South Carolina Republicans Reject Redistricting
Posted By: Mercedes44, 5/13/2026 2:17:26 AM
Despite being newly empowered by the Callais v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling, South Carolina’s Republican-controlled Senate rejected moving ahead with a redistricting plan that would have likely unseated the state’s sole Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn. On Tuesday, the state Senate voted by a 29-17 margin to allow for the General Assembly to work on redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections. This was short of the necessary two-thirds threshold, with five Republican senators defecting.
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Mercedes44"
Despite being newly empowered by the Callais v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling, South Carolina’s Republican-controlled Senate rejected moving ahead with a redistricting plan that would have likely unseated the state’s sole Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn.
On Tuesday, the state Senate voted by a 29-17 margin to allow for the General Assembly to work on redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections. This was short of the necessary two-thirds threshold, with five Republican senators defecting.
California Mayor Worked for Chinese Government,
Exposing China’s Deep Influence in America 0 replies
Exposing China’s Deep Influence in America 0 replies
A Southern California mayor has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China, according to an announcement by the Department of Justice.
The 58-year-old Eileen Wang was elected to the five-person Arcadia City Council in November 2022, where the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. She resigned Monday.
During her time in office, Wang communicated with multiple now-charged illegal agents, such as Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, who is currently serving a four-year federal prison sentence, and John Chen, a high-level member of the Chinese intelligence apparatus, who was sentenced in November 2024 to 20 months in federal prison.
US sanctions Chinese firms assisting IRGC
as Iran War looms large ahead of Trump’s
China visit 0 replies
as Iran War looms large ahead of Trump’s
China visit 0 replies
The Trump Administration has been leveling sanctions against an array of Chinese companies profiting off of illicit Iranian oil sales and propping up the Iranian military ahead of a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing this week.
The U.S. naval blockade has stopped Iranian vessels from making it to China and elsewhere to sell their sanctioned oil, while the State and Treasury departments have hit Chinese companies with significant sanctions —
Treasury Department sanctions 12 people
and entities accused of helping Iran with
its oil operations 1 reply
and entities accused of helping Iran with
its oil operations 1 reply
The Treasury Department announced sanctions Monday against 12 individuals and entities it has accused of enabling Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' sale and shipment of oil to the People’s Republic of China.
The sanctions are part of the Trump administration's Economic Fury operation, which is part of its maximum pressure campaign against Iran.
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the IRGC uses the revenue it generates from shipping and selling oil to China, along with other permissive economic jurisdictions, to fund the Iranian regime.
“As Iran’s military desperately tries to regroup, Economic Fury will continue to deprive the regime of funding for its weapons programs, terrorist proxies,
I’m speaking on the 71st day of the Iran war, but of course, it hasn’t been 71 days. The last real date of bombing, intense bombing—not a tit-for-tat here and there, but the actual day of kinetic activity—was April 8, the actual last day.
So, we’ve had about 31 days of negotiation. The actual war was only 40 days long so far. So, all the anti-war opposition was about something that happened over a month ago.
So, what’s going on in these negotiations? They’ve been in Pakistan, they’ve been through social media connections, there have been special envoys and neutral …
President Donald Trump’s approval rating continues to climb among Republican voters in Wisconsin, even as support for the Republican Party overall has slightly declined, according to a new League of American Workers poll. The survey also suggests that Trump‑endorsed candidates are well-positioned to secure their party’s nominations in key Wisconsin races.
According to the poll, Trump’s job approval rating among Badger State Republican voters has risen 5 percentage points since March, while approval of the Republican Party has fallen 1 point. Favorability toward the U.S. war in Iran has also increased by at least 8 points.
The State Bar of Arizona (SBA) is disbarring another conservative attorney, Vlad Gagic, after he loudly objected on social media to the prosecution of one of his clients, whom he believed was innocent. Gagic told me he acted as a whistleblower, exposing systemic corruption, prosecutorial misconduct, judicial bias and political retaliation.
The situation arose while Gagic was defending his former client, Jamaal Pennington, a young black man who Gagic became convinced was wrongly accused of sex trafficking and pimping. Gagic told me he uncovered and documented massive misconduct by the prosecution. When Pennington’s accuser, the key witness against him, recanted her story and said she had identified the wrong man,
In 2008 Joe Biden was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with oversight jurisdiction of the U.S State Dept., and by extension all foreign policy nominations etc.
In 2008 John Brennan was working for the Obama campaign when someone from his outside government group, The Analysis Corporation, “hacked” into the state dept database to access the passport files and State Dept records of Barack Obama. John O. Brennan, Obama’s then top terrorism and intelligence adviser, was the owner of The Analysis Corp. The company was cited —
Kill the Filibuster—or Make Them Talk
9 replies
Five words: Power unused is power surrendered.
That’s the reality Senate Republicans now face.
With a narrow majority and a nation increasingly concerned about election integrity, Republicans face a choice: act decisively or allow procedural relics to dictate policy outcomes. At the heart of this dilemma is the filibuster — not a constitutional safeguard, not a sacred institution, but a Senate rule that has evolved into a minority veto.
And in its current form, it’s not even honest. Today’s filibuster is a shadow of its former self. Senators no longer need to stand on the floor, speak for hours, or defend their obstruction before the American people.
New revelations emerging from Israeli security investigations have shattered any illusion that Turkey's relationship with Hamas is limited to "political support" or "diplomatic engagement." The evidence increasingly points to a situation far more alarming: Turkey has become a primary operational, logistical, and financial hub for Hamas's global terror infrastructure.
Countries that enable terrorism cannot at the same time be treated as indispensable partners in the fight against terrorism.
By allowing Hamas members to develop drone capabilities on Turkish soil, Ankara is deliberately grooming terrorists for future wars against Israel.
Bexar County Court-at-Law No. 13 Judge Rosie Speedlin-Gonzalez, the self-proclaimed “first openly LGBT judge” in the county, has been forced to resign in disgrace and accept a permanent, lifetime disqualification from ever holding judicial office in the State of Texas again.
According to the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Speedlin-Gonzalez signed off on the deal on April 20, 2026, quietly slinking off the bench effective immediately.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped felony unlawful restraint and misdemeanor official oppression charges against her.
In 2008 Joe Biden was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with oversight jurisdiction of the U.S State Dept., and by extension all foreign policy nominations etc.
In 2008 John Brennan was working for the Obama campaign when someone from his outside government group, The Analysis Corporation, “hacked” into the state dept database to access the passport files and State Dept records of Barack Obama.
John O. Brennan, Obama’s then top terrorism and intelligence adviser, was the owner of The Analysis Corp. The company was cited in March 2008 for penetrating the files of presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and John McCain in the State Department’s passport office.
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Appearing on MSNBC to talk to Lawfare ally Nicole Wallace, wife of New York Times narrative engineer Michael Schmidt – the guy who received leaks from FBI Director James Comey via Daniel Richman, former CIA Director John Brennan notes there are “legions” of operatives still embedded within the DOJ, FBI and CIA who are working against President Donald Trump.
This is not a surprise as we have noted the Trump administration continues to take apart the tentacles of Lawfare and Intelligence operatives in Main Justice, various U.S. Attorney offices, FBI Headquarters, FBI field offices and various Intelligence Community silos.
AUSTIN — Former President Barack Obama met with U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico Tuesday in Texas, putting his support behind a campaign that Democrats see as a shot, if a long one, for the party to win statewide in the reliably conservative state.
Obama lunched with Talarico and Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the nominee running to unseat Texas’ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, at a taco shop in Austin. The visit was meant to give the candidates a boost from one of the more liked figures in the Democratic Party.
Obama has been highlighting younger leaders in the party, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani,
WASHINGTON — Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lamented the delay in immigration enforcement actions until the final year of President Biden’s term — despite having testified to Congress several times while in office that the US border was “secure.”
In an appearance Tuesday at Politico’s Security Summit, Mayorkas discussed aspects of the “broken” immigration system in America, acknowledging that a “low bar” for those expressing “credible fear of persecution” allowed too many migrants into the country during the Biden administration.
More than 8 million entered by the start of the 46th president’s final year in office — before Biden moved to shut down the border and crack down on illegal crossings
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) appears to have gotten his law license from Minnesota’s Quality Learing Center. After misspelling “Virginia” and “Senator” on a recent appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, Jones’ office fired off an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States that’s addressed to — lol — the Supreme Court of Virginia.
In the first case… no spell check? The attorney general’s office doesn’t use spell check? In the second case of addressing the petition to the wrong court, I’m speechless at this level of incompetence, especially AFTER all those misspellings and when this case is 1) the most important thing on the planet to Democrats
New York state is offering free air conditioning
units to residents this summer — how
to apply 14 replies
units to residents this summer — how
to apply 14 replies
As New York braces for another sweaty, subway-platform-melting summer, the state is once again handing out free air conditioners to eligible residents — because surviving July without one is basically an Olympic sport.
Applications for New York’s Cooling Assistance Benefit opened April 15, offering qualifying households a free air conditioner or fan, plus installation, just in time for the season when apartment living starts to feel like slow-roasting in a brick oven. [snip]
For window, portable A/C units or fans, the benefit covers up to $800, including installation.
Existing wall sleeve units can be covered up to $1,000.
2 critically wounded when rifle-wielding
career criminal opens fire on random cars
in Massachusetts 12 replies
career criminal opens fire on random cars
in Massachusetts 12 replies
Published May 11, 2026
Updated May 12, 2026, 1:15 a.m. ET
A gun-wielding career criminal opened fire at random cars driving down a Massachusetts roadway on Monday, leaving two men with life-threatening injuries before the maniac was shot by responding officers.
Gunman Tyler Brown allegedly fired 50 to 60 rounds indiscriminately from an assault-style rifle as he erratically walked down Memorial Drive in Cambridge around 1:20 p.m., Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press conference.
At 1:06 p.m., Cambridge police received a 911 call from Boston police, who said an individual acting erratically and in possession of a rifle was in Cambridge, Ryan said.
On Monday, in a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court vacated a ruling in the United States District Court of Northern Alabama, which required the state to draw congressional maps establishing two majority-minority congressional districts. The motions to expedite are granted. The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment in No. 25-243 is granted. The judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in that case is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit with instructions to remand to the District Court
Appeals court spares Trump from paying
$83 million defamation award to E. Jean
Carroll — for now 8 replies
$83 million defamation award to E. Jean
Carroll — for now 8 replies
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump won’t have to pay an $83 million defamation award to a longtime advice columnist until the U.S. Supreme Court gets a chance to review the case or reject an appeal, according to a court entry Tuesday. (Snip) Smith said last week there was a “fair prospect” that the Supreme Court will find in favor of Trump, who has called Carroll’s claims first made publicly in 2019 that she was sexually attacked by Trump in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in spring 1996 a “made up scam.” The $83 million award to Carroll
I can’t believe he did it again.
Matt Damon reprised his role as Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday Night Live. This time, the central joke of the unfunny skit was that Kavanaugh, Pete Hegseth and Kash Patel are all drunks. Damon as Kavanaugh was pounding beers and shots while he promised to give Trump a third term. Even the audience of trained seals sounded kind of lukewarm about it.
I have striven not to talk or write about Kavanaugh anymore, even turning down a request that went on for six years to have me submit to a profile. (I eventually did say yes,
Stacy Abrams subpoenaed as part of Georgia
Senate's probe into campaign finance violations 8 replies
Senate's probe into campaign finance violations 8 replies
A special committee of the Georgia Senate has issued subpoenas to Stacy Abrams and others as part of its ongoing investigation into campaign finance law violations including their involvement with the New Georgia Project and affiliated groups. [snip] The subpoenas follow investigations by the Georgia State Ethics Commission that found the New Georgia Project and its affiliated Action Fund violated the state's campaign finance laws during the 2018 elections. Earlier this year, the groups admitted to 16 violations and agreed to pay a $300,000 fine, according to Fox News.
As U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, House candidate Bridget Brink was an energetic stock trader, making 179 individual stock trades worth between $754,000 and $4 million while in office, according to more than two dozen ethics disclosures filed with the State Department and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
Now, as the leading candidate in the Democratic primary for a Republican-held congressional seat in a Michigan swing district, Brink says she will fight to ban federal officials, including presidential appointees like U.S. ambassadors, from engaging in individual stock trading as part of her plan for "fighting corruption and defending democracy." "I've been criticized as 'focusing too intensely on the issue of corruption,'"
The Trump administration's latest sanctions, targeting Cuba's military-controlled conglomerate GAESA and related entities like Moa Nickel, mark a clear-eyed effort to disrupt the regime's financial lifelines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the move by highlighting how these operations funnel resources away from ordinary Cubans and into the pockets of the ruling elite. While critics decry any pressure on Havana as harsh, the reality is more straightforward: Decades of engagement have failed to loosen the Communist Party's grip, while the Cuban people continue to endure shortages and repression.
GAESA operates as the economic engine of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, controlling key sectors from tourism to retail and finance.