News of the World

[kyonides]

SNOW STORM

Next major storm threat looms for Northeast days after deadly weekend snowstorm

As much of the Northeast digs out from the biggest snowstorm in half a decade, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston could all be on track to see another major system on its heels.

New York City recorded 11.4 inches of snow in Central Park early Monday, while Boston topped 20 inches from this massive snowstorm, dubbed Winter Storm Fern.

New York City is investigating seven deaths that are potentially weather-related.

In Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, the coroner’s office said three people died in separate medical incidents while they were cleaning up snow on Sunday.

Meanwhile, life-threatening temperatures are now the focus of states across the Northeast as a large dip in the jet stream parks over the eastern US, ushering in days of Arctic temperatures associated with the polar vortex.

The Arctic air will refreeze existing ice and snow, which means the impressive snow totals from this weekend will likely not melt this week, and freezing temperatures will likely remain through the end of the month.

Unlike the sprawling cross-country nature of the historic storm this past weekend, this next threat would be a coastal system.

The FOX Forecast Center is closely monitoring an evolving weather pattern around the Northern Hemisphere that could open the door for a potential nor’easter this coming weekend.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, a robust disturbance in the upper layers of the atmosphere could get caught up in this massive dip in the jet stream and potentially spawn a storm off the mid-Atlantic or Southeast coast.

The dip will serve multiple roles, including reinforcing cold air across the region and suppressing the storm track farther to the south.

Later this week, a strong upper-level disturbance moving through the jet stream could trigger the formation of a low-pressure system off the East Coast as the trough shifts eastward.

However, there is a large degree of uncertainty among computer forecast models regarding this outcome.

FOX Weather meteorologists Bob Van Dillen and Jane Minar noted Monday that both the traditional European and the AI-driven European forecast models indicated more impacts for the mid-Atlantic coast, while the American GFS forecast model was less bullish on a major impact.

Toronto mayor mercilessly mocked for on-air snow gaffe mistaking meters for centimeters after Fern: ‘Worse than last ice age’

Where did you go, Toronto!

Toronto’s mayor was ruthlessly roasted online Monday after she confused meters with centimeters — making it sound like the city was wiped off the map — when discussing the historic snowstorm that battered it.

Olivia Chow, the 68-year-old mayor, flubbed at on-air press briefing while trying to explain the record-breaking amount of snow dumped on her Canadian city over the weekend.

“Some areas received up to 56 meters of snow, and this is a record-breaking storm,” she announced.

The mistake made it sound like Toronto was buried alive — 56 meters equates to 2,204 inches of snow!
Toronto was actually hit with 22 inches, or 56 centimeters, of snow.

Her captive audience, largely made up of her snowed-in constituents, didn’t miss her gross miscalculation.

“It was worse than that during the last ice age apparently,” one person posted to X.

“Feel so lucky still alive, not buried by the 56m snow,” another teased.

“Hey, Toronto, are you okay?” one Instagram user joked.

Others pinned her gaffe on Canada’s delayed conversion to the metric system — half a century ago.

At the same presser, Chow said that 600 plows were deployed across the city on top of the 1,300 workers who were “actively and relentlessly plowing,” CP24 reported.

“The roads now, you can get from one place to another place, and so the city is not paralyzed like perhaps was 21 years ago or something like that where the mayor at the time called in the army,” Chow assured.

10 found dead in NYC since start of Arctic winds, winter storm: mayor

At least 10 New Yorkers were found dead outdoors as below-freezing temperatures and a bruising snowstorm gripped the Big Apple over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed the grim death toll since Saturday, sparking questions about whether city government was doing enough to take care of its most vulnerable residents.

It’s unclear how many of those fatalities were directly related to the brutal conditions with the causes of their deaths still under investigation.

But Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park said at a Tuesday press conference that a number of the victims previously used the city’s shelter system.

“When the cold is this deadly, we need to meet the moment and leave no stone unturned,” Mamdani said at the press conference.

Advocates for the homeless said deaths show the city needs to do more to get people off the streets.

“The fact that this many people have passed away shows the city needs to do a much better job of making people feel safe when they come inside,” said David Giffen, the executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless.

“It’s not that most of the people on the streets are unaware of the shelter system, but that they’ve had experiences there that make them not want to return.”

Mamdani has been less willing to force homeless New Yorkers off the streets in a break with his predecessor, Eric Adams. Before he began his mayoralty, he announced his intention to end homeless encampment sweeps that led to a windfall of criticism.

USA

Muslim nonprofit director allegedly ‘misled’ senators over $20M for refugees: watchdogs

The director of a controversial Muslim nonprofit is accused of misleading US Senators over how it spent more than $20 million in cash earmarked to resettle refugees, according to watchdog groups.

Senators are probing what happened to the tens of millions of taxpayer funds used for a humanitarian parole program that allowed almost 77,000 Afghan refugees into the country following the 2021 Taliban takeover.

Some of that money was distributed through the California Department of Social Services’ Afghan Legal Services Project (ALSP) and handled by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The director of CAIR-CA, Hussam Ayloush, told in a Jan. 9 letter to Senators CAIR-CA “had no input or role in identifying the organizations chosen to provide direct legal services (to Afghan refugees) under the grant.”

He went on to write that “the State of California selected the PAs and subgrantees after an extensive application and review process.

“CAIR-CA and its regional offices were amongst numerous other non-CAIR-CA organizations that received funds from the state of California….All selected organizations were required to submit reports to the State of California, regarding the fiscal and programmatic status of the grants throughout the grant period to ensure compliance.”

However, that statement “flatly contradicts contracts he personally signed” in 2022 and 2023, according to two whistleblower groups — the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) and the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI).

“Ayloush personally signed every one of these ALSP grants as executive director of CAIR-LA,” said a spokesman for NCRI and IAN who argue that “an entity contractually charged with administering funds and subgranting services necessarily plays a role in identifying subgrantees and their performance under the grant.” 

In addition to heading of CAIR-CA, Ayloush is also listed as the executive director of the group’s Greater Los Angeles Area office.

“He accepted those duties in writing,” the whistleblowers said. “He certified compliance. He agreed to oversight and accountability provisions that directly contradict the claims he later made to Congress.”

Alex Pretti was ‘known’ to feds, and had rib broken in anti-ICE protest a week before he was killed by Border Patrol

Alex Pretti was known to the feds and suffered a broken rib in a violent confrontation with agents a week before Border Patrol officers killed him in Minneapolis, according to a report.

Pretti, an ICU nurse, told a pal he saw ICE agents chasing what he described as a family on foot, and stopped his car during the earlier incident around a week before he was shot last Saturday, CNN reported.

He said he pulled over in his car and began shouting and blowing on a whistle, at which point he was tackled by five agents, the source said.

Pretti claimed that one of the agents had left him with a broken rib after leaning on his back, the friend told CNN.

“That day, he thought he was going to die,” the source said, adding that Pretti had been released by agents at the scene.

Federal immigration officers had documented details about Pretti, along with other anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis in recent weeks, CNN reported.

A memo sent this month to agents dispatched to the city asked them to “capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors, etc., so we can capture it all in one consolidated form,” the network reported.

Although Pretti’s name was known to federal agents, according to the source, it isn’t known whether his information had been shared via the new intake form.

It also isn’t clear whether Pretti recognized or was recognized by the federal agents he confronted in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Video appears to show him being wrestled to the ground by agents before one of them removes Pretti’s gun from his waistband and another fatally shoots um.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied that the agency has a database of alleged domestic terrorists.

Alex Pretti shot by two DHS agents during fatal encounter in Minneapolis, agency review finds

WASHINGTON — Two federal immigration officers discharged their weapons in the fatal shooting of armed anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend, according to a preliminary Department of Homeland Security review of the incident.

Pretti, 37, and another woman who had been blowing a whistle at the officers refused to move out of the street on Saturday after having received “several verbal requests” to do so, prompting an attempted arrest, Tuesday’s review stated.

“The woman and Pretti did not move,” according to DHS, which prompted a Customs and Border Protection officer to pepper-spray the pair.

When Customs and Border Protection officers tried to take him into custody, Pretti, who was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer pistol, “resisted” and “a struggle ensued” during which a Border Patrol agent began shouting, “He’s got a gun!”

Five seconds later, one of those Border Patrol agents began firing his handgun at Pretti.

A CBP officer also discharged his firearm in the scuffle.

Video footage of the incident shows that at least 10 shots in total were fired, though it’s unclear if Pretti’s gun also misfired.

The review noted that a Border Patrol agent made other federal officers and agents aware after the gunfire that he had taken possession of Pretti’s Sig P320.

The feds tried to provide emergency medical aid as well to Pretti, who worked as an ICU nurse. He was pronounced dead within half an hour of the confrontation.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office is currently conducting an autopsy.

President Trump decides Kristi Noem is staying put, despite bipartisan calls for her departure

President Trump is keeping Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in her job — despite bipartisan calls for her ouster.

But, he also made clear Tuesday that new leadership is needed in the aftermath of the Minnesota shootings fallout.

“We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” Trump said of his deportation operation in Minneapolis after the shootings of a pair of 37-year old US citizens by federal agents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Noem, fighting for her political life, asked for an Oval Office meeting with the president on Monday evening after he dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to calm the situation on the ground after repeated clashes between anti-ICE agitators and federal agents.

Noem made her case with her top adviser and former trusted Trump campaign aide, Corey Lewandowski, at her side.

Trump focused on the optics following the latest death of Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse killed in an altercation with federal agents.

As Washington D.C. was pelted with seven inches of snow on Sunday, he was inside the White House, monitoring more video angles of the shooting and raising questions about Noem’s assessment, which she called “domestic terrorism.”

Trump wanted a change on the ground, pulling back Noem’s Border Patrol commander, Gregory Bovino, from the state, saying his hard-charging tactics may not have been “good here.”

Noem, however, made her case. Her meeting with the president lasted nearly two hours.

Also in the Monday night meeting was the communications team – press secretary Karoline Leavitt and communications director Steven Cheung – and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Notably missing was Stephen Miller, who drives immigration policy for the Trump administration.

Noem reportedly blames Miller for the stance that DHS took after Pretti’s death, saying it was his idea to label Pretti an “assassin.”

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem told a person who then told her remarks to Axios.

Miller said he got his information from border patrol officers on the ground in Minnesota.

“The initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground. Additionally, the White House provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors. We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” he told The Post in a statement.

Police deployed robots, drones after learning resident had military background at Sacramento horror house were four were shot dead

Authorities deployed robots and drones today to respond to a Sacramento house where four people were shot dead after getting a call from the alleged shooter, a military veteran, who said it was booby-trapped.

When the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department  learned of the suspect’s specific background and after hearing reports of gunshots, they arrived at the Rancho Cordova home ready with a SWAT team, a Special Enforcement Detail unit, drones and robots.

The suspected shooter called 911 himself at 8:35 a.m., and reportedly confessed to the shooting and stated that he had “planted booby traps in the house.”

“They told the occupants to arrest themselves, but no one responded,” a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said.

Fearing for officer safety due to the booby-trap threat, tactical units deployed a robot to scan the entryway and interior for potential explosives.

A drone was then sent over the home, where it located an unresponsive male. Only after the aerial footage confirmed the suspect was down did officers make their entry.

Inside, deputies discovered a grim scene. In addition to the man, they found a woman and two juveniles–one boy and one girl–who were all pronounced dead at the scene.

Police declined to say if the killings were a murder suicide, or characterize any motive.

Border Patrol agent shoots, wounds man near US-Mexico border — days after Alex Pretti killing

A human trafficking suspect with a long criminal record was shot and critically wounded by a Border Patrol agent Tuesday morning after fleeing a traffic stop and opening fire about 10 miles from the US-Mexico border in Arizona, authorities said.

Federal agents tried to stop a pickup suspected of human trafficking near Arivaca, about 60 miles south of Tucson, around 7:30 a.m., when the lone occupant failed to step and eventually fled on foot, firing shots at a manned CBP helicopter and officers, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

During the pursuit, a border patrol agent shot and wounded the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Patrick Gary Schlegel, a US citizen from Sahuarita, Arizona, about 40 miles northeast of the shooting site.

Schlegel was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition recovering from surgery, authorities said at a Tuesday evening press conference.

No border patrol agents were injured in the gunfire.

Schlegel has a “significant criminal history,” including an active federal warrant from 2025 for escaping custody after a previous alien smuggling conviction, according to FBI special agent Heath Yonke.

The suspected trafficker will be charged with assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling and felon in possession of a firearm, federal officials said.

“We have and will continue to conduct witness, victim and subject interviews, review and analyze surveillance footage, and recover and analyze evidence,” Yonke told reporters.

“Let me be clear, any assault on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated. The FBI will continue to vigorously investigate those who harm or threat to do harm. We would ask for the community’s patience in allowing the investigative and prosecutive process to continue.”

‘Commiefornia’ Dems like Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass slammed for spurning Trump’s takeover of Palisades rebuild efforts

Enraged Palisades wildfire victims are slamming “Commiefornia” Democrats for dunking on President Trump’s executive order that would expedite the rebuilding process — and get them back home.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were ripped Tuesday for their lackluster efforts to get the devastated enclave get back on its feet — and for then having the gall to pooh-pooh Trump’s generous plan.

“Totally deflecting and not even sitting on the topic,” one Palisades resident fumed. “I don’t understand why the state would [oppose the aid], other than they want to oppose anything that this current administration does.”

“If the feds are coming in to help streamline things and make it better and easier for us, I’m all for it,” he added, saying that his neighbors are “almost hopeless” on being able to rebuild under the current process.

“The federal government is going to manage the process because California doesn’t seem to have the ability to keep track of its money and manage its money.”

Newsom caught most of the ire after The California Post broke the news Monday that Trump would sidestep state Democrats with an executive order that would fast-track the permit approval process for residents to rebuild the homes that were torched in last year’s inferno.

Wildfires destroyed an estimated 16,000 structures, but Los Angeles city and county officials have only issued 2,600 permits to rebuild so far, a sad figure Trump blamed on Newsom and Bass’s incompetence.

The governor whined on X that “an executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful” — an inane comment that only fueled the brewing frustration of the people the order would benefit.

“We all know what happens when federal funding is sent to commiefornia, it disappears,” one user commented under Newsom’s post.

“People who live in LA can see with our own eyes. You are a liar and a failure,” another wrote.

“[Trump] Please do not allow Newscum to be in control of any federal funds. He won’t even allow people to claim their tips on their state taxes,” said another.

St. John’s blocked Turning Point USA from opening chapter after Charlie Kirk assassination

St. John’s University blocked a bid by the late Charlie Kirk’s conservative Turning Point USA group from opening a chapter on campus shortly after his assassination last fall, The Post has learned.

The student government of SJU — one of the largest Catholic universities in the country — denied the application to open a Turning Point chapter months after Kirk was shot dead by a sniper on Sept. 10.

The student government has “sole authority” to approve or deny new organizations, a spokesperson told The Post on Tuesday. Clubs or organizations looking to open or “revitalize” chapters on campus have to pass a four-round “Power to Organize” process, he added.

“During the Fall 2025 semester, only 4 of 19 proposed organizations successfully navigated the approval process,” spokesperson Brian Browne said. “St. John’s students interested in Turning Point USA are encouraged to reapply to SGI in the Spring or pursue other existing alternatives for department-sponsored organizational support.”

Founded by Kirk in 2012, Turning Point USA’s mission is to identify, educate, train and organize students “to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.”

Critics said the refusal of St. John’s to open a Turning Point USA chapter at its Queen campus smacks of liberal bias and cancel culture run amok.

“Charlie Kirk was an advocate for civil discourse on campus. That was his trademark,” said Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

“Why any school, especially a Catholic one, would find fault with that boggles the mind. St. John’s idea of inclusion clearly extends to the LGBTQ cause, but not the cause of free speech.

First victims in deadly Maine plane crash ID’d as pilot, attorney wife of prominent Texas law firm founder

The attorney wife of an elite Texas law firm partner, an event planner and a pilot who joined the company less than a year ago were among six people killed when a private jet flipped over and burst into flames at a Maine airport over the weekend — just after a voice over the radio said, “Let there be light.’’

Tara Arnold — a 46-year-old powerhouse lawyer who lived with her two kids and mega-wealthy husband in a Houston mansion — was en route to Paris with those on board the plane when it crashed Sunday evening, killing everyone, according to records and reports.

The plane was registered to Tara’s husband Kurt Arnold’s successful personal injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — where she also worked.

Kurt Arnold and his business partner Jason Itkin were not on the plane when it crashed, sources told ABC 13.

But Kurt’s wife was a passenger on the doomed aircraft, the sources said.

Local Texas lawmaker Lesley Briones on Monday spoke highly of Tara — but later acknowledged not having firsthand knowledge she was killed in the plane wreck.

“I am close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold,” Briones reportedly said.

“She is a phenomenal person, a bold leader, and someone with a heart of service,” Briones said.

Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old Houston-area pilot who was the captain of the flight, also died during the wreck, his father confirmed to KPRC2.

“He’s in Heaven now with Jesus,” grieving dad Gary Hosmer told the outlet.

Hosmer had been working as a pilot for Arnold and Itkin since May 2025. He had held previous positions with Wing Aviation, Apollo Aviation and Priester Aviation, all of which frequently run private charter jets, according to his LinkedIn.

Friends of Hosmer described him as a loving and kind father and husband.

“I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband, and a phenomenal father,” a longtime friend told the outlet.

“He was always kind. He was always laughing.”

A third victim was identified by ABC13 as event planner Shawna Collins.

Collins’ daughter confirmed her mom’s death to the outlet and said the passengers aboard the plane were going to Europe for a business trip.

Daughter of top Iranian official ousted from Emory University following massive public outrage, CA Post pressure

The daughter of one of Iran’s most powerful officials was quietly ousted from her position at Emory University following a wave of public outrage over her employment, the California Post confirmed.

Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, an assistant professor at Emory’s prestigious Winship Cancer Institute, is no longer employed by the prestigious Atlanta-based school, a university spokesperson said Sunday.

Ardeshir-Larijani’s father, Ali Larijani, is a top dog in the Islamic Republic’s brutal regime, serving as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

“A physician who is the daughter of a senior Iranian government official is no longer an employee of Emory,” said Andrea Clement, a PR director at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute.

Pressure had been building for Ardeshir-Larijani to be canned — and possibly deported from the US — in light of Iran’s bloody crackdown on protesters that began in late December.

Pressure to address Ardeshir-Larijani’s immigration and employment status gained steam after The Post reported on an online petition that nearly 100,000 people signed that called on the US government to immediately deport her.

The heat on Emory intensified when furious demonstrators descended on the medical center on Jan. 19, waving signs that read, “Did you know Iran terror chief’s daughter is your co-worker?”

US Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.) fired off a letter to Emory and the Georgia Medical Board demanding that Ardeshir-Larijani be fired and stripped of her medical license.

UKRAINE WAR

Russian drones attack Ukrainian city leaving 23 injured — including children and a pregnant woman

A heavy Russian drone bombardment of Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa injured 23 people, including two children and a pregnant woman, officials said Tuesday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for U.S. efforts to end Russia’s almost 4-year-old invasion of his country to move faster.

The Odesa attack involved more than 50 drones, some of them models recently upgraded by Russia to improve their range and strike power, according to Ukrainian authorities. The drones targeted the power grid, which Russia has repeatedly bombarded during the coldest winter in years, and also hit five apartment blocks, officials said.

“The rescue operation will continue until the fate of all people who may be under the rubble is clarified,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that an informal Protestant place of worship was also damaged.

“Each such Russian strike undermines diplomacy, which is still ongoing, and hits, in particular, the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war,” he said.

A diplomatic push by the Trump administration to end the war has made progress, according to officials, but has delivered no breakthrough on the key issue of what happens to Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and other territory that Moscow is demanding.

Analysts says that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in no rush to find a settlement, despite his army’s difficulties on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. He believes that time is on his side, that Western support for Kyiv will fade and that Ukraine’s resistance will eventually break under pressure, according to analysts.

To replenish its forces and keep up the pressure on Kyiv, Moscow is offering cash bonuses, freeing convicts from prison, and luring foreigners to its army.

An Associated Press investigation found that unwitting Bangladeshi workers were enticed to Russia under the false promise of civilian work before being thrown into combat in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Monday the next round of talks with the United States and Russia is penciled in for Feb. 1. but that “it would be good if this meeting could be accelerated.”

Nearly 2 million Russian and Ukrainian troops killed or injured in bloody war: study

The number of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed, wounded or missing during the war will reach 2 million by the spring, according to a study published Tuesday.

The latest estimates show that Moscow has suffered about 1.2 million casualties so far, double that of Ukraine’s 600,000, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.

When it comes to deaths alone, Moscow has lost close to 325,000 soldiers since the invasion of Ukraine began four years ago, a reality that goes against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s boasts of an approaching victory, according to the CSIS report.

“No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities since World War II,” Seth Jones, the study’s lead author, told The Post.

At the current pace the war is going, Russia is projecting an average of 35,000 troops killed or injured per month, with Putin seeing 415,000 casualties in 2025 alone.

When compared to other major Russian conflicts, Moscow has lost more than 17 times the soldiers killed during the 1980s offensive in Afghanistan and 11 times more than troops lost in the First and Second Chechen Wars.

The current death toll is also more than five times greater than all Russian and Soviet wars combined since World War II.

The high loss of life was attributed to Russia’s failure to properly strategize, train its troops, address low morale, and plan for Ukraine’s effective defenses, according to the study.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has seen 100,000 to 140,000 soldiers killed since the war began in February 2022, a comparatively larger loss to its smaller army, the CSIS found. 

The estimated casualties highlight Russia’s main strategy of the war, one where it sends its soldiers to the meat grinder to eventually overwhelm Ukraine’s forces, the study said.

Putin’s commanders tie half-naked soldier accused of desertion to tree in brutal torture footage

Russian military commanders reportedly tied a pair of soldiers accused of desertion and failing to follow orders to a tree and shoveled heaps of snow down their throats — all while berating them near the frontline.

The jarring video footage, obtained by East2West, shows two soldiers taped to trees in nothing but their underwear in the numbing cold.

Both men choked out apologies for their alleged disobedience — but one’s cries are muffled as a superior officer forces a clump of snow into his mouth.

“[They] wanted to f—k off from their positions, not follow orders,” one commander barks.

Eat, you f—king b—h,” he snaps as the men continue to plead.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” one soldier, who was hanging upside down, croaked.

The men allegedly failed to reach a destination to which the commander ordered them, though it’s unclear where and why.

The Russian commander takes an extra jab and starts calling the men “f—ts” for their alleged rebellion.

The leaked footage of the inhumane punishments comes amid months-long peace talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that he would not pull back the troops unless Ukraine ceded part of its territory — the very land the Ukrainians have fought to retain through the entire war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Putin’s demand.

“We have no right to give anything away — not under our laws, not under international law, not under moral law,” Zelensky told reporters in December. “Russia is, of course, insisting that we give up territory. We, of course, do not want to give up anything — that is precisely what we are fighting for, as you are well aware.”

War Archive, a channel in Ukraine, explained that the torture seen in the video is consistent with the Russian military’s “updated methods” used against those “who refused to take part in an assault.”

Nevzorov Telegram, another Ukrainian outlet, explained that Russian generals are continuing to press on even as soldiers start to drag and have resorted to inventing “new types of torture for their personnel.”

ASIA

China’s top general accused of leaking country’s nuclear weapons program to CIA

China’s top general has been accused of leaking nuclear secrets to the US and accepting bribes as President Xi Jinping purges the country’s senior military leadership.

General Zhang Youxia, 75, once considered one of Xi’s most-trusted military allies, allegedly leaked core technical data on China’s nuclear weapons to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Zhang, the first-ranked vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was officially placed under investigation on Saturday.

He was detained by military corruption investigators earlier this week, according to reports from Chinese outlets.

President Xi has reportedly sent a special task force to Shenyang in northeast China, where Zhang was previously stationed.

Xi’s task force is staying in local hotels rather than military bases, where Zhang may have a network of support, the Journal reported.

As well as leaking nuclear weapons secrets, the general is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for official promotions, before leaking the technical information to the CIA for personal gain, according to the outlet.

Chinese state media accused Zhang and fellow People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Liu Zhenli of “threatening the Communist Party’s absolute leadership,” as well as “undermining the system of ultimate responsibility,” which rests with President Xi.

In addition to being one of Xi’s most trusted military allies, Zhang comes from a long line of communist heroes, with a decades-old connection to the president’s family dating back to the Chinese Civil War.

Bessent trashes Canada’s PM as Trump bemoans China ‘completely taking over’ US neighbor

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent trashed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for cutting a deal with China on electric vehicles, warning the US neighbor of penalties if it lets Beijing “dump goods” in America.

President Trump initially downplayed the move, telling reporters, “If you can get a deal with China, he should do that.” Then, on Saturday, Trump threatened to slap 100% tariffs on Canada in response.

“There’s a possibility of a hundred percent tariffs if they do a free trade deal, if they go further — if we see that the Canadians are allowing the Chinese to dump goods.,” Bessent explained to ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday.

“The Canadians, a few months ago, joined the U.S. in putting high steel tariffs on China because the Chinese are dumping,” Bessent added. “The Europeans also have done the same thing. And it looks like Prime Minister Carney may have done some kind of about-face.”

Canada had imposed a 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs similar to the US in 2024, but under the new deal, China will be able to sell 49,000 EVs at a 6.1% most favored nation rate. That came as part of a broader deal between Ottawa and Beijing to increase cooperation on green energy.

Carney’s opening up to China was widely seen as an indirect rebuke of Trump, who imposed sweeping tariffs on Canada last year for alleged drug trafficking and border security concerns.

“I don’t think he’s doing the best job for the Canadian people,” Bessent said of Carney.

Trump had joked about the US annexing Canada, and his pressure campaign prompted former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cry in public.

Last week, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carney told world leaders the “old order” had changed as Trump had threatened to take control of Greenland.

“We know the old order is not coming back,” Carney declared. “We shouldn’t mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy, but we believe that from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.”

“This is the task of the middle powers, the countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and most to gain from genuine cooperation.”

Trump’s ‘big armada’ with aircraft carrier Abe Lincoln arrives near Iran — as he warns Tehran to cut deal

President Trump’s “big armada” featuring an aircraft-carrier strike group has arrived near Iran — with the commander in chief warning Tehran to cut a deal to end its deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters, according to new reports.

Trump on Monday hailed the arrival of the US forces, saying the chaos in Iran would soon be sorted out thanks to his latest show of force in the region, Axios reported.

“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” he said, referencing the forces in Latin America that captured former dictator Nicolas Maduro.

In the face of the American “armada” off Iran and repeated reports of Trump’s willingness to leave an option for military force in the region on the table, the president said he genuinely believes Tehran is ready to negotiate.

“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions,” he told Axios. “They want to talk.”

Tensions have remained high between Washington and Tehran since the deadly crackdown on Iranian protesters earlier this month, with human-rights groups warning that the death toll will likely exceed 5,000.

Iran has warned Trump to stay away from the nation’s affairs, threatening attacks on US soldiers in the region if the Islamic Republic comes under attack.

Trump is reportedly scheduled to meet with his team to discuss military options involving Iran, after the president vowed to protect those protesting authoritarian rule in the Islamic State earlier this month.

Those options are enhanced by the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Lincoln and its accompanying warships entered Central Command’s zone of responsibility Monday, bringing additional F-35C and F-18 jet fighters that can target deep inside Iran, according to the outlet.

The strike group can also deploy the same EA-18 Growler warplanes that crippled the Venezuelan army’s radars and left Maduro vulnerable to capture.

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Iranian drone swarms pose ‘credible threat’ to USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, defense expert says

US military assets headed to the Middle East could face a serious threat from Iranian drone swarms as reports emerge that Iran’s supreme leader has gone underground, according to a leading military drone expert.

Cameron Chell, CEO and co-founder of Draganfly, warned that Iran’s growing reliance on low-cost unmanned systems poses a credible danger to high-value US naval assets, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group.

“Iran’s drone capabilities are worth well into the tens of millions of dollars,” Chell told Fox News Digital.

“By pairing low-cost warheads with inexpensive delivery platforms, essentially remotely piloted aircraft, Iran has developed an effective asymmetric threat against highly sophisticated military systems.”

Chell said Iran can launch large numbers of relatively unsophisticated drones directly at naval vessels, creating saturation attacks that could overwhelm traditional defenses.

“If hundreds are launched in a short period of time, some are almost certain to get through,” Chell said.

“Modern defense systems were not originally designed to counter that kind of saturation attack. For US surface vessels operating near Iran, warships are prime targets.”

The warning comes as a senior US official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group had not yet crossed into US Central Command’s area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean.

“It is close, but technically not in CENTCOM yet,” the source said. This would indicate the carrier strike group is not yet in a position to strike Iran.

US officials say Washington is reinforcing its military posture in response to growing instability inside Iran, boosting its presence by air, land and sea, while closely monitoring developments in Syria.

A squadron of F-15 fighter jets has deployed to the region, and C-17 aircraft carrying heavy equipment have arrived.

Family of final Israeli hostage brought home heartbreakingly hail his heroism: ‘I won’t leave my friends to fight alone’

The family of the final Israeli hostage whose remains were recovered from Gaza heartbreakingly hailed him as a hero as his body was brought home Monday — noting he chose to fight even while injured.

Ran Gvili, 24, was killed when he jumped into action during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack despite orders for him to stay home because of a broken collarbone.

“You dummy, you had every chance to stay at home,” said Gvili’s grieving father, Itzik, when presented with Gvili’s coffin during a heartbreaking ceremony Monday — 843 days since Gvili was slain and his corpse taken by Palestinian Hamas terrorists back with them to Gaza, the Times of Israel said.

“But you said, ‘Dad.’ What did you tell me? ‘I won’t leave my friends to fight alone,’ ” Itzak said.

Gvili, a member of the Israeli Police Special Forces, was at home recovering from a broken collarbone when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Despite his injuries, Gvili rushed to protect residents from the nearby Kibbutz Alumim, where he was badly wounded in the fight against Palestinian terrorists and died on the journey into Gaza, Israeli officials said.

Itzik said his son likely died with zero regrets as he fought to protect others, with the father thankful for the display put on for Gvili’s coffin as it was brought to the Jewish nation awaiting the return of its final victim.

“You should see the respect that you’re getting here, everyone who brought you,” Itzik said, addressing his late son as he walked beside the military procession entering Israel.

“The whole police force is with you, the whole army is with you, the whole nation is with you. I’m proud of you, my son,” the father added.

Itzik said he took some solace in the fact that his son helped unite the nation, which was eagerly awaiting the return of Gvili’s remains to close a chapter on a painful part of Israel’s history.

Gvili’s mother, Talik, gave a special thanks to President Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his envoy Steve Witkoff and the people of Israel for their work in returning her son’s body.

“Our pride is much, much stronger than our pain,” she said. “The people of Israel live and are strong.”

Israeli Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, who helped lead the procession for Gvili’s homecoming, said the young man was the “DNA” of the force, with the chief lamenting that Gvili was unable to return home alive like many of the other hostages.