The journey of Central American migrants to the U.S. border – a perilous trip across thousands of miles of mountains and deserts – starts in places like the dry corridor in western Honduras.

Many of the region’s 1 million small farmers still live in adobe huts with no running water and suffer acts of humans and nature. Corrupt Honduran officials have invested too little in stabilizing or modernizing the region, allowing violent gangs to extort families. Recent droughts and hurricanes have created widespread hunger.

“It’s been one crisis after another,” says Conor Walsh, the Honduras representative for Catholic Relief Services in Tegucigalpa, the capital. “Many people have already migrated and others are evaluating whether they can stay on their farms.”

These longstanding problems throughout Central America are driving the current crisis on the southern U.S. border, where more than 170,000 migrants arrived in March in search of jobs and asylum. As the Biden administration grapples with this mounting surge, it’s also proposing a $4 billion long-term plan to attack the root causes of migration – corruption, violence and poverty in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The initiative is as ambitious as it is familiar. Presidents as far back as John F. Kennedy have pursued similar aims only to come up short. Joe Biden himself ran the troubled Central America initiative during the Obama administration. It encountered the same obstacles that have stymied past U.S. efforts – governmental leaders and business elites who resist good governance and anti-corruption reforms to protect their own interests, according to a study by the Wilson Center, a policy research group in Washington.

Consider Honduras, a showcase of government criminality. President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s election in 2017 was tainted by fraud. He is now under investigation by U.S. prosecutors who have brought a string of cocaine smuggling cases against prominent Hondurans. Members of the National Congress in Tegucigalpa have a habit of embezzlement, thereby robbing citizens of funding for health care, education, and jobs.

Nonetheless, U.S.-funded programs have struggled to make a difference in a nation in which government is a big part of the problem. Catholic Relief Services, for one, has helped boost the corn and bean yields and income of thousands of subsistence farmers in the Honduran dry corridor, offering a glimmer of hope. But a lack of roads, electricity and credit for farmers means that only a sliver of them benefit from the technical aid. As a result, an unprecedented 47% of families in the dry corridor that stretches across Central America are moderately to severely food deprived, according to an alarming 2017 United Nations study.

Now comes Biden’s crack at the region. He’s tweaking the U.S. aid playbook in hopes of a better outcome. The administration says fighting corruption is now the top priority since nothing will change until elected officials stop stealing and the governments become more accountable to citizens. Countries will have to meet stricter conditions, such as adopting governance reforms, before receiving aid, and officials face the threat of financial sanctions and revoked visas. The proposed $4 billion strategy, the biggest ever for the region, gives the administration some added leverage.

Vice President Kamala Harris heads the strategy team, which includes White House aide Juan Gonzalez and Ricardo Zuniga, the special envoy to the region. Zuniga was born in Honduras and both men worked on Western Hemispheric affairs in the Obama White House. In March, they traveled to the region and had “very frank discussions” with leaders about transparency, good governance and anti-corruption, said one administration official.

The Treasury Department followed up those talks with sanctions in late April against Felipe Alejos Lorenzana, a Guatemalan Congressman, and Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara, a former official. They reportedly facilitated payments to lawmakers and judges to try to interfere with the appointment of magistrates and protect against corruption prosecutions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

“You have to create a system of accountability that goes after the very corrupt elements within these governments,” added Steven Dudley, co-founder of InSight Crime, which investigates organized crime in Latin America. “The people Biden put in place have the experience and ideas, but the bridge between that and actually doing something is long.”

The get-tough diplomacy is already hitting resistance. In early April, Zuniga visited El Salvador to press the case against corruption. But President Nayib Bukele, miffed over criticism from a State Department official about his commitment to the rule of law, refused to meet with the envoy.

The snub would be familiar to a long line of presidents who have stumbled in the region. Since 1960 administrations have strategically deployed about $24 billion in foreign aid to Central America and the Caribbean.

During the Cold War years, aid was meant to reduce poverty to build support against leftist movements in El Salvador and its neighbors. It didn’t work. When the decades-long civil wars in the region finally ended in the 1990s, peace did usher in a long stretch of economic growth and declining poverty rates. In the ensuing decade, as drug trafficking and gang violence soared, the George W. Bush administration took its turn in Central America. It sent assistance to combat crime. But the programs lacked coordination and had a limited impact, according to another Wilson Center report.

The Obama administration had bigger ambitions. It expanded on Bush’s security initiative by adding governance and economic programs. The $2.4 billion “strategy for engagement” for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras began in 2014 and included 370 projects to make local officials more accountable, reduce crime and create jobs. In an op-ed supporting the strategy, Vice President Biden praised the nations’ commitment to reform and even met with President Hernandez at the White House in 2015 – an endorsement that proved too bullish.

After five years, the Government Accounting Office was blunt in its assessment of the projects that were mostly run by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Those reviewed by GAO achieved only 40% to 70% of their own technical targets, such as the number of police officers trained. Officials didn’t even bother to evaluate most of the projects or whether they helped improve governance, security and economic opportunity.

When the biggest wave of migrants in more than a decade hit the U.S. border in 2019, the Trump administration pulled the plug on the Obama root cause strategy. USAID, now run by Samantha Power, former envoy to the U.N. under President Obama, didn’t provide a spokesperson to comment for this story despite several requests.

Honduras: Corruption Juggernaut

Biden, who now has a second chance to get it right, faces his biggest test in Honduras. Its economy, which was once dominated by exports of coffee and bananas to the U.S., has produced a number of ultra-wealthy clans resistant to the idea of cleaning up corruption.

Miguel Facusse, whose nephew served as president of Honduras, became rich from palm oil production and consumer products. But his legacy is tainted by accusations from human rights investigations that his security forces were involved in deadly clashes with small farmers over their claim to land in the region where his plantations operate.

As the economy became more service oriented, former Vice President Jaime Rosenthal made a family fortune estimated in 2015 at $690 million from banking, telecommunications and other businesses. But before his death two years ago, Rosenthal was indicted by U.S. prosecutors for participating in a money-laundering scheme with Honduran drug traffickers.

Honduras emerged as a cocaine transshipment point between South America and the U.S. a few decades ago. The 2009 coup in Honduras that ousted President Manuel Zelaya opened the door to more trafficking. Zelaya, a Liberal Party politician, had raised the minimum wage by 60% and defended land rights of small farmers. Even more worrisome to business leaders like Facusse was that Zelaya had become cozy with leftist despots in the region and pushed to amend the constitution in an apparent attempt to extend his own presidency.

Zelaya’s ouster by the military led to a period of internal tumult, forcing the National Police to focus on restoring order, often violently cracking down on protesters. By 2015, 90% of cocaine coming to the U.S. passed through Central America, with Honduras as the major hub. More recently Hondurans have developed labs to produce cocaine, extending its tentacles in the economy, according to a report by InSight Crime.

Today, President Hernandez tops a list of Honduran politicians, military and police officers who are under investigation or have been convicted of operating what seems like a state-sponsored drug cartel, according the U.S. prosecutors. They say in 2013 Hernandez, who was then in Congress and campaigning for the presidency, got access to millions of dollars in cocaine from a murderous trafficker. In return, the politician allegedly told the trafficker, who was convicted in a U.S. court in March, that the military and attorney general would protect his operation. The president has repeatedly denied any involvement in trafficking.

The president’s brother, former congressman Tony Hernandez, was involved in every aspect of the cocaine trade. The end game was political power. He funneled millions of dollars in profits into National Party campaigns for three presidential elections, including the two his brother won in 2013 and 2017, prosecutors say. Tony Hernandez was handed a life prison sentence in March.

The Biden administration points to the silver linings in the dark clouds of the region’s recent history. In the last five years, an effort to root out political corruption made remarkable progress before it was quashed. In 2016, large street demonstrations over the looting of at least $300 million from the public health care system – a small amount of which found its way into Hernandez’s first presidential campaign – forced the president to set up an anti-corruption commission in partnership with the Organization of American States. The U.S. embraced the move with funding and political support.
The commission’s quasi-independence – it was led by Peruvian prosecutor Ana Maria Calderon Boy and others from outside Honduras – keyed its initial success. The commission set up a new unit of vetted prosecutors within the national government. It went on to reveal an embezzlement scam that later allegedly implicated more than 350 politicians, including President Hernandez, according to the Wilson report. Amid the scandal, he essentially disbanded the commission last year – a decision that brought condemnation from a bipartisan group of U.S. House leaders.

The Biden administration now aims to set up a new anti-corruption group as its main weapon. This time even more independence will be crucial if it’s to work. Zuniga, the special envoy, had discussions with nonprofits in Central America that want to form a U.S.-backed civil society commission. It would draw on the expertise of these groups in exposing corruption and operate outside the reach of national governments to shut it down. But local prosecutors would still have to pursue the cases.

“Instead of creating another commission that the governments can kick out, the U.S. can support nonprofits that have years of experience doing this work,” says Kurt Ver Beek, co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras, who joined the talks with Zuniga. “We will make the corruption cases public and along with the U.S. pressure the governments to bring charges.”

Purging the Police

The U.S.-backed effort to reform the National Police also got off to a promising start five years ago. The police served as a tool of cocaine smugglers, who easily exploited lowly paid officers with payoffs for dirty work. “Officers hijacked cars from citizens, dealt drugs for gangs, and lent out their services as hitmen,” according to 2016 report by Ver Beek’s ASJ, the Christian nonprofit, which received funding from the State Department.

The revelation in 2016 that top police officials organized the assassination of Honduran’s anti-drug czar finally forced President Hernandez and Congress to set up another commission. Two ASJ leaders joined the group, which moved quickly to purge a remarkable 5,000 tainted and inexperienced beat cops and top officials – including six generals – equaling a third of the entire force.

The purge was a watershed moment showing that Hondurans could topple a fortress of criminality. But four years later drug smugglers are beginning to penetrate the police again, forcing good officers to choose whether to take a bribe or a bullet. “Traffickers tell cops, ‘I’ll kill you if you don’t help me, or take a bunch of money,’” says Ver Beek, a Cornell University-trained sociologist. “So they take the money.”

U.S. agencies funded other projects such as community policing to reduce crime in Honduras, which a decade ago had the highest murder rate in the world. In her congressional confirmation hearing, Power, Biden’s new USAID administrator, pointed to the agency’s record of crime fighting in the country as a bright spot to build on. “In districts where USAID had programming aimed at curbing violence, there was a drop in homicide rates,” she told senators in March. “That is encouraging.”

However, extortion of businesses by criminal gangs – a major driver of migration – may be getting worse. Gang members approach small businesses, such as barbers, food merchants and taxi drivers, and demand a small monthly payment that keeps going up until the owner can no longer pay it and flees. Hondurans refer to extortion as a “war tax,” which victimizes as many as half of all small businesses, Ver Beek estimates.

Struggling to Create Jobs

While officials pilfer public funds and gangs drive businesses to close, it’s no wonder that half of the Honduran population remains almost locked in poverty. The high rate hasn’t improved much over the last decade and is twice the level of neighboring El Salvador. As the Obama administration learned, foreign aid alone can’t do much to help kids escape this poverty trap.

USAID’s Future Employment program had ambitions in 2016 to train 7,500 at-risk youth in Honduras and place half of them in jobs to lure them away from gangs. The program struggled to find enough recruits in tough neighborhoods and enough employers willing to take a chance and hire them. Then the Trump administration cut off funding for projects across the three countries. By the end of 2019, fewer than 1,000 participants had found some employment, mostly in retail, in the year following training, according to a USAID evaluation.

While they certainly benefited from a job in the short term, their prospects of upward mobility are dim without more support from the Honduran government. For instance, the country has a federal minimum wage law that’s set above the poverty line and could help close the inequality gap. But almost half of employers ignore it and the government does little to enforce it, academic studies show.

“We have not produced the same kind of results that I’ve pointed to when it comes to physical security and crime,” Power said of USAID’s economic programs. “Hopefully we can begin to make a dent.”

Power could start by changing the way her agency runs projects in places like Honduras, nonprofit veterans believe. Aid experts have criticized the agency for hiring U.S. and international contractors to administer most of the program funding. The setup marginalizes local organizations that better understand on-the-ground issues and misses an opportunity to develop local advocates to push for reforms, says Sarah Bermeo, who specializes in foreign aid in Central America at Duke University.

“U.S. contractors are certainly overused compared to their ability to deliver results,” Bermeo says. “There is certainly room to improve outcomes by increasing the involvement of local groups in the design and implementation of AID-financed efforts.”

Meanwhile, migrants from Central America are streaming to the U.S. border. The increase that began a year ago has accelerated under Biden, threatening to top 1 million this year, the highest total in more than a decade. Biden’s root-cause strategy won’t change anything at the border in the short run. Advocates say progress will be incremental at best and measured in decades, not years.

“It’s going to be difficult but not impossible for the administration,” says Ariel Ruiz Soto, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. “The U.S. investment has to occur over decades for there to be a real change.”

This article was written by Vince Bielski for RealClearInvestigations.

Drugmaker Moderna is making money — posting its first ever profitable quarter. It also expects to rake in more for the whole year.

The IRS chasing down more crypto users across the U.S. — Are you on the list?

One state moves forward with tax cuts despite fears a provision in the recent stimulus package says it’s not allowed. NTD brings you the analysis.

Commentary

The mounting evidence can no longer be ignored. Unsubstantiated and politically motivated COVID-19 lockdown policies and imprudent relief measures are causing serious, lasting damage to the foundations of American economic prosperity.

Having brought the economy to its knees through unwarranted and undependable lockdown measures that forced millions of Americans out of work and forced businesses across the country to close, the government is now going out of its way to encourage the workforce’s COVID casualties to stay home, needlessly postponing our economic recovery.

Lockdowns necessitated the need to support the workers affected by them, but now those lockdowns are easing and businesses are trying to get back to normal. Continued stimulus payments may be good politics, but they’re terrible economics. Workers are being disincentivized to work.

The National Federation of Independent Business’s Uncertainty Index (pdf) increased by 6 points in March, driven largely by a current labor shortage. An astonishing 42 percent of small business owners reported being unable to fill job openings, according to the survey. “Owners are frustrated with mounting unfilled job openings as qualified and willing candidates are scarce,” the NFIB report stated.

This labor scarcity appears to be affecting all sectors of the economy, but it’s a veritable crisis for small businesses—so much so that small-business owners across the country are going to extreme lengths to attract employees, including offering signing bonuses, significant wage hikes, and even paying people just to show up to job interviews. The restaurant industry is being hit particularly hard.

This labor shortage crisis is wreaking unprecedented havoc on small businesses, especially major fast food franchises, which are having to close dining rooms, cut operating hours, and slash employee hours. This is causing those few existing employees on payroll to work extreme hours, and burnout is becoming a problem.

The cause of this severe labor shortage is easily explained. Potential job candidates “are getting enhanced unemployment benefits that are going to last for several months,” noted NFIB Illinois Director Mark Grant. Put simply, the government is paying people to not work, and they’re disincentivizing the work ethic that is the backbone of America. Unfortunately, America’s workforce is responding to the bad incentives.

“Stimulus and unemployment are killing the workforce,” said one McDonald’s franchisee who couldn’t reopen his dining room due to the labor shortage crisis. A New York restaurateur echoed that sentiment, blaming the labor shortage on “government assistance where people would rather stay home and pocket their cash.” Another restaurateur put it even more bluntly, saying, “Nobody wants to leave their couch.”

The recent COVID relief package doubles the amount an individual could receive through Sept. 6 of this year, and expands the pool of individuals who can receive them. Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation now offers $300 a week on top of local benefits. In New York City, for example, where the maximum weekly state benefit is $504, unemployed individuals can now earn up to $804 per week—over $200 more per week than they’d make working eight-hour days at the city’s generous $15 minimum wage.

The situation is truly ridiculous. Bad government lockdown policies did untold economic damage, and now bad government economic “relief” measures, ostensibly designed to stimulate that damaged economy, are in fact making a proper economic recovery much more difficult.

And a proper economic recovery is a recovery for every level of worker in every economic sector. I hope and pray that the economy as a whole will bounce back eventually. Wall Street will continue to grow and giant corporations will continue to see increased profits. But what about your favorite local bistro? What’s going to happen to that local burger joint you loved as a kid? What does the future hold for that amazing little bar that makes the best cocktail you’ve ever had?

The government should be encouraging people to get back to work, not giving them reasons to avoid doing so. If we don’t reverse course soon, small businesses as we know them could be gone forever, and the common men and women who rely on them—the dishwashers, the waitresses, the bartenders, the cashiers, the cooks—could be condemned to state dependency for generations.

Papa John Schnatter is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Papa John’s International, Inc.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine lifted the biotech company to its first-ever quarterly profit, a milestone in the rise of a company that burst into the spotlight last year as it rapidly developed a shot against the coronavirus.

The vaccine brought Moderna revenue of $1.73 billion in the first quarter, reflecting three full months of its use in the U.S. and initial international sales, the company said Thursday.

Moderna also boosted its full-year forecast of Covid-19 vaccine sales to $19.2 billion, based on advance purchase agreements, from $18.4 billion it previously predicted.

The forecast points to a booming market for Covid-19 vaccines, as Pfizer Inc. this week said the Covid-19 vaccine it makes with BioNTech SE could generate $26 billion in sales this year.

Yet the prospect of a temporary loss of vaccine patents clouded the bright performance and outlook.

WASHINGTON—The Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest near-term risks to the stability of the financial system, the Federal Reserve said, while noting that asset prices are vulnerable to significant declines if investor sentiment shifts.

“Should risk appetite decline from elevated levels, a range of asset prices could be vulnerable to large and sudden declines, which can lead to broader stress to the financial system,” the central bank said in its semiannual Financial Stability Report. Such scenarios could materialize if progress on containing the virus falls short of expectations or the recovery stalls, straining some households and firms, the Fed said.

The report said other parts of the financial system appear resilient. Banks remain well capitalized, it said, and leverage is low among broker-dealers. Household debt is manageable, and businesses are better able to service their obligations as interest rates remain low and earnings improve, it said.

High asset valuations were also flagged in the previous financial stability report, released in November. Thursday’s report showed measures of risk-taking have continued to rise in equity and bond markets since then. It also noted pockets of opaque risk and high leverage, particularly among hedge funds and related entities.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has described parts of the market, including equities, as “a bit frothy.”

Peloton Interactive Inc. said sales more than doubled in the most recent quarter as wait times for the company’s connected exercise bikes returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The company earlier this year started shipping exercise equipment by air and delayed the launch of a much-anticipated new treadmill as it sought to remedy extreme delivery delays.

The results come a day after the Peloton, known primarily for its connected exercise bikes, announced a recall of its Tread+ treadmills. Chief Executive John Foley on Wednesday apologized for the company’s initial refusal to comply with federal safety regulators who said the machines are unsafe in homes with children or pets and pushed for a recall.

Revenue for the quarter rose to $1.26 billion, up from $524.6 million a year earlier, as demand for remote workout classes and at-home fitness gear continues to surge during the pandemic. Peloton swung to a loss following three consecutive quarters of posting a profit.

Peloton said the number of people subscribing to its remote fitness classes reached 2.08 million in the quarter ended March 31, an indicator of demand for its stationary bicycles and treadmills. The tally stood at 1.67 million at the end of December.

A 23-year-old Army trainee in South Carolina escaped from his base and hijacked a school bus to try and get home to New Jersey, but let the 18 children on board off after they asked too many questions and he became 'frustrated'.

Jovan Collazo was armed with an M4 rifle, which was not loaded.

Having ordered the children and driver off, he tried to drive the empty bus, but struggled, and gave up.

He ditched the rifle in the bus, and began walking, but was arrested shortly after.

'This incident could have ended very tragically,' said Baron Davis, the superintendent of Richland School District Two. 

'I've never been as sacred in my life upon receiving that call.' 

The children and driver are all unharmed. 

A trainee at Fort Jackson in South Carolina hijacked the bus (above) on Thursday morning

Baron Davis, the superintendent of the school district, said a tragedy had been averted

The saga began at around 7am on Thursday, when motorists reported an armed man in his physical training clothes trying to flag down cars along Interstate 77.

They refused to stop, so, coming upon a bus stop, Collazo took over the bus as the children were boarding, on their way to Forest Lake Elementary School in Columbia.

Collazo then demanded to be taken to the next town. 

'I'll give the bus driver credit, he kept his cool,' said Leon Lott, sheriff of Richland County.

'You can just imagine they were scared to death.'

Leon Lott, sheriff of Richland County, praised the bus driver for keeping his cool

The bus was en route to the Forest Lake Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina

Yet after about a mile, the youngsters on board began asking the 23-year-old questions 'where they were going,' Lott said. 

'The kids started asking lots of questions, like if they were going to hurt him.

'The suspect got a little frustrated, and got the kids off.

'The suspect then drove the bus a couple of miles, then abandoned the bus. He went through neighborhoods trying to get rides, trying to get clothes, and deputies spotted him and he was arrested without incident.' 

Collazo escaped on Thursday morning from Fort Jackson, in his third week of training

Fort Jackson commanders have apologized for the incident. 

'This was a failure in our accountability procedures that we truly regret and are apologetic to our community,' they said in a statement. 

'We are thankful for the fast actions of Richland County Sheriffs' Department and the local community to assist in the apprehension of the individual.'

He has been charged with 19 counts of kidnapping, and single counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, carjacking without great bodily harm, pointing and presenting firearms at a person, carrying weapons on school property and possession of weapon during a violent crime.

Jill Biden thanked military spouses for their service and outlined her priorities for her Joining Forces initiative during a visit to Fort Carson on Thursday. 

The first lady made her remarks ahead of Military Spouse Appreciation Day on Friday at the base near Colorado Springs as she wraps up a two-day West Coast tour that included stops at schools and a vaccination clinic. 

'There's a saying, if you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it. But after getting to know so many of you during the last, I don't know if so many, many years, I think we should change that saying to if you want to get something done, ask a military spouse,' said Biden, who is the daughter of a serviceman and whose son served in uniform. 

The first lady, dressed purple skirt and blazer with a white blouse, addressed spouses at a USO event at the army post and stayed to speak with them after her remarks. 

She praised them for the variety of tasks they handle so their spouse can serve in the armed forces. 

'You change jobs and you start businesses, you handle the logistics of every move, and make sure that your kids have what they need to keep learning. You are the default parent and are steadfast partners to your spouses, whether they're stateside or halfway around the world,' Biden said. 

Jill Biden thanked military spouses for their service and outlined her priorities for her Joining Forces initiative during a visit to Fort Carson in Colorado

First Lady Jill Biden chats with Wounded warrior Master Sergeant Israel Del Toro Jr. and his wife Carmen as she arrives at a meeting with military spouses in Colorado Springs

Jill Biden arrived in Colorado on Thursday, the last stop in her two-day West Coast tour

Jill Biden elbow bumps Democratic Sen. Mike Bennett upon her arrival in Colorado

She noted her Joining Forces initiative will focus on better employment opportunities for spouses and more childcare options, along with better mental health benefits and wellness benefits.

'Your service to this country has earned nothing less, and giving you the support you need to thrive matters to me and to the president,' she said.

Biden has restarted Joining Forces - the initiative she and Michelle Obama began during the Obama administration. 

There are more than 1.3 million active-duty service members, 52% of whom are married, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And 642,000 children under 18 are living in those households.  

Jill Biden's father, Donald Jacobs, was a Navy signalman in World War II. Her late son, Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, served in the Delaware Army National Guard, including a year in Iraq. 

Her tribute to service members wrapped up a thank you tour that included stops with healthcare workers, students, teachers, and nurses.  

Earlier Thursday, the first lady was in Nevada where she surprised the teacher of the year with flowers and thanked nurses with White House-shaped cookies.

It was an early morning for the first lady as she surprised National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey during a live appearance on CBS' This Morning.

Then Biden stopped at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas to thank nurses during their 7 a.m. shift change.

The first lady passed out White House-shaped sugar cookies for National Nurses' Day. 

Jill Biden surprised National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey with flowers and a letter of thanks from the president live on CBS' This Morning

The first lady then thanked nurses at University Medical Hospital, in Las Vegas, for National Nurses' Day

Biden, a teacher, had her staff change her schedule so she could be in Nevada to surprise Urtubey, an elementary special education teacher, with flowers and a letter of thanks from President Joe Biden.

The first lady is on a West Coast tour of Utah, Nevada and Colorado.  

'Oh my goodness,' Urtubey said, jumping out of her seat when Biden walked into her classroom at Kermit R Booker elementary school in Las Vegas.

The two women, both of whom were masked, shook hands.  

The winner of the award is usually recognized by the president at a White House ceremony each spring, but that's been postponed because of the COVID pandemic. 

Urtubey, an educator for 11 years, has called Jill Biden her hero in the past.

'I was obviously elated. I mean, it's so amazing. And I'm so grateful for a change of tone of positivity, of focusing on education to get our students what they need. It's so beautiful,' she said of her award and the surprise.

Urtubey's students call her 'Ms. Earth' because she uses a garden in her teaching.  Her students formed a garden club called 'Gnomies' to care for the community garden, which includes flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and more than a dozen murals.

Biden said she hopes the COVID-19 pandemic has shown America how crucial teachers are.

'For so long, teachers were undervalued,' she said on CBS. 'But now hopefully, you know, all of America after this pandemic has seen what teachers have done and how they've just taken care of our kids. It's just been such a tough time, and teachers have risen to this moment.'

Jill Biden chatted with nurses, bumped elbows, and posed for photos

The first lady also passed out White House shaped sugar cookies to the nurses

First lady Jill Biden talks as she visits a classroom at Glendale Middle School on Wednesday morning. During the class, student Eli Kaufusi put a colorful lei around the first lady’s neck

First lady Jill Biden visits a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mobile vaccination clinic at Jordan Park in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday

After her surprise morning show appearance, Biden joined the Service Employees International Union in thanking nurses. 

Hospital staff were lined up outside to meet her. 

The first lady chatted with them, bumped elbows, and posed for photos. She was joined by Nevada Democratic lawmakers Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Susie Lee, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.  

She'll return to the White House on Thursday evening. 

On Wednesday, Biden visited a school and vaccination clinic in Utah. 

HISTORY

MURDER: THE BIOGRAPHY   

by Kate Morgan (Mudlark £16.99, 352pp)

A judge and jury at Exeter crown court were presented in 1884 with a chilling and somewhat unusual problem: is it acceptable to kill and then eat a ship’s cabin boy?

In the dock, accused of murder, were sailors Thomas Dudley and Edwin Stephens. They had been taking the yacht Mignonette, along with Edmund Brooks and 17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker, to Australia when it sank off the coast of west Africa.

The crew drifted helplessly in a dinghy for more than three weeks. After ten days with no food and little fresh water, Dudley and Stephens held down the sickly cabin boy, butchered him with a penknife and ate his remains. Four days later, they were rescued.

The question the court had to consider was this: did the desperate circumstances justify the murder? The jury failed to agree, but the two men were convicted in a higher court.

Dudley and Stephens had been taking the yacht Mignonette (pictured), along with Edmund Brooks and 17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker, to Australia when it sank

They were saved from the gallows by the court of public opinion. Even the victim’s family was sympathetic — the boy was already on the brink of death — and the sentence was commuted to six months in prison. On release, Dudley emigrated to Australia, where he was known as Cannibal Tom. Brooks, who gave evidence against his shipmates, joined a freak show as The Cannibal of the High Seas.

Thomas Dudley (pictured) and Edwin Stephens had been taking the yacht Mignonette, along with Edmund Brooks and 17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker, to Australia when it sank off the coast of west Africa

Yet, behind the grisly details of the case, there was an important legal principle at stake. The verdict helped to cement the idea that necessity is no defence against a murder charge. It is one of many such landmark cases featured in this history of murder, a history which doesn’t stretch back as far as you might think.

According to author Kate Morgan, the legal idea of murder was invented by the Vikings, who made it illegal to kill a Dane on English soil. By the time of the Norman conquest, ‘murdrum’ was punishable by death. But what exactly is murder?

Sir Edward Coke, attorney general to James I and one of history’s sharpest legal minds, coined a definition that became the foundation of future law: ‘Murder is where a man of sound memory . . . unlawfully killeth any reasonable creature . . . under the King’s Peace, with malice aforethought.’

A murderer must be sane, the killing must be a deliberate act, and not carried out under conditions of war.

Kate Morgan’s book is a detailed account of the subtle way that the law has changed over the years to embrace self-defence, insanity, diminished responsibility, medical incompetence, corporate manslaughter, dangerous driving, even death by bicycle.

‘For an offence that has not fundamentally altered since it was last defined over 600 years ago, murder has proved to be a remarkably slippery concept,’ she writes.

Kate Morgan has penned an account of how laws surrounding murder have subtly changed throughout the year. Pictured: The lifeboat in which Richard Parker met his end at the hands of his hungry crew mates

The problem has been to distinguish between murder — killeth with malice aforethought etc — and fatal attacks for which there might be some reasonable excuse. It was such an attack in the Tower of London, for example, which first prompted judges to produce a definition of manslaughter.

One evening in 1707, two friends, drummer John Mawgridge and Lieutenant William Cope, held a drunken celebration in the Tower Guard Room. A fight broke out over a female guest, and Mawgridge ran Cope through with his sword.

HISTORY MURDER: THE BIOGRAPHY by Kate Morgan (Mudlark £16.99, 352pp)

Mawgridge’s defence — he claimed Cope had thrown a bottle of wine at him — failed to impress the judges, who set out the provoking circumstances under which a manslaughter defence might succeed.

Catching a man in bed with your wife, for example, was enough to escape a murder conviction. ‘Adultery is the highest invasion of property,’ said the judges.

That defence was used (unsuccessfully) as recently as 1945, after a man killed his wife when she admitted an affair. Upholding his conviction for murder, the House of Lords said: ‘We have left behind us the age when the wife’s subjection to her husband was regarded by the law as the basis of the marital relation.’

The law has constantly adapted in response to new problems. Are doctors guilty of murder if they operate on conjoined twins, knowing that one of the twins will die? The Court of Appeal decided in 2000 that such an operation could proceed, having considered — among other points of law — the Exeter cannibal case.

Can you murder somebody you already believe to be dead? In 1964, labourer Cyril Church attacked Sylvia Nott, a young mother who had taunted him for being unable to seduce her in the back of his van. Believing she was dead, he threw her into the nearby River Ouse, where she drowned.

In 2016, office worker Kim Briggs (left) was crossing a road in London during her lunch break when she was hit by a cyclist, Charlie Alliston (right), at 14mph. He did not have a front brake. She died in hospital from her injuries

A judge at Nottingham crown court ruled that, as she was alive when he thought he was disposing of her dead body, he could not be guilty of her murder. Instead, he got 15 years for manslaughter.

Sometimes, real life catches the law by surprise, and the law has to improvise. In 2016, office worker Kim Briggs was crossing a road in London during her lunch break when she was hit by a cyclist, Charlie Alliston, at 14mph. He did not have a front brake. She died in hospital from her injuries.

The law on driving deaths had not taken cycling into account. The jury rejected a charge of manslaughter, but Alliston was jailed for ‘wanton and furious driving’, an offence dating to 1861.

Attentive readers might have one quibble. Morgan writes that murder was for many years, until 1969, the only crime punishable by death. Actually, you could still be executed for treason until 1998. Which meant that you could be hanged for making love to the wife of the monarch’s eldest son. Especially if you did so while also demanding the creation of a republic.

Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn told a World Health Organization (WHO) briefing on Wednesday that a “global reset” is needed to fight future pandemics.

His comments came as the UN agency announced the creation of a new pandemic and health research hub in Berlin.

Speaking at a virtual news conference attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the head of the WHO, Spahn said the world was still insufficiently prepared for pandemics.

RT reports: Spahn highlighted the findings of a review into the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which will be officially announced at the WHO’s World Health Assembly later this month.

The authors of the report will call for “nothing less than a global reset in pandemic preparedness” and say that the world needs to focus on the “next crisis,” Spahn said.

Spahn said that the world is “insufficiently prepared” for potential pandemic risks, including the extension of diseases to previously unaffected populations and the transmission of diseases from animals to people.

The minister appeared alongside WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who announced the creation of a new pandemic and health research hub in Berlin.

Set to open this year, the WHO hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence will produce information to inform the policies of governments and other health authorities, Merkel said.

Ghebreyesus told the briefing that the pandemic has “exposed gaps” in global intelligence systems and said there will be “more viruses that will emerge with the potential of sparking epidemics or pandemics.”

He said the potential risks will be addressed by the global center in Berlin, which aims to collect, analyze and disseminate health data around the world in real time.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has warned that ‘woke’ leftists are creating a literal ‘hell on earth’ that stifles the kind of creative freedom he enjoyed in the 60s.

The iconic singer made the comments during a recent appearance on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1 podcast.

“I don’t know, we might get somewhere because it’s becoming so absurd now with AI, all the tricks it can do, and the woke generation,” Daltrey said.

“It’s terrifying, the miserable world they’re going to create for themselves. I mean, anyone who’s lived a life and you see what they’re doing, you just know that it’s a route to nowhere,” he added.

Summit.news reports: The singer noted how he was lucky to have lived through an era where freedom of speech was encouraged, not silenced.

“Especially when you’ve lived through the periods of a life that we’ve had the privilege to. I mean, we’ve had the golden era. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.

Daltrey also slammed the negative impact that social media has had on the world, saying it has undermined truth.

“It’s just getting harder to disseminate the truth. It’s almost like, now we should turn the whole thing off. Go back to newsprint, go back to word of mouth and start to read books again,” he said.

While Daltrey’s comments may not be mind-blowing, any celebrity speaking out against the mob that has cannibalized culture is something to be applauded.

Once again, this only tends to happen with older celebrities who have already passed their peak of fame and entered icon status. They are beyond cancellation.

For any up and coming celebrity, or even one who is at the top of their game, to question ‘generation woke’ is career suicide.

Which makes it all the more ludicrous to continue to see identitarians, notably the LGBT movement, continue to claim they are ‘fighting oppression’ when their mantras are echoed by every cultural institution, media outlet and corporate entity in the west, while anyone who utters a whimper of dissent is swiftly cancelled.

Germany looks set to impose a total crackdown on all anti-lockdown protests across the country because protestors are not wearing masks or practising social distancing.

“In these demonstrations, the violation of the law is preprogrammed and takes place permanently and thousands of times because the participants do not wear masks and do not keep the minimum distance,” Wendt told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.

“You have to act much more rigorously against it,” he added.

Summit.news reports: According to Wendt, the intention of demonstrators to disobey lockdown rules (despite them literally being anti-lockdown protesters), should give authorities all the justification they need to ban the events in advance.

“It is completely incomprehensible why such demos are even still approved,” said Wendt.

Does Wendt really expect the thousands who attend the demonstrations to be concerned about masks and social distancing when a majority of them firmly believe that the government has massively overexaggerated the threat of the virus?

Many of the anti-lockdown protests in Germany have been organized by the Querdenker (lateral thinkers) movement, with authorities responding by characterizing the collective as a violent extremist group.

As we previously highlighted, Germany’s domestic BfV spy agency is monitoring anti-lockdown protesters, claiming they are potentially involved in a plot to subvert the country.

“Authorities fear that far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists who either deny the existence of Covid or downplay its threat to public health are exploiting lockdown frustrations to stir anger against politicians and state institutions five months before a general election,” reported Reuters.

Maybe members of the Querdenker movement all end up in detainment camps that have been set up to incarcerate persistent COVID-19 rulebreakers.

Because as anyone knows, German authorities putting dissidents in camps having treated them as second class citizens who don’t deserve basic rights always ends well.

President Biden has ordered Big Tech giants to heavily censor independent media outlets and promote outlets like CNN on people’s newsfeeds instead.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during Wednesday’s press briefing that the Biden administration enthusiastically supports more online censorship.

“His view is that there is more that needs to be done to ensure that this type of misinformation, disinformation, damaging, sometimes life-threatening information is not going out to the American public,” she said.

Breitbart.com reports: Psaki singled out content questioning the results of elections, the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and the effort to get Americas vaccinated as “misinformation” that should be scrutinized.

“The president’s view is that the major platforms have a responsibility related to the health and safety of all Americans, to stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation, especially related to COVID-19, vaccinations, and elections,” she said.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden enjoyed several attempts by social media companies to block damaging stories about him and his family from spreading online.

When asked about concerns that social media companies were not honoring the First Amendment value of free speech, Psaki suggested it did not apply to online “misinformation.”

“Well look, I think we are, of course, a believer in First Amendment rights,” she said. “I think what the decisions are that the social media platforms need to make is how they address the disinformation, misinformation, especially related to life-threatening issues, like COVID-19 and vaccinations that continue to proliferate on their platforms.”

CNN’s Michael Smerconish has urged people to mentally abuse friends and family members who refuse to recive the vaccine.

During a segment on his show on Wednesday, Smerconish discussed a suggestion made by prosecutor Michael Stern in a USA Today opinion piece about vaccination uptake.

“We’ve gotta shun folks, we’ve gotta shun people into getting vaccinated,” Smerconish said, agreeing that businesses should make getting the vaccine mandatory as a condition of employment.

He also decalred that family members and friends should socially ostracize those who choose not to take the vaccine.

Summit.news reports: Continuing to quote Stern’s article, Smerconish stated, “People should require friends to be vaccinated to attend the barbeques and birthday parties they host – friends don’t let friends spread COVID.”

Smerconish then proudly revealed the results of a poll on his website which found that 73% of respondents thought it was “time to shun.”

“Doesn’t @Smerconish realise we absolutely want to be shunned by people like him and his viewers,” remarked Raheem Kassam. “That’s literally the dream.”

“This isn’t going to end well,” commented Donald Trump Jr.

Smerconish and his ilk are not encouraging others to shun “anti-vaxxers” because they care that much about incentivizing more people to take the vaccine (take up rates are already very high), they’re shaming them so as to legitimize the brutal discrimination that will be metered out later on down the line to those who don’t take it.

Meanwhile, the ‘sane’ people who insist everyone must take the vaccine are walking around behaving like this…

“It is a sad day for America,” Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows told “America’s Newsroom.”

“It’s a sad day for Facebook because I can tell you, a number of members of Congress are now looking at: Do they break up Facebook, do they make sure that they don’t have a monopoly?”

“And I can tell you that it is two different standards, one for Donald Trump and one for a number of other people that are on their sites.”

“Facebook and Twitter and others have clearly established two different sets of rules.”

“One if you’re a conservative or a Republican or have a different ideology than them and one if you’re a liberal,” Corey Lewandowski also said in a radio interview.

“This ‘decision’ is absurd,” Ben Shapiro said on Twitter.

“Facebook’s decision to uphold its ban on President Donald Trump is extremely disappointing,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement.

“It’s clear that Mark Zuckerberg views himself as the arbiter of free speech.”

“The Board has upheld Facebook’s decision on January 7, 2021, to restrict then-President Donald Trump’s access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account,” the board said in a statement. 

The board gave Facebook six months to review the “arbitrary” indefinite ban, saying in a tweet that the company “violated its own rules.”

The news prompted swift reaction from Republican lawmakers. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a warning for Big Tech.

“Facebook is more interested in acting like a Democrat Super PAC than a platform for free speech and open debate,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “If they can ban President Trump, all conservative voices could be next. A House Republican majority will rein in big tech power over our speech.”

“Big tech thinks it can control everything. Companies that censor Americans while giving brutal dictators a pass should not have free rein over your personal data to use for their benefit. I introduced the DATA Act to hold big tech accountable,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter.

“Disgraceful. For every liberal celebrating Trump’s social media ban, if the Big Tech oligarchs can muzzle the former President, what’s to stop them from silencing you?” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter.

“I’m broadly supportive of the antitrust recommendations released by Rep. Ken Buck last October. Current antitrust law needs to be amended to better handle competition in digital markets, antitrust agencies should be beefed up and they need to regulate mergers and acquisitions more strictly,” Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Banks told Fox News in a statement.

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, considered a 2024 presidential contender, also criticized Big Tech.

“Facebook and Twitter ban a former U.S. President, yet, some of the world’s worst dictators, terrorists, and bad actors still have a platform,” Haley wrote on Twitter. “This is a gross double standard and it’s why most Americans don’t trust big tech.”

“The Facebook Oversight Board is a dumb distraction from the actual issue of Facebook’s hegemonic control over global political speech, reinforced today by the platform anointing itself with the moral authority to memory hole future world leaders at their own discretion,” Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute wrote on Twitter.

Meadows told “America’s Newsroom” that the days of Facebook enjoying a “Wild West kind of regulatory environment” are over.

“This is a sad day for America but a sadder day for the Facebooks of the world who have actually enjoyed a very wild, wild West kind of regulatory environment. I can tell you that’s going to change. The discussion will happen within hours of this decision on Capitol Hill,” Meadows said.

The board’s decision comes after Trump rolled out a new communications platform, “From the desk of Donald J. Trump.”

The space allows Trump to post comments, images and videos, and allows followers to share the former president’s posts to Twitter and Facebook, though it does not have a feature letting users “reply” or engage with Trump’s posts.

Trump-hating actress rosanna Arquette has declared that if Jesus were alive today he would be brutally murdered by U.S. police “because of the color of his skin.”

“If Jesus were alive today he’d be murdered by police officers because of the color of his skin,” the Hollywood star said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Breitbart.com reports: This is far from the first time the Desperately Seeking Susan star has bashed law enforcement on a public forum. In March, for example, Arquette insisted that white supremacists are now “front [and] center for the world to see.” She included governors, lawmakers, the military, and the police force on her list.

“Kkk spent years hiding behind their hoods. Now they are front [and] center for the world to see,” Arquette asserted. “Nazi White supremacists are many governors, people in Congress, our police force, military, in entertainment news. We see you and you won’t get away with it.”

The following month, Arquette attacked law enforcement in the U.S. as racist yet again.

“If there are any police officers left serving our communities who aren’t racist and aren’t set on killing human beings because they aren’t white, step up, show yourselves now, step up front [sic] and tell us you are not racist and because as it looks to us you are Gestapo,” she declared.

Her assertion echoed a similar assertion she made in November 2020, smearing tens of millions of Americans as “Nazi gestapo.”

In 2019, the radical left-wing activist posted a picture of herself kneeling with dozens of American flags in the background, promising to “never stand for the flag again.”

Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Alejandro Mayorkas has declared that his agency’s “highest priority” is to escort migrants “into this country safely.”

Mayorkas says DHS is making it their “priority” to reunite foreign nationals with family members, despite concerns about illegal immigration from taxpayers.

“We need … [to] develop a process where we can systemically bring them into this country safely and begin the healing process,” he claimed.

Breitbart.com reports: The media-magnified spotlight by Biden and Mayorkas on the migrant families “is distracting attention from their own responsibility for screwing up the border,” responded Mark Krikorian, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

It’s [Donald] Trump flagellation actually, because [the message that] “Trump is responsible for the evil of family separation” is the most emotionally potent message for Democrats …  They’re turning it into a defining issue [for immigraton policy] in a way that is simply not supported by the facts.

Mayorkas is trying to focus the public’s attention on the welfare of a few thousand Central American parents who brought their children to help them get through the border and get jobs in the United States.

But his deputies are allowing a growing number of foreign blue-collar workers to rush through the border and into the jobs needed by diverse Americans. Roughly 185,000 single economic migrants have run past Mayorkas’s diverted border agents since October, a source told Breitbart News.

Also, Mayorkas has adopted border rules that encourage many more foreign families to separate. Mayorkas’s rules allow migrants to enter the United States via the different side doors for children, teenagers, single adults, or families. Mayorkas’s separated inflow includes at least 30,000 separated children and teenagers who were brought to the border by hired coyotes.

In many cases, the migrants chose to leave their children behind as they were deported back home. Most of the children and teenagers were subsequently sent to live with relatives, including many of who are living illegally in the United States. With the help of cell phones, many of the migrants remain in contact with their left-behind children.

Mayorkas told MSNBC March 4:

Our highest priority is to reunite these families. As we so powerfully saw, these are young people in their formative years. These are sometimes children as young as 3 years old. We are addressing the needs and vulnerabilities, not only of the children, but of course, their mothers, their fathers, the people that make up these families.

Mayorkas arrived in the United States as a child refugee fleeing from Castro’s Cuba. He has frequently shown his favoritism for migrants, for example, by describing the United States as a nation of immigrants. He continued:

Our announcement of the reunification of four families is only the beginning, but it’s an important beginning to, in fact, publicize … Some [of the migrants’ children] live with immediate relatives, some with distant relatives, some are placed in foster care because they’re unaccompanied and they don’t have a sponsor in the United States … Some of these children are in their most formative years, their most formative stages of development, others are acutely vulnerable by reason of their incredible youth. Three years of age, at the time of separation, it’s extraordinarily cruel and inhumane.

“It’s not about righting the wrong of the past; it’s about restoring the conscience of our government,” said Mayorkas, who is now drafting regulations that will help migrants dodge the popular laws that require the deportation of migrant workers from Americans’ national labor market.

Since January 20, Biden and Mayorkas have discarded Trump’s pro-American, pro-family policies and have revived the long-standing extraction-migration policies supported by prior presidents.

These semi-legal policies extract migrants and consumers from Mexico, Central America, and other regions for use in the U.S. economy — regardless of the damage done to the migrants on their Hunger Games-style trek to the United States or to the economies and political development of migrant-sending countries, such as Honduras and Guatemala.

The personal impact of Mayorkas’s extraction-migration policies was described on April 30 by the Dallas News. The newspaper interviewed Carlos Joaquin, a Guatemalan migrant who has worked lower-wage jobs for 80-hours per week to pay off his debts to the coyote smugglers:

He’s at a breaking point. Torn to pieces, he said. “My family needs me,” he said recently over chicken tacos and a bottled Coke. “But my friends here tell me to hold on because the economy is about to boom; that I should just pay a coyote to bring my children and reunite with them because I may not be going home, not for a while.”

Joaquin arrived in March 2019, just before Trump overcame the establishment’s opposition and shut down the extraction-migration policy:

His two children back home in Guatemala, a boy and a girl, now live with his mother. His wife left him for another man after becoming lonely and depressed. He says she all but abandoned him and his children, and only reaches out to the family when she needs money.

“The hardest part is when I talk to my kids and they seem distant, sometimes rebellious, and treat me as though I’m a stranger,” Joaquin said. “They are becoming rebels without a father. Imagine what they think of me? Some stranger in some faraway land who claims to be their father, the one who broke his family apart and abandoned them.”

Joaquin’s 80 hours of work per week allowed him to pay off his smuggling debts and begin construction of a house in Guatemala.

But the pressure on him to work 80 hours per week also allows U.S companies to avoid hiring and training diverse Americans for decent jobs.

That cross-border difference creates a huge opportunity for U.S. employers to declare their independence from the blue-collar and white-collar Americans who want steady work, decent pay, weekends off, workplace protections, and some rights.

For example, former President George W. Bush described himself as a Mexican and scoffed at Americans’ expectations as mere “cultural tensions,” in an April 30 interview for the anti-Trump Despatch Podcast:

It became very apparent [on a 2000 campaign tour in Iowa] that immigration was going to create some cultural tensions—as those meatpacking plants up there in Iowa needed workers and, you know, the Swedes weren’t all that anxious to do it. And in comes [migrant] people who are starving to do the work, and hard workers, and all of a sudden those communities begin to change, and the culture, the friction. And, you know, I didn’t really realize that. I mean, after all, I grew up in Texas. Where we were Mexico.

In several interviews, Bush has claimed that business executives should be allowed to import compliant, grateful workers to work jobs at their estates and companies:

I’m a tree farmer, believe it or not. And you know, we’ve got eight Mexican [visa worker] laborers on our farm. And they, I think we’re in our third year with them working there. But every year, they have to reapply for a visa. So the way the rule works is you apply and you go through the bureaucracy, and then they have to go home for two months out of every year, which is fine, because they go home during the season where we’re not, you know, spending much time digging trees. And the question, though, can they get back in? Will the government let them in? And it creates a lot of uncertainty for a small business, because if the government at one point says no you can’t come back, all those years of training goes down the tubes. And so it sets us back.

But establishment reporters don’t call Mayorkas out for his duplicity, said Krikorian, because ” they’re part of the fakery.”

For many years, a wide variety of pollsters have shown deep and broad opposition to labor migration and the inflow of temporary contract workers into jobs sought by young U.S. graduates.

This opposition is multiracial, cross-sex, non-racist, class-based, intra-Democratic, rational, and recognizes the solidarity Americans owe to each other.

The voter opposition to elite-backed economic migration coexists with support for legal immigrants and some sympathy for illegal migrants. But only a minority of Americans — mostly leftists — embrace the many skewed polls and articles pushing the 1950’s corporate “Nation of Immigrants” claim.

The deep public opposition to labor migration is built on the widespread recognition that legal and illegal migration moves money away from most Americans’ pocketbooks and families. Migration moves money from employees to employers, from families to investors, from young to old, from children to their parents, from homebuyers to investors, from technology to stoop labor, from red states to blue states, and from the central states to the coastal states such as New York.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been seen kissing her husband Doug Emhoff while both are wearing face masks.

Both of them have also having received their covid vaccination…..

Summit News reports: The clip shows Harris saying goodbye to her husband as she boards a flight, but not before ‘kissing’ him through the fabric of their face coverings.

Despite CDC guidelines saying vaccinated people can stop wearing masks outside, Biden administration officials continue to do so, once again illustrating how the mask has become a political symbol.

Joe Biden was ridiculed for wearing a mask during a Zoom call with world leaders, although the president and the first lady didn’t feel the need to cover up while meeting 96-year-old Jimmy Carter and his elderly wife indoors.

Biden also embarrassed himself during a recent speech to supporters in Georgia when he had a near panic attack because he couldn’t find his mask.

Last week, a man was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because he didn’t wear his mask in between eating bites of food, which according to the TSA is now a federal mandate.

The insanity shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Pfizer is planning to seek Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 2-11 in September, the company’s CEO said during an earnings call on Tuesday.

The big pharma company also expects to file for full US Food and Drug Administration approval for its Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 16 to 85 this month

Their covid vaccine safety and efficacy trial in children age 6 months to 11 years old is currently still going.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said, “We expect to have definitive readouts and submit for an EUA for two cohorts, including children age 2-5 years of age and 5-11 years of age, in September,” He added that the readout and submission for children 6 months to 2 years is expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.

CNN reports: Pfizer has already applied for emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine for teens and children ages 12 to 15. The FDA is poised to authorize Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine in that age group by early next week, a federal government official told CNN on Monday.Bourla also said on Tuesday that Phase 2 safety data from Pfizer’s ongoing study in pregnant women is expected by late July or early August.

Pfizer to seek approval for vaccine this month

Pfizer expects to seek full US Food and Drug Administration approval of its Covid-19 vaccine for 16-to-85-year-olds by the end of May, Bourla said.”While we are currently distributing our vaccine in the US under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), we expect to submit this month a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking full approval for our Covid-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older,” Bourla said.

Progressing from authorized to approved allows vaccine makers to market and directly distribute their vaccines. It could also have an impact on vaccine mandates — and perhaps help sway skeptics hesitant to get the vaccines now.Some organizations say they expect to require the Covid-19 vaccine, but have opted not to while it’s authorized and not yet fully approved.”People, when they hear it’s still emergency use, they still have a little concern about how far you can go with it,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto last week.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records about assaults on and abuse of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in HHS custody (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (No. 1:21-cv-01190)).

The lawsuit was filed against Health and Human Services after the HHS denied a February 26, 2021 FOIA request for: 

1. All summaries from individual case files of reports of physical and/or sexual abuse or assault of Unaccompanied Alien Children under the care of HHS, its sub-agencies, and or volunteer agencies, contractors, grantees, and sub-grantees, to include all segregable, non-exempt information.
2. Records reflecting aggregated data of physical and/or sexual abuse and assault of UACs under the care of HHS, its sub-agencies, and or volunteer agencies, contractors, grantees, and sub-grantees.

Texas welfare officials received three reports of abuse and neglect at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, where more than 1,300 migrant children reportedly had been held. The site is one of several set up to handle the recent surge. 

This report came on the heels of claims that multiple facilities where children are being held are unsafe.

“We are concerned that the surge of migrants seeking to take advantage of the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies has resulted in the foreseeable abuse of children, as overwhelmed federal authorities are ill-equipped to handle the huge number of children crossing the border. The unprecedented secrecy and censorship surrounding these sites compounds the problem and limits accountability,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Our lawsuit aims to expose the full truth about this particularly troubling consequence of the Biden administration’s lawlessness on immigration.”

Judicial Watch uncovered HHS records in July 2018 revealing that in multiple cases, UACs processed during the Obama administration were assaulted by government employees.   

Judicial Watch began investigating this matter in 2014 when a wave of UACs swamped the southwest border. Since that time, Judicial Watch has been investigating incidents of violence, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other criminal activities, as well as whether migrant children were being abused while in U.S. shelters.

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(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton issued the following statement in response to the decision of Facebook’s Oversight Board to uphold President Trump’s Facebook censorship:

Today’s Facebook Oversight Board decision upholding President Trump’s Facebook ban undermines the First Amendment and free speech. The brazen deplatforming of President Trump is already chilling the speech of other Facebook users and Internet users generally, who fairly worry about Facebook and Big Tech censoring and deplatforming them.

It is notable that Facebook refused to disclose to its designated Oversight Board whether the Trump ban resulted from collusion with other government officials and politicians. Indeed, Judicial Watch recently uncovered that state government officials in California and Iowa successfully pressured Facebook, Youtube/Google, and Twitter to censor election social media posts by Judicial Watch and other citizens. (I have been locked out of Twitter for four months over a tweet previously found not to be in violation of Twitter’s rules.)

Judicial Watch had argued that Facebook’s Oversight Board should have reversed the president’s ban because the ban is an affront to First Amendment protections of free speech, peaceable assembly, and the right to petition the government. There is no credible evidence that President Trump either morally or legally incited violence. He was resoundingly acquitted by the United States Senate after the impeachment “prosecutors” failed to produce credible evidence he incited violence. For Facebook and its Oversight Board to suggest President Trump incited violence and that complaints about the administration of an election could incite violence is a political position aligned with the Left and political opponents of President Trump and his supporters.

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From The Washington Examiner:

In an investigation fit for “McGruff the Crime Dog,” a fiscal watchdog group has sued for details on the two biting incidents by President Joe Biden’s dog Major.

In its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, Judicial Watch said it is seeking from the Department of Homeland Security “records of communication between Secret Service officials assigned to the White House regarding the Biden family dogs.”

While Major has been labeled as the biter in two cases, Judicial Watch also wants communications mentioning the second Biden German shepherd, Champ.

Twice in March, the White House said Major bit people. In the first, it caused a “minor injury” to a member of the Secret Service, and the second required “medical attention” for a Park Service official.

The media reported that after the first incident, Major was sent to obedience school. It is unclear if he was otherwise punished.

“The public has a right to know the details about any incident in which Secret Service personnel were injured by President Biden’s dog,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “We have no doubt that Major and Champ are good dogs, but politicians and bureaucrats can’t be trusted.”

Read More Here.

Judicial Watch, the conservative activist group that says its mission is to file lawsuits to expose government misconduct, has trained its sights on an unexpected target: the Biden family dogs.

The group announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to secure records related to a biting episode involving Major, the younger of the first family’s two German shepherds, and a Secret Service agent on the White House grounds.

It is one of two biting incidents, which White House officials say resulted in only minor injuries, that prompted the Bidens to send Major to a trainer for a few weeks.

Judicial Watch said it filed the lawsuit because the Secret Service has been slow to process a Freedom of Information Act request seeking “all records of communications between USSS officials responsible for protection at the White House regarding the Biden family dogs, named Champ and Major.”

“The public has a right to know the details about any incident in which Secret Service personnel were injured by President Biden’s dog,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “We have no doubt that Major and Champ are good dogs but politicians and bureaucrats can’t be trusted.”

Read More Here.

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the United States Department of Homeland Security for records of communication between Secret Service officials assigned to the White House regarding the Biden family dogs (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:21-cv-01194)).

The lawsuit was filed after the Secret Service failed to process records in a timely manner in response to a March 10, 2021, FOIA request seeking:

All records of communications between USSS officials responsible for protection at the White House regarding the Biden family dogs, named Champ and Major.

On April 12, 2021, the Secret Service replied to Judicial Watch’s FOIA request saying that they had identified responsive records which were being processed but have yet to produce them.

On March 9, 2021, the White House confirmed that President Biden’s dog Major, “did in fact bite someone at the White House, causing a “minor injury.” Press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed said that the dogs, “are still getting acclimated and accustomed to their new surroundings and new people.”

On March 30, 2021, the White House reported that, “President Biden’s dog Major on Monday afternoon bit another employee, who then required medical attention.” The encounter reportedly took place on the White House South Lawn Monday, March 29.

“The public has a right to know the details about any incident in which Secret Service personnel were injured by President Biden’s dog,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “We have no doubt that Major and Champ are good dogs but politicians and bureaucrats can’t be trusted.”

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“Judicial Watch obtained documents from the California Secretary of State’s office confirming that those public officials … pressured Big Tech to take down posts by Americans about the elections.”

Many continue to argue that Big Tech corporations, as private companies, have a right to censor content on their platforms, but what if that decision were made by the government? As a bombshell Judicial Watch investigation reveals, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were directly pressured by California state officials to remove election-related content posted by private individuals, including Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Content including a Judicial Watch video which discussed the watchdog’s successful L.A. County voter roll clean-up case was removed by YouTube at “the behest of government officials,” Fitton noted Friday. “They [California state officials] targeted me because they didn’t want any criticism … so we have a government official working with Big Tech to take down a critic of the government.”

The documents show that CA state officials also made false claims to support the removal of Judicial Watch. “I know what I can and can’t say,” Fitton continued. “I know when I have to be accurate, which is all the time when I’m making public statements.”

Fitton has described these activities as being a “violation of your Constitutional rights under the First Amendment … they knew what they were doing was a problem.”

If you’re concerned about the violation of your First Amendment rights online and elsewhere, support Judicial Watch today.

The records show communications between the Secretary of State’s office and representatives of Facebook and Twitter to Target Judicial Watch Posts.

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that it received 624 pages of records from the office of the Secretary of State of Iowa, revealing how state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter and Facebook) to censor posts about the 2020 election. Included in these records were emails from Iowa state officials to representatives of Big Tech pressuring these companies to remove Judicial Watch’s posts. The emails show how the state agency successfully pressured Facebook to censor Judicial Watch’s post about Iowa’s management of its voter rolls.  

Judicial Watch received the records as a result of a June 2020 Iowa Open Records lawsuit that was filed after the Iowa Secretary of State failed to comply with a February 2020 request for records and communications about a Judicial Watch report regarding the accuracy of the state’s voter registration rolls (Judicial Watch v. Iowa Secretary of State (No. 05771 EQCE085973)). Judicial Watch was represented by Iowa lawyer Alan R. Ostergren of Des Moines, Iowa.

The records show that officials in the Iowa Secretary of State office on multiple occasions contacted officials from Facebook and Twitter to try to have these companies remove Judicial Watch posts that raised concerns about Iowa’s failure to maintain accurate election rolls.

On February 3, 2020, at 5:19 p.m., Kevin Hall, the communications director for the Iowa Secretary of State, wrote in a February 3, 2020, email to Facebook official Rachel Holland:

Rachel,

We’ve been playing whack-a-mole with this false story all day. Is there anything you can do to help: [likely https://www.facebook.com/JudicialWatch/posts/10157583458431943] 

We’ve told them is fake. They have it PINNED to the top of their page. 

Here’s our rebuttal: https://sos.iowa.gov/news/2020_02_02.html

Holland responded at 6:11p.m., writing:

Hi Kevin,

Circling back with an update regarding the content posted by Judicial Watch. Our third-party fact checkers have rated this content false, and we have applied a filter over the content warning users before they click to see it that the content has been rated false by independent fact checkers.

Please continue to report violating content to us by emailing [email protected], and copying me ([email protected]), as I will be on an airplane for the next couple hours. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matters. 

A couple of hours later, Hall followed up, “Thank you! They have new posts up, doubling down on the false claims.” 

And Holland responded, “Thanks for flagging- we’ve got a full team with eyes on this now and are applying the false filter to similar articles as well. I’ll send you an additional update shortly!” 

That same day, Hall and Maria Benson, the director of communications at the National Association of Secretaries of State, both tried to convince Twitter to censor Judicial Watch’s posts but were ultimately unsuccessful. 

Hall filed a report with Twitter, and Benson escalated it by looping in Kevin Kane from Twitter. On February 3, 2020, Benson wrote, “Iowa Secretary of State has reported the below election misinformation, but Twitter has declined to take it down. As you can see from facts the tweets are clearly wrong. I wanted to bring this to your attention to hopefully remedy the situation. I’ve cc’d Kevin Hall, their Communicators Director.”

Kane responded rejecting the request saying, “Thanks Maria – This was reviewed by our team and is not in violation of our election integrity policy as it does not suppress voter turnout or mislead people about when. where. or how to vote. I understand this is not the outcome you are seeking and appreciate you continuing to report Tweets to our team.”

In an email the next day, Hall wrote to Kane saying, “Facebook, thankfully, was helpful. I would suggest perhaps reviewing your policies at Twitter and putting them more in line with what Facebook is doing to counter election misinformation.” 

After being rejected by Twitter, Benson emailed Brian Scully, an official at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, writing on February 3, 2020: 

Hey Brian,

Can you report this as well? Hannity is now retweeting and Twitter isn’t playing ball with us. I’ve cc’d Kevin Hall who you met Saturday. He’s IA SOS’s Communications Director. He’s been reporting and playing wack a mole by trying to reply to misleading tweets.

Scully responded promising to contact Twitter. “Sorry … been out of pocket a bit. Will reach out to Twitter. Let me know if you get something.”

“These records are yet another example of state officials conspiring with Big Tech to deny Americans their First Amendment rights,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “These records further show that Big Tech censorship is a government scandal: Iowa government officials worked with Facebook to remove posts they didn’t like, and Facebook bowed to this political pressure immediately. It should be disturbing to all Americans that government officials are working to censor speech they disagree with and that these behemoth companies often seem willing to roll over and censor free speech.”

Judicial Watch last week released records from the office of the Secretary of State of California revealing how state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube)) to censor posts about the 2020 election. Included in these records were “misinformation briefings” emails that were compiled by communications firm SKDK, that lists Biden for President as their top client of 2020. The records show how the state agency successfully pressured YouTube to censor a Judicial Watch video concerning the vote by mail and a Judicial Watch lawsuit settlement about California voter roll clean up.

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California Officials Pressured Big Tech to Censor Social Media Election Posts
Judicial Watch in Court to Stop a Maryland County from Giving Cash to Illegal Aliens
Judicial Watch Fights Hard Left ‘Critical Race Theory’

California Officials Pressured Big Tech to Censor Social Media Election Posts

We now have chilling details of California state officials and Big Tech executives conspiring to uproot the First Amendment and influence the 2020 election. And, key targets were Judicial Watch and me.

The proof is in 540 pages and a supplemental four pages of documents we received from the office of the Secretary of State of California revealing how state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube)) to censor posts about the 2020 election. Included in these documents were “misinformation briefings” emails that were compiled by communications firm SKDK, which lists Biden for President as their top client of 2020. 

The documents show how the state agency successfully pressured YouTube to censor my Judicial Watch video concerning the vote by mail and a Judicial Watch lawsuit settlement about California voter roll clean up.

We received the records in response to our California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests to the Office of the California Secretary of State for records related to the Office of Election Cybersecurity’s database of social media posts; communications with social media companies; and other social media related records regarding the 2020 elections. We filed the requests after a December 2020 report surfaced that the state agency was surveilling, tracking, and seeking to censor the speech of Americans:

The Office of Election Cybersecurity in the California Secretary of State’s office monitored and tracked social media posts, decided if they were misinformation, stored the posts in an internal database coded by threat level, and on 31 different occasions requested posts be removed. In 24 cases, the social media companies agreed and either took down the posts or flagged them as misinformation, according to Jenna Dresner, senior public information officer for the Office of Election Cybersecurity.

“We don’t take down posts, that is not our role to play,” Dresner said. “We alert potential sources of misinformation to the social media companies and we let them make that call based on community standards they created.”  

On September 24, 2020, a California Secretary of State chart lists a video I did and falsely alleges:

Head of conservative group Judicial Watch Hosts video alleging Democrats benefit from incorrect voter rolls and ballot collection.

The Secretary of State’s office details its communication with YouTube: “We wanted to flag this YouTube video because it misleads community members about elections or other civic processes and misrepresents the safety and security of mail-in ballots.” The chart quotes me describing Judicial Watch’s statement about its federal lawsuit settlement with Los Angeles County that will require it to clean up voter rolls and how a Michigan court “changed the rules” on ballot deadlines and ballot harvesting. (The controversial decision was overturned in October 2020.)

The document shows that California state officials contacted YouTube directly to remove the video on September 24, 2020, and that YouTube seemed to respond by deleting the video on September 27, 2020.

On September 11, 2020, outside consultant Zeke Sandoval, of the SKDK communications firm, provides the Secretary of State’s Office a “Misinformation Daily Briefing,” which again targets me:

Trump tweeted, “The big Unsolicited Ballot States should give it up NOW, before it is too late, and ask people to go to the Polling Booths and, like always before, VOTE. Otherwise, MAYHEM!!! Solicited Ballots (absentee) are OK,” and Twitter was quick to fact check and shared a link with info about how voting by mail is safe and secure. Viral reply on Twitter from Tom Fitton asserting, “Mailing 51 million ballots to those who haven’t asked for increases risk of voter fraud and voter intimidation!”

A 30-page “Misinformation Tracking Sheet” lists social media posts that the office disagrees with and has asked social media companies to remove.

In an internal email on January 12, 2021, Deputy Secretary of State and Chief Communications Officer Paula Valle emails Chief Counsel Steve Reyes and Jenna Dresner in the Office of Cybersecurity, as well as Press Secretary Sam Mahood stating that she is uncomfortable with CalMatters reporter Fred Brewster’s questions about the office’s tracking and censoring efforts:

Hi Steve – Please see below – the reporter at Cal Matters who PRA’d us is doing a follow-up story. We asked him to send us his questions. I am not necessarily comfortable with his line of questions and the additional doors that this will open. I want to get your feedback I would simply like to give him a statement about what our goal is and leave it at that. Thoughts?

Brewster’s questions, which include concerns from citizens who were targeted by the “Misinformation Tracker,” were sent on January 12, 2021:

I reached out to the users on page 7 and page 21 of the Misinformation Tracker request I received. Both individuals wanted to know how their posts ended up being labeled misinformation and how, given their relatively small following, they came to the attention of the Office of Election Cybersecurity?

Another user named “DC O’Bryan” had his post taken down (page 5 of the Misinformation Tracker). In an email, you highlight a report sent to the state that says, “I don’t know if this is hot air meant to provoke. If it is, a call from an official might get the point across that you don’t joke about election fraud.” Was O’Bryan called to confirm that his post was a joke?

How does the Office of Election Cybersecurity differentiate between parody and satire and misinformation?

Did CISA, Facebook, or any other partners provide guidance on how to spot and define misinformation? If someone has their posts in the Misinformation Tracker, are there plans to contact those individuals and is there a way for them to petition the state to delete them?

The Secretary of State’s Office emails Facebook and Twitter on April 25, 2019, with requests from the Office to remove tweets and posts for what they have labeled “misinformation.”

The office emails Facebook, attempting to set up a call to discuss removing future posts. This 15-minute call is with “new Facebook contact for social media reporting: Javier Hernandez, Politics & Government Outreach” in order to discuss how the office will report posts to Facebook. In the email, Facebook outlines its goals to directly work with “electoral authorities in every state” so that they can “report instances of voter suppression on Facebook directly to our team, so [Facebook] can look at them quickly and remove them from the site.”

On December 31, 2019, after the Secretary of State’s office reports a tweet to [email protected], Kevin Kane, a Twitter representative, replies and offers his direct contact for the Office’s future needs in removing posts.  

In a September 21, 2020, email chain with the subject line “elections issue,” Jenna Dresner in the Secretary of State’s Office of Cybersecurity writes to “Cristina and team” at Facebook at 11:43 a.m.: “We want to flag this Instagram post.”

The reply comes from Facebook Community Operations: “Thank you for your report. We have reviewed the … content and can confirm that the content has been removed …” At 12:53 pm. Dresner writes to Press Secretary Sam Mahood, Social Media Coordinator Akilah Jones and others, “Post from this morning was removed (and fast!) Akilah we can update tracker.”

In an October 28, 2020, email, Jones writes to Flores at Facebook and CCs Dresner that a post, which was from a user named @Screenplaywale, “voters are being asked to gerrymander and voter suppress their ‘trump supporting father’s ballots.’”

In an email chain on September 14, 2020, titled “Election Issue” the office internally complains about how long it takes Facebook to remove a post and how to speed up this process.

Mahood writes to Dresner: “It looks like it took Facebook 2 weeks to respond to Chris. This is way too long, we should raise to FB and make sure we know best method to report posts.” Dresner responds: “Sure – I’m 98% sure this is the one you chased with an email directly to our FB contacts which resulted in it taken down that day. I can confirm that process works for the future?”

On August 22, 2019, Maria Benson, director of communications for the National Association of Secretaries of State emails the communications directors for Secretaries of State offices that Twitter confirmed that they streamlined their process for government officials to report “misinformation:”

Great news—Twitter is now on-boarding states into their mis/disinformation partner support portal! Once on-boarded, you will be able to directly report mis/disinformation instead of having to submit it to me first….” [Emphasis in original]

Benson also gives contact information for Facebook and Google complaints, and says: “If any of the items you reported do not get prompt attention, please let me know and I can also reach out the companies.”

On September 24, 2019, the California Secretary of State’s office confirms that it plans to participate in Facebook’s “misinformation” training which is a review from Facebook on “monitoring guidelines for reporting misinformation” and teaches participants how to use the direct reporting channel Facebook opened for them.

On October 1, 2020, Benson forwards information from Twitter about their training to directly remove posts they label as misinformation to the Secretary of State’s office. This is described by Twitter as: “training on creative and effective content strategies on Twitter in advance of the U.S. Election,” as well as “onboarding state and local election officials onto Twitter’s Partner Support Portal.” This portal is described as, “a dedicated way for critical stakeholders – like you – to flag concerns directly to Twitter.”

These documents detail a conspiracy against the First Amendment rights of Americans by the California Secretary of State, the Biden campaign operation, and Big Tech. These documents blow up the big lie that Big Tech censorship is ‘private’ – as the documents show collusion between a whole group of government officials in multiple states to suppress speech about election controversies.

Judicial Watch in Court to Stop a Maryland County from Giving Cash to Illegal Aliens

On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will hear our lawsuit (Bauer, et al. v. Elrich, et al. (No. 20-1707)) challenging the legality of the Montgomery County, Maryland, program that provides cash payments to illegal aliens. 

We argue on behalf of Montgomery County taxpayers Sharon Bauer and Richard Jurgena that the county’s program providing $10 million in cash benefits to illegal aliens violates federal law and irreparably harms county taxpayers.

The Monday hearing will be at 9:30 a.m. ET and can be accessed here: https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalmay032021ric.pdf

This hearing arises from our complaint (Bauer et al. v. Elrich et al. (No. 482061V)) filed on May 8, 2020, in Montgomery County Circuit Court, which Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Raymond Crowel, director of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, subsequently removed to federal court. The lawsuit seeks to permanently enjoin Elrich and Crowel from expending taxpayer money on the cash-benefits program known as the “Emergency Assistance Relief Payment Program” (EARP).

Under federal law, certain categories of aliens, including illegal aliens, are ineligible for state or local public benefits. Such benefits include direct, cash payments. If a state chooses to provide such benefits to illegal aliens, it must enact a state law affirmatively providing for such eligibility.

On May 29, 2020, the District Court ruled the program likely violates federal law and irreparably harms county taxpayers. The court ordered the county to hold back 25% of any unspent funds until the court could fully consider the merits of our taxpayer lawsuit. Later, the District Court dismissed the case, concluding it did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.

The Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in the appeal we brought, in which the agency agrees the policy is illegal but suggests state taxpayers have no right to sue state officials to stop them from using taxpayer funds to violate federal law.

We explain in our appeal: “The issues before this Court concern what cases federal courts may hear, whether state causes of action may rely on violations of federal law, and whether county officials acted illegally.” Also, pointing to 8 U.S. Code § 1621:

In short, Section 1621 prohibits unlawfully present aliens from receiving state and local public benefits unless the state legislature affirmatively authorizes it.

Even though the Maryland legislature had not affirmatively authorized it, Montgomery County, Maryland, nonetheless, started providing cash payments to unlawfully present aliens. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Montgomery County Council appropriated $10 million for an Emergency Assistance Relief Payment (“EARP”) program…. EARP provides cash payments to individuals or families, including unlawfully present aliens … who (1) live in Montgomery County, (2) are not eligible for federal COVID-19 stimulus checks or state benefits, (3) are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits, and (4) have an income equal to or below 50% of the federal poverty level…. The County Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”), which administers the program, distributes payments of $500 to eligible single adults, $1,000 to eligible families with a child, and an additional $150 to families for each additional child, up to $1,450 total….

Seeing their taxes being spent in violation of federal law, Sharon Bauer and Richard Jurgena (“Taxpayers”), Montgomery County taxpayers, sought to enjoin County Executive Marc Elrich and DHHS Director Raymond Crowel (collectively “Montgomery County”) from implementing EARP.

Politicians in Maryland are using COVID as an excuse to violate the law. If they want to give cash payments to illegal aliens, they must be accountable and transparent, and, as federal law requires, pass a state law to do so.

Judicial Watch Fights Hard Left ‘Critical Race Theory’

If you’re a parent or grandparent you need to pay close attention to what’s being taught in schools and colleges, and if you’re a voter, keep an eye on your local and state governments. All are being overrun by a Marxist racist madness known as Critical Race Theory. Judicial Watch is fighting this tidal wave, as Micah Morrison, our chief investigative reporter, describes in his Investigative Bulletin.

Not long ago, Critical Race Theory was the territory of far-left academics pushing the boundaries of Marxism and nihilistic counterparts such as radical feminism and post-structuralism. All the philosophies to one degree or another advanced the notion that objective truth and standards—in society, in institutions, in law—do not exist. All reality is contingent, all is in flux, all is a construct of language and illusion. One person’s truth is another person’s lies.

Critical Race Theory emerged from this philosophical train wreck in the 1980s to say that Western civilization—and the American experiment in particular—is suffused to its core by white supremacy, white privilege, and institutionalized racism, and must be dismantled. For a long time, CRT was dismissed as an esoteric academic fad. But ideas have consequences and today, in the mysterious alchemy of social upheaval, Critical Race Theory suddenly is everywhere, its poisonous agenda swiftly moving through universities and public schools, government, law, science, business, and the media.

Rooted in the Left doctrine of class struggle, CRT teaches that U.S. society—our culture, laws, beliefs, and modes of governance—are a racist system devoted to upholding the power of white people. CRT is closely linked the new cancel culture. Dissenters from this new orthodoxy are punished. Freedom of speech is dismissed, and open debate is canceled, as we’ll see below in the case of high school coach David Flynn.

The rhetoric of this radicalism is cloaked in the language of social justice, but if you “peel back the layers of ideology and you get to the core of this belief system,” notes writer Christopher Rufo, “they’re advocating for a kind of cultural revolution, steeped in Marxism, adjusted to identity politics, and now activated through Black Lives Matter, through Critical Race Theory, and absurdly through even corporate HR departments.” For more on CRT, see this Heritage Foundation special report.

Judicial Watch is fighting back. Three cases, in particular, illustrate the scope of the Critical Race problem. Tellingly, they all involve schools—a key battleground in this war of ideas.

In suburban Massachusetts, popular football coach David Flynn was abruptly fired from his job at Dedham High School after protesting unannounced changes to his daughter’s middle school curriculum.

Coach Flynn noticed that his seventh-grade daughter’s “World Geography and Ancient History” class was being taught things that had nothing to do with geography or history. The course description described the class as a review of the civilizations of Rome, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America.

Instead, as we note in our lawsuit defending Coach Flynn, the instruction focused on “issues of race, gender, stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination, and politics.” In other words, the Critical Race Theory agenda.

Coach Flynn sent a polite email to school authorities noting that parents had not been informed of the curriculum changes; that some of the issues were not suitable for seventh graders; that the teacher did not seem to be objective and was stating particular political points of view; and that the teacher was using class materials that labeled all police officers as risks to all black people, and all black males as risks to white people.

Coach Flynn asked school authorities for compromises and modest changes to the new curriculum. Their response? You’re fired.

Judicial Watch is suing school authorities in federal court for retaliating against the coach for exercising his First Amendment rights. We’ll be in court Monday, April 26, for a hearing on the case. The public is invited to attend. You can watch a JW video presentation on the case here.

One hour and a world away from Dedham, Harvard College faces a racial reckoning of its own. Bastions of higher education are the incubators of Critical Race Theory, but while accusing Americans of broad racist crimes, they’re often themselves promoting discriminatory policies. It’s no secret, for instance, that many universities have long been discriminating against Asians in admissions practices.

With our colleagues at the  Allied Educational Foundation, we filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Students for Fair Admission’s petition for a Supreme Court hearing challenging the decision by a federal appeals court upholding Harvard’s racial preferences admissions program.

Students for Fair Admission argue that Harvard’s admissions program intentionally discriminates against Asian Americans on the basis of race and violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans unconstitutional race-based admissions by public universities, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Our brief rejects the notion that discriminating by race in admissions can be justified by “diversity” goals. “College and university administrators might promote greater cross-racial understanding and tolerance in their students, not by racially discriminating against applicants for admission to their schools, but by working to make their schools more tolerant of the expression of different points of view,” we note. “Admissions programs that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race may themselves be negatively affecting the level of racial understanding and tolerance on today’s college campuses.”

In New York City, we are tracking a major lawsuit filed by race-theory radicals seeking “an anti-racist education.” The suit is straight from the Critical Race Theory playbook. It seeks major changes to the New York City public school system, which it claims is “suffused with and perpetuates…various forms of racism in ways blatant and subtle, intended or willfully ignored and tolerated.”  Racism in the lawsuit is defined to include “internalized racism,” “interpersonal racism,” “institutional racism,” and “structural racism.” Read the lawsuit here.

A successful lawsuit, The New York Times notes, could compel New York City “to restructure or even eliminate current admissions policies for hundreds of selective schools, including gifted and talented programs and academically selective middle and high schools,” and accelerate pressure for shifting student populations city wide in the name of “diversity” and “integration.”

Parents are fighting back. A new national grassroots organization, Parents Defending Education, has filed a motion to intervene in the New York City case. “PDE’s members, who are parents of children in the system, believe that their children should be judged based on their individual merit, not defined as members of a racial group or blamed for the collective sins of others,” PDE President Nicole Neily told Judicial Watch. “That’s why PDE opposes the call to inject more race-based decision-making into the City’s schools. The best way to achieve equality is to treat children equally, regardless of skin color, and to fix the parts of the City’s schools that are broken.” Read the PDE brief here.

Judicial Watch will be following these cases and other developments in the Critical Race Theory jihad in the months ahead. We’ll keep you posted.

Until next week …

From Just The News:

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Thursday morning that he’s no longer sure “what we’re spending the money on,” regarding the long-awaited report and potential prosecutions from Justice Department special counsel John Durham.

“It’s now been two-plus years, and we’ve had virtually zero activity from Durham as best as anyone can see,” Fitton during an appearance on “Just the News AM.”

Durham was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to oversee a probe into how the federal investigation into alleged Russia-Trump campaign collusion started and to determine whether intelligence gathered about the 2016 presidential campaign was “lawful and appropriate.”

He was later elevated by Barr to the post of special counsel for the Justice Department.

Durham’s efforts follows Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that effectively debunked the narrative of collusion between the campaign and Russian operatives.

Late last month, Trump issued a brief statement inquiring after Durham’s whereabouts.

“Is he a living, breathing human being? Will there ever be a Durham report?” Trump asked in the statement.

Fitton said Thursday he’s not so concerned about just the report.

Read More Here.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that on May 5, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will hear Judicial Watch’s lawsuit (Bauer, et al. v. Elrich, et al. (No. 20-1707)) challenging the legality of the Montgomery County, Maryland program that provides cash payments to illegal aliens. Judicial Watch argues on behalf of Montgomery County taxpayers Sharon Bauer and Richard Jurgena that the county’s program providing $10 million in cash benefits to illegal aliens violates federal law and irreparably harms county taxpayers.

Date:                May 5, 2021

Time:               9:30 a.m. ET

Place:               The public can access the argument here: https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalmay032021ric.pdf

This hearing arises from the original complaint (Bauer et al. v. Elrich et al. (No. 482061V)) filed on May 8, 2020, in Montgomery County Circuit Court, which Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Raymond Crowel, director of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, subsequently removed to federal court. The lawsuit seeks to permanently enjoin Elrich and Crowel from expending taxpayer money on the cash-benefits program known as the “Emergency Assistance Relief Payment Program” (EARP).

Under federal law, certain categories of aliens, including illegal aliens, are ineligible for state or local public benefits. Such benefits include direct, cash payments. If a state chooses to provide such benefits to illegal aliens, it must enact a state law affirmatively providing for such eligibility.

On May 29, 2020, the District Court ruled the program likely violates federal law and irreparably harms county taxpayers. The court ordered the county to hold back 25% of any unspent funds until the court could fully consider the merits of Judicial Watch’s taxpayer lawsuit. Later, the District Court dismissed the case, concluding it did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.

The Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in the appeal brought by Judicial Watch in which the agency agrees the policy is illegal but suggests state taxpayers have no right to sue state officials to stop them from using taxpayer funds to violate federal law.

Judicial Watch explains in its appeal: “The issues before this Court concern what cases federal courts may hear, whether state causes of action may rely on violations of federal law, and whether county officials acted illegally.” Also, pointing to 8 U.S. Code § 1621: 

In short, Section 1621 prohibits unlawfully present aliens from receiving state and local public benefits unless the state legislature affirmatively authorizes it.

Even though the Maryland legislature had not affirmatively authorized it, Montgomery County, Maryland, nonetheless, started providing cash payments to unlawfully present aliens. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Montgomery County Council appropriated $10 million for an Emergency Assistance Relief Payment (“EARP”) program…. EARP provides cash payments to individuals or families, including unlawfully present aliens … who (1) live in Montgomery County, (2) are not eligible for federal COVID-19 stimulus checks or state benefits, (3) are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits, and (4) have an income equal to or below 50% of the federal poverty level…. The County Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”), which administers the program, distributes payments of $500 to eligible single adults, $1,000 to eligible families with a child, and an additional $150 to families for each additional child, up to $1,450 total….

Seeing their taxes being spent in violation of federal law, Sharon Bauer and Richard Jurgena (“Taxpayers”), Montgomery County taxpayers, sought to enjoin County Executive Marc Elrich and DHHS Director Raymond Crowel (collectively “Montgomery County”) from implementing EARP.

“Politicians in Maryland are using COVID as an excuse to violate the law. If they want to give cash payments to illegal aliens, they must be accountable and transparent, and, as federal law requires, pass a state law to do so,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

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Much like Marie Antoinette’s notorious line “Let them eat cake,” Paris Hilton’s “Stop Being Poor” T-shirt is a relic of history—or at least pop-culture history. And much like the French queen’s heartless quip, it didn’t really happen.

The hotel heiress was photographed back in 2005 at her younger sister Nicky’s fashion show in Las Vegas. Her arms stretched high above her head, almost as if she was saying “ta-da,” Paris, then 24, is seen smiling on a stage wearing a low-rise pink maxi skirt and the statement-making white tank top.

But 16 years later, Paris has taken it upon herself to set the record straight, explaining that the iconic image that became a summation of Paris’ devil-may-care party-girl persona in the early aughts had been Photoshopped with the blasé phrase.

“I never wore that shirt,” she said in a TikTok. “Everyone thinks it’s real, but that’s not the truth.” Paris then showed the real photo from that event, with her shirt reading “Stop Being Desperate.”

Digital artist Jubilee came forward as the culprit on Monday. “LMAO omg Paris Hilton made a TikTok abt the shirt I photoshopped,” she tweeted. Paris quickly responded, “OMG I always thought a paparazzi agency edited it.”

“So hilarious & iconic,” she added. “I thought it was funny when it came out, but I also didn’t want to insult people by thinking I would wear that.”

Jubilee tells The Daily Beast via Twitter DM that on a whim late one night in May of 2013, she came across the original photo on Tumblr. “I thought the juxtaposition of her flamboyant ‘ta-da’ pose and message on her shirt was hilariously contradictory, so I wanted to push that a little further,” she says.

But she never thought that people would think the image was real, let alone have such a visceral reaction to it. “The response definitely surprised me,” she admits. “It got a lot of notes really fast, then articles were written about how she was an awful person for wearing it and it made me feel pretty bad because honestly, I was just trying to make a funny shirt.”

To have Paris acknowledge the image exactly eight years after she had posted it is surreal, Jubilee says. “It came full circle on the perfect day.”

Overall, Jubilee finds the whole interaction hilarious and Paris seems to have no hard feelings, even inviting Jubilee on her podcast “This is Paris” on Wednesday to talk about it all.

The shirt was brought up while Paris was hanging out with a friend and they were discussing some of her most iconic outfits. When the friend, who happened to work at TikTok, mentioned the “Stop Being Poor” tank, Paris had to explain it was Photoshopped.

“I assumed some people thought it wasn’t real because the real shirt was online,” she said.

“Looking back at that time, I know that some people took it as light-hearted and saw it as a joke, but I definitely had a moment of insecurity where I didn’t want people to think I would wear that shirt. I would never want to offend anyone and telling people to ‘stop being poor’ is just the opposite of my personality.”

“Some people already had this perception of me that wasn’t always positive, so this shirt just added to that stereotype that some people judged me to be,” she continued. “So, it was really hard for me to have people thinking that I would wear something like this.”

“The last thing I would have wanted for people to see me as [is] someone who’s entitled or thought that she was better than other people. It’s just not me at all and people that know me and know my heart know that despite appearances, I’m not that way at all.”

As India hits a daily record of 412,262 COVID cases and 3,980 deaths, scammers are coming up with new and elaborate ways to exploit desperate families trying to save loved ones.

The latest pandemic scheme? Passing fire extinguishers off as oxygen cylinders for patients in dire condition.

On Thursday, local media outlets reported that Delhi police arrested three people for painting fire extinguishers and selling them as oxygen cylinders to family members of infected citizens. Police reportedly seized more than 530 extinguishers that had been dismantled, spray-painted, and sold as gas cylinders.

Police uncovered the plot after the head of an Indian NGO, Radha Vallabh Sewa Sangh—who had fallen victim to the scheme himself—reported the fraudsters to local authorities. The accused were identified as 40-year-old Ravi Sharma, 38-year-old Mohammad Abdil, and 30-year old Shambhu Shah from Alipur, Delhi.

“During enquiry, it was found that distributor Ravi Sharma was removing red paint [from] fire cylinders which were used for filling of CO2 and was converting them into oxygen cylinders by painting them black with the help of Abdil and Shah,” a police deputy commissioner told The India Times.

When questioned by the police, the suspects reportedly copped to obtaining expired and empty fire extinguishers, recasting them, and selling them for about $180 each. The men admitted to having already sold “many” cylinders, police said.

In addition to the cylinders, police seized grinders apparently used to chip off the original paint on the fire extinguishers, empty spray can bottles, paint boxes and brushes, about two dozen oxygen cylinders nozzles, a pipe wrench, and roughly $800 in cash.

As India faces a devastating virus wave, a highly infectious virus variant, and crippling oxygen shortages—the fire extinguisher scheme is just one of many COVID-related scams sweeping the country.

Government officials in India’s southern Karnataka state have been accused of selling hospital beds on the black market, social media fraudsters have been delivering counterfeit medicines to Indians scavenging for supplies on Twitter, and WhatsApp users have posed as doctors promising to deliver humidifiers and oxygen cylinders, only to block their victims after receiving cash app payments.

Though India is known as the “world’s pharmacy,” the overwhelming COVID infection rate gripping the country has led to a severe shortage in oxygen, medical supplies and hospital beds. The circumstances have fueled the ambitions of fraudsters looking to capitalize on desperate families.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has been blasted for failing to appropriately handle the crisis, instead focusing on campaigning and falsely assuring the public that the situation is “under control.”

What is the “Big Lie”? Is it a former president and his allies claiming widespread voter fraud and a “stolen” election? Or is it a Republican congresswoman calling those lies the “Big Lie”? Who’s to say, suggests one Fox News anchor, whose ostensible job it is to report the news.

During Thursday’s broadcast of America Reports—one of Fox News’ “straight news” programs—anchor John Roberts ended an interview with Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) by deploying a high-grade bothsidesism to ask him about House Republicans’ push to oust Rep. Liz Cheney. The Wyoming lawmaker is at risk of being forced from her leadership position because she insists on calling out former president Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election.

Noting that Cheney survived an attempt to vote her out earlier this year, Roberts pointed out that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)—a staunch Trump ally who supported his push to overturn last year’s election—has the inside track to supplant Cheney.

Brady, for his part, attempted to thread the needle and offer up some praise for Cheney, claiming she is a “fierce conservative” who has gained a “great deal of respect” over her “vote of conscience” on impeachment. (Cheney was one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.)

The Fox anchor then decided to frame Trump’s outright lies about widespread voter fraud as merely a “sharp disagreement” with Cheney, suggesting this GOP feud is an unsettled issue that is still up for debate.

“Trump says the ‘Big Lie’ was the result of the 2020 election. Liz Cheney says, no, the ‘Big Lie’ was suggesting the 2020 election was stolen. Between the two of them, who is right?” Roberts asked the Texas congressman, who is retiring after this term.

“I’ll leave that dispute to them,” Brady said, prompting a chuckle from Roberts.

This was not the first time the Fox anchor has framed Trump’s baseless election claims as nothing more than a difference of opinion between the ex-president and the Liz Cheneys of his own party.

Earlier this week, during an interview with Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Roberts brought up Trump’s claim that the “fraudulent” election will now be known as the “Big Lie” before contrasting it with Cheney’s response that the “2020 election was not stolen” and the “Big Lie” was the act of deploying those falsehoods.

“Who of the two of them is right?” Roberts wondered aloud.

After Barrasso didn’t directly answer the question—instead stating that Biden is in the White House and the election was verified—Roberts again asked: “Was the 2020 election stolen or was it fought fairly?”

Fox News viewers may never know.

A Utah man accused of assaulting police officers during the Capitol riots invited several of his MAGA friends to his Thursday court appearance—then wreaked havoc during the hearing, repeatedly screaming at the judge and court officials.

“You people fucked this up,” Landon Kenneth Copeland ranted during the Zoom hearing on Thursday. “You’re going to give me a psych eval. I don’t like 70 percent of my income going to the government. Fuck all of you!”

Copeland, a 33-year-old who on Thursday described himself as a veteran who “got shot in Iraq,” faces several charges, including assaulting officers and disorderly contact, for allegedly attacking several law-enforcement officers during the Jan. 6 siege. Prosecutors allege that during a scuffle, Copeland grabbed a riot shield, shoved a fellow insurrectionist into a police line, and threw “a metal bike rack fence barricade” at officers.

During his Thursday hearing, Copeland was joined by some of his Trump-supporting friends and, at one point, his mother. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather ended up kicking out one of his friends after they chose an “expletive” as their Zoom username.

The chaos began even before Copeland’s hearing, as he shouted while other accused rioters made their appearances before the judge, forcing court officials to put him on mute. At one point he tried to object to another defense lawyer claiming his client had “Foxitus” after watching six months of Fox News during the pandemic.

The second he was taken off mute, Copeland began to scream, “I’m going to tell the truth.”

“I don’t like you people... you’re a robot to me... you can’t come get me if I don’t want you to... Fuck all of you... Fuck all of you,” he shouted during his tirade, at which point a judge put him in a separate Zoom room so that he could no longer interrupt the proceeding. “I wanna talk in open court you mother fuckers!”

Earlier in the hearing, Copeland also told a court clerk, “You are evil!” and asked, “At what point am I a free individual versus a pre-trial confinement individual?” “Is any of this negotiable? I used to be a free man...until you locked me up,” Copeland insisted.

After an hour-long break in Copeland’s hearing so court officials could discuss how to proceed given the constant interruptions, his lawyer told Judge Meriweather that his client “is in a crisis.” The comment seemed to anger Copeland, who then hung up from his own hearing. He re-joined about 10 minutes later.

“In my conversations with him, I don’t think he’s being intentionally belligerent. I don’t think he’s competent to proceed right now,” his lawyer added. Prosecutors acknowledged on Thursday that Copeland has previously said he suffered from PTSD.

Meriweather said she would refer Copeland to behavioral health authorities for a remote competency screening and then set another status hearing.

According to a criminal complaint, videos and photographs of the riots “depict Copeland’s assaultive and obstructive conduct” that forced officers to use pepper spray on him in self-defense. “In response, Copeland pushed or threw the fence toward multiple law enforcement officers,” the complaint states.

When federal authorities interviewed Copeland on Feb. 11, he admitted he went to a rally in D.C. to support President Donald Trump—and that he fought with officers outside the Capitol.

Copeland then allegedly insisted that he felt “police officers were trying to ‘penetrate the line’ of the protesters and ‘steal’ individual members of the crowd, including one person who Copeland described as having been shot in the face by an officer.” Copeland, who insisted he did not enter the Capitol, was seemingly referring to Ashli Babbitt, one of the five individuals who died as a result of the siege.

“So that everyone knows I go to see the FBI and a judge tomorrow,” Copeland wrote in an April 28 Facebook post, which was also read during his hearing. “I guess peacefully protesting at the Capitol is now illegal and they are trying to hunt us all down to try and teach us a lesson. Unfortunately, only one option remains when we return. We bring guns and take the Capitol building without intention of being peaceful. This ends with the government bombing their own people. I had hopes it wouldn’t. But here we are.”

At 4 p.m. MT, officials from the school district and county sheriff's office will hold a press conference. Watch it here.

RIGBY, Idaho — Update: During a press conference at 4 p.m. MT, Jefferson School District Superintendent Chad Martin and Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson will release additional details about a shooting that injured two students and a staff member at Rigby Middle School. Watch it below or on KTVB's YouTube Channel.

A shooting at an eastern Idaho middle school has left three people injured and a suspect in custody. 

Police and ambulances responded to Rigby Middle School Thursday morning.

Law enforcement told Idaho Falls television station KIFI-TV that two students and one adult had injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

The suspected shooter has been identified as a male student. His name and age have not been released.

Two other students and a custodian were wounded in the shooting, officials say. Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson says the victims’ injuries aren't believed to be life-threatening. 

A 12-year-old student says she heard loud noises, then screaming. She says when her teacher went to check it out, he found blood.

3 wounded in Rigby school shooting

"Today we had the worst nightmare a school district could encounter. We had a school shooting here at Rigby Middle School," Jefferson School District Superintendent Chad Martin told KIFI. "What we know so far is the shooter has been apprehended. There is no further threat to the students."

 Students were being evacuated to a nearby high school.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little acknowledged the shooting in a tweet Thursday morning.

"I am praying for the lives and safety of those involved in today's tragic events," Little wrote. "Thank you to our law enforcement agencies and school leaders for their efforts in responding to the incident. I am staying updated on the situation."

Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra also weighed in. 

"My prayers are with those injured this morning at Rigby Middle School. I am grateful to our first responders and school staff who are working to deal with this terrible incident," she said. "I will do everything I can to support the district and the community moving forward."

"We send positive thoughts to the victims of this tragic incident and hope for their full and rapid recovery. Patience will need to be at a premium while school officials and law enforcement agencies investigate the situation," said Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly. "The IEA and our local education associations are ready, willing, and able to provide whatever support is needed for the staff, students, and community impacted by today’s act of violence."

Rigby, a town of under 5,000 people, is located just north of Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho.

Editor's Note: KTVB is working to gather more information, check back for updates.

I am monitoring the heartbreaking events in Rigby today and my heart goes out to all of those involved in this tragedy. To the first responders and our heroic teachers and faculty who are keeping our children safe, thank you. https://t.co/CjZqWic5Ug

— Cong. Mike Simpson (@CongMikeSimpson) May 6, 2021

I am praying for those affected by the horrific events in Rigby today. I am grateful for the service of law enforcement, first responders and teachers responding quickly to keep students safe. https://t.co/7PU8t4HoDB

— Senator Mike Crapo (@MikeCrapo) May 6, 2021

The Daily 7:

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The full warrant, detailing how a dozen FBI officers ended up raiding a spa in Alaska under false pretenses, has been released. 

The story first came to major national attention after The National Pulse interviewed Paul and Marilyn Hueper, whose home and business was raided last week in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

The 38 page document, below, reveals how poor a job the FBI did in identifying a woman they say was in Speaker Pelosi’s office on the afternoon of January 6th, 2021.

In summary, the warrant appears to rely on Marilyn Hueper wearing a black coat and having brunette hair as the motivations to raid the Homer Inn and Spa in search of an HP ProBook 640 G5 i5 laptop amongst other items.

The warrant also reveals the Hueper’s identities may have been mistakenly reported to the FBI following an altercation on an Alaska Airlines flight, where the pair are said to have failed to adhere to the airlines’ masking policies.

In short, the FBI appears to have mistakenly raided a home and businesses in part because of a mad airline steward.

Read:

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

CNN and MSNBC have provided scant coverage of last week’s New York Times bombshell on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) nursing home scandal, which reported that the effort to hide the pandemic death toll in nursing homes was far greater than previously known.

The Times‘ April 28 report alleged Cuomo’s senior aides “engaged in a sustained effort to prevent the state’s own health officials” from sharing accurate data last year about deceased nursing home patients with the public or with state lawmakers. A January report by Attorney General Letitia James (D) had previously concluded that deaths had been undercounted by as much as 50 percent, which has sparked an investigation by the FBI and U.S. attorney in Brooklyn.

However, the report about New York’s governor — who was viewed as a top Democratic contender for the presidency last year — prompted little interest from MSNBC. The network provided three minutes of coverage during a Thursday segment of Morning Joe, a fact first pointed out by Steve Krakauer and confirmed by a review of the network by Mediaite.

MSNBC covered the Gov. Cuomo nursing home scandal story that the NYT broke six days ago a grand total of one time during the past week – this brief three-minute segment on Morning Joe Thursday morning shortly before 8am.

Since then, nothing: pic.twitter.com/zwLrkb5Tiy

— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) May 4, 2021

CNN, where Cuomo’s brother Chris Cuomo is employed as an evening anchor, dedicated one exclusive segment to the report. According to a Mediaite review, the network provided a mention of the scandal on a broader level on Wednesday morning, when host Brianna Keilar noted Cuomo maintained he had “done nothing wrong” and spent four minutes speaking with S.E. Cupp, who, the chyron noted, argued Cuomo “mirrored” former President Donald Trump by “gaslighting” over the state’s probe into his conduct. She dedicated another four minutes to interviewing an author of the Times report, David Goodman, early Thursday morning.

Fox News mentioned the story roughly 20 times in the week following its debut. Host Neil Cavuto won his network’s race to cover the issue first, just hours after its publication, followed the same evening by anchor Bret Baier.

Critics, especially those on CNN and MSNBC, have nonetheless frequently groused this year about perceived omissions in Fox’s coverage. CNN’s Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy accused Fox of “barely covering” former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s trial last month, despite  the network mentioning his name roughly 600 times in April alone. More glaringly, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow mistakenly accused Fox in February of failing to air former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect an interview that Keilar hosted on the New York Times report.

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Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines sent a Wednesday letter to President Joe Biden asking him about his son, Hunter Biden, who continues to hold a minority stake in a Chinese private equity firm 100 days into Biden’s term, the Daily Caller has learned.

Hunter Biden holds a 10% equity stake in BHR Partners through his company, Skaneateles LLC, according to business records about Chinese corporations based on China’s National Credit Information Publicity System reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

Daines urged the president to make sure Hunter Biden is fully divested from the Chinese private equity firm and mentioned the DCNF’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s investments in BHR Partners.

“I write regarding reports of potential conflicts of interest with members of your family and foreign investments that could result in undue influence on U.S. government policy or officials. As President of the United States, it is critical to avoid any appearance of conflict of interests with foreign governments, particularly adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China,” Daines writes in the letter.

“As you know, in December you stated: ‘My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise, that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict, with the appropriate distance from, the presidency and government.’ Despite this pledge, recent reports have shown that Hunter Biden has maintained investments in BHR Partners, which is owned in part by the Bank of China,” he continued.

“I am concerned that these investments run contrary to your pledge and could result in undue influence on the U.S. government. I urge you to ensure your family is fully divested from such firms and honor the commitments you have made to mitigate any risk or appearance of conflicts of interest,” Daines concluded.

READ THE LETTER HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) Sen… by Henry Rodgers

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) directs a question about limiting abortions to Xavier Becerra, nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill February 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

Biden said in October 2019 that if he was elected president, no members of his family would do business with any foreign corporations or countries. (RELATED: 100 Days Into Biden’s Presidency, Hunter Still Owns Stake In Chinese Private Equity Firm, Business Records Show)

“No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in on meetings as if they are a cabinet member, will, in fact, have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country,” Biden told reporters in Iowa. “Period. Period. End of story.”

BHR is co-owned by the Chinese state-controlled Bank of China, business records reviewed by the DCNF show. The firm manages $2.1 billion in assets, according to its website. Hunter Biden acquired his 10% stake in BHR by investing $420,000 in October 2017, according to an October 2019 statement his lawyer released. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Continues To Hold Stake In Chinese Private Equity Firm, Records Show, Despite Reports That He Was Planning To Divest)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in February that Hunter Biden was in the process of divesting from the firm.

“He has been working to unwind his investment but I would certainly point you — he’s a private citizen — I would point you to him or his lawyers on the outside,” Psaki said. However, it is unclear how much he has received from his investment or if he has pulled out yet.

The firm’s business file was last updated on July 28, 2020, according to the records reviewed by the DCNF. (RELATED: Hunter Still Owns 10% Of Chinese Private Equity Firm 24 Days Into Biden’s Presidency)

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment about the letter and about Hunter Biden’s minority stake in the Chinese private equity firm.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a voting bill in the state into law on Thursday morning, making his state the latest GOP-leaning state to enact voting changes after the 2020 presidential election.

DeSantis, a Republican, said live on "Fox & Friends" that the new law would continue to keep things like mail voting accessible while also protecting election integrity.

"I have what we think is the strongest election integrity measures in the country," DeSantis said. "We're making sure we're enforcing voter ID… We're also banning ballot harvesting. We're not gonna let political operatives go and get satchels of votes to dump them in some drop box."

DeSantis added: "We're also prohibiting mass mailing of balloting. We've had absentee voting in Florida for a long time. You request the ballot. You get it. And you mail it in. But to just indiscriminately send them out is not a recipe for success."

HOUSE DEMS GUNNING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICES PUT PARTY'S CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITY IN JEOPARDY

Democrats, meanwhile, have slammed the Florida bill and similar efforts in other states as "voter suppression." Others have said the legislatures that are moving ahead with new bills targeted at election security are doing so based on the falsehood that the 2020 presidential election saw widespread fraud. DeSantis, for his part, has touted the security of the 2020 election in his state but said more needs to be done for the the future.

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2020 file photo, an election worker stamps a vote-by-mail ballot dropped off by a voter before placing it in an official ballot drop box before at the Miami-Dade County Board of Elections in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

The law was immediately challenged in court by Democrat lawyer Marc Elias. 

"REAKING: Minutes after Governor DeSantis signs new voter suppression law, @LWVFlorida, @BlackVotesMtr, @ActiveRetirees file federal court lawsuit," Elias tweeted. "Proud to be part of the legal team supporting these great organizations protecting the right to vote!"

"SB 90 does not impede all of Florida’s voters equally," the lawsuit alleges. "It is crafted to and will operate to make it more difficult for certain types of voters to participate in the state’s elections, including those voters who generally wish to vote with a vote-by-mail ballot and voters who have historically had to overcome substantial hurdles to reach the ballot box, such as Florida's senior voters, youngest voters, and minority voters."

The bill takes an omnibus approach, addressing many issues at once, similar to the approach of an election law that Georgia enacted earlier this year. 

Also among its provisions is a "prohibition on the use of private funds for election-related expenses," which is a response to the fact Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and others provided funding to some states and cities last year to help run the election.

Those groups said their goal was simply to help increase voter turnout and assist stressed government agencies. But some Republicans said the funding was targeted at blue areas, therefore potentially favoring Democrats. 

The bill also allows drop boxes but with some restrictions. 

"Drop boxes must be geographically located so as to provide all voters in the county with an equal opportunity to cast a ballot," the bill says, and "must be monitored in person." 

DeSantis said he is "not a fan" of drop boxes but that the legislature "wanted to keep them." So the new law, DeSantis said, "The drop boxes will be available only when they're monitored and during regular voting hours."

"You can't just leave these boxes out where there's not supervision all hours of the night." the governor added. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Conservative groups that have been supportive of new election security laws lauded DeSantis and the new law on Thursday. 

"Governor DeSantis has led the fight for election integrity reforms in Florida every step of the way. We applaud the governor for signing SB 90 this morning, a strong bill that will ensure it remains easy to vote and hard to cheat in the Sunshine State," Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action, said in a statement. 

"Every Floridian can request a mail-in ballot, vote early, or cast a ballot on Election Day. Anyone who reads this new law will see that it keeps voting easy, and makes cheating harder," added Jason Snead, the executive director of the Honest Elections Project. "Maintaining a robust election system is a constant process of learning and improvement… Voters deserve the best election system we can deliver, and as Florida has shown, that work is never complete."

Twitter suspended the new account for former President Donald Trump’s recently launched communications platform that the 45th president uses to communicate directly with his followers.

Trump’s account for his new platform, @DJTDesk, was introduced this week, then suspended by Wednesday evening.  

Called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” Trump’s new platform is designed for him to post comments, images and videos months after being banned from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Followers can share the former president’s posts to social media sites, but the site does not include a feature to let users reply or engage with Trump’s posts directly.

Trump was initially suspended from Twitter in January following the violent Capitol demonstration due to “the risk of further incitement of violence.”

“After close review of review of recent Tweets from [Trump’s] account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company announced at the time.

In February, the social media giant confirmed that Mr. Trump would never be allowed back on Twitter even if he runs for office again.

“The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform – whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public officials,” Twitter’s Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal said at the time

“Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.”

Trump took another blow in his ongoing battle with social media platforms this week as Facebook’s Oversight Board decided to uphold Facebook’s Jan. 7 ban of the former president’s account, but noted that Facebook must review the decision within six months to make a final decision.

The Oversight Board concluded that Trump’s posts “created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible,” but admitted that Facebook was wrong to “impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension” that went against its typical penalties.

Following the decision, Trump released a statement slamming the social media giant.

“What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it!” Trump said.

“These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

The Texas Senate approved a bill on May 5 that would allow eligible residents 21 years and older to carry a holstered handgun, openly or concealed, without a permit, also known as constitutional carry.

House Bill 1927 passed the Republican-led Senate in an 18–13 vote following a lengthy debate and will now head back to the House to debate amendments and settle differences between the two chambers’ versions. The House had passed the measure in mid-April.

Gov. Greg Abbott has previously signaled that he’s supportive of such a measure and told WBAP’s Rick Roberts last week that he was willing to sign it.

“Once the Senate passes it out, the House and Senate will convene and work out any differences and get it to my desk and I’ll be signing it,” Abbott said.

Under current Texas law, residents are required to obtain a permit to carry handguns. To obtain the permit, applicants must complete classroom training, pass a written exam, submit fingerprints, and pass a proficiency demonstration.

Republicans say the proposed law will help remove some barriers for Lone Star State residents to carry a handgun and hence save them time and money.

State Sen. Charles Schwertner previously defended the bill at a committee meeting following the House’s passage of the measure.

“Right now, we have the license to carry—the LTC—and it is a hurdle for some individuals to avail themselves of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and I think that is a hurdle that should be removed. That’s what this bill does,” he said.

Opponents of the law, including state Democrats, have expressed concerns that the proposed bill would allow individuals to obtain a handgun without appropriate training or background checks. Some members of law enforcement have also expressed concerns about the bill.

Austin Police Interim Chief Joseph Chacon said at a press conference last week that he believes the proposed law would “make our streets less safe and will make law enforcement’s jobs harder.”

“Guns are easier to obtain than ever before, and it has become more common for people to use them. Weakening training regulations and effectively eliminating training requirements is not the direction that we should be going right now,” Chacon said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who previously expressed worry that the Senate lacked the votes to pass the measure, issued a statement on May 5 welcoming the passage.

“I am proud that the Texas Senate passed House Bill 1927 today, the Constitutional Carry bill, which affirms every Texan’s right to self-defense and our state’s strong support for our Second Amendment right to bear arms. In the Lone Star State, the Constitution is our permit to carry,” Patrick said.

The National Rifle Association had previously expressed support for the measure, saying in a statement that “it’s time for Texas to join the 20 other states that have legalized this personal protection option.”

Last month, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law his state’s version of a permitless carry measure.

An increasing amount of research is finding that lockdown measures aren’t worth the cost, and a new analysis adds to that body of research.

Nationally, states led by Republican governors have generally been more lax in the types of restrictions they implemented, while Democrat run states behaved as if they were prepared to keep businesses shut until the next century (unless their governors needed a bite to eat, of course).

A recent analysis of the economic downturns and recoveries of states that voted for Donald Trump and Biden finds that “Trump states” are leading the nation’s economic recovery, while “Biden states” lag massively.

According to the Daily Mail:

Between February and December of last year, states that went for Biden saw the total number of people working drop an average of 6.2 percentage points, versus a 2.5 point decline in those voting for the Republican.

The 13 states that saw the lowest decline in employment all lean strongly Republican, led by Alaska and Utah which actually saw employment increase by 0.7 and 0.3 percentage points respectively.

On the other end of the spectrum, 13 of the 14 states with the most significant pandemic job losses went for the Democratic candidate, led by Nevada with job losses of 10.2 percentage points, and Hawaii at 9.3.

Reason’s Matt Welch found the same trend when states are categorized based on if Democrats or Republicans control their state governments. As he notes:

There are meaningful differences in governing styles and results between the two major parties on the state and local level. As a general baseline, GOP states tend to have “right to work” laws (prohibitions on mandatory union membership), lower taxes, lower minimum wages, and lower unemployment rates (4.6 percent was the December 2020 median for the 25 states with unified Republican governance). Democratic states tend to have higher taxes, higher minimum wages, higher cost of living, and higher unemployment (7.8 percent was the median for the 15 states controlled by Team Blue).

So it’s little surprise that the coronavirus response, too, has diverged sharply along partisan lines. Blue-state governors in California and New York and Michigan have been far more strict about shutting down economic and physical activity than their red-state counterparts in Florida, South Dakota, and Texas. The comparative death tolls are roughly the same (California tracks with Florida, New York with South Dakota, and Michigan with Texas); the economic performances are anything but.

To little surprise, blue states hemorrhaged even more residents than they usually do last year, with New York leading the pack (and Florida being the #1 destination for those leaving).

Sadly, those fleeing will likely run their new home states by voting for the same backward policies.

Matt Palumbo is the author of Dumb and Dumber: How Cuomo and de Blasio Ruined New York, Debunk This: Shattering Liberal Lies, and Spygate

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Yesterday, we reported that Meghan Markle had written a children’s book called “The Bench,” which celebrates the relationships between fathers and their sons. This is already coming back to bite her, however, as she has now been accused of plagiarizing a children’s book that was written back in 2018.

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“Before you run out and waste money on the book by Harry’s wife, read ‘The Boy on the Bench’ by Corrinne Averiss and Gabriel Alborozo … The original,” one Twitter user wrote, calling Meghan out.

MORE NEWS: Magnitude of What Harry Has Done to His Family Just Hit Home…”Regret” Has Set In…

Many other Twitter users soon chimed in to say that Meghan’s book not only shares a similar title to British author Averiss’ 2018 book, but also similar artwork from Christian Robinson. They even said that Meghan’s storyline, which she claimed “started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” sounded way to similar to the previous work.

Twitter user Emma Kaye Wootton went so far as to say that Meghan’s book was “blatantly plagiarized” and should be “boycotted.”

“I’ll wager a bet that Corrinne’s book is in Archie’s collection. That’s where her idea came from. I don’t believe that this is all her own thinking or reflects her idyllic life whatsoever,” she claimed, according to Page Six.

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Averiss, however, has since spoken out to defend Meghan.

“Reading the description and published an excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme as ‘The Boy on the Bench.’ I don’t see any similarities,” Averiss tweeted.

This comes after Meghan was accused of being a hypocrite for writing a book celebrating fathers when she has not spoken to her own father for years, and her husband isn’t on the best of terms with his dad at the moment either.

“It’s very easy to talk about relationships between fathers and sons when they are two years old,” royal biographer Penny Juror told The Sun. “But problems come when the children are older — as Meghan found out with her father and Harry with Prince Charles.”

“So it is an odd thing to have done,” she added. “She is on dodgy ground because of her relationship with her father and Harry with his. But it is also a very schmaltzy book by the sounds of it.”

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Angela Levin, Harry’s biographer, agreed with this assessment.

“Once again we have the hypocrisy of Meghan and Harry saying one thing but not doing it themselves,” she said. “I don’t know how you can write about a boy, a son or a father, when you haven’t spoken to your own father for years. It is extraordinary.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

Read more at UpliftingToday.com:
Disturbing Details About Bill And Melinda Gates’ Divorce Come To Light – Marriage ‘Irretrievably Broken’
Prince Philip’s True Cause Of Death Is Revealed As His Death Certificate Comes Out One Month After His Passing At 99
Prince Harry ‘Didn’t Go See’ Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis While He Was In U.K. For Philip’s Funeral

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

While Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was telling the good people of Michigan that they have to stay home and avoid their friends and loved ones, she was frittering off to Florida to visit her “sick father” for 4 days.

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Unvaccinated, by the way.

MORE NEWS: Trump Just Beat Social Media Giants At Their Own Game…In Pure “Trump Style”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, a local reporter has uncovered an explosive new discovery, and it all centers around the way in which Gretchen got herself from Michigan to Florida.

Whitmer was outed last month for that super-secretive trip to Florida while COVID cases soared in Michigan – it’s also fair to note that her top-aide was also enjoying herself, mask-free, on the Florida beaches as well.

Whitmer’s office went on record and stated that taxpayers did not pay for her trip to go see her father.

Okay, so who did? Gretchen herself?

No.

And that’s where all of this gets really, really dicey and very scandalous.

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It turns out that Whitmer asked a group of very wealthy Detroit businessmen to provide a private plane that they all share for her to use for her 4-day trip to Florida.

And to make matters juicier and more scandalous, those businessmen also have major dealings with the state of Michigan.

This is a big political no-no…yes, it happens all the time, but you’re not supposed to get caught and now Gretchen has landed herself in even more hot water.

Deadline Detroit spoke to one of the businessmen under the cover of anonymity. Here’s what he said: “We wondered why she reached out to us instead of booking a private charter,” said one of the plane’s owners, who exchanged his candor for confidentiality. “You can’t tell a governor no. Who needs that kind of trouble?”

The piece goes on to say that had Whitmer booked a round trip flight from Lansing to West Palm Beach through a private charter company, it would likely have cost $10,000 to $20,000, or a whopping $40,000 for the actual jet she took, according to private jet websites. The latter is more than 25 percent of the governor’s salary — before taxes.

MORE NEWS: There’s a Very Desperate “Secret Reason” Liz Cheney’s Team Dropped Hint About Her “2024 Run”

It is unclear whether Whitmer reimbursed the company – Air Eagle – which manages the aircraft owned by the businessmen. And, if so, at what price and from which bank account?

The site added an update to the piece that said Whitmer was asked about this column during a Thursday morning event. “I’ve said everything I’m going to say about my trip to check on my father,” she told WWTV reporter Eric Lloyd, he tweets. “I’ve got nothing to add.

“We don’t discuss my travel. I have received an incredible number of death threats over the last year and a half. There are a lot of reasons we don’t discuss how I travel and when I travel.”

“She said she was going to see her sick daddy, but that’s not a legitimate political expenditure,” said Adolph Mongo of Detroit, a political consultant. “What it is, is a political favor. She asked. She got on their plane. Now she owes them one.”

Whitmer’s office did not respond to those questions.

The governor spent four full days in Florida – not two as her handlers insist. And again, according to the piece sshe was not vaccinated.

That’s pretty hypocritical, considering the fact that she’s holding Michigan residents “hostage” by telling them we can’t fully open the state up until 70 percent of us are vaccinated.

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And this woman was traveling around in the lap of luxury without a vaccine?

Once again, the elites live by a totally different set of rules than the rest of us do…and that needs to stop.

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

Last month, we reported that the reality television star Josh Duggar was arrested in Arkansas on child pornography charges. Now, chilling new details about the case are coming to light as the 33-year-old is being released on bail.

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Entertainment Tonight reported that after Duggar’s lawyers argued that prosecutors had not provided “clear and convincing evidence” to keep him in custody, a judge ruled that he will be released on Thursday. However, he will not be allowed to go home to his pregnant wife Anna and their six children, as he will instead be released to a third-party custodial couple, who are family friends.

MORE NEWS: Trump Just Beat Social Media Giants At Their Own Game…In Pure “Trump Style”

Chilling details about the allegations against Duggar came to light during a hearing on Wednesday. Agent Gerald Faulkner explained that the Department of Homeland Security seized his devices in March of 2020 and that they found multiple torrent files downloaded that were “a series of child sexual abuse material involving minor children ranging from about 18 months of age to 12 years of age.”

“And I can say in 11 years of doing this and the thousands and thousands of child pornography images and videos I’ve had unfortunately to see, the … series ranks in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine,” Faulkner said. “Multiple child pornography files were … found in a recently viewed folder, meaning that the user had unzipped those torrent files and had viewed them on the desktop.”

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He added that “approximately over 200 images that were flagged as child sexual abuse material involving naked minors engaging in sexual activity were located” on “unallocated space” on Duggar’s computer.

Duggar has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

“Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment. He has pled not guilty to both charges and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly,” his lawyers said in a statement. “In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom — and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.”

Duggar’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle also released a statement.

“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” the couple said. “It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”

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This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

Read more at UpliftingToday.com:
Disturbing Details About Bill And Melinda Gates’ Divorce Come To Light – Marriage ‘Irretrievably Broken’
Prince Philip’s True Cause Of Death Is Revealed As His Death Certificate Comes Out One Month After His Passing At 99
Prince Harry ‘Didn’t Go See’ Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis While He Was In U.K. For Philip’s Funeral

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

Former President Donald Trump is getting the last laugh today on those who banned him from social media platforms like Twitter. In a move long expected and predicted by this publication months ago as his best current option, the last chief executive launched his own social media platform on Tuesday.

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Interestingly, it’s a one-way street. Trump acolytes will get the word from on high, talk and post amongst themselves, but will not be able to directly reply to or take part in posts by Trump. That should fit in quite well with their sense of intellectual curiosity and it also maintains strict message discipline.

Inevitably Trump will move the news cycle with his posts and will use the platform to pour scorn on his enemies, pick fights for distraction purposes, communicate his agenda, and tease about a 2024 run, which many in the DC Republican establishment are now saying he is going to make.

MORE NEWS: There’s a Very Desperate “Secret Reason” Liz Cheney’s Team Dropped Hint About Her “2024 Run”

You don't need Twitter and/or Facebook to follow President Trump. Now he has his own platform called: ‘From The Desk’ – go there now!!! https://t.co/8TQ3wIX7w6

— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) May 4, 2021

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FNC: “Former President Trump launched a communications platform on Tuesday, which will serve as ‘a place to speak freely and safely,’ and will eventually give him the ability to communicate directly with his followers, after months of being banned from sites like Twitter and Facebook. The platform is ‘From the Desk of Donald J. Trump’. The space allows Trump to post comments, images, and videos.

“The space allows Trump to post and allows followers to share the former president’s posts to Twitter and Facebook. However, the new platform does not have a feature to allow users to ‘reply’ or engage with Trump’s posts.”

“This is just a one-way communication,” one source familiar with the site told the press. “This system allows Trump to communicate with his followers.”

MORE NEWS: Remember This Fox News Never Trumper? Well, Karma Just Took Him down…

In typically humble terms, the former president introduced his new communications vehicle. “In a time of silence and lies. A beacon of freedom arises. A place to speak freely and safely…Straight from the Desk of Donald J. Trump.” There is an associated video that has all the subtlety of a cerebral hemorrhage. A second video introduction, scrapped due to the understated message and retro feel, is displayed in the clip below.

“President Trump’s website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office, but this is not a new social media platform,” senior advisor Jason Miller told media. “We’ll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future.” Miller lowered expectations by playing semantics. Smart.

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This piece was written by David Kamioner on May 6, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Alan Dershowitz Reveals Why Derek Chauvin’s Guilty Verdict Should Be Vacated – ‘Without A Doubt’
Portland Riots Continue With No End In Sight, Cartoon Ensues
Tucker Carlson Blasts Barack Obama As A ‘Creepy Old Man’

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

When I saw that Liz Cheney was seriously considering “running for president” in 2024, I literally “laughed out loud.”

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It’s absurd – I can’t think of a more unpopular politician right now, besides maybe Adam Kinzinger or Mitt Romney.

Liz Cheney, who led the charge against President Trump, voted against him during the second sham impeachment and refuses to acknowledge that there was “fraud” during that absurd 2020 election, now thinks she has a chance to win the 2024 election? Not to mention she’s about to lose her leadership seat.

MORE NEWS: [VIDEO] Non-Woke Comedian Just Did Single-Best 49-Second Roasting of Fauci You’ll Ever See…

In all honesty, she’d poll lower than Jeb! Bush, for crying out loud. Jeb! would look like a rockstar in comparison.

So what gives?

Is Liz truly that clueless?

That’s what I was thinking, and I was bewildered at her lack of self-awareness – but then Jason Miller, one of Trump’s top advisors, chimed in and actually explained why Liz (and other loser politicians) made this move – and it’s hilariously desperate.

It turns out they did it to give Liz an “out,” because her popularity back home has fallen into the abyss.

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And when you think of it that way – it actually makes perfect sense.

Here’s what Jason said: “This is just Liz Cheney giving herself an “out” as her re-election primary approaches and she finally realizes she’s dead. My guess is they’ve received new polling showing this exact point, hence the 2024 tease.”

This is just Liz Cheney giving herself an “out” as her re-election primary approaches and she finally realizes she’s ☠️.

My guess is they’ve received new polling showing this exact point, hence the 2024 tease. https://t.co/fpK3emo3P6

— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) April 26, 2021

This move here happens with a lot of unpopular politicians and I’ve always wondered why they did this and just figured they were completely unaware and narcissistic.

I mean,  they are still all of those things, but…it turns out in many cases it’s to give them an “out” so their big, gigantic egos aren’t bruised.

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And you can definitely see Liz doing that since her arc nemesis Trump has been so vocal about helping to unseat her.

Well, the good news is that either way, Liz will be losing her job – and that’s all we care about at this point.

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

Right now in America, there is so much “material” for comedians to use.

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I mean, we have a fake president in office who has a raging case of Alzheimer’s that the media is trying to pass off as a “Childhood stutter,” and so-called “scientists” and “health experts” like Fauci make Bill Nye The Science Guy look like a friggen genius.

MORE NEWS: Punk Rocker Tells Liberals Mad About His Outdoor Concert “Stay The F**k Home and Watch CNN…”

And yes, all of this stuff is very serious too, I get that – but comedians have a real opportunity to take sadness and turn it into some laughs…But most of them don’t.

These so-called “comedians” are so “woke” and such political activists that they’ve completely lost their sense of humor.

So, when we find one who isn’t “woke” and who is cashing in on the buffoonery of the left, we can’t wait to share it with you.

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And that’s what this comedian by the name of Tyler Fischer does to Dr. Fauci – who is the biggest joke in the world right now.

This clip is short – it’s only 49 seconds, but it packs a punch.

I will say this much, Mr. Fischer has got his “Fauci voice” down pat. I think you’ll love this.

You can watch the video below:

Important Dr. Fauci update: pic.twitter.com/xTePKmeOBk

— Tyler Fischer (@TyTheFisch) May 3, 2021

It’s great to see that Fauci is finally being called out for all his absurdity, but in all seriousness, what that little worm has done to this country is criminal.

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There is nobody more evil or drunk with power than Dr. Fauci, and he needs to be laughed at and yanked off the national stage.

Attn: Wayne Dupree is a free speech champion who works tirelessly to bring you news that the mainstream media ignores. But he needs your support in order to keep delivering quality, independent journalism. You can make a huge impact in the war against fake news by pledging as little as $5 per month. Please click here Patreon.com/WDShow to help Wayne battle the fake news media.

Human Rights First, an independent advocacy and action organization, is reporting an increased number of violent crimes on the border since President Biden took office. The report is called “Failure to Protect: Biden Administration Continues Illegal Trump Policy to Block and Expel Asylum Seekers to Danger.”

RELATED: California Border Patrol saw a 51% increase in illegal immigrants in April

Back in March 2020, former President Trump executed a COVID-19 directive, also known as Title 42, to limit the flow of travelers during the coronavirus crisis. Now, a year later and over 100 days into Biden’s presidency, Biden has extended the directive. Human Rights First, along with organizations like the Haitian Bridge Alliance and Al Otro Lado, railed against Biden’s decision in their report.

As a result, border cities in Mexico report 492 incidents of crime from January 21 to April 20. The crimes listed are from gunpoint theft to kidnaping to rape. The report also shows that many of these crimes are “bias-motivated,” meaning that Black and LGBTQ migrants face a “disproportionate” risk.

Instead, the report suggested that the Biden Administration “address human rights abuses in the countries refugees are fleeing and support regional resettlement initiatives to provide other pathways to safety.” Many of these crimes are happening because migrants are trapped in dangerous border cities. The report also calls for the end of the COVID directive.

RELATED: Trump slams Biden for not speaking enough about ‘out of control’ border crisis in national address

“None of the more than 150 asylum seekers whom Human Rights First interviewed in March and April 2021 were referred to apply for asylum or given a protection screening by U.S. immigration officers before being expelled to Mexico,” the report reads.

“Family separation is still occurring,” the report goes on, “increasing the number of children held alone in influx facilities and shelters.”    

While Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit Mexico in June, she has yet to makea statement about the border crisis since assuming the role of border czar.

Biden likewise has faced criticism for not addressing the border crisis. Instead, he blames the previous administration.

AttacksonAsylumSeekersStrandedinMexicoDuringBidenAdministration by Sara on Scribd

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Days since former President Trump launched his blog to share tweet-sized statements to his followers, Twitter banned accounts that reposted statements from that website. Twitter banned Trump following the Capitol riots in January.

Now, Twitter is taking it a step further by suspending accounts that tweet out Trump’s comments on current events. This comes after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) Communications Director also briefly came under suspension after sharing the link to the website.

Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

After her recent trip to the southern border, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) is demanding that Facebook remove human smuggling ads from the platform. Cammack believes ads like these are facilitating illegal border crossings.

“Facebook’s role in the crisis at the border is urgent and must be addressed immediately,” Cammack wrote in a letter she shared with Fox News. The original letter was addressed to Facebook CEO Zuckerberg.

RELATED: California Border Patrol saw a 51% increase in illegal immigrants in April

Just a month ago, Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA) also asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the ads directly in a hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee. At the time, Zuckerberg promised that those ads go against Facebook’s policies. But, Cammack points out, “but the advertisements are clearly continuing to be posted.”

RELATED: Biden blames border crisis on Trump administration because ‘they didn’t have a plan’

The Florida congresswoman called on Zuckerberg to remove existing ads and prevent more in the future.

“Facebook clearly has no problem monitoring and censoring conservative voices on a daily basis,” Cammack said, “so I am confident your company has the capabilities and resources to detect and prevent criminal enterprises from posting content that encourages and facilitates illicit activity.”

RELATED: War Correspondent: ‘It’s a war out there’ on the border

Facebook did not respond to requests for comment.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Congresswoman Cori Bush, D-MO, spoke before House Oversight Committee Democrats on Thursday about the hardships faced by some Black women and their babies during pregnancy. In a tweet with a clip of her testimony, she referred to the women as “birthing people” and that sparked many to question her choice of language.

“Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain,” Bush wrote in sharing her personal testimony. “My children almost became a statistic. I almost became a statistic.”

It didn’t take long for many Twitter users to go after her choice of words.

During her speech, Bush told the story of the complications she faced when she was pregnant with her oldest son Zion. At the time, she was having severe pains that she said her doctor dismissed. A week after she reported the pain, she delivered her son prematurely. He weighed 1 pound 3 ounces.

“He could fit within the palm of my hand. We were told he had a zero percent chance of life,” she said.

Luckily, a top surgeon in the hospital resuscitated Bush’s son and for the next month, he was on a ventilator. In total, he was in intensive care for four months.

Two months later, Bush was pregnant with her daughter. But 16 weeks into the pregnancy, she was told she was again preterm and was told that the baby would naturally “abort.”

She pushed back on the doctor’s advice to let the baby abort and demanded that she be able to carry the pregnancy. That saved her daughter, who is now 21 years old.

“Every day, Black women are subjected to harsh and racist treatment during pregnancy and childbirth,” Bush concluded. “Every day, Black women die because the system denies our humanity. It denies us patient care. I sit before you today as a single mom, as a nurse, as an activist, and as a congresswoman and I am committed to doing the absolute most to protect Black mothers, to protect Black babies, to protect Black birthing people, and to save lives.”

You can follow Jennie Taer on Twitter @JennieSTaer

Tennessee state legislature passed a bill to ban critical race theory in all its public schools. Next, the bill will be signed by Governor Bill Lee.

RELATED: Virginia teachers’ Facebook group reportedly targeting parents opposed to critical race theory

State legislators prohibited curriculum and materials that include or promote that “one race or sex is inherently superior,” “an individual by virtue of the individual’s race or sex is inherently privileged, racist or oppressive” and or “an individual should be discriminated against.”

The bill also prohibits the teaching of concepts like “moral character is determined by the individual’s race or sex” and “an individual, by virtue of their race or sex bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”

RELATED: Virginia school paid speaker $20K for lecture on critical race theory, white privilege

Republicans hold the majority in both houses of the Tennessee State Legislature.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

The Granite School District Board of Education had to cut its Tuesday meeting short when about 40 protestors erupted into chants of “no more masks!” During the meeting, the board was seeking public comment on K-12 mask requirements in the district.

RELATED: WATCH: VP Harris and husband share kiss while wearing masks outside

When Utah state Sen. Kathleen Riebe tried to thank the teachers, since it was teacher appreciation day, she was booed off the podium. A parent then approached the podium to say: “You let a senator come up here and speak in the name of my children who you guys are abusing? Are you serious?” That only riled up the crowd.

At another point, the board tried to end the public comment section of the meeting, but a man yelled “Remember this day! Remember this day!” Then, the man gestured with a sheet of paper, yelling to the crowd that, “This is the truth about masks in the state of Utah! What they’re telling you about masks is a lie!”

Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox lifted the state-wide mask mandate on April 1st. Vaccinations have also been going to Utahns over the age of 16 since March.

RELATED: Biden slammed for mask hypocrisy over picture of visit with Jimmy Carter

A spokesperson for the district reportedly said that police were eventually called to the scene. “Granite School District fundamentally believes and encourages a diversity of opinions when shared in respectful and civil manner [sic] and will continue to encourage civil discourse as a model for the children for which we have stewardship over,” the spokesperson said. “We applaud the efforts of law enforcement in keeping our employees safe and de-escalating the situation.”

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Months since Twitter banned their account, Project Veritas CEO James O’Keefe is confident about his suit against CNN alleging defamation. O’Keefe claims that CNN maliciously made false allegations that damaged their reputation.

Project Veritas publicized secretly recorded video of CNN technical director Charlie Chester and published highly edited clips. O’Keefe appeared on “Fox News Primetime” to say that he is confident that his company will win the lawsuit.

“Twitter banned us for reporting what [Chester] said. But, I don’t think we can lose if we fight back, go on offense, and have the courage to stay on offense — so we sued New York Times, we are suing CNN. We are suing Twitter and we just launched a new initiative to represent other people to sue for defamation.”

In O’Keefe’s suit, he is claiming CNN host Ana Cabrera acted maliciously when she claimed, on Brian Stetler’s program, that the organization was banned for “misinformation.” She knew that wasn’t the reason for the ban, because previously, she’d tweeted the actual reason.

“There is this oligarchy there – a connection – and we’re going to get past motion to dismiss in the CNN lawsuit — and depose Ana Cabrera and Brian Stelter at CNN,” O’Keefe told host Pete Hegseth.

CNN couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

UPDATED

Just a day after former President Trump endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for GOP Conference Chair, Twitter temporarily suspended the account of her communications director Karoline Leavitt.

RELATED: GOP lawmakers react to Facebook’s continued Trump ban with threats and warnings

Trump publicly endorsed Stefanik on his new blog which he uses to communicate with his followers. The former president has also long been suspended from Facebook and Twitter.

Leavitt saw no credible reason for the suspension. But she took it to mean it was a suspension on her political beliefs. Just before Twitter blocked her from her account, she retweeted about an interview between Steve Bannon and her boss, and she tweeted out a link from the former president’s blog. Before her account was shut down, she followed several Republican House members and activists, but now her account shows that she’s following no accounts.

“Republicans have been screaming from the rooftops for months that if Big Tech can silence the President of the United States, they can silence YOU!,” Leavitt said in a statement to SaraACarter.com “Their suspension of my account, which they later admitted was made in ‘error,’ is another example of their tyrannical censorship, as they fundamentally believe conservatives do not belong in the public square.”

A Twitter spokesperson told this reporter that the suspension was an “error,” adding “This has been reversed, and the account has been reinstated. The account’s followers will take 24-48 hours to fully restore.”

“This has been reversed, and the account has been reinstated. The account’s followers will take 24-48 hours to fully restore.”

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

Almost two weeks since the news broke that former Secretary of State John Kerry allegedly revealed sensitive information about Israeli covert operations to Iran’s foreign minister, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is asking Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and acting Inspector General Diana Shaw to examine the allegations.

In a leaked recorded interview, Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif reportedly claimed that Kerry told him about covert Israeli operations on Iranian targets in Syria. Kerry denies the allegations.

Yet, the Biden Administration has not commented on the situation. Grassley, along with other senators, sent a letter to President Biden early last week to ask him to investigate Kerry. That letter went unanswered.

Now, as ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley is asking that records regarding meetings Kerry had with Zarif be sent to the committee for review. His deadline is May 18th.

RELATED: Chip Roy says John Kerry should resign ‘because he is a fool’, dangerous to US and Israel

“President Biden has the power to act and so do you,” Grassley writes in the letters.

But, when this reporter reached out to the State Department Inspector General for comment, a spokesperson said “We have no additional information to share at this time.”

The State Department echoed the empty statement. “The department respects the role of congress and does not comment on congressional correspondence,” a State Department spokesperson told SaraACarter.com

Many calls for action have gone unanswered. While some have asked that Kerry resign from his current position as presidential envoy for climate on the National Security Council, others like Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) are simply asking that Kerry’s security clearance be temporarily suspended while he is investigated. So far, nothing has changed.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

After over a year of strict COVID regulations, Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser is opening up reception centers for weddings, but has decided to ban dancing in them.

“Beginning May 1st, multi-purpose facilities and venues may host events such as weddings,” the mayor’s statement read, “provided that there are may be no more than 25% capacity in any room or up to 250 persons . . . standing and dancing receptions are not allowed.”

“An alternate headline may be, ‘Now You Can Host a Wedding in Washington, D.C.’” the mayor said in defense of her decision on CNN Wednesday. “And just like our restaurant guidelines suggest is that you have to be seated to enjoy the restaurant.”

Bowser stood by the regulation even if everyone in the wedding party is vaccinated.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism

But pharmaceutical companies have called the decision by the US to back the sharing of secret recipes for vaccinations shortsighted, claiming it is understanding the production process that is the real challenge. It is, they say, akin to handing out a recipe without sharing the method or the ingredients, and could lead to quality issues and less efficient production

Joy Behar, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” compared former President Donald Trump to 20th-century fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini Wednesday in a bizarre rant in which she also advocated for limitations on free speech.

When discussing the much-anticipated decision by Facebook’s Oversight Board, or so-called “supreme court,” to keep in place a ban of Trump from the platform Wednesday morning, Behar lurched into familiar territory: unhinged and nonsensical rambling — as did the show’s other personalities, minus Meghan McCain.

Not only did Behar blast the First Amendment as not being absolute, but she also actually minimized the countless deaths caused by the former fascist Italian regime under Mussolini when she connected Trump to the man behind so many of them.

“Well, you know, I think the First and Second Amendments both have limits. Even though I, you know, I love the First Amendment like everybody else does,” Behar claimed. “But I think that [Trump] is too much of a danger to have such a big platform.”

“Let him go on [Fox News]. He needs to be marginalized. And let him speak to the choir over there who appreciate him and agree with everything he says. He doesn’t need to contaminate the airwaves all over the world with Facebook,” the anti-free speech Behar chirped.

“I think about, you know, if this was in the 1940s in Italy would we want Mussolini on the radio? No, we would not.”

The people on “The View” are not well, and the irony of their statements is of course always lost on them.

Trump was summarily de-platformed online in the second week of January following the incursion of the Capitol in which no deaths are now attributed to the actions of neither peaceful protesters nor rioters. The incursion was shameful, yes, but people who traveled to Washington to support election transparency and integrity were actually encouraged by Trump to make their voices heard peacefully.

As adults possessing free will, some if them acted as if they were children, ignoring calls from Trump for a peaceful demonstration. The same can’t be said for violent leftist groups who were incited by Democrats and the leftist media all of last year. They were encouraged, even as they burned their way through cities.

Still, Big Tech, Democrats and the mainstream media, after months of rioting in major cities, used the Capitol incursion as justification for what they so longed for — an end to Trump. His exile from the privately owned public discourse resulted in the most potent political force in the country, and the chief threat to their bad ideas, being forced to address the country via email and now a private platform.

The “anti-fascists” certainly seem to embrace fascist tactics when dealing with threats to the status quo.

Even third-rate talk show co-hosts have proved themselves to be against basic civil liberties, so long as those being denied them are adversaries. Surely Behar would find herself in the pro-First Amendment camp if Silicon Valley were run by conservatives, and those conservatives were suppressing the voices of air-headed talk show hosts.

Rather than challenge ideas with which they disagree through a public dialogue, American leftists, such as Behar, have embraced the persecution of their enemies, and they would silence us all if they could. They also continue to twist and rewrite history to compare Trump’s multi-ethnic America-first movement to historical atrocities and those who committed them.

Behar neglected to tell her program’s low-information audience about Mussolini’s past when making the comparison. Chiefly, she ignored the fact Italy’s former fascist dictator was radicalized as a socialist prior to eventually seizing power in his country and arming up millions of Italian young men for quests to conquer Africa and other areas in the region beginning in 1935, according to History.

Following the bloody Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Italy of course aligned itself with Nazi Germany and imperial Japan in the Second World War. That alliance resulted in death and destruction across multiple continents — and those behind the killings were mostly race fanatics, which sounds familiar.

Before The Guardian lost its credibility like the rest of the leftist mainstream media, the paper summarized Italy’s involvement in World War II quite succinctly.

“In reality Benito Mussolini’s invading soldiers murdered many thousands of civilians, bombed the Red Cross, dropped poison gas, starved infants in concentration camps and tried to annihilate cultures deemed inferior,” the outlet reported in a 2001 article.

Twenty years later on Thursday afternoon, The Guardian’s top story includes a graphic of Hillary Clinton attached to a headline that reads: “There has to be a global reckoning with disinformation.”

Trump, the subject of much of that story, has thus far been relegated a voiceless victim of that “reckoning,” which doesn’t square up the logic and rhetoric used by people such as Behar. Mussolini used every means he could devise to violently smash all those who stood in his way. That included routine murder and war crimes as a means to an end.

Suppressing the speech of his enemies was child’s play.

Trump’s perceived “crimes” were of course that while in office, he stirred the pot both with policy and with challenging the left’s stranglehold on American life and culture by going on the offensive.

Mussolini starved children where Trump liberated minds from the grip of leftist narratives and liberated people from the chains of unemployment. As an imperfect messenger, Trump exposed corruption in both media and government, and he lifted people out of poverty and despair — especially those in minority communities.

Behar naturally doesn’t care about black unemployment in the U.S. in the same way she doesn’t care about the thousands of black Ethiopians who were murdered by Mussolini’s brutality during the last century.

Her point was to connect Trump to fascism, while counting on her uninformed viewers to receive the message that POTUS 45 is literally Mussolini, now that the leftist “Trump is literally Hitler” rallying cry has been overused.

Fascists, unlike Trump and his diverse coalition of voters and the conservative movement at large, believe in a one-party, totalitarian government. Fascists want complete control of a country, its people, its economy and its media and information.

Fascists rely on lies, misdirection and crushing their enemies’ ability to debate in the arena of ideas to achieve an end. There was one fascista in the equation drawn up Wednesday by Behar, and she couldn’t see herself in the mirror before she entered the stage on “The View.”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Plenty of fishermen enjoy getting out onto a lake or river to enjoy quality alone time in nature. It’s a time to relax, unwind and — in the case of one fisherman this week — save a child at risk of drowning.

A 10-year-old boy was out on Cossayuna Lake in Washington County, New York, at around 2:30 p.m. Sunday when he somehow fell out of his kayak.

At the time, he was not wearing a life vest.

Even worse, according to The Post Star in Glens Falls, he couldn’t swim.

Another 10-year-old in a kayak was near the boy in the water and was trying to help, but he also was not wearing a life vest and did not know how to swim.

That boy’s mother called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for help. Cossayuna Fire Chief Pat Donahue showed up, and when he walked to the water, he could see the boy clinging to the kayak.

“She was saying that the kid didn’t know how to swim,” he said.

“I don’t know if they had permission from their parents or, you know, how that worked, but there is an inlet and they went down the inlet and they got out into the main part of the lake, and that’s where they got into trouble,” Donahue told WTEN-TV.

According to a news release by the sheriff’s office, “The children made numerous attempts to get back to the shore but were unsuccessful.

“An adult fisherman in his own boat was fishing in the area and heard the children yelling,” the release continued. “The unidentified fisherman was able to safely bring the children to shore.”

The hero didn’t dawdle and was back out on the water as soon as the boys were handed off to waiting first responders.

First responders checked the boys out, and the one who had been in the water was checked for hypothermia. The second boy was fine.

“The other kid was still in his kayak and wasn’t harmed at all,” Donahue said. “He actually got back to the dock on this own.”

The parents and first responders were unable to get the hero’s name, but authorities have repeated how dangerous it was for those two boys to be out on the water without proper safety gear or training.

The parents and sheriff’s office have asked the fisherman to come forward so he can be properly thanked, but at least one person thinks that’s unlikely to happen.

“The gentleman brought him to shore, and he went back out fishing,” Sergeant Robert Sullivan with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told the Times Union in upstate New York.

“With his demeanor, I don’t know if he’s going to come forward.”

“I would like to thank him,” Donahue added. “He changed the situation where something could have been really bad. He really helped out, and that’s great.”

Whether or not he comes forward, hopefully the unnamed hero was happy with the day’s catch.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Contributor

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she's strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.

As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn't really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she's had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children's books with her husband, Edward.

Location

Austin, Texas

Languages Spoken

English und ein bißchen Deutsch

Topics of Expertise

Faith, Animals, Cooking

Sanctimonious Democrats constantly howl about wanting equality for all, but they’re actively transforming America into a segregated society based on coronavirus vaccination status.

On Monday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued revised guidelines stating that sports venues and churches can increase capacity — but only if they designate segregated sections for vaccinated attendees.

Venues are still not allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity, despite the fact that liberals have been browbeating Americans to wear masks everywhere (even if they’re vaccinated).

If masks and vaccines work as well as Democrats insist, why are authoritarian coronavirus restrictions and capacity limits still in place across much of the country?

“Outdoor facilities may add vaccinated sections until their total capacity is 50% maximum or 22,000 people, whichever is lower, inclusive of both vaccinated and unvaccinated sections,” Inslee’s advisory said.

“Indoor facilities may add vaccinated sections until their total capacity is 50% maximum, or maximum 2000 people, whichever is lower.”

However, spectators must show proof that they’re fully vaccinated before being allowed to enter vaccinated-only sections in sports arenas.

“Self-reported vaccination records that are not verified by a health care provider cannot be accepted,” the Democrat’s guidelines said.

The following are acceptable as proof of full vaccination:

• Vaccination card (which includes the name of the person vaccinated, type of vaccine received and the date the last dose was administered).
• Photo of a vaccination card as a document.
• Photo of the vaccine card stored on a phone.
• Verified documentation of vaccination from a health care provider, electronic health record or state Immunization Information System record.

These strict requirements are farcically hypocritical, considering that Democrats have long rejected voter ID laws as “racist” and insist that everyone should be allowed to vote — even if the individual cannot verify his or her identity or eligibility to vote.

Shockingly, vaccinated people in vaccinated-only sections are still required to wear face masks, unless they’re eating or drinking.

“Face coverings must be worn in the fully vaccinated-only sections, except while actively eating and/or drinking in the ticketed seat,” the governor’s advisory said.

And unvaccinated interlopers are absolutely not allowed.

“No adults who are not yet fully vaccinated, including adults who are in the progress of being vaccinated, will be permitted in the vaccinated only section, even with a negative test,” the guidelines said.

Whatever happened to the Democratic mantra about “equality for all”?

As for religious organizations, each person in the vaccinated-only section of a church, mosque or synagogue must have “acceptable proof of full vaccination (or a negative COVID-19 test) that must be presented at each and every religious service,” Inslee’s guidance said.

And children must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test before being allowed in the vaccinated-only section (even if their vaccinated parents are there).

“Children between the ages of 2 and 15 who can provide proof of having tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of admission, are also allowed in the vaccinated section,” the guidelines said.

The church must also designate people to serve as “vaccination verifiers.” Their responsibility is to check everyone’s vaccination card or negative COVID-19 test, as well as monitor the vaccinated-only section to ensure no unvaccinated person trespasses into the segregated area.

In other words, if you don’t have a vaccine card or a negative test, the “vaccination verifier” will kick you out of the section.

Even after all this, vaccinated people still have to wear face masks in vaccinated-only sections of a church unless they’re eating or drinking.

Let this sink in: Democrats demand that churchgoers provide verification of their vaccine status and require churches to designate “vaccination verifiers” to examine people’s vaccine cards before they’re allowed to sit in a vaccinated section at church.

Meanwhile, liberals claim it’s racist to require voters to show ID cards to verify their identities before voting in a U.S. election.

In some Democrat-run cities, Republican poll watchers said they were not allowed to observe vote counting on Nov. 3.

A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place#StopTheSteal pic.twitter.com/iJTFtRk0Id

— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 3, 2020

The scene at Detroit’s absentee ballot counting center is growing more heated. The windows now being covered up. Allegations of violations. Sec. of State says she welcomes challenges. pic.twitter.com/oUL4A0h3Ku

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) November 4, 2020

Just as they did with the race card, Democrats have politicized and weaponized the coronavirus to stoke public panic and further divide Americans.

It is long past time to stand up against this contrived hysteria and anti-scientific tyranny.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Contributor, Commentary

The Biden administration on Wednesday expressed concerns about ballot security and voter intimidation as the Arizona state Senate authorizes a private audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County.

In a letter to Republican state Sen. Karen Fann, the Justice Department raised “two issues of potential noncompliance with federal laws” related to the audit.

“The first issue relates to a number of reports suggesting that the ballots, elections systems, and election materials that are the subject of the Maricopa County audit are no longer under the ultimate control of state and local elections officials, are not being adequately safeguarded by contractors at an insecure facility, and are at risk of being lost, stolen, altered, compromised or destroyed,” Justice Department official Pamela Karlan wrote.

Karlan also said the methods used by the group running the audit, Cyber Ninjas, raise concerns about “potential intimidation of voters.”

A statement of work released by Cyber Ninjas said the firm has been working to “identify voter registrations that did not make sense, and then knock on doors to confirm if valid voters actually lived at the stated address,” according to Karlan.

Karlan said the statement of work also indicates that Cyber Ninjas will select at least three precincts in Maricopa County with “a high number of anomalies” in order to “conduct an audit of voting history.”

“Voters may be contacted through a ‘combination of phone calls and physical canvassing’ to ‘collect information of whether the individual voted in the election’ in November 2020,” Karlan wrote.

“We would appreciate your response to the concerns described herein, including advising us of the steps that the Arizona Senate will take to ensure that violations of federal law do not occur,” the letter concluded.

The letter was sent one day after KNXV-TV reported that Cyber Ninjas was requiring volunteers to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to participate in the audit.

In 2016, former President Donald Trump won Maricopa County (which encompasses the Phoenix metropolitan area) over Democrat Hillary Clinton by approximately 44,500 votes, or 2.8 percent of the vote.

In 2020, President Joe Biden won the county by about 45,100 votes, or 2.2 percent of the vote.

Despite Biden’s victory, Republicans carried every countywide office in Maricopa, save for sheriff (which was held by the incumbent Democrat), including flipping the county recorder and winning the open treasurer seat.

Biden won Arizona overall by 10,457 votes (0.3 percent), the closest margin of any of the swing states that went for him.

Despite numerous allegations of voting irregularities, no court has ruled that fraud affected the results of the 2020 election.

A news release from the Arizona Senate Republicans in late March said the audit will include scanning all 2.1 million paper ballots cast to look for irregularities, conducting a full manual recount, investigating the registration rolls to ensure only eligible voters voted and performing a forensic audit of the electronic voting machines and systems used.

The audit was originally slated to be completed by May 14. However, Arizona Senate audit liaison Ken Bennett, who served as Arizona’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2015, has signaled it may go longer.

Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward — who is not involved in the audit, but is monitoring its progress — said in a video posted on Twitter on Sunday, “They want to do it, and they want to do it right.”

AZGOP Chairwoman @kellliwardaz gives a quick weekend update on the forensic audit: What got us here and what’s to come. #FinishTheAudit #ElectionIntegrity pic.twitter.com/JDEVdm9YxV

— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) May 2, 2021

“This audit is to actually give the Arizona voting public assurance that our elections are secure, fair and honest,” she said. “Who doesn’t want that?”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Contributor, News

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.

Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.

Birthplace

Tucson, Arizona

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Graduated with Honors

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon

Books Written

Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future

Location

Prescott, Arizona

Languages Spoken

English, French

Topics of Expertise

Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith

Top 10 Borussia Dortmund Podcasts Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Borussia Dortmund Podcasts Yellowwallpod The Ultimate Borussia Podcast Borussia Dortmund Podcast Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London Bleav in Borussia | The Borussia Dortmund Podcast Borussia Dortmund Brasil Podcast Fear The Wall | For Borussia Dortmund Fans A Brick in the Yellow Wall Submit Blog Do […]

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The post Top 45 Climate Change Blogs and Websites To follow in 2021 appeared first on Feedspot Blog.

Top 30 Black Education Podcasts Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Black Education Podcasts Black on Black Education Podcast EWBpod | Educating While Black Podcast A Black Educator's Truth 8 Black Hands Blackademia Black Student Success Podcast Black.Teacher.Friends Podcast Black v The Board of Education Podcast BLACK In Higher Ed Black on the Bluff The Black […]

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Top 45 Serial Killer Podcasts Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Serial Killer Podcasts Serial Killers The Serial Killer Podcast True Crime Garage Fruitloops | Serial Killers of Color What Makes a Killer British Murders Podcast True Crime Bullsh** Serial Killing | A Podcast Crime Countdown RedHanded True Crime XS Talk Murder To Me Most Notorious! […]

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Top 80 Career Minded And Working Women Podcasts Contents [show] ⋅About this list & ranking Career Minded And Working Women Podcasts Dynamic Women Bossed Up Phenomenal Grit, Career Conversations for Women of Color My 2.0 Women In Leadership Women at Work | Conversations About The Workplace & Women's Place In It The Femails The Female Career | […]

The post Top 80 Career Minded And Working Women Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021 appeared first on Feedspot Blog.

MCLEAN, Va., April 27, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — By Light Professional IT Services LLC (By Light) announced today that it has achieved Trusted Integrator status within the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) program. In addition to our ISO9001, 20000-1 and 27001 registrations and CMMI Level 3 Dev and Services ratings, we demonstrated the staff and processes necessary to architect, design, integrate, test, document, field, and support systems that meet the requirements of the CSfC program.

Trusted Integrator status enables NSA, Authorizing Officials (AOs)/Designated Approving Authorities (DAAs) to utilize By Light’s System Integration Development and Support Services for lifecycle CSfC solution support.

“CSfC’s use of conforming commercial products in layered solutions to protect National Security Systems (NSS) data improves design, integration, and deployment timelines,” says Jeff Adelman, By Light Vice President of Integration Services. “But the solution does not end with deployment; sustainment actions including continuous testing and security incident response are critical to the lifecycle success of any CSfC Capability Package implementation.”

Trusted Integrator status complements By Light’s capabilities in tactical and strategic networking, cloud architecture, cyber security, and synthetic training environments.

About By Light

By Light Professional IT Services LLC, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is an ISO 9001, 20000-1, and 27001 registered and CMMI Level 3 rated systems integrator that provides secure, turn-key systems by incorporating exceptional engineering, project management, telecommunications, and cyber capabilities to safeguard mission success. Founded by industry professionals with extensive knowledge in the DoD, DISA, and other US Government agencies, By Light successfully implements technical solutions that integrate commercial best practices to meet the needs of government. For more information, visit http://www.bylight.com/.

News Source: By Light Professional IT Services

HALF MOON BAY, Calif., April 6, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Treadstone 71 announced today the release of the much-awaited and industry-leading Strategic Intelligence Analysis training certification. The in-depth, on-demand course breaks down intelligence collection and analysis complexities over 12-weeks of lectures, exercises, quizzes, and hands-on case studies.

The certification includes all aspects of the pioneering Cyber Intelligence Tradecraft, Certified Cyber Intelligence Analyst course combined with comprehensive instruction on all strategic intelligence elements. The course also includes extended lectures and exercises for analytic writing and structured analytic techniques.

“The Strategic Intelligence Analysis Certification covers all aspects of building cyber intelligence programs, interacting with stakeholders, building intelligence requirements, establishing adversary threat matrices, planning for intelligence collection through execution of analytic methods,” said Jeff Bardin, Chief Intelligence Officer for Treadstone 71.

He adds, “Students and corporate teams completing this program of study are ready to analyze, write, and forecast adversary activities that can prevent cyber-attacks. We believe this course is a game-changer that shifts the paradigm away from after-the-fact indicators of compromise analysis to what Intelligence is intended to be.”

The course provides instruction in a crawl-walk-run method that gives students the confidence to execute tasks throughout the cyber intelligence lifecycle. Templates and examples show students effective practices that are both descriptive and prescriptive while at the same time allowing for adapting the practices to corporate culture.

Organizations looking to build or mature their cyber intelligence program find this course of study a natural next step in establishing resilient and sustainable intelligence capabilities that assist leadership in decision-making.

“We deliver several hands-on exercises complete with templates and examples,” continued Bardin. “We intend to send each student back to their corporate environments armed with the knowledge necessary to immediately enhance their existing programs or start new programs with a foundation rooted in excellence. Teams taking the course learn how to think independently, establishing strong unit bonds crossing technical, tactical, and strategic boundaries.”

About Treadstone 71 LLC:

Treadstone 71 ( https://www.treadstone71.com/ ), founded in 2002, is a woman and veteran-owned small business delivering cyber Intelligence, counterintelligence, strategic analysis, clandestine cyber HUMINT, OSINT training and analysis, cyber psychological and target acquisition operations.

For more information, call (331) 999-0071 or email [email protected].

MULTIMEDIA:

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News Source: Treadstone 71

DALLAS, Texas, April 5, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Baxter Clewis Consulting, an international consultancy on cyber security, announced today that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) as a new Participating Organization. Baxter Clewis will work with the PCI SSC to help secure payment data worldwide through the ongoing development and adoption of the PCI Security Standards.

The PCI SSC leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing flexible, industry-driven and effective data security standards and programs. The keystone is the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which provides an actionable framework for developing a robust payment card data security process and preventing, detecting and mitigating criminal attacks and breaches.

As a Participating Organization, Baxter Clewis adds its voice to the standards development process and will collaborate with a growing community of more than 800 Participating Organizations to improve payment security worldwide. Baxter Clewis will also have the opportunity to recommend new initiatives for consideration to the PCI Security Standards Council and share cross-sector experiences and best practices at the annual PCI Community Meetings.

“In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, PCI Security Standards and resources help organizations secure payment data and prevent, detect and mitigate attacks that can lead to costly data breaches,” said Lance Johnson, Executive Director of the PCI Security Standards Council. “By joining as a Participating Organization, Baxter Clewis demonstrates they are playing an active part in improving payment security globally by helping drive awareness and adoption of PCI Security Standards.”

“Using third-party service providers is an organizational risk from a supply chain, security, and compliance standpoint. Companies should have the assurance that their systems and PCI data is appropriately managed and secured by third-party service providers,” said Boyd Clewis, VP of Baxter Clewis Consulting. Baxter Clewis enables service-providers to enhance security and compliance programs while reducing risk with systems, processes, and automation. We are proud to partner with PCI Standards Council, and we look forward to helping address risk related to third-party service providers.

About the PCI Security Standards Council

The PCI Security Standards Council is a global forum that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other standards that increase payment data security. Connect with the PCI Council on LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Twitter @PCISSC. Subscribe to the PCI Perspectives Blog.

About Baxter Clewis Consulting

Baxter Clewis Consulting is an international cybersecurity firm specializing in helping service providers meet security and compliance requirements to secure vital company data, enhance efficiency, and protect profitability. Learn more about Baxter Clewis Consulting by connecting on LinkedIn and visiting the Baxter Clewis website at https://www.baxterclewis.com/.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Baxter Clewis Consulting
Boyd Clewis
469-547-5652
[email protected]

PCI Security Standards Council
Lindsay Goodspeed
781-258-5843
[email protected]

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News Source: Baxter Clewis Consulting

HERNDON, Va., March 26, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Aristi Technologies, Inc. announced that it is among the first firms to become an accredited Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO) and Registered Provider Organization (RPO) by the CMMC Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB). C3PAOs are the only organizations authorized to conduct CMMC assessments.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) created the CMMC program to enhance the protection of sensitive data, namely, controlled unclassified information (CUI) and federal contract information (FCI), within the Defense Department’s multi-tiered supply chain of more than 300,000 companies. CMMC is specifically designed for small and mid-sized suppliers as they are more vulnerable to cyber threats in the supply chain.

These small and mid-sized contractors are increasingly being targeted by nation-state attackers; they have limited internal resources and cybersecurity expertise to adequately secure their systems and safeguard sensitive customer data.

“Aristi is honored to achieve C3PAO and RPO credentials, demonstrating our commitment to the CMMC program in supporting the DoD’s mission to secure the defense supply chain,” said Neel Gopalani, Aristi’s vice president, and a CMMC-AB Registered Practitioner (RP). “Our CMMC practice is a natural extension of our cybersecurity compliance and assessment services that we’ve provided for more than a decade.”

Over the last year, Aristi has helped small and mid-sized government contractors prepare for complying with CMMC security requirements. Aristi’s CMMC consulting services include: boundary scoping, gap assessments, remediation support, security documentation and readiness assessments. As a C3PAO and RPO, Aristi will continue to help federal contractors effectively navigate the DoD’s new cybersecurity certification process.

About Aristi Technologies

Aristi Technologies is a cybersecurity consulting firm based in the Washington DC metro area. For more than a decade, it’s provided cybersecurity risk and compliance services to organizations, nationwide, including federal agencies, government contractors, and cloud-service providers.

Aristi delivers tailored and affordable solutions to achieve compliance with federal cyber compliance standards including National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) 800-53, NIST 800-171 (the core of the CMMC framework), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Neel Gopalani
of Aristi
+1-703-459-6268
[email protected]

News Source: Aristi Technologies Inc.

DETROIT, Mich., March 18, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — UBX Cloud is the first U.S. based cloud services provider to offer Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) cloud enclaves.

The CMMC represents the Department of Defense’s continued effort to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in the defense supply chain. Building on the 110 controls set forth in NIST SP 800-171, the CMMC specifies 173 security practices across five maturity processes. Starting in fiscal year 2021, the department will pilot the implementation of CMMC requirements for Level 3 and below.

UBX Cloud now includes CMMC-compliant Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) cloud enclaves in their service offerings, as a way for suppliers and contractors to fast-track themselves into CMMC compliance. UBX Cloud promises full service at a flat rate and per user basis for an easy comprehensive package.

“Our company and our team is always focused on the simplest approach and solution to things, and in this case with our CMMC enclaves there is no difference,” said Steve Panovski, UBX Cloud president. “UBX Cloud brings a tremendous amount of value to simplify the path to compliance while providing modern cloud solutions and simplifying IT complexity, or as just a bonus.”

UBX Cloud caters specifically to the IT MSPs and MSSPs market, as well as corporate IT and Chief Technology Officers, taking the complexity out of the CMMC process with flat rate assessment services and fast deployment. The all-in white label packages include Cybersecurity services, CMMC consultancy, and VMWare-powered cloud infrastructure to provide deeper discounts, and eliminates the need for any heavy upfront investment.

About UBX Cloud

UBX Cloud is a Michigan-based cloud service provider with data centers in the United States, South America and India. Our services include Managed IT-as-a-Service, Private/Hybrid Cloud, Disaster Recovery, Cloud Workspaces, Veeam Cloud Backup, and a variety of custom IT consulting services. Our team of IT Engineers helps organizations of all kinds maintain uptime and ensure business continuity.

For more information, please visit us at https://www.ubxcloud.com or call 1-888-509-2568.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
Sora Maria Childress
UBX Cloud
[email protected]

IMAGE LINK for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0318-UBX-Cloud-300dpi.jpg

News Source: UBX Cloud

PITTSBURGH, Pa., March 5, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Valentis today announced that Martha Hunter will become the company’s first-ever Vice President of Strategy, effective March 2021. She fills a new position helping the company meet growing demand for expansion. Valentis is committed to an aggressive plan that focuses on messaging and education to advance its security solution, supply chain, and risk management consulting services worldwide.

Martha Hunter comes from the marketing industry where she was a Business Development Executive for six years. Hunter’s new position will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategic growth initiatives for Valentis using her experience and resolve to meet objectives to Valentis.

“Valentis already has a reputation for breaking the mold in the security and investigations industry. I have spent my career challenging people and companies to think differently and ask the question ‘Why not us? Valentis’s culture, values and leadership style embodies that spirit,” says V.P. of Strategy Hunter.

She adds, “Strategy development is not a once-a-year thing anymore, it’s ongoing and needs to come with recommendations and actions and the company needs to be willing to act. I’m honored to have the opportunity to play a role in the execution piece of strategy, and I’m thrilled to join a women-owned, purpose driven company and look forward to driving new possibilities for our people, our customers and our stakeholders.”

Marnie Sutch, CEO, of Valentis welcomed Martha to her new position, stating, “The addition of Martha to our team is about her ability to bring innovation and change to Valentis. The ability to deliver a professional service that delivers a driven result for our clients is a team effort and having Martha strengthens our team.”

About Valentis:

Valentis is a fully operational security logistics and risk management solution for a variety of clients and security concerns. We are growing domestically, and envision global ventures, with services and products under development to create a network of global affiliates, lead through branding, and expand our clients; financial institutions, governments, religious facilities, maritime, cybersecurity, combined with specially developed training, software and telecommunication consultancy, and more. We are mindful and committed and care about our clients, team, and shareholders.

More information:

https://www.valentissecurity.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthahunter/

CONTACT: Shannon Wright, [email protected]

News Source: Valentis International

ALAMO, Calif., March 2, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Essential to managing today’s and the future electric grid is data—its movement and security. GRIDEON developed by GridBright (gridbright.com) under an award from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA-E) addresses this need.

It was created in collaboration with a team of cybersecurity and utility industry experts from BetterGrids Foundation (Bettergrids.org), Midcontinent Independent System Operator (misoenergy.org), and Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative (mcecoop.com). Over 40 organizations across the grid value chain have contributed to defining the requirements for GRIDEON.

“MCEC needed to share critical data with a strategic partner. Internet and email were not sufficiently secure. For years the method was walking a USB key to the partner for exchange. GRIDEON is a better way,” says Keith Sturkie, VP of IT at MCEC. “GRIDEON improved our security posture and lowered our costs.”

GRIDEON is an open-source-based suite of easy-to-use cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, technologies, enablement and support services, and standards that provide the full set of capabilities required to instantiate any type of secure grid data exchange.

GRIDEON efficiently ensures secure and compliant grid data exchange among all-electric ecosystem participants encompassing the entire electric value chain from generation to consumers (prosumers) spanning business and real-time operations.

It accommodates the creation of multiple types of exchanges necessitated by the utility industry’s grid data sharing applications such as collaboration, real-time system integration, publication-subscriber, one-to-many, among just a few.

Secure Grid Collaboration is the second service established on GRIDEON. The first is the BetterGrids Grid Model Repository that is presently used in 45 countries. BetterGrids.org is a free library of curated, non-sensitive grid models shared voluntarily by grid researchers. It includes synthetic and anonymized grid models and uses a rigorous curation process to ensure data quality. AI tools for semantic and natural language searching allow researchers to find their desired test data easily.

Secure Grid Collaboration extends the GRIDEON service reach. It establishes core grid data exchange standards that drive cost efficiency and management efficacy for foundational exchange artifacts such as nondisclosure agreements (NDA) between counterparties. It provides the foundation for future process management and real time services in emergency management and DER integration and beyond.

It also implements the enabling processes for secure grid data exchanges such as participant registration and advanced encryption key services that support exchange operations, security, and compliance.

Girding these key elements is a support organization providing 24 x 7 help, operations, and technical support functions required by the operational nature of many of the exchanges a typical utility will implement.

Learn more at http://www.grideon.com/.

ABOUT GRIDBRIGHT

GridBright Inc. – https://www.gridbright.com/ – specializes in secure grid integration. Its services and solutions span the full electric value chain, safely interconnecting renewable and distributed energy resources to the grid, implementing and integrating modern computer applications for grid operations and planning, and providing solutions for the secure exchange of grid data among grid value chain participants.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT
Stephen J Callahan
CMO, GridBright
+1-415-846-6018 (media only)
[email protected]

News Source: GridBright Inc.

PHOENIX, Ariz., Feb. 23, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) –- TAG CXO, a provider of fractional IT executives, appointed Dan Streufert to lead its new IT Infrastructure practice area located in Phoenix, Arizona. In this role, Streufert is responsible to lead and develop the delivery teams helping TAG CXO clients build the robust and durable IT operating environments needed for growth and efficiency.

By optimizing critical IT infrastructures, clients benefit from much greater simplicity, overall security, and scalability. As practice lead, Streufert will serve existing clients, develop new clients and build the delivery bench, leading TAG CXOs infrastructure services across its national network of fractional executives.

Mr. Streufert comes to TAG CXO with broad experience designing, engineering, and implementing optimized IT infrastructures across large multi-national, multi-site businesses in the manufacturing and real estate industries. Most recently, Streufert was Principal Systems Architect for co-working giant WeWork, and formerly directed global IT operations for medical device manufacturers, Viant Medical and The Tech Group, as Head of IT. His clients have also included companies in the construction industry such as Buesing Corporation, Centuri Construction and NPL Construction. He holds a Bachelor of Business and Information Systems from the University of Phoenix.

“Dan Streufert is easily one of the best hiring decisions I made during my corporate career, and it’s a joy to be working together again,” said Paul Theisen, enthusiastically. “Dan is always professional, technically current, insatiably curious, humble yet driven, and has a very astute business mind,” Theisen described. “Now, 25 years into his career and seasoned with a depth of global-enterprise experience, Dan’s unique qualifications are available to the benefit of TAG CXO clients.” “To sum it all up,” Theisen concluded, “Dan has a certain techno-functional-engineering-business-leadership genius he brings into every interaction; and he really exemplifies the TAG CXO promise – to provide our clients with the best enterprise-level, industry-trained, battle-tested IT leaders…not career consultants.”

To learn more visit: https://tagcxo.com/about/dan-streufert/ and https://tagcxo.com/services

About TAG CXO:

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, TAG CXO is a privately held company, providing Interim and Fractional IT leadership executives, founded in 2019. The company maintains a bench of industry-trained, enterprise-level executives, available on-demand to mid-market CEOs. TAG CXO executives help to round-out a firm’s leadership team and close the IT talent gap with fully qualified expertise, offering a more affordable, lower-risk option than hiring full-time staff. Learn more at: https://tagcxo.com/.

VIDEO (Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/492583832

TAG CXO, 7000 N 16th Street, Suite 120-167, Phoenix, AZ 85020.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT
Paul Theisen, CEO
+1-602-962-6200
[email protected]

Tags: #ITOps #Cybersecurity #ITInfrastructure #TAGCXO #fractionalCIO #interimexecutives

News Source: TAG CXO

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 2, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants is pleased to welcome John Prentis and Larry Bowlus to its Executive Risk and Cyber practice. Joining from a global broker, Prentis and Bowlus will focus on large public, technology, and financial institution executive liability coverages, including Directors & Officers Liability as well as Errors & Omissions, General Partnership Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Fiduciary, Crime, and Kidnap & Ransom.

The senior team of Prentis and Bowlus brings a combined experience of 50 years in the industry. Prentis most recently co-led Aon’s Financial Services Group in San Francisco, providing advisory and placement services for a variety of executive lines. Bowlus served as senior vice president and team leader within the same group, specializing in D&O and management liability insurance programs for public and private companies. Both bring a breadth of experience across industry groups, with deep experience handling executive risks for technology, life science companies and financial institutions, among many others in the public and private sectors.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome John and Larry to EPIC,” said Steve Denton, EPIC CEO. “Their experience serving large publicly traded clients and deep expertise in the technology sector fits perfectly with our deep resources currently deployed in the large account risk management sector. In fact, they will work closely with our Policy Response Unit focused on complex shareholder claims and our Analytics practice where we perform risk modeling and benchmarking analysis.”

Prentis and Bowlus will lend significant expertise to EPIC’s Executive Risk and Cyber practice, which emphasizes a holistic approach to identifying, understanding and managing risks.

“We’re fortunate to add two senior risk advisors and brokers in John and Larry to our team of experts,” said Kelly Geary, EPIC National Practice Leader, Executive Risk and Cyber. “Our clients will benefit instantly from their perspective and expertise, particularly in today’s challenging and dynamic marketplace.”

Prentis and Bowlus will work from the firm’s San Francisco office.

John Prentis
[email protected]
Cell: 415.238.4575

Larry Bowlus
[email protected]
Cell: 415.254.5918

About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has more than 2,600 team members operating from more than 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs, and Private Client solutions to EPIC clients. For more information on EPIC, visit: https://epicbrokers.com/.

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-0808s2p-epic-logo-300dpi.jpg

News Source: EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

WARRENTON, Va. and Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 2, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Pulsar Global Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valentis, a defense and risk management firm, announces the acquisition of Blueshield Security and Investigations, LLC based in Warrenton, VA. The acquisition by Pulsar Global brings to realization the investigation unit of Valentis Security.

Pulsar Global Solutions is a new concept developed by Valentis that will provide investigative and intelligence services to commercial and government clients as well as individuals.

Blueshield Security & Investigations, LLC has been serving Fauquier and surrounding counties since 2006. Blueshield provides a full service private investigative business that specializes in domestic cases with a very high success rate. Case expertise include suspect cold case murder investigations, white collar crime, fraud, missing persons, accident investigations, and background investigations.

“It is with a happy heart and a desire to expand the business that I have decided to hand the business over to a new owner. Valentis Security has the experience and manpower to both take Blueshield into new directions, while continuing to service businesses and citizens with private investigative needs. The new staff at Blueshield will continue to ‘Find the Truth’ by doing the right thing for the right reasons, as we always have, said Elizabeth Kurtz, President of Blueshield.

“I guarantee you will find that under this new ownership, more can be accomplished. My thanks to all past and present clientele for allowing us to be there for you when you needed us. I have every confidence that you will continue to share your future needs with the new owners,” said Kurtz.

“Today we added a new piece to the puzzle with Blue Shield Security and Investigations LLC. This new piece brings Pulsar Global to market and helps our parent company, Valentis Security, grow stronger with more concepts to service clients,” said Daniel Ries, Executive Director of Pulsar Global Solutions.

Pulsar Global will operate as Blueshield until the State of Virginia finalizes the registration paperwork. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Valentis:

Valentis is a fully operational security logistics and risk management solution for a variety of clients and security concerns. We are growing domestically, and envision global ventures, with services and products under development to create a network of global affiliates, lead through branding, and expand our clients; financial institutions, governments, religious facilities, maritime, cybersecurity, combined with specially developed training, software and telecommunication consultancy, and more. We are mindful and committed and care about our clients, team, and shareholders.

News Source: Valentis International

For decades, Democrats in our country have attempted to marginalize Republican women who dare support conservative policies and candidates, all to pass their radical left-wing policies. We have long known these smears are part and parcel of left-wing politicking, but recent events at our southern border have shed new light on this dangerous hypocrisy of the modern American left.

The three of us recently joined congressional delegations to the U.S.-Mexico border, where we witnessed the reality of the ongoing migrant crisis firsthand. Despite efforts by some to downplay this emergency, the most recent Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data indicate there have been over 170,000 illegal crossings at our southern border in the month of March alone, a 15-year high. This includes a record number of unaccompanied children who are being housed in our already overcrowded migrant holding facilities. The facility we visited, with a capacity of 250, is currently housing closer to 4,000 children. Some are fortunate enough to have family members with them; others find themselves alone.

The smugglers and cartels trafficking these migrants are making nearly half a billion dollars a month through their exploitative racket. They have sold minors into the sex trade and involuntary servitude. They have engaged in systematic abuse of women and girls making the perilous journey from Central America. By mid-summer, cartels will have smuggled more illegal immigrants across our southern border this year than there are citizens living in President Biden’s home state of Delaware and Vice President Harris’ home city of San Francisco. And aside from a handful of moderate southern border Democrats, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have turned a blind eye to this crisis.

Vice President Harris, who has been assigned the task of overseeing this issue, has yet to visit the border to see the situation for herself. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who cried about “children in cages,” is now nowhere to be found as children are crammed into pods during a global pandemic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that all is on a “good path” at our southern border.

The reality, however, is that we are now witness to a full-blown humanitarian crisis — a crisis created by President Biden when he reversed Trump administration policies which stemmed the tide of illegal migration to and across our southern border. By repealing “Remain in Mexico,” reinstating “Catch and Release,” tying the hands of CBP and announcing to the world that our borders are now open, the Biden administration has created an unsustainable disaster for all involved. Migrants are being exploited and abused, Customs and Border Protection are being overrun and the American taxpayer is paying for it.

No one has benefited more from the Biden immigration policy than cartels and human traffickers. As CBP is reassigned to processing asylum applications and overseeing children in facilities, there are fewer agents available to monitor our now porous border. One Customs and Border Protection unit we visited has encountered 970 convicted felons, 63 gang members, 102 sex offenders, 20 AK-47s and thousands of pounds of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and meth. They made it clear that this was just what they were able to intercept.

We learned that smugglers will do almost anything to get CBP off their trail, once throwing a 6-month-old baby into the Rio Grande as they approached, knowing that agents would turn their attention to rescuing the infant.

What’s worse is that thousands of children are being trafficked across the border, smuggled in by cartel members and adults who aren’t parents or even relatives at all. During our trips all of us had similar experiences. Some of us met with several young girls, some as young as nine, who weren’t able to speak to CBP agents when they arrived at the border because their vocal cords gave out as they screamed for help during instances of gang rape prior to their arrival in the United States. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Border protection officials told us they frequently take in young men and women who have been sexually assaulted during their journeys to our border. It has to end.

The greatest humanitarian crisis in our country this century is all-too-quietly unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border, and political motivations are muzzling left-wing public officials who might otherwise speak out. As Members of Congress, we refuse to remain silent on this issue. As women, we refuse to do nothing as a generation of children and women from more than 60 countries experience the terror of human trafficking, assault and violence as they travel across Mexico and attempt to enter the United States. As those elected to protect tax paying citizens, we will not stand for an immigration policy that harms the safety and wellbeing of Americans and migrants alike.

President Biden and Vice President Harris: Visit the border. Go see what we saw and hear what we heard. Anyone with a heart and mind can see that the only winners in this dangerous game are drug cartels, traffickers and abusers. For the sake of the women and immigrants you so often claim to represent, it’s time to put a stop to this crisis.

Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Ann Wagner and Kat Cammack all visited the Donna Migrant Facility in McAllen, TX, on two separate congressional delegations to McAllen, TX, in April. Their conversations, experiences and observations from their trips are detailed in this piece.

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said that individuals who committed crimes during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot should “absolutely” be prosecuted.

“We absolutely need to prosecute and hold accountable criminal rioters who assaulted cops, who stormed the Capitol, who broke the law,” Hawley told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. “And that’s true no matter what your political ideology is.”

EXCLUSIVE: @HawleyMO says Capitol riot participants need to be held accountable:

“We absolutely need to prosecute and hold accountable criminal rioters who assaulted cops, who stormed the Capitol, who broke the laws.”https://t.co/kRiGpOc27w

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 6, 2021

“I said this all last year. I will defend people’s right to protest peacefully whether I agree with them or not. I did that for the BLM protesters. I said they had every right to protest peacefully. What they don’t have a right to do is storm federal buildings, attack cops, burn businesses, shoot people,” he continued.

“It’s true of the Capitol rioters. If you gather peacefully, that’s protected First Amendment activity. But as soon as you start engaging in unlawful conduct, you start trespassing, you start assaulting cops, no, you are a criminal, you have broken the law now, and you need to be prosecuted.” (RELATED: DOJ Expects At Least 100 More Charges Over Capitol Riots)

Hawley was criticized by current and retired Republican officials for his vote to object to the certification of electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

After Hawley objected to the electoral slate and raised a fist to protesters outside the Capitol before the riot, former Republican Missouri Sen. Jack Danforth said that “encourag[ing] people to support [Hawley] both for [state] attorney general and later the U.S. Senate … was one the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life.”

Other indirect criticisms came from Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. She said that she does not “think that some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge, not to certify the election” should run for president, calling it “disqualifying.”

Cara Delevingne definitely heated things up when she stepped out in a sports bra and pants combo in Los Angeles.

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

The 28-year-old model/actress looked terrific as she rocked a black sports bra with black workout pants whil leaving a home in L.A., the Daily Mail reported in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: Cara Delevingne Will Reportedly ‘Open Herself Up To Experiments’ As She Dives Into World Of Porn And Erotica)

The photos were shared by SplashNews and posted on the site under the description, “Cara Delevingne Leaving The Gym In Los Angeles.” (SLIDESHOW: 142 Times Josephine Skriver Barely Wore Anything)

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

It was a bit hard to tell if it was indeed the superstar underneath the large sunglasses, face mask and red beanie. However, both outlets reported it was the “Suicide Squad” star.  (SLIDESHOW: These Women On Instagram Hate Wearing Clothes)

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

She completed the rest of the look with a red bomber jacket and sneakers.

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

Cara Delevingne Los Angeles, CA Photo credit: ENT / SplashNews.com

It is fair to say, she definitely looked ready for the summer and bikini weather.

NRA-ILA’s Office of Litigation Counsel has been busy defending the Second Amendment across the country. Since the year began, ILA has filed new cases, continued the fight in many existing cases, and scored some good wins. This newsletter covers ILA’s efforts to defend your freedoms in court over the past few months.

Supreme Court of the United States

ILA petitioned the Supreme Court to take two cases this term, and the Court has agreed to take one of them already. Just last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. In this case, ILA is challenging New York’s requirement to demonstrate a “proper cause” to carry a firearm. This requirement is regularly used to deprive ordinary Americans in the empire state of their rights. In addition, 23 state Attorneys General, filed an amicus brief in support of the petition. It has been over a decade since the Supreme Court ruled on a Second Amendment case. It’s hard to overstate how important this case is. This case has ramifications in not only New York, but throughout the entire country.

Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. v. Grewal is another ILA-backed case challenging a New Jersey statute that criminalized possession of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds. New Jersey previously banned 15 round magazines, but that didn’t go far enough for the notoriously anti-gun lawmakers in the garden state, who arbitrarily dropped the limit to ten rounds in 2018, despite the fact that many of the most commonly owned firearms in America have standard magazines larger than that. Last week, ILA asked the Supreme Court to hear the case and strike down this statute under the Second Amendment. This case is critical in addressing not only New Jersey’s egregious statute on magazine capacity, but a number of other states that have similar laws.

While ILA remains hopeful that the Supreme Court will also take Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. v. Grewal, the decision to take New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen is huge for NRA members and gun owners everywhere. This decision will allow the Court to clarify the precedent has created surrounding the Second Amendment and curtail the efforts of those who would infringe upon it.

Other Federal Court Challenges

In addition to the Supreme Court, ILA is actively engaged in several other federal lawsuits across the country. An ILA-backed case in Maryland called Maryland Shall Issue v. Hogan challenges the state’s “Handgun Qualification License” requirement and asks the court to find it unconstitutional. This license requires Maryland residents who wish to legally purchase a handgun to first fill out an application, obtain a copy of their fingerprints from a third party, attend a lengthy classroom instruction, pass a live-fire exercise, pay an additional $50 application fee, then wait up to 30 days for the state to process their application. All of these requirements are on top of additional fees, two other background checks, and waiting times imposed when they go to purchase a handgun. This law—according to Maryland’s own expert—was created to “intimidate” law-abiding citizens and prevent them from exercising their Second Amendment rights.

In New Jersey, ILA filed suit challenging New Jersey’s “justifiable need” requirement to obtain a concealed-carry permit. This requires law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment right outside of their homes to prove that they have an “urgent necessity for self-protection” and that a “generalized fear … for personal safety” is not sufficient. This approach of determining who can exercise their rights is blatantly unconstitutional, and ILA is dedicated to ensuring that all Americans can defend themselves and their family, even outside of their home. The case was filed in December, and ILA filed a motion for summary judgment in April.

In 2017, an ILA-backed suit was filed against California, challenging its ban on magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds. We initially won a favorable decision at the district court, then again at the Ninth Circuit when California appealed. Then, in another attempt to uphold this unconstitutional law, California filed a petition for an en banc hearing, which is a hearing before 11 judges as opposed to the three-judge panel in a typical appeal. ILA is continuing to fight this case. In addition to these cases, ILA is challenging California’s draconian ammunition restrictions in Rhode v. Becerra, and Washington’s ban on 18-20 year-olds from purchasing semiautomatic rifles and pistols in Mitchell v. Atkins.

State Preemption Challenges

ILA has recently secured a number of victories in preemption cases around the country. In Colorado, a judge ruled that the City of Boulder’s ban of “assault weapons” and magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds was preempted by state law and struck them down. While this decision only currently applies to Boulder, it can be applied to any other city in Colorado that tries to enact similar restrictions in the future.

In Florida, a provision that imposed personal liability on any elected official that violated the state’s preemption statute was recently upheld. ILA filed an amicus brief in support of the state on this critical case. This decision will give pause to any local elected officials who attempt to impose burdens on the Second Amendment in Florida.

In Washington, the Washington Court of Appeals recently sided with ILA and struck two firearm-storage ordinances that violated the state’s preemption law. These ordinances imposed by the City of Edmonds required gun owners to keep their firearms locked at all times within the home and imposed liability on them if their firearms were ever accessed by a prohibited person. In addition to Edmond’s burdensome restrictions, ILA is also successfully challenging the City of Seattle’s nearly identical storage laws in Alim v. Seattle.

And in Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court has decided to hear an ILA backed challenge to the City of Deerfield’s “assault weapon” ban under the state’s preemption statute. When Illinois adopted their preemption statute, they gave localities a limited window in which they could pass gun-control ordinances. Deerfield failed to pass the challenged ordinance in that time period. While the court of appeals sided with Deerfield, ILA is greatly encouraged that the Illinois Supreme Court decided to hear the challenge, as it is commonly believed that they would not have taken the case if they were only going to affirm the decisions of the lower courts.

State Constitutional Challenges

ILA has also challenged several laws under state constitutional rights to keep in bear arms. In January, ILA filed suit against Fairfax County, VA, for banning firearms in its 23,584 acres of parks and 334 miles of trails. It also sued the county for banning firearms in several vaguely defined areas, like events that are required to have a permit to be held but do not, adequately inform gun owners of where they can or cannot carry. The case is in the early stages of discovery.

The Illinois Supreme Court also agreed to hear an ILA-backed case challenging Cook County, IL’s, firearms and ammunition tax. The county imposed a $25 tax on the sale of every firearm, and a $.05 and $.01 tax on each round of center and rimfire ammunition sold. Just as the First Amendment does not tolerate a special tax on newspapers for the ink they use, the right to keep and bear arms does not tolerate singling out and penalizing constitutionally protected conduct.

COVID Closures

Several states waste no opportunities to restrict gun rights, and COVID was no exception. When COVID first appeared over a year ago, states began closing gun shops and shooting ranges as non-essential businesses. With a coalition of other gun-rights groups, ILA challenged these closures in California, New York, and New Mexico. ILA got an early win in New Mexico, but had to take the fight against New York and California up to appellate courts.

In California alone, ILA has had to challenge Los Angeles, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and San Mateo Counties because of these closures. While most of these counties as well as the state of New York have lifted these restrictions, ILA is continuing these suits to prevent them from reinstating these closures at a later date. A recent string of cases challenging limitations on religious services from the Supreme Court gave us an even stronger position to strike down these regulations.

Hunting

ILA continued to fight for members rights to hunt.  In April, a federal judge in Arizona sided with ILA and Safari Club International in a decision that held that hunters can use traditional ammunition when hunting in National Forests. This case has huge implications, as a loss here would have given the federal government the ability to regulate ammunition commonly used by hunters on over 640 million acres of federal land (about twenty-eight percent of the country).

Again joining with Safari Club International, ILA has filed suit to intervene in three cases challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist gray wolves in the lower-48 states. The Plaintiffs want to throw out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision that returned management of the wolves to the states. In addition to allowing states to authorize wolf hunts, this decision to return management of gray wolves to the states will allow them to better manage not only gray wolves, but every other species as well.

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Click here to follow NRA-ILA on Facebook.

The owner of Old Corner Saloon in Clements, California, was arrested and charged for allegedly selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, California state officials announced Wednesday.

California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) officials received a complaint that the saloon owner was selling fake vaccination cards and opened an investigation in April, according to the agency. Undercover ABC agents allegedly purchased fraudulent vaccination cards from the Old Corner Saloon on multiple occasions in April, the agency said.

“Agents arrested the owner of the business on allegations of selling the fraudulent cards,” a California ABC Spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “He was booked at the local county jail on charges of violating Penal Code Section 471.5 (altering a medical record), Penal Code Section 472 (forgery of a public seal), Penal Code Section 530.5 (identity theft), and Penal Code Section 182(a) (conspiracy).”

California Governor Gavin Newsom D-CA holds up his card after receiving his dose of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 2021. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The owner of the Old Corner Saloon was arrested for selling fake vaccination cards and officials recovered a loaded unregistered firearm during the arrest leading to a felony charge, according to the California ABC. The agency is also seeking a criminal complaint against another employee, though no additional details were provided.

“It is disheartening to have members in our community show flagrant disregard for public health in the midst of a pandemic,” San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said in a statement. “Distributing, falsifying or purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccine cards is against the law and endangers yourself and those around you. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the partnership with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for their work in this case.”

California ABC officials worked with San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office officials to execute a search warrant at the business and found materials used to distribute the fake vaccination cards, the California ABC reported. (RELATED: FBI Warns Americans Against Making Or Buying Fake COVID ‘Vaccine Cards’)

A disciplinary action will be filed against the business which can include a suspension or revocation of the saloon’s ABC license, according to the agency.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

A parent complained about a first-grade teacher reading books promoting pro-LGBT views to her students, and the teacher and the school district board reportedly refused to address her concerns, according to Young America’s Foundation (YAF).

The school district board’s president runs an “all-ages” sex shop and describes herself as its “Head Dildo” on her Instagram profile, according to YAF.

YAF first reported the story after they received an anonymous tip through their Campus Bias Tip Line.

According to screenshots of emails YAF provided to the Daily Caller, a student’s parent had written to Jennifer Miller, a 1^st grade teacher in Bellingham School District, Washington State, complaining that the teacher was reading books promoting “gender dysphoria” in class without the knowledge of the students’ parents. (RELATED: Biden Education Secretary Pick Says Schools Have Responsibility To Let Biological Males In Girls Sports If They Are Trans)

A screenshot of the email complaint the parent sent to the teacher. (Screenshot obtained from Young America’s Foundation)

The book that was being read to the “six and seven-year-old students,” according to YAF, was “I Am Jazz” which discusses how a two-year-old biological male starts ‘transitioning’ into a female, with his parents’ support.

When a parent included a screenshot of the book and emailed Miller, according to YAF, asking if she read the book to first graders, the teacher replied that she did.

Screenshot of the teacher acknowledging that she read the book to her students (Screenshot obtained from Young America’s Foundation)

Miller further replied by writing, according to the screenshots,“as a district we are working hard to support all members of our school community and promote inclusion through understanding and compassion.”

The parents then took the matter to the Bellingham Public Schools school district board.

According to YAF and a screenshot they provided to The Daily Caller, the school board acknowledged receiving the complaint and having sent it to “each of the board members” and “the superintendent.” Yet, they have refused to take action, according to YAF.

Screenshot where the school board acknowledges receiving the complaint (Screenshot obtained from Young America’s Foundation)

YAF then conducted an investigation of Jenn Mason, the President of Bellingham Public Schools, and found that Mason owns and runs an “all-ages” sex toy shop.

According to the website of Bellingham Public Schools, Mason has been the school board’s President since 2017, having “worked for 15 years on behalf of families and children, including as a community educator and trauma counselor in public schools.”

When YAF looked through her Instagram profile, they found her promoting her sex shop in multiple posts.

(Screenshot/Instagram)

Mason’s Instagram profile has now been set to private though her bio still describes her as “Head Dildo” at “Wink Wink,” the name of her store. 

Screenshots YAF provided to the Daily Caller show an Instagram post where she appears to be talking of “holding a vibrator” and of her sex shop.

Screenshot of a post from Mason’s Instagram profile where she talks about using a vibrator (Screenshot obtained from Young America’s Foundation)

In an article by local outlet The Western Front from 2018, she is quoted as saying that “while the store only sells to those ages 16 and older, people of any age can be in the store.”

Neither Mason nor the school board’s superintendent, Greg Baker, have responded to the parent’s complaints, YAF reported.

According to YAF, when one parent approached Baker, he refused to communicate with him over email, and instead asked for a phone call. When that parent asked if he could record the conversation, Baker declined the idea of the phone call, YAF reported.

The school board and the state board did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment. 

“It’s no surprise that someone like Mason, who promotes sex toys to children of ‘all-ages,’ would ignore concerns about pushing far-left gender identity politics in the classroom,” wrote YAF spokeswoman Kara Zupkus in the YAF report. “Mason’s qualifications to serve in a role advising the education and curriculum of young children should be questioned–and parents should make their voices heard.”

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that she is a “Planned Parenthood baby,” praising the nation’s largest abortion provider for saving babies.

The New York Democrat criticized pro-life Republicans and defended Planned Parenthood during a virtual hearing Thursday where she revealed that her mother received prenatal care from Planned Parenthood.

“If we want to talk about Planned Parenthood, let’s talk about how many lives Planned Parenthood has saved and how many babies have been born because of the prenatal care provided by Planned Parenthood,” Ocasio-Cortez said. (RELATED: Planned Parenthood Abortion Numbers Hit 15-Year-High)

AOC says that she was a “Planned Parenthood baby”:

“Let’s talk about how many lives Planned Parenthood has saved & how many babies have been born because of the prenatal care provided by Planned Parenthood.”
pic.twitter.com/FLwYjCs8ME

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 6, 2021

“And if you don’t believe it, and if you’ve never met a Planned Parenthood baby, I’m happy to let you know that I am one,” she continued. “And that my mother received and relied on prenatal care from Planned Parenthood when she was pregnant with me.” (RELATED: 77% Of Americans Oppose Taxpayer Funding Of Abortions Abroad, Poll Shows)

“And so if we are concerned about life, we don’t get to talk about anyone else who is not concerned about the whole spectrum of that when we are upholding policies that kill people,” the congresswoman added.

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Planned Parenthood provided 354,871 abortion services between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019, according to the organization’s recently-released annual report, compared to the 8,626 prenatal services that Planned Parenthood provided during that time period.

Though the report cited 10,374,069 total services, and only 3 percent of those services were abortions, it noted in a footnote that Planned Parenthood health centers saw just 2.4 million patients in 2019. Planned Parenthood defines a service as “a discrete clinical interaction, such as the administration of a physical exam or STI test or the provision of a birth control method.”

The pro-life Susan B. Anthony List said when the report was released in February that the organization’s abortion numbers had hit a 15-year-high. (RELATED: Congresswoman Cori Bush Refers To Women As ‘Birthing People’)

“Planned Parenthood’s business is abortion, not health care,” SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a February statement. “At a time when U.S. abortions overall have long been on the decline, Planned Parenthood is ending the lives of more than 354,000 unborn children a year.”

Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

CNN appears to be giving White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki a pass over her stunning admission that her team urges President Biden not to take questions from reporters. 

Appearing on David Axelrod's podcast, Psaki boasted to the CNN commentator how often Biden takes questions, even holding what she's called "mini press conferences," but revealed that isn't exactly what the president's communications team actually wants. 

JEN PSAKI ADMITS BIDEN TAKING IMPROMPTU QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS IS ‘NOT SOMETHING WE RECOMMEND’

"That is not something we recommend," Psaki said in the podcast published Thursday. "In fact, a lot of times, we say, ‘Don’t take questions,' you know? But he's going to do what he's going to do."

"Yeah," Axelrod responded. 

Psaki, a former CNN commentator herself, has gotten zero pushback from CNN, a network that prided itself as an advocate for press accessibility during the Trump administration. 

"I’m sure President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia and our adversaries from Iran to North Korea are taking note that the Leader of the Free World in Joe Biden has a team around him who has zero confidence in his ability to speak outside of scripted remarks," Fox News contributor Joe Concha reacted. 

Concha insisted there would be an uproar of prominent CNN journalists like Jim Acosta, a former showboating White House correspondent who became a media star for his battles with President Trump, if such comments were made by the previous administration. 

PSAKI BLAMES ‘NATURE OF’ MEDIA FOR BEING ‘BIG DRIVER’ BEHIND PUSH TO SAY THERE'S A BORDER ‘CRISIS’

"CNN has almost no interest in holding President Biden accountable. That would require being an actual news organization," Concha said. "Instead, it serves at the pleasure of the Democratic Party. Shame. It wasn’t always this way."

Brian Stelter, CNN's staunch defender of the media, at least under the Trump presidency, did not appear alarmed by Psaki's comments, highlighting it in his report as one of the "takeaways" from the interview with Axelrod but is not sounding the alarm. 

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck suggested CNN would have a far different reaction if a Trump White House official made such comments. 

"CNN would be running snarky commentaries day and night talking about this horrible precedent and how it was doing damage to our democracy by keeping a President of the United States from answering questions," Houck told Fox News. "Instead of speaking truth to power, the liberal media in 2021 have made the pivot to speaking truth for power."

Cornell Law School professor and media critic William A. Jacobson knocked the unethical nature of the interview itself since both Psaki and Axelrod were colleagues at CNN as well as in the Obama administration. 

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"CNN and Jen Psaki both work for Joe Biden, in their own ways," Jacobson told Fox News. "There is no expectation that CNN would call out Psaki on anything, so it's no surprise that its senior political commentator Axelrod did not do so."

Jacobson continued, "It also shows how much Team Obama still is running the show - a former Obama administration spokeswoman now serving a former Obama Vice President is being interviewed by a former Obama campaign advisor."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday the U.S. has no plans to shoot down a Chinese rocket hurling back toward earth this weekend, but he hopes it will land in the ocean. 

"We have the capability to do a lot of things, but we don't have a plan to shoot it down as we speak," Austin told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday. 

Space agencies are tracking the path of the rocket and expect it to return to earth around May 8. 

Last week, the 100-foot Long March 5B rocket launched the first part of its space station into low-earth orbit. The rocket is among the largest pieces of space debris to ever fall to earth. 

CHINESE ROCKET LIKELY TO MAKE UNCONTROLLED REENTRY ON MAY 8, REPORT SAYS 

Beijing’s space agency has lost control of the rocket, violating international standards that rockets return to earth in a controlled manner. 

Austin added a veiled slap on the wrist for the Chinese:  "For those of us who operate in the space domain, there should be a requirement to operate in a safe and thoughtful mode and make sure we take those kinds of things into consideration."

China through its state media on Wednesday blasted "Western hype of the 'China threat' in space technology advancement." It said civilian experts believe it is "completely normal" for rocket debris to return to earth and said it will likely fall into international waters, offering no threat assessment. 

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Last May, another Chinese rocket fell uncontrolled into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. That rocket - 18 tons - was the largest piece of space debris to fall to earth since 1991. China’s first space station crashed to earth in 2016 after officials confirmed they had lost control of it.

Ohio state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, was seen driving during a remote Office of Budget and Management meeting on Monday, the same day that a bill was introduced to punish distracted driving. 

At the beginning of the virtual meeting, Brenner can be seen sitting idly in the driver's seat of his car, which appears to be at a standstill. 

As the meeting gets underway, Brenner starts fidgeting with his device and eventually turns on a virtual background of a home office. The new background didn't perfectly camouflage what he was doing though, as the state senator can still be seen driving with a seatbelt over his shoulder. 

  (Ohio Channel)

GENERAL MOTORS CEO SAYS AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES MAY BE ON SALE BY 2030

John Fortney, Brenner's director of communications, said that the senator wasn't doing anything illegal.

"Senator Brenner was simply following the law, using hand free audio technology," Fortney told Fox News in a statement. 

But as the Columbus Dispatch pointed out, the virtual meeting ironically came on the same day that a bill was introduced in Ohio's General Assembly to punish distracted driving. 

House Bill 283 would ban Ohioans from driving and using any "electronic wireless communications device," such as a cellphone, laptop, or "any device capable of displaying a video, movie, broadcast television image, or visual image."

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The bill does allow a driver to use a cellphone as long as it is through a "hands-free device feature… without the use of either hand except to activate, deactivate, or initiate the feature." 

A week after it was reported that Justin Bieber’s fast-looming 2021 tour would be bumped into next year, Justin Bieber has made it official, announcing that his run of arena shows will now begin in San Diego on Feb. 18, 2022.

As recently as this week, tickets were still being sold for dates that had been scheduled to begin in San Diego on June 2 and quickly followed by other cities in California — a clear impossibility, since Bieber’s gigs are indoors and the state is considered highly unlikely to be allowing arena shows at 100% capacity in less than a month. Many of the dates from July forward likely could have been kept, but clearly bumping the entire tour made more sense than putting it on in pieces.

It’s the second time the tour has been rescheduled, since it was originally supposed to kick off in 2020, before the pandemic intervened.

JOHN BOYEGA ON PLAYING A COP IN ‘SMALL AXE,’ BLACK LIVES MATTER AND THE ‘CRAZY GENIUS’ OF STEVE MCQUEEN

Bieber’s reps said that, in the process of rescheduling the tour, AEG Presents has added seven shows, with previously unscheduled stops in Austin, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Orlando, Cincinnati, Des Moines and Uncasville, CT, to bring the total up to 52 North American dates. Tickets for the concerts bumped back from 2020 and 2021 will be honored, and the seven added shows will go on sale some time later in May.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN TALKS ‘WITHOUT REMORSE,’ CHADWICK BOSEMAN AND ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

Justin Bieber announced his 2022 tour dates. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Universal Music)

The tour has now been redubbed "the Justice World Tour 2022," in honor of the fact that Bieber will now be touring behind this year’s hit "Justice" album, a record that might not even exist if the postponement of his 2020 tour hadn’t given him time off to make a quick, well-received successor to "Changes," the album his arena outing was originally conceived to support.

"We’re working hard to make this tour the best one yet," said Bieber in a statement. "I’m excited to get out there and engage with my fans again."

GEORGE CLOONEY’S 10 BEST PERFORMANCES

The full list of shows, with the seven newly added cities in bold:

Friday, February 18, 2022 San Diego, CA Pechanga Arena
Sunday, February 20, 2022 Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 Inglewood, CA The Forum
Saturday, February 26, 2022 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Monday, February 28, 2022 San Jose, CA SAP Center at San Jose
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 San Jose, CA SAP Center at San Jose
Friday, March 4, 2022 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
Monday, March 7, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Friday, March 11, 2022 Portland, OR MODA Center
Sunday, March 13, 2022 Salt Lake City, UT Vivint Home Energy Arena
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Denver, CO Ball Arena
Friday, March 18, 2022 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Monday, March 21, 2022 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
Friday, March 25, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Monday, March 28, 2022 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Thursday, March 31, 2022 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Friday, April 1, 2022 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
Monday, April 4, 2022 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
Thursday, April 7, 2022 Jacksonville, FL Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena*
Saturday, April 9, 2022 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
Monday, April 11, 2022 Orlando, FL Amway Center*
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center*
Thursday, April 21, 2022 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse*
Sunday, April 24, 2022 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena*
Monday, April 25, 2022 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 Austin, TX Moody Center*
Friday, April 29, 2022 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Sunday, May 1, 2022 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
Friday, May 6, 2022 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Monday, May 9, 2022 Chicago, IL United Center
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Chicago, IL United Center
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Saturday, May 14, 2022 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center
Monday, May 16, 2022 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sunday, June 5, 2022 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Friday, June 10, 2022 Washington DC Capital One Arena
Monday, June 13, 2022 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Thursday, June 16, 2022 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Saturday, June 18, 2022 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena*
Monday, June 20, 2022 Boston, MA TD Garden
Friday, June 24, 2022 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement would be a "great loss," as liberal groups wage a campaign for the 82-year-old to resign and make way for a younger liberal to take the seat while Democrats control the White House. 

Feinstein, California's senior senator and the oldest sitting senator at 87, has faced her own calls within her own Democratic Party to retire and make way for a younger progressive. 

"My general belief is, if a person is serving with integrity and working hard and producing for whatever the constituency is, that's what these jobs are all about," Feinstein told CNN Thursday. 

Liberal group Demand Justice drove a truck around Capitol Hill last month airing the message "Breyer, retire." The printed message also warned, "Don't risk your legacy." 

Another side of the truck read, "It's time for Black woman Supreme Court justice. There's no time to waste."  

NY DEM MONDAIRE JONES CALLS ON BREYER TO RETIRE

New York Democrat Rep. Mondaire Jones told Cheddar News last month there is "no question" Breyer should retire during Biden’s presidency. Others have called for his retirement even sooner, worried that Democrats may lose their narrow majority in the Senate come 2022. 

Noting the untimely death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg two months before the presidential election, Jones said: "My goodness, have we not learned our lesson?" 

LIBERALS RAMP UP CALLS FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE BREYER TO RETIRE AFTER HE PANNED COURT PACKING IN SPEECH

The White House has stayed out of the debate. "He believes that's a decision Justice Breyer will make when he decides it's time to no longer serve on the Supreme Court," press secretary Jen Psaki said of Biden's position. 

But Breyer may not be keen on a politically motivated retirement. Last month he spoke at Harvard Law School underscoring the importance of separation of powers and an apolitical court.

"If the public sees judges as politicians in robes, its confidence in the courts and in the rule of law can only diminish, diminishing the court's power, including its power to act as a check on other branches," he said. "My experience of more than 30 years... as a judge has shown me that once men and women take the judicial oath they take that oath to heart. They are loyal to the rule of law, not to the political party that helped to secure their appointment."

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He also spoke against court-packing, just as some Democrats have begun a campaign to add four new justices to the bench. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she would not bring the court-packing legislation, introduced by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Conn., and Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., to a full House vote. 

Moderna has claimed that its COVID-19 vaccine is effective up to 96% in teens aged 12 to 17, presenting a major boost to hopes of a full-time return to in-person learning in the fall. 

The announcement is just one of several major developments Moderna revealed in its Q1 2021 Business Update. 

Parents and students alike have complained about the issues faced by studying remotely, with some concerns that students were falling behind due to remote learning and may never catch up again.  

Moderna has claimed that its COVID-19 vaccine is effective up to 96% in teens aged 12 to 17. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

UTAH ANTI-MASK PROTESTERS WHO DERAILED SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MAY FACE CHARGES, DISTRICT SAYS

One survey revealed that about a quarter of children were described by their caregivers as "stressed, anxious, angry or agitated" during remote learning. 

Should the vaccine prove to be as effective among teens as it has for adults, it would present a significant boost to ensuring that students return to school in-person full time in the coming school year. 

Manufacturing capabilities will allow Moderna to increase production and deliver 1 billion doses in 2021. 

COVID EXPOSED TEACHERS UNIONS' ‘LIE’ THAT CHILDREN ARE PRIORITY: JASON RILEY

"Based on these first quarter accomplishments and our current manufacturing scale-up trajectory, we were pleased to again increase our base plan for 2021 to 800 million doses," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "The Moderna team and our manufacturing partners are working hard to get as close to 1 billion doses in 2021 as we can."

Moderna also claimed that a single booster dose would be necessary to ensure effectiveness against two coronavirus variants. 

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The vaccine is currently authorized only under emergency use and is yet to receive full approval. All of the new findings that Moderna announced have also yet to be subjected to peer review. 

Josh Duggar is set to be released on bail on May 6 but Arkansas Magistrate Judge Christy Comstock said she can’t in good conscience send him back home and thus the reality star will be living with folks who are "close friends" with Josh and Anna Duggar.

Duggar, 33, will be placed with third-party custodian Maria and Lacount Reber – a familiar family who are close enough with Duggar and his wife Anna and have also known the family for about six or eight years through their church. The family says they have a self-contained space on their property where Duggar can live while he awaits his looming trial.

Duggar’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, called the family friends and asked that they be third-party custodians for Duggar, according to the Rebers who were called as defense witnesses during Duggar’s virtual detention hearing on Wednesday.

The third-party custodians will act as court monitors for Duggar and will be required to report any infractions should Duggar commit any while he is living in the residence.

JOSH DUGGAR'S PARENTS, JIM BOB AND MICHELLE DUGGAR, SPEAK OUT AFTER SON'S ARREST FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

"My husband has a passion and love for ministry to others," Maria Reber told the court, adding that her husband is an MRI technician with Veterans Affairs and also performs ministry to local prison inmates. "We want to help the family and we are here to help Josh and Anna in whatever that may be."

Josh Dugger, former star of '19 Kids and Counting,' has been arrested in Arkansas. (Washington County Police Department)

The Rebers do have a 22-year-old adult daughter who also lives at the residence and teaches piano lessons to students who are minors so the prosecution was stern in their line of questioning to the Rebers in assessing their worthiness to be able to harbor Duggar.

The Rebers each said they weren’t "fully aware" of Duggar’s past history that includes allegations of inappropriate touching or the depth of the charges Duggar was indicted on, relative to the varying ages of children in the images allegedly found on his personal devices.

JOSH DUGGAR GRANTED RELEASE FROM JAIL AS HE AWAITS TRIAL IN FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE

"She and her husband felt that they should help Mr. Duggar’s parents and Mr. Duggar," federal probation officer Diem Nguyen told the court. "I believe that … based on Mr. Reber’s job occupation, the fact that he’s a pastor and volunteers [at] Gentle Ministries, I believe that they could be suitable third-party custodians. However, the minors that come to the home causes the Probation Office some concern, as well as the pistols that won’t be locked away in a safe and or removed from the home also causes the Probation Office concern."

Maria Reber testified that she and her husband simply want to help the Duggar family in whatever capacity they can.

Josh Duggar is the former Executive Director of the Family Research Council Action. (Reuters)

"We want to be able to help … with God’s help," Maria said. "I am looking at it as we are here of help for the family … to Josh and Anna, and we want to administer to them as best as we can. … My husband has made the decision and I’m here to support that decision. … My husband has a passion and love for ministry, and as a family, we have always ministered to others. Maybe not in this capacity, but as we go through life, you just never know what God puts in front of you in such a time as this."

After hard questioning from prosecutors about Maria being alone with Duggar while her husband is at work, Lacount told the court he had no reservations about the arrangement, stating, "I’m agreeing to do what it takes to be a help to them. We help friends when they need help."

JOSH DUGGAR'S SISTER JINGER VUOLO SAYS SHE'S 'DISTURBED' BY HIS CHILD PORN CHARGES

Duggar’s travel is restricted to the Western District of Arkansas and must get permission to travel outside the imposed limits. He was also granted unlimited contact with his children but only if Anna is present and he is not to engage in contact of any kind with any other children. 

"It is my intention to release you, Mr. Duggar, with a number of contentious conditions which the court is going to find to be the least restrictive conditions necessary to ensure the safety of the community," said Comstock. "So I need you to listen up because we're in the room, and if you can't comply with any of them, then you're going to stay right where you are. OK. First, I agree with Mr. Gelfand that I haven't heard any evidence that you're a flight risk. I'm going to impose some conditions that's going to make traveling out of here pretty hard."

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Duggar must also surrender his passport and submit to GPS monitoring at all times. Duggar is restricted to the home of his third-party custodians except for employment, court obligations, church, etc. and any additional locations must be pre-approved by his probation officer.

Josh and Anna are parents of Mackynzie, 11, Michael, 9, Marcus, 7, Meredith, 5, Mason, 3, and Maryella, 17 months.

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A trial date for his case was set for July 6, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for July 1.

The family attorney for one of two California men convicted in the death of an Italian police officer blasted the guilty verdicts as lacking "both reason and compassion" and a "sad day for justice."

On Wednesday, a jury found Finnegan Elder, 21, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, 20, both guilty of several charges – including homicide, assault, resisting a public official, attempted extortion and carrying an attack-style knife without just cause – in the July 2019 stabbing death of Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega. The pair were promptly sentenced to life in prison after the late-night verdict. 

Craig Peters, attorney for the Elder family, laid the blame on the police, saying they failed to follow protocol, resulting in Rega's death. 

AMERICAN TEENS ACCUSED OF FATALLY STABBING ITALIAN COP AFTER DRUG DEAL GONE WRONG

Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, right, talks to his co-defendant Finnegan Lee Elder, before a jury began deliberating their fate as they are on trial for the slaying of an Italian plainclothes police officer on a street near the hotel where they were staying while on vacation in Rome.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

"It [verdict] lays all the blame with two young boys, while holding blameless the Carabiniere who failed to follow basic police procedures which, had they been followed, would have Cerciello Rega with us today," he told Fox News in a statement Thursday. "I look forward to having an appellate court, with experienced, rational judges objectively review the facts to determine a just outcome."

One of Elder's lawyers, Renato Borzone, called the verdicts "a disgrace for Italy," The Associated Press reported.

Elder and Hjorth, both from the San Francisco area, were vacationing in Italy when they were arrested. The ordeal began hours earlier when they tried purchasing cocaine from a dealer using a go-between. After paying nearly $100, they realized they given a crushed Aspirin-like tablet instead. 

As reprisal, they took the go-between's backpack and demanded their money back. They agreed to meet later outside the hotel where the pair were staying to make the exchange. Instead, the go-between called the police to report the stolen bag. 

Finnegan Lee Elder listens to the verdict in the trial for the slaying of an Italian plainclothes police officer on a street near the hotel where he and his co-defendant Gabriel Natale-Hjorth were staying while on vacation in Rome in the summer of 2019. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

As the pair were outside, Rega and his partner, officer Andrea Varriale, showed up in plainclothes to investigate the attempted extortion report. Authorities said they announced themselves as cops, which Finnegan and Hjorth deny. Prosecutors said Elder stabbed Rega 11 times with a combat knife. 

Elder said Rega was on top of him during a scuffle and pulled out the knife to avoid being killed. Both defendants claimed they acted in self-defense. They said they thought Rega and Varriale were attackers or thugs. 

Peters contends that Varriale's versions of events should not be trusted. 

"This verdict makes a mockery of justice by believing an incoherent story professed by an admitted liar, and then compensating that liar with an award… while subjecting these boys to a sentence that is reserved for unredeemable, career criminals that commit premeditated killings," he said.  

In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 file photo, Rosa Maria Esilio, widow of Italian Carabinieri paramilitary police officer Mario Cerciello Rega, holds a photograph of her husband. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)

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"The message sent by these judges is clear. Those in a position of power, the Carabiniere and the prosecutors, can lie and mislead and they will not be held responsible," he added. 

At the time of the slaying, Elder was traveling through Europe in an attempt to make a fresh start after years of battle with depression. Hjorth was in Italy visiting family when the pair decided to meet up. 

A grand jury on Thursday indicted Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo in the killing of his pregnant lover, a case potentially eligible for the death penalty.

The indictment was announced as dozens of people — some bearing flowers, balloons or small gifts — attended the wake of 27-year-old Keishla Rodríguez, who was reported missing on Thursday and whose body was identified on Sunday via dental records.

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An FBI complaint, based on testimony from an unidentified witness, accused Verdejo of punching Rodríguez in the face, injecting her with a syringe filled with an unidentified substance bought at a public housing complex, binding her arms and feet with wire, tying a heavy block to her and then throwing her off a bridge at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. Authorities said Verdejo then stood on the bridge and shot at her body that authorities found in a lagoon near Puerto Rico's capital on Saturday.

"This is a case that has shocked Puerto Rico," said Carmen Romero, who had traveled roughly an hour from the coastal town of Arecibo to pay her respects.

Verdejo turned himself into authorities on Sunday night and is being held without bail. He is accused of kidnapping and carjacking resulting in death and with intentionally killing an unborn child, in addition to using and carrying a firearm during a violent crime. Neither Vélez nor his attorneys have commented on the case.

Also charged in the case is Luis Antonio Cádiz. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney. The victim's parents said in a press conference at the funeral home that they did not know him, adding that they needed their space and did not want to talk about the case.

"What I want is justice for Keishla," said her mother, Keila Ortiz. "We're going through a pain that Tony and I never imagined."

The autopsy report has been completed, but authorities said they won’t release details yet on exactly how Rodríguez died because the investigation is ongoing.

The victim’s father, José Antonio Rodríguez, told WAPA TV on Wednesday that he is not in favor of the death penalty.

"That doesn’t solve anything for me. What’s done is done," he said. "Let him remember every day who my daughter was."

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Amid growing accusations that Puerto Rico’s government hasn’t done enough to protect women and victims of domestic violence, the island’s justice secretary announced Tuesday that prosecutors will now be required to appear in court for probable cause hearings where a judge rules whether an alleged abuser should be arrested.

The announcement comes amid anger over the case of another woman, Andrea Ruiz, who was recently found burned to death after she filed a domestic violence complaint that a judge dismissed. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi has said that the government failed Ruiz.

Willie Calhoun's RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Texas Rangers the lead in a 4-3 victory Thursday over the reeling Minnesota Twins, who fell to 0-7 in extra innings this year.

Joey Gallo and Jonah Heim homered for the Rangers, who rode their bullpen to a third straight win to match the team's season-long streak. They raised their record to 3-0 in four-game series and 4-0 in extra innings.

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Rangers relievers logged 12 2/3 scoreless innings over the last three games and have been credited with each of the team's last five victories.

Brett de Geus and Taylor Hearn (1-1) each pitched two scoreless innings in this one, and Josh Sborz earned his first save with a dominant 10th against a Twins team that has hit its fourth losing streak of three games or more this year.

Heim was the automatic runner at second in the 10th against Tyler Duffey (0-1), who let him advance with a wild pitch. Calhoun smacked a single to right field to score him.

Sborz struck out Willians Astudillo, who had an earlier two-run single among his three hits. Pinch-hitter Josh Donaldson fanned on three pitches. Then Gallo made a diving, snow-cone catch of a shallow fly to save the tying run and end the game.

Michael Pineda, pitching with an extra day of rest after stiffness and swelling arose in his wrist from being hit by a batted ball in his last start, finished six sharp innings for the Twins with five strikeouts and a 3-2 lead.

Heim, the backup catcher who came to the plate batting .105, took Hansel Robles deep with two outs in the seventh to tie the game in the type of late-inning bullpen lapse that has become far too familiar for the Twins this year. Byron Buxton just missed catching the ball with his jump at the center field wall.

Rangers starter Jordan Lyles, who was torched for 16 hits and 12 runs in 6 2/3 innings over his previous two turns, had his streak reach 12 straight starts with a homer allowed when Max Kepler greeted him with his 10th career leadoff shot.

That was the first home run of the season for the slump-ridden Kepler, who had 36 homers in 2019.

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FAST START

Twins 2B Nick Gordon had a walk and a single and became the first player in team history with two stolen bases in his major league debut.

FILLING UP

With the news from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that capacity limits on outdoor gatherings will end on Friday, the Twins were excited about the prospect of more fans at Target Field. They've played in front of crowds of slightly under 10,000 people so far.

"If we find a way to do it comfortably and safely, I think the atmosphere will improve in a big, big way, and I think that it’s going to help us too on the field," manager Rocco Baldelli said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Kohei Arihara was scheduled for a bullpen session to test the sore middle finger on his pitching hand and on track to rejoin the rotation on Saturday barring any discomfort.

Twins: Buxton put on the brakes with a grimace while running out a grounder in the ninth, walking away gingerly with apparent discomfort in one of his leg muscles.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-3, 4.32 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Seattle on Friday night. RHP Chris Flexen (2-1, 3.33 ERA) takes the mound for the Mariners.

Twins: RHP Matt Shoemaker (1-3, 7.83 ERA) pitches on Friday night at Detroit, beginning a three-game series. LHP Tarik Skubal (0-4, 6.14 ERA) starts for the Tigers.