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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Category: Politics
April 11, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Politics
UK
War

UK Foreign Sec David Cameron DENIED Meeting with Speaker Johnson to Push Ukraine Aid.

Lord David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister, did not meet Speaker Mike Johnson during a U.S. trip aimed at lobbying Congress to authorize more money for Ukraine.

The China-linked Briton, who recently returned to high office after his premiership was cut short by the Brexit referendum — which he lost — met with Donald Trump and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He did not meet with Speaker Johnson, however, despite the Republican being the key player in whether or not a Senate bill authorizing tens of billions in further Ukraine aid can move forward.

Speaking alongside Secretary Blinken, Lord Cameron asserted, “We know, if we provide Ukrainians the support they deserve, they can win this war.”

Ahead of his trip, Cameron argued Republicans should approve more funding for Ukraine to prove “that borders matter, that aggression doesn’t pay, and that countries like Ukraine are free to choose their own future.”

It was a controversial stance for the former Prime Minister, who, along with Barack Obama, was a driving force in the NATO-led intervention in Libya in 2011, which turned the country into a failed state and platform for illegal immigration to Europe.

He also opposed Britain taking full control of its borders during the Brexit referendum in 2016, preferring that the country remain party to the European Union’s quasi-open borders Free Movement migration regime.

Cameron alienated many America First Republicans in February when he wrote an op-ed comparing politicians who do not support open-ended financial support for Ukraine to Adolf Hitler’s appeasers.

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Lord David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister, did not meet Speaker Mike Johnson during a U.S. trip aimed at lobbying Congress to authorize more money for Ukraine. show more
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April 11, 2024
William Upton
News
Politics

Democrats Want to Exempt Black Americans From Taxes as ‘Reparations’ for Slavery.

A freshman House Democrat is suggesting that the federal government exempt Black Americans from taxes as reparations for the institution of chattel slavery, which existed in the country until the end of the American Civil War. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) floated the idea of a tax exemption during an appearance on The Black Lawyers Podcast last week.

Addressing the multiple ideas she’s reviewed regarding how to implement reparations, the Democrat Congresswoman said: “One of the things they propose is black folk not have to pay taxes for a certain amount of time because then again that puts money back in your pocket.” Almost immediately after endorsing the idea, however, Crockett started realizing potential problems with the tax exemption plan.

She noted that many Black Americans who are struggling to find work and those reliant on government assistance already pay little to no federal income taxes, meaning an exemption would do little to help them. “I think that we first need to do a study; we need to be very thoughtful,” Crockett concluded.

The Texas Democrat — who represents one of the state’s few deep-blue Congressional districts — criticized her colleagues who oppose the idea of slavery reparations. “To think that America doesn’t owe the descendants of slaves is an error,” she told the podcast hosts. She added that many of her fellow Members of Congress “aren’t even willing to do the studies, aren’t willing to invest to make sure we can roll this out the right way.”

Some estimates put the total price tag on paying out reparations to the descendants of American slaves at $14 trillion. The National Pulse reported in late March that the Boston Task Force on Reparations issued a demand that “white churches” pay “tens of millions of dollars” towards reparations for slavery.

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A freshman House Democrat is suggesting that the federal government exempt Black Americans from taxes as reparations for the institution of chattel slavery, which existed in the country until the end of the American Civil War. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) floated the idea of a tax exemption during an appearance on The Black Lawyers Podcast last week. show more
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April 11, 2024
Politics
War

Zelensky Appears to Reject Alleged Trump Peace Plan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed a rumored peace plan from Donald Trump suggesting Ukraine relinquishes territory to Russia to resolve the conflict. The plan, according to a report from The Washington Post, would have Ukraine cede the Donbas region and recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. Several global leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, have floated similar ideas for ending the war.

“If the deal is that we just give up our territories, and that’s the idea behind it, then it’s a very primitive idea,” Zelensky said in a recent interview. He added: “I don’t need a fantastic idea, I need a real idea, because people’s lives are at stake.” Ukrainian officials have repeatedly balked at the possibility the country may have to give up a portion of its territory to Russia as part of a peace agreement.

Tamila Tasheva, the top Ukrainian official overseeing Crimea for the Zelensky government, told The Daily Beast that ceding land to Russia would only embolden its territorial ambitions. “It’s crucial to recognize that any retreats made by Ukraine at this point could potentially fuel future escalations. It’s weakness, rather than the capability to resist, that emboldens Russia’s actions,” she said.

The Trump campaign has suggested The Washington Post‘s reporting on the former President’s proposed peace plan is inaccurate. “Any speculation about President Trump’s plan is coming from unnamed and uninformed sources who have no idea what is going on or what will happen,” campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in response to the report.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed a rumored peace plan from Donald Trump suggesting Ukraine relinquishes territory to Russia to resolve the conflict. The plan, according to a report from The Washington Post, would have Ukraine cede the Donbas region and recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. Several global leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, have floated similar ideas for ending the war. show more
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April 11, 2024
William Upton
News
Politics

USPS Plans Stamp Price Hike After Biden Ditches Trump Admin Reforms.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is seeking another price increase after raising the cost of a first-class stamp three times in less than two years. Should the proposed hike be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, customers will pay 73 cents for a stamp, reflecting about a 7 percent increase on all forms of postage.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, appointed by former President Donald Trump in May 2020, has made multiple attempts to reform the USPS and put it on a more sound fiscal footing. However, Congressional Democrats and later President Joe Biden hampered the reform efforts. Several lawsuits by environmental groups and progressive activists forced DeJoy to abandon a proposal to bolster the postal service’s fleet of vehicles with cheaper, gasoline-powered vehicles. The Postal Service was instead forced to acquire more expensive electric and hybrid delivery trucks.

Pressure from Congressional Democrats forced DeJoy to abandon changes to the postal service’s overtime policies and the elimination of lower-volume mail collection boxes found on city streets. The Postmaster General and the Trump Treasury Department repeatedly warned Congress that without significant changes, USPS would need to explore increasing its revenue by raising stamp prices and the cost of other services.

The stamp price plan announced on Tuesday raises the cost of first-class stamps, 1-ounce letters to 69 cents, international ounce-size letters to $1.65, and postcards to $1.65. Mailing domestic postcards will increase to 56 cents. The Postal Service hopes to implement these changes by July.

The USPS reported a $6.5 billion net loss in 2023 amidst falling revenue and usage of first-class mail, which reached its lowest level since 1968.

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The United States Postal Service (USPS) is seeking another price increase after raising the cost of a first-class stamp three times in less than two years. Should the proposed hike be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, customers will pay 73 cents for a stamp, reflecting about a 7 percent increase on all forms of postage. show more
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April 11, 2024
William Upton
Economy
Politics

Biden Says Fed Will Cut Interest Rates by Year’s End, Raising Questions About Central Bank’s Independence.

President Joe Biden is standing by his prediction that the Federal Reserve will enact an interest rate cut before the end of the year. The President doubled down on the rate cut prediction despite a Consumer Price Index (CPI) print released on Wednesday suggesting that inflation was reaccelerating.

“Well, I do stand by my prediction that, before the year is out, there’ll be a rate cut,” Biden said during a Wednesday press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The President suggested that the hot CPI report would only delay a rate cut by a month or two.

Biden’s comments raised renewed concerns about the political independence of the U.S. central bank in an election year. Many Democrats believe a Federal Reserve interest rate cut could juice the economy and boost President Biden’s re-election efforts. In a speech last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell insisted the central bank does not allow partisan considerations to impact their monetary policy decision.

“Fed policymakers serve long terms that are not synchronized with election cycles,” Powell said, adding: “Our decisions are not subject to reversal by other parts of the government, other than through legislation.” The central bank chief continued: “This independence both enables and requires us to make our monetary policy decisions without consideration of short-term political matters.”

Wednesday’s CPI data cast further doubt on whether the Federal Reserve will move to reduce interest rates in the United States in the near term. The central bank has maintained that it believes interest rates must remain elevated until inflation hits 2 percent — the CPI print indicates inflation currently sits at 3.5 percent compared to last year.

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President Joe Biden is standing by his prediction that the Federal Reserve will enact an interest rate cut before the end of the year. The President doubled down on the rate cut prediction despite a Consumer Price Index (CPI) print released on Wednesday suggesting that inflation was reaccelerating. show more
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April 10, 2024
News
Politics

50 Pro-Hamas Protesters Arrested for Occupying U.S. Senate Cafeteria.

A group of pro-Hams protesters staged a demonstration inside a U.S. Senate cafeteria on Tuesday, demanding the American government back a ceasefire in Gaza. The protestors, comprised at least in part by members of Christians for a Free Palestine, chanted: “Congress and their staff will not eat until Gaza eats.” Demonstrators also displayed banners reading “Send food, not bombs” and “Break bread, not bodies.”

More than 50 of the protestors were detained and arrested by the U.S. Capitol Police after they stormed through a Senate office building and occupied the cafeteria. The demonstration briefly caused the dining hall frequented by lawmakers and their staff – as well as guests and tourists — to be shut down.

The calls among Democrat and progressive activists for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have hit new highs following an accidental Israeli military strike that resulted in the deaths of several humanitarian aid workers. President Joe Biden has faced internal backlash within his party over appearing overly supportive of Israel and its military operation aimed at eliminating the Hamas terrorist group following their barbaric October 7, 2023 attack on the Jewish state.

Late last year, pro-Hamas demonstrators stormed the Cannon House Office Building in a moment reminiscent of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Several protestors were arrested for assaulting officers after clashing with U.S. Capitol Police. Meanwhile, outside the Capitol building, Rep. Rashida Tlaib urged on the demonstrators while attacking President Biden’s pro-Israel stance — claiming that Arab-American and Muslim voters would not forget his betrayal.

During the 2024 Democrat presidential primary, Biden faced several significant protest votes from the Muslim community and progressive activists in states like Michigan and Washington. Additionally, Arab-American and Muslim leaders in the U.S. have balked at efforts by the President’s re-election campaign to try and mend bridges.

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A group of pro-Hams protesters staged a demonstration inside a U.S. Senate cafeteria on Tuesday, demanding the American government back a ceasefire in Gaza. The protestors, comprised at least in part by members of Christians for a Free Palestine, chanted: "Congress and their staff will not eat until Gaza eats." Demonstrators also displayed banners reading "Send food, not bombs" and "Break bread, not bodies." show more
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April 10, 2024
Corruption
Health
Politics

Rand Paul: ‘Smoking Gun’ Ties Fauci to Wuhan Lab Creation of COVID.

Sen. Rand Paul says a 2018 grant proposal seeking funding to experiment with a COVID-19-type virus is the “smoking gun” linking Dr. Anthony Fauci and the National Institutes of Health to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following recent disclosures by a Marine Corps whistleblower, Senator Paul flagged a 2018 grant proposal linked to 15 federal agencies that could have enabled the Wuhan Institute to develop a COVID-19-like virus.

“We only found out about this from a whistleblower — nobody else in government ever informed us, including Anthony Fauci,” Paul said. He alleges the “smoking gun” ties him and the NIH to the 2018 grant proposal, leading to the possibility that NIH and NIAID were part of research that could have potentially resulted in the COVID-19 virus.

The grant proposal, labeled “DEFUSE Project,” was submitted to the Department of Defense’s research agency, DARPA, and reportedly incorporated NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, yielding suspicions of Fauci’s knowledge and involvement. Paul has called for more information from each agency involved by April 23.

The grant proposal’s existence suggests Fauci may have lied directly to Congress. “Sen. Paul, I have never lied before Congress and I do not retract that statement. This paper that you are referring to was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain-of-function,” Fauci said during a 2021 Senate hearing. “Sen. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly.”

While the DEFUSE project was not federally funded, according to Paul, Fauci and others were allegedly aware of Wuhan lab’s continuance in related microbial research. This brings into sharper focus the early insinuations of COVID-19 being a laboratory leak, and the subsequent dismissal of the hypothesis by prominent voices like Fauci, who derided it as a conspiracy theory.

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Sen. Rand Paul says a 2018 grant proposal seeking funding to experiment with a COVID-19-type virus is the "smoking gun" linking Dr. Anthony Fauci and the National Institutes of Health to the COVID-19 pandemic. show more
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April 10, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media
Politics

Media Continues to Peddle Federal Abortion Ban Conspiracies Despite Unequivocal Trump Statement.

The corporate media is continuing to peddle falsehoods aimed at riling up abortion activists in an attempt to swing November elections for Democrats, with a new article in the Washington Post claiming the practice could be banned at the federal level under a second Trump term, despite the 45th President making an unequivocal federalist argument just days ago.

In his initial statement on abortion, Trump confirmed his personal support for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. He also expressed his belief that, constitutionally, the issue should be decided according to “the will of the people” on a state-by-state basis.

“People forget, fighting Roe v. Wade was, right from the beginning, all about bringing the Issue back to the States, pursuant to the 10th Amendment and States’ Rights. It wasn’t about anything else,” he wrote.

“We had a Great Victory, it’s back in the States where it belongs, and where everyone wanted it. The States will be making the decision,” he added.

“Republicans are now free to run for Office based on the Horrible Border, Inflation, Bad Economy, and the Death & Destruction of our Country!”

Trump has frequently stressed people must follow “their heart” on abortion. However, he has warned conservatives that they must “win elections” to have any positive impact on the country at all.

Pushing for total or near-total bans on abortion, which does not enjoy broad public support, is likely to frustrate this larger goal, according to most polling.

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The corporate media is continuing to peddle falsehoods aimed at riling up abortion activists in an attempt to swing November elections for Democrats, with a new article in the Washington Post claiming the practice could be banned at the federal level under a second Trump term, despite the 45th President making an unequivocal federalist argument just days ago. show more
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bridge
April 10, 2024
News
Politics

Yes, The Collapsed Baltimore Bridge May Be Renamed Because It Was ‘Racist.’

The Caucus of African American Leaders voted to petition Governor Wes Moore to rename the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge once it’s rebuilt. Including organizations such as the NAACP and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Caucus argues the current namesake — author of the national anthem — held ‘racist’ views.

The Caucus claims that Key wrote lyrics that “demeaned black people” and proposed that the overhauled bridge bear the name of Parren J Mitchel, Maryland’s first black congressman.

Governor Moore, responding to a query about renaming the bridge, stated that his current priorities were closure for the victims’ families and getting the channel cleared. ”I think any other conversations along those lines, there will be time for that, but now’s not the time,” he said.

In addition, the Caucus is pushing to rename the Senator Frederick Malkus Memorial Bridge, highlighting the Senator’s opposition to desegregation efforts. They suggest the bridge be renamed to honor Gloria Richardson, a Maryland civil rights champion.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in late March after a cargo ship allided with one of its support pillars.

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The Caucus of African American Leaders voted to petition Governor Wes Moore to rename the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge once it's rebuilt. Including organizations such as the NAACP and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Caucus argues the current namesake — author of the national anthem — held 'racist' views. show more
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zelensky
April 10, 2024
William Upton
Politics
War

You’ve Been Giving Much More to Ukraine Than You Were Told.

A group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are accusing President Joe Biden‘s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of significantly underestimating the amount of aid sent to Ukraine. In a letter to Biden’s budget agency, Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT) — along with several other lawmakers — detail evidence suggesting the previous Ukraine aid estimate of $111 billion is off by at least $14 billion. They contend the actual cost of aid is closer to $125 billion and could even exceed $129 billion.

Sen. Vance and his colleagues also allege the Biden government has stonewalled their transparency efforts, making it increasingly difficult to determine the cost of U.S. aid packages sent to the Eastern European country. They note that their initial request for OMB to provide the cost of Ukraine aid took nearly eight months to fulfill — and even then, the agency only provided an incomplete data set.

“The deficiencies in OMB’s response were numerous,” the Senators wrote to the agency’s director, Shalanda Young, on Tuesday. They noted the OMB data did not include “base appropriations for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative” and “omitted the administration’s ‘$6.2 billion in ‘freed-up’ authority’ to send weapons to Ukraine.”

In May of last year, The National Pulse reported that the Biden government had changed its method for determining the value of military equipment in an effort to allow them to claim they were spending less than initially claimed on Ukraine. The Pentagon originally valued weapons in terms of their replacement costs. By moving to an accounting system where they valued weapons in terms of cost when they were purchased and depreciated, they have been able to argue military aid to Ukraine has been overvalued.

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A group of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are accusing President Joe Biden's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of significantly underestimating the amount of aid sent to Ukraine. In a letter to Biden's budget agency, Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT) — along with several other lawmakers — detail evidence suggesting the previous Ukraine aid estimate of $111 billion is off by at least $14 billion. They contend the actual cost of aid is closer to $125 billion and could even exceed $129 billion. show more
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