Posts on Saturday, April 20, 2024

The Biden administration is slated to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Axios news site reported on Saturday. It would be the first time the US has ever taken such a step. The battalion has been at the center of several controversies in the past connected to right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians, notably including the 2022 death of Omar As’ad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who died after being detained, handcuffed, blindfolded, and later abandoned in near-freezing conditions by soldiers of the battalion. The reported US plan drew a scathing response from Israeli officials

After a week stuck in court Donald Trump planned to cut loose in front of thousands of adoring fans in North Carolina on Saturday. But severe thunderstorm warnings meant he had to cancel the rally in Wilmington at the last minute, sending thousands of disappointed supporters home as conditions became too dangerous. Instead of railing for 90 minutes against New York prosecutors, election interference and Joe Biden, Trump delivered a one-minute audio message telling people to leave. 'It's a danger to all of this,' he said, in a message played through the sound system. 'And we want to make sure that everybody is safe

Many Democrats see the trial of former President Donald Trump, prosecuted by the elected Democratic district attorney of Manhattan, as a valuable political tool. While Trump is tied down in a courtroom, required to be in court every day trial is in session, President Joe Biden can be out on the campaign trail, meeting voters. What a contrast, Democrats say (while at the same time denying that District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump is politically motivated). Maybe the tie-Trump-down strategy will work. It’s only been happening for a week, and with that and other trials, Democrats hope to immobilize Trump for most, if not all, of the presidential campaign. But

Washington, DC–Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Chip Roy (R-TX) slammed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for violating the Hastert Rule after the $60 billion Ukraine aid bill passed on Saturday without a majority of Republican support. The longstanding rule directs that a Republican speaker will only put legislation up for a floor vote if a majority of the GOP conference supports it. The rule is meant to prevent a GOP speaker from colluding with Democrats to pass bills. But most of the GOP did not back the Ukraine bill. While 101 Republicans and 210 Democrats voted for it, 112 Republicans voted against advancing it to the Senate, meaning Johnson

Actor Russell Brand has posted a video in which he demonstrates how to pray the rosary, though he acknowledged he hasn’t fully mastered some of the prayers. (snip) Russell Brand has devoted a number of recent videos to exploring Christianity and Catholicism, saying he has started to wear a cross around his neck. (snip) Last year, he expressed his need for God in his life, insisting without Him he “cannot cope in this world.”

Melania Trump talked about the importance of unifying the nation at a time when her husband's MAGA supporters are causing division in the Republican Party. 'We must unite in our effort to establish a society where equality is the everyday experience of every American,' the former first lady told Fox News Digital. 'Individual freedom provides a unifying set of principles, and ultimately establishes our American way.' 'Together, we must nourish and safeguard the seeds of liberty,' she continued. 'Because, when successful, America blossoms into a magnificent place where everyone can practice their beliefs, share new ideas, and express individualism — this is when we are our best.'

Alan Dershowitz, a longtime trial lawyer and former attorney for Donald Trump, says that the ex-president's jury at his New York hush money trial is bad news for his one-time client. Following three days of legal wrangling a panel of seven men and five women has now been selected and they will assess his guilt or innocence over the coming weeks. Dershowitz, 85, says that the makeup of the jurors - who include a corporate lawyer, an investment banker, a software engineer and a teacher - suggest Trump will fare poorly. 'This is a bad jury for Donald Trump,' Dershowitz told Newsmax Friday. He goes as far as to say that

Former President Donald Trump expressed appreciation in a signed note to the Washington, DC, Young Republicans (DCYR) for exposing a never Trumper in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) office who opposed the club’s endorsement of Trump. Trump’s note was in response to emails exclusively obtained by Breitbart News that outed Johnson’s Director of House Operations Hannah Fraher for expressing unfounded concerns about the club’s endorsement of Trump. “Thank you for your great support,” Trump wrote to the DCYR on an email obtained by Breitbart News. “Very much appreciated! Will not forget.” (X)

Finland’s Supreme Court has announced it will take up a contentious case against a Christian politician who has faced a years-long legal battle for sharing her biblical views on sexuality. Dr. Päivi Räsänen, the Finnish politician who was once again victorious in court this past November, will continue her battle after the prosecutor appealed to the nation’s high court. [Snip] In the trial that concluded in November, Räsänen said the prosecutor argued she’s allowed to “believe in her mind whatever about the Bible, but it is illegal to express it outwardly.”

We are now roughly six and a half months from election day or election month, depending on your state’s election laws. Today, we’ll focus on Joe Biden’s recent polling surge, as shown in the Real Clear Politics Poll Average of Trump vs Biden. You will note Trump is up over Biden by a whopping 0.4 percentage points. If we remove the possible outlier Rasmussen survey from the average, showing Trump at +8, Joe Biden would be ahead by 0.4. Republicans might be dismayed by this, and Democrats encouraged. In January of this year, Trump was ahead of Biden by +4. Since then, the poll average

America needs a House and Senate filled with members who are aligned with “Donald Trump’s America first agenda,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said during an interview on Breitbart News Saturday in which he said that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) essentially “handed the Speaker’s gavel over to the Democrats.” Banks discussed Johnson flip-flopping on Ukraine aid and discussed one of the more shocking developments over the last week.“Mike Johnson has handed the speaker’s gavel over to the Democrats and said here, you guys take control. I mean, that’s there’s no other explanation for it. As you said, it was one thing when the Democrats

Democrat members of Congress waved Ukrainian flags on the House floor after voting to give them another $60.8 billion in taxpayer funds. The $95.3 billion foreign aid package funds Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan — with nothing for Americans. (X Video) On Saturday, the package was approved 311-112 with all of the “nay” votes from Republicans. “Ukrainian flags fly in the chamber of the UNITED STATES House of Representatives as they vote to send more of your hard-earned money to a corrupt foreign regime. And just like that they shout ‘UKRAINE! UKRAINE!’ while happily working to secure Ukraine’s in a post on X.borders, not ours,” Senator Rand Paul wrote

You know when Ken Griffin is doing sketchy anti-Trump stuff by the response from Ken Griffin. Remember, this is the vulture capitalist and Citadel hedge fund operator of horrible Robin Hood infamy who was going to lose billions because the Reddit community fought back against Griffin’s short position on GameStop. In essence, what Griffin is doing now is shorting the Trump stock he doesn’t control or borrow against. He’s naked shorting the Trump media stock, which is illegal and seriously unethical. Devin Nunes, CEO of Truth Social, has tracked the available stock and notes; there is no way for Citadel and

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Late last night, early this morning (after midnight), the United States Senate passed a FISA reauthorization bill that directly and specifically violates every tenant of the 4th Amendment.

The Supreme Court on Monday will weigh arguments in a case involving the homeless and bans on where they may sleep, the most significant one on the issue in decades. The dispute involves whether laws that punish homeless people with civil citations for camping on public property are outside the bounds of the Constitution. Cities have been searching for ways to address homeless encampments that they say threaten public health and safety. A decision will shed light on how far city and state officials can go to address homeless encampments and is likely to reach beyond the borders of the Oregon city at the center of the dispute.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene delivered a speech for the ages in defense of the American working class on Saturday morning before the Ukraine war funding vote in the US House of Representatives. [Snip] You see, the United States’ taxpayer has already sent $113 billion to Ukraine, and a lot of that money is unaccounted for. This is a continuance of a sick business model that the American government continues. The federal government continues to fund the military-industrial complex. This is a business model that requires Congress to continue to vote for money, to continue to fund foreign wars. This is a business model the American people do not support.

We could call this A Tale of Two Facilities. Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in retaliation for the targeted strike on IRGC and Hamas commanders. That attack did little damage despite a volley of well over 300 missiles and drones, thanks to the regional defenses and the several hours of lead time necessitated by Iran's launch from its own territory. That demonstrated the facility Iran has for offensive operations in the region. Israel responded by demonstrating its facility, and as the New York Times hears from officials in Iran and the West, the result shocked the Iranians: An Israeli weapon deployed in a retaliatory strike against Iran

After months of stalling, the US House of Representatives finally approved more than $61bn worth of military assistance to help Ukraine in its desperate defense against Russia. The bipartisan vote saw 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans join to support Ukraine, with 112 Republicans – a majority of the GOP members – voting against. It came after the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, forced a series of bills onto the floor in the face of fierce resistance within his own Republican party, many of whom oppose spending more on Ukraine’s defense. Voting began hours ahead of schedule in an extraordinary Saturday session that delayed the House’s planned recess.

A Republican-led effort to pass another border security bill failed on Saturday shortly before the House is expected to pass $95 billion in foreign aid funding. The bill, which failed 215 to 199, contained many components of the conservative H.R. 2 border bill, which has not been touched by the Democrat-led Senate since it passed in May 2023. The failed measure proposed immediate construction of a border wall, asylum restrictions and the reinstatement of Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico policy, which Democrats despise.

Federal officials have sued the Sheetz convenience store chain, claiming the company discriminated against job applicants who were Black, Native American and multiracial.[SNIP] “Federal law mandates that employment practices causing a disparate impact because of race or other protected classifications must be shown by the employer to be necessary to ensure the safe and efficient performance of the particular jobs at issue,” EEOC attorney Debra M. Lawrence said in a statement. “Even when such necessity is proven, the practice remains unlawful if there is an alternative practice available that is comparably effective in achieving the employer’s goals but causes less discriminatory effect,” Lawrence said.

I gleaned these tweets from an article at Zerohedge. It seems clear that Johnson is getting directions and following them, irrespective of the views of his party and their voters: This Is The Uniparty 'Reveal': Speaker Johnson To Pass $95.3 Billion Foreign Aid Package Using Democrats Johnson channels regime talking points, even paraphrasing Zhou’s favorite line—’We’re the United States of America for God’s sake—the most powerful nation in the history of the world!’ Who promised Johnson what? What’s it worth to lie like Johnson’s doing?

Catholic Medical Center in Manchester will lay off 54 employees as a response to financial difficulties, hospital leaders said. (Snip) Walker said rising costs, lower reimbursement for services, shifting demographics and changes in the payor mix — the share of patient revenue that comes from Medicare and Medicaid vs. privately insured and self-paying patients — had all contributed to the hospital’s “financial stress.”

Sometimes you hear something so shocking that it stops you in your tracks. Without a doubt, that was me this week. I just so happened to click on a video clip of comedian and TV personality Bill Maher’s HBO talk show. On the latest episode, he discussed abortion in America, alongside his celebrity panel. Mr. Maher started fair by sharing that he always admonishes his pro-abortion friends from calling pro-lifers “women-haters” because — in his words — it’s simply not true. He states that pro-lifers don’t hate women, so much as they believe abortion to be murder. I was surprised to hear that astute comment from him.

Disgraced Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti has been in contact with former President Trump’s legal defense team and is ready and willing to testify against his former client, he told The Post in an interview from jail. (snip) “There’s no question [the trial] is politically motivated because they’re concerned that he may be reelected,” Avenatti said. “If the defendant was anyone other than Donald Trump, this case would not have been brought at this time," (snip) Of his former client, Avenatti was scathing — and warned New York City prosecutors that he expected Daniels to commit perjury should she be called as a witness.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D. Miss.), who chaired the House J6 Committee, introduced legislation that calls for President Donald Trump to lose his Secret Service protection if he’s convicted and sent to prison. Thompson fully understands that there is a strong likelihood that the current Manhattan hush money trial or the upcoming Georgia RICO trial, both of which are open partisan lawfare rather than justice, will see at least one felony conviction and prison sentence for Trump. In other words, this legislation is an almost explicit call for Trump’s assassination. It’s been apparent since the get-go that the myriad criminal actions against Trump are a form of election interference. Each case

The White House dodged questions Thursday after Joe Biden made the startling claim that his uncle was eaten by cannibals during World War II. Biden suggested his relative had met a grisly end at the hands of flesh-eating savages after his plane was shot down by the enemy over New Guinea. The president made the assertion, apparently for the first time publicly, during a trip to his birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Ihe White House dodged questions Thursday after Joe Biden made the startling claim

It looks like the mob has asserted control over Columbia University, SS style. The Columbia Spectator reports on the suspensions issued for for participation in Wednesday’s “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.” One of Ilhan Omar’s daughters (Isra Hirsi) is among the suspended students. The rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the rotten tree. The Spectator quotes Columbia undergrad Maryam Alwan, another one of the suspended students. Alwan told the Spectator that she received a letter informing her of her interim suspension from the Center for Student Success and Intervention [!]. “I think all of these administrators need to get a grip and listen to their students and watch the news

Barack Obama set the stage in 2015 for the student loan forgiveness fiasco when he announced the 'America's College Promise' proposal to make two years of community college free. On the proposal's web page is this: "Students should be able to get the knowledge and the skills they need without taking on decades worth of student debt." (emphasis mine) Obama's idea has now been extended to include four-year colleges. His lackey, that joke who currently occupies the Bully Pulpit, is simply forwarding his boss' idea. The problem for Biden is that Obama's idea is neither legal nor morally acceptable. An article in The Conversation makes a good moral case for not

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn't have the easiest time discussing matters related to Israel during Friday's press briefing, as Spencer covered earlier. When it comes to the related topic of pro-Hamas chants going on across America, Jean-Pierre response on that topic was also lacking, as she brought up the August 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville.At Columbia University this week, pro-Hamas agitators were declaring disturbing statements such as "we are all Hamas" and "long live Hamas" in reference to the October 7 attack that the terrorist group perpetrated against Israel.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) called for Biden administration Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to resign following a testy Senate hearing. During the April 17 edition of Fox News’s Hannity, Hawley told host Sean Hannity, that Granholm lied to Congress and cannot be trusted to regulate American energy. “She did lie to Congress, what she said Sean, is that she sold all of her shares, that she didn't own any stock in companies she regulates — not true,” Hawley told Hannity, after being asked about Granholm’s stock scandal.

The Biden administration has announced restrictions on oil and gas leasing on more than 13 million acres of an Alaskan petroleum reserve to conserve land valuable to the “Alaska Native people” and “important fish and wildlife,” as Republican lawmakers protest the “illegal” move. The U.S. Department of the Interior, led by Biden appointee Secretary Deb Haaland, celebrated the restrictions on Friday, saying, “These steps follow President Biden’s actions to protect millions of acres of lands and waters in the Arctic.”“Following significant engagement with the public, Alaska Native Tribes, and Alaska Native Corporations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized the Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

Alvin Bragg is to be commended for getting to trial on the Trump hush-payments case. Lesser prosecutors would have been daunted by the prospect of creating a national melodrama and a norm-breaking prosecution of a former president over what is, in essence, a misdemeanor business-records charge. They would have blanched at relying on serial perjurer Michael Cohen as a star witness. They would have recognized the inherent ambiguity over whether the hush payments to Stormy Daniels were personal payments or campaign expenses.

Democrats want Trump dead. House Democrats on Friday moved to strip President Trump of his Secret Service protection if he is convicted. Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson introduced a resolution that would terminate Trump’s Secret Service protection. The legislation dubbed the “Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act would apply to all Secret Service protectees convicted and sentenced under felony charges.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) no longer represents the Republican House majority after he betrayed conservative ideals and worked with the Democrats to pass the President Joe Biden-endorsed Ukraine aid agenda, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) declared Friday. In an unprecedented move, Johnson worked with House Democrats this week to force Ukraine border defense funds toward a full House vote on Saturday: Thursday: Johnson made history by relying on Democrats on the House Rules Committee to overcome objections from the majority and advance a rule bill to the House floor. Friday: Democrats seized the House and helped Johnson clear a key procedural hurdle

The Senate passed a controversial extension of the federal government’s warrantless spying powers just after a midnight deadline on Friday over objections from Democrats and Republicans who opposed the incidental collection of US citizens’ data as part of the authority. In a 60-34 vote, Democrats and Republicans voted to reauthorize Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until 2026, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk for a signature. The White House issued a statement in strong support of the legislation, called the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, before it passed the House last week in a 273-147 bipartisan vote.

Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers, becoming the first Southern autoworkers outside of the Big Three to do so in a region long resistant to unionization, the labor group announced late Friday. The UAW declared victory as votes continued to be tallied, with its unofficial count at 2,628 for joining the union and 985 opposed, or 73% to 27%. "Volkswagen thanks its Chattanooga workers for voting in this election," the company said in a statement acknowledging that workers had voted in favor of union representation. "We will await certification

Chinese hackers are developing the "ability to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure at a time of its choosing," FBI director Christopher Wray said this week. He added that the hackers are waiting "for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow." The hacking campaign, known as Volt Typhoon, has embedded itself successfully in several American critical infrastructure companies that include telecommunications, energy and water, and others, he said.