Two Congressional New Jersey Democrats who are vying to succeed Democrat Governor Phil Murphy <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/laken-riley-act-roils-nj-governors-race-2-dems-skip-roll-the-more-someone-campaigns-less-vote?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not vote</a> on the Laken Riley Act that passed this week in the House.
Reps. Mikie Sherrill of Essex and Josh Gottheimer of Bergen County were recorded as &#8220;not voting&#8221; on the bill, which would require illegal immigrants convicted of theft to be detained by municipal and state authorities.
“We’ve been very focused on border security; the Laken Riley Act makes it clear, if you’re committing crimes in America against people, it’s not going to be tolerated,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) stated.
Every Republican voted for the bill; only 438 Democrats did the same.
“This is Cowardly &#8211; @MikieSherrill + @Josh4Jersey are the same again. If you don’t have the courage to vote for a bill then what does that say about your courage to lead as Governor. What does it say about your willingness to stand up to political bosses and charge NJ? If you can’t vote what does it say about your willingness to demonstrate any core convictions… it’s cowardly,” Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop, another Democrat running for governor, charged.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is Cowardly &#8211; <a href="https://twitter.com/MikieSherrill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikieSherrill</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/Josh4Jersey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Josh4Jersey</a> are the same again. If you don’t have the courage to vote for a bill then what does that say about your courage to lead as Governor. What does it say about your willingness to stand up to political bosses and charge NJ? If you… <a href="https://t.co/T7JRbUveMt">https://t.co/T7JRbUveMt</a>
&mdash; Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1876987633282252852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“We lose elections when we don’t have any core convictions… when we can’t explain why we have a view and why we believe in it. Hiding is not an answer that wins elections,” he added.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We lose elections when we don’t have any core convictions… when we can’t explain why we have a view and why we believe in it. Hiding is not an answer that wins elections <a href="https://t.co/q1ft9KRorH">pic.twitter.com/q1ft9KRorH</a>
&mdash; Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1876987644502048919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost a gubernatorial election to Murphy in 2021, chimed in, &#8220;Shame on [Josh and Mikie] for gutlessly ducking a vote on the Laken Riley Act today.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Shame on <a href="https://twitter.com/Josh4Jersey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Josh4Jersey</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/MikieSherrill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikieSherrill</a> for gutlessly ducking a vote on the Laken Riley Act today. This brave young woman fought till her last breath against a murderous illegal immigrant, but Josh/Mikie didn&#39;t have the courage to stand up to their extreme far left base.
&mdash; Jack Ciattarelli (@Jack4NJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jack4NJ/status/1876740037150158902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
GOP State Senator Jon Brannick, who has announced his gubernatorial campaign, echoed, &#8220;I think you have to have campaign activities come secondary to your responsibility. &#8230; The key question is &#8212; if you’re going to run &#8212; campaign activities must be secondary to your voting.”
On February 24, 2024, Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was murdered while she was jogging near the University of Georgia. Her murderer, José Antonio Ibarra, 26, “was arrested in 2022 after entering the US illegally and was ‘paroled and released for further processing,’ according to a statement from ICE,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/25/us/uga-augusta-university-student-killing-monday/index.html/%5d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on February 26, 2024. “He was also arrested last September by New York City police and charged with ‘acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation,’ but police released him ‘before a detainer could be issued,’ ICE said.”

US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

‘It’s Cowardly’: 2 Dem NJ Gubernatorial Candidates Ripped For Not Voting On Laken Riley Act

Illegal Immigration

Laken Riley

New Jersey

Phil Murphy

Politics

LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson, who reportedly makes $399,000 a year and led the charge against former LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas, accusing him of ignoring complaints from women in the department, appeared in a video in which she said if someone complained about a woman firefighter’s inability to carry a man out of a fire, her response would be, “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”
Larson, a lesbian, is “very involved in girls’ fire camps up and down the West Coast which provide leadership, team building and empowerment to young women in high school,” the LAFD states in her <a href="https://lafd.org/equity-and-human-resources-bureau" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bio</a>.
In the video, Larson states, “You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency — whether it’s a medical call or a fire call — that looks like you. It gives that person a little more ease, knowing that somebody might understand their situation better. ‘Is she strong enough to do this?’ Or ‘You couldn’t carry my husband out of a fire.’ Which my response is, ‘He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson: 
&quot;Am I able to carry your husband out of a fire? He got himself in the wrong place.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BofTVr6dWP">pic.twitter.com/BofTVr6dWP</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1877458240050446339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In October 2021, LA Downtown News <a href="https://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/female-firefighters-call-for-lafd-chief-s-resignation/article_fd8e9c14-351d-11ec-a938-cfe5361589f1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Larson, other female firefighters, and outside coalitions issued a letter to then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, accusing the Los Angeles Fire Department of “rampant sexism, racism and abuse in the ranks that women and minorities routinely face.” The demanded Garcetti terminate Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
Larson was a <a href="https://www.firehouse.com/home/contact/53028987/kristine-larson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">founding member</a> of Equity on Fire (EOF) coalition; she served as president of Los Angeles Women in the Fire Service. She had criticized the LAFD, saying, “We (the LAFD) have a history of doing bad things to people who report abuses in this organization. &#8230; The deep-seated tradition of not ‘ratting’ people out — if that’s what you want to call it — keeps people in fear of not saying anything, and that’s the culture we have to change. If you’re being discriminated against, you should be able to make a complaint, have it validated and have that individual punished. That’s not what’s happening, because people are too afraid to say anything, and they suffer in silence for it.”

Firefighters who have been trained professionally are on duty to control the fire from various accidents and rescue the victims.

LAFD Asst Chief: If I Have To Carry A Man Out Of A Fire, ‘He Got Himself In the Wrong Place’

LGBTQ

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Fire Department

Natural Disaster

U.S.

The deadly and calamitous Southern California fires have precipitated much harsh criticism of the state’s lack of effort to confront the ever-present danger of wildfires.
What follows is a compendium of information that may prove useful in understanding where the state is vis-à-vis water and why California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies have elicited criticism.
In 2021, an <a href="https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/06/23/newsom-misled-the-public-about-wildfire-prevention-efforts-ahead-of-worst-fire-season-on-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> by CapRadio found that Newsom had “misrepresented his accomplishments and even disinvested in wildfire prevention. The investigation found Newsom overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in the very forestry projects he said needed to be prioritized to protect the state’s most vulnerable communities.”
“Data obtained by CapRadio and NPR’s California Newsroom show Cal Fire’s fuel reduction output dropped by half in 2020, to levels below Gov. Jerry Brown’s final year in office,” the investigation noted. “At the same time, Newsom slashed roughly $150 million from Cal Fire’s wildfire prevention budget.”
Newsom&#8217;s cut to wildfire prevention came after President Trump blasted him in 2019, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/flashback-trump-has-long-history-warning-newsom-over-terrible-wildfire-prevention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a> on social media, “The Governor of California, @GavinNewsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must ‘clean’ his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers. &#8230; Every year, as the fire’s rage &amp; California burns, it is the same thing-and then he comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help. No more. Get your act together Governor. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states.”
According to <a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Drought Monitor</a>, the Los Angeles area is in a “severe drought” spell, which means, among other things, that it is suffering from a fire season that is longer, with high burn intensity, dry fuels, and large fire spatial extent, as well as low reservoir levels.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
Newsom’s office <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/newsom-calls-trumps-claims-pure-fiction-after-president-elect-points-finger-over-california-fire-tragedy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a>, in response to criticism from President-elect Trump, “Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump&#8217;s claims that he would open some imaginary spigot.”
In 2020, Trump signed a <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-signs-order-diverting-more-water-to-california-farmers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memorandum</a> that would have brought more water to Southern and Central California. California then <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/california-sues-trump-administration-water-diversions-farmers-endangered-species/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued,</a> claiming that the reports used by federal agencies to justify the plan &#8220;run counter to the scientific evidence that was before the agencies&#8221; and didn&#8217;t take into account the potential harm to delta smelt, chinook salmon, and steelhead trout.
“About 30 percent of California’s total annual water supply comes from groundwater in normal years, and up to 60 percent in drought years,” The Water Education Foundation <a href="https://www.watereducation.org/all-california-water-sources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. Since the 1960s, Southern California has used recycled wastewater to replenish groundwater supplies, according to <a href="https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-water-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cal Matters</a>.
Southern California could use rainwater and spillover from sprinklers that heads to rivers or the ocean to improve water supply. “The state&#8217;s urban areas shed 770,000 to 3.9 million acre feet of runoff a year that could be captured, according to the Pacific Institute. That’s enough to supply between 2.7 and 13.7 million households for a year,” Cal Matters noted.
Because of the fire in Pacific Palisades — the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history — and the desperate need for water to fight the blaze, the water quality is decreasing, according to Janisse Quiñones, the chief executive officer and chief engineer of Los Angeles&#8217; Department of Water and Power. “Because we&#8217;re pushing the water system so hard, our water quality is decreasing,” Quiñones <a href="https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/why-did-pacific-palisades-water-hydrants-run-dry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We have a lot of ash in our system.”
Los Angeles’ NotifyLA System <a href="https://wgno.com/news/nmw/why-did-fire-hydrants-go-dry-for-crews-fighting-an-la-fire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alerted</a> Palisades residents and those of adjacent communities:
<blockquote>
The unprecedented demand for water in the Pacific Palisades over a sustained period for firefighting efforts has resulted in significant low water pressure in your area. As is common in many wildfire situations, this reduces water quality and can pose a health risk.
</blockquote>
The three water tanks — each which stores roughly one million gallons of water —  that feed the fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades area went dry Wednesday morning in the midst of the raging fire because they need to maintain enough pressure for water to travel uphill to the hydrants. The pressure had decreased due to heavy water use for fighting the fires.
In September 2020, Newsom posed for a photo-op with then vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris to push their climate change agenda. The photo was taken on the property of a family from Auberry, California whose home was devastated by a wildfire. The homeowner’s grown children said they had not been allowed to visit their home as it was under an evacuation order and added that Harris and Newsom had not gotten permission to be on their property when they took the photos.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Climate change is real. <a href="https://t.co/iy1uuRpyQr">pic.twitter.com/iy1uuRpyQr</a>
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1305967738678947840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Spent time surveying a burn site with <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> in an area that has been devastated by the recent wildfires in California. I’m incredibly grateful for the courage of our brave firefighters and those who have come near and far to help those fleeing the destruction. <a href="https://t.co/EHSUPgkOsl">pic.twitter.com/EHSUPgkOsl</a>
&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1305977200936706050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The homeowner’s son, Trampas Patten, excoriated Harris and Newsom on Facebook, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2624342/california-man-accuses-kamala-harris-and-gavin-newsom-of-trespassing-in-burned-home-for-photo-op/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a>:
<blockquote>
For the friends of mine that don’t recognize the fireplace in the background, that is what is left of my parents house! What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda! Political party wouldn’t have made a difference in this moment. Decent human beings that have character and class, wouldn’t air someone else’s misfortune on national television! Think about this when you go to the polls in a few weeks to vote. Look at this picture closely, imagine it is what is left of your hard work, hopes, dreams, place of sanctuary. Do you want this kind of leadership, using you and your loss for political gain?!
</blockquote>

Gavin Newsom

CA Fires: Newsom Cut Roughly $150 Million From Wildfire Prevention Budget In The Past

California

Wildfires

On Wednesday, GOP Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced the Justice for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/9-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9/11</a> Act, originally introduced by Cotton and McConnell last August, to cancel any plea deals made between the Biden administration and the Guantanamo Bay inmates who planned the 9/11/2001 attacks. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) is introducing companion legislation in the House.
Three detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including alleged 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, had filed plea deals. Last week, a military appeals court ruled that the Pentagon could not reverse the deals reached by military prosecutors and defense attorneys.
The Act <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/11_plea_deal_bill_reintro.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>:
<blockquote>
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 949h of title 10, United States Code, any plea agreement entered into by Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, or Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi for actions involving the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and its related judgment, shall not preclude the trial of such individual under chapter 47A of such title or any other provision of law for that terrorist attack. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, or Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi under chapter 47A of title 10, United States Code, or any other provision of law for the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, a sentence of death shall be available. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of any sentence imposed on Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, or Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, such individual shall be held at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in solitary confinement; provided no contact with foreign nationals; and provided no psychological treatment except that specifically authorized by medical authorities at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay; and shall not be transferred to the continental United States or any other country. 
</blockquote>
“Giving a plea deal to the terrorist masterminds behind 9/11 is disgraceful and an insult to the victims of the attacks, as well at those who served to avenge them,” Cotton <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-mcconnell-lawler-reintroduce-bill-to-stop-joe-biden-from-releasing-9/11-terrorists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “These monsters should have faced justice decades ago; instead, Joe Biden has set the stage to let them go free. My bill will stop this travesty and prevent the Biden administration from replenishing the ranks of our terrorist enemies any further on his way out the door.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
“In the wake of terrorist savagery, our obligation is to deliver justice,” McConnell echoed. “However long it takes, those responsible for September 11 deserve nothing more, and the families of their victims deserve nothing less.”
“The court’s decision to uphold the plea deal for three 9/11 conspirators is alarming,” Moran added. “In addition to the plea deal, the Biden administration continues to use its final days in power to release some of the world&#8217;s most violent terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. These men should face trial for their crimes, and Congress must act quickly to pass this important legislation.”
“September 11th is a date that will forever be seared in our national memory, especially for New Yorkers,” Lawler stated. “For the Biden-Harris Administration to have offered a plea deal without the death penalty to the very people who planned the attacks that took the lives of almost 3,000 is a betrayal of our cops, firefighters, and 9/11 victims and their families. The Justice for 9/11 Act will nullify this horrendous plea deal and prevent any future ones from being offered to those who perpetrated this heinous attack.”
“A hearing is scheduled for later this week at Guantanomo Bay, where Mohammad and two other defendants could plead guilty in separate hearings, with the death penalty removed as a possible punishment,” Fox News <a href="//FE2DFBB2-BFEC-43AE-BAEC-9AFFDA6DD542/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>, adding, “The administration announced on Monday 11 Yemeni detainees, including two alleged bodyguards for Usama bin Laden, would be resettled in Oman, after being held for two decades without charges.”

US-ATTACKS-WORLD TRADE-SMOKE

Cotton, McConnell Push Act To Bar Biden From Giving Convicted 9/11 Terrorists Plea Deals

9/11

Courts

Guantanamo Bay

Joe Biden

Mitch McConnell

Plea deal

Tom Cotton

As fires rage through the Los Angeles area, Kristin M. Crowley, the first woman and lesbian to become Los Angeles Fire Department Chief, is facing harsh criticism for her focus on DEI initiatives instead of a pure meritocracy.
Crowley, who was appointed fire chief by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2022, <a href="https://www.saintmarys.edu/news/forging-future-lafd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a diversity, equity, and inclusion bureau in January 2023, and prepared to implement a three-year plan committing the LAFD to an organization embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
According to the LAFD, DEI is a top priority for Crowley. “Creating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities are Chief Crowley’s priorities,” the LAFD <a href="https://lafd.org/about/organization/fire-chief" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> states.
“People ask me, &#8216;What number are you looking for?’” she told a reporter. “I’m not looking for a number; it’s never enough.” She said of including members of the LGBT community, “They feel included; they feel valued, and they feel part of a cohesive team. &#8230; That just kind of opens the door of people who thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know that that was an opportunity for me.’”
In June 2024, Crowley served as grand marshal of the LA Pride Parade. “This feels like a whole other level, especially being part of the parade as a grand marshal of the Los Angeles Fire Department,” she <a href="//3B56127F-2573-474A-B493-57E76F8E2C68/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “It’s very humbling. I have been proud to participate in the pride parade over the past few years, but this is extra special—being able to be out front and represent the department and our community as a whole.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
LA Fire Chief is being hailed as the first female and LGBTQ fire chief in Los Angeles. She says her priority is DEI.
Here she is waving a pride flag at a pride parade while dressed in uniform. <a href="https://t.co/E2mjsGN2KK">pic.twitter.com/E2mjsGN2KK</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1877042946400190654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
By 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, three fires were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-southern-california-santa-ana-winds-b565a3bd043d6444820f1571b2307bf1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raging</a> in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades fire, west of Los Angeles, which had burned roughly 4.5 square miles; the Eaton fire, north of Pasadena, which had burned about 16.6 square miles, and the Hurst fire, in the San Fernando Valley, which had burned roughly 500 acres. Over <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-fires-things-to-know-winds-f93d41dc901e352b63e86ab67ef7790e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">70,000 residents were under evacuation orders</a>. Over 250, 000 customers were <a href="https://poweroutage.us/area/county/3015" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without power</a>.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
“By 3 a.m. Wednesday, all fire hydrants in the Palisades area ‘went dry,’ said Janisse Quiñones, chief executive and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the city’s utility,” the Los Angeles Times <a href="//3B56127F-2573-474A-B493-57E76F8E2C68/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Los Angeles Selects First Female Fire Chief

Los Angeles Fire Chief Says DEI Is A Top Priority

LGBT

Social Issues

President-elect Donald Trump has made no bones about the United States possibly acquiring Greenland, the vast territory currently owned by Denmark. There are excellent reasons for Trump to do so, considering Greenland’s necessity for U.S. security purposes and its vital rare earth mineral deposits that could protect the U.S. as communist China maneuvers to get global control of those essential minerals. Greenland has the world&#8217;s largest deposits of rare earth minerals outside of China.
First, a little history: The Norwegian explorer Erik the Red is credited with <a href="https://visitgreenland.com/about-greenland/erik-the-red/">naming</a> the island Greenland in the 10th century to make it sound more welcoming. In 1380, Norway came under Danish rule. Around the end of the 19th century, some American explorers, including Robert Peary, explored the northern sections of Greenland, leading to claims that America had territorial rights in the area.
Germany sank the Lusitania in 1915 during World War I; President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of State Robert Lansing thought that Germany might annex Denmark, permitting Germany to grab the Danish West Indies as a naval or submarine base and then attack shipping in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Denmark required the U.S. to first recognize the Danish claim over the whole of Greenland; the United States government then bought the West Indies and changed the name to the Virgin Islands of the United States. Denmark formally declared sovereignty over all of Greenland in 1921.
The administration of President Harry Truman <a href="https://apnews.com/article/9d4a8021c3650800fdf6dd5903f68972">reportedly</a> considered buying Greenland in 1946 for $100 million, but Denmark refused to sell it.
In 1951, the U.S. and Denmark signed the <a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/den001.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defense of Greenland Agreement</a>. It stated that “armed forces of the parties to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization may make use of facilities in Greenland in defense of Greenland and the rest of the North Atlantic Treaty area.”
“A decades-old defense treaty between Denmark and the U.S. gives the U.S. military virtually unlimited rights in Greenland at America’s northernmost base, Thule Air Base,” The Wall Street Journal<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-eyes-a-new-real-estate-purchase-greenland-11565904223" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reported</a> in 2019. “Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it includes a radar station that is part of a U.S. ballistic missile early-warning system. The base is also used by the U.S. Air Force Space Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.”
As Matthew Shoemaker<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/5057818-greenland-security-us-control/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> noted</a> in The Hill: “Greenland’s strategic importance has only increased. A warming Arctic is opening new shipping routes and exposing vast mineral resources, attracting the attention of global powers like China and Russia. &#8230; The island’s proximity to North America — just a few hours’ flight from major U.S. cities — underscores its critical role in homeland defense.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
In 2018, the Trump administration warned Denmark not to allow China, which wanted to build three airports in Greenland, to do so. China could potentially use the airports for warplanes.
As far as the threat of China gaining global control over rare earth minerals, it is important to note the following:
“Rare earth elements (REEs) – a group of 17 critical metals – are indispensable components in<a href="https://www.army-technology.com/features/securing-the-rare-earth-supply-chain-is-crucial-for-defence/?cf-view" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> military defense systems</a>,<a href="https://versae.com/the-most-important-metals-in-electronics-manufacturing-rare-earth-metals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> consumer electronics</a> and <a href="https://www.stanfordmaterials.com/blog/major-applications-of-rare-earth-elements-in-renewable-energy.html#:~:text=Rare%20earth%20elements%20are%20indispensable,hydrogen%20production%2C%20and%20catalytic%20converters." target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewable energy technologies</a>,” NewsSecurityBeat <a href="https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2024/08/mine-the-tech-gap-why-chinas-rare-earth-dominance-persists/#:~:text=China%20has%20an%20effective%20monopoly,)%20and%20Praseodymium%20(Pr).">reported</a>. “Despite more than a decade of sustained efforts by Western countries and companies to loosen China’s grip, Beijing, by far remains the<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/12/14/rare-earth-mines-00071102" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> top player</a> in the REE global mining, processing and refining sectors. &#8230; China has an effective<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/12/14/rare-earth-mines-00071102" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> monopoly</a> over processing major heavy rare earths – Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb), and Light Rare Earths – Neodymium (Nd) and Praseodymium (Pr). &#8230; From 1950 to October 2018, China filed over 25,000 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301420721002440" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rare earth patents</a>, surpassing the US’ 10,000.“
“Greenland contains some of the largest deposits of rare earth elements (REE) on Earth, such as yttrium, scandium, neodymium and dysprosium,” Innovation News Network <a href="https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/why-world-turning-to-greenlands-rare-earth-metals/32694/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “These REEs have unique properties that make them ideal for several industrial applications due to their ability to withstand extreme temperatures or chemical agents.”
In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there could be 17.5 billion undiscovered barrels of oil and 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off the coast of Greenland, and the Arctic Circle possibly has another 90 billion barrels of oil.

DENMARK-US-GREENLAND-DIPLOMACY-GOVERNMENT

Why Greenland Matters: National Security, Rare Earth Minerals, And Oil

Donald Trump

Executive

Greenland

In the face of those who have criticized the Israeli military for targeting hospitals where Hamas terrorists hide, on Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces released a video in which a member of the terrorist group Hamas admitted that Hamas and Islamic Jihad use hospitals to hide their terrorists and weapons specifically so that the Israeli military won’t target them.
The Israel Defense Forces released a video of Anas Muhammad Faiz Al-Sharif, 21, a Hamas terrorist who had been hiding out at Kamal Adwan Hospital, being questioned. Using a civilian or another protected person as a shield for military operations is a direct violation of International Humanitarian Law and is considered a war crime. That is clearly stated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“I work at Kamal Adwan Hospital as a cleaning supervisor,” Al-Sharif stated. “I joined the Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas) in 2021 in the Nukhba forces in the Western Battalion.”
The “Nukhba forces” are an “elite unit within Hamas, which includes operatives chosen by senior Hamas leaders,” CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/israel-hamas-war-who-are-nukhba-force-military-unit-palestine-army-gaza-idf-18042121.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. “Five Hamas leaders secretly planned the bloody invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, with 70 commandos from the terrorist group’s elite Nukhba Force leading the charge across the Gaza border, the London-based, pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported on Wednesday,” JNS <a href="https://www.jns.org/five-hamas-leaders-planned-oct-7-attack-70-nukhba-fighters-led-the-charge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in January 2024.
“Where were you arrested?” the interrogator asked.
“Inside Kamal Adwan Hospital,” he replied.
“When you were at Kamal Adwan Hospital, who else was there?” the interrogator continued.
“There were people there, the staff — the medical team I work with daily and directly. There were also operatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Al-Nasser Division and other organizations in Northern Gaza,” Al-Sharif admitted.
“Why were you hiding in Kamal Adwan Hospital?” the interrogator queried.
“They believe it is a safe haven for them because the military cannot directly target it,” Al-Sharif said.
“What do you mean when you say it is a ‘safe haven’?” the interrogator pressed.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
“Because there are civilians and patients there,” Al-Sharif answered. “They think the military cannot bomb it, such as with a missile from an F-16 or by demolishing the building.”
“Now, when the operatives were in the hospital, what were they doing?” the interrogator wanted to know.
“The operatives were there transporting equipment and weapons like AK-47s &#8230; and pistols,” Al-Sharif revealed. “The weapons were transferred to and from the hospital from the outside in and from the inside out within the hospital. It was used for observation and patrols. They leave the hospital late at night; they arrive at the hospital in the morning. Inside the hospital, they distribute the grenades and mortars equipment for attacking tanks, for ambush positions and for tunnels underground to the command and control center, whether at Kamal Adwan, Faluja (Jabaliya Camp), or in new locations where the operatives are located.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/asBARDtg4P0?si=b8sGNGql1budYx0s" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Kamal Adwan Hospital after Israeli attacks on Gaza

WATCH: Hamas Member Admits Terrorists And Lethal Weapons Are In Hospitals So Israel Won’t Attack

Hamas

Hospitals

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Terrorism

World

Two men sitting on death row refuse to sign the paperwork that would have their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, which President Joe Biden ordered. The two men filed emergency motions to block their commutations, as they said such an action would deprive them of efforts to prove their innocence.
Shannon Agofsky, 53, and Len Davis, 60, are sitting on death row at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.
&#8220;To commute his sentence now, while the defendant has active litigation in court, is to strip him of the protection of heightened scrutiny. This constitutes an undue burden, and leaves the defendant in a position of fundamental unfairness, which would decimate his pending appellate procedures,” Agofsky&#8217;s motion states, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-death-row-inmates-reject-bidens-commutation-life-sentences-rcna186235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
Davis “has always maintained that having a death sentence would draw attention to the overwhelming misconduct” allegedly taken by the Justice Department, his motion states.
On October 6, 1989, Agofsky, then 18 years old, and his brother Joseph, 23,  kidnapped Oklahoma bank president Dan Short from his home in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas, “Short was then gagged and tied up with duct tape, bound to a chair, weighed down with a concrete block and chain hoist, and thrown off Cowskin Bridge into Grand Lake. Officials said Short was still alive when he went into the lake,” FourStatesHomePage <a href="https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/news/shannon-agofskys-death-sentenced-commuted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. The brothers received life sentences; Joseph died in a North Carolina prison in 2013. Shannon Agrofsky was later given a death sentence for the 2004 stomping death of an inmate at the federal prison in Beaumont, Texas.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
Davis, a former New Orleans police officer, was convicted of orchestrating the murder of Kim Groves, a mother of three children, who had filed a complaint against him that said he had beaten up a teenager. A fellow officer informed Davis of Groves’ complaint against him, which she filed with Internal Affairs. “FBI tapes, obtained after Davis allegedly was hired as a muscleman in a bogus drug ring run by undercover federal agents, showed Davis exultant after Hardy told him Groves was dead,” NOLA <a href="https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_72b8b9a4-059a-5b2c-8ee5-252c398925d1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“A <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/274/480/">1927 </a><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/274/480/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Sup</a><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/274/480/">r</a><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/274/480/">eme Court r</a><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/274/480/">uling</a>, for example, maintains that a president has the power to grant reprieves and pardons, and &#8216;the convict&#8217;s consent is not required,&#8217;” NBC News reported.
The Office of the Independent Police Monitor in New Orleans stated that Biden’s commutation of Davis&#8217; death sentence is “a painful reminder that justice is not always served as it should be. In this action, President Biden showed more mercy for Davis than this corrupt officer ever showed for Kim Groves, her children and family, and the people of New Orleans.”

U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-BIDEN-JAPAN-NIPPON STEEL-U.S. STEEL-LAWSUIT

2 Death Row Inmates Reject Biden’s Commutation Of Their Sentences

Commutation

Death Row

Death sentence

A new large-scale <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03408-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> tested how artificial intelligence (AI) could improve the detection of breast cancer, and the results showed a notable increase in the percentage of cancers detected.
The study from the University of Lübeck in Germany involved 463,094 women between the ages of 50-69 who were tested for breast cancer between July 2021 and February 2023. The scans were independently examined by two radiologists, but for 260,739 of the women, one of the radiologists used AI for help.
“Radiologists in the AI-supported screening group achieved a breast cancer detection rate of 6.7 per 1,000, which was 17.6% higher than and statistically superior to the rate achieved in the control group,” the study stated. “The AI system used was Vara MG (from the German company Vara), a CE-certified medical device designed to display mammograms (viewer software) and preclassify screening examinations to assist radiologists in their reporting routine.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
 “We could improve the detection rate without increasing the harm for the women taking part in breast cancer screening,” co-author Professor Alexander Katalinic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/07/more-breast-cancer-cases-found-when-ai-used-in-screenings-study-finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “In our study, we had a higher detection rate without having a higher rate of false positives. This is a better result, with the same harm.”
The study pointed out that using AI could significantly reduce the workload for radiologists, stating, “Furthermore, the programs generate substantial volumes of mammograms, which, in many programs (including the German mammography screening program), require interpretation by two independent radiologists; a consensus conference or arbitration may also be necessary to achieve high sensitivity and specificity. Thus, the radiologists’ work involves the repetitive task of interpreting hundreds of images per week, most of which have no signs of breast cancer. This approach heavily relies on human expertise, yet screening programs are experiencing a lack of radiologists. &#8230; Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into breast cancer screening workflows could alleviate some of the problems that screening programs face.”
“Here in the UK, there is specific interest in whether use of AI plus a single radiologist can safely replace reading by two radiologists. The sooner this is researched definitively the better,” Stephen Duffy, emeritus professor of cancer screening at Queen Mary University of London, noted.

Woman in pink shirt and ribbon holds her breast as a symbol of necessity for prevention checks for women.

New Large-Scale Study Shows AI Significantly Helps Breast Cancer Screening

Artificial Intelligence

Breast Cancer

Health

Technology

Donald Trump fan Dana White, the CEO of UFC, has been named to the board of Meta.
Meta recently announced that Republican Joel Kaplan would be replacing leftist Nick Clegg as president of global affairs; Kaplan had been the company&#8217;s vice president of global public policy since 2011. He had also served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff under former President George W. Bush.
“I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board,” White <a href="https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/ufc-dana-white-joins-meta-board-1236267467/">said</a>. “I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future. &#8230; I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level.”
“Dana is the President and CEO of UFC, and he has built it into one of the most valuable, fastest growing, and most popular sports enterprises in the world,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November after Trump’s election, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/06/technology/dana-white-meta-board-ufc.html">stated</a>. “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”
Trump honored White by choosing him to nominate Trump for the presidency at the Republican National Convention. White noted that when Trump asked White to nominate him, Trump said, “I only wish you didn’t have to interrupt your family trip, but I hope they understand. They love you and they know how important this is.”
“Now, think about this,” White suggested. “This man’s running for President of the United States. He’s fighting for the future of this country, and he’s concerned about interrupting my family trip. That’s the President Trump that I know. A man who truly cares about people. The mainstream media likes to push the narrative that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. I absolutely know that’s not the truth because I’ve been friends with this guy for 25 years.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN &#8217;25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
“I’m in the tough guy business, and this man is the toughest, most resilient human being that I’ve ever met in my life,” White said. “The higher the stakes, the harder he fights, and this guy never ever gives up. So what’s at stake here? The answer is that in President Trump’s text and I quote, ‘A fight for our country.’”
“I know he is running for president to save our American dream,” White declared. “I’m living the American dream and I know the American dream is very real. Whether you were born in this country or came here from someplace else, this is the last real land of opportunity.
“This election, we all get to choose,” he said. “I know I’m going to choose strength and security. I know I’m going to choose opportunity and prosperity. I know I’m going to choose real American leadership and a real American bada**.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zuckerberg-says-meta-restoring-free-speech-will-get-rid-of-fact-checkers">Zuckerberg Says Meta &#8216;Restoring Free Speech,&#8217; Will &#8216;Get Rid Of Fact-Checkers&#8217;</a>

UFC Fight Night: Dern v Yan

Zuckerberg Chooses Dana White For Board Of Meta

Dana White

Mark Zuckerberg

US-POLITICS-CONGRESS

Dem Leaders Hold Jan 6 Prayer Session, Rip Republicans During Trump Certification

Charles Schumer

Hakeem Jeffries

January 6

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers asked a New York appeals court to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-e20933f9418bd378925e5f9e75f28485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reverse a judge’s ruling</a> that would schedule Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case on Friday. They also said they would appeal Judge Juan Merchan&#8217;s decision not to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
If the sentencing is delayed beyond January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, he would be immune from the criminal proceedings.
The attorneys asked Merchan to inform them by Monday afternoon whether he would “allow sufficient time for President Trump to seek an emergency appellate review.” Merchan acknowledged that if the sentencing were postponed beyond the inauguration, sentencing after he leaves office in 2029 “may become the only viable option.” He said he intended to sentence Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” which would entail closing the case without jail time, a fine, or probation.
“Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung stated. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
Judge Merchan ruled last week that Trump’s conviction in the case in which his former attorney, Michael Cohen, made a payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, should not be thrown out of court because he had been elected president.
“The Constitution dictates that only a President, after taking the oath of office, has the authority of the Chief Executive, a President-elect does not. Accordingly, a President-elect is not permitted to avail himself of the protections afforded to the individual occupying that Office. &#8230; Binding precedent does not provide that an individual, upon becoming President, can retroactively dismiss or vacate prior criminal acts nor does it grant blanket Presidential-elect immunity,” Merchan wrote.
“Any claim Defendant may have that circumstances have changed as a result of Defendant’s victory in the Presidential election, while convenient, is disingenuous,” he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-york-criminal-case-excerpts-59e72847cd80e5f0c734b02fa0426e17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a>. “Defendant has always pronounced, since the inception of this case, confidence and indeed the expectation that he would prevail in the 2024 Election — confidence that has proven well-founded. That he would become the ‘President-elect’ and be required to assume all the responsibilities that come with the transition were entirely anticipated. Thus, it was fair for this Court to trust that his request to adjourn sentencing until after the election carried with it the implied consent that he would face sentence during the window between the election and the taking of the oath of office.”
George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley slammed Merchan&#8217;s decisions against Trump, saying they were the “final cathartic act for lawfare warriors.”

Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania

Trump’s Lawyers Ask Court To Delay Sentencing in Hush Money Case

Juan Merchan

Stormy Daniels

Menu

Hank Berrien