[Washington Examiner] Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) confronted a top Justice Department official about the federal investigation into Hunter Biden during a hearing Thursday.
Prying questions about the inquiry were met with resistance from Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen, who tried to fend off broadsides about President Joe Biden's son.
"Is Hunter Biden a national security threat?" the congressman asked at the beginning of his line of questioning.
WHERE'S HUNTER? NOWHERE IN NBC'S MERRICK GARLAND INTERVIEW
"That's not a question that would come before me," Olsen replied. He later insisted that the Justice Department would "speak" about any such cases only in court.
Gaetz has promoted the exchange, saying Olsen "accidentally" confirmed the existence of an investigation into Hunter Biden's business and laptop.
A group of Leftists activists are calling on Justice Clarence Thomas to resign or be impeached from the Supreme Court.
MoveOn along with Demand Justice, both Leftist activist organizations, started a petition and called on Thomas to either resign or be impeached because after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade they fear that SCOTUS will next overturn “gay rights and contraception rights,” according to MoveOn.
MoveOn also stated on its site that “Thomas voted against a Supreme Court decision to compel the release of Donald Trump’s records regarding the January 6 insurrection and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,” because “his wife—longtime conservative activist Ginni Thomas—was actively urging the White House to overturn election results both leading up to January 6 and after the deadly insurrection.”
Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman we’re among those who joined the movement.
The petition reached over 1.2 million signatures and was given to Omar and Bowman.
[KRQE] Oklahoma-based tribes say followed rules on Freedmen rights
Leaders and representatives of five Oklahoma-based tribes on Wednesday told a U.S. Senate committee that they have followed treaties and court rulings regarding the citizenship of Freedmen and that the federal government should respect their sovereignty.
Freedmen were the freed Black people enslaved by the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Chickasaw nations. They were guaranteed the rights of citizens of the tribes under separate 1866 treaties with the United States.
That happened in the territory that became Oklahoma and not the rest of the slaveholding South because the U.S. government enforced stricter terms on Native American nations with slave-owners, and fully or partially joined with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
“History does not bode well in terms of efforts by the United States to impose its values,” on Native American tribes, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ambassador Jonodev Chaudhuri told members of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. The testimony comes amid an ongoing reckoning over a history of racism in the U.S.
California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat, told the committee that Freedman have been denied services intended for tribal citizens, including housing assistance, COVID-19 vaccinations and federal stimulus funding, because some tribes do not include them as members.
“We must stand by the rights promised to Freedmen in the treaties that guaranteed those rights over a century ago,” Waters said.
Choctaw Nation attorney Michael Burrage said the nation does not recognize Freedmen as citizens, citing the Choctaw constitution that was adopted under a federal court order in 1983.
“We think the Choctaw Nation as a sovereign entity should be able to determine its memberships,” Burrage said. “Tribal membership is based on blood,” referring to the Certificate Degree of Indian Blood, or CDIB.
But Seminole Nation Assistant Chief Brian Thomas Palmer said the nation has recognized the right of Freedmen to become citizens since 1866.
“This short testimony to discuss select provisions (of the treaty) is a disservice to the Seminole and warrants a deeper conversation,” Palmer said.
In prepared comments to the committee, Palmer and Seminole Nation Chief Lewis Johnson said the tribe does not offer healthcare, life insurance, or the COVID-19 vaccine to tribal members because of a lack of funding. They said federal funding eligibility is determined by the funding agency, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
BIA Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland told the committee that the bureau relies on the tribes to determine tribal citizenship.
Among the tribes, only the Cherokee Nation has met its obligations regarding Freedmen citizenship, which came following a federal court ruling in 2017, Newland said.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe chose not to appeal the ruling because of its own actions regarding the Freedmen, including denying them the right to vote in tribal elections.
“The enslavement of other human beings and the subsequent denial to them and their descendants of their basic rights is a stain on the Cherokee Nation, and it’s a stain that must be lifted,” Hoskin said.
“Mr. Chairman, I offer an apology on behalf of the Cherokee Nation for these actions,” Hoskin told committee Chair Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, of Hawaii.
Marilynn Vann, a Freedmen descendant and president of The Descendants of Freedmen of the Fives Tribes Association, called for congressional action to provide the descendants with funds from future appropriations to tribes, require the Interior Department register Freedmen descendants and to hold committee field hearings in Oklahoma to allow other descendants to attend.
Schatz said the goal of the committee is to “start a respectful dialogue … and to educate the committee and the public” about the removal of Native Americans from their native lands in the southeastern U.S. and enslavement of Black people in the U.S. He did not describe the next steps.
[FoxNews] agreement would extend the ACA through 2025 and allow Medicare to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. The ACA extension would cost $64 billion, Democrats say, and the prescription drug reform would save the government $288 billion. ...
it includes a 15% corporate minimum tax for businesses worth more than $1 billion, which is estimated to raise $313 billion; stepped-up IRS tax enforcement, estimated to raise $124 billion; and it will close the carried interest loophole, estimated to raise $14 billion...
Another provision of the bill will provide $1.5 billion "for tree planted and related activities, with a priority for projects that benefit underserved populations and areas."
Yet another part of the bill provides $403 million for IRS expenses, "including purchase and hire of passenger motor vehicles."
It would further provide up to a $7,500 tax credit to families making up to $300,000 per year for electric vehicles assembled without critical minerals from hostile countries, and not assembled in hostile countries.
The tax credit applies for new vans, SUVs and pickups up to $80,000. For other cars the limit is $55,000.
Families making up to $150,000 can also get a $4,000 tax credit for used electric vehicles. [I think the CBO has scored some portions of this but I'm not sure of the details]
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/29/2022 08:49 ||
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[FOX] FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo, Dagen McDowell and Republican strategist Jonathan Madison discuss Paul Pelosi offloading a chunk of shares in Nvidia days before Congress is set to vote on a chip bill to boost production in the U.S.
#2
I read a lot of blogs and conservative website/news sites every day, a morning pattern developed over the past few years of retired living. I spend a lot of time reading the blog commentary on subjects of interest to me, but fairly broadly based. My sense is that most of those commenting are right of center to some degree, and most are traditional American citizens, usually middle class. The anger is palpable, and the tone is growing very emotional. This is unlike anything I have seen before, far more troubled and despairing, even from mere months ago. But the most fundamental undercurrent is the loss of any trust in the federal government to do what is right for the citizens, but instead what serves special groups, ideologies and foreign interests.
[NYPOST] A former western New York politician who was a longtime ally of ex-Gov. Andrew Sonny Cuomo was slapped with jail time Thursday for bribing a state judge.
Ex-Chairman of the Erie County Democratic Committee Steven Pigeon, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to the corrupt scheme, was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
Pigeon, 61, offered former State Supreme Court Justice John Michalek help in obtaining employment and political appointments for family members.
In exchange, Michalek, 71, gave Pigeon "non-public" or privileged information about cases pending before the court, authorities said.
Michalek, who pleaded guilty in 2016, was sentenced to one year and four months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Pigeon’s bribes included helping two of Michalek’s family members get jobs and official appointments. Pigeon also helped Michalek get appointed to an appeals court, gave him box seats for Buffalo Sabres hockey games and gave his family a free ticket to a $1,000 fundraiser, authorities said.
In exchange, Pigeon would discuss numerous pending lawsuits that the judge was handling and would give input — including telling the judge which court-appointed attorney to assign to a receivership in one case. The judge also shared confidential information about cases with Pigeon.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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[NYPOST] A New Jersey councilwoman allegedly hit a cyclist with her SUV and knocked him off his bike— then sped away without stopping, according to reports and stunning footage.
Jersey City councilwoman Amy DeGise was captured on camera slamming into Andrew Black at 8 a.m. on July 19, causing him to fly over vehicle’s hood and fall to the ground, according to hudpost.com.
"I look left, suddenly I just hear ’Ba[m].’ I get hit," said Black, a 29-year-old UberEats deliveryman. "I roll over and I’m in such pain."
Instead of stopping to help, the politician drove away from the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Forrest Street in a Nissan Rogue, said Black, who was able to stand up shortly after the accident.
Black didn’t suffer any major injuries — but is angry that a community leader failed to do the right thing.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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#1
The Ted Kennedy way. Nothing will happen especially if she is a Democrat.
#4
And likely had reduced visibility from the car parked in the crosswalk.
Cyclists seem to have a hard time understanding that the laws of court follows after the laws of physics. Share the road, share the rules. Cannoli ran the stop light.
#5
I stopped riding bicycles. Too many cars. But when I did, I never relied on them seeing me. I always looked for them.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/29/2022 11:35 Comments ||
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I rode in opposing direction for a bit but it felt too uncomfortable. Walk mostly now but allow big distance from traffic. I remember a wheel chaired man on corner run over by dual rear wheeled truck. Most accidents or many are when backing up over people.
Yesterday the Senate, today the House. The presidentiao signature by the end of the day?
[NationalReview] The House on Thursday passed the bipartisan Chips and Science Act, which aims to increase domestic production of computer chips to allow the U.S. to become more competitive against China in the global technology market.
The bill passed the House in a 243-187 vote one day after passing the Senate in a 64-33 vote. The legislation now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden....
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy criticized the Chips and Science Act on the House floor on Thursday as a "$280 billion blank check" to the semiconductor industry.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh, I thought it was some kinda public health legislation to curb production of potato wafers.
[AMAC.US] Over the last several weeks, Chuck Schumer ...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is 46.64426 years. Senate minority leader as of 2017... ’s on-again-off-again negotiations with Joe Manchin have become almost as entertaining as Baghdad Bob’s old news conferences. As voters increasingly express alarm and anger about skyrocketing inflation — caused in large part by unprecedented non-emergency spending under the Democrat Congress — Schumer has continued to call for even more spending, bizarrely insisting that pumping additional money into the economy will somehow solve the inflation crisis. During a floor speech last November, Schumer claimed that "if we want to fight inflation, if we want to create more jobs... the best thing we can do is to pass Build Back Better"—Democrats’ gargantuan socialist spending bill.
Inflation stood at 6.8% when Schumer made those comments. But even now, with inflation topping 9%, Schumer has refused to back down, and now looks to be close to a deal with West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin on a reconciliation bill that is sure to send inflation higher still. Part of this new proposal reportedly includes tax hikes on individuals and businesses — another deeply unpopular policy that is sure to advance the recession and leave Americans even worse off.
At the same time, Schumer seems wholly oblivious or in denial about the effect that the push for more big spending will have on Democrats’ chances of holding the Senate this November. Even as polls continue to show that inflation and rising prices are the top concern for most voters, Schumer has continued Democrats’ race to the left, forcing endangered incumbents like Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia to take votes that worsen the problem. Despite Schumer’s best efforts to convince Americans to ignore reality when it comes to the root cause of inflation, even Democratic voters blame rising prices on their own party’s policies.
With just over three months to go until Election Day, it seems that Schumer is determined to stay the course, doubling and tripling down on assertions that are by now ridiculous to the vast majority of Americans. But come November 9, Schumer, much like Baghdad Bob, may suddenly find himself out of power and fleeing the capital, no longer able to deny his ever-more obvious failures.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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Baghdad Bob was kind of funny with his unbelivable Bee-like proclamations, Schumer is a humorless poque.
[NYPOST] Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested the National Guard step in to help handle the arrival of thousands of migrants colonists from the US-Mexico border, saying the nation’s capital has reached a "tipping point."
In a July 19 request for assistance to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Bowser reported that "over 4,000 individuals arriving on nearly 200 buses" have come to DC since April, when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ... governor of Texas. Abbott is a Republican. His 2014 Dem opponent, state senatrix Wendy Davis, thought the absolute, most pressing, most important issue facing the state was abortion. Abbott beat the pantyhose off her. His 2018 opponent, Lupe Valdez didn't dwell too heavily on abortion, but she lost too... and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey pledged to put migrants colonists on charter buses to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
"Our collective response and service efforts have now become overwhelmed," Bowser wrote.
"[O]ur homeless services system is already under great strain; and tragically, many families arrive in Washington, DC with nowhere to go, or they remain in limbo seeking onward destinations across the United States.
"With pledges from Texas and Arizona to continue these abhorrent operations indefinitely, the situation is dire," the mayor added, "and we consider this a humanitarian crisis — one that could overwhelm our social support network without immediate and sustained federal intervention."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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#2
It is, but you're just supposed to say that, not actually be one. Just like how you're supposed to care about the homeless but not actually allow people to fix the problem.
This punishment was supposed to fall on Texas and Arizona for failing to vote for Democrats. But now they've turned the tables and are putting the hurt on DC instead? Unfair! Abhorrent operations! You're not supposed to punish us, we're supposed to punish YOU!
#9
Dron, dunno your situation while you are posting these comments but if you have bluetooth on that Android device you can connect it to a full sized bluetooth keyboard. You could connect a bluetooth mouse to it as well. Just a tip from a fat fingered guy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/29/2022 11:55 Comments ||
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#10
Suck it up buttercup, hope you like mariachi music.
Posted by: Chris ||
07/29/2022 12:39 Comments ||
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[NYPOST] House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ...the GOP house majority whip. He replaces Eric Cantor, who got whupped because his politix are like Kevin McCarthy's... ranted Thursday against the surprise spending deal between Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is 46.64423 years. Senate minority leader as of 2017... (D-NY) — which doles out billions of dollars on pet Democratic issues despite being portrayed as a "slimmed-down" version of President Biden’s multi-trillion dollar Build Back Better bill.
"Was the worst inflation in 40 years not enough?" McCarthy asked on the House floor. "Are they trying to see how high they can get it?"
"They say they want to restore growth, but their new bill adds $700 billion in new taxes," the Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, Republican added. "Do Democrats really believe spending hundreds of billions of tax dollars right now while pursuing and punishing productive investments in the long run will lower inflation?"
Schumer and Manchin say the bill would raise $739 billion through mechanisms including a 15% minimum tax on corporations’ publicly reported income, stepped-up enforcement by the IRS ...the Internal Revenue Service; that office of the United States government that collects taxes and persecutes the regime's political enemies... , and a tax on profits earned by general partners in private equity, venture capital firms, and hedge funds known as carried interest.
The bulk of the 725-page bill’s spending — approximately $369 billion of the $433 billion outlay — goes toward energy and climate issues, far lower than the $555 billion spend in the original $3.5 trillion Build Back Better package but enough to make it the largest climate bill passed by Congress if approved.
The bill includes tax credits for Americans who purchase electric vehicles, a favorite topic of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg ...the testicleless mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012. Buttigieg graduated from Harvard College and, on a Rhodes Scholarship, from Pembroke College, Oxford. From 2007 to 2010, he worked at McKinsey and Company, a consulting firm. From 2009 to 2017 Buttigieg served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant and deploying to Afghanistan in 2014. Buttigieg was first elected mayor of South Bend in 2011 and was reelected in 2015. During his second term, he announced he was gay, which surprised no one. Buttigieg also campaigned for Indiana state treasurer in 2010 and for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017, losing both elections. He ran for the Dem nomination in 2020 on the theory that being mayor of a nondescript medium sized city is qualification to run the country. He lost that one too... and an issue near and dear to the heart of Jeff Ricchetti, a lobbyist whose clients include General Motors — and who is the brother of top White House adviser Steve Ricchetti.
"Democrats said they want to lower inflation, but you know what their new bill does?" McCarthy seethed. "Gives you a $7,500 tax credit to buy an $80,000 electric vehicle for people making up to $300,000."
The credit of $7,500 for new electric vehicles would be available to single Americans making fewer than $150,000 per year and married couples making fewer than $300,000 per year. Individuals making under $75,000 per year and couples earning under $150,000 per year would be eligible for the used electric vehicle rebate of $4,000.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2022 00:00 ||
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When the IRS isn't even picking up the phones on the main number or the PPL (Practitioner Priority Line, 1-866-860-4259) line? I don't see stepped-up enforcement being a reality. I called on Wednesday at 11:30 AM and I just tried it again now and 'due to extremely high call volumes', they can't take call and it gets dropped. This means I can't get account / wage & income transcripts and the only way I can resolve shit is to write a letter to them, send it anywhere but their Kansas City facility and hope they don't throw it away like the 30 million pieces of mail they destroyed last year.
#4
Let me restate things, Glenmore, I don't see effective stepped-up enforcement. The IRS currently employs 78,000 people and as currently constructed they can't (won't) answer phone calls and wound up destroying all those tax returns & other letters rather than do their fucking jobs. Remember last year when the Biden dolts wanted to add another 80,000 people to do audits? How good do you think those people are going to be? They already have a workforce that in my professional opinion are largely untalented pieces of shit who I wouldn't let balance my checkbook, because they can't. Most of that audit effort will result in appeals, dragging the whole thing down.
If you want to believe stepped up enforcement being reality, I might be inclined to believe it, but not what I've seen from the green eyeshade division of the Keystone Kops.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is 46.64426 years. Senate minority leader as of 2017...
... governor of Texas. Abbott is a Republican. His 2014 Dem opponent, state senatrix Wendy Davis, thought the absolute, most pressing, most important issue facing the state was abortion. Abbott beat the pantyhose off her. His 2018 opponent, Lupe Valdez didn't dwell too heavily on abortion, but she lost too...
...the testicleless mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012. Buttigieg graduated from Harvard College and, on a Rhodes Scholarship, from Pembroke College, Oxford. From 2007 to 2010, he worked at McKinsey and Company, a consulting firm. From 2009 to 2017 Buttigieg served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant and deploying to Afghanistan in 2014. Buttigieg was first elected mayor of South Bend in 2011 and was reelected in 2015. During his second term, he announced he was gay, which surprised no one. Buttigieg also campaigned for Indiana state treasurer in 2010 and for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017, losing both elections. He ran for the Dem nomination in 2020 on the theory that being mayor of a nondescript medium sized city is qualification to run the country. He lost that one too...
