News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
A Family Finds Nearly $1 Million in Cash in the Middle of the Road
A Virginia family was just trying to get out of the CCP virus blues last weekend by taking a long drive when they found what turned out to be nearly $1 million in cash in the middle of the road.
A car in front of the Schantz family had swerved out of the way of what appeared to be a big bag of trash, Maj. Scott Moser of the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department told CNN.
The Schantz family, however, didn’t have time to do the same.
“So they ran over the bag. Instead of leaving the trash in the road, they stopped, picked it up, threw it in the back of the truck,” Moser said.
Woman Accused of Killing Wife With Wine Chiller Caught in Texas
Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus, 48, of Brick, New Jersey was arrested Wednesday in Houston, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.
Officials said she apparently had traveled there by bus from New York City, but did not release further details.
Gavilanez-Alectus is charged with murder and two weapons offenses in the slaying of Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus, 32.
Brick police found her body in a bedroom when they responded Sunday to reports of an unresponsive person.
Man who tried to sell burglary victim his own property rearrested days after jail release, Riverside police say
Robles is currently on probation for violence against the police and other violations related to theft, drugs and resisting arrest, according to police.
He was released from jail “the other day” due to California’s zero-bail order during the coronavirus crisis, the news release states.
Officials did not say what he was arrested on suspicion of that time.
Loughlin, Giannulli to serve prison time for college scam
Loughlin, 55, has agreed to serve two months behind bars and Giannulli, 56, has agreed to serve five months under the deal that must be approved by the judge.
They are scheduled to plead guilty Friday via video conference.
It’s a stunning reversal for the famous couple who insisted for the last year they were innocent and that investigators had fabricated evidence against them.
Their decision comes about two weeks after the judge rejected their bid to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal authorities.
Trump participates in listening session with African American leaders
President Trump participates in a listening session with African American leaders.
13 rescued in San Diego after Mexican smuggling boat capsizes
Border Patrol agents set up a perimeter and arrested two people who had climbed up the cliffs from the beach. The remaining 13 people stayed on the beach where the tide was rising.
Lifeguards, responding with two boats and a jet ski, went to check on the condition of the people on the sand and found that no one was injured. They then used the jet ski to transport the group onto a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, a large platform boat.
Once all the people were removed from the beach and transported onto the boat, they were taken to Ballast Point in Point Loma, where they were met by Border Patrol agents, officials said.
DOJ Charges Philadelphia Election Official with Stuffing Ballot Box
United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Domenick J. DeMuro of Philadelphia, a former Judge of Elections, an elected official responsible for elections, has been charged and has entered a guilty plea. What did DeMuro do?
He literally stood at the voting machine and cranked in vote after vote after vote for particular Democrat judicial candidates.
He was allegedly paid by various unnamed political consultants for the behavior.
Michigan flood called ‘500-year’ event that displaced thousands after dam failed revealed in satellite photos
Residential neighborhoods filled with floodwater, a university football field turned into an island, and more devastation were captured in new satellite images from Wednesday that show the extent of flooding in central Michigan.
Officials said the Tittabawassee River crested Wednesday night at just over 35 feet in the city of Midland, about 3 feet below the forecast level after floodwaters overtook two dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people from their homes.
Midland officials urged residents not to return yet, with Midland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mark Bone saying Wednesday that the river won’t drop to the 24-foot flood stage until “the end of the weekend or later during Memorial Day.”
Three injured in shooting at Arizona shopping center
A 20-year-old suspect is in custody after allegedly opening fire on a popular outdoor retail center in Glendale;
William La Jeunesse reports.
Trump doubles down on claims mail-in ballots lead to fraud
President Trump speaks to press ahead of his trip to the Ford Rawsonville Motor Plant in Michigan.
Politics:
Sarah Sanders on whether mail-in ballots raise concerns of fraud
Former White House press secretary and Fox News contributor Sarah Sanders shares her thoughts.
South Carolina Ballots Found In Baltimore As Voter Fraud Concerns Grow
The ballot mixup comes as Democrats and Republicans in Washington D.C. battle over funding for mail-in-voting ahead of November’s presidential election.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed $3.6 billion in funding for mail-in voting, which is likely to be rejected by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who argue that mail-in-voting increases the likelihood of voter fraud.
The Trump War Room tweeted Thursday that the South Carolina mixup is an example of how mail-in-voting weakens “the integrity of our elections.”
South Dakota governor appeals to White House for help in ending checkpoint showdown with tribes
Noem sent a letter on Thursday to President Trump arguing that Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux Tribes are operating “unlawful tribal checkpoints” and requesting that the Department of Justice step in.
“We’ve been working for weeks to find a solution to the tribal checkpoints issue that respects both tribal and state sovereignty while following federal law,” Noem tweeted on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the tribes have continued to operate checkpoints on State and US highways.”
27 GOP senators ask AG Barr to investigate Planned Parenthood getting PPP funds
The letter comes after “Tucker Carlson Tonight” learned earlier this week that the Small Business Administration (SBA) is reaching out to the affiliates that improperly self-certified that they are eligible for the stimulus cash aimed at keeping small businesses afloat during the pandemic, and asking for the money back.
“This week, it was publicly reported that at least thirty-seven Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country applied for and received millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans administered by the Small Business Administration,” the Republicans’ letter reads.
“These Planned Parenthood entities self-certified eligibility for these loans despite the clear ineligibility under the statutory text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.”
Hunter Biden investigation moves forward in Senate
The Senate Homeland Security Committee approves a subpoena for the Burisma-linked consulting firm in the Hunter Biden investigation;
Former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr weighs in.
Ted Cruz legislation targets Chinese cover-ups, Hollywood censorship, and CCP propaganda
The Texas Republican’s speech, an advance copy of which was seen by the Washington Examiner, argues that the U.S. needs a “fundamental reassessment” of how it deals with China, especially following the coronavirus pandemic that originated there.
Cruz will also introduce three bills on Thursday, the legislative text of which was also reviewed by the Washington Examiner, which focus on “how we unwind from China.”
The Ending Medical Censorship and Cover Ups in China Act would sanction Chinese government officials who engage in medical cover-ups or in political censorship.
The Stopping Censorship, Restoring Integrity, and Protecting Talkies Act would cut off any Hollywood studio from federal assistance if it decides to self-censor its films to get them played in China.
And the Blocking Evasive Attempts to Manipulate Signals Act would close an apparent loophole in Federal Communications Commission regulations that currently allows China to purchase Mexican radio stations and beam its propaganda into the U.S.
World News:
U.S. senators seek to sanction Chinese over Hong Kong
The bill, to be introduced by Republican Senator Pat Toomey and Democrat Chris Van Hollen, also would impose secondary sanctions on banks that do business with entities found to violate the law guaranteeing Hong Kong’s autonomy.
A Chinese officials said on Thursday that China is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong after last year’s pro-democracy unrest, drawing a warning from President Donald Trump that Washington would react “very strongly.”
“This bipartisan legislation will impose serious penalties on those working to strip Hong Kong of its autonomy,” van Hollen said in a statement.
Sri Lanka cash handout: Three killed as Covid-19 aid distributed in Colombo
A businessman had started handing out the money to those suffering difficulties in the Covid-19 outbreak, and hundreds had gathered.
Police said they were not informed in advance about the distribution of cash and it was unauthorised.
Six people involved with the relief distribution have been arrested.
Report: Peruvian Mayor Plays Dead To Avoid Police Who Were Enforcing His Own Lockdown Rules
Jaime Rolando Urbina Torres, the mayor of Tantará, Peru, placed himself inside of a coffin, closed his eyes, and put a face mask on in an effort to trick authorities.
According to the Evening Standard, Torres was detained for violating curfew and social distancing laws while out drinking with friends on Monday night.
US, China move forward in implementing trade deal
The announcement from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer comes amid flaring tensions after the U.S. criticized Beijing’s initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, and has since infected nearly 4.9 million people worldwide.
Even with the recent tensions between the two sides, however, Beijing has forged ahead with updating its list of U.S. facilities eligible to ship their goods to China.
The list now includes 499 beef, 457 pork, 470 poultry, 397 seafood, 253 dairy and nine infant-formula facilities, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Mexican nurses on coronavirus front lines targeted in ‘virtual kidnapping,’ extortion plot: officials
(AFP via Getty)
The nurses employed by the Mexican Social Security Institute had recently arrived from the city of Monterrey, the capital of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León, to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Spanish newspaper El País reported.
They were staying at two hotels – Ambos Mundos and el Bonn – both in the popular Tacubaya neighborhood in central Mexico City, the worst-hit part of the country.
That’s when the health care workers began receiving phone and video calls threatening that they would be kidnapped or attacked if they left the building.
Commentary/Opinion:
It’s Time To Let America Back To Work For The Sake Of Its Sanity
The pandemic lockdowns have no doubt born a devastating financial impact, but the crux of their consequences go far deeper: state and local shutdowns have robbed Americans of their right to work, stripping them of their meaning and dignity in the process.
The ongoing shutdowns, though gradually being lifted, are certain to exacerbate the existing crisis keeping Americans out of work.
The scientific literature has well-established a link between suicides and unemployment, raising heightened concerns each week as shocking new numbers from the Labor Department show millions filing for unemployment at a time.
The mental health non-profit Well Being Trust already projects upwards of 75,000 Americans falling victim to the virus, not through infection but through deaths of despair by suicide and addiction.