News of the World

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US NEWS

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Sanctuary City Chicago Considers 80-Square-Foot ‘Micro Homes’ for Migrants as Mass Immigration Strains Housing

Since the summer of last year, tens of thousands of border crossers and illegal aliens — many from Venezuela — have arrived in Chicago with little to no resources or plans to provide for themselves. Most remain living in city-subsidized housing or in police stations.

Now, according to Axios, a housing company is pitching city officials on a plan that would have six migrants live in a single 80-square foot “micro home,” costing $20,000 each to manufacture.
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Inherent Homes has developed a prototype to provide an alternative to tents on sidewalks and under viaducts that can be built fast in their Lawndale facility.

Their new MicroHomes are 80 square feet and can house up to six people, Inherent CEO Tim Swanson tells Axios. They include a lofted bed, over 5 feet in headspace and a composting toilet.
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If the city wanted these houses, Swanson said it would take less than a month for production to ramp up and they could produce several units per month.
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Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is among a handful of Republican lawmakers who have highlighted immigration’s impact on housing costs for Americans, calling it “economic warfare” that cuts would-be first-time homeowners out of the market.

More News

Majority of U.S. Adults Living Paycheck to Paycheck

The majority of U.S. adults are living paycheck to paycheck heading into this holiday season, a report shows.

LendingClub’s latest report shows that as of October, 60 percent of adults said they are living paycheck to paycheck. Around 40 percent of consumers consider themselves to be worse off now than in 2022.

Even higher earners are struggling to get by, with 42 percent of those making six figures also living check-to-check under President Joe Biden.

According to a separate CNBC survey, the number of adults struggling to save between checks is up from 58 percent in March.

More than a third of consumers are planning to dip into their savings to cover holiday spending, LendingClub also found.
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The LendingClub report also revealed 43 percent of consumers who are living paycheck to paycheck and “struggling to pay bills” are planning to use credit for holiday shopping.

Pro-Hamas Protesters Crash Harvard-Yale Game

Pro-Palestinian protesters descended on the Yale Bowl on Saturday, but a few counter-protesters were also on hand.

While a larger pro-Hamas protest broke out during the third quarter, there were other displays around the stadium, both pro-Hamas and pro-Israel across the stadium.

The pro-Hamas supporters chanted “free Palestine,” and “ceasefire now,” “end the occupation,” and other slogans while waiving the green, white, red, and black Palestinian flag.
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Throughout the game, there were other blocks of fans waving small and large Palestinian flags, according to the American Spectator.

In response, one protester on the Yale side of the stadium unfurled a large Israeli flag.

The game, however, played on without any major hiccups. Yale eventually won the game 23-18.

One blast at the pro-Palestinian supporters was particularly amusing.

Several students held up a banner suggesting that Israel could exchange one hostage for 100 pro-Hamas Harvard students and professors.

“Good for Israel, good for the USA, good for Hamas, educational for students,” the banner concluded.

Former Troops Punished over Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Sue for Billions in Lost Wages

Former troops are suing the U.S. government for lost pay and benefits due to the Biden administration’s military vaccine mandate, one of the lawyers who successfully brought down the Anthrax vaccine told Breitbart News.

Attorney Dale Saran, a retired Marine, and fellow attorneys Andy Meyer and Brandon Johnson are representing the former troops in three separate lawsuits they plan to turn into a class action lawsuit on behalf of all service members who were either kicked out or illegally ordered to stop drilling, resulting in loss of pay.

Saran said the amount is in the “billions.”

“It’s worth billions. That’s just flat-out. That’s what it is in backpay. It’s billions of dollars,” he said.

The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which Saran said is a specialized court where illegal discharges are heard.

Jewish U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel’s Home Vandalized with ‘NAZIS’ Graffiti

The fence outside of a Michigan cottage owned by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel was recently vandalized with the word “NAZIS,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.

David Axelrod, who served with Emanuel in the Obama White House, shared a photo of the apparent antisemitic attack:

“This was scrawled on the fence outside the MI home of @RahmEmanuel⁩. It’s despicable. It’s disgusting. It’s just one more flashing red light,” Axelrod wrote regarding the incident. “Stop the hate. Stop the antisemitism and Islamophobia. We know where it leads!”

Emanuel, who was not present at the time of the act, expressed gratitude to local law enforcement for their response.
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Emanuel visited Chicago on Sunday. He served as mayor of the city from 2011 to 2019.

LATIN AMERICAN NEWS

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Latin American Leftists Melt Down over Javier Milei’s Presidential Victory in Argentina

All About the Bad Reaction

The unprecedented victory of Argentine libertarian economist Javier Milei in Sunday’s presidential election prompted a wave of outrage and dismay among Latin American leftists.

Milei defeated socialist and outgoing Economy Minister Sergio Massa on Sunday by more than 11 percentage points, becoming not just the world’s first libertarian president but also the most-voted president in Argentina’s history, with more than 14.4 million votes.

Milei was immediately congratulated by leaders from the region and the world for his outstanding victory, including former President Donald Trump, who posted the slogan “Make Argentina Great Again” on his Truth Social media platform.
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The most notable leftist meltdown over Milei’s landslide victory came from Colombia’s far-left President Gustavo Petro. Petro, known for causing international incidents with his prolific tweeting, lamented Milei’s victory mere minutes after Massa conceded the presidency. Massa notably conceded before official election results were announced.

“The extreme right has won in Argentina; it is the decision of its society. Sad for Latin America and we shall see. Neo-liberalism no longer has a proposal for society, it cannot respond to the current problems of humanity,” Petro’s message read.
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Minutes later, Petro received a now-viral response from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who told him to “now say it without crying.”

Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a close ally of the outgoing leftist presidency of Alberto Fernández and whose campaign strategists were actively enrolled in Massa’s now-failed presidential campaign, opted to issue a moderate public congratulations message that did not directly mention Milei, simply wishing “good luck and success” to the new Argentine government.
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Lula had also enthusiastically supported and worked hard behind the scenes for Argentina’s impending entry into the China-led BRICS trade and security bloc, slated to start on January 1, 2024. Milei, who has asserted that he will cut ties with China as he “does not do business with communists,” will take office on December 10, leaving Argentina’s adhesion to the bloc uncertain.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia “respects the choice of the country’s people,” noting that it paid close attention to Milei’s statements during his presidential campaign and that it will now “wait to see if he follows through on his words.
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Peskov’s statements were in reference to Milei’s repeated assertion that he “does not do business with communists,” his condemnation of Russia over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and his pro-U.S. and pro-Israel stances.

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

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Israel Recalls Ambassador to South Africa over Call to Arrest Netanyahu

Israel has recalled for consultations its ambassador to South Africa following the “latest statements from South Africa,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party on Thursday had said it would support a parliamentary motion calling for the Israeli embassy in South Africa to be closed.

South Africa, which is highly critical of Israel’s campaign in Gaza against Hamas, has recalled its diplomats from Israel.
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Earlier on Monday, a South African government minister called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by mid-December.

South Africa has already recalled its own ambassador and diplomatic staff from Israel, and the government has repeatedly described the Israeli campaign in Gaza as “genocide.”

The minister who called for the arrest of Netanyahu was Naledi Pandor. While calling for Netanyahu’s arrest, she has defended Russian president Vladimir Putin, criticizing calls for his arrest by the ICC and granting him immunity to visit South Africa.

 Yeah, let's leave the real bad guy alone and go after the politician that has the real urge to defend its country at all costs...

IDF, with UN, Evacuates Babies Out of Shifa Hospital to Egypt

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a video Monday of soldiers working together with United Nations personnel to evacuate newborns and babies in incubators out of Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, which has been a base for Hamas.

According to the IDF, the babies will be transferred to Egypt for further care there.

Israel has been criticized for military operations near hospitals, but the IDF counters that Hamas is using hospitals to house its military facilities, in violation of international humanitarian law; and that it is helping civilians evacuate to other facilities.
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There are reports that the Israeli military is operating, as of Monday, near the so-called “Indonesian” hospital, a facility that the IDF has said is atop Hamas terror tunnels.

IDF Uncovers Rocket Factory Underneath Mosque in Gaza

Soldiers from the Combat Engineering, Infantry and Armored Corps of the 36th Division are fighting to defeat the ‘Zaytun’ Battalion of the Hamas terrorist organization. The ‘Zaytun’ Battalion is one of Hamas’ main battalions operating in the area of Zaytun in Gaza City. The troops have encountered an enemy that is entrenched in the heart of residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools and kindergartens, and attacks from within civilian infrastructure.

The soldiers of the Golani Brigade led the beginning of the fighting against ‘Zaytun’. The soldiers have engaged dozens of terrorists, conducting battles at close quarters with them, and have eliminated many of them.
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In recent days, the soldiers located a laboratory for the production of rockets, explosion materials, a tunnel shaft, a large number of weapons and a UAV inside a mosque.

Soldiers of the Bislamach Brigade destroyed military targets of the Hamas terrorist organization in Zaytun, among them an Islamic Jihad weapons production post, where heavy and long-range rockets were located, as well as a lathe used for military purposes. The soldiers also destroyed tunnel shafts, took control of Hamas command centers, confiscated intelligence material used by the organization to learn about IDF soldiers, and struck additional buildings from which terrorists fired at IDF soldiers.

Iran Describes Itself and Terror Proxies as the ‘Axis,’ Evoking Nazis, 9/11

The Iranian regime has adopted the label “axis of resistance” to describe itself, its allies, and its terrorist proxies throughout the world, despite the precedent of the Axis powers — the losing, Nazi side — in World War II, and the “axis of evil” after 9/11.
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The former head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps has warned that “new war fronts” could open if Israel continues its offensive in Gaza.

Mohsen Rezaee, now the head of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination, told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen: “The axis of resistance will play a bigger role in the future and the Zionist regime will definitely lose in this war.”

U.S. President George W. Bush famously included Iran as one of the state sponsors of terror, what he called an “axis of evil”:
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States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.

CENTRAL ASIAN NEWS

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Nonsensical Attack

Synagogue in Armenia Allegedly Targeted in Arson Attack

Armenia’s sole synagogue is said to have been targeted by an arson attack, prompting officials in the former Soviet republic to launch an investigation, according to a report.

Videos from social media on Wednesday showed a person pouring burning fuel on the door of the Mordechai Navi Jewish Centre, which serves the small Jewish population in the capital Yerevan. […]

Rima Varzhapetyan, the president of Armenia’s Jewish community, said that the synagogue had not been seriously damaged and that no one was in the building at the time.

“On November 15, the police received a call that unknown persons wanted to set fire to the doors of the building at 23 Nar-Dos Street in Yerevan,” Armenian law enforcement said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP). “An investigation has been launched.”

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany Nasimi Aghayev shared video of the alleged attack on X.

Joel Lion, who serves as Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Armenia and Moldova, condemned the attacks in a statement obtained by the Times of Israel.

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Britons Told Their Taxes are up Because of ‘Putin’s war in Ukraine’

British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak signalled a claimed change in his approach to the economy in a speech on Monday, saying he was satisfied inflation had fallen enough to begin talking about tax cuts, perhaps the most powerful weapon he has in his electoral toolkit with only around a year to go to seemingly unwinnable national elections.

Yet despite the aspirational language of the address, the Prime Minister also made clear individuals should probably not expect to get a tax cut any time soon, and whatever little his government would be willing to give before the big vote for the next government in late 2024, would probably be going to businesses instead.

While batting away a question asking what specific taxes may be targetted in the Chancellor’s statement on Wednesday, Sunak did nevertheless say “taxes directly on investment… taxes to encourage innovation” were being targeted, underlining the idea personal taxes may get no relief.
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Sunak repeated his well-worn line that inflation works like a tax and accused the left-wing opposition of wanting to create a “permanently… bigger government”. “I want to cut taxes. I believe in cutting taxes” he said, while also dismissing the Laffer Curve, saying that “no matter how much we might want them to history shows us tax cuts don’t automatically pay for themselves”.

He also appeared to imply that the reasons behind high rises were somehow external factors beyond his control. He said: “I can’t click my fingers and suddenly wish away all the reasons that taxes had to increase in the first place. Partly because of Covid and Putin’s war in Ukraine…”.

The Not So New Axis Already Operating in Europe

Manhunt Launched as Suspected Iran-Backed Islamist Terrorists Sneak into Britain on Migrant Boats

Last month, agents for the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly referred to as MI6, stationed in Damascus, Syria reportedly discovered a terror plot with the “mission to target the Government” of the UK.

Despite discovering the alleged plot, six men with ties to Islamist terror groups linked to the planned attack were able to surreptitiously enter the country by boarding people-smuggler-operated migrant boats in France and cross the English Channel, whereupon they would have likely been brought ashore by British Border Force, as is typically the case.

According to a report from The Express newspaper, three of the suspected terrorists are currently under surveillance, however, the other three have gone missing after using fake IDs.

An intelligence source told the paper: “The information indicates that these ­people are terrorists planning to attack government buildings in England, Scotland and Wales.

“Although they arrived without identification, we believe all are now in possession of false documents.

“They plan to commit an act which embarrasses the Government. This could mean damaging a building or even a close-proximity cyber attack, though we do not anticipate this is a mass-casualty event.”

NATO Warns of ‘Malign Foreign Interference’ by Russia in Balkans

NATO supports Bosnia’s territorial integrity and is concerned by “malign foreign interference,” including by Russia, in the volatile Balkans region that went through a devastating war in the 1990s, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Sarajevo is the first stop on Stoltenberg’s tour of Western Balkan countries that will also include Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia.

“The Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Stoltenberg told reporters. “We are concerned by the secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

There are widespread fears that Russia is trying to destabilize Bosnia and the rest of the region and thus shift at least some world attention from its aggression on Ukraine.

Moscow is openly supporting the secessionist, pro-Russian Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik who has repeatedly called for the breakup of the country and joining the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia to neighboring Serbia.
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The Bosnian Serb leadership has for years been blocking Sarajevo’s application for NATO membership, something also opposed by Russia.