Category: Security

A United States veteran who was the final member of the famous World War II “Merrill Marauders” died on Tuesday at the age of 99.

According to The Associated Press, 99-year-old World War II veteran Russell Hamler died on Tuesday. Russell Hamler’s son, Jeffrey Hamler, confirmed his death; however, he did not disclose the cause of the World War II veteran’s death.

According to Russell Hamler’s biography, which was published in January by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Hamler was the last surviving member of the Merrill Marauders.

Hamler was born in June of 1924 and raised in Pennsylvania before enlisting in the U.S. Army when he was 18, according to the VA’s online biography. After he completed basic training in Fort Riley, Kansas, Hamler was sent to Puerto Rico as part of the 27th Calvary Troop.

In September of 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt called for 3,000 volunteers to take part in an important mission behind enemy lines in the Pacific. Hamler volunteered for the mission, which was commanded by Brig. Gen. Frank Merrill under the 5307th Composite Unit Provisional, which was nicknamed Merrill’s Marauders.

According to The Associated Press, the mission of the Marauders was to cut off Japanese supply lines and communications as they completed an almost 1,000-mile march to the Myitkyina Airfield, which was intended to be used as a supply route for the Allies between China and India. Between February and August of 1944, the unit fought in five major engagements against Japanese forces, as well as 40 minor engagements, according to the VA.

While the Marauders started with a force of 3,000 soldiers, only about 200 soldiers survived the completion of the mission. Many of the soldiers were killed in the numerous fights against Japanese troops, while others died from malaria and malnutrition.

READ MORE: US Air Force increasing Pacific presence, rebuilds WWII base

Despite the grueling nature of the mission, the Marauders eventually succeeded in capturing Myitkyina Airfield, which was the only all-weather airstrip located in northern Burma. The unit disbanded after the objective was completed.

Each of the Marauders was awarded the Bronze Star for their heroic service to the United States during World War II. Congress also awarded the Marauders in 2022 with the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest honor Congress can bestow.

According to the VA, Hamler was wounded in the hip during the battle of Nhpum Ga by a mortar fragment, which caused Hamler to be immobilized in a foxhole for over 10 days before he was rescued and transported to a hospital in India.

For his service during World War II, Hamler received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Following his military service, Hamler worked as an aircraft mechanic with Trans World Airlines until his retirement in 1985.

A “rogue” wave along the California coastline caused at least eight people to be hospitalized Thursday as massive waves bombarded the city of Ventura and other cities along the coast.

The Ventura County Fire Department shared video footage of the rogue wave, highlighting the “dangerous” nature of the California beaches on Thursday and warning the public to avoid going near the ocean.

“Watch when a rogue wave hits the beach at the end of Seaward Ave in the City of Ventura. This occurred during the high surf advisory at high tide,” the Ventura County Fire Department wrote in a post on social media. “Because of this wave eight people were transported to local hospitals. Currently the beaches are closed in Ventura County and so is the Ventura Pier. For your safety, please avoid the area near the ocean, as it can be quite dangerous.”

#HighSurf – Watch when a rogue wave hits the beach at the end of Seward Ave in the City of Ventura. This occurred during the high surf advisory at high tide. Because of this wave eight people were transported to local hospitals. Currently the beaches are closed in Ventura County… pic.twitter.com/VlRlgRLhpn

— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) December 29, 2023

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, rogue waves, which can also be described as “killer” or “monster waves,” are caused by unexpected and dangerous swells.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states, “Rogues, called ‘extreme storm waves’ by scientists, are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves.”

In addition to the rogue wave that hit the city of Ventura, the Sacramento Bee also reported that a massive wave overwhelmed a restaurant patio in Santa Cruz, prompting the county to issue warnings to prepare residents for possible evacuations.

READ MORE: Video: Coast Guard discovers ‘migrant landing’ on Calif. beach: Report

The National Weather Service released a high surf advisory for the region, issued a flood advisory in Carmel, and urged California residents to “stay AWAY from the water!” Encouraging people to “use extreme caution,” the National Weather Service warned, “Waves can EASILY knock people down and sweep them away.”

This video is a prime example of why we urge people to stay AWAY from the water! Waves can EASILY knock people down and sweep them away.

Use extreme caution! These waves are breaking at 28-33′ and can easily breach the tops of low cliffs or seawalls like those seen here. #CAwx https://t.co/iN2dzUfaoX

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) December 28, 2023

A forecast shared on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this week warned residents that “extremely large northwest swells” could impact the coastal region by Thursday.

The forecast warned, “This developing situation could cause coastal moderate flooding due to the wave heights up to 12 feet to between 18 feet possibly even isolated higher amounts on south-facing beaches.”

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.

Beijing has sanctioned Kharon, a U.S.-based company that helps businesses comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the import of goods made using forced labor in China’s far-west.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday the sanctions were a “countermeasure” to hit back at sanctions imposed on Dec. 8 by the United States against two Chinese officials for their role in “serious human rights abuses” against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region. 

“In accordance with China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, we will take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon, which has long collected Xinjiang-related sensitive information and provided so-called evidence for America’s illegal sanctions,” Mao said.

Mao said sanctions would also be issued against Kharon’s director of investigations, Edmund Xu, and Nicole Morgret, a former researcher with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, which earlier this year issued a report about U.S. brands ties to Uyghur-mined gold.

She said both Xu and Morget would be banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, and would have any assets frozen there.

“We again urge the U.S. to stop smearing China, cancel the illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, and stop implementing wrongful acts such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” Mao said at a press briefing. “If the U.S. refuses to change course, China will not flinch and will respond in kind.”

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

Los Angeles-based Kharon describes itself as a research company that helps businesses “identify a wide range of sanctions and compliance risks” to assist “with managing financial crimes, supply chain exposure, export controls, investment risk, and more.”

Among other things, the company helps businesses comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the import into the United States of any goods produced using the slave labor of Uyghurs, and presumes that any goods originating from Xinjiang are tainted.

In a statement, Kharon said its “world-class” investigative and analytical services were “relied upon by thousands of clients, customers, and stakeholders to effectively and efficiently manage risk in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.”

The firm also denied it was engaging in a smear campaign and said that because it has no presence in China, the sanctions “will not impact its operations or ability to service its clients.”

“Kharon notes that the Government of China has sanctioned other U.S. businesses, individuals, and organizations over the last several years,” it said, adding it “will continue to provide research and data analytics that is objective, independent, and based on reliable sources.”

As many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other members of ethnic Turkic groups are thought to have been detained by Chinese authorities since 2017. The United States has previously labeled the effort a genocide and has cited allegations of torture, forced labor, sterilization, and severe restrictions on freedom of speech, movement and religion.

China has called its efforts in Xinjiang a “de-extremification” campaign and has dismissed allegations of widespread abuse as a lie.

Louisa Greve, the director of global advocacy for the Uyghur Human Rights Project and a former colleague of Morgret, said the sanctions issued by Beijing were a hamfisted attempt to hit back at an increasingly successful global campaign to call out its abuses.

“Overall, it is clear that the Chinese government wishes to censor and intimidate anyone uncovering the facts about the Chinese government’s state imposed forced labor of Uyghurs,” Greve said. “However, these sanctions cannot cover up the truth.”

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.

For many commuters in the Iranian capital, navigating the subway system means passing through “tunnels of horror.”

Entrances and corridors in Tehran’s subway stations are lined with so-called hijab guards, women wearing black chadors and green sashes. And while the role of these squads is clear — to spot and confront women not wearing the mandatory head scarf — determining responsibility for their deployment has been shrouded in mystery.

But the publication of a classified Interior Ministry document showing the state’s clear ties to the hijab guards, as well as legal action against the reformist newspaper that published the document, has revealed an apparent government cover-up that has rekindled public anger over the Islamic republic’s heavy-handed approach to enforcing the hijab law.

It has also left officials exposed to harsh criticism and calls for their resignation following the government’s insistence that the guards were voluntary and had no connection to the state.

As recently as November 22, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said at a cabinet meeting that the hijab guards were not part of his ministry or the morality police, an official law enforcement body infamous for its harsh treatment of hijab violators.

Vahidi pushed back on suggestions that the hijab guards should require special permits and insisted the squads of women were carrying out their duties out of religious faith and independently of the authorities.

Vahidi described them as “popular groups” who were carrying out their Islamic duty to promote virtue and prevent vice. “Everyone has a duty for this, but it should be done with good manners and solely through verbal advice,” he said.

Watchful Eye Of ‘Morality’

Prior to the interior minister’s claims, concerns had been raised about the presence of the squads in subways in Tehran and other major cities.

Tensions remain high in Iran over the hijab law, which the authorities took steps to strengthen amid lingering tensions over 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in September 2022. Amini’s death, which came just days after her detention in Tehran by the morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, led to nationwide protests and hundreds of demonstrators’ deaths across the country.

Despite lasting public anger, parliament around the anniversary of Amini’s death approved an updated version of the law that included harsher penalties for violations, including prison sentences of up to 10 years.

It also empowered three intelligence agencies — the Intelligence Ministry, the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization, and the Intelligence Organization of the Judiciary — along with police, the Basij paramilitary forces, and the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to take action against women in violation of the mandatory hijab regulations.

This all took place as reports of the appearance of the hijab guards emerged amid efforts to suppress the Women, Life, Freedom movement forged after Amini’s death.

And in late October, outrage came to the fore again after another young woman died following an alleged encounter with “morality” enforcers earlier that month.

Armita Garavand, 17, died after falling into a coma after an alleged confrontation at a Tehran subway station on October 1. Some reports have suggested she was assaulted by the morality police, while others have said the hijab guards were responsible.

On November 21, prominent commentator Abbas Abdi warned in the reformist Etemad newspaper that the deployment of the guards risked further increasing public anger at the authorities and widening societal divisions.

Vahidi’s subsequent characterization of the guards as well-intentioned vigilantes did not go over well with many, including rights activists and reformist-minded media and politicians.

Mostafa Faghihi, managing director of the Entekhab news website, skewered Vahidi’s comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, on November 22.

“Interesting! So, this tunnel of horrors at the metro is a citizens’ [initiative]!” the post said. “Do people also pay their monthly salary? Are they also hired and organized under citizens’ supervision?”

On November 26, Etemad’s publication of part of a document labeled “highly confidential” and bearing the seal of the Interior Ministry, shot holes in Vahidi’s denials of a connection between the state and the hijab guards.

Presented to various government entities and dated June 9, the document laid out the responsibilities of the guards and gave instructions on the deployment of thousands of them in public places. It also outlined a broader strategy of dealing with hijab violators, who it said should be photographed in all areas of the subway, inside subway cars, and handed over to police for arrest.

The apparent link between the government and the hijab guards was further clarified when the Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced that there were more than 2,800 members of the group deployed, and that its activities were coordinated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Basij forces, the Tehran municipality, the Prosecutor’s Office, and other state bodies.

The Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is a government institution that shapes and enforces Iran’s morality laws and was instrumental in developing the stricter hijab legislation.

Its secretary, Mohammad Saleh Hashemi Golpayegani, in August 2022 announced the installation of surveillance cameras in public spaces such as subways to identify women in violation of the hijab law.

The European Union considers Golpayegani “responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran” and in January introduced restrictive measures against him.

Cause For Dismissal?

The authorities in Iran took steps immediately to punish Etemad for publishing the damning document that sparked the scandal, with the Public Prosecutor’s Office filing criminal charges against the newspaper for illegally disseminating confidential information.

The legal action attempting to muzzle the press in combination with Vahidi’s claims about the hijab guard’s autonomy prompted harsh reactions, including from within political circles and media.

In a letter to the judiciary this week, the reformist Voice of Iranians party, also known as the Neda party, flatly accused Vahidi of being a “liar” and argued that his comments were “a bigger and more unforgivable sin than not wearing a hijab.”

The Rouydad24 news website, meanwhile, called for Vahidi’s dismissal, arguing that he had “lied” to the people and that his position on the hijab guards was “hypocritical.”

Actor Lee Sun-kyun, who gained international fame in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite,” has died in Seoul amid a police investigation into suspected drug use. He was 48.

His death was confirmed by the Associated Press and Korean media outlets, which cited local police.

Lee’s wife reported to police that he left a note akin to a suicide note, according to Korean-language outlet Yonhap News. Police later found Lee unconscious inside his car at a park in Seoul around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, local time, according to the outlet.

Lee had been under investigation by local police over the last couple of months due to allegations of drug use.

Yonhap News reported that he’d been questioned on suspicion of using marijuana and other illegal drugs. Lee had previously stated that he was tricked into doing drugs.

The actor’s agency, HODU&U Entertainment, said in October that Lee had faced threats and extortion regarding the alleged drug use. He tested negative in drug tests administered by authorities, according to Yonhap News.

Over the weekend, Lee had faced 19 hours of police questioning, Yonhap News reported.

The actor, who has had a long career in South Korea dating back to 1999, first gained renown in 2007 as one of the main actors in the medical drama “Behind the White Tower” and in the romantic comedy “Coffee Prince.” In 2018, he played the main male protagonist in the drama “My Mister.”

He gained worldwide fame with his role as Park Dong-ik, a tech titan, in the 2019 movie “Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon Ho. Bong’s movie is the first non-English-language picture to win the Oscar for best picture.

The movie’s cast, including Lee, was praised by reviewers, including Justin Chang of The Times.

“Nearly every great performance is a well-executed con, an elaborate scheme skillfully foisted on the audience,” Chang wrote in 2020. “That’s surely one reason why the ‘Parasite’ actors have connected so forcefully with critics and audiences around the world, even those who may emerge from the theater remembering individual faces better than names.”

Last year, Lee was nominated for best actor at the International Emmy Awards for his performance in the sci-fi thriller “Dr. Brain.”

The police investigation seemed to take a toll on Lee’s career, prompting the actor to drop out of K-drama thriller series “No Way Out,” according to media reports.

Intense questioning over alleged drug abuse is not uncommon in South Korea, a country with strict drug laws and growing public concern over drug abuse.

At the same time as Lee’s drug probe, police were investigating K-pop star G-Dragon, Kwon Ji-yong of the band Big Bang, for alleged use of illicit drugs at a bar in Seoul in December 2022. The case was closed earlier this month after Kwon tested negative in drug tests and police were unable to find enough evidence of drug use.

Kwon announced Monday that he would donate 300 million won, about $230,000, to establish a foundation to combat drug abuse.

Earlier this year, “Hellbound” and “Burning” actor Yoo Ah-in was accused of illegally using drugs including marijuana, propofol and cocaine. He underwent 21 hours of questioning by police in May.

A Seoul court rejected an arrest warrant request by police, after Yoo admitted to most of the drug charges. The highly publicized case led to public opprobrium, including one person hitting him with a plastic water bottle after his May court appearance.

In a statement released to Korean media after Lee’s death, HODU&U Entertainment said, “There is no way to contain our sorrow and despair.

“We respectfully ask that you refrain from spreading falsehoods based on speculations,” the statement read.

Lee is survived by his wife, actor Jeon Hye Jin, and their two sons.

Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline, 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.

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© 2023 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

James Feeley, a 56-year-old Boston-area police lieutenant, is accused of raping a child under the age of 14. Court records reportedly show the victim was younger than 12 years old.

The 21-year veteran of the Winthrop Police Department pleaded not guilty at his Wednesday arraignment, according to WBZ-TV. He’s also said to be a church leader.

The alleged crime was reported Tuesday. Counts against the Massachusetts cop include indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. Feeley was released on $200,000 bail and is wearing an ankle monitor. He’s due back in court January 29.

Winthrop Police said in a statement that the accused officer is on administrative leave “pending the outcome of a criminal investigation headed by State Police Detectives assigned to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.”

Details of the alleged crime haven’t been made public, though Feeley’s lawyer reportedly said in court his client, who has no criminal record, “brought shame upon his family” and was the one who brought “to light” the situation apparently leading to charges against him. The Boston Herald reported court documents stated Feeley allegedly assaulted the child victim multiple times.

Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty reportedly told Massachusetts State Police detectives he was notified Tuesday the suspect was with family at his parents’ gravesites in a “bad way” and worried he was suicidal.

“Wait until I tell you what I’ve done,” Feeley reportedly told Delehanty.

Feeley studied sociology at UMass Boston until 1991 before joining the police department in 2001, according to his LinkedIn page. The Boston Herald said he became a lieutenant in 2020 after spending three years as a sergeant.

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© 2023 New York Daily News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

The United States Air Force is planning to once again utilize the Pacific airfield that was used to launch the atomic bombings against Japan during World War II. The island of Tinian is expected to serve as one of the multiple Pacific bases the U.S. Air Force could use to disperse its forces in the region in the event of a future conflict with China.

In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, explained that Tinian’s North Airfield is in the process of being restored. 

According to Stars and Stripes, North Airfield featured four 8,500-foot runways in 1945, which allowed the Air Force to launch its B-29 Superfortress bombers against Japan.

Since its use during World War II, the airfield has experienced significant jungle overgrowth. Wilsbach noted that North Airfield “has extensive pavement underneath the overgrown jungle. We’ll be clearing that jungle out between now and summertime.” Wilsbach noted that the airfield will be “an extensive” base once it is completed.

While he did not disclose details concerning when the Air Force will be able to utilize the airfield, he told Nikkei Asia, “If you pay attention in the next few months, you will see significant progress.”

READ MORE: Air Force punishes 15 troops

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which was recently approved by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, provides the military with tens of millions of dollars for multiple projects on the island of Tinian.

Funding under the National Defense Authorization Act includes $26 million for the development of the airfield, $46 million for a cargo pad and taxiway extension, $32 million for parking aprons, $20 million for fuel tanks, and $4.7 million for a support and maintenance facility on the island.

According to Stars and Stripes, the projects on the island of Tinian are part of the U.S. military’s plan to restore multiple airfields in the Pacific that were previously used by the United States during World War II.

Stars and Stripes reported that the Air Force is working to establish additional bases in the Pacific to allow for the disbursement of aircraft in the event of a future conflict, especially since Chinese missiles are capable of reaching current U.S. bases in the Pacific.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf, a former deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told Stars and Stripes, “With modern aircraft and weapons, some of the preparatory work for a modern airfield is much better done in advance rather than response making it important to act now.”

With a growing number of the world’s billionaires making plans for apocalypse bunkers, multiple survival shelter companies now offer luxurious bunkers with pools, private theaters, and other amenities for the elite to enjoy in the event of a world-ending catastrophe.

According to The Guardian, Billionaire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently building a 5,000-square-foot bunker in Hawaii to be used in any future apocalypse event. Zuckerberg’s Hawaii compound and bunker is estimated to cost roughly $270 million.

Billionaire Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and a well-known Libertarian advocate, also proposed an elaborate bunker lodge in New Zealand’s South Island. However, a local council rejected Thiel’s plans in 2022, citing the potential for the billionaire’s bunker to have a negative impact on New Zealand’s landscape, according to The Guardian.

READ MORE: ‘Internet apocalypse’ possible, scientist warns

In addition to the individual bunkers being constructed by billionaires such as Zuckerberg and Thiel, multiple survival bunker companies have launched projects for wealthy individuals to co-invest in. Survival Condo is one of the top luxury bunker options currently available for the world’s richest individuals. It offers packages such as a $3 million 1820 square-foot full-floor unit.

The company’s website states, “This ‘Package’ is much more than just a ‘Survival Condo Unit.’ This ‘Package’ includes a fully furnished and custom-designed interior, special equipment for registered members, computer access to condo systems, and much more. Only a portion of the total fee is for the actual Survival Condo Unit.”

In addition to the individual packages offered at multi-million dollar prices, the Survival Condo includes an indoor pool, spa, workout facility, theater, bar and lounge, library, classroom, medical center, communication center, digital weather station, general store, organic hydroponic and aquaculture food production, and other amenities.

A video posted on YouTube in May of 2022 shows the floor plan for the Survival Condo’s full-floor unit.

Vivos Global Shelter Network, self-described as “The Backup Plan For Humanity,” highlights the features it offers for people who invest in costly underground bunkers. The company claims to offer underground “complexes” that are designed to “survive or substantially mitigate virtually any catastrophe.”

The company’s website states, “Whatever the threat, our shelters are built and engineered to withstand or mitigate just about everything from a pole shift, to super volcano eruptions, solar flares, earthquakes, tsunamis, pandemics, asteroid strikes, the anticipated affects of Planet X – Nibiru, and manmade threats including nuclear explosions, a reactor melt down, biological or chemical disasters, terrorism and even widespread anarchy.”

Just over a week after former President Donald Trump was disqualified from Colorado’s 2024 ballot, the Michigan Supreme Court handed the former president a major win Wednesday by ruling against the Democrat’s attempt to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.

On Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled against Free Speech For The People’s challenge to disqualify the former president from appearing on the presidential primary ballot based on claims that Trump participated in an insurrection during the Capitol Hill protest on January 6, 2021.

The Michigan Supreme Court justices explained in a brief order, “The application for leave to appeal the

December 14, 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is DENIED, because we are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court.”

According to The Daily Wire, Free Speech For The People’s application was filed to challenge the decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals that allowed the Republican Party to make its own decision regarding whether Trump could appear on the presidential primary election ballot.

“The Michigan Supreme Court has strongly and rightfully denied the Desperate Democrat attempt to take the leading Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election, me, off the ballot in the Great State of Michigan,” Trump said in a celebratory post on Truth Social after the Michigan Supreme Court announced its ruling Wednesday. “This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats. Colorado is the only State to have fallen prey to the scheme.”

READ MORE: Trump handed major win by Supreme Court

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Welch explained in an opinion that the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling “still allows appellants to renew their legal efforts as to the Michigan general election later in 2024 should Trump become the Republican nominee for President of the United States or seek such office as an independent candidate.”

Despite the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, Free Speech For The People has indicated that it will continue to push for the removal of Trump’s name from the ballot in Michigan and in other states across the country. The liberal activist organization has launched efforts in multiple states to prevent Trump from appearing on the ballot based on claims that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies the former president from holding office again.

“The decision isn’t binding on any court outside Michigan and we continue our current and planned legal actions in other states to enforce Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment against Donald Trump,” Ron Fein, Free Speech For The People’s legal director, said in a statement.

Additionally, Mark Brewer of Goodman Acker P.C., an election lawyer involved in the Michigan case against Trump, explained that while the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision was “disappointing,” Free Speech For The People would “seek to uphold” the 14th Amendment “at a later stage.” Brewer added, “Trump led a rebellion and insurrection against the Constitution when he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election and he is disqualified from ever seeking or holding public office again.”

A new United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report shows that border officials had over 240,000 encounters with migrants attempting to cross the southern border in November. The total number of migrant encounters in CBP’s report represents a new record for migrant encounters in the month of November.

According to the CBP report for November of fiscal year 2024, there were 242,418 enforcement encounters on the southern border. The New York Post reported that the number of migrant encounters last month was the third-highest number of migrant encounters and the highest number of encounters ever reported in the month of November.

According to The New York Post, November’s number of migrant counters was surpassed in September, when CBP reported 269,745 migrant encounters, and in December of 2022, when CBP reported 252,315 migrant encounters.

The Daily Wire reported that the timing of the CBP’s report, which was published three days before Christmas, led to criticism from Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mark Green. Green claimed that the Biden administration was attempting to hide the record number of illegal border crossings by releasing the report just before Christmas.

READ MORE: Democrat governor deploying Nat’l Guard to the border

“By strategically holding the release of these numbers until the Friday before Christmas, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is unabashedly showing the full measure of his duplicity,” Green said. “These numbers are so bad, he wants as few Americans to see them as possible.”

Green warned that the number of December migrant encounters, which will be announced by the CBP in January, is expected to be “even more grim” than November’s statistics. However, the House Homeland Security Committee chairman noted that Mayorkas will not have “a major holiday as a convenient shield to hide behind” next month.

“This cowardly quest to evade accountability is further reason why my committee is initiating impeachment proceedings against Secretary Mayorkas early in the new year,” Green added. “This devastating and utter disaster for our country will no longer be tolerated.”

According to The Daily Wire, the CBP’s report on November migrant encounters comes in the midst of skyrocketing illegal immigration numbers, with estimates of 1.7 million illegal immigrant “gotaways” reported since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Additionally, a previous report by the New York Post estimated that there were approximately 2.1 million current immigration cases, causing some migrants to be given court dates stretching as far as 2035.