In The News:
2023: The Year in Review
2023 could be thought of as a sort of Rorschach test.
For example, when you think of the year, what first comes to mind?
- A. Barbie, Beyoncé, and Taylor
- B. Trump, Musk, and the Titan submersible
- C. Maui wildfires, Turkey-Syria earthquakes, and Libya flooding
- D. NATO expansion, India’s population growth, and the Israel-Hamas War
- E. One or more from rows A, B, C, and D!
Regardless, it was a year. Relive the moments, people, and predicaments of 2023 here. And here’s to 2024!
What happened in 2023
Ten Most Significant World Events in 2023
You are not alone if 2023 has you feeling worn down. It has been a trying year on the world scene, as the forces of disarray grew stronger. Ongoing wars ground on, while new ones erupted.
Geopolitical competition increased, to the point where a meeting between rival heads of state became front-page news even though their talks yielded little tangible progress.
In all, good news has been in short supply.
Seth MacFarlane | Club Random with Bill Maher
EARLY RELEASE!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! The great SETH MacFARLANE and Bill discuss the hilarious Norah Jones moment in Seth’s movie, Bill’s article on Seth in Vanity Fair, David Mamet’s gift for Bill, Bill’s childhood snobbiness about animation, Seth’s favorite Superman joke, Seth being compared to Jay Gatsby, when Seth saw Bill’s appearance on the TV show Alice, the time Bill got booed at a Dodger game, how animated characters get away with more, why the guys slowed down Tweeting, the good and the bad of A.I., the time Seth and Bill sang to Jay Leno, and so much more.
America’s Birth Rate Dropping to Record Lows Thanks to Abortion, COVID and Bad Economy
The U.S. Census Bureau released its population projections for New Year’s Day and the next decade may be the slowest-growing decade in U.S. history, according to The Associated Press.
The projected population is set to be 335,893,238 by midnight on Jan. 1, 2024, an increase of 0.53% or 1,759,535 people from the previous year, according to the Bureau.
Despite this, William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution, a public policy nonprofit, said that the 2020-2030 decade looks to be the slowest in history at less than 4%, noting the previous slowest decade for growth was 7.3%, according to the AP.
“Of course, growth may tick up a bit as we leave the pandemic years. But it would still be difficult to get to 7.3%,” Frey said.
Fast News Bulletin: December 30 | Sky News Australia
Israel’s Yes Studios Releases Trailer for Documentary of Real-Time Footage From Nova Music Festival Massacre
Israel’s Yes Studios earlier this week released a trailer for its new 52-minute documentary that chronicles the Oct. 7 deadly massacre by Hamas terrorists at a music festival in Israel near the Gaza Strip.
The film #Nova is comprised entirely of real-time video and audio footage taken by some of the more than 3,500 people who attended the Supernova music festival in Re’im, Israel, as well as by the Hamas terrorists behind the attack, in which 360 people were killed and dozens more were injured and taken as hostages to Gaza.
“Tens of thousands will die in the name of Islam,” says one Hamas terrorist in a video that is featured in the film.
TV7 Powers in Play – Year-end review and prospects for 2024, December 2023
As 2023 leaves the calendar and ushers in 2024, we consider the shifts in relative standings among global and some regional powers (Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran) powers taking part in the Mideast game of nation. Was this the year of an American comeback? Where have the Russians gone, with their regional focus moving from Syria to Iran whose weapons they need for the Ukraine war? And China, is it patiently waiting for the competition to exhaust itself? With the start of the election season in the U.S., what is the new year expected to look like?
The Wrap Up Year-in-Review: The 5 Top Stories of 2023
This is the final Wrap Up of the year and we’re counting down the top 5 stories of 2023. We’ll cover the multiple indictments of President Trump, Elon cleaning house at Twitter, the collapse of the U.S. southern border, the horrific October 7th attack on Israel, and the biggest mistake made by a woke brand all year.
Today’s Massive Attack on Ukraine Cost Russia Over $1.2 Billion
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 90 were launched on Friday at a total cost of $1.17 billion.
Russia also fired:
- 5 X-47M2 Kinzhal aerial ballistic missiles which cost upwards of $10 million each, adding another $50 million to the total
- 8 X-22/X-32 cruise missiles, each of which costs about $1 million
- 14 Iskander-M ballistic missiles costing $3 million
- 4 X-31P anti-radar missiles and one X-59 missile, which cost $0.5 million each
- 36 Iranian Shahed-136/131 strike drones in the attack, each of which cost around $20 thousand to $50 thousand.
Thus, according to the calculations of Ekonomichna Pravda, the attack cost Russia $1,273,220,000.
Russian missile may have passed through Polish airspace before striking Ukraine: report
“Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded in Poland’s airspace,” Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, Poland’s defense chief, said. “It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace. We have confirmation of this on radars and from allies [in NATO].”
Polish President Andrzej Duda called an emergency security meeting after the object appeared on radar, and 200 police officers have searched the area near the town of Hrubieszow where the radar detected the object in case it landed in Polish territory, the BBC reported
Poland’s defense forces said the object penetrated about 24 miles into its airspace and left it after less than three minutes.
NATO forced to scramble fighter jets to intercept Russian military aircraft over 300 times in 2023
“NATO has standing air-policing missions that calls for Allied jets to scramble when there are signs of Russian military planes approaching Allied airspace in unpredictable ways,” NATO said in a statement.
The hundreds of incidents happened as Russia continues to utilize land, air and sea forces to score strategic advantages in its war with Ukraine.
Following Russia’s invasion last year, NATO bolstered its eastern flank with substantial air defenses, including more fighter jets, surveillance flights and ground-based air defenses.
UNHINGED! MSNBC’s BATSH*T Claims About Trump
How far will the legacy media go to ramp up claims that Trump is the new Hitler?
Female British combat volunteer in Ukraine is found dead ‘in her bed’
The body of former chemistry student Katherine Mielniczuk, 26, was found in the early hours of Christmas Eve by members of her unit, the 151st unit of the Special Operations Forces.
‘She volunteered her last 18 months in Ukraine, working in logistical aid and as a combat medic all over the country.
‘Kat’, as she was affectionally known, served as an instructor and combat medic with a group calling itself Menace Medics.
Women’s genitalia stabbed and shot after terrorists raped them, says horrific new report
An extensive and deeply shocking report on acts of sexual violence by Hamas on October 7 includes evidence that terrorists stabbed, shot and drove nails into women’s genitalia, with one witness saying they saw woman being raped as her breasts were cut off.
A two-month investigation by The New York Times used videos, photographs, GPS data from mobile phones and over 150 interviews with witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers and rape counsellors.
Soldiers and volunteer medics interviewed for the report described finding over 30 bodies of women and girls in and around the site of the Nova music festival – as well as two kibbutzim – in the same state: “Legs spread, clothes torn off, signs of abuse in their genital areas.”
Border numbers for December break monthly record, as Biden admin talks amnesty with Mexico
Sources say there have been more than 276,000 migrant encounters in December so far, already making it the highest month on record.
The previous record was set in September when officials saw 269,735 encounters. The number includes illegal immigrants encountered between ports of entry and migrants entering at ports of entry via the CBP One app.
It means that since the new fiscal year began on Oct. 1., there have been more than 760,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, making the first quarter of FY 24 the highest quarter on record.
Meanwhile, there have been 82,000 known getaways since Oct. 1. There were over 9,400 encounters in the last 24 hours, with over 8,000 resulting in a release with a Notice to Appear.
Migrant crisis: Caravan surge leads NYC, Chicago, Denver mayors to near capacity | LiveNOW from FOX
Currently, New York City has over 150,000 migrants that has entered the shelter system. Texas sent a plane with more than 120 migrants from the US-Mexico border to Chicago.
California becomes first state to offer health insurance to all undocumented immigrants
Previously, undocumented immigrants were not qualified to receive comprehensive health insurance but were allowed to receive emergency and pregnancy-related services under Medi-Cal as long as they met eligibility requirements, including income limits and California residency in 2014.
In 2015, undocumented children were able to join Medi-Cal under a bill signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law an expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal access for young adults ages 19 through 25, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Access was then further expanded to allow older adults aged 50 and older to receive full benefits, also regardless of immigration status.
The final expansion going into effect Jan. 1 will make approximately 700,000 undocumented residents between ages 26 and 49 eligible for full coverage, according to California State Sen. María Elena Durazo.
Wild California video shows beachgoers fleeing rogue wave
An incredible video has captured the terrifying moment a rogue wave crashed into Ventura, California, on Thursday, sending onlookers scrambling and causing injuries to eight people, according to Fox 11.
The wave slammed into Seaward Avenue in Ventura, where over a dozen people were gathered near a wall to view the day’s incredibly high surf. Monster waves of up to 33 feet high pounded the coastline yesterday, causing major flooding and damage.
One man can be seen being swept down the street while clinging onto his bicycle while another person, who is on the beach side, appears to jump over the wall just before the wave hits the concrete structure.
Newsom Defies Environmentalist Opposition To Build Badly Needed Water Tunnel
The Sacramento River is the linchpin of our water system. That river flows to the Delta, where supplies become entangled in a mish-mash of waterways and swamps.
That proposal was put to statewide vote, but was defeated because Northern Californians opposed it by overwhelming margins. Fast-forward 41 years and California still hasn’t relieved this bottleneck, leading to the common situation where officials shut down water supplies whenever an endangered Delta Smelt is found at the pumping station in Tracy. Like everything California proposes, this project will no doubt be overly expensive, but it’s past time to build it.
Environmentalists are, of course, livid. The Sierra Club claims it will destroy the ecosystem and instead urged the governor to “work with environmental and social justice groups” to “develop better proposals.” I’ve seen the kind of proposals that emanate from such groups and, well, you can be sure they never include boosting supplies. Leftist groups tend to say no—and file lawsuits—against anything that creates more water for people.
Former California lawmaker stunned over ‘absurd’ new law
Former California State Sen. Melissa Melendez discusses a state law requiring all stores with more than 500 workers to provide a gender-neutral toy section or face fines.
California retirees flocking to small Idaho town, prompting concerns about ‘liberal baggage’: ‘Wait a minute’
The Los Angeles Times reported this month the town of Eagle, Idaho, has seen an influx of retired cops and firefighters moving to their town with many of them identifying as conservative but who “seem practically socialist to the old guard” with their large pensions.
Two California transplants squared off in the most recent mayoral race, and the key issue between the two former Golden State residents was “who was the least Californian.”
Former Eagle, Idaho, Mayor Jason Pierce arrived in Idaho more than 20 years ago with no public pension and lost an election to a more recent arrival with a six-figure California fire captain’s pension. Pierce told the outlet it was “ludicrous” the new residents call themselves Republicans.
New California law will change the way police officers interact with drivers, pedestrians
California police officers seeking to stop a driver or pedestrian must now initiate any interaction by specifying the purpose of the stop before asking inquiring questions. They will no longer be able to initially ask the driver, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
California lawmakers passed AB 2773, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in the fall of 2022, to reduce “pretextual stops” or where an officer stops a suspicious vehicle for a minor offense to look for a more egregious crime, KTXL reported.
The new law goes into effect on Jan. 1 and impacts agents of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, county sheriffs and city police officers.
Chinese spy craft communicated with China via US internet provider: report
Despite Biden administration officials assuring the American public that the Chinese spy balloon did not collect and transmit data, a previously unreported phone call paints a different picture of top officials hiding information about the balloon.
According to NBC News, a Jan. 27 phone call between President Biden’s top military adviser, Gen. Mark Milley, and NORAD chief Gen. Glen VanHerck sheds new light on China’s surveillance balloon.
The network also reported that the administration initially hoped to keep the balloon’s existence a secret from Congress and the public, citing multiple former and current administration and congressional officials.
Democratic adviser reacts to Maine barring Trump from ballot: ‘This is a terrible decision’
Former House Judiciary Chief Counsel Julian Epstein joins ‘The Ingraham Angle’ to discuss Maine’s secretary of state removing former President Trump from 2024 Republican primary ballot.
Victor Davis Hanson: Joe Biden should not weigh in at all on this
Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson reacts to the media calling Nikki Haley racist over Civil War comment on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’
Hong Kong Police Targeting Overseas Activists and Speech
Hong Kong is using its national security law to arrest and prosecute critics residing in the United States. The Hong Kong police recently announced cash bounties of HK$1 million ($128,000) for information leading to the arrest of five young activists.
The targets—Frances Hui, Joey Siu, Simon Cheng, Johnny Fok, and Tony Choi—have all lawfully left Hong Kong and reside in countries that celebrate and guarantee their right to speak freely. There are now 13 overseas activists wanted by the region’s police.
They are all accused of violating Hong Kong’s national security law, which was enacted in 2020 and has since been used to clamp down on political dissent. According to Amnesty International, the law has been “abused from day one” to curb legitimate and peaceful expression. The maximum sentence is life in prison.
Newsfeed News.com 