POLAND - Poland is reportedly the first European Union (EU) nation to mandate firearms training for schoolchildren. Per DW, these firearms courses will be “compulsory for primarly schoolchildren in preparation of a potential Russian attack.”

Firearms lessons are now compulsory for schoolchildren - even at a young age. This is how Poland is preparing itself for a potential Russian attack. The children are enjoying it, and their parents feel proud.

If you think Poland is based, it’s because they’re anti-Kremlin and remember how Russians treated them. (Thank NATO, however imperfect, too!) Soviet horrors are still very raw to Poles. Poland, like my ancestral homeland Lithuania, is all too familiar with Russian occupation—especially the Soviet variant that spanned five decades. Not to mention Nazi occupation before that.

Although I’m a first-generation American, friends here tell me firearms lessons used to be common in grade school. While less prevalent today - due to gun control efforts, media fear-mongering, and increased urbanization - these courses can still be found in parts of the South, Mountain West, and in Alaska. But seeing Europe jump on this trend, despite having no Second Amendment enshrined in their individual constitutions, is wonderful to see. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. -On December 6, 2024, a federal judge ordered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release documents related to the emergency use authorisation of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. These documents had been hidden from public view.

The legal battle traces back to September 2021, when attorney Aaron Siri filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on behalf of the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency. The plaintiffs sought access to the vast trove of documents the FDA relied on to approve Pfizer's vaccine.

Initially, the FDA proposed a slow release schedule. In November 2021, the agency stated it would release just 500 pages per month—a pace that would have stretched the full disclosure process to 75 years.

However, in January 2022, District Judge Mark Pittman of Texas rejected the FDA’s proposal, ordering the agency to expedite its release to 55,000 pages per month, aiming to complete the disclosure of all 450,000 pages by August 2022.

As the documents trickled out, researchers began uncovering glaring gaps that prevented a systematic review of the data. These gaps fueled suspicions about what else the FDA might be withholding. Click here to read more.

 

COLUMBUS, OH - An Ohio school district will pay nearly half a million dollars to a teacher who was forced to resign after she said she could not use trans-identifying students’ new names and pronouns due to her Christian faith, The Daily Wire has learned.

English teacher Vivian Geraghty, 26, won a $450,000 settlement from the Jackson Local School District south of Columbus, her legal team announced Wednesday. She will not be returning to work for the district.

Two years ago, Geraghty was unceremoniously fired by Jackson Memorial Middle School when two students asked Geraghty to use new names that aligned “with their new gender identities rather than their legal names.” One of the students also requested that teachers use a preferred pronoun that did not reflect the student’s biological sex, her lawsuit said.

Geraghty went to the principal in hopes of reaching a solution, but the principal and his superior, the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, told her “she would be required to put her beliefs aside as a public servant,” according to the lawsuit. She was allegedly accused of insubordination and told that continuing to teach without participating in the students’ gender transitions would “not work in a district like Jackson.” Click here to read more.

 

SACRAMENTO, CALIF - WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday approved a California regulation to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars.

The California Air Resources Board adopted the "Advanced Clean Cars II" in 2022, which mandated all vehicles sold in California from 2035 onward produce zero emissions. The rule required a waiver from federal regulators under the Clean Air Act.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan granted that waiver Wednesday, allowing the state to gradually roll out its zero-emission plan over the next 11 years. The rollout will require at least 35% of 2026 model year vehicles to be zero-emission vehicles or plug-in hybrids.

“California has longstanding authority to request waivers from EPA to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution coming from mobile sources like cars and trucks,” Ragan said. "Today’s actions follow through on EPA’s commitment to partner with states to reduce emissions and act on the threat of climate change.”

The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade association, issued a scathing statement Wednesday in response to the waiver urging President-elect Donald Trump to reverse course when his administration takes control in January. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - The lame duck session in Lansing is proving to live up to its name as Democrats lose the last bit of control over their party in the waning days of their majority power.

State Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) joined Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) on Wednesday. Both said they will not attend Wednesday’s scheduled session in Lansing. Rep. Whitsett said on Tuesday night she would not show up until serious issues that impact her constituents are taken up by Democratic leadership.

Whitsett’s announcement came a day after outgoing Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes sent a scathing email blasting Republicans for not showing up to work. “After walking away from their jobs last week, the question remains as to whether they’ll show up this week, leaving millions of Michiganders unsure if they’re paying their representatives to sit on their hands,” Barnes wrote.

Republicans regained control of Michigan’s House on Nov. 5. They take office on Jan 1.

Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) could enact a chamber rule that allows the sergeant-at-arms to bring the lawmakers back. Click here to read more.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it will hear TikTok's appeal challenging a federal law that could ban the popular social media app in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests ownership. The expedited hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, just nine days before the law is set to take effect.

The bipartisan legislation, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year, cites national security concerns about TikTok’s access to data from its 170 million American users and the potential for content manipulation. The law mandates that TikTok be sold to a U.S. company by Jan. 19 or face removal from app stores and hosting services, effectively barring its use.

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TikTok and ByteDance argue the law violates First Amendment free speech protections and have requested an emergency injunction from the Supreme Court to halt enforcement. The companies warn that a ban would devastate TikTok’s U.S. operations, causing it to lose a significant portion of its user base, advertisers, and content creators.

In a statement, TikTok expressed optimism about the upcoming court hearing, saying, “We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit previously upheld the law, supporting the government’s national security arguments. The court emphasized that protecting Americans from foreign adversaries outweighs potential free speech claims.

The Justice Department has defended the legislation, warning of the “immense depth and scale” of the national security threat posed by TikTok. Critics of the law, including TikTok, argue that it represents a significant departure from the U.S. tradition of championing an open internet.

Adding a political twist, President-elect Donald Trump, who had attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, has reversed his stance. Trump recently expressed support for TikTok, saying he has “a warm spot” for the platform and plans to reevaluate the ban upon taking office on Jan. 20.

The court’s decision to hear arguments underscores the urgency of the issue, given the impending Jan. 19 deadline. The case also highlights broader debates over the scope of government power in regulating foreign-owned technology platforms and protecting national security without infringing on constitutional rights.

TikTok’s appeal has drawn significant attention amid heightened U.S.-China tensions, with both nations imposing restrictive measures on each other’s technology industries. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for future actions against other foreign-owned apps and reshape the digital landscape in the United States.

 

 

CHICAGO, IL - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson booted members of the public from a city meeting on his proposed 2025 budget on Monday after residents vocally protested against extensive funding for migrants.

While Johnson's 2025 budget narrowly passed on Monday, it was only after the mayor ordered a temporary recess to allow police to clear residents from the hall to allow council members to vote.

It took six weeks of debate for Johnson to secure the 26 votes necessary to pass the budget plan, with the opposition succeeding in removing a proposed $300 million property tax.

The plan also adopts a $40 million short-term loan that allows the city to delay paying off its debt, a major point of criticism for many of the protesters.

"You caused all this money to go to illegal immigrants," one resident told Johnson during the public comment period. "Anything that you all pass is not genuine."

Another resident accused Johnson of failing to "protect the people of Chicago from invasion." Click here to read more.

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SEATTLE, WASH - Over a dozen school districts in Washington, one of the country’s most left-leaning states, are proposing banning males from playing in girls’ sports.

A group of 14 school districts has proposed an amendment to the handbook of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs athletics at middle and high schools, that would ban trans-identifying boys from playing on girls’ sports teams.

The proposal comes after 17 years of trans-identifying public school students in Washington being able to play on the team of the opposite sex.

The group of school districts also have a second proposal that would establish a new “open division” that would allow trans-identifying students to play.

The amendments must pass with 60% approval at an April meeting of the Association in order to take effect. Click here to read more.

 

NEWARK, NJ - Belleville, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Melham connected a string of mysterious drone sightings to a report of a radioactive shipment that went missing earlier in December.

Melham said the drones have been hovering over critical infrastructure and residential areas in his state for at least four weeks, suggesting that their grid-like flying patterns indicate they are searching for something specific.

“We know very little,” Melham told the hosts of Good Day New York on Tuesday.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirmed in an event report Friday that a Ge-68 pin source shipped by New Jersey‘s Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) went missing from the Port of Newark on Dec. 2. Melham said the materials were lost in transit.

“It was a shipment. It arrived at its destination. The container was damaged, and it was empty,” he told the hosts. Click here to read more.

 

NEW YORK, NY - Federal agencies reported $161.5 billion in improper payments during fiscal year 2024, according to data released by the Office of Management and Budget in November.

President Joe Biden will leave office having lost $925.7 billion to improper payments — money sent to the wrong person, for the wrong amount or the wrong reason — during his four-year term. Adjusted for inflation, Biden’s term will have lost $986.2 billion.

That’s the worst for any president since reporting began in 2004, even adjusted for inflation.

Key facts: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wasted $87 billion in improper payments, more than any other government entity. Medicare reimbursements to health providers had a 7.7% mistake rate this year, the worst since percentages were first reported in 2019.

Another $4 billion was sent to recipients who had issues regarding their citizenship, including $824 million in unemployment insurance from the Department of Labor. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a measure allowing Michigan transportation to install “an automated speed enforcement system” in work zones to penalize motorists who break the law.

House Bill 4132 would allow the Michigan Department of Transportation to create an “automated speed enforcement system unit.” The agency would be empowered to set the criteria for prioritizing a work zone, such as a freeway, for installing such a system.

Critics of the cameras say the cameras may provide a false sense of security for employees in work zones, and potential mission creep in the use of cameras for purposes other than monitoring drivers in traffic construction areas.

“Whether you’re driving on them or working on them, we’re focused on fixing the damn roads and making sure people are safe on the damn roads,” the governor said in a post to X.

Under the measure, transportation officials would need to place a sign one mile before the work zone starts, and an automated speed enforcement system would digitally display an approaching vehicle’s speed.

The House passed the bill initially last year, but it languished in the Senate until last month.

It would create a new fund in the state treasury, the Work Zone Safety Fund, and according to an analysis from the Senate Fiscal Agency, MDOT indicated “there would be a small cost associated with this program.” Click here to read more.