Dem Governor Moves To Oust Hand-Picked No. 2 Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

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Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill called on her running mate, Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell, to resign over an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

“The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” Sherrill said Thursday. “The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling,” she added.

The report accused Caldwell of flirting with a staffer’s much younger female friend at an official event. When the staffer told him the friend was not interested, Caldwell allegedly complained, “You young women are looking for young sperm.”

He also allegedly tried to get a romantic partner a promotion, brought uninvited guests to ticketed events without proper reimbursement, and asked his own aides to find him a “first lady.”

Democratic New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim joined Sherrill in calling for his resignation. (Read more from “Dem Governor Moves To Oust Hand-Picked No. 2 Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations” HERE)

Inflation Fears Surge As Economic Expectations Plunge

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Americans grew more pessimistic about the economy in September as inflation expectations surged and consumers braced for higher fuel prices and renewed trade tensions, according to data released Friday.

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment fell to 48.1 in September, down 7% from August and 12.7% from a year earlier, according to the university’s final September survey. The deterioration was concentrated in consumers’ outlook for the future, with the Index of Consumer Expectations plunging 10.1% in a single month to 46.3, while views of current economic conditions slipped just 1.9%.

Inflation fears also accelerated sharply. Consumers expected prices to rise 4.6% over the next year, up from 4.0% in August and the highest reading since June. The reading was also well above the 3.4% recorded in February before the Iran conflict began.

Inflation expectations can influence future inflation. Businesses and workers can respond to expectations of higher prices by adjusting prices and wages, potentially reinforcing inflation, according to the Federal Reserve.

The Fed closely watches whether inflation expectations remain anchored for that reason. Expectations that become persistently elevated can contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle in which anticipation of higher inflation affects economic behavior and helps push actual inflation higher. (Read more from “Inflation Fears Surge As Economic Expectations Plunge” HERE)

Bill Gates Warns AI Could Cause ‘A Billion Deaths’ Without Government Control

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Bill Gates, the tech evangelist and leftist billionaire who has suddenly changed his tune to focus on the dangers of AI, told NBC’s Meet the Press that artificial intelligence could kill on a scale never before possible.

NBC released excerpts Friday of Gates’s interview with Kristen Welker, set to air Sunday. In it, the Microsoft co-founder said, “AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, cause a billion deaths.”

Gates went further, describing the danger of AI falling into the wrong hands. “Even though it’s pretty hard to get to 100%, there’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools,” he told Welker. (Read more from “Bill Gates Warns AI Could Cause ‘A Billion Deaths’ Without Government Control” HERE)

SCOTUS Rules 6-3 to Permit Trump’s Streamlined Voter Verification System Ahead of Midterms

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The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled 6-3 on Friday to permit implementation of President Donald Trump’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) streamlined Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Last year, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced upgrades to the SAVE program, which allows states to verify that only American citizens are voting in federal elections. Multiple left-wing organizations sued to stop the updates to the SAVE program, and a lower court blocked its implementation.

SCOTUS granted the Trump administration’s request to stay the lower court’s decision.

“Under the modified SAVE program, a state or local agency seeking to determine an individual’s citizenship status first uploads the individual’s first name, last name, date of birth, or full or partial SSN to the SAVE portal,” the majority writes:

The SAVE program automatically discloses that information to SSA, which runs it through its databases to find a match. SSA then discloses its search results to DHS, including the individual’s full name, date of birth, full SSN, and citizenship status. Finally, the SAVE portal returns a response to the agency, either confirming that the individual is a citizen or requesting that the agency resubmit its query with additional information. If the modified SAVE program is unable to confirm that an individual is a citizen, the agency is required to contact the individual and request that he provide proof of citizenship to register or remain registered to vote.

(Read more from “SCOTUS Rules 6-3 to Permit Trump’s Streamlined Voter Verification System Ahead of Midterms” HERE)

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Judge Orders Trump Admin To Reverse ‘Fake News’ White House Ban

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By Daily Caller. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore press credentials to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after the president “banned” them from the White House Friday.

The ruling comes after the three outlets joined forces to sue the administration to restore their press credentials. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the outlets a temporary order to reinstate their access on Monday, but reports claim journalists are still being denied entry to the White House.

“The brief makes clear what the law has long established: the government cannot remove journalists from the White House because it dislikes their reporting,” White House Correspondents Association President Jacqui Heinrich said in a post on X.

“That is viewpoint discrimination, and a clear violation of the First Amendment.”

“It is called the Oval Office, and it should be treated with Decorum, Respect, and Dignity, not defiled by Third Rate Clowns, who purposefully distort, twist, and degrade with everything they write or publish,” President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post following the lawsuit. “Virtually every story about me, or anything having to do with me, is negative, wrong and, in many cases, DANGEROUS for our Country! No matter how GREAT my Achievements, they trivialize and demean.” (Read more from “Judge Orders Trump Admin To Reverse ‘Fake News’ White House Ban” HERE)

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3 US news outlets return to White House after judge orders Trump to lift ban

By Miami News 7. Three news organizations banned from the White House for days were back Thursday, after a judge handed CNN, MS NOW and Politico a reprieve in an extraordinary showdown between President Donald Trump and outlets whose coverage he dislikes.

But media coverage of Trump’s White House was hardly normal. On a high-profile day when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was visiting Washington and planning to attend a state dinner, no major American network was airing live coverage.

After the White House banned CNN from a rotation of five major U.S. broadcast outlets who take turns shooting and sharing video, the other four — in a show of solidarity — were still declining to participate in the so-called video pool.

It was part of a chaotic day at the White House and in court. (Read more from “Judge Orders Trump Admin To Reverse ‘Fake News’ White House Ban” HERE)

Tragic Update about Shooting Survivor of Butler Assassination Attempt

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James Copenhaver became a prominent critic of the security failures at the July 2024 rally where he was shot twice during the attack on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

More than two years after suffering permanent injuries in the failed assassination attempt, the 76-year-old has passed away.

Copenhaver was shot twice in Butler, once through his triceps and also in his abdomen. He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment.

He underwent several surgeries and still had bullet fragments in his body when he died.

Copenhaver’s death was reported Thursday by journalist Ken Silva. (Read more from “Tragic Update about Shooting Survivor of Butler Assassination Attempt” HERE)

Netanyahu May Appoint Extremist Ben-Gvir As Defense Minister In Bid To Stay In Power

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Israel’s extremist National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Tuesday that he would demand the defense minister post for the next Knesset term after the upcoming elections in October.

Ben-Gvir told reporters at a press conference that “it is time for someone from outside who is not bound by the old conceptions,” and that he wants to change the Israel Defense Forces’ rules of engagement in Gaza and Lebanon, according to Haaretz.

“I want us to be in a situation where, if stones and Molotov cocktails are thrown at our soldiers, they shoot,” he reportedly said.

Ben-Gvir has a long history of using extremist rhetoric to support Israel’s illegal occupations of the West Bank and parts of Southern Lebanon, and the country’s destruction of Gaza after Oct. 7.

As the U.S. tried to end the Iran War in June with a Memorandum of Understanding, he openly called for genocide in Lebanon. (Read more from “Netanyahu May Appoint Extremist Ben-Gvir As Defense Minister In Bid To Stay In Power” HERE)

Senate Shoots Down Final War Powers Resolution Before Midterm Elections

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A war powers resolution narrowly failed to pass the Senate Thursday after only four Republicans voted for its passage.

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats in favor of the resolution while a growing number of Republicans began breaking with President Donald Trump on the Iran war. It failed in a 49 to 50 vote.

Democratic Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks did not vote. Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Jon Husted of Ohio, who have been critical of the Iran war, voted against the resolution.

The resolution directed Trump to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in Iran, although the president is not obligated to comply with a concurrent resolution since it does not have the force of law.

More Republicans called on the war to end as they faced competitive races in Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas, which traditionally are not seen as competitive states for Democrats. Republicans ramped up spending and campaigning in these states to rescue their candidates, including Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate bid against Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico. (Read more from “Senate Shoots Down Final War Powers Resolution Before Midterm Elections” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Democrat Mary Peltola Accused of Abusive Behavior, Vulgar Outbursts in Blockbuster Story

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Alaska Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola was the subject of a devastating New York Times profile on Wednesday, September 23 which described a pattern of angry outbursts, physical abuse, and slurs for years while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Peltola is now running against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in November in a contest polling shows continues to be close.

According to the explosive story, former aides describe “angry and profane outbursts.” In one instance she is said to have shoved an aide according to a former staffer who was present and two others who were told about it at the time. Additionally, four former staff members said they directly heard her use the word “faggot” over the years, even about her own staff members, which her campaign has denied. She also used the word “retarded,” according to former aides and text messages viewed by the newspaper.

The report talked to a total of nine former staffers who were granted anonymity.

Her office amassed one of the highest turnover rates in Congress during her term, and she has missed hundreds of votes throughout her time in elected office. (Read more from “Democrat Mary Peltola Accused of Abusive Behavior, Vulgar Outbursts in Blockbuster Story” HERE)

Trump, Xi Meet at White House, Reveal Nothing About Discussions

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump met at the White House for bilateral talks Thursday but afterwards remained mum about what was discussed.

Trump welcomed Xi on his second day in the country with a performance by the Marine Corps Band and a flyover and a review of troops dressed in colonial uniforms. Watching the review were Vice President JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Trump said in his opening remarks that the two countries should work together. He added that during World War II, they fought on the same side.

Xi noted the respect he and Trump share for each other and invited 100,000 American students to visit China in the next five years. He also announced that two pandas will soon be loaned to the Atlanta Zoo. (Read more from “Trump, Xi Meet at White House, Reveal Nothing About Discussions” HERE)