Commentary: The ‘Gold Standard’ Private Pensions Exposed Now as High-Wire Busts

Like many retirees, Jesus Nunez knew he was due a pension but was having a hard time tracking it down. Now 66, the Burbank, Illinois, resident had worked as a painter and garage worker for the Checker Taxi Co. Inc from 1978 to 1986 and then another year for its successor concern. But when Checker Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, he never got a notice about his anticipated retirement checks. He figures he’s due about $300 per month.

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Government May Have Sent up to $1.3 Billion in COVID Aid to Foreign Countries

On Monday, a watchdog report claimed that the Small Business Administration (SBA) may have accidentally sent as much as $1.3 billion in COVID-19 relief funding to foreign countries during the pandemic.

According to the Daily Caller, the office of the SBA inspector general reported that the agency failed to detect the foreign IP addresses of those who applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which awarded as much as $2 million per business or nonprofit. As a result, up to $1.3 billion may have been sent to recipients in “high risk” countries.

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Mike Lindell Says FBI Surrounded Him and Seized His Cellphone

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said the FBI surrounded him and seized his cell phone Tuesday while he was in a Hardee’s drive-through in Mankato, Minnesota.

“The FBI came after me and took my phone, they surrounded me at a Hardee’s and took my phone, Lindell said in a short video posted on social media Tuesday night. The pillow salesman explained that he doesn’t have a computer because he does all of his business on his phone.

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Metro Nashville Denies Release of Titans Stadium Communications, Claiming ‘Deliberative Process’

Nissan Stadium

Metro Nashville denied an open records request for its internal communications related to Nashville’s East Bank, citing a “deliberative process privilege” exemption to the state’s open records law.

Justin Hayes, a Nashville resident who requested those records, only received notice of the exemption after following up on the records request several times. Initially, Hayes was just provided email threads from communications staff commenting on story links.

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Twilio Says Layoffs Planned Through ‘Anti-Racist’ Lens

A technology company based in San Francisco plans to lay off 11 percent of its workforce, and plans to do so with race in mind. 

“As you all know, we are committed to becoming an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression company,” said Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson in a message to employees. “Layoffs like this can have a more pronounced impact on marginalized communities, so we were particularly focused on ensuring our layoffs – while a business necessity today – were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens.”

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Commentary: The Regime’s ‘Operation MAGA Fascist’ Gains Ground

After nearly two years of lies related to the events of January 6, 2021, the regime finally has admitted the truth: The widening legal dragnet to scoop up Donald Trump, his associates, and his voters has nothing to do with the four-hour disturbance on Capitol Hill that afternoon. It is, rather, a thus-far successful crusade to criminalize wrongthink about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham Introduces Federal Pain-Capable 15-Week Abortion Ban

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban, at the federal level, most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a point when many experts say unborn babies can experience pain during abortion.

“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand — except in cases of rape, incest, to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a press conference in which he introduced the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act with pro-life leaders.

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Rutherford County Parents Ask Tennessee Public Charter School Commission to Approve American Classical Academy Charter School Application

The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission held a hearing in Murfreesboro Wednesday morning on the appeal by American Classical Academy Rutherford of the denial by the Rutherford County School Board earlier this year of their application to open a charter school in the county.

Twelve Rutherford County parents told TPCSC Chair Tom Griscom and TPCSC staff members in attendance they wanted the TPCSC to approve American Classical Academy Rutherford’s appeal, and grant the school a charter to begin operation in the fall of 2023, initially for grades K through 5.

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TBI’s Average Turnaround Time for Rape Kit Analysis Is 45 Weeks

According to data provided to The Tennessee Star by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the average time it takes for the state law enforcement agency to conduct analysis on sexual assault kits (SAKs) submitted to it by local law enforcement is 45 weeks. 

That figure accounts for SAKs that are reviewed by TBI’s Jackson crime lab. In its Nashville lab, TBI tests and analyzes SAKs in about 25 weeks. In its Knoxville lab, that figure is around 30 weeks. 

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Secretary of Finance: Virginia’s August Tax Revenues Up 5.4 Percent, Economic Indicators Mixed

August General Fund tax revenues rose about 5.4 percent compared to August 2021 when adjusted for an extra deposit day this year. That’s a good sign but Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings told legislators September’s data will be more significant for analysts and legislators who are trying to figure out what fiscal year 2023’s finances will look like.

“August collections exceeded projections, driven by employment and wage growth year-over-year,” Cummings said in a press release from the governor’s office.

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Candidate for Cuyahoga County Executive Backs Noncitizen Voting

Chris Ronayne, the Democratic candidate for Cuyahoga County executive, said in a public forum this week that he would support Ohio’s municipalities allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.

The former Cleveland city administrator and former president of University Circle, Inc., a community-development corporation, explained to attendees at the Global Cleveland panel discussion at Jukebox that he believed cities can use their home-rule powers to adopt that election policy.

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Another Law Enforcement Group Endorses Kari Lake

Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Wednesday announced that she has received an endorsement from yet another law enforcement organization. 

“I have been endorsed by the Maricopa County Deputies Law Enforcement Officer Association The McDLEA seeks to ‘promote the positive role of the law enforcement profession’ throughout the county. Our law enforcement officers will have my full support & I’m honored to have theirs,” Lake said on Twitter. 

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Grassroots Groups Pressure Arizona Officials to Follow 110 U.S. Counties and Not Use Voting Machines

Voters concerned about election fraud are increasing the pressure on public officials to take additional steps during elections this year to provide additional security, including counting ballots by hand instead of using electronic voting machines for tabulation. Arizona Corporation Commissioner Jim O’Connor sent all Arizona county election officials and sheriffs a letter on August 30 urging the change, and now grassroots organizations are following up with their own campaign.

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Arizona GOP Slams Maricopa County Attorney Candidate Julie Gunnigle for Anti-Police Stance

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) released a statement Tuesday slamming Maricopa County Attorney (MCA) candidate Julie Gunnigle for an “anti-cop attitude” and having staff members who have previously opposed police.

“Violent crime is on the rise across Arizona as a direct result of Democratic Leadership at the local and county level. Statistics and common-sense logic support a clear conclusion: Soft on crime messaging and coddling criminals DOES NOT WORK,” aid Arizona GOP Political Director Jeremiah Cota in a press release.

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Arizona Sees Record Number of Jobs in the State

The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) revealed Monday that efforts to work with companies to bring jobs to Arizona have paid off, bringing in the most jobs seen by the organization in a single year.

“For the second year in a row, Arizona economic development efforts broke records. During the 12-month fiscal period that ended June 30, 2022, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and local economic development agencies successfully worked with companies that committed to creating a projected 24,186 new Arizona jobs – a single year record. Those companies also committed to investing $10.75 billion in local communities,” according to the ACA.

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New Study: COVID Vaccines for Young Adults up to 98 Times Worse than the Disease

A new pre-print study by nine health experts from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and other top universities found that COVID-19 boosters administered to young adults cause 18 to 98 serious adverse events for each COVID hospitalization prevented.

The study—posted Monday on The Social Science Research Network (SSRN)—concluded that mandatory booster vaccination in college is “ethically unjustifiable.” The paper is titled, “COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters for Young Adults: A Risk-Benefit Assessment and Five Ethical Arguments against Mandates at Universities.”

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