by | Jan 26, 2024 | Aggregate
The United States announced on Friday the suspension of its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a humanitarian organization aiding Palestinians.
This decision follows allegations of the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the Hamas terror attacks in Israel on October 7, Jewish Insider reported.
The U.S. State Department’s move comes in the wake of UNRWA’s admission and subsequent dismissal of several staff members. This action was taken after Israel provided the agency with evidence linking these individuals to the terror attacks.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement:
“The Israeli Authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October.
“To protect the Agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay. Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.
“UNRWA reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the abhorrent attacks of 7 October and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages and their safe return to their families.
“These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began. Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world”.
The Biden regime, traditionally a strong backer of UNRWA, expressed its grave concerns over these allegations.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement:
The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter. We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate. We also welcome the UN’s announcement of a “comprehensive and independent” review of UNRWA. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7.
UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support. Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.
The United States has reached out to the Government of Israel to seek more information about these allegations, and we have briefed Members of Congress. We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and Government of Israel regarding this matter.
On Capitol Hill, the news has caused a stir, with Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) insisting on an immediate cessation of U.S. contributions to UNRWA until a comprehensive and independent inquiry is conducted.
“This rot is deep and the U.S. should immediately pause all funding to UNRWA until an independent investigation is carried out,” Waltz wrote on X.
Last month I sent a letter to the UN urging them to investigate these claims.
This rot is deep and the U.S. should immediately pause all funding to UNRWA until an independent investigation is carried out. https://t.co/A0FAg4gpbF
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 26, 2024
According to Jewish Insider, an Israeli journalist reported in December about a claim from one of the Israeli hostages, alleging that a UNRWA teacher was among their captors. At that time, UNRWA urged caution against making “unverified claims,” warning against potential misinformation.
Last year, America First Legal (AFL), headed by former Trump Senior Advisor Stephen Miller, won a “key procedural victory in its lawsuit to stop the Biden Administration from violating the Taylor Force Act by subsidizing terrorism with American tax dollars.”
The small but meaningful victory in the case, brought by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and others, will give AFL expedited discovery that could uncover US aid intended for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank being unlawfully used to indirectly benefit terrorism. The State Department describes the funding as being at a “high risk” of benefiting Hamas.
This would be a violation of the Taylor Force Act. The 2017 legislation was intended to “cut some aid to Palestinians until they end stipends for terror convicts and families of slain attackers” according to The Times of Israel.
AFL’s brief, filed in August 2023 before the atrocious Hamas attack last weekend, alleges that a FOIA’d production from the Department of State includes “a license application to the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) seeking authorization to conduct official US Government activities in the West Bank and Gaza that might otherwise be prohibited by counterterrorism sanctions regulations.”
“Pay For Slay”: America First Legal Challenges Biden’s Funding of Palestine as State Department Admits “High Risk” Funding Benefits Hamas Terrorists
The post DEVELOPING: U.S. Halts Funding to UN Agency Following Allegations of Employee Involvement in Oct 7 Israel Massacre appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jan 26, 2024 | Aggregate
Pennsylvania State Legislators filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden Regime, Governor Josh Shapiro, and the Pennsylvania Department of State for countless election law violations.
BREAKING: Pennsylvania State Legislators have filed a comprehensive lawsuit against the Biden Regime, Governor Josh Shapiro, & the Department of State for countless election law violations
The Constitution gives state legislatures the sole authority to set the time, places, &… pic.twitter.com/gvo8qg1XgQ
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 26, 2024
The lawmakers posted their lawsuit online.
PAFC led by @dwkeefer filed a federal lawsuit alleging extreme overreach by both @POTUS and @GovernorShapiro .
The lawsuit seeks to declare that President Biden’s Executive Order, Governor Shapiro’s Edict, and the DOS’s Directives are unconstitutional and should be reversed… pic.twitter.com/WIyH1FtqzX
— Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus (@PAFreedomCaucus) January 25, 2024
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Beth Brelje at The Epoch Times reported:
A group of 24 Republican legislators in Pennsylvania have filed a federal complaint against President Joe Biden, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of State, saying they have usurped the authority of the legislature by changing voter registration and election rules.
The legislators say the Elections Clause and the Electors Clause of the U.S. Constitution give state legislators the sole constitutional right to determine the manner of elections, and there is no role for the president, governor, or other executive officials, such as the secretary of state, to create, rewrite, or disregard the laws established by the legislature. The group alleges they have been unconstitutionally excluded from the law-making process regulating federal elections for president and Congress.
The plaintiffs are Pennsylvania state Reps. Dawn Keefer, Timothy Bonner, Barry Jozwiak, Barbara Gleim, Joseph Hamm, Wendy Fink, Robert Kauffman, Stephanie Borowicz, Donald (Bud) Cook, Paul Michael Jones, Joseph D’Orsie, Charity Krupa, Leslie Rossi, David Zimmerman, Robert Leadbeter, Dan Moul, Thomas Jones, David Maloney, Timothy Twardzik, David Rowe, Joanne Stehr, Aaron Bernstine, Kathy Rapp, and state Sen. Cris Dush.
Their complaint in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania asks a judge to declare three actions unconstitutional: a voter registration executive order made by President Biden; a voter registration action by Mr. Shapiro, and some Department of State directives. They also request that the judge issue an order prohibiting the president, governor, or state executives from making future changes to the elections process in Pennsylvania without following the legislative process.
The post Pennsylvania State Legislators File Comprehensive Lawsuit Against Biden Regime, Governor Shapiro, and Dept. of State over Election Law Violations appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jan 26, 2024 | Aggregate
Credit: @RNCResearch
Joe Biden’s mental deterioration appears to have reached a point where he does not even know how to wear a hat properly and Americans have responded in brutal fashion.
As the Gateway Pundit’s Cristina Laila reported, Joe Biden on Thursday traveled to Superior, Wisconsin to deliver remarks on his “Investing in America and Infrastructure Law” at Earth Rider Brewery. While there, he dropped a creepy one-liner which caused an awkward moment of silence and stopped to listen to a barrel of beer.
Following the event, Biden posed with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and a few construction workers in the bar area. Notice anything wrong with Biden’s hard hat in the picture?
Nothing like having a beer with some great union workers and yes, that would be @JoeBiden in Superior, Wisconsin. @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/caMGiRXjPe
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) January 25, 2024
Yes, Biden is posing with his hard hat on wrong. How did his or Klobuchar’s handlers not recognize this when the photo was snapped?
Social media users responded with absolute mockery. Many even wondered if the construction workers were deliberately trolling Biden, knowing his hat was on backwards.
Kudos to these American workers who put Biden’s hat on backwards. pic.twitter.com/QZ0Rcbjmzb
— Sir Paul Alves (@StarshipAlves) January 26, 2024
REAL MEN love Joe Biden! He’s one of them and he definitely knows how to wear a hard hat!!!
Don’t @ me w/ #joebidenDESTROYSAmerica https://t.co/b13wMC8Lw9
— Foxy Mulder “I want to believe” (@AgentMulder1013) January 26, 2024
Doofy put his prop helmet on backwards pic.twitter.com/UyFEVSP8mC
— Daily Trite (@realDailyTrite) January 26, 2024
Wow, Biden actually looks like he doesn’t have dementia in this picture.
Oh wait… he’s wearing the hard hat backwards.
LMFAO https://t.co/no0BW4pk5H
— Philip Anderson (@VoteBidenOut) January 26, 2024
Moments later, Biden sniffed their hair, after ordering Vanilla ice cream on the Rocks.
— Julio Galindo (@JulioGa90377851) January 26, 2024
I’m sorry why is Joe Biden in a miners hat if he likes minors pic.twitter.com/MiGYNw1B6w
— Deep₿lueCrypto (@DeepBlueCrypto) January 26, 2024
Even these guys trolled Biden, look at how his hard hat is backwards! Let’s Go Brandon! pic.twitter.com/mcCGaA6Qqg
— Victoria Arnold (@Victori12137515) January 26, 2024
Fixed it pic.twitter.com/rfdkFuX0Nw
— AwakenedOutlaw (@AwakenedOutlaw) January 26, 2024
Is that a “let’s go Brandon” sticker?
— Doug Bright (@DougBright1) January 26, 2024
The post Clueless Joe Biden Poses With His Hard Hat on Backwards During Photo-Op With Construction Workers – Gets Savagely Mocked on Social Media appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jan 26, 2024 | Aggregate
BNHFH5 About 40 illegal immigrants move through the Sonoran Desert north of the Mexican border southeast of Sells, Arizona, USA. Image shot 2009. The exact date is unknown.
Guest post by Antonio Graceffo
The U.S. southern border is currently in chaos, with crisis-levels of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers crossing on a daily basis. Several Republican-led states have deployed their National Guard to secure the border, while Washington has sent federal officers to keep it open.
The Biden regime’s loose policies on immigration and asylum seekers encourage illegal immigration and human trafficking, as desperate people from Latin America, and as far away as the Middle East, China, and Africa see a path to residency or citizenship in the U.S. despite having entered illegally.
The open border is promoting human trafficking, a business now dominated by the same cartels flooding the U.S. with drugs.
The more business lines the cartels have, the more money they make; the more weapons they can buy, and the more political power they can exert. As the financial stakes increase, rival cartels also want to cash in, and turf wars erupt.
The resulting violence is destabilizing Latin America, preventing economic development, decreasing the standard of living, increasing insecurity, and encouraging illegal immigration to the U.S.
Liberals in the United States argue that legalizing drugs would decrease crime domestically and eliminate the influence of cartels, thereby contributing to stability in Latin America.
This viewpoint finds resonance among left-leaning leaders in the region, exemplified by Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He called for drug legalization in the U.S. rather than assuming responsibility for his own inability to bring cartels to heel.
An often-cited argument in favor of open borders, particularly concerning narcotrafficking, posits that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) predominantly seizes drugs at legal ports of entry, often carried by U.S. citizens.
Consequently, proponents argue that non-citizens crossing illegally are not a significant part of the problem. However, this conclusion is deemed preposterous as the quantity of seized drugs provides no insight into the actual quantity that successfully enters the country.
Moreover, seizures are naturally more frequent at legal points of entry, where individuals tend to be citizens or legal residents. If anything, these statistics should underscore the importance of limiting entry into the U.S. to legal ports and individuals who are citizens or legal residents, facilitating more effective drug detection and the apprehension of smugglers.
Apart from open borders, liberals argue for legalization. The basic economic argument for legalization is that if drugs were legal, the price would come down. With a lower price, drug gangs and drug crime in the U.S. would decrease, while the cartels would be driven out of business, and Latin American governments would be able to regain control of their countries, promoting economic development.
This, in turn, would remove the impetus for illegal immigration to the United States. But this line of reasoning misses from crucial points.
From an economic standpoint, price is a function of supply and demand. The experience in countries such as Britain has been that legalization increased demand. In the U.S., states that have legalized or decriminalized marijuana have not only seen an increase in marijuana use disorder and cannabis production but also an increase in the use of hard drugs, as well as deaths from opioids and fentanyl. An increase in demand correlates with higher prices for drugs.
On the domestic front, it is true that there would be fewer incarcerations for drug offenses if drugs were legalized. This is also true for theft, murder, rape, or any other activity that is currently illegal.
Legalizing these actions would decrease the arrests and incarcerations. However, the decreased incarceration rate would not correspond to a reduction in incidence.
Cities like Philadelphia and Portland, which are notoriously lax on enforcement, have become unlivable, while the crime statistics remain stable. When enforcement is lacking or there is a decline in guilty verdicts, the official crime rate becomes disconnected from the actual incidence of crime.
This brings us back to the border and the cartels. Much of the distribution of drugs in the U.S., as well as a great deal of the drug-related crime and violence, is carried out by street gangs that have ties to the Mexican cartels.
Some of the illegal aliens and trafficked persons become street-level dealers and soldiers for these gangs. The economic argument for the legalization of drugs is that legalization would reduce crime because legal drugs would be cheaper than illegal drugs. The lower prices would then drive out the criminal elements and reduce gang-related violence.
An example of this is alcohol, which was sold illegally by criminal gangs during Prohibition. While there is some production of illegal alcohol, “moonshine,” today, it is much less common than it was during Prohibition.
With drugs, however, after legalization, the black market continues to thrive. With drugs, the price goes up with legalization. Legal drugs have to be tested and approved and are sold by licensed distributors. All of these steps add cost to legal drugs.
Apart from gang and cartel crime, crimes related to illegal drugs stem from the fact that addicts are unable to work, and drugs are expensive; thus, they commit crimes to support their habits. Neither of these factors would change if drugs were legalized.
If drugs were legal in the United States, cocaine and heroin would still have to come from outside of the US because they cannot be grown domestically. This task would naturally fall to the Latin American cartels and transnational narcotrafficking organizations that already control production.
The profit motive would still exist, which will continue to fuel cartel violence and turf wars. Ongoing cartel violence would continue to destabilize the governments of Latin America, fueling illegal immigration.
Maintaining the illegality of drugs would curb the potential surge in demand that legalization might trigger. Closing the border would pose obstacles for cartels attempting to export drugs to the United States.
Strengthening immigration and asylum regulations would remove incentives for illegal entry into the U.S., subsequently reducing the demand for human trafficking.
If liberals and figures like Mexican President Obrador contend that severing cartels’ revenues could empower Latin American governments to regain control, halting the influx of drugs into the United States—coupled with reducing demand through the prohibition of drugs—would prove beneficial for these nations, as well as the U.S.
Dr. Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China MBA, is an economist and national security analyst with a focus on China and Russia. He is a graduate of American Military University.
The post Closed Borders, Not Drug Legalization Will Reduce the Drug Crisis! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by | Jan 26, 2024 | Aggregate
(Shannon Stapleton-Pool/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump released a fiery statement on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
This comes after his abrupt walkout from the New York City courtroom, where the E. Jean Carroll defamation case is being heard.
The case took an unexpected turn when Judge Lewis Kaplan, a Clinton appointee, reportedly threatened Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, with jail time and denied a request to refute sexual abuse allegations.
The courtroom witnessed tense moments earlier. Judge Kaplan mandated silence, stating, “No interruptions, no audible comments,” following some objections, presumably from Trump’s legal team.
The debate over the admissibility of certain tweets and a slide showing these tweets escalated, with the judge ultimately ruling against their use.
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, tried stating that they “Just needs to state something for the record.” The judge interrupted and said, “You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockout. Now sit!”
Trump expressed outrage over the judge’s refusal to allow the inclusion of an Anderson Cooper interview with Carroll and other things which would exonerate him. He accused Judge Kaplan of denying him his constitutional right to due process.
In a statement Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Judge Kaplan refuses to allow the Anderson Cooper Interview on CNN of E. Jean Carroll wherein Carroll says, “Rape is sexy,” and numerous other things that totally exonerate me. Judge Kaplan is refusing me my Constitutional Right to Due Process, to defend myself against this False Accusation. This is a one-sided trial, where the other side is allowed everything, and we are allowed nothing. He is an extremely abusive individual, the likes of which few have seen before!”
Trump’s series of posts on Truth Social following the incident were scathing.
He lambasted Judge Kaplan, labeling the judicial process as corrupt and a “Biden Demanded Witch Hunt.” He criticized the bifurcation of the trial into two parts, alleging unfair treatment and a bias in evidence admission.
We asked for one Trial, on the E. Jean Carroll False Accusation Case, but the Judge wouldn’t give it to us, he made us have two Trials on the same Hoax, and then, on the second Trial, they were allowed to use whatever information they wanted from the first, but we weren’t allowed to use anything! As an example, the Depositions they’re using on the second Trial were taken in the first.
He wouldn’t allow us to use the totally exonerating Anderson Cooper/CNN Interview on either trial, but none of it in the second. Our Legal System is in shambles! This is another Biden Demanded Witch Hunt against his Political Opponent, funded and managed by Radical Left Democrats. The Courts are totally stacked against me, have never been used against a Political Opponent, like this, but in the end, we will win it all, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
The only right, honest, and lawful thing that Clinton-appointed Judge Lewis Kaplan, who has so far been unable to see clearly because of his absolute hatred of Donald J. Trump (ME!), can do is to end this unAmerican injustice being done to a President of the United States, who was wrongfully accused by a woman he never met, saw, or touched (a photo line does not count!), and knows absolutely nothing about.
I have been considered an A-List celebrity for many decades, so even decades ago, since no one knows which date or dates to refer to, because the accusing woman can’t say the day, month, season, year, or decade, it would have been impossible for me to walk into a crowded department store (surrounded by buildings I own), right opposite the cashiers’ checkout desk, without being written about on Page Six, and every other outlet at the time. Remember, those gossip columnists were, perhaps, even more vicious and obsessed than the Internet of today.…
She changed her FALSE “Monica Lewinsky-type” story on the DRESS, which she taunted us with, after it was proven to have no connection to me. She has been “all over the place” on the timing of this alleged “incident,” which never took place, and is being coached by Lunatic Radical Left Democrat operative attorney, Roberta Kaplan, who has sued me before, and just lost.
I am the only one who has been injured by this attempted EXTORTION. E. Jean Carroll, who was down on her luck and failing in life, nastily calling her African American husband “an Ape,” and her Cat, “Vagina,” has gained money and fame she so badly wanted. It is my duty to America to right this egregious wrong, a case which was started based on no facts, no dates, no nothing, just fabricated lies and political shenanigans.
My lawyer said in the first “trial,” and Judge Kaplan should have put them together, that it was “beneath me,” as a President of the United States and Leading Candidate to assume Office again, with her having no evidence, facts, or credible story, or even knowing when the so-called act took place, to attend the first trial.
Judge Kaplan should put this whole corrupt, Crooked Joe Biden-directed Election Interference attack on me immediately to rest. He should do it for America, because a President of the United States was accused of doing something he did not do by an UNKNOWN, TO HIM, woman seeking fame, fortune, and publicity for her ridiculous Book!
The post Trump Releases Statement After He Walked Out of Court: “He is an Extremely Abusive Individual, the Likes of Which Few Have Seen Before!” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
