Summary

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, has reportedly fled the country, according to Russia and rebel forces.

His last public appearance was a week ago, and his whereabouts remain unknown, with conflicting reports about his departure and potential destination.

Let's face it, the dems don't care about the commoners, the republicans are actually pure evil, everyone was happy when that shitstain CEO got shot.

Maybe we should build on this momentum we have to drive actual change at the political level.

my first act as president in 2029 would be to issue a full and unconditional pardon of the billionaire killer.

edit:

well alrighty then, followup question, does anyone want to join my newly formed political party? I'm going to start working on drafting our mission statement, or manifesto or whatever it should be called.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is one of the Earth’s last intact ecosystems. Vast and little-known, this 19 million-acre expanse along Alaska’s north slope is home to some of the region’s last remaining polar bears, as well as musk oxen, wolves and wolverines. Millions of birds from around the world migrate to or through the region each year, and it serves as the calving grounds for the porcupine caribou.

Donald Trump has called the refuge the US’s “biggest oil farm.”

The first Trump administration opened 1.5 million acres of the refuge’s coastal plain to the oil and gas industry, and under Trump’s watch, the US government held its first-ever oil and gas lease sale there.

The president-elect has promised to revive his crusade to “drill baby drill” on the refuge as soon as he returns to the White House in January, falsely claiming it holds more oil than Saudi Arabia. Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for Trump’s second term, calls for an immediate expansion of oil and gas drilling in Alaska, including in the ANWR, noting that the state “is a special case and deserves immediate action.”

Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and 370,000 have been injured since Russia’s invasion began, marking a rare admission of the conflict’s toll.

He also claimed 198,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, though casualty figures from both sides remain unverified.

The update comes amid heightened fighting, with Russia suffering record monthly casualties in November.

Talks with French President Macron and U.S. Trump focused on a potential peace deal, with Zelensky emphasizing the need for international guarantees to secure lasting peace against Russian aggression.

Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under President-elect Donald Trump.

Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity.

Summary

Hungary’s intelligence agency allegedly spied on EU officials by searching hotel rooms, extracting data from laptops, and surveilling Hungarian citizens working in EU institutions, as reported by Belgian media and NGOs.

The espionage reportedly dates back years, with heightened activity during Hungary’s presidency of the EU Council.

Targets included EU anti-fraud investigators (OLAF) probing misuse of EU funds.

While espionage against EU institutions is common, such actions by an EU member state are unprecedented.

A majority of Canadians would be hesitant to buy U.S. goods in response to the proposed American tariff on products from Canada, according to a new survey.

The findings of a recently released Nanos Research survey suggest a tariff on Canadian exports into the U.S. would, for two-thirds of Canadians, negatively impact the likelihood they'd purchase U.S.-made goods.

On Nov. 25, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until the two countries clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears open to switching parties to become a Republican, as he declined to rule out a future change in political allegiances during a pair of interviews Friday that came as he has increasing warmed to President-elect Donald Trump.

The comments from Adams, the top Democrat in one of the country’s most liberal cities, riled critics who have grown concerned over the mayor’s increasing willingness to throw his support behind Trump and his hardline immigration policies.

Adams, who faces federal corruption charges, was a registered Republican in the 1990s and early 2000s but has spent his political career as a Democrat.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/29189128

8 December 2024

Summary

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty criticized public outrage over the health insurance industry following the assassination of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson.

In a leaked video to staff, Witty dismissed criticism as “misinformation” and urged employees not to engage with media.

Thompson’s murder outside a Manhattan hotel has intensified scrutiny of the industry’s practices, with bullet casings found at the scene bearing phrases linked to insurance claim denial tactics.

The killing has sparked debate on UnitedHealthcare’s history of denying claims, while the shooter remains at large.

Witty faces unrelated DOJ insider trading allegations.