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An Antidote to the FDR Cult

If there were any doubts that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the greatest scoundrels of American political history, David Beito‘s new biography should settle the issue. Beito—whose previous book, The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights, did yeoman’s work exposing Roosevelt’s depredations against civil liberties—has now written FDR: A New Political Life, and it should help FDR get the villainous reputation he deserves.

Treachery was the consistent theme of Roosevelt’s political life. During his 1932 presidential campaign, FDR signaled that he would not take the United States currency off the gold standard, but he wasted no time in betraying that pledge when he took office. On April 5, 1933, Roosevelt commanded all citizens to surrender their gold to the government. No citizen was permitted to own more than $100 in gold coins, except for rare coins with special value for collectors. Anyone who possessed more than 5 gold Double Eagle coins faced 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If you distrusted the government and sought to retain your gold, Roosevelt condemned you as a “hoarder.” But after the confiscation, FDR announced that gold would be henceforth valued at $35 an ounce, not $20 an ounce—thereby providing a windfall for the government.

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Federal judge rules ICE agents in Colorado may only arrest illegal immigrants likely to flee

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Colorado may only arrest illegal immigrants without a warrant if the targets are likely to flee.

U.S. District Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson’s order comes after a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and other lawyers on behalf of four people, including asylum-seekers, who were arrested by ICE without warrants earlier this year as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

The lawsuit accuses immigration agents of indiscriminately arresting Latinos to meet the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement goals without evaluating the requirements to legally detain them.

The judge said each of the plaintiffs had long-standing ties to their communities and no reasonable agent could have believed they were likely to flee before obtaining a warrant.

Under federal law, immigration agents must have probable cause to believe someone is in the country illegally and likely to flee before a warrant can be obtained, in order to arrest them without one, Jackson said.

Immigration agents are also required to document the reasons for arresting someone.

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Psychotherapist Who Claimed That Trump Derangement Syndrome is Real Now Getting Death Threats

Here at the Gateway Pundit, we recently highlighted a story about the New York City psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, who says that Trump Derangement Syndrome is completely real.

Alpert described the condition, saying:

People are obsessed with Trump. They’re fixated — they’re hyper-fixated on Trump. And they talk about some of the features of this disorder: they can’t sleep, they feel traumatized by Mr. Trump, they feel restless. I had one patient who said she couldn’t enjoy a vacation because any time she saw Trump in the news or on her device, she felt triggered. So this is a profound pathology, and I would even go so far as to call it the defining pathology of our time.

Now, for exposing this, Alpert is supposedly getting death threats. Doesn’t that just kind of confirm that what he said is accurate?

FOX News reports:

Therapist says he received threats after calling ‘Trump derangement syndrome’ real ‘pathology’

A Manhattan-based psychotherapist claims he has received dozens of hate messages, including death threats, since speaking publicly about seeing patients in his practice he describes as experiencing “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Jonathan Alpert, author of the forthcoming book “Therapy Nation,” said he faced backlash after appearing on Fox News last week to discuss his Nov. 12 Wall Street Journal op-ed about “patients across the political spectrum” who bring up President Donald Trump in therapy sessions “not to discuss policy but to process obsession, rage and dread.”

Alpert shared with Fox News Digital several messages he said he received via text and email over the past week.

“Eat s— and die you racist fascist piece of s—… f—ing uneducated MAGA scumbag,” one message read…

“It’s been intense,” Alpert reacted to the messages, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “I expected disagreement, but I didn’t expect the level of hostility, especially from people in the mental health field.”

The people who are threatening him don’t seem to realize that they are proving his point for him.

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30K students actually absent Monday from Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools despite initial reports, officials say

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Tuesday, Nov. 18 said that 30,399 students were absent from school on Monday, Nov. 17. Officials initially reported that 20,935 students were absent on Monday.

According to the district, the number of absences was updated overnight Monday into Tuesday. The new number — nearly 30,399 — was reportedly unofficial.

The data still needed to be finalized by the state, the district said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools did not say whether the absences were connected to a Border Patrol operation underway in the city.

Hundreds of students stage walkouts

Border Patrol agents launched an immigration operation in Charlotte and surrounding areas on Saturday, Nov. 15. The operation, dubbed “Charlotte’s Web.”

Hundreds of students staged walkouts on Tuesday to protest the federal immigration operation. The walkouts happened across four different schools in the area.

Students from East Mecklenburg High School, Philip O. Berry Academy, Ballantyne Ridge High School, and Northwest School of the Arts left class to protest.

“I think this is a direct contact for students to be able to say something and voice their opinion in a positive way,” said parent Portia Jones.

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Putin ‘sends top general to Venezuela along with troops tasked with training up President Maduro’s forces’ as US considers attacking South American country

Vladimir Putin has sent one of his top generals to Venezuela, along with troops tasked with training Nicolás Maduro’s forces, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official. 

The revelation comes as the US continues to amass a huge military presence in the region, with Donald Trump considering an attack on the South American country. 

Ukraine’s Lt General Kyrlo Budanov has said that Colonel General Oleg Makarevich is leading Russia‘s ‘Equator Task Force’, a group of more than 120 personnel who are coaching the Venezuelan army on everything from infantry tactics to drone use. 

Budanov claims that the Russian mission was already in place before the United States dramatically increased its number of equipment and personnel close to Venezuela. 

The Ukrainian spy chief spoke as Trump‘s administration maintains a large number of US warships, aircraft and troops close to Venezuelan waters. 

Washington says the deployment is aimed at drug traffickers, but it is also part of a campaign to pressure Maduro to resign. Trump’s senior advisers, including defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, are said to be presenting him with options for military operations. 

Budanov argued that Makarevich and his men would not leave if the United States launched an attack. 

He told The War Zone: ‘I think they will be behind the scenes and officially, Russia will try to speak to the US because their units are in Venezuela. It’s just a game.’  

He described the Russian contingent as ‘military advisors and also teachers,’ and said they were providing training for infantry units, UAV operators and special forces. He added that the task force was also helping Venezuela gather signals intelligence.

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New Jersey Governor’s Special Election Trick Is ‘Blatant Political Corruption’

As legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi was fond of saying, winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing. Lombardi didn’t invent that declaration of excellence, nor did he believe that everything included rigging the rules to one team’s advantage. 

The Democratic Party on the other hand has taken the mantra to mean doing everything — and anything — to win. Victory at all costs includes rigging primary timelines to benefit the preferred candidates of party bosses, Republicans allege. 

Special Leftists

While most pols have turned the page from this month’s blue state liberal wins to next year’s pivotal midterms, there’s still some electoral business to finish before the close of 2025. 

Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is in the homestretch of a special election slated for Tuesday. The race pits Republican and military vet Matt Van Epps against state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat, to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Mark Green. 

Van Epps is running with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who won the sprawling congressional district by more than 22 percentage points last year. Behn, known as the “AOC of Tennessee” in no small part because of her stated belief that men can have babies, has the backing of a long list of big-name leftists.

And then there’s New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District special election to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill by virtue of her victory earlier this month in the Garden State’s gubernatorial race. Following Sherrill’s resignation from the congressional seat she’s held for nearly seven years, outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy set a rather hasty special election timeline. 

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Kash Patel Talks In Depth About Attempted Trump Assassin And His Motives

FBI Director Kash Patel told investigative journalist Catherine Herridge that hatred for the U.S. government and the two-party system played a role in Thomas Matthew Crooks’ attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa.

Herridge asked Patel what motivated Crooks, 20, to try to kill Trump, then the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Patel’s answer appeared to depart from previous FBI statements when bureau officials said they were unable to find a motive or ideology behind the assassination attempt. The FBI director — appearing on Herridge’s show “Straight to the Point” by the Los Angeles Times Media Group — told her that Trump was “satisfied” with his agency’s investigation into that fateful day. Patel stopped short of saying the case was closed.

“He [Crooks], as has been publicized, had a basically hateful relationship with the United States government, talked disparagingly about both political parties, to include President Trump, and talked about the need to take matters into his own hands. And, unfortunately, that’s what he did,” Patel said when Herridge asked about Crooks’ motive.

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The ‘Seditious Six’ Publicly Beg Rogue Spooks For Another Russia Hoax 

Congressional Democrats may have publicly committed an act of sedition against the United States of America. These politicians, now known as the “Seditious Six,” are encouraging insubordination to intentionally drive a wedge between the military and the commander-in-chief.

The propaganda video, posted by a former CIA officer-turned-senator, hypnotically suggests that military and intelligence officials should “refuse illegal orders.” These Democrats were unable to cite any specific “illegal orders” when pressed by multiple corporate media anchors over the weekend. Their campaign intended to recruit a new wave of lawfare-focused military and intel officials — like the ones who weaponized their agencies against President Trump — to commit congressionally approved sedition. 

In response, the Department of War has launched an investigation into retired Capt. Mark Kelly over allegations of misconduct. Last week, President Trump referred to the lawmakers in the video as “traitors.” This investigation is proof that the Trump administration recognizes this to be a clear and present danger, not just baseless rhetoric. 

It’s no secret that military and intelligence communities have been infiltrated by leftist operatives who prioritize political power over their sworn duty to defend our country. The most egregious examples include former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, former CIA Director John Brennan, and the countless military officials who supported an unlawful order by mandating their fellow service members to take the Covid-19 shot. The “Seditious Six” want this video to inspire more unelected bureaucrats to help undermine President Trump.

Milley, the highest-ranking military official during Trump’s first term, is the exact type of military officer this video is targeting. Milley earned degrees from the liberal institutions of Princeton and Columbia University. He infamously told the House Armed Services Committee he wanted to “understand white rage, and I’m white.” More seriously, he allegedly told Chinese military officials he would undermine President Trump by providing an early warning before an attack from the United States. Many legal scholars agree with Trump that this is an act of treason. Yet Joe Biden rewarded Milley’s treachery with an unconditional, blanket pardon.

This video hopes to target other officials like former CIA Director John Brennan, who weaponized his agency to attack Donald Trump. Brennan is currently under criminal investigation for the Russia-collusion hoax that systematically undermined Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 election. The effects of the hoax were felt through 2017, as it distracted congressional Republicans and nearly halted Trump’s policy agenda. In 2018, Brennan also coincidentally endorsed Elissa Slotkin, his former CIA colleague featured in the video, by saying she “will help derail the Trump train.”

The implementation of the unlawful Covid-19 shot mandate set a frightening precedent; it is proof that the military can be influenced by leftist propaganda. As a former military officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, I felt the effects of this unlawful order. It was shocking to see so many military leaders passionately enforce this mandate. Clearly, the most ruthless implementers were also shamelessly left-wing. Those opportunistic radicals may view this video as a wink and a nod to resist the duly elected president. 

The U.S. military is heavily involved in operations across the globe, from Ukraine to Venezuela. Respecting the president’s role as commander-in-chief is imperative now more than ever as the crisis in Venezuela continues to escalate. Troops in the field can’t succeed amid open calls for defiance. During prior national emergencies, such as at the dawn of World War II or the start of the Civil War, maintaining military order played a key role in operational success. Military structure ensures national survival. 

Congress doesn’t have the authority to tell service members to make personal decisions about the law. Democrats circumvent the rule of law when they argue it is a moral duty to defy orders. They are unqualified to have judicial decisions placed in their hands. Previous administrations ordered morally questionable operations, such as Barack Obama’s airstrikes in Yemen, which killed four American citizens. Despite moral objections, service members carried out the order because it came from their commanding officer.  

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Chat Control 2.0: EU Moves Toward Ending Private Communication

Between the coffee breaks and the diplomatic niceties of Brussels bureaucracy, a quiet dystopian revolution might be taking place. On November 26, a roomful of unelected officials could nod through one of the most consequential surveillance laws in modern European history, without ever having to face the public.

The plan, politely titled EU Moves to End Private Messaging with Chat Control 2.0, sits on the agenda of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, or Coreper, a club of national ambassadors whose job is to prepare legislation for the European Council. This Wednesday, they may “prepare” it straight into existence.

According to MEP Martin Sonneborn, Coreper’s diplomats could be ready to endorse the European Commission’s digital surveillance project in secret.

It was already due for approval a week earlier before mysteriously vanishing from the schedule. Now it’s back, with privacy advocates watching like hawks who suspect the farmer’s got a shotgun.

The Commission calls Chat Control 2.0 a child-protection measure. The branding suggests moral urgency; the text suggests mass surveillance. The proposal would let governments compel messaging services such as WhatsApp or Signal to scan users’ messages before they’re sent.

Officials insist that the newest version removes mandatory scanning, which is a bit like saying a loaded gun is safer because you haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

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Escape the Digital Purse Seine

Due to the relatively short lifespan of human beings, it can be difficult to put our own life experiences in perspective with history. This is why we have the saying, “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.” Combine a lack of historical knowledge with the fact that human nature doesn’t change much, and you have a recipe for human-caused misery, repeated over and over.

In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” we see an example of human nature gone awry, with lethal results. From the first, the reader is privy to Montresor’s disgust toward Fortunato and his desire to exact revenge for a perceived insult. As the story progresses, it should be evident to Fortunato that Montresor has ill intent, but Fortunato cannot imagine the evil, so he continues into the depths of the catacomb, willingly walking toward his own demise while being plied with wine and called “friend.”

Even as Montresor is about to place the last stone that will seal Fortunato’s death in chains behind the brick wall, Fortunato calls it a good joke that they will laugh about later. Montresor agrees, drops his torch into the opening, places the final brick, and piles old bones of his ancestors in front, where half a century later “no mortal has disturbed them.”

There are analyses interpreting Poe’s story, and its intended message, but surely one lesson is to pay attention when all the signs indicate that you are in a bad situation, even as others try to convince you of their solicitude and concern for your well-being. This is the dire situation of humanity today, in the form of the digital prison that is being formed right before our eyes under the guise of convenience, efficiency, and safety.

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