U.S. launches strikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria in retaliation for drone attacks on U.S. military bases​

Defense Secretary Austin said the strikes were on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups.

Oct. 26, 2023, 9:37 PM CDT
By Courtney Kube and Mosheh Gains

The U.S. launched strikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria on Thursday in retaliation for a series of drone attacks on American military bases in the region, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"Today, at President Biden’s direction," Austin said, "U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. These precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17."

The U.S. military action comes amid rising tensions in the region over the conflict in Israel. Austin called the attacks “separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas” and said they don’t represent a shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict.

From Oct. 17 to Tuesday, U.S. and coalition forces were attacked at least 10 separate times in Iraq and three times in Syria by a mix of drones and rockets, the Defense Department has said. On Oct. 18, at least two one-way attack drones targeted al-Tanf military base in southern Syria, U.S. Central Command said. On the same day, there were two separate drone attacks against U.S. and coalition forces stationed at al-Asad base in western Iraq.


Austin said, "As a result of these attacks, one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 U.S. personnel suffered from minor injuries." All those injured have since returned to duty, he said.

"The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel," Austin said, "and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests."

He said: "The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them."

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday the groups conducting the attacks are supported by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“We always reserve the right to defend ourselves, and we will never hesitate to take action when needed to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he added.

USC has commits from just 3 of the top 35-ranked 2024 recruits in the state of California. Lincoln Riley was asked about the process of reestablishing the USC brand in local recruiting. Here's what he said ...

"I don’t think it’s been tougher than what I expected. You, yeah, it’s two parts of it: you knew you were rebuilding something. Somebody told me something the other day, I think it’s kind of interesting. I think this is right. I’m sure y’all will fact check me. In the last 15 years, there’s been a better record through eight games than where we currently sit, which is 6-2, only one time, which was last year, which is amazing. So yeah, this is not the – there’s definitely I think a rebuild and I think there’s a process that we’re right in the middle of and maybe, like I said the other night, we’ve made great progress on, but we still clearly have work to do, we know that and embrace that and expected that and that’s part of it. The brand though and the USC degree, what it means, how much people watch it, how much people care about it is still incredibly high and as far as recruiting, whether it be national or local.

"To me, it’s kind of all in the same. It’s how do you build the best roster that you can of the guys that are available to go recruit because at the end of the day, you go win the national championship with a roster of guys mixed from all over the country, nobody’s going to say, oh well, that’s great you won the national championship but you don’t have 80% local guys, the flipside is if you don’t have a good year, they're not going to say, well, at least he has a bunch of California kids on this team. You clearly have to do a great job locally, but like I told you guys when I got here it’s about getting the right guys and it’s about, I think, in my evaluation of the program, when we started looking at the roster, I think there were a lot of players from the state of California who should not be on the USC roster for one reason or another, and so hiding behind the curtain of well, at least we’re recruiting California kids I don’t think does the program any good, it’s – we want to get California kids, we want to get local kids, we want them to be the right kids, the right kind of kids, the right kind of students, the right kind of players that fit within what we’re building, not ones that go against the grain of what we’re building and so yeah, I’ve been, I think the brand is there, I think as we continue to have success, you feel these shockwaves of success typically a little bit after.

"It’s not always, and we’ve had a good uptick in recruiting, but it’s not always immediate, those things kind of happen as you go because you think about the senior in high school that’s seen – he’s experienced 4-8 then he’s experienced a little bit of a resurgence, he’s seen a little bit of both, whereas the kid that’s the freshman in high school, the sophomore in high school, hopefully all his memories of USC as he comes up are all positive. And he’s seen winning and he’s seen big games and he’s seen nationally relevant games and the Coliseum full and the guys winning awards, kind of all what USC football should be. So I know a long-winded answer, but I think we’re – I think the recruiting has been as expected and I think as we continue to have success, I think as we get this facility built, which is severely needed, obviously, and we continue to trend, I think it’s going to – when we get into the Big Ten, I think all those things will just continue to make it better and better so I just don’t – I don’t think you start winning to the level that we have and change it without that and I still think we’re – the exciting thing here is I still think we’re on just the beginning stages of this from a recruiting standpoint and what it can be and that’s what’s fun. I think we can go toe to toe with anybody right now and I don’t even think we’re at our best yet. When we hit our best, I think we’ll be pretty tough to beat.

Jews are just useful idiots of the Left?

U.S. Economy Blows Past Economists’ Expectations in Third Quarter​

BACK IN BLACK

Alex Nguyen​

Breaking News Intern
Published Oct. 26, 2023 12:11PM EDT


The U.S. economy grew faster than economists’ projections in the third quarter due to reliable consumer spending despite high inflation and interest rates and other factors, including rises in inventory, exports, and government expenditures. Gross domestic product, which is the monetary amount of all goods and services, grew at a 4.9 percent annualized rate from July through September—the largest increase since Q4 in 2021—according to a Thursday report from the Commerce Department. Personal consumption spending increased 4 percent for the quarter compared to 0.8 percent in Q2. But according to CNN, this economic growth isn’t expected to continue, owing to increased bond yields and the return of student loan repayments.

Here are a few things the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, voted against:
- Certifying the 2020 Election
- Codifying same-sex marriage
- The Violence Against Women Act
- Common sense gun reform Johnson also supports a national abortion ban and a national “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
- wants doctors who perform abortions to be imprisoned and forced to do hard labor.

OH BOY! THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!!!

OCT 25, 2023

On the 21st day since the ousting of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, Republicans have elected far-right Congressman Mike Johnson to be the next Speaker.

Johnson, a relative unknown in Congressman from Louisiana secured 220 votes, more than the necessary 217, to take the speaker’s gavel after rounds of Republican conference votes, numerous failed nominees, and nearly a month of dysfunctional governance.
https://usc.forums.rivals.com/\"htt...k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\"
Johnson, who has been a staunch Trump supporter since he was elected, has been described as an “architect” in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. During the post-election legal effort, in which the Trump campaign filed over 60 lawsuits and lost all but one of them, Johnson circulated an email asking his colleagues to sign onto a “friend-of-the-court” brief supporting the state of Texas’ lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decertify the election results in four key states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Not only is Johnson an election denier, but the Louisiana Republican touts an extremely far-right voting record and has called for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Johnson is also an evangelical Christian, who has said “my faith informs everything I do.” He has voted for a national abortion ban and co-sponsored at least three bills that would restrict abortion on a nationwide level. The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has given him an A+ rating.
Congressman Johnson has gone as far as to state he believes doctors who perform abortions should be imprisoned and forced to do hard labor.

Johnson is also a vocal climate denier who penned an op-ed in 2017 denying human’s role in climate change.

He has also opposed LGBTQ rights at every turn. He voted against bipartisan legislation to codify same-sex marriage, which President Biden signed into law earlier this year. In 2022, he introduced what advocates called a federal “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The legislation would have banned classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through the third grade. Johnson called the bill “common sense.”

While Johnson’s election means an end to the chaos caused by the empty Speaker’s chair, it also means the far-right extremists in Congress are more emboldened than ever. An election-denying bigot like Johnson should never hold the position he does now and his Speakership raises the already high stakes of the 2024 election. Democracy will be up and down the ballot next November, and we must all work to protect it.

This was one of the longest ones we've had -- 26 minutes.

A lot of talk about Riley's health. He said he started feeling symptoms last Tuesday and chose to prioritize game-planning over recommended rest last week and paid for it by Sunday. He said he's feeling better but can't yell during practices. He definitely sounded worn down.

We covered a lot of ground about managing the run game, Caleb Williams dealing with expectations, he was asked about local recruiting, Alani Noa's progress and more.

Transcript in the works.

Emmanuel Acho's hideous take on Williams sitting out:

Puck it. ✌️ ✌️

Login to view embedded media

ESPN-

From top to bottom...


System wise... offensively.. I'm sick and tired of the run and gun Mike Leach style offense.. the trojan run game was literally gashing Utah.. had they stuck to it.. there's no way they lose this game... I knew this game was going be a loss ..on that failed 3rd and short gain.. instead of going with a run.. they got cute.. empty backfield.. for Caleb to get stuffed..also.. do we really need two AR coaches? I rather one spot be a special teams coordinator..

Defensively... dump Grinch... go to a tradition 4-3 Defensive alignment.. Jim Leonhard .. should be a name that is at the top of the list... if possible I keep Nua and Manning.. everyone else on the staff should be fired..

Is Riley to hard-headed to see where he's failing this team?

What if Lincoln Riley couldn't fire Alex Grinch last year because the money for a worthwhile replacement wasn't there. What if it takes a 4 loss season and no major differences on defense to get TPTB to see money needs to be put more on staff.

We saw how active he was when looking for a RB and OL coach. He was targeting proven guys. Check the transfer portal thread, there wasn't a single transfer making an impact now on the defensive side of the ball that didn't get that USC offer. The man gives a damn.

What if he went to get more money to pull a new DC in but couldn't get the money?

What if he stood by Alex, making himself look loyal to any prospective coach?

What if he has his worst season and is finally allowed to break the bank for staff upgrades that may not have been on the table after just one year?

*Note: None of this would excuse offensive playcalling balance, over-reliance on screens, kicking decisions or depth chart inconsistencies.*

Ex-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows granted immunity, tells special counsel he warned Trump about 2020 claims: Sources​

Meadows said Trump was "dishonest" on election night, according to sources.

ByKatherine Faulders, Mike Levine, and Alexander Mallin
October 24, 2023, 5:11 PM

Former President Donald Trump's final chief of staff in the White House, Mark Meadows, has spoken with special counsel Jack Smith's team at least three times this year, including once before a federal grand jury, which came only after Smith granted Meadows immunity to testify under oath, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The sources said Meadows informed Smith's team that he repeatedly told Trump in the weeks after the 2020 presidential election that the allegations of significant voting fraud coming to them were baseless, a striking break from Trump's prolific rhetoric regarding the election.

According to the sources, Meadows also told the federal investigators Trump was being "dishonest" with the public when he first claimed to have won the election only hours after polls closed on Nov. 3, 2020, before final results were in.

"Obviously we didn't win," a source quoted Meadows as telling Smith's team in hindsight.

Trump has called Meadows, one of the former president's closest and highest-ranking aides in the White House, a "special friend" and "a great chief of staff -- as good as it gets."

The descriptions of what Meadows allegedly told investigators shed further light on the evidence Smith's team has amassed as it prosecutes Trump for allegedly trying to unlawfully retain power and "spread lies" about the 2020 election. The descriptions also expose how far Trump loyalists like Meadows have gone to support and defend Trump.

Sources told ABC News that Smith's investigators were keenly interested in questioning Meadows about election-related conversations he had with Trump during his final months in office, and whether Meadows actually believed some of the claims he included in a book he published after Trump left office -- a book that promised to "correct the record" on Trump.

ABC News has identified several assertions in the book that appear to be contradicted by what Meadows allegedly told investigators behind closed doors.

According to Meadows' book, the election was "stolen" and "rigged" with help from "allies in the liberal media," who ignored "actual evidence of fraud, right there in plain sight for anyone to access and analyze."

But, as described to ABC News, Meadows privately told Smith's investigators that -- to this day -- he has yet to see any evidence of fraud that would have kept now-president Joe Biden from the White House, and he told them he agrees with a government assessment at the time that the 2020 presidential election was the most secure election in U.S. history.

Under the immunity order from Smith's team, the information Meadows provided to the grand jury earlier this year can't be used against him in a federal prosecution.

That immunity came after a lawyer for Meadows requested that his client be immunized to testify before the grand jury, sources familiar with the matter said. A senior Justice Department official signed off on the request and an immunity order was then issued by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge at the federal court in Washington, D.C., days before Meadows appeared before the grand jury in March, sources said.

Had Meadows not been granted immunity, prosecutors expected him to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, sources said.

'We did win this election'​

Trump was already questioning the integrity of the election months before Election Day. Then, within hours of polls closing on Nov. 3, 2020 -- as Trump was beginning to lose key states -- Trump claimed on national TV that it was all "a major fraud."

"Frankly, we did win this election," Trump declared.

Meadows told investigators earlier this year that he's long believed Trump was being dishonest when he made that statement, given the fact that votes were still being counted and the results from several states were not in yet.

Nevertheless, public testimony has shown that in the weeks after the election, Meadows helped Trump vet allegations of fraud that were making their way to Trump from people like Rudy Giuliani, whom Trump put in charge of legal efforts to keep Trump in the White House.

But Meadows said that by mid-December, he privately informed Trump that Giuliani hadn't produced any evidence to back up the many allegations he was making, sources said. Then-attorney general Bill Barr also informed Trump and Meadows in an Oval Office meeting that allegations of election fraud were "not panning out," as Barr recounted in testimony to Congress last year.

Meadows has said publicly that he believed "a number of allegations" still warranted "further investigation," and that he "hadn't reached a conclusion" on the election overall by late December.

Also by then, Trump had run out of legal options. When the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 11, 2020, denied his final court challenge, Trump told Meadows something to the effect of, "Then that's the end," or, "So that's it," Meadows recalled to investigators, according to sources.

Still, Trump wouldn't back down, insisting there was widespread fraud but that the Justice Department wasn't "looking for it," Barr recalled.

While speaking with investigators, Meadows was specifically asked if Trump ever acknowledged to him that he'd lost the election. Meadows told investigators he never heard Trump say that, according to sources.

On Jan. 2, 2021, Meadows helped set up the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, during which Trump pressed Raffensberger to "find 11,780 votes ... because we won the state."

Meadows has said publicly that he essentially introduced everyone on the call -- which is corroborated by transcripts of the call that were made public -- and he has said he was simply trying to help them resolve a dispute over Georgia's election results.

On the call, Trump mentioned allegations of fraudulent ballots hidden in suitcases, which the Justice Department had already taken "a hard look at" and debunked, according to Barr's testimony.

As described to ABC News, Meadows told Smith's investigators that, around that time, there were many times he wanted to resign over concerns that the way certain allegations of fraud were being handled could have a negative impact -- but he ultimately didn't leave because he wanted to help ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

Kevin Ford is the No. 1 recruit in Texas for the 2026 class and USC is an offer that he would really like.

Who are the Palestinians? In point of fact, it is the Palestinians who make Hamas possible.

And then there’s Biden’s good friend “President” Abbas of the “Palestinian Authority.” This particular “president” is now in the 18th year of the four-year term he won in 2005, in no small part thanks to the Bush administration’s sociology project in sharia democracy. Abbas is holed up in Judea and Samaria (which we are supposed to call the West Bank) because the Palestinians kicked the “Palestinian Authority” out of Gaza in 2007 after they’d chosen Hamas in parliamentary elections the prior year.

Abbas, his Fatah party (the terrorist core of the PLO), and the so-called Palestinian Authority are the descendants of Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian Marxist who later decided he was a Palestinian Marxist. In this neck of the Levant, sharia supremacists have the popular edge over oozingly corrupt lefty nationalists, so the Muslim Brotherhood birthed Hamas in 1987 — just in time for the first intifada — in order to reimagine the struggle against “the occupation” as jihad rather than a “people’s revolution.” Both brands of fascism have a one-person-one-vote-one-time approach to “democracy.” In Hamas’s case, this approach is necessary to establishing a sharia state; in Abbas’s case, it is a result of the fact that if he allowed another election, Hamas would win.

It was thus sadly hilarious to hear President Biden explain that his conversation with “President” Abbas was meant to assure the “Palestinian people” that “the United States remains committed to [their] right to dignity and self-determination” — notwithstanding the October 7 atrocities against Israel that, incidentally, entailed the murders of more than 30 Americans, with another dozen or more likely taken hostage.

It would be unfair to hang such wishful Western ignorance on Biden alone. It’s exactly what American administrations of both parties have been saying for 30 years: There are these nice Palestinians who just want “self-determination” and the “dignity” of governing themselves democratically, but they keep being undermined by a handful of bad terrorists — about whom we really can’t do much, so we need to pretend that the problem is those pain-in-the-ass Jews who stubbornly insist on existing.

In point of fact, it is the Palestinians who make Hamas possible. Let’s say Israel completely dismantled Hamas tomorrow — which, by the way, it can’t do by a ground invasion of Gaza, since Hamas is run and funded from Qatar and armed and trained by Iran. You know what would happen then? The Muslim Brotherhood would have Hamas 2.0 up and running within days. Hamas is popular in the Palestinian territories precisely because it represents the sharia-supremacist objective of an Islamic state that extirpates Israel. Hamas may be the chief executor, but the objective is Palestinian.

“Self-determination”? “From the river to the sea” is not a Hamas battle cry. It is a Palestinianbattle cry.

The vision of a map that does not include the word “Israel,” a map where a sharia regime is sovereign on every inch of land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, is Muslim Brotherhood doctrine. In the Palestinian territories, the Muslim Brotherhood runs the schools — and their component paramilitary camps for toddlers. Children are marinated from birth in Jew hatred. It’s not mere anti-Zionism, as the jihad’s transnational-progressive apologists try to maintain with a straight face — it’s Jew hatred.

Hamas Is the Symptom, Not the Disease | National Review

The terror group was elected by Palestinians in Gaza precisely because it wants to destroy Israel and murder Jewish people.

www.nationalreview.com

Hamas Fighters Trained in Iran Before Oct. 7 Attacks​

Roughly 500 Palestinian militants got specialized combat instruction at Iranian facilities as recently as September​

By Summer Said

, Dov Lieber

and Benoit Faucon

Updated Oct. 25, 2023 at 12:52 pm ET

TEL AVIV—In the weeks leading up to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, hundreds of the Palestinian Islamist militant group’s fighters received specialized combat training in Iran, according to people familiar with intelligence related to the assault.

Roughly 500 militants from Hamas and an allied group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, participated in the exercises in September, which were led by officers of the Quds Force, the foreign-operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the people said.

Senior Palestinian officials and Iranian Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the head of Quds Force, also attended, they said.

More than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed Oct. 7 by Hamas fighters who poured across the border from the Gaza Strip. Scores of others were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza, where they are being held hostage.

No one’s buying it…the ineffective mRNA that neither prevents infection nor transmission​

Even so, the nation’s top disease-fighting official says the U.S. remains “on track” to hit last year’s uptake levels, which crested at just 17 percent of the U.S. population.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/covid-flu-vaccine-cdc-director-mandy-cohen-00123268#:~:text=Health%20Care-,'On%20track'%3A%203%20percent%20of%20Americans%20have%20gotten%20the,have%20had%20their%20flu%20shot.&text=The%20Biden%20administration's%20campaign%20to,to%20a%20very%20slow%20start.

So far, 12 million people, or about 3.6 percent of the population, have gotten the shot in the five weeks since it hit pharmacy shelves — though reporting lags mean it’s likely a bit higher, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said.

More people, by far — 16 million — have gotten their annual flu vaccine, Cohen said, attributing the difference to long-held routines.

Border Protection Refutes Supposed Memo About Hamas at Southern Border​

REALITY CHECK

Mark Alfred​

Breaking News Intern
Published Oct. 25, 2023 3:16PM EDT

Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that it had “no indication” that Hamas or Hezbollah fighters were plotting to infiltrate the U.S. via its southern border after the Daily Caller and Fox published what they characterized as an agency memo warning “there could be encounters of terror-tied individuals who are seeking to travel to or from the Middle East via transit across the southern border.”

Right-wing lawmakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) ran with the report, posting to X that “This should be a wake up call to every American.” Only the memo “is not a Border Patrol product” the San Diego Border Patrol Sector later told Fox 5. The agency’s D.C. office said that, in fact, “There is no indication of Hamas-directed foreign fighters seeking to make entry in the United States.”

THE OL’ IRISH EXIT

With Secret Service agents hot on his heels, the former president’s move appeared to take even his own lawyers by surprise.

​

AJ McDougall​

Breaking News Reporter
Updated Oct. 25, 2023 5:30PM EDT / Published Oct. 25, 2023 4:38PM EDT




Donald Trump swept out of his $250 million New York civil fraud trial on Wednesday, a move that apparently left his Secret Service detail scrambling to follow him and those who remained in the courtroom, including his own lawyers, stunned.

Trump’s dramatic exit was made as Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney, was testifying on the stand. Under cross-examination, Cohen denied that Trump had ever asked him to inflate numbers on his personal statement—standing by his 2019 congressional testimony.

Trump and one of his lawyers, Alina Habba, “threw up their arms” at this, according to CNN. Another Trump attorney then asked Judge Arthur Engoron for a directed verdict on the case, given Cohen’s status as a key witness.
“Absolutely denied,” Engoron replied, citing evidence “all over the place” supporting New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against Trump.

The former president was “visibly angry” as he immediately stood up and stormed out, CNBC reported, eliciting gasps from the room.

Outside, Trump told reporters, “The witness just admitted that we won the trial,” according to NBC News. “And the judge should end this trial immediately.”

Cohen later clarified on the stand that Trump didn’t directly order him to inflate numbers. “He speaks like a mob boss,” Cohen said.

The diva moment wasn’t Trump’s first headline-making headache of the day. Less than an hour earlier, Engoron had slapped him with a $10,000 penalty for violating an order not to talk about court staff.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-forces-trump-to-testify-for-insult-then-fines-him-dollar10k
The decision came after the judge put Trump on the witness stand for about a minute, asking him under oath to explain comments he’d made to reporters earlier that day, complaining about a “very partisan judge with a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is.”

Engoron took that as a reference to his clerk, Allison Greenfield, who sits next to him in court. (A gag order blocking Trump from targeting Engoron’s staff was imposed after he wrote a blistering Truth Social post about Greenfield on the second day of the trial.)

But Trump insisted he had been referring to Cohen, who’d already been on the stand—on Engoron’s other side—at that point in the day.

The judge said he didn’t find this explanation “credible,” and handed down the fine.

Putin Flack Claims ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Jews on Kremlin TV​

The Israel-Gaza war has kicked off a profanity-laced firestorm among the Kremlin’s star propagandists.

Julia Davis​

Published Oct. 25, 2023 4:38AM EDT

The Israel-Hamas war has activated fault lines all over the world, including in Moscow, where the Kremlin’s most influential propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov, has found himself in the middle of a media firestorm spurred by the conflict.

First, Solovyov—who previously vowed that as a Jew, he would fight for Israel if it was ever involved in a war—went back on his promise. He claimed that his duty is to be with Russia as it fights in Ukraine, although Solovyov has no plans to risk his life or limb in that war either.

And now, there is a growing rift within his media empire. A wave of public figures in Russia are attacking his channel, Solovyov Live, suggesting it employs too many Jewish staffers in comments Solovyov says amount to an attempted “ethnic cleansing.”

The scandal appears to have started because not everyone at the network was willing to abandon their affinity towards Israel in favor of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the countries that sponsor their endeavors. Last week, Yevgeny Satanovsky—a prominent fixture on Solovyov’s state TV programs and a host on his channel—was interviewed by an Israeli YouTuber, Alexander Waldman, and did not hold back.

Criticizing Russia’s approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Satanovsky described Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, as a hopeless drunk and an old man who might be looking for a golden parachute in the form of a hefty payout. Bogdanov, who is Russia's former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, had urged “a peace process” and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and said that Russian officials have been in touch with all parties involved in the conflict, including unspecified Arab countries.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/russi...upts-after-son-accused-of-dodging-ukraine-war
Satanovsky also unloaded on Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, describing her as “a heavy-drinking skank, who does not like the Jews and can’t stand Israel.” He referred to the significant presence of antisemites among Russian government officials, saying that they’ve “livened up” after Hamas attacked Israel and claiming that Kremlin leadership is trying to keep them in check.

The pundit said that he doesn’t have a problem with Vladimir Putin’s government, because he realizes that the main goal of global leaders is to pass down their riches that are sometimes stolen, sometimes earned, to their descendants. He described coming to terms with this realization and learning to accept Russia just the way it is. “The country where I’m living right now, with its antisemites, thieves, scumbags and bandits, is no better and no worse than others,” he said. “There is nowhere to run.”

“This man used to be a trustee of the President of the Russian Federation and now he is calling for ethnic cleansing.”
He went on: “Putin is not eternal, he is getting older. It’s customary for strong leaders to choose weak ones to follow them. Putin is very strong from the standpoint of retaining power... he will pick some puny, weak shit to take his spot. [Dmitry] Medvedev was an example of that.”

Solovyov promptly fired Satanovsky on Saturday and apologized to Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. Satanovsky initially replied that he regrets nothing, but by Monday, he had posted a vague apology on his Telegram channel.

Spiral​

But the scandal is only growing. During his program on Tuesday, Full Contact, Solovyov was exploding with rage, because his channel is now under attack for being “ethnically askew”.

Speaking of the controversy, Putin confidant Alexander Dugin told Eurasia Daily: “This was inevitable. The divide between the Jews who are loyal to Putin and the special military operation after the escalation in the Gaza Strip was inevitable. Satanovsky and [Yaakov] Kedmi chose Israel. Solovyov, despite his fiery Judaism, chose Russia… Solovyov diffused tensions, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing is over, it barely even started... This is very serious, because the Jews play an enormous part in Russian politics.” Dugin surmised, “Satanovsky’s motherland is Israel... It’s time for Armageddonych [Satanovsky’s nickname] to go home.”

Sergey Markov, who is often reported to be Putin’s former close adviser, told the same publication, “This won’t be the last conflict in Solovyov’s pool. As many have noted, there is an enormous ethnic imbalance. Mainly the representatives of two diasporas [Jewish and Armenian] are discussing what the policies of great Russia should be. This is laughable and improper... This isn’t normal. There will be more scandals, because Russia’s relations with Israel and Armenia are getting worse. Many of Solovyov’s experts can’t find balance between Russia and their ethnic identity. Satanovsky lost it. He won’t be the last.”

In response, Solovyov called Markov “a total lowlife” and expressed his amazement that “this scumbag somehow made it to the State Duma at one point in time.” The host added: “This man used to be a trustee of the president of the Russian Federation and now he is calling for ethnic cleansing… This creature is opening his mouth to criticize the hosts of a channel, where he is constantly appearing, as though it was his job!” Solovyov called on Olga Skabeeva and Evgeny Popov, his colleagues from the program 60 Minutes, to take note of Markov’s commentary, implying they should stop inviting him to participate in their program.

Solovyov questioned what differentiates Dugin, Markov and other commentators on this issue from Hitler. He cautioned, “The old ghost of antisemitism is rising once again. The ghost of the Fourth Reich.”