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Thursday, April 25, 2024
FBI FinCEN MAGA
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Jack Montgomery
Lawfare

Feds Pulled Bank Info on Americans Who Bought Bibles or Had ‘Trump’ in Search History.

The House Judiciary Committee and House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government have uncovered evidence the federal government pressured at least 13 banks into handing over American conservatives’ information without a warrant. The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told financial institutions, including Bank of America, Chase, Citi Bank, and Wells Fargo, to sift customers’ transactions for so-called “extremism” indicators, such as searches including the term “Trump.”

Searches including the term “MAGA” were also included as an “extremism” indicator, along with purchases of the Bible. Following January 6, FinCEN suggested banks sift through transactions at hunting, fishing, and camping stores like Bass Pro Shops and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

At least 211 Americans had their personal information transferred to FinCEN and the FBI by Bank of America on January 17, 2021. The bank was asked for more details on “weapons-related transactions” among the group, leading to “criminal background queries” into four bank customers. Federal agents established multiple leads on additional persons after this, but they had to be pulled because there were no “allegations of federal criminal conduct.”

WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE. 

“This kind of warrantless financial surveillance raises serious concerns about the federal government’s respect for Americans’ privacy and fundamental civil liberties,” Jordan wrote Janet Yellen, Joe Biden’s Treasury Secretary.

“Given this coordination, the Committee and Select Subcommittee are concerned that the federal government, through the FBI and FinCEN, sent similar or identical [requests] to other financial institutions… to elicit the information and transaction history of individuals without any allegation of federal criminal conduct,” he said.

The authorities have stepped up their persecution of January 6 defendants ahead of the presidential elections in November, with up to 445 new cases coming before the courts — more than the total for 2022 and 2023.

Earlier this month, Rebecca Lavrenz, a 71-year-old great-grandmother who briefly prayed inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, was convicted. National Pulse editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam called the case “disgusting.”

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The House Judiciary Committee and House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government have uncovered evidence the federal government pressured at least 13 banks into handing over American conservatives' information without a warrant. The U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told financial institutions, including Bank of America, Chase, Citi Bank, and Wells Fargo, to sift customers' transactions for so-called "extremism" indicators, such as searches including the term "Trump." show more
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39 minutes ago
Politics

Biden’s EPA Rolls Out Regulations Aimed At Killing The American Coal Industry.

The Biden government on Thursday unveiled one of its most extreme environmental regulations yet, requiring coal-fired power plants to almost entirely eliminate their emissions or else face being shutdown. Under the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, these power plants must decrease their pollutants by an ambitious 90 percent by 2039 — one year earlier than the originally proposed 2040. Representatives from the coal power industry have called the emissions benchmarks set by the EPA unrealistic.

In addition to the new emissions standards, the EPA is imposing more stringent controls on mercury emissions — a neurotoxin associated with developmental harm to children — from specific plants that use lignite coal, an inferior grade of coal. Other regulations will require more rigorous management of toxic ash seepage from coal stations into the surrounding water table and promote stricter surveillance of coal plant wastewater discharge.

The EPA’s regulatory announcements could amount to the potential end of the coal industry in the United States. Environmental activists, however, hail the possibility as they contend that coal combustion is responsible for the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions globally.

These new regulations follow actions undertaken by the Biden government to severely restrict emissions from American cars and trucks. The new automobile emission standards aim in part to fast-track the adoption of electric vehicles among American consumers. Officials in the Biden government have reiterated their intent to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by roughly 50 percent by 2030 and achieve complete decarbonization of the power industry by 2035.

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The Biden government on Thursday unveiled one of its most extreme environmental regulations yet, requiring coal-fired power plants to almost entirely eliminate their emissions or else face being shutdown. Under the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, these power plants must decrease their pollutants by an ambitious 90 percent by 2039 — one year earlier than the originally proposed 2040. Representatives from the coal power industry have called the emissions benchmarks set by the EPA unrealistic. show more
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1 hour ago
Jack Montgomery
2A

DEI Judge Tells Gun Hobbyist ‘Second Amendment Doesn’t Exist in New York.’

Defense lawyer Vinoo Varghese has revealed that the New York judge overseeing the prosecution of hobbyist gunsmith Dexter Taylor told him he could not use the Second Amendment to defend his client, insisting it “doesn’t exist” in the Empire State.

“She told us, ‘Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom. It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York,'” said Varghese.

Judge Abena Darkeh, blasted as a “DEI hire” by online commentators, is also Vice President of the Association of Ghanaian Lawyers of America. She is alleged to have acted as “the most aggressive prosecutor in the room.” The Bill de Blasio appointee is accused of limiting the scope of Taylor’s defense and indirectly instructing jurors they “must vote guilty.”

Taylor, a black conservative who has discussed his hobby on YouTube under the pseudonym Carbon Mike, faces ten to 18 years in prison at sentencing on May 18. While prosecutors describe Taylor as having “acquired a massive arsenal of homemade ghost guns,” the 52-year-old insists he was merely machining legal parts together as a hobby. He says he is also a hobbyist carpenter, radio operator, and technician with a “squeaky-clean criminal record.”

Taylor’s defenders argue that, federally, manufacturing one’s own firearms is lawful, with the Gun Control Act of 1968 allowing unlicensed civilians to make firearms for personal use only. Taylor’s lawyers argue he did not even fire his guns, still less distribute or sell them.

E. Jean Carroll, the 80-year-old advice columnist who claims Donald Trump raped her in a busy department store in the 1990s, previously boasted about owning an unlicensed firearm. Police confiscated it earlier this month, but there is no evidence she was arrested or charged with a crime.

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Defense lawyer Vinoo Varghese has revealed that the New York judge overseeing the prosecution of hobbyist gunsmith Dexter Taylor told him he could not use the Second Amendment to defend his client, insisting it "doesn't exist" in the Empire State. show more
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2 hours ago
War
World

U.S. Demands Answers from Israel After Gaza ‘Mass Graves’ Discovery.

The U.S. is demanding “answers” from Israel following the discovery of mass graves near two hospitals in Gaza. Palestinian authorities discovered nearly 400 bodies in mass graves outside the Nasser and al-Shifa hospitals. The remains include those of women and the elderly. Some of the bodies were found naked with their hands tied behind their backs.

“Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands and stripped of their clothes,” said a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “This of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations.”

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called the reports “deeply disturbing.”

“We want answers,” Sullivan told reporters. “We want to see this thoroughly and transparently investigated.”

The Israeli army has denied responsibility, calling any suggestions to the contrary “baseless” and “unfounded.” It claims the graves were “dug by Gazans” months ago.

‘LOSING THE PR WAR.’

The discovery of the graves coincides with an impending Israeli assault against Rafah. The Israeli military has mobilized two reservist brigades, with footage suggesting preparations for refugee relocation in Khan Younis, near Rafah. Israel’s government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has indicated the impending initiation of a ground operation.

Despite warnings of an imminent humanitarian crisis, Israel plans on evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah. The Israeli Defence Ministry acquired 40,000 tents to accommodate Palestinians evacuated from Rafah in anticipation of assault.

Should allegations of Israeli responsibility for the mass graves prove true, it will be a significant blow to the Jewish State’s reputation and ability to continue its war against Hamas. The Israeli military response and civilian death toll in Gaza has increased global sympathy for the Palestinians. Politicians in countries that are key Israeli allies, including the U.S. and UK, have called to cease arms shipments to Israel. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that Israel is losing a vital PR war and must finish up its military action in Gaza quickly.

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The U.S. is demanding "answers" from Israel following the discovery of mass graves near two hospitals in Gaza. Palestinian authorities discovered nearly 400 bodies in mass graves outside the Nasser and al-Shifa hospitals. The remains include those of women and the elderly. Some of the bodies were found naked with their hands tied behind their backs. show more
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3 hours ago
William Upton
NatSec
TECH

What is ‘The Thunder Run’: How House Staff Flummoxed the CCP’s Army of Lobbyists on TikTok.

A small group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill were able to keep quiet — for over a year — a renewed effort to take on TikTok and secure the speedy adoption of legislation that will force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either divest from or sell the social media app in the next nine months. Republican aides dubbed the effort: “The Thunder Run.”

The plan to take on TikTok and its Chinese parent company was born out of efforts by former President Donald Trump to confront the national security threat posed by ByteDance. In the final months of the Trump administration, the former Republican President used executive action that gave ByteDance the choice to either divest or face a ban on the TikTok app in the U.S. Unfortunately, though, federal courts hamstrung the effort.

RENEWING TRUMP’S TIKTOK EFFORTS.

House Republicans renewed efforts to take on the Chinese-owned social media app just over a year ago. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA), the House Majority Leader, began approaching his Republican colleagues regarding a legislative measure requiring divestment or a resulting ban on TikTok. The group comprised about 15 House lawmakers, national security officials, and the deputy attorney general. Scalise and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) began crafting the divestment bill in secret, hoping not to tip off TikTok’s army of lobbyists and passionate user base to the effort.

After months of meetings, Scalise and McMorris Rodgers were ready to go public with their legislation. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) sponsored the bill and ushered it through McMorris-Rodgers’s House Energy and Commerce Committee. It sailed through, gaining 50 co-sponsors in the process.

TIKTOK’S LOBBYING BACKFIRES.

Now aware of the threat, TikTok launched a full-scale lobbying operation to defeat the bill. However, the Chinese-owned social media company made a fatal error when it also pushed its users to lobby Capitol Hill. The messages left for lawmakers by TikTok users, some of whom appeared to be legal minors, devolved into threats. Senator Thom Tillis received a phone call from one individual threatening: “I’ll find you and shoot you and cut you into pieces.”

“It transformed a lot of lean yeses into hell yeses at that point,” Rep. Krishnamoorthi said of the flood of threatening phone calls from TikTok users.

DIVEST OR FACE A BAN.

Despite the full court press by TikTok, the divestment bill was adopted by the full House of Representatives in mid-March. It stalled out in the Senate, however.

The delay in the Senate–over timing concerns raised by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) — gave TikTok time to recover. This prompted Speaker Mike Johnson to add a near-mirror version of the House-passed bill to a package of foreign aid funding supplemental. The only change to the legislation was an extension of the time ByteDance has to divest. Speaker Johnson’s foreign aid legislation, including the TikTok provision, passed by both the House and Senate and was signed into law by Joe Biden earlier this week.

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A small group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill were able to keep quiet — for over a year — a renewed effort to take on TikTok and secure the speedy adoption of legislation that will force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either divest from or sell the social media app in the next nine months. Republican aides dubbed the effort: "The Thunder Run." show more
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