Nearly 50 Million Americans Just Had Their Credit Card Limits Cut

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About 1 in 4 credit card holders — or almost 50 million Americans — had their credit limits cut or their card accounts closed in the past 30 days, according to a consumer survey by Lending Tree’s Compare Cards website. The reductions particularly affected men between the ages 18 and 38, according to the survey.

Lenders aren’t required to tell customers when their credit limits are lowered, LendingTree analyst Matt Schulz said, adding that many lenders made their moves in the past month to avert losses if cash-strapped consumers struggle to keep up with payments amid surging U.S. unemployment.

The credit curbs happened just when household budgets are particularly strained from coronavirus-related job losses and families are believed to be using their cards more frequently. The Lending Tree survey reports that 42% more cardholders said they used their credit in the last month compared to the same period last year. . .

Total credit card debt is about $1.1 trillion nationwide and has been growing steadily since 2015, Federal Reserve data show. That debt was already crushing many U.S. households before the novel coronavirus struck America, according to CBS News Senior Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger. (Read more from “Nearly 50 Million Americans Just Had Their Credit Card Limits Cut” HERE)

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Schiff Changed Russia Document Release Strategy Because He Was Forced

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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), had only planned to release partial transcripts from the committee’s Russia investigation, not all of them, a source with knowledge of his efforts told Breitbart News.

But then, when acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell announced he was prepared to release all of the transcripts in full—something Grenell had planned to do on Friday morning if Schiff had not done so—Schiff changed his strategy and agreed to release them all in full.

An intelligence community source told Breitbart News that Schiff was caught attempting to weaponize the information through selective and partial releases, but Grenell’s actions forced his hand and made him release them all in full. In a letter first reported by the Washington Examiner’s Byron York earlier this week, Grenell informed Schiff that the documents were ready for release.

Grenell wrote to Schiff in the May 4 letter:

All of the transcripts, with our required redactions, can be released to the public without any concerns of disclosing classified material. I urge you to honor your previous public statements, and your committee’s unanimous vote on this matter, to release all 53 cleared transcripts to Members of Congress and the American public as soon as possible.

(Read more from “Schiff Changed Russia Document Release Strategy Because He Was Forced” HERE)

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DOJ Withdraws Gen. Flynn Charge; Trump Says Obama Officials Committed Treason, “Human Scum”

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By Fox News. The Justice Department on Thursday moved to drop its case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, in a stunning development that comes after internal memos were released raising serious questions about the nature of the investigation that led to Flynn’s late 2017 guilty plea of lying to the FBI.

The announcement came in a court filing “after a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information,” as the department put it. DOJ officials said they concluded that Flynn’s interview by the FBI was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn” and that the interview was “conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.” . . .

The federal judge overseeing the case would have to make the final determination to dismiss it.

The retired Army lieutenant general for months has been trying to withdraw his plea, aided by a new attorney aggressively challenging the prosecution’s case and conduct. But, the case has been plodding through the court system with no resolution ever since his original plea, even amid speculation about whether President Trump himself could extend a pardon. . .

President Trump reacted from the Oval Office just minutes after the DOJ filing surfaced. “He was an innocent man… Now, in my book, he’s an even greater warrior,” Trump said, while criticizing Obama administration officials. “They’re human scum. … It’s treason.” (Read more from “DOJ Withdraws Gen. Flynn Charge; Trump Says Complicit Obama Officials Committed Treason, “Human Scum” HERE)

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FBI, Comey Stalled Push to Notify Trump Camp of Michael Flynn Probe, Docs Show

By New York Post. Obama-era Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates pushed to notify the incoming Trump administration of the nature of Michael Flynn’s communications with Russia, but was slow-rolled by the FBI, according to bombshell documents filed Thursday.

The behind-the-scenes revelation came to light in a memo of an interview with Yates, among a trove of documents released as the DOJ dropped its criminal case against Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser.

Yates first learned of the contacts between Flynn and then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak — in which Flynn asked that Russia refrain from retaliating to sanctions imposed over interference in the 2016 election — from President Obama himself, the FBI memo says.

Obama told Yates during a January 2017 meeting in the Oval Office that he had “learned of the information about Flynn” and wanted to know how to proceed, according to the documents. (Read more from “FBI, Comey Stalled Push to Notify Trump Camp of Michael Flynn Probe, Docs Show” HERE)

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Rosenstein Scope Memo for Mueller Peddled Steele Dossier, Logan Act Conspiracy Theories; Fox Host Rips Rosenstein: ‘Deep State’s Abuse of Power as Clear as Ever’

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By The Federalist. Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s memo authorizing Robert Mueller’s anti-Trump investigation was riddled with conspiracy theories lifted straight from the bogus dossier of Christopher Steele, a newly released, less redacted version of the memo shows. The memo, portions of which were declassified on April 30, 2020, specifically targeted former Trump campaign affiliates Carter Page, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and one individual whose identity is redacted.

The Aug. 2, 2017 scope memo, which was provided by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the Senate Judiciary Committee following requests from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., cited Steele dossier collusion conspiracy theories about Manafort and Page.

Rosenstein ordered Mueller to investigate allegations that Page “committed a crime or crimes by colluding with Russian government officials with respect to the Russian government’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 election[.]” The same language was used to justify the targeting of Manafort.

Rosenstein’s memo also peddled discredited legal theories about the Logan Act, a 1799 law criminalizing political speech by American citizens that has never been successfully prosecuted, to justify investigations of former White House National Security Adviser (NSA) Michael Flynn. The scope memo directed Mueller to investigate allegations that Flynn “committed a crime or crimes by engaging in conversations with Russian officials during the period of the Trump transition.”

The Mueller probe, after nearly two years and tens of millions of dollars, unearthed no evidence of collusion by any Trump campaign officials. However, a sprawling investigation by the DOJ Office of Inspector General found that Rosenstein’s DOJ fabricated evidence and falsified documents to justify an illegal federal spy warrant against Page. A Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) lawyer, reported to be Kevin Clinesmith, allegedly altered documents from a U.S. intelligence agency to erase evidence that Page had for years worked on behalf of the U.S. government to help investigate Russian agents who were attempting to damage the U.S. and compromise national security. (Read more from “Rosenstein Scope Memo for Mueller Peddled Steele Dossier, Logan Act Conspiracy Theories” HERE)

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Hannity Rips Rosenstein After Mueller ‘Scope Memo’ Released: ‘Deep State’s Abuse of Power as Clear as Ever’

By Fox News. Sean Hannity opened his Wednesday night program by praising Attorney General William Barr after the Justice Department released the unredacted August 2017 “scope memo” that laid out the full extent of then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative powers.

Hannity said the memo shows Mueller’s probe covered more ground than previously thought, even giving Mueller latitude to investigate people like Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn for what the host called “a bogus, non-existent Logan Act violation.”

Sean Hannity opened his Wednesday night program by praising Attorney General William Barr after the Justice Department released the unredacted August 2017 “scope memo” that laid out the full extent of then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative powers.

Hannity said the memo shows Mueller’s probe covered more ground than previously thought, even giving Mueller latitude to investigate people like Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn for what the host called “a bogus, non-existent Logan Act violation.” . . .

He said the fact that Rosenstein gave Mueller such a wide purview despite his own knowledge of inconsistencies in the source material proves “the deep state’s abuse of power is now as clear as it has ever been.” (Read more from “Hannity Rips Rosenstein After Mueller ‘Scope Memo’ Released: ‘Deep State’s Abuse of Power as Clear as Ever'” HERE)

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Coronavirus Researcher ‘on Verge of Breakthrough’ Shot Dead

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A researcher in the United States who was shot dead at the weekend in an apparent murder-suicide had been close to a breakthrough in a scientific understanding of the new coronavirus.

The University of Pittsburgh said Bing Liu, a 37-year-old research assistant professor at its computational and systems biology department, had been “on the verge of making very significant findings” into the virus before his death from multiple gunshot wounds.

According to local newspaper Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Liu was at his home in western Pennsylvania at around noon on Saturday when he was shot by Hao Gu, 46, who then killed himself.

Local police said the incident “was the result of a lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner”. Since both men were not US citizens, the investigation was handed to federal authorities to review.

The university said Liu had been part of a team modelling various biological systems in a bid to understand the cellular mechanisms of the new coronavirus, as well as the cellular basis of health complications found in Covid-19 patients. “He was patient, intelligent and extremely mature. We will miss him very much,” it said. (Read more from “Coronavirus Researcher ‘on Verge of Breakthrough’ Shot Dead” HERE)

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Report: America’s Billionaires Added $282 Billion to Their Total Wealth in 23 Days During the Coronavirus Crisis

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The US’ richest people continue to get richer even as the coronavirus pushes millions of American workers into unemployment and a deep recession looms large over the economy, according to a report

In the first three months of 2020, even as panic gripped markets, 34 of the US’ wealthiest 170 billionaires saw their fortunes surge by millions of dollars, according to a Billionaires Bonanza 2020 report published by the Institute for Policy Studies last week. Eight even saw their wealth increase by more than $1 billion, the report said.

Research by Forbes year showed that US billionaires’ wealth declined from $3.1 trillion to $2.9 trillion in 2020 as of March 18, but the new Billionaires Bonanza report which looks at billionaires wealth from the start of January until April 10, shows that billionaires have cashed in so far this year.

In the 23 days between March 18 and April 10, the report states, billionaire wealth in the US increased $282 billion, or 9.5%. Over the same period, 22 million Americans filed for unemployment, it noted.

Billionaires saw their net worths increase in those weeks as stock markets rallied sharply, rewarding those with large stock market investments. (Read more from “Report: America’s Billionaires Added $282 Billion to Their Total Wealth in 23 Days During the Coronavirus Crisis” HERE)

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Senate Will Hold Vote to Override Trump Veto on Iran War Powers Resolution

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The Senate will vote on Thursday to override President Trump’s veto of a resolution that would have curbed his ability to use military action against Iran.

The vote will happen at 1:30 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced after the veto on Wednesday, according to the Hill. The move, which would require the approval of two-thirds of Congress, is expected to fail.

“I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to override his veto. Unless there’s a carefully reached consensus in Congress that war is necessary, we should not be sending our troops into harm’s way,” said Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine in a statement after the president’s veto. . .

Trump blasted the resolution, which saw eight Republican senators join forces with Democrats, in a Wednesday statement from the White House. (Read more from “Senate Will Hold Vote to Override Trump Veto on Iran War Powers Resolution” HERE)

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Stolen Weapons Cache Seized in California After Border Patrol Operation

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El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents teamed up with local law enforcement officers to recover a stash of stolen firearms and ammunition near the California border with Mexico. The suspects, Mexican nationals, allegedly stole the weapons from Yuma, Arizona.

Imperial County Sheriff’s Office detectives began an investigation on April 29 into a large number of firearms and ammunition reportedly stolen in Yuma, Arizona. El Centro Sector Special Operations Detachment (SOD) Border Patrol agents and the Yuma Police Department assisted in the investigation, according to information provided by El Centro Sector Border Patrol officials.

The El Centro Sector SOD agents joined with the ICSO investigators to execute multiple search warrants in Calexico, California. During the searches, the investigators found 11 firearms and a large quantity of “military-grade ammunition,” officials reported. The searches also led to the recovery of several high-capacity magazines. (Read more from “Stolen Weapons Cache Seized in California After Border Patrol Operation” HERE)

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YouTube Censors Video Criticizing Fauci and Coronavirus Response

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YouTube has censored a video featuring a virologist who once worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci and questions the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the video, which apparently violates the platform’s requirement that any views expressed on the pandemic cannot be in conflict with the World Health Organization, Dr. Judy Mikovits contends the isolate-everyone policy is a big mistake and claims officials have a financial incentive to implement mass vaccinations. . .

Mikovits claims Fauci was among the top health officials who framed her and destroyed her career because of her contrary views.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojkicki said in a recent interview with CNN that “anything that would go against World Health Organization recommendations would be a violation of our policy.” . . .

Mikovits claims in the video that the government’s approach to the coronavirus is an existential threat to the United States. (Read more from “YouTube Censors Video Criticizing Fauci and Coronavirus Response” HERE)

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Report: Trump Wants Border Wall Painted Black to Make It Too Hot for Illegal Aliens to Touch

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President Donald Trump still wants to paint the U.S.-Mexico border wall black to make the barrier look more menacing and hot to the touch during the summer months, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

During a White House meeting in April about the border wall, Trump told senior aide Jared Kushner and others to move forward with plans to paint the wall black and to gather the cost estimates of such a project, according to several administration officials who spoke with the Washington Post.

Government contracting estimates obtained by the Post project that the endeavor would cost at least $500 million.

Trump has pushed for black paint before, but the proposal has been long opposed by border officials and military commanders who believe the black paint would be unnecessarily costly and require too much maintenance in the long-term, according to the Post.

However, Trump — who has made immigration enforcement a hallmark of his presidency — reportedly believes the black paint would look more frightening. The black color would also allow the wall to absorb more heat during the summer months, making it that much harder for individuals to scale. (Read more from “Report: Trump Wants Border Wall Painted Black to Make It Too Hot for Illegal Aliens to Touch” HERE)

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