by Progress Texas in his race for one of these newly-created positions in Travis County, and Progress Texas Certified Progressive Kendall Scudder is running in Dallas County - we're proud to welcome both of them back for an important and informative conversation. Learn more about Dick Lavine at https://www.dicklavinefortcad.com/, and learn more about Kendall Scudder at https://www.kendallscudder.com/. Thanks for listening! Learn about all the groovy ways to support our important work at https://progresstexas.org/donate.

This week on The Politics Hour, Metro General Randy Clarke took Kojo, Tom, and listeners on a ride through Metro's upcoming budget decisions, why he'd like to see a regional tax, and the significance of Metro teaming up with COG. Clarke said he's very happy overall that D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are all stepping up with additional funding for Metro. Because of that, Metro will be able to avoid some of the more drastic service cuts first proposed in December. He isn't surprised by the continued debate in Virginia about how much money the state will provide instead of local jurisdictions. However, Clarke said this conversation is more about “how the bill is paid” than whether Metro will be adequately funded. Earlier in the week, Metro and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) announced a partnership aimed at addressing some of the region's transportation issues. The region has multiple locally run transportation systems, including Alexandria's DASH bus and the Ride On in Montgomery County, all with different fares and systems. One of the main goals of the partnership, he said, is to simplify this. “Only people in government care about jurisdictions. Everyone else lives their life, right,” Clarke said. “They might live in Montgomery County or take their kids to a soccer game in Alexandria or live in Fairfax and they work in Downtown D.C. We've got to figure out how people can move without worrying about different signs or fare payments and all the other stuff. Make it easy for people.” Jahd Khalil from Virginia Public Media also joined the show to explain how Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's reworked budget no longer has any tax cuts or a sales tax hike. Khalil said it definitely appears like Youngkin is attempting to work with the Democratically-controlled General Assembly, but recent actions may still make that difficult. The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene next week to consider the governor's reworked budget. Khalil said the legislature could reject the proposal and, if that does happen, “it's definitely a possibility” Youngkin could veto the entire budget. That would be nearly unprecedented. Become a member of WAMU: wamu.org/donate Send us questions and comments for guests: kojo@wamu.org Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/wamu885 Follow us on Facebook:facebook.com/thepoliticshour

On Monday, the Democratically-controlled legislature rejected the new districts proposed by the redistricting commission and offered their own new maps overnight. Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, talks about the latest on New York's redistricting process and why they are calling for changes to the process before the next census.

About $100 million was allocated to Governor Glenn Youngkin's lab school program in 2022, but future funding to maintain them is in the hands of a Democratically-controlled legislature who argue existing public schools need funding first. Brad Kutner has more.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Despite an early warning of possible operational issues, ERCOT officials remain bullish on the power staying on through the upcoming winter freeze: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/investigations/defenders/ercot-operating-condition-notice-texas-power-grid/269-ba1f0642-92fd-4f5f-ad1f-cfe45fbcca9f ...Go-to energy expert Doug Lewin thinks we'll be okay: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/ercot-watchful-ahead-of-cold-weather-energy-expert-says-no-cause-for-alarm/3430070/ ...Trader Joe's stores in Denver are already seeing inventory shortages due to bad weather in Texas: https://kdvr.com/news/local/trader-joes-stores-in-colorado-low-on-inventory-due-to-texas-weather/ Regular Progress Texas podcast contributor and Texas Observer investigative reporter Steven Monacelli was among a group of journalists suspended - and then reinstated - by Twitter/X yesterday: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d948x/x-purges-prominent-journalists-leftists-with-no-explanation Democratic hopefuls for the nomination to face Ted Cruz comment on our junior Senator's silence on abortion: https://themessenger.com/politics/democrats-pounce-on-cruzs-silence-on-texas-abortion-law-as-2024-race-looms ...Mark your calendar for a Democratic Senate primary debate: Friday February 9. CBS News got an inside look at the Texas end of those migrant bus trips, designed to sow chaos in Democratically-led cities: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/texas-officials-accused-of-creating-migrant-busing-chaos/ A law professor at UT Austin is preparing a new class - "Understanding Conservative Legal Thought": https://reason.com/volokh/2024/01/09/new-univ-of-texas-law-class-on-understanding-conservative-legal-thought/ Thanks for listening! See multiple ways to help Progress Texas continue our important work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Jamie Raskin makes it clear that it is not only constitutional for Trump to be removed from the ballot. It is the most Democratic constitutional disqualification because, in his case, it's self-inflicted. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/support

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The closed-door meeting with top Mexican officials and representatives of the Biden administration is said to have been productive: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-leader-urges-us-invest-people-not-walls-ahead-blinken-meeting-2023-12-27/ ...While the mayors of several Democratically-led U.S. cities plead with the federal government with help handling migrants dumped in their metros by Governor Abbott: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2023/12/28/nation-world-news/democratic-mayors-renew-pleas-for-federal-help-and-coordination-with-texas-over-migrant-crisis/ A look at the current battle lines in the abortion fight, which include much more public exposure for those leading the struggle than in years past: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/12/26/1221587212/abortion-year-in-review-2023-jane-roe-kate-cox Texas college kids on winter break will return to their campuses in a few days to find all diversity offices closed: https://www.ksat.com/news/texas/2023/12/28/diversity-offices-on-college-campuses-will-soon-be-illegal-in-texas-as-30-new-laws-go-into-effect/ Other states have new laws firing up in the new year too - including Michigan's new common-sense gun safety measures: https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/a-look-at-gun-laws-set-to-take-effect-in-2024/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17037575143283&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fdetroit%2Fnews%2Fa-look-at-gun-laws-set-to-take-effect-in-2024%2F Also in the new year - which Democrat will face Ted Cruz? Colin Allred leads the fundraising race by a long shot: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/allred-gutierrez-ted-cruz-senate-race-18549975.php Happy New Year and thanks for your support of Progress Texas in 2023! The Daily Dispatch returns on January 3, 2024. Please consider helping us continue our important work into '24 with a donation at https://progresstexas.org/.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 21st, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://nypost.com/2023/11/20/news/supreme-court-spurns-chauvin-appeal-of-george-floyd-verdict/ Supreme Court won’t hear Derek Chauvin’s appeal of George Floyd murder conviction The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty by a state court in April 2021 and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in connection with Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death, which triggered riots across the country and a prolonged debate on race relations in America. The high court did not specify why it declined to take up the appeal and did not indicate whether any justices would have heard the case. Chauvin, 47, is also appealing his conviction and 21-year sentence on separate federal charges in connection with Floyd’s death. Those punishments were not considered by the high court. The ex-cop’s lawyers had argued their client was denied a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case and concerns about potential violence if he was acquitted. “Mr. Chauvin’s case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise,” Chauvin’s legal team told the Supreme Court. “This was particularly true here when the jurors themselves had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families.” Approximately nine minutes of harrowing cellphone footage showed Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck despite pleas from the 46-year-old black man that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill when Chauvin confronted him. A medical examiner concluded that recent methamphetamine and fentanyl use may have contributed to his death as well. Chauvin’s legal team had argued his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, but that court upheld his conviction back in April and declined to give him a new trial. Then in July, the highest court in Minnesota upheld the lower court rulings, which led to the request to the US Supreme Court. The nine-member Supreme Court receives somewhere around 7,000 case requests on average every year and typically only accepts between 90 and 150 of them. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/buttigieg-promises-less-chaos-travelers-2022-season-lurks-memories Buttigieg promises less chaos for travelers as 2022 nightmare season lurks in memories Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said this Thanksgiving travel season is expected to be one of the busiest in U.S. history, but travelers can anticipate fewer flight cancellations than they've seen in recent years. Speaking alongside Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker at a Monday news conference, Buttigieg said, “We are seeing more people flying than ever with fewer cancellations.” The National Airspace System is reporting the lowest cancellation rates in five years. Flight cancellations are down to 1.3% so far in 2023, compared to 2.3% in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Aviation System Performance Metrics. Airlines have made some improvements from post-pandemic complications that were seen in Southwest’s 2022 holiday travel disaster. Canceled and delayed flights affected an estimated 2 million passengers, and the company lost around $220 million in the final three months of last year. The FAA is investigating multiple domestic airlines for unrealistic scheduling of flights, including Southwest’s December meltdown. “In the Southwest case, there was a huge volume of passengers impacted, which means there's been a huge volume of work for the team to go through,” Buttigieg said. “But I can tell you that it's underway and that we intend to send a continued signal that airlines need to only schedule the flights that they can serve.” “I want to remind the industry that unrealistic scheduling is prohibited under the law,” Buttigieg added. Whitaker said skies will remain extremely busy like last year, adding, "We will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destination safely." In an earlier projection, the Transportation Security Administration said the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are the busiest travel days. TSA is expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, the busiest travel day. “We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever. In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release last week. “We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season." https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/11/19/michigan-township-declares-itself-a-second-amendment-sanctuary-promptly-forms-militia-n2166546 Michigan Township Declares Itself a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary,' Promptly Forms Militia As the Biden Border Crisis continues unchecked, Chicago and New York City recently made news with their efforts to push back against the shipping of illegal aliens to their respective "sanctuary cities." The Holton Township Board of Trustees in Michigan's Muskegon County last Tuesday adopted a resolution declaring the township a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" and also adopted an addendum establishing a township militia. Self-explanatory, on the surface: Whereas, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights. Holton Township officials made clear to the media that the resolution means the township will not enforce red flag laws restricting firearms or ammunition possession. [Have long been promoted by the left] as a way to prevent gun violence by allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. While this may sound like a good idea on the surface, there are several compelling reasons not to rely on this approach. First and foremost, red flag laws violate due process and the constitutional rights of gun owners. Under these laws, individuals can have their firearms confiscated based solely on the suspicion of a third party, without being given the opportunity to defend themselves or even be heard in court. This is a clear violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, and guarantee due process of law. Moreover, red flag laws are inherently subjective and can be easily abused. The criteria for determining who is a “dangerous” individual are often vague and open to interpretation, leaving room for personal bias and political agendas to influence the decision-making process. In other words, in the case of the Holton County Township Board: "Not in our township. Not on our watch." The Militia Public Security Act addendum states the township is adopting “policies necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents,” including a militia compromised of everyday citizens. Legal residents of the township are eligible to join the militia and may make their intentions known by acknowledging their intent on social media or stating their intent by letter to the Township Militia. Restrictions include: https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/china-taiwan-airspace/2023/11/19/id/1142840/ Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft Threatening Airspace Taiwan reported renewed Chinese military activity around the island on Sunday, with nine aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait and warships carrying out "combat readiness patrols." Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. With Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last week for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he met U.S. President Joe Biden, the scale of that military activity around Taiwan had scaled off. But Taiwan's defense ministry reported that starting onSunday morning it had detected nine Chinese aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two and which Chinese planes now regularly fly over. The aircraft involved included Su-30 and J-10 fighters, as well as early warning and electronic warfare aircraft, the ministry said. The aircraft were accompanying Chinese warships carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" it added. Taiwan sent its own forces to monitor, the ministry said. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment. China says its activities near Taiwan are aimed at "collusion" between Taiwan separatists and the United States and to protect China's territorial integrity. Taiwan's government, which has repeatedly offered talks with China, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. Taiwan was a major focus of the Biden-Xi talks in San Francisco. Xi told Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, according to a senior U.S. official. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 13, with the island's fraught relations with China an important topic on the campaign trail. Over the past year and a half China has staged two large-scale war games around Taiwan, though China's air force has not flown over the island or into its territorial air space.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 21st, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://nypost.com/2023/11/20/news/supreme-court-spurns-chauvin-appeal-of-george-floyd-verdict/ Supreme Court won’t hear Derek Chauvin’s appeal of George Floyd murder conviction The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty by a state court in April 2021 and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in connection with Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death, which triggered riots across the country and a prolonged debate on race relations in America. The high court did not specify why it declined to take up the appeal and did not indicate whether any justices would have heard the case. Chauvin, 47, is also appealing his conviction and 21-year sentence on separate federal charges in connection with Floyd’s death. Those punishments were not considered by the high court. The ex-cop’s lawyers had argued their client was denied a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case and concerns about potential violence if he was acquitted. “Mr. Chauvin’s case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise,” Chauvin’s legal team told the Supreme Court. “This was particularly true here when the jurors themselves had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families.” Approximately nine minutes of harrowing cellphone footage showed Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck despite pleas from the 46-year-old black man that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill when Chauvin confronted him. A medical examiner concluded that recent methamphetamine and fentanyl use may have contributed to his death as well. Chauvin’s legal team had argued his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, but that court upheld his conviction back in April and declined to give him a new trial. Then in July, the highest court in Minnesota upheld the lower court rulings, which led to the request to the US Supreme Court. The nine-member Supreme Court receives somewhere around 7,000 case requests on average every year and typically only accepts between 90 and 150 of them. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/buttigieg-promises-less-chaos-travelers-2022-season-lurks-memories Buttigieg promises less chaos for travelers as 2022 nightmare season lurks in memories Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said this Thanksgiving travel season is expected to be one of the busiest in U.S. history, but travelers can anticipate fewer flight cancellations than they've seen in recent years. Speaking alongside Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker at a Monday news conference, Buttigieg said, “We are seeing more people flying than ever with fewer cancellations.” The National Airspace System is reporting the lowest cancellation rates in five years. Flight cancellations are down to 1.3% so far in 2023, compared to 2.3% in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Aviation System Performance Metrics. Airlines have made some improvements from post-pandemic complications that were seen in Southwest’s 2022 holiday travel disaster. Canceled and delayed flights affected an estimated 2 million passengers, and the company lost around $220 million in the final three months of last year. The FAA is investigating multiple domestic airlines for unrealistic scheduling of flights, including Southwest’s December meltdown. “In the Southwest case, there was a huge volume of passengers impacted, which means there's been a huge volume of work for the team to go through,” Buttigieg said. “But I can tell you that it's underway and that we intend to send a continued signal that airlines need to only schedule the flights that they can serve.” “I want to remind the industry that unrealistic scheduling is prohibited under the law,” Buttigieg added. Whitaker said skies will remain extremely busy like last year, adding, "We will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destination safely." In an earlier projection, the Transportation Security Administration said the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are the busiest travel days. TSA is expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, the busiest travel day. “We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever. In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release last week. “We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season." https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/11/19/michigan-township-declares-itself-a-second-amendment-sanctuary-promptly-forms-militia-n2166546 Michigan Township Declares Itself a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary,' Promptly Forms Militia As the Biden Border Crisis continues unchecked, Chicago and New York City recently made news with their efforts to push back against the shipping of illegal aliens to their respective "sanctuary cities." The Holton Township Board of Trustees in Michigan's Muskegon County last Tuesday adopted a resolution declaring the township a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" and also adopted an addendum establishing a township militia. Self-explanatory, on the surface: Whereas, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights. Holton Township officials made clear to the media that the resolution means the township will not enforce red flag laws restricting firearms or ammunition possession. [Have long been promoted by the left] as a way to prevent gun violence by allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. While this may sound like a good idea on the surface, there are several compelling reasons not to rely on this approach. First and foremost, red flag laws violate due process and the constitutional rights of gun owners. Under these laws, individuals can have their firearms confiscated based solely on the suspicion of a third party, without being given the opportunity to defend themselves or even be heard in court. This is a clear violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, and guarantee due process of law. Moreover, red flag laws are inherently subjective and can be easily abused. The criteria for determining who is a “dangerous” individual are often vague and open to interpretation, leaving room for personal bias and political agendas to influence the decision-making process. In other words, in the case of the Holton County Township Board: "Not in our township. Not on our watch." The Militia Public Security Act addendum states the township is adopting “policies necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents,” including a militia compromised of everyday citizens. Legal residents of the township are eligible to join the militia and may make their intentions known by acknowledging their intent on social media or stating their intent by letter to the Township Militia. Restrictions include: https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/china-taiwan-airspace/2023/11/19/id/1142840/ Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft Threatening Airspace Taiwan reported renewed Chinese military activity around the island on Sunday, with nine aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait and warships carrying out "combat readiness patrols." Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. With Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last week for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he met U.S. President Joe Biden, the scale of that military activity around Taiwan had scaled off. But Taiwan's defense ministry reported that starting onSunday morning it had detected nine Chinese aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two and which Chinese planes now regularly fly over. The aircraft involved included Su-30 and J-10 fighters, as well as early warning and electronic warfare aircraft, the ministry said. The aircraft were accompanying Chinese warships carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" it added. Taiwan sent its own forces to monitor, the ministry said. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment. China says its activities near Taiwan are aimed at "collusion" between Taiwan separatists and the United States and to protect China's territorial integrity. Taiwan's government, which has repeatedly offered talks with China, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. Taiwan was a major focus of the Biden-Xi talks in San Francisco. Xi told Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, according to a senior U.S. official. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 13, with the island's fraught relations with China an important topic on the campaign trail. Over the past year and a half China has staged two large-scale war games around Taiwan, though China's air force has not flown over the island or into its territorial air space.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 21st, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://nypost.com/2023/11/20/news/supreme-court-spurns-chauvin-appeal-of-george-floyd-verdict/ Supreme Court won’t hear Derek Chauvin’s appeal of George Floyd murder conviction The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty by a state court in April 2021 and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in connection with Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death, which triggered riots across the country and a prolonged debate on race relations in America. The high court did not specify why it declined to take up the appeal and did not indicate whether any justices would have heard the case. Chauvin, 47, is also appealing his conviction and 21-year sentence on separate federal charges in connection with Floyd’s death. Those punishments were not considered by the high court. The ex-cop’s lawyers had argued their client was denied a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case and concerns about potential violence if he was acquitted. “Mr. Chauvin’s case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise,” Chauvin’s legal team told the Supreme Court. “This was particularly true here when the jurors themselves had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families.” Approximately nine minutes of harrowing cellphone footage showed Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck despite pleas from the 46-year-old black man that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill when Chauvin confronted him. A medical examiner concluded that recent methamphetamine and fentanyl use may have contributed to his death as well. Chauvin’s legal team had argued his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, but that court upheld his conviction back in April and declined to give him a new trial. Then in July, the highest court in Minnesota upheld the lower court rulings, which led to the request to the US Supreme Court. The nine-member Supreme Court receives somewhere around 7,000 case requests on average every year and typically only accepts between 90 and 150 of them. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/buttigieg-promises-less-chaos-travelers-2022-season-lurks-memories Buttigieg promises less chaos for travelers as 2022 nightmare season lurks in memories Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said this Thanksgiving travel season is expected to be one of the busiest in U.S. history, but travelers can anticipate fewer flight cancellations than they've seen in recent years. Speaking alongside Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker at a Monday news conference, Buttigieg said, “We are seeing more people flying than ever with fewer cancellations.” The National Airspace System is reporting the lowest cancellation rates in five years. Flight cancellations are down to 1.3% so far in 2023, compared to 2.3% in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Aviation System Performance Metrics. Airlines have made some improvements from post-pandemic complications that were seen in Southwest’s 2022 holiday travel disaster. Canceled and delayed flights affected an estimated 2 million passengers, and the company lost around $220 million in the final three months of last year. The FAA is investigating multiple domestic airlines for unrealistic scheduling of flights, including Southwest’s December meltdown. “In the Southwest case, there was a huge volume of passengers impacted, which means there's been a huge volume of work for the team to go through,” Buttigieg said. “But I can tell you that it's underway and that we intend to send a continued signal that airlines need to only schedule the flights that they can serve.” “I want to remind the industry that unrealistic scheduling is prohibited under the law,” Buttigieg added. Whitaker said skies will remain extremely busy like last year, adding, "We will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destination safely." In an earlier projection, the Transportation Security Administration said the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are the busiest travel days. TSA is expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, the busiest travel day. “We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever. In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release last week. “We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season." https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/11/19/michigan-township-declares-itself-a-second-amendment-sanctuary-promptly-forms-militia-n2166546 Michigan Township Declares Itself a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary,' Promptly Forms Militia As the Biden Border Crisis continues unchecked, Chicago and New York City recently made news with their efforts to push back against the shipping of illegal aliens to their respective "sanctuary cities." The Holton Township Board of Trustees in Michigan's Muskegon County last Tuesday adopted a resolution declaring the township a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" and also adopted an addendum establishing a township militia. Self-explanatory, on the surface: Whereas, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights. Holton Township officials made clear to the media that the resolution means the township will not enforce red flag laws restricting firearms or ammunition possession. [Have long been promoted by the left] as a way to prevent gun violence by allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. While this may sound like a good idea on the surface, there are several compelling reasons not to rely on this approach. First and foremost, red flag laws violate due process and the constitutional rights of gun owners. Under these laws, individuals can have their firearms confiscated based solely on the suspicion of a third party, without being given the opportunity to defend themselves or even be heard in court. This is a clear violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, and guarantee due process of law. Moreover, red flag laws are inherently subjective and can be easily abused. The criteria for determining who is a “dangerous” individual are often vague and open to interpretation, leaving room for personal bias and political agendas to influence the decision-making process. In other words, in the case of the Holton County Township Board: "Not in our township. Not on our watch." The Militia Public Security Act addendum states the township is adopting “policies necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents,” including a militia compromised of everyday citizens. Legal residents of the township are eligible to join the militia and may make their intentions known by acknowledging their intent on social media or stating their intent by letter to the Township Militia. Restrictions include: https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/china-taiwan-airspace/2023/11/19/id/1142840/ Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft Threatening Airspace Taiwan reported renewed Chinese military activity around the island on Sunday, with nine aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait and warships carrying out "combat readiness patrols." Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. With Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last week for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he met U.S. President Joe Biden, the scale of that military activity around Taiwan had scaled off. But Taiwan's defense ministry reported that starting onSunday morning it had detected nine Chinese aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two and which Chinese planes now regularly fly over. The aircraft involved included Su-30 and J-10 fighters, as well as early warning and electronic warfare aircraft, the ministry said. The aircraft were accompanying Chinese warships carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" it added. Taiwan sent its own forces to monitor, the ministry said. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment. China says its activities near Taiwan are aimed at "collusion" between Taiwan separatists and the United States and to protect China's territorial integrity. Taiwan's government, which has repeatedly offered talks with China, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. Taiwan was a major focus of the Biden-Xi talks in San Francisco. Xi told Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, according to a senior U.S. official. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 13, with the island's fraught relations with China an important topic on the campaign trail. Over the past year and a half China has staged two large-scale war games around Taiwan, though China's air force has not flown over the island or into its territorial air space.

This week, A'ndre and Andrea spoke with Stuart Reid, Executive Editor of Foreign Affairs, on his new book The Lumumba Plot, which investigates the CIA's role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically-elected leader of the DRC in 1961. We profile Lumumba with Stuart, and describe the then-Republic of Congo's colonial history, discussing what the process of decolonization between Belgium  and the Republic of Congo (chaotically) looked like. Stuart chats about Belgian involvement in post-colonial Congo, and why the CIA's paranoia of Soviet influence led to the sanctioning of a plot to assassinate Lumumba. We reflect on how the Lumumba assassination has reverberated throughout the DRC's history, and lessons to be learned for U.S. foreign policy.

Full episode transcript HERE.Ahoy Buzzkills! ABORTION IS ON THE BALLOT NEXT WEEK IN OHIO AND VIRGINIA! Lizz and Moji got y'all covered on everything you need to know about what these state elections mean for EVERYONE IN THIS TWISTED-ASS COUNTRY. We're counting up all the last-minute dirty tricks anti-abortion extremists are unloading to fool folks as they head out to vote.  SPOILER ALERT: It's lies, they are using lies. This episode is packed with all that, the latest abobo news, and the answer to this week's pop quiz: How many of America's abortion bans even mention mental health? OH, and who's bringing the RAGE with us this week? MEET OUR TWO DOPE GUESTS! Brilliant journalist and expert on US abortion policy, Rebecca Traister, drops knowledge on all things Democratically dysfunctional. PLUS, the hilarious Eunji Kim has a lot to say about male rage, starting comedy at 30 weeks preggers, and being confused for an INCEL! Times are heavy, but knowledge is power, y'all. We gotchu. OPERATION SAVE ABORTION: You can still join the 10,000+ womb warriors fighting the patriarchy by listening to our five-part OpSave pod series and Mifepristone Panel by clicking HERE for episodes, your toolkit, marching orders, and more. HOSTS:Lizz Winstead @LizzWinsteadMoji Alawode-El @MojiLocks NEWS DUMPER:Molly Gaebe @MollyGaebe SPECIAL GUESTS: Rebecca Traister TW: @RTraisterEunji Kim IG/TW: @TheBestEunji NEWS DUMP:Are/Were Mike Johnson and His Teenage Son Each Other's No-Pornin' Cops? Because That's Weird.Faced With Abortion Bans, Doctors Beg Hospitals for Help With Key DecisionsNinth Circuit Revives Arizona Abortion Ban ChallengeSixty-One People in US Criminalized for Alleged Self-Managed Abortions, Report FindsMedical Exceptions to Abortion Bans Often Exclude Mental Health Conditions​​All the Desperate Tactics Ohio Republicans Are Using Against the Abortion VoteWhy Republicans Think They've Finally Cracked the Abortion Question ​GUEST LINKS:Rebecca Traister WebsiteBUY: Rebecca's BooksRebecca's Articles on New York MagazineEunji Kim's WebsitePODCAST: 2 Kims 1 PodEunji Kim's Linktree EPISODE LINKS:The Turnaway StudyACTION ALERT: 11/8 in New York or stream onlineBUY: Reproductive Rights Rugs!EMAIL your abobo questions to The Feminist BuzzkillsAAF's Abortion-Themed Rage Playlist FOLLOW US:Listen to us ~ FBK Podcast Instagram ~ @AbortionFrontTwitter ~ @AbortionFrontTikTok ~ @AbortionFrontFacebook ~ @AbortionFrontYouTube ~ @AbortionAccessFrontTALK TO THE CHARLEY BOT FOR ABOBO OPTIONS & RESOURCES HERE!PATREON HERE! Support our work, get exclusive merch and more! DONATE TO AAF HERE!ACTIVIST CALENDAR HERE!VOLUNTEER WITH US HERE!ADOPT-A-CLINIC HERE!EXPOSE FAKE CLINICS HERE!GET ABOBO PILLS FROM PLAN C PILLS HERE!When BS is poppin', we pop off!

So, one of the classic "oh, that's a conspiracy theory" stories has been that the CIA orchestrated the coup that brought down the Democratically-elected Prime Minister of Iran back in the 50's. That is, until the CIA podcast admitted to it this week. So, in 60 years will we know what happened with the Wuhan Lab?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the weekend!This is Stephen Colbert from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for Saturday, September 30th, and Sunday, October 1st, 2023.According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be Sunny, with a high near 90. Saturday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 66.Sunday, will be sunny, with a high near 89, cooling to a low around 61 Sunday night.Grassley, after Feinstein's death, now oldest sitting U.S. senatorCalifornia U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died Friday at 90. Her passing makes Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, who turned 90 this month, now the oldest active senator.Feinstein and Grassley were the top Democrat and Republican, respectively, on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 and 2018, when Republicans had the majority. Grassley and Feinstein clashed on a number of issues over the years, but also worked together on a number of issues and pieces of legislation over the years, including supports for human trafficking victims, combating drug trafficking, and addressing methamphetamine abuse.House rejects bill to avoid government shutdown as deadline nearsIowa's all-Republican U.S. House delegation voted Friday on a failed last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open as the funding deadline nears.Federal government funding expires after midnight on Saturday.The U.S. House on Friday failed to pass a short-term spending measure, known as a continuing resolution, that would have kept the government funded for 30 days while cutting funding by 30 percent for all agencies except the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.The resolution also included a Republican measure to codify controversial Trump-era border policies that would make various changes to immigration law, including by imposing limits on asylum eligibility, which are a nonstarter with the Democratically-controlled Senate and White House.The bill also called for the creation of a commission to study the federal debt. It would recommend changes to improve solvency for some programs, such as Medicare and Social Security.Iowa police departments warn of phone scamsThe Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Police Departments both posted on social media this week warning the public about common phone scams that have been popping up recently.The post from the Cedar Rapids police says the department has received several calls recently from victims of what's called a “grandparent scam.” This is a common scam used on older individuals. A caller claims to belong to a law enforcement agency out of town and tells the person being targeted that their grandchild is in trouble and they need money to release them, according to the post.The scammers usually ask for money in the form of gift card numbers, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or cash. They make the situation sound urgent so the person being called will be less likely to slow down and think through what's happening.The department recommends talking to family members about this scam. If you get a call claiming your grandchild is in trouble, hang up and call your grandchild directly.Have a good weekend, everyone.

A vote today in Lansing will now make it harder for those convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors to own a gun. WWJ's Jon Hewett reports the vote was along party lines in the Democratically controlled legislature.  -- 41-year old Tonya Lacey was arraigned yesterday on a child abuse charge after her 2-year old child shot and killed himself with an unsecured firearm in June. WWJ's Tony Ortiz says Lacey faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. (PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a stern warning to Niger's military junta that took over the government. China angered over new U.S. multimillion-dollar military aid package for Taiwan, and the steady decline in what was once a giant broadcasting platform across America.

In 1977 what was to become the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government came to power in eastern India. Poverty and absolute rule by the central government led to West Bengal embracing a different political ideology to the rest of the country. Their rule lasted until 2011 when they were voted out. Communist Party of India (Marxist) official Mohammad Salim shares his memories of when his party came to power with Rumella Dasgupta. (Photo: Mohammed Salim. Credit: Biswarup Ganguly/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Poverty, gentrification, unemployment, homelessness, unequal access to food and healthcare, and other challenges facing our communities are all interconnected. Today's guest believes that we need an equally complex solution. Meet Nia Evans, Executive Director of the Boston Ujima Project, a Black-led, democratic, member-run organization that was born from a shared desire to find real solutions to racial wealth inequality.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/nia-evansOUT NOW: The Next Economy MBA, a book by the team at LIFT Economy featuring case stories from Boston Ujima Project & our learnings from our MBA program.The spring cohort of the Next Economy MBA is officially open! Save 20% when you register before 1/29 with our early-bird sale ➡️ https://lifteconomy.com/mba

Three-time MSU alumna Kathy Wilbur is senior vice president for Government Relations at MSU. Katie John is associate vice president for State Relations and an MSU alumna, too. Wilbur and John elaborate on the mission of Government Relations at MSU. They talk about Michigan's Democratically controlled legislature, too, and about policy issues being discussed at the Capitol that could impact MSU. They update the latest state budget negotiations and reflect on the career of retiring Senior U.S. Senator and two-time MSU alumna Debbie Stabenow. And they talk about the Spartan Advocate program that works with partners across the state to create a stronger, healthier, more prosperous tomorrow—for Michigan and the world. Conversation Highlights: (00:27) – “We divide our work into four areas…” (6:57) – “It's a sea change. It's a dramatically different philosophical bent. That's probably no surprise to anyone. I think that's why they voted that way.” (7:57) – “What a busy agenda the Democrats have managed to accomplish in these few short months.”  (12:45) – “This really is a policy that would cover every higher education institution in the state, and it does allow for the sale of alcohol at a variety of athletic venues.” (16:18) – “Last year the governor and the legislature worked very closely under a Republican-controlled legislature to implement the Michigan Achievement Scholarship.” (19:07) – “We also have heard on the mental health needs that the legislature has heard about these needs over and over again. The needs are everywhere. But on college campuses, the increase in our requests alone for mental health support services is really astounding.” (21:24) – “We have worked closely with the MEDC to bring companies onto campus who are either interested in landing or expanding in Michigan, and they want to talk about your talent pipeline. Who are you producing that we can hire?” (22:34) – “It was very apparent to President Stanley, who understood that we needed to advocate – and we did successfully – for greenhouses and dairy barns. But the very next request had to be this because it was an important investment for the state and an important statement for MSU to make that we were partners with the state.” (23:20) – “She is a double alumna and has been very supportive of so many of our efforts, especially in the agricultural world. It's going to be a tremendous loss for the state.” (25:51) – “We always have an open door. We encourage people to reach out to work with us. A common thread in the four areas that Kathy highlighted is relationships.” Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The debt ceiling. On Wednesday, House Republicans narrowly passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling to $31.4 trillion while cutting spending and rolling back key parts of President Biden's agenda. The bill, dubbed the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023,” passed by a 217-215 vote and has no chance of becoming law in the Democratically-controlled Senate. Instead, it is designed to force Biden to negotiate over spending reductions or face a potential default on the nation's debt, as he wants to raise the debt ceiling with no conditions attached. Thank you all for the feedback (and the criticism) that allows this work to be possible. You can read a preview of the full edition and then subscribe by clicking here.   You can read today's podcast here, today's “Under the Radar” story here, and today's “Have a nice day” story here. Quick hits (2:29), Today's story (4:09), Right's take (6:43), Left's take (10:21), Isaac's take (14:00), Listener question (17:33), Under the Radar (19:48), Numbers (20:32), Have a nice day (21:19) You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and edited by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.  Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle's social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tanglenews/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tanglenews/support

The island of Puerto Rico has a complex relationship with the federal government in the United States. Should it seek statehood or independence? Or is the status quo the best option for the nation.  [ dur: 30mins. ] Amílcar Antonio Barreto is Professor and Chair, Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies Department, and Interim Director of  … Continue reading Scholars' Circle – Puerto Rico considers statehood or independence ; Peru Riots challenge removal of democratically elected president – January 22, 2023 →

One of the last acts of the Democratically-run Ways and Means Committee was releasing former President Trump's tax returns. In today's Congressional Corner, Massachusetts Democrat Richard Neal of the 1st district continues his conversation with WAMC's Alan Chartock. This interview was recorded January 6.

Welcome to the Weekend! Christmas Edition.This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Saturday, December 24, and Sunday, December 25.It'll seem just slightly less like living in the arctic tundra this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, areas of blowing snow will continue Saturday morning in the Cedar Rapids area. It will be sunny and the high will be near 7 degrees, with wind chills as low as -25 degrees. On Christmas Sunday there will be a high near 11 degrees, with lessening winds. There will be a chance of snow Sunday night, with accumulation of between 1 to 3 inches possible.Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson voted against a $1.7 trillion spending package that includes nearly $28 million in earmarked funding Hinson requested for projects in her district.Hinson, in a statement, said House Republicans “were shut out of the last-minute negotiations, and the end product did not respect taxpayers or address the dire border crisis.”The bill — which also includes emergency assistance to Ukraine, a 4.6 percent pay raise for the military and funding to expand eligibility for health care services and benefits to veterans exposed to toxins during their service — passed mostly along party lines in the Democratically controlled Congress and is headed to President Joe Biden for his expected signature.Iowa's other Republican U.S. House members, Reps. Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, also voted against the spending package. U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, the lone Democrat in Iowa's congressional delegation, voted in favor.Hinson criticized the bill for transferring $800 million from U.S. Customs and Border Protection to the FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter humanitarian program to help cities and organizations struggling to provide for thousands of migrants arriving from the southern border seeking asylum. Hinson argued that the money transfer encourages more illegal immigration.Among the largest recipients that Hinson requested for her district that will receive funding is $7 million for The Eastern Iowa Airport Taxiway Expansion Project, $7 million for an Alburnett Road extension, and $4 million for rural road construction in West Union.Last Tuesday Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered that the popular TikTok social media platform be banned from state-owned devices and prohibited state agencies from subscribing to or owning a TikTok account.This week, Board of Regents President Mike Richards issued a statement clarifying what the ban meant for Iowa's three public universities — which the regents govern.First, he said, the universities should remove the TikTok software application from “all electronic devices that are owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the institution” and prevent the installation of TikTok on those devices.He also said that the universities should cease running TikTok accounts affiliated with the university. In an Iowa State University news bulletin on the ban, officials noted ISU employees still can access TikTok on personal devices, “even if connected through the university Wi-Fi network.”Gov. Reynolds' move followed similar bans in other states and proposed legislation before the U.S. Congress to ban TikTok on all federally owned or operated devices. The worry is that the Chinese government may be able to use the app to conduct surveillance on Americans. Other states that ban TikTok from government devices include Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Maryland and South Carolina. The U.S. military also has banned the app on government devices.Have a good weekend everyone. Much warmer weather is coming next week.

Part two of our conversation with Arash Ayrom deals with the facts surrounding the often misunderstood overthrowing of the Iranian government.

We discuss the economy, Italy, and more. Our Guests Are: Steve Cortes, Maria Luisa Rossi Hawkins, Terry Schilling, Tiffany JusticeStay ahead of the censors - Join us warroom.org/joinAired On: 9/26/2022Watch:On the Web: http://www.warroom.orgOn Gettr: @WarRoomOn Podcast: http://warroom.ctcin.bioOn TV: PlutoTV Channel 240, Dish Channel 219, Roku, Apple TV, FireTV or on https://AmericasVoice.news. #news #politics #realnews

Bob, Mary Lou, Chad and Haley discuss the possibly illegal transfer of immigrants from Florida and Texas to Democratically controlled states, if universal healthcare should exist at all and what is the true nature of UFOs. 

This week CIB is here to yap about how ill-equipped we are for Our Bogus Future, why animals attack, when a recession is definitely not a recession, and all the things Congress will and won't get done in the next couple of months, among plenty of other diversions. Listen, if you must! Has something we said, or failed to say, made you FEEL something? You can tell us all about it on Facebook or Twitter, leave a comment on the show's page on our website, or you can send us an email here. Enjoy!Show RundownOpen — Scattergories at the bar, New Jersey's curious plan for helping crackheads9:05 — Our Bogus Future, brought to you by the lithium-ion battery16:17 — WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK!!!, as explained everywhere but FOX, curiously enough35:28 — Janet Yellen explains how a recession isn't actually a recession46:38 — What will the Democratically-controlled Congress get done before the end of the year?1:20:38 — Study concludes that the chemical imbalance theory of depression is bogus1:37:59 — Wrap up! Fire of Love, Nope, M. Night Shyamalan, and other stuff we've been watchingRelevant Linkage can be found at the webpage for this episode: www.brainiron.com/podcast/episode0104

The issue is Domestic Terrorism and the question is does Congress passing legislation to combat domestic terrorism feel like government overreach or necessary surveillance? On this episode of Political Playlist Happy Hour, Michael, Anna and Anthony address the recent mass-shooting tragedy in Buffalo by examining it through the lens of the recent Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022. The Democratically proposed legislation looks poised to pass but tune in to find out which Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the bill. As all ways, the gang sips cocktails on this Political Happy Hour as they discuss the latest goings-on with our Congressional Leaders under the age of 45. IG: @politicalplaylist Website: politicalplaylist.com

Zeoli Show Hour 1:  In the first hour of the Zeoli Show, Rich discussed the plastic bag ban being implemented in Philadelphia and other Democratically run cities and states. It's just another way Democrats are constantly searching for the next opportunity to tell us what to do.   6:04-NEWS 6:07-Trooper Martin Mack laid to rest after tragic death with fellow Trooper Branden Sisca on I-95 by a suspected drunk driver  6:09-Governor Phil Murphy has COVID-19 6:13-Philadelphia implements their plastic bag ban  6:27-Starting a family in a pandemic  6:40-Democrats are constantly looking for the next moment they can tell us what to do.  6:44-Biden administration supports the use of puberty blockers for children struggling with their identity  Photo by: Getty Images

Join our conversation with the University of California at Berkeley's Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law John Yoo, author of the very carefully argued "Defender in Chief: President Trump's Fight for Presidential Power." John has been teaching Law at Berkeley for nearly 30 years ! Could President Trump legitimately have fired Mueller ? Our guest today says, yes. What about other issues related to presidential power ? Was the 45th president's vigorous (perhaps pre-theoretical or unconscious) defense of presidential power legitimate from the point of view of Article II of the U.S. Constitution? John Yoo says, to a large extent, yes. John did not vote for Trump initially, but he nevertheless defends the "unitary executive" theory of the US Constitution, which simply says that the best explanation of the data of the text and history of the Constitution's creation of the presidency is that there is one, and should only be one person in charge of the executive branch. The Executive Branch was not designed to be run by bureaucrats who are unaccountable to the people in elections. It does not matter if those bureaucrats are "experts." Democratically unaccountable expertise is still democratically unaccountable. Article II's first sentence is as follows : "The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States." The executive power is not defined or "herein granted", as the text of Article I does with the legislative power. It is vested in one person, elected by the whole nation, the president. That person alone is accountable to the American people in elections for the actions of the Executive Branch of the US government. And therefore, that one person should have control of the branch. That's the original, wise design. So what Professor Yoo does here is take that as a good starting point for reflecting upon Trump's defense of presidential power and his official actions as president (not necessarily his use of Twitter). Grounded in a careful reading of Article II and the original design of the Presidency, as well as its history and tradition, John reflects on contemporary events related to presidential power. Such topics include law enforcement, immigration & the wall, war-fighting and the conduct of war, Trump's approach to executive branch agency rule-making, his demand for the loyalty of the Executive Branch administrative state (the bureaucracy, what some call 'the Deep State"). Yoo also has chapters on the Electoral College and Trump's prerogative to shape the federal judiciary. For John, and the proper Constitutional check on the presidency is Congress and public opinion, not the Executive Branch turned on itself. It's not surprising that those are the levers that went into action--that's the proper design of the US Constitution. So could Trump have fired Mueller ? Yes, because Mueller was in the Executive Branch, performing executive functions, but only the President has a duty to "Take Care that the Laws be Faithfully Executed." There is no rival, junior varsity chief law enforcement officer of the United States. John gives us a glance as to what it's like teaching in Berkeley, what it's like to live there, whether and to what extent there is grade inflation there and at the Harvard he attended before. And how ought we understand some issues related to January 6th of last year ? Join our warm conversation here. Professor Yoo's book is available for purchase on the Nile, the Ganges, the Mississippi, or whatever other great river from which one can purchase books, e.g., here : https://www.amazon.com/Defender-Chief-Donald-Trumps-Constitution/dp/1250269571/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28CNPDQK32LUZ&keywords=john+yoo&qid=1647988347&sprefix=john+yoo%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-1 Be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel for more episodes in the future. The Republican Professor is a pro-Article-II, pro-correctly-understanding-Presidential-power podcast . Therefore, welcome John Yoo !