Haredi man whose arrest sparked riot indicted for arson of Jerusalem cellphone store

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredi-man-whose-arrest-sparked-riot-indicted-for-arson-of-jerusalem-cellphone-store/

A Beit Shemesh man was indicted on Friday over the torching of a cellphone store in Jerusalem several months ago.

According to prosecutors, Yehoshua Dadon, 34, and three others broke into the store in October and set it alight because the shop did not comply with religious strictures restricting the devices.

The resulting blaze destroyed the store and affected several adjacent buildings, causing around NIS 600,000 ($170,000) in damages. Dadon was charged with arson, extortion by threats and obstruction of justice.

Former President Donald Trump asked “for troops around the Capitol to make sure everyone is safe,” on Jan. 6, 2021, but was “turned down by the Democrats.”

 https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/10/facebook-posts/no-proof-trump-asked-troops-jan-6-or-democrats-den/

There is no record of former President Donald Trump authorizing or requesting thousands of National Guard troops for the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Several Trump administration officials who have testified before the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 said they never heard Trump request National Guard support before or during the attack.

Congressional Democrats did not deny a request for troops. The D.C. National Guard reports only to the president. If such a request had been made, they would not have had the authority to deny it.

Jan. 6 Committee Report—Seven Biggest Revelations About Donald Trump

 https://www.newsweek.com/jan-6-committee-report-seven-biggest-revelations-about-donald-trump-1769205

The House of Representatives' Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021 released its final report on Thursday with just days left in the current Congress.

The 845-page report outlined the alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election as well as analysis of what took place on January 6 when a group of the former president's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

It comes just three days after the House committee made criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and recommended that Trump face charges obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to make a false statement, and conspiracy to "incite," "assist," or "aid or comfort" an insurrection.

Trump Rips Jan. 6 Final Report, Blames Pelosi, Says He Called for Peace

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-rips-jan-6-final-report-blames-pelosi-says-he-called-peace-1769201

Although Trump and his allies have repeatedly claimed that he requested troops to protect the Capitol on January 6, there are no records that indicate the former president actually made the request, according to PolitiFact.

New York congressman-elect campaigned as a Jewish Republican. Was he lying?

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-york-congressman-elect-campaigned-as-a-jewish-republican-was-he-lying/

Santos’ claims about his religious and ethnic origins are minor compared to the revelations in the Times expose, which offered new details as well as ones published previously elsewhere and uncovered by Democratic Party opposition research. There are no records of Santos attending the institutes of higher learning he claims to have attended, or of working at some of the financial brokerages he claims have employed him. A charitable institution he started has no evidence of being charitable. He has repeatedly identified with the far right, and then attempted to scrub such expressions from his social media.

Putin Finally Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

 https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-slips-comments-russia-ukraine-war-1769149

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a significant statement this week as he called the conflict in Ukraine a "war" for the first time since he ordered a full-scale invasion into the neighboring country.

‘Get Rid of the Video!’: Putin Crony Freaks Out in Live TV Flop Over Zelensky Clip

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-state-tv-flop-sends-vladimir-solovyov-raging-over-video-of-volodymyr-zelensky?ref=home

Simes described Zelensky’s speech as a total lie, from beginning to end. Solovyov and Simes bristled at comparisons to former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, made by Pelosi. Resorting to a grotesquely Orwellian distortion, Simes claimed that Putin, in his speech to rile up the masses to support his invasion of a peaceful neighboring nation, was the one worthy of being compared to Churchill. In contrast, he described Zelensky—the president of a country fiercely defending itself from unprovoked Russian aggression—as an “evil poodle.”

‘Openly Gay’ Rep.-Elect George Santos Didn’t Disclose Divorce With Woman

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/openly-gay-rep-elect-george-santos-didnt-disclose-divorce-with-woman

“I am openly gay, have never had an issue with my sexual identity in the past decade, and I can tell you and assure you, I will always be an advocate for LGBTQ folks,” Santos told USA Today in October, responding to criticism about his support for Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Bill” signed into law this year by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Incoming congressman’s claims his grandparents fled the Holocaust contradicted by genealogy records

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/21/politics/george-santos-geneaology/index.html#:~:text=Claims%20by%20incoming%20Republican%20Rep,records%20on%20Jewish%20refugees%20and

Claims by incoming Republican Rep. George Santos that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname to survive are contradicted by sources reviewed by CNN’s KFile including family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists.

Tucker Carlson's greatest fear

 https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/tucker-carlson-president-highland-park-comments-disqualify-rcna37317

Fox News star Tucker Carlson is the right’s avatar of grievance, the conductor of its orchestral whine about America’s tumble into cultural decadence, its principal hero in a fairy-tale battle against the dark magic of the Very Woke. There has been talk about him running for president, but that would be a demotion from where he is now, widely recognized as “the most powerful conservative in America.”

Right-Wingers Attack Mike Lindell After New DeSantis Conspiracy Theory

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wingers-attack-mike-lindell-after-ron-desantis-victory-conspiracy-theory?ref=home

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has enjoyed the loyal support of MAGA world and conservative circles over the past two years as he’s pushed to overturn the 2020 election results.

But, in recent days, conservative pundits have begun turning on the pillow maven over a new conspiracy theory that involves auditing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2022 victory in Florida.

Specifically, right-wing blowback against Lindell began emerging after he announced his plans to audit DeSantis’ victory in Miami-Dade County.

Tucker Carlson Bizarrely Accuses Ukraine’s Zelensky of Dressing Like a ‘Strip Club’ Manager

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-bizarrely-accuses-ukraines-zelensky-of-dressing-like-a-strip-club-manager

Tucker Carlson is outraged by the way Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dressed during his historic trip to the U.S. on Wednesday, likening his appearance to that of a strip club manager. After Zelensky met with President Biden at the White House and addressed a joint session of Congress, Carlson took issue with his signature combat fatigues in the opening minutes of Tucker Carlson Tonight. “As far as we know, no one’s ever addressed the United States Congress in a sweatshirt before, but they love him much more than they love you,” Carlson said, adding: “[T]he president of Ukraine arrived at the White House dressed like the manager of a strip club and started to demand money. Amazingly, no one threw him out. Instead, they did whatever he wanted.” His comments came after Donald Trump Jr. sparked backlash on Wednesday by calling the Ukrainian leader a “welfare queen.”

Tucker Carlson Has A Total Meltdown About Zelenskyy's Speech To Congress

 https://news.yahoo.com/tucker-carlson-total-meltdown-zelenskyys-050830365.html

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson went on a bizarre tirade against Volodymyr Zelenskyy, complaining that the Ukrainian president was “dressed like the manager of a strip club” when he addressed Congress on Wednesday.

In a historic in-person appeal to a rare joint session of Congress, Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for helping his country fight back against the Russian invasion. As Ukraine enters a brutal winter, Zelenskyy, dressed in battle fatigues, highlighted the importance of U.S. aid to the country’s ongoing resistance.

Carlson was concerned with the wartime leader’s choice of outfit.

Israel's most right-wing government agreed under Benjamin Netanyahu

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63942616

A new government seen as the most right-wing in Israel's history has been agreed, sealing Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power.

Mr Netanyahu, who won elections in November, is set to serve an historic sixth term as prime minster.

His coalition contains far-right parties, including one whose leader was once convicted of anti-Arab racism.

Palestinians fear the new government will also strengthen Israel's hold on the occupied West Bank.

"I have managed [to form a government]," Mr Netanyahu tweeted, just minutes before a midnight local time (22:00 GMT) deadline set by the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog.