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Here’s how many US service members are spending the holidays away from home deployed overseas

Here’s how many US service members are spending the holidays away from home deployed overseas

As millions of Americans gather together with loved ones to celebrate the Christmas holiday and ring in the new year, hundreds of thousands of American men and women in uniform will mark the holidays away from family in decidedly less festive corners of the world.  As of June, 165,830 U.S. service members were on deployment across the Middle East, Indo-Pacific region and Europe. That figure has likely ticked higher amid recent unrest across the Middle East, and it doesn’t include service members working at U.S. bases over the holidays and civilian personnel on overseas contracts. Here’s a look at where service members will spend the holidays on deployment across the world:  Around 43,000 troops are stationed across the Middle East as of October, an increase from the usual 34,000 amid the recent unrest and outbreak of war between Israel and Iranian proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah.  The Pentagon announced in October it would be moving troops into Cyprus to prepare for escalating unrest in Lebanon. And last week the Pentagon divulged that some 2,100 troops were in Syria — not the 900 they had long claimed. Another 1,000 troops are in Iraq carrying out missions to thwart ISIS.  U.S. forces are stationed across Europe to support NATO forces and deter any potential Russian aggression.  Major areas of deployment include Germany (34,894), Italy (12,319) and the United Kingdom (10,180). SECOND US NAVY FIGHTER JET NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING SHOT DOWN IN ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ INCIDENT: SOURCE U.S. forces partner with allies in Asia to conduct joint exercises and coordinate on countering the threat of China and  Areas of deployment include South Korea (23,732), Japan (52,852) and Guam (6,453). TWO US NAVY PILOTS SHOT DOWN OVER RED SEA IN APPARENT ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ INCIDENT: US MILITARY Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked U.S. troops for serving over the holiday season in a Christmas message.  “We know firsthand the holidays can be especially hard if you’re far away from your loved ones. So for our troops stationed around the globe, we deeply appreciate your sacrifice,” he said. “We know that your families serve too, and our military families are the foundation of America’s strength.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene wants death penalty for migrant who allegedly set woman on fire on subway: ‘Finish him’

Marjorie Taylor Greene wants death penalty for migrant who allegedly set woman on fire on subway: ‘Finish him’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is calling for the swift trial, conviction, and execution of the man charged in connection with the gruesome murder of a woman burned alive on a New York City subway. The outspoken Republican took to social media on Tuesday to address the incident, in which Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of setting a woman on fire while on a train in Brooklyn. “Death penalty, don’t waste money on a lengthy trial. Convict him and finish him. What he did is so incredibly evil,” Greene declared in a post on X. “I can’t watch the video anymore. And how it seems like no one tried to save her is beyond me. Maybe they did but it doesn’t seem like it.” Zapeta faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, and first-degree arson, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with no parole. SANCTUARY CITY NEW YORK PRESSURED TO MAKE DRASTIC CHANGE AFTER ILLEGAL MIGRANT ALLEGEDLY BURNS WOMAN ALIVE  Greene is not the only member of Congress to weigh in on the case. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also called for capital punishment.  “Death penalty,” she tweeted. SUSPECT ACCUSED OF BURNING WOMAN TO DEATH ON NYC SUBWAY IS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., declared in a post on X, “A woman was intentionally lit on fire on the subway today. Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies do not work.”  CRITICS WARN OF ‘DANIEL PENNY EFFECT’ AFTER WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON NYC SUBWAY CAR AS BYSTANDERS WATCHED New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted during remarks on Sunday that Zapeta allegedly “used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.” Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg alleged in court on Tuesday that the suspect fanned the fire with a shirt. Zapeta’s next court appearance is scheduled for December 27, according to online records. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said in a statement that Zapeta had been removed from the U.S. in 2018 and then  re-entered the country illegally at some point “on an unknown date and location.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report

The top five absurd tips from liberal pundits for surviving holidays with Trump-voting family

The top five absurd tips from liberal pundits for surviving holidays with Trump-voting family

As the smell of pine fills the air and the stockings are hung with care, some liberal media outlets served up advice that’s as hard to swallow as a dry fruitcake. Their mission? Equipping you to survive holiday conversations with Trump-supporting relatives.  From suggested scripts that sound more like hostage negotiations to icebreakers better suited for therapy sessions than a festive family gathering, here are five of the most over-the-top ideas mainstream media is dishing out to keep your Christmas “Trump-proof.” For one HuffPost contributor, the election of Trump wasn’t just a political turning point – it was a holiday deal-breaker. Faced with the knowledge that her husband and his family voted for the former president, she decided to cancel both Thanksgiving and Christmas altogether. No lights, no carols, no awkward family dinners.  “But I will not give thanks and hold hands in a circle with people who voted for a party that wants to take rights away from LGBTQ people,” guest contributor Andrea Tate wrote. “I will not pass the turkey to someone who supports people who have signaled they will cause harm to people with disabilities and the elderly. I will not sit by a Christmas tree celebrating the birth of Jesus and sipping eggnog when I know how many people may now find themselves in grave – even deadly – danger because they cannot get the reproductive care they need. I will not unwrap gifts given to me by people who voted for a party that has talked about building internment camps and mass deportation.” 10 SECRET SANTA GIFTS FOR UNDER $30 YOU CAN FIND ON AMAZON After a psychologist made headlines last month arguing people should avoid Trump-supporting relatives this holiday season, “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin agreed, saying many people feel “someone voted not only against their families but against them.” Shortly after the election, Yale University chief psychiatry resident Dr. Amanda Calhoun spoke to MSNBC host Joy Reid about how liberals who are devastated by Trump’s re-election can cope with the news, including separating from loved ones.  “There is a push, I think just a societal norm that if somebody is your family, that they are entitled to your time, and I think the answer is absolutely not,” Calhoun told the talk show host. “So if you are going to a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you, like what you said, against your livelihood, it’s completely fine to not be around those people and to tell them why, you know, to say, ‘I have a problem with the way that you voted, because it went against my very livelihood and I’m not going to be around you this holiday.’” If your holiday feast feels more like a political debate than a festive gathering, Time magazine has your back with a list of 11 carefully crafted phrases to defuse family tension. The top pick? A simple yet stern declaration: “I won’t be talking about politics today.” Framed as a way to create a politics-free safe zone, the advice encourages setting boundaries with relatives whose views you loathe – so you can focus on what really matters. “Emphasize that you want to keep the focus on the festivities at hand, and ask for a commitment to avoid polarizing topics. If the conversation still ends up turning in that direction, shut it down: ‘OK, that’s enough of that,’ or, ‘We’re not talking about that here today,’” the Time article states.  WHITE HOUSE SELECTS NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY’S CHRISTMAS TREE FARM TO PROVIDE 2024 TREE The Associated Press has a simple solution: take a breather. Whether the conversation veers into a political minefield or Uncle Bob just won’t stop, the AP suggests calmly excusing yourself from the fray. No need for a dramatic exit – just a composed stroll to the kitchen, the porch, or anywhere that isn’t the battlefield of your family table.  “Things getting intense? Defuse the situation. Walk away. And it doesn’t have to be in a huff. Sometimes a calm and collected time out is just what you – and the family – might need,” the article recommends. HOW TO THIEF-PROOF YOUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS In a searing MSNBC op-ed, writer Amira Barger challenges the notion that family gatherings should always be sacred if they have different beliefs. The author doesn’t differentiate between Trump-supporting family members and liberal voters. “I have come to realize that being related by blood doesn’t necessarily mean that those gathered will protect you,” Barger wrote. “Finding family isn’t always about unity, or forcing yourself to remain in a place that causes you harm. Sometimes, it’s about clarity, and the difficult choices that come with it. “This fall, after a conversation that spanned more than 1,000 texts in various family group chats, my husband and I made the difficult decision to hold a hard and fast boundary with much of my immediate family, whose stated values and votes made it clear to us that we could not feel comfortable around them.” She adds, “These were decisions we did not make lightly or hastily, but sometimes the best course of action is, in fact, to ban the bad actors.” Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report. 

Costly carol: ’12 Days of Christmas’ gifting sees an overall increase in 2024

Costly carol: ’12 Days of Christmas’ gifting sees an overall increase in 2024

The traditional English carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” has long been a favorite during the holiday season, standing the test of time through the centuries and inspiring amusing parodies like Bob Rivers’ “Twelve Pains of Christmas.” But the song – which counts up from Christmas to Epiphany on Jan. 6 – has also become the peg for a whimsical way to gauge year-over-year inflation. Pennsylvania-based PNC Bank and other financial institutions have tracked the costs of each set of gifts from “Twelve Drummers Drumming” to a “Partridge in a Pear Tree” to see exactly how much it might cost a man to deliver each to his true love. PNC’s Christmas Price Index indicated the overall cost of the song’s gifts increased 5.4% since 2023, totaling just under $50,000.  Meanwhile, the Texas-based business company Swyft Filings noted in 2023 that costs would also vary depending on each state. Taxes, regulations and other factors would be the most likely variables. The company found California, Hawaii and Washington to be the most expensive and Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama to be the least expensive, given that variation. THE COST OF CHRISTMAS A DECADE AGO Here’s a breakdown of the costs counting down from the 12th day. 12 Drummers Drumming PNC Bank cited wage inflation as the driving factor behind the increase in renting a 12-piece drum corps this year. Their estimated cost was $4,017; an increase of 15.6% over 2023. Several websites estimated the average cost of a drummer for two hours was between $250 and $500, depending on the set. Taking the median of that rate and multiplying by a dozen drummers places the cost around $4,500, plus gratuity, of course. 11 Pipers Piping Eleven flutists, or hiring an 11-piece wind ensemble, bear a similar cost-per-head as drummers. In that regard, PNC Bank estimated the same 15.6% increase as the dozen drummers, with a final cost of $3,715. 10 Lords-a-Leaping In the British political system, a lord is a title of peerage or nobility dating back to feudal England, and the House of Lords is the current name for the upper chamber of Parliament.  Placing the phrase in an American context, it remains illegal to physically or proverbially purchase a senator for any purpose including leaping, and public corruption has often been a topic in the media. However, some estimates have been published on what the cost would be to pay 10 senators or lords to jump. PNC reported 10 lords-a-leaping would be the most expensive purchase of the 12, with an estimated 2024 cost of $15,579.65 – an increase of 7.2% since 2023. Nine Ladies Dancing According to the website GigSalad, the average cost of a dance troupe for a 30-minute performance is between $200 and $400. The freelancing platform UpWork listed dancers for hire ranging from $30 per hour to more than $100 per hour. The median cost per dancer per hour multiplied by nine comes out to $405 for a half-hour. In PNC’s tracking, nine ladies dancing in the form of a professional troupe would cost $8,557 for an undisclosed set time, up 3% in the past year. Eight Maids-a-Milking Milk prices are back on the upswing in recent months, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In November, the average price-per-gallon of whole milk was $4.14, an increase from a flat $4 that time last year. The ubiquitous beverage saw a spike during COVID and settled in the two years since, but is on the increase once more.  Adding milkmaids to the equation, PNC Bank estimated a cost of $58, unchanged from 2023. Seven Swans-a-Swimming One Midwest swan farm listed the price-per-bird at $400. In 2020, the city of Lakeland, Florida, was dealing with an overpopulation of about 80 swans on a lake in the community outside Tampa. The going price then was also $400, according to CNN. Listings on BirdsNow ranged from $400 to $2500, with a pair being markedly more expensive than two individuals. Altogether, PNC estimated the total cost to exceed $13,000, with no increase over 2023. Six Geese-a-laying While a South Dakota goose farm listed the price of an 8- to 10-pound goose for consumption at $140 each – calculating to $8,400 for a half-dozen, the cost of live geese that can lay eggs was different. Prices for live goslings averaged $40 each online, or $240 for six. PNC’s Christmas index, however, calculated the full cost at $900, or 15% higher than 2023. Five Gold Rings On Monday, gold futures hovered around $2,600 per ounce. While PNC estimated the total cost of five gold rings to be $1,245, the actual value may vary depending on the carats, size of ring and other factors. AMERICAN-MADE PRODUCTS YOU CAN SHOP FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON FOR LOVED ONES Four Calling Birds There is some debate over whether the original lyric is really “four colly birds” versus “four calling birds.” A colly bird is a blackbird in English vernacular. The term “colly” has its roots in how something looks when blackened by coal dust. The cost of a live blackbird is between $150 and $225, and PNC estimates four to cost just under $600 – which indicates the lower end of that price spectrum. The bank estimated the cost remained unchanged since 2023. Three French Hens The French Bresse hen is considered one of the most sought-after chickens in the world. Butchers in Paris were selling French hens for €40 per kilo or about $92 per pound. Live poults purchased from farms in the United States ranged from a few dollars up to about $250 as of Monday. In PNC’s index, the cost of three French hens increased 5% from 2023 to about $347. Two Turtledoves In 1992’s “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister visits “Duncan’s Toy Chest” – a play on Manhattan’s iconic FAO Schwarz department store. The elderly owner, played by Eddie Bracken, offers Kevin any one of his store’s Christmas tree’s ornaments. Mr. Duncan tells Kevin he

Ugly sweaters, chicken soup, treasure hunts: Lawmakers share their favorite Christmas traditions

Ugly sweaters, chicken soup, treasure hunts: Lawmakers share their favorite Christmas traditions

Christmas Day is a time for Americans and others across the world who celebrate the holiday to spend time with loved ones while participating in time-honored traditions – and members of Congress are no exception. Far away from the bustle and drama of Capitol Hill, lawmakers opened up to Fox News Digital about their favorite ways to spend the Christmas holiday, both past and present. “Jacquie and I are excited to have the whole crew under one roof for an ice cold Minnesota Christmas, complete with four grandkids who’re getting a crash course in the joy (and noise!) of an Emmer family holiday,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. “The Christmas Village is all set up, and ugly sweaters are a must.” 49ERS’ BROCK PURDY IMPRESSES AFTER GIFTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BRAND-NEW CARS FOR CHRISTMAS In South Dakota, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds has more than 100 members of his family in attendance each year for Christmas Eve to eat homemade chicken noodle soup, his office told Fox News Digital. “Senator Rounds’ late wife Jean was also very talented at making cross stitch and needlework art, and Senator Rounds and his children decorate the whole house with all of her handmade Christmas art,” his office said. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., recalled a Christmas scavenger hunt that her parents orchestrated. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY “My parents always set up a treasure hunt on Christmas Eve. My four siblings and I had to de-code a series of clues that led us to various parts of the house to find the next clue, that eventually led us to the final clue, which was where the presents we opened were found,” Tenney said.  She said locations included “the trunk of the car, the dryer, or a storage closet.” “It was really fun, and my parents made the clues more and more clever and challenging each year,” Tenney said. “Then we went to our neighbor’s across the street for their annual Christmas Eve party. The entire neighborhood was invited. Afterward, many of us, including our Jewish neighbors, went to midnight mass at the Presbyterian Church.” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., meanwhile, said her favorite Christmas tradition was skiing with her grandchildren in Star Valley in western Wyoming. And for Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Christmas means family dinners and board games. “We go to Christmas Eve Mass at the parish I grew up in and go to dinner at my parents’ house,” Schmitt told Fox News Digital. “Larger family gets together after Christmas for [an] epic game of RISK.”