News of the World

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US NEWS

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Biden thought he was going to be able to run out the clock on having to turn over bank records

FOX News host Jesse Watters discusses how Rep. James Comer discovered that a personal check made out to Joe Biden came from China...

The president thought he was going to be able to run out the clock on having to turn over bank records. The president thought records of your bank files are stored in cabinets, in warehouses, and it would take years to send a bunch of bankers to dig through boxes of bank records and Xerox them and turn them over. It's actually electronic.
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And James Comer is finally getting his hands on Biden family bank records so far. The left says there's no evidence incriminating Joe Biden.

The majority sits completely empty-handed with no evidence of any presidential wrongdoing, no smoking gun. So we've established that a smoking gun is dirty money coming from overseas into Biden's bank account. Well, look what we have here.

That's a check made out to Joe Biden for $40,000. His brother's wife wrote him the check. But where'd the money come from? James Comer found out.

China wired Hunter's company $5 million. Hunter's company wired Hunter 400,000. Hunter's company wired Biden's brother money. And then Biden's brother's wife wrote Joe a check for 40 grand. Well, wait a second. What's 10% of 400,000? That's 40 grand. That's 10% for "The Big Guy." So money hit Joe Biden's bank account from China, and it added up to 10% for "The Big Guy." I wonder if the Democrats will change what a smoking gun means.

Emphasis conveniently added here.

Sam Bankman-Fried Convicted of Fraud, Faces over 100 Years in Prison

Sam Bankman-Fried has been found guilty of all charges stemming from the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange company FTX.

“A New York jury in Manhattan federal court agreed with prosecutors that Bankman-Fried defrauded investors, customers and lenders in connection with the collapse of his crypto empire,” reported Fox Business.

“Prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried, who founded and controlled both FTX and sister hedge fund Alameda research, of misappropriating and embezzling billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits, scheming to mislead investors, and instructing other executives at his businesses to do the same,” it added.

In the first of two criminal trials, Bankman-Fried faced five counts of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud, which all amount to up to 110 years in prison. His sentencing hearing has been set for March 28.

Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, praised the verdict as he declared that Bankman-Fried “perpetrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.”

“The cryptocurrency industry might be new, the players like Bankman-Fried might be new,” Williams said. “But this kind of fraud, this kind of corruption, is as old as time.”

Murder Cases

Ex-gang leader suspected of Tupac Shakur murder pleads not guilty

A former Southern California street gang leader pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder in the 1996 killing of rap music icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas — a charge prompted by his own descriptions in recent years about orchestrating the deadly drive-by shooting.

Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and the only person ever charged with a crime in the case. In court on Thursday, Davis stood in shackles as he awaited proceedings and waved to his wife, son and daughter in the packed spectator gallery.

"Not guilty," Davis said when Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones asked for his plea.

The judge told Davis that prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty in the case, which could put Davis in prison for the rest of his life if he is convicted. Jones also named county special public defenders Robert Arroyo and Charles Cano to represent Davis at taxpayer expense, after Davis lost his bid to hire private defense attorney Ross Goodman.

Goodman two weeks ago said prosecutors lack witnesses and key evidence, including a gun or vehicle, for the killing committed 27 years ago. Outside the courtroom on Thursday, Goodman said Davis was still trying to hire him. Davis' family members declined to comment.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters that he and a panel of prosecutors decided the case against Davis was "not the kind of case that should proceed with the asking of the death penalty." He didn't specify reasons for that decision.

Alex Murdaugh's lawyers ask South Carolina Supreme Court to kick judge off murder case

Attorneys for convicted killer Alex Murdaugh asked the South Carolina Supreme Court Wednesday to remove Judge Clifton Newman from his case one week after filing a motion for a new trial.

The judge sentenced Murdaugh, 55, to two life terms in March for the murder of his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, after a Colleton County jury voted to convict on all counts.

Defense lawyers Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian have argued that Murdaugh deserves a new trial based, in part, on allegations that court clerk Becky Hill pressured jurors to return a guilty verdict to land a book deal.

In the latest filing, the attorneys allege that Newman was a witness in matters that will feature prominently in a hearing for a new trial, and it would be a conflict for him to preside over that proceeding.

In addition, Newman has expressed his opinions about Murdaugh in and outside of court, including in an interview on NBC's "Today" show and at a televised panel at his alma mater Cleveland State University.

Approximately a dozen freight train cars derail near Detroit

About a dozen freight train cars derailed Thursday morning from tracks near a rail crossing in southeastern Michigan.

Initial assessments indicate a majority of the derailed cars were empty and there appeared to be no immediate threat to the public, the city of Romulus said in a post on social media.
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The city said 10 to 14 cars derailed from the CSX railroad tracks about 9:30 a.m. Thursday about 24 miles southwest of Detroit. Aerial photos showed some of the rail cars tumbled atop others.

There were no reports of injuries and no time given for when the freight cars would be removed from the tracks.

Students from an elementary school and a middle school nearby were transferred to Romulus High School as a precaution, according to the city.

Illegal Immigrants Committing Crimes

ICE arrests African illegal immigrant, wanted in Senegal for terrorist offenses, who was released into US

Federal immigration authorities arrested an illegal immigrant wanted in Senegal for alleged terrorist activities, two weeks after he was released into the country after being encountered by agents at the southern border.

In a press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says a 29-year-old "unlawfully present Mauritanian or Senegalese citizen" was arrested on Oct. 17.

ICE says he is wanted by Senegalese authorities for criminal conspiracy in relation to a terrorist organization; destruction, degradation and damages in relation to a terrorist organization; direct provocation of an armed crowd and acts (or preparatory acts) aimed at compromising public safety.

But he had first been encountered on Oct. 3 -- two weeks earlier -- by Border Patrol agents at the southern border near Lukeville, Arizona. He was then processed by officials and served with a Notice to Appear in New York City and released on his own recognizance.

A week after he was released, on Oct. 10, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations agents notified Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Senegal.

ICE’s New York City Fugitive Operations team then arrested him "without incident" outside of the Federal Plaza immigration court in New York City. He is now in custody on deportation proceedings.

 How is it possible for a migrant to know how to travel from Lukeville, Arizona all the way down to New York city?  And who is the moron that picked that location for any immigration trial in the first place?

Venezuelan migrants accused of stealing thousands in merchandise from Illinois Macy's

Two Venezuelan migrants residing in Chicago were charged with stealing nearly $3,000 in merchandise from a suburban Macy’s on Tuesday and prompted authorities to warn of an uptick in migrant criminal activity coming from the city.

Luis Mendez-Gomez, 28, and Frank Montez-Davila, 23, left the Macy’s store in Oak Brook, Illinois, around 1:40 p.m. carrying a "happy birthday" bag and a backpack containing merchandise, DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office said.

Oak Brook police officers on patrol spotted the men’s "suspicious behavior" and saw them enter a car that left the scene, prosecutors said.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and discovered 16 high-end fragrances and a pair of pants with a total approximate value of $2,832.50, officials said.

Prosecutors alleged that Mendez-Gomez and Montes-Davila entered the Macy’s store together and that once inside the store, Mendez-Gomez removed the "happy birthday" bag and backpack from under his shirt and the pair filled the bag and backpack with the fragrances and pants before leaving the store without paying.

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Russia is Dangerous! And quite hypocritical as well...

Putin pulls Russia out of nuclear test ban treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation Thursday de-ratifying an international nuclear weapons treaty.

The law withdraws Russia from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), originally signed in 1996 and ratified in 2000.

Russian officials have characterized the country's withdrawal from the treaty as a move toward equality with Western powers.

The U.S. signed the treaty alongside Russia but failed to ratify its content and implement its regulations.

Other countries failed to finalize their commitment to the treaty, including China, Israel, Iran and North Korea.

Russia's withdrawal from the CTBT is not surprising. Putin has signaled his intentions to de-ratify the agreement since the invasion of Ukraine began.

Russia’s defense minister accuses US of fueling tensions, warns of clash between nuclear powers

Russia’s minister of defense on Monday blamed the United States of fueling tensions across the globe, claiming that the West’s "steady escalation" threatens a military conflict between nuclear powers. 

Sergei Shoigu delivered remarks at a defense forum in Beijing, an annual event that China uses to promote military diplomacy and is attended by representatives from dozens of countries, including the U.S.

"Washington for years has deliberately undermined and destroyed the foundations of international security and strategic stability, including the system of arms control agreements," Shoigu said at the Xiangshan Forum.

Shoigu said that the U.S. and its Western allies are threatening Russia through NATO trying to expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific under the pretense of seeking dialogue and collaboration with regional countries.

"The Western line of steady escalation of the conflict with Russia carries the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences," Shoigu said.

Moscow, however, remained open to negotiations about the war in Ukraine if the conditions were right, Shoigu said, without elaborating.

Without directly naming the U.S., [China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission] Zhang [Youxia] criticized "certain countries" that "keep stirring up troubles around the world."

The U.S. is represented at the event by a delegation led by Cynthia Carras, the Defense Department’s leading official on China.

Derailment damages close world's longest rail tunnel until next September

Switzerland’s national rail operator said Thursday the world’s longest rail tunnel won't be fully reopened to train traffic until next September, again pushing back the target date for repairs of damage caused by a cargo train derailment.

The Swiss federal railway operator, [the Swiss Federal Railway or Schweizerische Bundesbahnen in German] SBB, said the damage from the Aug. 10 derailment in the Gotthard tunnel, Switzerland’s main north-south rail thoroughfare, is "much more significant than first imagined."

"The rail tracks need to be entirely replaced over 4.2 miles. The work will take much more time than anticipated," SBB said. The cost of the repairs is expected to be 100 million to 130 million Swiss francs (about $110 million to $140 million).

Limited passenger and cargo train traffic through the tunnel is continuing. Previously, SBB said repair work would continue through the end of this year.

No one was injured in the derailment, but the damage was considerable. Large swaths of track and an evacuation portal were torn up.

ASIAN NEWS

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North Korea believed to be supplying Russia with missiles for Ukraine offensive, South Korea says

North Korea has likely supplied Russian President Vladimir Putin with several types of missiles for his ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean intelligence.

South Korea's military said the hermit nation is suspected of sending an unspecified number of short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank missiles and portable anti-air missiles to Russia, in addition to rifles, rocket launchers, mortars and shells, The Associated Press reported.

North Korea has been pushing to expand cooperation with Russia and China in the face of protracted security tensions with the United States and pandemic-caused domestic hardships. In an apparent sign of its economic troubles, the country is moving to close some of its overseas diplomatic missions.

Last week, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan strongly condemned North Korea’s alleged supplying of munitions and military equipment to Russia, saying such weapons shipments sharply increased the human toll of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Any weapons trade with North Korea would be a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent U.N. Security Council member, previously endorsed.

Russia and North Korea have both disputed the allegations.