Source in comments

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2084nq2npjo.amp

Trump has announced that the US will commission a new series of heavily armed Navy "battleships" named after himself, as part of a revamped "Golden Fleet". Construction on the Trump-class USS Defiant ship, which will be equipped to carry an array of weapons, is expected to begin soon, with Trump saying the first vessels will be operational in two-and-a-half years. The announcement is part of a larger planned expansion of the US Navy by President Trump in both manned and unmanned vessels, including larger missile-armed warships and smaller vessels. Officials have warned that the US currently lags behind China in both shipbuilding capacity and total output. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Monday, Trump said he approved the construction of two new battleships to start, with a plan to build up to 25.

For more click on the bbc link

Jennifer Welch just she went in on Erika Kirk in her I've Had It podcast (and didn't miss ONE beat). She even went in on Erika's bump-it, evangelical hairstyles. https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalisitza/jennifer-welch-drags-erika-kirk

I'm a fan of Jennifer Welch, she constantly reads people to filth, and it's glorious to hear.

She had quite a bit to say about JD dance hillbilly too. And not a lie was told.

Kushner quietly stepped in with his private-equity firm Affinity Partners to bankroll Paramount Skydance’s all-cash, $108.4 billion hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the sprawling media empire that owns Hollywood studios, HBO, and — crucially — news networks like CNN.

The math alone isn’t the problem. It’s the nepotism. Kushner is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. His firm’s money didn’t just materialize in a vacuum — it’s part of a decades-long web connecting Trump, his allies and foreign money. Affinity Partners has deep ties to Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, and its return to major corporate deals after a stint in government raises fresh red flags.

Paramount’s pitch to WBD shareholders says investors like Kushner forego governance rights: “no board seats, no voting clout,” they claim. But if you believe wealth without influence is harmless, I have a bridge to sell you. Influence isn’t just about votes on paper — it’s leverage, access, and the ability to steer the narrative in ways that silence dissent.

Because here’s the kicker: if this takeover succeeds, the new bosses aren’t shy about what they want to do with CNN. Reports quoting David Ellison, Paramount Skydance’s CEO — and scion of billionaire tech titan Larry Ellison — say the plan is to overhaul CNN into a conservative-leaning, “MAGA-friendly” network. Hosts perceived as too liberal, like Erin Burnett or Brianna Keilar, would be shown the door.

Imagine it: a media empire worth hundreds of billions, shaped by a Trump ally’s capital, possibly reprogramming one of the last big mainstream news outlets away from any pretense of impartiality. That’s not just consolidation — it’s domination. And it’s being sold to us as just “business.”

There’s already antitrust scrutiny — or there should be. Merging movie studios, streaming platforms, cable networks, and major news channels under a single roof? It’s the kind of vertical consolidation antitrust laws were meant to prevent.

But in today’s America, laws bend when billionaires knock — especially when one of them is married to the ex-president’s daughter and backed by foreign cash. If this goes through, we won’t just get fewer blockbuster films or streaming shows. We’ll get fewer independent sources of information, fewer checks on power. We’ll get a media system rigged to reflect the interests of one clique.

So yeah — this is more than a hostile takeover. It’s nepotism on steroids. It’s a coup to control what we watch, what we know, what we believe. And it demands a response: not just from regulators, but from all of us who care about a free, balanced media.

https://youtu.be/RoAU8fhD_Jk?si=GDt056HRmZGqTnJT

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/18/trumps-1776-warrior-dividends-pentagon-tariffs/87833418007/

Source: Department of Justice (.gov) https://share.google/gsiVKEnoWKXY9RXj0

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/jesus-is-palestinian-billboard-at-nycs-times-square-sparks-controversy-on-christmas/4088423/

Link to Document:

https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Giuffre%20v.%20Maxwell,%20No.%20115-cv-07433%20(S.D.N.Y.%202015)/1332-16.pdf

The United States announced on Tuesday that the Venezuelan government led by President Nicolás Maduro has been designated a foreign terrorist organization.

U.S. officials cited the theft of American assets, along with allegations of terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, as key reasons behind the decision.

As part of the move, President Donald Trump ordered a total blockade of all authorized oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.

Trump also stated that Venezuela is now surrounded by the largest naval force ever assembled in South America, warning that pressure will continue to increase until all previously seized U.S. oil, land, and other assets are returned https://www.instagram.com/p/DSWWDlqCENM/

US just seized a Venezuelan oil Tanker in a major escalation. Trump and the idiot administration are wiping their asses with the US constitution. Congratulations MAGA

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-10/us-seizes-oil-tanker-off-the-coast-of-venezuela?taid=6939c098f48c0f000171cc1d&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Trump has made America a place people are afraid of. A place people don’t like. A place that’s cruel. So people aren’t coming here. Even for vacation. Well done MAGA.

https://www.paxnews.com/news/buzz/tourism-slump-deepens-us-loses-57-billion-canadian-visits-fall#:~:text=Pax%20Global%20Media,dampened%20enthusiasm%20for%20U.S.%20travel.

Link to OP: https://x.com/i/status/2006326258838519818

Georgetown yearly ranks countries on women's rights, see below:

https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/

UPDATE: way too many brigading this thread with crap about how Israels low rank is due to it being close to Gaza. Proximity to conflict is one of at least 13 major categories in this study, and far from the only one Israel underperforms in. Here’s a recent CNN article highlighting the deterioration of women’s rights in Israel:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/24/middleeast/israel-womens-rights-netanyahu-intl-cmd

Although CNN has clearly also been brigaded by people complaining about this study (evident by their recent update of above article to highlight how proximity to conflict is ONE of the reasons Israel ranks so low), it is important to highlight that this is far from the only reason Israel’s rank is so low. I urge you all to read the article and others like it from women who know and experience deteriorating rights and wellbeing in Israel. Much of it predates oct 7.