With Trump Returning To Power, Europe Chief Weighs Idea Of Buying More Natural Gas From U.S. Instead Of Russia

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that she proposed to President-elect Donald Trump the idea that the U.S. could supply more natural gas to Europe to decrease the bloc’s reliance on Russia, according to Barron’s.

The EU chief said the topic of tapping U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) could also be discussed in relation to the EU’s trade deficit with the U.S., Barron’s reported, citing AFP News. Von der Leyen also said it was “very important” that Brussels engaged around “common interests” with the president-elect.

The Biden-Harris administration has faced criticism for halting LNG exports after the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it was halting new and pending approvals for certain LNG export terminals in January. Some federal agencies are looking to interfere with Trump’s agenda to unfreeze approvals for LNG exports, according to various reports.

“Common interests are, for example — this is one topic that we touched upon, I would not say discuss — it’s the whole topic of LNG,” she told reporters in Budapest, Barron’s reported.

“We still get a lot of LNG from Russia and why not replace it [with] American LNG, which is cheaper for us and brings down our energy prices,” said von der Leyen, Reuters reported. (Read more from “With Trump Returning To Power, Europe Chief Weighs Idea Of Buying More Natural Gas From U.S. Instead Of Russia” HERE)

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Feds Raid Home Of Trump-Supporting Businessman

Federal agents raided the Florida home of businessman and farmer Alfie Oakes, a vocal supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, on Thursday.

Law enforcement was seen at Oakes’ residence in the Villages of Monterey community in North Naples and at an agricultural packing plant in Immokalee, according to NBC2 News.

Several unmarked law enforcement vehicles were seen coming and going from Oakes’ residence throughout the morning and afternoon, according to the outlet. Agents were observed entering through the garage and carrying boxes.

A man wearing an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) shirt was seen carrying a computer out of Oakes’ house, the outlet reported.

Other agencies involved in the raid included the U.S. Secret Service, the IRS and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, WINK News reported. (Read more from “Feds Raid Home Of Trump-Supporting Businessman” HERE)

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Tim Walz’s Daughter Speaks Out About Election Results: U.S. ‘Does Not Deserve Kamala Harris’

Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s daughter, Hope, spoke out about the results of the presidential election, stating that the United States “does not deserve” Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a video posted to TikTok, Hope Walz, the eldest child of the Minnesota governor and former vice-presidential running mate of Harris, stated that Harris “should go live her best life” wherever she wanted, adding that the nation does not “deserve her at this point.”

Hope added that she was giving herself “the week to be sad and to mourn what could’ve been,” and “what should have been.”

“Okay, I’m sitting here on my couch, eating SpongeBob mac and cheese, and watching Outer Banks, and I just have a couple, like, initial post-election thoughts,” Hope said. “I’ve like officially reached a point of anger, and I’m not an angry person, so I’m just trying to channel it. The first one being, this country does not deserve Kamala Harris. That woman should go live her best life, wherever she wants, doing whatever she wants because we don’t deserve her at this point.”

@hopewalz 2nd day post election thoughts, support your people, lean into community, prioritize love over hate, we’ll be alright ❤️‍🩹 #harriswalz ♬ original sound – hopewalz

(Read more from “Tim Walz’s Daughter Speaks Out About Election Results: U.S. ‘Does Not Deserve Kamala Harris’” HERE)

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By Massive Margins, Voters In Eight States Say Only Citizens Can Vote In Their Elections

As divided as America may be, this election showed there’s one thing most Americans agree on: Only U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections.

Voters this week in eight states — Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin — overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendment ballot questions seeking to ensure noncitizens cannot vote in state and local elections. Foreign nationals are already barred from voting in federal elections.

“We’re so often told about how divided we are in the United States, but on Tuesday we had Republicans, Democrats and independents come together in overwhelming numbers declaring that only citizens would be able to vote” in elections, a jubilant Will Martin, Wisconsin state director of Americans for Citizen Voting, told The Federalist in a phone interview this week.

The Badger State’s Citizen-Only Voting Amendment (COVA) was endorsed by more than 70 percent of voters in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial tallies. Support topped 65 percent in each of the states with COVA questions on the ballot, according to unofficial results reported by state news organizations. In Iowa, the referendum passed with 76 percent support. In South Carolina, the ballot question earned the approval of a whopping 86 percent of voters.

In Missouri, the same ballot question amending the state constitution to make clear only citizens can vote in Show Me State elections also knocked out ranked-choice voting by a two-to-one margin. (Read more from “By Massive Margins, Voters In Eight States Say Only Citizens Can Vote In Their Elections” HERE)

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Kamala Harris Quoted One Of Hitler’s Favorite Writers In Her Concession Speech

Like lots of Americans, I tuned in Wednesday afternoon to hear Kamala Harris’ belated concession speech. I had low expectations for what she was going to say, but the spectacle of Harris graciously conceding to a man she had very recently warned was an incipient fascist was too jarring not to witness.

Anyway, I found the speech pretty innocuous and unmemorable right up until the very end when, rallying the crowd for something resembling a rousing conclusion, she said this:

There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.

Initially what gave me pause was that, while the rest of the speech had been inoffensive pablum, this was just terrible writing. Even by the standards of speechwriting in modern politics, this jumps out as uniquely bad. Why would this trite metaphor about stars be a “law of history”? And man, I hope “the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars” wasn’t the actual text of the speech, because that’s not even grammatical. It was so bad that I wonder if she wrote it herself.

But one of the main things that bothered me was the provenance of the supposed quote from a “historian.” When I griped about this passage on X, an old friend immediately wondered whether this was a misattribution of a well known Martin Luther King, Jr. quote. In his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech, MLK did say something almost verbatim: “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” (Read more from “Kamala Harris Quoted One Of Hitler’s Favorite Writers In Her Concession Speech” HERE)

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RFK Jr. Discusses Plans for Overhauling FDA and Addressing U.S. Health Issues in Upcoming Trump Administration

In an interview on Wednesday with NBC News, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined his vision for reforming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and improving public health in the U.S. if appointed to a key role in the upcoming Trump administration. Kennedy Jr. emphasized his intention to target corruption within government agencies, particularly those related to public health and safety, and outlined several specific steps he plans to take.

Speaking candidly about his views on the FDA, Kennedy Jr. said he would consider removing entire departments, particularly within the agency’s nutrition division, which he criticized for failing to protect public health. He pointed to products like Fruit Loops, which he claimed contains a long list of ingredients in the U.S. while similar products in Canada have far fewer.

“There are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA, that are not doing their job,” Kennedy Jr. said. “They’re not protecting our kids.”

While he made it clear he would not eliminate agencies outright without congressional approval, Kennedy Jr. pledged to address what he described as “corporate corruption” within these institutions, especially those that regulate the food and pharmaceutical industries. He argued that the agencies should be restored to a “gold standard” of science, focused on evidence-based medicine and research that prioritizes the health of Americans, especially children.

Kennedy Jr. stated that President-Elect Donald Trump had asked him to focus on three specific goals if given a position within the administration: cleaning up corruption, returning agencies to an evidence-based approach, and tackling the growing problem of chronic diseases in the U.S., particularly among children.

“We need measurable, concrete results within two years,” Kennedy Jr. said, referring to Trump’s goal of reducing chronic disease rates among American children.

When asked about the role he might play in the administration, Kennedy Jr. said he was still considering his options. While he mentioned he was not sure about a potential nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services, he suggested that he might be more effective as a health czar, a role within the White House focused on health policy. He confirmed that discussions with Trump about his role are ongoing.

“I’m going to make sure that Americans have good information, the best gold standard science about their food and medicines, and then leave the choice to them,” Kennedy Jr. said, explaining his approach to health policy.

Kennedy Jr. also addressed his stance on vaccines, emphasizing that while he would not support any vaccine mandates, he believed in informed choice based on scientific evidence. He stated that he would ensure that safety and efficacy studies are available to the public to help individuals make their own health decisions.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy Jr. reflected on the U.S.’s response, pointing to the country’s high death toll in comparison to its share of the global population. He said he would not have blocked COVID vaccines outright, but would have pushed for transparency and the best available scientific data.

On another health issue, Kennedy Jr. reiterated his long-standing opposition to fluoride in public water supplies. While he acknowledged that water districts currently using fluoride would not be compelled to stop, he said he would advise them of the latest scientific findings and legal risks, referring to a recent court ruling that could require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider its stance on fluoride.

As he plans for a potential role in the Trump administration, Kennedy Jr. said he would spend the next few months building a team and developing a detailed strategy, with the goal of implementing meaningful change quickly after taking office in January 2025.

“I’ve been fighting corporate corruption for 40 years,” he said. “Once the agencies are not corrupt, Americans are going to be a lot healthier.”

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Disturbing: Democrat Wins Re-election in Landslide Despite Child Sex Crime Charges

Ken Fletcher resigned from the position as supervisor of Delta Township, Michigan two months ago following his arrest on charges of allegedly sexting an underage boy.

Fletcher, 58, had been serving as supervisor in Delta Township, but resigned in September, just one day before facing criminal charges related to child sex crimes. Township Manager Brian Reed confirmed Fletcher’s resignation during a township board meeting, stating that it was “effective immediately.” Reed also noted that the township was aware of an open criminal investigation that was unrelated to Fletcher’s official duties.

Fletcher was arrested on September 4 and charged with accosting a child for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime. He pleaded not guilty to both felony charges and was released on bond. The arrest followed an undercover sting operation in which Fletcher allegedly thought he was communicating with a 15-year-old boy when, in fact, he was chatting with law enforcement officers posing as a teen. According to police, Fletcher sent suggestive messages and expressed a willingness to meet the fictitious teen at the Lansing Mall to “just talk.”

Despite the ongoing criminal investigation and charges, Fletcher was allowed to remain on the ballot for the election, as state law does not require him to withdraw. Fletcher now has until January 1, 2025, to decide whether to accept the office.

Fletcher’s lawyer, Michael Nichols, told The New York Post that his client was “pleasantly surprised” by the election results, adding that Fletcher now faces a difficult decision about whether he is still the best person for the job. “Am I still the best person for the job?” Nichols said, reflecting on the community’s reaction to the situation.

Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark, who has been serving as interim supervisor since Fletcher’s resignation, said there are several options for Fletcher once the election results are certified. Fletcher can vacate the office if he does not get sworn in, he could resign after taking the oath of office, or he could decide to stay in the role.

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20 Million Dem Votes Are Missing From 2020 To 2024. Where’d They Go?

. . .Donald Trump’s lead feels so massive that it’s hard to see how Kamala Harris didn’t significantly underperform the Biden Benchmark of 2020. She didn’t just blow it; she blew it bigly.

In 2020, there were 81+ million votes cast for Biden and 74+ million cast for Trump — a grand total of over 155 million votes. Currently, there’s about 138 million total votes counted for the 2024 cycle. Trump is less than 3 million short of his 2020 benchmark, meaning the bulk of the almost 20 million vote deficit is coming from the Harris camp. Of course, votes in some of the big blue states will continue to trickle in for days (or weeks?!) after the fact, and Harris’ final count will continue to rise. But this is still a drastic difference for the morning after; where the hell did all these Biden loyalists go?

The West Coast is most glaring: Harris is over 800,000 votes short of 2020 numbers in Washington (64% reporting); 400,000 votes short in Oregon (73% reporting); 500,000 votes short in Colorado (76% reporting); and a whopping 5.5 million votes short in California (58% reporting). This will likely continue to narrow. But take California, where the split is 57% to 40% Harris. If she stays on the same trajectory, that will still put her almost 2 million shy of Biden’s 11+ million votes in the state. Even if she ramps it up to Biden’s 63% to 34%, that’s only 10.3 million votes for Harris.

Yet even states with high reporting still show Harris significantly behind. At 99% reporting, Harris is about 450,000 votes shy of Biden in Texas. At 94% reporting, she’s down almost 1 million votes in New York. She’s down about 650,000 votes in Illinois with 91% of the vote in, and down roughly the same in Florida with 99% reporting. . .

Heading up to the north, Harris trails in Maryland (82% reporting) by an additional 500,000 votes. She’s down about 200,000 votes in Virginia (99% reporting), but that has nothing on New Jersey. At 90% reporting, Harris is about 500,00 votes shy of Biden in the state. At 93% reporting, Harris is about 300,000 votes down in deep blue Massachusetts, and another 200,000 shy in Connecticut (85% reporting). In Ohio (96% reporting), she’s down roughly another 200,00 thousand votes. (Read more from “20 Million Dem Votes Are Missing From 2020 To 2024. Where’d They Go?” HERE)

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Officially a Landslide: Trump Won 312 Electoral College Votes

President Donald Trump has won election to a second term, a non-consecutive second term, in a landslide. . .

Tesla, Twitter and Space X chief Elon Musk, who had campaigned for Trump and even could be part of a new administration with responsibilities for efficiency in government, pointed out the victory was much more than just the White House.

(Read more from “Officially a Landslide: Trump Won 312 Electoral College Votes” HERE)

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Ivy Leaguers Offered ‘Democratic Listening Circle,’ Psychological Counseling Following Harris Loss

Ivy League university Dartmouth College is providing a “Democratic listening circle” and hours of psychological counseling to students following Vice President Kamala Harris’ election defeat, according to university documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Dartmouth’s schedule of “post-election events” includes a two hour “Democratic listening circle,” described as “a supportive environment where Democratic voters can share their hopes, concerns, and reflections about our country’s direction.” The school also offered a five-and-a-half hour “Decompress Dinner” on Wednesday, in addition to three hours of mental health counseling on both Wednesday and Thursday.

“Be off the grid the day after the election,” the “Decompress Dinner” description reads. “Bring a book, a craft, and a friend to the lodge…Van ride and dinner included!”

Dartmouth is offering a listening circle for faculty as well as a “Bipartisan Listening Circle,” where “participants take turns speaking while others practice deep, respectful listening.” It will also provide open space for students to “process and discuss with food,” and one-on-one confidential meetings with a chaplain.

The Ivy League school has even organized a “Republican Listening Circle,” despite former President Donald Trump winning the election handily. (Read more from “Ivy Leaguers Offered ‘Democratic Listening Circle,’ Psychological Counseling Following Harris Loss” HERE)

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