Day: September 3, 2020

Biden Meets Jacob Blake’s Family to Start Wisconsin Trip

The Associated Press

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden began a visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Thursday by meeting with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man whose shooting by a white police officer sparked days of sometimes violent and destructive protests.

Biden’s trip to Kenosha, the first of his general election campaign against President Donald Trump, is testing his pitch that he’s a unifying figure, able to lead the country through a national reckoning with systemic racism along with the pandemic and its economic fallout.

Read the full story

New Jobless Claims Fall Below One Million, Beat Wall Street Expectations

Admin

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 881,000 last week as the economy continues to suffer the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Department of Labor figure released Thursday represented a decrease of new jobless claims compared to the week ending on Aug. 22, in which there were 1,006,000 new jobless claims reported.

Read the full story

Nancy Pelosi Ignores COVID-19 Rules, Gets Hair Done

Admin

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was filmed breaking San Francisco Covid-19 rules by getting her hair done indoors and without a mask, Fox News reported.

In security footage shared with the channel, the California Democrat can be seen walking through eSalon in the city’s Pacific Heights neighborhood at around 3:10 p.m. Monday, with wet hair and no mask on her face. Pelosi is followed by the stylist, who is wearing a mask.

Read the full story

Commentary: Bannon Case May Rest with Stockman Petition

Admin

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon was recently indicted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for his role in the highly successful “We Build the Wall” online fundraising program started by Purple Heart recipient, triple-amputee Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage. Kolfage was also indicted.

Bannon, Kolfage, and two other defendants who were indicted in this matter pleaded not guilty on Monday, and their trial is set for May 24 next year.

Read the full story

State Department Monitored 13 Americans’ Social Media in Possible Legal Violation

Admin

Officials at the U.S. embassy in Kiev ordered the monitoring of 13 prominent Americans’ social media accounts during the early days of the Ukraine scandal in spring 2019 and later were informed their activities potentially violated the Privacy Act, according to State Department memos made public on Tuesday.

The memos, released under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, show those targeted for monitoring included President Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., the president’s personal lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Fox News personalities Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Lou Dobbs. This reporter was one of the 13 individuals on the list targeted.

Read the full story

133 Illegal Immigrants and Nearly $48 Million Worth of Drugs Seized at Texas Border in 5 Days, CBP Reports Show

Admin
Migrants detained by CBP

Customs and Border Protection arrested 133 illegal immigrants and seized roughly 7,630 pounds of narcotics were seized at the border between Texas and Mexico over five days, according to the agency.

Authorities intervened in drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking and illegal crossing attempts, and recovered around $47,863,472 worth of narcotics, according to 15 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28.

Read the full story

Battleground Michigan: Lawsuits Challenge State’s Coronavirus Restrictions, Ballot Rules

Admin

A pair of lawsuits filed against top-ranking state executives in Michigan seek to challenge the recent policies the two Democrats have put in place as part of their efforts to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak there.

The suits, filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of several Michigan plaintiffs, argue that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have, respectively, suppressed political speech and unlawfully altered the state’s absentee voting system, according to a press release from the Thomas More Society.

Read the full story

DOJ and DHS Confirm Active Federal Probe into Criminal Activity and Funding Related to Violent Riots

Admin

The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security confirmed this week that the DOJ is investigating the organizers and funders behind the violent riots that have engulfed the country since May.

“We are investigating coordinated, criminal activity—not First Amendment activity—and violence related to riots, destruction of federal property and violence against law enforcement officers,” said DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec on Tuesday.

Read the full story

Biden to Visit Kenosha on Thursday After Blasting Trump for Visiting Riot-Torn City

Admin

After the Biden campaign criticized President Trump’s trip to Kenosha Wisconsin as “self-centered” and unproductive, former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, have announced that they will visit the riot-torn city on Thursday.

“Vice President Biden will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face,” his campaign said in a press release. “After, Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden will make a local stop.”

Read the full story

Tennessee GOP Votes to Affirm Eddie Mannis as House District 18 Primary Winner Potentially in Violation of State Law

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee (SEC) in a meeting held via conference call Wednesday evening voted to affirm the August 6 results of the House District 18 primary that was won by Eddie Mannis, potentially in violation of state law.

The vote was 43 to 18 by the SEC, which functions as the State Primary Board (SPB) in a primary contest.

Read the full story

Commentary: When Joe Does Iraq

Admin

Fourteen years ago today marks the low point of the Iraq War. Mounting U.S. casualties and raging sectarian violence in an undeclared civil war was the order of the day. That changed late in the afternoon when Sheik Sattar Bezia abu Risha handed me a hand written three page document that would become the charter of the Anbar Awakening. The very thought of Iraqi tribal leaders siding with American forces, especially in Ramadi — the most dangerous city in the world, and the site of the first al Qaeda Caliphate — was unprecedented alliance. Anbar Was Lost was both the front page headline and the consensus intelligence assessment, and any mention of progress was deemed unbelievable. We had found an ally that was willing to fight the terrorist of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) with us. Sadly, most of those freedom fighters are dead today because of the poor policy decisions and neglect of the Obama-Biden White House.

Read the full story

Governor DeWine’s Tuesday Press Briefing Addresses Labor Day Weekend Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, High-Speed Internet Grants for Students

Ben Kolodny

Governor Mike DeWine’s recent press conference touched on a number of issues facing Ohio and possible fixes. 

In the Tuesday briefing, DeWine reminded citizens to take the proper safety precautions for Labor Day weekend. DeWine reported that Ohio had the “highest number of new cases since the end of July,” which he called a “stark reminder that this virus has not gone away and it continues to spread in our communities.”

Read the full story

Michigan to Publish Which Schools Have Coronavirus Outbreaks

Jordyn Pair

Michigan will begin identifying K-12 schools that have coronavirus outbreaks beginning on September 14, a state spokesperson told BridgeMI on Tuesday.

Up to this point, the state has been confirming the regions in which the outbreaks are occurring, but have not provided more specific information, such as the specific school districts in which the outbreaks are located.

Read the full story

Freitas and Good Will Appear on Ballots After Lawsuit Challenging Paperwork Filing Extensions Dismissed

Eric Burk

Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpepper) and Bob Good (R) will appear on ballots this November after a circuit court judge dismissed a lawsuit that tried to block the candidates from the election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) filed the lawsuit challenging the State Board of Elections’ (BOE) authority to grant filing extensions to the candidates. Freitas is running for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Good is running for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.

Read the full story

After Five More Charged in Connection with June 10 Protests, Leading Virginia Democrats Appear at Rally Supporting Senator Lucas

Eric Burk

Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) appeared alongside former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D), Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, and U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Newport News) at a rally of over 100 people outside a Portsmouth church on Tuesday, according to reporting by The Associated Press. The rally came after police charged five more people in relation to a June 10 protest.

Read the full story

State Senator Bryce Reeves Commentary: Waste, Fraud, Abuse, and Virginia Democrats

Admin

While Virginia’s government is experiencing massive budget shortfalls because of the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats in the House of Delegates chose to line their own pockets rather than help their constituents.

On Tuesday, August 18, General Assembly members convened for a special session to address the budget, criminal justice reform, and COVID-19 impacts. Before we gaveled in, Governor Ralph Northam and Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne gave a presentation to both money committees in the General Assembly regarding the fiscal impact the coronavirus has had on our Commonwealth. The conclusion was that Virginia is experiencing a $2.7 billion budget shortfall. And in times like these, every penny counts and should be spent responsibly.

Read the full story

‘BLM’ and ‘Defund the Police’ Spray Painted at Graceland

Chris Butler

Messages of Black Lives Matter and “Defund the Police” were spray painted on several tourist attractions in Tennessee on Monday night, including Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate, authorities said.

The graffiti phrases were found Tuesday morning outside Graceland, the Levitt Shell Amphitheater in Overton Park and the “I Heart Memphis” mural in midtown Memphis, news outlets reported.

Read the full story