Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said late on Saturday that Britain would send 14 of its main battle tanks along with additional artillery support to Ukraine, disregarding criticism from the Russian Embassy in London.

A squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks will go into the country in the coming weeks and around 30 self-propelled AS90 guns, operated by five gunners, are expected to follow, the British prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The UK will also begin training Ukrainian forces to use the tanks and guns in the coming days.

“As the people of Ukraine approach their second year living under relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war,” a spokesperson for the prime minister said in a statement.

“Alongside his closest military advisors, he has analysed the military picture, looked at the strategic impact of the UK’s support and identified a window where he thinks the UK and its allies can have maximum impact.”

The announcement follows a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier on Saturday during which, Sunak “outlined the UK’s ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine, including through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems.”

Sunak’s office said earlier this week that Britain would coordinate its support with allies after Germany, France and the United States all indicated last week they would provide armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

The office also said that the defence minister would update the British parliament with details of the security support on Monday.

The Russian Embassy in London said the decision to send the tanks would drag out the confrontation, lead to more victims including civilians, and was evidence of “the increasingly obvious involvement of London in the conflict”.

“As for the Challenger 2 tanks, they are unlikely to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine turn the tide on the battlefield, but they will become a legitimate large target for the Russian artillery,” the embassy said, according to comments cited by the TASS news agency.

The Challenger 2 is a battle tank designed to attack other tanks, and has been in service with the British Army since 1994. It has been deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq, according to the army.

“The prime minister and President Zelenskiy welcomed other international commitments in this vein, including Poland’s offer to provide a company of Leopard tanks,” Sunak’s spokesperson said.

Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address published before the detailed British announcement, called the expected help “important” for Ukraine’s defence.

“It’s really what is needed,” Zelenskiy said. “And I believe that similar decisions will still be made by other partners – those who understand why such evil cannot be given a single chance.”

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I have noted whining and hand wringing by folks of blue persuasion in reaction to the appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland of a special counsel to investigate the classified documents found in Joe Biden‘s office and home when he was Vice President.

At first, I was also angry and upset that AG Garland would try to appease the right wing Republican nut jobs by appointing a special counsel into the classified document matter.

As pointed out earlier in this newsletter, the Biden situation is totally different than what happened with Trump. Trump intentionally stole hundreds of highly classified documents. Including nuclear secrets, and took them down to his Mar-a-Lago compound to store in non-secure places open to any workers or visitors. In contrast, Biden apparently accidentally overlooked sensitive documents he didn’t know he still had in his possession. Biden is cooperating fully in returning all the documents to the National Archives. Trump’s evasive noncooperation in returning the documents resulted in the need for a judge to approve a warrant for a search of Trump’s property.

In thinking more about the situation, I have concluded that it was a smart move by Attorney General Garland. In appointing a special counsel, he basically made a preemptive strike against the false inquisition committee recently installed by the Trumpublican Congress.

The post How Merrick Garland bested the Republican House appeared first on Palmer Report.

When someone is a target of a criminal investigation, one thing they never do is call the person investigating them a thug and a terrorist. At least MOST people would never do that. Donald Trump, however, is not most people. Donald Trump, as you know, is a man with a deep psychosis.

And it reared its insane head on the Mark Levin show. Trump, speaking to Mark Levin, went bonkers and began railing against Smith, calling him a “terrorist.” Wow. Talk about self-sabotage. Nice work, Trump.

“His wife hates Trump,” the traitor went on, easily slipping back into referring to himself in the third person. Trump demanded Jack Smith resign. But that was not the end of it. Because Trump, took to truth social and called Smith a trump-hating thug.

Trump then proceeded to say Smith had jailed a “high government official” in Europe simply for being a trump hater. Oh — he also called Smith an “unfair savage.” I think “an unfair savage” would make a great title for a book about Trump, don’t you?

So what are we to make of this latest insane fit, this latest temper tantrum? It tells me that Trump is terrified. Smith is coming for Trump, and Trump knows it. Trump is like a pawn on Smith’s chess board being moved around against his will, forward-back, forward-back, as the chess champion moves diagonally forward slowly and carefully, eyes on the helpless little pawn.

I do not think that when one is fighting for their freedom, one should really start verbally attacking the prosecutor and his family members, but that’s just me. Perhaps Trump has a secret plan on how to get free from his own chaos.

Just kidding. Trump could not have a plan because he lives only in the now. He lacks the ability to plan ahead.

Trump likely said all this because the chess king is coming closer and Trump, being the fool he is, has no other way to vent except for stupid tantrums like this. But it does tell us something. It tells us the game of chess is almost at an end and that it probably won’t be very long until Jack smith is able to say checkmate.

The post Basket case appeared first on Palmer Report.

As expected, Republicans have already been their war on government. First, they have revived the Holman rule, which will allow them to harass federal employees. Given that the rule was first proposed in 1876, it is not anything that is needed today. Republicans revived it in 2017, and it was promptly removed by Democrats because it is a ridiculous rule. According to Washington Post, Republicans call it “a critical check on the Biden administration.” Instead, it allows Republicans to undermine any federal agencies by using this outdated rule instead of passing laws that benefit the American people. As if this isn’t bad enough, their first vote was to gut the IRS.

Their goal with this vote is to gut the IRS so that it can’t go after big money tax dodgers like Donald Trump. The good news, according to Washington Post, is that it will die in the Senate. The Office of Management and Budget had a few choice words to say about this legislation: “House Republicans are making clear that their top economic priority is to allow the rich and multi-billion-dollar corporations to skip out on their taxes, while making life harder for ordinary, middle-class families that pay the taxes they owe.” They promised that President Biden will promptly veto any such bill the moment it crosses his desk. Adding to that sentiment, the (nonpartisan) Congressional Budget Office has determined that this legislation will add $114.4 billion to the deficit because of a reduction in collected taxes. Yet, Republicans claim to not want to raise the debt ceiling because of the deficit.

Republicans have always used the deficit as it fits their agenda and for no other reason. They have historically added more to the deficit than most Democratic presidents, yet they refuse to acknowledge or see that either. They word their actions as if they are helping the American people. Adrian Smith (R-NE), who lead the bill, claimed: “The last thing [Americans] need is more IRS agents knocking on doors to conduct audits.” Sure. How many of us have had that happen? Certainly not those of us who earn less than six figures. Those are the very people Republican seek to embrace and protect because they help them buy their way into office. Next, they will go after the DOJ, which will likely bite them in their collective ass.

As Politico reported, should Republicans attempt to go after the DOJ they are predicted to get nowhere. In fact, the quote of the day should be: “They’ll be told to pound sand.” Republicans are pursuing this avenue anyway, attempting to empower themselves to look at any and every agency it sees as “suspect.” Republicans are “suspect,” so they should begin by looking in the mirror. Former House General Counsel Stan Brand told Politico that the DOJ will simply “draw clearer ‘lines in the sand’ over what they will provide.” With Jim Jordan at the helm, this ridiculous notion is nothing short of “revenge” on behalf of Donald Trump. Jordan had best watch out for himself and stop worrying about Donald Trump.

The post House Republican havoc has begun appeared first on Palmer Report.

A new weather system packing rain, snow and strong winds moved into storm-lashed California on Saturday, the latest in a parade of atmospheric rivers that have wreaked havoc across the state in recent weeks.

While next week should bring some respite, the first of two systems expected to hit California over the U.S. holiday weekend pushed onshore on Saturday, threatening to unleash more heavy rain across the waterlogged state, the National Weather Service said.

A series of atmospheric rivers rarely seen in such frequent succession has pounded the Golden State since Dec. 26, killing at least 19 people and bringing floods, power outages, mudslides, evacuations and road closures.

Nearly 23,000 utility customers were without power as of Saturday, according to PowerOutage.us.

The storms have dropped half the average annual rainfall on the agricultural Central Valley and as much as 15 feet (4.5 m) of snow in the mountains.

Flood warnings and advisories were issued across the state on Saturday, from Los Angeles county to the Bay Area.

A neighborhood in the Santa Cruz County community of Felton in central California flooded for the second time in a week on Saturday.

Floodwaters from the rising San Lorenzo River, which cuts through the town in the Santa Cruz Mountains, inundated Felton Grove, triggering emergency evacuations.

Trash cans were seen floating down streets, with water levels reaching stop signs and overtaking parked vehicles.

Some residents waded through floodwaters and mud to clean debris.

A levee breach in the Bear Creek area of Merced in the San Joaquin Valley flooded homes and stranded animals, according to local media, as officials worked to prevent high waters from overflowing.

At least seven waterways were officially flooded, the California Department of Water Resources said on Friday.

Among the waterways of concern, the Salinas River in northern California flooded roads and farmland on Friday, when 24,000 people were urged to evacuate.

California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters on Saturday he expected President Joe Biden to sign a major disaster declaration to help the state respond to the emergency.

“My hope and expectation is that we will (get the disaster declaration) because that’s the intention of the president,” Newsom said at a news conference on Saturday.

In the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, heavy snow and strong winds brought whiteout conditions in some areas that prompted road closures as officials asked people to stay off the roads.

Snowfall in the Sierras had topped 21 inches as of Saturday morning, with about 10 feet already on the ground, according to the University of California at Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab.

“We’re expecting another 2-3 feet of snow by Monday morning, so much more to come!,” the research station said in a Twitter post.

The storms have mitigated but not solved the region’s drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor revised on Thursday its assessment to lift virtually all of the state out of extreme drought or exceptional drought, the two worst categories, though much of it is still considered to be suffering moderate or severe drought.

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Russia unleashed a major missile attack on Ukraine on Saturday, smashing a nine-storey apartment block in the city of Dnipro, killing at least five people and striking vital energy facilities, officials said.

Ukraine’s energy minister said the coming days would be “difficult” as months of Russian bombardment of the power grid threaten the supply of electricity, running water and central heating at the height of winter.

In the east-central city of Dnipro, 20 people were rescued from an apartment block where an entire section of the building had been reduced to rubble, sending smoke billowing into the sky, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office said.

“Tragedy. I’ve gone to the site…. We will be going through the rubble all night,” said Borys Filatov, mayor of the rocket-making city on the Dnipro River.

Five people were killed and at least 60 people, including 12 children, were also wounded in the attack, with more people were still trapped under the rubble, the regional governor said.

Another person was killed and one wounded in the steel-making city of Kryviy Rih where six houses were damaged in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown, mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said.

In his nightly speech, Zelenskiy appealed to the West to supply more weapons to prevent further deaths from what he described as “Russian terror”.

“What’s needed for this? The kind of weapons that our partners have in stockpiles and that our warriors have come to expect. The whole world knows what and how to stop those who are sowing death,” he said.

Saturday’s attack comes as Western powers consider sending battle tanks to Kyiv and ahead of a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Ramstein in Germany next Friday where governments will announce their latest pledges of military support.

On the front lines in the east, Ukraine said its forces were battling to hold onto control of the small town of Soledar where Russia has sacrificed large numbers of troops and resources to try to secure some kind of advance after months of setbacks.

In Dnipro, pictures showed firefighters putting out a blaze around the carcasses of some cars. A broad chunk of the apartment block was missing. The exterior of the rest of the building was badly damaged. Wounded people were carried away on stretchers.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine last February, has been pounding its energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, causing sweeping blackouts and disruptions to central heating and running water.
Ukraine shot down 25 of 38 Russian missiles of different types, the Air Force said.

Missiles struck critical infrastructure facilities in the eastern region of Kharkiv and the western region of Lviv, officials said. Kharkiv region lost power completely and disruptions to electricity and water supplies in Lviv were also possible, officials said.

Moldova’s interior ministry said missile debris had been found in the north of the country near the Ukraine border following the air strikes.

The attack on Saturday came hours after a smaller-scale missile attack hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv.

The first attack was unusual because missiles struck their targets before the air raid siren even sounded. No one was reported hurt then, but missile debris caused a fire in one area and houses were damaged outside the capital, officials said.

DTEK, the biggest private electricity company, introduced emergency blackouts in several regions.

Residential infrastructure was also hit in the village of Kopyliv outside the capital. The windows and roofs of 18 privately owned houses were shattered or damaged by the blast, Oleksiy Kuleba, the regional governor, said.

Commenting on the first attack, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said Russia’s missiles had likely been fired along a high, looping ballistic trajectory from the north, which would explain why the air raid siren did not sound.

Ukraine is not able to identify and shoot down ballistic missiles, he told the Ukrainska Pravda online outlet.

In Ukraine’s northeast, two S-300 missiles struck the city of Kharkiv near the Russian border early on Saturday, according to regional governor Oleg Synehubov.

The attacks hit critical energy and industrial targets in the Kharkiv and Chuhuev district of the region, he said.

Saturday’s strikes came as Ukrainian and Russian forces battled for control of Soledar, a small salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine that for days has been the focus of a relentless Russian assault.

Ukraine insisted that its forces were battling to hold onto control of Soledar, but acknowledged the situation was difficult, that street fighting was raging and that Russian forces were advancing from various directions.

Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the town with a pre-war population of 10,000, in what would be a minor advance, but one holding psychological importance for Russian forces who have suffered months of battlefield setbacks.

Reuters could not immediately verify the situation in Soledar.

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As a way of marking 100 years since the birth of the great Yiddish novelist and poet Chava Rosenfarb (1923-2011), the Polish city of Łódź — the city of her birth — has declared 2023 The Year of Chava Rosenfarb.

Rosenfarb was the recipient of numerous international literary prizes for her novels, mostly about the Holocaust, including the Itzik Manger Prize, Israel’s highest award for Yiddish literature, the Canadian Jewish Book Award and the John Glassco Prize for Literary Translation.

Rosenfarb was one of the few Holocaust survivors who transformed their experiences into works of fiction rather than memoirs. Her best known work, Der boym fun lebn (The Tree of Life), is about ten Jews from Łódź, and how they fared in the Nazi-run Łódź ghetto.

As part of the civic celebration of Rosenfarb, the philology department of the University of Łódź is organizing an international conference from Oct. 18 — Oct. 20 called “Chava Rosenfarb and Jewish Female Writers of the 20th Century.” The event will take place at the university itself.

Organizers are calling for papers in Polish and English about Rosenfarb and the work of other Jewish female writers from Łódź. Possible topics include the writings by Jewish women in the 20th century on social and political issues, and the languages these Jewish women wrote in to tell their stories.

Conference participants are encouraged to submit abstracts of up to 2,500 words and a short bio to chava@filologia.uni.lodz.pl. The abstracts are due by February 15.

The post Call for papers for Polish conference honoring Yiddish writer Chava Rosenfarb appeared first on The Forward.

(NewsNation) — So far, embattled New York Rep. George Santos, who has faced controversy after it was revealed he made false statements about large parts of his personal and work background, has remained defiant, suggesting that it’s not likely he will step down and resign.

But scandal after scandal, lie after lie, and just when you think Santos’ case can’t get any more bizarre,
we learn something new.

A new video just surfaced from a 2019 event in which Santos appears on camera asking a question to an LGBTQ panel using the name Anthony Devolder.

This as two other stories involving Santos are gaining traction. One alleges Santos raised money for a Ponzi-like investment scheme in 2020 and duped at least one person into making a six-figure investment.

The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the Florida based firm is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Another story cites an old college roommate who claims Santos wore a stolen scarf to a “Stop the Steal” rally, which, frankly seems trivial compared to some of the other proven lies and allegations.

NewsNation compiled a list of most, not all, of the more stunning lies and alleged crimes Santos may have committed.

The list includes everything from his using a false name to his falsifying his work experience and his family’s background.

He also told lies about being Jewish and Black.

Santos says he’s gay, but records show he recently divorced a woman.

It’s also unclear how his net worth went from barely above zero to, as his local newspaper The Northshore Reader reports, $11 million dollars.

Earlier this week, Santos got more calls from fellow lawmakers to step down.

Some, however, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, say Santos was duly elected by voters in his district and they deserve representation.

Santos is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over the incidents.

The Nassau County Republican Party, of which Santos is a member, has called on him to resign. As have a number of New York Republicans in Congress.