Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we’re five days away from a brand new year, and we have some urgent stories to share with you right now. Here’s what’s going on.
President Joe Biden makes a substantial pledge to Ukraine following a destructive Christmas Day missile attack, American officials identify what led up to the recent friendly fire attacks in the Middle East, and a leading U.S. lawmaker releases his annual list of wasteful government spending—and some items on that list are perplexing.
Also, a former two-time failed presidential candidate launches a bid to become the next head of the Democratic Party, and a pair of U.S. astronauts couldn’t make it home in time for the Christmas holiday due to transportation problems and we’ll tell you how they celebrated in a far off place.
Biden Pledges More Arms to Ukraine After Christmas Strikes
Biden says he has directed the Pentagon to continue its “surge of weapons deliveries” to the embattled country following a wave of Russian air attacks that targeted both Ukrainian cities and their energy grids early on Christmas morning.Biden called the attack “outrageous.” He said Russia’s purpose was to intentionally cut off both heat and electricity from the Ukrainian people during winter, and to jeopardize the safety of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The president went on to say that the Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and safety, and that both the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it fends off Russia’s ongoing attacks.
So you know, military officials in Ukraine said that 78 air and ground missiles, along with more than 100 drones, were used in Wednesday’s attack, and that they damaged critical equipment in Ukraine’s power grid, causing significant outages. Additionally, the strikes injured a number of people, and one person was killed.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Christmas Day assault “inhumane.” He also said that more than 50 missiles and drones were shot down by Ukraine’s military.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia also condemned the attack. He said Christmas should be a time of peace, that launching large-scale missile and drone attacks on the day of the Lord’s birth is wrong, and that the United States is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region.
Interesting to note that most of the people in Ukraine are Christian Orthodox, and they used to celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as is the case in Russia. However, last year, they changed their celebration day to Dec. 25, the date on which Christmas is recognized in most Western countries.
Cruiser Crew Using New Systems Likely Launched Friendly Fire Attacks
On Dec. 21, the crew of the USS Gettysburg, a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, was using a newly upgraded $600 million anti-aircraft system for the first time in live action when, by mistake, they fired on a pair of U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets off the coast of Yemen, forcing the crew of one of those jets to eject into the Red Sea.U.S. Central Command (CentCom) said on X that both pilots had been safely rescued. They also said that one of the pilots sustained minor injuries and that a full investigation is now underway.
CentCom also confirmed a report which said that a second Hornet jet had narrowly missed being shot down by another surface-to-air missile mistakenly launched by the crew of the Gettysburg.
The source behind that report also said there’s anger in the fleet regarding the limited training the Gettysburg crewmen have received, and that they also have reservations about a $10 billion modernization program for older Ticonderoga-class warships, which is currently underway.
The USS Gettysburg, by the way, is 33 years old, it’s the first of three such modernized ships to be redeployed, and it recently arrived in the Red Sea as part of the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier battle group after leaving Virginia a few months ago.
It’s important to note that CentCom says on the night of the “friendly fire” incident, its forces conducted “precision airstrikes” against both a missile storage site and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The accident took place after the Houthis launched a number of drone and missile attacks that targeted both military vessels and commercial shipping in the region. In response, the crew of the Gettysburg engaged its new air defense radar, along with an updated vertical launch system that was recently installed during a nine-year-long period of modernization.
Rand Paul Releases Annual List of Wasteful Government Spending
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) recently released his annual list of wasteful government spending, which he says is ballooning out of control.Earlier this week, he said that last Christmas, we bemoaned the fact that the national debt was nearly $34 trillion, and that in just a year, “Washington’s career politicians and bureaucrats have managed to push it beyond $36 trillion.”
He said that this past year, members of both political parties in Congress voted for massive spending bills that contain subsidies for underperforming industries, continued military aid to Ukraine, and controversial climate initiatives. Meanwhile, the American taxpayers are forced to pay for these measures, he said through high prices and crippling interest rates.
The senator also pointed to the amounts of wasteful government spending this year, including $10 billion related to leasing and maintaining almost entirely empty buildings; nearly $5 million on influencers; over $2 million for Paraguayan border security; and $12 million being spent on a Las Vegas pickleball complex.
As a possible fix, the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump has created an outside group called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise the White House on ways to cut wasteful spending in the federal government.
Williamson Launches Bid for DNC Chair
Yesterday, Marianne Williamson launched a bid to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and she’s adding her name to a growing field of candidates who are looking to rebrand the party after it recently lost control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency.Just a refresher, Williamson ran in both the 2020 and 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, and she’s looking to take charge of the DNC after current Chair Jaime Harrison’s term expires early next year.
Williamson said that this year, the Democratic Party faces a more critical problem than it’s ever faced before. She said that right now, the “MAGA phenomenon” challenges the very way that politics are done in America, and that the “traditional tool kit of party organizing” will not be enough to meet the moment.
She also said that MAGA is a distinctly 21st-century political movement and that it will not be defeated by a 20th-century model, which simply includes data analysis, fundraising, field organizing, and beefed-up technology.
She added that her experience with what went wrong for the Democratic Party in the recent election has given her insight into what needs to be done to make things right.
By the way, a number of other party members have also shown interest in the job, including both the Minnesota and Wisconsin Democratic Party chairs, a former Homeland Security official, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
Meanwhile, the election for the position is expected to take place at the party’s winter meeting in Maryland, which begins at the end of next month.
Stranded Astronauts Enjoy Christmas Dinner in Outer Space
The two employees are NASA astronauts, and not only did they eat Christmas dinner nearly 250 miles above the Earth, they’re also now preparing to celebrate New Year’s Eve in orbit after being stranded for months on the International Space Station.You may recall that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched into space nearly seven months ago on the Boeing Starliner for what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight. Their mission has now been extended until March or even April of next year, following safety concerns that led NASA to delay their return to Earth.
One military veteran told The Epoch Times that their holiday dinners might not match a home-cooked feast, but that just having a decent meal brings a sense of comfort and tradition—even in space.
She went on to say that even though a lot of the food is either freeze-dried or pre-packaged, NASA has made significant strides in creating meals that are both nutritious and enjoyable for their astronauts.
She also pointed out that whether you’re a soldier or a space traveler, it’s the longing for home that keeps you emotionally grounded—it requires both immense mental strength and incredible focus.
A NASA flight director says that the agency understands the challenges faced by the astronauts who are isolated in the space station, that they’ve been very professional, and that they’re handling the situation well. She also said they got Christmas Day off so they could talk to their families, send emails, and even use the internet phone.
Meanwhile, NASA says that a number of other astronauts have also enjoyed special holiday meals in outer space, including one Thanksgiving feast on the space shuttle Endeavor made up of smoked turkey, candied yams, and even cornbread dressing.
And now, because we’ve run out of space, we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from Dale Carnegie who said: “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”
Carnegie was an American writer and teacher of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, and so much more. A very accomplished gentleman.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
