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Nostradamus, a 16th-century French astrologer known as “the prophet of doom,” has a few foreboding predictions for 2024.
According to his 1555 text “Les Propheties” (“The Prophecies”), this year brings continued global strife, including war on the seas, royal turmoil and humanitarian disaster.
His vision of the future is laid out in 942 poetic verses called quatrains, and while his writings are somewhat vague, he has been credited with foreseeing the rise of Adolf Hitler, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Sept. 11 attacks and COVID, to name a few.
In spite of some who falsely believed his text had predicted the apocalypse in 1999, his visions continued — and have this to say for 2024:
Prince Harry becomes King
One of the passages in his long text says that a “King of the Isles” will be “driven out by force.” Some think Nostradamus is referring to King Charles III. Another passage supposedly about Charles says “soon afterward [a disastrous war] a new King shall be anointed / Who, for a long time, will appease the earth,” according to IFLScience.
British author and Nostradamus commentator Mario Reading, who previously said Nostradamus may have predicted Queen Elizabeth II’s death, analyzed that King Charles III would be abdicating due to “persistent attacks on both himself and his second wife,” and Harry would replace him instead of William because he — the “Spare” heir — has “no mark of a king,” The Daily Mail reported.
China wages war
Nostradamus predicted “combat and naval battle” and said that a “Red adversary will become pale with fear, putting the great Ocean in dread.”
Some think that the “Red adversary” could be referring to China and their red flag.
The “naval battle” could be referring to China’s tensions with the island of Taiwan. Beijing, the capital of China, has the largest navy in the world.
Climate disaster
The climate crisis has become more apparent in recent years with an increase in drought wildfires and record-high temperatures.
Nostradamus predicts it will get even worse.
“The dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen,” he wrote.
He also predicted extreme weather events and world hunger.
“Very great famine through pestiferous wave,” he said.
A new Pope
Pope Francis could soon see a replacement, according to the astrologer’s predictions.
“Through the death of a very old Pontiff, A Roman of good age will be elected, Of him it will be said that he weakens his see, But long will he sit and in biting activity,” he wrote.
The Pope had to skip the U.N. climate conference because of lung inflammation and breathing problems from the flu.
While some of Nostradamus’ doomsday predictions seem bleak, fear not, his most fearsome 2023 predictions have yet to come true with just a few weeks left before the new year.
This year, Nostradamus predicted the coming of the antichrist as well as a full-blown World War III.
West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, a Republican, made the bold claim in a recent gubernatorial debate that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had a part in stealing Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential victory.
A 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army and the current Secretary of State of West Virginia, Joe Warner has been accused of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. During a recent debate held by Metro News, Warner doubled down on his past allegations of widespread fraud, implicating the CIA directly.
He referred to testimony by Mike Morrell, the former Deputy Director of the CIA, before Jim Jordan’s House Judiciary Committee. Warner highlighted Morrell’s testimony regarding a conversation with Antony Blinken, a Biden campaign senior adviser who later became Secretary of State.
Warner claimed that this conversation involved a report about Hunter Biden’s laptop and occurred just days before the release of an Oct. 19, 2020, statement from 51 former intelligence officials. The statement suggested that the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop was ‘influenced’ by a Russian disinformation campaign. Warner questioned how the election could not get stolen if the FBI covers it up and Mark Zuckerberg pays $400 million to put his thumb on the scale?
Mike Morrell confessed under oath that the Biden campaign was behind the letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials to suppress the laptop story. The Biden campaign wanted something for Biden to use during the 2020 debate against Trump, so they just made up an extravagant lie and recruited 51 intelligence leaders to sign the letter and lie to the American public about the laptop THEY ALL KNEW belonged to crack-head Hunter Biden.
Warner, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump and an Army veteran, has been vocal on the campaign trail about his concerns regarding U.S intelligence agencies. He has stated that the CIA and the FBI pose greater worries for him than foreign adversaries such as Russia and Iran.
Warner cited his own military service and Flynn’s to say “we’re familiar with psychological operations. This is where I really get pissed. They lied to the American people.” It wasn’t until March of this year, more than two years after the 2020 election, that Warner had to start worrying about those domestic enemies.
Democrats have reintroduced previously failed proposals representing an exhaustive list of almost all of the gun control bills they have been pushing.
The "Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2023" (Act) has been introduced in Congress each session since at least 2015. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reintroduced the bill in the Senate on Dec. 6. She wrote on her website that legislation is vital to ending violent crimes committed with guns.
“We’re in a gun violence crisis: 2023 is on track to see the most mass shootings in recent history, and gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and young people,” Ms. Warren wrote on her webpage. “I’m renewing the push for my comprehensive Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act."
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) is sponsoring the legislation in the House. He wrote on his website that the proposed law would benefit minorities and women.
“It’s painfully obvious that communities of color disproportionately bear the brunt of gun violence in the United States, particularly Black women, who are twice as likely as white women to be fatally shot by an intimate partner,” Mr. Johnson wrote.
According to Mr. Johnson, the bill incorporates the other gun control bills in Congress.
“The Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act incorporates a number of bills,” he wrote on his website.
Ms. Warren’s bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Mr. Johnson’s bill is in the House Committee on the Judiciary and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The bills would nullify current laws and establish stricter gun regulations.
According to a summary of the bill, at the top of the list is the requirement for a federal or state-issued license to “purchase or own a firearm or ammunition.”
The proposed law also calls for universal background checks and the elimination of the so-called “Charleston loophole” by requiring a completed background check before a sale’s completion.
The Charleston Loophole refers to the fact that the killer in the June 27, 2015, mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, was able to take possession of the rifle he used because the government failed to complete his background check within 72 hours.
That is, the law currently allows a gun dealer to complete a sale if the background check is not done within 72 hours. In theory, it is meant to prevent government officials from dragging their feet on background checks.
It also calls for closing the so-called “gun-show loophole.” There is no gun-show loophole, as all federally licensed firearms dealers must complete a background check through the National Instant Background Check System (NICS) for each sale. Private sales don’t require background checks.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), speaking against a bill for a similar universal background check in the Senate on Dec. 6, and said the measure would prevent more legal transfers than illegal ones.
“This is about the father who wishes to pass down a hunting rifle to his son or the friend who wants to loan a shotgun to his neighbor who has a need for protection,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump headlined the New York Young Republican Club's annual Gala on the evening of Dec. 9, telling the cheering audience that so many people had come out to support him that he had seen the spillover crowd on his drive to the Wall Street location.
Image Credit: Former President Donald Trump speaks at the New York Young Republican Club’s annual Gala at Cipriani’s Wall Street in New York on Dec. 9, 2023. Samira Bouaou/ The Epoch Times.
"It is great to be back in New York, and it's a true honor to address the oldest and largest Young Republican Club in the United States," he said.
"I want to express my tremendous gratitude to all of you for being one of the very first organizations in the entire nation to endorse my 2024 [run]. It's happening, it's happening. You shouldn't have had to wait this long. But you know, things like that happen.
"I'm telling you, this is a place that can be won."
He revealed that his optimism stemmed from the fact that the majority of his supporters are average Americans. According to President Trump, the bulk of his campaign funds hasn't come from megadonors but from regular people and families who give an average of $61, adding up to "millions and millions of dollars each week."
"We're taking in numbers that nobody's ever seen before," President Trump said.
"And if we win New York ... then we win the election very, very easily.
"If we win New York and we'll counter all of the cheating that will go on, because we have to catch them."
Contrasting Campaigns
The former president made several references to alleged election fraud during the 2020 general election and then noted that he initially hadn't planned to make President Joe Biden a major campaign point. But then "once I got indicted, the first time, and then the second, third, fourth ... what's happened is, since they've done it, the gloves are off."
President Trump ran through his campaign, contrasting it to the Biden administration's policies.
He touted his record on foreign policy and said he would end the wars in Ukraine and Israel without sending U.S. soldiers into war. The former president also touted his border plans, which had gotten him elected in 2016, and said he would reinstate travel bans and add ideological screening in the immigration process.
"If you want to abolish Israel, if you want to sympathize with jihadists, then we don't want you in our country, and you are not getting in," President Trump said.
He also criticized President Biden's economic and energy agendas, which he said have put the country on the brink of a depression.
"While Biden is devastating opportunities for young Americans, I will fight for young Americans like no president has ever fought before," the former president said.
President Trump mocked his political opponent's speech wherein President Biden said "MAGA extremists" needed to be stopped, using a popular abbreviation for "Make America Great Again," a campaign slogan of President Trump's.
Late Monday night, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) chose to withdraw two FISA bills from consideration as House Republicans aim to reauthorize and potentially reform a controversial deep state surveillance law.
According to Punchbowl News, Johnson continues to face the “predominant” criticism of his speakership, that he is “either unwilling, unable, or disinterested in making big decisions:”
Johnson flip-flopped for a few weeks when it came to extending FISA, especially the controversial Section 702 provision.
Johnson first said he would extend FISA authority as part of the NDAA — but only until February. Then Johnson said he wouldn’t. And then finally, the speaker agreed to include a FISA extension in the NDAA package that will run until April.
Subsequently, Johnson opted to introduce both the competing House Intelligence Committee and House Judiciary Committee bills on the floors simultaneously.
The House planned to employ a parliamentary procedure called “Queen of the Hill,” where the bill receiving the most votes would be the one sent to the Senate for consideration.
While this allowed Johnson to maintain impartiality, the clash between Intel and Judiciary Republicans escalated into a full-blown shouting match during a Monday night House Republican Conference meeting.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) asserted, without providing evidence, that the bill advanced by the Judiciary Committee, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, would remove provisions that the government uses to pursue individuals involved in child pornography.
Infuriated by this assertion, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), an ally of Jordan and a staunch advocate for privacy, stated that Turner was “fu**ing lying”
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) then attempted to ease tensions, stating that the extension in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) should provide enough time for lawmakers to reach a compromise.
However, the April extension of the NDAA would position the FISA battle immediately following the period when Congress must address a government funding solution in January and February, along with the need to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Raytheon has successfully tested its "Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle," designed to defend the US by intercepting and neutralizing long-range ballistic missiles in low-Earth orbit.
The kinetic-force weapon successfully destroyed an intermediate-range ballistic missile during a test in the Pacific region by the US Missile Defense Agency and the US Northern Command on Monday.
"This test demonstrates that the US ballistic missile defense system is operational, reliable, and ready to protect the country," said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon.
Kremer continued, "Raytheon kill vehicles have now successfully completed nearly 50 space intercepts, which underscores our expertise and ability to design and develop these systems to defeat the evolving threat."
Also known as "EKV," the weapon is an intercept component of the Ground-Based Interceptor and part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System. It uses multi-color sensors, advanced computers, and rocket motors that help it maneuver in space to neutralize the threat.
Raytheon said it is currently developing advanced ballistic missile interceptors and kill vehicles that will protect the US and allies with "more robust missile defense capability against current and future threats."
There was no word if EKV could defend the US and its allies from Russian and Chinese hypersonic threats.
The US lags behind in the hypersonic race while other superpowers rapidly add these new weapons to the modern battlefield.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the use of white phosphorous smoke bombs in an attack on Dheira, a village near the Israeli-Lebanon border. The IDF has stated that these potent, U.S-supplied weapons – which cause thick smoke and severe burns – were utilized solely to create smokescreens and were not intended to target individuals or property. Reports indicate the October 16 white phosphorus bomb attack led to at least three hospitalizations and incineration of at least four houses.
The shelling barrage trapped residents inside their homes for hours, with many, like 29-year-old farmer, Uday Abu Sari, experiencing significant respiratory troubles due to the smoke. Fragments of the shells, made in Louisiana and Arkansas in 1989 and 1992, exhibited production codes identical to those used by Israel during a Gaza offensive in 2009. The IDF continues to stand by their statement that the phosphorous shells were used for creating smokescreens and not for targeting or causing fires, and that their actions were compliant with international law.
U.S. defense officials indicated they were aware of the reports and have expressed their concerns over the weapons use, insisting on the importance of adhering to international humanitarian law. This comes at a time when Congress is considering President Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion in aid for Israel and Ukraine. Human Rights Watch Executive Director, Tirana Hassan, has urged U.S. lawmakers to reassess military aid to Israel in light of the shelling incident.
South Africa, battling crippling power blackouts, plans to add 2,500 megawatts of new nuclear generation, the government announced Tuesday.
The country has Africa’s only nuclear power station but the Koeberg plant near Cape Town is currently only working at half capacity.
The first of the new units will probably come on stream in 2032 or 2033, Zizamele Mbambo, the energy ministry’s deputy director general of nuclear power, told a press briefing.
He said South Africa had already asked “different vendors” for proposals.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the extra 2,500MW of extra nuclear power would be “a significant milestone”.
He added that it would be part of the government action to “ending the existential challenge that is confronting the country” over power shortages and long term energy security.
Rotating power cuts of up to 12 hours a day over the past 15 years have badly hit the economy and the government’s reputation as it heads into an election next year.
National power company Eskom has been tainted by corruption and maintenance problems that have led to the power cuts.
In a bid to extend the life of the Koeberg plant by 20 years, one unit was closed for nearly a year and the second unit was shut down for maintenance this week.
The American worker's plan to phase themselves out of the job market once and for all is almost complete. At least, that's what the case looks to be like at McDonald's. The fast food restaurant, which has already adopted self-serve kiosks in store, is now tapping Google's AI for its online ordering experience.
In a press release out late last week, McDonald's said the partnership "is a significant step for McDonald's in advancing its restaurant technology platform to become the most sophisticated and productive in the industry."
Because that's what you look for when you want a hamburger...
Brian Rice, McDonald's Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, commented: "We see tremendous opportunity for growth in our digital business and our partnership with Google Cloud allows us to capitalize on this by leveraging our size and scale to build capabilities and implement solutions at unmatched speeds."
He added: "Connecting our restaurants worldwide to millions of datapoints across our digital ecosystem means tools get sharper, models get smarter, restaurants become easier to operate, and most importantly, the overall experience for our customers and crew gets even better."
Yeah, and the less minimum wage-making human meat suits we have littering the floors of our kitchen, the more efficient and cheaper things get. After all, AI doesn't even have to take bathroom breaks!
The chain says the partnership will help it roll out "significant advancements to its restaurant and customer platforms".
" With a consistent approach, McDonald's expects to deploy innovations with much greater speed and agility. McDonald's will use edge computing from Google Cloud to power these new platforms, bringing information storage and high powered computing into individual restaurants," the press release says.
Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud's Chief Executive Officer, said: "Through this wide-ranging partnership, Google Cloud will help McDonald's seize on new opportunities to transform its business and customer experiences, empowering restaurants worldwide with the latest technologies for near-term impact."
"Pairing the iconic brand, size and scale of McDonald's with Google Cloud's deep history in AI and technology innovation will redefine how this industry works and what people expect when they dine out," he continued.
All of that is nice, but all we've been looking for over the last 3 decades is to get no onions on our burger when we specifically ask for no onions. Has AI solved that problem yet?
Uncommon bursts of solar storms might lead to chaos on the rail network due to the emergence of “powerful magnetic disturbances” as cautioned by scientists, BBC reported.
Study reveals solar storms threaten rail network chaos, causing signals to change from red to green
A research study conducted at Lancaster University discovered that these space events could interfere with the electrical systems of the rail network, causing signals to change from red to green.
The UK has over 50,000 signaling track circuits, where the signal is managed through an electrical circuit between the rails, Sky News reported.
According to lead researcher Cameron Patterson, the rail industry should take these “relatively rare” storms seriously. On the other hand, Network Rail believes the risk is “very small.”
Solar storms occur when high-energy particles from the Sun explosively hit the Earth. They have the potential to disrupt technology and power grids, as evidenced by a solar flare causing a nine-hour blackout for millions in the Canadian province of Quebec in 1989.
According to Cameron, their research shows that “space weather poses a serious, if relatively rare, risk to the rail signalling system, which could cause delays or even have more critical, safety implications.”
“This natural hazard needs to be taken seriously. By their nature, high-impact, low-frequency events are hard to plan for, but ignoring them is rarely the best way forward.”
Network Rail downplays solar storm risk amid limited resources
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s group safety and engineering director, told Sky News while solar storms were a “theoretical risk”, the company considered it to be “very small”.
“We need to focus our limited resources on higher priority issues such as climate change and security threats,” he added.
Cameron has previously studied “right side” failures, where the signal changes from green to red. While this isn’t risky, the opposite, “wrong side” failures, where the signal switches from red to green, pose a greater danger.
The recent study, featured in the journal Space Weather, revealed that “wrong side” failures could occur at a lower geoelectric field strength compared to “right side” failures. This implies that a less intense geomagnetic storm could more readily cause “wrong side” failures.
“Former Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza is under investigation for homicide after emails reveal that from the very start of the vaccinations, he knew the shots were killing people and gave orders to local health authorities to conceal deaths and serious side effects in order to reassure Italian citizens of their safety and to not jeopardize the vaccination campaign,” reported InfoWars contributor Greg Reese in viral X post shared by Alex Jones.
The staggering accusations were reported by both German and Italian news networks.
Reese provided an English translation of an Italian broadcast about this story:
The Rome Public Prosecutor’s office is investigating Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza, who was responsible for the vaccination campaign during COVID measures, and former AIFA director Nicola Magrini, due to complaints about the “AIFA emails” from the Italian Medicines Agency.
Israel tacitly encouraged Hamas to stay in power, according to the New York Times.
In some cases, Israeli support was more obvious.
Israeli security forces would help escort millions in funds into Gaza, helping Hamas, NYT reported.
Israeli officials are facing backlash after years of Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu quietly allowing Hamas to remain in power.
But reporting in the New York Times has revealed that Netanyahu's government was more hands-on about helping Hamas: they helped a Qatari diplomat bring suitcases of cash into Gaza, indirectly boosting the militant organization, according to the report.
The calculus — the Times reported on Sunday, citing Israeli officials, Netanyahu's critics, and the man's own reported statements — was to keep Hamas strong enough to counteract the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, allowing Netanyahu to avoid a two-state peace solution and keep both sides weak.
To keep Hamas propped up, Netanyahu's government worked with Qatari to keep the money flowing, the New York Times reported. Israel knew that Qatar was supporting Hamas, but didn't oppose the payments and even lobbied American lawmakers not to sanction Qatar.
In 2018, Netanyahu's administration came up with a plan, according to the New York Times. As part of a peace agreement with Hamas, Qatar would bring millions into Gaza to distribute to Gazan families, the outlet reported.
Israeli security officials would meet with a Qatari diplomat at the border between Israel and Jordan, according to the New York Times report.
They would then drive him past the border crossing and into Gaza, according to the outlet.
Though the money was meant for Gazan civilians, Western intelligence determined that Hamas was taking money from the funds to use themselves, the outlet reported.
The propped-up peace lasted until October 7, when Hamas fighters launched a terror attack across the Israeli border. The militants killed about 1,200 people and took dozens more hostage, Israeli officials said.
Israel has since responded with a massive bombing and ground campaign in Gaza. About 17,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to Hamas-led Gazan health authorities.
Though a short ceasefire allowed a hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel, the fighting has since continued.
