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In a letter to both Yellen and President Biden, the group of lawmakers said that failure to relax international restrictions on Afghanistan’s banking system risks creating “economic pain and humanitarian collapse,” as fears mount that a crumbling economy will spur a new refugee and hunger crisis. The Biden administration in August froze the majority of the Afghan central government’s $9.4 billion in assets — most of which is held in U.S. bank accounts — after the Taliban took control of Kabul and the country. The Biden administration has said recognition, and release of funds, will not come until the Taliban...

Russia upped the ante Monday in its dangerous standoff with Ukraine, openly warning of military action if President Biden and America’s NATO allies ignore a list of demands Moscow announced late last week — a far-reaching list that some key U.S. lawmakers have dubbed a “pretext to war.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said his country is fully prepared to respond through “military-technical means” if Western powers fail to address those demands. He said NATO must not expand to include Ukraine or Georgia and the U.S. must not base additional military assets in former Soviet republics in Central Asia....

A person with direct knowledge of discussions said the NHL is beginning a leaguewide shutdown Wednesday amid an increase of positive COVID-19 test results among players across the league. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the pause on the season had yet to be announced. Beginning the annual holiday break two days early means five additional games will be postponed, bringing the total this season to 49.

Join together with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holi-ness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2Religion Fo-rum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

NEW YORK (AP) — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. In much of the country, it’s even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90% or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 650,000...

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Boston Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, in a Dec. 17 interview with a newspaper from Argentina, spoke about how some church factions in the U.S. drive views opposing Pope Francis via polarizing media messages. The cardinal, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also spoke of how the sex abuse crisis has impacted evangelization. In the interview with La Nación on the occasion of Pope Francis’ 85th birthday, Cardinal O’Malley said polarization and opposition to Pope Francis includes some conservative prelates in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, but he did not name anyone. “Yes,...

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America, has apologized for the school's display of an icon some say depicts George Floyd as Jesus, saying the twice-stolen image has created “needless controversy and confusion.” “Some critics thought that the identity of the male figure was at best ambiguous. Many saw the figure in the arms of Our Lady as a divinized George Floyd. This interpretation led to accusations that the work was blasphemous, something that is contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. Defenders of the work said it was meant to provoke thought about seeing...

Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said Monday that former President Trump will again run for office – advising him to do so in part based on a record of developing the COVID-19 vaccine during his administration. Appearing on Dan Abrams’s primetime show on NewsNation, O’Reilly said Trump called him after revealing he had gotten a booster shot, which elicited some boos from a crowd in Dallas during a speaking tour.

Rostock-In several cities, people protested against the federal government's corona policy on Monday evening. According to the police, up to 10,000 demonstrators gathered in Rostock to protest against corona measures and mandatory vaccination. At first there was no demonstration. Several hundred people came together on the market square and asked Mayor Claus Rueh Madsen (non-party) to show up. It was unclear whether he was in the town hall at all. Later, up to 10,000 demonstrators at the city harbor moved back into the city center. The police announced through loudspeaker announcements that this was an unauthorized event. There were minor...

WASHINGTON – More than 12,000 military service members refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are seeking religious exemptions, and so far they are having zero success. That total lack of approvals is creating new tensions within the military, even as the vast majority of the armed forces have gotten vaccinated. The services, urgently trying to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check by getting troops vaccinated, are now besieged with exemption requests they are unlikely to approve. Meanwhile, troops claiming religious reasons for avoiding the shots are perplexed because exemptions are theoretically available, yet seem impossible to obtain. Caught in the middle are...

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — A fire ripped through a distribution center in North Carolina for the QVC home-shopping television network early Saturday, causing extensive damage to the facility, officials said. More than 300 employees were working at the facility near Rocky Mount when the fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m., The News & Observer reported. No injuries were immediately reported. QVC representatives reported that all employees safely evacuated... ....Evans said a “main section” of the 1.2 million-square-foot (365,000-square-meter) facility appears to be destroyed. Crews from nearly 45 fire departments were still fighting the blaze more than 12 hours...

Goldsmiths activists restrict entry to 'Palestinian liberation' discussionJews and white people were banned from a student meeting at Goldsmiths, University of London, that discussed “defending Palestine”. The meeting last month, which was strictly limited to students who were “African, Arab, Asian, Caribbean and other black communities”, was part of an effort by pro-Palestine activists to use a student strike against job cuts at the university to campaign for their cause. On the first day of the strike, which began in November, an advertisement for “Palestinian liberation” was shared online while Palestine flags and banners appeared on the picket line. This...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday introduced the newest member of his family, a purebred German shepherd puppy named Commander, while the first lady’s office said the cat she promised more than a year ago to bring to the White House will finally join them in January. ...Biden shared a photo on his official Twitter account of the 3-month-old male puppy with a caption that said, “Welcome to the White House, Commander.”

On December 17, 1936, the birthday of Jorge Mario Bergoglio From the Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco’s top prosecutor on Monday pushed back on the mayor’s call for increased policing to battle rampant drug dealing in one of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, urging her instead to put more money into housing and treatment that get at the root causes of crime. The politically embattled District Attorney Chesa Boudin was joined by public defender Mano Raju and addiction specialists at a news conference announced after Mayor London Breed last week declared a state of emergency in the long-troubled Tenderloin. Open drug dealing and shootings in the neighborhood have made children and...

An unidentified man interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s press conference in San Francisco on Monday with a “Let’s Go, Brandon” and "USA!" chant.

During a portion of an interview aired on Monday’s “CBS Evening News,” Vice President Kamala Harris said that the healthcare system is prepared for the Omicron variant and declined to place blame on unvaccinated people by stating it’s not the time “to talk about fault. It is no one’s fault that this virus hit our shores or hit the world.” CBS host Margaret Brennan asked, “Medical experts are projecting that we could see as many as a million infections per day because of this new Omicron variant. Is our healthcare system prepared for what’s coming?”

Suppression Has Consequences When Church authorities start talking about banning traditional Latin books, including the Roman Ritual for diocesan priests, they are effectively jeopardizing the soul and spiritual well-being of Catholics around the world. The following story, provided to Rorate for publication by a tradition-minded priest (and friend) who serves at a diocesan parish that offers only the novus ordo liturgy, illustrates this point. Bishops, please read it as you prepare to make extremely important decisions that affect your flock. Before prohibiting the use of any traditional Latin books, remember this person's story.***Adversus FatuitatesMy life can be divided into...

Now, the Fauci Emails reveal that Dr Anthony Fauci was the one who threatened the Indian scientists and forced them to withdraw their study. We also know the article was pulled back after members of the medical community launched a campaign to withdraw that study, which no doubt included Dr. Fauci himself!

An employee of the city of Birmingham Mayor’s Office was arrested over the weekend on felony charges. Uche Bean, 32, was arrested late Friday night by Birmingham police. Police officials have not yet responded to a request for additional information about the allegations and charges against Bean. Bean said she declined to comment at this time. Bean was held in the Birmingham City Jail until warrants were obtained Sunday charging her with second-degree domestic violence and third-degree burglary, jail records show. Bean, deputy director of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity, was then booked into the...