Boom: U.S. Sanctions Venezuela’s Largest State Owned Oil Company

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White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin announced new sanctions on Venezuela’s largest state run oil company Monday afternoon as dictator Nicolas Maduro refuses to step down from power.

“The United States is holding accountable those responsible for Venezuela’s tragic decline, and will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaidó, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people’s efforts to restore their democracy,” Mnuchin released in a statement. “Today’s designation of PdVSA [Petroleos de Venezuela] will help prevent further diverting of Venezuela’s assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PdVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government.” . . .

(Read more from “Boom: U.S. Sanctions Venezuela’s Largest State Owned Oil Company” HERE)

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Horrifying Tradition of Ironing Developing Girls’ Breasts Spreading

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. . .So-called “breast-ironing” entails taking hot stones to a girl’s chest, as you would an iron, in order to stunt her development. The painful practice may be done numerous times to a growing child, often on a weekly basis, depending on how each girl’s development is affected.

“Breast-ironing” is typically done by female elders in the girl’s family, such as her mother, with the supposed purpose of keeping unwanted male attention away from the child and curb the threat of rape and sexual assault, a report from The Guardian details.

With the massive influx of migration — often without assimilation — the abusive practice has popped up across the pond in an estimated 1,000 cases. The United Nations has categorized the practice as one of the top five under-reported gender-specific global crimes.

“Community workers in London, Yorkshire, Essex and the West Midlands have told the Guardian of cases in which pre-teen girls from the diaspora of several African countries are subjected to the painful, abusive and ultimately futile practice,” the report found.

An unnamed community activist told The Guardian that she’s aware of 15-20 cases of breast-ironing in Croydon, a town in England, alone. “It’s usually done in the UK, not abroad like female genital mutilation (FGM),” said the activist. “Sometimes they do it once a week, or once every two weeks, depending on how it comes back,” she noted. (Read more from “Horrifying Tradition of Ironing Developing Girls’ Breasts Spreading” HERE)

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ISIS Claims Responsibility for Cathedral Bombings

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The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for two bombs that went off at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in southern Philippines on Sunday. The first bomb went off during Sunday morning Mass. The second went off outside of the cathedral as government agencies attempted to respond. As of now, 20 are dead and 81 are wounded, CBS News reported. . .

“The manner and timing of the bombing suggests that it was meant to sow terror in order to affect the course of peace efforts,” Rep. Ruffy Biazon, senior vice chairman of a House of Representatives committee on national security, told the Wall Street Journal. The attack “is a direct challenge to the efforts that the government is pushing for to achieve peace in the southern Philippines.”

(Read more from “ISIS Claims Responsibility for Cathedral Bombings” HERE)

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Japan’s Supreme Court Upholds Transgender Sterilization Requirement

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Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld a law that effectively requires transgender people to be sterilized before they can have their gender changed on official documents.

The court said the law is constitutional because it was meant to reduce confusion in families and society. But it acknowledged that it restricts freedom and could become out of step with changing social values.

The 2004 law states that people wishing to register a gender change must have their original reproductive organs, including testes or ovaries, removed and have a body that “appears to have parts that resemble the genital organs” of the gender they want to register. (Read more from “Japan’s Supreme Court Upholds Transgender Sterilization Requirement” HERE)

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Palestinians Renounce All U.S. Aid. They Forgot One Big Thing.

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In what will surely be music to the ears of the pro-Israel communtiy, the Palestinian Authority announced this week its renouncing of all U.S. aid and financial assistance. . .

Because here is the kicker. As The Daily Wire’s Frank Camp reported, President Trump in March signed into law the Taylor Force Act — which actually already halted all American aid to the Palestinian Authority.

The Taylor Force Act demands that the Palestinian Authority ceases payment of “salaries to terrorists serving in Israeli prisons, as well as to the families of deceased terrorists, is an incentive to commit acts of terror.” The law is named after Taylor Force, a 29-year-old American who was stabbed to death in 2016 by a Palestinian man while in Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian Authority has a long history of rewarding terrorists and their families with monthly stipends, and lawmakers in the United States have long debated withholding funding to the PA until they officially denounce and discontinue the practice.

One major question, moving forward, will be how the “news” of a Palestinian rebuffing of (largely non-existent) U.S. aid will affect the Trump administration’s upcoming proposed peace plan for Israel and the Palestinian-Arabs. The Post reports that Jared Kushner will be taking the lead in promoting the thus-far unannounced plan, in advance of the 2020 presidential election. Many pro-Israel hawks, such as Middle East Forum President Daniel Pipes, are already dreading Kushner’s proposed plan. (Read more from “Palestinians Renounce All U.S. Aid. They Forgot One Big Thing.” HERE)

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Another 10,000+ Caravan Hits Mexico and Requests Asylum

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As Congress continues to feud over the construction of a border wall, another Central American caravan of 10,000-plus migrants entered Mexico and intends to reach the U.S.

The caravan, which first departed Honduras on Jan. 15, began as a smaller group of around 2,000 people, WaPo reported. However, the caravan ballooned in size as it continued to travel across Central America. Numerous foreign nationals from Guatemala and El Salvador, eager over the possibility to apply for humanitarian visas in Mexico, joined along the way. . .

Many of the migrants are attracted by a new policy recently enacted by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The new left-wing president, who has criticized Mexico’s past treatment of migrants, is allowing many of them to apply for humanitarian visas, allowing them to stay in the country legally as they try to gain access into the U.S.

Historically, migrants would reach the border and apply for asylum within the U.S., allowing them to disappear into the country without ever appearing to their immigration court date. The Trump administration has worked to prevent this by pressuring the Mexican government to keep migrants in their country as they wait for their asylum cases to work through the U.S. courts — a policy known as “remain in Mexico.”

Mexico’s National Immigration Institute reported it had processed a total of 10,343 migrants. About 75 percent were from Honduras, with the rest coming from El Salvador, Guatemala, and a small number of Haitians, Nicaraguans, Cubans and Brazilians. (Read more from “Another 10,000+ Caravan Hits Mexico and Requests Asylum” HERE)

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What You Need to Know About the Presidential Crisis in Venezuela

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Socialist autocrat Nicolas Maduro helped continue the downward spiral in Venezuela for what was once a promising and growing state, leading to a full-blown economic, societal, and now a political crisis.

On Wednesday, the United States government threw its weight behind the legitimacy of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. In the span of minutes, the Trump administration built a rapid-fire, almost instant global coalition behind the removal of the Venezuelan dictator Maduro.

The country’s economy is in a state of collapse. Once private and thriving companies were forcibly overtaken by state authorities, with disastrous consequences for some 500 or more businesses. Socialist management of Venezuela’s oil riches has led to major output issues. Inflation continues to devalue its already worthless currency. Its GDP contracted by more than 10 percent in 2018. Political and societal instability has resulted in a substantial brain drain. High taxation and regulation have made it pretty much impossible to become a successful businessman or entrepreneur without working hand in glove with the state. And given that the socialized system delivers no incentive to make a living, logistics are a national nightmare, resulting in empty supermarkets and shuttered stores.

Life in general for the average Venezuelan remains exceedingly difficult. Law and order are basically nonexistent. The government regularly engages in extremely violent crackdowns on who they perceive to be political opponents.

These realities have created a massive humanitarian crisis in Venezuela affecting tens of millions of people. The past year has seen hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans regularly taking to the streets, in defiance of Maduro, to raise awareness about their desperate and horrific conditions.

President Trump recognized Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela just minutes after Guaido declared himself “acting president” at a protest in Caracas on Wednesday.

“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant,” President Trump said in a statement. “The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law.”

The vast majority of countries in the Western Hemisphere have backed Guaido. Eleven countries in the 14-country Lima Group — Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru — released a statement backing Guaido. Mexico, Cuba, and Bolivia support Maduro, while a few, such as Guyana, Uruguay, and Saint Lucia, remained neutral.

Across the globe, several powerful authoritarian nations continue to put their weight behind Maduro. Turkey, Russia, Iran, China, and others have expressed their support for Maduro as the leader of Venezuela. The European Union backed Guaido and urged immediate democratic elections.

Both Maduro and Guaido continue to claim the mantle of the presidency. Maduro justifies his legitimacy by pointing to his victory the 2018 elections, which international observers considered to be rigged in his favor. Guaido is currently the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly. In that position, he becomes interim president of the country if there is a presidential vacancy. Guaido claims that Maduro’s 2018 election was illegitimate, and therefore Guaido should be president.

It remains too early to tell who will persevere as the ultimate authority in Venezuela. A former Venezuelan ministry says that ultimately, the “guys with guns,” or the Venezuelan military, will determine the outcome of the political crisis, putting aside the prospect of foreign intervention. (For more from the author of “What You Need to Know About the Presidential Crisis in Venezuela” please click HERE)

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Strong Trump: President Recognizes Opposition Leader as Leader of Venezuela

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On Wednesday, taking a typically unequivocal stance, President Trump recognized Juan Guaido, 35, the president of the Venezuela National Assembly who is in opposition to socialist President Nicholas Maduro, as the interim president of Venezuela just minutes after Guaido announced himself as the head of state.

As Bloomberg reports, at a protest in Caracas before hundreds of thousands of people, Guaido stated he would assume the powers of the Venezuela presidency, citing a constitutional amendment that permits the head of the legislature to do so. He said, “I swear to formally assume the powers of the national executive as interim president of Venezuela to achieve the end of the usurpation.” NBC News noted, “The protests were called to coincide with the anniversary of the 1958 coup that overthrew military dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez – a historic date for Venezuelans.”

Guaido became the president of the Venezuela National Assembly on January 5. Roughly two weeks ago, Maduro was inaugurated for a second, six-year term, but many countries, including the United States, have called his election illegitimate.

Trump released a statement asserting:

In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law … We encourage other Western Hemisphere governments to recognize National Assembly President Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, and we will work constructively with them in support of his efforts to restore constitutional legitimacy. We continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people.

(Read more from “Strong Trump: President Recognizes Opposition Leader as Leader of Venezuela” HERE)

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Mexicans Are Paying in Blood for Our Central American Amnesty Policies

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Evidently, it’s not in vogue for politicians to care about the ill effects of illegal immigration on Americans, but perhaps it’s politically correct to finally take action based on what our open border is doing to Mexico.

According to information released this week by Mexico’s interior ministry, a record 33,341 murder probes were opened in Mexico last year. That in itself is a 15 percent increase from 2017’s record of 28,866. In 2014, the number of murders in Mexico stood at 16,108 after peaking the previous years during the decade-long drug war between the Mexican government and the cartels. Why has the number of homicides doubled since 2014? The rival cartels are fighting with each other to gain control over the lucrative smuggling routes, because of the DACA amnesty driving the smuggling from Central America.

What has happened over the past few years? In fiscal year 2012, before Obama enacted his illegal DACA program, in which Central Americans were encouraged to come here with children and never be deported, the number of family units caught at our border from the northern triangle countries (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) was 1,489. By FY 2014, that number surged to 61,334. In FY 2018, it was up to 103,509, but most of the surge was in the latter part of the year, a trajectory that has only grown this year without any plateau. The numbers will likely top 200,000 for FY 2019.

Likewise, the number of UACs in FY 2011 from those same three countries was 3,912. It exploded to 51,705 just three years later, a baseline that has held steady the past year and a half.

The rise in UACs grew with DACA, and the rise in family units with kids rose with recent court opinions on top of the promise of “dream” amnesty.

The trip northward is no picnic. Every Central American must pay $5,000-$10,000 to be smuggled through Mexico and eventually over our border. They either have to pay the money to whichever cartel controls that given plaza, or they have to work it off by doing drug smuggling or other work for the cartels. The women are forced to pay either by being raped by those in charge or by serving in brothels.

As Jaeson Jones, retired captain in the Texas Department of Public Safety, said on my podcast earlier this month, “Children and people are now a commodity to the drug cartels.” He explained that the way the cartels make their money is “through controlling the plazas throughout Mexico.” “Once you’re in control of a plaza, everything that moves through is paid for,” he said. “That’s why they battle for control of that space. It’s also why you are not going to enter the United States without working and contracting with the Mexican cartels.”

Thus, the Central American wave of migration spawned by unique magnets in our legal system has now forced the Mexican people to deal with the cascading effects of hundreds of thousands of migrants coming through their territory and empowering the cartels. Not only does the promise of amnesty for “children” empower evil-doers, it also creates endless bloodshed between the cartels both at Mexico’s southern border and its northern border, competing for the business of the migrants. Much of this bloodshed spills over to innocent victims not engaged in cartel warfare.

Consider this tragic absurdity of the amnesty-driven migration. The political class and the media lie to us by suggesting that bogus asylum helps people escape violence (which is not synonymous with persecution, the legal requirement for asylum). As I’ve explained before, violence in Central America, while is still high by our standards, has plummeted since before the migration of Central Americans. Overall, while asylum petitions have spiked by 1,744 percent since 2009, homicide has dropped 16 percent in El Salvador, 35 percent in Honduras, and 43 percent in Guatemala.

But it gets even more absurd. Migration from Mexico to the U.S. is actually down, even as violence skyrockets there. The number of family units crossing from Mexico is down almost 50 percent since FY 2015. So this has absolutely nothing to do with violence and everything to do with Central Americans coming for economic reasons and to “reunite” with illegal family members already here.

Pelosi and Schumer are selling their policies as compassionate to those suffering from violence, yet their policies are actually inducing unimaginable violence upon the Mexicans while the Mexicans aren’t even coming here any more in large numbers. Yet violence is down in Central America, and Central Americans are more likely to experience violence while making the trip.

American blood from the endless criminal alien crime doesn’t seem to motivate our politicians to act, but will the blood of Mexicans make it fashionable for them to care? (For more from the author of “Mexicans Are Paying in Blood for Our Central American Amnesty Policies” please click HERE)

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No, Forever War in Syria Won’t Protect the United States

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Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida. Navy Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent, 35, of Pine Plains, New York. Defense Intelligence Agency civilian Scott A. Wirtz, 42, of St. Louis, Missouri. Interpreter Ghadir Taher, 27, from East Point, Georgia.

The bodies of the four Americans from four separate parts of the country—victims of a January 16 Islamic State suicide bombing near a popular restaurant in the Syrian city of Manbij—made their final return home to Dover Air Force Base on January 19. It was a vivid and graphic reminder to the American people that U.S. forces remain very much in harm’s way.

To the politicians back home, the deaths of four Americans in a Syrian town few in the United States could find on a map is a sign of ISIS’s sudden resurgence. The American people have been led to believe that President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria is emboldening the enemy. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the interventionist who has never seen a world problem that couldn’t be solved through military force, even suggested that Trump’s decision may have laid the groundwork for the bombing in Manbij. Sen. Jack Reed said the attack is proof the administration needs to “reevaluate” a troop departure. . .

First, the Islamic State’s territorial “caliphate” is for all intents and purposes destroyed. At the height of its power in 2014, ISIS managed to control land roughly equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom. ISIS fighters were present from the northern outskirts of Baghdad to the rural towns of northwestern Syria. Approximately eight million people in Iraq and Syria were under ISIS’s thumb, a valuable financial asset the group fully exploited through a system of taxation. . .

Those who say U.S. forces should remain in eastern Syria even after their primary mission is over are moving the goal-posts in a frantic attempt to justify a continued U.S. military presence in a country that is strategically unimportant to U.S. national security interests in the region. Don’t be fooled: the commentators, ex-officials, and lawmakers who oppose a U.S. troop withdrawal today are in essence arguing for another indefinite U.S. deployment in the Middle East. (Read more from “No, Forever War in Syria Won’t Protect the United States” HERE)

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