John Bolton compares Kash Patel to Stalin’s right-hand man after Trump’s FBI nomination
Former national security adviser John Bolton called for the Senate to reject President-elect Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel for FBI director, even comparing the move to Josef Stalin’s reign of terror. Bolton, who served during the first Trump administration, provided a statement about the pick to NBC News. “Meet the Press” anchor Kristin Welker shared the comment in a post on X Sunday morning. “Trump has nominated Kash Patel to be his Lavrenty [sic] Beria,” the statement read. “Fortunately, the FBI is not the NKVD [People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs].” “The Senate should reject this nomination 100-0,” Bolton added. TRUMP NOMINATES KASH PATEL TO SERVE AS FBI DIRECTOR: ‘ADVOCATE FOR TRUTH’ Bolton’s statement referenced Lavrentiy Beria, who was the head of the Soviet secret police under Stalin. Beria is one of the most infamous figures in Russian history, having organized and implemented widespread surveillance, repression, ethnic purges and terror during Stalin’s rule. The prospect of an outsider being placed in charge of the FBI sent shockwaves across Washington over the weekend. The nomination was announced on Saturday night by Trump, who called Patel a “brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter.” During the first Trump administration, Patel was the senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council. He is seen as a Trump loyalist who will implement drastic reforms within the FBI if confirmed. NEW YORK JUDGE GRANTS TRUMP REQUEST TO FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CHARGES, CANCELS SENTENCING INDEFINITELY Patel said in a September interview with “The Shawn Ryan Show,” that he would “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen the next day as a museum of the deep state.” He also penned a book called “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.” Patel is not the first Trump pick that Bolton has blasted. During a “Meet the Press NOW” episode in November, Bolton said Trump’s now-withdrawn nomination of Matt Gaetz to U.S. attorney general was “the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history.” “The Senate’s new leadership should tell the president-elect that he is endangering Republican senators by forcing a vote in favor of Gaetz’s nomination. The leadership should insist that this nomination be withdrawn,” Bolton said at the time.
US sees surge in Indian immigrants at border with Canada
Attempted border crossings by illegal immigrants from Indian nationals have surged at the U.S. border with Canada in recent years. Nearly 44,000 Indian nationals attempted to cross the U.S.-Canadian border illegally in fiscal 2024, up from about 30,000 in fiscal 2023 and 17,331 in fiscal 2022, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection data portal. Indian nationals were the most commonly encountered nationality at the northern border among those tracked last fiscal year, representing roughly 22% of the 198,929 total land border encounters at the U.S.-Canada border in fiscal 2024. TRUMP BOASTS OF ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING’ WITH CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU AT MAR-A-LAGO The latest numbers come as President-elect Trump prepares to take office for a second time, with renewed promises of border security being one of the former president’s favorite selling points on the campaign trail. Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday, with Trump saying the two leaders had a “very productive” conversation, including talks about border security. “We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic, caused mainly by the drug cartels, and fentanyl pouring in from China. Too much death and hardship!” MEXICAN PRESIDENT MIGHT BE CHANGING VIEW ON US AS TRUMP WIN SENDS WARNING TO RULING SOCIALISTS The Canadian government has already moved to stiffen its border policies amid strained relations with the U.S., according to a September Financial Times report, starting with a rollback of its permissive worker visa program. “U.S. lawmakers are calling to harden the northern border with Canada because of the fears of illegal migration from Canada,” Glenn Cowan, the founder and chief executive of the security company One9, told the Financial Times. “Stemming the flow of these visas will bolster U.S. relations.” That work could become more important as the Canadian government prepares to once again work with Trump, who in the past has threatened to impose tariffs on both Canada and Mexico. Trump did not say on Saturday whether such tariffs were still on the table after his talks with Trudeau, though he made clear the two leaders also discussed energy, trade and relations in the Arctic. “All are vital issues that I will be addressing on my first days back in office, and before,” Trump said.
Who is Kash Patel? Trump’s pick to lead the FBI has long history vowing to bust up ‘deep state’
President-elect Trump tapped longtime ally and crusader against the “deep state,” Kashyap “Kash” Patel to lead the FBI, where he will work to snuff out America’s “crime epidemic,” bust up migrant gangs, and stymie drug and human trafficking, the upcoming president declared in his announcement. “Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday evening. “This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.” Following Trump’s massive win over Vice President Kamala Harris at the ballot boxes last month, speculation mounted that Patel was a top contender to serve as the FBI chief – an agency Trump and conservatives have repeatedly slammed as “weaponized” against Republicans. TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS Patel, 44, is a New York native who grew up on Long Island in Garden City, and was raised by Indian immigrant parents. He earned his law degree in 2005 from Pace University, before serving as a public defender in Florida’s Miami-Dade area, where he tried “scores of complex cases ranging from murder, to narco-trafficking, to complex financial crimes in jury trials in state and federal courts,” according to his Defense Department biography. Patel hit the national radar during Trump’s first administration, including when he worked as the national security adviser and senior counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence under the leadership of then-Committee Chair Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. KASH PATEL’S NOMINATION SPARKS ENTHUSIASM, ANXIETY; FUTURE OF THE FBI APPEARS UNCERTAIN “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People. He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution,” Trump continued in his announcement of Patel as FBI chief. Patel’s name spread across news reports as he became known as the man behind the “Nunes Memo,” a four-page document released in 2018 that revealed improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation into Trump. “If they had gotten it right in the first place, when Devin and I and so many others were actually putting out the truth, instead of serving as a disinformation machine for the left-wing agenda, there would be no reassessment,” Patel told Fox News Digital of the memo last year. “They could not have done their work in the deep state without their partners in the mainstream media, who are part of that deep state.” Patel’s role in the investigation and memo elevated his career status in the Trump orbit, and he was named senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council in 2019 under the first Trump administration. In that role, he assisted the White House in eliminating foreign terrorist leadership, such as ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdad in 2019 and al-Qaeda militant Qasim al-Raymi in 2020, according to his biography. In November 2020, as Trump squared off against Joe Biden at the ballot boxes, the 45th president named Patel chief of staff to acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. The administration shake-up followed Trump firing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper after the Cabinet member said he did not support invoking the Insurrection Act in order to send the U.S. military to quell violent protests that rocked cities nationwide in 2020. Patel has been a staunch Trump ally, including joining the 45th president during his trial in Manhattan in the spring, and echoing that the United States’ security and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, need to be overhauled. Patel published a book last year called “Government Gangsters,” where he railed against the “deep state,” the weaponization of the federal government and the Russia investigation into Trump. Trump called the book a “roadmap” to exposing bad actors in the federal government and said it is a “blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government.”’ In his book, Patel explicitly called for the revamp of the FBI in a chapter dubbed “Overhauling the FBI,” where he did not mince words about the state of the law enforcement agency. TRUMP NOMINATES KASH PATEL TO SERVE AS FBI DIRECTOR: ‘ADVOCATE FOR TRUTH’ “Things are bad. There’s no denying it. The FBI has gravely abused its power, threatening not only the rule of law, but the very foundations of self-government at the root of our democracy. But this isn’t the end of the story. Change is possible at the FBI and desperately needed,” he wrote. “The fact is we need a federal agency that investigates federal crimes, and that agency will always be at risk of having its powers abused,” he continued, advocating the firing of “corrupt actors,” “aggressive” congressional oversight over the agency, complete overhauls to special counsels, and moving the FBI out of Washington, D.C., “Most importantly, we need to get the FBI the hell out of Washington, D.C. There is no reason for the nation’s law enforcement agency to be centralized in the swamp. Keeping the FBI in its behemoth Washington HQ building only allows for institutional capture and incentivizes senior leadership in the FBI to lose focus on their mission and learn how to play political games instead, currying favor with politicians and cultivating relationships with the press to advance their career.” KASH PATEL SAYS DOJ PUT HIM AT PERSONAL RISK BY INCLUDING NAME IN TRUMP AFFIDAVIT: ‘THEY’RE SHAMELESS’ Following the 2020 election, Patel has spoken out against a number of high-profile investigations and issues he sees within the DOJ, potentially previewing what voters
Trump taps daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law Massad Boulos as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs
President-elect Trump tapped his daughter Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, Lebanese-American businessman Dr. Massad Boulos, to join his Cabinet as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. “I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs,” the president-elect wrote on TRUTHSocial. “Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene. He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community. Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!” Boulos led efforts to engage the Arab American community, organizing dozens of meetings across Michigan and other areas with large Arab populations. BIDEN ANNOUNCES CEASE-FIRE PLAN BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HEZBOLLAH ENDING 14 MONTHS OF FIGHTING Some sessions also featured Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, who was well-regarded by those who met with him. Trump campaign officials and supporters told Reuters that Boulos helped flip some of the 300,000 Arab Americans and Muslims in Michigan who largely backed Biden in 2020 but later grew frustrated with Biden’s policies in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS HEZBOLLAH IS SMUGGLING WEAPONS INTO LEBANON DURING CEASEFIRE Boulos’ son, Michael, and Tiffany Trump were married in November 2022 at Mar-a-Lago. Trump revealed during a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in October that Tiffany is pregnant. Boulos is a billionaire with extensive business connections to Nigeria. He was born in Lebanon but moved to Texas as a teenager. He attended the University of Houston and later became a U.S. citizen. According to Reuters, Boulos’ father and grandfather were involved in Lebanese politics, and his father-in-law backed the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party affiliated with Hezbollah. Three sources told Reuters that Boulos’ appeal centers on his ability to engage with different factions within Lebanese politics, as he’s even maintained relations with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim party and terrorist group that largely controls the parliament. Boulos is friends with Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian politician backed by Hezbollah for the presidency, and has been in communication with the Lebanese Forces Party, a Christian faction that staunchly opposes Hezbollah. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ted Cruz predicts illegal immigration will ‘plummet’ immediately after Trump’s inauguration
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, predicted that illegal immigration will begin to “plummet” immediately after President-elect Trump is inaugurated early next year. Cruz made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan. Cruz argued that the decrease will begin in the weeks after Trump takes office, citing Trump’s plan to reinstate the “remain in Mexico” policy. “I expect we will once again enter into ‘remain in Mexico,’ and we are going to see – I’m going to make a prediction right now: We will see the numbers plummet of illegal immigration coming into this country,” Cruz said. “Not in a year, not in six months, but in January and February, because we will have a president who will vigorously enforce the law.” Cruz also addressed Trump’s efforts to use tariffs as leverage to encourage Mexico’s government to assist in halting border traffic. Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last month and said she proved willing to assist his administration. MEXICAN PRESIDENT MIGHT BE CHANGING VIEW ON US AS TRUMP WIN SENDS WARNING TO RULING SOCIALISTS “I’ll tell you what hasn’t changed is the importance of leverage. And I got to say, you look at the threat of tariffs against Mexico and Canada. [It] immediately has produced action. We’ve seen the president of Mexico stand up and promise that she is going to work hand in hand with the President of the United States, President Trump, to secure the border,” Cruz said. MUSK, STALLONE AMONG STAR-STUDDED NAMES PARTYING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO CLUB FOR THANKSGIVING Trump says he also had a “very productive meeting” with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trudeau jetted into Mar-a-Lago unannounced on Friday just days after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over failures by both nations to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S. “We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic, caused mainly by the drug cartels, and fentanyl pouring in from China. Too much death and hardship!” Trump wrote that Trudeau, who has been serving as prime minister of Canada since 2015, made a commitment to work with the U.S. to “end this terrible devastation of U.S. families.” Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report
Biden WH adviser dodges whether he’s concerned Trump FBI pick labeled him ‘deep state’ member
Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan dodged answering whether he’s concerned over President-elect Trump naming Kash Patel as his pick to lead the FBI after Patel listed Sullivan as a member of the “deep state” in a book published last year. “Kash Patel also published a book where he listed people who are part of the deep state. Your name is on that list. Would it concern you to have him have all the powers of federal investigations. And would you fear personal retribution?” CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked Sullivan Sunday during an interview on “State of the Union.” Sullivan brushed off being listed in Patel’s book, “Government Gangsters,” and instead said he’s focused on his final days in office before Trump is sworn in as president on Jan. 20. TRUMP NOMINATES KASH PATEL TO SERVE AS FBI DIRECTOR: ‘ADVOCATE FOR TRUTH’ “Look, I wake up every day to try to defend this country and protect the national interest. I got 50 days left. I’m going to stay totally focused on every single one of those days to make sure that we have a smooth handoff to the next team, and we put them in the best strategic position possible. And I can’t spend my time worrying about other things at this point,” Sullivan said. Patel published “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy” last year, which Trump lauded as a “roadmap” to exposing bad actors in the government and a “blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government.” KASH PATEL’S NOMINATION SPARKS ENTHUSIASM, ANXIETY; FUTURE OF THE FBI APPEARS UNCERTAIN “Things are bad. There’s no denying it. The FBI has gravely abused its power, threatening not only the rule of law, but the very foundations of self-government at the root of our democracy. But this isn’t the end of the story. Change is possible at the FBI and desperately needed,” Patel wrote in the book, detailing the state of the FBI. Within the book, Patel provided an alphabetical list of alleged “deep state” members who are either currently or formerly employed in the executive branch. Sullivan is included on the long list, as are other Biden officials such as Attorney General Merrick Garland, Vice President Kamala Harris and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Wray served under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Trump named Patel as his pick for FBI chief on Saturday. Hunt asked Sullivan for his reaction the following morning while noting that Patel is a “fierce Trump loyalist” who has vowed to target the deep states. Sullivan brushed off the question by focusing on Wray’s work as FBI chief. “I’m not going to speak to President-elect Trump’s nominees. I’ll let him speak for his own rationale. What I will say is how the Biden administration has approached the position of FBI director. We inherited Director Chris Wray, who has done a very good job in the role, from President-elect Trump, who appointed him to a 10-year term. And what makes the FBI director different from most other nominees, is they’re not just appointed for one term of a president,” he said. DAVID MARCUS: KASH PATEL IS THE FUMIGATOR THE FBI NEEDS “They’re appointed for enough time to last past two terms of a president, because they’re supposed to be insulated from politics. President Biden scrupulously adhered to that long-standing bipartisan tradition and for a good reason, because the FBI director should not be subject to the whims of the tos and fros of politics,” he continued. Wray would need to resign or be fired from the FBI in order for Patel to actually assume the position. The Senate would also need to confirm Patel before he could move into the new role.
Ding, Dommaraju tied after six games at World Chess Championship
Teen challenger Gukesh Dommaraju of India holds reigning champ Ding Liren after first week of competition. The 2024 World Chess Championship is finely poised after defending champion Ding Liren and teenage challenger Gukesh Dommaraju played out a thrilling 46-move draw in Singapore. The score is tied at three points each after six games, rounding off the first week of the 14-game series. Monday will be a rest day, and play resumes on Tuesday. Ding, a Chinese grandmaster, started strongly on Sunday, putting his 18-year-old Indian challenger on the defensive. But Dommaraju recovered to send the match down into a dramatic double-rook endgame with pawns strewn across the board. A threefold repetition after 46 moves from both players ended the game in a draw after more than four hours. The Indian rejected a chance to end the game in a draw earlier despite being worse off on the board and nearly paid for it. “I just thought there was still a lot of play left in the position, and I didn’t really see much danger for me,” Dommaraju told reporters after the match. “I wanted to play a longer game than just finishing at that point.” Ding, 32, who played with the white pieces, admitted he had let his advantage slip at critical moments. “That’s what I should improve in the next couple of games,” he said after the match. Ding defeated Dommaraju in game one on Monday before their second encounter ended in a draw. Dommaraju hit back by winning game three on Wednesday followed by draws in games four and five. There are 14 match days, and the first player to get 7.5 points is declared the winner. Tie-breaks will take place if the players are tied on seven points after 14 games. Dommaraju is the youngest player in history to compete in the World Chess Championship, and he is looking to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion. He said on Sunday that he was happy to have rebounded from his first-game loss but added there is still a long way to the finish. “We are not even halfway through the event,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Death toll from sectarian violence in northwest Pakistan rises to 130
Violence has been ongoing in the region after gunmen opened fire on convoys carrying Shia pilgrims on November 21. Sectarian violence continued in Pakistan’s northwest over the weekend, killing at least 14 people and wounding 27 in the past 24 hours in the Kurram district, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Afghanistan. This brings the death toll from fighting over the last 10 days to at least 130, with 200 people wounded, according to officials on Sunday. Violence has escalated in the region since November 21, when gunmen opened fire on convoys carrying Shia pilgrims. The attack killed 52 people, including women and children. No group has claimed responsibility for the assault. Kurram is the only district in Pakistan where Shia make up the majority of the population, in contrast to the rest of the country, where Sunnis are the majority. Waves of violence have been unfolding since July, when tensions between Shia and Sunni tribes flared over a land dispute. The Pakistani government has made efforts to ease tensions. On November 24, government officials brokered a seven-day ceasefire, but it failed to hold. This week’s death toll marks a significant escalation. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that 79 people were killed between July and October due to sectarian violence. Javed Ullah Mehsud, Kurram’s deputy commissioner, said talks are under way with tribal elders to negotiate a new ceasefire, and that security personnel have been deployed to enforce peace. The closure of the main highway connecting the city of Parachinar with the provincial capital Peshawar has resulted in shortages of basic necessities like food, fuel, and medicine. Despite the violence, Mehsud said authorities have restored internet and mobile services in the area. The fighting comes amid an already tense period in Pakistan, as violence surges across the country. In addition to the Shia-Sunni clashes in Kurram, at least 245 people have been killed in attacks and clashes nationwide in November, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank. The report found that 127 of the victims were members of armed groups, 68 were security personnel, and 50 were civilians. Adblock test (Why?)
Syrian rebels push towards Hama as government forces launch counterattacks
Rebel groups in northwestern Syria say they are pushing towards the city of Hama after taking control of nearby Aleppo in a lightning offensive that started last week. The attempted southern advance on Sunday comes on the fifth day of the surprise rebel offensive as Syrian and Russian forces have launched counterattacks, reportedly pounding opposition-controlled Idlib province and Aleppo with air attacks since Saturday. Government forces under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have also been fortifying the northern province of Hama, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA. It reported the army overnight pushed back opposition fighters in its northern countryside. Forces there were being resupplied with heavy equipment and rocket launchers, according to SANA. On Sunday, United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, appealed for all stakeholders in the conflict to immediately seek a political resolution. “The latest developments pose severe risks to civilians and have serious implications for regional and international peace and security,” he said. The fighting marks the most significant turn in years in the Syrian war, which began with popular uprisings across the country in 2011. Since 2020, the front lines had largely been stagnant with an array of rebel groups largely contained to a small portion of Idlib province. But on Friday, opposition fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Aleppo, prompting government forces to withdraw from the strategically significant city of more than 2 million people. The rebels have since claimed several strategic victories, including taking control of the supply-line town of Khansir, Aleppo Industrial City, Aleppo’s military academy and the field artillery college. Formerly known as al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, HTS has distanced itself from the group while becoming the strongest opposition movement in northwestern Syria. It is still considered a “terrorist” organisation by the United States, Syria and Russia. Push towards Hama In his first public comments since the start of the offensive, released late on Saturday, al-Assad said his forces will continue to defend the government’s “stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters”. He said Syria is able to defeat the rebel groups no matter how much their attacks intensify. But reporting from the Turkish-Syrian border, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said rebel forces remained on the outskirts of Hama and are “trying to counter the Syrian government forces there”. “The villages, towns that have been taken by the opposition, sometimes the Syrian government forces take them back,” she said. “So there is an exchange of [control]. Still, it’s very dynamic, very volatile on the ground.” The government said air strikes on opposition-controlled areas were targeting weapon depots and rebel strongholds. However, the United Kingdom-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Russian strikes hit camps for displaced people on Sunday, killing eight civilians and wounding 50. The Syrian Civil Defence, which operates in opposition-held areas, also reported a series of attacks on Aleppo, including the Aleppo University Hospital in the centre of the city. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. Years of war in Syria have created one of the world’s largest displacement crises with thousands more people reported displaced in the latest fighting. Fears of ‘scorched earth’ Speaking to Al Jazeera, Razan Saffour, a British-Syrian human rights activist with family in Aleppo, said that while there is relative stability in Aleppo, there is fear over the response from government and Russian forces. Russia’s military intervention in the country starting in 2015 as well as Iran’s two years earlier helped to turn the tide of the war in favour of al-Assad. Russia’s aerial bombardments of Aleppo then helped government forces take full control of the city in 2016. “We’re speaking about rebel groups who are gaining Syrian territory at a very, very fast pace, but at the same time, they don’t have air defences,” she said. “And when we’ve seen this happen [previously], … the al-Assad regime, Russia and their ally Iran responded with a scorched earth policy.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was to travel to Damascus on Sunday, telling reporters Tehran would back al-Assad. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also expressed solidarity with al-Assad in recent calls with him. Still, Saffour said that beyond the confusion and fear, there is also a sense of anticipation among some residents of Aleppo who had lived for years under government control. “We’re very apprehensive, but we’re also very excited and very hopeful to see what’s going to come next,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)
Canadian town fined for refusing to celebrate Pride Month, fly rainbow flag
A Canadian town is facing a fine of $10,000 for refusing to participate in Pride Month and fly the “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag” outside its municipal building. The town of Emo, Ontario, which has a population of about 1,300 and is situated near the border with Minnesota, was found to have violated the Ontario Human Rights Code by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for refusing to proclaim June as Pride Month, according to a report from the National Post. The town was also issued a citation for its failure to fly “an LGBTQ2 rainbow flag,” the report notes, despite Emo not having an official flag pole. MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS JOIN FORCES TO PROTEST LGBTQ+ PRIDE IN CANADA: ‘LET KIDS BE KIDS’ In addition to the $10,000 fine, officials from the town were ordered to complete mandatory “human rights” training. According to the report, the decision to cite Emo began with a 2020 incident in which the town was approached by a group called Borderland Pride, which issued a written request asking that Emo declare June Pride Month. The group’s request also included a draft proclamation, containing clauses such as “pride is necessary to show community support and belonging for LGBTQ2 individuals” and “the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression represents a positive contribution to society.” Borderland Pride also asked the city to fly an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week of your choosing.” MUSLIM ACTIVIST GIVES POWERFUL SPEECH AGAINST FORCED LGBTQ CURRICULUM: ‘OUR PEOPLE ARE NOT BACKWARD’ The request was defeated by a 3-2 vote at a later Emo township council meeting, where Mayor Harold McQuaker argued there was “no flag being flown for the other side of the coin… there’s no flags being flown for the straight people.” The line was seen as particularly offensive to Human Rights Tribunal vice-chair Karen Dawson, who said she found the remark “demeaning and disparaging of the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination under the Code.” Dawson further argued that the remark was made in “close proximity” to McQuaker’s no vote on the Borderland Pride request, meaning it “constituted discrimination under the Code.” Borderland Pride sought a $15,000 fine for the Township as well as a $10,000 fine for each of the three council members who voted no on the group’s request, according to the report, though the tribunal eventually settled on the $10,000 fine for the township and a $5,000 for McQuaker. McQuaker and Emo’s chief administrative officer were also ordered to complete an online course offered by the Ontario Human Rights Commission called “Human Rights 101” and “provide proof of completion… to Borderland Pride within 30 days.”