Podcasts about National Police

May 16, 2025 ~ Full Show: Kevin discusses the latest with the peace talks with Zelensky and Putin. James Harrington stops by to discuss the latest with the Milwaukee judge pleading guilty. Steve Dolunt celebrates National Police week.

The South African Policing Union (SAPU) is mourning the tragic deaths of three police officers whose bodies were recovered from the Hennops River in Centurion. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed the identities of the officers, Constables Cebekhulu Linda, Keamogetswe Buys, and Boipelo Senoge, who went missing while en route to their deployment in Limpopo. Elvis Presslin spoke to National Police spokesperson Brigadier, Athlenda Mathe and Lesiba Thobakgale, SAPU Spokesperson, to provide further insight into this devastating incident

The families of the three missing police officers have arrived in Pretoria for the identification process, following the retrieval of three bodies at the Hennops River in Centurion. The bodies are of two males and one female. The three officers went missing last week while travelling from Bloemfontein to Limpopo where the two of the three had been deployed. The search for the second female body and the car they were travelling in is ongoing. Chriselda Lewis spoke to National Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe

Mrach 28 marks the start of the campaign for local posts in the coming May 2025 mid-term elections. - Nagsimula ngayon ika-28 ng Marso ang pangangampanya para sa local elections.

How would you like to be pulled over, or better yet investigated by a law enforcement officer who isn't a citizen of this country? The Washington lunatics that call themselves the Democratic party are currently passing a Bill that would allow just that. SB 5068 would allow quote, unquote, lawful permanent residents and DACA arrivals, basically illegals, to be police officers. Even if they aren't allowed to carry a gun. What exactly is a police officer going to do if they can't carry a gun? They would also be able to work as deputy prosecutors. So non-citizens charging you, potentially taking away YOUR rights. #police #lawenforcement #prosecutor #foreignnational #daca #illegals #democrats #publicsafety #olympiapolitics #olympianews #seattlenews #pnwnews #politicalnews #leftcoastnews #behindtheline #shtfnews #publicsafety #conservativenews #conservativepodcast #conservativevalues #constitution #deport

Back Home, One week later.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.There is something worse than waking up and not knowing where you are: you could wake up and not know who you are.Note: World Events Stuff ~ aka Why things are happening in Cáel's lifeThe phone was from Iskender. His boss, Oyuun Tömörbaatar (OT), the former UN ambassador from Kazakhstan and now the informal and unrecognized UN representative and chief diplomat of the Khanate to the same august body, wanted to talk with me, immediately. OT wasn't being diplomatic at the moment, that would come later.{Now this is going to get convoluted}Any inquiries to the Khanate that didn't also include immediate official recognition of the Khanate currently were being steered my (and Hana's) way. For all the behind closed doors crap, he had me, his loyal ass-monkey mutton-head. I held faint hope that this latest meeting would work out to my benefit. For the meeting, I traveled light, only Naomi (the Amazon) and Chaz (British SRR) watched over me.Now fathers who know me, hide their daughters. I'd earned my 'scoundrel' reputation. T. Sarangerel, OT's daughter, was in the room when Iskender ushered me in. She gave me an uncertain look, I shrugged and she smiled. It took me 3 nano seconds to figure that out, OT was scoping me out as a potential son-in-law. I was in Temujin's Inner Circle and a man who he trusted (a rarity). Any union with me would strengthen OT's clan's standing in the new regime.The genetic footprint Temujin, and his immediate family collectively, had put down in the 13th and 14th centuries CE today was vast. He needed that to make his plans for the internal reorganization of the Khanate work. The old republics would go away, to be replaced by a system akin to the Byzantine 'themes, the re-organization of regions based on the recruitment of the Tumens.The Khanate was aiming for an 'Autocratic Republic' ~ a term invented in the 19th century. My use of this terminology was based on my gut instinct, Alal's host of memories involving every form of governance, and my experience with human nature. That clued me in to what Temujin was up to, his Greater Plan. He wasn't going to form a false-front government. He was going to retain the decision-making powers and do so openly, thus 'Autocratic'.He also planned to have a bicameral legislative branch. The Upper House would be based in Tumens and bureaucratic leadership, intellectual standing, religious sects, and tribal entities. This body would be based on merit, not primogeniture. The Lower, main chamber, would be a democratically-elected assembly (aka a democratic republic) that advised him on policy matters, thus 'Republic'.All the power would remain in the Great Khan's hands and would be exercised by his genetic descendants (which some geneticists estimated as being as high as 25% of the Central Asian population.) Marrying into that extended family would be easy, the 'family' itself would have a vested interesting in supporting a state that benefited them.Men and women could exercise power in the government through marriage alliances, identical to the manner Hana was working through me. Being surrounded by very populous countries in various states of belligerence, empowering women wouldn't be an issue since every willing mind and pair of hands mattered. Outsiders who shone through could be offered a spouse and brought into the ruling elite since polygamy was permissible.In the Khanate there would be universal compulsive suffrage (everyone 18+ was legally required to vote) to decide on the representatives in the new legislative body. Everyone was expected to fight, so everyone voted. It would be modeled on the Duma of early 20th century Imperial Russia. Unlike the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II, Temujin would be much more attentive to the voice of the people, in the Information Age, he had to.Or so I hoped. I spewed forth my ideas to OT who didn't agree, or disagree with my vision. Perhaps Temujin and I did share a bond that went beyond obligation. OT then pulled a 'Pamela'."He told me he knew immediately you were his brother when you and I shared that vision," he commented out of nowhere."His words: You (Earth and Sky) are the old. He (meaning me) is the new. He (me again) will show us the way." My, that was nice, obtuse and not at all helpful. What did OT want? My good buddy, the Great Khan, wanted to cash in on Hana's and my sudden popularity. His most pressing need remained 'time'. He needed to have a cease-fire in the wings when his offensive resumed the next day.The Earth and Sky had moved, well, the Heaven and Earth to get the Tumens and their accompanying national armies up and running after only a two day respite. Thanks to me, Manchuria was a mess. The Russians had carried out my 'Operation: Funhouse' with mixed, mostly positive results.Dozens of smaller Chinese military police units along the border went, 'inactive' was the term most often used in the media. They didn't disarm, yet they didn't fight the Russians either. They sat back and let events unfold. The issue wasn't the Chinese's willingness to fight and die for their country. It was the schizophrenic government in Beijing.The PRC didn't want to wage a war with the Russian Federation at that moment. The Khanate was the priority. There were two fundamentally incompatible courses of action favored for dealing with the Russians:One large group advocated a passive Option A: let the Russians step in and shield the three remaining provinces making up Manchuria that were still in Chinese possession. Later, China would use military, economic and political means to edge the Russians out, once the Khanate was dealt with.A sizable faction favored a more aggressive Option B: play a game of chicken with Vladimir Putin. Tell the Bear not to come across the border while threatening him with a bloody and pointless (for him) guerilla war if he did intervene. Events on the ground were not providing a lot of support for that school of thought,However, this split at the highest levels of leadership left the local and regional commanders to try and muddle through as best they could. To the local commanders defending the Amur River side of the Chinese-Russian border, common sense dictated that they not oppose the Russian crossings, because the Russian 35th Army would kill them.All their military units had gone west to the Nen River line. With no heavy weapons and little air support, the People's Armed Police (PAP) (paramilitary) and the Public Security Bureau (regular police) units would be wiped out for little gain.Russia's GRU (Military Intelligence) sweetened the pot by allowing the police units to remain armed and in formation. It could be argued that they weren't even committing treason. At any time, they could throw themselves into the battle, or form the core of a resistance movement. 'Conserving your strength' had been a hallmark of the Communist Chinese struggle against the Imperial Japanese and Nationalists forces from the 1920's until 1945 and it had served them well.For the party officials, civil authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Army Air Force (PLAAF), and Army Navy (PLAN) who had gone with Option B, things weren't working out. In the north of Heilongjiang province at Morin Dawa/the Nen River line, the regional commander of the ad hoc forces facing the Khanate decided to duke it out with the Russian 36th Army as well. He was boned from the get-go.The PLAAF's overall command and control had been badly disrupted in the first few hours of The Unification War and had never fully recovered. Of the 22 air regiments that the PLAAF had started the war with in the Shenyang Military District (NE China), only 5 remained as effective formations flying, on average, a meager 20% of their original complement of advanced Shenyang J-16's, J-11's, Chengdu J-10's and Xian JH-7's aircraft.Replacing their aircraft losses meant sending up aged Shenyang J-8's (rolled out in 1980) and Nanchang Q-5's (in 1970) to fly and die in droves fighting their technologically superior Khanate foes. To add insult to injury, China's fleet of 97 Su-30MKK/MK2's (built in Russia) had suffered numerous suspicious mechanical and electronic failures, rendering them either flying coffins, or space holders in bomb-proof shelters.Furthermore, of the forces arrayed in the far north, only two of the five air regiments were responding. Two of the other three had begun displacing south into the Beijing Military District and preparing to defend the capital city. The fifth formation had another problem, North Korea (, more on that later.)In opposition to those two Chinese air regiments (roughly 60 aircraft of mixed types) stood seven complete and fresh Russian air regiments (over 400 front-line aircraft) and that didn't include the regiment and elements of the Far East Naval Aviation which was ALSO watching North Korea (, again more on that later.) The latter was of small comfort to the forces trying to hold the already compromised Nen River line.Behind those valiant troops, along the much more defensible Amur River line, the commander of the key city of Heihe sided with the Option A group and let the Russian 35th Army cross the river unopposed. By the time the PLA commanding general of the 'Nen Force' (the 69th Motorized Division and the subordinate 7th Reserve Division) figured that out, he was already in a shooting war with the Russians. So his supply lines weren't in danger, they were lost.The final indignity took place at Zalantun. The commander of the 3rd Reserve Div. had died during the attempt to recapture Zalantun. His replacement died when his helicopter was shot down as he was coming to assume command. In the absence of these officers, the divisional chief of staff told his men, including two hastily hustled forward mechanized brigades, to put down their arms. That meant 'Nen Force' was completely cut-off and surrounded.One battalion of the 36th Russian Motorized Brigade (yes, too many 36's running around) disarmed the Chinese troops while the rest, plus the 74th Independent Motorized Brigade raced for the prize, the city of Qiqihar. The last major mechanized formation of the 36th Rus. Army, the 39th MB was following them. However, instead of manning Qiqihar's defenses, the Chinese garrison in that city was waging war on its own populace.It wasn't only in Qiqihar; chaos reigned throughout Heilongjiang province. The Provincial Head of the Communist Party, Wang Xiankui, supported Option A. The Provincial Governor, Lu Hao, went with Option B. Both figures were rising stars in the PRC. Wang had ordered the still forming Reserve Divisions and the PAP units to disperse, thus avoiding any untimely confrontations with the Russians.Lu, without consulting Wang, ordered the same forces to launch a violent crackdown on all dissident forces, specifically all racial minorities. (It turned out that Lu was also a member of the Seven Pillars and his witch-hunt was aimed at getting the Earth and Sky organization operating in Heilongjiang).For the men and women on the other end of those phone conversations, there was no 'right' answer. Lest we forget, their organizations were already degraded by the Anthrax outbreak. Both men were powerful and represented China's future leadership, so if the person in charge at the ground level obeyed the wrong one, they could be assured of being roasted by the other.Some did try to do both, repress and disband at the same time. That meant that in the process of making mass arrests among an already war-fearful and plague-fearful populace, the law enforcement infrastructure began disintegrating.The problem with Lu's/7P's plan was that there was no 'revolutionary' organization to round up. That wasn't how the Earth and Sky operated in North-East China. They remained in tiny sabotage and reconnaissance cells. While they were scurrying for cover from the police crackdown, an opportunity presented itself.The afflicted minorities were getting furious with their treatment. These minorities saw themselves as loyal Chinese, yet they were being dragged out into the streets, put in detentions centers and (in a few cases) summarily executed. Being less than 10% of the overall population, resistance had never crossed their minds. It seemed all that those defenseless people could do was pray for Russian intervention forces to arrive.Within that mix of fear, betrayal and rage, the E and S discovered a way to start the dominos falling. The small, well-armed and well-trained E and S cells began ambushing police detachments. Weapons from those dead men and women were turned over to the pissed off locals before the cell went off to stalk the next police unit.Wash, rinse and repeat. It became a perverse and bloody case of wish fulfillment. Lu and the 7P's had been looking for an insurrection and they started one. Even though a miniscule portion of the population was involved, from the outside looking in, it reinforced the Putin Public Affairs initiative that portrayed Putin (and his army) as coming in to restore order to a collapsing civil system, which he was helping disrupt.From Moscow, the PRC's indecisiveness looked like Manna from Heaven. For the massive numbers of Russian soldiers riding through the Manchurian countryside, it felt like they were rolling into Arkham Asylum. Unlike the NATO countries' professional armies, Russia remained a largely conscript force whose normal term of service was only one year. These unseasoned troops could never tell if the local military, military police and police would attack until they rolled up on the Chinese units.At the start of that Day One of Operation: Funhouse, the Russian ROE (Rules of Engagement) was 'Ask and Verify'. It was tactically advantageous for the belligerent Chinese forces to lie about their intentions, then begin shooting at the Russians when they got close enough to hurt them. By Day Two, the standard front-line Russian soldier had adjusted that ROE to 'if they look at us wrong, light their asses up'. By Day Three, the officers had stopped trying to enforce Moscow's ROE orders.That was fine for the combat and rear echelon support troops because both the Chinese and Russian governments had another series of problems and they all centered around Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un's declaration that North Korea would intervene as well, without letting anyone know who he was 'intervening' against. To keep everyone guessing, the North Korean' People's Army was massing on all three borders, facing off with the PRC, Russia and South Korea. To prove his diplomatic intentions, Kim pledged to only mobilize half of his reserves, merely 4,250,000 extra men and women to go with his 950,000 strong standing army.It didn't take a military, or economic genius to realize the North Korean's chronically 'near death' economy was stampeding off a cliff. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was in the middle of an oil crisis and Kim was increasing their fuel consumption by 400% while decreasing his workforce by 10%. To put it in perspective, the US unemployment was around 6%. Now imagine that in one week's time it would become 26%. One week, no severance packages. Would the population become unsettled?But wait, it gets better. The Secret War was colliding with the Real World in more places than Manchuria. Setting aside the assassination attempt (Grrr) of Hana Sulkanen, my fiancée, six Nipponese elders (two women and four men) appeared in the personal quarters of the Japanese Prime Minister on the first full night of 'Funhouse' and relayed their urgent requests.Those six were the Head of the Six (formerly Seven) Ninja Families and they were there at, my urging. Cause I'm an idiot and requiring the deaths of Romanians in my personal crusade obviously wasn't enough. Now I was asking the Japanese Defense Forces (JDF) to pony up as well. So take a deep breath and put on the hip-waders.You might be wondering why I would want the JDF, see, there was part of Operation: Funhouse that was hitting a predictable snag, namely the Korea People's Navy Force (KPNF) and the uncertain determination of the PLAN:The KPNF's vessels were rather old, small and crappy. They also had a love affair with anything that could launch a torpedo and they listed over 700 of these floating deathtraps (only 13 of which could be classified as surface warships) and the fanatical crews to take them into battle.The PLAN's numbers were far more realistic and the fleet generally more modern. Only their North (18 surface warships) and East Fleets (22 plus 5 'elsewhere') could play any role in an upcoming FUBAR, and both fleets were heading out to sea, mainly to avoid the sporadic, but increasingly effective Khanate air strikes.The FU to be BAR'ed was the Russian Far East Fleet (RFEF) (6 warships strong, ) that had seized on this crazy idea (per my suggestion) to sail south, around the Korean peninsula so they could land elements of the 55th Guards Red Banner Marine Brigade (the 165th Marine Regiment and the 180th Marine Tank Battalion).Theoretically they were going to be the 'Southern Shielding Force' that would interpose itself between the Khanate and Beijing. It should surprise no one that the RFEF's flotilla was unequal to the task of taking their destination, the port of Qinhuangdao, by amphibious assault. Fortunately for the Gods of War (which did not include me), there were five other navies involved.Meanwhile, South Korea was having kittens because their always crazy northern kin were slathering on the insanity. (In how many Buddhist countries do people flock to the temples and pray that their neighbor attacks someone, anyone else, but them? That wasn't a religious conundrum I wanted to deal with.) N.Korea mobilizing meant S.Korea had to mobilize, which sucked down on their GNP as well.Besides, N.Korean dams and coal-powered plants kept the lights on in Seoul. Erring on the side of caution, the S. Korea (aka Republic of Korea, ROK) Army suggested calling up only one million of their three million person reserve force in order to assure Cousin Kim that this was a purely defensive gesture. It didn't work. Kim Jong-un castigated the ROK for antagonizing him, despite his declaration that he 'might' feel like invading the South in the immediate future.Into the emerging crisis, the ROK Navy could sortie nineteen small surface ships. Japan's Navy wasn't up to its old imperial standards, but could still deploy 45 surface warships. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room was the core of the 7th Fleet stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, the USS carrier George Washington and her 14 escort vessels.If the George Washington was the gorilla, RIMPAC 2014 was King Kong. 22 nations, 50 ships, including the USS carrier Ronald Reagan were engaged in war games in the Central Pacific. With them were 5 vessels of the PLAN, had Kim Jong-un just kept his mouth shut, this wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, if the Khanate had not come into existence and launched its Unification War, but he had and they did,To show the US was taking this escalation seriously (without tipping their hand that they knew about Funhouse, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG 1) (the Carl Vinson +10) was rushing across the Pacific from San Diego. CSG 3 (the John C. Stennis +2) was being assembled hastily so that they could rendezvous with CSG 1 ASAP. So many brave souls running toward the danger, sometimes I hate myself.So now does it make sense that I found myself in a room with a US Senator tasked with riding herd on me?Anyway, there were the other three navies still unaccounted for, Taiwan / the Republic of China (ROC) (22 surface ships), Vietnam (7) and the Philippines (3). Taiwanese involvement was easy to explain, the PRC refused to acknowledge them as an independent country and probably never would.The Vietnam People's Navy was tiny in both numbers and tonnage. Five of the vessels were 1960's Soviet frigates. What Vietnam did have was a huge grudge against the PRC. The PLA invaded Vietnam in 1979 and devastated the northernmost provinces, killing as many as 100,000 civilians.The PLAN had walloped the VPN in 1974 (technically South Vietnam) and again in 1988. Out in the South China Sea were two island archipelagos; the Paracel (occupied by a small PLA garrison and claimed by the PRC, Vietnam and the ROC) and Spratlys Islands (disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, the PRC, the ROC, and Vietnam).The Philippines had a grand total of three frigates (all between 50 and 70 years old). 99% of the time, they faced a hopeless struggle enforcing Philippines' South China Sea claims, except they were now experiencing that 1% where the PRC found itself in a life and death struggle. Even then, the PLAN's South Sea Fleet was hands-down the biggest player with 26 surface warships centered on the Carrier Liaoning.Except (and there always seems to be an 'except') virtually all the PLAN's naval aviation had gone off to fight the Khanate and it wasn't coming back, ever. In the air, the Philippines was next to useless. What did they have of offer in the struggle for the South China Sea? Bases. The ROC and Vietnam had much more to bring to the table.The Vietnamese People's Liberation Air Force (VPLAR) had about 50 front-line aircraft and 175 nearly obsolete models ~ the same models the PLAAF was now piloting. The ROC Air Force could put up 325 almost-new fighters that were now superior to their opponents on the mainland. Why would I give a shit?Things cascade. The Khanate Air Force took a two-day long deep breath as Putin's 'Policeman that only looks like an invading army' started their intervention. Forty-eight hours later, the Khanate started the fourth stage (the first lunge, defeat the PLA's counter-attack then the second lunge) of the campaign.Their initial air power was still skating on thin ice where maintenance was concerned. They need more time to thoroughly rest their pilots and bring all their top-flight equipment to 100% working condition. Against them, in two days the PLAAF's assets increased by over 250 fighters.In turn, the Khanate had added their constituent state air forces plus nearly 80 new cutting edge air planes and 25 drones. Phase Four saw rolling airstrikes all along the forces massing in front of the northern and central Tumens. For a few hours, the PLA thought they knew what was going on.They were wrong and this was where my meeting with OT came in. Jab with the right, cut them down with the left. The left in my case was Tibet. Yeah, Tibet. Economic value = not nearly enough. From the very start of the war, a small number of seemingly inconsequential air strikes had seriously eroded the PLA and PLAAFs combat power in the Tibetan Plateau while leaving the roads, bridges and towns intact.Common military logic dictated that the Khanate had to punch their way further east into Qinghai (to the south) and Gansu (to the north) provinces. That was where the population and industry where. Farther east were even greater numbers of people and factories and the Khanate forces in the North hadn't been strong enough to threaten to cut off the Qinghai-Gansu front. Then the Russians showed up and the Khanate forces threatening that flank doubled overnight.The PLA hastily reinforced their northern flank, using troops from their strategic reserves. The move resulted in incredible attrition by airpower to the freshly equipped formations. The PLA was about to get flanked, but not from the north. Southwest of Qinghai was Tibet. A third of the Khanate's mobile forces now swept around in a huge left haymaker to the south.My job? I needed the 'Free Tibet' forces in the US and UK to provide public and moral support to the Khanate move. As Khanate Special Forces seized crucial bottlenecks in Tibet, they needed the locals to keep their 'liberators' informed of PLA presences and undermine any attempt to create a guerilla movement.The five Tumens dedicated to being the Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effort) of this flanking maneuver were going to be on a tight timetable if they were going to surround the PLA forces in Central China.My plan was to convince the Tibetans that the PRC's 55 years of occupation was coming to an end and the Great Khan wanted to sign a 'Treaty of Mutual Respect' (my invention). This would require both the Khanate and Tibet to recognize each other's right to exist the moment a cease-fire was reached. That was it. No 'armed presence', or 'mutual defense' agreements.The treaty would be formally signed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when the city was safe ~ as determined by the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile, CTA). Riki came up with an additional sweetener and proved she was quickly adjusting to our group's extra-governmental capabilities.

A day in the life of rural Hungary.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.'Here be Dragons' wasn't always a tourist gimmick."I didn't say you could have a drink," the Vizsla commented."Oh, my apologies," I shrugged. I put the stein on a nearby table and waited."Have a seat," she directed. I came up to her table and examined the three empty chairs. I held back until she pointed to the chair opposite her. I sat down, but didn't make eye contact. Instead, I examined the various paintings and photographs on the walls. It was an old place."You killed Matthias, even though you knew he worked for me," she uttered."I can confirm that information to be correct," I looked her way. That, wasn't what she expected."Why?""Why what?" I countered. There was a method to my madness; this was going to be a lesson in competence, and what happens when you don't respect it."Why did you kill Matthias?""I needed a reason?" I tried to look pensive. "Maybe I didn't like the cut of his facial hair?""Do you think this is a joke?" she replied dryly. "The Black Hand always avenge our own.""Damn," I looked perplexed. "No one told me that when I arrived. Can we call Matthias's extermination a 50/50 bad call, both ways?""Matthias was my cousin," the Vizsla continued."My condolences," I sighed. "The next Black Hand douche-bag the Amazons waste, I'll have them ask if he's related to you first. How's that?""You are so not likely to have that opportunity," she pointed out."Oh," I laughed, "you are so wrong about that.""You are far stupider than I had been informed," the Vizsla's eyes narrowed."Nope. You and your cast of 'Dumb and Dumber' have been treating us like idiots since we touched down at Ferenc Liszt International, so I'm pretending to be that simpleton sock-puppet just for you, Vizsla. You've added to that by heaping disrespect and derision on my people," I grinned."You tried to have me and my entourage murdered and Matthias paid the price for that. Everyone knows I'm here. And after your bungled attempt to have me killed, no one is going to believe you did anything but murder me, if I don't show up eventually. Now do you prefer the stupid me, or the brighter than normal me?""If you think acting like a smart-ass is somehow endearing, you are mistaken," she let me know."Whatever," I shrugged. "You called this meeting. What do you want?""Beyond killing one of my lieutenants, I wanted to know what you are doing here?" she studied me."I would like to leave now. I'm wasting my time here," I responded."I want answers," she pressed."You have been given the answers to both your talking points, Matthias died because of your orders and I am here looking for three lost Amazon bloodlines," I replied."That seems bizarre," the Vizsla expressed her doubts."Bizarre? You are talking to the sole male Amazon House Head in three thousand years," I reminded her. "Besides, you only just now finished telling me how the Black Hand look after their own. The Amazons are the same way; we have lost kin who need to be made aware of their background.""What do we do about Matthias?" the Vizsla asked."In all honesty, had he not personally threatened to stab a member of my team, I would have settled for kicking the crap out of him. He put a knife to Ms. Martin's throat. That assured his death sentence. I think the Host will be willing to accept my hypothesis that Matthias was acting on his own initiative, which should settle the matter."And just like that, the expediency of the Black Hand shown forth. The truth of the matter was that he had acted on the Vizsla's orders. Unfortunately, that would have meant my side would have come after the Vizsla and she would have had to avenge his death, lots of needless bloodshed. So Matthias posthumously became a rabid dog gone rogue and one who ended up crossing the wrong people. No vengeance required by anyone. We could get back to business."That is settled. So, what do you want from your new allies?" the Vizsla inquired. A certain level of cold-blooded ruthlessness had been required to achieve her spot in the Black Hand. Likewise, honesty was the best policy when dealing with casually lethal people. They didn't like self-important asses wasting their time."I need to find an individual named 'Branko'. He has kidnapped a young lady who is one of our lost Amazons. We don't require any aid, but if you could leave Selena with us, it would be appreciated," I requested."What are you going to do when you catch up with this 'Branko'?" she questioned."I'd like to say I am going to buy her back, but I think we both know that is a pipe-dream. He's not going to like me interfering in his business, so I'm going to kill him, and any other bastards who are in close proximity," I confessed. She studied me for over a minute."Do you wish a piece of advice?" the Vizsla said."Of course," I nodded. It cost me nothing to acknowledge her vastly superior experience."Take a step back," she advised. Seeing that I didn't understand, "If you recall every single death by your hand, you will go mad. You don't possess the detachment of a true killer, Cáel. Not every member of the Black Hand is an assassin.Your driver, Josef, is from a long line of Black Hand members. He doesn't have what it takes to get close and personal in order to kill a human being, so he drives and provides security. He still matters and serves a necessary function." That was almost nice of her. The advice was based on her decision to keep me around as a useful tool. Going nuts would derail that."There is the life we wish to lead, and the life we must lead, Vizsla," I recalled. There was so much there, whirling around in my skull, it took me all this time to find the link I was looking for. Recall every single death by my hand, "On January 26th, 1847, the Black Hand Chapter House of the Wolf in Verona was wiped out, there were no survivors.""If you say so," she regarded me oddly."Yeah, look into it. Then come back to me when you have the right questions," I stood up. "And 'Branko'?""I will relay information on this individual to Selena. We should have something by the time you get back to Buda," she got out before one of the bodyguards came running our way.He had his H and K MP5 out and was in deep conversation with his ear piece."Our two spotters failed to respond correctly," he told the Vizsla in Hungarian. She gave me another quick once over."My people?" I rose slowly.The Vizsla gave the man a subtle hand gesture. Seconds later, pushing Alkonyka ahead of them, Pamela, Selena and Josef came running through the door. Pamela and Selena had our duffels. Two more Black Hand materialized from a back room.The Black Hand was actually a small outfit. Each Chapter had two or three houses, each with four or five true assassins and maybe six times that in support personnel/recruits in each location. That meant the entire Black Hand organization numbered less than 1000. They had several thousand peripheral contacts across their sphere of Europe and they could purchase some sort of private security given time. But their best protection was their hidden nature and small size. That also meant what we had was what we had. There was no Black Hand SWAT team on the way.Working with hand gestures alone, the Vizsla was directing us to a trap door behind the bar. Josef's phone rang. He hesitantly answered."It is for you," he offered it to our host. She took it. Halfway through the caller's diatribe, she shot me a suspicious look."Why don't you ask him?" she stated, then handed me the phone."Hello Nyilas. Do you know who this is?" the man on the other end stated, in Mycenean Greek."Yes, I do. What do you want? I'm kind of busy here?" I grinned. It was laughing at death all over again."I can relieve you of your pressing schedule. You and the other Amazon step outside and I'll make it quick.""No can-do Studly," I smirked. "If I go out there, it is going to take a while.""I sincerely doubt that.""Don't sell yourself short," I jibed. "I figure clipping off those bull-sized testicles of yours is going to take some work. But I do promise that after I make you a eunuch, I'll use a condom when I bend you over and make you my bitch too. Was there anything else you wanted to know?""No. I think we have a mutual understanding," he laughed. "I'll be seeing you soon." He hung up."Who was that?" Vizsla inquired. She wasn't alone in her curiosity."Ajax," I beamed confidence. I was confident my tenure on this Earth was ending real soon."I think we should be leaving," Vizsla suggested."Selena, help Alkonyka get her sister back," I requested. "I'll catch up when I can. Pamela, you do what you feel you need to do. Vizsla, they are after me, so I'm going to keep them busy while you get away," I explained.No useless 'you don't have to do this' nonsense. She knew the score, I wasn't a member of her outfit and she wanted to live. She did do me one favor. She gave another hand movement. Selena slit Josef's throat in a surprise motion.He didn't die right away. Selena's slash made bleeding out inevitable, but he'd be a while in dying. Odds were, that only Vizsla and Josef knew in advance where we were meeting. Whatever payoff the Condottieri had put in his bank account wasn't going to do him any good. Selena bent over his still-thrashing body and removed his pistol."I will bring you Angyalka Lovasz," Selena pledged. Pamela and I were gearing up. Ajax and his buddies were going to be coming for me any second now. Alkonyka gave me one more worried look before she vanished into the secret basement. "Don't be late," was the last thing Selena said before going down into the darkness. Pamela made sure the trap door was covered up.Lust and Bullets"We've used Butch and Sundance," Pamela checked her L42 Enfield Sniper Rifle. It was the weapon Pamela had trained with and used for longer than I'd been alive, old yet very effective even today."Heat?" I offered up. "You can be De Niro and I can be Kilmer.""Nice. Michael Mann really had a way of killing people," Pamela grinned, then pumped her eyebrows. "Too bad I end up dead in this one.""We'll avoid airports, you should be safe," I joked. Three explosions rocked the building, shooting glass throughout the place. Fortunately, Pamela and I were hiding behind the bar."Let's go," she whispered over the din. Charging out the front door seemed pretty suicidal to me, but Pamela's copious battle lore was something I had the utmost faith in. I respected her judgment and followed along. There was a method to her madness. Two 40 mm grenades had taken out the two cars parked in front. A third launched grenade had blown open the door.The petrol in the cars equated to flaming wreckage and a huge smoke screen. It was broad daylight, no night vision goggles. The flames made IR useless and the smoke temporarily obscured regular vision. The machineguns going off around us scared the crap out of me. It was my old buddy, suppression fire: they weren't shooting directly at us.Metaphysically, Ishara was dueling with Ares. There was a low stone wall, a little over a meter high, that separated an adjacent field from the inn's gravel parking lot. Right as we got to our side of it, three of Ajax's boys came up on the other. Pamela and I remained perfectly still, crouching tightly against our shelter.Two knelt and fired several bursts from their H and K HK416 (Wow! Germany's newest killing machine, they looked slick) into the closest open windows while the third one fired a grenade in. Again, we remained perfectly still. We were about two meters from those three. The drab color of our hastily donned dusters, the congested air and our stillness combined to save us from their notice.The second after that grenade went off, the three vaulted the wall and rushed the building. From the cacophony of the battle, they were storming the building from several directions at once."Quick, go find that guy with the machinegun," Pamela whispered over a feral grin. How was I going to do that?The old fashioned way, I leapt over the wall and ran away from all the flames, explosions and the continuous widespread fusillade of assault weapons fire. I was partially bent over as I ran. I'm still a big guy though. The machine gunner was in a shallow dip in the meadow 30 meters away, on the edge of the woods.He saw me, shifted his MG4 (fuck Ajax and his crew for having the best Bang-Bangs) minutely and unleashed hell my way. In hindsight, the 1st round flattened against my duster as it impacted my upper left thigh. Round #2 hit the duster again, coming below my vest, but hitting my belt (every bit of leather helps).The #3 556 mm slug hit my vest due south of my belly button (Fuck!), # 4 landed a few centimeters up and to the right, taking in both the duster and my ballistic vest. The #5 round clipped my lower side of my right ribcage. The resulting force sent me spinning back and to my right.Honestly, as I landed hard on my back (no rolling with the blow this time), I thought a midget mule team had kicked me in the guts. Apparently, I made a convincing mortally wounded human being. He stopped shooting and Pamela got pissed.I learned a few things at that moment: you do not get used to being shot; you can never appreciate the value of good body amour enough; you can never understand the true value of a sniper until your life is totally in their hands; and damn, Pamela was exceptional. Pamela put a bullet through his nasal cavity in that split second between him exposing himself with his muzzle flashes and deciding to put a few more bullets into my prone form.Pain dictated that I lie where I was. Survival instincts overrode that. I went to my side, pushed up and resumed my crouched stance. Then I was running once more until I could throw myself beside his corpse. I was stunningly calm. Machineguns, snipers, I had to cover Pamela's run across the meadow. I didn't stay by the dead gunner.I grabbed his weapon, some spare ammo and quick-stepped it to the wood line. I rapidly assessed the best spot that could provide cover from each flank. That was where I went down, cradled the device and started shooting at any muzzle flash I could see. The moment I opened fire, Pamela began her own sprint.Unlike my mad dash, Pamela took evasive maneuvers, serpentine, which worked out well when one sniper figured out she wasn't one of them. He/she had two shots at her before she dove past me. Her mien was one of intense, emptiness? She gave me a quick pat-down to make sure I wasn't gushing blood, took a deep breath and then smirked."Come on, Dummy!" she laughed. "We still have a shot at a sequel.""Shot, sequel, you are a laugh riot," I wheezed as I stood, abandoned the MG4 and joined her as we both ran deeper into the woods. A few shots zinged past us before Ajax's crew realized we were in full-on flight mode. They weren't going to waste the bullets.This was the point where archaic and modern warfare diverged. In the olden (pre-Pamela, ow! How did she know what I was thinking?) days, when your enemy broke and ran, it was relatively easy to run them down and slaughter them in their panic. If a few men tried to stem the tide, they would be quickly overwhelmed.After the invention of rapid-fire rifles, that changed. Suddenly, headlong pursuit could be incredibly costly. All it took was a small, resolute band to find some sort of hard cover and they could buy minutes, or even hours, for their retreating brethren. Sure, if you were willing to pay the butcher's bill, you could storm their position.But you had to understand, each defender could fire and work the bolt action in under three seconds. You reloaded your magazine with a prepared clip ~ maybe five more seconds. Ten men could put 150 bullets down range per minute as long as their ammo held out. Sending men into that kind of firepower was murder; very few troops could sustain their attack under those conditions.Ajax's resurrected Mycenaean's were tough enough to do it. Ajax's problem was their finite number. Despite catching Ajax off-guard with Pamela's mad plan, her ungodly skills and a great deal of my pain, we had only managed to kill one so far. The great unknowns were terrain (we didn't know where we were,) and my luck.As Pamela and I ran through the forest at a good clip, we began to make out a specific background noise. It was a river. Not a creek, stream, waterfall, or dam, a river."Did you pack your jet ski?" Pamela snorted."I left it in the car. You said it was so '1990's'," I panted back. A few more footsteps and,

Not the welcome we expectedWhen your tour guide is an assassin, what can go wrong?By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.You can do wrong while trying to do right.FlashbackAlal's 'milk of human kindness' had finally run dry as the Visigoths sacked his Roman villa. While looters ran off with his latest trappings of wealth, and deserted by his servants and his slaves, Grandpa decided that he was tired of fucking around with the Human Race. He felt they were simply too stupid, venal and weak to make any positive, lasting changes in the world.Alal decided that he was going to make the key choices for them. Fuck free will. Fuck letting the vermin that floated to the top of the cesspool destroy everything good in the world, as he had witnessed them doing time and time again. He had lost count of the monuments destroyed, histories of peoples forgotten and benefits to mankind burned away by barbarism and ignorance.By the fading light of August the 26th, 410 CE, Alal found himself sitting back in the pergola (a sort of mini-gazebo) in his rear gardens, drinking through several amphora of wine all the while having a deep philosophical debate with the several dozen very dead Goths decorating his environs.As three or four looters would enter the garden, he would kill them. And then three or four more would show up looking for the earlier group,, on and on. This reinforced Alal's belief that something drastic had to be done. He seriously considered going to the coast, getting a ship and five solid stone anchors. He'd sail out two days, maybe three, wrap himself in the anchors and jump overboard.The problem, as he saw it, was that given a few decades, the ropes would rot and he'd bob to the surface to see again that none of the fundamentals had changed. Further complicating his current thinking was that every time he came close to throwing in the cosmic towel, some more GOD DAMN GOTHS would come around, calling for their buddies, the dead ones. Somewhere around noon on August the 27th, Alal vowed that he was tired of this shit.Right on cue, around twenty Goths came strolling through the rear of his villa and soaked up the carnage out back. Fifty-two of their brethren were in various states of dismemberment and defilement (Alal had been, as usual, angry). They saw this dark-skinned Roman and rightly asked 'where's the army that killed these fellows?' He walked up to them in his wine-splashed toga."Are you the one in charge?" he asked the meanest looking Visigoth in passible Goth."I am," the leader responded. With lightning speed, he killed the man with his own sword. The Germans weren't sure what to make of that, it had happened so fast."You can join me," Alal indicated himself, "or you can join him," he indicated the corpse of their former leader. He had his new band of followers and the rest was Illuminati history.End FlashbackFor me, this meant more to me than living with the memories of a very bitter, driven and pitiless man. Alal was essentially the anti-me. It gave me chills to realize that all of Alal's gifts were bestowed on me with a purpose. I knew it was part of his greater plan. Normally, to end-run an evil genius, you just find him and kill him. Not only would Alal not stay dead, I now knew how well he could fight.I knew only four people who might be in his league, and I wasn't one of them. Of the four, Sakuniyas wasn't likely to help Pamela, Saint Marie and Elsa get the job done. That meant I had to rev up the deception engine to comfort my Aunts with hope, while dispelling the knowledge of how little they mattered to their sire. Almost as bad, I had to ignore what horribly people they were while extending that portion of my soul.It was with some relief that I hugged, kissed, and forcefully separated myself from the Aunts in Dublin. We were going on to Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport. My next action was to make my request to Selena for a contract with the Ghost Tigers to defend Hana when she arrived in Russia. (Of the three 9 Clan Assassin-Babes, Selena was the least impressed with me.) She informed me that the Ghost Tigers didn't do bodyguard work. I still wanted her to relay my request, so she relented. After that, I passed out.We left Dublin around 9:30 am Friday morning and landed in Budapest at 1:45 pm., still Friday. As Rachel rousted me so I could grab a quick shower before touchdown, I was gifted with the misconceptions of my fellow travelers:To put it nicely, Riki thought I was somewhat revolting, Virginia was disturbed and Chaz had lowered his opinion of my moral character. It was the incest thing. Vincent being polite was a pleasant surprise, Delilah's camaraderie less so and Odette was peaches with my most recent sexcapades. She was far too good to me. The Amazons uniformly didn't give a crap."So, is there going to be any other bizarre behavior we should be prepared for?" Riki sat down next to me as I was drying my hair. I was back to my 'jeans, t-shirt and wind-breaker' style."Fine, " I said loudly. "It is really none of your business what I did with and to my mother's clones. Yes, they are all clones of my mother, who died when I was seven." A lie."They are also the genetic creations of my grandfather, also known by many as Cáel O'Shea. They are sterile, they are wickedly evil, and two weeks ago I didn't know they existed. I do have a real aunt in Maryland. She's my Father's sister and is not part of the menagerie. Oh yeah, my grandpa is currently a disembodied spirit, back from the Netherworld and looking for a body to take over, if he hasn't found one already," I added."He was born roughly five thousand years ago, was cursed by an ancient Sumerian Goddess such that he can never just die and stay dead. I have his memories running around my head, which, along with denying me a good night's sleep, allows me to speak an assortment of languages, use virtually every weapon built before 1970 and know that he is a vicious criminal mastermind the likes of which you've never imagined outside of fiction.How does that sound, Riki? Shall I get more bizarre? Trust me, I can," I regarded her evenly. She was speechless, but not out of awe. No, she was certain that I was completely unhinged."Everyone who believes Cáel, raise their hand," Odette demanded. Her hand went up. Odette and the Amazons agreeing was expected by the outsiders. Delilah and Virginia joining in was not."Captain Fairchild?" Colour Sgt. Chaz Tomorrow requested clarification."You've all seen those five O'Shea's that left the plane in Ireland. Barring some cosmetic changes, they were the exact same woman. You can either go with Sean Connery's Tak-ne creating a female clone army, or you can believe there is an otherworldly plastic surgeon altering a cadre of super-rich bitches to all look alike," Delilah, who was a captain of something, put out there."Who in the Hell is Tak-ne?" Riki mumbled."Duh," I poked the State Department lassie. "Connor MacLeod's Egyptian mentor in Highlander, the original movie and in the less than stellar sequel, Highlander: The Quickening"."You are mistaken. Connery was that Spanish guy," Riki poked me back."Actually, the relevant quote is: 'I am Juan Sánchez Villalobos Ramírez, Chief metallurgist to King Charles V of Spain. And I'm at your service'," Vincent regaled us with his movie trivia. "He later reveals that he was born Tak-ne in Egypt in the 9th century BCE. Also, his Spanish name makes no sense, he has one too many surnames.""Agent Loire, I am beginning to find intelligent men to be attractive," Charlotte said."Umm, thank you," Vincent responded warily."This might be a good point to get something clear," Chaz inquired. "Mr. Nyilas, whose side are you on? It appears to be rather complicated.""Okay, Chaz, call me Cáel. Calling me Mr. Nyilas makes me miss my dad. I can also be addressed as Cáel 'Wakko' Ishara, Head of House Ishara of the First Twenty Houses of the Amazon Host. Or, you can call me what the Great Khan does, Magyarorszag es Erdely Hercege. Finally, those who love me, or find me amusing, may call me Fehér mén."Selena's snort indicated she'd failed to hide her amusement at my presumptiveness, both titular and physically."Do you want to explain what's so amusing?" Riki looked over to the Black Hand assassin."Your job should be exceptionally easy now," Selena mocked me, "Prince of Hungry and Transylvania, or do you prefer 'White Stud'?""Laugh while you can, Monkey-Girl," I sneered. "The guy currently making a run at erasing seven hundred years of Asian history gave me that title. As for Fehér mén, that means 'White Stallion' and is symbolic of my ties to House Epona, not a phallic reference." Riki's look had gone from disgust, to anger (because she thought she was being played) and lastly, to shock."No," I interpreted her fear. "I am not here as some vanguard to unite the Magyar people to their cultural kinfolk in Central Asia. If you know your Central European history, you might recall that the Mongols devastated my homeland. For the next 450 years, the Turks were unwelcome visitors, conquerors and overlords. My princely status is a pat on the head for a job well done and nothing more.""What job did you do?" Riki prodded."I saved a man's life," I looked pained to admit. She didn't get it."It must have been a major VIPs life," Chaz suggested."You can say that," Pamela nodded. "End of discussion time too."At Ferenc Liszt International, we were diverted to a private hangar once more, courtesy of the Republic of Ireland's diplomatic umbrella. Three grey Ford Focuses and a white panel truck advertising a furniture repair store awaited us. Security issues were immediately obvious. They wanted to separate us (in the Fords) from most of our luggage (in the truck).The five guy welcoming party hid under the cloak of 'don't speak any language you claim to speak' and Selena was of zip help. So, I spoke to them in Hungarian. They glanced my way, but didn't respond. Serbian? Nope. Romanian? Nope."Bows and doves," I commanded.That translated rather logically as 'guns/bows' and 'phones/doves'. Out came our pistols. The only Black Hand to react fast enough was Selena and Pamela had her covered. The Amazons were aiming at the locals while Delilah and Chaz had their weapons out and scanning. Vincent and Virginia hadn't been fast enough, this time. They also didn't have guns pointed at them.The lead BH flunky began talking calmly in German, heavily Slavic accented German."What do you think you are doing?" he inquired of me, in German."Disarming you, ya Moron," I grumbled. Then added in Hittite; "Go", and in my Amazons went to very roughly search, disarm and de-phone our not so friendly friends."Alright, gather up your luggage," I called out to my group. "We are walking to town." That wasn't truly accurate. There was a metro associated with the airport, a kilometer away max. Our guides didn't speak English so they were rather surprised when the bags came out of the truck and were distributed to their owners. Riki Martin and Odette were in some trouble.Girls and 'only packing the necessities', Well, we had some diplomatic lumber to toss at the security services, Vincent had web-searched our location and the route we needed to take to the metro, and Delilah had purchased week-long public transport passes for the group. Only when we started marching out of the hangar did the BH comprehend the totality of their error.The five guys in the hangar were chattering away, in Hungarian, and Selena was peeved."You are upsetting my superiors by blatantly disrespecting their courtesy," she reminded me. "They have guaranteed your safety.""Less than a day has passed since the shootout in London, Selena," I countered."This is the Black Hand's backyard," Selena persisted, "not London.""So, you are only going to help us if we do stupid shit we wouldn't do, even on our own home ground, is that it?" I chuckled. "Sweet," then, to my people, "I guess we are on our own."The airport security guards didn't know what to make of our group of over-worked Sherpa, but the US State department and the RoI (Republic of Ireland) vouched for us, so they let us pass.We hadn't taken the cars and the truck because that would have been theft. The confiscated guns and phones had been disassembled and tossed into a large iron drum of used aviation lubricant. Odette began shopping around for hotel reservations (I was carrying most of her gear). She was the logical choice because she sounded the most human of the bunch.Selena called her people back, explained the fuck up and engaged in a mutual ass-chewing that spilled over a half-dozen languages and ended up with Dick-head, the local BH chieftain providing us with quarters that would turn a blind eye to our arsenal. With that address in mind, we made for the bowels of modern Budapest.Dutifully, Riki contacted the US Embassy to Hungary's CIA mission head and Chargé D' Affaires, a.i., updating them on our arrival and movements. At the last moment, I had Riki relay the wrong address, on a paranoid hunch. I was right to be paranoid except I was looking in the wrong direction.We had just disembarked at the Kőbánya-Kispest M3 station when we walked into the rolling ambush. A 'rolling ambush' is like a meeting engagement, the difference being that one side (ours) is on the move, not knowing it is being hunted while the other side (our attackers) was rushing to catch up with us, not knowing where along the path they would find us.As we preparing to transition from the station to the attached terminal, looking for the bus line that would connect us to the BH safe house in the Kőbánya (X) District, our attackers were dismounting their vehicles from across the street as well as to our left and right. They were dressed like cops. Had they been armed like cops,"Oh look," I snickered to Pamela, "I see a whole bunch of heavily armed people coming our way.""Good for you," Pamela muttered. "Your eyes are still working.""Do you think they are here to raise me up on their shields and proclaim me 'Prince'?" I joked."I think they are here to kill us," Pamela grinned."I prefer to think positively," I grinned back."I am positive they are here to kill us," Pamela laughed. It had to be our relaxed demeanor that confused them.Had we been the droids they were looking for, we wouldn't have been chatting in the open with our bags in our hands. That would have made us crazy, and they would have been right. We were crazy alright and there was a method to our madness. It was mid-afternoon, yet there were plenty of average Hungarians wandering about.Sure, they saw the 'special cops' closing in. They didn't see the upcoming shoot-out because that was plain nuts. A gun battle in a modern metropolis in broad daylight? London yesterday was an aberration, not the new normal. Our impromptu plan was to let the killers get as close as possible to limit the collateral damage.This wasn't classic Amazon training. It was a concession to allies who did care about civilians killed in the cross-fire. The oncoming hit squad was finally putting faces to targets when Odette broke the calm before the storm. All she did was squeak when Vincent pushed her behind a kiosk. Riki took Virginia shifting her to cover in silence.Delilah took off at a dead-run to the south-east. They were raising their shotguns and assault rifles. We were drawing our pistols. Normally this would have been an unequal match, except that in the time period where, in their eyes, we had gone from bystanders to targets, they'd also covered a good deal of ground, to the point that they were out in the open while my fighting band was in close proximity to all kinds of cover.It started out as eighteen to twelve. Pamela, Chaz and Selena quickly cut down those odd by five. Me? I didn't try to shoot and run at the same time, so I made it to cover and was stuck there by our opponents use of fully-automatic fire.My lack of martial prowess could be forgiven by the reality I was the one they were trying to off. My greatest contribution to this skirmish was tossing my SPAS-12 to Chaz so he could use something more than his standard military issue Glock-17. I had barely gotten Chaz's appreciative nod when two grenades went off in close proximity to me.At first, I heard and felt nothing. My eyes were having trouble focusing. When my limbs began to orient themselves, I had to fight down the instinct to move. I was lying down, which was far safer than staggering around in the middle of this hail of lead. The twin grenades turned out to be their second and very fatal mistake on this mission.The first had been their delay in identifying my group. The second, using the stun grenades, did put me, Pamela and Selena out of commission temporarily. But their mistake was having misplaced my six Amazons in this mess they had created. They did have thirteen shooters versus Chaz, Virginia and Vincent. They rushed our position using the classic advance while firing rote.Two meters from me, the six Amazons revealed themselves with five P-90's and one big-ass bow. Four escaped the kill zone only to find themselves flanked by Delilah. Her .480, combined with their confusion, finished off the survivors. That wasn't the end of it. We still had to effect our get-away.I was still getting my head on straight as the ladies decided to hotwire some of the deceased men's rides and get us the heck out of Dodge. Recovery brought with it the knowledge that Virginia and Chaz had been shot. Pamela, Selena and me, we had some scrapes and bruises. Everyone else checked out. Mona let us know that she could handle the wounded. They wouldn't be doing jumping jacks for a week or two, but a hospital was not required. On the downside, no one believed that eighteen killers dressed as cops randomly rolled up on our transit point by accident. The only people who knew about our change in travel plans had been the Black Hand. We'd lied to the US.We broke into an abandoned factory to stash the vehicles and make our next plan. Selena was coldly furious. Not only did she come to the same conclusion we had, the Black Hand had set us up to be murdered, we weren't letting her call in. Wiesława and Charlotte kept their guns pointed at her, so low was our level of trust.Chaz was pretty much of the opinion that Selena should be coerced to provide us with the names and locations of the Black Hand involved so that we could do our own 'fact finding tour'. Oddly, none of the Americans asked to be pulled out. Vincent and Riki wanted to let the US Embassy know what had happened, yet were willing to wait until we were secure somewhere first.Rachel was on board with Chaz's idea, with the addendum that they kill every Black Hand they could get their hands on before fleeing the city. They had tried to kill ME after all. I was touched. It was Pamela who put things in perspective.1) The attackers were not Black Hand, they were mercenaries and that pointed a bloody finger at the Condottieri.2) Selena wasn't a fanatic and her life had been in as much danger as anyone else's. She wasn't part of our ambush. Her buddies had tossed her under the bus.3) It would have been far easier to catch us in that convoy they'd tried to stick us with. Caught in pre-planned crossfires and without our heavier weapons, we would have all died.4) Having failed to deliver us to the pre-planned ambush site, the Condottieri had to rush to our metro stop because, the safe house they had prepared for us wouldn't have worked. We had the numbers to allow us take total charge of our security once we were in place. No, gauging our numbers, this traitor had sent the mercs into a straight-up fight they'd just lost.

Zain Johnson welcomes SAPU National Spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale as he highlights the significance of National Police Day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are BACK from the holiday break with the news that Robert Horry is on the HALL OF FAME BALLOT! And while he isn't sure he will get in with a crowded nomination class, the fact that he's officially in the conversation is huge. He tells us how he found out, what the reactions have been from friends and fans and why he believes he deserves to be there.   Rob also gets into the D'Angelo Russell trade from LA to the Nets (again) and admits that he likes the move for D-Lo's future. Harper thinks Finney-Smith is a great fit for the Lakers if he sticks to his role as a perimeter shooter and defender. And the firing of Mike Brown threw everyone for a loop - and Rob speculates that one of the Kings star players must have sounded off to management and that's what made it happen so abruptly. Mike Malone held nothing back by saying the move shows that Sacramento management has "no class" and how that message resonates to the owners and GMs around the league.   Everyone talks about the fun they had on Christmas break, until Rob decided to shoot Jenners a text to remind him that Draymond Green already has 7 techs, as Jenners bet of "under 10" for the season really starts to implode. That leads us into the incident caught on tape where Draymond was cursing out Buddy Hield on the floor and later saying it was his was of motivating him. Rob sounds off, saying he was never motivated by people yelling at him and had a huge disagreement with a teammate in Houston over that. Which spins us into a conversation about how guys choose to motivate their teammates and what really works.   Anthony Edwards got popped $100K for cursing on live TV, and Rob says the big fine was the NBA trying to send a message to players to watch their language on live TV. And we celebrate the return of NBA fights, after Amen Thompson threw down Tyler Herro - and the Marshall-Nurkic suspensions came down in the Dallas-Phoenix fight. We also jump into the College Playoff picks for the quarter finals games this week, which has us all going in different directions. And we close with a Big Shot of the Week to the National Police of Peru for arresting drug dealers on Christmas dressed as the Grinch - and a hilarious round of "It Happened This Year" where we try to remember specifics about stuff that went down in 2024.

AP correspondent Norman Hall reports two top police officials have been arrested in South Korea.

You can still contribute to their fund to help send the parties to DC for National Police and Fire week! https://www.burnsvillepoliceandfirefoundation.org/ They are also raising money today for the Special Olympics form 3-6pm at The Texas Roadhouse in Apple Valley!

Dawn welcomes in Retired Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, Spokesperson of the National Police Association, back onto the Dawn Stensland Show to hear her thoughts on today's horrible anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel. Dawn and Sgt. Brantner Smith delve into potential threats to Jewish properties including schools and synagogues, with the spokeswoman lamenting that we have to deal with this in society. Also, Dawn and Brantner Smith delve into current issues pressing on the election, including the explosion of crime in our cities and the open border policies of the Biden administration.

GUEST: Chris Voller, Director of the Pacific/North Region for the National Police Federation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Israeli Defense Forces say they had been planning a rescue mission for weeks and over the weekend they conducted a daring daytime mission that saved the lives of four hostages. Members of the National Police special anti-terror unit of Yamam along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings to bringing to three male hostages and one female hostage. Meanwhile, long time rival to Netanyahu and key member of Israel's war cabinet, Benny Gantz, announced his resignation from the government. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Trey Yingst, FOX News foreign correspondent in Tel Aviv, about the rescue and the cabinet shake up. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Israeli Defense Forces say they had been planning a rescue mission for weeks and over the weekend they conducted a daring daytime mission that saved the lives of four hostages. Members of the National Police special anti-terror unit of Yamam along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings to bringing to three male hostages and one female hostage. Meanwhile, long time rival to Netanyahu and key member of Israel's war cabinet, Benny Gantz, announced his resignation from the government. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Trey Yingst, FOX News foreign correspondent in Tel Aviv, about the rescue and the cabinet shake up. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Israeli Defense Forces say they had been planning a rescue mission for weeks and over the weekend they conducted a daring daytime mission that saved the lives of four hostages. Members of the National Police special anti-terror unit of Yamam along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings to bringing to three male hostages and one female hostage. Meanwhile, long time rival to Netanyahu and key member of Israel's war cabinet, Benny Gantz, announced his resignation from the government. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Trey Yingst, FOX News foreign correspondent in Tel Aviv, about the rescue and the cabinet shake up. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hour 3- Larry talks with Pittsburgh Theatre's Aja Jones about their Summer sessions programs and playwrights. Larry also celebrates National Police week with Sherriff Michael Slupe.

“They want to destroy as many of our systems and resources as they can get the access to." - Yevhenii In this episode Ian Andrews (CMO, Chainalysis) speaks to Yevhenii Panchenko (Head of Operational Analysis, Ukraine Cyberpolice Department. Yevhenii discusses the global fight against Russian cyber actors, who target not only Ukraine but also other countries and shares the work his organization is doing to combat cyber threats, including investigating crimes related to fraud, ransomware, and illegal content. He shares the challenges they face in stopping Russian organizations and the importance of international collaboration and volunteers in identifying fraud and scam projects. Yevhenii also announces their new project, SCAMFARI and how they use OSINT to identify crypto fraud and collect data and the impressive features of the DIIA City and the implementation of digital documents in Ukraine.  Minute-by-minute episode breakdown 2 | Discussion on the Ukraine Cyber Police mandate and global nature of cyber threats  5 | Describing Russian cyber attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure  8 | A day in the life of the Ukraine Cyber Police Unit 10 | Russian hackers using cryptocurrency to receive ransoms and evade sanctions  12 | Collaboration with US and  EU agencies and training on using Chainalysis  15 | Discussion on the effectiveness of sanctions on crypto flows  18 | What is Scamfari and how they use OSINT to identify crypto fraud and collect data 21 | Impressive features of the DIIA City and the implementation of digital documents  23 | Recommendations for supporting Ukraine, including cryptocurrency investigation skills  Related resources Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key. Website: Cyber Police of Ukraine is a law enforcement agency within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine dedicated to combating cyber crime. Blog: Summary of Yevhenii Panchenko speech at Chainalysis Links Conference (NYC 2024) Article: Ukraine's cyber police talks crypto, ransomware and documenting war crimes after Russia's invasion Blog: SCAMFARI: This Ukrainian Startup Is Looking to Automate Crypto Crime Reporting Using Smart Contracts, AI Registration: Digital premiere of Links 2024 (NYC Main Stage Content and more - Register Now!) Blog: Crypto Staking Overview: How It Works, Benefits, Risks, and Future Blog - OFAC and Department of State Sanction Nearly 300 Individuals and Entities Involved in Russia's War Machine, One Known to Have Accepted Crypto YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain Tik Tok: Building trust in #blockchains among people, businesses, and governments. Telegram: Chainalysis on Telegram  Speakers on today's episode Ian Andrews * Host * (Chief Marketing Officer, Chainalysis)  Yevhenii Panchenko (Head of Operational Analysis, Cyberpolice Department, National Police of Ukraine) This website may contain links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein. Our podcasts are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Listeners should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material.  Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Chainalysis. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Chainalysis employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.  

April 9, 2024  Hour 2:  Haiti's National Police says it has recovered a hijacked cargo ship laden with rice following a gunbattle with gangs that lasted more than five hours. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Kiss have sold their music catalog, name, & image. The daughter of Wynonna Judd has been arrested for indecent exposure. Chechnya is banning music they consider either too fast or too slow.  The Ray Appleton Show   Weekdays 11-2PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ  Follow on facebook/  Listen to past episodes at kmjnow.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 103-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 20,521 on turnover of 8.4-billion N-T. The market staged a technical rebound on Monday following last Wednesday's slump prior to the four-day Tomb Sweeping holiday. However, the gains were capped amid lingering investor concerns over when the U-S Federal Reserve's a rate-cut cycle will kick-in. 42 Buildings Listed as 'Code Red' Damage The National Land Management Agency says 42 buildings suffered severe damage from last week's earthquake. They have been listed as "code red." The agency's "code red" is the highest level of damage. Of the 42 buildings, 32 are in Hualien, two in Taipei, four in New Taipei, and four are in Taoyuan. According to land management agency, 70 buildings have been listed as "code yellow" for secondary damage. That includes 35 in Hualien, 13 in Taipei, seven in New Taipei City, 14 in Taoyuan, and one in Keelung. 690 other buildings don't currently (目前) fall into the color-coded warnings listing. But they are still being checked. UAV Makes 2nd Attempt to Pass Combat Readiness Tests A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 U-A-V has been undergoing (經歷、進行) combat readiness tests. The UAVs failed the tests last year. Sources are being cited as saying the "Cloud Rider 2" combat and reconnaissance drone entered the final testing stage for the second time in mid-March. However, the defense ministry has not released any information concerning when the testing will be completed. Reports have said results from the Teng Yun 2's unsuccessful first attempt to pass the final testing in March of last year indicated that there was "still room for improvement" in the drone's design. Iraq FM Accuses US of Greenlighting Strike on Consulate in Syria Iran's foreign minister has accused the United States of giving Israel the “green light” for a strike on its consulate building in Syria. The strike killed seven Iranian military officials, including two generals. The minister reiterated Tehran's vows that it will respond to the attack, widely blamed on Israel. The attack killed a senior military official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force. It appeared to signify (表示、象征) an escalation of Israel's targeting of military officials from Iran. And the incident worsened fears of the war spiraling into the rest of the Middle East. The Biden administration has insisted that it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike. Vatican doubles down on opposition to gender theory and sex changes The Vatican has doubled down (堅持) on its opposition to gender theory and sex changes. Giles Gibson has more from Rome. Haiti Recovers Hijacked Cargo Ship Haiti's National Police says it has recovered a hijacked cargo ship laden with (裝滿的) rice following a gun battle with gangs that lasted more than five hours. Authorities said Sunday that two policemen were injured and an undetermined number of gang members killed in the shootout off the coast of the Port-au-Prince capital. Local media reports that the gangs kidnapped everyone aboard the ship and stole some 10,000 sacks of rice out of the 60,000 sacks it was carrying. Saturday's recovery was a rare victory for Haiti's underfunded police department. The department has struggled to stop gang violence following a spate of attacks that began Feb. 29. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____.

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical Helicasts! In this two-part series, host Jon Gray sits down with Harald Brink.Brink is based with the Dutch National Police, National Expertise and Operations, Air Support Unit, based at Amsterdam Airport since 2009. Brink has been a police officer since the early 1990s. Since its inception in 1953, the Dutch Police Aviation Service has relentlessly served as the nation's eyes in the sky. The unit operates two satellite offices, one at Rotterdam-The Hague Airport and one at Volkel AFB.  Operating around the clock with a fleet of aircraft that includes nine helicopters, the Air Support Unit serves as watchful guardians, covering a vast expanse of 16,000 square miles on a mission to protect and serve. Brink started to work for the police 32 years ago, first in patrol in the city of The Hague. Later, he transferred to the National Police Force. Since 2009 he has been a tactical flight officer in the Air Support Unit. Progressing to be a technical flight officer (TFO) instructor and examiner since 2012.  The Dutch Police Aviation Service is not merely an airborne patrol. It actively upholds aviation law by ensuring compliance with regulations and guaranteeing a high standard of safety and efficacy in every mission — from search-and-rescue tactics to safeguarding national borders through aerial surveillance. Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopters, SHOTOVER and Wysong.

Also: A new report finds that some vital medical devices are less accurate for people with darker skin. and 2 pilots fall asleep on the same flight - how worried should we be ?

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We are happy to welcome back The Children's International Rescue Foundation to the Podcast! This time we are joined by one of the co-founders of the group, Walt. He also serves at the director of operations. Walt details his journey working undercover, why relationships are so vital, some what real undercover investigations look like vs. how they may be portrayed on other media outlets. This conversation is vital as there is much confusion and misrepresentation on undercover work in general. Walt is a highly skilled investigator dedicated to combating transnational criminal organizations involved in child trafficking. His expertise encompasses investigative fieldwork, hostage rescue, fugitive apprehension, and small unit leadership. Walt has had the privilege of briefing Vice Presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, as well as U.S. Ambassador Popp on behalf of NGOs fighting human trafficking in the Northern Triangle. He has also conducted extensive ground investigations in Colombia and Ecuador, collaborating with National Police agencies to infiltrate criminal networks. In 2021, Walt played a pivotal role in an award-winning Colombian human trafficking investigation.Throughout his career, Walt has held positions such as S.W.A.T Master Operator, U.S. Marshal Service Task Force Officer, Police Sergeant, and U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Sergeant. Walt emphasizes the importance of continuous training, operational planning, and international partnerships between law enforcement, financial institutions, and NGOs in combating the human trafficking crisis in Latin America. Walt's language abilities in Spanish and Portuguese, along with his cross-cultural experiences, including a two-year Christian mission in Brazil and teaching the English Connect program in Ecuador, further enrich his perspective. Above all, Walt considers his greatest success to be his enduring marriage of over 20 years and the joy of raising children with his wife.Here is the link to their website-https://www.childrensinternationalrescuefoundation.org/Here is the link to some of their recent cases-https://www.childrensinternationalrescuefoundation.org/post/2-csam-web-studios-eliminatedHere is the link to the Libertas International website- libertasfreedom.org 

National Police Association

This is a special edition of the Southeast Asia Dispatches, the third of six episodes in the Pegasus series that we are co-producing together with KBR. Three episodes will be conducted in English, while three in Bahasa Indonesia, which you can find at Ruang Publik at ⁠⁠KBRPrime.id⁠⁠. In our previous two episodes of Pegasus Series, we discovered that we need to push the government to form an investigation team related to Pegasus spyware in Indonesia. This team will also serve as checks and balances for the use of Pegasus and other surveillance tools in Indonesia. However, until now there has been no follow-up from the government regarding this situation. In 2021, Member of Commission I DPR, Effendi Simbolon, said that Indonesia was indeed using Pegasus. According to him, this tool has long been used by Indonesian intelligence, mainly to deal with terrorism. On the other hand, the Head of the Technology, Informatics and Communications Division of the National Police, Slamet Uliandi, did not deny the use of zero-click based spyware, but not Pegasus. In this episode, Gema Gita Persada (LBH Pers) will discuss surveillance regulations in Indonesia, unlawful surveillance, and the role of civil society. You can also find this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our movement needs your support. A movement is only as strong as its members. If you believe in a more democratic Southeast Asia, join New Naratif as a member ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. . Dari pembicaraan pada 2 episode sebelumnya di Pegasus Series, kita mendapati betapa pentingnya menekan pemerintah Indonesia untuk membentuk tim investigasi sesuai dengan kewajiban konstitusionalnya. Tim ini juga akan berfungsi sebagai checks and balances untuk penggunaan Pegasus dan alat-alat pemantauan lainnya di Indonesia. Namun, hingga saat ini belum ada tindak lanjut dari pemerintah terkait situasi ini. Pada 2021 silam, Anggota Komisi I DPR, Effendi Simbolon, menyebut Indonesia memang memakai Pegasus. Menurutnya, sudah lama alat itu digunakan oleh para intelijen Indonesia, terutama menangani terorisme. Di sisi lain, Kepala Divisi Teknologi, Informatika, dan Komunikasi Polri Slamet Uliandi tak membantah adanya penggunaan penyadap berbasis zero-click, tapi bukan Pegasus. Dalam episode kali ini, Gema Gita Persada (LBH Pers) akan membahas tentang peraturan penyadapan di Indonesia, pelanggaran-pelanggaran yang terjadi, serta bagaimana peran masyarakat sipil dalam menghadapi situasi ini.

Thanks to a growing number of unconstitutional federal programs, local law enforcement in almost every jurisdiction has been drawn in as tools of a national police state the founders would've despised. But states aren't required to participate, even under modern precedent. Here are 5 big areas where they can simply opt out and help bring this unconstitutional national police state to an end. The post Nullify the National Police State: Top-5 to Opt Out first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.

A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on October 2nd, 2023. You can hear more reports on our homepage radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio Play. Presenter: Joshua WorthProducer: Kris Boswell

Kevin and Kieran speak to Mark Roberts, Chief Constable of Cheshire Police and the National Police Chiefs' Council's football policing lead. Follow Kevin on Twitter - @kevinhunterday Follow Kieran on Twitter - @KieranMaguire Follow The Price of Football on Twitter - @pof_pod Support The Price of Football on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/priceoffootball Check out the Price of Football merchandise store: https://the-price-of-football.backstreetmerch.com/ Visit our website: https://priceoffootball.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie Redcay lived through a drug-abusing and drug-dealing father, days without food, robberies at their home, and the worst news a child could receive. It would have been easy to quit. But then…you don't know Julie. She finished high school, college, and law school with a fierce will to win. Along the way, she's helped hundreds of thousands of kids look forward to a better life. Join us at Patreon.com/gameofcrimes for great content you won't hear anywhere else Donate at paypal.me/gameofcrimes or go to paypal.com and use our email: gameofcrimespodcast@gmail.com Go to GameOfCrimesPodcast.com for more info and merch Follow us on... Twitter Facebook Instagram

Julie Redcay lived through a drug-abusing and drug-dealing father, days without food, robberies at their home, and the worst news a child could receive. It would have been easy to quit. But then…you don't know Julie. She finished high school, college, and law school with a fierce will to win. Along the way, she's helped hundreds of thousands of kids look forward to a better life. Join us at Patreon.com/gameofcrimes for great content you won't hear anywhere else Donate at paypal.me/gameofcrimes or go to paypal.com and use our email: gameofcrimespodcast@gmail.com Go to GameOfCrimesPodcast.com for more info and merch Follow us on... Twitter Facebook Instagram

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, July 7th, 2023. Samaritan Ministries How are you paying for your health care, and how’s it working out? If it’s working perfectly, great! If not, then listen closely, because I have a solution for you. A Biblical solution. Samaritan Ministries is a community of Christians who pay one another’s medical bills. Here’s how it works. When a medical need arises, you choose the provider that’s right for you, and have a say in the treatment you receive, even if it’s a non-conventional approach. Your medical bills are shared with fellow members, and your need is covered in prayer. It’s affordable, and you can join anytime, even today. Learn more at samaritan ministries dot org slash cross politic. We start today off with world news as Ukraine and Russia are playing a game of he did it - he did it. https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-russia-accuse-each-other-planning-imminent-attack-europes-largest-nuclear-plant Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of planning imminent attack against Europe's largest nuclear plant Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning an imminent attack against one of the world's largest nuclear plants. In a video address Tuesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that information from Ukrainian intelligence officials shows the "Russian military has placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units" of the Za-po-ree-zia Nuclear Power Plant – located in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russian troops. The "foreign objects" were placed on the roof of the plant's third and fourth power units, according to a statement from the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces. "Their detonation should not damage power units but may create a picture of shelling from Ukraine," the statement said. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the specter of a potentially "catastrophic" provocation by the Ukrainian army at the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest but has its six reactors shut down. It still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Over the last year, the U.N.'s atomic watchdog repeatedly expressed alarm over the possibility of a radiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl, where a reactor exploded in 1986. While Russia and Ukraine regularly traded blame over shelling near the plant that caused power outages, Ukraine has alleged more recently that Moscow might try to cause a deliberate leak in an attempt to derail Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive in the surrounding Za-po-ree-zia region. Moscow, meanwhile, had accused the Ukrainians of "deliberate sabotage" of the Ka-hove-ka hydroelectric power plant, claiming Kyiv was "pursuing the goal of depriving Crimea of water." The International Atomic Energy Agency has officials stationed at the Russian-held plant, which is still run by its Ukrainian staff. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency's most recent inspection of the plant found no mining activities, "but we remain extremely alert." We now go to California. https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-bills-keep-pride-marching-long-past-june California Bills Keep Pride Marching Long Past June The infernal provocation that is Pride Month might be over, but the marches continue through the legislature in California. They are here, they are queer, and they are coming for your children — legally. Multiple bills at various stages in the California legislative process proclaim who ultimately has authority of your kids, and it’s not you. Some have understandably garnered much media attention, but SB 407 is working its way through the Assembly without much fanfare or discussion. SB 407 would require all potential foster families to demonstrate their capacity and willingness to facilitate pharmaceutical and surgical interventions for “gender-expansive” children. Even if the child seems to give no indication of such inclinations at the time, the resource family must be assessed with the understanding that need for such care could arise at any stage of development. Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) in introducing the bill, claimed it would protect children from being placed in “hostile foster homes.” Hostile homes are the homes of any foster families who are unwilling to commit to actively supporting gender transition interventions for minors. SB 407 effectively institutionalizes a prohibition against orthodox Christians as well as other religious believers. It effectively prohibits foster parents who think it unwise to allow the mutilation of perfectly healthy body parts on minors. Current and historic data give us insight into the demographics of those most prone to foster non-related babies and minors. Barna Group’s research shows that Christians engage in adoption, foster care, and other ways of aiding vulnerable children more than the average. “Practicing Christians (5%) are more than twice as likely to adopt than the general population (2%). Catholics are three times as likely. And evangelicals are five times as likely to adopt as the average adult.” Practicing Christians are also nearly three times more likely to have seriously considered foster care, and 65% of non-kin foster parents attend religious services weekly — compared to 39%for the general population. In any just world such families willing to stretch themselves to help kids would be sought after, not precluded from the foster system. However, the only families fit to foster, according to the supporters of this bill, are those who give full assent to the most radical tenets of gender theory. What is obvious to most everyone (except the bill’s authors) is that such ideological assent signals a willingness to reject sexual boundaries. It is that rejection that makes sexual chaos far more likely in the home, not less. Is that the goal? If minors can consent to invasive transitioning interventions, what can they not consent to? There is also the reality that SB407 is hardly the only bill in California attacking parental rights. SB 107, passed and was signed into law in September of last year, allowing minors to be brought to the Golden State against the will of a parent if it is for the sake of seeking gender transitioning. In-state parents are not really calling any shots either, according to AB 957 which puts parental custody in jeopardy absent the guardian’s support of their child’s “gender identity.” Absent full support, which is not defined in the bill, a parent can be charged by a court with child abuse. The age at which the child’s desires to begin transitioning must be accommodated is not mentioned, but the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) used an example of a seven-year old in arguing the merits of this bill. Now this is the author of the article talking here: At a recent speaking event I attended for the Awake Americans launch, some protestors carried a sign that read, “We don’t co-parent with hate groups.” Bemused, a few of us commented that obviously we don’t want them to co-parent with us either, so…no problem. But their meaning was more sinister. It was not that they would not co-parent our kids with us, it was that we are unfit to co-parent our own kids with them. They see our kids as theirs to parent and ours to lose. Biden said as much out loud recently, “There’s no such things as someone else’s child. Our nation’s children are all our children.” There’s no such thing as someone else’s child. In no situation do normal people act as though that were true. I do not decide when to speak to other people’s children about sex, nor take them home with me at will. I don’t even know their food allergies much less make pivotal decisions for them. Someone could dismiss Biden’s words as an empty platitude or incoherent ramblings except that they reflect a real perspective that is incrementally creeping into policy. https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-vetoes-bipartisan-bill-protecting-womens-sports Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Bill Protecting Women’s Sports North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bipartisan bill that would protect women’s sports on Wednesday. HB 574, which is titled the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” and passed with bipartisan supermajorities, would prohibit men from playing in women’s sports in middle schools, high schools, and universities. “We don’t need politicians inflaming their political culture wars by making broad, uninformed decisions about an extremely small number of vulnerable children that are already handled by a robust system that relies on parents, schools and sports organizations,” the Democratic governor stated. “Republican governors in other states have vetoed similar bills because they hurt their states’ reputation and economy and because they are neither fair nor needed.” The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act was passed with the support of two Democrats in the state legislature — Rep. Michael Wray in the House, and Sen. Val Applewhite in the Senate. If Cooper’s veto is overridden, the bill would apply to all public schools and any private school that competes against public schools. Applewhite said that her vote was “a tough decision to make” and was based on conversations with coaches and other constituents in her district. One umpire told the Democrat that changes in strength levels between boys and girls can start as soon as seven years old. According to the Fayetteville Observer, Applewhite received “bad threats” after her vote. When approached by The News & Observer, Wray declined to comment on why he supported the bill. Cooper also vetoed SB 49, named the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” and HB 808, which would ban sex change treatments for minors. Unlike the women’s sports bill, these two bills passed with no Democratic support. Cooper’s vetoes of HB 574 and HB 808 are likely to be overridden by the North Carolina General Assembly, since the GOP holds supermajorities in both houses, thanks in part to Rep. Tricia Cotham, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in April and voted for all three bills. However, the path forward for the Parents’ Bill of Rights is less certain, since one Republican, Rep. Hugh Blackwell, voted against the bill, leaving Republicans one vote short of overriding the governor’s veto on that bill. Cooper is not the only Democratic governor to veto bipartisan bills surrounding protecting womens’ sports, banning sex change treatments for minors, and strengthening parental rights in education. Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana vetoed three similar bills Friday, all of which saw multiple Democrats join Republicans to support them in the state legislature. In a press conference, Edwards compared the bills’ supporters to segregationists during the Civil Rights Movement. We now go to Phoenix… https://thepostmillennial.com/phoenix-city-council-votes-to-send-unclaimed-firearms-to-national-police-of-ukraine?utm_campaign=64487 Phoenix City Council votes to send 'unclaimed' firearms to National Police of Ukraine The Phoenix City Council passed a vote last week that allows up to 600 unclaimed guns from Phoenix to be donated to the National Police of Ukraine. The plan is going through a contract with a company, DT Gruelle, that is specially approved for overseas arms trading. Around $200,000 worth of firearms will be handed over to the company for shipment, according to the Arizona Daily Independent. Under Arizona City law, unclaimed arms need to be resold within one year after they have been obtained by the city. The arms are disposed of or sold "to any business that is authorized to receive and dispose of the article under federal and state law." In the June 28 City Council report, the city "selected approximately 500-600 unclaimed firearms to transfer through Gruelle, a private company which provides export and import services." The plan passed with unanimous support. The report stated that "firearms are unclaimed when there has been no owner contact after a thirty day notice, in which case the City can dispose of them." The Phoenix Police Department states that the firearms are "lost, unclaimed, or found in possession of the Phoenix Police Department." KJZZ said of unclaimed firearms, "essentially they end up in the police department’s lost and found" "Only 9mm, 45mm, 39mm and 12 gauge firearms will be sent," according to the notes. The council promoted the "two year" contract with the private company and, according to the meeting notes, no taxpayer money will be "expended by the City." However, questions about the transfer of arms have been raised. The law in Arizona states that firearms that are authorized to be sold by the city need to be sold "to the public" by the business. The company's website says, "We have a breadth of experience due to 40 years of continuous support to the United States and over 150 other countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine." "We comply with all required procedures which permeate through our ongoing operations," it goes on. The company has a history of working in Ukraine. In April of 2022 last year, a report showed that a township in Pennsylvania worked with DT Gruelle to raise funds for the Ukrainian war effort, according to the Tribune-Democrat. Now this! Is it time to boycott Ben & Jerry’s? https://www.newsweek.com/ben-jerry-boycott-calls-july-4th-message-1810991 Ben & Jerry's Faces Boycott Calls Over 4th of July Message Ben & Jerry's is facing a boycott after calling on the United States to "commit to returning" stolen Indigenous land in its 4th of July message. On Independence Day, the iconic American ice cream brand sparked outrage on social media by publishing a Twitter post with an image reading: "The United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let's commit to returning it." In the caption, the company added: "It's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it." Ben & Jerry's message generated a flood of negative responses on social media, with some calling it the company's "Bud Light moment," referring to controversy and subsequent boycott after the beer brand partnered with a transgender activist in April. Other Twitter users called on the company to be the first to give up its profits and properties, including factories, buildings and stores. Others said that the company should be returning its factory land to the Abenaki people. "Ok you start. Relinquish your headquarters," one Twitter user wrote. "This should be easy then," wrote another. "Shut down and donate all of your land, facilities, and assets to indigenous people." Others accused the company of virtue-signaling—the practice of expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character, social conscience and awareness of a certain issue, just for the sake of appearing good in people's eyes. Scrutiny has continued to escalate over the company's support of the LGBTQ+ community and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other polarizing issues.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has gone to the Kherson region to see the scale of the chaos unleashed by the destruction of a dam. Ukraine says more than two-thirds of the flooded land is in Russian-occupied territory on the left bank of the Dnipro river. We get the latest from Kherson and an assessment of the cost of the damage. Also in the programme: a man with a knife has attacked nursery-school children in the French town of Annecy; and Singapore apologises to Malaysia over a joke about flight MH37 that went missing in 2014 and has never been found. (Picture: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to Ihor Klymenko, head of the National Police of Ukraine, during a visit to Kherson. Credit: Mykola Tymchenko/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present.In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week.In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire.In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field!Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present.In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week.In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire.In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field!Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present.In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week.In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire.In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field!Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present. In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week. In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire. In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field! Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present. In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week. In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire. In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field! Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom, Brittany and Rudy kick off the week with a chat about Katherine's (Tom's wife) Mother Day present. In the first hour, Bob Sansevere updates us on his daughter's broken finger. Next, Kristyn Burtt tells us how the writers' strike is going to affect the upcoming awards shows. Then, Scott Rose of Officer Down podcast joins us for a chat about National Police week. In hour #2, KSTP's Chris Egert gives a rundown of how the MN Fishing Opener went across the state! After Chris, we're joined by James Reed, the director of My Octopus Teacher and Netflix's new series Chimp Empire. In hour #3 Skor North's Phil Mackey talks about the most majestic home run ever hit at Target Field! Stream the show LIVE on the Tom. Barnard Show app M-F from 7-10AM or get the show on-demand on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices