by Paul Dowling “Our response is to increase the number and intensity of these extreme weather events, and we’re going to use all the resources of the federal government to do it.”  – Joe Biden, saying aloud what many Americans have only suspected. Weaponization of the Weather In the American West, state and local officials […] The post Is the U.S. Government the Cause of a Perfect Storm and Its Brutal Aftermath? appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy hit back on Tuesday after Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre — now pulling double duty as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden — referred to his question about hurricane aid as “misinformation.” The official Fox News X account shared video of Doocy briefly explaining what had happened — and why he believed his question was a legitimate one. WATCH: .@pdoocy brought receipts to hit back against the White House’s “misinformation” claims against him. pic.twitter.com/hM4Q5SldHj — Fox News (@FoxNews) October 9, 2024 “Peter Doocy here outside the West Wing, where this week, one of my questions about foreign aid versus hurricane relief was called ‘misinformation,'” Doocy began, and then shared a clip of the exchange. “President Biden is fond of saying, ‘Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.’ If he’s got money for people in Lebanon right now without Congress having to come back, what does it say about his values [if] there’s not enough money right now for people in North Carolina who need it?” Doocy asked. “His values?” Jean-Pierre asked. “That’s not misinformation,” Doocy said. “No, it is,” Jean-Pierre objected. “Your whole premise of the question is misinformation, sir!” “Excuse me?” Doocy shot back. “What part?” The camera cut back to Doocy, who held up a piece of paper: “I’ve got the information right here. The vice president is posting on social media about $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon. President Biden is posting about how the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program is going to run out of funding if Congress does not come back.” Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! “To a lot of people watching these briefings, a taxpayer dollar is a taxpayer dollar is a taxpayer dollar,” Doocy continued, noting that the average American isn’t going to care that the money going to Lebanon — or to fund the resettlement of illegal migrants, for that matter — was previously designated as such if Americans are suffering and the government does not appear to be moving heaven and earth to help them first.

Former President Donald Trump called for an investigation into CBS News’ “60 Minutes” after the news program was caught deceptively editing an answer that Vice President Kamala Harris gave regarding relations between the U.S. and Israel. “I’ve never seen this before, but the producers of 60 Minutes sliced and diced (‘cut and pasted’) Lyin’ Kamala’s answers to questions, which were virtually incoherent, over and over again,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump said that he believes “60 Minutes” did so as part of an illegal effort to boost Harris in the race, adding that it also could be a campaign finance violation. “This is a stain on the reputation of 60 Minutes that is not recoverable – It will always remain with this once storied brand,” he said. “I have never heard of such a thing being done in ‘News.’ It is the very definition of FAKE NEWS! The public is owed a MAJOR AND IMMEDIATE APOLOGY! This is an open and shut case, and must be investigated, starting today!” Trump’s post comes after the show released two contradictory responses from Harris in response to remarks made by host Bill Whitaker. The moment happened when Whitaker was discussing with Harris the United States’ financial support for Israel in its war against genocidal Islamic terrorists in the region. “But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening,” Whitaker said to Harris. In a promotional clip that was posted by CBS News on Sunday, Harris responded to that statement from Whitaker by saying: “The work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.” WATCH (relevant portion starts at 1:36): Monday, on a 60 Minutes election special, Bill Whitaker asks Vice President Kamala Harris if the U.S. lacks influence over American ally Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. https://t.co/TG3WOCA23A pic.twitter.com/IH6MXMjuCP — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 6, 2024 However, when the full interview was published by the network on Monday night, that statement from Harris was nowhere to be found. Those words were not included anywhere in the television broadcast nor did they appear in the interview when it was posted on YouTube, the interview’s transcript, or the show’s “Overtime” segment. Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! Instead, on television and in the interview posted online, Whitaker’s identical statement that “it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening,” is followed by Harris saying: “We are not gonna stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.” WATCH (relevant portion begins at 1:19): With just 29 days until Election Day, Bill Whitaker sits down with Vice President Kamala Harris. One year after Hamas’ terror attack on Israel, Whitaker starts by asking Harris what the U.S. can do to prevent an all-out regional war in the Middle East. https://t.co/NsOjzQIL5O pic.twitter.com/dRruqbEaqg — 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 8, 2024 Related: Trump Demands CBS Release Full Kamala ‘60 Minutes’ Interview After Footage Deceptively Altered

Fox News has reached out to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to give them one more chance to debate days before the election. Fox News Media announced on Wednesday that it has offered the presidential candidates a chance to debate in Pennsylvania on either Thursday, October 24, or Sunday, October 27. The news channel said that Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would moderate the debate. “This would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments,” said Fox News Media President & Executive Editor Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker. As of Wednesday afternoon, neither candidate had publicly agreed to either of the debate dates proposed by Fox News. Trump will reportedly hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27. In their comments, Wallace and Loker pointed to New York Times Opinion Senior Editor David Swerdlick calling for Harris to debate Trump on Fox News. “She’s made strategic appearances on the podcasts ‘Call Her Daddy’ and ‘All the Smoke.’ Her new direct-to-camera ad is strong,” Swerdlick wrote in an opinion piece published on Tuesday. “But she hasn’t made her closing argument yet. And the best way for her to do that is in another debate. To persuade Donald Trump to join her, she should offer to hold that debate on Fox News.” Harris did not agree to debate Trump on Fox News on September 4. The September 4 debate was initially scheduled to take place between Trump and President Joe Biden on ABC until Biden dropped out of the race following his disastrous debate against Trump on June 27. Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! Two days after Trump and Harris met for the first time on the debate stage, the Republcian nominee said he would not debate Harris again. “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’ Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Shortly after the vice presidential debate last week, the Harris campaign said that “the American people deserve to see her and Trump on the debate stage one more time.” Trump again shot down Harris’ attempts to hold another presidential debate, saying, “Lyin’ Kamala just put out a request for another Debate because they lost so badly tonight – Again, it’s like the fighter who lost, gets up and says, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.'” “I beat Biden, I then beat her, and I’m not looking to do it again, too far down the line,” he added. “Votes are already cast – And I’m leading BIG in the Polls. I’ll MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, she’s incapable of it!”

Emmy-winning star James Woods said he’s gotten a “second act” in his life after he started writing songs and working with the late country singer Waylon Jennings’ son, musician/record producer Shooter Jennings, to make an album about his life. In a behind-the-scenes clip shared recently on YouTube, the 77-year-old actor explained how his album “Hear The Thunder Crack” became a reality after crossing paths one night with Shooter who, after hearing Woods’ life experiences, wanted to put the star’s words to music. “And then he asked me the question that literally changed my life,” Woods said of Jennings, which was, “did you ever try writing any lyrics.” Shooter replied, “I just felt like you had so many good stories to tell and it sounded like a fun idea to hear what lyrics would be like.” The “Casino” star said he decided to try it and wrote “Misty Morning” one day. He then figured why not send it to Shooter. Weeks went by and he didn’t hear a thing and was totally embarrassed. However, Jennings did end up finally sending Woods a file of the song and when he heard it, everything changed. “I can’t even express what it feels like to have your words put in music,” Woods said. “He [Shooter] sang it so beautifully.” “When I wrote so many songs at once, I don’t know where it came from,” he added. “But when I got a chance to say something, just say it, without somebody telling me how to say it or what to say, man, the dam broke.” Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! Woods said after being “blacklisted” in Hollywood following his pro-former President Donald Trump-leanings, this has felt like a “second act in my life.” “‘Hear The Thunder Crack: The life of James Woods sung by Shooter Jennings’ is an expansive poetic journey into the mind and life of legendary Hollywood icon James Woods, put to music by multiple Grammy-winning composer/producer/singer Shooter Jennings,” a description on YouTube read. “Over a period of three years Jennings weaved the lyrics and poetry written by Woods into a sweeping musical biography,” it added. “Recorded at Dave’s Room Studios in North Hollywood, CA, with James and the Highway Storm Orchestra as his backing band, Shooter sang and performed the album as the tape rolled. The result is ‘Hear The Thunder Crack,’ an unusual but powerful collaboration between two unlikely friends.” “Forrest Gump” star Gary Sinise also shared the news, writing on X, “In 1989, I was fortunate to snag a part in the made-for-TV film ‘My Name is Bill W’ with James Woods, and we have been good pals ever since. Jimmy was powerful in the film and won an Emmy for that role.” “After a ton of great work in film and TV, he’s now writing songs with Shooter Jennings for their album ‘Hear the Thunder Crack,’” he added, including a link to the YouTube clip. “Hear the Thunder Crack” comes out October 18.

On the first anniversary of October 7th, hundreds of people from various faiths gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to honor the victims of Hamas’s massacre. The Remembering the October 7 Massacre rally was organized by the Philos Project, a Christian pro-Israel group. Speaking to The Daily Wire, Philos Project director Luke Moon said it was crucial for “people who believe the Bible to be true” to fight terrorists and others who are allied “against Western civilization.” “This is going to be a long war,” Moon said. On the first anniversary of October 7, hundreds of people from various faiths gathered on the National Mall to honor the victims of Hamas’s massacre. They told our @KassyAkiva they had one goal in common: Being a light against darkness. pic.twitter.com/JyjAku67FN — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 9, 2024 Among the Remembering the October 7 Massacre speakers were activists, musical artists, non-profit leaders, and Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH). Vance, who headlined the event, spoke about the need to free the 101 hostages in Gaza. “It is disgraceful that we have an American president and vice president who haven’t done a thing,” Vance said. “We will bring home American hostages, wherever they are held,” he said. “We want to give Israel the ability to finish what Hamas started.” He added that a Trump-Vance administration would ensure that American Jews are protected, and ensure that anti-American and anti-Jewish radicals no longer receive federal funding. “Some of us are Christians, some of us are Jews, and some of us are people of no faith but we are united in the basic common sense principle that we want the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose,” Vance said. Moon, who has worked to promote positive Christian engagement in the Middle East for years, says his work changed drastically after October 7. “We’re not in the October 6th world. We are in October 8th world, and in October 8th world, the line between darkness and light has become much more clear,” he said. “We have to stand shoulder to shoulder.” Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who served on the White House National Security Council staff during the Trump Administration, said he is optimistic about where the hearts of average Americans are. “We think about all the protests that we see on TV and people out there waving Hamas flags, Hezbollah flags, Houthi flags, and it’s easy to think that the American moral compass is broken.  But the truth is…that is a very vocal minority,” Goldberg said, adding that it was nevertheless “a minority that we have to worry about, because it is being given an oxygen by a large mainstream leadership portion of our society.” Chief Joseph Riverwind of the Arawak Taino Tribe of Puerto Rico said he and his wife came to the event to add their “support as indigenous people to the indigenous people of Judea — the people of Israel.” “The Jews are the indigenous people of Judea named after you, and so you are an amazing example of land back and how [the] creator is restoring the indigenous people to their lands,” his wife Dr. Laralyn RiverWind told The Daily Wire. The event featured musical performances from Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz and Israeli country singer Omer Netzer. Netzer, who lives in Nashville, said he flew to Israel on October 7 to fight. Since he returned, he’s become optimistic after performing at unity events. “I see a lot of unity between Christians and Jews together fighting against hate,” he said. “I saw evil in my own eyes, so those people gave me hope.”

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) revealed the strange nickname he uses on his phone for Vice President Kamala Harris, who chose him to be her running mate on the 2024 Democratic ticket. Walz made the revelation during a Monday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” prompted by a discussion about the fact that he had initially missed her call on the day she asked him to join her in the presidential race. WATCH: Walz has Kamala listed in his phone contacts as his “Dry Cleaner” pic.twitter.com/B3hyy0vDKD — Karli Bonne’ ?? (@KarluskaP) October 8, 2024 “And then is she in your contacts now so that doesn’t happen again?” Kimmel asked, referencing the missed call situation. “She is, yes, she is,” Walz replied, but Kimmel did not just leave it at that. “How — may I ask how you have vice president listed in your contacts?” Kimmel pressed. Walz closed his eyes for a split second, then replied, “It’s my dry cleaner.” Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! Kimmel laughed, as did the audience. “That’s what it says,” Walz continued, laughing too. “Is it really?” Kimmel asked, and Walz nodded his head. “Is that right?” “Yeah, so —” Walz tried to explain. “My dry cleaner,” Kimmel repeated, prompting more laughter. “They told me to come up with something,” Walz shrugged, adding, “And that was all I could think of.” “Well, you’re probably going to have to change it now,” Kimmel joked, and Walz agreed — but Kimmel wasn’t quite ready to let the bit go. “But then what happens if your dry cleaner needs to get in touch with you? You’re not going to be —” “I didn’t think that far ahead on that,” Walz admitted. Kimmel was not finished with the laundry references, however, and wrapped up the interview with what he claimed was the highest compliment he could think of to give: “Honestly, and I can come up with no higher compliment than this, but you seem to me like the kind of guy who cleans the lint out of the dryer after every use.” Gushing over Tim Walz. @JimmyKimmel: “I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we like you a lot. Honestly, and I can come up with no higher compliment than this, but you seem to me like the kind of guy who cleans the lint out of the dryer after every use.” pic.twitter.com/Uov69wjKjA — Brent Baker ?? ?? (@BrentHBaker) October 8, 2024 Walz also made headlines when, at a fundraiser at California Governor Gavin Newsom’s home, he called for the end of the Electoral College.

Omer Netzer had long dreamed of making a name for himself in Nashville as one of the few Israelis in American country music. But on October 7, the first Israeli to perform at the Country Music Awards put his career on hold so he could fly to Israel and help defend his country. “I went back, of course, and volunteered,” Netzer said. “24/7 we were risking our lives.” Meet Omer Netzer, the first Israeli to play at the Country Music Awards. On October 7, he put his career on hold and flew to Israel to help defend his country. pic.twitter.com/bhHdRWxpXp — Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) October 9, 2024 Netzer volunteered to return to his previous job in a special forces police unit in Nahariya, a city just a few miles from the Lebanon-Israel border, for four months following the start of the war. He left behind his wife and newborn daughter to volunteer in the unit, which tracked terrorists aiding Hezbollah or stockpiling weapons in their homes. Netzer said he lost three of his best friends who were serving in the Sderot police near the Gaza border on October 7. “We did what we were doing to our best and that’s protecting our country,” Netzer told The Daily Wire. Netzer said his mother — who lives in Achziv, even closer to the border than Nahariya — has been scared to leave her house for months. “My mom called me two days ago and said she heard buzzing outside. I told her to go to the bomb shelter and in less than a  minute there was a suicide drone that exploded,” Netzer recalled.  Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, Hezbollah has fired rockets and suicide drones daily at Israel’s northern communities. More than 60,000 people from northern Israel have been displaced from their homes. Though his team is still serving, Netzer decided to return to the United States and use his voice to raise awareness about the October 7 victims and hostages. He has played at events around the country including at a joint Christian-Jewish event at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Omer Netzer with his his unit in northern Israel. (Photo: Courtesy). Music has helped Netzer cope with trauma since October 7th. He said writing about Israeli heroes has helped in his healing process. “My best friend was a SWAT team leader and he died October 7,” Netzer said. “He wrote a note before he died, so I translated that note and made a song out of it,” he said. “It’s not about me anymore, it’s about them. It’s about the heroes that died protecting our country.” Netzer said playing at unity events around the United States has given him hope. “I see a lot of unity between Christians and Jews together fighting against hate,” he said. “I saw evil in my own eyes, so those people gave me hope.” “I’m building the bridge of unity through the music, and I’m playing churches and military bases,”  Netzer said he was proud to be the first Israeli to perform at the Country Music Awards in November.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Omer Netzer (@omer_netzer_official) Netzer was introduced to music by his parents, first generation Israelis born to Moroccan immigrants. They owned a music store, Netzer says, and gave him his first set of drums at age six, his first guitar at 10. He recalled his English teacher once asking him to play a song for his class in English. “I picked up the guitar and I played Johnny Cash,” he said, adding that he also enjoyed growing up listening to blues and rock and roll. Omer Netzer playing on his drum set as a child in his parent’s music shop in northern Israel. (Photo: Courtesy) “I thought I was going to work in security, not as a musician, but God had a different plan,” he added. Netzer will be performing at Nashville’s Whiskey Jam this week, an event where many famous artists, including Morgan Wallen and Brad Paisley, performed before becoming household names. But Netzer’s not taking a victory lap just yet. “I’ll know I made it when I play the Grand Ole Opry,” he says.

'The gamesmanship has to stop'

North Carolina could throw a wrench into these plans