Link: https://news.antiwar.com/2022/12/15/senate-passes-massive-858-billion-ndaa/

The Senate on Thursday night passed the massive $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a vote of 83-11. The spending bill has already been approved by the House and now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. | The $858 billion bill is $45 billion more than Biden asked for and represents an 8% increase from the 2022 NDAA. It marks the second year in a row that Congress added tens of billions of dollars to the president’s original request, as massive military spending is popular on both sides of the aisle. ● Out of the $858 billion, $817 billion will go to the Pentagon, and the remaining funds will go toward military spending for other departments, including $30 billion for the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons program.

Link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/documents-uncover-secret-twitter-portal-us-government-used-to-censor-covid-19-content_4924270.html

Documents Reveal Secret Twitter Portal U.S. Government Used to Censor COVID-19 Content | New documents reveal how the United States government used a secret Twitter portal to censor COVID-19 content that contradicted the government's narrative. In its ongoing probe into Twitter's censorship practices, America First Legal has obtained a fourth set of documents exposing a secret Twitter portal, which U.S. government officials used to censor dissenting COVID-19 views in violation of the First Amendment. It's a revelation Elon Musk described as "extremely concerning." The documents reveal that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was collaborating with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Mafindo to mitigate "disinformation." Mafindo is a Facebook third-party fact-checking [sic] partner based in Indonesia that is funded by Google, known to have censored searches for keywords like Coronavirus, and COVID-19 as well as blocking information regarding adverse reactions and deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines.

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/16/twitter-journalist-suspensions-media-elon-musk

The suspension of several journalists on Twitter Thursday immediately set off a firestorm, with mainstream press crying foul over what they perceived as an attempt by Elon Musk to silence his critics and right-wing voices arguing that the liberal media finally got a taste of its own medicine. | Musk has said repeatedly that he stands for free speech, but the inconsistency of his content moderation decisions has begun to alienate traditional media outlets. 💬 "The suspension of (Washington Post reporter) Drew Harwell's Twitter account directly undermines Elon Musk's claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech," said Sally Buzbee, executive editor of The Washington Post.

Link: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2022/12/14/Chimpanzees-Tanzania-London/2871671043928/

Humans walking on two legs may have evolved from the trees and not from the ground, according to a new study by researchers at the University College London. | The study explored the behaviors of wild chimpanzees, the closest living relatives of humans, that were living in the Issa valley of western Tanzania. The study found that the Issa chimpanzees spent as much time in the trees as other chimpanzees, despite their more open habitat. More than 85% of walking took place in the trees, the researchers said. 💬 "We naturally assumed that because Issa has fewer trees than typical tropical forests, where most chimpanzees live, we would see individuals more often on the ground than in the trees," co-author Dr. Alex Piel said. "Moreover, because so many of the traditional drivers of bipedalism (such as carrying objects or seeing over tall grass, for example) are associated with being on the ground, we thought we'd naturally see more bipedalism here as well. However, this is not what we found."

Link: https://morningconsult.com/global-leader-approval/

Morning Consult Political Intelligence is currently tracking the approval ratings of government leaders and country trajectories in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. This page will be updated weekly with the latest data for all 22 countries, offering real-time insight into the shifting political dynamics across the globe.Current Approval Ratings: The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from December 7-13, 2022. Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying by country. MORE

Link: https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/russian-donbass-commander-nuclear-escalation-inevitable-elite-belarusian-forces-begin-staging-for-sweep-into-western-ukraine

"Russia is unable to 'defeat the NATO bloc' without using nuclear weapons, a Russian commander has admitted. | Alexander Khodakovsky, commander of Russian forces in Donetsk, stressed that Russia is fighting against the entire Western world, so the next escalation of the war in Ukraine 'can only be one: nuclear'. The commander went on to say 'We know our capabilities. We realize the limits of our resources. If NATO countries exceed certain limits, e.g. dispatch of Leopard tanks. They are very close to crossing the red line." ● Meanwhile, elite Belarusian forces with new tactical markings have been deployed on the border with Ukraine: 💬 "At 8 km from the border with Ukraine, elite Belarusian forces have been deployed, bearing new distinctive tactical markings. This fact and the large transfer of forces to the Ukrainian border has caused alarm in Kyiv. Belarusian elite forces have marked with red squares the equipment being driven to the border with Ukraine. Usually, tactical signs are drawn up before the start of hostilities. Everything shows that the first target of the joint Russian-Belarusian attack will be Lviv, Lutsk, Rivne, Zhytomyr, these four regions. An attack is also being prepared for Kyiv from a second axis with the aim of besieging it. Without power and with supply routes cut off, the remaining civilians and soldiers in the Ukrainian capital will not last. According to information so far, the Belarusian military command has deployed the airborne forces of the 38th Brigade to the border with Ukraine"

Link: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/14/shameful-critics-denounce-us-warship-named-fallujah-site-civilian-massacres-iraq

"Some of the most heinous U.S. war crimes committed during the Iraq War took place in the city of Fallujah," said journalist Jeremy Scahill. | Peace advocates responded with disgust to the Navy's decision to name its new warship after the two battles of Fallujah, during which U.S. troops massacred Iraqi civilians. 💬 "Fallujah was a giant American war crime in Iraq." "The future America-class amphibious ship will be named the USS Fallujah, LHA-9," Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced Tuesday in a speech at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C. "The future USS Fallujah will commemorate the first and second battles of Fallujah, American-led offenses during the Iraq War." Del Toro called it "an honor for me, and for our nation, to memorialize the Marines, the soldiers, and coalition forces that fought valiantly and those that sacrificed their lives during both battles of Fallujah." ● U.S. troops slaughtered approximately 600 Iraqi civilians—including more than 300 women and children—along with 200 insurgents during the First Battle of Fallujah. Code-named Operation Vigilant Resolve, the battle was launched in April 2004 to avenge the deaths of four Blackwater contractors. Twenty-seven U.S. soldiers were killed during the retaliatory siege. ● The Second Battle of Fallujah, known as Operation Phantom Fury, was fought from November to December 2004 to recapture the city from insurgent forces. In the process, U.S.-led occupation forces killed between 581 and 670 civilians across nine neighborhoods, according to Iraq Body Count.

■ The Third Battle of Fallujah (Stephen Lendman)
■ us massacres iraq fallujah (Qwant search)

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/15/biden-arizona-ducey-border-wall

The Biden administration sued Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) on Wednesday over his construction of a barrier made of double-stacked shipping containers along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border. | Ducey launched the effort to fill in gaps in the Trump administration's border wall amid a sustained surge in border crossings and has continued the project as a final act before he leaves office in January. Federal authorities have said, however, that the barrier is unlawful since it is erected on U.S. land. ● Driving the news: The new lawsuit asks the court to order Arizona to stop building the barrier and remove the containers in the San Rafael Valley, citing operational and environmental concerns. Arizona "is trespassing on federal lands," the complaint states.

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/twitter-elon-musk-jet-tracker-account-suspended

Twitter has clipped the wings of the account that actively tracked Elon Musk's private jet, the account's owner said Wednesday before his personal account was also suspended. | The suspensions raise questions about Musk's commitment to free speech on Twitter, a value he has directly linked to his takeover of the platform. Musk said in early November that his "commitment to free speech" included the account following his plane. ● The latest: Musk tweeted video late Wednesday of a man who appeared to be University of Central Florida college student Jack Sweeney, the owner of the @elonjet account, in his car with the comment "Anyone recognize this person or car?" The video zoomed in on the license plate.

Link: https://alethonews.com/2022/12/13/u-s-government-has-been-planning-to-lockdown-and-wait-for-a-vaccine-since-2007/

More and more evidence is coming to light that the ‘lockdown and wait for a vaccine’ strategy unleashed in 2020 was being cooked up inside the U.S. Government for decades before COVID-19 appeared and gave too many people an excuse to put the dreadful plan into action. | Recently the role of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) in producing key lockdown guidance for America in March 2020 came to light. Now, a pandemic plan from 2007 produced by the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) and currently hosted on the CISA website has emerged.

Link: https://www.activistpost.com/2022/12/biden-under-mounting-pressure-to-drop-charges-against-julian-assange.html

While the Biden administration claims to champion a free and transparent press – with Attorney General Merrick Garland instituting expanded protections for journalists in October, during which he said “a free and independent press is vital to the functioning of our democracy” – calls have been growing for Biden to release perhaps the most famous political prisoner in the world, Julian Assange. | According to The Guardian – which ironically has one of the worst records when it comes to pro-establishment / anti-Assange reporting – “the biggest test of Biden’s commitment remains imprisoned in a jail cell in London, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been held since 2019 while facing prosecution in the United States under the Espionage Act.” ● Assange notably exposed US war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, which included 400,000 field reports about the Iraq War; 15,000 unreported deaths of Iraqi civilians; and systematic rape, torture and murder committed by Iraqi forces after the U.S. military “handed over detainees to a notorious Iraqi torture squad,” according to TruthOut.

Link: https://ground.news/article/scientists-declare-2-hawaii-volcanoes-have-stopped-erupting_c2824d

U.S. scientists declared Tuesday that two active Hawaii volcanoes — one where lava destroyed hundreds of homes in 2018 and another where lava recently stalled before reaching a crucial Big Island highway — have stopped erupting. (Ground News // Articles)

Link: https://ground.news/article/judge-orders-kari-lake-and-katie-hobbs-to-appear-at-emergency-court-hearing-over-election-lawsuit_62b2a9

Arizona Judge Peter Thompson issued an order Tuesday for Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and Governor-elect Katie Hobbs to appear in court regarding the election lawsuit filed by Lake. (Ground News // Articles)

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/trump-desantis-polls-republican-primary-2024

Former President Trump is losing steam among Republican primary voters, while interest in potential foe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is rising, two polls out this week found. | DeSantis beat Trump 52% to 38% in a hypothetical contest between the two GOP leaders among likely Republican primary voters, a Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday found. Among Republicans who say they are likely to vote in the GOP primary, 86% said they viewed DeSantis favorably, compared to 74% saying the same of Trump, the Wall Street Journal found.

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/surprise-tax-forms-2023

There's a tax headache ahead next year for millions of Americans who use apps like Venmo or Paypal regularly, part of a little-noticed change passed in March as part of the American Rescue Plan. | Anyone who was paid more than $600, for selling goods or services, using one of these third-party apps should get a 1099-K tax form detailing that money. It may get confusing. Experts worry the IRS doesn't have the resources to deal with the onslaught of forms, which will be sent to the agency, too. Another worry is that many folks will get a form and not owe taxes, but still need to go through a rigamarole to cope. Before the law was changed, 1099-Ks went out only to those who took in more than $20,000 through more than 200 transactions.

Link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-officials-overwhelmed-by-immigrant-flood-at-border-as-case-backlog-swells-to-record-numbers_4921284.html

U.S. Officials Overwhelmed by Immigrant Flood at Border as Case Backlog Swells to Record Numbers | Illegal immigrants are flooding across the U.S. border with Mexico in such numbers that federal immigration officials are being overwhelmed by the biggest-ever backlog of pending cases even though they are being processed faster, according to new data obtained by a government watchdog group. "Latest case-by-case court records through October 2022 reveal that Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 marked the largest number of individuals granted asylum in any year in the Immigration Court's history. Grant rates averaged 46 percent, up from 36 percent in FY 2021," according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). "Not only were more asylum applications granted by immigration judges than ever before, but many asylum cases moved through the system faster due to a variety of Biden administration initiatives, including the Dedicated Docket. In this program, families seeking asylum were given expedited proceedings and moved to the head of the line, in front of those waiting in the court's existing 1,977,988 case backlog," TRAC continued.
■ Eagle Pass, Texas every night... - VIDEO

Link: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pete-buttigieg-flies-taxpayer-funded-private-jets-flight-data-show

Pete Buttigieg often flies on taxpayer-funded private jets, flight data show --Biden Cabinet member has taken at least 18 flights on taxpayer-funded private jets, despite calls to curb carbon emissions | Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, an advocate of increased government action to curb carbon emissions, has taken at least 18 flights using taxpayer-funded private jets since taking office, Fox News Digital has learned. Buttigieg has traveled across the country -- visiting Florida, Ohio and New Hampshire, among other states -- and out of the country using a private jet fleet managed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to flight tracking data reviewed by Fox News Digital. The flight records align with Buttigieg's schedule of external and public engagements obtained by government watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT). Buttigieg's predecessor, Elaine Chao, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, faced criticism for using the same jets on seven occasions in 2017, costing taxpayers nearly $94,000, Politico reported at the time. And Trump-appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was forced to resign after reportedly taking 26 private jet flights that same year, costing taxpayers about $1.2 million.

Link: https://news.yahoo.com/biden-official-hid-meetings-george-165726357.html

Biden official hid info about meetings with George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi from public | Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler scrubbed mention of a meeting with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and key details of a meeting with billionaire Democratic donor George Soros from the public version of his calendar. Gensler's public calendar showed that he only had a staff meeting on Aug. 7, 2021, while his private calendar lists a meeting with Clinton, according to a Fox News Digital review. And on Aug. 20, 2021, his public calendar lists a meeting with Soros but hid the meeting's agenda, which his private calendar shows was to discuss a forthcoming Wall Street Journal op-ed the business magnate was planning to write. Gensler's private calendar revealing the discrepancies was obtained by the watchdog group Energy Policy Advocates and shared with Fox News Digital. The group was only able to obtain the internal records after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the SEC.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/20221213/21-years-ago-today-us-rips-up-abm-treaty-with-russia-starting-slow-slide-toward-current-crisis-1105420298.html

Tuesday marks the 21st anniversary of the decision by then-US President George W. Bush to quit the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a landmark 1972 agreement which limited the anti-ballistic missile capabilities of the US and the USSR (and later Russia). The move became the canary in the coalmine of trouble in relations between Russia and the US. 💬 “I have concluded the ABM Treaty hinders our government’s ways to protect our people from future terrorist or rogue state missile attack,” US President George W. Bush said, speaking to reporters at the White House Rose Garden on December 13, 2001. “Today I have given formal notice to Russia…that the United States of America is withdrawing from this almost thirty year old treaty,” he said. ● Six months later, on June 13, 2002, the agreement was history. The ABM Treaty, signed by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and US President Richard Nixon in May 1972, limited Moscow and Washington’s ability to build ballistic missile interceptors, and was designed to slow the expansion of the superpowers’ arsenals of nuclear warheads and delivery systems, and to prevent either country from trying to gain an advantage over the other which would upset the global strategic balance.

Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/12/winter-storm-threatens-us-heavy-snow-rain-wind

A severe winter storm that lashed the West over the weekend on Monday night barreled toward the central U.S., where it's expected to intensify en route to the Northeast later this week. | The big picture: Over 15 million people were under winter weather advisories, with the Upper Midwest and northern and central Plains at risk from the worst hazards of the storm, which saw roads closed and feet of snow dumped on the Sierra Nevada as heavy rains lashed Southern California over the weekend. The storm on Monday night reached the Southern and Central Plains, where the National Weather Service warned flash flooding and other severe weather was possible due to "intense downpours." It's expected to impact the region for several days. By the time this storm system moves off the east coast at the end of this week, it will have dumped a foot or more of snow across at least a half-dozen states, spawned tornadoes in the South, and acted as a kickoff event to rearranging the jet stream to ensure a colder, snowier finish to December. This will be especially true for the Midwest and East. Dozens of flights were canceled across the U.S. Monday as up to 6 inches of snow fell in Hartford, Connecticut, and also Scranton, Pennsylvania, while upstate New York and western Massachusetts saw up to 9 inches, ABC News reports.