[FoxNews] Democratic Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez sounded off on the city's handling of the migrant crisis and the ongoing crime rates, expressing hope that the new mayor will turn things around in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Lopez slammed now-ousted Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for failing to properly house the thousands of illegal immigrants that were bussed from the southern border by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, questioning whether the monthly $20 million that was allotted over the past several months to combat the crisis was even spent, saying "we have no idea" what happened to that money.
"We were woefully underprepared in our efforts to help these individuals who are have been shipped to our city and I think many people have used them as pawns for political gains," Lopez told Fox News Digital. "The fact of the matter is this that we could have, with the amount of money we spent at this point, we could have built shelters for these people to be welcomed in, to get medical care for, to have housing for. But we haven't lived up to the moment… She's leaving it to the next administration of Brandon Johnson to contend with the humanitarian crisis that was delivered to her by Abbott, but made worse by her own ineptitude."
Lopez, perhaps the most vocal Lightfoot critics among Chicago Democrats who at one point threw his hat in the ring to challenge her in the mayoral race, said she "stoked racial fears and to further divide the city" by supplanting migrants into neighborhoods unbeknownst to community leaders, leaving many of the migrants to "find refuge in police district stations across the entire city."
Her administration, he said, refused to work with him in trying to give the migrants appropriate shelter, pointing to a field house located in his ward that could have housed up to nearly 300 migrants.
"This was a totally avoidable situation," Lopez said. "Had the city council, had the mayor chosen to act and instead of gaslighting everyone at every turn as opposed to pointing fingers at Greg Abbott or others- Look, Lori Lightfoot, her socialist enablers, they all said make this an unchecked, welcoming city. Somebody took us up on that offer, and now we are falling behind in what we said was our ideals in this city. And if we had planned and used our resources better, we wouldn't be in the midst of a humanitarian crisis now."
While still a staunch supporter of Chicago's sanctuary city policy, Lopez slammed Lightfoot-era "zero exceptions" reform that he said protected dangerous felons, murderers and gang members, something he hopes will be reversed in the next administration.
Lopez shed some light on his working relationship with newly-sworn in Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, telling Fox News Digital "I have actually spoken to him more times in the last three and a half weeks than I did Lori Lightfoot in four years."
"I am cautiously optimistic about the new administration," Lopez said, who had backed Johnson's opponent Paul Vallas in the mayoral run-off last month. "If I have a mayor who's willing to take my phone call, that at least gives me the opportunity to argue my case on whatever the policy discussion or issue that we have before us. And I have not had that opportunity for four years under the Lightfoot administration. So hopefully that bodes well for the rest of our relationship moving forward."
#1
There will be a crime crackdown that will include removing all the homeless camps and otherwise hassling the career beggars. The gangs and such will take PTO time for a long weekend of non-crime in the interests of not provoking a threatened crack-down. Unaffiliated thieves will be jugged for 72 hours or so as administrative procedures wallow in molasses for unspecified but obvious reasons. Within 48 hours of the end of the convention status quo crime levels will return.
Posted by: Cromoth Prince of the Platypi9372 ||
05/16/2023 22:12 Comments ||
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[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] He said, she said.
Noelle Dunphy, a writer and business consultant, said she was retained for 'business development work and other work' by Giuliani in 2019
The pair had a physical relationship, but she was fired in 2021: she has sued him for sexual harassment and a toxic work environment, seeking $10m damages
Giuliani's attorney said he 'categorically denies all of the allegations of this frivolous complaint'
Don't care to hear about it or see pictures. Absolutely none of my business.
#1
If this all turns out to be lies, I think she ought to have to perform what she alleges here for real. Regardless, I won’t be following this case in a flagging effort to maintain my sanity.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/16/2023 3:35 Comments ||
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#2
Nice that he was 'convicted' by the headline.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/16/2023 5:32 Comments ||
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#3
I imagine "Giuliani aspires to be Clinton"
was taken.
#7
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought a guy with Rudy's medical history would need the little blue pill for the kind of activity that is alleged. Couldn't have been spontaneous then. I smell lawfare.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/16/2023 11:56 Comments ||
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#8
Timing seems suspicious. They know it'll go nowhere but hope to character assassinate Trump's old team hoping it hurts Trump by association. I'm sure this will be dragged out until after the election and then she'll lose or drop the case.
#10
Morality and people's personal business aside, the Left/MSM can get away with reporting on this stuff all day, every day. But if a Dem were to be outed (in the alternative media) for such stuff, it would not see the light of day on the MSM.
#11
Hell, they're trying to revive Carlos Danger's political carcass, and he was doing statutory rape.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/16/2023 14:07 Comments ||
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#12
Re: Carlos D. - Geez, an absolute scumbag of the highest order. I suppose "they" think the public has forgotten about his sicko proclivities and misdeeds.
I think he did more "hard" time than Jeffy Epstein.
But, really...for "sexting"?
I love this blurb: "Two days before Election Day, the FBI announced there was nothing new in the emails. But Clinton has blamed Comey’s handling of the episode more than any other factor for her loss to Donald Trump. In a recent NBC interview, she called the FBI director’s intervention “the determining factor” in her defeat."
Well, if so, they certainly weren't going to let that happen again...something about a laptop.
#1
Part of me wants not to worry about my personal taxes going forward as the bar has been set so low by the Hunter Biden standard. The rational portion of my brain knows that the Hunter Biden rules don’t apply to regular folks.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/16/2023 3:39 Comments ||
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#2
My 2022 shortage in monthly withholding resulted in a $113. IRS penalty. Glad they still had enough manpower to process my $113. payment.
I'll step way out on a limb here and say Hunter had some intelligence community backstopping. Got to be a reason he's in the DoJ "off limits" category.
[NYPOST] House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Sunday his team has been unable to reach an FBI informant who alleged corruption by President Biden and his family, after the bureau dodged a subpoena last week demanding a report detailing allegations that he took bribes while vice president. "Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Da witnesses are all dead!" "Well, unfortunately, we can’t track down the informant. We’re hopeful that the informant is still there," Comer (R-Ky.), 50, told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures."
Comer also said a whistleblower communicating with the committee about the alleged bribery scheme "knows the informant" and is "credible."
The FBI objected to handing over the FD-1023 informant report last week, informing the Oversight panel in a six-page letter that the information was "unverified" and may risk the confidentiality of agency sources.
"All we’re asking the FBI with respect to the form 1023 is, ’What did you do to investigate this allegation?’ And they sent us back a very patronizing letter basically saying, ’Just trust us and don’t worry about it,’" Comer said Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11129 views]
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#1
I don’t think that the informant is duct taped to a chair, but this is, in other respects, about what you would expect trying to investigate mob activity in a corrupt jurisdiction.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/16/2023 4:08 Comments ||
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#3
He might still be alive. They might have just sent him a dead canary.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/16/2023 12:00 Comments ||
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#4
This on top of Durham's report should be all the excuse McCarthy needs to defund the FBI...in a perfect world, I know. But if they're gonna play hardball then he needs to play that way too. Damn the torpedoes and to hell with the screaming heads on TV. Just do it, Kevin.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/16/2023 12:10 Comments ||
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#5
How convenient. GOP'ers wouldn't have to stop their investigation now, would they?
#2
The fact that there is a damning report and one failed prosecution implies that the Durham team believes that the levels of judicial corruption in DC will prevent justice.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/16/2023 4:10 Comments ||
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#8
There will most likely be a new president and congress after the 2024 election. That will be the time to finish this dance. Not now when any further investigation will just let people walk while buying evidence.
When he takes office Trump should announce trying to remove a sitting President is treason and there is no statute of limitations on treason. Then put John Brennan in charge. Brennan doesn't like Trump but he loves the country and he'd tear his way through the traitors.
The House of Representatives has the power to delay any further funding for the FBI at least until the next election. They can delay funding for everything at least until the next election. This is a tremendous power and now is the time for them to use it. If they don't, they might as well all resign because nothing else they can ever do will make any difference.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/16/2023 12:21 Comments ||
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#10
Brennan loves his country? Not in evidence.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2023 12:24 Comments ||
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#11
How much better off the country would be in many respects if Hillary Clinton had never been born.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/16/2023 12:35 Comments ||
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#12
My point being we were suckered into believing it would actually hold anyone individually accountable by recommending any form of punishment for crimes against the rule of law and the will of the people.
It doesn't
To his credit has has excoriated them convincingly, but then seems to say, it's all better now?
#14
"Durham writes a 316-page report, meticulously detailing the false construct of the Trump-Russia narrative. Yet for some reason, the Mueller/Weissmann investigation, an entire special counsel investigation that was predicated and justified by that false Trump-Russia narrative, never found the same evidence?
Durham never looked at it. Why? Because he knew Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissmann were installed to cover up the original fabrications by the CIA, FBI, DOJ and U.S. intelligence apparatus. Mueller’s probe existed in material fact to hide the Obama weaponization to target Donald Trump. Durham knew this; that’s why he never touched it."
"We really need to stop pretending and start asking the obvious questions. If Durham can destroy the predicate of the Trump-Russia nonsense, then what the hell were Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissmann doing for two years?"
Rep. Jim Jordan secured the in-person testimony of former FBI officials Garret O'Boyle, Steve Friend and Marcus Allen - all who have been suspended for vocalizing concerns
The witnesses will detail on Thursday how they have been 'retaliated' against by the FBI for speaking out
The officials say the FBI has inflated statistics on 'domestic violent extremism' to fit the Biden administration's political narratives
[FoxNews] Emails reveal that dark money network founder 'plays an intimate role in shaping this administration’s agenda,' watchdog director tells Fox News Digital
The Biden administration coordinated with Eric Kessler, the founder and principal of the Arabella Advisors consulting firm, which oversees a behemoth liberal dark money network, on key agriculture policy issues, according to emails obtained by Fox News Digital.
The internal Department of Agriculture (USDA) communications — obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT) and shared with Fox News Digital — show that Kessler was involved in initiatives to "transform" the U.S. food system and to crack down on the meat industry for high prices. Kessler was the only individual on the email chains who wasn't affiliated with the USDA.
"These emails reveal that Eric Kessler has direct access to Biden cabinet officials and plays an intimate role in shaping this administration’s agenda," APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital.
"As the architect and operator of the largest dark money network in U.S. politics, Kessler’s cozy relationship with Secretary Vilsack raises questions about the level of influence his foreign-funded Arabella network has on the Biden administration and its policies," she continued.
On July 15, 2021, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emailed Kessler, Marty Matlock, a USDA senior advisor for food systems resiliency, and Matthew McKenna, a former senior advisor to Vilsack, expressing his excitement about a food processing initiative that he noted the three were helping to "direct and lead."
"Gentlemen- woke up very early this morning thinking about the processing project you are helping to direct and lead," Vilsack wrote in the email. "I can tell you from the response I have received to date there is excitement over the possibility of this helping to create a more dynamic and competitive market."
Copied on the email were Vilsack's chief of staff Katharine Ferguson and Mae Wu, the USDA's deputy under secretary of marketing and regulatory programs.
The remainder of the July 2021 email was redacted because it contained information that was "pre-decisional" and deliberative, meaning it was related to a policy not yet in effect.
"I believe the pipeline will fill quickly," Kessler responded 20 minutes later. "This is striking a real chord and filling a huge need. The feedback I've heard has been 100% positive around the initiative and the Department's leadership."
Then, shortly after Kessler's response, Matlock indicated that he and McKenna had included the Arabella Advisors founder in conversations about the project.
"Matt, Eric and I have been in nearly daily conversation about elements and strategies," Matlock wrote. "In short we are on the job, moving the many elements necessary, and building program strategies for implementation."
Months later, in September 2021, Vilsack emailed Kessler and McKenna in an email that USDA completely redacted. However, Kessler responded, thanking Vilsack for the "kind invitation" and adding that he was "looking forward to it."
The USDA, though, said the emails and close coordination between Kessler, Vilsack and other top agency officials was an example of its broad stakeholder engagement efforts.
"There is significant private and philanthropic sector interest in leveraging the Department of Agriculture’s investments in food, agriculture and rural prosperity, such as the $1 billion USDA is investing to expand meat and poultry processing capacity to provide more options for farmers," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"External partners are critical in USDA’s effort to maximize our investment in a way that creates new markets and increases income opportunities for producers," the statement added.
Kessler's Arabella Advisors, which is based in Washington, D.C., is a consulting firm that manages at least five nonprofit organizations — Sixteen Thirty Fund, New Venture Fund, Hopewell Fund, Windward Fund and North Fund — that, in turn, host and funnel money to dozens of shadowy left-wing groups. In 2021, the latest year with available data, the network hauled in more than $1.5 billion in anonymous donations.
The funds are involved in a series of social and progressive campaigns around the world. They have also focused particularly on climate change initiatives.
And funds in the network have also given millions of dollars to agriculture-related programs.
"Arabella’s Good Food team works alongside funders, investors, and others who are passionate about transforming our food systems," the firm's website states. "Together, we’re creating a world where delicious, nutritious, sustainably produced food is accessible to all."
Kessler and Arabella Advisors didn't respond to a request for comment.
#1
In a side note, artificial meats are more harmful to the environment than, cows, chickens, hogs, or sheep
Also, they contain an encyclopedia of chemicals and preservatives
Not to mention the vast harm this chemical stew has on the human body
So explain to me why vegans don’t want to eat meats but want plant base frankenfood that looks and tastes like meats
You don’t suppose there is a PETA component to this?
After all everything else these idiots do is tied to some more or less obscure special interest group
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.