President-elect Donald Trump on Monday leveled accusations against President Biden and the Pentagon, suggesting they were withholding details about large drones that had been observed flying over parts of New Jersey and New York.
“The government knows what is happening,” Trump, 78, remarked after representatives from Biden’s administration claimed ignorance despite widespread sightings and even photographs captured by thousands of residents in the Garden State and New York City.
“Look, our military knows where they took off from — if it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went, and for some reason they don’t want to comment,” Trump stated during a comprehensive, 70-minute press conference in Palm Beach, Florida.

Former Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued his first public remarks from Moscow since his regime was toppled by rebel forces in Syria.
“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed,” Assad asserted in a statement shared on Telegram today (Monday).
He elaborated, “On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024. As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Lattakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations. Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen.”

President-elect Donald Trump clashed with a reporter on Monday who pressed him on whether he would consider launching preemptive strikes against Iran.
After delivering remarks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump fielded questions from the media. A journalist posed a query about targeting Iran’s nuclear sites.
“Well I can’t tell you that. I mean, it’s a wonderful question, but how can I – am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that?” Trump replied.

He elaborated, “Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, ‘That was strange that he answered that way.’ Am I going to do preemptive strikes on Iran? Is that a serious question? How could I answer a question like that?”

Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, announced recently that Perin Jacobchuk, 34, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in federal prison for assaulting a 64-year-old Jewish man and, concurrently, one-and-a-third to four years in federal prison for attacking a 63-year-old Asian woman.
“Perin Jacobchuk will serve state prison time for committing two, separate, brutal attacks fueled by his prejudices and biases,” Bragg stated. “These hate crimes left both New Yorkers with physical injuries, which they have thankfully fully recovered from. I hope that the resolution of this case can offer the victims comfort in knowing that Jacobchuk has been held accountable.”

President-elect Donald Trump stated that he had been working to facilitate the return of hostages being held in Gaza.
“There is a light shining over the world. We are trying to help very strongly in getting the hostages back, as you know — Israel, the Middle East,” Trump remarked during a press conference.
He went on to warn that if the captives were not freed by the time he assumed office on January 20, “all …. is going to break out,” echoing a similar caution he had given earlier in the month.
Trump also confirmed that he had spoken with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu over the weekend. While he described the conversation as positive, he did not provide any additional details.

“We are the closest to a hostage deal since the last one,” Defense Minister Yisroel Katz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.
One-hundred-and-five captives—81 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals—were released during last year’s ceasefire with Hamas that lasted from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30. As of Dec. 16, 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with 36 having been declared dead.
An Israeli official, previously skeptical about negotiations, confirmed this week that progress has been made in talks aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip.

Federal agencies have ramped up their investigation into a wave of unexplained drone activity that has been reported nightly across expanding areas of the Eastern Seaboard for nearly a month.
According to ABC News, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are now utilizing drone detection systems and infrared cameras to assess whether these unidentified aerial vehicles pose any potential risks.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby addressed the issue on Thursday, stating that “many” of the drones appear to be ordinary and operating within legal parameters. He reassured the public by saying, “No evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.”

Podcast host Joe Rogan expressed his unease about mysterious drones spotted across the tristate area, saying he felt “genuinely concerned” after watching a video that presented an unverified theory about these unmanned devices potentially detecting harmful substances.
John Ferguson, who heads a Kansas-based remote aircraft systems company, shared a detailed TikTok video where he speculated that the drones might be trying to “smell” something such as a gas leak, “radioactive material,” or another substance on the ground.
“The only reason why you would ever fly an unmanned aircraft at night is if you’re looking for something,” Ferguson explained in the video, clarifying that he doesn’t suspect any malicious intent behind the drone activity.

A juvenile killed five people and injured five at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, Madison Police Chief Shon F. Barnes said Monday. The shooter is also dead.
The shooting was reported at 10:57 a.m. on Monday. Police are blocking roads and asking people to avoid the area around Abundant Life Christian School.
The K-12 school has about 390 students, according to the school’s website, and its campus spans 28 acres.
Gov. Tony Evers (D), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) said they were monitoring the situation.



(c) 2024, The Washington Post 

The leaders of Israel’s governing coalition have reached “broad agreement” on firing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Sunday.
The statement by Ben-Gvir, chairman of the Otzma Yehudit Party, followed a discussion by coalition party leaders at the Knesset in Israel. Aryeh Deri, the leader of the haredi Sephardic Shas Party, for the first time supported firing Baharav-Miara, Ynet reported.
A second meeting on the issue, set for Monday, was postponed, reportedly amid fears that the gathering at the Prime Minister’s Office would violate a 2020 conflict of interest deal that precludes Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu from involving himself in legal appointments while his corruption trial is ongoing.