Justice Clarence Thomas failed to recuse himself when hearing case on ending pandemic eviction ban. “Recent reporting by ProPublica found that Thomas failed to disclose two decades’ worth of luxury gifts provided by [real estate billionaire and rental property investor Harlan] Crow, as well as Crow’s purchase of properties owned by Thomas, in apparent violation of longstanding federal ethics rules…. In August 2021, Thomas was one of the six justices who voted to strike down a federal administrative moratorium on evictions, originally enacted in September 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to halt the spread of COVID-19. In June, Thomas was one of four justices who voted to end the moratorium — but the majority voted to leave it in place because it was set to expire the following month…. In March 2020, Crow Holdings Capital… warned investors in a financial filing that the pandemic was already leading to ‘substantial governmental intervention’ that could end up ‘substantially eliminating market participants’ ability to continue to implement certain strategies or manage the risk of their outstanding positions.'” https://www.levernews.com/thomas-helped-kill-eviction-ban-threatening-benefactors-business/
Local officials in Tennessee vote to invest taxpayer money in stadium for privately owned football team. “The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted in the wee hours on Wednesday morning to spend $1.26 billion in taxpayer money on a new government-owned stadium. That figure not only puts locals on the hook for more than half of the stadium’s estimated $2.1 billion cost, but it also sets a new record for the largest stadium subsidy in U.S. history…. It’s unclear if the Metropolitan Council ever considered getting out of the stadium business and simply asking the billionaire owner of the Titans to pay for the team’s own upgrade…. Nashville’s $1.26 billion football stadium subsidy surpasses the $1 billion taxpayer subsidy for a new Buffalo Bills stadium approved last year.” https://reason.com/2023/04/26/stadium-subsidy-stupidity-hits-new-record/
New book shows how QAnon and other conspiracy theories favored by Trump supporters are similar to ideas put forward previously by John Birch Society. “The society… became a running punchline during its heyday, with Bob Dylan recording a song called ‘Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues‘, and the society’s fixation on water fluoridation and vaccines finding its way into a character in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove who is obsessed with protecting ‘our precious bodily fluids‘…. And the society’s past antagonism toward integration and continuing attacks on feminism and gay rights—and emphasis on traditional Christian values and family structures—is widespread among contemporary conservatives.” https://reason.com/podcast/2023/04/26/matt-dallek-the-john-birch-societys-deep-influence-on-trumps-gop/
Japanese company loses contact with moon probe during landing. “The HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lander — developed by Tokyo-based company ispace — was due to touch down in the Moon’s Atlas crater on 25 April at around 16:40 universal time, which would have made it the first successful lunar landing accomplished by a commercial mission. But the ispace team lost contact with the craft when it was around 90 metres above the lunar surface, and were unable to re-establish communication after the landing as planned…. The company says its engineers are still investigating exactly what happened. The 2.3-metre-tall lander was in an upright position during its final approach but was running low on fuel. Data also show that the spacecraft picked up speed as it descended towards the lunar surface…. If the craft ran out of fuel before touchdown, there could have been a slight miscalculation of its fuel requirement that amounted to tens of seconds of flight…” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01441-y Either there was no video of the landing, or they aren’t releasing it, which is a little odd.
Accused National Guard leaker took far more documents than reported, claim prosecutors. “In a court filing Wednesday evening, prosecutors said that the information Jack Teixeira allegedly took ‘far exceeds’ what has been reported, and that releasing him from jail could pose a grave threat to national security…. In comments cited in court filings, Teixiera spoke of wanting to ‘kill a [expletive] ton of people’ because it would be ‘culling the weak minded’, and discussed wanting to make a minivan into an ‘assassination van’.” https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/27/politics/doj-court-teixeira-detention-pentagon-leak/index.html “Shortly before signing off in March, Airman Teixeira told member of the small group he ‘was very happy’ to share intelligence very few people get to see and solicited requests for information they wanted him to post, prosecutors said late Wednesday. The material, some obtained through keyword searches of government files, was eventually distributed more widely.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/us/politics/jack-teixeira-leaks.html So he apparently wasn’t just grabbing stuff out of the recycle bin.
President Biden caught with cue card showing question to be asked by reporter, with her name and photo. “A cheat sheet held by President Biden during a Wednesday press conference revealed that the 80-year-old commander in chief had advance knowledge of a question from a journalist…. A Los Angeles Times reporter submitted the question to the White House before the press conference.” https://nypost.com/2023/04/26/biden-cheat-sheet-shows-he-had-advance-knowledge-of-journalists-question/
Sen. Ted Cruz explained attempt to delay certification of 2020 presidential election. “‘I think that the country deserves to have a credible assessment of these [electoral fraud] claims and what the evidence shows, and the mechanism to try and force that is delaying the certification of the results on the sixth,’ Cruz told Fox host Maria Bartiromo and Abby Grossberg, a leading producer on her show. Cruz was referring to Jan. 6, 2021 — the day Congress was to certify the election results…. The tapes with the Cruz comments were provided to MSNBC this week by Grossberg, who was fired by Fox and is suing the network, alleging a toxic work environment and rampant sexism at the company.” https://thehill.com/homenews/3972545-audio-shows-cruz-pitching-plan-to-fox-news-to-delay-election-certification/
Woman accused of launching ‘unprovoked’ attack on Phoenix TSA agents was shoved after trying to retrieve confiscated apple juice. “Court documents showed [Makiah] Coleman became upset because TSA officers took away her apple juice while she was going through security because large amounts of liquids aren’t allowed. Coleman reportedly was ranting as she tried to retrieve the juice from a disposal bin but was pushed away by a TSA agent. Documents said Coleman then scuffled with other officers — allegedly biting one agent, punching and elbowing another in the head, and grabbing the ponytail of a third. Phoenix police were called to the scene and took Coleman into custody.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/woman-accused-assaulting-tsa-officers-phoenix-airport-98871808
Whistleblower claims unaccompanied migrant children are being ‘sponsored’ by criminal groups, then exploited. “‘I thought I was going to help place children in loving homes. Instead, I discovered that children are being trafficked through a sophisticated network that begins with recruiting in their home country, smuggled to the U.S. border, and ends when [Office of Refugee Resettlement] delivers a child to a sponsor — some sponsors are criminals and traffickers and members of Transnational Criminal Organizations. Some sponsors view children as commodities and assets to be used for earning income — this is why we are witnessing an explosion of labor trafficking,’ [Health and Human Services whistleblower Tara Lee] Rodas said…. Last month, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra pushed back on the agency being unable to contact 85,000 minors, and he also said HHS authorities are limited by Congress. ‘Congress has given us certain authorities. Our authorities end when we have found a suitable sponsor to place that child with. We try and do some follow-up, but neither the child or the sponsor is actually obligated to follow up with us,’ he said.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whistleblower-tells-congress-that-govt-delivering-migrant-children-human-traffickers Just a coincidence that Republicans in several states are trying to loosen child labor restrictions?
Several countries organized evacuation flights out of Sudan for trapped foreigners, but not U.S. “While [U.S.] embassy staff were airlifted out, there are no plans to provide similar evacuations for potentially thousands of Americans still in Sudan. In a security alert on Tuesday, the State Department reiterated, ‘Due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a US government-coordinated evacuation of private US citizens.’ …. Germany’s defence ministry said it ended its evacuation flights after flying more than 700 people out of Sudan, including 200 Germans and hundreds more from more than 20 other nations. France said it evacuated more than 930 people from 41 countries and would keep a navy frigate at Sudan’s main Red Sea port to continue assisting rescue operations for foreigners. The UK was continuing its military evacuations of civilians from an airport outside Khartoum, but it may not be able to continue when a ceasefire ends – something to happen later on Thursday.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/27/why-the-us-evacuation-from-sudan-left-americans-behind The U.K. was planning to carry out eight evacuation flights.
NATO countries have provided 98% of promised military equipment to Ukraine. “Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, member nations have sent Ukraine ‘vast amounts of ammunition’ and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. More than 30,000 troops are estimated to [be in] the new brigades.” https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-nato-china-8a901ab7f56b3c16ea71914c5c5e9ea6
Human Rights Watch accuses Peruvian authorities of allowing ‘extrajudicial and arbitrary’ killings of protesters. “Protests broke out in early December after former president [leftist] Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested. Months of demonstrations resulted in regular clashes between security forces and protesters demanding the resignation of Castillo’s successor Dina Boluarte, leaving almost 50 people dead. ‘Peru’s military and police likely carried out extrajudicial or arbitrary killings and committed other egregious abuses against demonstrators and bystanders during protests from December 2022 through February 2023,’ Human Rights Watch said in its report published on Wednesday…. ‘The Boluarte administration seems to have looked the other way for weeks as security forces killed protesters and bystanders,’ said Cesar Munoz, HRW’s associate Americas director.” https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rights-group-accuses-peru-condoning-173815679.html
Florida woman sentenced to 18 months in prison for social media threats. “… 61-year-old Century Village resident [Suzanne Kaye], known as ‘Angry Patriot Hippie’, posted three videos online promising to shoot FBI agents in the ‘(expletive) ass’ after they arranged to meet with her to discuss her possible involvement in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The videos were unserious, her attorneys argued, posted haphazardly to TikTok, Facebook and Instagram for the benefit of her conservative following — not to threaten the FBI…. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg sentenced the Boca Raton-area woman to 18 months in prison Friday…. Rosenberg’s decision followed a lengthy debate between the public defender and prosecutor, still at odds over whether Kaye’s speech was protected by the First Amendment, whether she’d accepted responsibility for it and how she’ll fare in prison.” https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/crime/2023/04/26/angry-patriot-hippie-who-threatened-fbi-fears-the-penalty-may-kill-her/70136939007/
Tucker Carlson for president? Rick Wilson says it could happen. “Tucker is one of the very small number of political celebrities in this country who has the name ID, the personal wealth, the stature to actually declare and run for president and in a Republican primary run in the same track Donald Trump did: the transgressive, bad boy candidate, the one who lets you say what you want to say, think what you want to think, act how you want to act, no matter how grotesque it is. Among Republicans, he’s a beloved figure…. I think we live in a world where the most irresponsible thing you can do is look away from the worst-case scenario. I do believe that if Tucker ran for president, there is an argument to be made that he’s the one person who could beat Trump.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/27/rick-wilson-tucker-carlson-presidential-nominee-donald-trump-ron-desantis-republicans
Democrats remind deficit-obsessed Republicans about Trump tax cuts. “Democratic lawmakers also reminded McCarthy—who recently described the national debt as ‘the greatest threat to our future’—that ‘congressional Republicans voted to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated would increase the federal deficit by $1.9 trillion over 10 years, with 83% of the law’s benefits estimated to accrue to the richest 1% by 2027…. The first act of House Republicans in the 118th Congress… was passing legislation—which Democrats unanimously opposed—to rescind funding for IRS enforcement against tax evasion by wealthy individuals and large corporations. The CBO estimated that by reducing revenue, that legislation would increase the deficit by $114 billion over 10 years.’ …. GOP lawmakers have [also] shown little interest in shrinking the ever-expanding U.S. military budget.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-dems-remind-gop-mccarthy-1-9-trillion-trump-tax-cuts
Most of the Chamber of Commerce’s funding comes from big donors. “… just 3% of the nearly $198 million in donations received in 2021 amounted to less than $5,000 each. The rest appeared on the Chamber’s 990 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form as itemized contributions with redacted donor names. Over $93 million of the money raised in 2021 came from donors who gave at least $1 million, and ‘the very top of the Chamber’s donor base reveals an even more startling picture,’ Public Citizen wrote, with the top 1.4% of donors providing ‘more than a quarter of the Chamber’s itemized contributions’…. The Chamber has lobbied aggressively against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure, Build Back Better agenda, antitrust and environmental regulations, and the Inflation Reduction Act.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-chamber-of-commerce-donors They are also opposed to labor unions and in favor of increased immigration, in order to keep the cost of labor down.
Two We Build the Wall co-founders sentenced to prison for fraud. “Along with venture capitalist Andrew Badolato, one of his associates in the campaign, [Brian] Kolfage, 41, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud…. When Trump was in office, We Build The Wall raked in $25 million in donations with the promise from its organizers that 100% of the funds would go toward construction of a southern border wall. Kolfage specifically had pledged that he would take no compensation, but he and Badolato secretly agreed with [Steve] Bannon that Kolfage would covertly be paid $100,000 up front, and then receive $20,000 in monthly kickback payments from donor funds…. ‘Kolfage spent that money on personal expenses, including home renovations, boat payments, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, and personal tax payments and credit card debt.’ [Kolfage was sentenced to 4 1/4 years, and] Badalato was sentenced… to three years imprisonment…. Kolfage and Badolato were also ordered to pay $25 million in restitution to the victims.” https://www.courthousenews.com/founder-of-wall-building-fraud-sentenced-to-more-than-four-years-in-prison/ Steve Bannon was pardoned by Donald Trump, and the fourth partner, Tim Shea, will be sentenced in June after being found guilty after going to trial.
Progressive News Service 