DOWN & OUT ‘Half the internet’ down AGAIN as another major Cloudflare outage leaves sites crippled

DOWN & OUT ‘Half the internet’ down AGAIN as another major Cloudflare outage leaves sites crippled

Ethan Singh

DOZENS of websites were crippled by a major outage which sparked chaos across the globe this morning.

Zoom, Deliveroo and LinkedIn were among a number of sites hit when Cloudflare – an internet network services business – went down at around 9am.

Cloudflare provides web security, speed, and routing services for millions of sites, so when it goes down, anything that relies on it cannot load.

Shopping sites such as JustEat, Etsy and Vinted were also affected this morning as well as some news media, including Politico and Axios.

Other sites like Substack, Discord, Canva, Shopify and Amazon Web Spaces are among those using Cloudflare services that users reported problems with on DownDetector.

Many sites that appeared to be affected earlier now seem to be up and running but some users are still reporting problems on DownDetector.

Cloudflare have since claimed the outage was not caused by an “attack”.

Cloudflare CTO Dane Knecht posted on X, formerly Twitter: “We are aware of the issue impacting the availability of Cloudflare’s network.

“It was not an attack; root cause was disabling some logging to help mitigate this week’s React CVE.

“Will share full details in a blog post today. Sites should be back online now, but I understand the frustration this causes”

Cloudflare operates a massive network of servers across more than 330 locations in over 120 countries. 

This web of servers helps websites load faster and handle traffic smoothly which explains why so many sites were crippled due to the outage.

But fuming users had already weighed in with their frustrations on social media after the initial outage.

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In-Depth: UN COP30 Climate Summit Unites World Religions Under ‘Earth Worship’

In-Depth: UN COP30 Climate Summit Unites World Religions Under The Cult Of ‘Earth Worship’

Alex Newman

Unlike carbon dioxide in the air, the spiritual feeling at the UN COP30 climate summit was so dark and thick you could cut it with a knife. Indeed, the Chinese Communist Party’s demonic “Dragon-Jaguar Guardian Spirit” with the world in its hands symbolized the spiritual reality behind the summit well. This official gift masquerading as “art” from the CCP to Brazil was really a perfect representation of the whole climate process.

Beneath the veneer of unity and moral purpose, critics warned the religious dimension of COP30 revealed a long-term shift that is increasingly out in the open: the re-paganization of the West and the sidelining of Christian civilization. In effect, COP30 shined the light on a growing spiritual realignment: a globalist, syncretistic, Earth-centered ethic replacing the historic Christian understanding that shaped Western civilization and gave birth to the United States and its ideas on liberty.

This religious element is much more than just moral cover for a global power grab. It is a profound re-structuring of the way people see reality, nature, life, the world, and their place in the cosmos. Climate change activism is more than just saving the environment — it is portrayed by this growing legion of religious activists as a shared spiritual mission that unites all decent and honorable people in a holy cause. Obviously, this has profound implications for humanity.

In addition to the political and economic agendas advanced at COP30, one of the least reported but most consequential developments in Belém was, in fact, the increasingly religious and spiritual framing of the global climate movement. Far from being a secular, science-driven assembly, COP30 brought together an unprecedented coalition of world religions. This alliance included everything from Catholics and Protestants to Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and Indigenous pagans and spiritualists. They all rallied under a reinvented global moral consensus built largely around climate action and CO2 emissions.

Even before the COP30 began, the tone was set during the Faith in Climate 2025 event this summer touted by the UN and Brazilian authorities. COP30 CEO Ana Toni was in attendance and praised the religious fervor. “We have called this great collective effort to fight climate change a ‘mutirão,’” she said, using the Indigenous word for collective effort that became a rallying cry for the summit. “But after this event, I would say that COP30 is not only a great ‘mutirão’ but also a great communion.”

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Lies Against Israel Are Being Revealed, But Will The Truth Matter?

The Media’s Lies Against Israel Are Being Revealed, But Will The Truth Matter?

Olivier Melnick

This came as no surprise to those paying attention to the media spin against Israel and the Jews in the last several years. This has been part of my frustrating struggle to expose the truth for over two decades. Finally, the WMDs or “weapons of mediatic destruction” against Israel have been found and exposed, but will it make a difference? Will the truth matter?

What exactly are these weapons of mediatic destruction? As it turns out, Elon Musk recently unlocked a new feature on X, allowing for precise geolocation. This means that anybody posting on their X account will automatically be tracked anywhere on the planet (except for a minority of users using a VPN). Geolocation is not a new feature. Most of us have enjoyed knowing exactly the time, date, and location where our pictures were taken on our smartphones for quite a few years.

The reason why this is a big deal is because X is now revealing a lot more about people’s identities than they wish. You can pretend all you want that your account is based somewhere specific, but your post will reveal the real location. This has major implications, especially when it comes to the media war that Israel has been fighting for years, but most intensely since October 7, 2023. Transparency, accuracy, and accountability will now be enhanced quite a bit.

This means that a myriad of accounts claiming to post from Gaza or the territories, and reporting genocide and starvation among other unfounded accusations, are now exposed for what they are: frauds and propaganda machines. Beyond the tragedy of lost innocent lives, the toughest war Israel has been fighting has been the one against the media. It is global, pervasive, and instantaneous.

A “Gazan” woman who raised over $40,000 as a local resident for her people in the Strip turned out to be based in Nigeria, and nobody knows where the money went. Another anti-Israel X account supposedly operating from Europe is actually based in Pakistan. A large number of “Gazan journalists” reporting “live” from Gaza are actually fakes based in the United States, Poland, Jordan, and other countries. These accounts are just a few of thousands of accounts on X. They also use ID mugshots from Google Photos lifted from the web. How does that affect what we have heard about Israel and the Jews?

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Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits NW China, Yellow alert for economic losses issued

Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits NW China, Yellow alert for economic losses issued

Teo Blašković

A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.8 struck southern Xinjiang, China at 07:44 UTC (13:44 local time) on December 4, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Yellow alert for economic losses.

The epicenter was located 138 km (86 miles) NNW of Tumxuk (population 135 000) and 154 km (96 miles) ENE of Aksu (population 535 000), southern Xinjiang, China. Nearby settlements include Aykol, Kyzyl-Suu, and Karakol.

4 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 15 000 strong, 14 000 moderate, and 1 951 000 light.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Yellow alert for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of China.

Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and log construction.

Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas. The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is limited.

The Coming Great Reset

Britain is halfway into the Great Reset – Here’s the proof

Rhoda Wilson

Britain is being pushed into the Great Reset, with the government introducing new laws to limit freedom, and the economy is being deliberately destroyed through excessive taxation and wasteful spending, Dr. Vernon Coleman writes.

We live in a world of chaos and misery and fear, but none of the chaos and misery is happening in isolation or by accident. The old are persuaded to hate the young. The young are persuaded to hate the old. Men and women are put at loggerheads. Racial tension is deliberately created. And so on and so on.

It’s all part of a plan. The plan. As I’ve been saying for decades, nothing is happening by accident. There are no coincidences.

Whenever a government does anything which seems strange or inexplicable, all you have to do is ask yourself: “How does this fit in with the Agenda?” or “How does this benefit the conspirators?” You will quickly find yourself understanding exactly what is happening and why. We are in a race to Net Zero and from there into the inhumane, unimaginable horrors of the Great Reset. And we’re already halfway there.

The clue is that everything bad is happening everywhere – in every country. Digitalisation, social credit schemes, euthanasia, re-wilding, food shortages – all are happening all around the world. Economies are crashing everywhere. Politicians all around the world seem incompetent or crooked or both (I find it impossible to name one leading politician in the world who doesn’t match that description). Undemocratic organisations, led by unelected individuals, are taking more and more power. Fear is being used as a tool to create obedience and compliance. New laws are being introduced to limit our freedom, though we are, of course, told that they are being introduced to protect us, in some curious way, from some imagined or created threat. The EU (created by World War II’s leftover Nazis, don’t forget) and the UK are desperate for the third world war to start. They are doing everything they can to stop the peace process in Ukraine. They want more war. They know that a nice big war is the quickest way to kill a few hundred million. They claim that Russia wants to invade Europe and Britain. Why? Why on earth would Russia want to invade countries which have massive debts, too many immigrants and no natural resources worth stealing? What do Britain, France and Germany have that Russia could possibly covet?

The new laws are introduced so fast that the police cannot keep up with them, and victims of wrongful arrests have been paid big chunks of money. Tax legislation is now so absurdly complicated that even tax inspectors don’t understand what the rules are.

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WW3 fears as Putin ally warns EU's 'crazy' $86 billion Russian plan could spark war

WW3 fears as Putin ally warns EU's 'crazy' $86 billion Russian plan could spark war

Rebecca Robinson

The European Union has received a stark warning against confiscating £80billion in Russian assets, with a senior ally of Vladimir Putin describing the potential move as a "casus belli" in the eyes of the Kremlin.

Politician Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would deem the act a direct provocation, leading to "relevant implications" for the bloc. He said in a statement: "If the crazy European Union does, after all, try to steal Russian assets frozen in Belgium under the guise of a so-called 'reparations loan', Russia may well view this move as tantamount to a casus belli with all the relevant implications for Brussels and individual EU countries."

The European Commission's strategy involves raising approximately £80billion to support Ukraine by either seizing Russian assets or using the already frozen funds as collateral for borrowing. This represents the most substantial financial initiative of the conflict to date. It comes as one of Putin's allies warns the U.S. of a thermonuclear WW3 lasting 'no more than an hour'.

Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission's president, indicated the funds would account for two-thirds of Ukraine's financial requirements through 2027. She stated: "We are proposing to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financing needs for the next two years. That's €90 billion. Since pressure is the only language the Kremlin responds to, we can also dial it up.", reports the Express.

At present, a minimum of £180billion in state and private Russian assets remain frozen in banks and clearing houses across the EU, funds that will not be released if the Commission proceeds with its proposal. The largest chunk of this, approximately £160 billion, is held in Euroclear in Belgi

However, the Belgian government has expressed its reluctance to send the money to Ukraine for fear of becoming legally liable for the entire sum.

The War On Christmas Meets The War On Israel At Portland's Tree Lighting

The War On Christmas Meets The War On Israel At Portland's Tree Lighting

PNW STAFF

There was a time when Christmas tree lightings were among the safest, simplest joys of American life--moments when families braved the cold to watch bulbs flicker on and remember that light still shines in the darkness. But this year in Portland, that light was dimmed. 

A holiday tradition meant for children and families was overtaken by political theatrics as the annual tree-lighting ceremony was transformed into a stage for a "Free Palestine" rally, with accusations of "genocide," chants against Israel, and an unmistakable attempt to inject anti-Israel messaging into a moment meant for celebration and unity.

It was more than uncomfortable. For many Christians who were present--or who later watched the footage--it felt like a desecration of something sacred.

Portland officials had already stripped the event of its Christmas identity. The word "Christmas" was removed from promotional materials, replaced with the vague "the tree," as though the city feared speaking the name of the holiday that birthed the tradition. Even traditional hymns were rebranded "holiday songs," and no mention was made of Hanukkah or any other winter celebration.

Into that identity vacuum stepped an invited speaker who seized the moment to call Israel's war against Hamas "a full-blown genocide," holding a Palestinian flag and leading the crowd in chanting, "Free, free Palestine." A significant portion of the audience joined in; others were stunned. Parents with children on their shoulders came expecting Santa and sparkling lights--not a political rally echoing Hamas talking points.

For Christians, Christmas is not merely cultural--it is spiritual. It honors the birth of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. The shift away from "Christmas" to the generic "holiday season" already felt like an erasure. But to replace that erasure with a rally built on misinformation about Israel was especially painful for believers who cherish the biblical link between Christianity and the Jewish people.

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A New System Coming: 'It will be global, systemic, and sudden'

A New System Rising?

Video

Glenn Beck just dropped the most important 4 minutes you’ll watch this year: “For the FIRST time in recorded history, EVERY major civilization—America, China, Europe, Japan—is hitting the absolute peak of the debt super-cycle AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT. There is no rising power waiting in the wings like there always has been. When this resets, it won’t be regional. It will be global, systemic, and sudden.” He lays out the only three ways every debt empire has ever ended: - Hyperinflation wipeout (Weimar, Rome, France) - Hard default + revolution (Russia 1917, Argentina ×9) - World war → new monetary order (Napoleonic Wars → Gold Standard → Bretton Woods) Then the line that stopped me cold: “Rome fell alone. Britain declined while America rose. This time… no one is coming up.” Yet Beck ends with fire: Every single collapse in history birthed renewal—Christian Europe from Rome’s ashes, the modern nation-state from France’s terror, the greatest prosperity explosion ever after WWII.

Nvidia CEO Stuns With Jaw-Dropping AI Prediction

Nvidia CEO Stuns Rogan With Jaw-Dropping AI Prediction

Steve Watson

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang presented Joe Rogan’s audience with a vision of AI so dominant it could rewrite reality itself.

“In the future… maybe two or three years, 90% of the world’s knowledge will likely be generated by AI,” Huang told Rogan, his tone matter-of-fact as if charting tomorrow’s weather.

Rogan, no stranger to wild ideas, shot back: “That’s crazy.”

“I know, but it’s just fine,” Huang replied coolly.

“But it’s just fine?” an incredulous Rogan pressed.

“Let me tell you why,” Huang offered, stating “It’s because, what difference does it make to me that I am learning from a textbook that was generated by a bunch of people I didn’t know, or… knowledge generated by AI computers that are assimilating all of these and resynthesizing things. To me, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference.”

Huang didn’t consider that when AI hallucinates facts or parrots woke nonsense from its training data cesspools, it becomes a tool ripe for manipulation by those who peddle stuff like climate hysteria or open borders.

Huang’s brushing aside AI safety fears isn’t bold; it’s blind to how this tech could supercharge ideological insanity if left unchecked.

However, in a rare show of spine from Big Tech, Huang declared President Trump “our president” and urged America to rally behind him, exposing the petty sabotage from those who can’t stomach success unless it’s their guy calling the shots.

He looked straight at Joe Rogan and said: “President Trump is my president. He is our president,” adding “Just because it’s President Trump, [many] want him to be wrong.”

“I think the United States, we all have to realise he is our president. We want him to succeed because… it helps everybody, all of us succeed,” the CEO added.

The remarks comes amid Huang’s whirlwind D.C. tour, where he huddled with Trump and Senate Republicans to slash export red tape on AI chips, warning that patchwork state regulations could cripple U.S. dominance.

Huang lobbied hard against bills like the GAIN AI Act that would kneecap U.S. chip sales abroad. It was a “wise” move by Congress to spike it, Huang said, equating it to other “detrimental” policies that’d hand the AI edge to Beijing.

China is already nipping at our heels on multiple fronts, Huang warned, with their Belt and Road Initiative funneling cash into tech that could eclipse American innovation overnight.

Trump’s energy push, defying the green zealots who’ve vilified fossil fuels, gets Huang’s nod as a game-changer, the kind of grit that’s “saving the AI industry” by powering data centers without apology.

Trump, ever the dealmaker, called Huang a “smart man” post-meeting, signaling the kind of pro-growth alliance that’s already turbocharging the economy.

Earlier this week, Elon Musk teased his “Galaxy Mind” venture, solar-powered AI satellites orbiting deep space, mashing SpaceX launches, Tesla batteries, and xAI brains into a cosmic supercomputer.

Musk sees it as humanity’s insurance policy, beaming our knowledge off-planet before some black-swan disaster wipes the slate.

Can an optimistic vision of AI overcome the darker side? There are currently frightening fakes flooding culture like digital termites. As we highlighted, the likes of “Solomon Ray,” a chart-topping “soul singer” unmasked as pure AI slop.

AI is not just mimicking hits, it’s spawning them, with one in three daily streams now machine-made. Platforms like Deezer admit 97% of people can’t spot the fraud, turning art into an algorithmic con.

Huang’s “no difference” line ignores how these ghosts erode soul, authenticity, and jobs—paving the way for a world scripted by code, not creators.

Palantir Launches Chain Reaction to Build American AI Infrastructure

Palantir Launches Chain Reaction to Build American AI Infrastructure; Founding Partners Include CenterPoint Energy and NVIDIA

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) today unveiled Chain Reaction, the operating system for American AI infrastructure.

The bottleneck to AI innovation is no longer algorithms; it is power and compute. America is at an inflection point in the energy infrastructure buildout, and it requires software built for an entirely different scale. Chain Reaction is designed to address this directly by accelerating the AI buildout with energy producers, power distributors, data centers and infrastructure builders to:

• Transform aging power generation into high-uptime resources capable of meeting AI’s massive demand
• Stabilize and expand the power grid to meet surging demand from data centers and electrification
• Accelerate construction of new generation, transmission, and compute capacity
• Enable the design, development, and reproducibility of future hyperscale data centers supporting AI workloads

Chain Reaction’s founding partners include CenterPoint Energy and NVIDIA.

“The energy infrastructure buildout is the industrial challenge of our generation,” said Tristan Gruska, Palantir’s Head of Energy and Infrastructure. “But the software that the sector relies on was not built for this moment. We have spent years quietly deploying systems that keep power plants running and grids reliable. Chain Reaction is the result of building from the ground up for the demands of AI.”

CenterPoint Energy, a major electric and gas utility headquartered in Houston, serves approximately 7 million customers across Texas, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. After Hurricane Beryl struck Houston in July 2024, CenterPoint committed to building the most resilient coastal grid in the country and selected Palantir as its software backbone. Today, CenterPoint is expanding its partnership beyond storm response and grid resiliency, deploying Chain Reaction to accelerate speed-to-power, and improve operational visibility across its critical assets.

“Never before have technology and energy been so intertwined in determining the future course of American innovation, commercial growth, and economic security. In the Greater Houston region, our energy consumption is projected to increase by nearly 50% in five years and double by the mid 2030s. This exponential growth is being driven by a diverse set of sectors, including high tech, healthcare, energy, industrial, pharmaceutical, and fleet, and is accelerating job creation across the communities we are privileged to serve. We are excited to team with Palantir and our other Chain Reaction partners to enable this future sooner,” said Jason Wells, Chair & Chief Executive Officer of CenterPoint Energy.

NVIDIA

Recently at GTC DC, NVIDIA announced a collaboration with Palantir to build an integrated technology stack for operational AI that accelerates and optimizes complex enterprise and government systems. With today’s announcement, NVIDIA and Palantir are expanding their partnership to Chain Reaction.

“A new industrial revolution has begun—one where intelligence is manufactured at scale through an extraordinarily complex supply chain of AI infrastructure, now being built across America to strengthen our economy, workforce and security,” said Vladimir Troy, vice president, AI Infrastructure, NVIDIA. “By partnering with Palantir and our ecosystem, we are accelerating this transformation—powering the engines of the AI age, transforming data into intelligence and securing America’s technology leadership for decades to come.”

Trump to announce transition to Phase II of Gaza deal, 'Board of Peace' by Christmas

Trump to announce transition to Phase II of Gaza deal, 'Board of Peace' by Christmas - Axios

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce Gaza's "Board of Peace" and the transition to the second phase of the US-backed Gaza deal in the next three weeks, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two US officials and a Western source familiar with the details.

"All of the different elements are pretty well advanced. It's all moving ahead, and the aim is to announce it before people break for the holidays," Axios reported, citing the Western source.

The "Board of Peace" will reportedly include approximately 10 Arab and Western leaders and will work alongside an international executive board composed of former British prime minister Tony Blair, Jared Kushner, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and other senior officials from contributing countries.

"The equation will be IDF out of Gaza but Hamas out of power," Axios cited the Western source as saying. "The moment of truth will come in the next few weeks."

Mediators are attempting to reach an agreement with Hamas regarding ended its governance of the Gaza Strip and its disarmament, according to Axios.

The current discussion will reportedly have the terror group lay down its heavy arms first, and only afterward call for the group's handover of its lighter weapons. 

The announcement follows the return of slain hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak's remains on Wednesday, and an Israeli delegation's Thursday visit to Cairo to try to negotiate the release of the final slain hostage held in Gaza, St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili.

Gvili was killed in battle fighting infiltrating Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, after saving the lives of those fleeing the Nova music festival in Re’im and defending Kibbutz Alumim from Hamas terrorists.

The delegation was headed by the Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, and included officials from the IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the Mossad.

This is a developing story. 

Russian Troops Moving Forward, Creating Buffer Zone to Ensure Security

Russian Troops Moving Forward, Creating Buffer Zone to Ensure Security - Kremlin

Sputnik

On May 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Armed Forces were in the process of establishing a security buffer zone along the border with Ukraine.

Russian troops are moving forward in the area of a special military operation and creating a buffer zone to ensure security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"You know that our troops are moving forward, they are creating appropriate buffer zones to ensure the security of our regions. This work of the military continues," Peskov told reporters.

Other statements by Peskov: 

▪️ The complexity of the situation in Ukraine prevents the problem from being solved diplomatically immediately 

▪️ Moscow expects that the third round of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place, and the dialogue will continue 

▪️ Direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are in Kiev's interest, as the situation on the ground is changing daily to the disadvantage of the Ukrainians 

▪️ The complexity of the situation in Ukraine prevents the problem from being solved diplomatically immediately 

▪️ Russia does not intend to comply with the European Court of Human Rights' decisions regarding Ukraine and the Netherlands' complaints about Moscow's actions, considering them null and void 

▪️On the alleged threats by Trump to "bomb" Moscow and Beijing: The Kremlin is unaware if this is a fake or not, as such discussions did not take place during that period when Trump was not yet president 

▪️ There are no disagreements between Washington and Moscow; there is a desire to resolve the situation in Ukraine through political and diplomatic means

Top Venezuelan Official Turns State’s Evidence on Voting Machines and Drug War

Top Venezuelan Official Turns State’s Evidence on Voting Machines and Drug War

Patrice Johnson

In an explosive development that connects multiple national security threats, Hugo Carvajal Barrios—a former three-star Venezuelan general and Director of Military Intelligence—has issued a sweeping confession from federal prison that validates President Trump’s aggressive stance toward the Nicolás Maduro regime.

Carvajal’s testimony arrives as the Trump administration escalates military operations against alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, with the president announcing this week that strikes will soon expand from maritime targets to land-based operations.

“We know every route, we know every house,” Trump declared Wednesday, signaling imminent action against narco-terrorist infrastructure.

The timing is significant. Carvajal’s statement reveals the Venezuelan regime operates as what the general calls “the Cartel of the Suns,” a state-sponsored criminal enterprise designed to weaponize drugs and other tools against America. Former Michigan Senator Patrick Colbeck characterized the general’s statement as turning state’s evidence.

Carvajal’s statement declares:

“I absolutely support President Trump’s policy towards Venezuela, because it is in self-defense and he is acting based on the truth.”

“The regime I served is not merely hostile—it is at war with you, using drugs, gangs, espionage, and your own democratic processes as weapons. President Trump’s policies against the Maduro criminal regime are not just justified, but necessary and proportionate to the threat.”

Click here to view the full letter.

Since 2021, over 250,000 Americans have died from overdoses, predominantly from fentanyl. The general confirms these deaths are not collateral damage from ordinary trafficking; they’re the result of a deliberate policy coordinated between Venezuela, Cuba, FARC, ELN, and Hezbollah. FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) and ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) are far-left Marxist-Leninist guerrilla groups founded in Colombia. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is a Shiite Muslim political party, militant group, and social movement, according to PBS.

Perhaps most alarming, Carvajal directly addresses election security. He states unequivocally that Smartmatic—a company whose technology is incorporated into Dominion, ES&S, and Hart InterCivic systems —was created as an electoral tool for the Venezuelan regime. All three tabulator systems are used in Michigan elections and nationwide.

“I placed the head of IT of the National Electoral Council in his position, and he reported directly to me,” Carvajal revealed. “The Smartmatic system can be altered—this is a fact.”

While careful to note that he does not claim every election is stolen, the former intelligence chief warned that the software has been used to rig elections. He said the Maduro regime operatives maintain current relationships with American election officials and voting machine companies.

Carvajal’s confession also exposes the Tren de Aragua gang as a deliberate export of Venezuelan state violence. He witnessed firsthand how Maduro exploited open-border policies to flood America with gang operatives who continue operating under regime orders.

The general’s conclusion is stark:

“The regime I served is not merely hostile—it is at war with you.”

His full-throated endorsement of Trump’s military response—calling it “justified, necessary and proportionate”—comes from an insider with intimate knowledge of the regime’s capabilities.

Trump has labeled various drug-linked cartels as narco-terrorists this year, a move that enabled the U.S. military to target drug smugglers as it would ISIS or Al-Qaeda members.

During a recent trip to China, Trump negotiated the discontinuance of China’s export of precursor drugs necessary for the production of fentanyl. Trump and Xi agree to a one-year trade truce.

The Daily Mail reported on December 3 that Trump has issued an ultimatum to Maduro and is preparing land strikes in Venezuela. U.S. warships, submarines, and 15,000 troops have been deployed to the Caribbean as the administration’s military posture intensifies.

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Pope Leo Striking Out in Lebanon

Pope Leo Striking Out in Lebanon

Jonathan Feldstein

Growing up in Chicago as a White Sox fan, it’s safe to assume that Robert Francis Prevost was very much part of the baseball culture.  It’s also safe to assume that he knows the term “swing and miss.” As the Pope, it’s astounding to see him swing and miss, not once but three times, in the context of his brief visit to Lebanon. 

Arriving in the war-torn and Hezbollah-dominated country, Pope Leo delivered public remarks ranging on a variety of topics – peace, religious coexistence, the country’s economic crisis, political divisions, and lingering effects of the Israel-Hezbollah war. He even delved into international diplomatic issues that would otherwise be far afield from his theological role as head of the Catholic church, seen by many as a foul ball. 

His first strike was not saying anything to ensure the protection and well-being of Christians in Lebanon, long threatened and attacked by Islamists. His best attempt, but definitely a swing and a miss, was to make a passive statement urging native Christians to remain in Lebanon and be part of the country’s pluralistic past. 

Leo did not, however, explicitly address the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s requirement to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025, or the sectarian threats and violence of Islamists that created the Christian exodus from the country, where Christians once represented more than half the population. Rather than doing so, he tepidly waited until his airport departure press conference, boldly stating, “The Church has put forward a proposal urging Hezbollah to lay down arms and prioritize dialogue,” adding, “Armed struggle brings no benefit: renounce violence and engage in constructive talks.” 

Leo placed himself in the center of a month-old ceasefire that is weeks away from failure. Had it not been for the roar of his jet, Hezbollah’s leaders’ hysterical laughter would have been audible in Rome. 

Urging Christians to remain without addressing the threats to them and the obligation to protect the Christian population is analogous to telling an abused wife to remain in her abusive home without ensuring her protection. Essentially, he threw his faithful under the wheels of his own Popemobile. 

Pope Leo’s second strike was his comments en route to Lebanon, calling for a “two-state solution” regarding Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. He was mute on protecting Lebanese Christians but put Israel in the crosshairs, suggesting that creating another Islamist Arab state, narrowing Israel’s borders, and threatening the Jewish state is the “only path” to peace and justice for Israel and Palestinian Arabs. 

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U.S. escalates military buildup near Venezuela as Trump warns Maduro to flee

U.S. escalates military buildup near Venezuela as Trump warns Maduro to flee

Kevin Hughes

The Trump administration has dramatically escalated military pressure on Venezuela, deploying 11 U.S. warships—including the massive USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier—and 15,000 troops to the Caribbean in what officials describe as a counter-narcotics operation.

But Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has dismissed the claims, accusing Washington of preparing for an invasion under false pretenses.

BrightU.AI's Enoch defines counter-narcotics operations as a coordinated effort by law enforcement, military and intelligence agencies to disrupt, dismantle and eradicate illicit drug trafficking and production. These operations target various aspects of the illicit drug supply chain, from cultivation and production to transportation, distribution and sale. The primary goals of counter-narcotics operations are to reduce the availability of illicit drugs, disrupt criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, and ultimately, to decrease drug-related crime, violence and public health issues.

The U.S. Department of War's Operation Southern Spear now includes:

• The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's largest carrier, carrying 75+ fighter jets.
• The USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship, capable of launching a Marine invasion force.
• Six guided-missile destroyers, two cruisers and an attack submarine.
• Over 2,200 Marines from Camp Lejeune, ready for rapid deployment.
• F-35 stealth fighters stationed in Puerto Rico, alongside B-52 bombers on standby.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan defended the deployment, telling Fox News: "The military's job is to defend the homeland. That's exactly what we're doing, and we're using our best assets to defend the homeland."

Behind the scenes, President Donald Trump reportedly offered Maduro a stark choice during a tense phone call last week: resign immediately and leave Venezuela, or face military action. According to sources familiar with the discussion, Maduro demanded global amnesty and continued control of Venezuela's armed forces in exchange for free elections. Trump rejected both conditions.

Maduro, meanwhile, has mobilized eight million civilian militia volunteers, though experts note Venezuela’s outdated Soviet-era weaponry stands no chance against U.S. firepower.

The operation has sparked bipartisan concern after the Washington Post reported that War Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered the killing of survivors in a September drone strike.

The White House insists the mission targets Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles, which it labels a terrorist group. Yet a declassified U.S. intelligence memo admits there is "no evidence" that Maduro directly controls drug trafficking.

What comes next?

Military analysts warn that if diplomacy fails, the U.S. could launch:

• Decapitation strikes—eliminating Maduro's inner circle via missile barrages.
• Amphibious assault—Marines securing key positions with air support.
• Covert ops—Special Forces destabilizing the regime from within.

With Venezuela's economy in ruins and its military outmatched, Maduro's options are dwindling. But as Trump tightens the noose, the world watches—wondering whether this confrontation will end in negotiation or war.

Watch the video below about President Trump reportedly considering military strikes on drug cartels in Venezuela.

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