OPEN THREAD: Disport yourselves in the comments.
January 23, 2025
FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGES SAY THEY WERE HELD IN UN CAMP.
Israeli hostages released as part of the recent ceasefire with Hamas have claimed they were held in a U.N. camp in Gaza.
Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, who were released from Hamas custody on Sunday, reported that they had been held in a U.N. refugee camp at some point during their captivity, according to Israel’s Channel 13. Details were not given as to what camps they were held in, when, or for how long.
The revelation is the latest blow to the position of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which has faced attacks against its credibility throughout the war in Gaza.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the UNRWA for comment.
To be fair, this all sounds pretty on-brand for the UN.
CARIBBEAN CATASTROPHE: AVOIDING THE HAITI FALLOUT. The United States cannot allow inaction to create a failed state.
President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination on July 7, 2021, upended the nation, exacerbating the crisis that began in July 2018 with a furious outbreak of protests over fuel prices. In the aftermath, ongoing protests coincided with gang warfare to overwhelm the country. The capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas fell, for the most part, into the hands of gangs. Warlord Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, who leads the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies, now dominates most of Haiti’s capital in his bid to topple the government.
The Haitian government risks completely losing control of the country. Widespread attacks on institutions and infrastructure paralyze Haiti. Gangs assault police stations, hospitals, ports, prisons, and even airports. In March 2024, gangs besieged prisons to release thousands of inmates and struck the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, preventing the acting prime minister, Ariel Henry, from returning after a visit to Kenya. With local airports not spared from the havoc, the Federal Aviation Administration placed a ban on US flights to Haiti until March 2025 because gangs continue to fire upon commercial aircraft.
Described as “apocalyptic” by William O’Neill, whom the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed its expert on Haiti, the country has suffered thousands of homicides as well as kidnappings, with rape a common occurrence. In addition to the violence, Haitians experience a constant lack of food, shelter, water, and medical services. All the necessities of a functioning state remain in disrepair. The humanitarian catastrophe has displaced more than five hundred thousand Haitians, a majority of whom are seeking entry into the United States, legally or not. More than three hundred thousand Haitians have been granted safe haven through the Temporary Protected Status program, as the Biden administration expanded program coverage last summer.
The political instability shows no sign of abating.
Rubbish — Conan O’Brien assures me that Haiti is the jewel of the Caribbean:
THE NEW SPACE RACE: China launches fourth batch of Thousand Sails megaconstellation satellites.
MY NEW YORK POST COLUMN: Trump can fix biased, bloated bureaucracy — by abolishing the civil service.
BOOMITY! Brent Bozell Named Head of US Global Media, Including VOA, Radio Free Europe…:
Few of you could recognize the name ‘U.S. Agency for Global Media,” but you surely know their products. Don’t feel bad for not knowing the specifics of the agency, by the way. I couldn’t have named it until I looked it up. Here are the names you do know:
- Voice of America
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
- Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí)
- Radio Free Asia
- Middle East Broadcasting Networks
The agency also runs the Open Technology Fund, which is supposed to enable free speech in places where it is not allowed. Imagine how useful that wasn’t under Joe Biden and how useful it will become under the new Trump administration. I suggest targeting Western Europe first, since free speech is on the wane there.
This will be Augean Stables territory for Bozell: Voice Of America Aids Hamas Terrorists By Refusing To Call Them That.
Curiously enough, Voice of America is already promising to push back against Trump’s pro-American agenda: What will happen to Voice of America in Trump’s second term?
DEDICATED FOLLOWERS OF THE GLEICHSCHALTUNG, THEN AND NOW: BMW trolled after announcing it’s ‘no longer posting’ on X: ‘Becoming More Woke.’
German luxury car maker BMW was trolled on Thursday after its UK unit abruptly announcing that it was “no longer posting” on X — a move attributed by many users as a bizarre way to protest the social media site’s owner Elon Musk.
Musk has faced scrutiny this week after twice extending his arm in an awkward gesture that critics called a “Nazi salute” during an appearance at President Trump’s inauguration.
“We’re no longer posting on X,” BMW UK wrote on its official X account — without providing a reason for its decision.
“Don’t worry though, our Customer Support team is still here if you need us. You can also see all the latest BMW news by following us on Facebook and Instagram at BMWUK.”
The company was quickly lambasted by X users, who pointed to BMW’s own fraught history with Nazi Germany.
QED:
Still though, today was a major accomplishment for the German carmaker and its customers:
THIS IS THE WAY: Trump border czar Tom Homan’s savage five-word response to furious Haitian migrant who’s ‘refusing’ to leave US.
President Trump’s hardline border czar Tom Homan savagely shot down a viral rant by a Haitian migrant who screamed ‘I’m not going back to Haiti’ while being detained.
‘Well, he’s wrong,’ Homan shot back in an appearance on Fox News. ‘He’s going back to Haiti.’
Footage of the Haitian migrant resisting his deportation made the rounds on social media Thursday as bystanders captured the moment he was arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement during a deportation raid.
The migrant, who reportedly has a lengthy criminal record, shouted ‘f*** Trump, Biden forever!’ as he was hauled into custody.
It’s taken us since 2020 to find him, but finally, a man willing to go on camera and issue a full-throated, passionate support of Joe Biden!
NEW: Haitian man says “F*ck Trump, Biden forever,” gets arrested by ICE’s elite Boston unit to be deported.
The ultimate FAFO.
The arrest was part of a Boston raid on the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens, as reported by @BillMelugin_.
“It's a frigid five degrees in… pic.twitter.com/83XgPMgNlt
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 23, 2025
Related: Ron DeSantis Epically Schools Reporter for Calling Illegals ‘Undocumented.’
SCIENCE, UNSETTLED: We’ve Been Wrong About What Causes Sunburn, Scientists Discover.
THE HITS KEEP COMING: BOOMITY! Brent Bozell Named Head of US Global Media, Including VOA, Radio Free Europe…
MICROBIOME NEWS: Could Your Gut Bacteria Be the Secret Cause of Heart Disease?
HMM. ChatGPT perceived as more empathetic than human crisis responders in experiments. “AI doesn’t get tired. . . . Caregivers experience compassion fatigue.”
STILL A FEW BUGS IN THE SYSTEM: Dumb New Electrical Code Could Doom Most Common EV Charging.
THE PRICE ISN’T ONE OF THEM: Six best features of the Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II.
MAYBE THEY SHOULD POUR ANOTHER GLASS OF WINE, INSTEAD: Tons of ‘aphrodisiac honey’ seized in France as officials issue health warning.
BIG SURPRISE: Lawsuit: Meritocracy abandoned to hire transgender, gay, black faculty at Northwestern University.
It’s an interesting experiment:
The lawsuit cites three white male law professors applied to Northwestern. This includes First Amendment expert Eugene Volokh, Ernest A. Young of Duke University’s Law School, and Ilan Wurman, a distinguished professor at The University of Minnesota Law School.
“As a result of the mandate, Northwestern University School of Law refuses to even consider hiring white male faculty candidates with stellar credentials, while it eagerly hires candidates with mediocre and undistinguished records who check the proper diversity boxes.”
Well, maybe not that big a surprise.
BE PREPARED: Airmoto Tire Inflator Portable Air Compressor. #CommissionEarned
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT [VIP]: Another Monty Python Joke Just Became Reality in Mississippi.
CHANGE? CNN Boss Warns Star Hosts to Avoid Trashing Trump’s Record.
CNN journalists avoided mentioning the most sordid elements of President Donald Trump’s past—including his felony conviction and two impeachments—during inauguration day broadcasts after the network’s top boss told them to show some deference to the most powerful person on earth.
That’s according to a report in media news publication Status, authored by the well-sourced erstwhile CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy.
During a routine editorial meeting on Sunday, meant to plan the extensive logistics of an inauguration, CNN CEO Mark Thompson told journalists to avoid “pre-judging Trump,” Status reported.
In addition to instructing them to keep an open mind about Trump’s second term—three days in, the president has already launched attacks on birthright citizenship, pardoned violent insurrectionists, and withdrawn from the World Health Organization and Paris climate agreement—Thompson told his journalists he does not want CNN’s “coverage to relitigate the past.”
I’ll believe CNN has changed — maybe — when they ditch Jake Tapper.
AND FOR HOW MANY MILLIONS SPENT? After J6 Pardons, The FBI And DOJ Have Nothing To Show For Four Years Of Ignoring Terrorists And Child Traffickers. “Even after devoting excessive time, resources, and agents to the partisan persecution of the Biden regime’s political enemies, the FBI still can’t answer key questions about what went down on Jan. 6, 2021.”
Not can’t — won’t.
THESE CLIPS NEVER GET OLD: Congressman DESTROYS CNN Live On the Air.
READER FAVORITE: Etekcity Camping Lanterns for Power Outages 4 Pack. #CommissionEarned
JOANNE JACOBS: How ‘woke’ are schools? “While more than a third of students say they’re taught that ‘America is a fundamentally racist nation,’ and that ‘white people contribute the most to racism in the United States,’ a majority are also taught that “the United States has made a lot of progress toward racial equality over the last 50 years.” Forty-two percent have heard that ‘the United States is a global leader when it comes to ensuring equal rights for all citizens.'”
Not as bad as I’d feared but not nearly as good as it need to be.
METAPHOR ALERT: Biden hit by blistering final insult from Google’s search engine after Trump takes office.
‘WTF is up with that s**? I know the orange meglomaniac [sic] you want to appease wants to erase him, but you’re losing ALL credibility here.’
Many liberals pointed out that Google CEO Sundar Pichai was at Trump’s inaugural celebrations on Monday.
‘You would think since Google sent an employee to celebrate the inauguration, they could get this one right,’ wrote one X user.
The Google error upset so many that the issue was trending on the BlueSky app, where many liberals have fled to after disavowing X because of its Trump-loving owner Elon Musk.
A Google spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday that ‘There was a brief data error in our knowledge graph. We identified the root cause and resolved it quickly.’
Google fixed the issue by Thursday morning, as Biden is now included in the results for the search ‘US presidents in order.’
Given that Biden was simply an MIA figurehead for four years while a group of Obama retreads ran the country, Google’s algorithm got it right the first time:
