Tag: World

  • Biden’s dog has 12th biting incident; removed from White House

    President Joe Biden’s German Shepherd, Commander, has been temporarily relocated from the White House after a series of biting episodes.

    The 2-year-old dog has reportedly bitten both White House staff and U.S. Secret Service officers, raising concerns about safety within the presidential premises.

    A spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden, Elizabeth Alexander, explained in a statement to The Associated Press, “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”

    Alexander explained that the Bidens care about the safety of White House staff members and the individuals who provide protection for their families.

    “They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved as they continue to work through solutions,” she said.

    Details about Commander’s current location have not yet been disclosed. According to The Associated Press, Commander was last spotted on an upper balcony at the White House last Saturday.

    Recent events have brought Commander’s behavior into question. A photo first obtained by The Daily Mail shows Commander biting Dale Haney, a long-serving groundskeeper at the White House. Captured by a tourist, the image depicts the dog’s teeth around Haney’s wrist and arm.

    The visitor, preferring to remain anonymous, told The Daily Mail, “I was really just wanting to take pictures of the dog; it’s the next best thing to seeing the president, after all. Commander was bouncing around. He seemed very lively, high-spirited, and playful. He’s a good-looking dog.”

    The tourist explained that they only noticed that Commander had “bitten the groundskeeper” when they looked at the picture and saw “his teeth quite clearly round the man’s wrist and arm.”

    Dale Haney, a White House employee with over five decades of service, has walked presidential pets since the time of former President Richard Nixon’s administration.

    READ MORE: Biden’s dog bites a Secret Service agent for 11th time

    Haney has not been the only person to be bitten by Commander. An incident with a Secret Service agent also came to light recently, which involved the agent having to seek medical attention. Initial reports deemed this the 11th known biting episode involving Commander, but the recent revelation of Haney’s incident now makes it the 12th incident.

    Despite some sources from the White House attributing Commander’s behavior to ‘unfriendly expressions’ of security personnel, the Haney biting episode suggests that the dog’s actions are not limited to targeting the president’s security detail.

    While some have dismissed the bites as accidents or playful gestures, many experts, including former USSS agent Jonathan Wackrow, have voiced concerns over the repetitive nature of these incidents.

    Wackrow recently emphasized the “significant hazard” Commander poses, stating, “One time you can say it’s an accident, but now multiple incidents, it’s a serious issue.”

    As Commander’s behavior becomes a matter of public scrutiny and concern, it remains to be seen what steps the White House will take to ensure the safety of its staff and visitors.

    This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.



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  • Nollywood: Lagos To Begin $100m African Film City Construction Before October Ending

    The Lagos State government will be doing the groundbreaking of the proposed $100 million African Film City before the end of this month.

    The project, which will be sited in Epe, is intended to enhance originality in content creation in Nollywood – Nigeria’s film industry.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the announcement on Thursday, at the 12th African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) press briefing held at the Lagos House in Marina.

    Recall that the state government in October last year, announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Del-York Group for the construction of the project.

    Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state government would be doubling the capacity-building support for talented young industry players to enhance their skills in modern filmmaking.

    He said: “We will be doing the groundbreaking for the African Film City before the end of this month. It is a $100 million project to be sited on 100 hectares of land in Epe. Lagos is taking the lead in promoting sustainable growth in the creative industry. The first set of studios will be up on the site in the next 24 months after the groundbreaking.

    “We are also going to be doubling the State Government’s support for the training of young industry players. We will also double the grants being given to creative young talents for the production of short stories. We have supported over 5,000 people in the creative sector with different kinds of capacity-building opportunities and film production grants to scale up the numbers in the sector.

    “I am excited that the 12th AFRIFF is around the corner to further showcase the original local content to the world. The festival has offered a platform for young talents to flourish. I believe this year’s event will be the biggest. We are excited as a Government to be part of it. We believe this is the right thing to do. It is only when we can hold ourselves together and tell our stories that the world will understand our history.”

    The governor urged the practitioners to use their ingenuity to create Africanised content that would change the continent’s socio-cultural narrative, adding that through this, the world would know Nigeria is ready.

    He said: “We should take the world in an ingenious local way that will be original, content-driven and Africanised. I believe the 12th edition of AFRIFF will be a platform to leapfrog all shortcomings we have had. What you did not do yesterday, you have today to correct it because tomorrow is not promised.

    “Lagos State Government, by itself, bears all the hallmarks of excellence in all aspects. Excellence starts from everything we can imagine; the creative community sits right in the middle of that. As a Government, we have committed to anything puts Nigeria on the global map and supports our creative citizens on the world stage.”

    Also speaking, the Consul General of United States Consulate in Lagos, Will Stevens, said digital technology had transformed Nigerian film industry over the last decade, stressing that it was time for practitioners to fully benefit from Nollywood.

    The envoy hinted that with the quality of content and advanced production capabilities of African films, the second half of the 21st century would be “African moment” to fully expand the growth of its cinema industry.

    On her part, AFRIFF founder, Chioma Ude, said the film festival would be held next month to celebrate African cinema and promoting original storytelling.

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  • DCNF, Judicial Watch Sue Biden Admin For Withholding Records On Book Bans, Moms For Liberty And DeSantis

    From The Daily Caller:

    The Daily Caller News Foundation and Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (DOE) for failing to produce records regarding correspondence on the subjects of book bans, parental rights organization Moms for Liberty and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

    On July 3, the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona gave a speech to the National Education Association noting the “divisive drama” in education in recent weeks, according to a copy of his remarks. Several days prior, Moms for Liberty had hosted a summit with Republican presidential candidates, including DeSantis, who expressed concerns about “woke ideology” in schools.

    Tom Fitton, president of JW, said in a statement that the lawsuit is designed to show the Biden administration’s “effort[s]” to  “smear and target parents.”

    “This lawsuit aims to uncover the truth about the desperate new effort by the Biden administration and its leftist teachers’ union allies to smear and target parents who oppose sexually explicit and other extremist content being made available to schoolchildren,” Fitton said.

    Read more here…

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  • Biden quietly approves new US-Mexico border wall construction

    President Joe Biden’s administration has waived 26 federal laws to allow the construction of a new addition to the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Texas. The move comes after Biden vowed “there will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.”

    The new border wall will be built in Starr County, Texas, according to The Department of Homeland Security’s announcement on the U.S. Federal Registry. The area is part of a Border Patrol sector that experiences “high illegal entry.”

    “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated in the notice.

    As the Biden administration moves to build the wall, President Biden continues to insist border walls don’t work.

    READ MORE: Army-Navy game hotel rooms given away to migrants, travel agent says

    “I’ll answer one question on the border wall: The border wall – the money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate it, to redirect that money. They didn’t, they wouldn’t. And in the meantime, there’s nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated. I can’t stop that,” Biden told reporters on Thursday.

    When asked if he believes border walls work, Biden replied, “No.”

    Millions of migrants have crossed the border illegally since President Biden took office in January 2021.

    Former President Donald Trump, the likely GOP candidate for president in 2024, called out Biden’s decision to build a wall after years of claiming they don’t work.

    “So interesting to watch Crooked Joe Biden break every environmental law in the book to prove that I was right when I built 560 miles (they incorrectly state 450 in story!) of brand new, beautiful border wall,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “As I have stated often, over thousands of years, there are only two things that have consistently worked, wheels, and walls! Will Joe Biden apologize to me and America for taking so long to get moving, and allowing our country to be flooded with 15 million illegals immigrants, from places unknown. I will await his apology!”



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  • Osun Communal Clash: Eight Killed, Scores Injured As Gov’t Takes Over Disputed Land

    Eight people, including an infant, have been reportedly killed in a communal clash between Ifon and Ilobu communities in Osun State.

    THE WHISTLER had visited some of the affected areas and observed that houses were razed and properties destroyed during the clash, which occurred overnight on Thursday as a lingering dispute over a piece of land escalated.

    Residents of the two communities, especially women and children, were seen carrying their belongings and leaving their homes for safer places.

    The communities were deserted, with security operatives taking over some flashpoints where violence could erupt again.

    Speaking in an interview with THE WHISTLER, the Jagun of Ilobu and spokesperson of the Olobu-in-Council, Chief Adegoke Ogunsola, alleged that the police were biased, saying that a policeman fired several gunshots at the high-tension wire in Ilobu, damaging the cable.

    “Since yesterday when a police officer did that, we have been thrown into darkness in Ilobu,” he said. “They (Ifon people) used the opportunity to attack our people at night. Four of our people were killed, including an infant. The mother and others were shot and are receiving treatments at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.”

    Ogunsola added that the cause of the clash was an announcement on a radio station that Ilobu would be having an Oro festival and taking sacrifices to certain places, including their land.

    “We alerted all our Baales to be vigilant because of Ilobu,” he said. “So far, from the Ilobu community, we have recorded four fatalities, including a baby. The government intervention is not enough because the security agencies that were drafted to the area stationed themselves at the Ojutu bridge. They didn’t enter the town where the occurrence happened.”

    Speaking also to THE WHISTLER, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Ifon Community, Prince Jide Akinyooye, confirmed that four of their indigenes were killed during the clash, with many others currently hospitalized.

    Akinyooye alleged that the police were taking sides with the Ilobu community in attacking Ifon. He disclosed that only 13 policemen were mobilized on the day of the clash.

    “It is so unfortunate that properties were destroyed during the attack on us,” he said. “They were distributing guns at the palace of Olobu to attack us. The government must act very fast before the issue gets out of hand. Four of our indigenes were killed by the Ilobu people. They started the attack on our people last night.”

    Subsequently, Governor Ademola Adeleke announced during a town hall meeting on Thursday in Osogbo that the disputed land had been taken over by his government.

    “I have given a directive that nobody should be seen on the disputed land,” he said. “Anybody they see there should be arrested and prosecuted. The state government has taken over the disputed land. The kings and leaders should come together. If government takes over all your land, you will know. I have informed the Chief of Army Staff, who hails from Ilobu, and he has given a standing order to soldiers to be in charge.”

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  • Judicial Watch Sues Secret Service for Records of Attacks by Biden German Shepherd ‘Commander’

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service for records regarding incidents of aggression and bites involving President Joe Biden’s Dog, Commander (Judicial Watch Inc, v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:23-cv-02960)). 

    The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Secret Service (a component of the Department of Homeland Security) failed to respond to a July 31, 2023, request for all records involving the “Biden family dog, ‘Commander,’ including but not limited to communications sent to and from [Secret Service] officials in the Uniformed and Non-Uniformed Divisions involved in White House operations and the Presidential Protection Division.”

    (Acquired in December 2021, Commander, a pure-bred German Shepherd, replaced another German Shepherd, Major, which was reportedly “given to family friends” following a series of attacks on Secret Service and White House staff. In April 2022, Judicial Watch released records detailing multiple attacks and damages to Secret Service members by Major at both the White House and Biden’s lake home in Wilmington, DE.)

    In July, Judicial Watch uncovered records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a related lawsuit revealing10 attacks by Biden’s German Shepherd, Commander, on officers of the Secret Service between October 2022 and January 2023. In several cases the agents required medical care, including at a hospital.

    The records included a November 5, 2022, email exchange between a Uniformed Division officer and the November 3 attack victim, the first officer asked, “Doing alright [redacted]? That’s freaking crazy that stupid dog – rolling my eyes [redacted].” The victim replied, “My leg and arm still hurts. He bit me twice and ran at me twice.” The colleague replied, “What a joke [redacted] – if it wasn’t their dog he would already have been put down – freaking clown needs a muzzle – hope you get to feeling better [redacted].” 

    The dog reportedly has been removed from the White House after its most recent attack on a Secret Service agent and other White House staff. According to a Judicial Watch source, President Biden has mistreated his dogs. Judicial Watch has learned he has punched and kicked his dogs.

    “It is beyond belief that, even after Judicial Watch exposed their attacking 10 Secret Service personnel, Joe and Jill Biden have continued to let their dog menace and attack Secret Service and White House staff. Let’s be blunt: the dangerous dog could kill someone,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The ongoing Biden administration cover-up of the Biden dog attacks on Secret Service agents is dangerous corruption.”

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  • Haley takes big lead over DeSantis in crucial state

    A new poll shows that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has leapfrogged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire’s Republican primary race.

    A recent poll from Suffolk University, Boston Globe and USA TODAY showed Haley’s surge with 19% support, a significant lead over DeSantis, who received only 10% in the poll. However, both candidates trail behind the dominant figure in the race, former President Donald Trump, who received 49% of voters’ support in the poll.

    The survey, which was determined based on 500 likely GOP primary voters after the second Republican debate, reveals an intriguing shift in momentum. With a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, the poll indicates that Haley’s performance in the first two debates has caught the eye of Republican voters. According to POLITICO, Haley’s rise in the polls is also catching the interest of donors.

    READ MORE: ‘That’s a mistake’: Nikki Haley critical of Tuberville military holds

    POLITICO noted that Haley’s recent rise in the polls is noteworthy, especially as GOP candidates prepare to visit the state of New Hampshire next week. Many of the Republican presidential candidates will be participating in a weekend event hosted by the state GOP.

    While DeSantis previously held an edge in New Hampshire over Trump in a January poll, his recent decline has opened the door for the second-place spot in the crucial swing state. Nikki Haley is currently filling that gap by riding on a wave of renewed interest in her candidacy that has come following the first two Republican debates.

    However, despite the shifts in second and third places, Trump’s lead in the Republican primary appears unshaken. Beyond Haley and DeSantis, no other GOP candidate in the survey reached double-digit support.

    Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie secured 6%, with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott each obtaining around 4%. Former Vice President Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum polled at the bottom of the race with just 1% support each.

    This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.



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  • I Didn’t Stab Him In The Back – Atiku Denies Betraying Tinubu

    Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 presidential election has denied betraying President Bola Tinubu.

    Atiku made this known Thursday during the press conference he held in Abuja.

    This comes days after the former vice president obtained Tinubu’s school records from Chicago State University in the United States.

    Atiku claimed that Tinubu forged the Chicago State University certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during his filing for the 2023 election.

    During the press conference, Atiku noted that the political relationship between him and Tinubu collapsed 16 years ago.

    He said, “Yes, it is true, in 2007 we came together to form. In Lagos, at a convention, I emerged as the winner and got the ticket after I got the ticket, he sent about 5 or 6 seniors, some of whom are here. I can even name them but I don’t want to embarrass them, and they met me and said to me that Bola wanted to be my running mate.

    “I said gentlemen you are all old enough and virtually all of you are Christians with the exception of only one person, what will be your reaction to having a Muslim-Muslim ticket? All of them said we totally objected to it. I said why didn’t you tell him when he was giving you the message that, look Mr Tinubu, the message you are giving us, we don’t seem to agree with you. why are you coming then?

    “That was the end of a political relationship, we broke away when I supported Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. So, what is the ground for him to say that I betrayed him?

    “For those of you who are old enough, will also remember that in 2003, the PDP took over all the southwestern states with the exception of Lagos.

    “I stood between Obasanjo and myself and said no you can’t take over Lagos, leave it and he left it. So, who is indebted to the other, is it me or Bola Ahmed Tinubu? There are other things that I won’t go into but I vehemently deny that I stabbed him in the back.”

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  • RFK Jr. denied Secret Service protection despite agency believing he is a ‘risk for adverse attention’

    From NY Post:

    Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been denied Secret Service protection despite the agency determining that he is at an elevated “risk for adverse attention,” documents show.  

    Eleven pages of records obtained by Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, show that the Biden administration’s Secret Service conducted a “protective intelligence assessment” on the longshot presidential candidate and documented several specific threats aimed at RFK Jr.  

    “Kennedy’s family history, perceived controversial stance on vaccines, and his status as a challenger to President Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination elevates his risk for adverse attention,” the threat assessment reads.  

    The report highlights six “behaviors of interests,” where individuals – some already known to the Secret Service – have directed threats at Kennedy Jr. – some against his life.  

    An email obtained by Judicial Watch shows a Secret Service official recommending that “outward facing messaging” on the topic of protection for RFK Jr. highlight that most Secret Service protection requests are only granted when the general election is less than a year out.  

    “In addition to the numbered guidelines concerning FEC filing and polling requirements, I recommend any outward facing messaging include the attached language as well,” the official, whose name is redacted, writes. 

    Read more here…

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  • Mariah Carey announces ‘Merry Christmas One And All!’ tour

    If all you wanted for Christmas was to see Mariah Carey live during the holidays, Santa has delivered.

    The pop superstar is bringing her “Merry Christmas One And All!” tour to 13 places coast to coast, she announced Monday morning.

    The tour will begin Nov. 15 in Highland, California, and conclude a week before Christmas at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 17.

    “Yes, the actual defrosting has begun!” the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer wrote on social media.

    Presale tickets will be available Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets will be sold at LiveNation.com.

    The full tour list:

    Highland, California, Nov. 15

    Los Angeles, Nov. 17

    Denver, Nov. 21

    Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 24

    Toronto, Nov. 27

    Montreal, Nov. 29

    Detroit, Dec. 1

    Chicago, Dec. 3

    Pittsburgh, Dec. 5

    Boston, Dec. 11

    Philadelphia, Dec. 13

    Baltimore, Dec. 15

    New York, Dec. 17

    ___

    © 2023 PG Publishing Co

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.



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