President Joe Biden has now authorized Ukraine to utilize American-supplied long range missiles to strike inside of Russia, which has been a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

His name is Nicholas De Santo. So far, his head is intact.

On November 5, 2024, a gigantic red wave engulfed America, elevating everything politically red to great heights and largely obliterating everything politically blue in its path. It’s been only a week since the presidential election, but let’s ask the following questions anyway: WHAT DID RED GAIN? The White House — Oval Office. The U.S. Senate. […] The post Let Me Count the Ways appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with him privately at his Mar-a-Lago estate in southern Florida, calling the discussion “extremely cordial.” Trump told Fox News that he met with the MSNBC hosts on Friday morning after Scarborough and Brzezinski had requested to talk with him. The “Morning Joe” anchors told viewers on their show Monday morning the meeting was their first face-to-face discussion with Trump in seven years, saying that they agreed with Trump “to restart communications.” Trump said the leftist hosts “congratulated me on running a ‘great and flawless campaign, one for the history books,’ which I really believe it was, but it was also a campaign where I worked long and hard — perhaps longer and harder than any presidential candidate in history.” “We talked about various Cabinet members — both announced and to be announced. As expected, they like some very much, but not all,” Trump added. “The meeting ended in a very positive manner, and we agreed to speak in the future.” Brzezinski said that Trump appeared “cheerful,” “upbeat,” and “interested in finding common ground with Democrats on some of the most divisive issues.” She added that she and her co-host, who is also her husband, continue to hold “deep concerns” about a second Trump administration but acknowledged that nearly 80 million Americans made their voices heard about the issues that matter most to them and sent Trump back to the White House. Joe and Mika went to Mar a Lago to talk with Trump over the weekend. First face-to-face meeting in seven years. “We didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues and we told him so,” @JoeNBC says. “What we did agree on – was to restart communications,” @morningmika says. pic.twitter.com/lyWZWK4CwX — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 18, 2024 Brzezinski and Scarborough were blasted by conservatives on social media who pointed out that the “Morning Joe” hosts routinely boosted the Democrats’ narrative that Trump poses a “threat” to the country. CNN contributor Scott Jennings wrote, “Hitler getting a lot more meeting requests than I would’ve thought.” Trump told Fox News that he has “an obligation to the American public, and to our country itself, to be open and available to the press,” but warned that “if [he’s] not treated fairly … that will end.” “The media is very important to the long-term success of the United States of America,” he added. MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ The president-elect said many news outlets are reaching out to him and said he is willing to give second and third chances to media voices that have treated him poorly. “And while many others are calling for meetings, I am not looking for retribution, grandstanding or to destroy people who treated me very unfairly, or even badly beyond comprehension,” Trump said. “I am always looking to give a second and even third chance, but never willing to give a fourth chance — that is where I hold the line.”

The following is an edited transcript of a recent interview between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and Harmeet Dhillon, managing partner at The Dhillon Law Group. Post-election polling shows that the transgender issue was a top three issue that drove voters to Trump and away from Harris. The data comes as more states are shutting down transgender procedures for minors and lawsuits are beginning to mount against healthcare professionals who’ve pushed the trans agenda. * * * JOHN: Joining us to discuss is Harmeet Dhillon, whose legal firm the Dhillon Law Group has been leading the fight against potentially permanent procedures performed on children. Harmeet, thanks for coming on. HARMEET: Thanks for having me. JOHN: First, many have said that the trans agenda – including boys in girls sport and trans surgeries for prisoners and illegal immigrants – was a “sleeper issue” this year. We’ve done some reporting at Daily Wire about this. Do you see data that it did in fact impact this election? HARMEET: Well, I would say the data that I saw was from the Trump campaign and its allies, and they certainly focused hard on that issue. And I’m sure that was in response to data. We’ve done some work, a lot of work actually. We’ve been a national leader on the issue of suing doctors who mutilate girls and also representing parents whose civil rights are violated by not having access to the information they need to parent their children properly on this issue and many other issues. So we’ve done a lot of litigation on it. It did pick up in the national pulse. Our client, Chloe Cole, has been prominently featured by some messaging on these issues. She’s a girl who detransitioned, now a young woman, and is suing Kaiser Permanente here in California over that. She’s been a landmark voice on these issues, testifying around the country. I know it has motivated legislatures to change the law and that I think is definitely a talking point in those states. A lot of red states, purple states — it’s a huge issue. It’s not a huge issue here in California, even on the opposite side. I don’t see a lot of activists going to bat for this issue. And so I think we are really within a striking distance of President Trump being able to severely cut back on the prevalence of this issue through cutting back federal funding or other ways to do it. For once, America needs to catch up with Europe and the rest of the world where these procedures are simply not being done, for the most part, on children because they don’t work. LISTEN: Catch the latest news on Morning Wire Chloe Cole speaking with attendees at the 2024 Chapter Leadership Summit at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan. 13 June 2024. Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America. Wikimedia Commons. JOHN: Right, there’s been dramatic movement away from these sorts of procedures in several European countries. Are you seeing progress on this issue in the courts, legally? HARMEET: No, it’s too early in the courts. We literally filed the first, second, and third lawsuits on this issue in the country. I think other lawyers are joining us and so these cases are winding their way through the court system or through arbitration because Kaiser tries to force people into arbitration – so do other medical providers. And one of the issues, why there are so few cases, is because there’s a statute of limitations that are very short and really keep the window very narrow for these young women, largely women, to file lawsuits. And so it’s heartbreaking, the number of people we simply can’t help, because of these statute of limitations issues. I do think that’s going to make a difference. But the bigger and faster and more effective long-term difference is going to be legislatures banning these procedures on children. Medical boards taking away the licenses of doctors who commit medical malpractice, which I believe most of these doctors are doing. I mean, literally you have cases where people go in, some guidance counselor sends them for one session with some rubber stamper who then goes and gets the girl’s breasts cut off. It’s shocking and outrageous. You have to go through more hassle to get liposuction, I believe, than to get your breasts cut off as a young girl. So, it’s insane and it needs to stop. We shouldn’t rely on the courts and lawyers. We should ask Republican legislatures — and Democrat legislatures, frankly, if they care about humans — to stop this practice. JOHN: Well, we’ve seen decisive action here in Tennessee to shut down these potentially permanent procedures for children – that’s been really heartening for those working to end it. We’ll see what other states follow suit. Harmeet Dhillon, thank you so much for joining us. * * * WATCH: Matt Walsh’s groundbreaking documentary “What Is A Woman?”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he told President Joe Biden that Israel was prepared to stand alone after Biden threatened to abandon the Jewish state if it invaded Rafah, according to Israeli outlet Channel 14.  “Biden called me and said: Prime Minister Netanyahu — you will be left alone,” Netanyahu reportedly said during a secret meeting with government officials.  In response, Netanyahu reportedly told Biden, “We will do it alone.” Netanyahu added that two days later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel and reportedly told him that Israel would not get more U.S. weapons if it invaded Rafah.  “We will fight with our hands and nails,” Netanyahu said he responded.  “The Americans estimated that 20,000 people would be killed in Rafah, it turned out to be a total disaster,” he added. Despite Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden warning against invading Rafah, Israel’s incursion has been a strategic success, with numerous Hamas members eliminated, including former leader Yahya Sinwar last month.  MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ Netanyahu congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory earlier this month, calling it “history’s greatest comeback.” “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory! In true friendship,… pic.twitter.com/B54NSo2BMA — Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 6, 2024 So far, Trump has chosen several pro-Israel leaders for his administration, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his pick for the U.S. ambassador to Israel and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state. In a cabinet meeting on Monday, Netanyahu reportedly said Israel’s ability to interfere with Iran’s nuclear program “will be reevaluated” with the incoming Trump administration, reported the Times of Israel. 

Conservatives are optimistic that Pete Hegseth will purge left-wing ideology from the military if confirmed as Secretary of Defense. Hegseth — a veteran and Fox News host whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped to lead the Defense Department —  is an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s embrace of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda. Hegseth is the author of a New York Times-bestselling book, “The War On Warriors,” which details the left-wing ideological capture of the military. Hegseth explained how DEI weakens the military in an interview with Daily Wire host and editor emeritus Ben Shapiro. “The Left knows that by pushing DEI, now they’ve got black soldiers looking at white soldiers and white soldiers looking at black soldiers wondering who really deserved what or why they’re in a position, which is really toxic for an organization primed on unity,” he said. William Thibeau, the director of the Claremont Institute’s American Military Project and an Army Ranger veteran, is a vocal opponent of DEI in the military. He’s also optimistic that a Hegseth-led Pentagon could mark the end of the woke ideology’s presence in the armed services, which he says “break the fundamental integrity” of the military. “If future-Secretary Hegseth’s public comments are any indication, he will restore accountability to the Pentagon with a ruthless push for accountability for uniformed officers who have broken the institution,” Thibeau told The Daily Wire. “He has a proper scope of the problem, and his independence is cause for optimism that he will not hold back in favor of potential future employment.” He also called on Hegseth to completely root out the DEI agenda immediately upon becoming the Secretary of Defense. “The Hegseth-led Pentagon must take every step necessary to eliminate DEI on day one, without cause to think that the future will be any easier of a fight.” Eliminating DEI in the military could prove difficult. An ongoing Daily Wire series documents how the Defense Department embraced and promulgated far-left ideology on race and gender, requesting nearly $270 million across three years to fund its DEI agenda. Thibeau outlined exactly how he believes a Hegseth-led DOD could most effectively eliminate DEI from the armed services. “Policies must be clear, bold, and simple. Instead of vague affirmations of the importance of merit, new Pentagon policy must comprehensively and explicitly outline the activities now forbidden,” Thibeau told The Daily Wire. “It’s not enough to leave up to a bureaucrat general’s interpretation of a statute. The new Pentagon must leave no room for doubt about policy actions.” There are also a number of actions Thibeau says Trump’s Defense Department could take to purge the ideology from the military. “Restore standards. Fix the Army fitness test, return to a professions-based assessment of qualifications without bias based on a person’s sex,” the Army Ranger veteran said before calling on the Trump administration to “end consideration of race and sex for military personnel and programs. The Pentagon should return to the Truman-era policy of racial integration when the Army would not even maintain a category for race in personnel files.” “Fire senior officers who have embraced DEI as military policy, or spoken out for it. There must be accountability for senior leaders who have lost the trust of the American people,” Thibeau elaborated. “Reform the Joint Staff. The Joint Staff is a military bureaucracy that obfuscates decision-making outside of political accountability,” Thibeau went on to say before explaining that staff should be moved to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, while remaining Joint Staff offices should be moved “close to the White House where they will execute their duly-assigned role of advise and consent.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) pushed back on Sunday against members of his party who are claiming that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is a “Russian asset.” Jeffries made the remarks during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with Kristen Welker when asked about Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) saying last week that Gabbard was “by most assessments, a Russian asset.” President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gabbard, who is now a Republican, to be the director of national intelligence. “Here’s what I have to say about several of the nominations that have been made by the incoming president, including the one that Debbie Wasserman Schultz was referring to,” Jeffries said. “The incoming president, throughout the campaign, promised the American people that we would have the best economy, the best border security, and the best administration possible.” “The question that has to be asked: Is this the best that we can do in the context of some of these nominations?” he continued. “Is this the very best that America has to offer for a moment like this, with so many challenges that we confront?” He said Gabbard and others were “not” the best picks for the roles and said that “America deserves better.” MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ “Hopefully, we’ll see the Senate Republicans do their job, scrutinize these picks, certainly confirm those that meet the basic level of qualifications, and reject others,” he said. When asked again if he would characterize Gabbard as a “Russian asset,” Jeffries responded: “No, that’s not how I would characterize her at this particular juncture.” “But I’m open to scrutinizing whatever information is presented to all of us,” he added. “But this is going to fall on Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans.” WATCH: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) when asked if he agrees with Democrats calling Tulsi Gabbard a “Russian asset”: “No, that’s not how I would characterize her” pic.twitter.com/hqD1RazfF4 — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 18, 2024