• FBI foils LA terror plot: Four members of the Order of the Black Lotus, an offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, have been arrested by the FBI on charges of conspiracy and possession of an explosive device. The FBI reports that the radical pro-Palestinian, anti-capitalist group was a credible terroristic threat due to its plan to coordinate bombings in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. The group also planned to target ICE agents shortly after the new year. Audrey Carroll, Zachary Page, Dante Garfield, and Tina Lai had arrived in the Mojave Desert and begun assembly of explosive devices for testing when the FBI intervened and arrested them. In court on Monday, Page identified himself as a trans woman and requested to be sent to a women’s prison.


• Trump EO on fentanyl: Yesterday, Donald Trump signed an executive order designating illicit fentanyl drugs as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). “Illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” Trump explained. “Two milligrams, an almost undetectable trace amount equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, constitutes a lethal dose.” Last year, fentanyl was responsible for 87,000 American deaths, accounting for the vast majority of drug overdose-related deaths in the country. The classification of fentanyl as a WMD follows Trump’s designation earlier this year of a number of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations over their trafficking of fentanyl. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted that Trump’s order will allow the U.S. to use “the full array of appropriate counter-fentanyl tools.”

• Update on Owens and Kirk meeting: Following the private in-person meeting between Charlie Kirk’s widow and Candace Owens, Erika Kirk called it “a very productive conversation,” adding, “more to come from both of us.” The CEO of TPUSA concluded, “Time to get back to work.” Owens also weighed in on X, saying it was “an extremely productive 4 ½ hour meeting that I think we both feel should have taken place a lot earlier than it did.” She also noted that the two “agreed on much more than I had anticipated,” while she also observed they had disagreements as well. Owens added that she would give a full rundown of the meeting on Tuesday. Given that Owens has spun outlandish and factually vacuous conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, it will be interesting to see if she pulls back from continuing to push them, particularly her claims of TPUSA’s involvement.

• Judge continues to stymie efforts to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia: Judge Paula Xinis has shown how incredibly far she is willing to go to protect human traffickers from justice. Last week, she ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from custody and forbade his deportation, claiming that the 2019 deportation order omitted the specific words requiring his removal. The administration rushed to secure such an order, and upon obtaining it, Xinis stepped in again, casting doubt on it and blocking the criminal’s re-arrest. Xinis, who used quotation marks around the deportation order, declared that the ability of the executive branch to be held to account is now at stake — suggesting that the overturning of her order so quickly puts the public’s faith in the administration of justice at stake. If the administration wanted to expose Xinis, it has done so. It’s time to stop playacting and deport Garcia.

• Chinese billionaires buy surrogate wombs in America: “Birth tourism” is on the rise in the U.S. as wealthy Chinese are using fertility services to have numerous children born in America. Some have had up to 100 babies via IVF and surrogacy without even setting foot in the country. The Wall Street Journal reports, “A thriving mini-industry of American surrogacy agencies, law firms, clinics, delivery agencies and nanny services — even to pick up the newborns from hospitals — has risen to accommodate the demand, permitting parents to ship their genetic material abroad and get a baby delivered back, at a cost of up to $200,000 per child.” Most U.S. states don’t bar international parents from working with American surrogates. Chinese law does prohibit domestic surrogacy, but it does not stop its citizens from acquiring surrogacy overseas. Not only are there serious ethical issues involved in IVF and renting out wombs, but the birthright citizenship abuse has also reached a whole new level.

• Ford EVs found on road dead: Offering products that customers want is generally considered basic business sense. Indeed, a company will quickly find itself out of business if customers aren’t buying what it’s selling. This explains Ford’s recent decision to stop production of its electric vehicle, the F-150 Lighting, and instead invest in building hybrid trucks. This move represents a significant pivot away from Ford’s 2021 commitment to invest heavily in EVs. A Tennessee plant Ford had planned for EV manufacturing will now be repurposed for building gas-powered trucks, and a Kentucky plant Ford had proposed to build EV batteries will now be retooled to make batteries for stationary storage. Ford has reportedly lost $13 billion on its EVs since 2023. That is not a sustainable business model, hence the change. This is good news for customers.

• Hunter Biden disbarred in CT: As part of a deal connected to his gun and tax cases, Hunter Biden’s attorneys struck a deal last year, and a judge on Monday disbarred Biden in Connecticut. Judge Patrick L. Carroll III ruled that Biden had violated Connecticut’s lawyer ethics rules by his “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” Carroll also noted Biden’s disbarment in DC. While disbarred, Biden avoids admitting any criminal wrongdoing through the deal. Joe Biden pardoned Hunter — an action he promised he would not do following his criminal conviction tied to a 2018 illegal firearm purchase — less than two weeks before he was to be sentenced.

• Chicago’s dumb budget: It’s a surprising move from an organization that usually carries water for Democrats, but the new Chicago budget proposal earned even The Washington Post’s disapproval. The city’s operating budget has increased 40% in the last six years, in large part due to programs and personnel added with COVID funding. One of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposals to fill the gap left by expired COVID funding is to reinstate a “head tax” on large companies, effectively raising the cost of employing Chicago residents by $21 a month. The City Council rejected Johnson’s first proposal, so he doubled down, proposing a new $33-a-month head tax on every company with over 100 employees. Johnson also suggested a 50¢ tax on social media companies for every Chicago user after the first 100,000. If Johnson wants to kill commerce in his city, he’s got the budget proposals to do it.

• Chile elects first conservative in decades: Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast ran on a platform of being tough on crime, restoring law and order, and making Chile great again, so, naturally, the Leftmedia rushed to label him far-right. The 59-year-old Catholic family man will be the first conservative leader in Chile in decades thanks to his defeat of Communist Jeanette Jara on Sunday. Kast is good friends with Javier Milei, the leader of Chile’s close neighboring country, Argentina. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to congratulate Kast on X, expressing his desire to partner with Chile to “strengthen regional security and revitalize our trade relationship.” Suddenly, South America has a solid bloc of center-right leaders stretching from Ecuador on the Pacific to Argentina on the Atlantic.

Headlines

• Trump says he is “considering” marijuana reclassification (The Hill)

• Bondi Beach terrorists had homemade bombs and ISIS flags in their car (NY Post)

• Pentagon “escalating” review of “serious allegations” against Mark Kelly (RedState)

• U.S. hits three more drug boats in Pacific, killing eight (CBS News)

• After throwing billions at the Metaverse, Zuckerberg is finally cutting its funding (Not the Bee)

• Pro-democracy Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai found guilty in national security trial (National Review)

• To read The Free Press in the UK, you need to submit ID to “protect children” (Hot Air)

• Satire: Democrats warn that ban on Islamic immigration may delay global intifada (Babylon Bee)

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