Daily News Brief for Tuesday, December 5th, 2023

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, December 5th, 2023. 
 
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https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2023/12/04/congress-freezes-6-billion-for-iran-n596478#google_vignette
 
Congress Freezes $6 Billion for Iran
 
This took place on Thursday, but it’s looking increasingly real. In a move that the Daily Mail described as “humiliating” for Joe Biden, lawmakers cast a bipartisan vote to freeze the six billion dollars that the President had previously freed up for Iran as part of his hostage negotiation deal. The move drew the support of nearly every Republican but also attracted nearly 100 Democrats. Now it’s looking as if it might pass in the Senate as well. During a time when it’s been seeming as if common sense had been banned in Washington, we have lawmakers seemingly conceding that sending billions of dollars to the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism might not be such a great idea.
 
President Biden is facing a humiliating foreign policy setback as $6 billion he used to leverage the release of five imprisoned Americans from Iran could be frozen.
 
Lawmakers including members of Biden’s own party voted on Thursday to approve a bill that would permanently freeze the funds, which were unfrozen by the White House in September as part of a controversial deal.
 
The bill, named the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act, passed in a 307 to 119 vote – which was approved by almost every Republican and 90 Democrats.
 
The money is being held in Qatar, where most negotiations between the West and terror groups take place these days. The reality is that Joe Biden had already “refrozen” the money after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks. Congress is now close to locking the door to those funds indefinitely.
 
Keep in mind that the money was originally leveraged to free five American hostages as well as five Iranian prisoners. But before the cash transfer was even complete, an even larger number of Americans were taken hostage by Hamas, which is almost entirely funded by Iran. In that sense, the United States was losing ground in the exchange, rather than getting something of value for the money.
 
Plenty of people were warning the Biden administration about this when the talks first began. This is why we’ve long had a rule about not negotiating with terrorists. If you pay to secure the release of hostages, you will inevitably wind up with more hostages because the terrorists see that their tactics are working. And that’s precisely where we are today.
 
https://www.dailyfetched.com/blm-rioters-in-atlanta-who-burnt-down-wendys-get-500-fine/
 
BLM Rioters in Atlanta Who Burnt Down Wendy’s Get $500 Fine
 
Two Black Lives Matter (BLM) rioters who pleaded guilty to torching Wendy’s fast food restaurant in Atlanta in 2020 were sentenced to five years of probation and a $500 fine.
 
Chisom Kingston and Natalie White were charged with conspiracy to commit arson in the first degree, and two counts of first-degree arson.
 
Both pleaded guilty in a plea deal, according to court records.
 
Kingston and White must complete 150 hours of community service.
 
In addition to charges, John Wesley Wade, 35, was indicted for the same fire in January this year.
 
Initially, all three pleaded not guilty and waived their arraignments in March 2022,
 
The charges stem from BLM riots, which took place over the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed in a police-involved shooting in June 2020.
 
Brooks allegedly punched police officer David Brosnan and stole his taser while under investigation for a DUI in the parking lot of the Wendy’s restaurant.
 
Brooks reportedly aimed the Taser at Officer Brosnan.
 
However, a second officer, Garrett Rolfe, shot and killed rooks during the altercation.
 
Brooks allegedly punched Brosnan, causing a concussion.
 
In response to the incident, BLM rioters burnt down Wendy’s in protest of Brooks’ death.
 
Later, violent demonstrations exploded over the city in the months following.
 
Former Fulton County District Attorney charged officers Rolfe and Brosnan.
 
Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault, while Rolfe faces felony murder and assault charges.
 
Ninety-nine percent of charges brought against BLM rioters in 2020 were dropped by local prosecutors, according to an analysis from The Guardian.
 
Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, admitted that BLM rioters were treated better compared to some pro-life protesters.
 
The news comes just under a month after New York City officials agreed to pay $13 million to violent “2020 Summer of Love” BLM and Antifa protesters after they caused damage to 45 businesses.
 
https://www.foxnews.com/us/derek-chauvin-returns-prison-after-alleged-blm-inspired-stabbing
 
Derek Chauvin returns to prison after alleged BLM-inspired stabbing
 
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has returned to a federal prison in Arizona more than a week after a fellow inmate allegedly stabbed him 22 times with a shank in the library in a Black Friday attack partially inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
 
Chauvin is serving more than 20 years for the death of George Floyd and for depriving him of his civil rights in a May 2020 encounter that kicked off nationwide protests.
 
Chauvin's family is "very concerned about the facility’s capacity to protect Derek from further harm," his lawyer, Greg Erickson, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "They remain unassured that any changes have been made to the faulty procedures that allowed Derek’s attack to occur in the first place."
 
John Turscak, 52, allegedly told federal correction officers that he targeted Chauvin because he was a high-profile inmate, that he plotted the attack for a month and that he would have killed him if guards had not intervened, according to court documents.
 
Turscak could see 60 years added to his federal sentence if he gets the maximum punishment on the four new charges he faces, which includes attempted murder. He was due for release in 2026, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
 
Turscak, a former gang member and snitch, was dropped as an FBI informant for dealing drugs, greenlighting assaults and extorting money, according to prosecutors.
 
He allegedly told investigators that he picked Black Friday for the attack to symbolize both BLM and the "Black Hand" of the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
 
The attack took place from behind in the law library inside Federal Correctional Institution Tucson on Nov. 24.
 
Authorities said guards intervened "immediately," but Erickson questioned how fast the response really was – noting Chauvin's 22 stab wounds. 
 
"Why was Derek allowed into the law library without a guard in close enough proximity to stop a possible attack?" he asked. "His family continues to wonder."
 
Prison experts have warned that Chauvin, like other high-profile inmates, is at increased risk.
 
"He was a dead man walking his first day in prison," said Keith Rovere, a former prison minister and the host of the "Lighter Side of Serial Killers" podcast. "This definitely won't be the last attack."
 
In an appeal filed last month, Chauvin claimed new evidence shows he was not responsible for the death. Separately, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal for a new trial just days before the stabbing.
 
Chauvin was one of four officers who arrested Floyd that day after he allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill at a coffee shop and refused to cooperate with police.
 
Chauvin, who was seen on a video that prompted riots around the country, knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes leading up to his death.
 
Erickson previously slammed the prison for "poor procedures and lack of institutional control" – referencing an incident last year in which an inmate allegedly smuggled a firearm into the facility and tried to shoot someone.
 
Prison officials said they "[take] seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community."
 
Citing privacy and safety concerns, authorities said they do not discuss the medical status or other "conditions of confinement" for inmates.
 
https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/12/1/hb03oy7zedb5m0rhj557tbnr6znepm
 
Raves for ‘Godzilla Minus One’
 
Who’s seen Toho’s “Godzilla Minus One”? The reviews are almost all glowing. Unless I somehow missed my invitation, I don’t believe there was a press screening for this one. Regardless, it made $11 million domestically this weekend, a real success.
 
“Godzilla Minus One” has a 97% (8.2/10) with critics, from 75 reviews. On Metacritic it’s scoring a very strong 79/100 from 24 reviews. On IMDB, it has an impressive 8.5 user rating.
 
The film takes place in a devastated post-war Japan where Godzilla goes on a rampage. This is the second of the live-action Reiwa era ‘Godzilla’ films, the first being 2016’s “Shin Godzilla”. It looks as though director Takashi Yamazaki has made one of the better films of the franchise.
 
This is the 37th film in the ‘Godzilla’ franchise, and Toho's 33rd Godzilla film.
 
It’s been awhile guys… how about a little on this day in history? 
 
On this day December 5th
 

771 Charlemagne becomes the sole King of the Franks after the death of his brother Carloman
1848 US President James K. Polk triggers gold rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California
1933 Prohibition ends in the US when 21st Amendment to the US Constitution ratified, 18th Amendment repealed (5:32 PM EST)
1973 Apple Records releases Paul McCartney & Wings album "Band on the Run" in US; the commercial and critical pinnacle of his post-Beatle work tops the charts in 7 countries
2001 "Ocean's Eleven" directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts premieres in Westwood, California
2017 Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping

 
Did you know? Ship the Mary Celeste is discovered mysteriously abandoned by her crew in the Atlantic Ocean on December 5th, 1872? 
 
On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail from New York City, with more than 1,700 barrels of alcohol destined for Genoa, Italy. On board were 10 people, including Captain Briggs, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter. Over the next two weeks, the ship encountered harsh weather. According to the last log entry—dated November 25—the Mary Celeste was some 6 nautical miles (11 km) from the Azores. Ten days later, December 5th, the vessel was spotted by the British brig Dei Gratia. Crew from that ship boarded the Mary Celeste and discovered it deserted. Although there was more than 3 feet (1 metre) of water in the hold—an amount that would not have caused panic—the vessel was seaworthy. Adding to the mystery was the fact that the cargo and personal belongings were largely undisturbed, although a longboat was missing. It appeared that the ship had been abandoned quickly. Crewmen from the Dei Gratia sailed the Mary Celeste to Gibraltar, some 800 miles (1,482 km) away. There British authorities conducted an investigation, which ultimately found no evidence of foul play.
 
How about some famous birthdays for December 5th?

Martin Van Buren was born on December 5th - 1782
George Armstrong Custer - 1839
Walt Disney - 1901
Little Richard - 1932