Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux, has been keeping a low profile lately. But at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit Japan, Torvalds and his good friend Dirk Hohndel, the head of Verizon open source, talked about the current state of Linux.

First up, the two talked about the next Linux kernel release, Linux 6.7. Before flying into Tokyo, Torvalds had released the fourth release candidate for 6.7. This means that if all goes well, and Torvalds sees no reason to think that it won't, the next version of Linux will arrive right around Christmas. 

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has revealed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he will leave the House of Representatives at the end of this month.

“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started,” he said.

“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) continued. “The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”

His announcement came a week prior to the House’s holiday recess.

A U.S. warship stationed in the Red Sea — the USS Carney — and multiple commercial vessels sustained an attack Sunday, according to a report from the Pentagon.

“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said in a report to The Associated Press. The report did not say who it believes was behind the fire taken by commercial and military ships in the attack.

Webmaster addition: Reports from Middle East sources are claiming that USS Carney sustained damage.

House Republicans have initiated an investigation into Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, alleging coordination with the January 6 Committee (J6 Cmte). The focus of their scrutiny is a letter obtained by Republicans, revealing Willis’s request for evidence from J6 Cmte interviews.

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive Tuesday forcing the state government's entire fleet of vehicles, both light-duty and heavy-duty, to transition to zero-emission.

Under Whitmer's actions, Michigan's state agencies must convert all state-owned light-duty vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2033 and all medium and heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. The governor said the move — which earned endorsements from clean energy groups, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and Detroit Regional Chamber — would reduce pollution and lead to lower costs in the state.

"Michigan automakers are on the cutting-edge of the world’s switch to zero emission vehicles, and with today’s executive directive to transition our state-owned fleet by 2040, the State of Michigan is leading by example," she said in a statement. 

Webmaster addition: Just wait until you see how badly those vehicles perform in winter!

 Congressional Republicans unveiled legislation on Tuesday that would establish a new office tasked with enforcing the ban on affirmative action and strip federal funding from universities that engage in racial discrimination.

The foundation of the American economy is shaking as the job market faces a significant downturn. The pillars that have supported the markets over the past year—high employment and robust consumer spending—are now showing signs of vulnerability. This morning’s job numbers confirm the ominous trend, with the number of US job openings experiencing the sharpest decline since March 2021, according to JOLTS data.

Less than one year away from the 2024 presidential election, poll after poll shows President Joe Biden's chances of reelection diminishing. The panicked response of Democrats has ranged from anonymously leaking statements imploring President Biden not to run again to head-in-the-sand denials about his chances of winning. But by far the most dangerous and un-American tool in the Left's political arsenal is their unprecedented lawfare targeting Joe Biden's leading political opponent: President Donald J. Trump.

The Left has chosen lawfare because winning in the marketplace of ideas at the ballot box clearly isn't suitable for today's Democratic Party, which seems to support limitless illegal immigration, inflationary tax and spend policies, and the unconstitutional silencing of opposing voices.

The egregious and norm-shattering lawfare weaponized by the Left against President Trump is unprecedented. Just over the last year, the FBI raided Trump's main residence. He has faced indictments in two separate federal jurisdictions from the Biden administration and received indictments in two local jurisdictions from Democrat District Attorneys. Additionally, the Democrat New York Attorney General, who specifically campaigned with a focus on targeting Trump, filed a civil lawsuit against him.

Democrats have opened up a dangerous Pandora's box by breaking legal and political norms to try to imprison President Biden's chief political rival for 2024. It is irreparably harmful to the fabric of America to normalize the reigning political party using its power to lock up its main challenger.

The European Green Deal is under attack.

As we continue to follow the relentless news cycle coming from Europe, we can identify two major trends that are in play both inside the countries and also in Pan-European terms.

The first, of course, is the rejection of unchecked mass migration. And the second, equally as urgent, is the pushback against the European climate alarmist policies.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Congress on Tuesday during a private briefing that if they do not pass more aid to Ukraine, it would “very likely” lead to U.S. troops fighting a war in Europe.

“If [Vladimir] Putin takes over Ukraine, he’ll get Moldova, Georgia, then maybe the Baltics,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) told The Messenger, after Austin and other senior Biden administration officials briefed House lawmakers on their request for more aid for Ukraine.

“And then the idea that we’ll have to put troops on the ground in Secretary Austin’s word was very likely,” McCaul added. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

The Messenger reported that the warning “did little” to win over Republican skeptics, who oppose more aid to Ukraine without more accountability and transparency on how it will help Ukraine.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he might not be seeking another term in office if Donald Trump wasn't also running, according to multiple media reports.

"If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running," Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts, Bloomberg reported.

Throughout the current presidential campaign, Biden, 81, has been dogged by questions about his fitness for office given his age, as has the 77-year-old Trump. Various polls have shown voters are concerned about Biden's age, and there have been calls from some members of his own party for him to step aside for a younger candidate.

During Tuesday's event, Biden expressed why he feels compelled to run with Trump being the most likely nominee for the Republican Party.

"We cannot let him win for the sake of our country," Biden said of Trump.

Several Republican senators walked out of a briefing on Ukraine aid Tuesday as it descended into a row over the border crisis, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly canceled a video link appearance to appeal for more US money.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Nebraska Sen Deb Fischer walker out of the classified briefing early, the AP reported, saying that Republicans were angry they heard nothing on the migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border.

“The briefers were saying things we’ve all known, we can read about in any newspaper, had been said publicly,” Romney told reporters according to AP. “There’s nothing new in what they’re describing, and Republicans are saying that there’s support for Ukraine, but there has to be security of our border.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was supposed to try and cajole Congress to approve an emergency aid package of more than $60 billion for Kyiv Wednesday.

A sudden spike in SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate) points to a mounting reserve shortage and an overnight repo spike, surprising many as SOFR printed at 5.39% on Friday.