Think that President-elect Donald Trump talking about acquiring Greenland is just that — idle talk?

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman doesn’t — and surprisingly, he’s not freaking out about it.

Fetterman, in an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night, said that he thought there might be a “responsible conversation” to have about the idea of acquiring the sparsely populated Danish possession.

Trump has said on social media that “control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for the United States in the run-up to his inauguration. On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. made a visit to the island, adding to speculation regarding what the Trump administration might be cooking up in regards to the country.

And, at least in Fetterman’s case, he’s willing to listen.

“There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and there’s a lot of freak-outs, and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said.

“But, I do think it’s a responsible conversation if they were open to acquiring it, you know, whether just buying it outright.

“If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase,” Fetterman added.

“I think Alaska was a pretty great deal, too, $50 million I think it was. It was referred to as Seward’s Folly.”

NEW: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) dismisses Democratic “freakouts” over Trump’s proposal to acquire Greenland.

“It’s a responsible conversation […] Remember the Louisiana Purchase? I think Alaska was a pretty great deal, too.”

“I mean – [I’m] open to having all kinds of… pic.twitter.com/QmSQzxMoOv

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 8, 2025

“Some things might work out; some may not,” Fetterman added.

The reaction to this on social media was that Fetterman was playing conservatives to get GOP votes in a state that’s turning increasingly Republican:

I listened to him an hour ago – this is campaign material for 2026 Senate races.

— IrishIyer (@realIrishIyer) January 8, 2025

Fetterman knows he needs center-right votes in next Senate election so he’s playing the game.

He will continue to vote with Democrats 95%+ of the time.

Conservatives have been so abused they get giddy over this act.

— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) January 8, 2025

However, for those who think that this is all an act, consider the fact that — unlike with his talk about Canada being the “51st state” — Trump’s talk on Greenland is being taken seriously in conservative quarters, too.

Nobody wants to be responsible for America’s dysfunctional hat, after all. Consider that this comes as Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has been talking about independence from Denmark and a rethink in terms of who its allies will be.

“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” Egede said during his New Year’s Day remarks, according to Reuters. “It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with and who our trading partners will be.”

“The history and current conditions have shown that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality,” he added.

“It is now time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation — which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism — and move forward.”

Furthermore, as Dan McLaughlin noted at National Review, the United States has been discussing the acquisition of Greenland since 1868, one year after “Seward’s folly.”

“In considering the future of Greenland, we cannot confine ourselves entirely to materialistic considerations. Nations have other resources besides those which figures can express to us by statistical tables. If a country has in it the means of developing man in any way, physically or mentally, it may be said to be rich to that extent,” a report by the State Department, commissioned by Seward, read.

“Even if we had no hope of finding there a place for settlement or new roads to profit, there are still strong reasons why civilization should strive to reach and explore them. They possess, as it were, the key to many problems of science, and the answer to many questions which are at present discussed by geographers.

“Certainly, new truths are as precious acquisitions as new mines or new fishing grounds, and a country which has supplied them has enriched the world as much as one which sends us the means of indulging our tastes or satisfying our appetites.”

While this all might not mean that Greenland is for sale, keep in mind that it’s a far more natural fit for an alliance with those geographically close to it in North America — and considering that Canada and Mexico both have problems of their own to sort out, the United States would seem like the most obvious choice, particularly with a president willing to pursue it.

Even Fetterman can see that’s not “bonkers” to have a discussion about. We’ve done it before; we can do it again — and it could be mutually beneficial, particularly for a country looking to shake off its colonial past and which would get a far better deal from the United States and the Trump administration than it’s getting from Denmark. Perhaps it doesn’t involve a straight-up buyout, but it’s something America ought to be talking about.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Think Trump Acquiring Greenland Is Nonsense? Dem Fetterman Doesn’t – He’s Not Opposed, Either appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

As the Pacific Palisades neighborhood grapples with one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles County’s history, firefighters are confronting an unexpected challenge: dry fire hydrants.

The blaze, which has scorched approximately 16,000 acres and destroyed over 1,000 structures, has been exacerbated by powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 100 mph.

The Palisades Fire, which has scorched over 25,000 acres, remains at 0% containment.

Similarly, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena has burned more than 5,000 acres and is also at 0% containment.

These fires have led to significant destruction, including the loss of over 1,000 structures and at least five fatalities. Evacuation orders have been issued for more than 150,000 residents as emergency services work tirelessly to manage the crisis, The Times reported.

These conditions have not only intensified the flames but also hindered aerial firefighting efforts, as aircraft have been grounded due to the severe winds.

On the ground, firefighters have reported that several hydrants in the area have run dry, severely hampering their efforts to control the inferno.

“There’s no water in the fire hydrants,” Rick Caruso, owner of the Palisades Village shopping center, told The Times. “The firefighters are there, and there’s nothing they can do — we’ve got neighborhoods burning, homes burning, and businesses burning. … It should never happen.”

WATCH:

In an attempt to debunk Rick Caruso, LA morning anchor Melvin Robert is embarrassingly fact-checked by their own on-the-ground reporter: pic.twitter.com/lCvfMEnXxJ

— MarioFakerREAL (@mario_faker) January 8, 2025

The recent failure of fire hydrants in Los Angeles County to provide water during a critical fire-fighting effort raises serious questions about the competence and priorities of local officials.

How is it possible that in one of the wealthiest regions in the country, essential infrastructure such as fire hydrants is not adequately maintained or inspected?

Reports have surfaced that a Los Angeles County official responsible for this simple task of overseeing fire hydrant maintenance is raking in an astonishing $750,000 annually.

In April 2024, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) nominated Janisse Quiñones as the new head of the Department of Water and Power (DWP), with an approved annual salary of $750,000.

This is nearly double the salary of her predecessor, Marty Adams, who only made $447,082 annually.

LA Times reported at the time:

The Board of Water and Power Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve a salary for Bass nominee Janisse Quiñones that is significantly higher than the $447,082 currently earned by General Manager Marty Adams.

Quiñones, former senior vice president of electric operations at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., was picked by Bass after a nationwide search. Adams is retiring in June after four decades at the head of the troubled agency, where turnover is particularly high in the top ranks.

The City Council last year approved a new salary range — $435,034.80 to $751,011.84 — for the general managers of the city’s utility, port and airport, which went into effect in December after Adams announced his retirement.

Top executives at investor-owned utilities, such as PG&E, typically earn multimillion-dollar salaries, while those at public utilities take home much less.

Quiñones’ salary is in line with top executives’ salaries at the Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, according to public records.

Of course, the DEI CEO and chief engineer of the LADWP, Janisse Quiñones, attributed the issue to an unprecedented strain on the water system.

“Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure,” Quiñones continued.

“If there’s a message you take away from me today, is, I need our customers to really conserve water — not just in the Palisades area, but the whole system because the fire department needs the water to fight the fires,” Quiñones added.

She added, per Santa Monica Daily Press, “We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging… The utility has deployed 20 water tanks from construction crews to support firefighting operations, with tankers making 30-minute round trips to refill.

“Because we’re pushing the water system so hard, our water quality is decreasing. So we’re going to be issuing a boil water notice this morning, and I will extend for about 48 hours. The water quality is low. We have a lot of ash in the system, and so please, if you’re going to be drinking water, you need to boil the water.”

Quiñones also assered that the system will need to adapt as “climate change” makes fires like these more frequent.

“How are we going to change the way we operate our water systems for events like this? This is an unprecedented event,” she said.

“I think the 2011 winds was significant from a power perspective, but the fires have really increased the response complexity of this. We had crews trying to mitigate this, and we had to evacuate. We worked with the fire department to try to get back in and try to fill the tanks again. It wasn’t safe to do so. So you’re managing the fires, you’re managing the power outage, and you’re managing the water needs …. So yes, we have to look at our system from a climate resiliency as a region, and it’s going to be more than just DWP, it’s all the water agencies here, including the county.”

Just three months ago, when Trump appeared on the Joe Rogan Podcast, he talked to Joe about the ongoing issue of water dispersal in California and about how the state could stop wildfires by clearing dead trees from forests.

He suggested that the state actually has more than enough water to deal with these and other issues such as farming, but progressive environmental policies are standing in the way.

On Wednesday, Trump blasted Newsom on Truth Social.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump wrote.

“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California, he added. “Now the ultimate price is being paid.”

“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

Mayor Bass, who was abroad in Ghana when the fires began, has faced additional criticism for her absence during the crisis. She returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday but declined to answer questions regarding her absence and previous budget cuts to the LAFD.

According to the New York Post, “The water shortage was the result of years of mismanagement of LA’s water system — including a federal indictment of a leader and high profile resignations — as well as major operational problems that drained reserves too quickly.”

The post Fire and Fury: Overpaid Bureaucrat Responsible for Filling Up Fire Hydrants in LA County Rakes in $750K Per Year — The City’s Highest Paid Employee appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Geraldo Rivera has stated that he wants to “punch Stephen Miller in the nose” over his immigration policies.

Miller will serve as Donald Trump’s homeland security advisor and deputy chief of staff for policy.

Rivera was discussing Trump’s immigration policies on The Beat on MSNBC when he brought up his violent fantasy about Miller.

“The Trump transition team wants to do what they call a D.C.-area showcase immigration raid in the first days,” host Ari Melber told Rivera.

Melber continued, “[T]his would be a quote, ‘high-profile raid targeting undocumented immigrants in its initial days…’ I’m curious what you think of this because I’ve covered this. I’ve had Stephen Miller on the show. I think we can stipulate that there are debates about immigration in this country and undocumented immigration has been rising. And there’s a question about how to deal with that in a holistic way that is humane, but protects national security.”

“You know, I’m an old man now,” Rivera replied. “I’ve been a boxer all my life. I’ve given it up because of my frailty. But I would come back to punch Stephen Miller in the nose because he is the most hideous in terms of his policy.”

Rivera continued, “I don’t know the guy personally. In terms of his policy, he is absolutely draconian. He’s the definition of it. He doesn’t want to resolve the issue. He wants to scapegoat certain people that will in his mind… would resound favorably to President Trump.”

“He prides himself on being a dealmaker,” Rivera said. “He did it in his other life when I knew him better. Now make a deal.”

This is not the first time in recent months that Rivera has sounded completely unhinged on live television.

In November, Rivera claimed that he “threw up in his mouth” upon learning of President-elect Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General.

“When I heard that Matt Gaetz was picked to be attorney general, I threw up in my mouth,” Rivera told NewsNation host Leland Vittert. “I think it is a horrible, creepy choice. I have no idea why he did it.”

Matt Gaetz is a douche. So bad for Attorney General. Gross.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 13, 2024

In a post on X, Rivera continued to rage, writing, “Matt Gaetz is a douche. So bad for Attorney General. Gross.”

WATCH:

The post WATCH: Unhinged Geraldo Rivera Says He Wants to ‘Punch Stephen Miller in the Nose’ Over Immigration Policies appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A statewide grand jury has concluded its investigation into COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, determining that there was no indictable criminal activity.

This decision comes as a bitter pill for countless families who have suffered from vaccine injuries and adverse effects—an outcome many see as another example of Big Pharma’s iron grip on the system.

In December 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) called on a statewide grand jury to investigate COVID vaccine-related injuries.

“I’m announcing a petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to Covid vaccines,” DeSantis said during a Covid vaccine accountability roundtable.

“We anticipate that we will get the approval for that, that will be something that will be impaneled most likely in the Tampa Bay area and that will come with legal processes that will be able to get more information and to bring legal accountability for those who committed misconduct,” DeSantis added.

A week later, the Florida Supreme Court approved Gov. DeSantis’ request to impanel a grand jury to investigate COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.

“A statewide grand jury shall be promptly impaneled for a term of twelve calendar months, to run from the date of impanelment, with jurisdiction throughout the State of Florida, to investigate crime, return indictments, make presentments, and otherwise perform all functions of a grand jury with regard to the offenses stated herein,” the order read.

Last year, the statewide grand jury, usually comprised of 18 people and selected through a random process akin to that of any legal jury, published an interim report.

Read more:

Florida Grand Jury Releases Interim Report on COVID-19 Response Including COVID Vaccines, Says Response May Have Caused More Harm Than Good

Now on Tuesday, the Twenty-Second Statewide Grand Jury has concluded its investigation into COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, finding "no evidence of criminal activity."

Gov. Ron DeSantis released the following statement on Tuesday:

"This morning, the Twenty-Second Statewide Grand Jury released its final report. This Grand Jury was tasked with investigating vaccine manufacturers and their production process for vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we are still reading through the report and its recommendations, it details that, through deception and taking “advantage of scientific journal infrastructure” to hide adverse events from the public, Big Pharma engaged in a "pattern of deceptive and obfuscatory behavior." Big Pharma brought in billions of dollars in profit, and the federal government amplified bogus “studies,” all while suppressing any opposition that went against their preferred narrative. Instead of federal agencies acting as a backstop to bad incentives, they worked closely with Big Pharma as they cut corners, even becoming unpaid advertisers on their behalf.

The Grand Jury also details the frustrations of many, stating, "these sponsors have taken in billions of taxpayer dollars for creating and selling their vaccines; they cannot be sued if something goes wrong with them; they have access to critical information about deaths related to a side effect of their products; and the public does not have access to that information.”

The Grand Jury has made a number of recommendations that should be followed. The status quo cannot continue. The American people deserve transparency on how Big Pharma is using their federal tax dollars, and they deserve regulating entities that operate as watchdogs, not cheerleaders."

This morning, the Twenty-Second Statewide Grand Jury released its final report. This Grand Jury was tasked with investigating vaccine manufacturers and their production process for vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we are still reading through the report and its…

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 7, 2025

The report, spanning over 140 pages, outlines a litany of regulatory shortcuts, compromised safety standards, and conflicts of interest, yet it stops short of recommending any criminal indictments.

Despite uncovering instances of delayed disclosure of adverse events, manipulated safety data, and an alarming lack of transparency, the jury deemed these actions insufficient for criminal prosecution.

The grand jury wrote in its final report:

"While we did not find criminal activity, we did find a pattern of deceptive and obfuscatory behavior on the part of sponsors and regulators that often straddled the line between ethical and unethical conduct.

More importantly, however, not finding any indictable criminal activity does not mean we did not find any problems.

On the contrary, there are profound and serious issues involving the process of vaccine development and safety surveillance in the United States. Some of those are acute, COVID-19-era problems that are unlikely to occur outside the context of another once-in-a­ hundred-year pandemic.  Others, however, are systemic; they will occur over and over until someone fixes them.

Unfortunately, all these complications have something in common: They involve multinational corporations and federal regulators. The ability of sovereign states like Florida to resolve these issues or even influence these entities directly may be limited. This Grand Jury finds itself in the awkward position of advocating for a series of changes to a group of private and public entities who did not ask for them and are unlikely to be particularly interested in adopting them. Still, we feel compelled to point to what we have seen, if only to make the general public aware of the extent to which the massive systems upon which we depend for our health and welfare has failed to serve their interests.

Regarding the clinical trials and pharmacovigilance of MRNA-1273and BNT162b2, it was genuinely striking to us just how many of the problems we found occurred at either the direction or acquiescence of the FDA, CDC and other federal regulators.

Nearly every time we found an issue with MRNA-1273 or BNT162b2, the fingerprints of these agencies were all over the scene, advising that the flagship and surrogate clinical trials be performed in specific ways, authorizing dose after dose and formulation after formulation based on out-of-date immunogenicity comparisons and observational results, and even running interference for sponsors by misleading the American public about validated safety signals.

These regulatory issues are magnified in the context of vaccines, where consumers have effectively zero ability to hold manufacturers legally responsible for their injuries.

Federal injury compensation systems like the ClCP only allow limited recovery, while simultaneously protecting sponsors from the discovery process one would normally use to prove negligence and causation in liability claims involving any other product. Even in cases where compensation is awarded, it is the American taxpayer, not the sponsor, who must pay the claim.

We understand that there is a desire on the part of the government to incentivize innovation in vaccine research and development, but the level of legal protection afforded to sponsors goes far beyond what is necessary to accomplish that goal, prioritizing development at the expense of public safety. We do not believe this system of legal protection is whole without merit, but we also do not believe that the current incentives are structured to maximize the benefit to the consumer so much as they are structured to maximize the benefit to the sponsor."

While the report stops short of declaring explicit criminal wrongdoing, it offers a roadmap for reform, emphasizing the need for greater transparency in clinical trials and stricter enforcement of postmarketing commitments.

You can read the rest of the report below:

The post NO CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS: Florida Grand Jury Finds No Evidence of Criminal Activity by COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturers appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, upon taking office as a Maricopa County Supervisor Monday, announced plans to audit Maricopa County’s election system. 

“It is very important to a lot of my constituents,” she said.

This is a major departure from former Maricopa County officials’ stance that the elections are run with integrity despite major issues in the last three elections. Recall that former Maricopa County Chairman Bill Gates, following the 2022 election, which was stolen from Trump-Endorsed statewide candidates like Kari Lake and Abe Hamadeh, said the election “was run extremely well.” This is despite 60% of vote counting machines across Maricopa County breaking down on election day and disenfranchising in-person voters who were mostly Republicans.

This also came after the forensic audit of the 2020 election discovered major discrepancies in ballot chain of custody documentation, mail-in ballot signature verification, and ballot printing, as well as numerous election law violations. While serving in the U.S. House, Lesko was one of the brave 139 Republicans who voted to stop the certification of the stolen 2020 election.

Then, last November, Kari Lake was robbed of victory once again in a race where President Trump and Republicans dominated up and down the ballot. Despite Trump winning the presidential race in Maricopa County by over 70,000 votes, Justin Heap winning the County Recorder’s race by over 80,000 votes, Jerry Sheridan winning the County Sheriff’s race by over 130,000 votes, and other Republicans seeing similar turnout, we’re asked to believe that Kari Lake had a more than 100,000 vote deficit against far-left Democrat Ruben Gallego. The Gateway Pundit reported on the bogus numbers during Maricopa County’s two-week-long vote-counting process that began coming in right when it was believed Lake would take the lead in the race.

Additionally, recall that the top election official in Maricopa County, where over 60% of voters reside, even sued Kari Lake for defamation ahead of the 2024 election, which he oversaw. It was recently revealed in court documents that Richer is a self-proclaimed “anti-MAGA” individual whose life mission, in his own words, is to “make life hell for Kari Lake.” How can anybody trust this guy to run a fair election?

Maricopa County Chairman Thomas Galvin also agreed that the board will audit the election system. However, Galvin is not the best choice to lead this effort as he defended the previous three elections, and he was appointed by former board members, likely because he would not challenge their administration of elections. Galvin was appointed to the board in 2021 after former Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri resigned from office due to The Gateway Pundit’s exclusive reporting on audio tapes where he admitted that the elections are rigged through “multifaceted” election fraud.

Lesko was sworn in as a Supervisor Monday along with Republicans Kate Brophy Mcgee, Mark Stewart, incumbent Thomas Galvin, who was picked to Chair the Board of Supervisors, and Justin Heap as County Recorder. Incumbent Supervisor Steve Gallardo remains the only Democrat election official in Maricopa County.

Incumbent County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and new County Sheriff Republican Jerry Sheridan were also sworn in to serve in their respective roles.

After she was sworn in, Lesko gave a speech outlining her priorities while in office. Among those priorities was election integrity and pushing for a “comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County.”

Lesko also said that she and Thomas Galvin had already spoken with the Arizona Senate President, Arizona House Speaker, and the Florida Secretary of State to discuss “the differences between the state’s election system and see if there’s any areas where we can improve.”

WATCH:

Lesko: Another priority is election integrity. It is very important to a lot of my constituents. I will be pushing and have talked to people about it for a comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County from a reputable firm.

I’ve already had a conference call; Tom and I have been on it with the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Arizona, and the Florida Secretary of State, where we have discussed the differences between the state’s election system and see if there’s any areas where we can improve.

Lesko told 12 News’ Brahm Resnik that she wants to “make sure that everything is run right” after he questioned her objection to the 2020 election results in Arizona.

Watch below:

Resnik: Four years ago today, you voted to reject Arizona’s election results. A lot of people can hear you talking now and question your motives. What do you say to them?

Lesko: My motives are very pure. I want to make sure that everything is run right… The constituents want to make sure that our election system is reliable, and I am elected, and that was one of my promises, and that’s what I’m following up on.

Galvin: We’re going to look at reputable companies that know what they’re doing that we can have them peek under the hood and say, you can do X, Y or Z better.

The post Former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko Calls for “Comprehensive Audit of Entire Election System” in Maricopa County After Being Sworn in as County Supervisor, Florida Secretary of State to be Consulted for Changes (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.