Suspect in National Guard Shooting Was Part of CIA-Backed Unit That Hunted Down Taliban Commanders

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More information is being uncovered about Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Lakanwal was a member of a secret military operation backed by the CIA to hunt down Taliban commanders, according to multiple reports. The members of the “Zero Units” were highly vetted and praised by those who knew about them.

One of the guardsmen has since died, and the other is in critical condition. Both are members of the West Virginia National Guard.

Refugee advocates say that many Zero Units members have fallen into despair over their inability to gain work permits in the U.S. after fleeing from Afghanistan when it was retaken by the Taliban. Former intelligence and military officials say Lakanwal would have undergone significant vetting to be accepted into a Zero Unit operation.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Lakanwal’s CIA connection. “In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

(Read more from “Suspect in National Guard Shooting Was Part of CIA-Backed Unit That Hunted Down Taliban Commanders” HERE)

Kristi Noem Pushes Sweeping Travel Ban After Meeting With Trump: ‘We Don’t Want Them’

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that, following a meeting with President Donald Trump, she is recommending a sweeping travel ban on every country she claims is sending dangerous immigrants to the United States.

Noem made the announcement in a fiery post on X, denouncing certain immigrants as “killers” and “leeches.”

“I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every d— country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” Noem said.

She slammed certain immigrants as threats to public safety and accused them of draining resources meant for Americans.

“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” she said.

“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” (Read more from “Kristi Noem Pushes Sweeping Travel Ban After Meeting With Trump: ‘We Don’t Want Them’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

The Middle Class Can’t Keep Up With Persistent Inflation Forever

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It seems unlikely that one issue — indeed, one chart — could define the politics of the last several years and even the last decade. Yet the pattern seems clear.

A recent Wall Street Journal article explained how the middle class feels increasingly squeezed by post-pandemic price hikes. Quotes from families seeking the light at the end of the tunnel show how American households feel stuck in an ever-growing vise by prices rising faster than their incomes can keep up.

A fascinating graphic in the article, taken from University of Michigan consumer survey data polling the middle class, shows how families’ perception of their personal financial situation has deteriorated:

Photo credit: Wall Street Journal

The trendlines in the graphic show the strength of the economy in President Trump’s first term, when majorities said they felt better off personally, and only about 15-20 percent of households felt worse off in the years before the pandemic. They explain why Trump won his victory over Kamala Harris last fall; roughly two times as many people felt worse off than better off after four years of “Bidenflation.” And they also provide a clear reason for Republicans’ electoral losses this November, because the middle class’s mood has changed little since the 2024 election.

So how can conservatives respond? Trying to claim inflation doesn’t exist won’t cut it because people see price increases with their own eyes. I see it every week when I go to the grocery store: A pack of raisins previously priced at $2.99 now goes for $3.29 (a 10 percent bump); the toilet paper that was $5.99 now retails for $7.29 (a 22 percent jump); the package of bratwursts that used to cost $3.50 now goes for $5.00 (a 43 percent increase). I consider myself luckier than most, having paid off my mortgage years ago, but the weekly shop still feels painful. (Read more from “The Middle Class Can’t Keep Up With Persistent Inflation Forever” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Portland’s Woke ‘Tree’ Lighting Ceremony Sparks Outrage: ‘They Can’t Even Say Christmas Tree’

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Portland has sparked outrage after stripping its Christmas tree of its name, referring to it only as “the tree” during its lighting ceremony.

As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the Oregon city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads.

The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day.

She introduced two younger members of the tribe, who referred to the celebration only as “the tree lighting,” before handing the microphone to another featured speaker.

Draped in a Palestinian flag, the woman used her stage time to lead the crowd in a “Free Palestine” chant.

“This is the perfect time to bring this up. There are a lot of genocides going on,” she said only moments into the tree-lighting ceremony. (Read more from “Portland’s Woke ‘Tree’ Lighting Ceremony Sparks Outrage: ‘They Can’t Even Say Christmas Tree’” HERE)

Disgraced Former Prince Andrew Stripped of Final Remaining Royal Titles as Eviction Gets Delayed

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. . .Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has been stripped of his last royal titles, according to The Daily Mail.

King Charles stripped his brother, formerly Prince Andrew, of his royal titles on Oct. 30.

Andrew’s coat of arms has already been removed from St George’s Chapel, Windsor, the location where his mother, Queen Elizabeth, is buried.

However, he had a final outstanding title – a membership of the Order of the Garter. On Monday, that was formally cancelled.

Per The Gazette, the official order from the palace read, “THE KING has directed that the appointment of Andrew Albert Christian Edward MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, dated 23 April 2006, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.” (Read more from “Disgraced Former Prince Andrew Stripped of Final Remaining Royal Titles as Eviction Gets Delayed” HERE)

Northeast Set to Be Blasted by ‘Most Extreme Cold on Earth’ Before Christmas

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The northeastern US is set to be blasted with some of the most extreme cold on Earth before Christmas, according to a shocking new forecast.

“My thinking is that the cold the first week of December is the appetizer and the main course will be in mid-December,” MIT climatologist Judah Cohen told USA Today.

Photo credit: NOAA

“The most expansive region of most likely extreme cold on Earth stretches from the Canadian Plains to the U.S. East Coast in the 3rd week of December,” Cohen said, citing findings from his weather modeling computer.

That deadly cold air will come from the movement of the polar vortex dipping low and bringing cold arctic air over the States.

Exactly how frigid the temperatures is not yet clear, but Cohen expects them to dip below what is being felt this week. (Read more from “Northeast Set to Be Blasted by ‘Most Extreme Cold on Earth’ Before Christmas” HERE)

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Global Military Industrial Complex Has Never Had It So Good

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The global war business scored record revenues in 2024 amid multiple protracted proxy conflicts across the world, according to a new industry analysis released on Monday.

The top 100 arms manufacturers in the world raked in $679 billion in revenue in 2024, up 5.9% from the year prior, according to a new Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) study. The figure marks the highest ever revenue for manufacturers recorded by SIPRI as the group credits major conflicts for supplying the large appetite for arms around the world.

“The rise in the total arms revenues of the Top 100 in 2024 was mostly due to overall increases in the arms revenues of companies based in Europe and the United States,” SIPRI said in their report. “There were year-on-year increases in all the geographical areas covered by the ranking apart from Asia and Oceania, which saw a slight decrease, largely as a result of a notable drop in the total arms revenues of Chinese companies.”

Notably, Chinese arms manufacturers saw a large drop in reported revenues, declining 10% from 2023 to 2024, according to SIPRI. Just off China’s shores, Japan’s arms industry saw the largest single year-over-year increase in revenue of all regions measured, jumping 40% from 2023 to 2024.

American companies dominate the top of the list, which measures individual companies’ revenue, with Lockheed Martin taking the top spot with $64,650,000,000 of arms revenue in 2024, according to the report. (Read more from “Global Military Industrial Complex Has Never Had It So Good” HERE)

Trump Suggests Rep. Ilhan Omar Be Thrown ‘Out Of’ U.S. Over Claims She Married Her Brother

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President Donald Trump suggested that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) should be removed from the United States, referencing allegations that she “supposedly” entered the country by marrying her brother.

“Somalia, where you have a Congressman goes around telling everybody about our Constitution, yet she supposedly came into our country by marrying her brother,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One. “Well, if that’s true, she shouldn’t be a Congressman, and we should throw her the hell out of our country.”

While talking to reporters, Trump also stated that the U.S. doesn’t need people coming into the country, “telling us what to do.”

Trump’s comments come as Omar and other Democrats have defended Minnesota’s Somali community, despite reports that there is evidence of “widespread fraud of taxpayers’ healthcare programs” taking place. Trump has previously announced that he would be terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amnesty for Somalians, over reports that billions of dollars are missing. (Read more from “Trump Suggests Rep. Ilhan Omar Be Thrown ‘Out Of’ U.S. Over Claims She Married Her Brother” HERE)

Trump Declares Venezuelan Airspace “Closed in Its Entirety,” Prepares for Land Strikes

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Donald Trump has escalated U.S. pressure on Venezuela, declaring Saturday that all airspace over and surrounding the country should be “considered closed in its entirety.” The announcement, made in a post on Truth Social, warned airlines, pilots, and criminal traffickers to avoid the region.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump wrote.

U.S. carriers have not flown to or from Venezuela since 2019, when commercial flights were suspended amid safety and political concerns. However, some international and transit flights continued to cross high-altitude routes over Venezuelan airspace.

The new directive comes alongside recent guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which on Nov. 21 issued a notice urging airlines to avoid flying over Venezuela because of increased military activity and security risks in the region.

Trump’s airspace closure is part of a broader escalation: in remarks just days earlier, he said that land strikes on Venezuela would begin “very soon.” The administration frames the move as an effort “to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers.”

Since early September, the U.S. has carried out a series of naval strikes on vessels alleged to be involved in narcotics smuggling in Caribbean waters; U.S. officials claim the strikes have killed dozens of suspected traffickers.

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro swiftly condemned Trump’s announcement, calling it “a colonialist threat” and a “hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act” that violates international law and Venezuelan sovereignty.

Venezuela also cited the closure to suspend deportation and migrant-return flights previously coordinated with the U.S. government.

With U.S. military presence mounting in nearby Caribbean waters, and the administration signaling possible land operations, tensions between Washington and Caracas remain extremely high. Analysts warn that further steps — including possible air or ground strikes — may dramatically escalate the conflict.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Damning Report Labels FBI ‘Rudderless Ship’ Under Kash Patel — With He and Dan Bongino More Concerned With Building ‘Personal Résumés’

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FBI Director Kash Patel is facing withering criticism from an alliance of active-duty and retired agents and analysts, days after the White House denied media reports that the president is about to fire him.

A troubling new report card on the first six months of Patel’s leadership concludes he is “in over his head” and his deputy, Dan Bongino, is “something of a clown,” according to the alliance, which in two previous reports warned about crippling DEI and politicization of the FBI during the Biden administration.

The Patel-led FBI is described in the 115-page report as a “rudderless ship” and “all f–ked up.”

Patel is described by multiple internal sources as inexperienced, with one source saying he “has neither the breadth of experience nor the bearing an FBI director needs to be successful.”

Another source, a self-professed Trump supporter, said Patel is “not very good,” “may be insecure,” and “lacks the requisite experience” or the “measured self-confidence” to be FBI director. (Read more from “Damning Report Labels FBI ‘Rudderless Ship’ Under Kash Patel — With He and Dan Bongino More Concerned With Building ‘Personal Résumés’” HERE)