Posts on Friday, December 26, 2025

A criminal jailed for growing drugs has avoided deportation back to Albania after a judge ruled it would be “harsh” on his partner because she cannot speak Albanian. Armando Iberhasaj, who was sentenced to four months in prison for growing more than 200 cannabis plants, claimed his deportation would breach his rights to a family life with his partner under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). He claimed this outweighed his criminal threat to society given that he had been jailed for less than a year – the current cut-off point above which foreign offenders face automatic deportation.

Former hostage Romi Gonen shared that she was sexually assaulted by four different men on separate occasions during her 471 days as a hostage in Gaza, speaking in an interview that aired on Thursday. The sit-down on Channel 12’s “Uvda” program detailed her harrowing ordeal, beginning with her abduction from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when she was 23 years old. Gonen, now 25, detailed being taken into the Strip, being moved between several private houses, and then being taken underground several weeks into the war.

A group of 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over a declaration that aims to restrict gender transition treatment for minors. The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; and its inspector general comes after the declaration issued last week described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone treatments and gender surgeries as unsafe and ineffective for children experiencing gender dysphoria. The declaration also warned doctors they could be excluded from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provide these treatments to minors.

Stand clear of the closing doors, please! A bumbling straphanger became trapped in an MTA turnstile gate at a Manhattan subway station after the doors clamped on either side of her neck as she apparently tried to take a fare-free ride, according to a wild viral video. A woman dressed in a long black coat got a little ahead of herself when she was rushing to catch a train at the Broadway/Lafayette station.

Though it wasn’t a white Christmas for the majority of the Northeast, a powerful snowstorm is brewing right after the holiday, unleashing impactful snow and ice for millions that will threaten major cities, airports and highways. A quick but impactful shot of snow and ice will blast through the Northeast Friday into early Saturday and significantly impact post-Christmas travel, as over 60 million Americans face winter weather alerts from Philadelphia through New York City in what could be the biggest snow totals the Big Apple has seen in years.

There has been a lot of drama over CBS editor Bari Weiss pulling the plug on a 60 Minutes story about CECOT, the El Salvadorian prison where Venezuelans and other illegal immigrants were sent after being deported from the U.S. In her memo to CBS staff, Weiss made several reasonable requests and observations, including that the story did not "present the administration's argument for why it sent 252 Venezuelans to CECOT" and asked, "Isn't there much more to ask in light of the torture that we are revealing?" She also noted that the story used Orwellian sleight of hand on the criminal records of the 252 Venezuelans sent to CECOT. "

I've written before about the problems with the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. In October, people mocked Barack Obama's post about the library. Obama said it would be a "hub for change" for people to "get inspired." The pomposity of it all. (X) (X) Like everything having to do with Obama, it started at one price — $500 million — but then the cost of it ballooned. Now it's at $830 million. Sounds like the Affordable Care Act that was never affordable. As I noted, it has to be one of the ugliest buildings I've ever seen. It reminds me of the dismal gray buildings of the Soviet Union

Despite constant criticism from his detractors, Trump appears emboldened in his second term to persevere on issues he campaigned on (snip.) As President Trump prepares to ramp up his immigration crackdown next year, his second term has proven to be a case study in doubling down on hallmark agenda items like immigration, tariffs and eradicating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives from government. On the three issues on which he's received some of the most ardent and aggressive pushback, Trump has doubled down in ways that go beyond even his first term.

If the Nationals and Liberal parties want a good solid public policy alternative to the reflexive gun and hate speech control strategy of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese they should implement an upgrade of the police and intelligence data systems instead of blowing their budget on buying back guns and focusing on hate speech. The question is sometimes asked: if Australia has “gun control” how did the Bondi shooters get issued six licensed guns? Because the terror reduction problem was framed as "gun control." The focus was on controlling objects, not anticipating threats. The thinking was: if you control the guns then you will control the level of terror.

Indonesia has a reputation for being a “moderate” Muslim nation, but the wind in the Islamic world as a whole is blowing in the opposite direction, as a group of Christians has just discovered. Morning Star News, which tracks the persecution of Christians worldwide, reported Tuesday that “as police looked on, Muslims in West Java Province, Indonesia on Dec. 14 formed a human wall to block Christians from attending a Christmas service, according to local media.” Notice that it has now been nearly a quarter-century since 9/11, and while we have seen heroic individual Muslims such as Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled one of the Bondi Beach jihadis,

After last week's near unanimous approval by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors (our 11-member city council) to establish a "fund" to accept and distribute so-called Reparations to qualified city residents, will Mayor Lurie veto it? (snip) Make no mistake, this figure goes far beyond a 7-figure payout. The 100-point Reparations proposal includes the highly-publicized $5 million lump-sum payments to eligible black adults, and adds annual income supplements to match the area median income for 250 years. It also features comprehensive black debt forgiveness, prioritizes housing assistance, and provides targeted programs in black education and black health. (snip)

The CEO of the Obama Foundation offered an inside look at the former president's controversial presidential library, addressing lingering concerns over its design. The monumental project in Chicago is all compiled on a 20-acre campus filled with parks, playgrounds, and the 225-foot 'eye-sore' museum tower. The CEO of the Obama Foundation, Valerie Jarrett, told CBS News Chicago that they are excited to open their doors next June. Despite her enthusiasm, locals have raised concerns about its appearance. However, the CEO explained how this investment and project will demonstrate how diversity can 'better represent the community in which we're located and be a national model for how you can be inclusive and have a world-class

The California DMV is facing a lawsuit brought on behalf of nearly 20,000 immigrant truckers over the state’s plans to revoke their commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs). The Asian Law Caucus and the Sikh Coalition, along with the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in an effort to stop the California DMV from canceling the CDLs, which the complaint says would “result in mass work stoppages” starting Jan 5, 2026. “This class-action lawsuit is brought on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five commercial drivers who have been deprived of their rights and livelihoods,” a joint statement from the Asian Law Caucus and Sikh Coalition said.

As RedState reported on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to issue a stay on a lower court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Illinois. RedState further reported that Justice Samuel Alito issued a blistering dissent, essentially saying that the courts were hindering the Trump administration from protecting federal officers.Of course, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker took a victory lap anyway:As Joe Cunningham explained, Pritzker may have worn himself out unnecessarily because SCOTUS has not rendered the final ruling on this.

President Trump announced Thursday that the US military hit ISIS terrorists in Nigeria targeting Christians with “numerous” deadly airstrikes. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” the president continued.

To its haters, Israel is a pariah on the verge of expulsion from the world community, after it had the nerve to defend itself from Hamas. Yet a series of recent meetings and trade deals proves the Jewish state is firmly integrated in the regional and world economy — and not going anywhere soon. Last week’s announcement that Israel had finalized its plan to sell $37 billion of natural gas to Egypt is just one example, and a win-win for both parties, as well as for regional stability.Though Egypt downplayed the diplomatic significance of the deal, it’s obvious the relationship between the two countries is more than an anachronistic holdover -