Daily News Brief for Thursday,, December 7th, 2023.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday,, December 7th, 2023. 
 
Fight Laugh Feast Magazine
Our Fight Laugh Feast Magazine is a quarterly issue that packs a punch like a 21 year Balvenie, no ice. We don’t water down our scotch, why would we water down our theology? Order a yearly subscription for yourself and then send a couple yearly subscriptions to your friends who have been drinking luke-warm evangelical cool-aid. Every quarter we promise quality food for the soul, wine for the heart, and some Red Bull for turning over tables. Our magazine will include cultural commentary, a Psalm of the quarter, recipes for feasting, laughter sprinkled through out the glossy pages, and more. Sign up today, at fightlaughfeast.com.
 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12833565/Biden-Russia-Ukraine-Congress-war-conflict-aid-NATO.html
 
Joe Biden raises the specter of American troops having to fight Russians in Europe if Congress stands by and allows Ukraine to fall
 
President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that American troops could have to fight Russian forces if Congress prevents further aid being sent to Ukraine. 
 
He demanded that lawmakers approve his request for tens of billions in military and economic assistance. 
 
Republicans have said they are not willing to countenance another major package of aid unless the administration takes action on the southern border.
 
But Biden said Republicans were handing Russian President Vladimir Putin a gift. 
 
'This cannot wait,' he said in a televised address. 
 
'Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess, simple as that, frankly.'
 
Biden presses Congress to pass Ukraine aid to prevent Russian win Play 1:24-3:00
 
He accused Republicans of holding aid 'hostage' over the border and of being willing to 'kneecap' Ukrainian forces on the battlefield
 
But he hinted that he was ready to do a deal with Republicans, even if they would have to accept they were not going to get everything they wanted.
 
Biden's speech came soon after he held a video call with leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, who have all backed Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
 
Biden has asked Congress for more than $100 billion to fund conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, as well as other matters of national security. However, Republicans on Capitol Hill have resisted the request, some insisting that Biden first take measures to secure the nation's southern border. 
 
The White House has warned repeatedly of the consequences of failing to back Ukraine.
 
In a blunt letter sent to Congress on Monday, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young wrote: 'We are out of money to support Ukraine in this fight. This isn't a next year problem. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now.
 
However, Republican leaders quickly dug in.
 
Speaker Mike Johnson promised there would be no funding for Ukraine without 'transformative' border security provisions.
 
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/12/us-troops-suing-govt-for-billions-in-backpay-over-covid-vaccine-mandate/
 
US troops suing gov’t for ‘billions’ in backpay over Covid vaccine mandate
 
In a groundbreaking development, three lawsuits with the potential for a class action suit are being filed on behalf of former United States service members. The service members, represented by attorneys Dale Saran, Andy Meyer, and Brandon Johnson, allege they were unjustly discharged or prevented from drilling, causing significant financial loss, as a result of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate policies.
 
According to Breitbart, the lawsuits, which are currently in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, could involve backpay claims totaling billions of dollars.
 
Saran, a retired Marine, emphasized the massive scale of the compensation, telling Breitbart, “It’s worth billions. That’s just flat-out. That’s what it is in backpay. It’s billions of dollars.” This statement underscores the potential magnitude of the lawsuit’s financial implications for the Department of Defense.
 
The court, with its roots in the Reconstruction Era, is known for handling cases of illegal discharge and pay-related grievances in the military. Saran explained its unique role, saying that the Court of Claims is where service members can go when they have a claim and say, “Hey, I was illegally discharged, or the military did something to impede my pay.”
According to Breitbart, the lawsuits allege that 80,000 to 100,000 service members, including both active-duty personnel and reservists, were impacted by the Biden administration’s actions. Saran detailed the lack of due process in the cases, noting, “They were basically [without] the benefit of any due process. No boards were held. They didn’t hold any administrative separation boards; they didn’t hold any hearings. They didn’t do any federal recognition boards; none of the administrative or judicial procedures were used. They just flat-out did it.”
 
One notable case involves former Coast Guard member Zach Loesch, who was commended by President Joe Biden for his heroics during Hurricane Ian but faced discharge for not complying with a vaccine mandate, according to Breitbart.
 
The claims also involve the repayment of enlistment bonuses, adding to the financial stakes. Saran stated, “Not only did they throw them out — unceremoniously [and] wrongfully — now they’re…without a job instantly, no separation pay, none of that. And instead, they’re standing out in the cold, and worse yet, here comes the government…here comes the debt collectors. Now you owe us money.”
 
Saran drew parallels between the current situation with the service members who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate policies and his past experience defending service members who refused the Anthrax vaccine in the late 1990s.
 
“I did some work on the lawsuit Doe v. Rumsfeld that shut down the anthrax vaccine,” he said. “And so…here we are, second go around again, 15 years in, and we’re right back at the mass vaccination of unlicensed vaccines like the government didn’t learn last time.”
 
According to Saran, those interested in more information about the current lawsuits can learn more at militarybackpay.com. The ongoing legal battle, with cases like Bassen v. USA, Botello v. USA, and Harkins v. USA, marks a significant moment in military legal history, raising questions about due process, financial responsibility, and the broader implications for the rights of U.S. service members.
 
https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-constructs-large-pumps-flood-hamas-terror-tunnels-seawater-wall-street-journal
 
Israel constructs large pumps to flood Hamas terror tunnels with seawater
 
The Israeli military has assembled several large pumps it could use to flood the Hamas tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip with seawater, driving out terrorists hiding there, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials.
 
Construction of five large seawater pumps was completed in November about one mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp. Each pump is capable of drawing water from the Mediterranean Sea and can move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, which would flood the tunnels within weeks, the report said.
 
Israel has not yet committed to the plan, and it is unclear whether it would attempt to flood the tunnels while there are still hostages, including Americans, held by Hamas. The Palestinian terror group took some 240 people captive during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and brought them back to the Gaza Strip.
 
According to the report, Israel has identified about 800 tunnels beneath Gaza that Hamas has used to move fighters, store weapons and plan terror attacks on Israel. However, Israeli officials believe the tunnel network is much larger.
 
By flooding the tunnels over several weeks, Israel would enable Hamas terrorists and potentially hostages to move out, the outlet reported, citing a source familiar with the plan. 
 
"We are not sure how successful pumping will be since nobody knows the details of the tunnels and the ground around them," the source said. "It’s impossible to know if that will be effective because we don’t know how seawater will drain in tunnels no one has been in before."
 
The Wall Street Journal said an Israel Defense Forces official declined to comment on the flooding plan, but said: "The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas’s terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools."
 
U.S. officials were informed of the plan last month, the Wall Street Journal reported, but the U.S. does not know how close Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is to executing the plan.
 
Israel has committed to continuing its war effort until Hamas is eradicated in Gaza. The Israeli military said it launched its 10,000th airstrike against the terror group in the Gaza Strip late Sunday.
 
https://thepostmillennial.com/dem-witness-who-cannot-define-what-a-woman-is-says-women-should-learn-to-lose-gracefully-against-trans-athletes?utm_campaign=64487#google_vignette
 
Dem witness who cannot define what a woman is says women should 'learn to lose gracefully' against trans athletes
 
Head of the National Women's Law Center, Fatima Goss Graves, encouraged women who are forced to compete against men in women's sports to "lose gracefully." This she sees as the preferable alternative to keeping men out of women's sports at the scholastic level altogether. She made these remarks at a hearing over Title IX in the US House.
 
"The reality is, that like their peers, trans girls and women, they sometimes lose at sports and sometimes they win. And success in school sports depends on a whole range of factors including how hard you work and coaching and access to really good resources and facilities," Goss Graves said. Goss Graves is married to Matthew Graves, a key prosecutor in J6 cases. She also co-founded Times Up to hold high-profile men accountable for sexual misconduct.
 
She did not address the problems that arise when boys shower in girls locker rooms and expose themselves, or when girls miss out on opportunities because men have taken their places in the winners' circle.
 
https://twitter.com/i/status/1732214013499412976 - Play Video (If you can find it somewhere else that’s fine.) 
 
Goss Graves also does not know what a woman is. Or at least she refused to define the term when asked. She was asked in July 2022 by Rep Andrew Clyde - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2Uo111tBKd4?feature=share - Play Video 
 
The hearing was to consider changes proposed by the Department of Education to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The change would prevent schools from having women's or girl's-only sports. It would bring a new understanding and interpretation of Title IX, removing protections for women and girls and changing that to protection against discrimination for gender identity as a protected class. Under those provisions, the male student's stated gender identity would give him the standing to shower with girls and use other facilities that were previously women only.
 
https://thepostmillennial.com/auto-makers-seek-to-remove-am-radio-from-all-new-models?utm_campaign=64487
 
Automakers seek to remove AM radio from all new models
 
As vehicles become more and more complex, many manufacturers have begun doing away with AM radios, citing concerns that the proximity of electrical components could potentially negatively interact with signals from short-wave broadcasts.
 
While it could be argued that the AM radio one day going the way of the dashboard tape deck was inevitable, the fact that many Americans still tune into, and in some cases rely on, the technology has led to pushback against the companies attempting to omit it from new cars.
 
In May, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA) joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in the House to introduce the AM for Every Vehicle Act, which, if passed, will direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require manufacturers to ensure AM radio is included free of charge in every model for the foreseeable future.
 
According to a press release that announced the bill in May, eight of the world's 20 leading car makers, BMW, Ford, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo, have done away with AM radio in their vehicles.
 
"I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas," New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer lamented. "Instead, Elon Musk and Tesla and other car manufacturers are putting public safety and emergency response at risk."
 
While many of the bill's proponents cited the use of AM radio for emergency alerts, others pointed out that despite its archaic reputation, it is still an integral part of many people's technology arsenal.
 
Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman, for example, said that his constituents "rely on AM broadcast radio for breaking news and entertainment as they make their daily commutes, especially in rural areas where constituents spend a lot of time in their vehicles."
 
As Spectrum News covered, a report from the Center for Automotive Research found that the electromagnetic interference generted by EVs can make the AM signals fuzzy and unlistenable, and that while there is a workaround, it may cost automakers an estimated $3.8 billion over the next seven years.