News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Former California Democratic mayor charged with multiple sex crimes against child
Robert Jacob, the progressive former mayor of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, was arrested Saturday on five felony and one misdemeanor sexual assault charges against a minor, the Sebastopol Police Department said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Jacob appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court, where the number of felony charges was expanded to 11, police said, citing court documents.
The charges included: committing lewd acts with a child ages 14 to 15, participating in sexual penetration of a child under 16, making a child under 16 available to another person for lewd or lascivious acts, and distribution of child pornography.
Police said the investigation began on March 30 after police got a tip about possible sexual assaults that occurred in the city between December 2019 and March 2021.
Capitol riot: Police officer won’t face charges in fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt, prosecutors say
An investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia determined “that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution,” the department said in a statement.
Authorities had considered for months whether criminal charges were appropriate for the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Babbitt, 35, an Air Force veteran from San Diego.
The Justice Department’s decision, though expected, officially closes out the investigation.
Babbitt’s family has been notified of the decision, officials said.
Teacher at woke Manhattan school calls out employer for harmful ‘indoctrination’ of students
“‘Antiracist’ training sounds righteous, but it is the opposite of truth in advertising.
It requires teachers like myself to treat students differently on the basis of race,” Rossi wrote before expounding on how the indoctrination is implemented:
Rossi noted that by writing the column he risked losing his livelihood as a teacher, but maintained that he couldn’t stay silent.
“I know that by attaching my name to this I’m risking not only my current job but my career as an educator, since most schools, both public and private, are now captive to this backward ideology,” Rossi wrote.
“But witnessing the harmful impact it has on children, I can’t stay silent.”
70-Plus Rioters Arrested In Minneapolis Suburb Tuesday Following Daunte Wright’s Death
Demonstrations began at 4:30 p.m. and branched outward from the initial location in front of the police station. An estimated 800 to 1,000 people clashed with police in full riot gear, with law enforcers using riot gas, projectiles, and flash-bang grenades to try to quell the unrest. Forty people were arrested the night prior.
Despite the mayor instituting a 10:00 p.m. curfew, at midnight, it was confirmed that rioters were launching cans and bricks at law enforcement. An hour prior, Operation Safety Net, a law enforcement coalition formed to promote safety after the death of George Floyd, reported that people were throwing bottles and bricks in addition to spraying mace in officers’ faces. This was the third night of riots.
At midnight, the National Guard trickled into the Minneapolis suburb. “We want to make sure everyone is safe,” Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott tweeted. “Please be safe and please go home.”
YouTube Suspends Rebel News over ‘Election Misinformation’
In a comment to Breitbart News, Rebel News founder Ezra Levant suggested YouTube may be facing political pressure from the liberal government of Justin Trudeau, which has been threatening tech regulation to prevent social media platforms from hosting “hurtful” political content.
The video that YouTube took down is three months old. Its primary topic is social media censorship of President Trump.
“YouTube claims that our video violated the rule against election misinformation, which is defined as content that ‘advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches changed the outcome of any past U.S. presidential election,” said Levant.
“Our video didn’t even discuss those issues — it solely discussed censorship of Donald Trump from social media.
PART 2: CNN Director Reveals That Network Practices ‘Art of Manipulation’ to ‘Change The World’
Project Veritas released the second installment of a new #ExposeCNN series today, featuring Technical Director Charlie Chester – who described how the network uses “manipulation” to shape public opinion and garner higher ratings.
“Any reporter on CNN — what they’re actually doing is they’re telling the person what to say… It’s always like leading them in a direction before they even open their mouths.
The only people that we [CNN] will let on the air, for the most part, are people that have a proven track record of taking the bait,” Chester explained.
“I think there’s an art to manipulation…Inflection, saying things twice — there’s little subtleties to how to manipulate people…I mean, it’s enough to change the world, you know?”
Antifa, ‘outside agitators’ want death, destruction for US: Chaffetz
Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz reacts to rioting taking place in Minnesota following a police-involved shooting.
Ex-Cop Charged With 2nd-Degree Manslaughter in Wright Shooting
Former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter will be charged with second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Daunte Wright, 20, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced Wednesday.
Potter, 48, resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Tuesday as did Police Chief Tim Gannon.
Potter was an instructor with the Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers Sunday when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, Bill Peters, told the Star Tribune.
In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Potter said, “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately.”
Report: 12 Shot Tuesday Alone in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago
The 23-year-old was shot in the side and the 25-year-old was shot in the back.
Just over an hour later an 18-year-old woman was shot in a drive-by shooting, and that incident was followed by a 33-year-old man being shot while sitting in a vehicle just after 3 a.m.
Shootings continued throughout the day, with the last one on Tuesday occurring at 11:50 p.m. ” in the 6200 block of South Troy Street.
”ABC 7 / Chicago Sun-Times notes Tuesday’s violence was followed by an early Wednesday morning shooting which resulted in two fatalities. The two individuals were sitting in a vehicle “in the 7300-block of South Stewart Avenue” when someone opened fire, shooting them both.
Wall Street, Corporations Team Up with Soros-Funded Group to Pressure States Against Election Reforms
Over the weekend, more than 100 corporate executives discussed in a meeting the importance for them of publicly opposing election reform legislation like Georgia’s. The meeting included executives from credit card company American Express, pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., and clothing company Levi Strauss & Co., among others.
The group rakes in millions every year from Soros, corporate interests, big banks, and other left-wing organizations.
In 2019, the last year for which financial data is available, the Brennan Justice Center’s most high-profile donors included Soros’s Open Society Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Bank of America, the Tides Foundation, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, PayPal, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and Comcast NBCUniversal.
Gas, other consumer prices spike in first quarter of 2021
The rise in costs come as many Americans struggle financially during the COVID-19 pandemic and President Joe Biden considers tax increases and more regulations that critics say would slow economic growth.
During a Monday meeting with lawmakers, Biden reportedly expressed openness to adding five cents to the federal gas tax, which would be a 27% increase over the current 18.4 cents.
The White House later tried to walk back his comments. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also given mixed answers when asked about raising the federal gas tax.
The increase in energy prices, particularly gasoline, leads to an overall spike in the price of consumer goods. When drivers spend more on gasoline to transport goods to market, that cost is passed on to consumers.
Politics:
Noem pledges to not accept illegal immigrants: ‘Call me when you’re an American’
“South Dakota won’t be taking any illegal immigrants that the Biden Administration wants to relocate.
My message to illegal immigrants… call me when you’re an American,” Noem tweeted.
Noem’s tweet comes two days after fellow Republican Govs. Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska made similar calls, with McMaster issuing an executive order that seeks to prevent the federal government from placing unaccompanied migrant children in South Carolina.
GOP lawmaker wants answers on massive border contract that went to nonprofit with ties to ex-Biden adviser
Axios first reported the contract, which is the largest ever awarded to the nonprofit, Family Endeavors, from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The nonprofit also received a grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement worth $87 million.
Family Endeavors, according to the report, recently hired former Biden transition official Andrew Lorenzen-Strait to serve as senior director for Migrant Services and Federal Affairs.
While working on the Biden transition team, Lorenzen-Strait reportedly vetted political appointees for HHS and worked on the DHS policy team.
CA Senate bill changes recall rules as Newsom faces ousting
S.B. 663 would give recall subjects like Newsom access to the names and information of those who sign petitions calling for their removal from office, though the bill would not impact the current recall against the governor.
It would also extend the time period by which voters can remove their names from recall petitions to 45 days after the petition is filed; current law states that voters can only remove names one day prior to filing.
“This is more legislation written by the insiders to protect the insiders,” Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox said in a Wednesday statement.
“California politicians play by their own set of rules and then, when they don’t like the rules, change them.”
Florida trade secret revamp, crackdown on foreign research theft set for adoption
The bills are a response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for lawmakers to adopt legislation to thwart attempts by foreign governments to infiltrate agencies and universities to steal trade secrets.
The Combating Corporate Espionage in Florida Act, House Bill 1523, sponsored by Rep. Mike Beltran, R-Lithia, would amend trade secret theft definitions and crimes in state law.
Under HB 7017/SB 2010, Florida universities and state agencies must disclose foreign donations and grants over $50,000 from the seven nations. Grant applicants would be required to disclose all financial connections with any of the seven countries of concern.
The bills mandate universities with research budgets over $10 million perform more extensive screening of foreign applicants for research positions and apply more scrutiny on foreign travel and activities by grant recipients.
Weird. Kamala Harris Giggles As She Announces Her Trip to Mexico and Guatemala
Rand Paul says judges never gave Trump his day in court for election fraud claims
Sen. Rand Paul said that former President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud were never fully heard by the courts.
“The one thing I think is untrue is that the courts fully heard this,” Paul said at an event hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Courts have been hesitant to get involved in elections.”
But Paul said the 2020 election demonstrated that judges should weigh in on the issue, especially when it comes to state officials, such as a secretary of state, unilaterally making changes to state election procedures without input from state legislatures.
Tennessee lawmakers to consider reducing eligibility time for unemployment benefits
House Bill 1039, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville, would reduce the number of weeks that eligible unemployed workers can receive benefits from 26 weeks to 12 weeks.
“The notion of us, week in and week out, just paying unemployment when there are jobs readily available from one end of the state to the other is really bad government,” said Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby. “And we’re encouraging people to sit still instead of being productive.”
While the bill reduces the number of weeks people can receive unemployment benefits, National Federation of Independent Business Tennessee State Director Jim Brown said an amendment is set to be introduced Wednesday that will increase the weekly pay by $25 a person. Tennesseans on unemployment currently receive a maximum of $275 per week.
Biden rolls back Trump’s anti-abortion curbs on family planning funds
Trump’s changes to the program, which took effect in 2019, barred family planning dollars to abortion providers and those who referred patients for the procedure.
Democrats and abortion rights groups said the policy amounted to a “gag rule,” while anti-abortion groups aligned with the previous administration said federal funding should never go to abortion providers, though longstanding rules already bar federal funding for abortion except in rare cases.
But despite calls from progressive groups for the Biden administration to suspend enforcement of the Trump-era policy while its revision goes through the rulemaking process, those restrictions will remain in effect until Biden’s rule is finalized later this year.
A spokesperson for HHS said federal law dictating rulemaking procedures prevented the department from unwinding the Trump policy sooner because Biden wanted to ensure the revision survives potential litigation.
Exclusive — Pelosi Book Excerpt: Speaker Would Not Have Been Elected to Congress in 1987 Without Tricking Republicans into Voting for Her
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not have been elected to Congress in the first place were it not for Republicans in San Francisco she tricked into backing her over another Democrat, who was openly gay.
Pelosi, according to a book excerpt, literally sent out mailers in her 1987 special election primary to registered Republicans in her district with elephant logos on them, pushing Republicans to vote for her.
The mailers also criticized efforts to raise taxes, and argued Pelosi would oppose income tax hikes if elected to Congress.
China: Compromising U.S. Elected Officials
Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, have operated for decades at the highest levels of American government. As the Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has long been a part of the power elite.
His wife has been a member of the cabinets of two Republican presidents: secretary of labor in the George W. Bush administration and, most recently, as transportation secretary under President Donald Trump.
The source of this money is China. The Foremost Group operates bulk shipping vessels built in China and which primarily operate under the watchful eye of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and through contracts with it.
The Chaos operate through agreements with the CCP and their business depends on these agreements to thrive.
These closer Chinese financial ties benefitting one of America’s most powerful political families happened during an aggressive push by Beijing for infrastructure deals around the globe.
Tucker: Who’s really in charge?
FOX News contributor Brit Hume discusses corporate takeover of politics on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
World News:
Iran fires missile at Israeli-owned ship near UAE – report
(photo credit: MARJAN STROPNIK)
The attack comes just days after an alleged Israeli attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility and exactly a week after the Iranian Saviz ship was damaged in alleged Israeli attack in the Red Sea.
It also comes after two strikes against Israeli-owned vessels in the region and reports of dozens of earlier strikes carried out by Israel against Iran in locations ranging from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.
Late last month, an Iranian missile was reportedly fired at an Israeli ship between India and Oman, striking and damaging it. In February, Iran allegedly attacked the Israeli-owned cargo vessel MV Helios Ray, which was damaged by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman.
Ukraine still outgunned as Russia prepares for larger conflict
Whether it is merely an attention-grabbing feint or a prelude to an escalation will depend on the Kremlin’s will. But through the buildup, Russia has already signalled that if a larger war does take place, it is prepared to deliver a hammer blow to its neighbour.
Ever since the outbreak of war in 2014, the militaries of Ukraine and Russia have been preparing their troops for a larger conflict. Over those years, Russia’s ground forces have modernised considerably, seeing combat in Ukraine and Syria and deploying permanently along the border.
Ukraine, too, has retooled its military, which has fought a grinding war in the country’s east for seven years, boosting defence spending and seeking to recruit international support to ward off an aggressive neighbour with far greater resources.
China building space missiles and lasers to ‘blind’ US satellites, intel report says
The foreword of the report states, “China increasingly is a near-peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple arenas—especially economically, militarily, and technologically—and is pushing to change global norms.”
China is increasingly becoming a near-peer competitor to the U.S. and stands out as the “primary strategic competitor” to the U.S. according to the new intelligence report.
Describing China’s space weapons, the ODNI report states, “Beijing continues to train its military space elements and field new destructive and nondestructive ground- and space-based antisatellite (ASAT) weapons.”
The portion of the report continues, stating, “China has already fielded ground-based ASAT missiles intended to destroy satellites in [Low Earth Orbit] and ground-based ASAT lasers probably intended to blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors on LEO satellites.”
China live-drilled attacks on US carrier while sending record 25 warplanes into Taiwan’s airspace, analysts say
Chieh Chung, a research fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight in Taipei, Taiwan told Newsweek the Chinese warplanes likely took the opportunity to run a “simulated attack” on the U.S. aircraft carrier.
Su Tzu-yun, a senior fellow at Taiwan’s defense ministry-backed Institute for National Defense and Security Research, shared Chieh’s assessment. Su said, noted China’s J-16 fighter jets can carry up to 15-tons of anti-ship missiles and that the Chinese aerial operation around Taiwan likely was “aimed at the U.S. carrier strike group.”
Chinese warplanes previously simulated an attack on the Theodore Roosevelt CSG in January. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) spokesperson Capt. Mike Kafka confirmed the Chinese warplanes were practicing attack drills aimed at the U.S. aircraft carrier in a statement to Business Insider.
China conducts ‘combat exercises’ on Taiwan Strait, as Biden envoys arrive
(Jia Fangwen/VCG via Getty Images)
“The People’s Liberation Army’s organizing of actual combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary action to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty,” spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said, according to Reuters.
“The PLA’s military exercises and training operations are sending a signal that our determination to curb Taiwan independence and Taiwan-U.S. collusion is not just talk.”
China is openly opposed to the talks and the U.S. support for Taiwan.
In the Taiwanese city of Taipei, on Monday, 25 Chinese air force planes were reportedly spotted – including fighter jets and nuclear-capable bombers.
Their having entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, would making it the largest incursion of Chinese military into Taiwanese sovereign space.
Israel honors its fallen troops; Iran strikes Israeli vessel; Nuclear’ update- TV7 Israel News 14.04
1) Israel marked its Memorial Day, today, commemorating the memory of the state’s 23,928 fallen soldiers and civilian victims of terror.
2) An Israeli-owned freighter was reportedly struck by Iran – in waters off the United Arab Emirates, near the port of Fujairah.
3) The Islamic Republic of Iran announces its decision to ramp up its uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent.
State Department condemns attack on Epoch Times newspaper’s Hong Kong printing facility
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“We condemn the attack on the Epoch Times’ printing plant and urge the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice,” a department spokesperson said, according to the Epoch Times.
“The United States is concerned by increased efforts to silence independent media and otherwise suppress freedom of expression, including the politically motivated targeting of journalists.”
Several congressional Republicans have condemned the April 12 incident in which four masked men allegedly broke into the facility, smashing equipment with sledgehammers – damaging computers, a transmitter and an electronic device known as a central processing unit.
Myanmar charges doctors over civil disobedience protests
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s ruling junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the military’s Feb. 1 coup, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday.
The doctors charged are accused of supporting and participating in the civil disobedience movement “with the aim of deteriorating the state administrative machinery,” the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper wrote.
The military government has already issued arrest warrants for 100 people active in the fields of literature, film, theater arts, music and journalism on charges of spreading information that undermines the stability of the country and the rule of law.
On Memorial Day, Israel mourns, reflects on vets’ trauma
JERUSALEM — Israel marked its national Memorial Day for fallen soldiers on Wednesday, in a year when national attention has been focused on the plight of veterans suffering from psychological trauma.
Memorial Day is the most solemn day on Israel’s national calendar.
Israel has fought half a dozen wars with neighboring Arab countries, battled two Palestinian uprisings and endured scores of deadly militant attacks since its establishment in 1948. On Memorial Day, Israel honors 23,928 fallen soldiers and over 3,100 people killed in militant attacks.
At sundown on Wednesday, the country will transition from remembrance to joyous celebration, kicking off its 73rd Independence Day.
Mexican village arms children against cartels
Tired of violence, residents of a small Mexican community encircled by drug cartels have let their children receive military-style weapons training. Olivia Chan reports.
Commentary/Opinion:
Where Are Your Tax Dollars Going?
Will Witt is at Florida International University to see how people feel about certain programs the government funds using our tax dollars. Don’t miss their reactions!
How not to get killed when stopped by a cop
When we see incidents of cops shooting blacks (which are the only shootings the media cover), one thing becomes clear: resisting arrest often ends up with a loss of life.
Something else is obvious: when a cop is the one losing his life, it’s practically overlooked by the media.
People don’t like getting arrested. In addition, if they already have a criminal record, they are likely to be facing some prison time. That might cause them to panic and react violently.
But the officer who stopped them may not know about their criminal past. Hence, his life may be in danger from someone facing a long prison sentence.
Therefore, when a violent situation occurs, they’d better be prepared to overcome the resistance to their authority, one way or another. If someone ends up getting hurt or killed, the cop wants to be certain that it’s not he.
Once again, I reiterate that all these tragedies could be eliminated if people obeyed the law and didn’t resist arrest.