‘Imposter’ Candidate Can Appear On Ballot Ahead Of Alaska Senate Primary, State Supreme Court Rules

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“Decoy Dan” can appear on Alaska’s primary ballot, according to an 11th-hour ruling that saved the campaign of a Senate candidate accused of being a political con man.

On Monday, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Daniel J. Sullivan should not have been decertified by the state’s top election official, who found the “Republican” is running merely to “confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”

Sullivan, who admitted to working with a political strategist who is “a known longtime supporter of Democratic candidates,” is challenging Alaska’s incumbent senator — who happens to also be named Dan Sullivan. He also unsuccessfully sought to use the middle initial “S.” on the ballot, which would have matched Sen. Sullivan’s middle initial. He claimed that was a mistake.

“That you chose the occasion of your declaration of candidacy for U.S. Senate to seek ballot access under a name you have not used in your interactions with the [Election] Division suggests — and in combination with the additional facts I outline in this letter leads me to conclude — that you are seeking to confuse yourself with another candidate in the race, the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, rather than distinguish yourself from him,” Alaska Director of Elections Carol Beecher wrote last week in a stinging rebuke.

“Decoy Dan,” as his critics call him, had never been affiliated with Alaska’s GOP. That changed just two days before he filed his declaration of candidacy, the Election Division’s records show. And his campaign website, curiously, looks a lot like the senator’s, Beecher wrote. Beecher noted Dan J. Sullivan’s ties to Amber Lee, “an Alaska Democratic consultant who has previously supported [former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska],” Fox News reported. (Read more from “‘Imposter’ Candidate Can Appear On Ballot Ahead Of Alaska Senate Primary, State Supreme Court Rules” HERE)

SCOTUS Affirms Birthright Citizenship, Rejects Trump’s Executive Order

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The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Tuesday to reject President Donald Trump’s reform of the nation’s birthright citizenship policy, which now grants the huge prize of citizenship to nearly all infants born in the United States, even if the parents are illegal migrants or temporary visitors.

The long 194-page Trump v. Barbara decision says Trump’s order violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

The decision was 6 to 3 against Trump, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued that Trump and other politicians can change the rule via legislation.

“Citizenship, then and now,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority, “was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today.”

The right applies even to foreign parents who sneak across the United States borders with Canada and Mexico, or who enter as temporary workers or tourists, Roberts insisted. (Read more from “SCOTUS Affirms Birthright Citizenship, Rejects Trump’s Executive Order” HERE)

Trump, Lutnick’s Sons Stand to Gain Big Profits from Billion-Dollar Mining Deal: Report

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By New York Post. The sons of President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stand to see a big windfall after businesses tied to the families helped secure a $1.6 billion mining deal in Kazakhstan, according to a new report.

After Trump and Lutnick closed a deal for an American company called Kaz Resources to mine one of the world’s largest untapped reserves of tungsten last November, records indicate that firms tied to their sons saw financial gain from the contract, the New York Times reported.

Dominari Securities — which is housed at Trump Tower in New York and partly owned by the president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — had joined other investors to take a 20% stake in a company related to the project.

At the same time, Cantor Fitzgerald — an investment company controlled by Lutnick’s family and overseen by his sons Brandon and Kyle Lutnick — helped one of the investors working with Dominari raise $210 million in new capital.

The dealings have raised questions about the Trump and Lutnick families’ financial gains under deals struck during the president’s second term. . .

During the negotiations, Lutnick pushed Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to give the mining contract to Kaz Resources executive chairman Pini Althaus and his backers, writing in a letter that the Trump administration “fully supports” the company. (Read more from “Trump, Lutnick’s Sons Stand to Gain Big Profits from Billion-Dollar Mining Deal: Report” HERE)

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Trump Admin Inner Circle Secretly Trash His Sons’ Latest Grift

By The Daily Beast. Donald Trump’s sons’ financial ties to a major mining project backed by their father’s administration have apparently rankled even some within the president’s inner circle. . .

Trump administration officials involved in the deal told The Times, speaking anonymously, that they were disappointed by the involvement of the Trump family—as well as the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—in projects the government itself is helping to finance.

In September, Lutnick, 64, and Trump, 80, negotiated an agreement with Kazakhstan’s president granting a small U.S. mining company, Kaz Resources, access to Kazakhstan’s tungsten reserves, alongside approval for more than $1 billion in preliminary federal financing applications. . .

Within weeks of the September negotiations, Dominari Securities—a firm based in Trump Tower and partly owned by Don Jr. and Eric—joined with other partners to take a 20 percent stake in the mining project, The Times reports.

Around the same time, Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm overseen by the commerce secretary’s sons, Kyle and Brandon Lutnick, helped raise $210 million for one of the lead investors working with Dominari Securities on the deal, a type of transaction that typically generates millions of dollars in fees for the firm. (Read more from “Trump Admin Inner Circle Secretly Trash His Sons’ Latest Grift” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Must Pony up $5M to E. Jean Carroll after SCOTUS Refuses Prez’s Appeal of Sex Abuse, Defamation Verdict

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The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up President Trump’s appeal of the initial $5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict that followed a lawsuit by former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Now Trump will have no choice but to pony up the $5 million to the 82-year-old, who has repeatedly claimed that the president sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room during the mid-1990s.

Trump slammed the ruling and vowed to continue the fight against Carroll. A separate case between the two is working its way through the legal system.

“Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!),” he wrote on Truth Social.

“I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength. This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President,” he added.

Trump’s lawyers had argued that, as president, he should not be distracted from his executive duties in order to deal with “decades-old, false allegations.” (Read more from “Trump Must Pony up $5M to E. Jean Carroll after SCOTUS Refuses Prez’s Appeal of Sex Abuse, Defamation Verdict” HERE)

Too Much Screentime for Young Kids will Harm their Ability to Properly Learn Later, Study Reveals

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Excessive staring at screens can cause eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, and poor sleep quality, not to mention increased stress and anxiety, according to Michigan State University.

And the less-than-ideal effects are even more pronounced for children — and require the utmost care to be adequately corrected.

A new study reported by News-Medical and conducted by a team of researchers from Inserm and the National University of Singapore, backed up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, discovered that high screen time during specific developmental periods for children is connected with lessened academic performance later on, as well as weaker working memory.

The study, which was published in the “World of Pediatrics” health journal this past April, found that the diminished effects were most apparent on children who had been exposed to excessive amounts of screen time during infancy and school-entry age.

Worsened general academic performance appeared to be an additional result of the study, which followed a group of 502 children from infancy to middle childhood, with the effects researchers saw in participants at the tender age of one being among the most pronounced. (Read more from “Too Much Screentime for Young Kids will Harm their Ability to Properly Learn Later, Study Reveals” HERE)

REPORT: 10-Year-Old Accused Of Shooting Baby In Head Execution-Style

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Officials charged a 10-year-old Missouri boy with murder after he allegedly shot a 7-month-old baby in the head execution-style June 26, according to a report.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) officers responded to the incident just after 4:00 p.m. and found the baby, identified as 7-month-old Kiyomi Parker, within the residence, according to an SLMPD press release. The baby died from her wounds. Homicide Detectives and Child Abuse Detectives later opened an investigation into the incident and learned that an unidentified 10-year-old boy shot the child, the SLMPD alleged. Witnesses said the 10-year-old retrieved a gun and shot the infant, according to court documents cited by First Alert 4. The boy confessed that he shot baby in the head, WTHR13 reported, citing a probable cause statement.

Officers transported Parker to a local hospital in a patrol SUV and administered emergency aid, the SLMPD said. The child was declared dead at the hospital, police said, First Alert 4 reported.

Officers allegedly learned that Ca’Marion Pawnell, the baby’s father, stored a gun beneath a mattress in one of the residence’s bedroooms by interviewing witnesses, including the 10-year-old. The minor confessed that he was aware of where the firearm was and had retrieved it before, according to the court documents.

Pawnell, 19, allegedly confirmed the gun belonged to him and he had placed it beneath the mattress. Pawnell has been charged with one count of second-degree felony murder, one count of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk, according to court documents. He remains held without bond, First Alert 4 reported. (Read more from “REPORT: 10-Year-Old Accused Of Shooting Baby In Head Execution-Style” HERE)

Thomas Massie Turns the Camera On Fox Reporter in Wild Confrontation: ‘Is This What You DO for a Living?!’

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Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) erupted on a reporter for Fox News Digital and turned the camera on him in a truly wild confrontation.

In a bizarre on-the-street clash in Washington, reporter Nicholas A. Ballasy — on assignment for Fox News Digital — went up to Massie and asked him about various allegations from a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend. The woman, Cynthia West — a former Massie staffer — recently claimed that Massie pressured her to sign an NDA, and that he bragged about having a sexual encounter with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) just weeks after his wife’s death.

Ballasy kicked off the exchange by asking Massie if he could “clear up the stuff your ex is saying about you with the NDA. That you pressured her to sign an NDA for wrongful termination. Is that true, what she’s saying about you?”

“Who are you with?” Massie asked.

“Fox Digital,” Ballasy replied.

“It’s all false,” the congressman said.

(Read more from “Thomas Massie Turns the Camera On Fox Reporter in Wild Confrontation: ‘Is This What You DO for a Living?!’” HERE)

Plane Collides With Drone Mid-Air Near JFK Airport, Pilot Says

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A commercial JetBlue plane collided with a drone while trying to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday, according to a pilot.

A pilot reported that the drone struck the airliner mid-air while the plane approached to land at JFK, according to air traffic control audio. The flight between Las Vegas and New York landed without incident and all passengers aboard safely exited the aircraft, JetBlue said in a statement obtained by NBC News. There was no damage or indications of a collision following an inspection, according to the airline.

“Safety is JetBlue’s first priority, and we will assist with any relevant investigations,” JetBlue said in a statement.

“The pilot of JetBlue Airlines Flight 948 reported striking a drone at approximately 3,000 feet altitude while on final approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport around 7:15 a.m. local time on Monday, June 29. A post-flight inspection did not reveal any damage to the aircraft,” The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Monday.

“Just quickly, I couldn’t talk to approach, but we collided with a drone back there in the turn,” the pilot said. (Read more from “Plane Collides With Drone Mid-Air Near JFK Airport, Pilot Says” HERE)

Woke Paris Politician Blames Americans and Our Air Conditioning for Europe Heat Wave That has Killed 1,300 People

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A Paris politician blamed Americans and US air conditioning for the record-breaking heatwave in Europe that has resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths.

After US tourists mocked France over the lack of air conditioning across the country amid 104 degree temperatures, Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor of Paris for international relations, claimed the situation was partly America’s fault.

“Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room…OMG, this is so rich!” Pulvar wrote on social media.

“As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing. Your cities, which are 90 per cent air conditioned, are not unrelated to this,” she added.

“So please, enough with the lecture. Just start doing your part,” the post concluded. (Read more from “Woke Paris Politician Blames Americans and Our Air Conditioning for Europe Heat Wave That has Killed 1,300 People” HERE)

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Venezuela Earthquake: Nearly 1,500 Dead, over 50,000 Estimated Missing

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The socialist government of Venezuela has documented 1,450 people killed by twin massive earthquakes last week, over 3,000 injured, and potentially upwards of 50,000 people missing as international rescue missions deploy to the South American nation.

Venezuela suffered two earthquakes, one magnitude 7.2 and one 7.5, on Wednesday night, centered in La Guaira state. The earthquakes devastated La Guaira and parts of the capital, Caracas, resulting in large numbers of collapsed buildings and the destruction of much of what remains of the dilapidated Venezuelan power grid. After over 25 years of socialism, Venezuela does not have a functional healthcare system or emergency services, and early videos from the sight of the disaster showed desperate victims using the flashlights on their mobile phones as emergency gear, trying to peer into the rubble of former buildings to find people trapped.

The government of the United States was among the first to respond to the calamity, coordinating with interim President Delcy Rodríguez to deploy emergency search and rescue teams as soon as possible by using world class military aircraft to overcome the challenge of the earthquakes destroying the runways at La Guaira’s airport. Other countries such as Chile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Spain, and Mexico, as well as international aid organizations, have since organized humanitarian missions to help with both the search and rescue operations and caring for survivors.

The scale of the devastation remains uncertain at press time. According to the Venezuelan socialist regime, hundreds of people are believed to be missing. The Emirati newspaper The National reported on Monday, however, that anti-socialist opposition members compiled a list of about 50,000 people whose whereabouts have been unknown since the earthquakes, which corresponds with what Telemundo reported was a United Nations estimate of the number of missing people as of Monday.

Venezuela has historically been vulnerable to massive earthquakes, though typically not more than two per century; the 7.5-magnitude quake on Wednesday was the most severe documented in the country since 1900. The deadliest earthquake before the current one in the past century occurred in 1967 and was accompanied by a devastating tsunami that left 245 people dead and thousands injured. The number of dead is expected to be significantly higher this time around as the 1967 earthquake was estimated to be 6.6 in magnitude and also because the socialist government of late dictator Hugo Chávez invested in building massive government housing units in the early 2000s that were not constructed to withstand intense earthquakes. Many of these buildings collapsed entirely with their residents inside.

(Read more from “Venezuela Earthquake: Nearly 1,500 Dead, over 50,000 Estimated Missing” HERE)