Editor’s Note: This article was previously published on December 24, 2022. We’re bringing it back.  * * * American service members have often spent their holidays away from loved ones — and in harm’s way — and the men who found themselves in the besieged Belgian city of Bastogne just before Christmas of 1944 were no exception. Bastogne, which sits just a few miles from the border of Luxembourg, had been under German control since May of 1940 and had only been liberated by Allied troops a few months earlier in September — and much of the 101st Airborne Division remained in and around the city. Other divisions were scattered throughout the surrounding area, many composed of replacement troops who had only recently arrived in Europe: among them were elements of the 106th Infantry “The Golden Lions,” the 9th Armored “Phantom” Division, and the 28th Infantry “The Bloody Bucket.” Some were still waiting for supply drops, ammunition, and even winter uniforms. The surprise attack began on December 16th when German Panzer divisions pushed back towards Bastogne, catching the mostly-green American troops in the frozen Ardennes Forest off guard and breaking through roadblock after roadblock. Some put up a good fight, but many were driven back into Bastogne and forced to regroup. On December 17th, just outside of a nearby town called Malmedy, a Hitler Youth graduate turned Waffen SS (Schutzstaffel) General Joachim Peiper and his men captured over 100 American soldiers, all part of Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. After a brief skirmish, the Americans who were unable to escape into the woods surrendered — and after taking their personal possessions from them, Peiper’s men lined the unarmed Americans up in eight rows in a nearby field and opened fire. The few who survived by pretending to be dead recalled hearing laughter as the SS soldiers fired. By December 20th, the city of Bastogne itself was under siege, entirely surrounded and vastly outnumbered by the enemy — and word of Peiper and the massacre at Malmedy had gotten to soldiers and civilians alike. Snowy and frigid weather conditions made supply drops all but impossible, and even on the ground, visibility was limited. Bastogne had also been inundated by “stragglers” — soldiers who had been assigned to units that had been overrun as the Germans had moved to encircle the city — and so Team SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up) was born. Men from tank battalions, men from artillery groups, cooks, barbers, it no longer mattered: if they could carry a weapon and stand a post, they were temporarily reassigned to SNAFU and used as much-needed replacements to aid the 101st Airborne. History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Two days into the siege, on December 22nd, a German contingent approached waving a white flag — and delivered an ultimatum to Major Alvin Jones, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment. “The fortune of war is changing. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne,” the letter read. Demanding surrender — within two hours — the German commander threatened to destroy the city if the Americans did not comply. He also promised that the Americans would be blamed for any resulting civilian casualties. “The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hour’s term,” the German commander wrote. “All the serious civilian losses caused by this Artillery fire would not correspond with the well known American humanity.” “They want us to surrender,” Jones told Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. McAuliffe, who was acutely aware of the situation, laughed in the face of certain doom: “Aw nuts!” He went to write a return memo, but told his staff, “I don’t know what to tell them.” Lt. Colonel Kinnard commented, “Well, sir, that first remark of yours would be hard to beat.” And so McAuliffe’s reply read simply: “To the German Commander: Nuts! The American Commander.” Colonel Joseph H. Harper, commander of 327th Glider Infantry, delivered the note to the Germans — reportedly delighting in the chance to explain to them what it meant: “If you don’t understand what ‘nuts’ means, in plain English, it is the same as, ‘Go to Hell.’” McAuliffe followed that note with an equally blustery Christmas Eve letter to his troops, detailing both the German commander’s demands and his response. 75 years ago this Christmas Eve, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe wrote this letter to his troops during the Battle of the Bulge. Today we remember the service members who served during the holidays both then and now and wish you a Merry Christmas! #NoVeteranEverDies pic.twitter.com/VuYyhYqqVj — National Cemeteries (@VANatCemeteries) December 24, 2019 “What’s Merry about all this, you ask? We’re fighting — it’s cold, we aren’t home,” McAuliffe’s letter read. “All true but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West.” “We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German Infantry Divisions and one German Parachute Division,” McAuliffe continued. “These units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history; not alone in our Division’s glorious history but in World history. The Germans actually did surround us, their radios blared our doom.” McAuliffe, after sharing his flippant response to the German demand for surrender, concluded with these words: “Allied Troops are counterattacking in force. We continue to hold Bastogne. By holding Bastogne we assure the success of the Allied Armies. We know that our Division Commander, General Taylor, will say: ‘Well Done!’ We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.” The Germans did deliver the promised barrage of artillery and bombs, bringing assault after assault over four days beginning on the 22nd — but on December 26th, a late Christmas gift finally arrived: General George S. Patton and his Third Army severed the German lines completely, breaking the siege of Bastogne. PhotoQuest/Getty Images

The Justice Department said that evidence reviewed by the FBI showed that a purported letter from the late Jeffrey Epstein to convicted child molester Larry Nassar was “clearly fake.”  The 2019 letter, which was released on Tuesday as part of the latest Epstein document drop, included comments about Epstein taking the “short road home” and “our president” liking young girls. After the letter went viral, the Justice Department said the FBI would investigate its authenticity before later announcing it was not genuine.  The FBI determined the letter to be fake, citing several inconsistencies: the handwriting did not appear to match Epstein’s; it was postmarked in Virginia three days after Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell; and it lacked required information for outgoing federal jail mail. The letter did not include Epstein’s inmate number or housing unit, as is standard. “There has been lots of sensationalism and even outright lies these past few days about the ‘Epstein Files.’ But let’s separate fact from fiction. Document production is just that. We produce documents, and sometimes this can result in releasing fake or false documents because they simply are in our possession because the law requires this,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.  Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “Case in point: the so-called Epstein Nassar letter is clearly FAKE – wrong handwriting, wrong return address, and postmarked three days after Epstein died. Fake videos of Epstein in his cell. Photos with no explanation. Sensational tales and lies by random people,” Blanche added. “These are not reality. We will continue to produce every document required by law. Let’s not let internet rumor engines outrun the facts.” The letter was received at the federal prison where Nassar was being held and then flagged for the FBI. Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing young girls while being a doctor at Michigan State University and the trainer for the United States women’s Olympic gymnastics team. “As you know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home. Good luck! We shared one thing … our love and caring for young ladies and the hope they’d reach their full potential. Our President also shares our love of young, nubile girls,” the letter reads.  Around 30,000 documents related to Epstein were released by the Justice Department on Tuesday. The document release came after President Donald Trump signed a bill last month that mandated the department to release all the Epstein files.  Trump has characterized questions about the case as a Democrat “hoax” meant to distract from his administration’s success. There has been no credible evidence that implicates Trump in any of Epstein’s misdeeds.

Actor Kirk Cameron has spent the last several years bravely engaging in the culture war.  Despite a history in Hollywood, however, the “Growing Pains” alum has been doing battle in public libraries. In an interview with The Daily Wire’s “Morning Wire” released on Wednesday, Cameron discussed why he believes the fight begins with young people. Cameron said it was becoming a father and that really got him thinking about these issues. “Once you become a dad, and now I’m a grandfather, I’m beginning to think legacy,” he told Morning Wire. “I’m beginning to think of how can I help my children succeed and win.” For Cameron, that meant investing in “the moral spiritual health of my children and my grandchildren” by creating content that does not “bend with the political winds.” He pointed to beloved figures like Mr. Rogers and asked, “Who’s our guy today who’s gonna do that?… If not me, then who?” This inspired Cameron to launch Brave Books and the children’s television series “Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk.” He described reception as divided along the Right and Left political spectrum.  “Well, it depends on who you ask,” Cameron said of the reception. “The drag queens don’t like the books much. And the libraries that support progressive agendas don’t like me entering much.” Cameron recounted being denied access to roughly 50 public libraries, including those that host drag queen story hours, because, he was told their “values don’t align.”  Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “I thought the rules were… diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said. “Why do you exclude me? Why not diversity of thought instead of this monoculture that the kids are getting?” When libraries ultimately reversed course after being threatened with legal action, Cameron said the response from families was overwhelming. “Thousands of parents and grandparents showed up and said, ‘Thank you. We don’t want this other stuff, but we’re being marginalized and silenced.’” Critics often frame Christian values as inherently discriminatory. Cameron rejected that premise outright. “Every view is inherently discriminatory,” he said, “particularly the progressive inclusive view, as I experienced.” The TV star quipped that he’s been “run over by the tolerance bus several times.” “If someone’s coming at you with a sign that says ‘love everybody,’ be careful,” Cameron added. “They might whack you over the head with it.” Cameron told Morning Wire that the root of the problem is conflicting worldviews. “There are ideas that lead to liberty and blessing, and then there’s ideas that don’t,” he said. The TV star said his own values are “the value set of Moses that’s been around for thousands of years and produced the world’s greatest civilizations.” Cameron said he’s been encouraged by recent changes in the culture. “Three years ago we were being locked out of public libraries,” he said. “This last year we were invited by the Library of Congress… so that we could read these same books.” “Whoever rocks the cradle rules the future,” Cameron said of inspiring the youngest generation. “Whoever gets to tell the kids the bedtime stories… you’re shaping the next generation’s hearts and minds.”

The State Department sanctioned five European figures in the “global censorship-industrial complex” on Tuesday, barring them from entering the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move is in response to European “ideologues” who have sought to clamp down on Americans’ free speech. He added that the list could be expanded to other European leaders if they continue their censorship actions. “For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” Rubio said. “Today, @StateDept will take steps to bar leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex from entering the United States. We stand ready and willing to expand this list if others do not reverse course.” The sanctions do not include financial penalties, but the five individuals targeted have had their U.S. visas denied. They are European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, a Frenchman; Imran Ahmed, a British chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate; British businesswoman Clare Melford, who leads the Global Disinformation Index; and Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, who both lead the German group HateAid. Breton helped create the European Commission’s Digital Services Act, which establishes regulations requiring social media companies to prevent what the European Union deems illegal content and misinformation. The Digital Services Act was recently used to punish Elon Musk’s X, a move condemned by the Trump administration. Ahmed’s Center for Countering Digital Hate has been accused of colluding with the Biden administration and social media companies to censor Americans, especially during the COVID pandemic. The Biden administration referred to the British nonprofit’s “disinformation dozen” list, which called out 12 accounts on Facebook that it accused of producing 65% of anti-vaccine “misinformation” on the platform, The New York Times reported. One of those 12 accounts belonged to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, according to Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers. The Global Disinformation Index, led by Melford, was funded through a program used by the Biden administration to target “misinformation” until Rubio shuttered it earlier this year. It placed American media outlets on a “Dynamic Exclusion List” that was distributed to advertisers and named mainstream publications like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, The Daily Wire, and the Federalist as “risky,” The Daily Wire previously reported. The Daily Wire has an active lawsuit against the State Department, alleging that it suppressed conservative media outlets on social media under former President Joe Biden. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Ballon and Hodenberg’s HateAid is considered a “trusted” censor under the Digital Services Act and has routinely targeted Right-wing voices, according to the State Department. Earlier this year, Ballon was interviewed on “60 Minutes” and said, “Free speech needs boundaries … Without boundaries, a very small group of people can rely on endless freedom to say anything that they want, while everyone else is scared and intimidated.” French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the United States over the travel bans, saying, “These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.” Trump and Rubio have recently called out Europe over its social media censorship and its targeting of American social media companies. Rubio told The Daily Wire last week that he is “concerned” that “freedom of expression” is “eroding” in Europe. “Are we going to live in a world where some American puts up a social media post and then gets to some airport somewhere and is arrested? We’re also concerned about the impact that some of their policies are having on our social media platforms,” he said. Trump, meanwhile, issued a warning to Europe after the European Commission fined X earlier this month. “Look, Europe has to be very careful,” Trump said. “They’re doing a lot of things. … Europe is going in some bad directions. It’s very bad for the people.”

Actor Chevy Chase said he felt “hurt” after being “left aside” during “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” which aired in February.  “Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,” Chase said in an upcoming documentary, “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” per People.  He went on, “This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors. When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?” “Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not? I don’t have an answer for that,” Chase said. The 82-year-old comedian was part of the “SNL” cast from the very beginning, and launched a successful movie career after becoming a breakout star on the show. He earned two Emmy Awards out of four nominations for both acting and writing on the show. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Chase exited halfway through season two to launch his film career, but returned frequently for guest appearances. “I did bring it up once in a text to [“SNL” creator Lorne Michaels] and then took it back,” Chase continued. “I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly.’ But it’s not that silly. Somebody’s made a bad mistake there. I don’t know who it was, but somebody made a mistake. They should’ve had me on that stage. It hurt.” Chase was present at the “SNL50” special but was not featured. In the upcoming documentary, his wife Jayni Chase said the organizers “told Chevy up until that day that there were two bits, they were going back and forth.” “And then, all of the sudden, ‘No, there’s no bit,'” she said. “There were a couple versions of [the ‘Weekend Update’ segment] and we went back and forth on that,” Michaels said in the documentary. “There was also a caution from somebody that I don’t want to name that Chevy, you know, wasn’t as focused.”