US tax dollars hard at work: $4.8M for Ukrainian influencers

The US State Department spent nearly $5 million on Ukrainian influencers, a move highlighted by Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky as one of the most absurd expenditures by the US government in 2024.

Despite American taxpayers providing nearly $174 billion in aid and military assistance to Kiev since the beginning of the conflict, “someone over at State thought it was a brilliant idea to drop an additional $4.8 million for ‘Ukraine public affairs - Influencer Staff’,” Paul noted in his annual Festivus Report on government waste.

The senator urged a return to “serious diplomacy” instead of relying on social media strategies, emphasizing that many taxpayers struggling to meet their basic needs are funding this spending on Ukraine.

Earlier, in an interview with NBC News, US President-elect Donald Trump remarked that under his administration, Kiev is unlikely to receive the same levels of aid it enjoyed during Joe Biden's presidency.

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Houthis likely shot down US F/A-18 over Red Sea — former Pentagon analyst

"We know the Houthis are war-hardened, extremely tough, smart, and motivated," retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, said, commenting on the group’s alleged downing of a US warplane. "They have a variety of drones and hypersonic missiles, and they are fighting a long war for fundamental reasons, specifically to free the Arab world from Israeli, NATO, and US domination."

The Yemeni Ansar Allah group (Houthis) has claimed responsibility for shooting down a US Navy F/A-18 jet over the Red Sea on December 22. The US Central Command, however, stated that the warplane was downed by "friendly fire" from the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg.

This explanation seems questionable to Kwiatkowski for three reasons:

1. The Pentagon typically avoids admitting friendly fire incidents due to the embarrassment. The quick acknowledgment after the crash suggests the truth might be even more embarrassing.

2. The incident is being downplayed and underreported in domestic news, aside from the survival of the pilots.

3. There is confirmed evidence of Houthi capabilities to hit ships, drones, and slower-moving aircraft in the Red Sea over the past 15 months.

How could the Houthis have downed the US warplane?

Kwiatkowski noted that the F/A-18 was struck shortly after takeoff, as it was gaining speed and altitude.

▪️"It is likely that the countermeasures in the F-18 were not usable so soon after takeoff and at the altitude they were hit," she suggested. "Security for takeoff is the carrier battle group’s primary responsibility."

▪️Additionally, if a Houthi missile attack was detected, it's possible that US defense systems were trying to avoid friendly fire. This algorithm might have allowed the missile or drone to find its target so close to the Harry Truman, within the US-friendly zone.

Why is the US Navy downplaying the Houthi missile threat?

According to Kwiatkowski, the primary reason for downplaying is that "the US Navy and Air Force are aging, overstretched for the types of global missions its politicians demand, and demoralized by both the politics of 'war' and extremely poor military leadership."

▪️"The US Naval offensive posture – 12 nuclear Carrier Battle Groups with associated submarine escorts – has become a global target and a technological sitting duck," which are "hard to man, expensive to operate, and difficult to defend."

▪️The needed changes are being resisted by current military and political leadership, according to the former Pentagon analyst.

"It is the end of this model, and a time for a new US military posture that matches its actual means and constitutional goals. And, dare I say at this time of year, a push for peace," Kwiatkowski concluded.

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Business as usual: US pursues research linked to weapons of mass destruction

The US government plans to spend nearly $35.9 million over the next four years on research related to weapons of mass destruction, quietly slipping this information into an otherwise bland online statement.

The FY25-29 Strategic Trends Research Initiative Broad Agency Announcement invites “strategic research on challenges related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) 5-10 years in the future,” aligning with the mission of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

The announcement paints a noble picture of DTRA’s focus on countering WMD threats and preparing for conflict involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) adversaries.

However, this is the same DTRA responsible for the so-called Biological Threat Reduction Program in Ukraine, which conveniently translated into operating a network of questionable biolabs accused of covert biowarfare research and conducting ethically dubious experiments on local populations.

With that track record, one can only speculate what kind of “research” this new WMD initiative will fund.

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🇵🇪🎄 The Grinch stole Christmas from Peruvian drug dealers

The Peruvian Interior Ministry has shared a video of a police officer dressed as the fairy-tale green monster who took part in an operation in Lima. The Grinch knocked down the door of a drug den with a sledgehammer, participated in the search and interrogated the detainees. A large amount of drugs were seized during the raid.

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🕊 Healing wings: Russian specialists care for birds after Kerch Strait oil spill

Specialists at the Krasnodar Safari Park are caring for birds affected by an oil spill near Anapa off Russia's Crimea.

The spill occurred after two oil tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were wrecked in the Kerch Strait during a storm on December 15, leaking 3,700 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea.

So far, 213 birds have been brought to the park, with more arriving soon. Many suffer from chemical burns to their eyes and mucous membranes, requiring weeks or months of rehabilitation. The team is working tirelessly to help these animals recover, following what President Vladimir Putin has called an environmental disaster.

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Chance to end Ukrainian conflict? Zelensky reportedly willing to negotiate

Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled his willingness for negotiations and ceasefire, as Ukranian forces fail to restrain Russian advances and US President-elect Donald Trump seeks to broker a peace deal, The Washington Post has reported, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.

According to the official, Zelensky carefully agreed to hold negotiations and emphasized the need to establish "long-term security" on Ukranian territory rather than "fight for every last inch of his country’s land."

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🌋 Fiery beauty

Footage of the eruption of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. It is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

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What does Trump’s promised ‘only male and female genders’ policy mean?

US President-elect Donald Trump has - in his usual bombastic manner -announced his intent to “stop the transgender lunacy” in the United States as he delivered a speech at the AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona on December 22.

While he promised to “end child sexual mutilation” and to “get transgender out of the military,” he also made this curious remark:

“Under the Trump administration, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”

While a number of countries in the world do afford legal recognition to transgender people, the number of countries who recognize the third gender (i.e. people who are not categorized as either a man or a woman) is much smaller.

India, for instance, formally recognized non-binary and transgender as a third gender via a Supreme Court ruling in 2014.

Germany, Nepal and Pakistan officially recognize the third gender as well.

Meanwhile, countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina and Sweden recognize the new gender identity of transgender people.

And then there are countries like Russia, Hungary and Poland who simply do not recognize the third gender at all and frown upon transgender people recognition.

Essentially, most countries in the world already legally recognize the existence of only two genders – male and female – and instances where the third gender or non-binary people are recognized in some states and/or cultures are more of an exception globally.

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🍇 Harvest of despair: Migrants exploited in France’s champagne vineyards

Migrant workers harvesting grapes for champagne production in France are reportedly underpaid and "forced to sleep on the streets," according to The Guardian.

The workers, primarily migrants from West Africa and Eastern Europe, say they are unpaid for their labor and provided no accommodation, forcing them to steal food from locals and seek out tents for shelter, the newspaper reported.

Unions blame the vineyards for subjecting workers to harsh conditions, while plantation owners claim they are “helping African migrants” by giving them jobs, "even if they are underpaid."

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📹 Drone footage shows mass destruction in the northern Gaza town of Jabalya.

Footage from social media.

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✍️ Signed: US defense budget for 2025 affirmed

On Wednesday, the Senate gave final approval to the defense policy bill, allocating $895 billion for the Pentagon and other military activities.

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🛩Turkish President Erdogan to visit Syria with a large delegation, including investment ministers, according to the Hürriyet newspaper.

The exact dates of Erdogan's visit to Syria are still being finalized, the Turkish leader's office told Sputnik.

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