White House Dossier's

Biden under pressure after Iran-backed militias injure three American troops . . . The Biden administration faced renewed pressure Tuesday for stronger retaliation against Iran-backed militias in the Middle East after a Christmas Day drone attack in Iraq left three American troops injured, one of them in critical condition. The drone attack by the Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah, which has direct links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, led to a round of retaliatory airstrikes by U.S. forces against militia targets in Iraq. Washington Times

Biden has been unserious about the huge, growing threat from Iran. Unfortunately, the mullahs aren't joking.

Please have a look at my latest piece in Newsweek . . . 

Biden has Ukrainian blood on his hands . . . While Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one who launched the invasion, Biden is equally responsible for the obliteration of Ukraine and annihilation of Ukrainians.

Biden as vice president was the Obama administration go-to person on Ukraine policy and the architect of the Russia "reset" strategy to promote friendship between the two nations. Unfortunately, he ignored intelligence about the threat posed by Russia. As a former senior official in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and one of the top three analysts on Russian doctrine and strategy in the intelligence community, I personally briefed President Obama's White House national security staff on Putin's plans and Russia's war-fighting strategy multiple times. Biden had to have been made aware of those briefings given his position. And yet, not only did he fail to develop a counterstrategy to deter Putin, Biden and his team, many of whom would later join his presidential administration, continued the dangerous strategy of pushing Ukraine toward membership. Rebekah Koffler in Newsweek

Ukrainian commander acknowledges he needs more troops . . . Ukraine’s top general on Tuesday called for mobilizing more troops, a rare acknowledgment of heavy casualties after nearly two years of war with Russia. In his first news conference since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny also conceded that Ukrainian troops have largely withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian town of Marinka. The loss of the small settlement, now in ruins, is unlikely to have a significant impact on the larger battlefield but is nonetheless a sign that Russian forces have seized the initiative after Ukraine’s disappointing counteroffensive stalled with the coming of winter. Washington Post

Don Jr. draws a red line for dad: No Nikki Haley as VP . . . Donald Trump Jr. will not let Nikki Haley onto his father's 2024 ballot despite her growing popularity among Republican voters. "I wouldn't have her and I would go to great lengths to make sure that that doesn't happen," the younger Trump told Newsmax. "Nikki Haley wants never-ending wars. She's a puppet of the establishment in Washington, D.C. She's the new favorite candidate of the billionaire class because they want control—no different than academia and Harvard and using their billions to exercise influence." Newsweek

Democrats flipping to Republicans in Pennsylvania . . . President Joe Biden may be getting a warning sign from Pennsylvania, where a growing number of voters are switching their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. The most up-to-date voter registration data from the Pennsylvania Department of State shows that 35,589 registered Democrats have switched to their party affiliation Republican this year. The departure of voters and the net loss of 19,967 Democrats signals bad news for Biden, who only won Pennsylvania by some 80,000 votes in the 2020 election. Newsweek

Kamala Harris roasted for posting gas stove photo . . . Vice President Kamala Harris has been roasted on social media for posting her Christmas photo alongside her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, while cooking in their kitchen on a gas stove. This photo comes as the Biden Consumer Product Safety Commission earlier this year considered banning gas stoves but the backlash forced them to backtrack their plans. Washington Examiner

America has too few good men . . . For the nation’s armed services, attracting a few good men — and women — isn’t going to cut it. The Pentagon is scrambling to fill a growing chasm in the recruitment ranks that next year will result in America’s military being the smallest it has been since before the start of World War II. The situation was dire in 2023 and senior military officials will only say they are, at best, “cautiously optimistic” about 2024. Washington Times

International

Israel launches heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza . . . Israel launched heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday after broadening its offensive against Hamas to more areas where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war. Residents reported heavy bombing in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, in the southern city of Khan Younis and in the southern town of Rafah. Associated Press

Russia to deploy newest howitzers to Finnish border . . . Russia will soon deploy its newest howitzers to its Northern Military District which borders Finland months after the European nation joined NATO - a move that infuriated the Kremlin. The testing of the new Coalition-SV self-propelled artillery units has been completed and their mass production has already started, Sergei Chemezov, the head of Rostec told the state RIA news agency in an interview. The first pilot batch will be delivered by the end of 2023, he said. Daily Mail

Money

Tesla sales to hit record but fall short of Musk expectations . . . Tesla is expected to post another record quarter for electric vehicle (EV) deliveries, likely shy of an ambitious 2 million annual internal target that CEO Elon Musk touted at the beginning of the year. Faced with slowing sales, Tesla leveraged its industry-leading margins and slashed prices of its four car models globally in 2023, with a focus on China, where the company has lost market share to locals including BYD. Reuters

EV charger companies taking a hit . . . Several electric vehicle charging companies are experiencing sharp declines in their share prices, with some projecting significant annual losses as sales for EVs level off and market leaders worry about the future of the industry and economy. ChargePoint Holdings reported that its shares dropped 74% in 2023 and missed its initial revenue projections for the third quarter, according to the Wall Street Journal. Blink Charging and EVgo shares also have dropped 67% and 21%, respectively. Washington Examiner

Video || Home ownership moving out of reach for many

Apple to appeal ban on sales of its latest smartwatch . . . Apple says it will appeal after sales of its newest smart watches were halted in the US over a patent row. It comes after the White House declined to overturn a ban on sales and imports of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches which came into effect this week. The US International Trade Commission took the action to protect device maker Masimo, which accuses Apple of poaching its staff and technology. BBC

You are paying to get 'forever chemicals' out of your water . . . Forever chemicals have shown up in drinking water across the country. Now they are appearing in homeowners’ soaring utility bills. Water systems are spending millions of dollars to filter out PFAS, the long-lasting compounds commonly known as forever chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and other health problems. Wall Street Journal

Culture

California to fine stores that don't have "gender-neutral" kids toy section . . . California stores with more than 500 employees will soon be fined for not having a "gender-neutral" toy section once a new state law kicks in Jan. 1. The bill, signed in 2021 by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, will force stores that sell childcare items or toys to pay a $500 fine should the store fail to create a gender-neutral toy section for kids 12 years old and under. Traditional boys and girls sections won't be outlawed, but a gender-neutral section must also be created. Fox News

Supreme Court asked to strike down "racist" immigration law . . . A previously deported illegal immigrant has asked the Supreme Court to overturn his criminal conviction, arguing the law that makes it a felony to sneak back into the U.S. is the product of systemic racism. Gustavo Carrillo-Lopez says Congress was decidedly racist when it enacted a law against illegal reentry in 1929 as part of the Undesirable Aliens Act. Congress rewrote the law in 1952 and has updated it several times but has never repudiated the racism from 1929, so the law must fall, Carillo-Lopez’s attorneys argue. Washington Times

AI reshaping creation of music . . . Artificial intelligence has seismic implications for music-making and record labels, posing existential questions about the meaning of creativity and whether machines are enhancing or replacing human inspiration. The web is chock-full of programs that can clone the Beatles’ John Lennon, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain or other well-known voices. AI can spit out completed songs with a few text prompts, challenging the copyright landscape and sparking mixed emotions in listeners who are amused by new possibilities but skittish about what comes next. Washington Times

Zombie deer disease reported in 32 states . . . At least 32 states in America and parts of Canada have seen reports of a virus dubbed 'Zombie deer disease' that could potentially spread to humans in what one experts calls a 'slow-moving disaster.' The fatal brain virus, which leaves animals confused, drooling, and unafraid of humans may someday infect people, as cautioned by some authorities. Daily Mail

If humans start becoming zombies, Democratic voter rolls are sure to surge.