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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that has experienced intense Russian shelling for weeks. Zelensky’s office said the president visited with soldiers fighting to defend the city and presented them with awards. “The president listened to the commander’s report on the operational situation, logistical support and proposals for further actions,” Zelensky’s office said. “While in the area of hostilities, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Ukrainian warriors for their courage, resilience and strength, which they demonstrate while repelling enemy attacks.” Russia has attempted for weeks to take Bakhmut, which could allow...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

A female Argentinian fan who celebrated the nation's World Cup win by going topless could face jail time for violating local customs. A fan at the World Cup in Qatar was spotted taking her top off in celebration of Argentina’s victory over France during a penalty shootout. However, international fans are expected to follow dress codes that are laid about the hosting country, which are strict for women in the conservative Middle Eastern country. "Visitors (men as well as women) are expected to show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in public," the Qatar Tourism Authority said....

In the days after a gunman killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado last month, much of social media lit up with the now familiar expressions of grief, mourning and disbelief. But on some online message boards and platforms, the tone was celebratory. “I love waking up to great news,” wrote one user on Gab, a platform popular with far-right groups. Other users on the site called for more violence. On Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, researchers and LGBTQ advocates have tracked an increase in hate speech and threats of violence directed at LGBTQ people, groups and events, with...

The public university dragged into court over its race-conscious admissions policy is now advertising a research fellowship that bars white applicants from applying. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—whose affirmative action program, along with that of Harvard University, is under review by the Supreme Court—sponsors the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition, which accepts applications exclusively from students who are "Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)," according to the program's website. Fellows earn thousands of dollars, live in on-campus apartments paid for by the university, and receive generous mentorship opportunities, including letters of recommendation. "The field of...

Congressional appropriators dropped the $1.7 trillion, 4,155-page omnibus spending bill at 1:30 A.M. ET Tuesday, giving lawmakers days to read it before the government shuts down Friday. The bill would fund the government through September 2023 and would boost defense spending by $76 billion, totaling $858 billion. Domestic spending is $773 billion. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has chalked up the higher increase in defense spending compared to domestic spending as a Republican victory, even though Democrats managed to pass their $700 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which boosted domestic expenditures on climate change and other leftist domestic priorities. Among...

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemMatthew 20A Mother’s Request 20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT ֎ Featuring 36 Paintings, 1 Mosaic, 1 Photograph and 4 Windows ֎ M A T T H E W Chapter 5* Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them…. 1 LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY "The Sermon of the Mount" 2 CARL BLOCH "Sermon on the Mount" 3 "Detail" 4 FRA ANGELICO "The Sermon on the Mount" 5 GUSTAVE DORÉ "Sermon on the Mount" 6...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is endorsing the Electoral Count Reform Act as necessary to save the Electoral College, saying on Monday the system needs to be reformed so it will not be abolished. Paul said in an op-ed in The Louisville Courier-Journal that recent elections have shown flaws in Congress’s role with the Electoral College, leaving the vice president’s role in counting the votes ambiguous and allowing one member of the House and Senate to object to counting a state’s votes. He said both political parties have exploited these issues to cause “political theater.” “In 2021, the theater act went...

Lightning strikes! The 12-month-ahead probability of recession spiked in November across all of yield curve models. The deterioration in the outlook was most significant in the one that relies on the 3-month/18-month forward spread — Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s favored model — which now sees a 59% chance of recession next year, compared with almost 0% six months ago. Yield curve models see the strongest signal for recession starting around September 2023. We assess the probability of recession in the months ahead by looking at a suite of models: three yield curve models — which take as their sole input...

A videographer who was fired from his job working on WCVB's "Chronicle" show in 2021 for refusing Covid-19 shots has sued the station and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance for his firing in November, 2021 and denial of unemployment benefits, saying the station refused his legitimate request for a religious exemption and that the state is also discriminating against him by refusing to pay him unemployment. In his suit, filed in US District Court, George Rodrigue II says the station could have easily kept him on because he only rarely engaged in close human contact on the job -...

They are making a royal fuss about it. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle demanded Saturday to have a royal summit with the entire British royal family and push for an apology regarding the alleged treatment at their hands, reports the Sunday Times. Following their Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” — which dropped numerous bombshells — the former royals said they want to “sit down with the royal family” and address their grievances. “Nothing like that was ever done when Harry and Meghan raised various concerns — no meeting, formal apology or taking responsibility or accountability,” a source close to the...

A massive 6.4 earthquake rocked California early Tuesday morning leaving tens of thousands of people without power, with its epicenter just about 200 miles north of San Francisco, three days after 3.6 quake shook the Bay Area. No injuries were immediately reported following the strong earthquake left at least 70,000 people facing power outages in Humboldt County, after it struck 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale, a small community about 210 miles northwest of San Francisco and close to the Pacific coast. Gas leaks are being reported across the region, while residents are being told to call 911 if there is...

Rep. Greg Steube recently argued that Congress may have played a part in mass shootings by allowing gun-free zones, which make people ready-made victims for violent criminals. The Sarasota Republican made the pitch at a hearing last Thursday on gun violence held by a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee...

Leave it to Republicans to fall short, either from nearsightedness, timidity, or both. Case in point, Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas. Twenty House conservatives, led by the quixotic speaker-aspirant Andy Biggs (R-AZ), are calling for Mayorkas’ impeachment. Their intentions are good, but their call is a little like calling for the arrest of Bonnie Parker but letting Clyde Barrow and his gang run free. Bonnie was nothing without Clyde. From the New York Post, December 13: Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden’s DHS chief last year, led the delegation of lawmakers at a press...

Man, Rob Schneider is just so damn cool. Seems one of his fans, who says he comes onto Twitter to get away from politics (dude, really?!), asked the comedian to get away from politics and stuff while tweeting. His response to this fan just kicks so much a*s. Take a gander, you’ll thank us: ____________ Hi Vaughn, I make my living as an actor & comedian. I love my job but I love people and my country and freedom of expression even more. I believe, in every way possible, each of us should be examples to others of standing up...

“‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it’” (Matthew 13:45–46). Pearls were the most highly valued gems in the ancient world, often purchased as investments, much like diamonds or precious metals are today. With pearls, a person could keep and conceal a great amount of wealth in a small space. The Jewish Talmud said the pearl was beyond the value of any set price, and that some ancients actually worshiped it. Elsewhere the New Testament uses the...

China is scrambling to deal with a surge in coronavirus cases after Beijing's retreat from a zero-COVID policy. With much of the population unvaccinated, there are fears of mutations, high fatalities, and economic upset. Chinese cities on Tuesday pushed ahead with plans to expand hospital bed capacity and build new clinics amid fears about the virus running wild through the population. Beijing's abrupt decision to relax stringent COVID-19 measures has raised fears that widespread infections among a largely unvaccinated population could lead to between a million and 2.1 million deaths. What's the situation at present? Authorities are expanding intensive care...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday made an unexpected visit to troops defending Bakhmut, currently the site of some of the bloodiest fighting in the war, as his forces try to hold off a desperate Russian assault on the city in the eastern Donetsk region. Zelensky’s trip, which was confirmed by his office on his Facebook page, highlighted the carnage in Bakhmut, where Russian forces, including mercenaries, have been pushing for months to claim a battlefield victory after a string of defeats and retreats in the south and east of Ukraine. It was not immediately clear where in Bakhmut the...

KPMG reports automotive executives are less bullish than they were last year about the adoption of electric vehicles. The survey found 76% are concerned that inflation and high interest rates will adversely affect their business next year. For the U.S., the median expectation for EV sales was 35% of the new vehicle market by 2030 — down from 65% a year earlier.