Information Is Power
Good, solid information is the best resource that the public can use. Primary sources when possible and good discussions and studies when informative.
Is it AI | Elon Musk and Donald Trump Danceathon | Video: 36 Seconds
Haters will say this is AI 🕺🕺 pic.twitter.com/vqWVxiYXeD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2024
The Undeniable Hate Of The Left | Elon Musk | X | Video: 59 Seconds
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2024
Media Matters Retracts After Falsely Claiming Republican Politician Went On ‘White Nationalist, Pro-Hitler Outlet’
Left-wing watchdog Media Matters was forced to issue a retraction after publishing a story that falsely claimed Republican Texas State Sen. Bob Hall appeared on a program for a white nationalist and pro-Hitler outlet.
Media Matters claimed in their story that Hall did an interview with The Barnes Review, an outlet that publishes stories like “Why the Holocaust Story Was Invented” and writes about Hitler’s “humanism … kindness and thoughtfulness.” It later turned out that the so-called interview never happened, and pieces of other interviews Hall had given were edited to make it seem like he had done an interview with The Barnes Review.
“Earlier today, Media Matters published a story stating that Texas state Sen. Bob Hall had ‘appeared on the program of a white nationalist, pro-Hitler outlet that denies the Holocaust,’” the correction said.
“After publication, we were made aware that the program in question – The Barnes Review History Hour (TBR History Hour) – had faked the interview, falsely claiming they had interviewed Hall by splicing in previous interviews Hall had given to other outlets and making it seem like he was responding to questions from TBR. We have pulled the story and apologize for the error.” . . . .
Study: No COVID-19 Reinfections in Unvaccinated Group
A new study suggests that if you’ve recovered from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, you’re likely to be infection-free for months.
The post Study: No COVID-19 Reinfections in Unvaccinated Group appeared first on NTD.
How a lenient NYC judge left a reputed gangbanger free to allegedly kill an innocent dad
A reputed teenage gang member with three gun busts in four months had his bail reduced by a Bronx judge — allowing him to get out of jail and allegedly fire a random shot that killed an innocent father of two, The Post has learned.
Alberto Ramirez, 16, was arrested Monday in the slaying of Eric Velasquez, 34, who was struck by a stray bullet that the teen allegedly shot blindly into a crowd while on a rival gang’s turf, law-enforcement sources said. He has pleaded not guilty.
Ramirez was locked up on $75,000 bail when acting Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle lowered the amount to $10,000 cash or $25,000 bond over prosecution objections on March 2, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
His family bailed him out a few weeks later, a spokeswoman for DA Darcel Clark said — putting him back on the streets. . . .
Court reinstates teacher suspended for speaking out against proposed transgender policy
A Loudoun County, Virginia court has temporarily reinstated an elementary school gym teacher in northern Virginia who spoke out against the School Board’s proposed transgender policy.
The proposed transgender policy would reportedly require teachers to address students by their “preferred pronouns.”
The teacher, Tanner Cross, objected and made concisely-prepared comments during a School Board meeting. He was suspended from his job after the statements. . . .
Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin Greatly Improved COVID Survival Rate for Ventilated Patients
How many people would have been saved if the professional medical establishment had not been politically determined to undermine President Trump?
Last year President Trump advocated for Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin (AZM), two readily available drugs, in the treatment of COVID patients who worsened with the respiratory illness to the point of Invasive Medical Ventilation (IVM). The media proclaimed the presidential advice was wrong, and the medical establishment undermined the administration’s advocacy. Now a study shows treatment with those medicines would have led to many saved lives. . . .
Keystone pipeline nixed after Biden stands firm on permit
BILLINGS, Mont. — The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline pulled the plug on the contentious project Wednesday after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Joe Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office.
Calgary-based TC Energy said it would work with government agencies “to ensure a safe termination of and exit from” the partially built line, which was to transport crude from the oil sand fields of western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska.
Construction on the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) pipeline began last year when former President Donald Trump revived the long-delayed project after it had stalled under the Obama administration. It would have moved up to 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude daily, connecting in Nebraska to other pipelines that feed oil refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Biden canceled it in January over longstanding concerns that burning oil sands crude would make climate change worse.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had objected to the move, although officials in Alberta, where the line originated, expressed disappointment in recent weeks that Trudeau didn’t push Biden harder to reinstate the pipeline’s permit.
Alberta invested more than $1 billion in the project last year, kick-starting construction that had stalled amid determined opposition to the line from environmentalists and Native American tribes along its route.
Alberta officials said Wednesday they reached an agreement with TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, to exit their partnership. The company and province plan to try to recoup the government’s investment, although neither offered any immediate details on how that would happen.
“We remain disappointed and frustrated with the circumstances surrounding the Keystone XL project, including the cancellation of the presidential permit for the pipeline’s border crossing,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said in a statement.
The province had hoped the pipeline would spur increased development in the oil sands and bring tens of billions of dollars in royalties over decades.
Climate change activists viewed the expansion of oil sands development as an environmental disaster that could speed up global warming as the fuel is burned. That turned Keystone into a flashpoint in the climate debate, and it became the focus of rallies and protests in Washington, D.C., and other cities.
Environmentalists who had fought the project since it was first announced in 2008 said its cancellation marks a “landmark moment” in the effort to curb the use of fossil fuels.
“Good riddance to Keystone XL,” said Jared Margolis with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of many environmental groups that sued to stop it.
Attorneys general from 21 states had sued to overturn Biden’s cancellation of the pipeline, which would have created thousands of construction jobs. Republicans in Congress have made the cancellation a frequent talking point in their criticism of the administration, and even some moderate Senate Democrats including Montana’s Jon Tester and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin had urged Biden to reconsider.
Tester said in a statement Wednesday that he was disappointed in the project’s demise, but made no mention of Biden.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy committee, was more direct: “President Biden killed the Keystone XL Pipeline and with it, thousands of good-paying American jobs.”
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on TC Energy’s announcement.
Newsom and California lawmakers approved to receive pay raise amid improving economy
The California Citizens Compensation Commission, which is appointed by the governor, voted 4 to 0 on Tuesday to approve the 4.2% pay hikes for state elected officials.
Ex-Tennessee governor tied to contract hit on Hoffa pal, federal witness
A former Tennessee governor’s administration helped pay a murder contract for a 1979 hit on a federal witness who was buddies with union boss Jimmy Hoffa, authorities said.
The white contract killer wore a wig, fake beard and was in blackface when he gunned down Chattanooga businessman Samuel Pettyjohn, a cooperating witness in a corruption scandal that brought down the now-dead governor, Hamilton County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Pettyjohn had cash and jewelry worth $100,000 on him when was killed on Feb. 1, 1979 inside a Beverage Mart he owned, authorities said in a news release.
“Essentially, Mr. Pettyjohn cooperated with authorities and knew too much about what was going on locally, as well as the state level, and individuals didn’t like that and so individuals hired someone to murder him,” Hamilton District Attorney Neal Pinkston said. . . .
Social media CEO considers suing political blogger over Jan. 6 Capitol riot story
Following several stories claiming that CloutHub CEO Jeff Brain and his social media platform played a “role in the violent attack on the Capitol,” the CloutHub founder denounced them as “dishonest” and said he is consulting attorneys on possible legal action against the author.
The original article in “The Uprising” by Hunter Walker said that a CloutHub group called “Patriot Caravans for 45” had “violent overtones,” despite Brain writing in a post on the group that users should “Report Anyone posting inappropriate content or discussion of violence & they will be deleted from the group.”
Walker wrote in his article that there were three users who posted in the group that contributed to the violent tonality, named “Jaybirdy,” “MrM1A2,” and “Teeree.” He said that “Jaybirdy” had “indicated they were leading a planning meeting in the D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia. ‘Jaybirdy’ described themself by boasting about their skill with guns. ‘Good patriot. Good manners. Good shot,’ Jaybirdy wrote.”
Walker also mentioned that “‘MrM1A2,’ an apparent reference to a battle tank, noted their military experience and equipment as they sought a ride to the Capitol from Florida. ‘COMBAT VETERAN JUST LOST MY RIDE FROM NAPLES FL to DC HAVE EXTRA WALKIE TALKIES AND SUPPLIES,’ MrM1A2 wrote.”
Lastly, according to Walker, “Teeree” had “discussed plans to rent a bus and noted Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was preparing for potential violence at the protests. ‘NO LUNCH BREAK ON THE BUS!’ Teeree wrote. ‘There’s a rumor the Mayor of DC may shut the city down. Bring sammiches or other snackables for that eventuality.'”
In an interview with Just the News on Wednesday, Brain said that there were “no violent posts in the group.” He explained how Walker “mischaracterized completely” the users that were mentioned.
According to Brain, none of those users posted in the “Patriot Caravans for 45” group or wrote any violent posts, and the group was used for “peaceful purposes only.” He said that “‘Jaybirdy’ never discussed marksmanship. In her profile, it says ‘Good patriot. Good manners. Good shot.'”
User “MrM1A2” had “just said they were a combat veteran,” Brain said. The third user who was discussed, “Teeree,” just “mentioned sharing a bus — no violence,” Brain added, and that the “planning meeting” was “completely made up, never mentioned” because it was only to see who was in the area to get together.
Brain said that the story was “completely contrived” and that “they’re trying to ding CloutHub.” He continued, “From the start, have had a clean and responsible platform — no hate, porn, or violence.” . . .
WATCH: Fauci Claims to “Have No Idea” About His Own, Documented E-Mails with Mark Zuckerberg.
Dr. Anthony Fauci appears to have spun a new web of lies today while appearing on MSNBC, this time claiming he has “no idea” about the concerns expressed by U.S.…
The post WATCH: Fauci Claims to “Have No Idea” About His Own, Documented E-Mails with Mark Zuckerberg. appeared first on The National Pulse.
‘They Beat His A** and I Recorded It’: Thugs Assault Cop While Bystanders Laugh
Hearing pieces of human excrement yell foul things at police officers, threatening the cops’ families as well as the lives of cops themselves, barely fazes me anymore. It’s what you can expect when every Democrat leader from Joe Biden on down has made it clear they will never have the police’s backs. Not when there’s a single political point to be scored by throwing cops under the bus. But this video is pretty offensive. Because of the angry mom assaulting a single police officer. And because of the scumbags who recorded it and laughed.
What was the cop doing to get jumped like this, you ask? He was trying to protect THE PEOPLE WHO WERE JUMPING HIM!
When gunshots ring out, our officers will not wait to respond and eliminate the threat. This officer ran towards danger, alone, to make sure some of the very people who attacked him would be safe.
It’s sad no one from this crowd chose to help our officer but we don’t believe that’s a true representation of our community. We know you have our backs and we will continue to run towards danger to keep you safe.
I’d like to believe this isn’t who we are as well. We’ll find out once people start identifying the thugs in the video so that they can be arrested. Whoever @DuvalPromoPage is seems like a great place to start.
The message from the progressive left and their entire news-entertainment industrial complex is crystal clear. It’s open season on cops, consequences be damned. Mostly because the perpetrators know there won’t be consequences. I hope Jacksonville proves me wrong here. . . .
Teyana Taylor Becomes First Black Woman To Be Named Maxim’s ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’
Teyana Taylor has become the first black woman ever to be named Maxim magazine’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” joining the ranks of superstars like Kate Upton and Hailey Baldwin.
“Congratulations to Teyana Taylor @teyanataylor, our 2021 Maxim Hot 100 Sexiest woman in the world Go to Maxim.com for Teyana full interview,” the magazine captioned its post on Instagram. The post was noted by Page Six in a piece published Wednesday.
The post included her cover shot rocking a ripped, cropped white tank top and camo pants and looking amazing. . . .
More than 100 New Yorker and other Condè Nast employees protest outside Anna Wintour’s townhouse
‘Bosses wear Prada, workers get nada’: 100 New Yorker magazine and other Condè Nast employees protest outside Anna Wintour’s $12.5M townhouse in Greenwich Village to demand fair pay
- The unionized weekly magazine workers staged the protest Tuesday after releasing a statement with a list of demands the previous day
- They were joined by workers from Ars Technica and Pitchfork, two other Condè Nast publications with union representation
- The group Anna Wintour’s townhouse on Sullivan Street chanting: ‘Bosses where Prada, workers get nada!’
- The demonstration came a day after the New Yorker Union released a list of demands and said it was ‘on the verge of a strike’
NYC condo sells for $157.5M — one block from homeless shelter
It’s a tale of two cities.
A mystery buyer spent $157.5 million on two condos at 220 Central Park South, the most expensive apartment building in the nation, according to property records (the sale was first reported by the WSJ).
Both units were resales.
It’s the biggest deal of the year so far. But the building’s back entrance is on W. 58th St. — a block away from the Park Savoy Hotel, which will become a homeless shelter for 150 men.
The buyer plans to combine both apartments, an insider told The Post.
The sellers turned quite a profit.
The 60th-floor unit sold for $82.5 million — the seller had paid $50.9 million for it; while the 61st-floor unit sold for $75 million — that seller had bought for $51.4 million.
This is the same building where hedge funder Ken Griffin paid $238 million for a quadruplex in the middle of the building — the most expensive residential sale in the US. Sting also owns at 220 Central Park South. . . .
Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How Bezos, Musk, Other Top Billionaires Pay Almost Zilch in Income Taxes
In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes. He achieved the feat again in 2011. In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes.
Michael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row.
ProPublica has obtained a vast trove of Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years. The data provides an unprecedented look inside the financial lives of America’s titans, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. It shows not just their income and taxes, but also their investments, stock trades, gambling winnings and even the results of audits.
Taken together, it demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most. The IRS records show that the wealthiest can — perfectly legally — pay income taxes that are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, their fortunes grow each year.
Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, amassing little wealth and paying the federal government a percentage of their income that rises if they earn more. In recent years, the median American household earned about $70,000 annually and paid 14% in federal taxes. The highest income tax rate, 37%, kicked in this year, for couples, on earnings above $628,300.
The confidential tax records obtained by ProPublica show that the ultrarich effectively sidestep this system.
America’s billionaires avail themselves of tax-avoidance strategies beyond the reach of ordinary people. Their wealth derives from the skyrocketing value of their assets, like stock and property. Those gains are not defined by U.S. laws as taxable income unless and until the billionaires sell.
To capture the financial reality of the richest Americans, ProPublica undertook an analysis that has never been done before. We compared how much in taxes the 25 richest Americans paid each year to how much Forbes estimated their wealth grew in that same time period.
We’re going to call this their true tax rate.
The results are stark. According to Forbes, those 25 people saw their worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years, the IRS data shows. That’s a staggering sum, but it amounts to a true tax rate of only 3.4%.
It’s a completely different picture for middle-class Americans, for example, wage earners in their early 40s who have amassed a typical amount of wealth for people their age. From 2014 to 2018, such households saw their net worth expand by about $65,000 after taxes on average, mostly due to the rise in value of their homes. But because the vast bulk of their earnings were salaries, their tax bills were almost as much, nearly $62,000, over that five-year period. . . .
Megyn Kelly: When Biden Called America A ‘Racist Country’ He ‘Had Someone Very Near’ In Mind After Hunter’s N-Word Texts Surfaced
Megyn Kelly said when President Joe Biden was referring to America as a “racist country” he had someone close to him “in mind,” after Hunter Biden’s n-word text surfaced.
“Turns out when Joe Biden was telling us what a racist country America is, he had someone very near [and] dear in mind,” Kelly tweeted on Tuesday, along with an article from the Daily Mail about Hunter’s text messages.
Turns out when Joe Biden was telling us what a racist country America is, he had someone very near & dear in mind. https://t.co/15EjQRXXwh
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 8, 2021
Hunter allegedly referred to his corporate attorney George Mesires multiple times as “n***a” and cracked jokes about his penis, calling it “unconditional,” in text messages sent between 2018 and 2019.
Last week, the president gave a speech during his visit to Oklahoma on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre. . . .
Canada Grapples With Anti-Muslim Bias After Family Killed in Truck Attack
OTTAWA — With coronavirus restrictions still in place in much of Canada, many families have taken up going out together for evening strolls. On Sunday, however, a pleasant walk became the scene of a deadly attack by a motorist who used his truck to kill four members of a family in London, Ontario, and injure a boy who is now an orphan. They were targeted, the police said, because of their Muslim faith.
Along with grieving, the deaths have prompted anger and demands for government action against bigotry and violence toward Muslims.
“Even after this, there are still people saying that Islamophobia doesn’t exist,” said Mohamed Salih, a member of London’s City Council. “The challenge and a reality we must face is that far too often in our city, there is Islamophobia. It’s something we’ve known for far too long.”
On Tuesday night, the province of Ontario temporarily lifted pandemic rules banning large gatherings to allow thousands of people to gather for a memorial outside the London Muslim Mosque to remember the Afzaal-Salman family. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended. . . .
Hospital Suspends 178 Workers for Not Complying With COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
A hospital system in Texas has suspended workers who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Houston Methodist system on April 1 informed employees that they would be required to get a vaccine on or before June 7 or submit documentation for an exemption.
Exemptions would only be based on a medical condition such as pregnancy deferment or sincerely held religious beliefs.
As of Tuesday, 24,947 workers have chosen to become fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, according to Marc Boom, the CEO of the system.
But, he told employees in an internal memo obtained by The Epoch Times, 178 workers either did not get fully vaccinated or did not get vaccinated at all.
“The small percentage of employees who did not comply with the policy are now suspended without pay for the next 14 days,” he wrote, adding that the workers “have decided not to put their patients first.”
According to the April 1 memo that was sent to employees in the hospital system, the workers who were suspended will be fired if they have not been fully vaccinated as of June 7. . . .
Editorial: When will California’s state of emergency stop being an emergency?
California’s Emergency Services Act doesn’t detail when an emergency declaration should be made or terminated. It leaves it up to the discretion of the governor to determine what constitutes an emergency and to decide when it’s over. The only imperative is that the latter happens “at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.”
But when will conditions warrant the end of the state of emergency called by Gov. Gavin Newsom 15 months ago to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? And what will it take to reach that point? Newsom hasn’t said, other than it won’t be on June 15,when the state is expected to lift the stay-at-home order, the mask mandate and the remaining business pandemic restrictions.
“We’re still in a state of emergency. This disease has not been extinguished. It’s not vanished. It’s not taking the summer months off,” he explained Friday during the first drawing in a series of cash prizes to encourage vaccinations.
It’s was not a very illuminating response, and Newsom’s political opponents immediately accused him of trying to have it both ways. They have a point; even as he’s touting the economic recovery and enviable vaccination rates, he is holding on to the broad emergency powers that allow him to unilaterally suspend and alter laws, curtail people’s private movements and award no-bid contracts, an authority Newsom has used at times to direct state dollars to his campaign donors. . . .
Man With Prior Sex Crime Conviction Sentenced To 29 Years For Enticing Boys To Send Sexually Explicit Images
An Ohio man was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for enticing male minors to send explicit photos and videos over social media, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Brendan Eardly, 50, reportedly messaged over 60 juveniles across the world through multiple social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook and messaging app Kik from October 2015 through August 2018, court documents show, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Eardly offered to be a “gay mentor” to some of the minors and would talk to them about sex or provide sexual advice, according to the DOJ. He requested the minors send him nude and sexually explicit content and sent similar messages to them. . . .