"With US forces under regular attack across the Mideast and the Navy actively engaged with Houthi forces in the Red Sea, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was out of commission in the hospital from Monday on.

"Worse, no one told the White House; worse yet, neither President Biden nor National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan noticed.

"Not until the Pentagon let Sullivan know on Thursday.

"Anyone thinking that the nation is well-led despite Biden's blatant feebleness better think again: Austin and his deputies ignored the law here, while Sullivan was plainly asleep at the switch.

"Again, with American forces regularly under fire, and our friends in Ukraine and Israel fully at war with Russia and Hamas."

Read the entire article here.

"An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a 'couple of miles' of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

"Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. They have, however, used them in years past."

Read the entire article here.

"Democrats are blasting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for helping migrants travel to -- and overwhelm -- cities like New York. But they leave Abbott no choice.

"Team Biden, after all, won't lift a finger to stem the tsunami of migrants submerging his state.

"Instead, it's doing everything it can to make it impossible for Abbott to deal with the newcomers.

"The Biden administration has sued Abbott for putting up razor wire to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into Texas. And it also plans to oppose a new Texas law that will allow local law enforcement to deport those who have broken the law.

"You won't let him keep them out. You won't let him remove them when they're here."

Read the entire article here.

"The U.S. national debt topped $34 trillion for the first time ever, crossing a critical milestone at a time when government spending is already under scrutiny.

"The national debt -- which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors -- hit $34 trillion as of Friday afternoon, according to new data published by the Treasury Department. By comparison, just four decades ago, the national debt hovered around $907 billion.

"'We are beginning a new year, but our national debt remains on the same damaging and unsustainable path,' said Michael Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which advocates for fiscal sustainability.

"The historic debt level comes as Congress races to finalize critical funding bills in order to prevent a government shutdown."

Read the entire article here.

"As nearly all parts of the political spectrum agree, average Americans are extremely unhappy these days. The latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows that a hefty majority sees the federal government's recent performance as the cause of their disgruntlement.

"With news stories regularly highlighting widespread anger among voters, we asked the following question for our December national online poll, taken from Nov. 29-Dec. 1 by 1,464 adult registered voters: 'Which of the following best describes how you feel about the federal government?'

"Respondents were then given four possible responses: 'satisfied,' 'frustrated,' 'angry,' and 'not sure.'

"'Satisfied never had a chance. Overall, just 14% said they were satisfied with Washington. A shocking 55% called themselves frustrated, and another 23% said they were angry, for a total of 78% of all responses.'"

Read the entire article here.

"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!"

"The flow of migrants illegally crossing the southern border has grown into such a flood that it is shutting down legal immigration and international trade. All vehicular traffic has been suspended in Eagle Pass, Texas. In San Diego, California, all pedestrian crossings have been stopped. In Lukeville, Arizona, the port of entry has been closed. In El Paso, Texas, freight train traffic has been shunted to a complete standstill.

President Joe Biden's border crisis keeps reaching new levels of historic failure. Senate Republicans are negotiating with the White House and Senate Democrats over changes to the law that would force the president to take this crisis seriously. But he reportedly insists on retaining the power of parole, a huge loophole that would make the other reforms useless. If Senate Republicans don't strip Biden of his parole authority, they will have failed to take meaningful action except, arguably, to make it worse."

Read the entire article here.

"California's dream of renewable green energy has left the state worse off, and even California Democrats have recognized just how deep the failure runs.

"California energy regulators on Thursday voted to extend the lifespan of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant by five years, moving the shutdown date from 2025 to 2030. The 2025 date was agreed to back in 2016 as California Democrats attempted to purge nuclear energy from the state's grid.

"It is yet another admission of failure by California Democrats in their embarrassing effort to turn the state into a wind- and solar-powered liberal paradise despite the technology being nowhere near making that possible. Diablo Canyon alone provides roughly 9% of the state's electricity, leading even Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to reverse his previous opposition to the plant and advocate its extension.

"It isn't just nuclear energy that is getting reevaluated either. Newsom went from campaigning to shut down the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility to pushing for it to be expanded. Natural gas comprised about 47% of the state's energy in 2022, compared to just over 26% for wind and solar combined. This now marks four years of California turning to natural gas to avoid blackouts, with Newsom now taking a more proactive approach to avoid additional headlines about, for example, firing up temporary gas-field generators to keep the grid running."

Read the entire article here.

"Pop music superstar Taylor Swift has dominated news headlines in 2023. Between her record-breaking tour, romance with NFL player Travis Kelce, and being named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' (and subsequent interview with the magazine, her first in four years), Swift has been all the craze.

"Now, academia has jumped on board the Swift bandwagon, with several colleges set to offer courses about the musician next semester.

"The College Fix reported that the University of Florida, Harvard University, and other schools are offering classes about Taylor Swift. At the University of Florida, the class will be provided by the school's 'Honors Program' (because nothing says academic excellence and preparing for the real world upon graduation, like analysis of a contemporary entertainer)."

Read the entire article here.

"Congress is often a theater of the absurd, from Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pulling a fire alarm before a major vote to former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) being, well, a member of Congress at all. However, none of that compares to what unfolded on Wednesday as Hunter Biden stood outside Congress and defied a subpoena as being 'beyond the absurd.' What happens next could be even more bizarre. ...

"It was a no-brainer that someone appears to have radically over-thought on the Hunter Biden legal team.

"Hunter can now be held in contempt of Congress. That will force the hand of Attorney General Merrick Garland, who aggressively pursued Trump figures for contempt, including former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Despite some of us writing to the contrary, Bannon claimed his lawyers told him he did not have to appear before a House committee. He was swiftly charged and convicted by Garland's prosecutors.

"In this instance, the contempt case would go to the U.S. Attorney in D.C., Matthew Graves, who previously declined to assist in bringing tax charges against the president's son. Yet by pulling a Bannon, Hunter now faces the expectation in many circles that he will get the full Bannon treatment from Garland."

Read the entire article here.