Europe Edges Toward Recognizing Syria’s Islamist Leadership: Peace Remains Elusive

Europe Edges Toward Recognizing Syria’s Islamist Leadership: Peace Remains Elusive

Europe Edges Toward Recognizing Syria’s Islamist Leadership: Peace Remains Elusive
January 3, 2025

Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense, U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mitchell Ryan

Mainstream media has already begun referring to Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda and the former al-Qaeda-affiliate group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as the de facto leader of Syria.

Representing the European Union, German and French foreign ministers made a visit to Damascus to meet Ahmed al-Sharaa following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.

The ministers expressed cautious optimism while urging the new Islamist-led leadership to uphold the rights of minorities, including Christians, Druze, Jews, Kurds, and Alawites.

Their trip signals a potential shift in international relations with Syria and hints at the possibility of normalizing ties with the country’s new rulers.

The new government has met with minority group representatives, offering assurances of protection, but skepticism remains high, particularly among the Kurds.

Concerns stem from HTS’s extremist roots, ongoing conflict, and the absence of similar guarantees from the Syrian National Army (SNA), another major Islamist faction viewed as a proxy for Ankara.

Turkey has also failed to provide such assurances, further deepening mistrust. Attacks on minorities exacerbate these fears. On December 25, thousands protested across Syria after a video surfaced showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the north.

The arson of a Christmas tree in Al-Suqaylabiyah, north of Hama, highlights the precarious situation for Christians and other minority communities.

Turkey continues its attacks on Kurds and supports militia operations, further endangering displaced minorities sheltering in Kurdish-controlled areas.

In late December, a mission team leader from Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a faith-based aid organization, reported from near Kobani, where Turkish-supported militias had targeted a grain depot the previous day.

The attack destroyed essential food supplies critical to sustaining internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region. Highlighting the aftermath, the team leader described damaged grain piles and storage areas, emphasizing the devastating impact on already scarce resources in the area.

The conflict between Turkish-backed Islamist groups like the Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Kurds has left deep scars, rooted in a long history of abuse and tension.

Human rights organizations, including Syrians for Truth and Justice, are demanding the immediate and unconditional release of detainees held by the SNA in Afrin, Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê, and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî.

Many of these detainees, predominantly Kurdish, have suffered arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture since the SNA seized control of these regions during Turkey’s “Olive Branch” and “Peace Spring” operations in 2018 and 2019.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have launched a counter-offensive to reclaim territory near Syria’s northern border from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). A key U.S. ally, the SDF, known for combating Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells, now faces mounting challenges from Turkish-backed forces.

SDF spokesperson Ruken Jamal reported their fighters are advancing toward Manbij, a former SDF stronghold and safe zone for minorities, recently captured by the SNA.

With forces just 7 miles from the city’s center, Jamal accused Turkey of exploiting the conflict to diminish Kurdish influence in Syria’s political future.

Despite Turkish airstrikes on towns like Kobani, the SDF has reclaimed several villages near the strategic Tishrin Dam, a vital hydroelectric resource.

Ankara views the SDF as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it designates a terrorist organization. Turkish forces and jets have targeted SDF positions across northern Syria for years, seeking to establish a buffer zone.

The SNA, which played a role in Assad’s overthrow alongside Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), continues its campaign against the SDF, complicating the region’s stability.

The conflict has left infrastructure in ruins, with water, electricity, and basic supplies scarce. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy casualties on both sides since the SNA’s offensive began.

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi expressed concerns about a potential resurgence of ISIS due to the ongoing fighting, which limits the SDF’s capacity to target extremist sleeper cells. Thousands of IS militants and their families remain detained in SDF-controlled areas, adding to regional instability.

Despite the removal of Assad, Turkey’s stance on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remains unchanged, and tensions continue to rise. The ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has opened dialogue with the SDF but under stringent terms.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that the SDF should be integrated into the newly formed national army, emphasizing, “Weapons should only be under the control of the state.

We are open to welcoming anyone armed and qualified into the defense ministry.” He further added that negotiations with the SDF would only proceed under these conditions, hinting at limited flexibility: “Under these terms and conditions, we will open a dialogue… to perhaps find an appropriate solution.”

The SDF is unlikely to agree to disarm or integrate into a federal army, particularly if it involves relinquishing its controlled territories. Meanwhile, the rise of groups like HTS and the Syrian National Army (SNA), coupled with Turkey’s continued interference, risks empowering extremist factions and destabilizing the region.

These developments pose significant threats to U.S. interests and the safety of minority communities in northeastern Syria. As the situation worsens, calls for U.S. intervention—ranging from military aid to sanctions against Turkey—are intensifying.

The post Europe Edges Toward Recognizing Syria’s Islamist Leadership: Peace Remains Elusive appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Antonio Graceffo

BREAKING: JOHNSON WINS SPEAKERSHIP ON FIRST BALLOT – REPS NORMAN AND SELF SWITCH VOTES

BREAKING: JOHNSON WINS SPEAKERSHIP ON FIRST BALLOT – REPS NORMAN AND SELF SWITCH VOTES

BREAKING: JOHNSON WINS SPEAKERSHIP ON FIRST BALLOT – REPS NORMAN AND SELF SWITCH VOTES
January 3, 2025

Mike Johnson

This developing story on the Speaker vote will provide live updates. Please refresh the page for updates.

UPDATE: Johnson won the speakership on the first ballot after Reps. Ralph Norman and Keith Self switched their votes following a break

The House will vote for the Speaker for the 119th Congress at noon on Friday as required by the Constitution.

Mike Johnson is expected to be elected Speaker on the first ballot, however, Congressman Massie might vote against him.

Massie said that he was “being sworn at.”

Johnson was confident on Friday morning ahead of the vote.

“I don’t make deals with anyone. There’s no quid pro quo here. I don’t do anything in exchange for a vote other than commit to make this institution work as effectively and efficiently as possible,” Johnson said to reporters ahead of the vote.

WATCH:

President Trump endorsed Johnson earlier this week and wished him luck on Friday.

“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support. A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!” Trump said on Truth Social on Friday morning.

The 118th Congress officially ended on Friday.

The House Speaker vote is coming up next.

Based on attendance, 218 votes are needed.

Update: So far, 5 Republicans have sat out the vote. They can still vote at the end of the ballot.

UPDATE: Massie voted for Tom Emmer, Ralph Norman voted for Jim Jordan and Keith Self voted for Byron Donalds.

**SECOND BALLOT VOTE UNDERWAY**

Johnson is huddling with Ralph Norman and Keith Self ahead of the second ballot.

Trump celebrated Johnson’s win.

WATCH:

DEVELOPING…please refresh page for live updates.

The post BREAKING: JOHNSON WINS SPEAKERSHIP ON FIRST BALLOT – REPS NORMAN AND SELF SWITCH VOTES appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Cristina Laila

Massie Votes for Emmer, Norman Sticks with Jordan, Self Switches to Donalds: House Speaker Chaos Continues

Massie Votes for Emmer, Norman Sticks with Jordan, Self Switches to Donalds: House Speaker Chaos Continues

Massie Votes for Emmer, Norman Sticks with Jordan, Self Switches to Donalds: House Speaker Chaos Continues
January 3, 2025

Screenshot

Incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) fell short of the required 218 votes amid growing dissent within his own party.

The Republican Party, holding a narrow 219-215 majority, faced internal divisions that thwarted Johnson’s re-election bid.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), known for his libertarian-leaning principles and emphasis on fiscal conservatism, cast a surprising vote for Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).

Meanwhile, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) held firm to his support for Jim Jordan (R-OH), the firebrand conservative and a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus.

In another unexpected twist, Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) abandoned his previous position and cast his vote for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), a rising star in conservative circles.

Ahead of the crucial vote, a group of conservatives and potential opposition to Speaker Mike Johnson rally around a document critical of the 118th Congress’s legislative record.

The unnamed author of the document has compiled a “scorecard” highlighting what Johnson’s critics see as a series of legislative failures under his leadership.

According to the scorecard:

The House must be organized to deliver on the historic mandate granted to President Trump and Republicans. It currently is not – as demonstrated many times over the last year and, most recently, the week before Christmas. For example (but not exhaustive):

Since November 5th, Republicans added OVER $300BB in ADDITIONAL spending to the deficit and hastened Social Security insolvency by at least 6 months.

In the last week before Christmas alone, House Republicans:

  • Violated the 72 hour-rule (designed to ensure we read bills), not once but TWICE
  • Had to pull down a 1,547 page bill that contained a large number of extraneous provisions (including some positive things) due to the disastrous legislative process under which it was crafted by the Speaker.
  • Added $110 billion to the deficit, without any offsets, to give the Biden Administration more funding weeks before Republicans take control in January.
  • Divided (unnecessarily) House Republicans and President Trump regarding his correct desire to clear the decks of the debt ceiling because leadership NEVER shared it with the
    GOP conference, leaving 48 hours to negotiate.

Summary since November 2023:

  • Passed an additional $61 billion for Ukraine, under a rule relying on Democrats and in violation of the Hastert Rule (a majority of Republicans opposed), with ZERO border security policies, despite repeated promises to secure the border before funding
    Ukraine
  • Passed one $1.2 trillion FY24 spending bill under suspension of the rules (that funded DHS with no border security policies) in violation of the Hastert
  • Rule (a majority of Republicans opposed) AND the 72-hour rule
  • Passed one $500 billion FY24 spending bill under suspension of the rules with significantly more Democrat votes than Republican votes
  • Passed five separate continuing resolutions under suspension of the rules, each with more Democrat votes than Republican votes (the final of which included $110 billion in supplemental appropriations without even a vote on spending offsets)
  • Passed an FY24 NDAA that jettisoned most conservative wins to restore the Pentagon’s focus by suspension of the rules with more Democrat votes than Republican votes Passed a FISA reauthorization, which failed to include a warrant requirement, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting.
  • Passed a bill that adds $195 BB to the deficit and hastens Social Security insolvency by suspension of the rules with more Democrats than Republicans supporting (the bill passed the Senate, despite assurances it would not)

DETAILED SCORECARD… 4 “successes” and 26 “fails” for House Republicans since November 2023:

  • NOVEMBER 2023, SUCCESS #1: ISRAEL – Passed a $14.3 BB bill funding Israel in response to gruesome 10/7 attacks along with IRS pay-for by a vote of 226-196 with many more GOP (214-2) votes than Dem (12-194). Excellent decision in first week as Speaker to unite GOP, but we did not message it well enough to pressure Senate Democrats.
  • NOVEMBER 2023, SUCCESS #2: APPROPS – Passed FY24 Interior/Environment Approps on a party line vote (1 Dem yes, 3 GOP no) – including many strong policies from base text and amendment process. NEUTRAL: Passed mediocre E&W (Oct) and Lege Branch bills (Nov).
  • NOVEMBER 2023, FAIL #1: CR #1 – Passed, by suspension of the rules – with many more Dems (209-2) than GOP (127-93), and a vote of 336-95 – a short term “laddered” continuing resolution (“CR”) that staggered funding deadlines for different agencies, but failed to properly isolate key issues like DHS/border. It also included a one-year extension of the Farm Bill until January 2025.
  • DECEMBER 2023, FAIL #2: NDAA – Passed by suspension of the rules 310-118 – with more Dems (163-45) than GOP (147-73) supporting – a watered down NDAA that discarded conservative anti-woke priorities included in the House GOP bill and also included a FISA extension that allowed it to operate until spring 2025 – all with the promise to focus on fighting on spending to achieve border.
  • DECEMBER 2023, FAIL #3: SANTOS – Members of the House GOP led an effort to oust George Santos, resulting in loss of a seat – passing with many more Dems (206-2) than GOP (105-112), and a vote of 311-114 – lacking a majority of the GOP supporting.
  • JANUARY 2024, FAIL #4: BUST CAPS – Deal announced busting the (already too high) statutory spending caps included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act by nearly $70 BB (despite there being much better alternatives to jam the Dems) totally giving up all leverage on spending and failing to secure any border policies.
  • JANUARY 2024, FAIL #5: CR #2 – Passed, by suspension of the rules – with many more Dems (207-2) than GOP (107-106) and a vote of 314-108 – yet another CR, extending government funding to March – continuing to give up all leverage and continuing failure to bifurcate properly to leverage for border security.
  • FEBRUARY 2024, SUCCESS #3: IMPEACH – Impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, notably on a second vote after losing 3 GOP votes and failing to pass the impeachment (failed in the Senate).
  • FEBRUARY 2024, FAIL #6: FISA – Pulled down FISA reform bill from Rules Committee after debate started and testimony offered, despite the rule being supported by conservatives and Judiciary members, because Intel Committee threatened to kill the rule:
    FAIL A: In December 2023, the House Judiciary Committee passed a bipartisan FISA reform bill protecting civil liberties… and despite holding primary jurisdiction over the issue, the bill was not advanced as base text.
    FAIL B: In December 2023, effort was being considered to do a “Queen of the Hill” on the House floor, which would have given the Intel community the upper hand to jam through their weak bill.
  • FAIL C: In February 2024, Compromise bill brought to Rules with 3 amendments each side, general agreement to bring it up, but Intel refuses to allow “4th Amendment is Not For Sale” amendment by threatening the rule on the floor – rule was pulled down.
  • FEBRUARY 2024, FAIL #7: TAX – Passed, by suspension of the rules – with more Dems (188-23) than GOP (169-47), and a vote of 357-70 – a tax bill that, while moving some positive tax provisions (driven largely by K street), included a massive expansion of welfare tax credits that go to illegal aliens (despite efforts to fix this), so much so that even the corporate-tax-reform-friendly WSJ opposed the bill (& here & here). The bill was not considered in the Senate.
  • FEBRUARY 2024, FAIL #8: SALT – Brought to the floor – via rule – a bill opposed by a majority of the GOP to eliminate the “marriage penalty” on SALT deductions passed by the GOP in 2017 in the Trump tax bill… getting nothing for it. The rule failed on the floor with 18 GOP voting no.
  • FEBRUARY 2024, FAIL #9: CR #3 – Passed yet another CR to March that passed with more Democrats (207-2) than Republican votes (113-97) because we couldn’t get appropriations done. Once again giving up leverage on spending cuts and border security.
  • MARCH 2024, FAIL #10: OMNI 1 – Passed, by suspension of the rules – with many more Dems (207-2) than GOP (132-83), and a vote of 339-85 – the first half of a massive omnibus spending bill (H.Res.1061), busting the bipartisan FRA spending caps & relinquishing all leverage on spending and the border, with 6,628 earmarks totaling $12.7BB including the egregious funding of $1 million for an “environmental justice center” and $4 million for a Green New Deal police station all while selling the bill as “cutting spending to DOJ and the FBI” hiding behind the defunding of an old Richard Shelby earmark for FBI facilities in Alabama.
  • MARCH 2024, (Partial) SUCCESS #4: TIKTOK – Passed H.R. 7521, by suspension of the rules – with a vote of 352-65 – with more GOP (197-15) than Dems (155-50) – a bill to require certain companies (e.g. TikTok) to divest the ownership of specific (5) foreign adversaries such as China.
    (Note: “Partial” represents suspension of rules & 15 conservatives opposing).
  • MARCH 2024, FAIL #11: OMNI 2 – Passed, by suspension of the rules and ignoring the 72 hour rule (1000+ page bill) for the first time this Congress, with many more Dems (185-22) than GOP (101-112), and a vote of 286-134 – without a majority of the GOP – the second half of a massive omnibus spending bill (H.Res.1102), busting the bipartisan FRA spending caps and relinquishing all leverage on spending and the border (by FUNDING DHS), with $1.9 BB in earmarks – including the egregious funding of clinics that provide hormone therapy / gender transition to kids, a hospital in RI that performs late term abortions, a Muslim Network calling for the destruction of Israel, and a defund the police group in CT. Notably, this included $200 million for an FBI headquarters, undermining the primary argument for the first omnibus funding bill.
  • MARCH 2024, FAIL #12: NO ISRAEL – Adjourned for Easter Recess without passing a clean Israel funding bill (despite conservatives making clear they would support a rule), to emphasize that Democrats were refusing to support Israel – despite the same week the Biden administration
    “abstaining” on the United Nations cease-fire resolution.
  • APRIL 2024, FAIL #13: FISA – Passed, with a compromise, pre-determined rule structure AFTER 19 conservative GOP took down the rule to force change – with slightly more Dems (147-59) than GOP (126-88), and a vote of 273-147 – a FISA re-authorization bill that did NOT include warrant protection, with the Speaker casting the deciding vote AGAINST warrant protection in an amendment that failed 212-212 (GOP: 128-86, Dems: 84-126).
  • APRIL 2024, FAIL #14: FOREIGN AID RULE – Passed, with a compromise, pre-determined rule structure designed to gain the support of ALL Democrats on the Rules Committee and Democrat support on the floor – with unprecedented more Dems (165) than GOP (151), resulting in passage of the rule 316-94 but with 55 GOP defecting from even moving to the measure – the Rule for the combined foreign aid supplemental (which funded Ukraine with no border security).
  • APRIL 2024, FAIL #15: UKRAINE/HAMAS – Passed, without a majority of Republican support, and more Dem (210) support than GOP (101) on passage (311-112-1), the Ukraine funding measure as part of the “foreign aid” package that a) was NOT paid-for, b) funds Ukraine at $61BB (bringing total $175BB) with no clear mission defined, and c) funds Israel at $17BB while also funding “humanitarian” & “refugee” assistance at $9BB – which is certain to go to Hamas and fund refugees to America (as evidenced already). Notably this package included zero border security despite the Speaker promising on multiple occasions the House would not fund Ukraine until the border was secure.
  • APRIL 2024, FAIL #16: FAKE HR2 – After trying to move a rule for a cover vote on HR2 for members to say the Foreign Aid Package “included” border security, the House failed to pass a modified version of H.R. 2 (H.R. 3602) via suspension of the rules with a vote of 215-199, notably giving cover to 5 “swing” Dems.
  • MAY 2024, FAIL #17: ANTI-SEMITISM – Passed, without Judiciary Committee process, any amendments, or any hearing… an Anti-Semitism bill that, whatever the intentions, incorporated definitions adopted by international organizations to create language that dangerously empowers the Dept. of Education to police thought and speech – a move roundly criticized by conservative thought leaders, religious liberty experts, & forcing 21 GOP to vote “no”. Rather than forcing Democrats into a hard spot, 133 Dems voted for the bill, which passed 320-91.
  • MAY 2024, FAIL #18: FAKE BORDER – Passed a non-binding resolution, H. Res. 1112, with the support of 13 Dems on final passage (223-191) giving them cover for opposing the Biden “open borders” policies without actually doing anything to change them.
  • JULY 2024, FAIL #19: EARLY AUGUST RECESS W/O CR+SAVE – The House left for August recess one week early without implementing a CR + SAVE Act, which would have put the Dems in a box all summer. Instead, we failed to pass the bill in September with limited messaging runway.
  • SEPTEMBER 2024, FAIL #20: CR #4 INTO LAME DUCK, NO SAVE ACT – The Speaker failed to pass a CR into March + SAVE Act (202-220-2), and refused to shut down after not doing so, because he could not keep the conference together. 14 Republicans opposed (2 voted present) – the bill was even opposed by the GOP Armed Services Committee chairman. Instead, we got a CR to December, teeing up the lame duck “cramnibus” fight.
  • SEPTEMBER 2024, FAIL #21: WEP DISCHARGE – A GOP discharge petition for HR 82 – a $195 billion bill to eliminate WEP/GPO from Social Security that would accelerate Social Security insolvency by 6 months – reached 218 signatures, with significant Republican support, including support from a Rules Committee member and appropriations cardinals.
  • NOVEMBER 2024, FAIL #22: WEAK HOUSE ELECTIONS – Despite Trump dominating the electoral college, the GOP winning the popular vote for the first time in 20 years, and the GOP picking up four Senate seats, House Republicans had a lackluster night at the ballot box and will have an even smaller majority in the 119th Congress.
  • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024, FAIL #23: WEP BILL PASSES HOUSE & SENATE – On November 12, 2024, the House passed HR 82 (the $195 billion WEP Social Security bill), which the Speaker supported. Instead of holding it at the desk, on November 19, 2024, the bill was sent to the Senate. Despite promising that the “Senate would not take the bill up,” on December 21, 2024, the bill passed the Senate and is awaiting Biden’s signature.
  • DECEMBER 2024, FAIL #24: “CRAMNIBUS” – Despite promising “There won’t be a Christmas omnibus,” Mike Johnson colluded with Democrats to craft a 1,547-page lame duck continuing resolution through March that included: $110 billion in supplemental funding (unpaid for); a massive healthcare package (offset with gimmicks); an expansion of ethanol; an extension of a State Department office that engages in censorship, and more. The bill was ultimately pulled after backlash from conservatives on social media.
  • DECEMBER 2024, FAIL #25: DEBT CEILING – After the Speaker’s indecisiveness, President Trump (correctly) requested the House raise the debt ceiling to disarm any leverage the Dems may have to use it against him, to which conservatives voiced concerns about doing so without spending cuts. The Speaker ultimately put a stripped-down version of the “cramnibus” that still included $110 billion in unpaid for supplemental spending AND a two-year ($5 trillion) debt ceiling increase with no spending cuts (or commitment to do cuts) on the floor. The bill failed 174-235, with 38 GOP voting no.
  • DECEMBER 2024, FAIL #26: CR #5 + SUPPLEMENTAL – The Speaker ultimately removed the debt ceiling increase from the stripped-down “cramnibus” and passed it 366-34 – with more Dems (196) than GOP (170) supporting, and with no consideration of amendments to pay for the $110 BB in supplemental spending included in the bill.

This is a developing story.

The post Massie Votes for Emmer, Norman Sticks with Jordan, Self Switches to Donalds: House Speaker Chaos Continues appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Jim Hᴏft

Globalist-Liberal Tusk Government in Poland Disinvites Hungarian Ambassador, Says PM Orbán Is ‘Not Welcome’ in the Gala Ball Launching Warsaw’s Turn at Rotating EU Presidency

Globalist-Liberal Tusk Government in Poland Disinvites Hungarian Ambassador, Says PM Orbán Is ‘Not Welcome’ in the Gala Ball Launching Warsaw’s Turn at Rotating EU Presidency

Globalist-Liberal Tusk Government in Poland Disinvites Hungarian Ambassador, Says PM Orbán Is ‘Not Welcome’ in the Gala Ball Launching Warsaw’s Turn at Rotating EU Presidency
January 3, 2025

Poland’s PM Tusk, Hungary’s PM Orbán.

Conservative champion, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the man the European Union loves to hate.

He has said that the EU is the ‘bad contemporary parody of the Soviet Union’, accused it to try to ‘blackmail’ Hungary, but guaranteed that ‘there is not enough money in the world to force us to accept mass migration and to put our children in the hands of LGBTQ activists’.

Not only that, but he had tough words for the Liberal Polish government of Donald Tusk, saying that Poland’s Government and PM Tusk Were ‘Installed’ by the European Union To Topple the Previous Populist Leadership – And Now Budapest Is the New Target.

So, it’s not very surprising that Poland has decided not to invite Hungary’s ambassador to an event on Friday launching Warsaw’s term in the rotating EU presidency.

This comes after Budapest gave asylum to a former conservative Polish minister who is under investigation over alleged misuse of public funds.

Reuters reported:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also not invited to the ceremony in Warsaw’s Grand Theatre, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said.”

Tusk is furious that Hungary granted political asylum in December to Marcin Romanowski, a Polish former deputy justice minister detained as part of an investigation into ‘misuse of public funds’.

The president of a European rights assembly said Romanowski had immunity as a member of the body, so he was released.

Read: EPIC Hungarian PM Orbán To Put Illegal Migrants in Buses and Send Them to Euro-Globalist Overlords’ Doorstep in Brussels: “If You Want Them, You Can Have Them”

“’When we invited guests to our gala almost a month ago, we invited the entire diplomatic corps’, Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said in televised comments on Friday.

‘But after the situation with minister Romanowski, Minister (of Foreign Affairs) Sikorski decided that the Hungarian ambassador is not a welcome guest in the theatre today’.”

Tusk and Portuguese President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, will give speeches at the ceremony that inaugurates Poland’s rotating presidency of the European Union for the next six months.

Hungary held the presidency during the second half of 2024, and Orbán used the office to try to promote a peace settlement in the War in Ukraine.

Read more:

Ukraine’s Zelensky Slams Hungary’s Orbán’s Quest for Peace, Says He ‘Does Not Have Any Leverage’ on Putin, That Kiev Needs No ‘Intermediaries’ To Talk to Trump

The post Globalist-Liberal Tusk Government in Poland Disinvites Hungarian Ambassador, Says PM Orbán Is ‘Not Welcome’ in the Gala Ball Launching Warsaw’s Turn at Rotating EU Presidency appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Paul Serran

Crazed Kathy Griffin Begs Fans to Buy Tickets to Her Tour Before Trump Sends Her to an ‘Internment Camp’

Crazed Kathy Griffin Begs Fans to Buy Tickets to Her Tour Before Trump Sends Her to an ‘Internment Camp’

Crazed Kathy Griffin Begs Fans to Buy Tickets to Her Tour Before Trump Sends Her to an ‘Internment Camp’
January 3, 2025

The disgraced comedian Kathy Griffin thinks it is only a matter of time before she is sent to an internment camp.

In an interview with Chicago’s WGN radio station this week, Griffin urged her fans to buy tickets to her latest tour, My Life On the PTSD List, before she is taken away by authorities.

“Come see me before I’m in one of those internment camp,” she said. “I’m on the enemies list. That’s very obvious.”

“He was very, very scared when I did a parody photo of him and a Halloween mask and a lot of ketchup. And he brings up my name every chance he gets.”

The so-called “parody photo” was an infamous photo shoot in which she held up what appeared to be Donald Trump’s decapitated head.

The incident got her fired from CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast and several other comedy gigs. 

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in September, Griffin insisted that Trump had prepared a “list” and would target her and many others as a result.

“He’s going to pick us off, one by one, like bowling pins, and I’m not kidding, and I’m not being paranoid,” the 63-year-old said at the time.

“I’m a D-lister, he’s not going to get to me on day one, but he’ll get to me, trust me,” she continued.

“He’s got a list. I’ve known this guy for 25 years, maybe 30. He’s so petty that he lives for this. He doesn’t want to be President or do any president-ing.”

“If he gets re-elected, he’ll go after Jimmy Kimmel, he’ll go after Jon Stewart, all the name ones, but he’ll go after Rosie O’Donnell. That’s all he’s going to do all day.

“He’ll have press conferences about it. He’s so much crazier than he was the first go-round.”

She did not specify exactly how Trump intends to punish them.

Back in 2022, Griffin said that voting for Republican candidates would lead America towards a civil war.

BREAKING: Hunter Biden Plays Victim After He’s Accused of “Walking Around Naked Watching Porn Masturbating and Doing Drugs” in Front of a Minor

Last year, Griffin revealed that she had been left unable to speak after having vocal cord surgery following a lung cancer diagnosis in 2021.

She later confirmed that the surgery had been a success, clearing the way for her to return to doing her stand-up comedy.

The post Crazed Kathy Griffin Begs Fans to Buy Tickets to Her Tour Before Trump Sends Her to an ‘Internment Camp’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Ben Kew

Trump’s Secret Weapon for Mass Deportations: E-Verify

Trump’s Secret Weapon for Mass Deportations: E-Verify

Trump’s Secret Weapon for Mass Deportations: E-Verify
January 3, 2025

The White House from Washington, DC, Wikimedia Commons

This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire

By Hayden Ludwig
Real Clear Wire

Mark January 20, 2025, as the start of the biggest man-hunt in American history. That’s when the newly minted Trump administration 2.0 will begin hunting down and deporting millions of criminal aliens welcomed in by the Biden-Harris administration. If successful, they’ll purge our cities of murderers, child traffickers, and drug pushers, a result that will prove wildly popular with a country tired of mass illegal immigration.

But that’s only step one.

Restoring America’s honor and independence requires freeing her from millions more nonviolent illegal migrants who’ve lived for years within our borders in violation of the law. Finding them will prove tricky. Trump’s commitment to mass deportations may be ironclad, but pulling it off will require using a powerful weapon his predecessors ignored: E-Verify.

E-Verify is a federal service created 28 years ago that employers can use to confirm employees’ eligibility to work in the United States through the Department of Homeland Security. It stems from the 1986 Reagan amnesty law, which banned employers from knowingly hiring illegal aliens and later gave them a tool to enforce it. While hardly a silver bullet, it’s free, fast, and effective.

“If you aren’t for E-Verify, you aren’t serious about controlling immigration,” says border expert Mark Krikorian, who heads the Center for Immigration Studies. The system works through deterrence. A sign on the door indicating a fast-food restaurant uses E-Verify is “a signal to illegal job-seekers that they should apply elsewhere,” he explains.

CIS considers universal E-Verify a “basic tenet” for any robust immigration policy. “We can’t control the border without it,” Krikorian told me. “It’s important to deport the illegal migrants already here, but you must weaken the jobs magnet attracting people to sneak across the border or overstay their visas. It’ll make tracking people down a lot easier if it’s less attractive to come here in the first place and embed themselves in our society,” he added.

“E-Verify can do that.”

Some 75% of the illegal migrant population in the U.S. is in the labor force. Without jobs, most of them will leave. This happened after the 2008 recession when the illegal immigrant population fell by 1 million amidst a devastated U.S. economy. Encouraging them to self-deport is the cleanest, most efficient way to remove them from the country.

But that only works when the program is universal and mandatory, as it is in just 10 states. A 2016 study found that illegal immigration rates fell by as much as 50% in states with mandatory E-Verify laws, yet only when all employers were required to use it. Limiting the requirement to government contractors – as 11 states do – does almost nothing.

Most southern states get this, such as Florida, which mandated E-Verify across the board last year. There’s no reason President Trump and the incoming Republican Congress shouldn’t require every employer in all 50 states to enforce its use.

Yet many blue states go out of their way to discourage E-Verify’s use. California bars private employers from using E-Verify before making a job offer. Illinois penalizes companies that “misuse” the E-Verify system, discouraging them from using the program at all. And in 2021, Colorado Democrats actually repealed the use of E-Verify for state contractors on a party-line vote, calling it a “barrier to certain public opportunities.”

That America hasn’t already mandated this policy everywhere explains a lot about the state of our immigration system. For decades, establishment Republican squishes conspired with far-left Democrats to turn our country into a playground for the world’s poor and privileged alike – so long as those policies lined the right pockets.

In 2010, for instance, the Chamber of Commerce sued to block Arizona’s E-Verify mandate, later losing in the U.S. Supreme Court. (The Chamber now says it supports the measure.)

California Democrat Zoe Lofgren spelled it out in 2018: Mandating E-Verify “would be highly disruptive to restaurants, hotels, and other industries” reliant on illegal labor.

Opening the floodgates to tens of millions of noncitizens, legal or otherwise, proved one of the Beltway’s favorite bipartisan schemes. Corporate “conservatives” got cheap, imported labor; wily “progressives” got future welfare state voters. We the People got the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in American history: over 15%, higher than the mass immigration period of the late 1800s – and steadily rising since the Reagan amnesty mistake 38 years ago.

Cynical Washington elites sold our nation’s culture, jobs, and dignity away and smeared their critics as racist for complaining. For years, that grift worked – until Donald Trump sparked a revival in American self-confidence.

For his part, Trump was soft on E-Verify during his first term because he thought it was too onerous for employers. That’s not entirely wrong. “Plenty of companies ‘fall for’ fake employee documents that would meet E-Verify’s requirements,” warns Ken Cuccinelli, who served as Trump’s director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fixing that would require an additional layer of scrutiny from both companies and Homeland Security officials.

It was Trump’s 2024 primary opponent, Ron DeSantis, who made universal E-Verify part of his own legislative docket, setting the tone for national Republicans’ immigration agenda in the future. President Trump would be wise to take that ball and run with it in 2025.

Poll after poll shows unprecedented support for sealing the border and mass deportations. That includes nearly one-third of Kamala Harris voters, according to recent polling by Steve Cortes’ League of American Workers. His poll demonstrates the plan’s widespread support among voters aged 45–64 (62%), voters aged 25–44 (59%), and seniors (55%). Even Gen Z “Zoomers” under age 24 – a group Democrats once bet the farm on winning – favor mass deportation by four percentage points (48–44%).

After witnessing globalists’ open border policies firsthand, Americans rejected them in 2024. Their message to Washington: We demand an immigration system that puts America first, not last. And after riding his coattails to a new majority, the Republican Congress owes it to Trump to give this historic mandate teeth – if he doesn’t do it himself.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both issued orders requiring the use of E-Verify for all federal contractors. CIS experts argue the president indisputably possesses the authority to mandate E-Verify for all employers through executive action under the 1986 immigration law. (Others, including Cuccinelli, believe it would require congressional approval.) Depending on how that law is interpreted, implementation could take either 60 days or two years.

“Companies already file a mandatory employment eligibility form for new hires,” CIS legal scholar Andrew Arthur told me. That I-9 form asks for an applicant’s Social Security number or non-citizen work permit number. “E-Verify simply electronically validates those documents’ legitimacy, so we know whether that Social Security number actually belongs to you.”

Trump will doubtless face legal challenges from well-organized and funded mass immigration groups on the left, but the battle is worth fighting. Mandating E-Verify nationwide would “be a very clear sign to the public that Trump is serious about fixing the border crisis,” says Krikorian.

It’d be popular, too. In an era of dismal, futile federal programs, companies consistently rank E-Verify among the government’s highest-rated services for user satisfaction. More than 1.3 million employers are registered with the program, with 2,300 businesses joining each week.

Above all else, Trump’s incredible comeback hinged on the Democrats’ catastrophic mismanagement of the economy and the border. He promised voters a return to sanity, so they delivered him a historic victory Republicans cannot afford to squander.

How he handles his pledge to fix illegal immigration will prove a make-or-break moment for the second Trump administration. If the President fails to follow through on this crucial pledge to the American people, he will lose the fragile America First coalition he spent eight years crafting.

But if Donald Trump acts with courage and swift determination, he will not just restore America’s greatness – he’ll cement his place as one of her greatest presidents.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Hayden Ludwig is the director of policy research for Restoration of America and the author of ERIC: the Best Data Money Can’t Buy.

The post Trump’s Secret Weapon for Mass Deportations: E-Verify appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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