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Saturday, February 08, 2020
Government Food Service Provider Pleads Guilty To Payroll Tax Fraud
Did Not Pay More Than $10 Million in Taxes
A Potomac, Maryland-based operator of companies providing food-services in government buildings pleaded guilty today to failing to account for and pay over more than $10 million in employment and sales tax, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.
According to documents and information provided to the Court, Steve Choi was the founder, president, and operator of nine companies that provided food services within government buildings located in the DC area. As president and operator of the companies, Choi was responsible for withholding, accounting for, and paying over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employment taxes. Notwithstanding these obligations, and civil collection efforts by the IRS, Choi failed to pay the companies’ employment taxes. Even after Choi acknowledged in a 2011 interview with IRS personnel that he had the authority and responsibility to pay employment taxes, from 2012 through 2015, Choi did not pay over $4.4 million in employment taxes. During the same period, Choi also did not pay more than $6.2 million in sales taxes to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue on behalf of his food services companies. Rather than pay the sales and employment taxes, from 2011 through 2015, Choi directed his companies to pay millions of dollars in other expenditures, including over $1 million in personal salary, personal donations, and cash advances.
“Prosecuting employment tax fraud remains a priority for both the Tax Division and the Internal Revenue Service,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman. “As today’s guilty plea reflects, we will aggressively pursue those who do not comply with their employment tax obligations.”
“Choi chose to personally enrich himself rather than abide by the law and pay over employment taxes he already withheld,” said IRS-CI SAC Kelly R. Jackson. “The tax law is clear – every employer is responsible for withholding and paying over employment taxes from the salaries of their employees.”
U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 2, 2020. At sentencing, Choi faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties. In his plea agreement, Choi has agreed to pay restitution of $6,490,515 to the Office of Tax and Revenue and of $4,903,820 to the United States.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Shea thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and Office of Tax and Revenue who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Jack Morgan and Eric Schmale of the Tax Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.
Trashing America as racist won’t help Democrats beat Trump
The Democrats are lucky the February debate in New Hampshire took place on a Friday night, when relatively few were watching — because if they wanted to deliver the message to the working-class white people who delivered the upper Midwest and the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016 that they should stick with him rather than voting blue in November, they did a brilliant job of it.
Tom Steyer, the billionaire who’s trying to buy a win Bloomberg-style in the South Carolina Democratic primary, issued a stark warning at the beginning of the Democratic debate Friday night in New Hampshire: Trump has the economic numbers that can help him get reelected, and Democrats are going to need to have a strong message to overwhelm it.
About an hour into the debate, they found their message: America, Bernie Sanders said, is “a racist society from top to bottom.”
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Tom Steyer, the billionaire who’s trying to buy a win Bloomberg-style in the South Carolina Democratic primary, issued a stark warning at the beginning of the Democratic debate Friday night in New Hampshire: Trump has the economic numbers that can help him get reelected, and Democrats are going to need to have a strong message to overwhelm it.
About an hour into the debate, they found their message: America, Bernie Sanders said, is “a racist society from top to bottom.”
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Wow: AOC and Her Boyfriend Give White People Tips for Not Being Racist
Progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez loves to do strange Instagram live videos. Although they aren't quite up there with Beto O'Rourke's, sometimes they leave you wondering why she would think to talk about a specific topic or say some of the things she does.
The representative from New York decided to do an Instagram live video with her boyfriend, Riley. In the video the two decided to talk about racism and even offer white people tips to combat it.
"So, Riley, what has been helpful to you in combating racism?" Ocasio-Cortez asked her other half.
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The representative from New York decided to do an Instagram live video with her boyfriend, Riley. In the video the two decided to talk about racism and even offer white people tips to combat it.
"So, Riley, what has been helpful to you in combating racism?" Ocasio-Cortez asked her other half.
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Joe Biden Doubles Down in NH: Sue Firearm Companies for Criminal Gun Use
Joe Biden used his gun control time at the New Hampshire Democrat debate to call for Americans to be able to sue firearm makers over gun crime.
Biden segued into these comments by criticizing Bernie Sanders for supporting the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a law that prohibits frivolous lawsuits against manufacturers of firearms, which are legally made and sold.
Biden said Sanders’ support for that law was a “mistake” that gave “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.”
He added, “The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that, and it’s going to hard.”
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Biden segued into these comments by criticizing Bernie Sanders for supporting the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a law that prohibits frivolous lawsuits against manufacturers of firearms, which are legally made and sold.
Biden said Sanders’ support for that law was a “mistake” that gave “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.”
He added, “The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that, and it’s going to hard.”
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'He is not a racist': Ben Carson says Trump driven by 'kindness and compassion'
Housing Secretary Ben Carson defended President Trump against charges he is a racist, saying that the president fought for the rights of minorities in clubs near his home.
"You know, people say he's a racist, he is not a racist," Carson said. "When he bought Mar-a-Lago, he was the one who fought for Jews and blacks to be included in the clubs that were trying to exclude them."
Speaking at a Charlotte, North Carolina, community college event, Carson suggested Trump gets along with minorities who work for him. "You know, talking to the people who drive the cars and park the cars at Mar-a-Lago, they love him — the people who wash the dishes, because he's kind and compassionate," Carson said.
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"You know, people say he's a racist, he is not a racist," Carson said. "When he bought Mar-a-Lago, he was the one who fought for Jews and blacks to be included in the clubs that were trying to exclude them."
Speaking at a Charlotte, North Carolina, community college event, Carson suggested Trump gets along with minorities who work for him. "You know, talking to the people who drive the cars and park the cars at Mar-a-Lago, they love him — the people who wash the dishes, because he's kind and compassionate," Carson said.
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Structure Fire At Salisbury Middle School
Update: Appears to be a fire in the HVAC unit that triggered the alarm and sent smoke into the school.
Robert Conrad, Star of Television Series The Wild Wild West, Dies at 84
Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 1, 1935, Conrad worked as a milkman while pursuing a career as a local nightclub singer before moving to Los Angeles in 1958 and booking his first big recurring role on Hawaiian Eye in 1959.
After Hawaiian Eye, the actor went on to star as Secret Service agent James T. West in The Wild Wild West, which ran from 1965 to 1969. The show followed the characters of West and Artemus Gordon as the country’s first Secret Service agents exploring the west during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.
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Virginia eliminates holiday celebrating two Confederate generals
The Virginia House passed a bill that would eliminate a holiday celebrating two Confederate leaders and instead make Election Day a state holiday. Lee-Jackson Day honored Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and was celebrated the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Now, Virginia will no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day as a state holiday, but they won't be one holiday short. Election day, which takes place nationwide on the first Tuesday in November, will become a state holiday, WTVR reports.
The bill SB 601 was first introduced by State Senator Louise Lucas and passed in the Senate in January, with a vote of 22 to 18.
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Now, Virginia will no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day as a state holiday, but they won't be one holiday short. Election day, which takes place nationwide on the first Tuesday in November, will become a state holiday, WTVR reports.
The bill SB 601 was first introduced by State Senator Louise Lucas and passed in the Senate in January, with a vote of 22 to 18.
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The U.S. Cities Mired In The Most Debt
Truth in Accounting has released its 2020 Financial State of Cities report, highlighting the fiscal health of America's 75 most populous cities. Statista's Niall McCarthy notes that the study found that this year, 63 cities do not have enough money to pay their bills and total municipal debt now stands at $323 billion.
It ranked the cities according to their taxpayer burden or surplus which is the amount each taxpayer would have to pay to clear municipal debt with nothing, such as benefits and services, in exchange.
New York has $62.7 billion available to pay $249.4 billion worth of bills which breaks down to a burden of $63,100 per taxpayer.
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Taliban claims 'five or six' US soldiers and six Afghan troops were killed in firefight in eastern Afghanistan
American and Afghan military personnel were fired on while conducting an operation in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the US military said Saturday, as unverified claims by the Taliban indicate at least five dead US soldiers.
There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released.
US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and US personnel were 'engaged by direct firing.'
'We are assessing the situation,' Leggett said, without saying whether there were any casualties.
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There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released.
US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and US personnel were 'engaged by direct firing.'
'We are assessing the situation,' Leggett said, without saying whether there were any casualties.
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Why Impeachment Failed
It’s comforting, no doubt, to believe that Donald Trump has survived the impeachment trial because he possesses a tighter hold on his party than did Barack Obama or George W. Bush or any other contemporary president. In truth, Trump, often because of his own actions, has engendered less loyalty than the average president.
It’s difficult to recall, after all, a single Democratic senator throwing anything but hosannas Obama’s way, which allowed the former president to ride his high horse from one scandalous attack on the Constitution to the next.
In 1998, no Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton, who had engaged in wrongdoing for wholly self-serving reasons, despite the GOP’s case being far more methodical and incriminating.
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It’s difficult to recall, after all, a single Democratic senator throwing anything but hosannas Obama’s way, which allowed the former president to ride his high horse from one scandalous attack on the Constitution to the next.
In 1998, no Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton, who had engaged in wrongdoing for wholly self-serving reasons, despite the GOP’s case being far more methodical and incriminating.
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Florida man, 28, is arrested for the 66th time on drugs and firearms charges after being on the run for months - as cops blast light sentences which saw him back on the street
A Florida man was arrested for the 66th time on Wednesday after he was on the run from authorities for eight months.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took Kizer Pontoon, 28, into custody for resisting an officer, attempting to flee the scene with sirens activated and a moving traffic violation.
Authorities featured Pontoon as part of their 'Fugitive Friday' series, noting that he has been spotlighted four times and has more than five dozen local arrests.
'[Pontoon] was most recently featured in October 2019 for failure to appear, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, high speed vehicle pursuit while fleeing to elude, and driving while license suspended,' they wrote.
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The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took Kizer Pontoon, 28, into custody for resisting an officer, attempting to flee the scene with sirens activated and a moving traffic violation.
Authorities featured Pontoon as part of their 'Fugitive Friday' series, noting that he has been spotlighted four times and has more than five dozen local arrests.
'[Pontoon] was most recently featured in October 2019 for failure to appear, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, high speed vehicle pursuit while fleeing to elude, and driving while license suspended,' they wrote.
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Is coronavirus ten times WORSE than feared? Leading scientist warns that only 10 per cent of cases are being identified by tests as virus spreads across the globe
The number of coronavirus cases across the world could be ten times higher than official figures show, a leading British scientist warned yesterday.
Amid rising concern over the spread of the virus, experts said the vast majority of cases were likely to have been missed.
The death toll in mainland China – the epicentre of the outbreak – has now reached 722, with 86 people dying on Friday alone and there being more than 34,400 patients infected. There have been a further 320 cases in 27 other countries, including three in Britain, and one death reported from the Philippines.
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Amid rising concern over the spread of the virus, experts said the vast majority of cases were likely to have been missed.
The death toll in mainland China – the epicentre of the outbreak – has now reached 722, with 86 people dying on Friday alone and there being more than 34,400 patients infected. There have been a further 320 cases in 27 other countries, including three in Britain, and one death reported from the Philippines.
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GOP candidate Kimberly Klacik believes pro-Trump agenda can flip Elijah Cummings's district red
Republican strategist Kimberly Klacik said after winning the primary election to run for the late congressman Elijah Cummings’s old seat in Baltimore that she won because of her “grassroots efforts," and she added that some of President Trump’s policies will help her historically blue district.
“What I try to remind people is if you take a look at President Trump — take a look at prison reform, First Step Act, he’s actually just rewinding and fixing what was broken with that crime bill that led to so much mass incarceration that you really see in the greater Baltimore area,” Klacik said on Fox News.
“For the past year or so, I’ve been going around in communities and talking to people. I believe I won the primary off of those grassroots efforts,” she added.
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“What I try to remind people is if you take a look at President Trump — take a look at prison reform, First Step Act, he’s actually just rewinding and fixing what was broken with that crime bill that led to so much mass incarceration that you really see in the greater Baltimore area,” Klacik said on Fox News.
“For the past year or so, I’ve been going around in communities and talking to people. I believe I won the primary off of those grassroots efforts,” she added.
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Buttigieg blames Trayvon death on 'white supremacy'
Hoping to fan racial flames in his direction before the South Carolina primary, Pete Buttigieg tweeted out his support for Trayvon Martin on the occasion of what would have been Martin's 25th birthday, February 5.
"Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today," Mayor Pete tweeted. "How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?" Buttigieg threw in a Black Lives Matter hashtag just to make sure black voters knew he was down for the struggle.
This tweet would have been unfortunate six months ago. Today, it is unforgivable. In December, attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch, filed suit on behalf of George Zimmerman in the Circuit Court of Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit. The story made national news
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"Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today," Mayor Pete tweeted. "How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?" Buttigieg threw in a Black Lives Matter hashtag just to make sure black voters knew he was down for the struggle.
This tweet would have been unfortunate six months ago. Today, it is unforgivable. In December, attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch, filed suit on behalf of George Zimmerman in the Circuit Court of Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit. The story made national news
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House Democrats pass bill allowing illegal immigrants to seek damages from employers
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday that would make illegal immigrants eligible for damages from their employer if their labor rights are violated.
The bill, passed almost entirely by Democrats, aims to expand labor protections, boost unions, and end worker misclassification. The bill also effectively abolishes state right-to-work laws.
“The penalties for violating the [National Labor Relations Act] are weaker than those for violating other labor and employment laws, and workers lack a private right of action to pursue relief on their own,” a Committee on Education and Labor fact sheet said. “Workers are frequently misclassified as independent contractors or supervisors, and thus excluded from the protections afforded to employees covered by the NLRA.”
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The bill, passed almost entirely by Democrats, aims to expand labor protections, boost unions, and end worker misclassification. The bill also effectively abolishes state right-to-work laws.
“The penalties for violating the [National Labor Relations Act] are weaker than those for violating other labor and employment laws, and workers lack a private right of action to pursue relief on their own,” a Committee on Education and Labor fact sheet said. “Workers are frequently misclassified as independent contractors or supervisors, and thus excluded from the protections afforded to employees covered by the NLRA.”
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Tennessee lawmakers propose bill to charge parents with child abuse for allowing minors to undergo sex change
Two conservative Tennessee lawmakers have jointly introduced a bill that would have parents charged with child abuse if they allow their prepubescent kids to undergo sex change therapy.
Republican Rep John Ragan and state Senator Janice Bowling on Wednesday filed House Bill 2576, which defines 'sexual identity change therapy' as ‘a treatment that involves the use of hormone replacement, puberty blockers, or other medical intervention to change the sexual identity or physical appearance of a patient to a sexual identity or physical appearance that does not correspond to the anatomy and chromosomal makeup with which the patient was born.’
Under the proposed legislation, children who have not yet hit puberty would be prohibited from undergoing sex change therapy.
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Republican Rep John Ragan and state Senator Janice Bowling on Wednesday filed House Bill 2576, which defines 'sexual identity change therapy' as ‘a treatment that involves the use of hormone replacement, puberty blockers, or other medical intervention to change the sexual identity or physical appearance of a patient to a sexual identity or physical appearance that does not correspond to the anatomy and chromosomal makeup with which the patient was born.’
Under the proposed legislation, children who have not yet hit puberty would be prohibited from undergoing sex change therapy.
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FLASHBACK: Top Romney Advisor Served On Burisma’s Board With Hunter Biden
A top Mitt Romney adviser in 2011, Joseph Cofer Black, joined Burisma’s board of directors while Hunter Biden was serving on Burisma’s board.
As Erielle Davidson of The Federalist notes:
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As Erielle Davidson of The Federalist notes:
According to The New Yorker, Hunter joined Burisma’s board in April of 2014 and remained on it until he declined to renew his position this past May. Meanwhile, according to Burisma’s website, Black was appointed in February of 2017 and continues to serve on its board. The timelines would indicate that Black and Biden worked together at Burisma.Additionally, as Davidson points out, web archives from late 2017 picture Black and Biden as directors on Burisma’s board.
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California may stop school fitness tests over concerns about non-binary students and fears they lead to bullying and body-shaming
Fitness tests in California schools may be suspended for three years over fears of the negative effect the test has on non-binary students forced to identify as male or female.
The state's current fitness assessment measures a student's body mass index which requires every student to select whether they are 'male' or 'female'. A number of school districts have complained to the state that this practice is discriminatory against students who identify as non-binary.
Under current requirements, California students in grades five, seven and nine must take a fitness test that involves a one-mile run, curl-ups, push-ups and a measure of body mass index.
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The state's current fitness assessment measures a student's body mass index which requires every student to select whether they are 'male' or 'female'. A number of school districts have complained to the state that this practice is discriminatory against students who identify as non-binary.
Under current requirements, California students in grades five, seven and nine must take a fitness test that involves a one-mile run, curl-ups, push-ups and a measure of body mass index.
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US ambassador wasted $1B in Somalia and is now funding a coup
Somalia descended into state failure in 1991, and famine quickly followed as warlords fought over the remnants of the country’s infrastructure. Television photos of starving children motivated the George H.W. Bush administration to provide aid and assistance. However, rather than rescue Somalis, humanitarian intervention ended up encouraging both warlords and venal politicians to fight over the assistance or to use it to bolster patronage or deny food and assistance to their political rivals.
While the Clinton administration abandoned Somalia after the "Black Hawk Down" episode, the United States has reengaged Somalia over the past decade. John Kerry became the first secretary of state in decades to visit Mogadishu when, in 2015, he landed and held meetings at the international airport, which serves as Somalia’s “green zone.”
The international community has doubled down on a plan to rebuild a Somali government, creating a timeline to one-man, one-vote popular elections that are set to occur this year, the first time Somalia would have such elections in more than a half-century.
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While the Clinton administration abandoned Somalia after the "Black Hawk Down" episode, the United States has reengaged Somalia over the past decade. John Kerry became the first secretary of state in decades to visit Mogadishu when, in 2015, he landed and held meetings at the international airport, which serves as Somalia’s “green zone.”
The international community has doubled down on a plan to rebuild a Somali government, creating a timeline to one-man, one-vote popular elections that are set to occur this year, the first time Somalia would have such elections in more than a half-century.
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People Are Swallowing Glitter Pills To Make Their Crap Sparkle
The internet has been a wonderful invention in many ways, allowing us to learn about everything under the sun as well as connect to people around the world at any time. However, there are plenty of downsides too, one of which being some of the idiotic trends that seem to take hold. One such trend is swallowing glitter pills to make your crap sparkle. Why is this a thing?
1. A COMPANY CALLED S**T THE GLITTER IS BEHIND THE PILLS.
They sell exactly what you would imagine they sell: tiny pills filled with lots of glitter, from general multi-colored pills to holiday-themed colors and everything in between.
2. WITH A NAME LIKE THAT, IT’S CLEAR WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
While I’m assuming legal obligations force S**t The Glitter to insist that the point of the pills is to go to the toilet and then dump the glitter in so that you never ingest it, there would be a) no reason to do that and b) no reason to put the product in pill form if that was the case anyway. They’re meant to be swallowed and that’s what people are doing.
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Imagine how "sparkly" the streets of San Fransisco could be.
1. A COMPANY CALLED S**T THE GLITTER IS BEHIND THE PILLS.
They sell exactly what you would imagine they sell: tiny pills filled with lots of glitter, from general multi-colored pills to holiday-themed colors and everything in between.
2. WITH A NAME LIKE THAT, IT’S CLEAR WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
While I’m assuming legal obligations force S**t The Glitter to insist that the point of the pills is to go to the toilet and then dump the glitter in so that you never ingest it, there would be a) no reason to do that and b) no reason to put the product in pill form if that was the case anyway. They’re meant to be swallowed and that’s what people are doing.
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Imagine how "sparkly" the streets of San Fransisco could be.
San Francisco opens 24-hour ‘sobering’ tents to help meth-addicted residents
The city of San Francisco approved a plan to open a “sobering center” for methamphetamine-addicted residents to safely come down from their drug-induced psychosis.
Mayor London Breed announced on Thursday that the California city would be putting up tents with 15 beds to house addicted residents in one of San Francisco’s neediest neighborhoods, Tenderloin. The facility will be open 24 hours a day and will offer resources for those who use the center to continue receiving treatment.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the city has been plagued with meth addicts acting erratically while struggling through the psychosis that comes with the high. Addicts have stripped naked in public, threatened strangers, and otherwise made residents feel unsafe. Psychiatric hospitals in the city have been overwhelmed with patients seeking help. In 2017, nearly half of all psychiatric patients at San Francisco General Hospital were meth addicts.
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Mayor London Breed announced on Thursday that the California city would be putting up tents with 15 beds to house addicted residents in one of San Francisco’s neediest neighborhoods, Tenderloin. The facility will be open 24 hours a day and will offer resources for those who use the center to continue receiving treatment.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the city has been plagued with meth addicts acting erratically while struggling through the psychosis that comes with the high. Addicts have stripped naked in public, threatened strangers, and otherwise made residents feel unsafe. Psychiatric hospitals in the city have been overwhelmed with patients seeking help. In 2017, nearly half of all psychiatric patients at San Francisco General Hospital were meth addicts.
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Ilhan Omar blames Americans for catastrophic flooding in other countries
Rep. Ilhan Omar suggested Friday that the United States is to blame for catastrophic floods in other countries around the world.
"When you see flooding happening in a country abroad and you are urgently raising money for these lives to be saved, you don't think about, ‘How have I contributed to the climate warming that has led to these floodings and these catastrophes that are taking place abroad?'" Omar said at a Democracy Now! and Rising Majority event.
Earlier this month, Omar expressed a similar concern when she warned that climate change inaction will lead to the elimination of human existence.
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"When you see flooding happening in a country abroad and you are urgently raising money for these lives to be saved, you don't think about, ‘How have I contributed to the climate warming that has led to these floodings and these catastrophes that are taking place abroad?'" Omar said at a Democracy Now! and Rising Majority event.
Earlier this month, Omar expressed a similar concern when she warned that climate change inaction will lead to the elimination of human existence.
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Democrats aren't done impeaching Trump
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy isn’t naive enough to believe that Democrats are done with President Trump just because their first impeachment was a bust.
But on Friday, McCarthy sent out an email to supporters declaring Trump “acquitted for life.” This was an obvious rejoinder to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "impeached for life" line, but in reality, it isn’t a thing that actually exists.
Of course Democrats are going to try removing Trump from office again — especially now that he’s looking more and more likely to win reelection.
House Democrats at this very moment are continuing their search for Trump’s tax returns and his private business records dating back years before he even ran for president.
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But on Friday, McCarthy sent out an email to supporters declaring Trump “acquitted for life.” This was an obvious rejoinder to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "impeached for life" line, but in reality, it isn’t a thing that actually exists.
Of course Democrats are going to try removing Trump from office again — especially now that he’s looking more and more likely to win reelection.
House Democrats at this very moment are continuing their search for Trump’s tax returns and his private business records dating back years before he even ran for president.
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Devin Nunes Says Trump’s Most Important Accomplishment Is Outing Hostile Media
On Fox News with Host Laura Ingraham, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said the most important thing President Donald Trump has done for Americans is exposing the bias of the mainstream media.
“The most important thing the President has done, of all the things he’s done are very important, but he’s finally outed the media. The media in this town has been corrupt, and it took somebody like Trump to finally bring them out of their shell where now they’ll just openly go out,” Nunes said.
Nunes continued to highlight the poor behavior and decisions journalists in Washington DC are making. He alleged they send revealing tweets late at night under the influence of alcohol.
“They’ll tweet about it late at night, they get drunk, send drunk tweets out. And they’re vicious to him and Republicans,” Nunes said.
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“The most important thing the President has done, of all the things he’s done are very important, but he’s finally outed the media. The media in this town has been corrupt, and it took somebody like Trump to finally bring them out of their shell where now they’ll just openly go out,” Nunes said.
Nunes continued to highlight the poor behavior and decisions journalists in Washington DC are making. He alleged they send revealing tweets late at night under the influence of alcohol.
“They’ll tweet about it late at night, they get drunk, send drunk tweets out. And they’re vicious to him and Republicans,” Nunes said.
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Nadler Pushes Return to Kavanaugh Investigation as Impeachment Ends in Complete Failure
House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jerrold Nadler reminds me of my uncle. He would always brag to us how he would get off of jury duty: At some point when lawyers would question prospective jurors, he would slip in that he thought whoever the police dragged in was pretty much guilty. He swore to us there wasn’t a time he wasn’t home before lunch.
Nothing like that of kind patriotic, selfless service.
Anyhow, Nadler was a little bit like this. Even before Donald Trump was inaugurated, he said the new president was “not legitimate.”
He was a saber-rattler for impeachment long before Ukraine.
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Nothing like that of kind patriotic, selfless service.
Anyhow, Nadler was a little bit like this. Even before Donald Trump was inaugurated, he said the new president was “not legitimate.”
He was a saber-rattler for impeachment long before Ukraine.
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Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar held hands at State of the Union through 'moments of triggering'
Rep. Rashida Tlaib said she and Rep. Ilhan Omar had to hold hands at points during President Trump's State of the Union address to comfort each other.
"It think was a huge struggle for me because I don't think people realize its worse in — when you're actually there," the Michigan Democrat said at an event with Rep. Ilhan Omar about listening to the address.
"No, it really is, it actually — there was moments of triggering, and I kept holding your hand," Tlaib said, looking at Omar. "And we intentionally sat next to each other to support each other."
Tlaib, 43, said earlier this week that she walked out of the speech because it was full of "bigotry." The freshman congresswoman pointed to Trump mentioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as the moment she could not take it anymore.
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"It think was a huge struggle for me because I don't think people realize its worse in — when you're actually there," the Michigan Democrat said at an event with Rep. Ilhan Omar about listening to the address.
"No, it really is, it actually — there was moments of triggering, and I kept holding your hand," Tlaib said, looking at Omar. "And we intentionally sat next to each other to support each other."
Tlaib, 43, said earlier this week that she walked out of the speech because it was full of "bigotry." The freshman congresswoman pointed to Trump mentioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as the moment she could not take it anymore.
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‘I’m back’: James Woods trashes AOC and Clintons in return to Twitter
Actor James Woods returned to Twitter late Thursday, and very few prominent Democrats were left unscathed.
Woods, 72, had quit using his popular Twitter account in April after having his account punished several times for breaking the platform’s user rules. The actor claimed that Twitter was unfairly censoring his account because of his conservative views.
In his first tweet back, the Hollywood conservative ripped New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her controversial remarks about people in the United States being able to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Woods wrote, “I’ve tried so hard this past year to live without the wealth of knowledge available on Twitter, but this kind of blazing insight can be found nowhere else, so... I’m back! #AOCStillAMoron.”
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Woods, 72, had quit using his popular Twitter account in April after having his account punished several times for breaking the platform’s user rules. The actor claimed that Twitter was unfairly censoring his account because of his conservative views.
In his first tweet back, the Hollywood conservative ripped New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her controversial remarks about people in the United States being able to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Woods wrote, “I’ve tried so hard this past year to live without the wealth of knowledge available on Twitter, but this kind of blazing insight can be found nowhere else, so... I’m back! #AOCStillAMoron.”
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Major Wallops Launch Set For Sunday
OCEAN CITY — Local residents and visitors on Sunday evening could have a front row seat for what should be quite a spectacle with a major rocket launch from NASA’s nearby Wallops Island Flight Facility scheduled.
NASA and its private-sector partner Northrup Grumman is expected to launch the Antares rocket on Sunday morning in at roughly 5:39 p.m. The Antares rocket will be carrying the Cygnus spacecraft, which will be delivering roughly 8,000 pounds of cargo including supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
The Antares measures about 131 feet tall, or roughly the equivalent of a 13-story building, and it’s the largest rocket launched from the Wallops Island Flight Facility. Depending on a variety of factors including the weather, the launch is expected to be visible across much of the eastern U.S. from South Carolina to Massachusetts and as far west as Ohio.
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NASA and its private-sector partner Northrup Grumman is expected to launch the Antares rocket on Sunday morning in at roughly 5:39 p.m. The Antares rocket will be carrying the Cygnus spacecraft, which will be delivering roughly 8,000 pounds of cargo including supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.
The Antares measures about 131 feet tall, or roughly the equivalent of a 13-story building, and it’s the largest rocket launched from the Wallops Island Flight Facility. Depending on a variety of factors including the weather, the launch is expected to be visible across much of the eastern U.S. from South Carolina to Massachusetts and as far west as Ohio.
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The last volunteer
Active Hose 4 member says he can’t respond to calls in city
Submitted Photo Captain John Skelly of Murray Hose Four dressed in his fire gear. Skelly has been recommended to join a Dunkirk town fire department because he is the last volunteer in his department.
John Skelly, the only remaining active volunteer firefighter left in the city of Dunkirk is the current captain of Murray Hose 4 and claims that he feels that volunteer firefighters are being “pushed out” citywide.
“My father, my grandfather, all of my uncles were volunteer firemen and I think I should be allowed to stay on as a member here,” Skelly told the OBSERVER in an interview. “I love the city of Dunkirk and should have a right to stay in the city.”
Skelly is claiming that he has been told by the city fire department that he can’t respond to calls anymore and has also been told that perhaps he should move on to one of the town fire departments.
“I’m disappointed,” Skelly said. “Some of the firefighters are happy because I’m there and they tell me ‘if you hadn’t been here, we’d be behind.’ All of those guys started out as volunteers before they became paid.”
Skelly shared that he has a list of other younger men that want to become volunteers as well, but that every time they approach the city department, they’re allegedly told to look at east or west town of Dunkirk instead. He also added that he can’t get his mandatory training done as he’s only one guy and they won’t do a class for a single individual.
“I never said he can’t respond,” Dunkirk Fire Chief Mike Edwards told the OBSERVER. “Right now, Murray Hose is the only active volunteer group left in the city. All of the others dissolved due to lack of membership.”
Edwards went on to say that he has the utmost respect for Skelly’s service to the area. “I come from volunteers and it has been a 25 year struggle to save the volunteer organization in the city,” Edwards shared. “He has been an active volunteer member for several years and continues to respond to alarms.”
When asked of the status of volunteers in the area Edwards had this to say: “When I came on as chief, I tried to reorganize a broken system, but no matter what I tried to drive interest, it just failed. It’s hard to have a volunteer side with one member. The status of the volunteer companies in the city has been in steady decline. Over time, four of the five volunteer fire companies have become inactive. Three companies have disbanded with only one remaining active and that being primarily as a social organization. The primary reason for the decline of the volunteer companies was the lack of members. This is not just a local problem as many of the volunteer fire organizations throughout our nation, state and county are struggling to maintain as organizations and the ability to have enough members to answers calls.”
Edwards went on to share that there have been many efforts in the city to bolster the ranks of the volunteers including an explorer post, community recruitment drives and school programs aimed at attracting students. He even stated that there was once an attempt to consolidate the five volunteer companies into one single Dunkirk volunteer fire company to better organize the volunteer ranks; according to him this attempt was rejected at the time by a majority of the fire companies.
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Skelly is caught in the situation of being the last member in a fire company that is no longer active in firefighting,” Edwards added. “It makes it nearly impossible to maintain the training standards required to respond as a first responder. Every once in a very great while, I’ll get a request to join from a potential volunteer and in those situations I share the state of the volunteers in the city with them and give them options. I’ll tell them to either join Murray Hose or one of the town of Dunkirk groups,” Edwards explained. “I also make them aware that they have to have their minimum training standards up to date and can do so by connecting with the Office of Fire Protection and Control.”
Chief Edwards wants to assure the public however that the department has adapted to the lack of volunteer members and has and will continue to respond to emergencies in the community in an efficient and professional manner.
What Today’s Insanely Left Democratic Party Is Doing With Virginia Will Scare You
For the first time in 26 years, Virginians voted a Democrat majority into both the state’s House and Senate. Four weeks into the General Assembly, the new majority is voting in laws restricting parents’ rights, removing religious protections, and disturbing rights traditional to Virginians.
“The aggressive onslaught of hostile legislation is new this year,” said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia. “Virginia has never even had a public policy discussion about forcing sexual orientation gender identity ideology on the private sector until Democrats gained power in November. In the case of abortion, we fought narrow repeals of abortion law in the past, but it wasn’t until this year that anyone seriously entertained a constitutional amendment addressing the right to abortion.”
With Gov. Ralph Northam’s backing, Virginia passed the so-called Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would repeal multiple protections for women and the unborn, remove restrictions on abortions, and dismantle sensible sex separation in bathrooms, locker rooms, jails, and hospitals. It would also allow minors to abort without parental consent, would remove the ultrasound requirement before an abortion, and would make abortion access a legal right through an amendment to the Virginia Constitution.
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“The aggressive onslaught of hostile legislation is new this year,” said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia. “Virginia has never even had a public policy discussion about forcing sexual orientation gender identity ideology on the private sector until Democrats gained power in November. In the case of abortion, we fought narrow repeals of abortion law in the past, but it wasn’t until this year that anyone seriously entertained a constitutional amendment addressing the right to abortion.”
With Gov. Ralph Northam’s backing, Virginia passed the so-called Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would repeal multiple protections for women and the unborn, remove restrictions on abortions, and dismantle sensible sex separation in bathrooms, locker rooms, jails, and hospitals. It would also allow minors to abort without parental consent, would remove the ultrasound requirement before an abortion, and would make abortion access a legal right through an amendment to the Virginia Constitution.
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Seventy-five percent of illegal immigrants skip deportation hearings, hiding out in US
More than 7 out of 10 illegal immigrant families ordered to be deported have skipped their court dates and remain in the United States, according to federal statistics.
In just 10 courts, some 36,115 illegal immigrant families ordered out from September 2018 to January 2020 never complied with a requirement to attend their hearings and instead are hiding out in the country, according to a Justice Department report from the Executive Office for Immigration Review Adjudication Statistics.
The report, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, found that during the period, 47,925 families were denied asylum and ordered deported, but 75% didn’t attend their court hearings to get the order.
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In just 10 courts, some 36,115 illegal immigrant families ordered out from September 2018 to January 2020 never complied with a requirement to attend their hearings and instead are hiding out in the country, according to a Justice Department report from the Executive Office for Immigration Review Adjudication Statistics.
The report, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, found that during the period, 47,925 families were denied asylum and ordered deported, but 75% didn’t attend their court hearings to get the order.
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Congressman Introduces Resolution to Remove Nancy Pelosi From The House
Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA) has introduced a concise resolution that calls for removing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from the House of Representatives.
“Resolved, That pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, Representative Nancy Pelosi, be, and she hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives and the Office of the Speaker is declared to be vacant,” the brief resolution declares.
The portion the Constitution that the resolution invokes states that, “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”
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“Resolved, That pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, Representative Nancy Pelosi, be, and she hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives and the Office of the Speaker is declared to be vacant,” the brief resolution declares.
The portion the Constitution that the resolution invokes states that, “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”
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Trump: Pelosi broke the law by ripping up State of Union speech
President Trump said Friday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “broke the law” when she ripped up a copy of his State of the Union address moments after he delivered the speech.
“I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech,” the president told reporters. “First of all, it’s an official document. You’re not allowed. It’s illegal what she did. She broke the law.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, has filed an ethics complaint against Mrs. Pelosi for her action, saying she “destroyed official records.”
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“I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech,” the president told reporters. “First of all, it’s an official document. You’re not allowed. It’s illegal what she did. She broke the law.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, has filed an ethics complaint against Mrs. Pelosi for her action, saying she “destroyed official records.”
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Senator Addie Eckardt, District 37 Weekly Wrap-Up February 7, 2020
Senator Addie Eckardt, District 37
Weekly Wrap-Up
February 7, 2020
Weekly Wrap-Up
February 7, 2020
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