News of the World

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US NEWS

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Moody’s Investors Service Lowers U.S. Outlook Rating to Negative amid Polarization, Deficits

“Moody’s Investors Service on Friday lowered its ratings outlook on the United States’ government to negative from stable, pointing to rising risks to the nation’s fiscal strength,” CNBC noted. “The ratings agency has affirmed the long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings of the U.S. at Aaa.”

The agency said that it expects the “US’ fiscal deficits will remain very large, significantly weakening debt affordability.”

The agency added that political polarization raises concern that future governments will not be able to properly implement a coherent fiscal policy.

“Continued political polarization within US Congress raises the risk that successive governments will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability,” it said.

The U.S. rating will stay at Aaa as long as the nation continues to “retain its exceptional economic strength.”

President Joe Biden Appears Confused During Veterans Day Ceremony

President Joe Biden appeared confused on Saturday during a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate Veterans Day.

During the solemn ceremony, the 80-year-old president was slowly guided by a member of the Honor Guard to place a wreath in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

However, after doing so, he seemed confused about what to do. He turned around to walk back to his place but then suddenly turned back around towards the wreath.

The member of the Honor Guard then raised a gloved hand to gesture for him to return to his place.

It was an unusually awkward scene for a president during a wreath-laying ceremony.

The moment was captured live on C-SPAN and highlighted by critics on social media.

Dem Rep. Nickel: Biden Should Reverse His Decision to Remove Houthis from Terrorist List

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered,” Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) stated that the Biden administration should “Absolutely” reverse its decision to remove the foreign terrorist group designation from the Yemeni Houthis made by the Trump administration in the wake of the Houthis shooting down an American drone and stated that the incident underscores “the necessity right now to make sure we freeze that 6 billion in Iranian assets as well.”

Co-host Kayleigh McEnany asked, “One of your colleagues, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)…he partnered with Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) in sending a letter to Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, saying that we must designate the Houthis as, in fact, terrorists. ...in the wake of the Houthis firing down a reaper drone, our reaper drone, would you encourage Blinken — along with Jared Moskowitz and others — to designate this group as a terrorist group?”

Nickel responded, “Absolutely. I think it underscores the case and the necessity right now to make sure we freeze that 6 billion in Iranian assets as well. Iran is behind all of these attacks and that seems to be very clear.”

Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Smash Grand Central, Vandalize New York Times

Service at Grand Central was limited on Friday after pro-Palestine protesters flooded the streets.

The pro-Palestinian rally started at 5 p.m. Friday at Columbus Circle, with thousands marching through the streets demanding a ceasefire overseas.

Marchers then made their way to the New York Times building, vandalizing the front with a red tint before heading to Grand Central.

CBS New York reported that there were several arrests, and violence elsewhere related to the demonstrations:

The NYPD says demonstrations are being held just about every day in the city and stretching police resources. Each precinct now has one supervisor and eight uniformed officers on standby, ready to respond to planned or pop-up demonstrations, according to police sources.
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Police say around 9:30 p.m., some demonstrators staged a sit-in at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue and refused to comply with officers’ orders. Police also say there were altercations between some demonstrators and bystanders.

A number of people were detained for disorderly conduct.

Michigan township Green Charter votes out its entire local government over China-linked EV battery maker Gotion's plan to build a factory there

The entire local government of a small Michigan township was voted out this week, in a recall election over concerns about a Chinese-affiliated company's plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant nearby. In a special election on Tuesday, Green Charter Township's five incumbent board members, who are all Republicans, were voted out in favor of candidates who ran without any party affiliation. Hours after the vote, the town's new leaders wasted no time, changing the locks on the township's main government building, according to NewsNation National Correspondent Brian Entin.

The community of just 3,219 residents leans Republican, and the surrounding county voted in favor of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 22 percentage points. The petition that launched the recall election accused town officials of ignoring voter concerns over China-linked company Gotion's plan to open a $2.3 billion EV plant there, which is expected to create 2,350 jobs. Although it is backed by Volkswagen with operations in Germany , Gotion's parent company is based in China , and has been accused of having links to the country's Communist Party.

On Wednesday, NewsNation's Entin reported live from the town's empty government building, after the incumbents hastily packed up their belongings. 'This is something Americans all across the country almost fantasize about, booting out their local government if they don't like them and they're not getting the job done,' he told host Elizabeth Vargas on Elizabeth Vargas Reports.

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

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Iran Leader Echoes Pro-Palestinian Protests: ‘From the River to the Sea’

Iran’s hard-line president, Ibrahim Raisi, told a gathering of Muslim and Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Saturday that the only solution in the Middle East was the destruction of Israel and its replacement by a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.”

The phrase is frequently chanted at pro-Palestinian marches on university campuses and urban centers in the West. Harvard President Claudine Gay recently acknowledged that the phrase is antisemitic because it implies the genocide of Israel’s Jews.
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He also calls for sanctions and an energy boycott against Israel, for charges to be brought against Israel and the US at the Hague, and for international inspectors at Israel’s nuclear facilities.

Iran arms and funds the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

IDF Kills Hamas Terrorist Who Held 1,000 Palestinians Hostage at Hospital

In a statement, the IDF said:

Based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, and with the direction of IDF ground troops, IDF aircraft struck Ahmed Siam, a company commander of the Naser Radwan Company of the Hamas terrorist organization. Two days ago, the IDF spokesperson exposed that Siam held hostage approximately 1000 Gazan residents at the Rantisi Hospital and prevented them from evacuating southwards for their safety.

Ahmed Siam was killed while hiding in the “al Buraq” school, where additional terrorists under this command were also hiding and were killed. Ahmed Siam demonstrates once again that Hamas uses the civilians of the Gaza Strip as human shields for terror purposes.

Israel has asked local hospitals to evacuate because the IDF intends to target Hamas facilities within or underneath those hospitals. On Saturday, Israeli media reported that the military had surrounded Al-Shifa Hospital, a major institution underneath which Hamas has hidden terrorists, weapons, fuel, and supplies.

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Russia Resumes Missile Strikes on Kyiv Amid Country-Wide Bombardment

Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as part of an overnight bombardment felt across the country, local officials said Saturday, while drones that Russian officials blamed on the Ukrainian military targeted areas around Moscow and the region of Smolensk.

A ballistic missile was shot down as it approached the Ukrainian capital, said Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. He said that no one was injured.

The Ukrainian air force later confirmed an Iskander-M missile ballistic missile was used in the attack, the first attempted missile strike on Kyiv in almost two months. The missile was destroyed by the country’s Patriot air defense system.

Ukraine’s air defense systems actively repelled attacks in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, and Kirovohrad regions. The country’s air force said Russian troops launched 31 Shahed-136/131 drones, of which 19 were shot down.

The strike in the Odesa region damaged the city’s port infrastructure and a small community of cottages, injuring three people including a 96-year-old woman, said regional governor, Oleh Kiper.

Ukrainian military spokesperson, Yuri Ihnat, also said Russian forces launched an X-31 aircraft missile, an Onyx anti-ship missile, and an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile overnight, but did not give further details.

UK Strips Visa From Migrant Caught Celebrating Hamas Terrorists

According to a report from The Sun, Britain’s most circulated newspaper, a foreign national has had his right to remain in the UK revoked over celebrating Hamas, which is a banned terror organisation in the country.

The man, who remains unnamed for legal reasons, was also caught supporting Palestine Islamic Jihad, which is classified as a banned proscribed terrorist group as well.

The Hamas-supporting migrant is said to have left the UK after a case was opened against him and Home Secretary Suella Braverman subsequently scrapped his visa, thereby prohibiting him from returning.

He is reportedly the first foreigner to have had his visa revoked after the British government warned it would remove migrants who supported banned terror groups in the wake of the October 7th Hamas attacks that killed over 1,400 people in Israel.

Commenting on the decision to revoke the Hamas-sympathiser’s visa, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: “There can be zero tolerance for visitors to the UK who abuse the privilege of a visa and endorse evil terrorist acts.