Remembering
James Robison

You are viewing a page from our archive site. To browse the latest Christian TV content on The Stream, click here.

Al’s Afternoon Tea: Is Russia Posturing or Prepping for World War III?

By Al Perrotta Published on November 19, 2024

Welcome back in for Al’s Afternoon Tea, our chance to stop and sample some of the latest news.

Not for Nothing, Russia Changed Its Nuclear Doctrine in Light of Biden’s Green Light for Ukraine to Use Long-Range Weapons

Russian President Vladimir Putin has upgraded his nation’s nuclear doctrine in response to Joe Biden giving Ukraine the green light to hit deep inside Russia with U.S.-made long-range missiles.

Moscow will now consider an attack by a non-nuclear state (like Ukraine) with the participation of a nuclear state (like the United States) as a joint attack on Russia. 

Said Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov, “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression using conventional weapons against it and/or the Republic of Belarus.” The U.S. wouldn’t risk a nuclear war, would it? Well … 

The Russian Defense Ministry says Ukraine fired six U.S.-made missiles at an unspecified military facility in the Bryansk region. The Russians claim to have shot down five of them. Ukraine has not confirmed the attack. This would be the first use of the long-range missiles since Biden gave the okay. The good news is that Bryansk is relatively close to the Ukraine border, and would not be seen as a “deep strike” inside Mother Russia. 

Meanwhile, in likely related news …

Someone’s Cutting Telecom Cables in the Baltic Sea

In recent days, two vital underwater telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. First was a crucial line between Finland and Germany. Then on Sunday morning, a cable between Sweden and Lithuania was cut. Authorities do not believe the disruptions are the result of equipment failure. The foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said Sunday night they are “deeply concerned” the incidents are examples of “hybrid warfare.”

Who would want to mess with Finland and Sweden? Well, both nations have joined NATO in the past year, much to Russia’s ire.

This isn’t like hooligans knocking down mailboxes in a quiet neighborhood in the middle of the night.  This is serious business.

Former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn worries we are looking at unconventional warfare, leading us down a one-way street.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be getting World War III for Christmas.

PA Supreme Court Orders Halt of Illegal Ballot Counting, Democrats Appeal. Shapiro Finally Weighs In.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has now ordered wayward Democrat-run counties to stop counting illegal ballots. That should be that, finally. The effort to steal the Senate seat Republican challenger Dave McCormick won should be over. Give the man the punch code for the Senate gym.

However, Democrats aren’t giving up their election denial. They’ve filed a lawsuit with hopes the court will allow 2,000 dubious ballots in Philadelphia County into the count.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has finally weighed in. Two weeks after the election, and days after it became clear that certain counties were deliberately counting illegal ballots, he said: 

“Any insinuation that our laws can be ignored or do not matter is irresponsible and does damage to faith in our electoral process. The rule of law matters in Pennsylvania. … It is critical for counties in both parties to respect it with both their rhetoric and their actions.”

Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.

However, Shapiro is also being a little slippery. He added that he will “continue working to protect our democracy and the votes of all eligible Pennsylvanians.”

The phrase “protect our democracy” in the hands of a progressive means fighting against election-integrity measures. And while it sounds nice, protecting the “votes of all eligible Pennsylvanians” means counting improper or illegally harvested ballots. The lady in the nursing home who was pressured to fill out a ballot for the Democrats? She’s an eligible voter. The ballot that arrives after the due date and was improperly filled out? That’s an ineligible voter. 

The only reason Shapiro spoke out is because the state Supreme Court made the effort to steal the Pennsylvania Senate seat a lost cause — and Shapiro’s silence would be used against him in a 2028 presidential race.

New York Times Fact-Checks Trump Joke About Running Again in 2028

After the election, Donald Trump made a crack about asking Congress to find a way for him to run for president again.

Naturally, The New York Times decided he was serious and fact-checked the president-elect: “The Constitution sets a two-term limit for presidents. Still, Donald J. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that he might like to stay in the White House beyond his next term.”

Don’t they get it? Donald Trump is Nanny McPhee. When you don’t want him but need him, he stays. When you no longer need him but want him to stay, he leaves.

Trump Continues His Raid on Gutfeld’s Guests

Goodbye, Mayor Pete. Hello, Sean Duffy. The former Wisconsin congressman-turned-Fox Business Network host and spouse of Fox & Friends Weekend host Rachel Campos-Duffy has been selected as the new Secretary of Transportation. In his announcement, Trump listed Duffy’s bona fides for the gig.

He really needed only one line: The Duffys have nine kids. If Sean Duffy can successfully get all of them to and fro, overseeing the airline and rail industry will be a piece of cake.  

Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.

Duffy becomes the latest Trump pick who has appeared on Gutfeld! The list includes Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Lee Zeldin, RFK Jr., and Vivek Ramaswamy. And for that matter, Trump himself.

If the trend continues, Kash Patel will be our new FBI director. CNN says that once Trump dumps Christopher Wray, the choice will be between Patel and former Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL).  

Or perhaps Trump will really get tough and put Tyrus in charge of the Bureau.

Prayers for Dennis Prager

We want to finish by offering prayers for the full recovery of conservative host and scholar Dennis Prager. Prager took a horrible fall at his home last Tuesday, suffering what was initially described as a back injury, but more specifically is now described as an injury to his neck and spine. On Monday, the distributor of his radio show issued a statement with an update on his condition.

 

On the Stream Menu

Dr. Michael Brown has posted undoubtedly the most brilliant, insightful, thought-provoking and well-typed article in the nearly decade-long history of The Stream. “Al (‘Prescient’) Perrotta Got It Right Again.” I guess my check to him cleared. Seriously, thanks to Dr. Brown for the post-election shout-out. 

Meanwhile, Stream contributor Albin Sadar offers “From a Fundamentally Transformed America to a Foundationally Restored America.” 

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.