US News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion and Video Post.
US News:
ACLU Calls on UN To Demand US Dole Out Reparations
The ACLU and Human Rights Watch want the United Nations to demand that President Joe Biden “take immediate, tangible measures,” including reparations, to “dismantle structural racism” in the United States.
The groups are recommending that the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which will meet later this month, order the United States to “provide effective remedies, including reparations for racial discrimination, including ongoing structural discrimination that flows from the legacies of slavery.”
The ACLU, which ostensibly advocates for Americans’ civil liberties regardless of politics, has a long history of defending left-wing policies.
The group in April said it would use “the full force of the law” to allow children to undergo transgender hormone treatment. The ACLU is also a top advocate for the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, the Washington Free Beacon has reported.
‘Grease’ star Olivia Newton-John dead at 73 | LiveNOW from FOX
Actress Olivia Newton-John, best known for her iconic role in the movie “Grease,” has died at the age of 73, her family announced in a post on her Facebook page.
The actress’ career spanned more than five decades and also included more than 100 million albums sold and four Grammy Awards.
Generic drug manufacturers say Democrats’ drug bill could lead to higher prices
(The Center Square) – Generic drug manufacturers oppose Democrats’ bill allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
The Senate passed its climate, tax, and healthcare bill on Sunday, which permits Medicare to negotiate what it pays for drugs.
“For seniors who’ve faced the indignity of rationing medications or skipping them altogether, the Inflation Reduction Act will lower prescription drug costs and finally cap out-of-pocket expenses,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Generic drug manufacturers argue the bill will disincentivize competition by preventing manufacturers from entering the market, thereby making medication more expensive.
Generic drug manufacturers also argue that the reduction in competition will benefit brand drug manufacturers by granting them higher prices for their products compared to when competition is present in the market.
Twitter suspends Israeli reporter over war footage mislabeled ‘revenge porn,’ then reinstates him
According to Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian, the video showing Israel defending itself against rockets launched from Gaza was restored after he appealed the suspension, but his account remained locked for 12 hours.
“Twitter decided that a video of the Iron Dome intercepting rockets was revenge porn and locked my account for 12 hours,” Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian tweeted after the suspension was lifted. “After appealing they restored the video but didn’t unlock my account. Incredible.”
Moshe Schwartz, a reporter for Yeshiva World News, tweeted a screenshot of the message Fabian received from Twitter notifying him of the suspension. In the message, Twitter accuses Fabian of “violating our rules against posting or sharing privately produced/distributed intimate media of someone without their express consent.”
Judicial Watch sues DOJ to release Trump-declassified ‘smoking gun’ documents from Russia probe
The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit was filed quietly in federal court on Aug. 1 and announced Monday by Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
“The Obama-Biden Administration and Deep State spying on Trump and his associates is the worst government corruption scandal in American history,” Fitton said. “And to make matters worse, the Biden DOJ simply refuses to release smoking gun documents about this corruption that the American people have an absolute right to see!”
The declassified binder included hundreds of pages of sensitive FBI documents from the Crossfire Hurricane investigation that show how the bureau used informants and FISA warrants to spy on the Trump campaign and misled both a federal court and Congress about flaws in the evidence they offered to get approval for the investigation.
Virginia ratepayers will need to pay $78.7 million for wind project
(The Center Square) – Virginia ratepayers will need to cover more than $78.7 million to help cover the cost of a $9.8 billion offshore wind project, which is the largest capital investment of its kind in the commonwealth.
The State Corporation Commission approved Dominion Energy’s request to recover some of the costs for the project from ratepayers. Although that will only cover a small portion of the project’s costs, a person’s monthly electric bill will increase, on average $4.72, but the increase will peak in 2027 at $14.22.
According to the SCC, this is the largest capital investment and largest single project Dominion has ever taken on. The project will last about 35 years and construct 176 wind turbines that are meant to generate 14.7 megawatts of energy each. The offshore wind turbines will be located about 27 miles off of the cost of Virginia Beach.
CO sheriff’s deputy killed in shooting near Colorado Springs
Deputy Andrew Peery, a decorated member of the SWAT team, was killed, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said.
During a press conference, Sheriff Bill Elder said that Peery and another deputy along with a police officer from the city of Fountain arrived at a home where a shooting was reported in the Security-Widefield area near Colorado Springs and were immediately met with gunfire.
The officers shot back at least one time, he said.
The sheriff’s office said they were looking for a 33-year-old man in connection with the shooting. He was later found dead, but authorities have not announced a cause of death.
Vegan Florida mom faces sentence in starvation death of son
Sheila O’Leary, 38, was convicted in June on six charges — first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse and two counts of child neglect — in the death of Ezra O’Leary. A hearing is set for Monday afternoon in Lee County, Florida.
O’Leary and husband Ryan Patrick O’Leary, who faces trial on the same charges this month, told investigators that the toddler also had been fed breast milk. The boy weighed just 17 pounds (8 kilograms) and was the size of a seven month old baby, a police report said.
“This child did not eat. He was starved to death over 18 months,” Francine Donnorummo, the special victims unit chief at the Lee County State Attorney’s Office, said during the trial.
California dermatologist Yue Yu arrested for allegedly poisoning husband
Irvine Police Department
Yue Yu, who treats patients at an office in Mission Viejo, was busted Thursday after Irvine police served a search warrant at the couple’s home.
Her husband — whose identity has not been released — told police he had been suffering from an unexplained ailment for about a month.
“His condition became increasingly worse and based on the husband examining his routine and looking at what could be causing it, he grew suspicious of his wife and put a hidden camera in place that captured her poisoning him,” Bingham said.
Yu’s husband of 10 years — who turned over the video evidence to authorities – “sustained significant internal injuries,” but is expected to recover, police said.
Texas teen killed, father injured after suspected drunk driver crashes into home, police say
The adult male driver of the pickup truck was hauling a flatbed trailer when he lost control and went off the roadway, police said.
The vehicle plowed through a neighbor’s fence and trees before careening across the street and crashing into the home.The vehicle smashed into a bedroom and another part of the home, FOX4 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
Police said the teen daughter was pronounced dead at the scene. Her father was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the station, and her mother suffered minor injuries.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. It was unclear whether the driver was injured.
Full Measure: August 7, 2022 – Soft on Crime
In cities and states around the country, we’re hearing more about rising crime. It’s not just in places like New York City and L.A. In Colorado over the past two years, auto theft rose 86%, violent crime is up 17%, and murder up 47%. With that has come a great debate over where blame lies.
Today we investigate whether “Soft on Crime” policies could be at fault… or if that’s a figment of political imagination.
NYC: Masked Men Steal $2M in Jewelry in Broad Daylight
CCTV: NYPD released footage showing four masked men brazenly breaking into and robbing Rocco’s Jewelry on Friday afternoon, hauling away $2 million worth of merchandise in about 30 seconds.
Washington police arrest man with 31 prior convictions for ramming patrol car with stolen vehicle
Early Saturday morning in Kent an officer noticed a truck loaded with pallets that was previously stolen in Tacoma. The officer recalled that the truck’s driver refused to pull over for a traffic stop earlier in the day. The officer tried pulling the suspect over, but due to restrictions on pursuits, the officer was unable to do so.
Kent Police say they followed him into a nearby cul-de-sac, where the driver put the stolen vehicle into reverse and intentionally rammed the front of a sergeant’s patrol car. Despite having enough room to maneuver around, the suspect allegedly over multiple front yards and hit a homeowner’s car.
Once the suspect rammed the patrol car, a pursuit was authorized.
Kent officers pursued the vehicle a short distance and used their patrol cars to pin the truck in place when he entered another cul-de-sac. In an attempt to escape, the suspect aggressively rammed the driver’s side of the sergeant’s vehicle. Once he made contact, he began revving his engine, driving the truck into the sergeant’s door, trapping the sergeant inside.
Dallas Officer Shoots Man Who Pulled Gun During Arrest Attempt
BODY CAM: Dallas police shot a man after he pulled out a firearm while resisting arrest. The incident, which took place inside LBJ Food Mart, a convenience store, on July 27, 2022, began after the suspect reportedly engaged in a drug sale. The man later died at the hospital.
NYPD officers leave in record-breaking exodus before full pensions set in: They’re risking ‘everything’
Over 1,000 New York City police officers have filed to leave the department in 2022, raising doubts about the city’s ability to maintain a substantive police force and maintain safety and security.
Former NYPD detective Jason Caputo and Blue Lives Matter NYC founder Joe Imperatrice weighed in on the law enforcement exodus on “Fox & Friends First” Monday, arguing that incentives for working with The Big Apple’s police force no longer exist.
“You’re losing qualified [people], you’re losing experience, you’re losing so much when it comes to that kind of stuff,” Caputo told guest host Ashley Strohmier.
Busload of illegal immigrants arrive in NYC from Texas
Fox News’ Todd Piro reports live from Port Authority in NYC to talk about migrants who are being bussed in from the southern border
Sheriff: Georgia Couple Arrested for Allegedly Using Their Adopted Children to Produce Child Pornography
Authorities charged William Dale Zulock, 32, and Zachary Jacoby Zulock, 35, on July 28 with charges pending for aggravated child molestation and sexual exploitation of children. William Zulock also received an additional charge of child molestation, WSB-TV reported.
Detectives initially conducted a search warrant on a home in Loganville on July 27 at approximately 4:00 p.m. after receiving information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that an individual was allegedly downloading child sex abuse material.
When detectives interviewed the unidentified suspect after the raid, they allegedly discovered that the individual was receiving child pornographic material from another suspect. Furthermore, they allegedly discovered that the other suspect was producing the material with at least one child in the same home they both lived in.
Politics:
Democrats Poised to Spend $3.5 Trillion During Historic Inflation with Republican Help
“Passage of the Inflation Reduction Actwill make Biden one of the most legislatively successful presidents of the modern era,” Politico Playbook writers Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels wrote.
Although congressional Democrats have only a four-member majority in the House and a one-member majority in the Senate, Biden has been able to pass a substantial legislative agenda. It is also notable that Biden has spent so much during the first half of his term in office. This includes:
- The $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act, Biden’s coronavirus relief bill
- The $550 billion so-called Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
- The $280 billion Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act
- $700 billion Inflation Reduction Act
Although congressional Democrats bear much of the responsibility for passing Biden’s legislation, congressional Republicans often gave Biden the necessary votes to advance the 46th president’s agenda.
For instance, 13 House Republicans and 19 Senate Republicans gave Democrats the necessary votes to pass the so-called infrastructure bill.
Fourteen Senate Republicans and many House Republicans voted for the CHIPS Act.
Republicans’ cooperation with Democrats’ agenda also extends to major domestic and foreign policy.
Fifteen Senate Republicans and 14 House Republicans voted with Democrats to pass gun control.
How the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ targets FARMERS…and YOU.
The Senate passed a 740 BILLION DOLLAR package over the weekend, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the last vote they needed.
The bill is called the ‘Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,’ but Glenn explains why it likely will do the EXACT opposite.
And not only could it hurt your wallet, but it may hurt your food, too. Glenn details parts of the bill that target American farmers and the farming industry, all in the name of climate change.
The ramifications — many of which are already happening in Europe — could be HUGE: ‘This is really, very dangerous.’
Georgia Ethics Board Moves Forward Against Abrams-Linked Groups
Bloomberg reported that the Georgia Ethics Commission will move ahead with a case against two groups founded by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. The Commission asserted the groups likely violated one or more campaign laws by helping her first run for governor four years ago.Bloomberg states that the “groups involved are The New Georgia Project, a voter registration non-profit Abrams founded in 2013, and an affiliate, the New Georgia Project Action Fund.
The commission unanimously approved on Monday a series of motions saying that “reasonable grounds exist that New Georgia Project and New Georgia Project Action fund violated campaign finance law.”” The claims of the Commission, as related by the staff, alleges the groups raised $4.2 million and spent $3 million during Abrams’s 2018 campaign.The staff alleges that the two groups were acting as political committees, and that they hired canvassers to aggregate votes and do other activities in support of Abrams. State law requires political committees to register with the state and disclose their donors and expenses. Neither nonprofit did that.”
VIDEO: Climate, tax bill will raise taxes on middle class: Rep. Fallon
Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, on Democrats passing the $739 billion spending bill and NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ response to more migrants being bused to the city from Texas.
ATR: Taxes on Fuel, Business, Medicines, and More in ‘Inflation Reduction Act’
Notably, President Joe Biden promised that the bill will “bring down family energy bills by an average of $500 a year” and that he would not tax those earning less than $400,000 per year. ATR’s analysis suggests that he will violate both promises.
The full list, as published by ATR, is summarized below.
- Taxes on fossil fuels: These include a $6.5 billion tax on natural gas production; a “16.4 cents-per-barrel tax on crude oil and imported petroleum products”; and a $1.2 billion coal tax. All of these would likely raise energy costs for typical households.
- Taxes on corporations: The bill includes a 15% minimum tax on large corporations, which ATR argues will be passed onto consumers, and which will hit the manufacturing industry particularly hard as it is still struggling with supply chain problems.
- Taxes on medium-sized businesses: ATR says the bill extends a limit on loss deductions for “passthrough” businesses — S corporations and sole proprietorships — for two years, without extending a corresponding 20% deduction on income.
- Indirect tax on pensions through taxing stock buybacks: The bill taxes companies that buy their own stock back, ignoring the fact that doing so often raises the price of the stock. The tax therefore hurts 401(k) savings, and even union pension funds.
- Tax on pharmaceuticals unless they accept price caps: The bill imposes a 95% excise tax on pharmaceuticals that do not accept government price controls, which could affect the ability of drug companies to develop new treatments in the future.
Joe Biden displays ‘puzzling’ behaviour after escaping COVID isolation
US President Joe Biden has displayed “puzzling” behaviour in recent weeks, including a battle with the mute button on a public Zoom call and “mangling” his words during a press conference, says Sky News host Rita Panahi.
World News:
Russia halts US inspections of nuclear arsenal under New START treaty
Image caption,A Russian RS-24 Yars strategic nuclear missile
The Russian foreign ministry said the US was seeking advantages and had deprived Russia of the right to carry out inspections on US territory.
It said US sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine had changed conditions between the countries.
The suspension comes a week after US President Joe Biden said he was ready to work on a new nuclear arms deal with President Vladimir Putin. The current one will expire in 2026.
The ministry accused the US of ignoring “existing realities” such as “the suspension of normal” air links.
‘Devastating impact’ of COVID-19 lockdowns on children revealed
Sky News host Rita Panahi says the “entirely predictable” health impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on children is now coming to the surface.
“For some weeks now the leading cause of paediatric admissions to Victorian hospitals hasn’t been the flu, and it certainly hasn’t been COVID, it’s been a respiratory illness called RSV,” she said.
“These consequences were obvious to anyone with a fully functioning frontal cortex.
“And yet those of us who raised such concerns were shouted down by the COVID catastrophists focused solely on one health issue to the exclusion of all others.”
Russian military relies on Western, Asian tech components: study
LONDON — Russian weapons and equipment being used in Ukraine depend on microelectronics produced in the West, and in places such as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, according to a new report.
RUSI, a London-based defense and security think tank, wrote that preventing such technology from entering Russia could permanently degrade its military capability.
For the report, published on Monday, RUSI examined components and microelectronic components from 27 Russian military systems such as cruise missiles, communication systems and electronic warfare complexes. The equipment was either captured or expended in Ukraine since the war began in February.
The think tank found at least 450 unique components designed and made outside of Russia — a mixture of commonplace and restricted goods — which it said shows Russia has been able to evade export controls. While most came from the U.S., some 77 originated from Asian companies in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China and Singapore. Europe and Australia also featured as origins.
VIDEO: German-Built Howitzers Pound Russian Targets In Ukraine
We joined a Ukrainian Army crew manning a German Panzerhaubitze 2000, a self-propelled, long-range howitzer, as it opened fire on Russian positions.
After firing a salvo, the crew hid the weapon system among trees and broken branches.
They said Russian drones were hunting the highly effective howitzers, which had forced Russian artillery to pull back to positions farther from the front line.
U.S. Announces Billions In Military, Budgetary Aid To Ukraine
The United States has announced another $1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine, pledging what will be the largest delivery yet of rockets, ammunition, and other arms from Defense Department stockpiles to Ukrainian forces.
The Pentagon announcement on August 8 came as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged an additional $4.5 billion to Ukraine’s government for basic services such as electricity flow to hospitals and the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Ukrainians.
The military aid includes additional rockets for high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), which Ukraine says have been effective in helping its forces on the battlefield.
Israel-PIJ conflict ends in Ceasefire; EU dubs nuclear talks “last effort” – TV7 Israel News 08.08
1) An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took effect overnight – after approximately 55 hours of hostilities which included roughly 1,100 rockets and mortar-shells fired toward Israel’s civilian communities.
2) With Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s top field commanders killed in Gaza; Israeli Security forces continue to hunt the Iranian-proxy’s operatives in the West Bank.
3) The European Union labels the current round of nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna as the “one last effort.”
UK retailer Tesco accused of racism for burglar-proofing dark-skinned makeup
Natalie Westgate, a local mother of three, wandered into a Tesco location in West London last week and noticed the disparate security while browsing a shelf lined with Garnier SkinActive BB Cream products.
Westgate posted a photo showing the products that are traditionally marketed to minorities being encased in what appeared to be theft-proof containers.
Westgate tweeted: “@tesco can you please explain this? Do white people not steal then? Absolutely disgusting and not to mention racist!!!!”
Her tweet went viral and sparked widespread outrage.
Westgate then posted a reply from Tesco which read: “Thank you for taking the time for getting in touch.”
Leaks prove Albanian gangs are taking the UK for a ride.
China announces fresh drills around Taiwan
China has announced a new round of military drills around Taiwan, hot on the heels of its last exercises. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island last week enraged Beijing. Lucy Fielder has more.
Most people buying EVs are ‘relatively wealthy’
Drive.com.au’s Paul Gover says most of the people buying electric vehicles are “relatively wealthy”.
“I’ve just been in the UK and they talk about EV uptake by postcode – wealthy postcodes have lots of EV cars. Poorer postcodes have none, or almost none,” he told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.
Commentary/Opinion:
‘Extraordinary’: Environmental movement filled with ‘hypocrisy’
Spiked Online’s Brendan O’Neill says environmentalism is “increasingly about the rich telling the rest of us what to do”. “The amount of hypocrisy in the environmental movement is extraordinary,” he said.