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For more than a decade, the United States has nurtured a secret intelligence partnership with Ukraine that is now critical for both countries in countering Russia... Nestled in a dense forest, the Ukrainian military base appears abandoned and destroyed, its command center a burned-out husk, a casualty of a Russian missile barrage early in the war. But that is above ground. Not far away, a discreet passageway descends to a subterranean bunker where teams of Ukrainian soldiers track Russian spy satellites and eavesdrop on conversations between Russian commanders. On one screen, a red line followed the route of an explosive...

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. -snip- Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not respond to requests for comment. The Kremlin declined comment. But both Trump and Putin have developed friendly relations with rulers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump said on Sunday that his administration had "meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia." When asked about those remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said...

The jolly, red-suited Santa Claus who delivers presents on Christmas Eve is a beloved and immediately recognizable figure in much of the world. He is very much a magical, whimsical character, but his origin story has its roots in a real historical person: St. Nicholas of Myra. We know very little of St. Nicholas’ life, but historical evidence does confirm that he was a living, breathing man who lived in the third and fourth centuries CE. While many of the recorded details about St. Nicholas are quite likely embellished — falling more into the realm of myth than reality —...

If Santa Claus was an American citizen, would he have sided with Democrats or Republicans in November? A new YouGov survey asks about that and other quirky, Christmas-related topics, revealing, among other things, that most Americans think old St. Nick would share their political views. “Among Democrats, 62% think he would support the Democratic Party. Among Independents, 50% think he would support Independents. Among Republicans, 55% think Santa would back the Republican Party,” YouGov reported.

Archaeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus during ongoing excavation work at the St. Nicholas Church in Demre, Antalya, shedding light on the ancient past of the historical site. The church, believed to be located near the burial place of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra and the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus, has been a site of important archaeological findings for years. The discovery was made in the church’s two-story annex, which has been under excavation since 1989. SNIP

Folks, PLEASE remember to put out some nutritious goodies for Santa. He’s got to be tired dodging all the SLEIGHJACKERS and ROOF TOP PIRATES. I just put out fresh, warm Super-chunk White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and a huge mug of Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows for him.

The Martians kidnap Santa Claus because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents.

December 6 is the feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, later of Bari. Though known more commonly in modern times for his connection with “Santa Claus”, Saint Nicholas was considered a great saint in his day and numerous anecdotes relating to his acts of holiness, courage and generosity have come down to us from antiquity. Here is an excerpt from an anonymous history from the 4th century AD entitled, Praxis de Stratelatis (Act of the Generals). In it, we see Saint Nicholas doing what he does best: using his authority as bishop to rescue the innocent and speak the truth...

Every year, on Dec. 6, children all over Milwaukee wake up to find their stockings filled with goodies from St. Nicholas. The holiday is perfect timing for impatient kids excited for Santa, and, although it's not celebrated everywhere, St. Nicholas Day is especially popular in Wisconsin. When is St. Nicholas Day? And who is St. Nicholas? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, St. Nicholas Day is the feast day of St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop who is also the patron saint of Russia, Greece and children. His feast day is Dec. 6. Interesting facts about St. Nicholas St. Nicholas was...

Here’s hoping you have a very unhappy holiday! Ukraine is so eager to spite Russia, it passed a law changing when it celebrates Christmas. The country will now mark the holy day on Dec. 25, dropping the Russian Orthodox Church’s tradition of celebrating the holiday on Jan. 7. The bill’s sponsors believe the change will help Ukraine “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7,” while helping Ukrainians “live their own life with new traditions [and] holidays,” The Guardian reported. The change was passed by Ukraine’s parliament earlier this month and signed into law Friday...

"Meanwhile in reality land – this person, now dead, shot a friend in his face. Not exactly an upstanding citizen…. but here’s his family celebrating the cop going to prison. BREAKING: Joe Biden was taking calls from the NORAD Santa tracking program and a dad ended the call with "Merry Christmas, and Let's Go Brandon." Biden replied with: "Let's Go Brandon, I agree"

An MSNBC columnist is calling for the end of the NORAD Santa tracker, claiming that it is time to "decouple" Santa Claus from American military culture. In an op-ed published on MSNBC.com, opinion columnist Hayes Brown took issue with the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s 60-year tradition of tracking Santa Claus’s imaginary journey across the globe delivering presents and explained why "if had my way, this year would be the last."

An Oregon dad who told President Biden “Let’s go Brandon” during the annual White House NORAD Santa-tracking phone call claims he used the coded vulgarity as “a joke,” according to a report. The anti-Biden phrase has become popular in conservative circles as a stand-in for “F— Joe Biden,” but Jared Schmeck, 35, said he meant “no disrespect” to the president when he snuck the slogan in during the final seconds of the Friday call.

The White House cut short press access to a video call with the troops on Christmas, after President Joe Biden’s embarrassing “Let’s go, Brandon!” moment a day earlier. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden appeared on the fake White House digital set for the video call, as the president wished the military Merry Christmas.

A parent told President Joe Biden 'Let's Go Brandon!' during the NORAD Santa Tracker event with First Lady Jill Biden at the White House complex on Friday. The first couple hosted kids and their parents in the South Court Auditorium and talked to people virtually. A dad named Jared beaming in from Oregon said 'Merry Christmas' and 'Let's Go Brandon' - code on the right for 'f**k Joe Biden' - after his kids told the president what they wanted from Santa Claus. Reporters in the room said that Biden seemed unphased. 'Go Brandon, I agree,' the president said in response.

Yesterday, perhaps the greatest “Let’s Go, Brandon” troll since the inception of the phrase occurred. Joe and Jill Biden were calling children to wish them a merry Christmas when a father on one of the calls managed to slip in a “Let’s Go, Brandon” before things were shut down.The president then repeated it and say “I agree,” in an awkward moment where he appeared to not be aware of what was happening. Here’s what that looked like if you haven’t seen it.BREAKING: Joe Biden was taking calls from the NORAD Santa tracking program and a dad ended the call with...

A Central Point father of four who wished President Joe Biden and the first lady a wonderful Christmas and added “Let’s go, Brandon,” at the end of a live streamed Santa tracker call told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he didn’t intend his parting message to be vulgar. “At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden, but I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job,” said Jared Schmeck, 35, who works for an electric company and was previously a Medford police officer for six years until he resigned in July 2018. “I mean...

reedom of speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment, isn’t always pretty, it isn’t always respectful, but it can be “humor in a jugular vein” as the old Mad Magazine motto said. A father exercised his free speech rights in a once in a lifetime chance to tell Joe Biden what he thinks of him, doing so in a humorous way on a Christmas Eve phone call that offended all the right people.

Joe and Jill Biden took NORAD Christmas phone calls from families at the White House Friday. One dad closed out the call with a cheery “Let’s go Brandon!”, a phrase that has become a euphemism for the profane protest chant “F*** Joe Biden.”Jill giggled while Joe said, “Let’s go Brandon! I agree.”

I will be blunt: There’s very little newsworthy happening around the holidays but media outlets still have pages, either on paper or in the cyber world, that need to be filled. This is the time when you get a lot of cozy human interest stories and cute cat and dog photos. But still, there’s yawning empty space and looming deadlines. That’s when writers dig deep into themselves and write those essays that come most easily to them: They go public with their pet peeves. And that, undoubtedly, is why an MSNBC writer decided that the best thing to write for...