In a special briefing Tuesday, the Biden administration detailed its plan and efforts to relocate and settle Afghan refugees across the country in the near future.

The teleconference was held by the spokesperson office of the Department of State.

“The Department of State works with nine resettlement agencies and their networks of more than 200 local affiliates across the country to resettle Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and Reception and Placement Services,” one senior official said during the briefing.

Non-SIV holders, such as SIV applicants and other vulnerable Afghans who have entered as parolees, are transferred to one of eight domestic military installations for additional immigration processing and medical screenings before they’re resettled, the official continued.

“Afghans granted parole will receive State Department-funded assistance through these resettlement agencies via the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program, the APA. Through the APA Program, individuals will be placed in communities across the country to begin to rebuild their lives,” the official added.

The Department of State reported that more than 124,000 individuals had been evacuated from Afghanistan, including 6,000 American citizens.

On Sept. 3, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said nearly 40,000 people had arrived in the United States, about 20 percent of them are American citizens or permanent residents.

Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees are still being processed in overseas bases such as in the Gulf area and Europe. It’s unclear how many more will come to the United States in the coming months.

During Tuesday’s teleconference, a senior official said that “a core tenet” of the settlement program is family unification.

“As with traditional refugee and SIV resettlement, placement of individuals will prioritize reunification with U.S.-based family and friends and will consider the needs and characteristics of each case,” the official said.

Other factors in determining where Afghans will be relocated include reasonable housing, job opportunities, and community capacity, the official added.

Between October 2001 and August 2021, over 97,000 Afghan refugees and SIV recipients have settled in the United States, U.S. News reported, citing data from the State Department.

According to the data, over 80 percent of Afghan refugee and SIV recipients were resettled in 10 states since 2001. The 10 states are California, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado, and Missouri. California alone admitted 31,695 Afghan refugees, almost one-third of the total.

During the teleconference, officials said HHS would provide vaccines, “short-term emergency health insurance,” and “time-limited cash and medical assistance” to refugees and all other eligible populations, among other services.

HHS has requested additional funding to support these new arrivals from Afghanistan, the official added.

In August, President Joe Biden authorized an extra $500 million for relocating Afghan refugees, including applicants for SIVs.

Last week, the Biden administration requested Congress to provide $6.4 billion in the fiscal year 2022 to support processing Afghan refugees, provide resources for new and future Afghan arrivals, and for other humanitarian needs.

Biden Administration Details Plan to Relocate Afghan Refugees Across the Country (theepochtimes.com)

Pennsylvania’s Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted along party lines on Sept. 15, following a heated debate, to issue subpoenas to Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid, requiring her office to provide extensive information about the 2020 general and 2021 primary elections.

Democrats hope to block the subpoenas in court.

“It has been made plain that the Department of State and acting Secretary of State Degraffenreid are not willing to participate in this investigation into the 2020 general election and the 2021 primary election, and how the election code is working after the sweeping changes of act 77 of 2020,” Committee majority Chair Cris Dush, a Republican, said in the opening comments of the meeting.

Act 77, signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2019, created a new option to vote by mail without providing a reason, which had previously been required for voters using absentee ballots. It also allowed for a 50-day mail-in voting period, the longest vote-by-mail period in the country; extended the deadline to register to vote to 30 days from 15 days before an election; and extended mail-in and absentee submission deadlines from the Friday before an election, to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The Sept. 15 subpoenas call for the Department of State to provide the following information to the Senate Republican Caucus by Oct. 1:

All communications between the Department of State and any county election director and other election officials; a copy of every version of directives, guidance, policies, and procedures in effect during specified dates, relating to elections, election systems, mail-in ballot applications, ballots, polling places, or poll watchers; and all training material used to train election workers.

The subpoenas also seek a list of all changes made to voter records; a copy of the certified results for every race or ballot question for both elections; a copy of all audits or reviews of the voting system; and a copy of annual reports submitted to the Department of State in 2021.

Also requested by subpoena are detailed voter lists, including name, date of birth, driver’s license number, last four digits of Social Security number, address, and, in some cases, date of last voting activity. This information was requested for lists of all registered voters, those who voted in the 2020 general election or the May 2021 primary, in-person, by mail-in, absentee, or provisional ballot.

Democratic Opposition

Democratic committee members took issue with the request for driver’s licenses and partial Social Security numbers.

“You’re asking for a lot of information … for nearly 7 million people,” Democratic state Sen. Steven Santarsiero said. “What do you hope to do with that information?”

Dush said the documents are part of any audit that the auditor general would conduct, or anybody who is looking to verify the identity of individuals, their place of residence, and their eligibility to vote.

“There have been questions regarding the validity of people who voted—whether or not they exist. We’re not responding to proven allegations,” Dush said. “We’re investigating the allegations to determine whether or not they are factual.”

If there are problems, Dush said, the legislature has a responsibility to create legislation that will prevent problems in future elections.

Santarsiero grilled Dush on the cost and the name of the vendor that would handle the investigation.

“We are still looking at vendors who will handle the information,” Dush said. “I’m not going to be hiring political activists to do the investigation.”

Democrats protested the subpoenas so vigorously that three times, Dush stopped the meeting as it was broadcast across Pennsylvania.

“This meeting is at ease! Cut the feed,” Dush said, when Democratic state Sen. Vincent Hughes complained about members of the Senate who were “involved in the insurrection” having access to investigation information.

He was referring to Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has said he attended the Jan. 6 rally and march for President Donald Trump in Washington, and that he followed the law while there.

“We have a public that is concerned about how the last election was conducted,” Republican state Sen. Jake Corman said. “Credibility is important to all of us. When we look at the results of this investigation, one of two things will happen. Either it will give us action items to better our laws, or it will dispel the concerns that people have.”

Ultimately, the committee voted 7–4 to issue the subpoenas.

“I thought it was totally inappropriate,” Minority Chair Anthony Williams, a Democrat, told The Epoch Times. “I felt frustrated by the manner in which this was done and the substance. We don’t know the cost, we don’t know who the vendors will be, we don’t know what they will do with the information.”

The Senate’s Democratic Caucus was expected to file papers in the Commonwealth Court, seeking an injunction to stop the subpoenas, Williams said.

Pennsylvania Senate Committee Spars Over Advancing Election Investigation (theepochtimes.com)

Twitter exec who testified to FEC called the Trump team ‘Nazis’

Twitter blocked a story about Hunter Biden’s laptop after U.S. intelligence officials shared “rumors” that Biden would be the target of a hack, an executive with the social media company told the Federal Election Commission.

Yoel Roth, the head of Twitter’s Site Integrity Team, cited the information from U.S. intelligence officials to justify Twitter’s decision to block access to a series of New York Post articles published in October detailing emails found on Biden’s laptop. A conservative group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Twitter of giving an illegal campaign contribution to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign by blocking access to the articles.

Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have long faced allegations of bias against conservatives. Roth, who helped develop Twitter’s policy of labeling misleading posts, came under fire last year over tweets in which he called Donald Trump and his team “ACTUAL NAZIS.” He also called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) a “bag of farts,” Fox News reported. Brandon Borrman, a former Twitter executive who was named in the FEC complaint, recently joined an anti-Republican super PAC aligned with the Lincoln Project.

The six-member Federal Election Commission voted unanimously to dismiss the Republican complaint, according to documents released Wednesday. The bipartisan commission accepted Twitter’s claim that it blocked the articles for commercial purposes rather than for political reasons.

The commission pointed to Roth’s testimony that U.S. officials warned him individuals close to political campaigns would likely be targeted in “hack-and-leak” operations close to the election. Roth said he met frequently throughout 2020 with government officials to discuss election security. He said he learned in one of the meetings that “there were rumors that a hack-and-leak operation would involve Hunter Biden.”

While the commissioners did not weigh in on whether Hunter Biden was hacked, no evidence has emerged that he was. A computer repair shop owner in Delaware claimed that Biden dropped his computer off for repairs in April 2019 and never retrieved it. The shop owner, John Paul Mac Isaac, has released documents showing that he provided Biden’s laptop to the FBI in late 2019.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware is investigating Biden over his taxes and foreign business dealings. Biden has said he is not certain what happened to his laptop. He has admitted to being in the midst of a drug and alcohol binge around the time he allegedly lost his computer.

Twitter Blocked Hunter Laptop Story After Intelligence Officials Shared Hack ‘Rumors’ (freebeacon.com)

Seizures have nearly doubled 2020 numbers

Fentanyl seizures in 2021 have nearly doubled 2020 numbers, according to records quietly released by Customs and Border Protection.

The “Drug Seizure Statistics” tool run by the agency disclosed on Monday that agents already seized 9,337 pounds of fentanyl by the end of July, a 94 percent increase from the 4,791 pounds seized in the entirety of 2020. In 2019, the agency seized just 2,804 pounds. CBP did not publicly announce the updated statistics.

According to CBP’s data, the vast majority of fentanyl seizures—1,110—have taken place at the southwest border, highlighting how the migrant crisis creates opportunities for cartels and other criminal organizations as law enforcement finds its resources strained. The influx of fentanyl also comes at a time when overdoses from the drug are set to break all-time records this year.

In 2020, more than 93,000 Americans died from drug overdoses—a 29 percent increase from the previous year and the biggest one-year jump since 2016. President Joe Biden declared the week of Aug. 29 as “Overdose Awareness Week,” pledging a “strong response … to reduce the supply of illicit drugs.” Since 1991, 841,000 Americans have died from a drug overdose, with 70 percent of those deaths caused by opioids.

Experts say that just two milligrams of fentanyl can cause a lethal overdose to people with no tolerance for the drug, meaning the amount of the drug seized by CBP through July could potentially kill two billion people. A senior CBP official told the Washington Free Beacon that an increase in drugs across the southern border comes as no surprise, citing intelligence that concluded cartel operations increase during times of migrant surges.

July saw the most migrants encounters at the southern border in 21 years at 212,000, beating a record previously held by the month of June. According to Fox News, the month of August saw 208,887 encounters, a slight dip but 317 percent higher than the number of encounters in August 2020.

States at the epicenter of the opioid crisis are already challenging the Biden administration’s border policies. West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Aug. 19 over his decision to end the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, which forces asylum seekers to remain in Mexico before their court dates in the United States. Proponents of the policy say it acts as a deterrent for migrants and allows law enforcement agencies to focus their resources on criminals.

In its lawsuit, West Virginia cited the “devastating deadly flood of fentanyl across the Southwest border” as a consequence of that decision.

“By its consequences burdening and distracting the Border Patrol, the termination of the MPP decreases the security of the border against fentanyl trafficking between ports of entry, leading directly to both increased numbers of smuggling attempts and increased rates of success in evading Border Patrol,” the lawsuit stated.

The Supreme Court ordered the Biden administration to reinstate MPP on Aug. 24, saying the government improperly justified its rationale for ending the program on June 1. Although the White House said it would continue to look for ways to repeal MPP, the Free Beacon reported that senior DHS officials had been working on instituting a modified version of the policy before the Supreme Court’s decision.

Fentanyl Smuggling Surges at Border (freebeacon.com)

President Joe Biden’s administration is accepting new applications from parents who want to bring children as old as 20 from Central America, years after former President Donald Trump ended the program.

The Central American Minors Program was launched in 2014 during the Obama administration to let certain parents legally present in the United States bring their children from Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador to the United States if their request was cleared by U.S. authorities. It was first announced by Biden, then the vice president, in November 2014.

Trump terminated the program in 2017.

Now it’s being restarted as part of the Biden administration’s attempts to expand legal pathways to enter the United States. New applications were accepted for the first time in four years on Sept. 14.

The administration not only rebooted the program, but expanded it. In addition to parents, legal guardians can ask for their kids to be flown from their home country to the United States. The parents or legal guardians can even have pending asylum cases, or be in America on parole, and apply.

“We are firmly committed to welcoming people to the United States with humanity and respect, and reuniting families. We are delivering on our promise to promote safe, orderly, and humane migration from Central America through this expansion of legal pathways to seek humanitarian protection in the United States,” the Departments of State and Homeland Security said in a statement.

Marta Youth, a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. State Department, told reporters in a remote news conference that some 1,400 cases would be reopened as part of the program’s resumption, Reuters reported.

America’s Voice, a pro-immigrant group that wants to make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens, was among those praising the resumption of the program.

“CAM offers a safe, expeditious and orderly way for young people to seek safety and apply for reunification with loved ones from the region. After vetting and approval, these young people will board airplanes and join family in America. This provides an alternative route to protection,” Frank Sharry, executive director of the group, said in a statement.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, though, argued that the program elevates illegal aliens above U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

“Virtually all Central American minors who were left behind by parents who entered the U.S. illegally will be able to be admitted or paroled to the country and the American taxpayers will bear the costs of administering the program, while lawful immigration programs continue to experience historic delays and backlogs,” Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for the group, which seeks to reduce immigration levels, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“The reimplementation of this program reveals where the Biden administration’s immigration focus stands right now. It does not want to secure our southern border or limit incentives for illegal aliens, despite illegal immigration increasing every month under the administration and apprehension totals reaching figures not seen in two decades,” he added.

Illegal border apprehensions have shot up since Biden took office in January, hitting a 21-year-high in July. One expert projected arrests at the border setting a new record this year. The jump has included an unprecedented number of unaccompanied minors, or illegal immigrant children who arrive without a responsible adult. Over 13,000 unaccompanied minors were in U.S. government custody as of Sept. 13.

Biden administration officials have asserted that the chaos seen at the border is a result of changing what was a “cruel” immigration system under Trump. They’ve said it takes time to alter the system and that some areas have seen improvement.

Changes so far include stopping construction of the border wall, halting the “Remain in Mexico” program, and proposing to let immigration officers take over hearing some asylum cases from judges.

The dramatic alterations have hit some roadblocks, with judges ruling against the administration in a series of key cases, including ordering officials to resume Remain in Mexico.

A Department of Homeland Security official told The Epoch Times in a recent email this week that the department has not yet started to return illegal immigrants to Mexico, the core part of the program.

The agency was scheduled to deliver a report on the resumption on Sept. 14.

Biden Restarts Program That Lets Parents Bring Central American Children to US (theepochtimes.com)

A Mississippi abortion clinic is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the state’s fetal pain abortion law based in part on a debunked medical study.

The Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which sued Mississippi over a 15-week abortion ban, argued in a Supreme Court brief filed Monday that a 2010 review of research proved that pre-viability babies could not feel pain, but it failed to mention that one of the study’s architects repudiated the findings. “This medical consensus reflects the conclusions of a multi-disciplinary team of physicians and scientists from all relevant fields after a years-long examination of all peer-reviewed data relevant to the issue,” the brief states. 

Neuroscientist Dr. Stuart Derbyshire, who was a lead author in the literature cited by the clinic, updated his findings in a 2020 study after finding that fetuses feel pain at 12 weeks. John Bockmann, who co-authored the 2020 fetal pain study with Derbyshire, said the idea that there is a medical consensus on fetal pain is absurd. He said the brief is an example of abortion advocates disregarding updated science on fetal development. 

“If there were a rebuttal to our paper, which posits fetal pain beginning at 12 weeks, they would have put it front and center,” Bockmann told the Washington Free Beacon. Derbyshire, a professor at the National University of Singapore, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Supreme Court will take up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the fall term. Legal precedent since Roe v. Wade has declared abortion bans prior to fetal viability to be unconstitutional, but the Court did not intervene to stop a six-week abortion ban in Texas from being implemented in September. 

Mississippi state officials and pro-life activists encouraged the Court to consider updated science on fetal development that was not around during past abortion decisions. Derbyshire, who is pro-choice, previously told the Washington Free Beacon that his 2010 research paper is outdated. Chuck Donovan, president of the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, said abortion advocates are fearful that previous abortion cases may not hold up thanks to updated scientific understanding of fetal development. 

“The Mississippi abortion center brief only reinforces that Roe and Casey are based on outdated science,” Donovan told the Free Beacon. “Sadly, the abortion industry wants to keep it that way. Citing outdated science, ignoring medical advancements, and putting aside the consensus judgment of the American people, the abortion industry is asking the Court to close their eyes, their minds, and their hearts to the modern miracles of science and the dynamic lives of the unborn.”

Abortion Clinic’s Supreme Court Defense Rests on Debunked Study (freebeacon.com)

New Rasmussen data reveals a dark underbelly to the Biden regime.

Peaceful protesters caught in the maelstrom of the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol are being held as “political prisoners” and are being persecuted by law enforcement, says a plurality of American voters.

The data, from a new Rasmussen poll, reveals that 49 percent of American “likely voters” either strongly or somewhat agree with the concept that the U.S. government is holding political prisoners. Forty-two percent are in disagreement, with nine percent “unsure”.

This means more people than not believe the January 6th protesters are being unjustly held by their government. Recent reports suggest some of the individuals still awaiting trial are being mistreated, under-fed, and locked in solitary confinement without rationale.

When Members of Congress visited the Department of Corrections in Washington D.C., they were locked out of the building and unable to inspect the detention facilities.

Furthermore, Rasmussen reveals that 48 percent of Americans believe the Department of Justice and FBI have “targeted, imprisoned, and persecuted non-violent American patriots,” while 46 percent disagreed with the premise.

Just 52 percent say Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election “fairly,” with 40 percent claiming the opposite, and eight percent still unsure.

The news is bound to rankle White House staffers who have been unable to rescue President Biden from polling free-falls in recent weeks.

Half of America Says Jan 6 Protesters are ‘Persecuted, Political Prisoners’. (thenationalpulse.com)

There are many ways in which to divide humanity—the decent and the indecent, the happy and the unhappy, the cowardly and the courageous, those who lead and those who follow, etc.

Two major divisions that are less often noted but highly consequential are between those who want to control others and those who have little interest in controlling others, and between the related categories of those who are comfortable with being controlled by others and those who detest being controlled by others.

Those who seek to control others and those who seek to be controlled by others would seem to be on opposite ends of the political spectrum. But they are not. Both groups are overwhelmingly populated by individuals on the Left.

They currently dominate four of the five English-speaking countries (the United Kingdom may be the one exception). The ease with which Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders have accepted the loss of liberty in their respective countries has been the saddest and most frightening development since the rise of totalitarianism in the early 20th century.

Even sadder and more frightening has been the acceptance of authoritarianism by half of the American people. America has been the beacon of liberty in the world. America was the country to which France gave the Statue of Liberty. America has been, as President Abraham Lincoln characterized it, “the last best hope of Earth.” America’s self-image has been that of a “sweet land of liberty” and of “the land of the free and home of the brave.”

Then came a new virus (one with a survival rate in the 99 percent range for nearly all age groups except older adults who are also very sick), and suddenly, in the name of “public health,” no amount of suppression of liberty, no matter how irrational, has been resisted by the majority of Americans or almost any citizens of the other English-speaking countries.

The citizens of Australia’s biggest states are not allowed to leave their homes for more than a few hours a day, not allowed to congregate with other citizens even outdoors, not allowed even to speak with one another outdoors. For more than a year and a half, Australians have not been allowed to leave their country without the express permission of their government, which will decide whether they have a good enough reason. And, of course, church services are forbidden. Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders, most of whom are thoroughly secular, have only contempt for their compatriots who wish to attend religious services.

In many arenas of life, most Australians have fewer rights than most Soviet citizens did. Like Australians, Soviet citizens could not leave their country without permission, but they were allowed to leave their homes, to speak with people in the street, and to visit dying relatives in hospitals.

Meanwhile, a large percentage of Americans support a president of the United States who offers government and an enormous number of private-entity workers a choice between getting vaccinated—no matter how young they are, and whether they already had COVID-19—or losing their job. In other words, many Americans support firing any unvaccinated fellow citizens who work for the government, the medical professions, or privately owned companies with 100 or more employees.

Half of America supports a president who portrays the other half of America as an enemy, their fellow Americans as people for whom they should have hatred. No American president has ever given as divisive a speech as the one in which President Joe Biden announced his vaccine mandates (something he denied wanting to impose only nine months ago, in December of 2020). Lincoln, despite the Civil War, a war in which more Americans were killed than in all other American wars combined, called on Americans to have “malice toward none.” Biden, as mean-spirited a president as this country has ever had, has called for malice toward 100 million Americans, declaring, “our patience is wearing thin.”

There is a three-pronged left-wing assault on liberty: in the name of public health (COVID-19); in the name of “anti-racism”; and in the name of saving the planet (climate change). By ratcheting up fear and hysteria, the Left is using each to end individual liberty, including freedom of speech, for the first time in American history.

Will the Left succeed?

Unless Americans fight the Left as hard as the Union fought the slave states, the answer is yes.

Why Freedom Is in Serious Jeopardy (theepochtimes.com)

A Sheriff in California said on Monday that he will not force department employees or job applicants to be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite a state public health order mandating workers in “high-risk congregate settings” such as jails get vaccinations or are tested regularly.

In a video podcast posted to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page on Sept. 10, County Sheriff Chad Bianco had previously stated that he would not be mandating new or current employees of the sheriff’s department to have the COVID-19 vaccine, but maintained that he himself was “not an anti-vaxxer.”

“I’m not anti-vax, I’m anti-vax for Chad but that doesn’t mean that I’m anti-vax for someone else that feels they may need it, or that does need it, for high-risk categories, or even if it just makes you feel better,” Bianco said.

“A lot of department heads, different law enforcement agencies are coming up with policies or things like that, and as far as I’m concerned, I will not mandate a vaccine for our employees, we will not make it mandatory for any new employee to be vaccinated or current ones,” he continued. “I believe that is a very personal choice and that you need to make a decision.”

Following the podcast, Bianco shared a statement on Sept. 13 in which he claimed that a local newspaper was set to publish a story about the podcast and an unnamed reporter had “cherry-picked statements from supposed health experts in an attempt to paint me … in a negative light.”

Bianco reiterated his position regarding vaccinations and what he described as “tyrannical government overreach,” noting that it is his constitutional duty and responsibility to protect the public. He added that the soon-to-be-published article was “nothing but sensationalism trying to gain readership and further divide us as Americans.”

“Over the past couple of weeks, the idea of forced vaccination has caused much concern across the entire country,” Bianco said in Monday’s statement. “To repeat the context of the podcast, I will not enforce the vaccine mandate on Sheriff’s Department employees.”

“The government has no ability and no authority to mandate your health choices. As your Sheriff I have an obligation to guard your liberty and freedom,” he continued.

“I am certainly not anti-vaccine. I am anti-vaccine for me. That decision should be made in consultation with your doctor after discussing the potential benefit and the potential negative side effects.”

“It is time our government and our politicians come to the realization that the only reason they exist is because ‘we the people’ formed our government to secure the blessings of individual liberty and freedom,” Bianco added.

The state of California has mandated that those working in “high-risk congregate settings” such as state and local correctional facilities and detention centers, get vaccinated or submit to twice-a-week COVID-19 testing. It also applies to health care workers and employees of nursing homes and the state gave employees until Aug. 23 to comply.

Bianco’s comments come shortly after President Joe Biden issued sweeping new federal vaccine requirements that could affect as many as 100 million Americans.

Biden last Thursday announced he will direct the Department of Labor to develop a rule that companies with more than 100 employees will require vaccinations or once-per-week testing for their workers, potentially affecting tens of millions of U.S. private-sector employees and health care workers.

California County Sheriff: ‘I Will Not Enforce Vaccine Mandate’ (theepochtimes.com)

Twenty-seven Republican governors or attorneys general have vowed to fight the latest executive order issued by President Joe Biden mandating that over 80 million private employees receive COVID-19 vaccinations or undergo weekly testing, or their employer will be fined.

The executive order directs the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require private businesses with more than 100 employees mandate that their workers receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. Noncompliance would result in fines of $14,000 per violation.

The governors who’ve expressed opposition include those from Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Republican attorneys general from states with Democratic governors who also vowed to fight include Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Louisiana AG Jeff Landry.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with whom Biden has sparred over mask mandates and vaccine passports, said Florida would fight back.

“When you have a president like Biden issuing unconstitutional edicts against the American people, we have a responsibility to stand up for the Constitution and to fight back, and we are doing that in the state of Florida,” he said. “This is a president who has acknowledged in the past he does not have the authority to force this on anybody, and this order would result potentially in millions of Americans losing their jobs.”

Texas, which is already embroiled in several lawsuits with the Biden administration, vowed to sue. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said after hearing Biden’s announcement that “Texas is already working to halt this power grab” and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Texas would be suing the Biden administration “very soon.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said, “OSHA cannot dictate personal health care decisions for Missourians. Missouri is not under an OSHA state plan, and Parson will not allow state employees to be used to enforce this unconstitutional action.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster vowed to fight Biden, saying, “The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats. They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution, and empowered our enemies abroad. Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said, “Governors don’t report to Joe Biden. Governors don’t report to the federal government, the states created the federal government, and Joe Biden has stepped out of his reach,” Ducey said. “These mandates are outrageous. They will never stand up in court. We must and will push back.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita indicated he was working with a group of AGs to file a lawsuit. “My team and I, along with other like-minded attorneys general, are reviewing all legal action on how to stand against these authoritarian actions by the Biden administration,” he said in a statement.

The Republican National Committee also announced it was suing “to protect Americans and their liberties” if the proposed rule change were to go into effect.

In response to Republican pushback, White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond, a former Democratic congressman from Louisiana, told CNN the White House expected the opposition.

He said, “… those governors that stand in the way, I think, it was very clear from the president’s tone today that he will run over them. And it is important. It’s not for political purposes. It’s to save the lives of American people. And so, we won’t let one or two individuals stand in the way. We will always err on the side of protecting the American people.”

More Than Half of US States Vow to Fight Biden’s Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Corruption and crime is often an unfortunate part of the political sphere. Because candidates often require a lot of money to run a campaign, there are many chances to break the law.

One of the most common is stealing campaign funds and using them for personal gain. We’ve seen many examples of this over the years, and it usually results in arrests and major charges.

That’s what one Democrat is facing in Milwaukee — 4 felony charges.

Milwaukee City Councilwoman Chantia Lewis is facing some serious allegations, which are destined to damage her career.

In addition to being a Councilwoman, she’s also running for the Wisconsin Senate. The seat she wants to claim is currently held by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

However, Johnson may not have to worry about a challenge from Lewis, who now has bigger problems. She’s not only accused of theft and embezzlement; she’s also accused of lying about it.

This is the sort of mistake that could end any political career, especially if convicted.

And right now, the evidence appears to be stacking up against Lewis, who apparently thought she could steal campaign funds and use them however she saw fit.

From Fox News:

A Democrat running for Senate in Wisconsin has been charged with four felonies for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her campaign and then lying about it.

Lewis is alleged to have stolen $21,000 in campaign funds, which the complaint says the council member dropped into her personal bank account and used for personal expenses.

She allegedly filed false campaign finance reports related to her campaigns for Milwaukee City Council.

These felony charges for misconduct span four years between 2016 and 2020:

This includes embezzling over $10,000, filing a false campaign report, and illegally funneling funds from her campaign account. The false reports were to hide the latter action, evidently.

The penalty is pretty steep, too.

Lewis faces up to $10,000 in fines and 3.5 years in prison for three of the charges. The embezzlement charge is far more severe, and carries a maximum fine of $25,000 and up to 10 years in prison.

However, she claims she’s innocent.

Her campaign released a statement and claimed the charges were due to “accounting errors,” and she was “innocent of any criminal wrongdoing.”

Regarding the Wisconsin Senate race, Sen. Johnson may or may not run again in 2022, but there are plenty of Democrats looking to fill the seat, so Lewis has more competition there as well.

For the time being, Lewis will have to wait and see how the legal process plays out.

If she’s innocent, she’ll have a chance to prove it in a court of law. But if she’s guilty of stealing those funds, she might not have to worry about any political race.

Instead, she’ll have to worry about staying out of prison.

Key Takeaways:

• Milwaukee City Councilwoman Chantia Lewis is accused of theft, embezzlement, and lying about it.
• She allegedly stole $21,000 in campaign funds, and now faces up to $25,000 in fines and 10 years in prison.
• Lewis maintains her innocence, stating the charges are due to “accounting errors.”

Source: Fox News

Democrat Candidate Accused Of 4 Felonies – Lewis Charged With Stealing Campaign Funds And Covering It Up (thepatriotjournal.com)

Bureaucratic ignorance fuels the public’s institutional distrust, particularly when it comes to elections.

Polls are open in California for voters to determine whether to recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and residents are eagerly casting their ballots.

But some voters are worried that their votes will not be counted — including two women who went to vote in Woodland Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Estelle Bender, who lives in nearby West Hills, told KTLA-TV that she and others at the polling place were informed that they had already voted even though that had not.

Asked how shocked she was, the 88-year-old responded, “Very. I went to El Camino High School to vote, got there at 10:30, gave her this and she scanned it and said, ‘You voted.’ And I said, ‘No I haven’t.’ And she said, ‘This has been happening all morning.’

“The man next to me was arguing the same thing. So as I left, I did the provisional ballot.”

Bender said she “saw two women walking toward me as I left and I said, ‘Don’t be surprised if they tell you how they voted.’ And she said, ‘They’ve already done that.’”

She said she was “really angry” and suspicious that this issue was targeting Republicans.

“I asked the couple, the young women that I talked to and I said, ‘Are you by any chance Republicans?’ She said, ‘Yes,’ and I said, ‘Well so am I.’”

Another voter, Monica Almada, told KNBC-TV that she had the same issue when she tried to cast her ballot at the Disabled American Veterans 73 Vote Center in Woodland Hills.

“My confidence is not the same as it used to be about the voting system,” she told the outlet.

There is no empirical evidence to support that this technical error is targeted toward Republicans, but this incident certainly is raising alarm bells.

The cheat has begun

— Ghimm To (@GhimmTo) September 12, 2021

Not surprised. This state is as corrupt as they come.

— Scribbletarian (@DrinkerFree) September 12, 2021

In response to the KTLA report, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder released a statement.

“The voters who experienced this issue were offered and provided a provisional ballot- the failsafe option to ensure no one is turned away from voting,” it said.

If people are running into issues at their polling places, they should discuss it with the staffers there and then get in touch with their county’s registrar office.

It’s clear that situations like the one in Woodland Hills will only create more distrust in the American electoral process and could result in voters deciding to stay home.

But these incidents should not deter anyone from casting their ballots in the California recall election.

CA Recall Voter Says She and Other Republicans Showed Up at Polling Place, Were Told They Already Voted (westernjournal.com)

Nearly six years after murdering a high school football player at 15 years old, a convicted first-degree murderer in California could be granted early release through the assistance of Senate Bill 1391.

Through SB 1391, minors can’t be tried as adults no matter the crime they commit, making them eligible to be released from jail at the age of 25 with a clean criminal record.

The victim, Jaulon “JJ” Clavo, a 17-year-old high school senior, was driving back to school in Sacramento for a Friday night CIF football game with five of his friends when he was approached at a three-way stop sign by Keymontae Lindsey, 15, on Nov. 13, 2015.

Dr. Nicole Clavo, JJ’s mother, told The Epoch Times her son was coming back from Popeyes when he was shot multiple times, including by one bullet that went through his neck.

JJ was urged by his friends to drive forward with the bit of adrenaline that was left in him before he slumped over.

His friends were able to get him to the back seat before making their way back to campus where students and visitors were pouring in for Friday night football.

“Campus was about a mile and a half away from where they were,” Nicole said. “Unfortunately, he didn’t survive.”

Nicole described her son as being “full of life.” She recalls taking him for his 16th birthday to buy him a car off the lot. A battle she faces is having bought him a car that he later would pass away in.

“Maybe if I hadn’t bought him a car, he wouldn’t have been there, because he wouldn’t have been able to drive to Popeyes to get something to eat,” Nicole said. “I expected great things from him, and unfortunately, I’ll never know whether those things will be achieved.”

The following day, on Nov. 14, Lindsey was arrested before being officially charged with murder in February 2016.

The Clavo family waited nearly four years until they officially went to trial in August 2019, shortly after SB 1391 was signed into law earlier that year.

“Unfortunately, Senate Bill 1391 came through like a creep in the night,” Clavo said.

Lindsey, who was supposed to be charged as an adult, was deemed eligible to proceed through juvenile court by a judge.

“We believe K. Lindsey’s conduct should result in a commitment until age 25,” Sacramento Chief Deputy District Attorney Rod Norgaard told The Epoch Times via email.

“There would be no supervision in the community. At any time, however, a youth may return to court and bring motions to show that he has met his rehabilitative goals, seeking termination of his juvenile wardship/supervision prior to that time.”

Unless Lindsey is found to be in violation of a court order, he will not be eligible to remain behind bars.

“My son was really the first case to be here in Sacramento, to be put forward under [SB] 1391,” Nicole said. “It was one of the first cases to go to the appeals court as well here in Sacramento County, and we, unfortunately, lost our appeals in appeals court. They sided with 1391. Which means regardless of whether or not we’ve already been through all their proceedings, they were able to take us all back to the beginning.”

Under SB 1391, Nicole worries that Lindsey will not be ready for release in the years to come. In court, Nicole gave a victim statement for the need to break the cycle of Lindsey’s family inheritance.

“My concern would be is that he comes back with his family and falls back into the same hole, that he repeats the same crimes, victimizes someone else,” she said. “We’re not holding these people accountable for their actions and their crimes. The victims constantly suffer at the hands of these laws, and those who are making them, they’re familiar with the pain and the torment they endure living life afterward.”

Lindsey is 21 years old and sits with first-degree murder charges that will be dismissed in four years.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee strictly oppose the immigration reform measures in the committee’s portion of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution package because they say the bill grants amnesty to nearly 8 million illegal immigrants and encourages more people to flood the southern border.

“June was the highest month on record until July when 212,000 enforcement encounters took place; my guess is August will be higher yet. So, what are Democrats focused on in this legislation? Putting amnesty in a bill for—approximately 8 million illegal immigrants—in a bill that spends $3.5 trillion,” Jordan said in his opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee hearing Monday.

Jordan said he opposes the immigration reform bill put forth by Democrats in the FY 2022 budget resolution, because it fails to protect American citizens and adhere to our founding documents. “Government’s primary responsibility is to protect Americans’ liberties, to protect the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. It’s why we have separate and equal branches of government,” said Jordan.

Members of the House who represent communities on the southern border say the surge in illegal immigration is a humanitarian issue and is flooding their communities with illicit drugs.

“As I have continuously said, there is a humanitarian crisis at our southern border. The children who have made this journey are alone and vulnerable—facing the threat of murder, kidnapping, rape, sexual slavery, and forced labor at the hands of violent criminal organizations,” said Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas).

Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas) told a local radio interviewer that his district is being inundated by illegal drugs. Roy said there has been “an 800 percent increase in fentanyl stops, here in Texas—800 percent increase in the first five months of 2021 over the entirety of the previous four years combined.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the immigration provisions (pdf) will grow the economy and strengthen communities.

“It does this in two key ways, by providing a path to permanent residence and improving the green card process for those who are already making a significant contribution to our country; and by providing additional resources to community violence intervention initiatives at … the Department of Justice,” said Nadler during Monday’s hearing.

“The immigration provisions in this legislation serve as a vital investment in human infrastructure that reflects our commitment to a stronger U.S. economy and a vibrant future for all Americans,” Nadler said about the immigration reforms portion of the bill.

The main part of the bill the Judiciary Committee is debating today will provide a pathway to citizenship for DREAMERS, those with Temporary Protected Status, farmworkers, and “other essential workers;” and it will recapture the availability of immigrant visas and expand green card processing.

Opponents of this immigration measure say it will reward illegal immigration and increase the surge of people crossing the southern border. In addition, Republicans on the committee slammed the bill for giving Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas additional “congressional authority” to determine eligibility for illegal immigrants coming into the United States.

“The bill is a blank check. He can do whatever he wants. He gets to fill in all the details that this bill does not address. Even the DREAM Act, at 54 pages; the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, 231 pages; and the U.S. Citizenship Act, 353 pages. With this bill [Immigration Provisions] it’s only 18 pages because it basically says to the Homeland Secretary, ‘you can grant entry to anyone you want without numerical limitation,’” said Biggs.

“The Secretary of Homeland Security shall adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence … ,” states the bill. In addition, the secretary has the authority to determine the status of illegal immigrants who file an objection to their removal proceedings.

Chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), said it (the budget resolution), “could not be more fitting or appropriate that we are considering today, legislative changes to our immigration system, to realize those economic benefits through budget reconciliation.”

The reconciliation process will allow the Democrat Majority to pass the $3.5 trillion spending bill with no Republican votes, so long as most of the House Democrats vote in favor and all 50 Democrat Senators do the same.

Nearly 8 Million Illegal Immigrants to Get Amnesty Under Biden’s Budget Resolution Says House GOP (theepochtimes.com)

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill on Friday that would have increased penalties for those who engage in riots that result in damage or injury.

“People who commit crimes during riots and at other times should be prosecuted and our laws provide for that, but this legislation is unnecessary and is intended to intimidate and deter people from exercising their constitutional rights to peacefully protest,” Cooper, a Democrat, said in a press release.

A person would have faced felony charges and jail time if he or she caused damage to property, or assaulted a citizen or emergency personnel, during a protest or state of emergency.

Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors, called it a “common-sense bill” written to protect “small businesses and individuals in the event that a protest became violent and focused solely on the perpetrators of violence rather than peaceful protesters.”

“Every suggested change to improve the bill from the other side of the aisle was incorporated,” Moore said. “Unfortunately for this governor, pandering to the far left is more important than rule of law.”

In a statement released after the bill passed in the Senate in August, Moore said he had witnessed “the violence and destruction caused by rioters right here in downtown Raleigh” in 2020.

“What this bill does is enforce harsher penalties for the perpetrators of violence and looting, while preserving every North Carolinian’s right to protest peacefully,” Moore said. “Our rights to free speech and assembly are precious and must be preserved, but never at the expense of harm to others. House Bill 805 simply ensures the safety of our citizens while upholding their rights to free speech and assembly.”

Felony charges would have been handed down if damages exceeding $1,500, serious bodily harm, or death, had resulted from the actions of the rioter.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the bill “harmful,” adding that it “would dissuade many people from engaging in peaceful and constitutionally protected acts of protests.”

The bill was retaliation, the ACLU alleged, against the “uprising for racial justice” that happened in 2020 when an outbreak of violence started in May at the time of the killing of George Floyd, a black man who had been arrested.

The May 25 arrest was filmed, and in the video, Floyd, 46, said he couldn’t breathe as Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was witnessed kneeling on Floyd’s neck as he pleaded for air.

Floyd was pronounced dead an hour after the incident.

According to a September 2020 report (pdf) from the Raleigh Police Department, May 30 through June 7 became a week of peaceful protest that devolved into acts of violence and destroyed property.

In July 2020, the Triangle Business Journal reported that statewide insurance claims were over $10 million.

Anti-Riot Bill Vetoed in North Carolina (theepochtimes.com)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law on Sept. 13 that requires cash bail for suspects who have allegedly committed violent crimes.

The measure, Senate Bill 6, was approved in the Texas House and Senate in August, following a delay that was triggered by dozens of House Democrats fleeing the state to deny Republicans a quorum over a Republican-backed election overhaul bill.

Known as the Damon Allen Act, the legislation was named after a Texas state trooper who was killed in 2017 during a traffic stop by a suspect who was free on $15,500 bond. The law now mandates that people accused of committing violent offenses can’t be released on personal bonds, which don’t require a defendant to pay money, but require other measures such as monitoring.

Suspects believed to be involved in violent crimes will now have to post cash bail set by a court, the text of the legislation reads. They can also pay a percentage to a bail bonds company to be released.

“The Damon Allen Act makes it harder for dangerous criminals to be released from jail on bail,” Abbott, a Republican, said on Sept. 13 before signing the bill.

Some cities that are controlled primarily by Democrats, including Seattle, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon, have enacted bail reform laws that have rescinded cash bail. Critics of such measures, including police unions, have said such laws increase the violent crime rate in an area.

“Texas cities will not follow the lead of Portland, Seattle, and Minneapolis; Texas will remain a law-and-order state and continue using every tool available to preserve the safety that Texans deserve,” Abbott said. “That is why I am proud to sign the Damon Allen Act into law, which will reform our broken bail system in the Lone Star State.”

The law will go into effect on Dec. 2. Other measures included in the measure will create a new system of court officers to review a defendant’s criminal history before bail is set.

Before signing the legislation, Abbott suggested that an overall decline in morality is the reason why crime is on the rise, arguing that Texas needs “better parenting,” and it needs to “restore God in our communities.”

“If we do that, we will be able to reduce crime in this region,” he said.

Democrats and left-wing organizations have largely opposed the measure and say that it will lead to overcrowded jails.

“SB 6 is built on right-wing hysteria that violates Texans’ rights, not on public safety,” Laquita Garcia with the Texas Organizing Project said in a statement. “If implemented, this bill will lead to more overcrowding in jails and further criminalize poverty in our state.”

However, family members of victims who were killed by offenders who were released on personal bond praised the move.

“I am beyond pleased that the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 6,” Melanie Infinger, the mother of Caitlynne Infinger Guajardo, whose estranged husband allegedly killed her right after he was released on personal bond, said in a statement to the Texas Tribune.

Guajardo was pregnant with a child when she was killed.

“Since my daughter Caitlynne’s murder in 2019, I vowed to do whatever possible to save other families from the excruciating preventable pain of losing a loved one in the manner in which I lost my girl and her unborn child,” Infinger said.

New Texas Law Requires Cash Bail for Suspects Accused of Violent Crimes (theepochtimes.com)

Nebraska’s attorney general is working with other attorneys general to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Nebraska’s governor said Sunday.

“He’s coordinating with the other attorneys general across the country who share similar views about the overreach,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“This is an egregious overreach of federal authority. And as we see what these rules are, we will be able to know exactly how we will be able to challenge them in court. I’m also talking with my colleagues around the country as well, the other governors who feel the way I do, and we’ll be working on other strategies,” he added.

Biden is, through an executive order released last week, forcing federal workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine unless they are approved for a religious or medical exemption. He’s also directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to work up an order that would require private businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccination.

Ricketts, a Republican, and 18 other governors immediately condemned the mandates, arguing they were the wrong approach to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Some governors and attorneys general indicated that they would turn to the courts.

“I will pursue every legal option available to the state of Georgia to stop this blatantly unlawful overreach by the Biden administration,” Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, wrote on social media in the wake of Biden’s announcement.

Ricketts, asked when he would be going to court, said that would come when the exact rules are laid out.

“When we get an idea of what these rules exactly will be, we’ll know how to be able to attack it in court,” he said.

Biden administration officials have defended the mandates, asserting that they’re legal and would withstand scrutiny.

“The law basically requires the Department of Labor to take action when it finds grave risk to workers,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. “And, certainly, a pandemic that killed more than 600,000 people qualifies as a grave risk to workers.”

“The requirements that he announced are not sweeping requirements for the entire nation. These are focused on areas where the federal government has legal authority to act,” added Surgeon General Vivik Murthy on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Others aren’t so sure.

Mandates of the kind Biden announced are “generally relegated to the legislature in our system of government, so I think the courts will focus on that issue first and say that the president may not have the authority to do this without congressional authorization,” Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor, said over the weekend.

That’s what happened with the eviction moratorium ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Supreme Court blocked the latest moratorium last month, ruling the agency lacked the authority to impose such a ban and that Congress had not authorized it.

“We expect Congress to speak clearly when authorizing an agency to exercise powers of ‘vast economic and political significance,’” the majority wrote.

States Analyzing How to ‘Attack’ Biden’s Vaccine Mandates in Court: Nebraska Governor (theepochtimes.com)

A Missouri college is denouncing the removal of flags commemorating victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, but it’s not clear if the student identified as removing the flags will be disciplined.

The Young America’s Foundation placed nearly 3,000 flags in the ground at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri to commemorate the victims of the terror attacks. But video footage from Sept. 11 showed a man carrying trash bags filled with the flags, after removing them from where they’d been placed.

Fadel Alkilani was later identified as the man. He’s the student union vice president of finance, the school’s paper reported.

Alkilani admitted to removing the flags in social media posts he later deleted. In one, he wrote that he intended to “protest against American imperialism and the 900,000 lives lost as a result of post 9/11 war.”

Alkilani later took to Instagram to pen a lengthy statement, writing that he “had no intention of removing the flags from the Mudd Field area, and my full protest did not have the chance to be actualized.”

“My planned protest was to place the bags of flags on Mudd field, along with various statistics explaining the human cost of 9/11 in the past 20 years,” he added.

Alkilani indicated that he is under investigation for possibly violating the university’s code of conduct, though he maintains he did not.

The university in an initial statement on Sept. 11 said it was “disappointed to learn about the disruption to the 9/11 display on Mudd Field,” adding, “we condemn the interference.”

“I want to make it very clear that, as an institution, we find the actions of this student to be reprehensible,” Chancellor Andrew Martin wrote on Sunday to students and teachers.

“The removal of the flags impeded the ability of individuals to commemorate the lives lost on 9/11 and to process the trauma of that day. This act was seen as a personal affront by many, at WashU and beyond, and as an affront to the ideals of our institution,” he said.

Martin confirmed that what happened is being investigated.

The school did not respond to an early morning request for comment.

College Republicans President Nick Rodriguez told the student paper that Alkilani’s actions “made a mockery of one of the most somber days in American history” and called for his removal from the student union.

“What does it say to be a top American institution, and have yourself represented by a student leader who has no respect for property, campus traditions, or the remembrance of thousands of lost lives?” he said.

Reagan Steirn, another student, described herself as “livid” about Alkilani removing the flags.

“With a leadership role, someone doing those actions and showing his disrespect will just allow other students on campus to do the same thing, when in this situation it’s just not OK to do that,” she said.

Missouri University Condemns Removal of 9/11 Commemoration Flags by Student (theepochtimes.com)

The 911 emergency call system in Portland, Oregon, is “broken,” officials say, and callers who need help are often waiting more than two minutes for assistance, even though emergency calls are supposed to be answered in around 15 seconds.

“People calling 911 to report a Sept. 4 shootout at a Pearl District restaurant and other emergencies in the following half-hour waited an average of more than 7.5 minutes before a dispatcher answered,” the Oregonian reported. “The lengthy hold time is far above the national standard of 15 to 20 seconds for 911 calls and the latest example of serious problems plaguing the city’s emergency dispatch system.”

An official with Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications called the situation “horrible” and “broken,” and said the agency’s own statistics show “an average hold time of a minute. But it also shows a dramatic increase of 911 calls on hold for two minutes or longer starting in late spring and summer.”

“Another striking jump of calls on hold for more than five minutes occurred in May and July, according to bureau figures released to the newsroom,” the Oregonian reported. “Compared to March, when only eight 911 calls took more than five minutes to answer, that number increased to 221 in May and more than doubled to 574 in July.”

Portland, meanwhile, is struggling with an increase in crime. Homicides are still low compared to most major cities, but they are spiking.

“Homicides in Portland increased from 28 in 2019 to 54 in 2020,” Portland’s KGW report. “Among cities similar in size to Portland, Seattle saw an increase from 34 to 53 homicides, in Minneapolis, a spike from 48 to 82, and Milwaukee saw homicides increase from 97 to 190 from 2019 to 2020.”

As of May, per the Seattle Times, ’37 people had died in Portland homicides this year, a more-than-sevenfold increase compared with the first five months of last year, and a stark contrast to Seattle, a larger city, where 11 homicides had been recorded as of late May. So far this year, the victims have disproportionately been people of color.”

At the same time, Portland is struggling to keep police officers. Just weeks ago, dozens of Portland police officers resigned en masse from the city’s rapid response team, “citing a lack of support from city leaders. The move to disband the unit came one day after Portland Officer Cody Budworth was indicted and accused of striking a protester in the head last summer with a baton. It marked the first time a city police officer faced prosecution over striking or firing at someone during a protest,” per Yahoo News.

The city’s emergency communications department is also struggling to keep staff, with a dozen retirements or resignations over the past several months.

“We’re at a tipping point now. It’s become unmanageable,” one city official said. “The system is broken.”

Portland officials have proposed having 311, the city’s information line, handle calls that do not necessarily require an emergency response, but 311 answers calls only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

‘Broken’: Portland Residents Facing ‘Dramatic Increase’ In Wait Times For 911 Calls Following Efforts To Defund Police | The Daily Wire

A group of six employees with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city on Sept. 11, claiming that the city’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy violates their rights.

The lawsuit challenges both the city’s mandate and LAPD’s alleged failure to provide a process to submit requests for medical or religious exemptions. The plaintiffs include LAPD employees who have contracted COVID-19 and recovered who believe they should be exempt from the mandate.

“Subjecting City employees to a new condition of employment—which neither they nor Plaintiffs contemplated when they were hired—forces them to choose between their livelihood, in a time of acute nationwide economic hardship, and preservation of their fundamental constitutional privacy rights to control self-disclosure of sensitive personal information,” reads the suit.

“The order further seeks to embarrass, humiliate, shame and deprive the liberty of persons who decline to state their vaccine status by requiring Plaintiff to treat them as unvaccinated and impose testing, masking, and other punitive measures such as denial of promotions, transfer, appointments, etc.”

In addition, it states that the city “ignores peer-reviewed studies comparing naturally acquired and vaccine acquired immunity that show overwhelmingly that the former provides equivalent or greater protection against severe infection than immunity generated by mRNA vaccines.”

The LAPD employees are represented by attorneys Daniel Watkins of Watkins & Letofsky and Kevin Snider of the Pacific Justice Institute. The lawsuit names the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAPD Chief Michel Moore, and City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo as defendants.

The lawsuit argues that the LAPD is also violating the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which require reasonable medical or religious accommodation. It asks the court to declare the vaccine mandate unlawful and block the city from enforcing it.

Watkins told The Epoch Times that the attorneys also plan to file a class action lawsuit regarding the exemption issue, which could potentially affect thousands of employees.

An LAPD officer who requested to remain anonymous told The Epoch Times that the size of the group affected by the lawsuit could grow to as many as 3,000 or more employees of all ranks and classifications, including civilian workers.

“Our particular group has had 1,300 people sign up to get assistance in filing exemptions and retain legal counsel in the event of denial,” the officer said.

The City Mandate

The Los Angeles City Council approved the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination ordinance (pdf) on Aug. 18, requiring all current and future city employees be fully vaccinated (including boosters as deemed required by the CDC, FDA, or Los Angeles County of Department of Public Health), or request an approved medical or religious exemption, and report their vaccination status no later than Oct. 19.

The ordinance states that as of Oct. 20, COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be a condition of city employment unless approved for an exemption.

“Requests for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination must be submitted no later than September 7, 2021,” states the ordinance.

According to the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), an employer may require employees to receive an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, as long as the employer complies with all state and federal laws (pdf).

The FEHA protects employees from discrimination, retaliation and harassment in employment. The FEHA anti-discrimination provisions apply to all employers with five or more full-time or part-time employees.

Under the law, in mandating vaccinations, the city must provide reasonable accommodation based on disability or a sincerely held religious belief or practice, cannot discriminate against or harass employees or job applicants based on their disability or religion, and cannot retaliate against anyone for engaging in a protected activity such as requesting a reasonable accommodation.

Exemption Request Confusion

The city ordinance does not designate a specific form, application, or process to be used by employees to request religious or medical exemptions, leaving some confused about the exact requirements.

As of Sept. 7, LAPD employees had only received a link sent via mass email to submit an “exemption interest form” allowing them to note their interest in applying for accommodation, according to Watkins.

He said many employees began submitting their requests for exemption using the department’s default employee report Form 15.7, generally used to report issues not addressed by other specific departmental forms, since the employees were concerned they would miss the deadline.

Adding to the confusion, some personnel have received exemption denials on the basis that Form 15.7 was the incorrect form, according to the LAPD officer who requested to remain anonymous.

The exact number of intent forms that were submitted by the Sept. 7 deadline is unknown because they were submitted via a link to the city, not one established by the LAPD.

Watkins said that while some exemption requests have been accepted by different city precincts, more than half have been refused by division chiefs, and still others are being held due to the lack of an implementation plan. He hopes that the request for injunctive relief will compel the city and LAPD to implement a process consistent with the law.

“The law calls for an individual review of the requests, and yet now you have at least 1,300 requests,” the attorney said. “And that requires a significant process, man hours, and putting into place a system for individual review and criteria for evaluation, and they’re [LAPD] just not doing it.”

Another officer, who also requested to remain anonymous, received an email after submitting an accommodation request via Form 15.7. It stated:

Per this official DOC notice, the Department has advised not to submit any other forms to request exemptions. Hence, we are not accepting 15.7s for exemption requests. Officers need to be directed to complete the process as stated on the DOC Notice. I have already contacted OSS and we are not accepting a 15.7.

We WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE for an officer saying he/she turned in a 15.7 requesting the exemption and we lost it or didn’t process it.

Officers in another area of the city claimed that some requests were collected by the department and destroyed.

Awaiting City Guidelines

According to Lt. Raul Jovel of the LAPD Media Relations Division, the department has not yet received direction as to how the ordinance should be implemented. Therefore, he couldn’t comment on handling requests for medical or religious exemptions.

“The process and procedures have not been developed yet. There’s talk that the city is still coordinating or working with the labor unions, the League and different employer organizations to try to figure out how this is going to work,” Jovel told The Epoch Times. “Once that’s written, we’ll know exactly the process but also the other half of that coin is trying to figure out, if people don’t do this [get vaccinated], what are the consequences.”

According to Jovel, Chief Michel Moore has stated that he will not comment on what he can or cannot do regarding the implementation of the ordinance at this time until he acquires more input from city leaders.

Jovel said that the intent forms that were sent out before Sept. 7 went directly to the city and the LAPD did not have access to how many of its personnel submitted their intent to request exemption.

“At all departments across the city, employees were asked if they intend to file an exemption, either religious or medical, to log in to a login portal with the information, and that went to the city. I’m not sure what they intend to do with that data,” Jovel said.

‘Push to Mandate Vaccines’

The city’s move towards mandatory vaccinations has been in play for several months. On July 27, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez announced that they would “push for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for City employees, beginning with a requirement that workers either submit proof of vaccination or a weekly negative test.”

The vaccine requirement, the memo stated, “is part of a broader push to mandate vaccines for all employees once the federal Food and Drug Administration gives full approval. It comes as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to drive an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated in Los Angeles County and across the country.”

“Angelenos have stayed inside for over a year to protect themselves and others. I think it’s safe to say that we’re getting tired of putting our lives on hold to protect people who don’t want to protect themselves and get vaccinated,” Martinez said in the statement.

Martinez said that as the largest employer in the City of Los Angeles, they are doing their part and must set an example in asking Angelenos to get vaccinated.

The LAPD’s Chief Police Psychologist, Dr. Edrick H. Dorian, also sent out an emotional email on Aug. 30 encouraging employees to get vaccinated, stating that it would alleviate guilt and shame, as well as the worry of family members already taxed by the dangers and uncertainty of them working for the LAPD.

The letter told employees that if they are not vaccinated, they can still change their minds, “if only because you want to protect others’ safety or because you do not want to jeopardize your livelihood.”

Dorian’s emailed letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, reads:

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late… It’s rare that I, the Department’s Chief of Police Psychologist and commanding officer of Behavioral Science Services (BSS), have the opportunity to communicate with all of you directly. As your police psychologists, dietician, and addiction prevention unit, most of our work at BSS occurs behind closed doors, out of plain sight, under the strictest of confidentiality. For the past 53 years, our primary purpose has been to help preserve or enhance the good in your life. We are here because we value and support you and the mission of law enforcement.

In that vein, I write today to acknowledge the stress and turmoil you have all experienced over the past 18 months. If a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic was not enough, you have experienced one of the most challenging periods in policing history. We have seen you, listened to you, and learned from you-it has been brutal at times, both for you and for your family members. Frankly, it has been incredibly heartbreaking for us to witness some of the hardships you and your loved ones have endured.

Today, some of our most prominent conversations in the Department center around the impending mandates for vaccination, which have understandably caused some concerns about personal rights and adverse health consequences. There is likely little you have not already heard a thousand times on the subject, whether it be medical facts, an array of theories about ulterior motives, or stories about terrible or miraculous outcomes. Yet, I implore you to put all of that aside for a moment and consider the following.

We at BSS have witnessed an extraordinary amount of personal suffering, fear and guilt over the past many months. These stories are often not publicly shared, as they involve feelings of embarrassment and shame, coupled with fears of judgement and ridicule about the consequences of coronavirus-related choices and behaviors. Two of the greatest points of pride for officers are in exercising good judgement and being among the few in society who are trained in, and committed to, protecting safety. When we know that vaccines are effective, immediately available, and a form of invisible body armor against serious illness or death, it is tough to look back with regret.

If you have not been vaccinated by now, it is because you have your reasons. You have thought about it a lot. It is OK to change your mind, if only because you want to protect others’ safety or because you do not want to jeopardize your livelihood. Getting vaccinated now is an easy way to remove one major area of worry for your family, given all the dangers and uncertainty they know you regularly face.

If you have concerns about the vaccine, we can help point you to resources for the accurate information you need. If you feel your rights are being violated, remember that those rights are intact, but that public safety officers commit to many requirements of the job from day one. Take a moment to consult a trusted friend, colleague, or police psychologist on whether this is “the hill” on which you want to take a stand—whether that is best for you and your family. If you think you will be judged for getting the vaccine, the unvaccinated who become ill when vaccines were widely available will tell you that the alternative is often much worse. You have a choice. And because you do, don’t wait until it’s too late…please vaccinate. Thousands—the majority—of your fellow LAPD family members already have.

Navigating Exemption Laws

According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), leaders of police departments in the U.S. may require employees to be vaccinated without violating federal law but are required to consider religious and medical accommodation requests.

The organization emphasized that employees have the right to refuse to be vaccinated if they have a valid medical or religious objection.

Police departments have also required employees to receive other vaccines, such as tetanus, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella, and flu vaccines, as well as meet certain health and fitness medical requirements.

Those seeking a medical exemption or accommodation must establish a qualifying disability that prevents them from taking a vaccine, while those seeking a religious exemption or accommodation must establish that the vaccine or immunization would violate a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance. In addition, an employee that has deep moral or ethical values in conflict with vaccinations can also qualify for a religious exemption and accommodation.

Employers must also allow discussion on whether an individual’s objections can be accommodated. This might include increasing the level of personal protective equipment, moving an employee’s workstation, temporary reassignment, working remotely, or minimizing interactions with other employees or the public.

Depending on the size of a department, the accommodations may be impossible or place an undue burden on the employer, making the request unreasonable. If no reasonable accommodation can be found, employees may be placed on unpaid leave or terminated.

Potential Impacts on Policing

According to the LAPD officer who spoke to The Epoch Times on agreement of anonymity, the impact of employees leaving due to the vaccine mandate would be catastrophic in terms of the LAPD’s ability to protect the public.

“It takes at least five years for an officer to become proficient at their job,” the officer said. “Less than that and they are placed with more senior officers to assist them in navigating the complexities of liability and a procedurally intense environment, not to mention, just being able to remain alive at the same time.”

He said that monthly police academy classes usually consist of 40 to 60 candidates who are selected from a pool of those applying.

“We usually hire one out of 300 to 1,000 candidates. This means in the best of times we will need 12,000 applicants for 40 new officers.”

And, while most of the candidates graduate, some will not pass probation.

“Taking that into consideration, we also have to factor in retirements each month, which usually ranges from 20 to 50 personnel. The Department is already down 700 employees from the 10,000 we were at a few years ago prior to the pandemic, defunding, etc.,” said the officer.

“It could take up to two years to fill that gap alone. If we were to lose an additional 3,000 employees or more, it would take at least five years to replace those losses, and that would be without allowing a single retirement during that time.”

The officer explained that the department has 1,800 to 2,200 officers total assigned to respond to citizen calls, but on any given night the department has fewer than 800 employees working in the field. Most areas also have about 15 to 25 percent of employees who are unavailable at any given time due to training, vacation or duty-related injuries.

Additional attrition, he said, would result in a “complete disaster.”

“With violent crime climbing to levels not seen in decades and looking at both the World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Olympics potentially coming to the City of Los Angeles in the next seven years, the impact of these possible losses—the time it would take to replace them and allow them to mature and become effective—will result in truly dangerous conditions for the community, and a tremendous loss in revenue for the city.”

Lynn Hackman

Lynn is a reporter for the Southern California edition of The Epoch Times, based in Orange County. She has enjoyed a 25-year career as a senior-level strategic public relations and contingency planning executive. An editor, blogger, and columnist, Lynn also has experience as a television and radio show producer and host. For six years, she was co-host of Sunday Brunch with Tom and Lynn on KOCI 101.5 FM. She is also active in the Newport Beach community, serving as chair emeritus of the Newport Beach City Arts Commission, among various positions with other local organizations.

LAPD Employees File Federal Lawsuit Against City Over Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

CHICAGO—One person has died and five others including a teenage girl have been injured in a shooting on Chicago’s South Side, police said.

A group of people was walking toward their vehicles in the city’s West Pullman neighborhood around 9:40 p.m. Saturday when someone inside another vehicle “fired multiple rounds, striking the victims,” according to police.

A 42-year-old woman who was shot in the arm and armpit was taken to a hospital where she later died. Authorities have not identified her.

A 32-year-old man who was shot in the face was listed in critical condition. The other victims, ranging in age from 15 to 28, were listed in fair condition at area hospitals.

No one had been arrested in the shooting, police said Sunday as the investigation continued.

No further details were released.

Police: 1 Killed, 5 Others Wounded in Chicago Shooting (theepochtimes.com)

A hospital in Upstate New York won’t have the capacity to deliver babies after six employees in its maternity ward resigned instead of taking the COVID-19 vaccine as part of an executive order handed down by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo several weeks ago.

Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville said that it will work with state officials to ensure that the maternity unit doesn’t shut down permanently, officials said, reported WWNY-TV. Six employees who were employed in the unit resigned, while seven more who are apparently not vaccinated are undecided, Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cayer said.

Due to the staffing shortage, the hospital won’t be able to deliver newborns, Cayer said.

“If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County,” Cayer said at a news conference on Sept. 10.

About 165 hospital employees have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, Cayer said. That’s about 27 percent of the workforce, he said.

“Our hope is as we get closer (to the deadline), the numbers will increase of individuals who are vaccinated, fewer individuals will leave and maybe, with a little luck, some of those who have resigned will reconsider,” Cayer said. “We are not alone. There are thousands of positions that are open north of the Thruway (a highway system spanning Upstate New York) and now we have a challenge to work through, you know, with the vaccination mandate.”

In August, Cuomo, a Democrat who resigned over alleged inappropriate behavior with staffers, issued an order that all healthcare workers in New York state have to get their first COVID-19 shot by Sept. 27. And last week, President Joe Biden issued an announcement saying that healthcare workers at facilities that receive Medicaid or Medicare funding have to get vaccinated with no exceptions, with officials estimating that 50,000 such employees would be impacted by the mandate.

Hospital workers in California, Tennessee, and Texas have demonstrated against recent vaccine mandates. In June, a number of employees at Houston Methodist hospital in Texas walked out of their shifts to protest the company’s vaccine mandate.

Biden’s announcement also targeted more than 80 million workers who are employed at companies with 100 workers or more, saying that these employees have to either get weekly testing for the CCP virus or the vaccine. Although few details about the plan have been released about how it would be enforced, some officials said that harsh fines would be imposed if the workers don’t adhere to the mandate.

The Epoch Times has contacted Lewis County General Hospital for additional comment.

NY Hospital Will Stop Delivering Babies as Maternity Workers Resign Over Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

The estate of a man who was shot dead in Portland, Oregon last year is suing the city over its approach to public safety.

Portland Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler, Multnomah District Attorney Mike Schmidt, and other city officials “created a vacuum where peacekeeping efforts and criminal accountability should be; in its place, an environment of vigilantism emerged that ultimately led to the death of Aaron Danielson,” states the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Portland, and obtained by The Epoch Times.

Danielson was killed in Portland on Aug. 29, 2020. Michael Reinoehl, a self-described member of the far-left, anarcho-communist Antifa network, later admitted to shooting Danielson, who was wearing a hat with the logo for Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group, and has been described as a Patriot Prayer supporter.

The two groups clashed in Portland before the shooting, with little intervention by police officers.

The Portland Police Bureau, overseen by Wheeler, chose to let rioters attack a federal courthouse in the city during the spring of 2020, triggering a deployment of federal officers to protect the building and leading to nightly clashes that drew nationwide attention.

Rioters, including members of Antifa, later turned their attention on other facilities, such as police precincts and the headquarters of the Portland police union. While some arrests were made, many of those arrested saw their charges dropped or their cases not pursued by prosecutors, under an unusual policy implemented by Schmidt’s office shortly after he became the district attorney.

The new suit says the approach used by police and prosecutors also included delegating the authority to engage in crowd control and crime prevention to individuals who provided security services for Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and right-wing groups like Patriot Prayer.

The defendants knew that a large-scale demonstration was planned the night Danielson was killed and was aware that members of Antifa and others planned to confront demonstrators but chose to deploy a minimal police presence while also ordering officers to “stay out of sight” and allow the demonstrators and protesters to “express their emotions,” the suit also alleges, quoting Wheeler.

Danielson was deprived of his constitutional rights to assemble peacefully and to have equal protection under the law, his estate’s lawyer said.

“This case is about accountability. We are seeking justice for the preventable death of a young man, gunned down in a city with a dangerous and deadly hands-off approach to public safety,” Christopher Cauble, the lawyer, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“Time and time again, city leadership and law enforcement has failed to find an effective response to clashing groups of protesters. For well over a year, they have known when and where these rallies would occur and the likelihood of escalating violence. Yet no strategy of protective intervention has been utilized to this day. This reckless dereliction of duty cost Aaron Danielson his life. We seek justice for the Danielson family and for a community that deserves far better safety and responsibility from those sworn to protect and serve,” he added.

The suit is seeking $13 million in damages.

Wheeler’s spokesman and Schmidt’s office did not return requests for comment.

Reinoehl was shot dead by law enforcement officers carrying out a warrant days after the Danielson killing. William Barr, the attorney general at the time, said what unfolded was “a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities.”

Another shooting took place in a daylight clash in Portland on Sept. 4 after Chuck Lovell, Portland’s police chief, announced that officers would not intervene in physical clashes.

Wheeler, a Democrat, initially defended the strategy despite the firefight, but on Wednesday, during a City Council hearing, said the tactics needed to be rethought.

“It is clear, based on the public outcry, on the media outcry, on the national front, that that strategy was not the right strategy. I think we can all acknowledge that. I take full responsibility for it,” he said.

“I think we all acknowledge we want to do better. So for me, it’s about proper training, it’s about clear directives, it’s about making sure the community feels safe to express their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly, but also to hold anybody—and I mean anybody, regardless of their politics—hold anybody accountable who thinks violence or criminal destruction is the right answer.”

Estate of Man Killed by Antifa Member in Portland Sues City Over ‘Hands-Off Approach to Public Safety’ (theepochtimes.com)

President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers will exempt United States Postal Service (USPS) employees who pumped millions of dollars into the 2020 election campaign.

A USPS spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon that Biden’s mandate, announced Thursday, will not apply to the nearly 500,000 workers who deliver mail to American residents each day. The postal service’s status as an independent agency frees it from the purview of the executive order. The exempted workers happen to be members of two of the most influential government workers unions in the country.

The American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers spent about $3 million on the 2020 elections, with nearly all of the money going to boost Biden and other Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Neither union responded to requests for comment.

Biden ordered a federal vaccine mandate on Thursday afternoon shortly after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) debuted plans to require vaccination or weekly testing for workers at private companies with more than 100 employees. The mandate carries fines as high as $14,000 for employers that refuse, but it is unclear if those rules will apply to the postal service. A postal service spokesman said the agency is examining the OSHA regulation.

OSHA did not respond to a request for comment.

Biden’s labor backers within the postal service have expressed opposition to vaccine requirements as a condition of employment. In August, the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 USPS workers, announced its opposition to federal vaccine mandates.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Postal Service Unions Spent Big on Biden. Now They’re Exempted From the Federal Vaccine Mandate (freebeacon.com)

Mining magnate Clive Palmer will take the Western Australian government to court over their plan to limit entry to their state to only those vaccinated against the CCP virus.

In addition, he has offered to fund a class action over vaccination passports.

It has been pointed out in the media that he, or the entity through which he operates, may well require an ASIC licence to undertake litigation funding. But that would hardly operate as a barrier to his plans, and there would be no difficulty with Palmer’s compliance under the law.

It would be unwise to dismiss his declarations as mere bravado, or to assume that he will not succeed in some or even all of his lawsuits.

Palmer remains one of the most interesting and powerful persons to have appeared on the Australian national scene in many years. In fact, most of us will only see one Clive Palmer in our lifetimes.

Ridiculed by the elites and subject to their condescension, he remains a man not to be trifled with.

This threatened litigation should not be considered alone. It is part of a trifecta which can quite legitimately advance his political impact.

Like a good general, Palmer relies on all weapons to win victory—advertising, politics, and his latest acquisition, Independent Federal MP Craig Kelly, to whom I return below.

As to Palmer’s threatened litigation, recall that his immediate objective is for the United Australia Party (UAP) to make significant inroads in the next federal election, which must be held before May 21 next year for the House of Representatives and half the Senate.

It is extremely unlikely that there will be final rulings on any of the cases by then.

The cases will ask the High Court of Australia to determine whether recent government actions to contain the CCP virus and protect residents, can be justified under the Australian Constitution.

It is likely the following provisions will be scrutinised including Section 51 (xxiiiA) against “civil conscription” in providing medical services; Section 117, which requires that residents of one state not be subject to any “disability or discrimination” in another state; and Section 92, which allows trade, commerce, and intercourse between states to be “absolutely free.”

Yet, as U.S. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes famously once said, “the Constitution is what the judges say it is …’’

The High Court hearing will no doubt feature arguments that Australia’s constitutional system protects fundamental rights as outlined by Justice Mary Gaudron in the 1992 High Court case, Australian Capital Television Ltd v Commonwealth, who said, “The notion of a free society governed in accordance with the principles of representative parliamentary democracy may entail freedom of movement, freedom of association and … freedom of speech generally.”

Two experts in constitutional law, Professors Augusto Zimmermann and Gabriël Moens, also recently argued that the Constitution must always be interpreted in a manner that promotes its purposes, values, and principles, which includes fundamental rights for citizens.

Accordingly, they argue that compulsory vaccination, either directly or indirectly, constitutes a form of “civil conscription” that is constitutionally invalid.

However, this only seems to relate to the exercise of power by the federal parliament, leaving the states free to act.

Zimmermann and Moens concede that they are not predicting what the High Court might do, but only arguing what they believe it should do.

Apart from the Constitution, I expect there will be a minefield of litigation to emerge against ministers of health across the country. A significant amount of their law-making could be found unlawful.

I expect we will see massive claims alleging the ministers committing the common law wrong of misfeasance (a transgression) in public office. If such claims were successful, as I am sure they will be, the damages to be paid by taxpayers will be large.

To return to Craig Kelly, like Palmer he is also subject to the condescension of the elites.

But the fact is that he is one of those rare politicians who has not deviated from his principles—and has followed them even to the extent of resigning from the Liberal Party—will be widely recognised among rank-and-file Australians I believe. Any major advertising campaign may enhance this message.

He is precisely the sort of representative 18th century Irish stateman Edmund Burke had in mind when he said representatives owe you their judgement.

If one bothers to read all of Burke, it will be seen that he condemned what now dominates the major political parties in Australia—to a greater degree than in the United Kingdom—which is that party members regularly receive instructions that they are bound “blindly and implicitly to obey, to vote, and to argue for, though contrary to the clearest conviction of (their) … judgment and conscience.”

In the 2019 election, while the UAP gained no seats, Palmer played a significant role through his advertising campaign in creating legitimate distrust among a significant number of traditional Australian Labor Party voters who would suffer from its policies.

I wrote in the Spectator Australia on why this was the case, and we saw the subsequent defeat for the Labor Party at the 2019 election.

Since the election, Australia’s two major parties, Labor and the Liberal-National coalition, have drawn together in policy and only differed at the margins.

With Kelly, Palmer’s UAP is led by a politician who carries weight among the rank-and-file and offers a notable point-of-difference from the major parties.

The result may be that the UAP plays a strong hand at the next federal election.

A number of flags placed above a freeway overpass in Riverside honoring the 13 U.S. marines killed in the recent Afghanistan attack have been purposely damaged and stolen for unknown reasons.

It began with a set of 13 American flags and one marine corps flag that was set up during Labor Day weekend over the Ivy overpass on the 91 Freeway.

Shortly after they were installed, all of the flags were completely shredded, Riverside Police Department spokesperson Ryan Railsback told The Epoch Times.

On Sept. 7, a family went to the Ivy overpass to replace the damaged flags with a fresh set of 13 American flags and one marine flag when another family showed up at the same time with another 13 American flags, which were installed on the other side of the overpass, Railsback said.

Unfortunately within 24 hours, all 27 flags were stolen, the reason unclear.

At the same time that the 27 flags were being put up, the Riverside Chamber of Commerce put up 13 American flags and one Marine flag on the 14th street overpass, and the marine flag was stolen the following day.

The police department is following up on slim leads as to who might committing the vandalism, but at a time when there are no suspects, given that the area around the Ivy overpass is between residential neighborhoods with few security cameras.

It is also unclear if there is one person or multiple people destroying the monuments.

Railsback speculated that whoever damaged the first flags could have had a mental illness; but whoever purposely stole all 27 flags likely was intentional in their actions.

“We do have homeless people in these areas, but the one who cut the first flags, it could have been some kids, some angry person, some mentally ill homeless person walking by and decided to cut them and rip them. Whoever did that maybe wasn’t in their right mind,” Railsback said.

“But when you steal 27 flags the next day, you know what you’re doing. That’s not someone coming by deranged, that’s behavior of someone who’s more intentional and probably in their right mind to some extent. But we won’t know for sure [unless we catch them].”

Railsback said that if the person was looking to divide the community, the opposite effect actually happened, with people buying up flags to unify over both the 13 soldiers killed in the Kabul attack as well as the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks coming.

“Right after 9/11, it was this sense of everybody coming together and talking about what they have in common more than what they don’t, and just a sense of unity and support for many different things, but back then it was the military and the people who were lost that day. So, you kind of get a little sense of that [here], with part of it relating to the 13 [service members] who were killed, but also having the 20th anniversary of 9/11 tomorrow. It’s kind of a combination of both that we’re starting to see people come up.

Residents in Riverside are starting to place 13 flags around their houses in support of the soldiers, and due to the ones on the overpass being ruined, another group has put 13 more flags on the Adams Street overpass. Two of the 13 soldiers killed were from Riverside, something that Railsback said really hit close to home for the community.

American Flags Honoring 13 Service Members Killed in Terrorist Attack Stolen in Riverside (theepochtimes.com)

On Thursday evening, President Joe Biden unveiled two executive orders that could mandate vaccinations for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus for millions of working Americans in both the public and private spheres. But absent from these mandates are similar requirements for members of Congress, federal judges, or their staffers.

Biden’s executive orders would unilaterally require vaccination for federal employees, the military, and government contractors. The president also asked Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require that firms with over 100 employees either mandate vaccination or weekly CCP virus tests. In total, these mandates could affect over 100 million American workers, making it one of the widest-reaching vaccine mandates in world history.

Biden wrote, “It is the policy of my Administration to halt the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, by relying on the best available data and science-based public health measures.”

The order continued, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services has determined that the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent infection by the Delta variant or other variants is to be vaccinated.”

In the second section, Biden lays out this rigorous policy, requiring all executive agencies to “implement, to the extent consistent with applicable law, a program to require COVID-19 vaccination for all of its Federal employees, with exceptions only as required by law.” Such exemptions are few and strictly defined.

The order would cover civilian employees of executive offices like the State Department and Department of Defense, and would also require all military personnel to receive the vaccine. In total, this no-excuses order would affect millions of civilian and non-civilian federal employees.

The president went beyond this, however, laying out a framework that would require private-sector employers to mandate vaccines or weekly testing for their employees. To achieve this, Biden turned to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency tasked with ensuring that companies protect the safety of their employees.

OSHA’s “emergency temporary standards” policy does allow for some immediate action from the agency. Under “certain limited conditions,” according to OSHA’s website, “OSHA is authorized to set emergency temporary standards that take effect immediately and are in effect until superseded by a permanent standard.” To issue such a temporary order, OSHA “must determine that workers are in grave danger” from toxic substances or other “physically harmful” agents.

If OSHA complies with the request from the president, workers in mid-sized to large firms—any firm with more than 100 employees—across the country will be affected. These employees would be forced to choose between weekly testing and vaccination in an effort to further push the unvaccinated into getting the new medication.

But not included in the executive orders are mandates for members of federal employees in the legislative or judicial branches, including members of Congress, their staffers, as well as federal judges and other court employees.

Earlier in the year, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked about requiring that members of Congress be vaccinated.

“Public health officials are encouraging wearing masks indoors,” Pelosi began.

She continued: “So here’s the thing—we cannot require someone to be vaccinated. It’s just not what we can do.”

The vaccination status of any member of Congress, Pelosi said, “is a matter of privacy.” She noted that she “cannot go to the Capitol physician and say ‘give me the names of people who aren’t vaccinated’ so I can go encourage them or make it known to others to encourage them to be vaccinated.” Pelosi closed, “So we can’t do that.”

While Democrats in Congress claim to have a 100 percent vaccination rate, some Republicans in both chambers expressed hesitancy. It is unclear exactly what percentage of members are vaccinated. Under this executive order, holdouts in Congress would not be forced to get a vaccine.

Likewise, because federal courts are not under the executive branch, federal judges and their staffers are not covered under Biden’s sweeping mandate.

Members of Congress, Federal Judges, Staffers Exempt From Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

Post 2020 election information has revealed that Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, Wendy Sartory Link, accepted a $6.8 million dollar grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during the 2020 elections via the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) while Facebook actively censored the campaigns of Republican candidates, including Congressional candidate Laura Loomer and Presidential candidate Donald Trump, two Republican Palm Beach County candidates and residents who are permanently banned from Facebook.

Under Sartory Link, Palm Beach County received the largest grant from Zuckerberg in the state of Florida out of the nearly $400 million in grants he and his wife Priscilla Chan gave to Supervisor of Elections offices in Democrat leaning counties throughout the country during the election season.  

Most of the election equipment on Wendy Sartory’s wish list for the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office was purchased with Zuckerberg’s grant money, and according to Wendy Sartory Link, not all of the money was spent, and she has stated her plans to use it during the 2022 elections in Florida.

However, with the recent signing of Govenror Ron DeSantis’s Florida election integrity bill, which he first announced and signed in Palm Beach County, Wendy Sartory Link is in direct violation of the new law, which has established a “prohibition on the use of private funds for election-related expenses”, The new policy was created in direct response to the fact that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and others in Big Tech provided funding to some states and cities last year to help run elections. Zuckerberg’s donations of nearly $400 million dollars for election operations during 2020 has many crying foul, with accusations of campaign finance violations and election interference. Many Republicans have accused Zuckerberg of using the funding in targeted blue areas, favoring Democrats.

The legislation states, “No agency or state or local official responsible for conducting elections, including, but not limited to, a supervisor of elections, may solicit, accept, use, or dispose of any donation in the form of money, grants, property, or personal services from an individual or a nongovernmental entity for the purpose of funding election-related expenses or voter education, voter outreach, or registration programs.”

Despite the fact that Wendy Sartory Link is prohibited from using the leftover funds from Zuckerberg’s 2020 election grant in any future Florida elections, she told Fox News in April that she plans on using leftover funds from Zuckerberg, which are now being referred to as  “Zuckerbucks”, for the 2022 election in Palm Beach County.

Wendy Sartory Link told Fox News,

“Our original understanding of the grant was that it had to be used for 2020, so we didn’t spend all of the money. We are now getting permission from CTCL to complete the purchases. So, to answer your question, some of it would be for 2021, 2022, because some of that equipment, we weren’t able to get in time — whether it’s equipment or the firewall, some of the security, or IT security programs, didn’t get implemented. We knew we weren’t going to have time to get them in as it turned out for 2020. So we didn’t purchase them because we wanted to make sure we stayed within the definition of the grant, which at the time was for 2020. We have since gotten permission for those now, so they are in that process for some of the equipment and some of the IT programs.”

Along with her admission to use Zuckerbucks for the 2022 election in direct violation of Florida’s new election integrity law, Wendy Sartory Link has committed an ethics violation by accepting funds from a partisan company that actively suppressed the campaign and was involved in litigation with Laura Loomer, who ran for Congress in Florida’s 21st Congressional District, located in Palm Beach County.

Loomer’s campaign made history as the first deplatformed campaign in United States history, and it was the only general election campaign banned by Facebook during the 2020 election cycle. Following Loomer’s announcement that she was running for Congress, Facebook went as far as changing their terms of service in reaction to her campaign and established a new policy that denied canddiates access to Facebook accounts if they were banned prior to running for office. As a result, Laura Loomer for Congress was the only campaign in the nation that was denied Facebook access during the 2020 election cycle.

Despite meeting with Loomer on October 13, 2020 at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office and knowing this information about Facebook censoring Loomer’s campaign, Wendy Sartory Link never disclosed her acceptance of $6.8 million in grant money from Zuckerberg nearly one month after Loomer officially won the Republican primary to be on the ballot as the official Republican nominee for Congress in a Congressional District located in Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach County grant from Zuckerberg was received on Sept. 30, more than one month before the November general election. Loomer won the Primary on August 18th. Equipment that was used in the 2020 elections in Palm Beach County, FL was purchased with the Zuckerberg grant money, which begs the question, why did Wendy Sartory Link refrain from disclosing this information to the voters, as well as the Laura Loomer for Congress campaign that was deliberately being silenced by Facebook in an election season?

Red flags should also be raised over the large discrepancy between grants received by different counties in South Florida.

While Palm Beach County received a Zuckerberg grant for $6.8 million in 2020, Miami Dade County received $2.4 million, and Broward County received $1.4 million.

In other words, Palm Beach County received nearly double the grant money that Miami Dade and Broward counties received from Zuckerberg, combined.

Could this be because the most anti-big tech platform in the nation was radiating out of Palm Beach County, FL through the Laura Loomer for Congress campaign? It certainly has people asking the question as to how this money was spent and why the Laura Loomer For Congress campaign was never notified of the egregious conflict of interest.

Zuckerberg’s money via the CTCL was dispersed in 49 states across 2,500 jurisdictions for election administration to pay for additional polling places, ballot drop boxes, and “voter education”.

Along with failing to be transparent about Zuckerberg’s financing of the election equipment in Palm Beach County for the 2020 elections, Wendy Sartory Link has also not provided a line item forensic accounting of the money that was spent, and what it was spent on.

Following the widespread corruption in both the Broward County and Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in both 2016 and 2018, in which a recount was issued between the elections of then candidate Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum, there were widespread calls for removal of corrupt Supervisors of Elections, including Brenda Snipes and Susan Bucher. In January 2019, Susan Bucher was suspended by Govenror Ron DeSantis as the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections due to her role in election chaos during the 2018 midterm recount in Florida.

“An election that happened the week after Halloween, you ended up not having the recount done until after Christmas. Palm Beach County stands alone in that level of ineptitude,” Govenror DeSantis said of Bucher.

As her replacement, Governor DeSantis appointed Wendy Sartory Link, a West Palm Beach lawyer who pledged to serve the rest of Bucher’s term, but to not run for re-election in 2020. However, Wendy Sartory Link did end up running in the 2020 election, she won, and is now serving as the elected Supervisor of Elections of Palm Beach County.

It is worth noting that Wendy Sartory Link is a registered Democrat, and Political corruption within the Supervisor of Elections office in Palm Beach County seems to be a pattern.

Ahead of the 2022 elections, Wendy Sartory Link must be required to return all of the leftover Zuckerbucks she accepted in the form of a $6.8 million grant, or be held accountable in violation of Florida’s new election laws.

The Laura Loomer For Congress campaign will also be requesting that Governor DeSantis consider investigating Wendy Sartory Link’s acceptance of the Zuckerberg grant money as well as consider a total forensic investigation and analysis of every dollar of the grant money that was spent during the 2020 election in Palm Beach County. It is highly inappropriate for the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office to be taking money from a partisan tech CEO who actively censored candidates on the ballot in Palm Beach County in 2020, and has pledged to further do so in 2022 and 2024 through measures to censor Governor DeSantis’s re-election campaign, and President Trump if he decides to run for President again.

EXCLUSIVE: Palm Beach County Election Supervisor Purchased Voting Equipment With $6.8 Million Zuckerberg Grant As Facebook Censored Palm Beach Candidates – Loomered

A Missouri police chief said that he and all of his officers tendered their resignations, saying the pay rate is too low and that his officers don’t have the proper equipment to perform their duties.

Kimberling Mayor Bob Fritz confirmed to local media outlets that the officers and former chief Craig Alexander submitted their resignations.

“Have I ever said no to you guys? No, you haven’t. So how can I explain this right here? I have no idea,” the mayor said, according to Ozarkfirst.

To deal with the issue, Fritz said he will lean on help from the Stone County Sheriff’s Department and the nearby city of Branson West.

“A mutual aid agreement with Stone County Sheriffs Office and the City of Branson West in that they’ll assist Kimberling City until our police department is at full capacity,” the mayor said in a statement. “As of today, we have eight resumes and some of them are unbelievable. And like I told the city administrator, start setting up interviews and everything too. I think we can have this taken care of this, I’m hoping in the next few weeks or so.”

Letters signed by several of the officers cited different reasons for leaving the department, including low pay, a lack of staffing, better employment opportunities, and more, according to the local news website.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said that his office will handle emergency calls until the Kimberling department is fully staffed, although he admitted that it will be difficult to find qualified individuals to work there.

“It will be a struggle to fill the police department back up with qualified officers, but hopefully they can start working on that soon and get that accomplished,” Rader said regarding the resignations at the Kimberling City Police Department.

But until the staffing is complete, “we will be answering all the calls in Kimberling City, we can’t enforce city ordinances, but any other calls we will be handling at this time,” he continued.

Their resignations come in the midst of a wave of anti-police animus that was triggered during last summer’s riots and protests following the death of George Floyd. FBI data also suggests that crime, including violent crimes like homicide and rape, are on the rise across the United States.

An analysis from The Epoch Times earlier this year revealed that numerous officers are retiring earlier or are simply resigning in the country’s largest police departments, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Missouri Police Chief Suddenly Resigns Along With Every Officer (theepochtimes.com)

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer issued a warning on Democrats wanting to remake the Supreme Court, including expanding the institution with justices, suggesting that Republicans will exploit Democrats’ agenda.

Breyer, in a wide-ranging interview with NPR, said he will not kowtow to calls from progressive lawmakers to retire due to his age.

“I’m only going to say that I’m not going to go beyond what I previously said on the subject, and that is that I do not believe I should stay on the Supreme Court, or want to stay on the Supreme Court, until I die,” the 83-year-old justice told the partially publicly funded broadcaster. “And when exactly I should retire, or will retire, has many complex parts to it. I think I’m aware of most of them, and I am, and will consider them.”

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last year and Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the top court, left-wing Democrat lawmakers called for the expansion, or “packing,” of the Supreme Court with several more justices. In April, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that established an investigatory body to determine whether more seats should be added to the Supreme Court or whether term limits should be established for justices.

“There is no question that Justice Breyer, for whom I have great respect, should retire at the end of this term,” Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) told news website Cheddar in April, referring to Ginsburg’s death. “My goodness, have we not learned our lesson?” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has issued similar statements.

But Breyer, who dismissed such calls earlier this year, again said that such notions haven’t had an impact on the justices.

“What goes around comes around. And if the Democrats can do it, the Republicans can do it,” Breyer told NPR while promoting his upcoming book, “The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics.”

During the interview, Breyer also said that he welcomes in-person oral arguments after the court went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it’s better to be there where you can actually see the lawyer and see your colleagues, and you get more of a human interaction,” he said to NPR.

“We’re not automatons. We’re human beings,” Breyer also said. “And I believe when human beings discuss things face to face … there’s a better chance of working things out. That’s true with the lawyers in oral arguments, and it’s true with the nine of us when we’re talking.”

Justice Breyer Issues Warning to Democrats Who Want to Remake Supreme Court (theepochtimes.com)

California once was run by conservatives and mostly centrist Democrats.

True paleo-liberal governors like Pat Brown greatly expanded the welfare state. But they also believed in pushing integration and building freeways, dams, aqueducts, and power plants, while preventing forest fires, directing the mentally ill into state hospitals, and ensuring that the state enhanced the housing, timber, oil and gas, nuclear and agricultural industries.

So, why would anyone deliberately destroy that heritage?

Why allow California to have the highest aggregate basket of income, sales, property, and capital gains taxes in the nation, the highest gas and power prices in the continental United States, and nearly the worst schools and infrastructure? California also has the country’s largest populations of homeless, welfare recipients, and undocumented immigrants.

Remember that the left wing of the Democratic Party became hyper-wealthy through globalization and the tech revolution. Coastal universities such as Caltech, Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, and UCLA became global nexuses of millions who flocked to California to learn business, engineering, science, math, and the professions.

University endowments were no longer measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars but in the billions.

Hollywood and professional sports now had a lucrative worldwide audience of billions.

The market capitalization of Silicon Valley was to be measured in the trillions of dollars, as the world bought iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks to do Google searches, tweet, and use Facebook. The result was the greatest concentration of wealth in such a small space in the history of civilization.

Within 40 years, California had created a new plutocracy of Eloi, whose wealth exempted them from all worries about the mundane problems of the distant and despised Morlock others.

The wealthier the long thin line from San Diego to Berkeley grew, the more the overseers felt they were nearing Utopia, at least in their own lives.

The new Democratic Party liked to redistribute money for the poor and so obeyed the orders from the rich. But they ignored old-fashioned infrastructure that once had allowed the middle class to drive quickly and safely, ensured them water during droughts, curbed their forest fires, and allowed their children to leave school competitively educated.

Reaction, not prevention, was the new mantra. Govs. Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom failed to thin out forests, build water storage, and allow affordable housing.

When those problems exploded, they reacted by citing climate change or some other bogeyman as the culprit rather than government dereliction. They preferred utopian high-speed rail solutions to pragmatic problem solving. And they ensured that none of their crackpot ideas ever affected themselves.

Why worry about affordable housing and electricity for the masses when all the right people had the means to live in the right ZIP codes without much worry about turning on the air conditioning or heat, since there were rarely any scorching days or frigid nights in coastal paradise?

Why worry about immigration when labor became even cheaper?

Why worry that California public schools had sunk near the bottom of state ranks, when there were more prestigious prep schools than ever on the coast?

And why worry about producing lumber for houses, irrigated crops for food, or oil for gasoline, when the right Californians would always have the money to import their hardwood floors, arugula, and fuel from grubby others far away who would make or grow what was needed?

Yet ideas eventually have consequences. Soon, even the left-wing paradise on the coast would be infected by the anarchy the rich had created for less important people elsewhere.

The homeless did not just camp on the streets of Fresno, but in Venice Beach and on Market Street in San Francisco.

Fires began to smoke out not just the brush of the inland foothills, but near-saintly Lake Tahoe, home to the right skiers and the chosen shore owners.

Thieves even smashed the windows of Bay Area BMWs and Volvos.

The current California recall election is a choice between Gavin Newsom, who embodies the woke, old-boy privilege of the Bay Area, and an alternative direction. Newsom is the epitome of the virtue-signaling elite who patronize the poor and drive out the despised middle class.

Gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder did not give us the current California. Indeed, he spent most of his life warning us where Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, and the rarified society of the coastal corridor was taking the state.

A careening California is heading for a colossal train wreck. Voters will have to pick between the incompetent engineer snoring at the wheel or the private passenger who rushes into cab to get the engine back on track.

Recall Election Could Reverse the California Ideology (theepochtimes.com)

Interview with the Antichrist is a must-see film, especially for Christians. In the movie, the Antichrist interviewee made a warning that soon he would take all lukewarm Christians to Hell, instead of being saved by God. Who is this guy? And who are the lukewarm? Could this happen in the real world, and how to prevent it? You will get an answer to these questions after watching this feature.

Director Timothy A. Chey shared he was an atheist until in his 30s. Since then, he has become very spiritual and committed to making faith-based films. Chey does not think the movies he made are merely fictional or for entertainment. “My one and only goal is to bring people true salvation in Christ in these very last days,” Chey said, “the Lord is coming sooner than we think.” And what he is most interested to illustrate is the battle of Armageddon described in the book of Revelations—the destruction of humanity by the Antichrist before God returns and how mankind would go through this great tribulation.

“I believe the Antichrist is alive right now,” Chey stated, “so it intrigued me to show a live broadcast with the Antichrist to ask him every question under the sun.” That is why, in the film, the Antichrist is peppered with stark questions including media domination, the battle between pastor John MacArthur and the California governor, the ACLU, Netflix and couch potatoes, the 9/11 terrorist attack, mass shootings, radical left movements, communist China, the evils of political correctness, pandemic lockdowns, and other mandates.

In the movie, the Antichrist mocks Pope Francis’ Interfaith Unity movement and lukewarm Christians spending more hours watching food channels than reading the Bible. Is even the Pope lukewarm? Some churchgoers may be shocked.

Lukewarm is neither hot nor cold. Lukewarm Christians are people who claim they have faith in Lord, but in the real world, are on and off. Are you lukewarm? Maybe you’re thinking, “No, I’m a devout believer of God.” That is remarkable. But wait for a minute. Is this your resolution or actual daily practice?

When the apostles worried about their clothes and bread, and when frightened by the storm, they were called “ones of little faith.” Peter denied his identity three times, even though he was the first disciple to acknowledge the Messiah.

Like water being cooked, every molecule of water in the pot is lukewarm until it boils. So lukewarm might not be name-calling, but a description of certain status or phase in the spiritual journey. And a person’s spiritual level is not static throughout one’s life; shifts in both directions are possible.

Viewer Joan Enderman agrees this movie is a wake-up call because she has found herself “slipping,” “being a Christian and sealed by the Holy Spirit does not give us immunity from sin and slipping backward.” Another viewer Christine Kenyon notes, “it now becomes harder and more of a spiritual battle because our eyes and hearts have been opened.” The movie talked about people being deceived or attached to worldly desires. For example, the lure of pornography is everywhere, from movies to TV shows, from advertisements on the street to the internet.

The Antichrist in the film is an anthropomorphized character. Through the dialogue between host Alex Carter and the Antichrist, the film conveys that the Antichrist is alive and is everywhere, as many politicians and influential figures believe more in the power of man than in God. This is exactly the spirit of the Antichrist.

Undoubtedly, communism or Marxism has been a collective representation of the Antichrist for the last hundred years. Opposing capitalism and preaching common prosperity through violence are just the political slogans of communists. But anti-God and anti-humanity are their hidden intentions.

The communist regimes have killed hundreds of millions of innocent people simply because of their spiritual beliefs. Affirmed by the China Tribunal, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has committed forced organ harvesting for years on a significant scale, “an unprecedented evil on this planet.” The reason the communists denigrate and eliminate all traditional beliefs and values is that they want humans to worship them as god or savior.

If you were thinking the Antichrist would only appear in the Western world, that might be a mistake. Revelation 14:9 reads that the worshippers of the beast will receive “the mark on his forehead or on his hand.” Think about the communist posture of raising their hands to take the oath, and then you may understand the verses better.

Likewise, Revelation 17:1-2 says, “The great whore… With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Who better to be called the great whore than the CCP that has lured the leaders on earth with money and coaxed the inhabitants of the earth with poor quality and low-priced goods?

Stressed in the movie, the Antichrist and his secular agents are most adept at creating and exploiting various forms of crisis to panic people into ceding their rights to the government and totalitarians. Hence, many people fear that America might become like a communist country.

If you are someone who wants to take your faith seriously, or is concerned about the future of America, or cares about the health and well-being of yourself and your family, I suggest you watch this film. It is available on EpochTV, a streaming platform for exclusive programming that includes investigative news analysis, in-depth interviews, and award-winning documentaries and films.

Lukewarm Christians, Watch This Before It’s Too Late (theepochtimes.com)

Attorneys representing former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar have filed a defense motion of dismissal, arguing that his actions do not align with the charges against him outlined in the 41-count federal racketeering indictment.

After being arrested in June 2020, Huizar was initially charged in a 34-count indictment that alleged a pay-to-play scheme to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Huizar allegedly agreed to accept at least $1.5 million in illicit financial benefits in exchange for favorable treatment on real estate projects.

Federal prosecutors also indicted a few developers and other individuals connected to the case in November 2020. In addition to the RICO Act charge, Huizar and his associates were charged with additional counts, including honest services fraud, bribery, tax evasion, money laundering, and others.

“The Federal Investigation has revealed that Huizar operated a pay-to-play scheme in the City, utilizing and commodifying the powerful Council seat of CD-14, whereby he solicited and accepted financial benefits from international (primarily Chinese) and domestic developers with projects in the City in exchange for favorable official actions,” according to a criminal complaint filed against Huizar in June 2020.

Huizar’s attorneys now argue that the federal corruption statutes against Huizar and his associates are overly broad, violating both Supreme Court limits and the statute of limitations, according to City News Service (CNS).

The defense attorneys also argue that Huizar was not involved in a bribery scheme but simply facilitated development in the city. They claim the federal prosecutors treated “virtually everything that Huizar did as an ‘official act’ no matter how informal or disconnected from government power,” according to the motion for dismissal obtained by CNS.

“Huizar’s ability to raise money from developers—who, like other interests, supported him because he supported them—helped to fund not only homelessness initiatives, but the campaigns of some of the most prominent local, state, and national politicians,” said Huizar’s attorneys, reported CNS.

A hearing to discuss the motion is set for Nov. 15 in Los Angeles federal court.

Huizar and his associates, including former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, allegedly “turn[ed] Huizar’s City Council seat into a money-making criminal enterprise,” according to a statement released by Department of Justice.

“Those corrupt relationships were often facilitated by consultants, such as George Chiang, Justin Kim, and lobbyists, who interfaced between Huizar, his “Special Assistant” George Esparza, and developers willing to pay bribes to enrich themselves, keep Huizar in power, and facilitate Huizar’s succession plan,” according to the complaint.

The majority of Huizar’s associates pleaded guilty to federal charges last year, while Huizar pleaded not guilty.

The corruption trial against Huizar is set for May 24, 2022.

Former Los Angeles Councilman Jose Huizar’s Attorneys File Motion to Dismiss Charges (theepochtimes.com)

A couple of weeks before the completion of the catastrophe of the American presence in Afghanistan—or, if you believe President Joe Biden, the “extraordinary success” of the American evacuation—a Russo-British comedian named Konstantin Kisin published a brilliantly funny thread on Twitter headed: “You’re struggling to understand why some people are vaccine hesitant. Let me help you.”

The “let me help you” megathread, as he called it, consisted of example after example of so-called “expert” opinions that have turned out to be completely wrong—beginning with the British vote for Brexit and the American vote for President Donald Trump in 2016, both of which elections the top experts at the time confidently assured us would go the other way.

Actually, Kisin’s spiel could be considered as a belated gloss on one of the most famous quotations to come out of the Brexit referendum, that of the Brexiteer and veteran government minister Michael Gove who said: “I think the people of this country have had enough of experts.”

I think that Trump was striking the same responsive chord with Americans when he disparaged what he called “political correctness”—still ravaging the county after four years of his administration—which was also the product of that breed of experts who call themselves “intellectuals.”

If people were fed up with experts in 2016, think how much more reason they have to be so five years later! Kisin does, and he goes ruthlessly through the whole catalog of errors from Russian collusion to “systemic racism” and “white supremacy” to “toxic masculinity” and the abolition of sex in favor of the nebulous idea of “gender.”

And of course we mustn’t leave out the conflicting and often mendacious pronunciamentos of “the Science” on the coronavirus, which have culminated in the distrust, not so much of the vaccines themselves, but of “the experts’” attempts to demonize those who remain skeptical about them.

And all this was before the collapse of the Afghan government and army under the onslaught of the Taliban gave us what may be the best reason ever for thinking that we, too, have had enough of experts in this country.

“Afghanistan: the graveyard of experts,” wrote Tim Black at Spiked Online.

“US ‘experts’ who created Afghanistan mess should be fired for malpractice,” wrote Rebekah Koffler for The New York Post—though of course they won’t be. They never are. They’re the experts.

A writer on Substack named Richard Hanania compared the galaxy of American Ph.D.’s (including the now-deposed president of Afghanistan himself, Ashraf Ghani, who has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia) who got us into Afghanistan with the madrassa-educated Taliban and wrote that, “It’s as if Wernher von Braun had been given all the resources in the world to run a space program and had been beaten to the moon by an African witch doctor.”

Unsurprisingly, there were a great many negative comments appended to Kisin’s bonfire of the experts, most of them to the effect that, just because some people have been wrong about some things it doesn’t mean that other people are going to be wrong about other things—especially when those things include vaccines which, as there are sound scientific reasons for believing, can be life-saving.

Nor should we neglect to consider that the lives saved are not only of those who receive the vaccines but also those of the immunosuppressed and other vulnerable people who come in contact with them.

They have a point. But so has Kisin. The latter is certainly right in thinking that the experts, particularly those who write for the partisan media, have taken too little care of their own credibility in the past, instead expecting to be trusted and believed as right, just because of who they are. When they then turn out to be wrong, they have no one but themselves to blame if people don’t believe them the next time.

Some people are always going to be wrong about almost everything, but the case is altered when the people who are wrong have set themselves up in the profession of being right. These are the people we call “experts” solely because they have the recognized credentials of experts—advanced degrees from top universities or awards for their expertise from other experts—whether or not they have any real-world experience or expertise.

Their authority is what the anthropologists call “positional”—like that of the parent who answers a child’s question of why? by replying: “Because I said so!” or “Because I’m your mother.”

The experts treat us all like those children—and then they wonder why they are resented and distrusted.

They are the people who identify themselves with their beliefs to the extent that they can never admit it—and so never learn from their mistakes—when those beliefs turn out to be wrong.

That’s how you get to Biden’s calling an obvious disaster of the first water an “extraordinary success”—with no more than an occasional raised eyebrow from the compliant media.

Much publicity in the last week or so was given to a Reuters report of a conversation between Biden and Ghani in the dying days of the latter’s government, as the Taliban were closing in. What he had to worry about, said the American president to the Afghan one, was the “perception” that he was losing the war, not the fact that he actually was losing it.

All he had to do to get American help, said Biden, was change this perception, “whether it is true or not.”

I think a lot of the criticism of this extraordinary conversation was misdirected. The problem wasn’t that Biden told Ghani to lie. Lying to the enemy has a long and honorable tradition in the history of warfare.

No, the problem was that he was foolish enough to think he could lie in that situation: that he (or Ghani) could get away with spinning the enemy as he himself was used to spinning the American media—as, of course, he would go on to do again with the claim of an “extraordinary success.”

A man whose self-assurance and self-absorption is such that he believes reality can make no claim against him that he can’t pay off with the experts’ counterfeit currency of interpretive ingenuity and rhetorical sleight-of-hand is a man who can only lead his country and himself into more disasters.

Bonfire of the Experts (theepochtimes.com)

The son of leftist billionaire George Soros tweeted an image of himself and his father meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, saying, “In Pelosi we trust!”

“In Pelosi we trust! Was good seeing [Pelosi] this weekend,” Alexander Soros tweeted on Thursday.

In Pelosi we trust! Was good seeing @SpeakerPelosi this weekend. pic.twitter.com/dguGCxDm37

— Alexander Soros, PhD (@AlexanderSoros) September 9, 2021

According to his Twitter profile, Alexander Soros serves as deputy chair of the Open Society.

According to its website, the organization is “the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.”

George Soros is the founder and chair of Open Society Foundations. The elder Soros also leads a variety of other business and non-profit endeavors.

In July, Federal Election Commission records revealed that Soros is a major financial backer of the “defund the police” movement, pouring $1 million into an organization associated with the cause.

Campaign finance data publicly available on the FEC’s website shows that Soros contributed to the Color of Change Political Action Committee on May 14.

Color of Change describes itself as “the nation’s largest online racial justice organization” on its website.

“We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.”

Color of Change has an online petition bearing the title: “TAKE ACTION: Defund the police, and invest in communities now!”

The “defund the police” campaign calls for lawmakers to slash the budgets of traditional police departments and instead invest in social programs and alternative means of law enforcement.

Though the movement enjoyed some success in the months after George Floyd’s death, people gradually began to become disillusioned with it as crime rates rose across the country.

Soros is also known for financially backing Democratic candidates. He reportedly donated $1 million to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall campaign.

According to records from the California Secretary of State’s office, the left-wing financier’s first donation was on June 22, with $250,000 given to a committee called “Stop the Republican Recall.”

Then, on Aug. 3, he dropped another $250,000.

Finally, on Aug. 30, Soros doubled down, putting in a $500,000 donation.

Photo Emerges of Nancy Pelosi Meeting with George Soros and His Son (westernjournal.com)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder on Wednesday vowed to “save California” shortly after he was forced to prematurely end a walk-through of his planned campaign stop at Venice Beach, when over 10 hecklers harassed him, throwing projectiles.

Elder, who is vying to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom if he is recalled this month, was touring Venice Beach’s homeless encampments with campaign team members when he was harassed.

Footage of the incident uploaded to social media shows two hecklers repeatedly shouting racial slurs at Elder. A lady in a pink gorilla mask, riding a bike, appeared on video throwing an egg that appeared to narrowly miss Elder’s head.

One of Elder’s security staff attempted to separate the woman from the crowd, to keep her from continuing to throw projectiles.

In videos surfacing on Twitter, the woman slapped the security staff in the face. Another protester hit the same security staff member seconds later.

A white SUV drove up to the crowd, which was walking down Hampton Drive towards Sunset Avenue.

Elder’s team escorted him to his vehicle and drove away.

“Today I kicked off the Recall Express bus tour. Before we even left Los Angeles, my security detail was physically assaulted, shot with a pellet gun, and hit with projectiles. The intolerant left will not stop us. We will recall Gavin Newsom. We will save California,” Elder said in a statement on Twitter late Wednesday, responding to the attacks.

Elder, 69, is an Epoch Times contributor and host of “Larry Elder with Epoch Times” on EpochTV.

The conservative talk radio host first announced in July that he will run in California’s recall election of Democratic Gov. Newsom, which has been set for Sept. 14.

He said in a statement on his campaign website that he’s running for governor “because the decline of California isn’t the fault of its people,” adding: “Our government is what’s ruining the Golden State.”

On his website, Elder calls for “returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility.”

Other top Republican candidates include businessman John Cox, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and state Rep. Kevin Kiley. Nine Democrats are running, including financial analyst Kevin Paffrath and actor Patrick Kilpatrick.

The recall election of Newsom, a first-term Democrat, follows mounting criticism from within his party and across the aisle over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.

He faced intense backlash after he was seen dining at the French Laundry restaurant with lobbyists after telling Californians to stay home. Newsom apologized for his actions.

The last time a governor was recalled in the state was Gray Davis in 2003. Residents voted “Yes” on recalling Davis by 55.4 percent and selected one of 135 candidates on the ballot to replace him.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, California is one of 19 states where recalls are permitted.

Last month, President Joe Biden publicly backed Newsom, saying in a statement that he the Democratic governor “is leading California through unprecedented crises—he’s a key partner in fighting the pandemic and helping build our economy back better.”

“To keep him on the job, registered voters should vote no on the recall election by 9/14 and keep California moving forward,” Biden added.

The California Republican Party has declined to endorse a candidate, however, several recent polls show that Elder is in the lead.

Jack Bradley contributed to this report.

Larry Elder Responds to Venice Beach Walk-Through Assault, Vows to ‘Save California’ (theepochtimes.com)

President Joe Biden will direct the Department of Labor to develop a rule that companies with more than 100 employees will require vaccinations or once-per-week testing for their workers, potentially affecting tens of millions of U.S. private-sector employees, according to the White House.

The administration’s rule will require that “all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work,” which will affect more than 80 million workers in the private sector.

During remarks on Sept. 9, Biden said that the United States “can and will turn the tide” against COVID-19 by mass vaccinations, while casting blame “at the 80 million” people who haven’t been vaccinated. “We’re in a tough stretch,” he said. “This is not about freedom or personal choice” but is about protection against COVID-19.

The president further claimed the “unvaccinated” are “crowding our hospitals” and said vaccines provide protection against COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to implement the requirement, the White House document stated. It didn’t mention religious exemptions or individuals whose doctors have recommended against getting COVID-19 shots.

Biden will sign an executive order requiring most federal employees and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccine without the option of getting regular testing, according to the document. Federal workers unions suggested on Sept. 9 that they would accept the vaccine mandate. It isn’t clear if the U.S. Postal Service will be under the new mandate.

“As part of this effort, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institute of Health will complete implementation of their previously announced vaccination requirements that cover 2.5 million people,” the document states.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The new measures are being unveiled as part of a more aggressive attempt to push for vaccination.

Such mandates will likely create more opposition. A recent Gallup poll found that about 52 percent favored employer vaccine mandates but 38 percent opposed, with 29 percent saying they were strongly opposed.

A number of unions also have issued statements in recent weeks saying they are opposed to vaccine mandates, including some hospital workers unions, firefighters unions, and police unions.

Some other unions have voiced opposition to vaccine mandates. Hospital workers with Service Employee International Union 1199 held a rally in July to oppose a mandate imposed by New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. Firefighter and police unions from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, are also opposing mandates.

The plan has received widespread criticism from Republicans and conservatives who said that it’s tantamount to federal overreach.

“My legal team is standing by ready to file our lawsuit the minute [Biden] files his unconstitutional rule. This gross example of federal intrusion will not stand,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) wrote that he’ll introduce a measure to block what he called an “egregious assault on Americans’ freedom and liberty,” adding that “we must fight against these attempts to force vaccine mandates on the American people.”

Under the plan, the administration would also require vaccinations for some 17 million health care workers at hospitals and other institutions that participate in Medicaid and Medicare programs, or for programs serving disabled and older Americans.

Biden also will use the federal government’s authority under the Defense Production Act to spur companies to produce COVID-19 tests, which will then be sold at large retailers around the country.

Meanwhile, the plan is also calling on entertainment venues such as arenas, concert halls, and others to mandate vaccine passports or show a negative test to enter.

“Our overarching objective here is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Sept. 9. “We want to reduce that number, decrease hospitalizations and deaths, and allow our children to go to school safely.”

The White House also plans to offer booster shots for “fully vaccinated” individuals and has a goal of Sept. 20 to begin rolling them out. The World Health Organization and other groups have said that with limited global vaccine supplies and production, wealthier countries need to issue a moratorium on boosters until more people are vaccinated around the world.

According to the White House fact sheet, the administration also will continue to mandate masks on federal property and aboard public transportation.

Previously, the White House stated that the federal government can’t mandate vaccines nationwide, but it has pressured school districts, businesses, and other entities to require shots.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Biden Plans COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for 80 Million Private-Sector Workers (theepochtimes.com)

Rep. Jim Langevin said he made decision after Supreme Court did not interfere with Texas’s heartbeat law

A Democratic congressman who campaigned as pro-life for years pledged to support a bill to permanently legalize abortion. 

Rep. Jim Langevin (D., R.I.) on Thursday said he will vote to codify Roe v. Wade in a Thursday op-ed in the Providence Journal, despite insisting on the campaign trail that he is a committed pro-life Christian. Langevin said he made this decision after the Supreme Court decided not to interfere with the enactment of a six-week abortion ban in Texas.  

“In light of this inaction by the Court—and as the conservative majority seems increasingly likely to take the extraordinary step of overturning Roe v. Wade—I have reconsidered my position on reproductive rights,” Langevin wrote. 

Langevin’s announcement drew sharp rebukes and cries of betrayal from activists and longtime supporters. Kristen Day, executive director of the Democrats for Life of America, said Langevin seemed passionate about representing pro-life Democrats in Congress when she met him. But his views on abortion shifted more toward pro-choice the longer he was in office, which she attributed to the radical leadership in the party. 

“I think a lot of these members still do believe life begins in the womb,” Day told the Washington Free Beacon. “The political pressure is brutal.” 

Langevin said in his op-ed that he will support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D., Calif.) drive to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would make legalized abortion permanent in federal law. Pelosi said she will soon introduce the bill in response to the enactment of Texas’s heartbeat law. 

Langevin was elected in 2000 with the support of prominent abortion opponents. He entered office with a 0 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America, which shifted to 100 percent by 2007 and has fluctuated slightly since then. The National Right to Life Committee rated him at 88 percent during his first year, then dropped him to 0 percent by 2008. Langevin has consistently supported expansion to abortion access in the past decade. He did, however, support the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding of abortion, as late as 2016. 

The Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life organization, donated to Langevin’s original campaign in 2000 when he opposed abortion. Mallory Quigley, vice president of communications for the group, said the Rhode Island Democrat should be ashamed for allowing his once pro-life views to flip in the most radical manner possible. 

“Langevin once supported common sense, common ground pro-life proposals including stopping taxpayer funding of abortion—but how the times have changed,” she told the Free Beacon. “Rep. Langevin is now a pro-abortion extremist who votes in lockstep with Speaker Pelosi.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote in favor of a provision to keep the Hyde Amendment in August. The House voted to remove the Hyde Amendment from appropriations bills in the same month. Day said the key for pro-life Democrats moving forward is to make their voices known and support the few elected officials they have left. A quarter of Democrats identify as pro-life.

“It’s very unfortunate that my party says we need to include everybody then takes this position against pro-life Democrats,” Day told the Free Beacon. “That’s exactly against what they’re for, which is diversity and inclusion.”

The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments over a Mississippi abortion ban in the coming weeks. State officials have asked the Court to not only uphold the law, but overturn Roe v. Wade and subsequent federal rulings preventing states from restricting abortion.

Former Pro-Life Dem Wants To Enshrine Abortion in Federal Law (freebeacon.com)

PALM COAST, Fla. – (FCSO) – On Tuesday, September 7, 2021, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) executed a Search Warrant for 17 Blasdell Court in Palm Coast, resulting in the seizure of 916 grams of fentanyl. The owner of the home, identified as Brian Pirraglia and a tenant of the home, Michael Connelly, were arrested on various Drug Paraphernalia charges.

Connelly resides at the home and was located in the front right bedroom of the home. During the search, 41.2 grams of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim, a prescription-only narcotic, were recovered, as well as used hypodermic syringes, multiple spoons with white powdery residue, a silicone smoking pipe with burnt cannabis residue, and multiple glass containers with residue.

Pirraglia was located in the master bedroom of the home. During the search of the bedroom, deputies recovered multiple used hypodermic syringes, multiple spoons with white powdery residue, a glass vial and metal grinder located in a black backpack on the floor, and multiple plastic bags with residue. During a search of the kitchen, deputies recovered a large plastic baggie containing 510 grams of fentanyl and a plastic jar labeled “Protein” containing 406 grams of fentanyl. Upon questioning, Pirraglia stated the white powdery substance in the plastic jar was “Protein” and that the plastic baggie was a gift from his neighbor and he was unaware of the contents. Pirraglia advised he does not allow drugs to be sold in his home.

Connelly’s criminal history with the FCSO dates back to 2007. He’s previously been charged with Violation of Probation, Fail to Return Leased/Hired Property, Fraud, Failure to Appear, Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Hydromorphone, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device. Pirraglia’s criminal history with the FCSO dates back to 2014. He’s been previously charged with Shoplifting, Violation of Probation, Failure to Appear, Driving While License Suspended with Knowledge, Possession of Fentanyl, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Equipment, and Resisting Officer Without Violence.

“These two are frequent guests at the Green Roof Inn and have yet to learn their lesson,” Sheriff Staly said. “Between these two poison peddlers, they had enough fentanyl to kill 481,000 people, which is more than the population of Flagler and St. Johns County combined! This is another great job by our Special Investigations Unit. I’m proud of their persistence to get 916 grams of poison off our streets and of our SWAT team that safely served the search warrant.”

Both Connelly and Pirraglia were arrested and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Connelly is being charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Equipment and Possession of a Legend Drug Without Prescription. He is being held on a $3,000 bond. Pirraglia is being charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Equipment. He is being held on a $500 bond. Additional charges for Trafficking Fentanyl are pending Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) lab results.

Florida Drug House With Enough Fentanyl to Kill 481K People Raided by Police – Breaking911

The White House on Thursday withdrew the controversial nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), releasing a statement explaining the decision.

President Joe Biden accused congressional Republicans of “us[ing] gun crime as a talking point instead of taking serious steps to address it.” These same Republicans, the White House says, have “moved in lockstep to block David Chipman’s confirmation,” because they “side with gun manufacturers over the overwhelming majority of the American people.”

Biden in the statement thanked Chipman for his service in the ATF, saying he “would have been an exemplary Director of the ATF and would have redoubled its efforts to crack down on illegal firearms traffickers and help keep our communities safe from gun violence.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington that the White House is in active discussions with Chipman on finding him another role in the administration.

In its 50-year history, the ATF has had recurring difficulties in getting Senate confirmation for appointed directors, with only one nominee—B. Todd Jones, appointed by President Barack Obama—ever being confirmed by the Senate.

Chipman’s withdrawal is the second failure by the president to secure confirmation for his nominees. The other was Neera Tanden, Biden’s nominee for the White House Office of Management and Budget, after inflammatory tweets from the nominee alienated moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), one of the most critical swing votes in the upper chamber for Democratic policy priorities.

Chipman, a staunch gun control advocate, has faced significant criticism from moderate members of the Senate Democratic caucus, gun rights groups, and Republican leadership since his nomination.

Like Tanden, controversy surrounding Chipman fractured the Democratic unity needed for a confirmation, with Manchin, along with moderate Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) signaling strong skepticism toward the nominee.

The National Association for Gun Rights (AGR), a strongly pro-Second Amendment organization, issued a statement on the withdrawal.

“This morning, the White House and anti-gun Democrats admitted defeat and withdrew their nomination of David Chipman to head the ATF,” the AGR said in its release. It referenced the split among Senate Democrats, saying that the “staunch gun control advocate could not garner enough support in the U.S. Senate to make it through the nomination process.”

The AGR quoted its president, Dudley Brown, saying Chipman’s nomination was “a slap in the face to gun owners across the country. Now, thanks to the pro-gun grassroots, we’ve put Chipman back where he belongs: at home, without a job.”

While Brown celebrated the defeat, he predicted that “President [Joe] Biden will prop up another anti-gun pawn in the near future.” He added that AGR and its members “stand ready to oppose their unconstitutional actions.”

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in July unleashed a torrent of accusations at Chipman and the party that nominated him on the Senate floor. He criticized Democrats for allowing crime rates to rise dramatically by “implicitly supporting ‘defund the police’ by staying silent.”

Thune said that Democrats, now concerned about their prospects in 2022, are turning their attention to “creating new laws that will only serve to further burden the constitutionally guaranteed Second Amendment rights of law-abiding individuals.” Rather, he suggested that this rise in crime should be dealt with by more stringent enforcement of current laws and punishment of criminals. Thune called the crime surge “a convenient excuse for [Democrats to push] some of their gun control priorities.”

Finally, Thune turned to Biden’s nomination of Chipman. “Nowhere are President Biden’s priorities more clear than in his choice of nominee to lead the ATF.” Chipman, the senator noted, “would come to the ATF directly from an organization where he has spent the past five years as a gun control advocate.”

Before his nomination, Chipman worked as a senior policy adviser at Giffords Law Center. The organization, founded by Arizona state Rep. Gabby Giffords, announces on its website landing page, “We’re on a mission to save lives from gun violence.” Giffords herself began the group after being wounded in a 2011 shooting in Tuscon.

Thune continued, saying that Chipman “is known for his sometimes extreme views on gun control and restricting the Second Amendment.”

Prominently, Thune said, Chipman would work to ban “probably the most popular rifle in the United States,” the Armalite Rifle-15 (AR-15). He also, said Thune, “supports a so-called ‘assault weapons ban,’ which usually refers to banning certain guns for their accessories and their appearance of lethality.”

Thune then pointed to a former hearing for the nominee, where Chipman “could not give a clear representation of how he would define such a policy.”

Earlier this year, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Chipman, “Do you believe in private ownership of assault weapons?” Chipman quickly responded in the affirmative, but declined to say what ones he owned himself.

Kennedy then put forward a corollary question, asking the nominee “Do you believe in banning assault weapons?” Again, Chipman responded that he does.

Kennedy then asked as a follow-up how Chipman would define “assault weapons.” Chipman said that “assault weapons would be something that members of Congress would define.”

“Well, how do you define it?” Kennedy asked. After a short back-and-forth, Chipman said, “There’s no way I could define an assault weapon.”

Biden Withdraws Nomination of Gun Control Advocate David Chipman to Head ATF (theepochtimes.com)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder on Wednesday vowed to “save California” shortly after he was forced to prematurely end a walk-through of his planned campaign stop at Venice Beach, when over 10 hecklers harassed him, throwing projectiles.

Elder, who is vying to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom if he is recalled this month, was touring Venice Beach’s homeless encampments with campaign team members when he was harassed.

Footage of the incident uploaded to social media shows two hecklers repeatedly shouting racial slurs at Elder. A lady in a pink gorilla mask, riding a bike, appeared on video throwing an egg that appeared to narrowly miss Elder’s head.

One of Elder’s security staff attempted to separate the woman from the crowd, to keep her from continuing to throw projectiles.

In videos surfacing on Twitter, the woman slapped the security staff in the face. Another protester hit the same security staff member seconds later.

A white SUV drove up to the crowd, which was walking down Hampton Drive towards Sunset Avenue.

Elder’s team escorted him to his vehicle and drove away.

“Today I kicked off the Recall Express bus tour. Before we even left Los Angeles, my security detail was physically assaulted, shot with a pellet gun, and hit with projectiles. The intolerant left will not stop us. We will recall Gavin Newsom. We will save California,” Elder said in a statement on Twitter late Wednesday, responding to the attacks.

Elder, 69, is an Epoch Times contributor and host of “Larry Elder with Epoch Times” on EpochTV.

The conservative talk radio host first announced in July that he will run in California’s recall election of Democratic Gov. Newsom, which has been set for Sept. 14.

He said in a statement on his campaign website that he’s running for governor “because the decline of California isn’t the fault of its people,” adding: “Our government is what’s ruining the Golden State.”

On his website, Elder calls for “returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility.”

Other top Republican candidates include businessman John Cox, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and state Rep. Kevin Kiley. Nine Democrats are running, including financial analyst Kevin Paffrath and actor Patrick Kilpatrick.

The recall election of Newsom, a first-term Democrat, follows mounting criticism from within his party and across the aisle over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.

He faced intense backlash after he was seen dining at the French Laundry restaurant with lobbyists after telling Californians to stay home. Newsom apologized for his actions.

The last time a governor was recalled in the state was Gray Davis in 2003. Residents voted “Yes” on recalling Davis by 55.4 percent and selected one of 135 candidates on the ballot to replace him.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, California is one of 19 states where recalls are permitted.

Last month, President Joe Biden publicly backed Newsom, saying in a statement that he the Democratic governor “is leading California through unprecedented crises—he’s a key partner in fighting the pandemic and helping build our economy back better.”

“To keep him on the job, registered voters should vote no on the recall election by 9/14 and keep California moving forward,” Biden added.

The California Republican Party has declined to endorse a candidate, however, several recent polls show that Elder is in the lead.

Jack Bradley contributed to this report.

Larry Elder Responds to Venice Beach Walk-Through Assault, Vows to ‘Save California’ (theepochtimes.com)

A Hennepin County judge tossed proposal ballot language asking voters if they want to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a department of public safety.

The current language of the city council’s explanatory note accompanying the ballot proposal “is insufficient to identify the amendment clearly, it does not assist the voter in easily and accurately identifying what is being voted on, and it is vague and ambiguous to the point of misleading voters, all of which make it unjust,” Hennepin County Judge Jamie Anderson wrote.

Bruce Dachis, Sondra Samuels, and former City Council Member Don Samuels sued, alleging the explanatory note didn’t provide voters with enough context to make an informed decision.

The proposal would ask voters if they want to approve a plan to replace the police department with a new public safety department focused on a “comprehensive public safety approach” that would include police officers “if necessary to fulfill the department’s responsibilities.”

Anderson wrote that the parties disagreed on three issues of the current ballot language as to whether: 1. The Minneapolis Police Department will cease to exist as of Dec. 2, 2021; 2. The position of police chief would be eliminated; or 3. A funding mechanism exists for the proposed Department of Public Safety.

“These three issues are additional ambiguities in the Current Ballot Language,” the judge wrote. “All of these ambiguities risk creating a ‘chaotic situation’ in Minneapolis.”

Anderson explained:

“For example, does ‘striking’ the Police Department mean renaming it (as the Petitioners suggest it could be interpreted) or taking it apart, as one would ‘strike a set’ after a play is done? The end of the Current Ballot Language says ‘ … to fulfill its responsibilities for public safety.’ To whose responsibilities does that refer? The Police Department? The new Department of Public Safety?”

Anderson did not set a new deadline for approving ballot language.

Attorneys for Yes 4 Minneapolis, which supports replacing the police department, had argued the language provided enough information.

The City Council called an emergency meeting Tuesday and passed revised language for an explanatory note.

City Attorney Jim Rowader said the ballot language could still be rejected by Hennepin County if it finds the new note is “substantially similar” to the language rejected by Anderson.

Judge Tosses Minneapolis Policing Ballot Language (theepochtimes.com)

A New York City transit officer leapt to help a commuter who had collapsed and fallen onto the subway tracks just moments before a train pulled into the station. With the help of his colleagues and a good Samaritan, the officer lifted the half-conscious man to safety in the nick of time.

On Aug. 19, New York Police posted cellphone footage on Facebook, showing the white-knuckle rescue—occurring a day earlier at 149th Street and 3rd Avenue subway platform in South Bronx.

“NYPD cops help New Yorkers at any cost!” they captioned. “When a sick strap hanger lost consciousness and fell on the subway tracks in the Bronx, transit officers didn’t hesitate for a moment to put his safety ahead of their own.”

Officer Ludin Lopez is shown hopping onto the tracks to help, followed by a male bystander. In the footage, a crowd of onlookers urge them to hurry, while another officer waves his flashlight toward the train in an effort to signal trouble.

Cheers are heard as Lopez, the bystander, and the fallen man all make it back safely onto the platform. Officer Catherine Cabon-Bailon is seen grabbing Lopez by his shirt to assist him up just seconds before the train pulls into the station.

The footage was viewed almost half a million times on Facebook alone.Play Video

(Courtesy of NYPD)

“[The train] was literally one minute away,” Lopez told CBS New York. “I just saw somebody who needed my help and I reacted. I wasn’t even thinking.”

The fallen man was described as a 60-year-old man from Queens, whom Lopez said was “completely out of it.” The flagging commuter was taken to Lincoln Hospital for assessment, by then, conscious and alert.

Kathleen O’Reilly, NYPD’s chief of transit, later confirmed on Twitter that four officers were involved in the rescue; Officers Peguero and Sugrim also participated. All of whom worked “as a team to flag the train and get the man to safety,” she posted. “Thank you to everyone who assisted!”

Lopez and his partner had been performing a station inspection when the man collapsed. The officer claimed it was a case of “right place, right time,” and said the crowd’s supportive response gave him a “good feeling.”

“We just did what we were there to do, which is to help and serve the public,” Lopez added. “It just made me feel like this is what I came here to do, and I felt very fulfilled by that.”

NYPD Officer Saves Man, 60, Who Collapsed onto Subway Tracks Seconds Before Train Arrives (theepochtimes.com)

Democrats in the House Education and Labor Committee revealed how their committee would use the $761 billion from the $3.5 trillion budget resolution package, saying that among other things, the money will be used to lower the cost of childcare and provide free preschool and community college.

“The Education and Labor Committee’s portion of the Build Back Better Act makes historic investments that will lower costs for nearly every family, create good-paying jobs for American workers, and provide our nation’s children the strong foundation they deserve,” said Chairman Robert C. Scott (D-Va.) in a press statement Wednesday.

The committee will begin marking up the legislation on Thursday with members offering amendments in an attempt to change how the $761 billion is spent.

The legislation would subsidize childcare programs, making it so most families would not have to pay more than 7 percent of their income for each child’s daycare. The funding would also subsidize a pay increase for childcare workers, so facilities could hire more workers.

The funding would also subsidize universal pre-K, so all 3- and 4-year-olds could go to school.

The funding allots $111 billion to provide two years of free community colleges, invest in the Pell Grant program, and fund educational institutions that cater to blacks, Hispanics, and minorities to make quality degrees more affordable for those groups.

The committee’s bill provides $82 billion to public schools for repairs and upgrades. It will invest close to $80 billion in workforce development programs including training people for climate change energy-related jobs.

The funding will also include about $35 billion for school food programs during the school year and the summer months, as well as provide money to upgrade school kitchens.

Ranking Member of the committee Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-S.C.) slammed the committee’s bill, calling it a part of Biden’s “reckless,” “partisan” spending.

“Congressional Democrats could empower individuals and entrepreneurs to make the financial, professional, educational, and parental decisions that work best for them. Instead, Democrats are pushing an irresponsible spending scheme that will double down on the inflation crisis and allow the federal government to infringe on Americans’ liberties,” Foxx said in a press statement Wednesday.

Democrats are pressing forward with their $3.5 trillion budget resolution even though there is opposition within their own party, with some moderates saying this level of spending will increase inflation and saddle future generations with federal debt.

Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has repeatedly said he does not think that this level of spending is wise and his party should put a pause on the legislation until after the pandemic and after assessing the recent inflation.

Republicans have all said they will oppose the budget resolution, but Democrats do not need the GOP to vote in favor of the bill if they get all 50 Democrat senators to vote in favor of the package.

Top Democrat leaders have shared confidence that their party will rally together to pass the massive funding bill.

Schumer was asked by a local ABC news reporter on Sunday if he can convince all members of his party, particularly Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who has also said she will not support the resolution, to vote in favor of the massive spending bill.

“I’m going to do my best and you know so far, after some discussion, and some compromise they have gone along with previous bills. Let’s hope it happens again,” said Schumer. “I have a caucus that runs from Bernie Sanders on the left to Joe Manchin, on the right. How do I bring them all together when you only have 50 votes and every one of them counts?”

Meanwhile, Sanders said he speaks directly to caucus members, in an effort to further negotiations on the budget bill.

“After a lot of negotiations and pain—and I’m going to be on the phone all week—what we are going to do is pass the most comprehensive bill for working families that this country has seen,” Sanders told The New York Time

House Education and Labor Committee Reveals How They Would Spend Their Portion of the $3.5 Trillion (theepochtimes.com)

CHICAGO—The number of young Chicago patrol officers taking leave of absence to work outside jobs has doubled year over year since 2019, and eight out of ten quit within a year after the leave took effect, according to records obtained by The Epoch Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

In 2019, 23 Chicago patrol officers took leave of absence for outside employment. In 2020, the number doubled to 49. In the first half of 2021, 47 officers did so, on track to double the number again.

The records obtained by The Epoch Times show data from January 2019 through June 2021.

During this period, 30 percent of patrol officers on leave for outside employment were in their 20s, and 60 percent in their 30s. Eight out of ten quit (or in rare cases, retired) within a year after their leave took effect.

In a previous interview with The Epoch Times, Chicago’s police union president John Catanzaro said more and more young officers were taking a leave of absence to work outside jobs because of the terrible working hours, lack of respect for police, and legislation that punish officers for doing their jobs.

The total numbers of Chicago police officers that quit or retired have been on the rise since 2019, and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) has been struggling to hire enough new officers to keep up with the exodus, according to records obtained by The Epoch Times.

In 2019, 592 Chicago patrol officers either quit or retired, and CPD hired 459 new officers.

In 2020, 646 officers quit or retired, and CPD only hired 157 new officers. CPD halted academy training for a couple of months due to COVID-19 restrictions.

From January 2021 through July 2021, 604 patrol officers have retired, according to Susie Park, the Chicago city budget director, at the Aug. 30 Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting. Park estimates a total of 725 patrol officers will retire by the end of the year.

CPD has four active training classes and plans to add a new training class every month in October, November, and December 2021, according to Park. Each training class lasts six months, after which the cadets will go on a three-month probation before they become a full-fledged police officer, according to Park.

Chicago patrol officers, numbered around 9,000, are the backbone of the police department. CPD has about 400 patrol officer vacancies, according to Park.

Number of Chicago Police Working Outside Jobs on Leave of Absence Doubled (theepochtimes.com)

A Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin is facing five felony charges after an investigation into her campaign finances.

Milwaukee Alderwoman Chantia Lewis, who announced her candidacy for Senate on July 21, was formally charged on Tuesday with embezzlement, theft by fraud, misconduct in public office and two campaign finance crimes (intentionally filing a false report and intentionally accepting unlawful disbursement), WTMJ-TV reported.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Lewis alleging that she had improperly taken over $20,000 from her campaign finances and city reimbursements for her personal use between April 2016 and June 2020, the outlet reported.

Milwaukee Alderwoman and U.S. Senate candidate Chantia Lewis charged with 4 felonies and 1 misdemeanor for campaign finance violations and misconduct in office. Here’s what prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint: pic.twitter.com/Cy1bg0zUqW

— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) September 7, 2021

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The complaint alleges that the alderwoman used the money to fund at least 13 different business and personal trips to several cities, including three trips to Las Vegas, before falsely requesting reimbursements through her campaign, known as “double-dipping,” according to WTMJ.

Lewis allegedly also deposited campaign donation checks into her personal account, after which the money was used to pay rent, car repairs and other bills, totaling over $16,000, the report said.

The complaint also flagged 22 ATM transactions that were never reported, totaling over $5,500.

“All of these behaviors were in excess of her authority and were done without consent,” the complaint concluded, adding that she had done these actions in “violation of trust” of the public.

JUST IN: Milwaukee Alderwoman and US Senate candidate Chantia Lewis faces felony charges for campaign finance violations. She’s accused of fraudulent reimbursements and using campaign funds for personal expenses. pic.twitter.com/FlPMoqQq9b

— Jason Calvi (@JasonCalvi) September 7, 2021

Following the charges, Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson immediately removed Lewis from all of her committee assignments.

“Make no mistake that our judicial system presumes that every individual is considered innocent until proven guilty in court,” Johnson said in a news release. “However, until this matter is resolved, I am moving without hesitation to protect the institution of the Milwaukee Common Council, as well as the City of Milwaukee.”

Lewis released a statement to WTMJ saying she recently had been alerted to “potential campaign reporting errors” and “accounting errors.” However, she said, “[M]ake no mistake, I am innocent of any criminal wrongdoing.”

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Pharmacist Arrested After He Allegedly Deemed COVID Vaccine ‘Unsafe’ and Took Action

“As a public servant, faith leader, and 9/11 veteran who has served my country with pride, I have served, and will continue to serve, in elected office with transparency, integrity, and honor,” the statement read.

The Democrat said her campaign was mostly self-funded since she was a first-time candidate and that she and her team did their “very best” to run a positive campaign.

“I am confident that once this is over, I will be absolved,” Lewis said, adding that she would continue to focus on “every working-class person” in Milwaukee.

BREAKING

Chantia Lewis, Milwaukee Alderwoman and US Senate candidate, faces 5 criminal charges for embezzlement and misusing campaign finances, totaling over $21,000.

A statement from @ChantiaLewis1: pic.twitter.com/a5emaXQ7zX

— Shaun Gallagher (@ShaunGalNews) September 7, 2021

“We totally disagree with the position and conclusions the DA’s Office has come to as it relates to Ald. Lewis’ intent,” Lewis’ lawyer, Jason Luczak, told WTMJ. “There is strong evidence that she had no criminal intent which is necessary whenever you charge a crime like this.”

Prominent Democratic Candidate Slammed with 5 Felony Charges (westernjournal.com)

Actress Rose McGowan is not afraid to speak her mind when it comes to Democratic politicians, and one of her latest tweets takes aim at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“@HillaryClinton You are a shadow leader in service of evil. You are the enemy of what is good, right and moral,” McGowan said.

“You represent no flag, no country, no soul. You eat hope, you twist minds. I’ve been in a hotel room with your husband and here comes the bomb.”

@HillaryClinton You are a shadow leader in service of evil. You are the enemy of what is good, right and moral. You represent no flag, no country, no soul. You eat hope, you twist minds. I’ve been in a hotel room with your husband and here comes the bomb. https://t.co/K3ZDQYBXPn

— Rose 🌊McGowan (@rosemcgowan) September 3, 2021

Trending

White House Staffers Can’t Bear to Watch ‘Gaffe Machine’ Biden, So They Mute His Speeches: Report

In the tweet, the actress linked a Breitbart story titled “Hillary Clinton Rages over Texas Abortion Law: ‘We’ll Fight’ for Abortion.”

She is certainly not winning the trophy for politeness, but McGowan has not shied away from sharing what she truly thinks in recent months.

Although McGowan is not a conservative, she has stood tall against Hollywood elites and the Democratic Party — referring to them as a “cult.”

Following the Texas heartbeat bill, which has banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the left has lost its collective mind.

McGowan has called out the faux outrage from both Clinton, a seasoned politician, and celebrities when it comes to the Lone Star State’s pro-life legislation.

“This is really going to help for sure- absolute moron achievement unlocked,” she tweeted with a screenshot of a Deadline article headlined “Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, and Alyssa Milano Among More Than 100 Stars Expressing Outrage Over Texas Abortion Law.”

This is really going to help for sure absolutely moron achievement unlocked pic.twitter.com/eVxnapMNWm

— Rose 🌊McGowan (@rosemcgowan) September 3, 2021

The “Charmed” and “Scream” star publicly said in 2019 that she had an abortion and is “not ashamed”, so it appears that her anger is catered toward the lack of authenticity liberal elites have when expressing outrage over social issues.

Related:

Hillary 2.0: Biden Used Private Email While VP to Send Government Intelligence to Hunter Biden – Report

I do not regret my decision and it was not made lightly. If you do not want an abortion, don’t get one. My body, my choice, my life. Have you had to make a choice? Let’s talk and use hashtag #HonestAbortion

— Rose 🌊McGowan (@rosemcgowan) March 1, 2019

However, based on her comments toward Clinton, it would not be surprising if McGowan is now against abortion.

McGowan should be applauded for her courage to speak out against the Democratic establishment and its grip on the entertainment industry, as much of Hollywood’s political fervor is staged.

There are plenty of non-leftists in entertainment, but the mob mentality of the industry has left them terrified to share their opinions for fear of being cancelled and blacklisted.

While her comments are certainly provocative, hopefully McGowan is prompting others to make their voices heard.

Are you a racist?

All white people are, says “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo.

Race explains everything, says bestselling “How to Be an Antiracist” author Ibram X. Kendi. “Every policy is either racist or anti-racist.”

Kendi’s and DiAngelo’s books are now recommended reading at schools, corporations and in the military. Both authors command high speaking fees.

Isn’t that good? It’s important to educate people about racism.

But John McWhorter, author of “Woke Racism,” says, “The way we’re being encouraged to think, hurts Black people.”

In my new video, he gives this example: “There is a disproportionate number of suspensions of Black boys in schools for violence. (Kendi says) that must be racist … a stereotype of Black men as violent. But … the data makes it very clear that Black boys do commit more violent acts in schools. If you don’t suspend those boys, the violence is being perpetrated (mostly) against other Black kids.”

Kendi’s positions “leave Black kids in the lurch,” says McWhorter.

Kendi and DiAngelo call most every disparity between races “systemic racism.”

White people live longer than Black people? Racism.

Income inequality? Racism.

White and Asian students get higher test scores? Systemic racism.

In the past, says McWhorter, civil rights leaders asked, “How can we make it so that Black kids are better at the test?” Now they want to “eliminate the tests” because they “make Black people unhappy.”

This just makes the problem worse, he says, because it encourages people to think of themselves as victims. If you believe you are a helpless victim of racism, why study?

The idea that it is “unreasonable to expect Black kids to use analytical thinking in a rigorous way. … This is a new way of thinking. It’s a religious way of thinking.”

Blaming racism for low test scores ignores “aspects of Black culture that don’t stress getting good at those tests — the way that South Asian immigrant culture clearly does.”

Nigerian and Caribbean culture, too. People from those places are often just as dark or darker than Black Americans. They “come here and deal with the same racism that everybody else does. Yet they make the best of the worst. That means: so could Black Americans.”

The media label Kendi and DiAngelo “leading scholars,” but their arguments are rarely tested in the marketplace of ideas. Both refuse to debate opponents. McWhorter calls their work far from scholarly — “more like a toxic religion, a cult.”

In fact, he adds, “Kendi is dim.”

I argue that, even if Kendi is “dim,” he’s winning hearts and minds. Companies now donate millions to his Center for Antiracist Research. His book sales and success with students show that his arguments convince people.

McWhorter disagrees. “As we come out of the pandemic and we’re less bored, less anxious, I suspect that a lot of the extremes that we saw are going to start retreating because there’s going to be pushback.”

The idea of anti-racism is “charismatic,” he adds. “It makes it seem like you’ve got one answer to a bunch of things that look disparate and difficult. But all disparities between white people and Black people are not due to something unfair that was driven by whites.”

I’m puzzled that DiAngelo’s and Kendi’s message is so popular today, when life for racial minorities seems to be better than ever before. With some exceptions, there’s less racism, more intermarriage, more opportunities for minorities, etc.

“Why now?” I ask.

There’s an advantage to being identified as a victim, says McWhorter. “An emotional balm to be treated as this victimized person. The problem is that it’s anti-Black.”

Anti-white too.

If the “systemic racism” cult wins, says McWhorter, “we all lose.”

Toxic Victimhood :: Right & Free (rightandfree.com)

Every once in a while, I’d love to write you and just tell you about how nice of a day it was and send you pictures of my puppies, but nooo, some idiot always has to try and ruin my day. But this one is pretty funny. Rick Wilson is a co-founder of the Lincoln Project – the group of “Republicans” who spent tens of millions of dollars against President Trump and America First candidates last year. When asked about my race, here’s what this so-called “Republican strategist” had to say:  “Loomer may be vile, personally repugnant, wildly immoral and crazier than a latrine rat, but Republican primary elections now reward rather than punish that kind of behavior.” There is some truth to Wilson’s quote if you apply it to his work with the Lincoln Project. Acting vile, immoral and betraying principles for profit is ABSOLUTELY admired and rewarded on the left. Before Wilson and shady friends formed the Lincoln Project, Rick Wilson’s career was at an obvious low point. As the New York Post reported, before finding financial success stabbing President Trump in the back, Wilson owed $389k in federal taxes and in 2016, his bank started to foreclose on his home. Even American Express went after Wilson after he couldn’t pay the $25,729 he racked up on his card. I’d bet that Wilson is out of financial problems now that the Lincoln Project has raised nearly $100 million from the radical left. That’s just a guess, because the left loves and rewards a turncoat. But as they say, “easy come, easy go,” Wilson and his Lincoln Project buddies took a hard crash when one of their co-founders, John Weaver, got caught making sexual overtures to a young man. No, wait, I’m sorry. Rick Wilson’s friend and Lincoln Project co-founder was accused by TWENTY-ONE young men of inappropriate sexual conduct – even pressuring them for sexual favors in exchange for jobs! So sure, the “Republican” Lincoln Project guy can call me and any other woman a “crazy latrine rat” all he wants, it just goes to show the hypocrisy and the lack of character that has infected so many so-called leaders in our party. Many RINO turncoats like Rick Wilson have always lacked the moral foundation to lead. They’re not fit to be men, much less Republicans. Others like my oppenent Dan Webster lack the energy to fight and lead in these perilous times. They slip in, cling to power and sit back for decades or more hoping no one notices they have done nothing to protect or serve our nation. While we can’t do much for Rick Wilson except pray for the man, we can do something about the Dan Webster’s of our party . . . replace them. And you can help me with that. Thanks again for everything that you do. Respectfully, Laura Loomer Paid for by Laura Loomer for Congress IncCONTRIBUTIONS TO LAURA LOOMER FOR CONGRESS INC ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES. CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CORPORATIONS, LABOR UNIONS, FEDERAL CONTRACTORS, AND FOREIGN NATIONALS ARE PROHIBITED.

https://libersend.lauraloomerforcongress.com/w/N5tGKaAJQ59UnCbG05xnVA

A radical left-wing activist group organizing a pro-abortion protest outside the home of Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh had some interesting advice for prospective attendees. An addendum to the notice announcing the protest urged activists “to be as inclusive as possible in your language” while making a ruckus outside Kavanaugh’s home in Washington, D.C.

“Women and girls are not the only people who can get pregnant and need abortions,” the organizers from ShutDownDC wrote. That’s going to be rather inconvenient for anyone who was planning to reuse old signage about stopping the “war on women,” but at least they’ve been given a few days to prepare. Alas, “Stop the war on people who can get pregnant” has far too many syllables to incorporate into a catchy chant.

Additionally, the protest organizers cautioned attendees to “please avoid comparing U.S. abortion-restricting politicians to the Taliban” because it would be unfair to the Taliban. (No, seriously.) “The former are a distinctly homegrown phenomenon and ignoring that in favor of such comparisons is Islamophobic,” they explained.

Since the Taliban’s rapid takeover in Afghanistan, even prominent Democrats have delighted in comparing people they don’t like to the militant Islamist group. “Have you noticed how strikingly similar both the mindsets and actions are between the suicide bombers at Kabul’s airport, and the anti-mask and anti-vax people here?” wrote Arne Duncan, an Islamophobe who served seven years as former president Barack Obama’s secretary of education.

The protest is scheduled to take place on the evening of Monday, Sept. 13. ShutDownDC, a left-wing activist group that purports to use “strategic direct action to advance justice and hold officials accountable,” said they intend to “make our voices heard” by calling for Kavanaugh’s resignation and telling him to “keep your oppressive ideology out of our bodies.”

Earlier this year, ShutDownDC organized a small gathering outside the Virginia home of Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), where protesters used a bullhorn to yell at his wife. (The senator wasn’t there.) They also left a copy of the U.S. Constitution on his doorstep. It was very sad.

Lib Activist Group Warns Protesters: Men Can Have Abortions Too, Comparing GOP to Taliban is ‘Islamophobic’ (freebeacon.com)

Christina Bohannan backed radical group working to ‘melt ICE,’ achieve ‘world without police’

Swing-district Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan donated money to pay bail for illegal immigrants through a group that works to achieve a “world without police.”

Bohannan in July 2019 said she was “glad to contribute” to Prairielands Freedom Fund through a Facebook fundraiser. Just one month before Bohannan’s donation, the group—which also advocates the elimination of prisons—promoted a campaign to “rally for the abolition of Immigration Customs Enforcement” and “melt ICE.”

Two years later, Bohannan is setting aside her radical past in an attempt to recast herself as a moderate, bipartisan alternative to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R., Iowa). The Democrat says she “is running for Congress because she believes we need less bickering in Washington, and more working together.” Prior to her campaign announcement, however, the state legislator scrubbed all policy positions from her 2020 campaign site, including sections that condemned Iowa’s popular voter ID law and endorsed taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries.

In addition to Prairielands Freedom Fund’s campaign to abolish ICE—which it describes as “xenophobic” and “racist”—the group “reject[s] the assumption that imprisonment is necessary,” works to “abolish the imprisonment of our fellow human beings,” and hopes to achieve a “world without police.”

Neither Bohannan nor Prairielands Freedom Fund returned requests for comment.

The group has only grown more radical since Bohannan lent her support. In March, it urged supporters to lobby the University of Iowa not only to defund the college’s police department but also to “eliminate police.”

“Detention and imprisonment do not keep us safe. In fact, they actively make people and communities less safe … by directly harming individuals and families who then struggle to regain stability,” the group’s website states. “Our bond fund is not a solution to these problems. The only way to eliminate the harm caused by detention and imprisonment is to abolish them entirely.”

Prairielands Freedom Fund used contributions from donors to pay out “roughly $184,000 in bond for protesters jailed throughout the state” in the wake of George Floyd’s death, according to its website. In July 2020, the group called for the release of local Iowa man Tremayne Lamar Clemons, who allegedly provided the illegal guns used in a fatal shooting months earlier.

“It is egregious that Treymane has been in custody for so long based on flimsy allegations which stem from a law that is deeply racist and arbitrarily enforced,” the group wrote in a statement. Nearly one year after his arrest, a federal judge sentenced Clemons to 30 months in prison for being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. 

Bohannan’s anti-police activism continued after the Democrat’s election to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2020. In an April Little Village op-ed, she condemned a GOP bill that would increase punishments for those who are convicted of rioting, arguing the legislation would “make us both less free and less safe.”

Bohannan in 2020 ran to the left of eight-year Democratic incumbent Vicki Lensing in Iowa’s deep-blue 85th district, calling for a “more progressive and less defensive attitude in the Iowa House.” She went on to defeat Lensing by 32 points in the primary race and did not face a Republican challenger in the general election.

Bohannan is now running to unseat Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s competitive Second Congressional District. The Republican defeated her Democratic challenger, former state senator Rita Hart, by just six votes in November. Before Miller-Meeks’s election, Democrat Dave Loebsack held the district for 14 years.

Swing-District Iowa Dem Donated To Bail Out Illegal Immigrants (freebeacon.com)

Blinken and Psaki said prisoners posed no threat

When President Barack Obama struck a deal with the Taliban in 2014 to free several high-ranking terrorists being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, his defenders argued their release would do little to harm U.S. national security. Now, four of those terrorists are serving in senior roles in Afghanistan’s newly formed Taliban government.

The Obama-era deal’s prominent defenders include officials now serving in senior posts in the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House press secretary Jen Psaki. They claimed there was no indication these terrorists, known as the Taliban Five, would return to the battlefield, let alone rise to senior leadership positions in the Taliban government following the United States’ much-criticized evacuation from Afghanistan. The prisoners were swapped for Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was later charged with desertion.

Blinken, who was then serving as deputy national security adviser, told NBC that “any threat they would pose to the United States [and] to Americans has been sufficiently mitigated.” Blinken also claimed the terrorists would be “very carefully monitored” by Qatar, which helped facilitate the trade and provided safe haven to the five detainees after their release. “There will be restrictions on their travel, on their activities,” Blinken said.

Jen Psaki, who served as the State Department spokeswoman at the time of the deal, hailed it as a signature achievement by the Obama administration. “Was it worth it? Absolutely,” Psaki said in 2015.

Biden himself, who was vice president at the time, also celebrated Berghdahl’s release on Twitter.

The ascension of these former prisoners is a sign the Taliban has no interest in moderating its behavior since the United States fled Afghanistan and allowed it to reclaim control of the war-torn country. With Americans and vulnerable Afghans still stranded in the country, these prisoners-turned-leaders could play a central part in the Taliban’s efforts to arrest, detain, and kill those they accuse of aiding America during its 20-year presence in Afghanistan.

After Kabul fell to the Taliban last month, the former prisoners flew to Afghanistan to join the new government.

Former detainee Khairullah Khairkhwa is now the acting minister for information and culture, according to national security expert and Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow Thomas Joscelyn. Norullah Noori now serves as acting minister of borders and tribal affairs, while Abdul Haq Wasiq is the acting director of intelligence and Mohammad Fazl is the deputy defense minister.

Haq Wasiq was a senior intelligence official for the Taliban prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and worked with al Qaeda as it plotted the strike that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

Fazl was the Taliban’s deputy defense minister in 2001 and now resumes that role. He also worked with al Qaeda and terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant.

Before he was arrested, Khairkhwa inked an agreement with Iran to fight U.S. forces in Afghanistan post-9/11.

Top Biden Officials Backed the 2014 Bergdahl Deal. Now, the Terrorists Released Are Taking the Reins in Afghanistan. (freebeacon.com)

An estimated 27,000 mail-in ballots in Georgia were returned as undeliverable by the post office during the 2020 election, according to a research brief by a good-government group. The number is more than double the margin of victory—12,000 votes—by which President Joe Biden won the state.

The new report from the Indianapolis-based Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) raises questions about the efficacy of voting-by-mail policies that were hurriedly adopted across the nation in the early days of the pandemic last year, purportedly to arrest the spread of the CCP virus that causes the disease COVID-19.

PILF describes itself as “the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity,” existing “to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections.”

“Now you see why Georgia lawmakers passed mail ballot integrity laws,” PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a statement, referring to the Election Integrity Act of 2021, which Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law March 25 over vocal opposition by Democrats.

The Biden administration is challenging the Georgia electoral reforms, including the state’s new voter identification requirements, in the courts. If the administration is successful, “the problems experienced in 2020 can only get worse if the current volume of absentee ballots holds in future contests,” the brief stated.

“You can’t ‘vote from home’ with confidence when you learn how many mail ballots failed. The fact that the Biden Justice Department is committed to interrupting Georgia’s integrity law demonstrates the level to which Washington bureaucrats will sink to preserve system weaknesses.”

In official 2020 results for Georgia, Biden received 2,473,633 votes, besting Trump’s 2,461,854 votes by a margin of 11,779, according to Ballotpedia. The figures provided a dramatic contrast with the official 2016 results for the state in which Trump garnered 2,089,104 votes, compared to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 1,877,963, for a margin of victory of 211,141.

In the 2020 election, 1.7 million ballots were mailed to voters and 27,287 mail-in ballots were returned as undeliverable, which is more than double Biden’s margin of victory. At the same time, 4,804 ballot returned by voters were rejected by election officials, and 217,677 ballots were classified as “unknown,” meaning election officials don’t know what happened to them.

In the 2016 election, 236,925 ballots were mailed to voters and 1,622 of those ballots were returned as undeliverable. At the same time, 13,677 ballots returned by voters were rejected by election officials, and 21,976 were placed in the “unknown” category.

When the U.S. Election Assistance Commission gathers election data, it asks local officials how many ballots were not returned as voted, were returned as undeliverable, or were otherwise “unable to be tracked,” according to the PILF brief.

The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General previously reported that only 13 percent of mail ballots in the 2018 general election took advantage of the official tracking system.

“This means [there is] a wide variety of things that can happen to a ballot in the ‘unknown’ column,” the brief stated.

“A ballot can be misdelivered. It can be thrown out with your unpaid bills. It can be left on the floor of apartment mail rooms (like seen in Nevada in 2020). Election officials simply do not know what happened.

“Unknown ballots are one of the greatest weaknesses in the American electoral system. The unknown ballots that fail to reach their intended destinations are naturally susceptible to mischief if voter identification safeguards are not present.”

In the chaotic November 2020 general election, almost 15 million mail-in ballots went unaccounted for nationwide according to PILF, as The Epoch Times reported last month.

“These figures detail how the 2020 push to mail voting needs to be a one-year experiment,” Adams told The Epoch Times last month.

Bills pending in Congress such as the proposed “For The People Act,” “risk inflating these numbers even further, pushing our election system toward error, disenfranchisement, and ultimately widespread doubt about election outcomes,” Adams said.

“Some of the counties with the least experience in administering mail voting rejected the most ballots nationwide. If continued, 2020-style chaos will become the norm.”

Undeliverable Mail-in Ballots in Georgia Were Double the Official Margin of Victory, Report Says (theepochtimes.com)

New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrest activity has declined since 2019 and it doesn’t appear to be simply the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the majority of serious crime types have increased, according to NYPD data.

NYPD arrests have been steadily dropping since 2014 and, for some time, crime was declining in tandem. The numbers particularly cratered with the onset of the pandemic last year, reaching a low of less than 7,500 in July 2020. Arrests have since rebounded, but not to the prior level. Instead, they seem to keep following the previous downward trend. Less than 75,000 have been arrested in the first half of this year, compared to more than 110,000 in the first half of 2019, the data shows.

Meanwhile, four out of the seven categories of serious crime tracked by the NYPD saw increases compared to 2019. Shootings in particular went through the roof.

In 2020, more than 1,850 were shot, fatally and non-fatally—more than double the year before. So far this year, more than 1,300 have been shot by Sept. 5, a slight increase from 2020.

Murders slightly declined this year versus the last, but are still nearly 40 percent above 2019.

In other serious crime categories, rape is up from 2020, but down from 2019; robbery is slightly down; felony assaults are the highest in 20 years, nearing 15,000 so far this year; burglaries are down from 2020, but up from 2019; grand theft is up from 2020, but down close to 20 percent since 2019; and carjackings are the highest since 2010.

There has been a lively debate on what’s the main factor behind the crime hike. There seems to be a whole host of factors in play.

The shooting wave started in May last year coinciding with protests and rioting in the city after the killing of George Floyd, a black man, during an arrest in Minneapolis.

Some officers previously told The Epoch Times officers may be reluctant to go out of their way to make arrests due to new policies that make arrests riskier and less consequential.

The city implemented new laws that banned judges from requiring cash bail for most nonviolent and some lower-level violent crimes, resulting in more criminals returning to the street after an arrest. Some officers called the policy demoralizing.

Last year, the state outlawed officers from placing a knee on a suspect’s back or chest as a restraint technique during an arrest. Police officers and experts have criticized the law for criminalizing martial arts techniques used to safely subdue resisting subjects.

During the initial pandemic lockdown, courts ground to a halt before resuming operations in remote mode, facing a backlog of cases. All staff and judges only returned to work in person in May. That means criminals out on bail have rarely faced conviction and imprisonment.

In addition, prosecutors have been twice as likely to drop charges against suspects last year than the year before, the New York Post reported.

NYPD Arrests Down From 2019, Majority of Serious Crimes Up (theepochtimes.com)

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) likely put a smile on President Joe Biden’s face on Sept. 7, with an extraordinarily ambitious schedule for completing the key panel’s part of the president’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” spending plan.

“On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, and Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., the committee will mark up measures spanning from universal paid family and medical leave and access to child-care to strengthening retirement savings and trade programs that prioritize American workers,” the committee said in a statement.

“This is our historic opportunity to support working families and ensure our economy is stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient for generations to come,” Neal said in the statement.

What followed in the statement were 16 promises to create new benefits, greatly expand existing ones, and increase funding for a host of federal programs targeted by Biden to combat global warming, the CCP virus (also known as the novel coronavirus), the affordable housing shortage, and homelessness, among many other issues.

Other Democratic committee chairmen who head panels with mark-up roles on the spending plan are following similar paths. The fact that virtually all House members are back home in their districts on recess and won’t return until Sept. 20 is just one of a host of problems Democratic leaders must confront.

Much of the markup work will be done via virtual committee meetings.

The biggest of the problems, however, are likely to be Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). The Senate is split 50-50 between the parties, meaning Democrats have no margin for error in counting votes. The House is only slightly more favorable to Democrats, with a 221–213 margin, meaning Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can lose no more than four votes.

Manchin and Sinema have both expressed reservations about the massive spending and expansion of government in the $3.5 trillion Biden plan. Lose either one, and Vice President Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is no longer the Senate’s tie-breaking vote for Democrats unless at least one Republican crosses the aisle.

The next big obstacle is how to pay for the biggest expansion of federal spending since the Great Society in the 1960s at a time when inflation is increasing, employers can’t find workers, small and medium-sized businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and only one in three Americans thinking the country is headed in the right direction.

Republicans such as Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the ranking minority member of Neal’s committee, sees nothing but bad economic news being generated by the Biden plan, especially in the area of tax increases.

Brady issued a scathing statement just before the Labor Day weekend, in which he predicted Democrats will have to raise taxes on middle- and lower-class taxpayers due to the Biden plan.

“The left-leaning Tax Policy Center found that Biden’s tax plan will raise taxes on 75 percent of middle-class families next year, rising to 95 percent of middle-class families by 2031—contradicting his pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class Americans.

“The Joint Committee on Taxation says that within 10 years of a corporate tax increase, 66.3 percent of the corporate tax burden would be borne by lower- and middle-income taxpayers.

“Studies show that the capital gains tax alone would shrink the economy, and the left-leaning Tax Policy Center finds that Biden’s proposal raises taxes far past the amount necessary to maximize revenue. Past analyses by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation agree.

“Democrats’ second death tax will destroy more than 1 million jobs over the next 12 years, slash paychecks for workers, and shrink our economy by $100 billion over the next decade.”

If Democrats don’t raise taxes and choose instead to fund the new spending with bigger deficits, they will add an estimated $4.3 trillion to the national debt that now approaches $30 trillion, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. That estimate includes the $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill that’s a companion to the spending plan.

In such a scenario, there is no guarantee that Democrats will be able to force through Congress an increase in the national debt ceiling by Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

Democratic campaign strategists know that a contracting economy with spiraling consumer prices and fewer jobs being created could move voters to restore Republican control of either or both chambers of Congress in November 2022.

Then there is the planned Sept. 18 protest demonstration at the Capitol in support of the Jan. 6 detainees being organized by a group known as Look Ahead America (LAA), which is led by former Trump campaign strategist Matt Braynard.

The LAA has previously organized protests that included a few conservative Republican House members, but multiple senior House Republican aides speaking on background told The Epoch Times they don’t expect any to be present for the Sept. 18 event.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc. Follow him on Twitter at @mtapscott and on Parler at @Mtapscott.

New Capitol Hill Protest Looms as Democrats Face September Packed with Big Obstacles to Passing Biden Agenda (theepochtimes.com)

All “anti-racism” and “social justice” writings and campaigns are predicated on the claim that certain races and sexes are being treated unfairly. The only evidence presented to support this assertion is statistical disparities between different census categories of races and sexes.

But statistical disparities don’t prove unfair treatment; they only prove unequal outcomes. Race advocates and feminists claim that statistical disparities reflect racist and sexist discrimination. This is a factual question, and so we must consider the evidence.

But before we address the relevant evidence, it’s important to note the revolutionary change in raising census race and sex categories to the utmost importance. Western Enlightenment culture, particularly in the English-speaking world, has always placed the individual as of prime importance. In this view, collectivities such as governments, churches, and business are meant to serve individuals and their interests, rather than individuals being measured by their service to collectivities. But at least collectivities do have some existence, while the census categories of race and sex to which we are asked to bow are empty labels. This is why racism and sexism are so obnoxious: they honor labels rather than actual human beings.

Is it Discrimination?

Race and sex activists claim that statistical disparities reflect racist and sexist discrimination. With no further proof of actual discrimination, activists claim that any membership or benefit that doesn’t see 13.4 percent representation of black Americans, 18.5 percent of Hispanics, and 50 percent of female Americans—their percentages of the general population—must have resulted from racial and sexist discrimination. For example, the fact that blacks make up 5 percent and Hispanics make up 5.8 percent of medical doctors means that blacks and Hispanics are statistically underrepresented, and that this result is the consequence of racist discrimination against blacks and Hispanics.

Similarly, females make up 15 percent of the American engineering workforce, and are thus statistically underrepresented. For race and feminist activists, these statistical underrepresentations are in and of themselves proof of discrimination. But do feminists then grant that the demographic dominance of females among students and graduates generally, with females making up close to 60 percent, is proof that the underrepresentation of males is the result of sexist, anti-male discrimination? As most students in the social sciences, humanities, education, and social work are females, apparently they prefer these fields to others, including engineering and some other STEM fields. In the most gender-egalitarian societies, such as Sweden, females make up the lowest percentages of STEM students in the world, presumably because they feel free to follow their preferences. Discrimination doesn’t come into it.

If statistical underrepresentation is the result of discrimination, so too must overrepresentation be a result of discrimination. Let us consider a few cases. National Football League players are 70 percent black (compared to their 13.4 percent of the general population), while 74.2 percent of National Basketball Association players are black, 16.9 white, 2.2 Latino, and 0.4 Asian. Are these statistical levels of participation the result of racial discrimination? Are the NFL and NBA actively discriminating against white, Latino, and Asian players? Rather, it appears that teams are competing for the best players so that they can succeed in their fields of competition. The selection is based on athletic merit, rather than race. No racial discrimination is evident.

Asian Americans, with 5.9 percent of the population, provide 17.1 percent of the medical doctors. This is a major statistical disparity. Does it result from racial discrimination against whites, blacks, and Hispanics? Who exactly is discriminating in favor of Asian Americans, people who themselves have long suffered discrimination? Is there any evidence of discrimination in favor of Asian Americans?

If racial discrimination does not explain the dominance of black athletes in professional sport, or the high level of Asian Americans in the medical field, what does explain these successes? We are warned by Ibram X. Kendi that “racial-group behavior is a figment of the racist’s imagination.” Yet, if we consult evidence rather than racialist ideology, it’s beyond dispute that family structure, community culture, and crime level do differ markedly among members of different racial categories.

What Might Be the Reasons for Different Outcomes?

We know that two-parent families, in comparison with one-parent families, are associated with children’s higher educational achievement and with a lower level of criminal activity and incarceration. Members of different census race categories differ in their family structure: the percentage of single-parent families among African Americans, in 2019, was 64 percent; among American Indians, 52 percent; among Hispanics, 42 percent; among whites, 24 percent; and among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 15 percent.

Educational achievement correlates with family structure. In all standardized tests, Asian Americans achieve the highest scores, then, well behind, are whites, and well behind are Hispanics, and finally blacks. This reflects not only family structure, but also family and community culture. Asian American families have a high level of discipline and respect for parental authority, and their families and communities are notoriously committed to education.

Crime follows a similar pattern: According to 2019 FBI homicide data, “When the race of the offender was known, 55.9 percent were Black or African American, 41.1 percent were White, and 3.0 percent were of other races.” Among murder victims in 2019 for whom race was known, “54.7 percent were Black or African American, 42.3 percent were White, and 3.1 percent were of other races.”

This means the per-capita offending rate for African-Americans was around six times higher than that of whites. As a result, African Americans are highly overrepresented in prisons by demography, although not overrepresented in terms of criminal activity.

The pattern of economic success, as measured by income, is much the same. Median household income of Asian Americans was, in 2018, $87,243, of whites $67,937, Hispanics, $51,404, and blacks, $41,511. Race, however, does not seem to be a determinant, as Nigerian immigrants to the United States have an average income of $52,000, while 35 percent of Nigerian immigrant households earn $90,000.

All of these statistical disparities that indicate difficulties in the African American community have resulted after 50 years of legalized discrimination on behalf of African Americans. “Affirmative action” has made black Americans a preferred category of applicants, and has granted special conditions and benefits for black Americans. Now “diversity, equity, and inclusion” intensifies pro-black discrimination, and, incidentally, anti-white and anti-Asian discrimination. But the disparities remain, because even 50 years of racial discrimination in favor of black Americans has not addressed the social pathologies of their community.

Now, Ibram X. Kendi has warned us that “One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an antiracist.” Thus, referring to different characteristics of family structure, community culture, and criminality in different race categories is, according to Kendi, racist. Kendi is advocating for black Americans, and rejects the evidence that blacks bear some responsibility for their levels of achievement and for social pathologies such as crime. The problem, according to Kendi, is “power and policies,” and in taking this stand, he’s robbing black Americans of their agency as human beings, of their capability to achieve and to seek their own ends. This is not “anti-racism,” it’s undermining the constituency Kendi claims to champion by no expectations of performance.

Kendi’s solution to “racism” and alleged discrimination is to increase the preferences and benefits for blacks, in perpetuity: “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.” Kendi aims to disaggregate rewards from performance, so that his favored racial category gets the rewards irrespective of performance. This is not anti-racism; it’s reverse racism, as well as the negation of achievement and merit, and the advancement of mediocrity in all of our fields of knowledge and service.

Flags that were displayed in California to honor 13 U.S. military members who died last month during a terrorist bombing were allegedly vandalized, according to officials on Tuesday.

A memorial including 13 American flags and a Marine Corps flag was displayed on a fence above the 91 Freeway in Riverside, said the Riverside Police Department in a statement on social media. Police officers were notified on Monday after an individual who noticed the flags may have been defaced, said the department.

“Sometime yesterday, an observant citizen noticed the flags appeared to be damaged and it was reported to the police,” said the department, including photos of flags that appeared to be either ripped or cut. “At this point, we don’t have any suspect description but it’s obvious the flags were intentionally damaged.”

The group, “What Is Going on in Riverside County,” brought the incident to the department’s attention, while police said that the allegedly defaced flags were removed and were turned over to a local Boy Scout Troop 703 for proper retirement.

The 13 soldiers were killed during the U.S.-led evacuation mission at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. Terrorist group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack, which also claimed the lives of more than 150 Afghans.

It occurred in the midst of a rushed and chaotic evacuation of Americans, Afghans, and other foreign nationals who were attempting to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban extremist group took over Kabul in mid-August. The Biden administration drew significant condemnation from a number of veterans, Republican lawmakers, and even members of his own Party over how he handled the pullout.

And on Aug. 31, the United States carried out its final evacuation flight and removed all its military troops from Afghanistan, effectively ending the 20-year-long conflict. However, it is believed that hundreds of American citizens and their family members may remain inside the country amid conflicting reports and statements from various administration officials.

Pentagon officials last month acknowledged that possibly thousands of ISIS members may have been released from Afghan prisons by the Taliban as the group made advances across the country.

Ten of the U.S. service members killed in the incident were based out of California’s Camp Pendleton, located in San Diego County and south of Riverside County. The attack last month represented the worst single-day loss since the August 2011 attack on a Chinook helicopter that killed 30 service members.

The department then asked that anyone who has information about the vandalism to contact the Property Crimes Unit at (951) 353-7955. Other details about the incident were not provided by police.

American Flags Honoring 13 Military Members Killed in Terrorist Attack Vandalized in California: Police (theepochtimes.com)

The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday said that it is reviewing whether Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), the vice-chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, violated ethics rules and federal law when he allegedly failed to disclose his stock trades.

Chair of the House Ethics Committee Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Ranking Member Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) said that pursuant to House and committee rules, they “have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Tom Malinowski, which was transmitted to the committee by the office of congressional ethics on July 23, 2021.”

It comes after two ethics complaints were filed against the New Jersey Democrat earlier this year, following a report from Business Insider that he failed to disclose dozens of stock transactions worth at least $671,000 in violation of the 2012 Stock Act, and a report by The Associated Press (AP) that found he bought or sold as much as $1 million of stock in medical and tech companies that had a stake in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

The Stock Act is a 2012 law intended to curtail stock market speculation by lawmakers, and requires Congress members to report any securities transactions exceeding $1,000 within 45 days of the trade execution.

Malinkowski told AP that it was “a mistake that I own 100%.” Last month, he placed his financial assets into a blind trust, which is operated by an independent trustee.

A formal probe into the lawmaker hasn’t been opened by the House Ethics Committee, but it is reviewing a report from the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent ethics watchdog, which, unlike the Ethics Committee, cannot issue subpoenas or discipline members.

“Rep. Malinowski continues to participate in this routine process in good faith, and remains committed to complete transparency with the public; going beyond the requirements for Members of Congress by placing his holdings in an Ethics Committee approved qualified blind trust,” Malinowski’s office said in a statement.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Malinowski’s office for additional comment.

The Ethics Committee noted that its disclosure of extending the review into Malinowski does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.

“The committee will announce its course of action in this matter on or before Thursday, October 21, 2021,” Deutch and Walorski wrote.

The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday also announced the extension of reviews of alleged misconduct by three other lawmakers—Republican Reps. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota, and Alex Mooney of West Virginia.

The offices of Kelly, Hagedorn, and Mooney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment by The Epoch Times.

House Ethics Committee Reviewing Rep. Malinowski’s Stock Trades (theepochtimes.com)

Portland State University professor Peter Boghossian said he’s resigned from his position in an open letter and accused the college administration of creating an environment that imperils dissent.

“I never once believed—nor do I now—that the purpose of instruction was to lead my students to a particular conclusion,” Boghossian, a philosophy professor, wrote in the letter. “Rather, I sought to create the conditions for rigorous thought; to help them gain the tools to hunt and furrow for their own conclusions. This is why I became a teacher and why I love teaching.”

But over time, he argued, Portland State University—a publicly-funded college—made “intellectual exploration impossible” and has transformed itself into a “social justice factory” with a primary focus on race, victimhood, and gender.

“Students at Portland State are not being taught to think. Rather, they are being trained to mimic the moral certainty of ideologues,” said the letter, which was published on Bari Weiss’s Substack page. Weiss herself previously worked for the New York Times until 2020 when she resigned, accusing her Times colleagues of bullying, and argued that the paper capitulated to Twitter-based pressure campaigns.

“Faculty and administrators have abdicated the university’s truth-seeking mission and instead drive intolerance of divergent beliefs and opinions,” Boghossian added. “This has created a culture of offense where students are now afraid to speak openly and honestly.”

Portland State University has not immediately responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

Later in his letter, Boghossian said that over time, he faced retaliation for speaking out against academia’s narratives around race, gender, and social justice.

“For me, the years that followed were marked by continued harassment. I’d find flyers around campus of me with a Pinocchio nose. I was spit on and threatened by passersby while walking to class. I was informed by students that my colleagues were telling them to avoid my classes,” he wrote.

The lecturer added: “And, of course, I was subjected to more investigation. I wish I could say that what I am describing hasn’t taken a personal toll. But it has taken exactly the toll it was intended to: an increasingly intolerable working life and without the protection of tenure.”

Years ago, Boghossian drew headlines when he and two other authors submitted bogus race, gender, sexuality, and cultural studies to academic journals to see whether they would pass through peer review and be accepted for publication.

Many of these papers were subsequently published, which Boghossian and the others suggested was due to lackadaisical criteria and institutional rot in several academic fields.

Portland State University Professor Resigns, Says School Is a ‘Social Justice Factory’ (theepochtimes.com)

VP Harris urged followers to donate to Minnesota Freedom Fund on campaign trail

A bail fund promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris freed an alleged domestic abuser just weeks before police arrested him again for murder.

Minneapolis police arrested George Howard on Aug. 29 after the career criminal allegedly shot 38-year-old Luis Martinez Ortiz to death following a road rage incident. Roughly three weeks earlier, the Minnesota Freedom Fund bailed out Howard following a domestic violence charge, the group confirmed in a statement, which it deleted following publication of this article.

“We are aware of reports of the tragic and fatal shooting in Minneapolis earlier this week allegedly involving George Howard, an individual the Minnesota Freedom Fund had previously provided with bail support,” the group said Friday. “MFF believes that every individual who has been arrested by the law enforcement is innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge deems them eligible for bail, they should not have to wait in jail simply because they don’t have the same income or access to resources as others.”

Harris faced criticism on the 2020 campaign trail after she urged her followers to “chip in now” to the Minnesota Freedom Fund “to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota” days after George Floyd’s death. According to American Bail Coalition executive director Jeffrey Clayton, the group “definitely got a windfall” in the wake of the Democrat’s endorsement, raising a staggering $35 million as violent protests swept the nation.

Just a fraction of the bail money, however, was used to release protesters and rioters. In the months following Floyd’s death, the Minnesota Freedom Fund spent nearly $3.5 million bailing people out of jail—just $210,000 went to those who participated in the unrest, Fox News reported in 2020. The group helped release heinous criminals, such as Timothy Wayne Columbus, a 36-year-old man who allegedly penetrated an eight-year-old girl.

In 2018, years before Floyd’s death, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised just $100,000, according to its tax filing.

In addition to Harris’s public support, at least 13 Biden campaign staffers trumpeted their donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund in 2020. Then-campaign spokesman Andrew Bates, who now serves as White House deputy press secretary, defended the staffers who donated, calling cash bail a “modern day debtors prison.”

Neither the White House nor the Minnesota Freedom Fund returned a request for comment.

Kamala-Backed Bail Fund Freed Alleged Domestic Abuser Now Charged With Murder (freebeacon.com)

Sirajuddin Haqqani has $5 million bounty for killing a U.S. citizen in 2008

A Taliban spokesman on Tuesday announced the appointment of a terrorist on the FBI’s most-wanted list to a cabinet-level position in its new government.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is a senior leader in the al Qaeda-aligned Haqqani network of terror groups, will serve in the Taliban’s government as minister of the interior. He is wanted by federal authorities for his involvement in a 2008 bombing in Kabul that killed Thor Hesla, a U.S. citizen. The State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to Haqqani’s arrest.

Haqqani authored an op-ed in the New York Times in February 2020, which expressed the demands of the Taliban ahead of talks with U.S. officials in Qatar.

The Taliban leader said his organization would work to protect human rights for all Afghans and work toward “mutual respect” with foreign powers. The claims run counter to reports of atrocities the Taliban have committed against Afghans, many of whom assisted the United States during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Haqqani’s op-ed ran four months before a now-infamous New York Times editorial by Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) that argued federal forces should be deployed to quell violence and restore order in America’s cities during the summer’s riots. Whereas some employees said Cotton’s views put black journalists at the newspaper “in danger,” no Times employees said publishing a known terrorist’s words in their opinion pages put any subgroup of U.S. citizens at risk.

United Nations-sanctioned terrorist Mohammad Hasan Akhund will lead the newly installed Taliban government. A 2020 report from the United Nations Security Council said the Taliban’s senior council of 20 members—including Akhund—maintained close ties with al Qaeda during negotiations with the West.

Taliban Taps Terrorist Wanted by FBI for New Government (freebeacon.com)

A new law in Texas has removed a major barrier to prosecuting human smugglers, who are most often caught driving illegal aliens from the U.S.–Mexico border to larger cities.

As of Sept. 1, prosecutors need not prove “pecuniary gain,” which was often the reason cases were thrown out.

“We don’t have any way to track cases declined for particular issues, but there were a noticeable number,” Suzanne West, district attorney based in the border city of Val Verde, Texas, told The Epoch Times. “The changes … absolutely do make these cases easier to prosecute.”

Pecuniary gain is the money, or benefit, a driver is paid to smuggle illegal aliens from one place to another. To prove it required a confession on most occasions and often a defendant would simply say they were giving the passengers a lift for free.

In reality, cartels recruit smugglers through social media websites and messaging apps promising thousands of dollars for transporting illegal aliens. The drivers tend to be a mix of U.S. citizens and illegal aliens.

Smuggling of humans is a third degree felony offense, punishable for up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000 per person being smuggled. The new law lifts the degree of felony if pecuniary gain is proven, if a smuggled person is a minor or if the smuggler has a firearm.

The law also adds a felony charge to anyone who “assists, guides, or directs two or more individuals to enter or remain on agricultural land without the effective consent of the owner.”

Texas State Senator Juan Hinojosa, who sponsored the bill before it became law, represents the Rio Grande Valley, one of the main hubs for human smuggling in Texas.

“There is no doubt that we have a critical situation at the state’s southern border and I have heard firsthand the difficulties that human smuggling brings to local officials and landowners,” Hinojosa stated in a June release.

The state’s Senate Research Center, in its bill analysis, stated that local authorities, law enforcement agencies, and landowners had expressed concern that the current penalties for human smuggling were “inadequate.”

Since President Joe Biden took office, illegal border crossings have hit record-breaking numbers and have increased every month. Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than a million illegal aliens along the southern border since February.

Agents have expressed concern over the unknown number of illegal aliens who have evaded apprehension and are loose in the country.

Border Crime

Texas has been hit by a deluge of border-related issues this year, including a spike in vehicle pursuits and bailouts (which is when a driver slows down or stops and everyone jumps out of the vehicle and scatters to avoid capture).

As of Sept. 7, Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe has 10 suspected smugglers in jail. He has dozens more arrest warrants sitting on his desk, waiting for jail space to free up so he can find and arrest them.

Many other rural counties have been grappling with the same issues, particularly the critical shortage in jail space.

Small counties aren’t set up for the overwhelming increase in cross-border crime, and smugglers who are here illegally are often passed to Border Patrol to be repatriated without being charged.

“From those of us in the arena of border crime, we truly appreciate the assistance provided by all,” West said.  She said any additional tools will be employed to protect communities “from crime and the ripple effects that large scale criminal operations trigger.”

In March, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott surged the state’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) resources to border regions. State troopers have since been involved in the apprehension of more than 11,000 illegal aliens, according to information obtained from DPS.

In addition to local law enforcement efforts, state troopers have stopped approximately 750 vehicles suspected of smuggling 3,154 illegal aliens in Texas from March through mid-August.

Officers have been involved in 694 vehicle pursuits since March, according to DPS statistics.

Texas Makes It Easier to Prosecute Human Smugglers (theepochtimes.com)

With its recent focus on domestic terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is veering off its core competency by “chasing the shiny object,” according to former Acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf. He said that DHS should focus on international terrorism, especially given the security risks incurred by the withdrawal of American forces in Afghanistan. The talk of establishing a new statute on domestic terrorism seems like “weaponizing the criminal justice system,” added Chris Swecker, former FBI assistant director.

At a 9/11 anniversary event hosted by the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, Wolf said that DHS’s first-ever comprehensive threat assessment (pdf) published in October 2020 highlighted threats from China and Russia. However, domestic terrorism was a small piece in the overall picture, according to Wolf, adding that some people have “blown that [domestic terrorism] out of proportion.”

Given that Afghanistan has become a safe haven for terrorists and that America has withdrawn its diplomatic presence, the area will be a “black hole” for the U.S. homeland security, according to Wolf.

Wolf said that the normal vetting process for Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans is 18 to 24 months. Now Afghans are being paroled in and vetted in a matter of days. It would take only one or two bad actors to harm the security of the American homeland, added Wolf.

Swecker highlighted that international terrorist groups could pressure family members in Afghanistan to extort people in the United States to do their bidding, similar to how the Chinese Communist Party operates. This could bring additional domestic security risks, said Swecker.

Both expressed worries about a potential new statute on domestic terrorism. They said that existing laws cover prosecution of domestic terrorism acts. However, the proposed new rule seems to point to naming domestic terrorist groups or people, which could be dangerous in terms of harming people’s freedom of speech.

Furthermore, Swecker pointed out that recent DHS bulletins on domestic terrorism did not mention Antifa or Black Lives Matter riots in 2020. The DHS threat assessment report documented these events: “DHS law enforcement officers suffered over 300 separate injuries and were assaulted with sledgehammers, commercial grade fireworks, rocks, metal pipes, improvised explosive devices, and more.”

Wolf defined domestic terrorism as “committing crimes that are intended to force your ideology on a population on a government.” He said he worried that the domestic terrorism issue would become political: “Violence is violence, whether it’s coming from the right or the left. You have to condemn it equally. Otherwise, it becomes a political issue.”

Calling the 9/11 terrorist attack “one of the most significant events of the last 100 years,” Swecker said, “It was an attack on our government and our people. And it was highly successful by a determined, well-funded, well-trained terrorist organization that hasn’t gone away.”

Wolf added that it might be hard for some Americans to fathom that there were individuals and organizations “whose sole mission is to harm America.” He said China and Russia were examples of that. “I don’t think that can be overstated enough,” said Wolf.

DHS’s Shift to Domestic Terrorism Is ‘Chasing the Shiny Object,’ Says Ex-DHS Head at 9/11 Anniversary Event (theepochtimes.com)

Liberal partisans hold at least 40 percent of ‘independent’ slots on body that will redraw Michigan’s political map

A self-described “independent” commissioner tasked with redrawing Michigan’s political districts donated to left-wing causes and spoke at a local “progressive Democratic” group’s general meeting.

Attorney Rebecca Szetela, who applied in Oct. 2019 to serve on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission as an independent, has contributed at least $225 to EMILY’s List, a powerful pro-abortion group that spends millions of dollars to elect Democratic candidates. Szetela also contributed to liberal candidates and causes at the state level, including multiple donations to the Southwestern Wayne Democratic Club and one to former Washington governor Christine Gregoire (D.).

Szetela in May also addressed the Progressive Democratic Women’s Caucus of Muskegon County, a group that works to “ensure that Progressive Democrats are elected to county, state, and federal offices in the upcoming elections.” While Szetela stated on her application that she does not “affiliate with either the Republican or Democratic Party,” she declined to answer a follow-up question asking “why you don’t affiliate with either” party.

Independents are supposed to serve the largest single bloc on Michigan’s redistricting body, holding 5 of its 13 seats; 40 percent of those coveted positions, however, may be held by partisans. Like Szetela, 29-year-old medical student Anthony Eid publicly backed Democrats and liberal causes before applying to the board as an independent. He said he was “proud to live in a state that voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary” in 2016 and endorsed then-Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison for Democratic National Committee chairman, the Washington Free Beacon reported in August.

Both Szetela and Eid now play a crucial role in Michigan’s redistricting process, which will reshape the state’s political landscape for the next decade. To enact a new map, two independent members must vote for it, meaning Szetela and Eid could align with their Democratic colleagues to fulfill the quota. Eid in May acknowledged that commission applicants merely had to “self-identify” their partisan affiliation but said he did “not think anyone who was selected misrepresented themselves.”

Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission spokesman Edward Woods said the commission “respects the process that enables all 13 commissioners to designate their affiliate status as a Democrat, Republican, or neither a Democrat nor Republican, regardless of their past political donations or endorsements.”

“The Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission focuses on its mission to lead Michigan’s redistricting process to assure Michigan’s Congressional, State Senate, and State House district lines are drawn fairly in a citizen-led, transparent process, meeting Constitutional mandates,” Woods said.

In addition to Szetela’s political contributions, which were made under her maiden name, Szetela’s husband donated to Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I., Vt.) Democratic presidential campaign on three occasions in 2016 and again in 2019. Szetela’s husband also ran unsuccessfully in the 2012 Democratic primary for a local supervisor role. Prospective commissioners are deemed ineligible if their spouses ran “for partisan election office in federal, state, or local office” at any time since Aug. 15, 2014.

Michigan voters transferred redistricting powers from the state legislature to the commission through a 2018 ballot initiative, which came as Republicans held control of both chambers of the state legislature.

More than 9,300 Michiganders applied to serve on the commission, which consists of four Democrats, four Republicans, and five independents. The state then hired an outside firm to randomly select 200 semifinalists. Leaders in the state legislature were allowed to remove just 20 applicants. The commission’s final 13 members were also randomly selected.

While the Michigan group behind the ballot initiative, Voters Not Politicians, calls itself a “nonpartisan grassroots organization,” it received $250,000 from the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a direct affiliate of the Democratic Party that is chaired by former Obama administration attorney general Eric Holder.

Voters Not Politicians executive director Nancy Wang defended the group’s decision to accept the contribution, saying, “We were pleased to accept funding from any group that supported our nonpartisan solution to end gerrymandering.” Wang also said, “The fact that you are asking about certain commissioners’ backgrounds is a testament to the transparency of the voter-approved redistricting process.”

“We believe the commission is doing a far better job already, just by meeting in public and accepting public input on communities of interest, than the past practice of politicians gerrymandering lines in secret to give themselves an unfair partisan advantage,” Wang said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the commission closely to see that it lives up to the amendment’s words and spirit.”

Update 7:45 a.m.: This piece has been updated with a comment from the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission.

‘Independent’ Michigan Redistricting Commissioner Donated to Left-Wing Causes (freebeacon.com)

A man who was charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing shots at Minneapolis officers amid George Floyd protests last year was acquitted of all counts.

Jaleel Stallings, 29, of St. Paul, Minnesota, argued via lawyers that he acted in self-defense and fired three shots after being struck by rubber bullets, believing that he was being attacked by civilians, not police.

Lawyers for the man said Stallings surrendered after realizing he was firing at police. No officers were injured, according to court documents.

Stallings was facing two counts of second-degree attempted murder, assault, and other charges.

Video footage and court documents said that the officers approached Stallings in an unmarked white van, and testimony from one of the officers said they did not identify themselves as police and didn’t warn Stallings if he didn’t comply, according to KARE.

The documents said that Stallings “believed white supremacists (or, perhaps, other non-law enforcement individuals) were firing upon him.”

A news release at the time released by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office that Stallings “quickly ran away while officers began searching for him” after the incident.

In court, the officers testified that they believed Stallings was a rioter and felt the use of force was necessary because they believed him to be armed.

But a judge found that two officers violated Stallings’ Fourth Amendment rights during the arrest and that their actions were unreasonable.

“Officer Stetson and Sergeant Bittell allowed their anger and/or fear to overtake their faculties and they beat Mr. Stallings for nearly 30 seconds before attempting to place him in handcuffs,“ Judge William Koch wrote. “The video evidence does not support their testimony Mr. Stallings was resisting arrest in any way, instead he surrendered to their authority.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo issued a statement saying there is an active investigation into the matter.

“I’m aware of the recent decision by the honorable Judge Koch who as a part of his decision noted context is important, and that the officers had just been through four days of rioting, looting, arson and the burning of the Third Precinct. Peaceful protest sometimes quickly escalated to violence,” said Arradondo. “We respect the judicial process as well as the internal investigatory process which is currently active. It is for that reason I will not be commenting further at this time.”

During last year’s riots in Minneapolis, tens of millions of dollars in damage was reportedly wrought by rioters, arsons, and looters. More than 1,500 businesses were damaged or destroyed in the riots that were sparked by the death of Floyd.

Man Who Fired Shots at Minneapolis Officers During George Floyd Riots Is Acquitted (theepochtimes.com)

Once again, popular opinion of pro-murder is surrendered to… (US Patriot)

The CEO of an American video game developer stepped down after he issued a statement supportive of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a law in Texas that bans abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat.

The company, Tripwire Interactive LLC, announced in a statement on Monday that John Gibson “has stepped down as CEO” of the company, effective immediately.

Gibson said via Twitter on Saturday, “Proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat.”

He added, “As an entertainer I don’t get political often. Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.”

Two days later, Tripwire issued a statement distancing itself from Gibson’s views.

“The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion, and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company,” said the statement.

“His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment.”

Alan Wilson, the current vice president of Tripwire, will take over as interim CEO.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Texas Heartbeat Act (Senate Bill 8), signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in May. It bans doctors from performing or inducing an abortion unless he or she has determined whether the unborn child has a detectable fetal heartbeat, which can be detected as early as six weeks after conception.

If a heartbeat is found, the doctor can only carry out the abortion in a medical emergency. The measure does not have an exception for a pregnancy due to incest or rape.

Under the law, state officials cannot enforce the measure.

The legislation bans state officials from enforcing the provisions. Instead, private citizens—except for an individual who impregnated a woman through incest or rape—may file lawsuits against doctors, clinics, and anyone who is allegedly involved in an abortion that violates the law.

Those found to have violated the law would have to pay $10,000 to the private citizen who filed the lawsuit.

The law went into effect on Sept. 1. The Supreme Court on the same day denied an effort to stop the measure from taking effect, in a 5-4 ruling. A district court and an appeals court had also previously declined to intervene.

“The applicants now before us have raised serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law at issue,” the majority said. “But their application also presents complex and novel antecedent procedural questions on which they have not carried their burden” to get a preliminary injunction issued.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

Game Developer CEO Steps Down After Pro-Life Tweet on Texas Abortion Law (theepochtimes.com)

Patriots are mobilizing all over the country to defeat Joe Biden and reverse his failed policies. As America’s Sheriff, I’m supporting Create Change Now’s nationwide effort to stop the oncoming socialism train in its tracks by educating, motivating, and mobilizing American conservative patriots. There’s too much at stake in 2022 and beyond for us to leave anything to chance. The professional progressive left spends millions of dollars organizing, training, and mobilizing their socialist foot soldiers, and we must beat them at their own game. I’m proud to support Create Change Now as I travel the country firing up American patriots. So join me by making your immediate, direct investment of $25, $50, $100, or even $1,000 toward their work today! The integrity of our elections is in question. Radical leftist politicians are loosening reasonable voter protections, and unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats are changing the rules of elections while voters are casting ballots. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have blown open the gates at our Southern Border as waves of unvetted illegal aliens stream into our country. And Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan further destabilizes the Middle East and sends a poor message to our allies while emboldening our enemies. A little more than a week before the 20th Anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. All while far-left politicians are demoralizing and defunding law enforcement in Congress and State Capitols across the nation. Failed progressive “leadership” is an absolute nightmare! Create Change Now is slamming the brakes on the far-left’s radical agenda by empowering and equipping patriots like you and me with the tools to fight and win. The radical left has an army of Saul Alinsky-inspired professional activists who mobilize voters in their communities. All too often, that organizational capacity gives them an edge over patriots like you and me. While we don’t have an army of paid, professional agitators to get out the votes of the Silent Majority, we do have an influential organization called Create Change Now that’s working overtime to stem the tide of progressivism on our shores. To save the greatest nation in the history of mankind from the clutches of radical progressives, we must organize millions of patriots and stop the left at the ballot box. I support Create Change Now’s mission, and I hope you’ll join me with your generous investment of $25, $50, $100, or even $1,000. Anything you can give would be a shot in the arm for Create Change Now’s mission to train, organize, and mobilize millions of patriots and stop socialism in its tracks. You and I have a lot of work to do between now and November 2022, and it starts with supporting my friends at Create Change Now. Join me by supporting Create Change Now before Joe Biden and the radical left drives our country off the cliff! Thank you. In Liberty, Sheriff David Clarke, Jr. American Patriot FIGHT THE RADICAL LEFT

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When President Joe Biden was elected in November under hotly contested circumstances, he was supposed to be the most popular presidential candidate in our nation’s history, receiving more than 81 million votes.

The magic of this remarkable achievement wore off pretty quickly once he took up the post of commander-in-chief, however.

In less than a year, his administration has overseen crippling inflation, a horrific humanitarian crisis at the border and a return to pre-9/11 conditions in Afghanistan as the Taliban retook the nation with ease before our troops — and our civilians — had withdrawn.

It’s been a mess and a disaster. And now, the people who voted for and against the most popular presidential candidate in U.S. history want answers.

It’s not just Republicans, although they’re certainly making the most noise. Last week, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was joined by over two dozen of his colleagues who demanded answers on what went wrong in Afghanistan.

Trending:Afghan National Stabs Woman Working Outside Because He Didn’t Think It Was an Appropriate Job for Women

A solid majority of voters believe that Congress should investigate the withdrawal.

Yes, Biden is turning out to be quite the historical president — although more so for his administration’s quickly-earned notoriety than succusses at this rate.

A Rasmussen Reports survey released last week found that while less than one-third of likely voters believed the Afghanistan withdrawal was a success (those are some optimistic likely voters), nearly two-thirds believed that the handling of the withdrawal should be investigated.

The national online and phone survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Aug. 30-31, as the last of the U.S. troops were pulling out of the nation and Americans, including schoolchildren, were left stranded in the Taliban-controlled nation.

The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

Sixty-two percent of those surveyed responded affirmatively to the question, “Should Congress investigate how the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled?”

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed opposed a congressional investigation (imagine opposing government accountability at a time like this), while 10 percent were not sure.

Here’s the thing: the refrain from the Democrats over the last month has been that what happened in Afghanistan was the fault of former President Donald Trump, who negotiated a peace treaty with the Taliban and set a withdrawal date for May of this year before leaving office.

It certainly stands to reason that any voter would want Congress to investigate what happened regardless of who was to blame.Related:Apprentice Winner & Major Star Predicts Possible End of Biden’s Presidency

Yet it was under the command of Biden’s military leaders that the United States appeared to completely abandon the Afghan national army to the mercy of the Taliban and left billions of dollars worth of equipment in their hands.

It is these same military officials — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley — on whom over 100 retired military officers have called to resign.

It is Biden who appeared to advise the now-deposed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to give the public impression that the Taliban wasn’t winning in July if he wanted to receive more U.S. aid, according to Reuters.

It is Biden who was running things when thousands of Americans were scrambling to evacuate and when hundreds were abandoned in the country after we withdrew.

It is the Biden administration that was facilitating the chaotic evacuation and that gave the Taliban the names of Americans and U.S.-allied Afghans as the terror group appeared to control the entrance to the Kabul airport in the final days of the withdrawal.

And it was Biden who was commander-in-chief when Islamic State group terrorists detonated a suicide vest and opened fire upon the crush of desperate civilians trying to flee Afghanistan in an attack that killed 13 U.S. service members, the worst single-day casualty event our forces had seen in 11 years.

The American people are right to want answers — and it is from President Joe Biden that they must be demanded.

Bad News for Biden: It Looks Like Voters Aren’t Going to Let Fatal Afghan Withdrawal Be Forgotten (westernjournal.com)

Fifty-eight people have been shot in Chicago so far on Labor Day weekend, including seven children.

Five were killed. Among the victims was a 4-year-old child.

The shooting numbers, from police reports, are from Friday evening to early Monday.

The young boy was struck twice in the head by shots that were fired from outdoors and went through the window of the residence he was in the 6500 block of South Ellis Avenue, according to the Chicago Police Department.

After the shooting, which happened just before 9 p.m., the boy was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

He was later pronounced dead.

No one was in custody for the murder.

Two people were taken into custody for two other shootings, with a person of interest also apprehended in another.

Chicago officers have a persistent problem capturing people who shoot or kill others, an issue they’ve said stems from community members being unwilling to come forward to provide information about the crimes. Officials say most of the shootings are perpetrated by repeat offenders.

The shootings continued into the early hours of Saturday, including shots coming from an unknown location and striking five people who were part of a large group in the 1400 block of South Tripp Avenue. All five survived and were rushed to area hospitals.

In another shooting, around 9 p.m. on Saturday, a male physically attacked and then opened fire on a bus driver.

The suspect was arrested shortly after the incident occurred. The driver, a man, was transported to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition.

On Sunday, a number of shootings took place, during which two people were hit with bullets at a bus stop in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue.

Four shootings were reported through 6:30 a.m. on Labor Day.

Overall, between Friday evening and Monday morning, there were 45 shootings and 58 victims.

58 Shot, Including 7 Children, in Chicago on Labor Day Weekend (theepochtimes.com)

Or what I call, “The True White Supremacists” [US Patriot]

For years now, the left has demonized President Donald Trump as a right-wing authoritarian who’s dragging America down into a dark pit of tyranny and oppression. Democrats and the media continue to push this narrative, even with him out of office. Yet, Trump champions free-market enterprise and individual liberty—in other words, freedom, the opposite of authoritarianism. In reality, the true authoritarian threat to America comes from the left.

The great irony is that so many on the left used their argument that Trump is an authoritarian to justify acting as authoritarians themselves. For starters, look at the mainstream media.

For years, the media was biased, slanting its coverage in favor of Democrats and left-wing positions. But at least journalists were doing their basic jobs of reporting the news. Today, however, they’re openly partisan liberals with press credentials.

The political rise of Trump caused members of the media to see themselves as the guardians of democracy, protecting us all from the predations of Trump the dictator. Because Trump was so terrible and the stakes were so high, journalists believed their job was to advocate a cause, not to report the news.

As a result, the media has published a torrent of misleading if not outright false stories about Republicans and conservatives, deceiving the public in order to paint the right as evil. This is a classic authoritarian tactic: pushing misinformation to undermine and demonize one’s political opponents.

Of course, the media isn’t alone. Corporations are now reflecting the whims of the woke mob, adopting causes such as Black Lives Matter and the left’s push to federalize elections. Corporate executives are imposing a far-left ideology not because they believe in critical race theory or universal mail-in voting, but because they’re cowardly and succumbing to the pressure and bullying from the mob. Here is another example of leftists overtaking a key institution.

This leftist onslaught is compounded by Big Tech, which is clearly waging a war to silence conservatives and snuff out dissent. Indeed, the oligarchs running the likes of Google, Twitter, and Facebook claim they’re merely targeting misinformation, but this has consistently manifested as a political witch hunt against one side. “Misinformation” is a catch-all phrase that allows the titans of tech to censor anything they don’t like in a way that doesn’t look like blatant suppression. Of course, much of this began in 2016 with Donald Trump’s tweeting.

To make matters worse, Democrats are effectively pressuring social media companies to ramp up the censoring of this right-wing material, saying they’ll remove Big Tech’s liability protections if Silicon Valley doesn’t take down “misinformation.” This is authoritarianism in the most classic sense: the government using its power to violate individual rights.

The list of left-wing authoritarianism threatening American freedom is long and unending, from COVID-19 lockdowns run amok to the growing imposition of cradle-to-grave socialist government. I discuss it all with Ben Shapiro on this week’s episode of my podcast, “Newt’s World.” Shapiro, the editor in chief of the Daily Wire and host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” just wrote an important book on this topic titled, “The Authoritarian Moment: How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.”

As Shapiro explains, the left, led by the woke mob, specializes in bullying to get what it wants. One recent example is Major League Baseball moving its annual All-Star Game from Georgia to Colorado because of the former’s voting law, which sparked leftist outrage and calls to boycott the state. Yet, these same leftists have the audacity to cry victim and claim they’re the victims of right-wing bulling.

To the left, everything is both personal and political. There’s no compromise, no middle ground. That’s why Parler gets banned and teachers get fired for opposing critical race theory. Leftists want submission and conformity, not debate. They want diversity of appearance but not diversity of thought. In short, the left seeks raw power to impose a radical, divisive vision on the country.

There are certainly authoritarians on the right, but they live in obscurity, on the fringe, without any institutional control. But the authoritarians on the left control our society’s most powerful institutions—and they’re ascendant in the Democratic Party. They are the authoritarians truly threatening America.

From Gingrich360.com.

The Real Authoritarians Threatening America (theepochtimes.com)

HUIXTLA, Mexico—Mexican security and migration officials early on Sunday blocked the passage of a new caravan of illegal aliens, detaining several people, as the government moved to break up the group just a day after it set off from southern Mexico for the United States.

At around 5 a.m. local time, members of Mexico’s National Guard and the National Institute of Migration (INM) began surrounding the illegal immigrants on the edge of the southern town of Huixtla, prompting some of them to flee, a Reuters witness said.

The officials sought to intercept the ones who ran for the banks of the River Huixtla. The caravan was made up largely of Central Americans, Haitians, and some Venezuelans.

The operation to stop the caravan of around 400 people comes a few days after officials dispersed another large group and followed comments by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that he wanted illegal immigrants to stay in southern Mexico.

Lopez Obrador also urged the U.S. government to help the illegal aliens find work, speaking ahead of a high-level meeting of U.S. and Mexican officials on Thursday that is due to address economic matters and also expected to encompass migration.

As had occurred with the previous caravan, some illegal aliens accused Mexican security forces of using excessive force during their intervention, and Maria Martha Ramos, a Honduran woman, said some of the officials threw stones to detain people.

Ramos said she would see if the main body of the illegal aliens regrouped so she could continue her journey north.

The Mexican government recently condemned officials committing acts of violence that were captured on video against the previous group of illegal border-crossers.

Mexican Officials Cut Off New Caravan of Illegal Aliens, Breaking up Main Group (theepochtimes.com)

Update: The majority Democrat Maryland General Assembly voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s vetoes of three police reform bills on Saturday, making Maryland the first state to repeal a Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, and enacting sweeping changes to the state’s law enforcement procedures.

Original:

Shortly after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed three major bills in a landmark police reform package, state lawmakers are poised to override the governor’s rulings in the final days of the legislative session.

Passed by the democratically controlled General Assembly last week, the package of legislation contains sweeping reforms to the state’s policing policies and overhauls how officers are protected under the law. The bills’ approval from House and Senate lawmakers came after days of deliberation between lawmakers of the two chambers, and months after the protests against police brutality and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd.

On Friday night, Hogan rejected three bills within the package, writing in a statement that they would cause “great damage to police recruitment and retention” and pose “significant risks to public safety.”

One of the bills Hogan vetoed would make police disciplinary records and complaints against officers publicly available. It would also limit when police could execute “no-knock warrants.” The second bill would require the use of body-worn cameras for certain agencies by 2023, and create a statewide use-of-force policy. The final — and perhaps most controversial bill — to receive Hogan’s veto would repeal and replace the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which lays out extensive job protections and due process requirements for officers facing allegations of misconduct.

Within hours of Hogan’s Friday night announcement, House delegates voted to overrule the governor’s veto on the bill pertaining to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, setting Maryland up to be the first state in the U.S. to repeal such a provision. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) also released a statement Friday indicating the chamber’s plans to override Hogan’s ruling.

“Tomorrow, the Senate will take the necessary action to ensure that we can have safer communities and fairer policing throughout our state,” Ferguson wrote. “Once enacted, we look forward to working with all stakeholders and partners in government to ensure these laws build a stronger and safer Maryland.”

The General Assembly is convening Saturday before its legislative session ends at midnight on Monday, April 12, and is expected to override all three of Hogan’s vetoes.

On Thursday, Hogan vetoed a bill that would abolish life-without-parole sentences for juvenile offenders, and allow a minor who is sentenced as an adult to petition for a reduced sentence after serving 20 years. On Saturday, the Senate voted to override Hogan’s veto of that bill, according to WBAL-TV.

This post was updated to reflect that the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s vetoes. 

Maryland Lawmakers Override Hogan’s Vetoes To Pass Police Reform Bills (dcist.com)

Typically, employees are allowed to opt out of things such as vaccination mandates for one of two reasons—health concerns or religious exemptions.

However in the new world of adios personal liberty courtesy of power-hungry governors, we take you to Washington State, where incompetent Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has decided that religion is no longer an adequate excuse to avoid the jab.

According to Jason Rantz of 770 KTTH in Seattle, Inslee has now told troopers with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), who have successfully worked for the past 18 months without a vaccine by wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) to avoid the ‘rona, that the religious exemptions no longer apply.

In an email sent to WSP staff Thursday, Inslee wrote that “there is no accommodation that can be provided for the religious exemption requests.” A subsequent email sent by a WSP captain confirmed the directive.

So as a result of the decision, which impacts any “public-facing” position, troopers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or state dictator Inslee says they will be fired. Rantz said the decision was made after human resources consulted with the Attorney General’s office. The email specifically puts the blame for the decision on Inslee’s office.

This decision could have a significant negative impact on staffing within the Washington State Patrol, which Rantz notes could “cripple the entire department.”

According to the email obtained by the Jason Rantz show on KTTH, a high-ranking official within the WSP confirmed that “there is no accommodation that can be provided for the religious exemption requests.”

“I wish I had better news on this as I know many of us have been waiting to hear back regarding accommodation requests,” the email, sent to some WSP staff read.

“I know this is hard news to hear for many of us. I wanted to share this with you directly as soon as I found out instead of waiting for the daily bulletin to come out.”

Rantz said that WSP troopers can expect to see their religious exemption requests denied in the coming days.

The second email, sent on Friday morning and written by a WSP captain noted that the guidance was provided by state human resources from “guidance provided by the Governor’s Office.”

“At this time, it has been confirmed that for any public-facing position, there are limited accommodations available,’ the email reads, and continued that “there is no accommodation we can provide for their religious exemption requests.”

Continuing, the email read, “I have already asked how this is possible and I’m seeking clarification on how we have been working in this Covid environment for the past 17-months utilizing the appropriate PPE and social distancing protocols to complete our mission.”

Leaked emails obtained showing correspondence between Inslee and representatives for Attorney General Bob Ferguson showed the state of Washington wrote the religious exemption form to be as “narrow as possible.”

This was done in order to prevent religious staffers from receiving accommodation. However the forms provided to assorted staff members noted that any exemption would be subject to the ability to provide accommodations.

They are not only trying to limit religious exemptions but also medical exemptions. According to the email, “the employee [seeking medical exemption] will have to take leave during that waiting period until they can come back to work fully vaccinated.”

While the email left a small opening that perhaps things might change, many state employees are preparing to lose their jobs.

One such person is a Washington State Trooper, Phillip Berg who is only five years into his career with the WSP. Berg previously served in the military and felt the call to join the state patrol and give something back to the community. He said that he is being forced out over the vaccine mandate.

“The public needs to be made aware of the repercussions of what October 19 looks like if medical exemptions and religious exemptions are not granted,” Berg said on Rantz’s show on KTTH, speaking in his personal capacity and not as a state trooper.

Berg believes the mandate will have a devastating effect on WSP staffing if accommodations are not provided.

“I disagree with the premise of [a] mandate on its face, [but] I decided to put in my religious exemption form for a specific reason,” he said.

“That it’s a chance to stand up for the unborn. That is my objection to it. The fetal cell lines used in the process to create this vaccine. So it’s an opportunity for me to have a voice for the unborn that didn’t have a choice in this.”

He emphasized that he will not let the feckless Inslee take that away from him.

“There’s nothing that anyone or any governmental entity can to do get me to disregard what God has placed on my heart,” Berg said.

“There’s nothing that can be done to me, promised to me, or taken away from me to dissuade me from my God-given convictions. So, yes, I’m 100% ready to be terminated October 18, and I can’t be swayed from that.”

Rantz said that if employees who seek accommodation or are ideologically opposed to Inslee’s mandate are fired, the Washington State Patrol will suffer what he describes as an “unprecedented staffing crisis.”

In a poll taken of members between Aug 9-17, troopers were asked if they plan to refuse the vaccination, even under threat of termination, 296 said yes. A more general question which asked troopers if they disagree with mandatory vaccinations showed 449 troopers in opposition to the plan while only 19 supported it.

In an email sent to members last week by the State Patrol’s association that was obtained by Rantz, they asked:

“Important questions need to be addressed, including what the agency will look like with a 20-35 percent loss of employees? How will the agency deploy resources to the areas that are most impacted?” the letter asked.

One trooper who said he will not take the vaccine and will accept termination is Robert LaMay, a 22-year department veteran who is refusing the vaccine. Also speaking in his personal capacity, LaMay warned of the implications of terminating so many troopers much as Berg did.

“I don’t know if people understand the amount of numbers, we’re talking about for state employees that are looking at leaving, LaMay told Rantz.

“I mean, we’re talking, just patrol, 400 or 500, 600 people. We have probably 800 guys that actually work the road, the rest of them are management positions, things of that nature…detectives. So if just a quarter of those types of people actually refused to get the vaccination and they are terminated on [Oct. 18]? That’s what the citizens of the state are actually looking at.”

This is something that bears watching. A number of power-hungry governors and mayors have decided to push mandatory vaccinations on their employees, and a number of those employees are going to push back. Even in a case such as Washington State, you’re talking to a substantial decimation of its authorized strength. 

Extrapolate that out to a city such as New York or Chicago and the results would be absolutely devastating. In a battle of wits, our money is on the cops. 

Do you want to join our private family of first responders and supporters?  Get unprecedented access to some of the most powerful stories that the media refuses to show you.  Proceeds get reinvested into having active, retired and wounded officers, their families and supporters tell more of these stories.  Click to check it out.

Inslee is no stranger to screwing over law enforcement in Washington State. In May, he signed a police “reform” bill that will significantly impact (in a negative way) police in the state. For more on that, we invite you to:

DIG DEEPER

OLYMPIA, WA – On Tuesday, May 18th, Democratic Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a dozen bills that are designed to improve accountability for law enforcement. 

According to the Associated Press (AP):

“The dozen bills Inslee signed include outright bans of police use of chokeholds, neck restraints, and no-knock warrants such as the one that helped lead to Taylor’s killing in Louisville, Kentucky.”

Washington Gov. Inslee signs sweeping police reform measures https://t.co/ScdooL7Vl5

— Daniel Shunra (@shunradan) May 19, 2021

The legislation requires officers to intervene if their colleagues engage in excessive force, which is reportedly a demand that was inspired by the officers indirectly involved in the George Floyd incident. 

The bills also create an independent office to review the use of deadly force by police, making it easier to de-certify police officers for bad acts, and require officers to use “reasonable care,” including exhausting de-escalation tactics in carrying out their duties.

The bills make the use of tear gas and car pursuits restricted and it is now easier for individuals to sue officers when they inflict injury.

Before signing the bills, Inslee said in a statement:

“As of noon today, we will have the best, most comprehensive, most transparent, most effective police accountability laws in the United States.”

He added:

“These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation.”

A bold move towards serious police reform by Jay Inslee.

The Associated Press: Washington governor signs sweeping police reform measures.https://t.co/FJyHloUuLN

via @GoogleNews

— James Sayer_The Breakdown (@JamesSa75888275) May 19, 2021

In 2020, Inslee convened a task force to suggest ways to guarantee independent investigations of police use of deadly force. This task force was put together after community outrage over the death of Manuel Ellis, who was reportedly claiming he could not breathe while being restrained by Tacoma police.

When signing the bills, Inslee did so at a community center in Tacoma. Under the legislation recommended by the task force, the state will have an independent office that will hire regional teams to review such cases.

There are also restrictions on hiring police or former police officers as investigators and eventually the investigations will be conducted by civilians with other areas of expertise, such a behavioral health.

Reportedly, the measures were driven by Democrats, who control both houses in Olympia and several of the key lawmakers pushing the bills were people of color.

According to Rep. Jesse Johnson of Federal Way, these individuals worked closely with families of people killed by police, community activist groups, and police groups themselves, such as the Washington Fraternal Order of Police, in developing some of the other bills.

He said:

“This process was deeply collaborative, deeply visionary, and deeply intentional about lifting up every voice from community to law enforcement.”

Washington Gov. Inslee signs reform measures banning police chokeholds, no-knock warrants https://t.co/28PNU7WaXN pic.twitter.com/YkYdE0JcNQ

— Jairo Rodriguez (@RealtorJairo) May 19, 2021

Some of the bills, including one signed earlier by Inslee that reforms the private arbitration system by which officers can appeal discipline, had bipartisan backing. 

A coalition of Washington state law enforcement unions, representing more than 14,000 officers, said it could accept some measures, including the arbitration reform and duty-to-intervene bills.

However, the coalition did express concern that the decertification bill threatened the due-process rights of officers.

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, which represents 60% of the states fully commissioned law enforcement officers, opposed the bill restricting police tactics and the measure requiring” reasonable care” in using force.

Marco Monteblanco, Washington State FOP’s President, said that the organization worked hard to bring these bills into a place that is workable to allow officers to still do their duties and keep communities safe.

He said:

“We need to go out there and do things to make sure ALL citizens, including our law enforcement professionals, are safe.”

Governor Inslee Signs 12 Police Reform Bills, Local Police Respond https://t.co/aw6de6RsYR pic.twitter.com/pVD720bdEF

— TriCities WA News (@tricitieswanews) May 19, 2021

Rep. Johnson, who is also a member of the legislature’s Black Members Caucus, said in a statement:

“All of these bills together I think are a constellation of efforts to create accountability and justice within the system and I think it’s going to make things safer.”

Many Republicans have disagreed. Sen. Mike Padden, the ranking Republican on the Senate Law and Justice Committee, went so far as to call the package of bills “hostile to law enforcement.”

Padden specifically criticized the ban on the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint, a technique used by many departments nationally, which he argued if applied properly, can be safe and effective.

He stated:

“It’s a shame to see that tool take out of the tool box.”

Monteblanco, who is also a Kennewick Police Department detective, also said:

“I’m optimistic, even with the bills I didn’t particularly agree on.”

Monteblaco was reportedly involved in the entire process of these laws, communicating with lawmakers and community members and giving his input from a police perspective.

He said:

“We are having these discussions on a local and national level and it is an obligation of police to listen and be at the table of those discussions. We may not agree on everything, but we are listening and that helps build trust and open communication from all sides.”

Religious, health accommodations for Washington state troopers rejected (lawenforcementtoday.com)

National Fraternal Order of Police

Honoring the 13 Fallen Service Members 🇺🇸

Last night, Jefferson County (TN) Law Enforcement held a 13 car memorial caravan that traveled across Jefferson County to honor the 13 service members who were targeted and murdered in Afghanistan. We will never forget these heroes. Please pray for their families!

The event was organized by Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Coffey and each Jefferson County agency was represented.

Fraternal Order of Police, Tennessee Lodge 61 – Jefferson County

The 13 cars forming the number 13 are in honor of the fallen hero’s listed below:

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah

Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.

Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, Calif.

Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Calif.

Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Neb.

Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Mo.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyo.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif.

Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tenn.

National Fraternal Order of Police – Honoring the 13 Fallen Service Members | Facebook

A coalition of Oregon police officers and firefighters have sued Gov. Kate Brown over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees.

The plaintiffs—including the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police and the Kingsley Firefighters Association—argued in a lawsuit filed Friday in a Jefferson County court (pdf) that Brown’s executive order violates a number of laws and want it blocked.

“Plaintiffs seek an order declaring EO No. 21-29 is unenforceable because it conflicts with Oregon statutes, would result in a common law wrongful discharge of the Plaintiffs, conflicts with the Oregon Constitution’s guarantee of free expression, and conflicts with the United States Constitution guarantee of equal protection, free exercise, and due process,” the complaint states.

Brown issued an executive order (pdf) on Aug. 13 that imposed a mandatory vaccine requirement on all executive branch employees. In the order, Brown said that, to date, around 70 percent of the state’s executive branch employees had taken the vaccine voluntarily, prompted in part by state efforts like organizing onsite vaccine clinics and financial incentives.

Citing the rise in COVID-19 infections and noting that both private and public employers across the United States have imposed mandates, Brown said it was time for tougher measures in Oregon.

“With the Delta variant raging in Oregon, with the state’s ability to fully return to in-person work continuing to be hampered by the risks from COVID-19, having implemented a series of incentives aimed at achieving voluntary compliance, and with full FDA approval of the COVID-19 vaccine expected within weeks, the time has come for any remaining state employees and those who work alongside them in state government to get vaccinated,” she wrote in the order.

Ten days after Brown’s order, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full regulatory approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

The order gives Oregon state workers until Oct. 18 to provide proof of vaccination or face consequences that could include dismissal.

The plaintiffs argued in the complaint that enforcement of the order would result in wrongful termination, and they have asked the court to declare it unlawful and block its enforcement.

“The individual plaintiffs are Executive Branch employees … who want to exercise control over their own medical treatment and are being forced to choose between their rights privileges and liberties as citizens on the one hand and their employment, careers, and financial futures on the other,” the complaint states.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the suit.

Brown’s spokesperson Liz Merah defended the executive order in a statement to The Associated Press.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, employer vaccine requirements have become an important tool, and state government plays a part. It’s critical to protect state workers, workplaces, and facilities, as well as members of the public who use state services,” she told the outlet.

The lawsuit comes as Oregon has faced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with a seven-day average of 2,222 daily cases on Sept. 2, compared to fewer than 500 in mid-July, according to state health authorities.

Oregon Police and Firefighters Sue Governor Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate (theepochtimes.com)

As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, U.S. deaths from COVID-19 reach grim milestone

President Joe Biden promised the American people the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan would not in any way resemble the humiliating end to the Vietnam War. He broke that promise.

“The Taliban is not the south—the North Vietnamese army. They’re not—they’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability,” Biden said during a press conference on July 8. “There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in the—of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.”

Several weeks later, American forces were scrambling to evacuate diplomats and staff from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Kabul as the Taliban advanced toward the capital. Chaos ensued as thousands gathered at Hamid Karzai International Airport, where 13 American service members were killed in a suicide bombing attack, and hundreds of American citizens and Afghan allies were left behind. Earlier this week, Biden hailed the disastrous withdrawal as an “extraordinary success” that went exactly “as designed.”

Meanwhile, back in the United States, another human-rights disaster has been unfolding on Biden’s watch. More than 235,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since Biden took office in January. That is more than quadruple the number of Americans who died during the Vietnam War (58,220) from 1964 to 1975. On average, COVID-19 has killed more than 1,000 Americans every day that Biden has been president.

The horrific death toll marks another broken promise for Biden, who insisted during the 2020 presidential campaign that he would “shut down the virus” in the United States. In fact, the number of COVID-19 deaths on Biden’s watch is even greater than the American death toll was on October 22, 2020, the date of his final presidential debate against former president Donald Trump.

“Two-hundred twenty-thousand Americans dead,” Biden said. “Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America. We’re in a situation where there are a thousand deaths a day.”

Once again, Biden promised that electing him president would halt the deadly pandemic in its tracks. “The way this president has responded to this crisis has been absolutely tragic,” he said. “So, folks, I will take care of this. I will end this. I will make sure we have a plan.”

Fact check: He did not.

Biden’s Other Vietnam (Times Four) (freebeacon.com)

Biden administration official Samantha Power violated federal law on Friday by riding an Amtrak train without a properly positioned face mask. Photos obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show the USAID administrator texting on her phone with a mask covering her chin, which the CDC has identified as incorrect and potentially dangerous.

The Amtrak website makes clear that not wearing a mask while onboard its trains is a violation of federal law:

Federal law requires all customers and employees to wear a mask at all times while onboard trains and in stations, regardless of vaccination status or state or local laws. Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law; passengers may be subject to penalties under federal law, denied boarding, removed from the train and banned from future travel in the event of noncompliance.

The Free Beacon has learned that Power was not removed from the train despite her callous disrespect for not only the law, but also the health and safety of her fellow passengers.

Power is merely the latest example of a prominent Democrat flouting the mask requirements they frequently champion. See also:

Elizabeth Warren Violates New Mexico Mask Mandate at Biden Cabinet Member’s Wedding

DCCC Chairman Partied Maskless at Billionaire’s Estate in France After State Dept. Issued ‘Do Not Travel’ Warning

BUSTED: Habitual Parking Violator AOC Shuns Pelosi’s Mask Mandate, Puts Lives at Risk

Democrats Praise Lawmakers Who Violated Biden Mask Mandate

BUSTED: Biden Adviser Samantha Power Shuns Federal Law, Rides Amtrak WITHOUT A MASK (freebeacon.com)

Weeks after government whistleblowers exposed “widespread” COVID-19 infections at a major shelter housing illegal immigrant youths, a Texas county reports a startling 107% increase in cases among underage migrants in facilities within its boundaries. The government classifies the young migrants as Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) and the U.S. is currently caring for about 14,319, according to figures provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency in charge of the madness. American taxpayers provide the illegal immigrants with a variety of costly services, including a classroom education, mental and medical health services, and an array of recreation activities.

Government shelters across the nation are overcrowded because the number of UAC has increased dramatically in the last few months. Nearly half (46%) are from Guatemala, government figures show, with 25% from Honduras, 14% from El Salvador and 8% classified as “other.” The overwhelming majority (72%) are over 14 years old and 68% are boys. Reports indicate that COVID-19—and probably other ailments—is rampant among this impoverished population, which arrives at the U.S. border with an unknown health history in the middle of a global pandemic. For a Texas county near the Mexican border, it has become a serious problem. Officials in Cameron County, with a population of around 423,000, release weekly Covid-19 statistics on their government website and the numbers are scary. The figures include the county’s general population broken down by city, gender, and age. They also include infections among UAC and the adults that care for them.

In the latest breakdown, the county figures reveal that the number of UAC in area detention centers and shelters infected with COVID-19 rose 107% in less than a week. An online publication dedicated to covering the U.S.-Mexico border reported the story this week based on the latest distressing health stats posted on the Cameron County website. The figures show that just a few days ago the county had only 28 COVID-19 cases among UAC and this week there are 58. The UAC infections constitute about 20% of the 300 new COVID-19 infections reported in the county in a period of just three days. The records show that all but two of the infected UAC were between the age of 10 and 19. HHS evidently did not return the media outlet’s calls requesting information on the facilities where the UAC are being held and what precautions, if any, are being taken to stop COVID-19 from spreading further.

In late July two federal employees who volunteered to work at a UAC shelter under a Biden administration initiative to increase staff to handle the influx went public with the COVID-19 crisis at another Texas facility. This one is at Fort Bliss in El Paso, and it has the capacity to hold 10,000 UAC. In a federal whistleblower complaint the employees, Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold, write that COVID-19 is widespread among children at the facility and eventually spread to many employees. “Hundreds of children contracted COVID in the overcrowded conditions,” the complaint, which is addressed to various congressional committees, states. “Adequate masks were not consistently provided to children, nor was their use consistently enforced. Every effort was made to downplay the degree of COVID infection at the site, and the size of the outbreak was deliberately kept under wraps.” The document also trashes two private contractors hired by the government to run the facility and says the whistleblowers “witnessed significant waste, fraud and abuse.”

As early as March, data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Department exposed the COVID-19 outbreak in state shelters housing UAC. At the time 37 of the 44 facilities in Texas reported COVID-19 infections among illegal immigrant youths. At a converted camp for oil field workers in west Texas, more than 10% of the population tested positive for COVID-19 in its first four days, according to a national news story, and at least one UAC had to be hospitalized. Dozens of facilities in Texas house illegal immigrant minors for the federal government and many have been embroiled in controversy. Texas Governor Greg Abbott wants them shut down and has issued an order to revoke their licenses, asserting that the “unabated influx of individuals resulting from federal government policies threatens to negatively impact state-licensed residential facilities, including those that serve Texas children in foster care.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have seized several counterfeit Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration badges shipped from China. 

As an agency press release notes, “officers at the Chicago International Mail Branch (IMF) recently seized several packages all arriving from China that contained counterfeit Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) badges.”

In the following week, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials busted additional shipments containing over two dozen counterfeit DEA badges.

“These counterfeit badges could have led to disastrous consequences if our officers had not found them,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director of Chicago CBP’s Field Operations. “Criminal organizations could have used these badges for their illicit activity under the guise of federal agents. Our CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations.”

A reconfigured global elite are shaping up around a new kind of vision for transforming our world. They’ve called their neo-socialist and multilateral vision the Green New Deal.

Joe Biden’s White House team are core players in this vision, as they seek to reinvent Roosevelt’s original 1930s New Deal into a contemporary twenty-first century Democratic Party platform.

But there are also other important players pushing this neo-socialist dream.

One has been the European Union’s large and well-organised green lobby. Another has been Klaus Schwab (economist and founder of the World Economic Forum), who has used Davos to push his vision of a “Great Reset” of the global economy.

Those getting on board with the Green New Deal are the usual advocates of state interventionism, big government, and multilateral globalism. But surprisingly this new elite is a mix of left-liberals, socialists, Greens, bureaucrats, and university researchers/experts. More surprising is that sections of the business elite are also climbing on board what they believe will be a gravy train.

It appears business is motivated by two factors. First, they are afraid of activist pressure. Second, their marketing departments are telling them there are great public relations kudos to be had in signing up to the now fashionable narratives of saving victims, saving the planet, and distancing themselves from left-leaning stereotypes of greedy uncaring capitalists.

So now we have woke businesses greenwashing their brands plus learning to make profits out of the Green New Deal’s neo-socialist strategy to tear up our old infrastructure and replace them with new ones at great expense to the taxpayer. Who knew socialism could be profitable.

But one of the most fascinating features of this trend is how enthralled legacy media journalists are with the green narratives underpinning this emergent global elite.

Journalists who would normally ask questions about self-interest, crooked narratives, and obvious propaganda now meekly buy into the trendy narratives. Indeed journalists are now being told that applying the journalistic principle of balance is a bad thing when reporting on issues like climate change.

Instead, journalists are being taught that it is fine to advocate for green climate change messages. We even have global media like the BBC instructing their journalists not to be balanced on climate change.

In a climate when green activism is now normalised in media newsrooms, it is hardly surprising that we see journalists treating green experts as media darlings, and as a result, those same green experts are no longer challenged by probing journalistic questions.

Instead, what emerges is a de facto partnership between the media, climate change scientists, and activists wherein journalists start to construct pro-green (propaganda-like) stories.

One way of explaining this partnership is to see it as part of the phenomenon of an emergent global elite for whom left-wing “progressivism” has become a kind of secularised religion, built around saving the many kinds of victims we apparently have today.

These victims can be those conventionally beloved by socialists—the poor. They can also be the new victims beloved by identity politics—LGBTQI, Indigenous or ethnic minorities. Or victims beloved by feminists—women persecuted by the patriarchy. Or the victims can now even be non-human—whales, polar bears, coral reefs, nature, or the planet.

What binds all these victims is that they need to be saved by a self-selecting elite of people who have married elements of the narratives of left-liberalism and neo-Marxism.

This elite first emerged in the United States and then spread to the rest of the western world. And now, like a virus, it is also spreading to places like the European Union (EU).

It is an elite who have proven highly susceptible to catching the green virus. Significantly, enormous progress has been made in capturing western universities, the global media, the education system, and the many bureaucracies across the Anglo world and EU.

The result has been the growth of an alliance between left-liberal, progressive politicians; academics; journalists; and bureaucrats.

Once the universities were captured by this progressive-left, universities were used to teach a new “way of seeing” and a “new way of speaking about” the world.

Thus, universities become the source of what is termed ‘woke’ and green narratives; while the media and internet are used to disseminate their tales. In addition, as universities produced more of these progressive and Green “experts,” journalists rely on them to justify their own work—creating an ongoing cycle.

Importantly, since universities teach journalism, public relations and marketing the communication industries are filled with those taught the woke discourses beloved by the globalised elite.

Not surprisingly, the resultant spread of progressivism within the communications industry means progressives are also becoming well placed—and more skilled—at spreading their own ideologies, while shutting down opposing views.

Indeed the Left are so successful that much of the world in the Biden era is starting to feel a bit like a mixture of the hard authoritarianism of George Orwell’s 1984 and the soft authoritarianism of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

The proliferation of both discourse around the Green New Deal, and the expanding power of a medical autocracy calling the shots over COVID-19, are two indicators of the way the global elite are becoming successful at promoting only their views while undercutting all others.

The universities have also given birth to “experts” who believe that secular science can fix everything thereby removing the need for religion or traditional knowledge.

At a deeper level, German existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche saw this rot beginning when Western thinkers “killed God” in the 19th century, and from that wrong turn has evolved the secularist, social engineers of today.

But at a more institutional level, I think American conservative philosopher Paul Gottfried was correct that the problem lies in today’s overly interventionist governments imposing social therapy measures upon their citizens.

His argument was that this began during the post-second World War era in the United States—specifically with Paul Lazarsfeld’s Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University in the 1940s to 1950—and in the growth of the 1960s U.S. government-led social engineering policies (for example, affirmative action new migration laws).

And today, we see the modern manifestation of such a long-running trend in state-run welfare systems, the Green New Deal, and the COVID-19 medical autocracy.

Significantly, Lazarsfeld’s behavioural science was built on the neo-Marxist Frankfurt School’s idea of an “Authoritarian Personality”—a personality type that is submissive and obedient to authority—as well as the notion that experts should learn to manage and control the population better (using psychology, behavioural sciences, public opinion research, public relations, and spin-doctoring). This, in turn, can help stop the re-emergence of “bad ideas” like nationalism or traditionalism.

Lazarsfeld founded an American tradition of academic thinking about how the media could be used to promote “good” (progressive) ideas and shut down “bad” ideas.

Lazarsfeld’s centre employed many Frankfurt School members and so opened the door to the merging of left-liberal and neo-Marxist ideas, which has further contributed to the growth of the progressive elite.

With Biden in office, this elite now has a great base to work from to disseminate their preferred ideological narratives including the virtues of big government, green activism, and multilateral interventionism to save its so-called “victims.”

And because the 2000 anti-Trump crusade helped cement the alliance between left-leaning politicians, activists, mainstream liberal media journalists, U.S.-owned tech giants; and the university sector, we can now expect to see a period of intensified dissemination of “progressive” narratives plus simultaneous attempts at discourse closure aimed at closing-down and disrupting narratives that the Left loves to hate.

Global Elite Latches Onto Neo-Socialist Vision: The Green New Deal (theepochtimes.com)

Court filings say John Pierce hospitalized with COVID-19, while others say he’s suffering from another condition

An attorney who’s representing 17 defendants accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach has disappeared, possibly suffering from COVID-19, according to am Aug. 30 court filing.

Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips said in a court document (pdf) that nearly 20 cases related to the Jan. 6 incident aren’t proceeding after John Pierce, the lawyer for the defense, went missing.

Pierce is “reportedly ill with COVID-19, on a ventilator, and unresponsive,” according to the filing. Pierce’s law firm associate, Ryan Marshall—who isn’t a licensed attorney—has been appearing in Pierce’s place at court hearings and proceedings. Marshall was also the one who revealed Pierce’s alleged hospitalization and condition.

The lawyer, who generally posts on Twitter several times per day, hasn’t posted since Aug. 20.

“Because Mr. Pierce is unavailable and Mr. Marshall cannot ethically or legally represent Mr. Pierce’s clients, the government is making the court aware of Mr. Pierce’s reported illness so that it can take any steps it believes necessary to ensure the defendant’s rights are adequately protected while Mr. Pierce remains hospitalized,” Phillips said.

But later in the court filing, the U.S. attorney’s office said it had obtained “conflicting information about Mr. Pierce’s health and whereabouts.”

When it was revealed publicly that Pierce was hospitalized with COVID-19, a report from NPR, citing unnamed sources, said that he may have been suffering from dehydration and exhaustion and that he’s believed to have symptoms related to COVID-19.

And a colleague of Pierce, Brody Womack, told Business Insider that Pierce “appears to have been suffering from dehydration and exhaustion in relation to his tireless work on behalf of his clients, including the many defendants he represents in connection with the January 6, 2021, protest at the Capitol.”

On Aug. 26, Marshall appeared in place of Pierce, telling a U.S. attorney’s assistant that he hasn’t had any contact with Pierce and noting that one of his friends “had told him that Mr. Pierce was sick with COVID-19 and another had said he was not,” the filing states.

“From the government’s perspective, given Mr. Pierce’s reported illness and the fact that Mr. Marshall is not a licensed attorney, this case is effectively at a standstill,” Phillips’ office stated.

Even though Marshall “has been the government’s main or sole point of contact for many of the defendants represented by Mr. Pierce, the government does not believe it appropriate to continue to communicate with him in Mr. Pierce’s absence, during which he would necessarily be acting without supervision by a licensed attorney,” the court document reads.

Some of Pierce’s clients said they’re starting to become concerned.

Paul Rae, an alleged Proud Boy from Florida who has pleaded not guilty, told ABC News on Aug. 30 that he’s “a bit concerned” about his lawyer’s health and the overall situation regarding his representation. An associate of Pierce told him that the attorney isn’t on a ventilator and that he’s recovering, Rae said.

“Unless I’m being lied to, I’m hearing ‘Don’t be concerned,’” Rae told the network. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

The Epoch Times contacted Pierce’s office for comment. When reached for comment via telephone, the phone lines for his law firm appeared to be disconnected.

Lawyer Representing 17 Jan. 6 Defendants Has Mysteriously Gone Missing: Court Filings (theepochtimes.com)

Democrat Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar has been accused of possibly committing a felony by not properly reporting her income and assets in the financial disclosure reports she sent to the House of Representatives.

The accusations came from the conservative watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), which demanded that the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) look into the reason Rep. Omar’s financial disclosures do not refer to the income she may have received from her memoir that she published in May 2020, The Daily Caller reported.

It also wants to know why, it believes, her new husband’s consulting firm was undervalued after it made around $3 million from Rep. Omar’s campaign from 2018 through 2020.

“Representative Omar’s apparent disclosure omissions and misreporting violate House ethics rules, the Ethics in Government act, and possibly 18 U.S.C. 1001, a felony with penalties up to five years in prison for making false statements in a matter before the legislative branch,” it said in its complaint. “There is clearly more than ‘reasonable cause to believe’ that disclosure violations may have occurred.”

In a message to the Daily Caller News Foundation a spokesperson for Rep. Omar accused NPLC of being a “far-right group.”

“The NPLC a [sic] far-right group with ties to the Trump campaign known for filing specious claims, including trying to challenge the constitutionality of the Mueller investigation,” spokesman Jeremy Slevin said. “We see this complaint for what it is: a completely political document, and not one with legal validity.”

The DCNF first reported on Aug. 17 that Omar did not report in her 2020 financial disclosure any income or royalties she may have received from her memoir, “This Is What America Looks Like,” which was first released in May 2020. Forbes reported in January 2019 that the lawmaker signed a deal for the memoir worth between $100,000 and $250,000

Lawmakers are required to report any income sources over $200 in their financial disclosures, the NLPC noted in its complaint.

Omar’s 2019 and 2018 financial disclosures also contained no reference to her book or any advance she may have received from it.

Slevin told the DCNF on Aug. 17 that Omar “has been in full compliance with House Ethics rules. She has reported everything that needed to be reported on the financial disclosure form accurately.”

But this is not the only time Rep. Omar has faced controversy. In June Rep. Omar made comments that many believed to be anti-Semitic.

During an interview on CNN, Omar told host Jake Tapper that she did not regret comparing the U.S. and Israel to terrorist organizations.

Below is a transcript of the exchange:

OMAR: “If you are in someone’s backyard, can you say you are defending yourself?”

TAPPER: “It’s a good question. On the subject of the Middle East, you have said, as you know, many of your fellow House Democrats after comments you made earlier this month about the U.S. and Israel, you were questioning Secretary of State Blinken about where victims of war crimes could get justice. You made comments to him and also you tweeted: ‘We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.’ Ultimately, Democratic leaders said that equating the U.S. and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban ‘foments prejudice.’ And as you know, a group of Jewish House Democrats wrote a letter to President Biden saying that accusing Israel of acts of terror, as you and other members of the Squad have done, is anti-Semitic. Do you regret these comments?”

OMAR: “I don’t.”

Later in the segment, Tapper asked:

In 2019, you said lawmakers support Israel because it’s ‘all about the Benjamins,’ which implies that politicians only support Israel because of money. There was a tweet from 2012 when you said Israel had hypnotized the world. Do you understand why some of your fellow House Democrats, especially Jews, find that language anti-Semitic?

Omar responded by attacking her own colleagues and didn’t accept any responsibility for her comments.

“I have welcomed anytime my colleagues have asked to have a conversation to learn from them, for them to learn from me,” Omar said.

“I think it’s really important for these members to realize that they haven’t been partners in justice. They haven’t been equally engaging in seeking justice around the world and I think I will continue to do that,” she added.

Omar declared: “It is important for me as someone who knows what it feels like to experience injustice in ways that many of my colleagues don’t, to be a voice in finding accountability, asking for mechanisms for justice for those who are maligned, oppressed and who have had injustice done to them.”

Dem Rep. Omar Accused Of Committing A Felony In Her Financial Disclosure Forms | Conservative Brief

In Washington, things have gone off the rails in a hurry. Many blame an invigorated unthinking progressive agenda for broken government. And they are correct. Think about it.

How else would you characterize the utterly failed “Let’s get out of Afghanistan overnight” move by a president who seemingly had little interest in the advice of his generals or diplomats?

Speaking of which, who made the call to shut down the contractors who maintained American-made Afghan air assets?

You do not have to be a West Point graduate to question why we would give away our dominant advantage (air power) and leave the critical airbase at Bagram on a battlefield populated by seventh-century religious warriors. Or why we would leave so many military assets (vehicles, weapons, helicopters, night-vision goggles, etc.) to the Taliban. Or why our soldiers were ordered to abandon the country before every last U.S. citizen was accounted for and safe.

This last question is, of course, the most important and the most baffling.

Today, the president’s press flack won’t even admit Americans are “stranded,” but the anguished calls for help by trapped Americans and our Afghan allies in and around the Kabul airport (and Thursday’s horrific bomb attacks) speak to a terribly broken policy.

How else would one characterize the chaos at our southern border as an estimated two million people will have migrated by the end of the year?

To make matters worse, an understaffed Border Patrol and a declawed ICE are in no position to stop the tons of fentanyl, COVID-positive migrants and sex traffickers that are the tangible results of a broken policy.

Note that the person allegedly in charge of border security has been on her second foreign junket to Southeast Asia.

How else would you characterize the historic level of violence in cities that have indulged the ludicrous crime-producing “defund the police” movement?

A glance at murder and other violent crime statistics from any of these progressive cities reminds us that the suspension of enforcement against so-called minor crimes and the pro-offender mindset of so many big-city (Soros-sponsored) prosecutors has made life significantly worse off for the good and law-abiding people living in deteriorating marginal neighborhoods.

Whatever did happen to that “let’s replace the police with social workers” initiative?

How else would you characterize a president who just last week begged OPEC to increase its (fossil fuel) oil production in the face of rapidly spiking gasoline prices and increasing world demand?

This pitiful picture is juxtaposed against the greatest accomplishment of the Trump administration: an American natural gas revolution. America’s vast supply of natural gas and modern drilling techniques helped achieve independence (production of more domestic energy than we consume) by Trump’s third year in office. And all during a time greenhouse gas emissions continue to decline.Related:Dennis Prager: Who Benefits from Biden Deserting Afghanistan? America’s Enemies, That’s Who

How else would you characterize school systems that no longer care to teach the three “Rs” and no longer engage in objective measures of academic performance?

You can blame social justice warriors (and their compatriots in the teachers unions) who have infiltrated our local public school boards in order to indoctrinate our kids (as young as kindergarten age) with their unique curriculum of sex- and race-based instruction.

That their campaign is playing out against a backdrop of consistently underperforming (what used to be called “failing”) public schools in our most marginal neighborhoods is not lost on the commonsense majority.

Hence, a newly invigorated parent-teacher resistance to the woke mob’s agenda is born, as well as a new front in America’s culture wars.

How else would you characterize voting “reforms” that eliminate photo identification, scrubbing of voter rolls, signature matches on the inside and outside of mail-in ballots, and vote-counting transparency requirements?

Mistrust of our voting processes ran high among Democrats in 2016 and even higher among Republicans in 2020. Why in the world would either the states or the federal government want to further complicate the way we cast and count votes in our country?

How else would you characterize our out-of-control federal spending and the sudden re-emergence of inflation — that terrible debilitating tax on our nation’s poor that so many in Washington are soft-peddling?

There is a method to the madness, however, as today’s spiking inflation numbers bring back memories of the bad ‘ol days of the 1970s.

A bottom line emerges: What had been working during the Trump era had to be broken (such was the principle and all-consuming commitment of Biden 2020) regardless of consequence.

Indeed, from an incremental, secure withdrawal in Afghanistan to “Stay in Mexico” at the border to re-funding the police in our cities to real American energy independence from the gas fields to school choice in our classrooms, America was heading in the right direction. And then there was a worldwide pandemic — and an election. And now there are predictable short and long-term consequences.

Today, the breaking of Trump-era initiatives proceeds apace. This is what happens under single-party government. It is not a pretty sight. Broken never is.

Bob Ehrlich: We’re Suffering Because Biden Had to Reverse Every Trump Decision, Especially the Successful Ones (westernjournal.com)

A Florida-based coalition of lawyers says that it’s going to represent thousands of U.S. airline workers seeking a religious exemption from mandatory COVID-19 vaccines.

Liberty Counsel, an international group that advocates for religious freedom, said at least 3,000 employees representing 15 airlines in the United States and abroad have come forward asking for legal help.

“We’re working with people in a lot of different airlines,” Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver told The Epoch Times. “They come directly to us to contact us. [The number is] quite large.”

Staver said the airline workers include pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, and gate checkers—“all are represented.”

“We basically walk them through the process,” he said. “These people were working during the pandemic. Now they’re being told to get the shots or they’re being terminated.”

On Aug. 6, United Airlines became the first major U.S. airline to require mandatory vaccinations for all 67,000 employees by Oct. 25 under threat of termination.

The Chicago-based airline estimates 80 percent of employees have received the shot, while more than 95 percent of pilots have already done so.

A United Airlines media relations spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the company has a “very narrow reasonable accommodation process for those who qualify for medical or religious exemptions.”

“We do not have additional information to share at this time beyond what was sent to employees earlier this month in [a corporate] memo,” the spokesperson said.

Staver noted that the vaccine mandates are causing severe mental stress among airline employees industrywide, resulting in accidents on the ground in some cases.

Staver said United Airlines is also challenging employees to prove their religious conviction to qualify for a religious exemption. To be eligible, he said, they have to show they’re a follower of a recognized religion with a history of opposition to vaccines. They also need to include a letter from the clergy stating their sincere religious belief.

“They’re trying to intimidate them, and in some cases, [employees] believe they have no other alternative,” he said.

On Aug. 24, Delta Air Lines announced vaccines would be required for an estimated 68,000 employees and that about 75 percent have complied. Those that refuse the vaccines will be subject to a $200 monthly surcharge.

“We’ve always known the vaccinations are the most effective tool to keep our people safe and healthy in the face of this global health crisis,” Delta Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said in a statement. “That’s why we’re taking additional, robust actions to increase our vaccinations rate.”

Earlier in August, Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines announced mandatory vaccines for their employees. Alaska Airlines is considering implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its 20,000 employees.

Staver said that despite full legal immunity granted to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, private employers could still be held liable for any adverse reaction to the shots.

As of Aug. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 13,500 deaths associated with COVID-19 injections through its voluntary reporting system.

Lawyers Helping Airline Workers Land Religious Waivers Against COVID-19 Vaccines (theepochtimes.com)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) fired off a letter Thursday, excoriating the Biden administration over their “reckless immigration policies” and demanded the “immediate” end of “unvetted” illegal immigrants being funneled into his state.

If Biden won’t deport the illegals, DeSantis suggested the administration direct them to a different state that supports the “flouting of our immigration laws” — not Florida.

“While Floridians are working to ensure that criminal aliens are not released back into our communities, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appears to be hard at work resettling ever-larger numbers of illegal aliens who have no lawful status under federal immigration law from the southwest border to Florida,” the governor wrote in the five-page letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “I ask that DHS immediately cease any further resettlement of illegal aliens in Florida and that the aliens instead be removed from the United States or resettled in states that support the administration’s continued flouting of our immigration laws.”

“Floridians welcome responsible immigration that serves the interests of Florida and the American people, but we cannot abide the lawlessness that your department is aiding and abetting on the southwest border,” DeSantis said.

In a statement about the letter, the Republican further blasted: “President Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris, and their administration have refused to fulfill their responsibility to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress and the resulting influx of unvetted illegal aliens endangers our national security and undermines the socioeconomic wellbeing of hardworking American citizens. Unfortunately, even though the federal government is responsible for immigration enforcement, it is the states who bear the brunt of this administration’s reckless immigration policies.”

“I have been to the border and I observed firsthand the chaos that this administration’s policies have created. To fill the void left by the federal government, Florida deployed its own law enforcement officers to the border, and they’ve (been) told that many of the illegal aliens apprehended there plan to end up in Florida. Floridians welcome responsible immigration that serves the interests of our citizens, but we cannot abide the lawlessness that this administration is aiding and abetting, and frankly encouraging, on the southwest border,” DeSantis elaborated.

The press release noted the following:

• The number of encounters at the southwest border have skyrocketed from 78,417 in January 2021 to 212,672 in July 2021, a 171% increase and the highest in more than 20 years.
• The number of illegal aliens who were issued a notice to appear or order of recognizance and subsequently released by the Border Patrol in July alone was a staggering 59,691, a massive increase from the 1,324 in this category who were released in January. By contrast, in the last full month of the Trump administration, only 17 aliens in this category were released.

DeSantis also requested DHS provide more information about the illegals to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) by September 30, 2021. The press released outlined the following matters:

• the number of illegal aliens resettled in Florida;
• the names and destination of the illegal aliens;
• the number of illegal aliens resettled in Florida who were tested for COVID-19 and the results of such tests;
• the identities of illegal aliens who have criminal records and who have previously entered the U.S. illegally; and
• the number and identity of illegal aliens resettled in Florida who have failed to appear for their removal proceedings.

In the lengthy letter, the governor said he’s “under no illusion” the Biden administration will reverse course but emphasized that “the states, not the federal government, bear the brunt of this administration’s lawless immigration policies.”

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.

DeSantis Warns Biden: Deport Or Send ‘Unvetted’ Illegals To Democrat-Run States, Not Florida | The Daily Wire

Thursday’s suicide bombings in Kabul, which claimed the lives of at least 13 American servicemen, marked the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since 2011. President Joe Biden’s low energy press conference in response to the attacks was widely panned for failing to inspire confidence as the situation spirals out of control.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. During the 2020 Democratic primary, Biden touted himself as the only candidate with the experience necessary to successfully handle an international crisis. “To be commander in chief, there’s no time for on-the-job training,” he said during a primary debate in November 2019. “I’ve spent more time in the Situation Room, more time abroad, more time than anybody up here. I know every major world leader. They know me, and they know when I speak, if I’m the president of the United States, who we’re for, who we’re against, and what we’ll do, and we’ll keep our word.”

Former president Barack Obama tried to warn us. He urged Biden not to run for president in 2016, reportedly out of concern that his former running mate “would embarrass himself on the campaign trail and that the people around him would not be able to prevent a belly-flop.” Obama did not mince words during the primary campaign, telling one fellow Democrat: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.” We should have listened.

When Biden introduced his top foreign policy advisers in February 2021, he touted their “unmatched experience and accomplishments,” as well as their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Biden went on to imply, without evidence, that he had compiled a team “that will keep our country and our people safe and secure.”

“It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it, once again sit at the head of the table, ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies, ready to stand up for our values,” Biden said.

The events of the past several weeks suggest otherwise.

FLASHBACK: Biden Said His Foreign Policy Team of Geniuses Would ‘Stand Up for Our Values’ and ‘Keep Our People Safe’ (freebeacon.com)

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) survey shows that at least 10 federal agencies have plans to expand their use of facial recognition technology over the next two years—a prospect that alarms privacy advocates who worry about a lack of oversight.

The GAO released the results of a survey of 24 federal agencies, finding that 18 of them use facial recognition technology. Fourteen of those agencies use the tech for routine activity, such as unlocking agency-issued smartphones, while six reported using facial recognition software for criminal investigations and five others use the technology for surveillance, the Aug. 24 report found.

“For example, [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] reported that it used an FRT system (AnyVision) to monitor its facilities by searching live camera feeds in real-time for individuals on watchlists or suspected of criminal activity, which reduces the need for security guards to memorize these individuals’ faces,” the GAO said. “This system automatically alerts personnel when an individual on a watchlist is present.”

According to the GAO, at least 10 government agencies plan to expand their use of facial recognition technology through 2023. To do so, many agencies are turning to the private sector.

For example, “[the] U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations reported it began an operational pilot using Clearview AI in June 2020, which supports the agency’s counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigations,” the GAO said.

“The agency reported it already collects facial images with mobile devices to search national databases and plans to enhance searches by accessing Clearview AI’s large repository of facial images from open sources to search for matches.”

The GAO’s Aug. 24 report follows June research that focused specifically on law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology. The GAO’s June report revealed the vast troves of data held by federal law enforcement, including 836 million images held by the Department of Homeland Security alone.

The June report also revealed the lack of oversight regarding facial recognition technology. According to the report, 13 of the 20 federal law enforcement agencies that use the technology didn’t know what systems they use.

“For example, when we requested information from one of the agencies about its use of non-federal systems, agency officials told us they had to poll field division personnel because the information was not maintained by the agency,” the report said.

“These agency officials also told us that the field division personnel had to work from their memory about their past use of non-federal systems and that they could not ensure we were provided comprehensive information about the agency’s use of non-federal systems.”

The lack of oversight of the government’s use of surveillance technology is an issue that has drawn the attention of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Democrats have largely focused on the racial disparities in the accuracy of facial recognition, while some Republicans have expressed concerns about domestic surveillance.

Michigan resident Robert Williams, a Black man who was wrongly arrested in January after Detroit police incorrectly identified him as a felon based on shoddy facial recognition technology, testified about such problems at a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing.

“Why is law enforcement even allowed to use such technology when it obviously doesn’t work?” Williams said to lawmakers July 13. “I get angry when I hear companies, politicians, and police talk about how this technology isn’t dangerous or flawed or say that they only use it as an investigative tool.

“If any of that was true, I wouldn’t have been arrested.”

Williams said he supports the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, which would halt the use of facial recognition technology by federal agencies until that use was authorized by Congress. However, little action has been taken on the measure—though Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced the legislation in June.

With inaction on the federal level, states and localities have taken to curbing the use of facial recognition technology.

The state of Washington enacted a law in March 2020 that requires government agencies to obtain a warrant to run facial recognition scans. Local jurisdictions such as Oakland, San Francisco, and King County, Washington, have also banned government use of the technology.

Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) support such efforts, arguing that the expansion of facial recognition technology must be halted until lawmakers can enact safeguards.

Others have cautioned against banning useful technology in the zeal to protect privacy.

“Critics miss the fact that the benefits of law enforcement use of facial recognition are well-proven—they are used today to help solve crimes, identify victims, and find witnesses—and most of the concerns about the technology remain hypothetical,” the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a largely pro-tech industry think tank, stated.

“In fact, critics of the technology almost always make a ‘slippery slope’ argument about the potential threat of expanding police surveillance, rather than pointing to specific instances of harm. Banning the technology now would do more harm than good.”

Federal Use of Facial Recognition Technology Expanding: GAO Report (theepochtimes.com)

The FBI allegedly paid a publisher of white supremacist literature more than $144,000 over 16-plus years to serve as a confidential informant, according to recent filings in an ongoing domestic extremism case.

These allegations were made earlier this month by Kaleb Cole, an accused member of the white supremacist group Atomwaffen. Cole was arrested in February 2020 for allegedly participating in an Atomwaffen intimidation campaign against Jewish people and journalists of color.

On Aug. 13, Cole filed a motion to suppress evidence seized during the FBI’s search of his Texas home. According to Cole, the FBI failed to disclose the sordid background of one of its confidential informants in the bureau’s application for a search warrant.

“The CI [confidential informant] is a convicted felon and currently owns and operates a publishing company that distributes white supremacist writings,” Cole said in his Aug. 13 filing.

“The CI began his long career as a professional informant in exchange for consideration regarding his sentence on a federal conviction for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and an unregistered silencer.

“He has continued this work for pay.”

According to Cole, the FBI has paid this white supremacist more than $144,000, including more than $82,000 for his work in this case.

Cole’s attorneys argued that the FBI’s omissions violate requirements for law enforcement to disclose whether their informants have financial or other ulterior motives for providing information.

“The failure to include the information about the CI’s incentives is made more egregious by the fact that the warrant application incriminated Mr. Cole based almost solely on the alleged observations of the CI,” Cole’s motion said.

The Department of Justice admitted in filings last week that the FBI failed to disclose information about the confidential informant’s criminal history—though prosecutors said the search warrant used against Cole was still legally obtained.

“Although the defense is correct that certain potential impeachment information about the informant was not included in the affidavit, that omission is hardly fatal,” the DOJ said. “The omitted information was limited to the fact that the informant was well compensated by the FBI over a 16-year period, and was convicted of a firearms crime over 15 years ago.”

According to prosecutors, the FBI didn’t include this information because agents believed in good faith that probable cause wasn’t dependent on the informant’s credibility.

Moreover, the FBI didn’t believe that including the informant’s criminal history would have changed the judge’s decision to issue a warrant to search Cole’s home, prosecutors said. In fact, the DOJ argued that the FBI’s use of the informant for more than 16 years suggests that the FBI consistently found the informant reliable.

“And it is far-fetched to suggest that a single 15-year-old firearms conviction would have caused the magistrate judge to refuse to sign off on the warrant,” the DOJ said. “And finally, as the affidavit outlined in great detail, the agents were able to corroborate the information the informant had relayed about the plot.”

The DOJ’s response didn’t address Cole’s allegation that the FBI informant is a white supremacist publisher.

When contacted by The Epoch Times, a DOJ spokesperson said, “Our filings in this case speak for themselves, and we have no additional comment to add at this time.” Cole’s attorney declined to comment, while the FBI’s Houston office directed inquiries to the national press office, which has not responded.

Cole’s case is set for jury trial on Sept. 27.

The allegations about the Atomwaffen informant follow revelations about the heavy role FBI informants played in the failed plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A Buzzfeed News investigation last month found that the FBI used at least 12 informants involved with the kidnapping—suggesting that the scheme might not have started in the first place without the FBI.

“Working in secret, they [the informants] did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception,” Buzzfeed reported. “The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them.”

Questions have also been raised about the role FBI informants may have played in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots.

“What would be shocking and strange is not if the FBI had embedded informants and other infiltrators in the groups planning the January 6 Capitol riot,” said journalist Glenn Greenwald, who’s been extensively documenting various questionable activities of the national security apparatus, in a recent op-ed. “What would be shocking and strange—bizarre and inexplicable—is if the FBI did not have those groups under tight control.”

FBI Allegedly Funded White Supremacist Publisher: Court Documents (theepochtimes.com)

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent a letter to the Biden Administration demanding transparency and that they cease sending “illegal aliens” to Florida.

“President [Joe] Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and their administration have refused to fulfill their responsibility to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress and the resulting influx of unvetted illegal aliens endangers our national security and undermines the socioeconomic wellbeing of hardworking American citizens,” DeSantis said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, even though the federal government is responsible for immigration enforcement, it is the states who bear the brunt of this administration’s reckless immigration policies.”

In the letter (pdf) to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the Republican governor wrote that he wanted an end to the mass resettlements of “illegal aliens” into the United States. DeSantis also urged the Department of Homeland Security to provide more transparency when it comes to the resettling of illegals in Florida and to give advance notice to “state leadership” before illegals are resettled into the state.  He called the Biden administration’s border policies “disastrous” and gave a deadline of September 30, 2021, to give the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) a long list of information and data before sending more illegals into the state.

DeSantis’ letter requested that the Biden administration disclose the following information to FDLE:

• the number of illegal aliens resettled in Florida;
• the names and destination of the illegal aliens;
• the number of illegal aliens resettled in Florida who were tested for COVID-19 and the results of such tests;
• the identities of illegal aliens who have criminal records and who have previously entered the U.S. illegally; and
• the number and identity of illegal aliens resettled in Florida who have failed to appear for their removal proceedings.

The letter went on to accuse the Biden administration of operating its own human smuggling operation.

“My office has received information indicating that ICE, sometimes with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has chartered flights transporting illegal alien adults and children to Florida,” the governor wrote. “Given the overall lack of transparency, I am concerned that the federal government is running its own massive human smuggling operation, surreptitiously resettling illegal aliens in the various states without consultation or even advance notice to state leadership.”

The governor wrote that this practice is “intolerable and unacceptable.”

DeSantis wrote that he knows “firsthand” about the border crisis as he visited the border and deployed law enforcement officers to aid Texas law enforcement and border patrol agents with the surge of migrants attempting to cross the border.

“I have been to the border, and I observed firsthand the chaos that this administration’s policies have created,” DeSantis said. To fill the void left by the federal government, Florida deployed its own law enforcement officers to the border.”

After speaking with law enforcement officers who were deployed to the border to aid Texas law enforcement, DeSantis said they have told him that many of the migrants that were apprehended at the border said they plan to come to Florida.

“Floridians welcome responsible immigration that serves the interests of our citizens, but we cannot abide the lawlessness that this administration is aiding and abetting, and frankly encouraging, on the southwest border,” DeSantis said.

Law enforcement officials, according to the governor’s office said that most of the migrants indicated their final stops were going to be larger Florida cities such as Kissimmee, Orlando, Miami, Hialeah, and Jacksonville.

In April 2021, DeSantis had written to Mayorkas’s office requesting that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remove all illegal alien felons who had completed their prison sentences in Florida.  The governor said in his current letter that he has seen “no action” to enforce the federal immigration laws.

DeSantis wrote that it was his opinion that DHS was resettling large numbers of illegal aliens who have “no lawful status under federal immigration law from the southwest border to Florida.”

He wrote: “The Constitution charges the President with the duty to faithfully execute the laws, and with respect to immigration enforcement, the federal government, with the Supreme Court’s blessing, has assumed near exclusive responsibility. Unfortunately, President Biden and this administration refuse to fulfill their responsibility to enforce the immigration laws enacted by Congress.”

DeSantis said in his letter that the “Remain in Mexico” program that was administered under the Trump Administration was ultimately replaced with “catch and release” by the Biden administration, which he attributes to the massive influx of migrants.

“The administration’s reversal or weakening of the prior administration’s enforcement policies had amounted to an open invitation for mass illegal migration the United States, and the results have been predictably catastrophic,” DeSantis wrote. “Since this administration took office, the number of illegal aliens encountered at the southwest border has skyrocketed, increasing each month at an unrelenting pace.”

When Biden took office in January the number of border encounters was 78,417. In one month that number increased to 101,098; 173,283 in March; 178,797 in April; 180,569 in May; 188,934 in June and 212,672 in July according to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  This puts a total number of encounters for the fiscal year to be approximately 1.3 million.  In the last year of the Trump administration the total number of encounters was 458,088.

The governor ended his letter with doubts that the federal government would comply with his request and reminded the secretary that it was the states who were “saddled” with the costs of having illegals in their states.  Also, he said that massive illegal immigration increases the spread of COVID-19 and will consume taxpayer money and overload government services including the education system.

“Although I seek an immediate end to the resettlement of illegal aliens in Florida, at the very least, DHS should provide the requested information in the interest of greater transparency,” DeSantis wrote. “The State of Florida is entitled to this information to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its people.”

Efforts to obtain a response from the White House were made with no response.

Gov. DeSantis Demands Biden Administration Cease Resettlement of Illegals in Florida (theepochtimes.com)

When I was young and inexperienced, with no money and no career, I nonetheless made a firm assumption about people who’d made it, who’d risen to the top of their fields. They were daring individuals, I thought, outspoken and candid, willing to go against the crowd. These were people with a skeptical eye on the conventional wisdom, ever ready to challenge and dispute whenever they sensed a stale assertion of it.

When I worked for Dana Gioia at the National Endowment for the Arts, he told me once that when he was in advertising his team would meet at the end of the year to review themselves, and they spent five times as many minutes discussing what they did wrong as they spent on what they did right. That was the kind of toughness I imagined happened in every elite circle.

Look at the leaders of institutions, today, however, and you witness a pageant of conformity and timidity, guardedness ever present, the most powerful people in politics, education, entertainment, media, and business speaking in well-rehearsed terms, mouthing standard pieties with an air of solemnity that is one millimeter thick. Political correctness has turned them into cliche machines.

Did you notice the apology written recently by Mike Richards, the man who was to replace the late Alex Trebek as host of “Jeopardy!”? Richards is a big deal in the game show world, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and of “Wheel of Fortune,” winner of three Emmy Awards, too. But after he was selected as “Jeopardy!”‘s new host, some comments that he’d made on his 2013–14 podcast surfaced and set him up for what is now a familiar ritual: the high-profile cancellation. The ritual meant the loss of his post, and also a confession/contrition/plea on the accused’s part that is painful to read—not because of the sentiments themselves, however, but because of their dispiritingly banal expression.

Richards might have said, “Yeah, I made some dumb remarks just trying to get a laugh—I don’t regard them as cause for termination eight years later, though—let’s ease up, okay.”

No, instead we got the nauseatingly customary script:

“It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago,” he said.

It sounded like every other public apology we’ve heard in recent years, with studied humility and sober drama of self-confrontation. The words follow with all the formulaic layout of an algebraic equation. We have the expected family invocation as well, and role model talk: “My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them.”

I don’t blame Richards for this, though. It’s the environment he’s in, a tiresome and phony place that the rest of America recognizes instantly for its mendacity. These declarations sound so sincere, but we know how calculating they are. To the material loss suffered by the penitent one, we have the pain of self-emasculation added in the most predictable language. Can’t any of these people think for themselves? Richards’ public career is over, at least for the near future and maybe the far. What does he have to lose? Why go official and betray his own heart (which is precisely what a man who adopts the idiom of his executioners is doing), even when you know it won’t save you?

Again, these are not people beaten down by life, their egos crushed by poverty and disappointment.  They have all the trappings of self-determination—money, education, worldliness, competitiveness, achievement—and yet the working-class guy and gal show a heckuva lot more independent spirit than Mr. Success ever does.

I think that this conformist atmosphere among the elite has played a significant role in the rise of populist anger in America. The contempt that the elite feel for the non-elite in our country is on display every day in the opinion pages and the liberal cable news shows. Just the recently, while driving through the South and listening to NPR, I heard the host introduce interviewee Robin D’Angelo with the question, “Why is it so hard for white people to talk about racism?” The willingness to cast an entire racial group as deficient in some way used to be called “stereotyping,” and enlightened folk universally rejected it. Here, however, it was offered as an enlightening observation. The condescension was thick and gleeful. The host wasn’t aware of how smug she sounded, but ordinary Americans have seen and heard such sentiments over and over, and they discern the contempt more acutely than elites realize.

How irritating it is, then, for these judgmental elites to appear so weak and obedient and cookie-cut at times that call for bold presentation. They’re avid about their superiority, but feeble in their individuality. They profess to be the best and the brightest, but they sink into stupid politically correct truisms when the pressure’s on. Liberalism claims to honor the individual voice, the lone dissenter, but never does a prominent 21st-century liberal wish to fall out of step with his fellows. The guns of cancellation are always primed, and he knows it.

A country whose leadership class is fearful and wary is in trouble. Insecurity makes for bad decisions, and for bad symbolism, too. A leader who stands up and apologizes for the “systemic” sins of the institution he leads doesn’t come off as properly sensitive and constructively progressive. He’s just weak. The celebrity who gets down on his knees and apologizes for some “phobic” remark made years earlier on the internet isn’t rightly repentant and newly enlightened. He’s just humiliating himself. Ordinary Americans draw a pat conclusion: These figureheads make a lot of money and they’re awfully full of themselves and down on us, but when you get down to it, they’re not so great, not at all.

This is the end of a great American tradition of rebelliousness. Ben Franklin ran away from Boston and struck out on his own as a mere teenager. Emerson praised self-reliance as the essence of genius. Thoreau headed to the woods because he couldn’t stand the copycat mentality of fellow citizens. Huck at the end aims to light out for the territory, knowing he’ll never fit in with civilized society. Those figures are the opposite of today’s Americans aspiring to the realms of the elite. Ambitious ones sense at an early age that climbing the ladder means fitting in and filtering impulses. The pipeline has sensors attuned to pick up the maverick spirit and mark it as suspect. Our leaders are tame souls whose wills are triggered mainly by the appearance of a rogue in their midst.

Therein lies the aversion to Donald Trump. It wasn’t Trump’s politics or policies that disturbed the elite. It was, instead, his headstrong personality and outspoken words. The content of his thought and speech they might have opposed in the normal political ways, but the character of the man couldn’t be handled that way. His performances could be received by them only as an admonishment. He spoke his mind, they didn’t, and that made them feel bad about themselves—as it should. Let us hope that more untamed figures surface and do the same thing.

Our Tame Leaders (theepochtimes.com)

Liberal author Naomi Wolf’s DailyClout channel was abruptly deleted by YouTube after she posted an interview with a prominent critic of mandatory masking policies in schools.

“This censorship highlights the extreme clampdown on free speech and public discourse prevailing in the United States,” Wolf said in an Aug. 24 statement after the channel was eliminated.

Wolf, a co-founder of the DailyClout website, is a widely published journalist and bestselling author of books such as “The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women” (1990) and “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” (2007). She was an adviser to then-President Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign and to then-Vice President Al Gore, both Democrats.

Twitter banned Wolf, who has been critical of vaccine passports and media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, earlier this summer, as The Epoch Times reported at the time. Twitter said Wolf had disseminated vaccine misinformation in violation of the microblogging website’s policies, a claim she denies.

Wolf said she can’t state with certainty why YouTube suppressed the DailyClout channel.

“I can’t possibly know what YouTube’s motives are. There’s no appeal, as with Twitter, there’s no appeal process. There’s no one I can call,” she told The Epoch Times in a follow-up interview.

The DailyClout website’s mission “couldn’t be more pure and altruistic—to explain democracy,” Wolf said.

“We’re not partisan. We don’t support one side or the other. We literally exist to explain legislation and the legislative process and what’s in a bill. We read the stimulus bill and point out what’s in it. We read the health care bill and bullet point what’s in it,” Wolf said.

“We do the hard work of making civic engagement easy and accessible for everybody.”

YouTube sent DailyClout an email that advised that a video titled “Dr Naomi Wolf and Leslie Manookian speak about her award-winning documentary ‘The Greater Good,’” had been removed for violating YouTube’s “medical misinformation policy.”

“YouTube doesn’t allow claims about COVID-19 vaccinations that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO),” stated the Aug. 21 email, obtained by The Epoch Times.

The video featured an interview Wolf conducted with Manookian, who is president and founder of Health Freedom Defense Fund Inc. (HFDF). In the video, the two discussed apparent conflicts of interest at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is run by Dr. Anthony Fauci. NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which, in turn, is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The NIAID holds patents on COVID-19 vaccines, which has been documented by Public Citizen and Axios.

Manookian noted that NIH allows employees who hold patents to receive up to $150,000 per year per patent, and Wolf said there was a need for an open public discussion of this issue.

Wolf was deplatformed by Twitter after sharing with 146,000 followers the resume of UNC senior researcher Dr. Ralph Baric, which shows that his work on gain-of-function research had been funded by NIAID under Fauci. Vanity Fair also reported on the funding.

“I can’t stress enough … [that] I was reporting … on primary source public documents … reporting matters of public record,” as opposed to breaking actual news, Wolf said in the interview.

Wolf said both the Twitter and YouTube bans came as she was merely “reporting on successful legal efforts or legislative efforts to ban vaccine passports, to ban vaccine discrimination, or to change policy around mask mandates.”

“I don’t know why a successful channel that was bringing matters of public importance to viewers was deplatformed,” Wolf said.

“Many, many, many credible important voices are being deplatformed, a good proportion on the right—I happen to be on the left … and I am part of a lawsuit against big tech.”

Wolf said she’s concerned about governmental collaboration with Big Tech.

“I believe that government is not allowed to use private industry to go around the First Amendment … and so if there’s any coordination there, that is unlawful and that’s what [the legal process of] discovery is for.”

Wolf said she was disturbed when President Joe Biden and his aides have raged against what they call misinformation.

“In a democracy, when a head of state … [engages in that] kind of finger-pointing, [such a thing] has no place in an open democracy with a First Amendment. It’s very dangerous,” she said.

“I think something very serious indeed is happening if a channel devoted to educating people from all walks of life, all political persuasions, every age, about democracy in America is closed down. That’s really serious.”

Officials at YouTube, which is owned by Google, didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

YouTube Bans Forced-Vaccination, Big Tech Critic Naomi Wolf (theepochtimes.com)

Business headquarters are leaving the state at an accelerating rate. That’s according to a new report (pdf) for the Hoover Institution by Joseph Vranich and Lee E. Ohanian, “Why Company Headquarters Are Leaving California in Unprecedented Numbers.” Ohanian is a Hoover research fellow and professor of economics at UCLA.

Vranich has been one of my sources for 20 years. His Spectrum Location Solutions used to be in Irvine. Now it’s in McKinney, Tex., near Dallas. Just like so many ex-California firms and people.

The new report’s shocking news: For the first six months of 2021, company headquarters exiting California has doubled from the same period in 2018. And in the first half of this year, 74 headquarters skedaddled, more than all last year.

The reasons: “High tax rates, punitive regulations, high labor costs, high utility and energy costs, and declining quality of life for many Californians which reflects the cost of living and housing affordability.”

However, the authors caution the 2020 numbers were affected by COVID-19, which slowed planning and scouting for new locations.

From 2018 to 2021, here are the main destinations for company HQs:

Texas 114;

Tennessee 25;

Arizona 17;

Nevada 15;

Colorado 14;

Florida 13;

North Carolina 8;

Georgia 5;

Idaho 4;

Kentucky 4;

Virginia 4;

Indiana 4;

Alabama 3;

Missouri 3;

Minnesota 3;

Oregon 3.

The study notes of this and other data: “Additional companies have relocated their headquarters to other states, but the only states listed above are those where such events are public knowledge. The states listed have likely experienced more wins.”

Anecdotal evidence also supports the data. I know many people who have left, mainly for Texas and Tennessee. Almost everybody I know talks about getting out, although it’s still difficult to depart the balmy weather, family, friends, and local connections.

No Awareness

I asked Vranich if there’s any awareness of this exodus among Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s other top political leaders. “No,” he replied. He said the state isn’t even thinking about cutting taxes, despite what Newsom claims is a $78 billion budget surplus (but which the Legislative Analyst pegged at a still hefty $38 billion).

And he pointed to this July 2021 statement by Ohio Lt. Gov. John Husted: “Fifteen years ago we began reforming our tax plan—we eliminated the corporate franchise tax … eliminated the death tax—we went from a high-tax state to a lower-tax state. We absolutely do see it as a time to compete. Capital will ultimately go where it can be the most appreciated.”

The Hoover report itself noted: “Ohio is gaining popularity as the place where more companies call home. Five states lowered corporate income tax rates for 2021—Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa and Mississippi.”

And: “Gov. Newsom’s strategy is not to reduce taxes but to increase incentives offered to companies, thus increasing taxpayer burdens…. Since the start of the Newsom Administration in January 2019, GO-Biz awarded 147 businesses a total of $593,844,974 in California Competes Tax Credits.”

I asked Vranich if there were any good signs. He said, “An honest politician would admit that the only bright spots include growing tax revenue from Silicon Valley’s billionaires and also from film-making that is being preserved thanks to the state’s generous economic incentives.”

Dismal Rankings

The study cited Chief Executive magazine’s ranking of state business climates, which pegged California the worst of the 50 states and Texas the best—in each case, for the 17th year in a row.

On the Tax Foundation’s 2021 State Business Tax Climate Index, California did better—49th place, after New Jersey. Their analysis: “California’s poor position is unlikely to improve considering that its businesses routinely face threats of increases in income taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes along with higher county and municipal taxes and fees.”

They key to what’s left of California’s once tolerable tax climate is Proposition 13, the property tax limitation passed by voters in 1978.

Vranich and Ohanian warn: “Pro-tax coalitions launch continual efforts to eliminate or weaken Proposition 13’s protections—coalitions comprised of legislators, deep-pocketed special interests, and interests such as government contractors and state and local government-employee unions. Such entities have spent millions of dollars to overturn Proposition 13. Thus far they have not been successful, but they certainly will try again.”

Losses By County

The largest California counties also suffered the largest losses of business HQs:

Los Angeles 54;

San Francisco 47;

Orange 29;

Santa Clara 28;

Alameda 20;

San Diego 17;

San Mateo 13;

Sacramento 8;

Contra Costa 6;

San Bernardino 6;

Riverside 5.

However, San Francisco’s population is 873,965 (2020 U.S. Census) compared to Los Angeles’s 3.9 million. That’s 4.5 times higher. So the per capita San Francisco HQ loss is about four times that of Los Angeles.

By contrast, Orange County’s population of 3.2 million (2020 U.S. Census) is just behind L.A.’s 3.9 million. But OC suffered only about half L.A.’s headquarters losses.

OC’s business and tax climate is well known as more welcoming than Los Angeles. For example, the City of Los Angeles’ sales tax rate is 9.5 percent. By contrast, most OC cities’ rates are 7.75 percent.

The study especially scorches California’s addiction to litigation. They charge, “Lawmakers in Sacramento continually enact laws designed to expand civil liability on business and property owners … California’s statutes and regulations are so unreasonable that companies have reported in confidence that their legal costs in California are disproportionate to the number of employees they have in the state.”

No wonder the American Tort Reform Foundation brands California a “legal hellhole.”

Workers Compensation Costs

California reformed workers compensation laws in 2003 under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It worked for a while. But a friend of mine in the industry said since then the reforms have been undercut by laws, court rulings and new legal maneuvers devised by plaintiff attorneys.

The Hoover study listed the average workers compensation costs, per $100 in 2020:

Worst:

New Jersey $2.52;

New York $2.23;

Vermont $2.21;

California $2.16;

Hawaii $2.08.

Best:

North Dakota $0.67;

Arkansas $0.72;

West Virginia $0.79;

Utah $0.85;

Texas $0.98.

Shocking Energy Costs

Business energy costs also are excessive. All that “green energy” doesn’t come cheap. Here are the electricity prices paid in March 2021, cents per kilowatt-hour:

Worst:

Hawaii $30.76;

Alaska $18.89;

California $17.20;

Connecticut $16.98;

Massachusetts $16.81.

Best:

Oklahoma $6.36;

Nevada $7.15;

Idaho $7.76;

Virginia $7.77;

Utah $8.01.

It’s going to get worse for California: “Customers in all parts of California are likely to see energy cost increases by virtually every utility. PG&E Corp. submitted a proposal to regulators for a rate increase totaling $3.6 billion starting in 2023 to help make its system more reliable and safer by sparking fewer fires.

“Southern California Edison in April 2020 increased its rates by approximately 7 percent overall. In 2021, SCE requested an additional residential rate increase of 14 percent, while commercial rates are estimated to rise between 9 and 11 percent.”

Major Firms Leaving

The report identified large and medium firms whose relocation can be found in news accounts. But many small firms just up and leave with no notice.

At the end the report lists all the corporate HQs that have left from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. Some of those include:

Charles Schwab, from San Francisco to Westlake, Tex.;

DailyWire (Ben Shapiro’s website), from Los Angeles to Nashville, Tenn.;

Dole Food Co., from Los Angeles to Charlotte, N.C.;

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, from Santa Clara to Houston, Tex.;

Joe Rogan Experience, from Los Angeles to Austin, Tex.;

Kaiser Aluminum, from Lake Forest to Franklin, Tenn.;

Lockheed Martin FBM, from Sunnyvale to Titusville, Fla.;

Musk Foundation (Elon’s nonprofit), from Menlo Park to Austin, Tex.;

Mitsubishi Motors, from Cypress to Franklin, Tenn.;

National Hot Rod Association, from Glendora to Indianapolis, Ind.;

Nestle USA, from Glendale to Arlington, Va.;

Conclusion

In sum, it’s a dismal report. The state budget currently is buoyed by the bounty from Silicon Valley, whose revenues just keep growing and growing.

But for just about any other firm in California, the times are tough and getting tougher. And when the going gets too tough, even the tough get out.

California Businesses Exiting Faster than Ever (theepochtimes.com)

Newly sworn-in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is wasting no time taking sides in the school mask wars. Even before taking the top job, she told NBC’s “Today” that she intends to mandate masks for all public school students in the state.

She’s got President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party on her side, but the science is against her. There are no studies that demonstrate forcing young kids to wear masks reduces the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Mandating masks also ignores the fundamental fact that not all masks are created equal. That should be the basis for a truce in the mask wars breaking out all over the nation. Mandates that settle for cloth masks with cartoon characters on them are a joke.

Most of the masks kids are wearing are laughably ineffective. A cloth mask blocks only 3 percent of viral particles from reaching the wearer, according to a study in the British Medical Journal. For such a minuscule difference, who would force kids to struggle with masks all day?

Instead of mandating masks, school districts should hand out effective masks, such as N95 or KN95 masks, at the beginning of the school day to kids whose parents request them. These masks block 95 percent of incoming viral particles. The masks were in short supply at the beginning of the pandemic, but no longer.

Flat surgical masks made from nonwoven polypropylene would be an improvement over what most kids wear. They block out 56 percent of virus particles, according to the same British study. But note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns a surgical mask “does NOT provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles and is not considered respiratory protection” in a health care setting.

Helping families who favor masking is smarter than producing classrooms full of kids with soiled, ineffective masks and many outraged parents.

The delta variant accounts for 98 percent of U.S. cases now and appears to be more dangerous to children. But would masks at school make a difference?

Not according to a CDC study of 169 Georgia elementary schools last winter. CDC researchers found that schools requiring staff and teachers to mask up had 37 percent fewer cases of COVID, and schools that improved air quality and ventilation had 39 percent fewer cases. Those approaches work. But mandating that students wear masks had no statistically significant impact on the spread of COVID. Mandating masks and letting masks be optional produced the same results. Not surprising considering the kinds of masks most kids wear.

Yet a week after releasing the Georgia study, the agency reversed course and recommended universal masking in school without offering new findings to justify that 180-degree flip. Perhaps the agency looked at the rising cases among children and panicked.

No surprise. Over the course of the pandemic, the CDC has earned a reputation as the “Centers for Disease Confusion.” The agency should have been guided by its own research.

Instead, it kowtowed to political correctness. Only a minority of Republicans support mandating masks, while 92 percent of Democrats agree, according to an Aug. 17 Axios/Ipsos poll.

Ten states—mostly blue states like Connecticut, New Jersey, and California—mandate masks. Other states leave it up to local school boards. And eight red states, including Florida, ban local school boards from mandating masks, insisting parents get to decide.

Last week, Biden escalated the mask wars by threatening federal Department of Education lawsuits against the seven states. The New York Times followed with a full-throated endorsement of Biden’s maneuver, calling mandatory masking a “common-sense public health” policy.

Sorry. The science doesn’t support it.

Hochul argues that the New York Health Department has the authority to require masking in the state. According to the letter of the law, she’s right. But the Health Department has lost credibility after forcing nursing homes to take in COVID-positive patients and covering up the deadly results. The Health Department can’t be trusted.

Instead, Hochul should put parents in charge and provide effective masks for families who want them.

That’s good advice for governors in every state. Mandating masks that don’t work is a farce.

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

The Mask Mandate Farce (theepochtimes.com)

SEATTLE—A Washington state tech executive has been sentenced to two years in prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal COVID-19 disaster relief loans.

Mukund Mohan, of Clyde Hill, previously worked for Microsoft and Amazon and was making more than $200,000 a year as the chief of technology for the Canadian e-commerce company BuildDirect when he was arrested in July 2020.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle said he submitted eight fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications seeking $5.5 million for companies he purportedly ran, and he actually received almost $1.8 million.

Mohan’s attorneys sought a six-month sentence, noting Mohan had no criminal history and had spent only $16,500 of the money. They said his actions, possibly triggered by mental health issues, were such an aberration for him that he fainted when federal agents knocked on his door.

Federal authorities were able to seize the money from Mohan’s accounts. He paid back the amount he had spent and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.

As part of the scheme, Mohan submitted fake and altered documents, including phony federal tax filings and altered incorporation documents. He said one of his companies had dozens of employees when in reality it had none.

In a news release, Corinne Kalve, acting special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, attributed the crime to Mohan’s greed, saying that when people abuse such benefit programs “they are stealing from those that are most vulnerable.”

Tech Exec Sentenced to 2 Years for $1.8 Million COVID Fraud (theepochtimes.com)

On Wednesday, Fox News’ meteorologist Janice Dean, who had relentlessly pursued New York Democrat governor Andrew Cuomo for his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, targeted celebrities who had lavished praise on Cuomo but still have not apologized for their championing of him.

She tweeted, “It would be very helpful if some of these celebrities that fawned over @andrewcuomo fessed up to their terrible judgement and apologized to the women and families affected by their tone deaf comments last year. But they won’t. “

It would be very helpful if some of these celebrities that fawned over @andrewcuomo fessed up to their terrible judgement and apologized to the women and families affected by their tone deaf comments last year. But they won’t.

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) August 25, 2021

Dean then named some celebrities who had lauded Cuomo last year, including Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Joel, Billy Crystal, Rosie Perez, Ben Stiller, Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, and Cher.

.@WhoopiGoldberg @billyjoel @BillyCrystal @rosieperezbkln (who blocked me) @RedHourBen @chelseahandler @SarahKSilverman @cher

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) August 25, 2021

In November 2020, when the Emmys gave Cuomo the Founders Award “in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world,” host Bruce Paisner stated:

Last spring, when the virus was new and out of control, and the people of New York were frightened at its relentless spread. One man took it upon himself to use technology to spread reliable information and tell citizens what to do. … And as spring turned into summer this year, the people of New York went from fear of the unknown to increasing knowledge of what was known and a sense that somebody had a plan.

Billy Crystal breathed, “In the darkest days of the pandemic, your daily briefings, live from New York, gave us hope, gave us clarity, gave us the truth, and gave us something we were not getting from Washington: Leadership.”

Billy Joel added, “In the midst of this storm, Andrew Cuomo became the nation’s governor. People across the country tuned into his press conferences every day.” Perez stated, “Governor Andrew Cuomo, you are the man.” Stiller: “I look up to you still.”

Joel wrote of Cuomo on his website in March 2020, “We are not at all surprised by his leadership during such a chaotic time and we are so proud of him. We’re lucky to call him ‘The Godfather,’ his favorite title, and our friend.”

In March 2020, Handler penned an article in Vogue with the gushing title,“Dear Andrew Cuomo, I Want to Be Your First Lady.” She wrote:

Between watching episodes of Tiger King and episodes of Trump’s daily press briefings and trying to find more marijuana to ingest, I quicken to something that cuts through the insanity. Out of the darkness, you, Andrew Cuomo, walk into my life, looking remarkably like the Incredible Hulk.… Thank you, Andrew Cuomo. Thank you for reminding us that there are men who can lead and be clear and tell the truth—even when the news is bad. Who practice benevolent ruthlessness. (Thanks, Maureen Dowd.) Who speak to Americans with respect. Thank you for being a leader at a time when so many of us were desperately looking for one.

Cher had her moment of gushing in April 2020, tweeting, “I’m in love with Andrew Cuomo.”

I’m in Love With Andrew Cuomo 💋
“ANDY”🎶

— Cher (@cher) April 15, 2020

The same month, Sarah Silverman wrote, “I really hope @NYGovCuomo sees this awesome @RandyRainbow video from one great New Yorker to another.”

I really hope @NYGovCuomo sees this awesome @RandyRainbow video from one great New Yorker to another (@chelseahandler you got competish) https://t.co/nms03dutck

— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) April 6, 2020

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member. 

Janice Dean Names Celebrities Who Lauded Cuomo: Apologize To The Women And Families | The Daily Wire

Border Patrol agents have arrested 8,691 criminal aliens coming across the southern border in the past 10 months. Between them, the aliens have committed 12,685 crimes.

On Aug. 14, border agents in south Texas arrested two MS-13 gang members. One, a convicted murderer from El Salvador, was apprehended after illegally crossing into the United States with a group near Mission, Texas. The 44-year-old man spent three years in prison for a murder in California in the late ’90s and was imprisoned again in 2005 for “re-entry of a deported alien,” according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Many criminal aliens are arrested while trying to evade Border Patrol, or as they attempt to blend into large groups crossing the border. While Border Patrol agents are tied up dealing with large groups, the cartels and criminal organizations smuggle contraband and people through unpatrolled areas nearby.

Several Border Patrol agents told The Epoch Times that agents estimate they’re apprehending between 10 percent and 20 percent of all illegal border crossers, although it’s impossible to estimate how many have avoided detection and capture.

Since February, Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 1 million illegal aliens.

In the busiest sectors along the U.S.–Mexico border, agents are constantly being pulled off the line to help process large groups of illegal border crossers—many of whom seek out Border Patrol, knowing they’ll be released into the interior of the country with a request to report at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office when they reach their destination.

Additionally, at least 300,000 illegal aliens have slipped past border agents in the past 10 months, according to estimates based on statistics provided by Acting Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz.

The 8,691 criminal alien arrests over the past 10 months is about a 328 percent increase over fiscal 2020, if accounting for the two-month reporting difference.

Border Patrol agents are often not able to immediately check for criminal convictions in an alien’s home country, so most convictions that pop up are from crimes committed in the United States that have been recorded in the National Crime Information Center database.

On Aug. 19, Border Patrol agents in Brownsville, Texas, apprehended Mexican national Marco Antonio Tellez, who was previously arrested for first degree attempted sexual abuse of a child in Lexington, Kentucky. He was sentenced to one year in prison, registered as a sex offender, and then deported, according to records.

Two days earlier, Honduran national Arlin Reinaldo Ruiz-Cardona, was arrested as part of a group of 46 in Rio Grande City, Texas. In 2011, Ruiz-Cardona was arrested in New York City for raping an 8-year-old girl multiple times, according to New York records. He was sentenced to four years in prison and subsequently deported in June 2015.

Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas have arrested more than 140 illegal alien gang members affiliated with 10 different street gangs this fiscal year.

One of the most recent arrests was conducted by Texas state troopers about 70 miles north of the border. On Aug. 22, troopers apprehended two illegal immigrants at the Brooks County rest area. One of the men was a confirmed MS-13 gang member from El Salvador with a 2009 conviction for sexual battery in Hall County, Georgia.

Border Patrol Arrests Nearly 8,700 Criminal Aliens Despite Thin Ranks (theepochtimes.com)

My friend Owen Shroyer was forced to turn himself in yesterday.

While he never stepped foot inside the Capitol on January 6th, he’s been charged with “illegally entering a restricted area on Capitol grounds”, along with disorderly conduct.

Owen is a journalist and was covering the event with a news crew from InfoWars.

They never entered the Capitol, never jumped any barricades, and never disobeyed orders from law enforcement – because they were given none!

So why are the Feds going after Owen?

Because he’s an influential conservative media figure, and they can take him down despite having no evidence of wrong-doing!

Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are leading this charge with the intent to dismantle the activist wing of the conservative movement.

And it’s working!

Families are being broken up, careers are being destroyed, and everyone else is being terrified into silence or submission.

But not me – and that’s why I’m asking for your support for my run for Congress.

We have to stand up and tell the truth about what is happening, and it shouldn’t surprise any of us that the majority of Republicans in Congress are silent as Nancy Pelosi is literally taking political prisoners around the nation!

Do you think Democrats in Congress would have the same reaction if BLM and Antifa had swarmed the Capitol with Molotov cocktails and bricks like they did in Portland?

No! Pelosi, AOC and Ilhan Omar would be defending their right to protest, despite the fact that their actions are far from being “mostly peaceful”!

While over 600 Patriots have been charged with crimes from January 6th, nearly every BLM rioter is getting their charges dropped!

We need members of Congress brave enough to stand up to partisan plots like this . . . and that’s why it’s so important to send patriots to Congress who have a spine!

Help me get there today by funding my campaign.

And please, take a moment to give your thoughts and prayers to Owen Shroyer and the hundreds of other men and women whose lives have been upended by this partisan political power play.

Thanks so much for your time.

Respectfully,


Laura Loomer

National security officials fear newly freed Afghan terrorists may exploit border crisis

The Taliban’s release of prisoners throughout Afghanistan poses a security threat on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to senior Department of Homeland Security officials and national security experts.

The Taliban freed thousands of prisoners, many of whom either worked directly with or had ties to al Qaeda and ISIS, when it captured Bagram Air Base on Aug. 15. Afghan soldiers surrendered the base with virtually no resistance, leaving U.S. intelligence officials with little ability to track suspected terrorists. The crisis at the southern border could prove an inviting target for terrorists, according to the DHS official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

“We’ve always been surprised by the countries of origin we see individuals coming from along our southwest border. It’s more than likely some Afghans will arrive now as well,” the official told the Washington Free Beacon. “It’s definitely a national security threat, and the strain of forces currently along the border would make it more likely that some would slip through illegally.”

The intelligence community warned the administration about terror threats at the southern border just weeks after President Joe Biden announced the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan. National security officials warned the White House in a classified memo, first reported by the Free Beacon, that border patrol officers had arrested two Yemeni nationals on the terrorist watch list as they attempted to cross into the United States from Mexico. One of the two men was also on the FBI’s no-fly list. Their names have not been released to the public.

The Biden administration did not respond to a request for comment.

Senators from both parties pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley on whether the Pentagon would change its terror assessment of Afghanistan following the collapse of the U.S.-backed government. The two acknowledged their report to Congress in June—that Afghanistan contained only a “medium” risk of terror groups—was likely obsolete. 

Individuals who had worked on assessing terror threats at the southern border told the Free Beacon that the surge of migrants has left border patrol officers ill-equipped to face the new terror challenge. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief of staff Jon Feere said the record-setting influx of illegal border crossings will only exacerbate the threat.

“When it comes to cross-border illegal immigration that goes undetected, there is obviously no background check taking place,” Feere, who now works at the Center for Immigration Studies, said. “Customs and Border Protection apprehended foreign nationals from countries across the globe and that means there are likely many aliens from problematic countries getting past the border patrol already.”

Border patrol agents already complain about a lack of resources to adequately police the southern border. Biden administration officials have also come to acknowledge the strain. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas privately told border agents, “If our borders are the first line of defense, we’re going to lose and this is unsustainable,” according to Leaked Audio of his remarks. 

More migrants were recorded crossing into the country in July—212,000—than at any point in the last 21 years. Illegal crossings jumped 13 percent from June, which previously held the 21-year record. 

DHS Braces for Terror Threat on Southern Border (freebeacon.com)

US Border Patrol agents are reportedly suffering low morale, to the point they feel “almost dead inside,” as President Joe Biden’s policies leave only skeleton crews working in the field to intercept national-security threats.

“Everyone shows up to work sort of downtrodden, almost dead inside, for lack of a better term,” Jon Anfinsen, a spokesman for the Border Patrol’s union, told the Washington Examiner in an article published on Sunday. 

They’re not allowed to [do] the job, and they know that people are getting away every single day, every hour.

The US has set new 20-year highs in each of the past two months for the number of illegal aliens encountered by Border Patrol, including 213,000 in July, after Biden dismantled the policies of his predecessor Donald Trump, which he called “an assault on the dignity of immigrant communities.” Agents know that many more people are crossing the border undetected, as hundreds of agents have been pulled from the field to process and care for the crushing flow of migrants.READ MORESuspected terrorists are crossing into US at ‘level we have never seen before,’ outgoing Border Patrol chief tells agents – report

“Agents are primarily indoors, processing, and we’re dealing with the people who are flagging us down – the ones who are walking up to us and turning themselves in,” Anfinsen said. “Meanwhile, the immigrants who don’t want anything to do with us, they’re running away, although sometimes they’re walking because they have no need to run because we’re not there.”

In one 245-mile stretch of the southwest US border, there are only 12 agents patrolling, a record low, the Examiner said. On one recent day, the busy McAllen, Texas, Border Patrol Station had just one person and a dog working in the field because all other agents were needed for non-enforcement tasks, such as processing and transporting illegal migrants.

That’s especially troubling to agents, knowing that drug traffickers and suspected terrorists, among other threats, are exploiting the porous border. People on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist are crossing into the US at an unprecedented level, according to Rodney Scott, whom the Biden administration forced out as Border Patrol chief earlier this month. Also this month, Mark Morgan, a top border official in the Obama and Trump administrations, said the Biden administration has dropped at least 40,000 illegal aliens infected with Covid-19 into US cities.

The Examiner said many field agents have been turned into corrections officers, being jammed into crowded holding facilities with dozens of migrants packed in small rooms. Morgan said 37 employees have died from the virus since the pandemic began.ALSO ON RT.COMBiden administration has dumped 40,000 Covid-positive migrants into US cities, former border chief tells newspaper

The newspaper said its reporting was based on interviews with five current agents and three former senior officials who worked in the Biden administration. The administration has prohibited Border Patrol employees from speaking to media outlets without permission and stopped allowing reporters to do ride-alongs with enforcement agents.

“The mission is no longer deter, detect, detain,” one agent said. “It is wait until they have all crossed, Uber them to the station and process. Morale is below the Mason-Dixon line. We need more agents on the line, not at hospital or processing.” 

The agent added that more operatives are also needed to do intelligence work to target the cartels that are smuggling migrants.

Asked about the alleged plunge in morale, the US Customs and Border Patrol sent a statement to the Examiner, saying it’s fortunate to have agents who “remain resilient as we seek to improve enforcement efforts along the border.” The statement added, “Day in and day out, our Border Patrol agents continue to meet the need to protect our nation’s border as well as process migrants safely and expeditiously.”

Morale among ‘downtrodden’ Border Patrol agents PLUMMETS as Biden policies leave them unable to protect national security – report — RT USA News