Trump Admin Dramatically Scales Back Work Permits For Asylum Seekers

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The Trump administration is dramatically scaling back the timeframe in which asylum seekers and other foreign nationals can have valid work permits in the U.S.

Work permits issued to foreign nationals who’ve applied for asylum or other humanitarian programs will only be valid for 18 months rather than five years, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Thursday. The decision marks the latest action by the agency tasked with managing the country’s immigration system, since two National Guard members were ambushed by an Afghan man shortly before Thanksgiving.

“Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies,” USCIS Director Joe Edlow said in a public statement.

“After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that USCIS must conduct frequent vetting of aliens,” Edlow continued.

The maximum validity period for initial and renewed Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) will be scaled back for foreigners admitted as refugees, granted asylum and granted a withholding of removal order, according to USCIS. The timeframe will additionally change for aliens with pending applications for asylum, withholding of removal, adjustment of status and suspension of deportation, among other categories. (Read more from “Trump Admin Dramatically Scales Back Work Permits For Asylum Seekers” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

US Neighbor Moves To Ban Public Religious Expression

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Officials in Québec, a Canadian province, introduced a bill that restricts most forms of religious expression in public places and universities, while limiting the religious accommodations private businesses can offer.

Lawmakers introduced Bill No. 9, “An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec,” on Thursday to reinforce Bill 21 (the Act respecting the laicity of the State), which was passed in 2019.

Bill 21 prohibited public sector workers — such as teachers, police officers and judges — from wearing religious symbols and covering their faces at work.

Bill 9 expands on Bill 21 by extending those regulations to a wide range of public and partially-funded institutions, including jobs in childcare centers, subsidized private schools and private health institutions under agreement.

Students in higher education institutions and childcare services must also have their faces uncovered when receiving services, according to the legislation. (Read more from “US Neighbor Moves To Ban Public Religious Expression” HERE)

‘Maximum Vigilance’: France Orders Stricter Security at Christmas Markets to ‘Thwart Terrorist Threat’

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France’s interior minister instructed regional governments to boost security at Christmas markets against terrorist attacks, permitting the deployment of soldiers for a “visible deterrent” if necessary.

The French government has ordered “maximum vigilance” at seasonal Christmas markets in the country, a precaution after years of the events being targeted by predominantly Mohammedan fundamentalists. While markets in Germany have been the main focus for terror attacks to date, France has seen more than its share of deadly mass-casualty terror attacks, including the 2016 Nice Attack when a cargo truck was driven through crowds on Bastile Day, a modus operandi shared with previous Christmas market attacks.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez issued a directive to regional Prefects ordering them to “strengthen security measures” because of “very high level of terrorist threat”, reports FranceInfo. He called for the “full mobilization of intelligence services in the detection, prevention, and, if necessary, thwarting of terrorist threats” which would include “a visible and deterrent presence of [police] and, where necessary, soldiers”.

Prefects were told to consider the security picture for all events “likely to bring together a large number of participants”. (Read more from “‘Maximum Vigilance’: France Orders Stricter Security at Christmas Markets to ‘Thwart Terrorist Threat’” HERE)

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Congress Tries to Placate the Public’s Demand for Epstein’s Client List by Releasing Lame Pictures of St. James’ Island

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By TMZ News. Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious pedophile island is beginning to come into full focus … the Congressional House Oversight Committee just released never-before-seen photos and videos of Epstein’s private island of perversions — and the footage is downright creepy.

First, we’re taken on a video tour by a camera person who brings us all around Epstein’s Island in the Virgin Islands. We are given an insider’s look into the private quarters of the late financier, as well as his sterile all-white bedroom with a canopy bed and a box of tissues on a nightstand. We’re also given a sneak peek inside Epstein’s bathroom with beauty products, toiletries, and a bottle of Johnson’s baby powder on the shelves.

Then, we’re given a video tour outside the compound, and we see a gigantic pool with a hose floating in the water. A statue of a native person shooting a bow and arrow stands alongside the pool. (Read more from “Jeffrey Epstein’s Pedophile Island Seen Like Never Before In New Footage” HERE)

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New Epstein files are unleashed with harrowing video and home photos from private island

By Daily Mail. . .The full files are set for release later this month after Trump signed the landmark ‘Epstein Transparency Actm’ which was spearheaded by rebel Republican lawmakers including Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

In the meantime, the Democrats are keeping the pressure on Trump by releasing a constant drip of files that the House Oversight Committee is privy to as part of its far-reaching powers to hold the government accountable.

The new images provided a harrowing glimpse inside Little St. James, Epstein’s private lair in the US Virgin Islands where he would host high-profile visitors and young girls flown in on his private jet dubbed ‘Lolita Express.’

As well as the library and dental suite, the photos showed a steam room stacked with boxes of towels and linens, beside pillows and bathroom hygiene products.

The imagery gives viewers a tour of the island where Epstein allegedly carried out sex trafficking crimes. (Read more from “New Epstein files are unleashed with harrowing video and home photos from private island” HERE)

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A vocal Jeffrey Epstein accuser is urging judges to unseal his court records

By The Seattle Times. One of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell ‘s most vocal accusers urged judges on Wednesday to grant the Justice Department’s request to unseal records from their federal sex trafficking cases, saying “only transparency is likely to lead to justice.”

Annie Farmer weighed in through her lawyer, Sigrid S. McCawley, after the judges asked for input from victims before ruling on whether the records should be made public under a new law requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his longtime confidante, who sexually abused young women and girls for decades.

Farmer and other victims fought for the passage of the law, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Signed last month by President Donald Trump, it compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release by Dec. 19 the vast troves of material they’ve amassed during investigations into Epstein. (Read more from “A vocal Jeffrey Epstein accuser is urging judges to unseal his court records” HERE)

Over 1,000 Amazon Employees Sign Open Letter Warning AI Push Threatens Democracy, Jobs, and the Environment

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More than 1,000 Amazon employees have signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy and the company’s senior leadership, voicing grave concerns over Amazon’s rapid acceleration into artificial intelligence and the potential fallout they believe could follow.

According to Fortune, the letter includes signatures from a broad spectrum of Amazon’s workforce—from Whole Foods cashiers to IT support technicians—demonstrating that the apprehension extends far beyond corporate offices. While the signees represent a small fraction of Amazon’s 1.53 million employees, they argue that the company’s “warp-speed” AI strategy risks harming democracy, eliminating jobs, and worsening Amazon’s environmental footprint.

The letter is hosted by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), a left-wing climate activist group. In it, employees accuse Amazon of sidelining its environmental goals in favor of aggressive AI expansion, claiming the company is both requiring employees to use AI tools and reducing its workforce to free up resources for AI investment.

They warn that Amazon’s AI strategy is contributing to the rise of “a more militarized surveillance state with fewer protections for ordinary people.”

“We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the Earth,” the letter states.

The letter also sheds new light on the human impact of Amazon’s AI restructuring. In October, the company announced plans to eliminate around 14,000 corporate positions, with total cuts potentially reaching as high as 30,000—marking the largest round of layoffs in Amazon’s history.

Employees who remain report mounting pressure to produce more output in less time, as well as directives to develop AI tools even when no practical need exists. Some describe these projects as “wasteful,” claiming they are being pushed purely to feed Amazon’s AI expansion narrative.

One of the most urgent warnings centers on Amazon-owned Ring, which employees say is being retooled into an “AI-first” platform. Signees caution that restoring a feature allowing police to request home-camera footage directly from Ring users would hand “an unbelievable amount of power” to law enforcement and corporations, especially in what they describe as an increasingly authoritarian climate.

Ghislaine Maxwell Files Petition Seeking Release From Federal Prison Following Meeting with Trump Official

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Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has filed a petition asking a federal judge to release her from prison, according to new court filings reported by The New York Times.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence at a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas, submitted a habeas corpus petition this week through her attorney, David Oscar Markus. The filing, made in Manhattan federal court, did not specify the legal grounds for her request.

Maxwell, a British socialite and longtime associate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested in July 2020 on charges connected to Epstein’s sexual exploitation of underage girls. Following a high-profile trial in December 2021, a jury convicted her on five of six counts, including sex trafficking of a minor. Prosecutors argued that Maxwell played a key role in recruiting and grooming victims for Epstein.

The new petition follows scrutiny that intensified earlier this year after a private July meeting between Maxwell and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The meeting drew criticism because of Blanche’s longstanding ties to President Donald Trump.

Legal experts and watchdog groups questioned why a high-ranking Justice Department official met behind closed doors with a convicted sex trafficker, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and whether the meeting could be perceived as an effort to protect powerful figures connected to Epstein.

The Justice Department did not provide details about the purpose or content of the meeting, and it remains unclear whether Maxwell’s latest legal filing is related.

Maxwell continues to serve her federal sentence while her petition awaits judicial review.

After Charlie Kirk Assassination, 9 In 10 College Kids Still Think The Real Violence Is Words

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Even in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, 91 percent of college students still believe that words can actually be considered violence, and a growing number of college students also believe that real, physical violence can be used to shut down speech.

A new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) tested college students’ views on speech in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, finding an overwhelming 91 percent majority equated words with violence. A still massive 79 percent majority expressed some degree of agreement with the belief that silence — saying nothing — can be a form of violence as well.

Put another way, only 9 percent of college students in America believe words are not violence, and only 21 percent believe you do not need to parrot politically correct propaganda in order to be considered non-violent.

Those numbers need to be understood in the context of nearly 40 percent of college students agreeing with the statement “If someone is using hate speech or making racially charged comments, physical violence can be justified to prevent this person from espousing their hateful views,” according to a 2025 survey from the Buckley Institute.

FIRE has tracked a similar phenomenon, finding in 2020 that about 20 percent of students justified violence in response to speech and in 2024 that number had increased to about 34 percent. FIRE’s new survey saw only a slight decrease to 32 percent of students supporting political violence to stop a speaker. (Read more from “After Charlie Kirk Assassination, 9 In 10 College Kids Still Think The Real Violence Is Words” HERE)

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Letting The Terrorists Win: Christmas Markets Ruined Following Attacks

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Authorities in Europe and the U.S. have closed or restricted many Christmas markets amid security concerns, moves that have followed years of terrorist attacks.

Although many mainstream outlets reject claims that there are mass full-scale closures of these markets, restrictions made by officials are leading larger markets to adapt, while leaving smaller markets in the dust.

Multiple German Christmas markets have closed while many others have beefed up their security, according to reports. This follows a 2024 terrorist attack, where a Saudi refugee allegedly drove a car through Magdeburg, Germany, killing six people and injuring nearly 300 more, according to Le Monde.

But this attack was merely the latest incident in a trend. In 2016, a terrorist killed at least 12 people by driving a tractor-trailer through a market in Berlin, according to Euro News. In 2017, six Syrian nationals, asylum seekers, were arrested on allegations of plotting an attack on an Essen market with bombs and firearms, according to their prosecutors. In 2023, a plot was uncovered to allegedly ram an explosive-laden vehicle into a market in Leverkusen, Euro News reported.

Markets in Overath, Rostock and Dortmund are facing closures this Advent, according to The Catholic Register. Multiple local officials cited security costs as one reason for Dortmund shuttering. A year and a half of negotiations between Overath officials and Christmas market organizers over who would pay for the heightened security expenses fell through, Chairman Andreas Koschmann of the city marketing association told the Rheinische Post. This forced the market to shutter. (Read more from “Letting The Terrorists Win: Christmas Markets Ruined Following Attacks” HERE)

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Trans Pervert Who Sexually Assaulted 13-Year-Old Girl Claims Jury Was ‘Hypnotized’ into Convicting Him

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A transgender-identifying pervert convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl told a judge he “wasn’t attracted to females” and claimed the police and jury were “hypnotized” into finding him guilty.

“Natalie Wolf,” a 47-year-old man born as Ryan Haley who pretends to be a woman, is accused of trying to grope a 13-year-old girl’s chest and touch her groin during an attack in Sutherland, England, the New York Post reported.

Wolf was convicted of sexual activity with a child and was sentenced on November 28 in Newcastle Crown Court to three and a half years in a male prison, according to the report.

During sentencing, Judge Gavin Doig read several notes he received from Wolf claiming there was a grand conspiracy to put him behind bars, the Newcastle Chronicle reported.

Wolf specifically claimed the victim “hypnotized” police officers and said the jury was also hypnotized into convicting him. He accused the victim of “lying through her teeth” and said, “I’m not even sexually attracted to females in that way,” according to the report. (Read more from “Trans Pervert Who Sexually Assaulted 13-Year-Old Girl Claims Jury Was ‘Hypnotized’ into Convicting Him” HERE)

Floods and Landslides in Indonesia Kill over 800

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Indonesian officials said on Tuesday that the death toll from flooding and landslides, caused by months of heavy rain and multiple devastating typhoons, has exceeded 800. More than 700 of those casualties were reported on the island of Sumatra.

The Indonesian disaster relief agency initially reported 753 fatalities on Sumatra over the past week, although it revised the number down to 708 later on Tuesday, without explanation. The combined death toll across Southeast Asia is over 1,350.

Local officials on Sumatra said downed power lines, blocked roads, and fuel shortages were complicating efforts to deliver food and medicine. The Indonesian military has provided support by airdropping supplies, but some of the supplies they delivered were damaged on landing.

The flooding in Sumatra’s northwestern province of Aceh was so severe that supplies of drinking water are running low, forcing local residents to clean and drink muddy flood water.

A hunger crisis is looming in the hardest-hit areas, and the public is increasingly frustrated that the central Indonesian government has not declared a national emergency. Indonesian social media is filled with complaints about the insufficient disaster relief budget, which was cut in half from last year’s funding. (Read more from “Floods and Landslides in Indonesia Kill over 800” HERE)