'Going to be painful': Venezuelan expert sounds alarm about what's next if sanctuary city policies continue

 Fox News 

 . . ." 'The sanctuary policies have to go," she said. "It's critical that these local law enforcement agencies are able to share information with ICE and vice versa."

"An expert on the international criminal group Tren de Aragua (TdA) is warning that if sanctuary city and state policies are allowed to continue, the U.S. will soon be facing a slate of targeted assassinations across the U.S.

"The next step is targeted assassinations," said Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army. "That is what has happened in Venezuela, what is happening in Latin America and that will happen here in the U.S."

Tren de Aragua, which means "Train from Aragua," is a massive criminal and terrorist organization that originated a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison. In addition to Venezuela, the group has already established a significant presence in Southern American countries, including Colombia, Peru and Chile and is present in 30 major U.S. cities. 

"According to Arocha, who fled the country after being imprisoned by socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro for eight months, TdA is a "state-sponsored, Maduro regime organization," formed and trained by the Venezuelan government to sow chaos, violence and discord throughout the Western hemisphere.

" 'Right now is the right moment to take action," he said. "If you let them grow, they are going to be more embedded in the communities, it's going to be harder to take any action against them, and it's going to be painful for U.S. society."

"He said that recent movements to defund the police and enshrine sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies into law only further embolden and enable TdA to carry out its crimes with impunity.

"If policies like this are allowed to continue, he said TdA is "going to be all over the United States" like a "disease.' " . . .

With little opposition from Democrats such as these:

"SANCTUARY CITY DENVER SPENDING A WHOPPING $356 MILLION ON MIGRANTS: STUDY"

Pelosi Defies S.F. Archbishop’s Eucharist Ban for Pro-Abortion Politicians: ‘I Received Communion Anyway’

 

National Review  

"Electorally, the Democratic Party performed worse with Catholics this time around, as Vice President Kamala Harris took an unapologetically left-wing position on abortion and skipped the famous Al Smith dinner, a lighthearted event that raises substantial funds for Catholic charities."

"Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), a left-wing Catholic, responded defiantly to the archbishop for her home city banning her from receiving Holy Communion in the archdiocese because of her support for abortion.

"Pelosi spoke with the National Catholic Register about a range of issues including San Francisco archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s letter in 2022 prohibiting Pelosi from being given communion, an order she did not take to heart.

" 'I received Communion anyway. That’s his problem, not mine,” Pelosi said. “My Catholic faith is, Christ is my savior. It has nothing to do with the bishops.”

Pelosi further described her reliance on her faith and her belief that there is a “divine spark” in each person, a view she shared with the late Representative John Lewis (D., Ga.).

“My faith is always with me. I always feel there’s an angel on my shoulder,” she said.

“ 'That spark of divinity is what I respect in every person, especially if they respect it in themselves.”

"Pelosi also voiced her opposition to the Vatican’s controversial deal with the Chinese Communist Party related to the appointment of Bishops for the state-approved church. Her views are more aligned with retired Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s agreement with China, which began in 2018 and was most recently renewed in October.

“ 'Let me say it this way, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.’ Every bishop has sprung from that rock. And now, the Chinese government?” Pelosi stated, a reference to Matthew 16:18, when Jesus appoints Peter head of the Catholic church.

"A strong critic of China’s human rights record, Pelosi said Republicans and Democrats were opposed to the Holy See’s agreement with China, and recalled bringing her concerns to the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s equivalent to an ambassador to the U.S.

“ 'We showed him what our concerns were, what had been said and written by Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate,” Pelosi said. “This brings a lot of us together, because over time, even bishops were being killed. I mean, this is like martyrs.' ” . . .

Archbishop Timothy Broglio reportedly refused Pelosi, a self-described Catholic who advocates for abortion, the sacrament after a Mass he celebrated in the Capitol on December 12 in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

. . ."According to Catholic News Agency (CNA), one of Pelosi’s staffers “approached Broglio to inform the archbishop that Pelosi was coming to ‘say hello’ and that she had also wished to ‘receive Communion.’”

"However, as CNA reported, “Broglio agreed to meet with Pelosi but did not give her Communion.' ” . . .

Why do so many in the media not strive for integrity?

"Or Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, could buy the network, as he has suggested, and transform it as he did Twitter. Whatever the case, MSNBC will remain in turmoil." . . .

Better cheesecake than CNN  . . ."As for CNN, they foolishly bought into fighting with MSNBC for the anti-Trump memes. Well, it didn't work, so it may be time to start having their hosts share their recipes and how they use coupons to save money. It might increase their audience, and isn't that what that business is all about?

"Hey Anderson -- what’s your recipe for cheesecake?"

At MSNBC, Rising Tensions Fuel Fears of Collapse    "MSNBC’s postelection viewership decline has surpassed its executives’ worst fears. Several top shows have lost more than half of their viewers since Nov. 5. This includes Rachel Maddow’s flagship show, as well as Joy Reid’s ReidOut, The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, All In with Chris Hayes, and Inside with Jen Psaki. Morning Joe has suffered a fate nearly as bad, with hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough losing over 400,000 viewers in the same period.

"In total, MSNBC averaged more than one million viewers during election week, but that number fell to just above half a million two weeks ago. This decline comes even as Fox News is scoring huge ratings, as viewership jumped 21 percent at the network following Trump’s win. (RELATED: MSNBC’s Attacks on Pete Hegseth Are Not About Trump — It’s About Fox News) . . .

NBC and crime: who you gonna believe, them or Trump? . . ."As a necessary first step on what’s going to be a long journey to restoring FBI credibility, FBI Director Christopher Wray has announced his resignation. Restoring media credibility may be impossible, but reporting narratives rather than reality will help as one by one, networks go bankrupt." . .  .

Revoke the media's License to Lie   . . ."According to BBC:

During the 10 March broadcast, Stephanopoulos asked South Carolina Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace how she could endorse Trump.

The anchor falsely said “judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape.”

Stephanopoulos repeated the claim 10 times throughout the broadcast. Rather
than make Stephanopoulos face deposition this week, the network agreed on Saturday to pay $15 million to Trump and a million to his lawyers, and make its No. 1 news reader apologize on the air.

"After six decades of not being held liable for libel, corporate media knows Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito are itching to overturn Sullivan and revoke that License to Lie. This may save journalism from journalists, who are an unhappy lot right now that the people have restored the Trump presidency.

"Fox News reported, “60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl admits worry about future of legacy media: ‘I’m very dark about it.’ ” . . .

Joe Biden & Co. are doing as much damage to the US as they can before they leave

NY Post  

"Joe’s even threatening a veto against a bipartisan bill that would create a slate of new federal judgeships, because he and his allies don’t want Trump filling them. "

 "Joe Biden and the Dem apparat around him have made it plain: They are going to do as much damage to America as they can on the way out the door. 

"Last week brought a record number of presidential pardons, including 1,500 commutations of the sentences of “nonviolent” felons, most of whom were already serving their sentences at home after being sprung from prison during COVID.

"Except the White House upped the count by overlooking some truly heinous offenses: a Pennsylvania judge who took bribes to send kids to a for-profit “detention” center; an Illinois clerk who embezzled over $53 million from a town of just 15,000 people; a Massachusetts woman convicted for a fentanyl-trafficking conspiracy.

"And that’s just what’s come out in the first days as local media across America scrutinize the long list.

"All this, to cover for Joe’s top priority: the pardon for his crooked son Hunter. 

"And what a pardon it was: not just getting him off the hook for the crimes he’d pled guilty to, but an unprecedented blanket amnesty for anything and everything Hunter might have done over an 11-year span. 

"And this after the prez swearing up and down the public square that he’d never even think of doing such a thing. 

"If there’s a more direct way of announcing to America that all their suspicions about elite self-dealing are true — that rules and regulations and laws don’t matter if you have enough cash and clout — we’d love to hear about it. " . . .

January 20 Can’t Come Soon Enough

. . ."The constant stream of lies about what is going on has been exhausting.  We knew that our inflation wasn’t going to be ‘transitory.’ But they lied anyway. We knew Biden was going to pardon his son, but he lied anyway, even after the constant, sickening drone from every Democrat that “No one is above the law.”  It didn’t stop the bureaucracy from digging in and making plans for the next four years.  After all, everything that was important to them was on their side… They had the money, the bureaucracy, the media, and Hollywood.  It was like watching a glorious party from next door, but we were not invited." . . .

Victims of Crimes of Those Granted Clemency Furious With Biden

"These people ruined the lives of so many, including children."

First Dem City on Border Czar Tom Homan’s List for Mass Deportations Revealed

 RTM  

"The announcement sets the stage for a potential legal and political battle, with Governor Pritzker already discussing potential legal challenges with the Illinois Attorney General’s office." . . .

"In a bold declaration at the Northwest Side GOP holiday party, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan announced plans for a massive deportation effort targeting Chicago, setting the stage for a potential confrontation with local leadership.

"Homan, 63, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, delivered sharp criticism of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

"He called them “terrible” and urged them to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

"The incoming border czar outlined a comprehensive deportation strategy that will prioritize migrants with criminal records." . . .

"Illinois Governor Pritzker wants all illegals to come to his state for protection.
"Tom Homan is laughing his butt off and can’t wait to topple this big blow hard. pic.twitter.com/8jF4lNQdWu

— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) November 25, 2024

Stuck On Stupid Democrats Plan Boycott of Inauguration [Or wear matching protest items?]

PJ Media  

"The bottom line here is that any Democrat's decision to boycott Trump’s inauguration isn't about principles—it’s about partisan pettiness. Their obsession with vilifying Trump has blinded them to the importance of setting an example for the country. Americans expect their leaders to rise above partisanship, not wallow in it." 

Democrats love outfits.

"For years, Democrats have made a spectacle of their disdain for President Trump at every opportunity, so it should come as no surprise that once again, Democrats are planning to boycott his inauguration. The same thing happened in 2017, when they skipped Trump’s inauguration because they claimed he’d stolen the election with the help of Russia. Now, after Trump won a landslide electoral college victory as well as the national popular vote, Democrats are once again coming up with excuses to skip the event. 

"According to a report from Axios, more than a dozen congressional Democrats have announced that they're going to skip the event, citing reasons ranging from “safety concerns” to personal principles—which is hilarious coming from any Democrat. This shameful display of partisanship not only highlights the left’s inability to respect democratic processes, but also exposes its penchant for theatrics over governance.

"Many Democrats justified their boycott by invoking the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, despite the fact that Trump had nothing to do with it and had called on his supporters to protest peacefully. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the J6 committee, referenced Trump’s “rhetoric” against him as his rationale. 

"Whatever, he won’t be missed.

"Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) claimed her decision stemmed from “concerns” about her “safety” as a Latina—weird she didn’t use Latinx—citing Trump supporters’ presence at the event. Gimme a break.

"This fearmongering doesn’t just insult millions of peaceful Trump voters; it reinforces the Democratic strategy of smearing political opponents as inherently racist. 

"Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) conveniently chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day events as her reason to avoid the inauguration. Something tells me that if Kamala Harris had won (God forbid), Omar would have found the time to attend the inauguration.

"Again, she won’t be missed. Frankly, I’d rather she and her brother not attend." . . .  Read more...

This is what happens when bureaucrats who have never run a business make rules for the rest of us

Jack Hellner 

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a bureaucracy created out of thin air by socialist Elizabeth Warren. Democrats pretend the bureau is just there to protect consumers which is B.S." . . .

. . ."Writing bad checks is also a crime, either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the amount of the checks. Of course, Democrats don’t seem to care about crimes. They are anti-business.

Free checking accounts will be taken away from other customers who don’t write bad checks, but these CFPB bureaucrats and Biden administration officials don’t care. They got their talking points out that they are saving customers $5 billion per year, and this will save the typical household $225 per year. That is obviously not true. The typical household does not write bad checks, so it will save them zero—but it’s likely to cost them if they’re now suddenly paying for the services for which banks typically don't charge.

The CFPB, under Obama, also had a slush fund where it shook down corporations and gave some amounts back to political supporters instead of victims. There were also slush funds at EPA and the Justice Department.

JPMorgan Chase warned the CFPB and Biden administration that they would start charging for services that were previously free if this rule went through, and that these fees will hurt the poor and middle class the most (people about whom the Democrats only pretend to care). From a Wall Street Journal article:

[Marianne] Lake said Chase is planning to pass on the costs of higher regulation and charge customers for a number of now-free services, including checking accounts and wealth-management tools, if the rules become law in their current form. She expects her peers in the industry will follow suit.

‘The changes will be broad, sweeping and significant,’ Lake said. ‘The people who will be most impacted are the ones who can least afford to be, and access to credit will be harder to get.’

It is a true shame that most people posing as journalists just repeat what they are told instead of doing independent thinking and research, no matter what the subject is.

Blame Barack: Obama’s lost mystique marks the end of a political era

 NY Post  

. . ."And then, the disappointed former community organizer suddenly disappeared — pondering to which of his own four mansions his private jet would fly him home to commiserate." . . .

Former President Barack Obama had long been rumored as the catalyst for the 2020 Joe Biden nomination — and thereafter played the whispering puppeteer behind the subsequent lost Biden administration years.

As such, he and his coterie proved the virtual architects of the Biden administration, one of the most unpopular and failed presidencies in American history.

Recall earlier that after a flailing candidate Biden lost the first three 2020 primaries and caucuses, his inert campaign was headed nowhere.

"Obama and fellow Democratic insiders abruptly engineered the withdrawal of his rival 2020 presidential candidates: hard left but likely sure-loser candidates including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg.

"The Obamas ignored or withheld from the public their own firsthand knowledge that Biden was suffering from signs of dementia.

"Instead, they found Biden’s cognitive decline and his former concocted reputation as workingman’s Joe useful as a veneer for a veritable Obama third-term, “phone it in” administration. Or, as wistful Obama once conditioned his dream of a third term: “If I could make an arrangement where I had a stand-in, a front man or front woman, and they had an earpiece in . . .”

"The Obamaites then got their wish for four years of enacted hard-left directives that they could only have dreamed of while in actual power.

"But their radical menu since 2021 had divided and nearly wrecked the nation — hyperinflation, 12 million illegal aliens, a ruined border, spiraling crime, a shattered foreign policy of appeasement, the popular backlash against DEI/woke/trans chauvinism, partisan lawfare and weaponization of the government." . . .

West Point Apologizes, Confirms It Accepted Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth to the Academy

The Epoch Times  

“Officials at the U.S. Military Academy should not be feeding lies to left-wing reporters about President Trump’s nominees,” Cotton said. “West Point needs to thoroughly investigate this egregiously bad judgement and potential violation of the Privacy Act immediately.”

"The U.S. Military Academy has apologized for falsely saying President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, Peter Hegseth, was never accepted into the school, known as West Point.

“A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend. An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024,” a spokesperson for West Point told The Epoch Times in an email.

“ 'Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003. The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error.”

"The statement came after Hegseth on Dec. 11 shared his letter of acceptance, dated Jan. 5, 1999, on the social media platform X.

"Hegseth said he had come to learn that ProPublica was planning to publish an article alleging he had not been accepted by West Point.

"ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger said in response that two spokespersons for West Point told ProPublica that Hegseth had not been admitted. One said he did not even apply for admission. That prompted ProPublica to go to Hegseth." . . .

Looks like ABC has become MSNBC

TRUMP WINS Defamation Suit, ABC and Stephanopoulos Have to Fork Over $15 Million   

"The far-left hate network will also chip in a million bucks for Trump’s attorney fees. May this be the first of many such victories against the left’s relentless propaganda machine."  Robert Spencer

"Ah, sweet justice. Donald Trump has just won a massive victory against the far-left propaganda factory that masquerades as the news media, and patriots all across the land can hope, for the sake of our freedom and our future, that this is just the first victory of many. Will this herald an end to the left’s relentless efforts to mischaracterize, misrepresent, and misreport the words and deeds of patriots, so as to get as many people as possible to turn against them? That’s unlikely in the extreme. But it sure helps.

"Technically it's a settlement, but it's very clear which side came out on top. Fox News Digital, which broke this story first, reported Saturday that “ABC News and their top anchor George Stephanopoulos have reached a settlement with Donald Trump in his defamation suit, which will result in the news network paying the president-elect $15 million.” This settlement precludes Trump’s suit from going to trial, which shows that ABC’s top dogs understood how weak their case really was: they’re happy to fork over $15 million to make this thing go away rather than have a trial reveal just how far from actual journalism they have allowed themselves to stray.

"And so now “Stephanopoulos and ABC News will issue statements of ‘regret’ as an editor's note at the bottom of a March 10, 2024, online article, about comments made earlier this year that prompted Trump to file a defamation lawsuit.” The statement says: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.' ” . . .  More here...

Jimmy Kimmel FINALLY Goes Too Far for Disney: Criminal "Praise" May END Late Night Career!  From the comments to this post:

"Lets remember that Kimmel cried because Trump won in a well deserved landslide. This dude's mind couldn't be more lost than it already is.

"Ok boycotting the sponsors didn’t work. Time to boycott ABC, HULU and everything Disney.

"I miss the old days. Late night used to be actually funny. This isn't new. Him and so many like him have been corrupting people's minds for years. He's nothing more than a mouth piece for the insane left. Disney is beyond redemption. They all need to go." . . .

Andrea Widburg: ABC and George Stephanopoulos settle with Trump for big bucks

. . .Even though [E. Jean] Carroll’s rape claim couldn’t pass muster in a civil case, that didn’t stop George Stephanopoulos, an ABC employee, from claiming that Trump had been “found liable for rape.” . . .

ABC News Apologizes to Trump, Pays Large Settlement in Defamation Suit

RedState

. . ."Perhaps this will serve as some kind of deterrent to news networks letting their political biases get in the way of truthful reporting." . . .

ABC News, George Stephanopoulos agree to apologize to Trump

"Donald Trump has won again. ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have settled the defamation lawsuit brought by the incoming president, with the news network agreeing to pay  $15 million in damages while also issuing an apology.

"The lawsuit was first filed after Stephanopoulos claimed as a matter of fact that Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll. The comment came during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace. 

"Of course, the issue was that Trump has never been charged or convicted of rape criminally nor has he been found liable for rape in any civil suit. Stephanopoulos made it up in an attempt to bait Mace, and it ended up being the basis of the now-settled civil suit against he and ABC News. 

"The apology issued as part of the settlement was tepid, but an apology nonetheless.

"ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024," the statement reads. 

"Aside from the $15 million, ABC News will also pay $1 million worth of Trump’s legal fees." . . .

Hamas relented in cease-fire talks under Trump pressure, official says

From the home of MSNBC and Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow, Ali Velshi, and many others. TD

 NBC News, of all sources!   "The president-elect's warning that he wants to see a deal before he takes office was “a big factor” in recent concessions, the source tells NBC News"

Pressure from President-elect Donald Trump was a major factor in Hamas relenting on two key issues during cease-fire and hostage-release talks with Israel, a senior administration official told NBC News on Friday.

New hope for an agreement had senior Biden administration officials fanning out across the Middle East this week with the goal of closing on a critical pact by the end of 2024. 

. . ."Basem Naim, a member of Hamas' political wing, told NBC News that he was not aware that the group had recently made concessions during negotiations.

"This month, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire world, in the Middle East — but it’s all talk, and no action!”

“ 'If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity,” he added..

"According to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media, Hamas has now agreed to Israeli forces staying in the Gaza Strip temporarily after fighting ends and to provide a complete list of hostages, including Americans, who will be released. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the concessions Hamas was prepared to make." . . .