Major Media Wrongly Claims It Was Only Trump Administration That Declared Israeli Settlements Legal

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/major-media-wrongly-claims-it-was-only-trump-administration-that-declared-israeli-settlements-legal; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 

Antony Blinken, on a trip to Argentina, has declared that the Israeli settlements are “contrary to international law.” Elder of Ziyon discusses this claim here beginning with how the major media have reported on Blinken’s describing the settlements as “contrary to international law.” What is of note is how the major media have wrongly claimed that it was only the Trump administration that declared the settlements to be legal. Blinken, in this view, was merely returning to the policy on settlements that all previous administrations had adhered to. That is not the case. Elder of Ziyon has more: “The @NYTimes says US administrations before Trump considered Israeli settlements to be illegal. Fact check: FALSE,” Elder of Ziyon, February 25, 2024:

From the New York Times:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s reversal of Trump-era policy on settlements in the occupied West Bank reflects rising Biden administration frustration with Israel, but it is unlikely to dent the strong American backing for its ally’s military campaign in Gaza or pressure Israel to change course, analysts said on Saturday.

During a trip to Argentina on Friday, Mr. Blinken called the settlements “inconsistent with international law,” a break with policy set under the Trump administration and a return to the decades-long U.S. position.

This is not true.

While Jimmy Carter didn’t use the word “illegal” he did say they violated the Geneva Conventions, which is the same thing. His ambassador the the UN did call the settlements “illegal.” But that was the last time this terminology was used by any administration.

Ronald Reagan said when he was campaigning for President and in an interview two weeks after he took office that the settlements are not illegal. Later in his presidency, he said that settlements are an “obstacle to peace.

It is debatable whether Israeli settlements are, as Reagan said, “an obstacle of peace.” I would argue that those settlements solidify Israel’s hold on Judea and Samaria (a/k/a the West Bank), and in so doing, make it much harder for a possible assault by an Arab invasion force coming from the east, increasing Israel’s ability to deter enemies, and thus making war less likely.

George H.W. Bush was strongly against settlement construction but did not call them illegal.

Bill Clinton adopted Reagan’s phrase that they were an “obstacle to peace” but he was softer on  expansion of existing settlements.

George W. Bush called for a settlement freeze but did not characterize them as illegal or even an obstacle to peace.

Barack Obama and John Kerry hardened the US stance against settlement, calling them “illegitimate” but not using the word “illegal.” However, Kerry did say, ” “the Israeli Government’s program of establishing civilian settlements in the occupied territory is inconsistent with international law” which is essentially the same thing as calling their creation illegal, and that was the first administration to do so since Carter….

If you believe that the war that has been conducted since 1948 by Muslim Arabs against the Jewish state is a classic jihad, and on the Arab side must continue until Israel ceases to exist, to be replaced by a twenty-third Arab state from which all Jews will be expelled, then you will recognize the folly of a so-called “two-state solution ” (the use of the word “solution” assumes that it is that very thing; I beg to differ) that will only weaken Israel, undermine its strategy of deterrence, and whet rather than sate Arab appetites for conquest.

That the settlements are legal, given that they are established on the very territory that the League of Nations assigned to the Mandate for Palestine in July 1922, will be treated in another post. But remember only this: before the Biden administration, no President other than the antisemitic Jimmy Carter called Israel’s settlements “illegal.” Reagan stated unambiguously that they were “legal.” George H. W. Bush did not like the settlements, but never once did he describe them as “illegal.” Bill Clinton did not call them “illegal” either, though he believed, like Reagan, that some of them were an “obstacle to peace,” rather than a boost to Israel’s deterrence and thus to the only peace that is possible. George W. Bush hoped for a settlement freeze, but never said that the settlements were illegal or even that they were “an obstacle to peace.” Not surprisingly, in the Obama administration, so hostile toward Israel, Secretary of State Kerry did say that the settlements were “inconsistent with international law,” making him the first high official to say that since Jimmy Carter.

Now, instead of returning to a consensus that he appears to think has long been held, of viewing Israel’s settlements as illegal, the egregious Antony Blinken has instead resurrected a view that among past presidents was shared by only two — Carter and Obama, both deeply antagonistic to Israel. Now there is a third — Joe Biden, who will soon be mouthing the words that have just been spoken in Argentina by his ventriloquent handler, Antony Blinken.

Judge Engoron Bans Trump From Doing Business In N.Y. For 3 Years, Must Pay More Than $354M

Judge Arthur Engoron attends the closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 11, 2024. Trump's legal team will deliver closing arguments January 11 in the fraud case after the judge barred the former president from using the trial finale as an election campaign grandstand. (Photo by SHANNON STAPLETON / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SHANNON STAPLETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Judge Arthur Engoron attends the closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 11, 2024. (Photo by SHANNON STAPLETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s Sophia Flores
UPDATED 12:47 PM – Friday, February 16, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/judge-engoron-bans-trump-from-doing-business-in-n-y-for-3-years-must-pay-more-than-354m/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 

Judge Arthur Engoron heard deliberations and made his final say in the New York courtroom, declaring that 45th President Donald J. Trump is liable, an expected decision by the liberal judge.  

The Friday verdict, which was revealed in a 92-page ruling, stated that Trump has to pay at least $354 million in the civil fraud trial.

Additionally, Trump is banned from conducting business in New York and serving as an officer or director at any New York corporation or legal entity for three years.

Trump and the Trump Organization is also banned from applying for loans from any financial institution registered with the New York Department of Financial Services for three years.

Additionally, Trump’s two adult sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., are ordered to pay $4 million each for what Judge Engoron referred to as “personal profits from the fraud.” The court similarly banned the two from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity for two years.

Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was fined $1 million.

This trial was initiated by New York Attorney General Letitia James. James accused Trump, his two adult sons, and his top executives of inflating the Trump organization’s net worth in order to gain financial perks, such as better loans from banks.  

When James first sued Trump in the fall of 2022, she asked the judge to penalize Trump $250 million for “inflating his net worth in order to retain better loans.” However, her number later rose to $370 million in January, as she believed that throughout the trial, “he gained all of his money unlawfully.”

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Impeach Biden for Obstruction of Justice

New report shows Biden interfered into investigations of himself, his son and Trump.

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/impeach-biden-for-obstruction-of-justice/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:


The Mueller report suggested that former President Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice because of his decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey and alleged pressure on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Mueller. Now a report has emerged that Biden is planning to fire Attorney General Merrick Garland over special counsel investigations.

While the media made much of the obstruction of justice allegations at the time, it’s shown little interest in its own reporting which implicated Biden in multiple instances of obstruction of justice.

A recent Politico report described Biden complaining that Attorney General Merrick Garland did not stop Special Counsel Hur from editing out mentions of his diminished mental capacity in his report, that Garland should not have allowed a special counsel to look into his son’s misconduct and finally that Garland had failed to schedule a trial of former President Trump quickly enough.

As a result, Politico reported that Biden would oust Garland if he gets a second term.

Not only was Biden interfering with supposedly independent investigations of himself and his son, but even into criminal proceedings aimed at his likely opponent in the presidential race. The interference has become crude and overt enough that it now includes media leaks threatening the job of his attorney general for not sufficiently protecting him from investigations.

And for not doing enough to schedule his presidential opponent’s trial before the election.

Troublingly, the report describes Biden complaining in “recent weeks” that Garland took too long to move on trying Trump. And in mid-January, Garland unexpectedly told CNN that “the cases were brought last year, the prosecutor has urged speeding trials with, with which I agree, and it’s now in the hands of the judicial system, not in our hands.”

It appears now that the attorney general was not just talking to CNN, but to President Biden.

If the Politico report is true, this is deeply corrupt behavior that meets the standard for impeachment. A pattern of interfering in his own investigations is obstruction of justice, but interfering to speed up a criminal case against his opponent so that a trial takes place before an upcoming election is abuse of power. Both are extremely impeachment worthy charges.

Impeachment proceedings moved forward against former President Nixon over obstruction of justice charges related to the coverup of Watergate. Former President Bill Clinton actually was impeached on obstruction of justice grounds and finally former President Trump was impeached for the first time on obstruction of justice charges. The precedents point to impeaching Biden.

These reports come after multiple denials by the White House, by Attorney General Garland and other administration figures that there was any political interference in the investigations.

“Since he took office and consistent with his campaign promise that he would restore the independence of the Justice Department when it comes to decision-making in criminal investigations, President Biden has made clear that this matter would be handled independently by the Justice Department, under the leadership of a U.S. Attorney appointed by former President Trump, free from any political interference by the White House. He has upheld that commitment.” the Biden administration claimed after whistleblowers described efforts by the Department of Justice to sabotage their investigation into Hunter Biden.

The independence has been exposed as a sham and the documented interference with the Hunter Biden investigation could have come from the Justice Department under pressure from the Attorney General or other administration figures because Joe Biden was protecting his son.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan had already announced an obstruction of justice investigation into Biden over allegations that he had interfered in the Hunter Biden investigation and the revelations in the Politico article that Biden had sought to pressure not just one investigation but three and to do so at the level of the attorney general’s office are likely to provide more fuel for an obstruction of justice case.

“We are facing obstruction like has never been demonstrated in the history of congressional investigations,” Rep. Comer had argued.

According to the Politico report, anger at Special Counsel Hur’s report by “Biden and his closest advisers” led them to “put part of the blame on Garland, who they say should have demanded edits to Hur’s report.” While Attorney General Garland could have tried to edit or suppress the report, Congress would have demanded unredacted copies and the leaked copies would have been an even bigger scandal. Garland appears to have understood this even when Biden did not.

Biden also charged that Garland should not have “empowered a special counsel to look into his son” claiming that “the stress could send Hunter Biden spiraling back into addiction.”

Most damagingly, Biden recently took to grumbling “to aides and advisers that had Garland moved sooner in his investigation into former President Donald Trump’s election interference, a trial may already be underway or even have concluded” apparently out of concern that the trial might not take place before the presidential election for maximum political advantage.

As a result, “most of the president’s senior advisers do not believe that the attorney general would remain in his post for a possible second term.”

Clearly the Biden team expects more legal troubles or assaults in a possible second term and believes that Attorney General Garland is spending too much time protecting himself from the fallout and not doing enough of their dirty work. That does not bode well for the next four years.

While there are no indications that Biden has directly pressured Garland, the constant mentions of the subjects to top aides and advisors, followed by media leaks, are meant to have the same effect while providing plausible deniability. They also convey a message to anyone who wants to be Garland’s possible successor of the expectations of the office that he or she hopes to assume.

When the president expresses his unhappiness to aides, they are expected to act on it. And the question is, beyond media leaks, what actions did they take to pressure Garland on the three investigations? That is the question on which Biden’s impeachment may depend.

Despite efforts to portray Biden as a disinterested party who was watching the investigations unfold without interfering with them, the Politico report shows that he was highly invested in them, closely monitoring them and sending strong signals of what he wanted to see done with them. These are evidence of obstruction of justice and a severe abuse of power.

And they cannot go unpunished.

If Biden is too senile to be charged, is he too senile to be President?

Lidia Curanaj on Biden: How is he fit to be the President?

Lidia Curanaj comments on President Joe Biden's press conference where he made several gaffes regarding his memory, she comments on the media's defense and new polls indicating most Americans are concerned over his mental fitness and more on NEWSMAX'S "Sunday Agenda"

Biden regime gives Israel 45 days to submit report on alleged international law violations or lose military aid

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/biden-regime-gives-israel-45-days-to-submit-report-on-alleged-international-law-violations-or-lose-military-aid; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

As I have predicted, the Biden regime is moving toward rupturing the US/Israeli alliance in order to appease his far-Left base.

“Biden gives Israel 45 days to submit a report on international law violations or lose military aid,” by Hannah Sarisohn, Jerusalem Post, February 9, 2024:

President Joe Biden issued a memorandum Thursday night asking countries receiving U.S. military funding to prove they’re following international humanitarian and human rights laws.

The timing of the memorandum coincides with President Biden’s unscheduled press conference where he took reporters’ questions on the Israel-Hamas war, saying Israel’s response is “over the top.”

For weeks now, reporters have pressed both the White House and State Department on their ability to assess if Israel is following international law as there have been no formal assessment procedures in place.

Administration officials have repeated that one innocent life killed is too many, but have stopped short of implying that Israel is in violation of international law.

Members of Congress raised concern over Israel’s human rights violations, The Post previously reported.

Led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), several progressive Democratic members issued a letter to Biden and the Government Accountability Office requesting an assessment of the State Department’s compliance with Leahy Laws and Conventional Arms Transfer policies regarding security assistance to the Israeli government.

“We write today regarding your administration’s ongoing weapons transfers to the Israeli government despite considerable evidence that these transfers are flagrantly violating American and international law and are being used in the commission of war crimes,” the letter to Biden said.

The letter cites a January 5 comment from White House national security spokesman John Kirby in which he said he wasn’t aware of any assessments being made by the US government to analyze Israel’s compliance with international law.

Regular updates
Biden’s memorandum requires states receiving military aid to provide the State Department and Congress with thorough reports every fiscal year with details of any alleged legal violations, explanations for military actions in question, and the process taken to assess legality in making those decisions….

Christian UPS driver takes on the corporation over extreme LGBT and anti-Christian work environment.

Confronted pro-LGBT Teamsters Union that was supposed to help him.

Filed multiple grievances with UPS, the union, and federal agencies EEOC & NLRB.

We need more like him across America.

February 7, 2024
ALT TEXT
When employees are at work in UPS facilities during Pride month, this is what is broadcast up above them.

As we all have seen, corporate America has become militantly pro-LGBT and anti-Christian over the past few decades. Unfortunately, most pro-family people who work for these companies have become too frightened (or compromised) to complain, much less fight for their rights.

This is the story of one man who decided he wouldn’t take it anymore, and fought back all the way to the top.

James Earls has worked at UPS for 35 years and is a devout Christian. He has received some of UPS’s highest awards for safety and loyalty. He is a driver of a large UPS “feeder truck.” He lives in Alabama and is represented by Teamsters Local 402. He recently brought the details of his efforts to MassResistance.

ALT TEXT 
James with his awards from UPS for loyalty and safety.

When most people think of anti-Christian and pro-LGBT companies, they think of Target, Amazon, Bank of America, the NFL, Delta Airlines, etc. But UPS is right up there with them. If you work there, you’re bombarded by the “woke” propaganda. However, since UPS is mostly not a “retail” operation, its huge support for anti-family causes is mostly hidden from view, so the public rarely sees that side of the company.

“Pride Month” at UPS

During the celebration of Gay Pride Month a few years ago, James entered the UPS facility in Madison, Alabama. UPS was showing its support and dedication to the LGBT movement by broadcasting images on all its large hanging TV monitors in various workstations, on its social media sites, and on the employee training computers throughout the building. If employees wanted to check on their benefits, paycheck, retirement funds, and other HR related information, they had no choice but to navigate through the images promoting LGBT pride.

ALT TEXT 
When employees log into their UPS portal, they get the constant propaganda.

In addition:

  • The UPS website featured several stories about “transgender” UPS employees who had undergone their “transition” procedures, and the company was actively promoting that agenda.
    ALT TEXT 
  • "Transgenders" get celebrated at UPS for "authenticity."
  • UPS runs an in-house Pride Alliance Business Resource Group to elevate LGBT employees within the company and fund their participation in LGBT events across the country.
  • Over the past two years the UPS Foundation has donated $1.2 million to advance the LGBT movement globally, including huge donations to the staunchly anti-Christian LGBT Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and StartOut. UPS proudly brags that HRC names UPS as one of the “best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality.”
  • In 2022, UPSers volunteered nearly 10,000 hours to support the LGBTQ+ community.
  • UPS partners with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to fund and support “certified LGBTQ+ businesses” across America

But most disturbing, James told us, “I discovered a link to a company that UPS had partnered with and was promoting called GayPrideCalender.com. That site sold homosexual merchandise from a print-on-demand business site, Zazzle.com. On their website, they sold sickening, blasphemous items, including shirts that depicted Jesus Christ as a radical homosexual who seeks sex with men.”

ALT TEXT 
Shirt for sale to UPS employees.
ALT TEXT 
... and these magnets.
ALT TEXT 
Various fetish flags for UPS employees to order.

UPS support for other horrible causes

James started looking closely at UPS’s other activities, and things looked even worse.

UPS is heavily invested in “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity” (DEI) throughout the company. It has created an internal Equity, Justice & Action Task Force to deal with “unconscious bias” among employees. The company president commissioned an enterprise-wide salary review to support “pay equity” based on race and other factors.

UPS’s charitable arm has funded Planned Parenthood in several states, numerous far-left churches (including a “gay” Catholic group), Black Lives Matter, the ACLU, SIECUS (which pushes radical sex ed in public schools), and other anti-Christian and anti-American causes.

UPS is also a partner of the World Economic Forum and agrees with its “climate crisis” outlook.

All of this reveals UPS management’s orchestration of a frighteningly hostile climate of discrimination against Christians, conservative Americans, and white males in general that everyone (except James) was afraid to address.

UPS claims to support its employees’ civil rights

Interestingly, UPS has numerous company-wide policies that purport to protect its employees’ civil rights. But they’re basically just a smokescreen for doing the opposite.

For example, the company states that it supports the United Nations’ “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” which strictly guarantee “social and cultural freedom,” and the right to be treated “with dignity and without discrimination” regarding religion and sex.

There are also “Zero Tolerance” postings in UPS buildings which state: “Don’t display offensive language, symbols or images on your personal belongings or on company property ... If you experience discrimination, sexual or racial misconduct, use our Open Door Policy to raise issues with your management team.”

So James fights back!

The company was clearly breaking its own rules, particularly during “Pride Month.” Someone needed the guts to test UPS’s obvious hypocrisy. James had had enough. And he wasn’t afraid. He decided to formally complain and demand UPS follow its own rules – through whatever manner he could find.

1. Contacting officials. As James told us, “To bring resolution to this with no further unpleasantries, I first tried to use UPS’s Open Door Policy and contacted UPS’s CEO, Carol Tomé, along with local Teamsters 402 General President Sean O’Brien about these issues.” But nothing came of that.

2. Filing grievances through the union. Since he was represented by the Teamsters Union Local 402, he filed four separate grievances through them, as laid out in the company’s collective bargaining agreement, directly addressing various aspects of the problem.

Unfortunately (as many of us know), the Teamsters long ago embraced the LGBT agenda and other leftist, anti-American ideologies. When the formal hearing for James’s grievances took place – with a room full of representatives from the UPS and the union – James was shocked. Not only did the union not advocate for him, but they treated him with hostility, as did the UPS representatives there. One union rep nastily said to James at the hearing, “If working at UPS was so bad, why continue to work there?” James lashed back at him. As he told us:

It got ugly real quick. I told him that I had a right to work in a hostile-free environment just as much as their beloved homosexual employees did. I told him that I have a right to work there and that I want to work in a place that is free from this hatred towards Christian employees.

ALT TEXT 
Unfortunately, this is the face of the Teamsters Union these days.

Not surprisingly, James later received a letter from the union telling him that all of his grievances were denied.

But James really got their attention like no other employee had! He stood up and clearly presented his evidence for all the grievances, describing in detail what UPS was doing to its employees – to the stone faces of the union and company officials.

3. Formal NLRB complaint against the union.  A few days after receiving the letter from the union denying his grievances, James filed a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the Teamsters Union. He cited the hostility towards him by his union at the hearing, and their inappropriate behavior which clearly showed that he was not being fairly represented. The NLRB acknowledged receiving the complaint but ultimately took no action, though surely the union was made aware of it.

4. Formal complaint filed with federal EEOC. The day after James filed the NLRB complaint, James filed a discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). He cited Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which bans religious discrimination in the workplace. He described how UPS is maintaining a hostile workplace by promoting the homosexual culture and images that mock the Christian faith – but denies equal time for Christian culture and imagery anywhere at the company. Similarly, the EEOC acknowledged receiving the complaint but took no action, though surely UPS was made aware of it.

Here’s the result …

Moving a massive worldwide corporation like UPS is too big a task for one man. But James did make a difference. The website link to the disgusting anti-Christian LGBT merchandise and pride event calendar was taken down and has not re-appeared.

And James has not suffered any retribution from anyone at the company, in any form. They obviously know that he means business and will never back down!

Final thoughts

A big reason why we all suffer from the corporate promotion of perversion is that too many employees are afraid to stand up for what’s right. America needs more men like James Earls!

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Senate Border Deal Will Also Legalize All the Afghans Biden Brought to U.S.

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/senate-border-deal-will-also-legalize-all-the-afghans-biden-brought-to-u-s; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

At least 11,110 had fake birthdays.

Biden brought tens of thousands of Afghans to America. These were not for the most part “allies” or anyone who had worked with us. They were just the ones who made it to the airport and if anyone vetted them, it was only the Taliban who controlled access.

Biden brought them in and the Senate keeps trying to legalize them even though there’s no basis for it.

At the last count, around 36,000 Afghans or 40% of the “refugees” had no legal basis for being evacuated even after the Biden administration and its congressional allies, both Democrat and Republican, watered down standards for applying for SIV visas so much that virtually any Afghan employed in any capacity by any contractors, charities, or even the media qualified.

The proposed Afghan Adjustment Act would grant the Afghan migrants, at least 36,000 of them, permanent legal residency and put them on a pathway to demanding citizenship.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been turned loose on “humanitarian parole” for two years, which gives the refugee resettlement organizations handling their cases plenty of time to figure out some basis for applying for a more permanent asylum, but they don’t want to follow the law.

Why not?

Despite the virtual lack of vetting, hundreds of Afghan migrants are being flagged as security risks. 50 believed to be security risks were already released into the country and the majority of them are in the wind. Four have already been involved in sexual assault cases. Considering how much the Afghans have misbehaved in so little time, refugee resettlement contractors are understandably worried that much more damaging information will come out after two years.

All of that was in 2022. It’s two years later and the clock is ticking. And as part of the border deal, they’ll be legalized.

The bill would also provide a pathway to conditional, lawful, permanent residency for vetted Afghan nationals who were admitted or paroled into the U.S. after July 2021.

NBC News repeats the ‘Afghan Allies’ lie. The Afghan allies got visas. They are not allies. They’re Afghan migrants flown in and dumped into America.

And they’ve been making life worse for Americans ever since they got here.

Vetting is a joke. Literally.

Jackpot! Muslim Woman in Tennessee Gets $100,000

Can you guess for what?

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/jackpot-muslim-woman-in-tennessee-gets-100000; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 


There are several ways to get rich in Old Joe Biden’s America. Among the most notable are winning an elected office, being the son of a major elected official, and being part of one of the left’s protected victim groups who can make a case for having been the victim of discrimination. That last one is why a woman in Tennessee, Sophia Johnston, is $100,000 richer today.

Of course, another feature of Old Joe Biden’s America is that $100,000 today amounts to only $14,474 in 1973 dollars, 1973 being the year Old Joe entered the Senate and began working for a better deal for the common man. So it cannot be said that winning her discrimination case has made Sophia Johnston rich, but still, $100,000 even in 2024 dollars is a nice chunk of change to get just for winning the victimhood jackpot.

The Nashville Tennessean reported Monday that Johnston “has reached a settlement with Rutherford County and members of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office after she was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo at the Rutherford County Detention Center in late August.” Johnston claimed that “the forced removal of her religious covering for a minor — and since dismissed — criminal booking violated her First Amendment right to practice her religion without interference.”

Even worse, Johnston contended, it was obscene. The Miami Herald reported in August 2023 that “forcing an observant Muslim woman to remove her hijab in front of men who are not family is ‘humiliating and degrading,’ according to the lawsuit, which likened doing so to making a woman remove her shirt in public.”

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office folded easily in the face of the prospect of being accused of “Islamophobia”: “As part of the settlement, the county agreed to update its booking and jail policies to accommodate religious attire, delete Johnston’s booking photos and all video footage in which she was depicted without wearing her hijab, and pay her $100,000.” What? No all-expenses-paid vacation in an Islamic holy city of her choice? No valet service? What kind of a settlement is this?

A lucrative one. Daniel Horwitz, the chief of Johnston’s legal team, crowed: “This is a historic win for Ms. Johnston and her entire religious community. Citizens have the right to practice their religion without unreasonable governmental interference, and we are proud to have vindicated Ms. Johnston’s rights and secured permanent policy changes that will prevent violations like this from recurring. Every government agency in Tennessee should take notice.”

This was indeed “a historic win for Ms. Johnston and her entire religious community,” but it’s a loss for the safety and security of the people in Rutherford County. The reason why Muslim women are asked to remove their hijab for booking photos is because something could be concealed within it, including a weapon, and to enable more precise identification. But all that goes out the window when Muslim groups play the “Islamophobia” card.

The updated booking policy states that “arrestees and citation recipients are not required to remove religious head coverings for booking photos as long as the view of the face and profile are not obstructed by religious attire.” Great. Knives, drugs, and who knows what else could be hidden in there, but who cares? To maintain such concerns would be “Islamophobic.”

Johnston was understandably happy after her victory, saying: “I’m extremely grateful (for the results. It wasn’t just for me. It was something that I wanted to make sure I did for you all.… It feels like I’m not just a voice just for myself, (but rather) a voice to all religions to let them know that it’s okay to practice religion, to stand up for your rights and hopefully empower others to do the same thing.”

That’s marvelous. She is indeed a voice not just for herself, but for everyone who is aiding and abetting the breakdown of common-sense safety standards all over the country in the name of “equity” and the avoidance of “discrimination.” The next time someone conceals a weapon in headgear and attacks someone in a police station, Sophia Johnston and Daniel Horwitz should get a personalized thank-you card from the victim (or victims).

Johnston adds: “I just remember being feeling alone,” she said. “It took me through a lot of changes — a lot of PTSD even afterwards. I just felt like my rights were being violated in the worst way. … I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. So it was very different for me. And then having gotten to the point where my hijab had to be removed and everything, it was very scary for me.”

I’m so very sorry. But why should others now be endangered to make up for this unsettling experience?

Jury: Trump Must Pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 Million In Damages

(L) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 17: Former President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at 40 Wall Street on January 17, 2024 in New York City. Trump held a press conference after leaving the second day of his defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll. The trial is to determine how much money in damages the former president must pay Carroll as a result of public comments that he made both while he was president and after the jury’s verdict in May. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages in May from the previous lawsuit. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images) / (R) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 26: E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court in New York as her defamation suit against Donald Trump continues on January 26, 2024 in New York City. Lawyers for both parties are expected to make their final statements today before a jury decides on a financial penalty. Carroll successfully sued Trump for defaming her when he was president, he has denied sexually assaulting her in a New York department store dressing room in the mid 1990's. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(L) NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 17: Former President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at 40 Wall Street on January 17, 2024 in New York City. Trump held a press conference after leaving the second day of his defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll. The trial is to determine how much money in damages the former president must pay Carroll as a result of public comments that he made both while he was president and after the jury’s verdict in May. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages in May from the previous lawsuit. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images) / (R) NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 26: E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court in New York as her defamation suit against Donald Trump continues on January 26, 2024 in New York City. Lawyers for both parties are expected to make their final statements today before a jury decides on a financial penalty. Carroll successfully sued Trump for defaming her when he was president, he has denied sexually assaulting her in a New York department store dressing room in the mid 1990’s. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump says he plans to appeal $83.3 million defamation verdict

OAN’s Sophia Flores
2:00 PM –Friday, January 26, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/jury-trump-must-pay-e-jean-carroll-83-3-million-in-damages/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

A verdict has been reached by the jury in E. Jean Carroll’s civil defamation case against former President Donald Trump. The jury has ruled that the 45th president will pay $18.3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $65 million in punitive damages to Carroll for “defamatory public statements” he made about her in 2019.

The jury of seven men and two women came to the decision in less than three hours.

In May, a jury found the former president liable for battery in a civil trial brought forth by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll claimed that Trump had previously raped and assaulted her back in the 1990’s. She also claimed that Trump defamed her when she went public with the accusation in 2019.

The jury was tasked with determining whether or not the Republican presidential front-runner forcibly assaulted and defamed Carroll. They ultimately found Trump liable for defamation and battery.

However, they also found him innocent of the rape accusation.

Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages due to the alleged battery. Trump must pay this amount in addition to the $83.3 million.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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SUPREME COURT CORRUPTION? Is THIS why Amy Coney Barrett sided with BIDEN on the border?

QUESTIONS GO UNANSWERED?

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Biden administration CAN cut Texas’ razor wire at the southern border. But why would Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett side with Biden on this issue? Senator Mike Lee joins Glenn to give his thoughts: Is this all a political game? Sen. Lee also reminds listeners that this SCOTUS decision doesn’t stop Texas from doing anything — it only allows the White House to thwart Gov. Abbott’s actions? “Is the Biden administration really, seriously, with a straight face going to say, ‘cut the wires?’” Sen. Lee asks. And how should Texas and Americans react if they had to decide between securing the border and defying the rule of law?

 

Biden Admin Instructed Banks to Target Trump Supporters Without Due Process

AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File
It’s bad enough that the Biden administration targeted pro-lifers and treated concerned parents who spoke out at school board meetings as domestic terrorists. But according to documents acquired by the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, the Biden administration also directed banks to scrutinize customer data for transactions containing terms such as "TRUMP" or “MAGA,” without legal justification or due process. 

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) revealed these shocking details in a letter requesting an interview with Noah Bishoff, the former director of the Office of Stakeholder Integration and Engagement in the Strategic Operations Division of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

"The Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained documents indicating that following January 6, 2021, FinCEN distributed materials to financial institutions that, among other things, outline the ‘typologies' of various persons of interest and provide financial institutions with suggested search terms and Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for identifying transactions on behalf of federal law enforcement," Jordan wrote. "These materials included a document recommending the use of generic terms like ‘TRUMP' and ‘MAGA' to 'search Zelle payment messages' as well as a 'prior FinCEN analysis' of 'Lone Actor/Homegrown Violent Extremism Indicators.’"

Related: Trump Isn’t the Only Republican That Dems Are Trying to Boot Off Ballots

“According to this analysis, FinCEN warned financial institutions of ‘extremism’ indicators that include ‘transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel to areas with no apparent purpose,’ or ‘the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views.’ In other words, FinCEN urged large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression,” Jordan’s letter continued.

The Weaponization Committee also discovered that FinCEN distributed slides prepared by KeyBank, a regional bank based in Cleveland, Ohio, that explained how banks could use certain merchant category codes (MCCs) and keywords to potentially detect mass shooters, domestic terrorists, and homegrown violent extremists. Those keywords include gun manufacturers, but also sporting goods stores like “Cabela’s,” “Bass Pro Shops,” “Dick’s Sporting Goods,” and “Gander Mountain."

“Despite these transactions having no apparent criminal nexus — and, in fact, relate to Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights — FinCEN seems to have adopted a characterization of these Americans as potential threat actors. This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with and at the request of federal law enforcement, into Americans’ private transactions is alarming and raises serious doubts about FinCEN’s respect for fundamental civil liberties,” Jordan wrote before explaining to Bishop that he would be called in to testify before Congress.

For our VIPs: The Left Would Destroy the Constitution to ‘Save Our Democracy’

“Your testimony will help to inform the Committee and Select Subcommittee about federal law enforcement's mass accumulation and use of Americans' private information without legal process; FinCEN's protocols, if any, to safeguard Americans' privacy and constitutional rights in the receipt and use of such information; and FinCEN's general engagement with the private sector on law-enforcement matters,” Jordan wrote. 

AG James Seeks $370M From Donald Trump After Civil Fraud Trial

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 13: New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference at the office of the Attorney General on July 13, 2022 in New York City. NY AG James announced today that her office has reached a settlement of $500,000 for more than a dozen current and former employees of the Sweet and Vicious, a bar in Manhattan, after a 16-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and wage theft at the establishment. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

OAN’s Sophia Flores
5:17 PM – Friday, January 5, 2024

Even though the proceedings have ended, the former president’s legal fate has not yet been revealed. Closing arguments will be made in front of the trial judge, Arthur Engoron, next week.

In addition to wanting the large sum from Trump, she is also fighting to bar him and his sons from conducting any further business in The Empire State.

Trump’s lawyer, Christopher M. Kise, responded to the brief on Friday. He referred to the new amount as “unconscionable, unsupported by the evidence, untethered from reality and unconstitutionally excessive.”

“Every single member of the New York business community, no matter the sector, should be gravely concerned with this gross overreach and brazen attempt by the attorney general to exert limitless power where no private or public harm has ever been established,” a Trump Organization spokeswoman said.

Trump maintains that his assets were genuinely valued and he has since denied any misconduct, stating on numerous occasions that there were disclaimers in his financial statements. He also requested that the banks review the figures.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James is now demanding that Donald J. Trump pay up $370 million in penalties for what she claims is retribution for “decades” of financial fraud.

When James first sued Trump in the fall of 2022, she asked the judge that Trump be penalized $250 million for “inflating his net worth in order to retain better loans” from banks. Her number rose to $370 million on Friday, as she now believes that through the trial, he gained all of his money unlawfully. 

The fraud trial began in October 2023 and the proceedings concluded last month.

Even though the proceedings have ended, the former president’s legal fate has not yet been revealed. Closing arguments will be made in front of the trial judge, Arthur Engoron, next week.

In addition to wanting the large sum from Trump, she is also fighting to bar him and his sons from conducting any further business in The Empire State.

Trump’s lawyer, Christopher M. Kise, responded to the brief on Friday. He referred to the new amount as “unconscionable, unsupported by the evidence, untethered from reality and unconstitutionally excessive.”

“Every single member of the New York business community, no matter the sector, should be gravely concerned with this gross overreach and brazen attempt by the attorney general to exert limitless power where no private or public harm has ever been established,” a Trump Organization spokeswoman said.

Trump maintains that his assets were genuinely valued and he has since denied any misconduct, stating on numerous occasions that there were disclaimers in his financial statements. He also requested that the banks review the figures.

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Biden’s FTC Sues Largest Christian University in the U.S.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File
The Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has piled on Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Fox Business reported on Dec. 27 that the FTC had sued Grand Canyon University (GCU). Biden’s Department of Education (DOE) had already fined GCU a staggering amount, almost $40 million, claiming the school practiced false advertising. The university is accusing the feds of a coordinated attack. An FTC press release announced the lawsuit against not only GCU but also “its marketer Grand Canyon Education, Inc. and its president and CEO Brian Mueller, claiming the defendants used deceptive advertising and engaged in illegal telemarketing.”

The federal agency is accusing the Christian university of misleading potential doctoral students about the time required for completing the GCU accelerated program. GCU is also accused of deceptively marketing itself to students as a nonprofit and “illegally call[ing] prospective students who submitted their contact information on the school's website but requested not to be contacted.”

The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection director pretended to take a high moral tone in a statement. “Grand Canyon deceived students by holding itself out as a non-profit institution and misrepresenting the costs and number of courses required to earn doctoral degrees,” Samuel Levine pontificated. “We will continue to aggressively pursue those who seek to take advantage of students.”

GCU allegedly violated the FTC Act and Telemarketing Sale Rules. The feds are now aiming to force GCU to compensate individuals through a U.S. District Court in Arizona. GCU spokesman Brian Mueller previously told Fox he believes the Biden administration is unfairly attacking GCU.

Mueller has argued the federal investigations are tied to the DOE denying GCU's effort to convert into a nonprofit institution in 2018. The department denied GCU’s nonprofit status for purposes of federal student financial aid, which continues to classify the school as a for-profit entity.

In a press conference last month, Mueller vowed GCU would appeal the DOE's fine — the largest the agency has ever issued — and said the school does not mislead or deceive students in any way.

Is the Biden administration deliberately targeting a Christian institution of higher learning? Even if GCU is guilty of some or all of the charges, it is interesting that it is being targeted at a time when multiple famous leftist universities like Harvard are being exposed as hotbeds of pro-terrorist, antisemitic insanity. The Biden administration is suddenly excessively zealous about upholding laws when it comes to targeting Christian GCU. Does it care equally about students who marched in support of attempted genocide against Jews and university presidents who supported them?

Of course, pro-terrorist propaganda is outside of the FTC’s province. But the Biden administration in general seems to have its priorities out of whack.

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