Hurricane Milton supercharges into monster 180mph storm so quickly experts call for it to be given unprecedented Category 6 status: ‘This is nothing short of astronomical’  | 8 Oct 2024 | Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida as a Category 5 hurricane on Wednesday morning – and it’s expected to be even worse than Helene. Six million residents are under hurricane watch warnings and many have been ordered to evacuate as “life-threatening” fifteen-foot-high storm surges and winds of up to 175mph barrel in. The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay has said, “If the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years.” Mayor Jane Castor has warned the city’s nearly 400,000 residents that if they don’t evacuate, “you are going to die.” Startling spaghetti models show the hurricane’s deadly path covering vast swathes of Florida. Fox 35 Orlando Meteorologist Noah Bergren posted on X: “8PM EDT: This is nothing short of astronomical. I am at a loss for words to meteorologically describe you the storms small eye and intensity. 897mb pressure with 180 MPH max sustained winds and gusts 200+ MPH. This is now the 4th strongest hurricane ever recorded by pressure on this side of the world. The eye is TINY at nearly 3.8 miles wide. This hurricane is nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.”

Evacuation panic in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton sparks widespread backups and shortages | 7 Oct 2024 | Highways out of Florida are backed up for miles as panicked residents attempt to flee the state before Hurricane Milton’s landfall later this week. Hurricane Milton stands at a Category 5, the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It is expected to have winds stronger than 157 miles per hour. In Hillsborough County, home to nearly 1.5 million people in the Tampa Bay Area, residents are scrambling as local leadership orders the evacuation of zones A and B –essentially anyone living immediately on the coast or just outside. “We’ve ordered evacuations for zones A & B for a very good reason,” Hillsborough County Fire Chief Jason Dougherty said during a press briefing in Tampa as reported by the Florida Phoenix. “If you remain there, you could die…Help [rescuers] by leaving zones A & B today.”

Special ops vets form ‘Redneck Air Force’ to ferry aid into NC mountains after feds come up short: ‘Who’s FEMA?’ | 7 Oct 2024 | Hundreds of special operations personnel in North Carolina have formed their own homegrown rescue and supply operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene after they grew tired of waiting for the federal government to get its act together. The Post found an all-volunteer operation being run out of a Harley-Davidson dealership with ruthless efficiency and military precision. “Who’s FEMA?” ex-Green Beret Adam Smith derisively responded when asked about the agency’s presence on the ground since the deadly storm ravaged the rural western part of the state. “This disaster has definitively proven without a shadow of a doubt FEMA’s incompetence and incapability,” he said, noting that the agency didn’t even show up until Thursday — almost a week after the storm that has killed at least 232, nearly half of them in the mountainous west of the Tar Heel State.

FEMA chief insists criticism of federal response to Helene is ‘dangerous’ [What response?] | 6 Oct 2024 | The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) argued Sunday that criticizing the agency’s response to Hurricane Helene is “dangerous.” In an interview on ABC’s This Week, Deanne Criswell addressed public outcry over the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, warning that the “false” narratives spread online about the agency’s handling of the hurricane could hinder FEMA’s recovery efforts. “It has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there, but it’s also demoralizing to all of the first responders…FEMA staff, volunteers,” she said. “I need to make sure I can get the resources to where they are needed, and when you have this dangerous rhetoric like you’re hearing, it creates fear in our own employees.” …Elon Musk accused FEMA of blocking shipments of Starlink satellite internet deliveries in hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, writing on X, “FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!”

Rep. Norman warns U.S. is facing a saline shortage because shipments of the critical medical solution went to Ukraine | 7 Sept 2024 | Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman on Monday warned that the United States was facing a saline shortage because shipments of the critical medical solution have gone to Ukraine. Medical facilities around the United States are preparing for the shortage after a medical facility in North Carolina closed down because of flooding from the storm, and the shipments to Ukraine. The plant is operated by Baxter Healthcare Corp, which produces approximately 60% of the nation’s supply of IV solutions, according to The News & Observer. Norman claimed the shortage and shipment of the products to Ukraine was an “assault on our way of life.” Norman also warned of the shortage on a post to X, claiming that the shortage and destruction in North Carolina constitute a “national emergency that Biden-Harris needs to address immediately.”

Ukraine preparing false flag chemical attack – Moscow | 7 Oct 2024 | Ukraine has made extensive preparations for a false flag chemical weapons attack to pin the blame on Russia and attempt to turn Moscow into a pariah at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a senior Russian defense official has said. Speaking at a briefing on Monday, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s chemical and biological defense forces, stated that Moscow “has information about Ukraine’s preparation of false flag attacks aimed at accusing Russia of using toxic substances during the special military operation.” He added that “proof” would be provided to OPCW officials.

Ukrainian official filmed lying on bed of m-ney –The government employee and his mother were caught with nearly 6 million in cash | 7 Oct 2024 | Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has published a video of a pension agency official lying on a bed of d-llar bills, after he and his mother — also a senior government employee — were arrested with nearly 6 million in apparently illicit cash. In a statement on Friday, the SBI said its agents raided the office of the head of the Khmelnitsky Regional Center of Medical and Social Expertise, as part of an investigation into the forging of fraudulent disability certificates allowing men to avoid military conscription. The agents found 100,000 in U.S. d-llars in the office, along with lists of men with fictitious disabilities. 

NATO state’s PM pledges to block Ukrainian membership | 6 Oct 2024 | Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that his country would not allow Ukraine to join NATO as long as he stays in power. Admitting Kiev into the U.S.-led military alliance would trigger a new world war, he warned in an interview with the broadcaster STVR on Sunday. “As long as I am the prime minister of the Slovak Republic, I will lead the legislators, whom I have control over as a party chairman, to never agree to Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” Fico said. “Ukraine’s entry into NATO would serve as a good basis for a third world war.” Fico, a longtime critic of Western military and financial aid to Ukraine, has insisted that the conflict must be resolved through diplomatic means. He repeatedly warned against further escalation with Moscow.

Kiev lost over 20,000 soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Region – Moscow | 6 Oct 2024 | Kiev’s total losses from its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region have surpassed 20,000, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in its latest report on Sunday. Russian troops have continued their counteroffensive in the area while preventing more Ukrainian units from crossing into the region, it added. The Ukrainian military has lost around 200 soldiers over the past 24 hours alone, the Defense Ministry’s report said. Several pieces of Ukrainian hardware were also destroyed in the last 24 hours, including an artillery system, three mortars, and two vehicles, while one Ukrainian soldier surrendered, the Russian military noted. The total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the fighting in the Russian border region has exceeded 20,800, the ministry claimed.  

Israel launches ground operations in southwest Lebanon as Iran delivers warning | 8 Oct 2024 | Israel’s military said on Tuesday it had begun ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone a year after exchanges of fire began with armed group Hezbollah and amid pleas by the U.N. for a diplomatic solution. The regional tensions triggered a year ago by Palestinian armed group Hamas’s attack on southern Israel have spiralled to a string of Israeli operations by land and air over Lebanon and direct attacks by Iran onto Israeli military installations. Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against any attacks on the Islamic Republic, a week after Tehran fired a barrage of missiles on it, putting the Middle East on edge. Any attack on Iran’s infrastructure will be met with retaliation, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, warning Israel against attacks on his country.  

Israel marks anniversary of Hamas attack –Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a message of unity, but families who lost loved ones called for accountability | 7 Oct 2024 | Ceremonies have been held across Israel to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack on the Jewish state. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the attack awakened Israel’s “inner strength,” families of those killed blame the state for allowing it to happen in the first place. Hamas militants launched a surprise assault on Israel one year ago on Monday, occupying dozens of towns and villages in the south of the country, killing around 1,100 people, and taking roughly 250 hostages back to Gaza. Israel responded by declaring war on the militant group. The ongoing conflict has claimed nearly 42,000 Palestinian lives to date, as well as the lives of 726 Israeli soldiers.

Pro-Israel Democrat Beaten, Robbed at Pro-Hamas October 7 Rally in NYC | 7 Oct 2024 | Todd Richman, the co-chair of Democratic Majority for Israel, was beaten and had his Israeli flag stolen on Monday at a pro-Hamas protest in New York City to commemorate the October 7 attack. As Breitbart News reported, there were pro-Hamas demonstrators at Columbia University on Monday, as part of city-wide protests by anti-Israel activists. Video of the protesters circulated on social media as well, with one group of protesters calling for Tel Aviv — Israel’s tech-savvy, left-wing, secular metropolis — to be destroyed. Richman was a counter-protester. The organization he chairs advocates for pro-Israel policies within the Democratic Party.

Elon Musk tells Tucker Carlson he’s —— if Trump loses election: ‘How long do you think my prison sentence is going to be?’ | 7 Oct 2024 | Elon Musk told Tucker Carlson that if Kamala Harris wins the election, “I’m ——” and predicts the vice president will send him to prison. The Tesla CEO, 50, sat down with the ex-Fox News host for a 90-minute interview on the Musk-owned social media app X. The chat began with Carlson wondering what would happen to Musk if Trump loses, with both beginning to cackle. “If Trump loses, you’re f***ed, dude,” Carlson said, with Elon laughing along and agreeing. “If he loses, I’m f***ed,” he affirmed. “How long do you think my prison sentence is going to be? Will I see my children? I don’t know.” Musk and Carlson both said that if Harris beats Trump in November, it will be the last election.

Keith Olbermann calls for Elon Musk to be deported, says Biden needs to get mogul ‘the F out of our country’ | 7 Oct 2024 | Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann called for Tesla mogul Elon Musk to be deported, suggesting Joe Biden should use presidential immunity to get the multi-billionaire business magnate “the F out of our country.” Olbermann, a staunch critic of former President Trump, is irked that Musk has criticized FEMA and supported the Republican presidential nominee on X, where he boasts over 200 million followers. “It is now time to cancel all of Elon Musk’s government contracts. Tesla, SpaceX, whatever other cr-p he’s selling us,” Olbermann said on a video posted to social media intended to promote his podcast. While Olbermann doesn’t want the government to work with Musk, the former MSNBC host posted the video to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that is owned by Musk. “It’s time to cancel all the contracts and re-assess his immigration status, and hopefully deport him the h-ll out of the country,” Olbermann said. “If we can’t do that by conventional means, President [sic] Biden, you have presidential immunity,” Olbermann continued. “Get Elon Musk the F out of our country and do it now.”

Hillary Clinton says ‘the quiet part out loud’ during CNN interview: leaders could ‘lose control’ if they don’t censor content | 6 Oct 2024 | Hillary Clinton called for a government crack down on social media, sparking users on X to accuse her of saying “the quiet part out loud.” The former Secretary of State told CNN host Michael Smerconish Saturday that leaders could “lose control” if they don’t take serious action to censor digital content — sparking outcry on social media. Clinton called for the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Act, the keeps online platforms from being held liable for content posted by users on their platforms. That legal carve out, she argued, was an “overly simple view” that did not take into account the dangers of social media. “[I]f the platforms, whether it’s Facebook or Twitter/X or Instagram or TikTok, whatever they are, if they don’t moderate and monitor the content, we lose total control,” she said.

New Biden-Harris Medicare plan could cost taxpayers $20 billion in election-year boondoggle, CBO warns | 6 Oct 2024 | In an election-year stunner, the Congressional Budget Office is warning the Biden-Harris administration’s new Medicare prescription drug plan could cost taxpayers more than 20 billion over three years. The budget analysis arm of Congress said the increased costs are due to the government subsidizing many seniors’ premiums by sending funds to insurance firms, and it would cost at least 5 billion extra in 2025 alone and add to the deficit. “The higher costs are attributable to the increases in subsidies for premiums and risk corridors,” the CBO told key lawmakers this week. Lawmakers blasted the Biden/Harris administration for imposing such new cost on taxpayers “As predicted, the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act not only quelled investment for new cures, but caused Medicare prescription drug plan premiums to skyrocket, and Democrats are scrambling to cover it up before the election,” House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said.

Pivotal swing state under fire for closing voter registration same night as Trump’s big rally –“Aren’t even trying to hide their blatant interference,” RNC co-chair Lara Trump said ahead of the “maintenance” | 6 Oct 2024 | Conservatives blasted Pennsylvania’s Department of State this month for scheduling a system maintenance update to its voter registration website the same day former President Trump returned to Butler, where he survived an assassination attempt in July. The operation would have taken the site offline for several hours during the same time frame the Trump campaign expected to register voters. The department, however, moved the window of time for maintenance to later in the night amid an early outcry. “The PA State Department voter registration website will be unavailable on Saturday, October 5th, the day that President Trump will be triumphantly returning to the site of the assassination attempt in Butler County, PA. W/ all eyes on PA, the site will be down. Coincidence?” GOP activist Scott Pressler posted to Instagram on Thursday.