Scott

A missing fisherman who had fallen from his boat off the coast of Brazil was found clinging to a signal buoy. David Soares, 43, was rescued by a fellow local fisherman two days after his boat had been found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. He told local media he had fallen from his fishing vessel and swam for four hours before he came across the buoy, which he managed to scale. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64108015

Jordan’s king says he is prepared for conflict should the status of Jerusalem’s holy sites change as Israel prepares to swear in what is likely to be the most right-wing government in its history. King Abdullah II told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an exclusive interview this month that there is “concern” in his country about those in Israel trying to push for changes to his custodianship of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, warning that he has “red lines." https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/28/middleeast/jordan-king-warns-israel-jerusalem-mime-intl/index.html

The January 6 committee released another batch of transcripts Tuesday, including two more of its interviews with blockbuster witness Cassidy Hutchinson and testimony from several other Trump White House officials. The transcripts shed new light on how then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows regularly burned documents during the transition period, according to Hutchinson. She also described how Meadows occasionally told staffers to keep some Oval Office meetings “close hold” and potentially omitted from official records. https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/politics/january-6-transcripts-key-findings/index.html

Italy has become the latest country to impose mandatory Covid tests on Chinese tourists, after China announced it would reopen its borders next week. Tighter measures have also been brought in by Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and India - while the US said it is considering imposing more rules. After almost three years of restrictions, China will let people travel more easily from 8 January. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64111492

It appears that some of our members would like to discuss the implications of Climate Change. Here's a link: Climate change won't make winter storms and blizzards go away. Scientists explain why. After more than two dozen people died in Buffalo during the blizzard over Christmas weekend, Erie County's executive director Mark Poloncarz said the storm, the second of the season, was the "worst storm probably in our lifetime." Other parts of the nation also grappled with severe weather, with cold temperatures linked to 49 deaths, the Associated Press reported. Scientists say extreme weather events, such as the Buffalo blizzard, could happen more often or be more intense as the Earth's climate changes. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/12/27/buffalo-blizzard-climate-change-extreme-weather-events/10955920002/

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In general, those crossing the border illegally are not detained. They can be detained. Under the law, the punishment is up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. The problem with dealing with those making an illegal crossing is that it would have to be handled by the courts and, as we know, the courts are not known for speed. In the end, most would end up being released awaiting a hearing for a misdemeanor offense. If you have been previously in the US illegally or have been deported, then the full force of the law will be followed. To some extent, this is what Trump tried to do and I think most people would agree that that was a mess of epic proportion. The legal consequences get a little murkier if the person is seeking asylum and has a reasonable claim. Under international agreements, people seeking asylum are not to be held in detention pending a hearing. If we look at the sheer numbers of people involved, it's apparent that any form of detention is not feasible and would certainly violate a host of laws regarding the length of detention. As the current law stands, the only option available is to quickly and vastly increase speed of screening and the appeals process. There are a number of ways they could do this, but so far everyone seems to be against changing the system. I suspect the current situation is more helpful to many in the political sphere than it is harmful.

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There are plenty of migrants who do in fact head to Canada. A small number of apprehensions are for people headed that direction. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-could-take-some-central-american-migrants-help-us-minister-2021-06-09/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-trudeau-aims-for-big-finish-on-final-day-of-summit-of-the-americas-in/ When it comes to benefits, Canada is much more generous than the US. Many of the people who are coming from South of the border are trying to reunite with relatives, family or friends. There are very few benefits that are available to migrants. If they are classified as a refugee, then benefits are available.

Cocaine purity in Europe is getting higher and higher, while the Continent becomes a hub for the production and shipment of the drug, and officials are scrambling to respond. The Belgium customs service will hold a press conference on January 10 to communicate a new approach and details on cooperation with the Dutch customs administration to fight narco-traffickers, a spokesperson told POLITICO. This comes after a recent analysis showed that the "purity of cocaine has been on an upward trend over the past decade, and in 2020 reached a level 40 percent higher than the index year of 2010," according to the 2022 European Drug Report published by the European Union's narcotics agency EMCDDA earlier this year. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-cocaine-purity-improves-belgium-customs-service/

In its single-minded pursuit of the “zero-Covid” strategy, the Chinese government was omnipresent and omnipotent, using its unlimited resources and unchecked power to control the nation. After having nearly exhausted its resources and the goodwill of... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/zero-covid-china-proved-it-has-control-governance-is-harder-1175380.html In its single-minded pursuit of the “zero-Covid” strategy, the Chinese government was omnipresent and omnipotent, using its unlimited resources and unchecked power to control the nation. After having nearly exhausted its resources and the goodwill of... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/zero-covid-china-proved-it-has-control-governance-is-harder-1175380.html n its single-minded pursuit of the “zero-Covid” strategy, the Chinese government was omnipresent and omnipotent, using its unlimited resources and unchecked power to control the nation. After having nearly exhausted its resources and the goodwill of ... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/zero-covid-china-proved-it-has-control-governance-is-harder-1175380.html In its single-minded pursuit of the “zero-Covid” strategy, the Chinese government was omnipresent and omnipotent, using its unlimited resources and unchecked power to control the nation. After having nearly exhausted its resources and the goodwill of... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/zero-covid-china-proved-it-has-control-governance-is-harder-1175380.html In its single-minded pursuit of the “zero-Covid” strategy, the Chinese government was omnipresent and omnipotent, using its unlimited resources and unchecked power to control the nation. After having nearly exhausted its resources and the goodwill of... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/zero-covid-china-proved-it-has-control-governance-is-harder-1175380.html

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) petition for a grand jury investigation into COVID-19 vaccines, in which he decries the ongoing vaccine campaign as “propaganda” by the Biden administration, is drawing fierce criticism from health experts. Physicians and public health experts say his request betrays decades of established procedure designed to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and only serves to stoke further immunization fears. DeSantis’s petition for a grand jury investigation was approved by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday, clearing the way for what his office described as a probe into “wrongdoing committed against Floridians related to the COVID-19 vaccine.” https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3786927-desantiss-request-for-covid-vaccine-probe-denounced-by-health-experts/

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GOP Rep.-elect George Santos of New York admitted in two separate interviews on Monday to lying about parts of his resume but claimed that he hasn’t committed any crimes and intends to serve in Congress. Santos has faced scrutiny over discrepancies in his employment and education history, as well as other public claims he has made about his biography. In interviews with WABC radio and the New York Post – the first times Santos has spoken publicly about the controversy – he acknowledged that he had fabricated some facts. https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/26/politics/george-santos-admits-embellishing-resume

The UK economy shrank by more than first thought in the three months to September, revised figures show. The economy contracted by 0.3%, compared with a previous estimate of 0.2%, as business investment performed worse than first thought, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Growth figures for the first half of 2022 have also been revised down. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64062548

After thousands of customers in Pierce County, Washington, were affected Sunday when burglars vandalized three energy substations, power was then knocked out for even more homes after a suspect or suspects gained access to a fourth substation, vandalizing the equipment and causing a fire, according to an update from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. The damaged equipment cut power to around 14,000 customers, police said, weeks after an attack in North Carolina left thousands in the dark for days amid federal warnings of extremist threats to electricity infrastructure. Tacoma Public Utilities said Tuesday afternoon it estimates power restoration by 2 p.m. PT, three hours later than initially anticipated, according to a tweet from the company. https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/25/us/tacoma-washington-substations-vandalized

A severe winter storm that has swept across North America has left the city of Buffalo, New York, looking like a war zone, the state governor has said. On Monday the city recorded 25 weather-related deaths, up from 13 on Sunday. "This is a war with mother nature and she has been hitting us with everything she has" since Thursday, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64096509

Secretary of State's Office, Maricopa County seek sanctions on Lake, her lawyers after court ruling Saturday On top of sanctions, the parties are seeking reimbursement of legal fees after court ruled against Lake https://www.abc15.com/news/political/elections/secretary-of-states-office-maricopa-county-seek-sanctions-on-lake-her-lawyers-after-court-ruling-saturday

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I haven't spent much time on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but I have been through the area. I suspect it's a combination of things, including not the best planning and then the remoteness of where many people live.

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Democrats are blasting the busing of migrants to Vice President Harris’s Washington, D.C., residence on Christmas Eve, taking aim at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), whom they blame for dropping the groups off in below-freezing temperatures on a holiday. The incident was the latest salvo in a months-long effort by Abbott and other Republican governors to urge the Biden administration to bolster its immigration policy and wasn’t the first time migrants have been sent to the vice president’s home. But it will likely intensify the feud over immigration, especially as Title 42 hangs in the balance. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3788126-democrats-outraged-over-christmas-eve-migrant-drop-off-at-vps-house/