Friday, January 6, 2023

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine Shoots-Down Holiday 'Cease-Fire'


Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his armed forces to observe a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Orthodox Christmas holiday, the first such sweeping truce move in the nearly 11-month-old war. Kyiv indicated it wouldn’t follow suit. Putin did not appear to condition his cease-fire order on Ukraine’s acceptance, and it wasn’t clear whether hostilities would actually pause on the 1,100-kilometer (684-mile) front line or elsewhere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Russian move as playing for time to regroup its invasion forces and prepare additional attacks.

At various points during the war that began Feb. 24, Russian authorities have ordered limited, local truces to allow civilian evacuations or other humanitarian purposes. Thursday’s order was the first time Putin has directed his troops to observe a cease-fire throughout Ukraine.

➤UKRAINE TO GET MORE ARMOUR: The U.S., France and Germany have said they will send dozens of armored infantry vehicles to Ukraine, a significant deployment of Western support at a critical juncture in its war against invading Russian forces. President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. would provide Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a tracked vehicle that resembles a tank but with a smaller gun, fulfilling months of requests from Kyiv. The Bradleys are part of a new military-aid package—which officials said they expected to outline formally Friday—that would include other munitions, vehicles and weaponry.  Germany, meanwhile, said it would send Marder infantry vehicles, and France said it would send AMX-10 wheeled armored vehicles.

➤IS VLADIMIR PUTIN DYING? For months, rumors have circulated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously ill with cancer and even near death, and now the head of Ukrainian intelligence insists it’s true. Defense Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov told ABC News that Putin’s illness has been confirmed by sources close to him. His death would bring unpredictable change to Russia, but Budanov says “we should not be afraid of its transformation, as it will only benefit the whole world.”

➤HARDLINERS HOLD-OUT: Hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives rejected Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid for an 11th time on Thursday, while his supporters worked behind closed doors in hopes of cementing a deal that could bring success. The voting propelled the House to a level of dysfunction not seen since the turbulent era just before the Civil War, even after McCarthy offered to curb his own clout, raising questions about the party's ability to wield power. After the 11th ballot, the House adjourned for the third time this week without electing a speaker. Lawmakers will reconvene at noon on Friday.

McCarthy's opponents say they do not trust him to fight for the deep spending cuts and other restrictions they want to impose on President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate.

➤STERN BLAMES 'KOOKS' FOR IMPASSE: Lefty Howard Stern blames Conservative Republican “kooks” for derailing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House Speaker. Stern likened the California congressman to a student receiving a “wedgie” in public while discussing the stalemate on Capitol Hill during Wednesday’s edition of Sirius XM’s “The Howard Stern Show.” “This guy has wanted to be the Speaker of the House forever, this poor bastard,” Stern said. “I mean, you feel bad for him in a way.”

“The reason the dude can’t become Speaker of the House is that these Republicans have let in so many kooks that the kooks will not vote for him,” Stern added.

➤JOBS REPORT EXPECTED TO BE ENCOURAGING: The jobs report the government will issue Friday is expected to show that December was another healthy month for hiring — a boon for those looking for work but a problem for the Federal Reserve if it persists.  Economists have forecast that employers added 200,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, near a half-century low, according to the data provider FactSet. Last month’s job growth will cap a second strong year of hiring for the U.S. economy. Through November, employers had added 4.9 million jobs in 2022, after 6.7 million were gained in 2021. All that hiring was part of a powerful rebound from the pandemic recession of 2020, a year when 9.3 million jobs were lost.


➤HARRY SAYS WILLIAMS WARNED HIM ABOUT PROPSING: The Duke of Sussex also told ITV again that he wants reconciliation with his relatives, even though his new memoirs have plunged the Royal Family into its worst crisis since the death of his mother. Harry has alleged that there was a fight between him and the Prince of Wales after he called Meghan Markle 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive'. Harry's book also reveals that William warned him against proposing. Harry claims the stand-up row in Nottingham Cottage - his Kensington Palace flat - ended with William grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl. His back was scraped and bruised, he claims. 

In a newly-released clip from ITV's forthcoming interview with Harry, the duke said his brother was so frustrated during the incident which reportedly took place in 2019, he saw 'red mist in him'. 'He wanted me to hit him back, but I chose not to,' he says of his brother. In the clip released early on Friday morning, Harry tells his friend Tom Bradby: 'What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.'

Daily Mail US (1/6/23)

➤KILLER'S MOVEMENTS TRACKED: Newly unsealed court documents have revealed the police theory of how suspected killer Bryan Kohberger fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students after creeping into their home late at night. The affidavit written by Brett Payne, a police corporal in Moscow, Idaho, was made public on Thursday minutes before Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology PhD student at nearby Washington State University, was due to appear in court.  Cops believe the murders occurred between approximately 4am and 4.25am on November 13, and say one of the surviving roommates in the home at 1122 King Road came face-to-face with the masked killer, after hearing him tell a victim that he was 'here to help'. 

Daily Mail US 1/6/23

➤DAD WANTS TO BLOCK CHEMICAL CASTRATION OF SON: Jeff Younger, of Texas, is desperately attempting to block his ex-wife Dr. Anne Georgulas from chemically castrating their son, James, nine. In a video filmed by Younger, the young boy claimed his mother told him he was female because he 'loved girls' and would dress him up in 'dresses.' James, his twin brother Jude, and his mom recently moved to California right before the transgender children sanctuary law took effect on New Year's. California's law protects trans children and their families who flee from states criminalizing parents for allowing them to receive gender-affirming care. I don't think this is an accident...My blood ran cold when I realized what she had planned for that boy,' Young said.

➤STUDY: SOCIAL MEDIA LINKED TO BRAIN CHANGES:  Frequently checking social media could be linked to changes in teen brains. A University of North Carolina study used MRI scans to examine adolescent participants and found those who frequently checked social media may be more prone to changes in impulse control. They may also be more likely to be hypersensitive. The study relied on self-reported social media use among 200 sixth and seventh graders. "This is asking the question, if this can change activity in the brain, can it then change behavior," Dr. Jennifer Ashton said.

🏈 HAMLIN AWAKE: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday game, is awake and has shown "substantial" improvement in the past 24 hours, according to his physicians. Physicians from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where the 24-year-old is being treated, said at a Thursday news conference that Hamlin had woken up and appears to have his neurological function intact. "We had significant concern about him after the injury and after the event that happened on the field, but he has made substantial improvement," UCMC physician Timothy Pritts said.

Hamlin is unable to speak because of his breathing tube but has been able to communicate through writing, the physicians said. He is also able to move his hands, feet and head.

NFL won’t reschedule Bengals-Bills game after Damar Hamlin’s collapse, with owners set to consider modified playoff format Hamlin remains in critical condition, but doctors on Thursday shared positive information about his recovery. The NFL competition committee and Commissioner Roger Goodell approved a modified playoff format, which could see the AFC title game held at a neutral site. The league’s owners will consider the plan Friday.

➤McMAHON PLOTS WWE RETURN: Vince McMahon, the majority owner and former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, plans to return to the company following his retirement last year amid a sexual-harassment scandal to pursue a sale of the business, according to people familiar with the matter.

🏀TEXAS LONGHORNS COACH FIRED: Chris Beard, head coach for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team, has been fired. He was suspended less than a month ago after being arrested on a domestic family violence charge. Associate head coach Rodney Terry will continue as acting head coach through this season. Beard’s fiancé now denies reports that he tried to strangle her during an argument.

🏈STAR QUARTERBACK HARTMAN TRANSFERS TO NOTRE DAME: Star college quarterback Sam Hartman has decided to transfer from Wake Forest to Notre Dame, according to Fan Nation. Hartman has twice been named an All-Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback and led the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to an 11-3 record and a trip to the ACC championship game.

🏈ANOTHER COLLEGE PLAYER TURNS INTO A HORNED FROG: Running back Trey Sanders is transferring from Alabama’s Crimson Tide to join Texas Christian University’s Horned Frogs. He’s the third former Crimson Tide player to turn into a Horned Frog in recent weeks. He’ll be joining wide receiver JoJo Earle and offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer at TCU.

➤STORMY WEATHER CONTINUES IN CALIFORNIA: The torrential rains and hurricane-force winds that hit the coast of California are continuing to pack a punch. Downtown San Francisco has already experienced its wettest 10-day period since 1871, according to the National Weather Service. Hundreds of miles south, Malibu got more than two inches of rain in six hours yesterday morning. About 130,000 people were without power yesterday, mostly in northern California. This is actually a series of storms, and the next one is due to hit today.



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