News of the World

[kyonides]

Fox News parting ways with Lara Trump

Fox News is parting ways with Lara Trump, a leading conservative political figure and the daughter-in-law of the former president.

“We appreciate Lara’s valuable contributions across Fox News Media programming,” a network spokesperson said in a statement to a number of media outlets over the weekend.

Trump had served as a paid contributor to the network and over the last several months appeared regularly on its prime-time and daytime programming to give analysis that often defended former President Trump or criticized Democrats.

Her reported departure comes at a time when a number of conservative media figures, including leading hosts on Fox, have sought distance from the former president or suggested the Republican party might need a new leader.

Judge Temporarily Halts Oregon’s New Gun Permit Requirement, Magazine Ban

An Oregon state judge granted a temporary restraining order on Dec. 6 against all provisions of the state’s Ballot Measure 114, which requires a permit to purchase firearms and institutes a ban on “large-capacity” magazines.

The measure, which was passed by 50.7 percent of voters on Nov. 8, was scheduled to take effect on Dec. 8.
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Under Oregon law, residents currently do not need a permit to purchase firearms, and though a background check is required, it does not need to have been completed before buying a gun. There are also currently no restrictions on magazines.

The new law would require residents to complete a background check to obtain a permit to purchase a gun, and would prohibit the manufacture, sale, use, and purchase of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and allow a shooter “to keep firing without having to pause to reload.”

Alleged Attacker of Anti-CCP Protester Arrested in Australia

The 30-year-old man, who was arrested by authorities on Dec. 5 at Sydney Airport, has been extradited from New South Wales and will face the ACT Magistrates Court today on Dec. 7, according to a statement by Australian Federal Police.
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Nancy Dong began to record the two men with her phone before one of them snatched it and proceeded to assault her.
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“This young man then grabbed my neck with his elbow, lifted me up, and threw me to the ground. He then started to kick and punch me. I almost fainted from the fall, and I lost the ability to resist his attack,” Dong alleged.

The altercation led to bruises on Dong’s arms and injuries to her lower body that forced her to require the use of crutches to be mobile.

While the two men spray-painted Dong’s car, a woman is also alleged to have played lookout for them. The police have released pictures of the three and sought information about them.

The man was returned to the ACT on Dec. 6 and will face charges of robbery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying/damaging property, and defacing private premises. The other two suspects remain at large.

TSMC to Open Second Chip Plant in Arizona, Boosting Investment to $40 Billion

The world’s largest contract chipmaker is opening a second fabrication plant in Arizona to produce advanced semiconductor technology, as the U.S. government seeks to shore up America’s chipmaking supply chain.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a major supplier to Apple, announced today that the second fabrication plant (or “fab”) will bring the company’s total investment in its manufacturing site north of Phoenix to $40 billion. The fab has started construction and is slated to begin production of cutting-edge 3-nanometer process technology in 2026.

The site’s initial fab, which broke ground last year with a planned investment of $12 billion, will produce chips using the less advanced 4-nanometer process. When complete, the two fabs will crank out more than 600,000 wafers per year, generating an estimated $40 billion of end-product value, according to TSMC.

The first fab is scheduled to be operational by 2024; but a letter from TSMC to the U.S. Department  of Commerce last month cited challenges with construction costs and project uncertainty at the site, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 5.

The company said the overall site will create 10,000 high-tech jobs, including 4,500 direct jobs with TSMC, in addition to more than 10,000 construction jobs. President Joe Biden is expected to visit the facility today along with TSMC’s founder, Morris Chang.
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Major customers for TSMC’s chips include AMD, Apple, Broadcom, and Nvidia.

Israeli Consul General Recounts Being Held in Prison-Like COVID Hospital in China

Israel’s consul general in Shanghai, Edward Shapira, was held in a medical facility for COVID patients for 10 days.
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Shapira, who only suffered from mild symptoms, mentioned how he was still trying to recover from what he had gone through being held in “conditions reminiscent of a prison” during “the 10 most bizarre days imaginable” he wrote.

“Not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia and basically for anyone!”

Shapira said the days passed in anticipation of two negative results with a difference of 24 hours between the tests, all while being held in a room between two hallways, “a kind of aquarium, two single beds, two automatic doors that open with remote control and a small window-like opening for a ‘food’ tray.”
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Shapira, who only suffered from mild symptoms, mentioned how he was still trying to recover from what he had gone through being held in “conditions reminiscent of a prison” during “the 10 most bizarre days imaginable” he wrote.

“Not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia and basically for anyone!”

Shapira said the days passed in anticipation of two negative results with a difference of 24 hours between the tests, all while being held in a room between two hallways, “a kind of aquarium, two single beds, two automatic doors that open with remote control and a small window-like opening for a ‘food’ tray.”

Texas videos show illegal immigrants easily crossing border and dashing across highway

Videos taken in El Paso, Texas and posted to Instagram show immigrants breaching a southern border fence and running across traffic moving at full speed along State Highway 375.

The videos show 13-14 illegal immigrants getting past a border fence separating Mexico from the United States before dodging oncoming traffic.
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One of the immigrants even threw his fist in the air as he crossed in front of the videographer, accepting the cheers as he darted.

The shot then goes to another group making the mad dash across Loop 375.
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Fiscal year 2022 ended with 2,378,944 migrant encounters, according to data released in September, which was the highest ever recorded in a fiscal year.

What is not included in the data was the 599,000 known "gotaways" that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, sources told Fox News, evaded capture during the same period.

As the 2023 fiscal year gets underway, CBP sources told Fox News that there were roughly 64,000 "gotaways" in October, which averages out to roughly 2,000 migrants slipping past border patrols every day.

Hungary blocks Ukraine aid package, insists veto isn't related to EU sanctions

Hungary blocked the approval of an 18 billion euro financial aid package for Ukraine, prompting accusations from other European Union members that Prime Minister Viktor Orban is abusing his veto power. 

The package, worth roughly $18.9 billion, would have provided funds for Ukraine to maintain its staunch defense in the face of invasion from Russia. Orban’s vote forces the other European nations to find alternative means of continuing to support Ukraine.

The European Union decided to withhold $7.5 billion in funding to Hungary over concerns of fraud and corruption. Critics of Orban believe he blocked the proposed Ukraine funds in order to pressure the rest of the bloc to release the funds.

The E.U. requires unanimity to send Ukraine money through the bloc’s channels, but individual nations are also able to do so on their own, although it is more complicated to coordinate the effort.
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But Freund insisted that "the EU will find ways to support Ukraine even without Hungary. But that means: more time, more effort, more costs."

Orban denied that his veto had anything to do with the dispute over funds and instead was a statement about how the E.U. should operate, saying that reports of a veto were "fake news. Hungary is ready to give financial assistance to Ukraine, on a bilateral basis."