FASTER, PLEASE: New drug gives hope for those with progressive multiple sclerosis.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A COOL CHRISTMAS OR HANUKKAH PRESENT, I’ve had this super-powerful LED flashlight for several years and it’s still awesome.

TOUGH CHICKS RULE: This Female IDF Soldier Fights Off 23 Terrorists in Ambush Attack After Being Shot.

Captain Ben-Yehuda was in charge of the Caracal Battalion which was stationed near the Israeli / Egyptian border. Three suspicious vehicles quickly approached the battalion’s position and Captain Ben-Yehuda along with a driver went to check them out.

As they approached the first vehicle, nearly two dozen armed men opened fire on their position in an ambush attack. Both Captain Ben-Yehuda and her driver were immediately shot in the volley of gunfire.

Despite suffering from a gunshot wound, Captain Ben-Yehuda managed to get on the radio and call for backup, administer first aid to her driver and return several magazines worth of gunfire back at her attackers.

Backup, in the form of several vehicles full of IDF soldiers, arrived on scene, the wounded Captain commanded the responding soldiers and positioned her men to effectively fight back the terrorists.

At this point it was obvious the IDF was going to be able to push back the armed group, and medical personnel wanted to evacuate Captain Ben-Yehuda to treat her gunshot wounds. However, she was unwilling to leave the battlefield until all of the fighting was done.

For her actions and bravery, Captain Ben-Yehuda was awarded Israel’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor.

What a woman. But more importantly, what a soldier.

REMEMBER “LOVE TRUMPS HATE” AND “THEY GO LOW, WE GO HIGH?” ME NEITHER. Ivanka Trump Accosted by Passenger on JetBlue Flight.

Ivanka was on a JetBlue flight leaving JFK Thursday morning with her family when a passenger started screaming, “Your father is ruining the country.” The guy went on, “Why is she on our flight? She should be flying private.” The guy had his kid in his arms as he went on the tirade.

A passenger on the flight tells TMZ Ivanka ignored the guy and tried distracting her kids with crayons.

JetBlue personnel escorted the unruly passenger off the flight. As he was removed he screamed, “You’re kicking me off for expressing my opinion?!!”

BTW … Ivanka, her family and bunch of cousins were all in coach.

Plus, it was premeditated:

The husband of the unruly passenger tweeted an hour before the plane took off, “Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them.”

Keep this up and Trump will carry all 57 states next time.

Related: Artists Demanding Ivanka Trump Remove Their Artwork From Her Home. Can they get any pettier? We’ve got four years to find out!

UPDATE: Journalism: Isn’t it amazing how fast the word “harassed” disappears from their vocabulary.

WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, AFTER ALL: How Stanford Built a Humanoid Submarine Robot to Explore a 17th-Century Shipwreck.

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Gingrich: Obama’s Legacy Will Disappear and He Has No One to Blame But Himself.

THIS DEAL KEEPS GETTING WORSE ALL THE TIME: Iran Seeking New Missiles, War Equipment.

Pentagon officials are downplaying declarations by Iran that it is spending some $1.7 billion provided by the United States on new advanced weapons systems, while also acknowledging that the Islamic Republic continues to build its military arsenal at an increasing rate, according to a Defense Department assessment obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed Congress in an unclassified communication last week that the Pentagon does not believe Iran has spent some $1.7 billion awarded by the United States as part of what many described as a “ransom” payment to purchase new military equipment.

However, Dunford said that Iran is boosting its war machine, causing “great concern” among regional allies and other groups, according to information provided to Congress that downplayed the impact of the $1.7 billion payment to Tehran.

It’s embarrassing that a full U.S. Marine Corps General needs reminding that money is fungible.

THIS SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVER RAISED A TODDLER: Full Course of Antibiotics Is Best for Infant Ear Infections, Study Finds.

LIKE IN THAT SPANISH CIVIL WAR: Russia used Syria as live-fire training.

The US army’s commander in Europe has accused Russia of using its military campaign in Syria as a “live-fire training opportunity”.

Lt Gen Ben Hodges said Russia’s “disregard for civilian casualties… is not the conduct of a nation that wants to be treated like a superpower”.

Russia’s defence minister said on Thursday that its air force had killed 35,000 fighters in Syria.
But Russia has been accused of using heavy weapons in civilian areas.

The view from Moscow must look pretty good.

They have:

• Achieved the primary goal of taking the rebels’ last major stronghold

• Kept Assad safe in power

• Demonstrated the power of Russian arms and the utility of Russia’s friendship

• Humiliated the West/made political inroads against NATO’s southern flank (Turkey)

• All with an economy of force (making virtue out of logistical necessity)

By Putin’s cold logic, that’s probably worth almost any number of dead Syrian civilians.

2,900 EXPLOSIONS IN A DAY: Heavy artillery and tank fire returns to the front lines in Ukraine.

An early morning artillery barrage started the latest bloody scrap in eastern Ukraine Sunday as Russian-backed militants and government troops clashed near the town of Svitlodarsk.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian military, Col. Andriy Lysenko, said that five soldiers were killed and 16 wounded during the day-long battle and that Russian-backed separatist forces had attempted to break through government lines. It was the largest single loss of life for Ukrainian troops in five months.

A resident in a nearby separatist-controlled town, who asked not to be identified for personal security reasons, dismissed the idea that any separatist troops had attempted to attack and said the fighting was merely “rocket-tennis” between the two sides.

Svitlodarsk lies on the main road between Russian-held areas in the Donbas, and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.

UPDATE: Canberra explosion not religiously motivated.

An explosion outside the Australian Christian Lobby’s headquarters in Canberra was not politically, religiously or ideologically motivated, police say.

The 35-year-old driver of a white van that exploded around 9.35pm on Wednesday night is in a critical condition at Canberra Hospital.

Police believe the driver ignited gas cylinders within the vehicle, causing an explosion which damaged the vehicle and Eternity House on Campion Street in Deakin.

ACT Policing commander Mark Walters said police had spoken to the driver and did not believe the attack was motivated by politics, religion or ideology.

Nor was there any ongoing threat to the community, he said.

The time of day suggested an accident rather than an attempt to murder infidels.

#WARONWOMEN: Ivanka Trump Accosted by Passenger on JetBlue Flight:

Ivanka was on a JetBlue flight leaving JFK Thursday morning with her family when a passenger started screaming, “Your father is ruining the country.” The guy went on, “Why is she on our flight. She should be flying private.” The guy had his kid in his arms as he went on the tirade.

Related: “‘You better bake that cake!’ ‘I have to sit on airplane with Trumps?? WTFFFF'”?

UNDER MERKEL, GERMANY’S REPUTATION FOR COMPETENCE IS REALLY TAKING A HIT: Blunders that let Berlin Christmas terror suspect go free: He was under surveillance for months, arrested and freed three times, and not deported because of a clerical error.

AND SO THE ERA OF HOPE AND CHANGE DRAWS TO A CLOSE: Homicides Rose in Most Big Cities This Year.

Homicides rose in most big American cities in 2016, continuing a worrisome trend for police and criminologists that began last year, even as murder rates in most cities are nowhere near the levels of two decades ago.

Sixteen of the 20 largest police departments reported a year-over-year rise in homicides as of mid-December, a Wall Street Journal survey found. Some notched minor increases, while Chicago has experienced one of the most dramatic jumps, with more than 720 murders—up 56% from 2015.

Chicago’s homicide count, greater than the considerably larger cities of Los Angeles and New York combined, marks a grim tally not seen since the violent drug wars of the 1990s. As the bodies in Chicago pile up—including that of Nykea Aldridge, cousin of basketball star Dwyane Wade, shot while walking with her baby in broad daylight—police are struggling to solve the killings, clearing only one in five homicides so far this year.

The biggest increases were seen in San Antonio, Chicago, Phoenix, Suffolk County, NY, and Memphis — all run by Democrats.

GERMAN TANK DISGUISED AS AMERICAN TANK DESTROYER: From StrategyPage’s Battle of the Bulge commemorative photo series. This photo is new to me. The German Panther tank has a U.S. star. It appears its silhouette was altered slightly so that from a distance it would be mistaken for an American tank destroyer. The ice and snow are authentic.

TAXPROF ROUNDUP: The IRS Scandal, Day 1323: Tea Party Group Decries IRS’s ‘Latest Bob And Weave To Avoid Accountability.’

SALENA ZITO: Why Hillary Clinton is still losing supporters.

Audrey and Robert, a Virginia couple, were heading to Montana to visit their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren; Edward of Lancaster, Pa., was traveling to see his mother and brothers and sisters in Fort Wayne, Ind. All had voted for Trump — and all had noticed the way they were still being portrayed by the losing side.

“On Nov. 8 I went from a responsible, hard-working, upstanding citizen to an uninformed bigot who gleefully supports Russian interference in our elections and the destruction of our republic,” Robert said. “At least that’s what I have read in the newspaper or seen on television, so it must be true, right?”

Edward smiled, paused, and then said, “It is refreshing to hear your candor, it’s gotten to the point where you are afraid to not only express your opinion, but to stand by your opinion. Yes, I supported him and yes, I would do it again.”

“They’ve thrown everything at everyone who voted for Trump to deteriorate or place doubt in his supporters’ minds,” said Audrey.

“It astounds me that the press still doesn’t get it, that my party (Democrats) are blaming everyone but themselves for a poor message, poor messenger and the responsibility she bears for placing her email security in jeopardy . . . it’s not Comey’s fault. It’s hers,” said Elizabeth who was sitting in the booth across the aisle.

Elizabeth voted for Clinton, but wasn’t sure she’d do so again. “The way everyone is acting now post-election shows that no one, no one, has learned anything. She is just proving she deserved to lose,” she said.

Nobody likes a sore loser.

TECH: Uber pulls self-driving cars from California roads.

The move comes after a week of talks between the ride-sharing company and state regulators failed.

Hours after Uber launched the service in its hometown of San Francisco, the DMV threatened legal action if the company did not stop. The cars need the same special permit as the 20 other companies testing self-driving technology in California, regulators argued.

Uber maintains it does not need a permit because the cars are not sophisticated enough to continuously drive themselves, although the company promotes them as “self-driving.”

The DMV said the registrations for the vehicles were improperly issued for because they were not properly marked as test vehicles. It invited Uber to seek a permit so their vehicles could operate legally in California — an offer the company said it did not plan to accept.

Why are Democrat-run states such enemies of progress?

TEACH WOMEN NOT TO RAPE! (CONT’D): Davie County High School teacher charged with sexual activity with a student.

Jessica Welch Greene, 27, of Mocksville, is charged with three counts of sexual activity with a student.

On Dec. 2, the sheriff’s office received a report from the Davie County School System regarding a possible inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student, Hartman said.

The sheriff’s office began an investigation with the assistance of the school system, ultimately leading to Greene being charged on Tuesday.

The school system said in a statement they first learned of the allegations of misconduct on Dec. 1.

Greene was suspended on Dec. 2 and was later suspended without pay on Monday, the school system said.

Greene is accused of having sexual conduct with the student both on and off campus between Nov. 1 and the first week of December, Hartman said.

Why are public schools such cesspits of sexual predation?

CHAUNCEY GARDNER COULD NOT BE REACHED FOR COMMENT: Clinton Loss Shows the Importance of “Being There”

Addressing donors in Manhattan recently, Hillary Clinton said that she lost because of two “unprecedented” events: FBI Director James Comey announcing the reopening of an investigation into her use of a private email server, and the “unprecedented Russian plot to swing this election.”

Clinton Campaign Manager John Podesta, who in the immediate aftermath of the election claimed that Clinton lost because the media gave Trump a pass, has more recently complained that the hacking of his personal email and emails of the Democratic National Committee by Russians had “distorted” the election outcome.

But analysis of final results in the three Rust Belt states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — that cost Clinton the election suggests a less dramatic reason for her defeat than the machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin. She may have lost simply because she failed to show up in crucial counties where she might have made a difference.

No doubt about it, Clinton was a terrible candidate with worse judgement. Here’s a reminder from last month of just how bad:

In the closing weeks of the presidential race, Hillary Clinton’s campaign — and the outside groups that supported it — aired more television advertisements in Omaha than in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin combined. The Omaha ads were in pursuit of a single electoral vote in a Nebraska congressional district, which Clinton did not ultimately win.

And this short video ought to go in everyone’s playbook of Exactly What Not to Do or Say:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T8tMk-ZOx8

Trump looked and sounded like he was having fun — and I suspect he was and still is. Clinton came across as annoyed that there was all of this campaigning to be done before her inevitable coronation.

IS THE ISLAMIC STATE TARGETING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN THE U.S.?: This article claims ISIS intends to target Christian churches during the Christmas holidays. Terrorists make hollow threats to seed fear, but ISIS and Al Qaeda both encourage freelance attacks. My Creators Syndicate column this week argued that the Berlin attack implicitly targeted the Christmas season.

MEXICO INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON U.S. REFINERIES:

U.S. Gulf Coast refiners are cashing in on rising fuel demand from Mexico, shipping record volumes to a southern neighbor that has failed to expand its refining network to supply a fast-growing economy.

The fuel trade could top a million barrels per day (bpd) at times in 2017 as Mexico becomes increasingly dependent on the United States for strategic energy supplies and providing business worth more than $15 billion a year to refiners such as Valero (VLO.N), Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N) and Citgo Petroleum.

The rise in Mexico’s fuel imports reflects an economy that, after expanding for 27 quarters in a row even amid a public austerity plan, has been unable to increase its refining output to satisfy the consistent growth of its energy demand.

It has led to rapid reversal in energy trade between the two countries. In 2016, crude exporter Mexico will be a net oil importer from the United States for the first time as shipments of refined fuel heading south outnumber shipments of crude to the north, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

PEMEX’s budget cuts have affected refining operations : “Refineries in Mexico are running at about 60 percent of their 1.576 million bpd of capacity, according to the company’s data.”

In 2014 PEMEX refineries were running at 79 percent of capacity. It appears mismanagement and short-sighted government policy have also contributed to the problem.

DON’T BE EVIL — WHENEVER THE PRICE IS RIGHT: How to bump Holocaust deniers off Google’s top spot? Pay Google.

The Holocaust did not happen. At least not in the world of Google, it seems. One week ago, I typed “did the hol” into a Google search box and clicked on its autocomplete suggestion, “Did the Holocaust happen?” And there, at the top of the list, was a link to Stormfront, a neo-Nazi white supremacist website and an article entitled “Top 10 reasons why the Holocaust didn’t happen”.

On Monday, Google confirmed it would not remove the result: “We are saddened to see that hate organisations still exist. The fact that hate sites appear in search results does not mean that Google endorses these views.”

The Independent ran the story. As did Fortune. And the Daily Mail. And the Jerusalem Post. And the Drudge Report. But Google held firm. David Duke, former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, tweeted his support for the decision. And over on Stormfront – the website where Anders Breivik nurtured his ideas – members celebrated.

And still, anyone searching for information about the Holocaust – if it was real, if it happened, if it was a hoax, if it was fake – was being served up neo-Nazi propaganda as the top result.

Until Friday. When I gamed Google’s algorithm. I succeeded in doing what Google said was impossible. I, a journalist with almost zero computer knowhow, succeeded in changing the search order of Google’s results for “did the Holocaust happen” and “was the Holocaust a hoax”. I knocked Stormfront off the top of the list. I inserted Wikipedia’s entry on the Holocaust as the number one result. I displaced a lie with a fact.

How did I achieve this impossible feat? Not through writing articles. Or shaming the company into action. I did it with the only language that Google understands: money.

Read the whole thing.

For what it’s worth, I usually get good search results using DuckDuckGo, and lean on Bing the other 5-10% of the time.

MORE FAKE NEWS FROM THE LEFT.