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South Korea's Top Cops Arrested, Ex-Defense Chief Tries Suicide As Failed Martial Law Bid Rocks Country

South Korea's Top Cops Arrested, Ex-Defense Chief Tries Suicide As Failed Martial Law Bid Rocks Country

South Korea continues to be rocked by aftershocks in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol's aborted declaration of marital law. In a trio of jarring new developments, the country's top two law enforcement officers have been arrested, the former defense chief attempted suicide in detention, and police raided the president's office -- all while a second impeachment vote looms this weekend with greater prospects for success.  

Late on Tuesday, police arrested South Korea's former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest for his alleged role in aiding Yoon's martial law attempt. He then tried killing himself shortly after midnight in a detention center bathroom. His attempt was thwarted by a "control room staff member," according to a report from the commissioner general of the Korea Correctional Service, and he's said to be under close monitoring and in good health.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) with then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun -- who resigned Thursday, was arrested Tuesday, and attempted suicide Wednesday (Yonhap/DPA)

The first to be arrested over the constitutional crisis, Kim faces charges of “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” and “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights.” A guilty verdict on the insurrection charge would expose Kim to a maximum penalty of death by hanging. While his method of suicide-attempt hasn't been disclosed, it seems Kim wanted to skip the proceedings and administer his own form of justice.

Wednesday also brought word that South Korea's two senior-most law enforcement officers have been arrested on insurrection charges. National Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho and Seoul metropolitan police chief Kim Bong-sik are behind bars at Seoul’s Namdaemun police station, according to the South China Morning Post.

The two top cops are in hot water for deploying police to impede lawmakers who were trying to make their way into the parliament building to counteract Yoon's martial law declaration. Then-Defense Minister Kim deployed soldiers to the same location. On Tuesday, Kim issued a statement taking responsibility for his actions and seeking to shield subordinates from consequences for their actions:

"All responsibility for this situation lies solely with me. My subordinates were simply faithful in following my orders and the missions that were given to them. I ask for leniency for them." 

On Monday, the Justice Ministry banned Yoon from traveling overseas, at the request of police, prosecutors, and an anti-corruption agency. As the investigation intensified, President Yoon's office was raided by police on Wednesday, as they sought evidence relating to his attempted imposition of martial law and the accompanying suspension of civil liberties and governmental checks and balances. 

The office search, which has been reported by local media but not yet confirmed by police or the president's office as this is written, flies in the face of previous assurances by observers that the presidential security service would thwart any such raid. They'd pointed to a law barring the search of areas that hold state secrets without the consent of those responsible for such spaces.   

After the martial law declaration, police buses blocked the main entrance to the South Korean Parliament 

The rolling crisis began on Dec. 3, when Yoon stunned South Korea and the international community with a late-night declaration of martial law, which he claimed was necessary to “rebuild and protect” the country, and prevent it from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” The move came after an impasse over the country's 2025 budget, and the attempted impeachment of three top prosecutors. In his announcement, Yoon railed against “shameless pro-North-Korean anti-state forces who are plundering the freedom and happiness of our citizens...I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country.”

As soldiers and police surrounded the National Assembly, the South Korean parliament's speaker used his YouTube channel to summon legislators. All 190 who heeded the call voted to repeal the martial law declaration. Six hours after his shocking announcement, Yoon apologized for the move and retracted it, saying he'd acted out of "desperation." 

An impeachment vote last weekend failed in the face of a boycott by the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but the Democratic Party (DP) has announced it will move for impeachment again on Saturday, and some PPP members are now voicing their support. Success requires a two-thirds majority of the 300-member assembly. DP leader Lee Jae-myung voiced confidence:  "The impeachment train has left the platform. There is going to be no way to stop it," 

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 18:50

Judge Strikes Part Of Federal Law, Making It Easier To Remove 'Powerful' Judges

Judge Strikes Part Of Federal Law, Making It Easier To Remove 'Powerful' Judges

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Some judges can be removed at will, rather than for cause, a federal judge said in a new Dec. 10 ruling as he also removed a layer of protection for the judges.

The Department of Labor in Washington on Aug. 6, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administrative law judges have been protected in a complex scheme that requires the board to petition a different agency, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, to remove the judges. Even if the protection board agrees, the NLRB can only act if “good cause” for removal is found.

Adding to the “byzantine process,” members of both boards can only be removed themselves for certain reasons, such as neglect of duty, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden wrote in the new decision.

The U.S. Constitution gives the president executive power, which includes, according to Congress and court rulings, the power to remove subordinates. The exceptions are for inferior officers and some boards.

In 2010, U.S. Supreme Court justices said that a scheme protecting Public Company Accounting Oversight Board officers was unconstitutional because it placed the president two layers away from removal. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which appointed the members, could only remove the members for good cause. SEC commissioners themselves could only be fired by the president for neglect of duty, malfeasance in office, or inefficiency.

“In short, two protective layers was one too many,” McFadden said. “So too here.”

The protection NLRB judges have “could result in federal officers pursuing unordained and perhaps unwise paths, with the only fear of reprisal shrouded in a maze of red tape,” the judge said. “Such attenuation from accountability was precisely what the Framers warned against when they rebuffed calls to fashion a plural executive.”

The NLRB said in court filings that the administrative law judges have less power than Public Company Accounting Oversight Board officers and that they are more easily removed than the officers. McFadden said the judges are “powerful actors in the Executive Branch” because they can manage cases without oversight, including granting applications for subpoenas, and that the easier removal does not change the multilayer removal scheme.

The Supreme Court ruling “was clear in its admonition: Officers of the United States cannot be insulated from the removal power by two or more levels of decisionmakers who themselves enjoy job protection,” the judge said. “To find otherwise would poison the soil of Article II and choke off accountability to the President. The removal restrictions are unconstitutional.”

The Supreme Court has not weighed in on the matter. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has found SEC administrative law judges, which had similar protections to NLRB judges, were unconstitutionally protected. Three other circuit courts have found administrative law judge protections to be constitutional.

In two of those rulings, the courts “placed too much weight on the adjudicatory ‘functions’” of the judges, ignoring how the judges “were nonetheless exerting executive power, case by case,” McFadden said. The third ruling was reversed by the Supreme Court, on other grounds.

“That is a tenuous reed to sustain the NLRB’s position,” he said.

In a two-page order, McFadden said that NLRB judges can now be removed by the board itself, without input from the Merit Systems Protection Board.

The ruling came in a case brought by VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 7 Inc., which does business as Saint Vincent Hospital.

A spokeswoman for the NLRB declined to comment. A lawyer for the hospital, which is in Massachusetts, did not return an inquiry.

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 18:25

Government Spending Shock: US Budget Deficit Soars In Worst Start To Year On Record

Government Spending Shock: US Budget Deficit Soars In Worst Start To Year On Record

We thought last month's US budget deficit was bad. Boy, were we wrong.

It is only fitting that the twilight days of the Biden admin would exhibit more of the same fakeness that defined not only all of the past four years, but certainly the fakeness of that Kamala Harris presidential campaign which had a billion dollars a month ago and ended up in failure, broke... and millions in debt. We are talking, of course, about the relentless debt-funded spree that somehow became synonymous with economic success in the US.

According to the latest Treasury data released today, in November - the second month of fiscal 2025 - the US spent a massive $584.2 billion, a 14% increase from the prior year, and a record for the month of November. For those who remember out outrage from a month ago, will also remember that the latest deficit number follows what was also a record government outlay for the month of October.

On a trailing 6 month moving average basis, to smooth out outliers months, the spending hit $586 billion, effectively at an all time high with just the record spending spree during covid pushing government spending higher.

The surge in spending was driven primarily by higher spending on health, defense and Social Security, but mostly a huge $50BN spike on Medicare outlays!

The long-term chart of government spending shows what we all know: DOGE or not DOGE, there is no stopping this train.

The surge in spending was far greater than the much more modest increase in tax revenues: in November, the US government collected $301.8 billion in taxes, up 9.8% from the $274.8 billion last November. As shown in the next chart, while spending continued to grow exponentially, tax receipts have flatlined, and the 6 month average in October was just $380 billion, the same as three years ago!

To be sure, there were some calendar effects in play. Recall that last month we said that October 2023's tax receipts were unusually higher due to deferred tax receipts that were received that month from companies and individuals affected by disasters including wildfires in California. Taking that into account, the October budget deficit would have been 22% higher (and would offset the freak September surplus which we are convinced was staged to make the last month of fiscal 2024 look abnormally good for the Biden admin). And since some of this calendar effect also nets in November, to avoid the calendar shifts across months we combined the first two months of fiscal 2025.  What we got was this shocker of a chart: 

It shows that in October and November, the US deficit exploded to a staggering $624.2 billion, and even though this included several calendar adjustments - which explains the freak September surplus which as we said was due to calendar effects - the November deficit of $367 billion was $14 billion more than consensus estimates of $353 billion. Worse, combining October and November we find that not only was the combined number of $624 billion some 64% higher than the corresponding period one year ago, but it was also the highest deficit on record for the first two-months of the year (and that includes the spending insanity during the covid crisis).

Putting the deficit in context, the budget deficit in October and November - the first two months of fiscal 2025 - are now officially the worst start a year for the US Treasury on record.

Taking a closer look at what has been the most terrifying trend in the US income statement for some time now, the Treasury’s debt-servicing costs rose once again in November. Gross interest costs totaled $87 billion, up $7 billion from $80 billion in the same month a year before.

And if the November print seems low by recent standards, just wait one month: the December gross interest payment will be an absolute shocker as that's when the bulk of interest payments take place. For December, expect a number north of $150 billion in interest alone!

And while we wait, this is what a chart of LTM spending across the main categories looks like. Yes, gross interest spending is not only the second largest outlay for the US government, just shy of $1.2 trillion, it's also the highest it has ever been, and will continue rising, especially if/when the Fed ends its easing cycle prematurely due to rising prices sparking the next meltup.... in US interest payment.

The good news is that for now (certainly until the December explosion), the surge in US interest payments has been delayed. That's because the weighted average interest rate for total outstanding debt at the end of November was 3.36%, at roughly 15-year highs, but down slightly from the month before, the third monthly decline.

However, don't expect this decline in interest spending to persist because even though the Fed has cut rates twice since September, this has been more than offset by the surge in debt which at last check was now $36.2 trillion, up half a trillion from a month ago, and unless Elon's Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) manages to somehow slash trillions in both spending and interest, this is what US debt will look like for the next few years, guaranteeing that interest on said debt will very soon become the single largest spending category for the US government.

For those who were still unsure if buying votes has a cost associated with it, now you know.

The mindblowing figures illustrate the monumental challenge for Trump and all those promising to rein in US debt, which has exploded to 120% of GDP after four years of Biden's "drunken-sailor" spending ways. The last hope for the US is that Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to look at ways to cut spending. Alas, these figures show that the bulk of the outlays are in areas that are bound to be a politically explosive to address, in other words any cuts even remotely close to the $2 trillion suggested by Vivek would lead to a full-blown deep state revolt... and government cataclysm.

It's also why attempts to reroute the US from its inevitable collision with the iceberg of fiscal devastation will likewise end in ruin.

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 18:00

There Is No Right To A Minimum Wage

There Is No Right To A Minimum Wage

Authored by Soham Patil via The Mises Institute,

One of the most popular economic fallacies of our time is the belief that the absence of a minimum wage would lead to limitless exploitation of employees in the economy. Minimum wage legislation prevents employees from being hired at pay rates below the mandated amount. Proponents of minimum wage laws claim that not having a minimum wage would lead to employees being paid very little for the amount of work they do. They also claim that everyone ought to be entitled to some standard of living and that minimum wages are instrumental in ensuring better conditions for everyone. Ultimately, arguments for minimum wage laws do not stand up to scrutiny.

The most important reason to oppose minimum wage laws is that they violate freedom of association and freedom of contract. It prevents two willing and able parties from coming to a voluntary contractual agreement if the wages are below the legally-mandated minimum. While minimum wage limits are often relatively low, their imposition entails that legislators believe some wages are too low and that they must take measures to prevent work being done for “exploitative wages.” Naturally, this means that some jobs will cease to exist since jobs that pay below the legally-mandated amount will no longer be worthwhile for the firms. As a result, minimum wage laws necessarily destroy some jobs in the economy.

Arguments for minimum wages rest on economic fallacies.

One of the most popular ones is that minimum wage laws prevent exploitation by setting a standard limit under which firms cannot go. A key, but mistaken, assumption in this line of thought is that without minimum wages firms would simply drive wage rates lower and lower and employees would have no choice other than to accept whatever they are given. This ignores the fact that all agreements require at least two consenting parties.

Hardly anyone would agree to work a job which pays nothing or pays a disproportionately low amount for the amount of effort and skill required.

Employees set the floor in negotiations as they would not work for too low an amount while firms set the ceiling as they wouldn’t pay exorbitant amounts which would cause them to be unprofitable. If the lack of minimum wage legislation allows firms to drive wage rates low, we must ask ourselves why certain jobs that pay much more than the minimum wage exist. Clearly there must be other factors that impact wages which would invalidate the talking point of limitless exploitation.

Employees also do not have the right to a minimum wage. Their work is only as valuable as what they can fetch on the free market. I might believe that the work I can do is worth a thousand dollars an hour, but if no firm is willing to offer me that much money, I don’t have an entitlement to it. The same is true at any wage rate, even the minimum wage rate. Many seem not to grasp this fact as advocates for a minimum wage often state that no work is worth lower than the minimum wage amount. This ignores the nature of work and that work itself does not have intrinsic value.

While minimum wage laws fail to deliver on their benefits, their consequences are more potent. Since minimum wage laws destroy some jobs, there exists a percentage of the workforce which would have had employment in the absence of these laws. Businesses are also forced to operate either on higher costs or with a lower workforce which either raises costs for consumers or leads to lower productivity. While the advocates of minimum wage legislation believe they operate from a higher ground of morality, their policies only hurt the ones whom they wish to help the most.

Repealing these laws can only lead to a better economy.

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 17:40

FBI Director Chris Wray Resigns

FBI Director Chris Wray Resigns

Before President-elect Donald Trump could say "You're Fired!" - FBI Director Christopher Wray has resigned, and will leave his post at the end of President Joe Biden's term.

Wray's decision comes weeks after Trump nominated Kash Patel as his replacement. Patel, a fierce critic of the FBI, has said he would seek to shrink the agency's power, close its Washington headquarters, fire its top ranks, and prosecute corrupt agents.

While Wray's departure was always in the cards, the move comes two days after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote an 11-page letter to Wray asking him to step down, accusing him of mismanagement and "failure to take control of the FBI."

"These failures are serious enough and their pattern widespread enough to have shattered my confidence in your leadership and the confidence and hope many others in Congress placed in you," wrote Grassley.

As the Epoch Times notes further, in November 2022, Grassley published FBI documents showing that higher-ranking officials were sometimes penalized less severely than subordinates.

Wray had addressed this disparity, saying in a Bureau-wide email on Dec. 11, 2020, that the agency “has zero tolerance for any form of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.”

On March 4, 2022, FBI Deputy Director Abbate warned all FBI employees: “Regardless of your rank and title, every one of us has the responsibility to treat everyone with dignity, respect, and professionalism. ... Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.”

Grassley also mentioned in his letter his inquiry about the vetting of refugees from Afghanistan through the Operation Allies Welcome program. In February 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that the Department of Homeland Security had not cross-checked these evacuees against data from the Department of Defense.

As a result, 50 individuals who had been flagged as “potentially significant security concerns” by the National Ground Intelligence Center were allowed into the United States.

Requests to the FBI for further information were ignored, Grassley said.

Wray said “in a classified multi-agency briefing to congressional staff” that he was unsure of the location of other refugees who might pose a threat, Grassley wrote.

“I can’t sit here right now and tell you that we know where all are located at any given time,” Grassley quoted Wray as saying.

He pointed out that one potential terror threat had been foiled when the FBI arrested Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi on Oct. 7 of this year. Tawhedi was allegedly planning a terror attack to disrupt the U.S. election on Nov. 5.

Grassley also accused Wray and the FBI of exercising a double standard by refusing to investigate President Joe Biden’s or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information.

President-elect Donald Trump appointed Wray in 2017 after firing the previous director, James Comey. In a recent interview with “Meet the Press,” Trump expressed displeasure over Wray’s performance.

“He invaded my home,” Trump said, referring to the 2022 FBI raid on his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.

Trump also cited Wray’s initial claim that his ear was struck by shrapnel instead of an assassin’s bullet, and waning public respect for the FBI as an institution.

“I can’t say I’m thrilled,” he said.

The president-elect has already named Kash Patel the new FBI director, indicating that Wray’s time at the post is nearly over. However, Grassley wants Wray and Abbate to step down sooner.

“For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives,” the letter says.

The agency told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to Congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people.

“Director Wray and Deputy Director Abbate have taken strong actions toward achieving accountability in the areas mentioned in the letter and remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work of the FBI.”

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 17:33

'Simply Robbery': Moscow To Retaliate After US Hands Ukraine $20BN Utilizing Russian Assets

'Simply Robbery': Moscow To Retaliate After US Hands Ukraine $20BN Utilizing Russian Assets

Russia on Wednesday blasted the US disbursing a $20 billion loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets as "theft" and "simply robbery" while vowing that retaliation will soon come.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced it disbursed the $20 billion loan for Ukraine, to eventually be paid back using interest earned on frozen Russian Central Bank assets, which has been a controversial plan long in preparation.

AFP/Getty Images

Washington said it issued the funds as part of the bigger total $50 billion loan being provided by the Group of Seven (G7) nations.

Russia's foreign ministry on Wednesday further said the move "will not go answered". It warned that it has "sufficient capacity and leverage to retaliate by seizing Western assets under its jurisdiction".

In announcing the major action, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had described the following:

"These funds — paid for by the windfall proceeds earned from Russia’s own immobilized assets — will provide Ukraine a critical infusion of support as it defends its country against an unprovoked war of aggression."

"The $50 billion collectively being provided by the G7 through this initiative will help ensure Ukraine has the resources it needs to sustain emergency services, hospitals, and other foundations of its brave resistance," she added.

This is all part of Biden and NATO allies' efforts to 'Trump proof' future aid and support to Ukraine for years to come. Trump is expected to 'probably' reduce US defense aid to Ukraine. Trump officials have warned that Kiev would see funding greatly reduced or even pulled if it is unwilling to engage Moscow seriously at the negotiating table.

A key rationale of Trump's team in making the case for a necessary and quick winding down of the war is that the West must avoid nuclear confrontation or a WW3 scenario with Russia at all costs.

War-weary populations across Europe and the West are also in favor of peace, all recent polling shows, and Trump has been given a clear mandate by US voters to seek a diplomatic end to the war.

Zelensky has in response said: "What is needed are concrete, strong actions that will force him [Putin] to peace, not persuasion and attempts at appeasement, which he sees as a sign of weakness and uses to his advantage."

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 17:20

Trump Nominates Harmeet Dhillon To DOJ's Civil Rights Division

Trump Nominates Harmeet Dhillon To DOJ's Civil Rights Division

Authored by Melanie Sun and Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

President-elect Donald Trump named attorney Harmeet Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice in a post on Truth Social on Dec. 9.

Harmeet Dhillon, an adviser to former President Donald Trump who is also a Republican delegate in California, attends the 2023 CAGOP convention of Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers,” Trump said.

“In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our Constitutional Rights, and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws fairly and firmly. Congratulations, Harmeet!”

The Department of Justice will be headed by U.S. Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, pending confirmation by the Senate.

Dhillon has clerked in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Dartmouth College and University of Virginia Law School graduate, who is a member of the Sikh religious community, thanked Trump for the nomination and her family for their support.

In a post on X, she said she is “extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda.”

“It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by Pam Bondi. I cannot wait to get to work!” she wrote.

Dhillon’s appointment happened after Trump named another partner in her law firm, Dhillon Law Group, to a key position.

On Dec. 4, he announced he was selecting David Warrington as his White House counsel. Warrington replaced Trump’s previous pick for the position, William McGinley, who was moved into the role of counsel for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission.

Dhillon, a Republican National Committeewoman for California, previously contested then-Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel for that post. McDaniel, who ultimately won, stepped down earlier this year. Former North Carolina Republican Party Chair Michael Whatley received Trump’s endorsement and stepped into the role. Trump recently endorsed Whatley’s continuation as committee chair.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dhillon filed numerous lawsuits challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measures, including his mask order.

Trump Names General Counsel of the OMB

In another post, Trump also announced that he was appointing Mark Paoletta to return to serve in the second Trump administration as General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

“Mark will work closely with our DOGE team to cut the size of our bloated Government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Paoletta, a partner at the Law Firm, Schaerr Jaffe, and a senior fellow at the Center for Renewing America, was part of the first Trump administration and an ally in advancing Trump’s American First agenda. Alongside then-OMB Director Russ Vought, who has also been asked by Trump to head the OMB again, Paoletta arranged federal funding to build Trump’s border wall facing Mexico.

“Mark is a conservative warrior who knows the ‘ins and outs’ of Government - He will help us, Make America Great Again!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The president-elect also endorsed K.C. Crosbie for the next co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

The position became open after Lara Trump announced on Dec. 8 that she would be stepping down and was considering a possible Senate appointment in the incoming administration as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has been named by Trump to be the next secretary of state.

Crosbie previously served as the RNC’s treasurer and the national committeewoman representing Kentucky.

“KC has been with me from the very beginning, helping real Republicans get elected across the Country, and would be a tremendous Co-Chair of the RNC! KC will work on continuing to ensure a highly functioning, fiscally responsible, and effective RNC that makes Election Integrity a highest priority,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 17:00

San Diego Sheriff 'Will Not' Comply With New 'Super Sanctuary' Protections For Illegals

San Diego Sheriff 'Will Not' Comply With New 'Super Sanctuary' Protections For Illegals

The San Diego County Sheriff's office is refusing to comply with the County Board of Supervisors' vote to turn the county into a "super" sanctuary by preventing local law enforcement from complying with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez

With the return of Trump to the White House, the board on Tuesday approved the measure in a 3-1 vote, prohibiting the use of its resources to help ICE, and limiting the use of its jails, county buildings and personnel in assisting federal immigration enforcement agents.

"San Diego County has always been a place where communities are valued, not divided and as a County Supervisor, I'm committed to leading a local government that promotes unity, equity, and justice for all, while upholding the law," said County Chairwoman Nora Vargas, adding "We will not allow our local resources to be used for actions that separate families, harm community trust, or divert critical local resources away from addressing our most pressing challenges. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and our County will not be a tool for policies that hurt our residents."

Not So Fast

In response, the San Diego County Sheriff says they will ignore the Board's resolution.

"The Sheriff's Office will not change its practices based on the Board resolution and policy that was passed at today's meeting," adding that "The Board of Supervisors does not set policy for the Sheriff's Office.

"The Sheriff as an independently elected official, sets the policy for the Sheriff's Office. California law prohibits the Board of Supervisors from interfering with the independent, constitutionally and statutorily designated investigative functions of the Sheriff."

Vargas doesn't know what to do!

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 16:40

House Passes $895 Billion Defense Authorization Bill

House Passes $895 Billion Defense Authorization Bill

Update (1638ET): The House on Wednesday passed the sweeping $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which cleared the chamber in a bipartisan 281-140 vote.

200 Republicans and 81 Democrats joined together to push it over the finish line, while Senate GOP Whip John Thune (SD) said he expects the package to hit the other chamber early next week.

The package includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members, as well as a 4.5% increase for all other members.

*  *  *

Authored by Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The House of Representatives could vote this week on a compromise version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with up to $895.2 billion in defense discretionary spending.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Nov. 19, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

This latest version of the NDAA, coming in at 1,813 pages, is a compromise between earlier House and Senate proposals for the annual defense bill.

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees released the new compromise bill on Dec. 7.

It allocates $849.9 billion for programs under the Department of Defense (DOD), another $33.3 billion for defense programs run through the Department of Energy and its Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and $512.4 million for defense-related activities.

The NDAA allows for up to $11.5 billion in discretionary spending adjustments, bringing the potential total to $895.2 billion.

Another $26.5 billion is tied to mandatory programs.

The new version includes increased funding to bolster U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region with $15.6 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a program focused on bolstering the U.S. military’s China-facing capabilities.

The spending allocation is $5.7 billion higher than the DOD requested.

Other provisions are aimed at reducing the risk of Chinese actors being able to access sensitive U.S. information.

Numerous measures bar the DOD from buying certain equipment or contracting for specific services from China.

The compromise NDAA also provides funding for seven new warships, including one Virginia-class submarine and supplemental funding for a second; an amphibious transport dock ship; and one medium landing ship.

It also authorizes funding for three new Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers; one more than the DOD requested.

The new NDAA fully funds the new Columbia-class submarine and B-21 Raider stealth bomber programs.

Included in the Act, is a 4.5 percent pay raise for all U.S. troops across the board, with enlisted ranks E-4 and below to receive a 14.5 percent pay boost.

Allowances are increased for both the cost of living and basic needs for servicemembers.

The bill also bolsters family support by funding childcare programs and new facilities, as well as expanding military spouse employment support.

“Servicemember quality of life concerns are a major cause of low morale and family stress, which are undermining recruitment, retention, and military readiness,” the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee said in a summary.

“The 2025 NDAA will improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families.”

Culture War Riders

Cultural controversies have posed a hurdle for the Democrat-led Senate and the Republican-led House to reconcile their differing defense plans.

The version of the NDAA that the House passed in June included provisions to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions within the DOD and freeze new DEI hires.

Other measures in the House version of the bill stripped funds from abortion-related travel, barred funding for the teaching of “gender ideology” in DOD-funded schools, and barred defense spending on gender transition services.

The compromise NDAA version maintains the DEI hiring freeze but drops the House provisions to outright eliminate DEI programs and positions.

It also drops the efforts to block funding for abortion-related travel and eliminates money for materials promoting gender ideology in DOD-funded schools.

The compromise bill does bar the DOD’s health care program, Tricare, from covering gender-transitioning treatments for children under the age of 18.

Another House NDAA provision, that would bar the DOD from knowingly contracting with entities that engage in the boycotts of Israel, carried over into the compromise bill.

Republicans and Democrats both claimed some victories in the cultural battles.

“The FY25 NDAA builds upon the gains made in the FY24 NDAA to end the radical woke ideology being forced on our servicemen and women and restores the focus of our military on lethality,” the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee said in its assessment of the compromise bill.

By contrast, House Armed Services Democrats said they “were successful in blocking provisions that attacked DEI programs, the LGBT community, and women’s access to reproductive health care.”

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, still hopes to change the final bill, to eliminate the provision barring Tricare coverage for gender-transitioning treatment for minor children.

“Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong,” Smith said in a Dec. 8 press statement.

“This provision injected a level of partisanship not traditionally seen in defense bills.”

Smith accused House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of using the provision to appeal to extreme elements within his party and urged Johnson to abandon the provision.

Provisions Not Adopted

The new bill drops hundreds of additional legislative provisions lawmakers in the House and Senate had sought.

The Senate Armed Services Committee had proposed S. Amdt. 3290 as an omnibus amendment encompassing 93 other changes and legislative provisions.

One would have required U.S. individuals and business entities to notify the Treasury Department of outbound investments in critical technology sectors in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

This notification provision would have covered a range of sensitive technology investments, including advanced semiconductors and microelectronics, hypersonic, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence systems.

The compromise NDAA proposal went forward without adopting many provisions laid out in amendment 3290, including the outbound investment notification measure.

The House had hoped to include a provision codifying a drone corps as a basic component of the U.S. Army, but that measure didn’t make it into the new bill.

Another provision in the House NDAA called on the DOD to prepare a report on plans for defeating Mexican drug cartels.

This provision did not make it into the compromise bill.

However, it directs the secretary of defense to prepare an assessment of the Mexican military’s capabilities for countering transnational criminal organizations, and of the DOD’s counternarcotics support for Mexican forces by April 1, 2025.

Tyler Durden Wed, 12/11/2024 - 16:38

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