Habba’s resignation came after district and appellate court rulings which found she was unlawfully serving in the role.

Watch The X22 Report On Video 2 videos found Ep 3791b – [DS] Division Agenda Confirmed, Trump Sets Plan In Motion To Take Back America Ep 3791a – D’s Want Taxes, Monopsony, Trump Is Returning The Stolen Wealth To The People pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe D’s[CB] are pushing more taxes while Trump is removing the taxes, the people will decide in the end. As illegals are deported American workers see jobs coming back. Gov is the entity that increases the prices across the country. Trump is removing the income tax and ready to give dividends to the middle and low income people not the rich. The [DS] has been pushing division, they are trying to pit the people against Kash, Bondi etc. Social media is trying to bring the people down the wrong path. Trump has released the US strategy and is now codifying his executive order as law. Trump is setting everything in motion so the people can take back this country, the people will be liberate him.   Economy Upsetting news- Illinois Democrats have announced they will tax tips, and defy a federal law that eliminated taxes on tips.JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats announced that they feel that Illinoisans (Restaurant workers, hotel staff, etc ) who make their living based on tips… pic.twitter.com/IAXpRvzlGD — A Man Of Memes (@RickyDoggin) December 8, 2025  Illinois Republicans introduced several bills this year to stop taxing tips in Illinois, but JB Pritzker, and Illinois Democrats have no interest in providing any tax relief. Mass migration is theft of the American Dream. It has always been this way, and every position paper, think tank piece, and econometric study suggesting otherwise is paid for by the people getting rich off of the old system. https://t.co/O4sv8oxPVO — JD Vance (@JDVance) December 7, 2025 By providing "free service" to everyone, the government becomes the largest buyer – a monopsony. Once you have that relationship (or close to it) set up, special interests will use it to jack up the price for everybody, and force the bill onto the public, through taxes. pic.twitter.com/HXbNg5JXTW — Emergent Perspective (@_emergent_) December 8, 2025 This is the result of President Trump’s America First Economic policies coming to fruition: ‘U.S. Steel plans to restart one blast furnace, hire 400 workers’ pic.twitter.com/tfxfkrB3IV — Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 8, 2025     VICTORIOUS MANNER. I have settled 8 Wars in 10 months because of the rights clearly given to the President of the United States. If countries didn’t think these rights existed, they would have said so, LOUD AND CLEAR! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP NOW – Trump agrees the revenue from tariffs should be used to pay down the national debt but "we're making so much money with tariffs that we'll also be able to make a nice dividend to… middle income and lower income people, we're not talking about dividends to rich people." pic.twitter.com/75afuIPJ6J — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 7, 2025   Political/Rights ICE Launches Armed Raids Across Minnesota Targeting Illegal Somali Nationals Wanted on Federal Warrants ICE has already begun making arrests in what locals call “Somali-land Minnesota,” a region with one of the largest concentrations of Somali immigrants in the United States,     Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara warned residents that masked individuals detaining people in Somali neighborhoods were “possibly kidnapping people,” urging the city’s enormous Somali enclave to dial 911 if they encounter law-enforcement activity they “don’t recognize.” “If there is anything that is … a violation of someone’s human rights or civil rights, excessive force or anything like that, they absolutely have a duty to intervene as police officers,” O’Hara added. Exclusive — ICE agents captured several criminal illegal aliens during an operation in Somali-land Minnesota on Saturday. Democrat politicians are claiming ICE “kidnapped” innocent members of the community. Sources tell me the targets were apprehended on a warrants. A male… pic.twitter.com/mIfumgAzDG — Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) December 7, 2025   subject allegedly assaulted officers but was successfully apprehended. A previously deported female subject fled into a house, which ultimately resulted in her apprehension and several collateral arrests, per sources. Source: thegatewaypundit.com Congresswoman, which of the drug dealers, rapists, and child predators detained at North Lake are the “loved ones” you’re referring to? Don’t be shy. America wants to know. https://t.co/R16ZwBmYXi — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 6, 2025 Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara issued a stern warning to his officers amid ICE raids: Intervene when you see ICE agents using unlawful force or get fired. Latest reporting for @MSNOWNews https://t.co/omTjFB3tFf — Alex Tabet (@AlexanderTabet) December 5, 2025   Secretary Bessent goes toe-to-toe with Margaret Brennan over the exploding Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota. Bessent revealed that Treasury is now tracking money that was moved out of the U.S. to the Middle East and Somalia — by individuals tied to the scheme. And he ended his… pic.twitter.com/uZOBJoWgnt — Overton (@overton_news) December 7, 2025  his appearance with a line Brennan clearly didn’t expect. BESSENT: “To be clear, the initial fraud was discovered by the IRS, for which I’m the acting commissioner, it was discovered by IRS criminal investigations unit.” “This was not endogenous that the state of Minnesota decided. We had to go in and clean up the mess for them. This is part of the continued cleanup.” “A lot of money has been transferred from the individuals who committed this fraud, including those who donated to the governor, donated to representative Omar and to AG Ellison.” “They have been transferred to something called MBSs.” “They are wire transfer organizations that are outside the regulated banking system. That money has gone overseas. We are tracking that, both to the Middle East and Somalia to see what the uses of that have been.” BRENNAN: “You have no evidence of that money being used to fuel terrorism at this point? Which is what some conservative writers are alleging.” BESSENT: “That’s why it’s an investigation. We started it last week. We will see where it goes.” “I can tell you, it’s terrible. Representative Omar tried to downplay it. Said it was very…it was very tough to know how this money should be used. She was gaslighting the American people.” “When you come to this country, you have to learn which side of the road to drive on, stop at stop signs and learn not to defraud the American people.” SCOOP: Michigan Dept of Health and Human Services sent out this email to all Medical providers warning them not to share any data with DHS for immigration purposes But Democrats insisted illegals weren’t getting benefits… Why would Democrats want to hide data from ICE?? pic.twitter.com/UtYSY9Gjer — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 7, 2025   BREAKING: Trump DOJ confirms it’s going on a hiring spree of DEPORTATION JUDGES — to cancel out leftist immigration judges who’ve held up deportations for years. AWESOME! pic.twitter.com/coOuCkyoVW — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 8, 2025 .@RealTomHoman: "Over 62,000 children found by the Trump Admin — children that weren't even being looked for under the Biden Admin… Some of these children were in sex trafficking when we found them. Some were in forced labor… I can't even discuss some of the mistreatment." https://t.co/TZNBJxhU0N pic.twitter.com/6Mvyzca6Qh — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 7, 2025   DOGE  Geopolitical CENSORSHIP: Bill Gates, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton are all demanding government censorship of ?, and it is not a coincidence. They are preparing the ground for totalitarianism, and our democratic republic is in real danger. pic.twitter.com/3xezOn4CQz — @amuse (@amuse) December 8, 2025 PRESS FREEDOM: Making it crystal clear that free speech and freedom of the press don't exist in the UK and EU, the British government decided to smuggle 40K Afghans into the country at a cost of $9 billion – neither the media nor members of parliament were allowed to mention what… pic.twitter.com/yJnNT4ZvDO — @amuse (@amuse) December 7, 2025   was called Operation Rubific. The secret mass migration program was revealed by a British High Court earlier today. When does it become a genocide? https://t.co/v8F1f3209B — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2025   HUNGARY FINED HALF A BILLION FOR NOT LETTING MIGRANTS IN The EU just handed Hungary a €500 million slap for not following its migration rules. And the meter’s still running, at about €1 million a day. Hungary was told back in 2020 to change how it handles asylum… https://t.co/01vjplimbT pic.twitter.com/26jpIU0rWk — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 8, 2025 seekers. Basically, the EU said: stop booting people out before hearing their appeals. Hungary said no thanks. So now Brussels is punishing Hungary for not letting in enough migrants, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, while the rest of the continent watches. The European Court says it’s about “human rights.” Hungary says it’s about borders. You don’t have to agree with Hungary to notice what’s going on. A country makes a decision, the EU doesn’t like it, and suddenly unelected judges are draining your national budget. This is what happens when a “union” turns into a rule-by-lawsuit machine.   A boat in international waters that is not running a national flag is categorized in international law the same way a pirate is. Such boats have absolutely no national or international protections, and you cannot commit a war crime against them.A vessel in international waters… pic.twitter.com/cdzHrsjfVs — Mike Netter (@nettermike) December 7, 2025   is required under UNCLOS to sail under the flag of a specific nation. If it does not, it is legally considered a stateless vessel. A stateless vessel has no right to the protections normally afforded to ships under a national flag, including immunity from interference by other states. UNCLOS Articles 92, 94, 110, and customary maritime law spell out the consequences clearly: 1. Stateless vessels have no sovereign protection. A flagged ship is an extension of its flag-state’s sovereignty. A stateless vessel is not. This matters because “war crimes” presuppose protected persons or protected property. A stateless vessel is legally unprotected. 2. Any state may stop, board, search, seize, or disable, a stateless vessel. UNCLOS Article 110 explicitly authorizes boarding and seizure. The law does not require states to risk their own personnel or assets while doing so. Disabling a vessel that refuses inspection, including firing on it, is legally permitted under both UNCLOS and long-established state practice. 3. War crimes require an armed conflict. You cannot commit a “war crime” outside an armed conflict. War crimes occur only within the context of international humanitarian law (IHL). Enforcing maritime law against a stateless vessel is a law enforcement action, not an IHL situation. No armed conflict = no war crime possible. 4. Lethal force may be used when a vessel refuses lawful orders. The International Maritime Organization’s “Use of Force” guidance for maritime interdiction recognizes that disabling fire, even lethal force, is lawful when a vessel refuses lawful boarding, attempts to flee, poses a threat, or engages in illicit activities such as piracy or narcotics trafficking. Once again: law enforcement rules apply, not IHL. 5. Sinking a stateless vessel is not prohibited by UNCLOS. UNCLOS permits seizure of a stateless vessel and leaves the means entirely to the enforcing state so long as necessity and proportionality are respected. If the vessel flees, attacks, or refuses lawful commands, sinking it is legally permissible. Many states routinely do this to drug-smuggling vessels (e.g., semi-submersibles) without it ever being treated as a war crime. 6. No flag = no jurisdictional shield. The entire reason international law requires ships to fly a flag is to prevent this exact situation. Flagless vessels are legally vulnerable by design. Because a stateless vessel has no protected status, because UNCLOS authorizes interdiction of such vessels, because lethal force may be used in maritime law enforcement when necessary, and because war crimes require an armed conflict that is not present here, sinking an unflagged ship in international waters is not a war crime. War/Peace BREAKING: Heavy fighting has erupted along the Thai–Cambodian border, with clashes reported at multiple locations. Thai military sources say Bangkok has carried out precision airstrikes using F-16s against Cambodian weapons sites after incoming artillery fire. — GeoInsider (@InsiderGeo) December 8, 2025 US Issues NATO’s European Members New Self-Defense Deadline European members of NATO have been warned by Washington that they must assume greater responsibility for the alliance’s intelligence operations and missile production – which will require significantly more defense spending by 2027, Reuters has reported. Reuters in its exclusive Friday report said that the United States “wants Europe to take over the majority of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities, from intelligence to missiles, by 2027, Pentagon officials told diplomats in Washington this week, a tight deadline that struck some European officials as unrealistic.” “The message, recounted by five sources familiar with the discussion, including a U.S. official, was conveyed at a meeting in Washington this week of Pentagon staff overseeing NATO policy and several European delegations,” the report continued. The directive was coupled with a warning behind the scenes, reportedly involving Pentagon officials cautioning representatives from several European nations that the US may scale back its role in certain NATO defense efforts if this target and deadline is not met.It was noted in the report that some European officials consider the 2027 goal unrealistic, saying that rapidly substituting American military support would demand far greater investment than current plans and NATO member approved defense budgets allow. Source: zerohedge.com NATO was created by the [DS] Zelensky says territorial issues and security guarantees remain unresolved after three-day talks with the U.S. in Miami. In an interview with Bloomberg, the Ukrainian president said negotiations stalled over territorial questions. "There is a vision from the U.S., Russia, and… pic.twitter.com/X6Fl3R9XPx — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 8, 2025  and Ukraine, but we don’t have a shared view on Donbas,” Zelensky said. Ukraine also insists on a separate security guarantees agreement with Western allies, primarily the U.S. “There is one question that I and all Ukrainians want answered: if Russia starts a war again, what will our partners do?” he added. Zelensky Heads to London for Talks with European Allies  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting the French, German and British leaders in London on Monday as Kyiv’s European allies try to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in thorny talks on a U.S.-backed plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to gather with Zelenskyy, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the British leader’s 10 Downing St. residence. source: breitbart.com UKRAINE: After years defending Zelensky and opposing audits, the NYT now admits billions in aid were stolen by his inner circle. Democrats blocked oversight. The corruption is finally undeniable. The only question is where is all of the money? https://t.co/UHdCTzf56N pic.twitter.com/FALyRISE0H — @amuse (@amuse) December 7, 2025 NATO: The Trump administration is signaling to the EU/UK that if it decides to put boots on the ground in Ukraine we won’t be putting more boots on the ground in Europe to fight Russia. pic.twitter.com/HeMF9FuHI7 — @amuse (@amuse) December 7, 2025   Trump on the peace deal proposal: “I have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn't yet read the proposal. pic.twitter.com/cXhvrCa85G — Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) December 8, 2025   Medical/False Flags NEW – Twenty-six SAGE scientists, who advised the UK government during Covid, did not reveal they had received more than £200 million in grants from one of the world's biggest pharma investors — DailyMail — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 8, 2025 [DS] Agenda Ilhan Omar just called Stephen Miller a Nazi on National TV. Remember… They don't kill you because you're a Nazi. They call you a Nazi so they can kill you. This is an incitement of violence by Ihan.pic.twitter.com/r7qQPZrJPn — C3 (@C_3C_3) December 7, 2025 Ilhan Omar's father led death squads and then fled to the United States after his side lost power. https://t.co/OUSefp6IjH — Cernovich (@Cernovich) December 7, 2025 TEXAS SENATE RACE: Colin Allred quit the US Senate race to make way for Jasmine Crockett and is now aiming at Julie Johnson’s House seat. Texans must decide between Crockett’s America last politics and Ken Paxton’s America first leadership. pic.twitter.com/y9ahiYi1RA — @amuse (@amuse) December 8, 2025   BREAKING: Rep. Jasmine Crockett is about to run for U.S. Senate out of Texas — and Gov. Greg Abbott is promising she will get “PUMMELED” “The Texas political cemetery is filled with blow hards like her who have no idea what it’s like to run statewide.” “Jasmine Crockett… pic.twitter.com/VElrjJdjG4 — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 7, 2025   about to learn the hard way that most Texans are very different from her district, her base & her values.” “She’ll be pummeled for her progressive socialist agenda & get crushed by the Republican nominee for Senate.” “Looking forward to watching the circus– and KEEPING the US Senate seat red. On the bright side for her, maybe she’ll end up with a job on The View!”   Storm the polls, Texas! MUST READ THREAD: EXCLUSIVE: How The Warner Bros.- Netflix Merger Signals A Michelle Obama 2028 Presidential Run Evidence continues to mount showing that Barack @BarackObama and Michelle Obama @MichelleObama are positioning Michelle Obama for a 2028 presidential run.… https://t.co/8Z7C0jEtC8 pic.twitter.com/KLHrgtXjXa — Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 8, 2025 President Trump’s Plan    and anyone close to them. When the Democrats overwhelmingly lost the 2024 Presidential Election, and power with it, they, regardless, did everything they could to keep going after the Cuellar family. The Dems were vicious, and all because Henry strongly wanted, correctly, BORDER SECURITY! He was against illegals pouring into our Country, totally unchecked and unvetted. The Congressman didn’t want gang members, drug dealers, violent prisoners, people from mental institutions and yes, even murderers, in the good ol’ USA. It was all very unfair what they were doing to him and his family, so much so that his daughters wrote me a beautiful letter about their parents (Just posted on TRUTH!). After reading it I decided, in the interest of justice, and based on the daughter’s loving request, that I would give Henry and Imelda a Full and Complete Pardon. I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very good about fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people – They were treated sooo BADLY! I signed the papers, and said to people in the Oval Office that I just did a very good, perhaps life saving, thing. God was very happy with me that day! THEN IT HAPPENED!!! Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be “running” for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison – And probably still do! Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP    Trump hating, 60 Minutes “correspondent,” Lesley Stahl, who still owes me an apology from when she attacked me on the show (with serious conviction!), that Hunter Biden’s LAPTOP FROM HELL was produced by Russia, not Hunter himself (TOTALLY PROVEN WRONG!), interviewed a very poorly prepared Traitor, who in her confusion made many really stupid statements. My real problem with the show, however, wasn’t the low IQ traitor, it was that the new ownership of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would allow a show like this to air. THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP, who just paid me millions of Dollars for FAKE REPORTING about your favorite President, ME! Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE! Oh well, far worse things can happen. P.S. I hereby demand a complete and total APOLOGY, though far too late to be meaningful, from Lesley Stahl and 60 Minutes for her incorrect and Libelous statements about Hunter’s Laptop!!! President DJT Everything from Trump world, every call, text message, email, calendar entry, and half-formed thought, was seized and put under a microscope for years. They even raided his home and rifled through the underwear drawer. Of course they never found anything. But now that the shoe is… https://t.co/KoX9zCXa5E — Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) December 7, 2025  on the other foot, and there is highly incriminating evidence against the people who instigated the hoaxes, it somehow cannot be used. Just beyond infuriating. STUNNING UPDATE: Jocelyn Ballantine – the Lead Attorney Assigned to J6 Pipe Bomber Case – Notoriously Pressured the Proud Boys to Lie About Trump’s Involvement in Jan. 6 or Face Decades in Prison!    Jocelyn Ballantine was one of the Department of Justice attorneys assigned to Michael Flynn’s prosecution. The Department admitted altering evidence in the case following a reprimand from the judge. She called this an inadvertent mistake at the time. Ballantine also provided altered documents to Sidney Powell, and submitted an FBI interview report with redactions to information that was crucial to the case, according to En-Wikipedia.  When the US government threw out the case against  General Flynn, Ballantine declined to sign the motion to dismiss the charges against him. She is as crooked as they come. Jocelyn Ballantine was later assigned to the infamous Proud Boys Trial. Ballantine and the Biden prosecutors made up evidence, pressured the defendants to lie to the court, planted evidence in the Proud Boys chat group, and led the charge to send the innocent men to prison for over a decade each.   Source: thegatewaypundit.com “These people will not be let off the hook.” – @FBIDirectorKash Kash sat down with @LaraLeaTrump and laid out where we stand in the process of holding people accountable for Russiagate & Arctic Frost. “We’ve built squads for both Russiagate and Arctic Frost and we’re using a… pic.twitter.com/31s2SDCTL4 — TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) December 7, 2025   a grand jury process, and we are issuing – I think we are up to like 75 of 100 subpoenas already – for witnesses. That’s what you target first. We also have targets of our investigation. People we think committed acts of criminal conduct… We are not only exposing what they did, but they are frantically – “they,” the media, the mainstream media and those that were involved in the weaponization of justice – are trying to cover it up… You think that’s gonna stop me and the deputy here? We’re gonna get there. We’re already halfway there on a lot of it. I firmly believe that this Comey case is far from over. We are not finished. We are formulating a plan to make sure that we use the Constitution to hold people accountable… These people will not be let off the hook.” Go get em, Kash.  & throwing distractions at them in hopes they will fall. #3925 twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/st Do people really believe the biggest scandal in modern US history will go unpunished [Scot-Free]? Backchannels are important. Patriots stand at the ready [shills whine]. Q Genuinely curious on how, exactly, people expect @kash to provide us with COMPLETE & TOTAL transparency…….but also (simultaneously) protect the integrity of ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS so cases aren’t completely dismissed for lack of due process??! It’s frustrating for us to watch play out, but ACCOUNTABILITY + TRANSPARENCY = JUSTICE DRIVE-BY MEDIA: Democrats and their willing accomplices in the drive-by media are spreading fake rumors that Trump wants to fire Hegseth, Patel & Noem. Now they’re claiming Glenn Youngkin will replace Noem. The left wants these America first leaders gone because they get results. pic.twitter.com/6NOMGCSu04 — @amuse (@amuse) December 8, 2025    CITIZENSHIP: The 14th Amendment was not intended to grant citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants. It was meant to provide citizenship to former slaves and their descendants. If SCOTUS doesn't correct this error there is something Trump could do: Simply grant all… pic.twitter.com/2DuhzYbulY — @amuse (@amuse) December 8, 2025   CITIZENSHIP: The UK ended birthright citizenship in 1983. Australia did so in 1986. India did in 1987. Ireland followed in 2005. New Zealand followed in 2006. Many European democracies have long required a parental tie. Canada and the United States have stood almost alone among… pic.twitter.com/JALwmSEGq6 — @amuse (@amuse) December 8, 2025   I think I see Trump’s vision. He is settling all the wars around the globe and cleaning up the messes created by past US Deep State administrations, then consolidating US interests to the Western Hemisphere. This is the death of Globalism. Trump is undoing the past 100+ years… pic.twitter.com/Wi6jdHzCxU — Clandestine (@WarClandestine) December 7, 2025   of bad US foreign policy, and returning us to our former glory, before we were compromised by the Deep State. The days of the Deep State using the US to feed the military industrial complex are over. The days of CIA meddling and regime-change operations around the globe are over. The days of global US intervention are over. The days of US politicians being bought and controlled by foreign interests are over. Trump will cede US influence/presence in regions like Europe (NATO), Middle East, Ukraine, Taiwan, etc., and the respective powers will assume responsibility of their own regions. We will stay out of their regions, and they stay out of our regions. WW3 is cancelled. Once the world is back in a stable position, and rogue Deep State elements are no longer a threat to the People of the globe (think Iran nukes), then Trump and the US moving forward will focus on the Western Hemisphere. Trump and the US MIL will stop the cartels, drug trafficking, and human trafficking crises, that are plaguing the Western hemisphere. Trump is not just saving the US, he is completely reshaping the global order and saving the world. House Releases Text of 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Codifying 15 Trump Executive Orders The House Armed Services Committee has released the full text of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 [SEE TEXT HERE]. The massive bill consists of 3,086 pages, making the fiscal year 2026 NDAA longer than the manuscript of War and Peace.   The FY 2026 NDAA authorizes $892.6B for defense, which includes $153B for procurement, $142B for Research and Development, and $235B for military personnel. The legislation: Codifies 15 Trump EOs on military reform, border security, and DEI elimination. Boosts shipbuilding, aircraft, munitions; funds Taiwan aid and Israel programs; reforms acquisitions; enhances border support including $900M for counter-narcotic operations and includes a 3.8% pay raise and quality-of-life improvements.   Source: theconservativetreehouse.com

Long live Tommy Robinson!!! https://t.co/o3qqHt8mwp — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) December 8, 2025

by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog: All over the globe, the digital control grid that we are all living in just continues to get even tighter. They are using facial recognition technology to scan our faces, they are using license plate readers to track where we travel, they are systematically monitoring the conversations that we […]

from ZeroHedge: Update (1300ET): Elon Musk is not taking the outrageous fine from Brussels bureaucrats lying down, lashing out at EU officialdom for taking on Nazi characteristics and oppressing their own citizens’ best interests… As Catherine Salgado reports for PJMedia.com, Musk also re-shared a post about Irish teacher Enoch Burke, who was jailed for refusing to use transgender pronouns, and […]

from The Jimmy Dore Show: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

It’s my favorite hosting habit. READ MORE...

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  On a hot day in 1924, a young Australian anatomist named Raymond Dart was sitting at his desk, steadily chipping away at a piece of rock. Gradually, as Dart worked, a tiny fossilized skull emerged from the surrounding stone. It was surprisingly well preserved with wide eye sockets and its little teeth still in place. Dart quickly realized he was looking at a new species, one he would eventually decide to call Australopithecus africanus, the “Southern Ape of Africa.” On that day, no one could have known that this ancient child’s skull would ignite one of the fiercest scientific controversies of the century. It would place Africa at the heart of the human origin story, forcing a rethinking of how our ancestors evolved.   The Discovery in Taung Cast in three parts (endocranium, face, and mandible) of a 2.1 million-year-old Australopithecus africanus specimen known as the Taung child, discovered in South Africa. Source: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa   The story of the Taung child’s discovery began in the quarries of the Beers Consolidated Mines. In the 1920s, limestone was blasted out by dynamite, and laborers sometimes found fossilized animal remains encased in the rubble. Quarry managers often sent these finds to local universities, where scientists could study them.   It was in this way that crates of fossil-bearing breccia reached Raymond Dart, a promising young academic at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He had fought in World War I, and now, at only 31, he was already a Professor and serving as the chair of anatomy at the university.   When Dart received the crate from the quarry, he thought little of it. He had an interest in comparative anatomy and hoped the fossil contained in the rock might be useful as a prop for his lectures. But when he took a closer look at the fossil, his curiosity was piqued.   After working for hundreds of hours to free the ancient bones from the breccia, Dart found himself looking at the skull of a juvenile primate; only about three or four years old when it had died. He could tell that it was an ape, but it was unlike any ape species he knew of. The skull had small teeth, a flatter face than other apes, and large eyes. What was even more exciting, though, was that the position of the foramen magnum, a hole at the base of the skull for the spinal cord to attach to the brain, was exactly like ours.   Position of the Foramen The position of the foramen magnum in the human skull. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica   In modern apes and primates, the foramen magnum is located at the back of the skull because they walk on four legs. In humans, however, it is found directly underneath the brain because we walk upright. This fossil ape, which Dart realised was a previously unknown species, clearly walked upright as well.   In February 1925, Dart published his findings in the journal Nature and gave the new species the name Australopithecus africanus. He claimed it was a human ancestor that lived in South Africa over two million years ago.   Science Against the Current Reconstruction of the skull of “Piltdown Man,” by James H. McGregor. Source: Museum of Natural History, London   Dart’s announcement of A. africanus, however, did not go quite as well as he might have liked. In the early 20th century, scientific understanding of human origins was dominated by theories that our lineage emerged in Europe. Many leading scientists clung to this idea, which was supported by fossils like the Piltdown Man skull.   Discovered in England in 1912, the Piltdown skull appeared to show exactly what many scientists believed human evolution should look like. For one, it was found on British soil, but it also had a large, human-shaped braincase attached to an ape-like jaw with big teeth. It corresponded neatly with the conventional wisdom of the time that big brains were the first evolutionary leap in the human lineage. It was not until the 1950s that the skull was exposed as a fake, so for more than 30 years, Piltdown Man was hailed as the “missing link.”   When Dart claimed that the Taung Child demonstrated the opposite pattern to Piltdown Man, a smaller brain, small teeth, and upright walking, he was treated with scorn.   Respected scientists like Sir Arthur Keith and Grafton Elliot Smith called Dart naïve. The London Times downplayed the discovery, referring to it only as “a badly damaged child’s skull.” Others simply laughed at the idea that Africa, a continent they thought of as primitive and in need of colonization by white people, could be the cradle of humanity.   Dart was disappointed by the response of his fellow scientists, but he was not discouraged. He did his best to spread the news, giving newspaper and radio interviews, and continuing to publish new reports on the Taung Child as he learned more about it.   The only problem was that Dart lacked further fossils to strengthen his case, so people gradually lost interest. That is, until years later, when paleontologist Robert Broom uncovered more australopith fossils in South African caves like Sterkfontein and Kromdraai. These fossils, which belonged to adult individuals, helped to reinforce Dart’s interpretation that our early ancestors came from Africa, not Europe or Asia.   Why the Taung Child Mattered Australopithecus africanus paleoanthropological sites in South Africa (Taung, Makapansgat, Gladysvale, Sterkfontein). Source: Wikimedia Commons   These days, scientists who study human origins practically all agree that the Taung Child was one of the most, if not the most, important fossil human discoveries of the 20th century. Why?   Part of the answer lies in what it revealed about the order of evolutionary change. Until the Taung Child, most scientists believed that humans had evolved their intelligence first, with upright posture and everything else coming later. The Taung Child, however, showed that the reverse was actually the case. Human ancestors had been walking around upright on two legs for millions of years before they evolved the big brains that are so characteristic of our species today.   Of equal significance was its location. Dart’s discovery placed the focus of human origins firmly in Africa. Charles Darwin himself, in 1871, had speculated in The Descent of Man that humans likely evolved in Africa because that is where we find our closest living evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas. But the scientific community mostly ignored that suggestion in favor of Eurocentric theories about human evolution. Then the Taung Child, followed by other Australopithecus discoveries in South Africa, came along and forced everyone to reevaluate what they thought they knew.   In evolutionary terms, the Taung Child helped dismantle one of the most persistent myths in human evolution: the idea of a single “missing link” between us and the apes. For decades, both scientists and the public imagined that somewhere deep in the earth’s layers of sediment, there must lie a fossil that bridged the gap between ape and human; a transitional species that was intermediate between our two lineages. Piltdown Man was considered by many to be exactly what they had been looking for, with its apelike jaw and humanlike cranium seeming to represent a stepping stone from apes on the way to humanity.   A lifelike model of a Neanderthal created by Dutch artists, the Kennis brothers. The scientifically accurate model is based on 40,000-year-old Homo neanderthalensis remains found in Belgium. Source: Natural History Museum, London   However, fossil hominin discoveries from the 19th and early 20th centuries forced scientists to reconsider. First, there was the Neanderthal skull found in Germany in the 1850s, then Java Man (Homo erectus) in the 1890s, and the Mauer jaw (Homo heidelbergensis) in 1907. Considered together with these other ancient hominins, the Taung Child reinforced the truth of human evolution; that there was no “missing link.” Instead, multiple hominin species existed throughout time, with some, like us and the Neanderthals, even coexisting.   Rather than a linear progression from ape to human, the Taung Child and other fossil hominin discoveries indicated that human evolution was like a branching tree, with many different offshoots, some of which ended in extinction, while others gave rise to our species, Homo sapiens.   Within a few decades of its discovery, the Taung Child would be joined in the evolutionary tree by even more hominins. In the late 1930s, through to the 1960s, Louis and Mary Leakey discovered several new species, including Paranthropus boisei and Homo habilis. In 1974, Donald Johanson went on to discover the famous “Lucy,” the near-complete skeleton of a female Australopithecus afarensis, and a close evolutionary relative of the Taung Child from East Africa.   Yet each of these breakthroughs reverberated against the backdrop of Dart’s initial claim: that small-brained bipeds in Africa were central to our origins. Without the Taung Child, the stage for their acceptance might never have been set.   What We Know Today The divergence of humans and great apes from a common ancestor. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica   Nearly a century after Dart discovered the Taung skull, paleoanthropologists have since fleshed out a much fuller picture of Australopithecus africanus. This species lived in southern Africa between about 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago. It is now recognized as one of several australopithecine species during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene.   Morphologically, A. africanus combined primitive, apelike traits and derived, humanlike traits. Adults had brain sizes between 400 and 500 cubic centimeters, larger than chimpanzees but far smaller than modern humans. The skull was rounded with a less prognathous, or protruding, jaw than modern great apes, although it still protruded a bit more than ours. This might have been linked to A. africanus’ smaller teeth.   Modern apes, especially males, have large canine teeth for fighting and display. A. africanus, however, had canines that looked much more like ours. The postcranial skeleton, from the neck down, indicates habitual bipedalism, with the pelvis and lower hips adapted for upright walking, but the arms were long and the fingers were curved, suggesting that climbing trees remained an important part of A. africanus’ lifestyle.   Behaviorally, A. africanus likely would have lived in small social groups in mosaic environments of woodland and savanna. They were around during a time of significant climatic fluctuation in Africa, which may have encouraged them to be adaptable. It is not known for certain which hominin made them, but the earliest stone tools ever found date to 3.3 million years ago. They were discovered at Lomekwi, a site in Kenya. Since A. africanus has only been found in South Africa, it is unlikely that they made the tools at Lomekwi, but it shows that hominins at this time were starting to think outside the box in order to survive.   Selected stone tools from Lomekwi, Kenya, 3.3 million years old. Source: Nature   Soon enough, a new species would emerge in Africa: Homo habilis, the first member of the Homo genus, to which we also belong. It is possible that an australopith like A. africanus or A. afarensis could have been the ancestor of H. habilis, and therefore of us as well.   Even if A. africanus was not our ancestor, and was on another branch of the human evolutionary tree, it remains a cornerstone species for understanding how upright posture and ecological flexibility set the precedent for our origins in Africa.   Legacy and Conclusion Raymond Dart with the Taung Child skull in 1925. Source: Leakey Foundation   The Taung Child’s long path to recognition represents a wider drama of 20th-century paleoanthropology. For years, Raymond Dart’s fossil discovery languished in obscurity, overshadowed by the more readily accepted Piltdown Man.   Only in 1953, when the Piltdown skull was exposed as a hoax, a modern human skull stuck to an orangutan’s jaw, did the balance truly shift. With Piltdown’s fall came Taung’s rise. Africa was not just where our closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas, lived; it was where our very own lineage had its origins.

  The Chremonidean War, c. 267-261 BCE, was a turning point in Greek history. The conflict saw the Athenians and the Spartans ally with Ptolemaic Egypt to free Greece from the influence of Antigonus II Gonatas of Macedonia. In a Hellenistic world dominated by monarchies with growing empires, it was the last time the great independent city-states, the polis (poleis), were the protagonists in world events. Despite its importance, the Chremonidean War is little known. A lack of sources makes much of the 3rd century BCE obscure, leaving us with only extremely brief summaries and scattered archaeology to piece together.   Macedonia & Greece The Acropolis of Athens as viewed from the Museum Hill. Source: Copyright Neil Middleton (2025)   The details of the Chremonidean War are lost to us, but its context is easily understood despite the obscurity of the period. Since Philip II of Macedon’s victory over the Athenians and Thebans at the Battle of Chaironeia in 338 BCE, Macedonia had been the dominant power in Greece. Several times, various Greek states had led rebellions against Macedonia, but while each revolt claimed to be on behalf of Greek freedom, they were always the actions of individual states and a small number of allies. The Thebans rose up alone in 335 BCE and were swiftly crushed. That example discouraged others from joining Sparta’s revolt in 331 BCE, which failed. A decade later, the Athenians and Aitolians led a Greek coalition in the unsuccessful Lamian War.   Unable to defeat the Macedonians, Greece became entangled in the Wars of the Successors, which split Alexander the Great’s empire. Macedonia itself suffered through these wars just as much as Greece, but at the end of the 280s BCE, a new dynasty established itself. Antigonus Gonatas, son of the warlord Demetrius Poliorcetes, had led a tumultuous life trying to hold on to the remnants of his father and grandfather’s Antigonid Empire. A power vacuum in Macedonia in 280/79 BCE brought him to the throne, though it was some years until he was secure. His 40-year reign stabilized Macedonia and ensured its role as one of the great powers of its day. For Greece, Antigonus’s rise was further bad news as his long reign left behind a legacy of garrisons and tyrants that oppressed several Greek states.   Hellenistic Athens & Sparta Silver coin of Antigonus Gonatas. Source: British Museum   By the 3rd century BCE, the glory days of Athens and Sparta were a distant memory. The Spartans’ time as the most significant Greek military power ended when they were defeated by the Thebans at Leuktra in 371 BCE. That they recovered enough to rebel against Macedonia in 331/0BCE under King Agis III was impressive, even if Alexander disparagingly referred to the Spartan effort as a “war of mice.” Indeed, Sparta’s relative insignificance was often what saved it from destruction or total defeat as great powers invaded but became distracted and left to hunt bigger quarry.   After Agis’ defeat, it took half a century for Sparta to recover. However, by 281 BCE, signs of a renewed attempt to re-enter international politics were evident. A key figure in this process was King Areus I (c. 309-265 BCE). The Spartans had long had a peculiar dual monarchy with two kings reigning together. Areus marks the rise of a single, powerful ruler in Sparta who overshadowed their co-king and projected an international image similar to that of other Hellenistic kings (O’Neill, 2008, p. 68). Issuing Sparta’s first silver coinage, bearing his name and image, and an expedition to Delphi in 281 BCE, were meant to demonstrate a reinvigorated Sparta under a king of equal standing with his Hellenistic peers.   Hellenistic style silver coinage of Areus I. Source: Gallica Bibliothèque nationale de France   The Athenians had also lived through difficult times in the early Hellenistic era. In contrast to Sparta, Athens was a valuable target. Its wealth and size, and especially its large port at Piraeus, made it an important prize for any passing great power. The half century since defeat in the Lamian War had seen several regimes rise and fall. When possible, the Athenians attempted to reestablish their democracy, but they were often forced to endure periods of oligarchy and tyranny backed by a Hellenistic dynasty. But the Athenians stubbornly refused to give up on the idea of democracy and autonomy (Worthington, 2021, p. 22). In 286 BCE, the Athenians expelled the Antigonid garrison on the Museum hill opposite the Acropolis. Democracy was restored, but crucially, the Antigonids continued to hold the port of Piraeus and perhaps other sites in the Athenian territory of Attica.   The Chremonidean Decree Copy of the Chremonidean Decree, c. 266/265 BCE. Source: Institute for Advanced Study   The conflict of the 260s BCE owes its name to a decree passed by the Athenian assembly in 269/8 BCE by Chremonides of Aithalidai. The decree proposing an alliance between Athens and Sparta has survived through an inscribed copy discovered on the Athenian Acropolis and is one of the war’s few primary sources.   Though he has given his name to the war, we know little about Chremonides. He may, as did Antigonus Gonatas, have studied under Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, while his brother, Glaucon, was an Olympic victor (Worthington, 2021, p. 117). His rise probably represents the generation of Athenian politicians who led the re-established democracy of the 280s and wished to fully liberate Attica.   The decree is an alliance between Athens and Sparta, which calls for the two cities to unite and free Greece as they did in the Persian Wars in 480-479 BCE. We can see the war aims of each side in the decree. The Athenians want Spartan help in liberating their territory. The Spartans, listed alongside their Peloponnesian and Cretan allies, gain the prestige of once again leading Greece. Interestingly, Areus is mentioned by name numerous times, showing that he now far outshone his fellow Spartan king and had become one of the most prominent figures in Greece. Success in the war would only further enhance Areus’ personal power and prestige.   Ptolemy II Philadelphus, c. 3rd century BCE. Source: Brooklyn Museum   The real central figure of the coming war also features in the decree. King Ptolemy II of Egypt is often regarded as the guiding force behind the alliance. The Ptolemies likely supplied money to the Spartans and assisted the Athenians with the liberation of Athens in 286 BCE, and with food supplies in the difficult years of the 280s (Worthington, 2021, p. 104).   This new alliance aligned all three parties in one project. The Antigonids and Ptolemies had long been rivals with their spheres of influence colliding in the Aegean. The trigger for the war could well be a clash between the Antigonids and Ptolemies in the region in 270 BCE (Waterfield, 2021, p. 160). The Greek allies were then the Ptolemaic instrument to strike Antigonus. In this sense, the war was a Ptolemaic rather than a Greek initiative (Waterfield, 2021, pp. 160, Worthington, 2021, p. 118).   The war that followed Chremonides’ decree was an alliance of the Athenians, Spartans, and Ptolemies against Antigonus. The Athenians hoped to liberate Attica. For Sparta, and perhaps more importantly for Areus, this was an attempt to lead Greece once more. Behind it all was the great power conflict between the Ptolemies and Antigonids.   Areus’ War Ancient Corinth and the Acrocorinth. Source: Copyright Neil Middleton (2025)   The war began in 268/7 BCE, soon after the alliance in the Chremonides’ decree was concluded. One of our brief narrative accounts, Pausanias (3.6), mentions that Antigonus attacked Athens with an army and fleet, making the next six years of conflict a protracted siege of Athens. Aid was sent from Egypt in the form of the Ptolemaic commander Patroclus, but he arrived with only a small naval force, and his marines could not challenge Antigonus’ army. This left Areus and the Spartans as the alliance’s primary force.   Though Sparta was allied with only a few Peloponnesian states, and others were certainly Antigonid allies, we do not hear of any fighting in the Peloponnese for most of the war. Areus’ task was to link up with the Athenians and Patroclus in Attica to confront Antigonus. This meant getting past the strong Antigonid garrison in the formidable fortress of Acrocorinth, which controlled the isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece.   A stone relief of Spartans in battle   It is believed Areus made three attempts to reach Athens in 267, 266, and 265 BCE (Worthington, 2021, p. 120). On one occasion, Areus broke through but turned back when he ran out of supplies and decided it was not worth running the risk just for the sake of his allies (Pausanias 3.6.6). A Hellenistic fortification wall constructed between Athens and Eleusis (20 km west of Athens) has been linked to Antigonus’ attempts to stall Areus’ advance (O’Neill, 2008, p. 77). As our main account of the war focuses on this episode, this may have been the critical point where the allies came closest to victory.   In either 265 or 264 BCE, Areus tried again. However, the Spartan army was defeated near Corinth, and Areus himself died in the battle. The defeat highlighted the fragility of Spartan recovery. Despite being a large polis, its unique social system made it difficult to create new citizens even as its citizen population fell due to wars and inequality. The Spartans were only ever one battle away from total defeat. The events of 265/4 may well have underlined the need for reform, which would lead to revolution in Sparta later in the 3rd century (Cartledge & Spawforth, 2002, p. 33).   Siege of Athens Athenian fortifications at Rhamnous, eastern Attica. Source: Copyright Neil Middleton (2025)   With Areus and the Spartans now out of the war, the Athenians were left to fight on with only limited aid coming from the Ptolemies. The war in Attica probably took the form of a protracted siege and constant small-scale battles for fortified positions to control the countryside. With the Antigonids holding Piraeus, getting enough food into Athens had been a problem since the 280s. With Antigonus’ siege and Areus’ defeat, the situation only deteriorated.   Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Patroclus established several camps and fortified positions along the coast of Attica, including at Koroni (Porto Rafti) in the east and at Sounion in the south. This must have aided in supplying Athens and allowed access to the countryside for food production. However, there was a tradition that Ptolemaic aid was of little help. Pausanias (1.7.3) later stated that the Ptolemaic fleet “did very little to save Athens.” This has been disputed, and the Athenians held out for several years, something they could not have managed on their own. Still, it is clear the Ptolemies never committed substantial resources to the war. They may have been hindered by the presence of an Antigonid fleet, but mainland Greece was always the outer limit of the Ptolemaic sphere of influence and never a central concern. For the Athenians, the war was a matter of life and death; for their Ptolemaic allies, it was a useful move to keep Antigonus busy, but nothing more.   Unable or unwilling to provide more substantial aid to Athens, the Ptolemies activated their diplomatic networks as the noose tightened. In 263 BCE, Alexander of Epirus, a Ptolemaic ally, invaded Macedonia, forcing Antigonus to call a truce and return north. The hungry Athenians took the opportunity to plant crops, but by the time of the harvest in 262 BCE, Alexander had been defeated, and Antigonus was back in Attica. With their last hope now extinguished, the Athenians had no choice but to surrender.   Kos and the End of the War The Stoa of Antigonus, Delos, symbol of Antigonid influence in the Aegean. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Surrender meant that Antigonid forces returned to the center of Athens and again occupied the Museum hill. Democracy was not formally abolished, but was certainly overseen by the Antigonids. The war to liberate Athenian territory ended with Athens more firmly under the Antigonid thumb.   The surrender in 262 BCE marked a severe decline for Athens. The pressure was eased slightly in the 250s with the withdrawal of the Museum garrison, but Piraeus was not liberated for another 30 years. The city ceased producing silver coinage and was forced to adopt the Antigonid policy. While Chremonides and his brother Glaukon fled to the Ptolemaic court in Alexandria, another prominent Athenian, the local history writer Philochorus, was executed. The loss of this cultural figure, combined with the 261 BCE death of Zeno of Citium, underscored the sense of the end of an era in Athens, while Zeno’s death brought an opportunity for Antigonus, a long-time follower, to make his presence felt (Worthington, 2021, p. 124).   Bust of Zeno of Citium. Source: Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura   The war ended in a crushing defeat for the Athenians and Spartans, but due to the limitations of our sources, the outcome for the Ptolemies is disputed. A much later source makes a passing reference to a victory of Antigonus over a Ptolemaic fleet off the Aegean island of Kos. The date of the battle is unknown, with some placing it at the end of the Chremonidean War, while others prefer a date a few years later, in the 250s. The later date seems likely given the battle’s absence from our brief accounts and other indications that Antigonus’ influence spread to the central Aegean in the mid-250s. Whatever the date, the victory at Kos reinforced Antigonus’ hold on Greece.   Despite our limited knowledge of events, it is clear that the war was critical to both the victors and the defeated. Antigonus and his successors would be challenged again in Greece, but not by the Athenians or Spartans. The Chremonidean War had shown that the resources of the two great poleis were not enough. Their time had clearly passed on the international stage. It was time now for the federal states, principally Achaia and Aitolia, to pool the resources of several poleis and take the lead against Macedonia.   Select Bibliography    Cartledge, P. and Spawforth, A. (2002) Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities, Routledge: London.   Kralli, I. (2017) The Hellenistic Peloponnese: Interstate Relations: A Narrative and Analytic History, 371-146 BC, The Classical Press of Wales.   O’Neill, J.L. (2008) “A Re-examination of the Chremonidean War” in McKechnie, P. and Guillaume, P., Ptolemy Philadelphus and His World, pp. 65-90, Brill: Leiden.   Waterfield, R. (2021) The Making of a King: Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon and the Greeks, The University of Chicago Press: Chicago.   Worthington, I. (2021) Athens after Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian, Oxford University Press.