White House Dossier's

US Vulnerable to a 'Catastrophic Attack,' Ex-FBI Official Warns . . . The U.S. is currently extremely vulnerable to a "catastrophic" terrorist attack, a former FBI assistant director said. Chris Swecker, who retired from the Bureau as assistant director with responsibility over all FBI criminal investigations in 2006, told Newsweek in an interview that he has never seen America so open to Islamic terrorism. His comments match those of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, which warned law enforcement earlier this month that the risk of an Islamic terrorist attack has greatly increased since the Israel-Hamas war began. Swecker said that Hamas and the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah "need to stir up conflict" with the U.S. Newsweek

Congress wants to unleash federal spies at your hotel and coffee shop . . . Americans have learned in the last five years of one scandal after another the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act enabled. The FBI exploited FISA to illegally spy on the Trump presidential campaign and to wrongfully search millions of Americans’ emails and online records.

The good news is FISA’s most intrusive provision, Section 702, will expire Dec. 31. The bad news is the Deep State Caucus in Congress is championing a “reform” to allow the feds to secretly and illegally breach far more Americans’ privacy. In lieu of putting a constitutional leash on federal snoops, plenty of congressmen of both parties support what should be called the Biden Big Brother Better Act. The FISA surveillance-expansion provision is tucked into the 3,000+ page National Defense Authorization Act of 2024. New York Post

As Biden's border collapses, South Texas Hispanics move away from Democrats . . . The key takeaway from a recent poll was a continued shift Hispanic voters to the Republican Party in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. What caused that shift? According to the pollster, it was "…the Democratic Party’s embrace of progressive stances on immigration, the economy, crime and foreign policy." The implications for Texas are striking. The Rio Grande Valley contributes a bit more than 3% of the vote in Texas, with about 90% of region’s 1.4 million people being Hispanic. Contrary to Democrats’ desire to see Hispanics as a monolithic voting bloc, Tejanos have their own priorities, with 67% holding a favorable view of the U.S. Border Patrol and 61% wanting an "enforcement-based approach" to immigration laws – compared to only 28% who prefer an "amnesty-centered approach.". Fox News

Stephen Miller: This is the end of American sovereignty

China’s cyber army is invading critical U.S. services . . . The Chinese military is ramping up its ability to disrupt key American infrastructure, including power and water utilities as well as communications and transportation systems, according to U.S. officials and industry security officials. Hackers affiliated with China’s People’s Liberation Army have burrowed into the computer systems of about two dozen critical entities over the past year, these experts said. The intrusions are part of a broader effort to develop ways to sow panic and chaos or snarl logistics in the event of a U.S.-China conflict in the Pacific, they said. Washington Post

China chip firm powered by US tech and money avoids Biden's crackdown . . . A Chinese chip designer, part-owned by the country's top sanctioned chipmaker, is purchasing U.S. software and has American financial backing, relationships that underscore the difficulty Washington faces applying new rules meant to block American support for Beijing's semiconductor industry. The company, Brite Semiconductor, offers chip design services to at least six Chinese military suppliers, a Reuters examination of company statements, regulatory filings, tenders and academic articles by People's Liberation Army (PLA) researchers and institutions found. Reuters

International

To Fight Hamas, Israel’s Leaders Stopped Fighting One Another. For Now . . . The five men who make up Israel’s war cabinet have more than a century of military experience among them and decades of political and diplomatic know-how. The cabinet was formed five days after Israel declared war on Gaza to temporarily unify Israel’s political factions and ensure its steadiest hands were in charge during a national crisis. Its members share histories of fierce competition and betrayal, making them the quintessential team of rivals. New York Times

Putin Vows to Push On With Ukraine War . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with his war on Ukraine during an end-of-year audience in which he said his country’s goals in the conflict hadn’t changed and that peace wouldn’t come until they are achieved.

For the first time since launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin fielded questions from the international media and ordinary Russians on Thursday, trumpeting the country’s economic resilience amid stringent Western sanctions and U.S. infighting over tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. Wall Street Journal

Military intelligence hacks Russian tax authorities . . . Ukrainian cyber units hacked into thousands of servers of Russia's tax system, extracting sensitive information before destroying the tax database, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 12. The news follows reports on Nov. 29 that HUR orchestrated the hacking of television channels in Crimea to broadcast a speech by President Volodymyr Zelensky and that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) hacked into the website of Russia's Labor Ministry. Yahoo News

Money

Dollar hits four-month low as Fed signals 2024 rate cuts, NOK stronger after rate hike . . . The dollar dropped to a fresh four-month low on Thursday after the Federal Reserve indicated that its interest-rate hike cycle has ended and that lower borrowing costs are coming in 2024. On a busy day for policy announcements in Europe, the Norwegian crown strengthened after a rate hike, while the Swiss franc was little changed after the Swiss National Bank held rates. The Bank of England and European Central Bank announce policy later in the day. Reuters

Culture

First lady Jill Biden blasted over 'bizarre' White House Christmas video: 'United States of Bananas' . . . First lady Jill Biden was blasted Wednesday night after posting a video to X showing dancers tapping around the holiday-decorated White House, whose theme this year is "Magic, Wonder and Joy." In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the first lady shared the video from the official @FLOTUS account, along with the caption. "A bit of magic, wonder, and joy brought to you by the talented tappers of Dorrance Dance, performing their playful interpretation of The Nutcracker Suite. Enjoy!" the first lady's post read.

But social media observers didn't seem to be enjoying the musical content. "The United States of Bananas," one viewer posted.

"Imagine thinking this gives America the Christmas spirit," another wrote. "You are so strange. Bizarre. Freaky," one said. One comment even shared Melania's video when Donald Trump was in office, saying how it was tasteful, seasonal, appealed to everyone and was absolutely breathtaking and gorgeous, unlike Biden's, which they said was "utterly tacky, tasteless, and ANTI Christmas." "Looks like the WH switched from cocaine to acid," one viewer posted, an apparent reference to the discovery of cocaine at the executive mansion earlier this year. Fox News

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Kamala Harris pushes W.H. to be more sympathetic toward Palestinians . . One person close to the vice president’s office said she believes the United States should be “tougher” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; she has called for being “more forceful at seeking a long-term peace and two-state solution,” this person said. The people characterizing Harris’s role and comments from the vice president and her team were granted anonymity in order to discuss private conversations. Harris’ private push to shape the White House message about the war reflects the extent to which Democrats — even the top two officials in the country — are struggling to walk a careful line about the Israel-Hamas war, amid a gruesome conflict that has rattled the Democratic political coalition down to the local level. Politico

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Yuletide owl found roosting in Kentucky family's Christmas tree . . . A Kentucky family's Christmas tree was inside their home for four days before it was discovered to be home to a young owl. Michele White of Lexington said the owl somehow managed to remain undetected in the tree for four days by simply blending in with the branches. UPI