May former President Jimmy Carter 'Rest in Peace'...a terrible president but a truly decent, honorable, and good man. Jimmy Carter died yesterday at 100 years old...he and his beloved Roslyn are together again.

 

Wishing all our 'Patriot Factor' members and readers 

of the Christian faith a very Merry Christmas 

& all those of the Jewish faith

 a very Happy Hanukkah.

 

So, We Have Secret Talks on a Border Bill Happening Right Now

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

We won an election based on the Democrats being wholly incompetent on immigration and border security, so what do Republicans do? They’re working on a secret immigration bill during the lame-duck period. It’s a sick joke and a total disgrace. First, any comprehensive immigration deal with Democrats is going to be littered with nonsense, like a pathway to citizenship and other provisions that were roundly rejected in the 2024 election. Mass deportations are what’s on the agenda right now—that’s it. Second, you know the bill is bad if these talks are described as “very serious” and “very secret” (via Axios):

A small, bipartisan group of senators have been quietly sketching out a possible new border deal for early 2025, Axios has learned. 

Why it matters: Border and immigration reform is the white whale of Congress. It's also President-elect Trump's No. 1 priority.

Top Senate Republicans plan to move quickly on a border package, using the budget reconciliation process to get it done.

Pentagon says the number of US troops in Syria is much higher than previously reported

The Pentagon has reported there were 900 US troops in Syria for several months

Greg Wehner, Jennifer Griffin / Fox News

 

The Pentagon says there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria, more than double what officials with the Department of Defense have been telling reporters for months.

"We have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed to Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. "In light of the situation in Syria, and in significant interest, we’ve recently learned that those numbers were higher."

Ryder asked to look into the numbers and said he learned on Thursday that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.

"It was explained to me these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments," he continued. "As you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time, but given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know, as soon as I found out this information." Read more and see video here: https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-says-number-us-troops-syria-much-higher-previously-reported

Liberal Magazine: Biden Should Issue Blanket Pardon for Illegal Aliens

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

Grab a drink—I know it’s early in the morning, but morning whiskey doesn’t mean you have a problem—and absorb this nonsense from The Nation. The Lefty magazine hasn’t always been insufferable, as they’ve had decent pieces on Russian collusion hysterics, but this is a real doozy here. With the second Trump presidency on the horizon, the Left is pleading with Biden to issue a blanket pardon for all illegal aliens before he’s wheeled out of office.  

The article is a screed, a rage piece over the 2024 loss, Kamala Harris’ incompetence, and the Democrats’ continued journey into the political wilderness if they don’t find some chutzpah. Oh, the Left is raging, but for all the wrong reasons. Anyway, it’s quite the piece, but the whole premise is undercut by one sentence (via The Nation) [emphasis mine]:

Trump, Musk fire back after Dem leader blames House GOP for breaking bipartisan agreement

Elon Musk responds to Hakeem Jeffries: 'You seem to think the public is dumb. They are not'

By Greg Wehner Fox News

Greg Wehner / FOX News

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that despite a bipartisan agreement being made to fund the government, they chose to break it after being ordered to shut down the government.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., while speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., called out House Republicans for breaking a bipartisan agreement to fund the government and avoid a government shutdown, accusing them of hurting everyday Americans across the country.

On Wednesday, House GOP leaders scrambled to search for a backup plan after reaching an initial bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown this Friday was buried by a barrage of opposition from conservative leaders. Read more and see Xs and videos here.

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect could see most serious charge downgraded: defense attorney

Evidence collected in case includes Luigi Mangione's manifesto, 3D-printed gun, suppressor, fingerprints

Michael Ruiz, Audrey Conklin / FOX News

 

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione’s "only viable chance" of success in his murder case is "some type of psychiatric defense," according to New York-based attorney Daniel Gotlin.

Gotlin, of Gotlin & Jaffe, successfully tried a mental health defense in 2014 while representing a man accused of fatally stabbing his mother.

"My guess is they should try some kind of psychiatric defense where it mitigates his intent to do this in the hopes that instead of getting convicted of murder, he gets convicted of manslaughter," he told Fox News Digital. "Even if he gets the maximum, which is eight to 24 years ... he could still get out. You know, you may spend 15, 16 to 18 years in, but at least one day you're going to get out."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday announced that a grand jury indicted Mangione on one count of first-degree murder, in furtherance of terrorism; two counts of second-degree murder; two counts of second-degree criminal weapons possession; four counts of third-degree criminal weapons possession; one count of fourth-degree criminal weapons possession; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. Read more and see video here.