Impeachment ‘Whistleblower’ Knew of Biden-Ukraine Corruption Trump Wanted Probed

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The “whistleblower” who sparked Donald Trump’s first impeachment was deeply involved in the political maneuverings behind Biden-family business schemes in Ukraine that Trump wanted probed, newly obtained emails from former Vice President Joe Biden’s office reveal.

In 2019, then-National Intelligence Council analyst Eric Ciaramella touched off a political firestorm when he anonymously accused Trump of linking military aid for Ukraine to a demand for an investigation into alleged Biden corruption in that country.

But four years earlier, while working as a national security analyst attached to then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office, Ciaramella was a close adviser when Biden threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine unless it fired its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Ukraine-based Burisma Holdings. At the time, the corruption-riddled energy giant was paying Biden’s son Hunter millions of dollars.

Those payments — along with other evidence tying Joe Biden to his family’s business dealings — received little attention in 2019 as Ciaramella accused Trump of a corrupt quid pro quo. Neither did subsequent evidence indicating that Hunter Biden’s associates had identified Shokin as a “key target.” These matters are now part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

“It now seems there was material evidence that would have been used at the impeachment trial [to exonerate Trump],” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who has testified as an expert witness in the ongoing Biden impeachment inquiry. “Trump was alleging there was a conflict of interest with the Bidens, and the evidence could have challenged Biden’s account and established his son’s interest in the Shokin firing.” (Read more from “Impeachment ‘Whistleblower’ Knew of Biden-Ukraine Corruption Trump Wanted Probed” HERE)

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Pentagon Confirms Americans Sharing Air Base With Russian Troops in Niger

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed on Friday that American troops are sharing space on Airbase 101, a facility in the capital of Niger, with Russian military forces, but dismissed the Russians’ presence as “not a significant issue here.”

Reuters reported late on Friday that the government of Niger – a military junta known as the “National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland” that took power in a televised coup in July – had allowed Russian forces onto the airbase.

“A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital,” Reuters relayed.

The anonymous official described the situation as “not great.”

Asked about the report of Russian troops at Airbase 101, Austin confirmed that the Russian soldiers were in the facility. (Read more from “Pentagon Confirms Americans Sharing Air Base With Russian Troops in Niger” HERE)

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Hope Hicks Breaks Down on Witness Stand, Defends Trump and Melania’s Relationship

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Donald Trump’s former top aide Hope Hicks broke down on the witness stand Friday at his hush money trial, during testimony where she also defended the former president’s relationship with wife Melania.

Hicks, 35 — former press secretary then top White House spokesperson to the ex-president — began crying after the first few questions by Emil Bove, a lawyer for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

During the emotional moment Hicks dabbed her eyes with a tissue as Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan offered her a short break, which she accepted.

Although it is not clear why she started to cry, Hicks had first become visibly flustered at the end of questioning by the prosecution, while answering questions about the $130,000 payment to porn star Stromy Daniels which is at the center of the trial.

She had testified she thought Trump thought felt “it was better to be dealing” with the situation in 2018 than before the 2016 presidential election. (Read more from “Hope Hicks Breaks Down on Witness Stand, Defends Trump and Melania’s Relationship” HERE)

NYPD: Funding for Pro-Palestinian ‘Encampments’ Comes from ‘Around the World’

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New York Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard told Fox News‘ Neil Cavuto on Thursday that pro-Palestinian “encampments” at many universities are run by “outside agitators” with funds from “around the world.”

Sheppard said that the NYPD was “very confident” that “outside agitators and influencers” have been present at protests in the city. Often, these “professionals” manage to escape arrest.

“They may just fly in for a day or two, and leave,” he said, adding that they “travel around the country” between protests.

Sheppard added: “And they have funding. They are funded by private individuals around the world sometimes.” He said that students are often easily manipulated by the professional activists to join radical, often illegal, protests.

As Breitbart News noted, one veteran activist, Lisa Fithian, was allegedly seen this week at the site of the Columbia University protests, which ended with a violent occupation of a university building, and intervention by the NYPD. (Read more from “NYPD: Funding for Pro-Palestinian ‘Encampments’ Comes from ‘Around the World’” HERE)

Democrat Rep. Indicted on Federal Bribery Charges

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The Department of Justice indicted U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife Imelda on Friday with multiple charges for alleged conspiracy and bribery uncovered through a federal investigation into American businessmen with ties to Azerbaijan.

According to the indictment unsealed Friday in the Southern District of Texas, Cuellar and his wife accepted close to $600,000 in bribes from a state-owned oil and gas company in Azerbaijan and a bank headquartered in Mexico City between 2014 and 2021. In return, Cuellar advocated for the interests of Azerbaijan and the Mexican bank in the United States.

The DOJ alleges that the Cuellars’ scheme also involved “unlawful foreign influence and money laundering” carried out “pursuant to sham consulting contracts” through “a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.”

A press release from the DOJ states that Cuellar’s end of the alleged bribery scheme included an agreement to “use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan” and “influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank” in Mexico. (Read more from “Democrat Rep. Indicted on Federal Bribery Charges” HERE)

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Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Say Trump Strong Leader, Biden Weak

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By Breitbart. A majority of Americans see former President Donald Trump as a strong leader, while most see President Joe Biden as a weak leader, according to a poll.

The Economist/YouGov poll published on Wednesday asked respondents to classify Trump and Biden’s leadership qualities.

A majority of 58 percent of all adult respondents say Trump is a strong leader, including a plurality of 35 percent who see him as “very strong.” Trump is up one point in this department from a March Economist/YouGov poll that Breitbart News reported on.

The remaining 42 percent of respondents see Trump as a weak leader to varying degrees, including 32 percent who say he is “very weak.”

Conversly, Americans overwhelmingly say Biden has weak leadership qualities. A strong majority (64 percent) say Biden is a weak leader. Moreover, 45 percent of all poll participants regard Biden as “very weak.” (Read more from “Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Say Trump Strong Leader, Biden Weak” HERE)

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Donald Trump Beating Joe Biden by 15 Points in One Battleground State: Poll

By Newsweek. Donald Trump is beating Joe Biden by 15 points in Michigan six months before the presidential election, one poll has shown.

According to a Kaplan Strategies survey of 804 people, the former president is leading the incumbent by 51 percent to 36 percent in the key battleground state. The margin of error for the survey was 3.5 percentage points.

In March, Biden and Trump won enough primary races to secure, respectively, the Democratic and Republican nominations in the 2024 presidential election. Thus far, polls have shown that the results will be tight as the pair are statistically tied in most polls or enjoying only marginal leads.

Swing states are important as due to the Electoral College system of voting, they may determine the winner of the election. (Read more from “Donald Trump Beating Joe Biden by 15 Points in One Battleground State: Poll” HERE)

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Disturbing Video Shows Accused Killer Dad Forcing 6-Year-Old Son to Run on Treadmill Because He Was ‘Too Fat’

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The accused “killer” New Jersey father who forced his 6-year-old son to run on a treadmill did so because the child was “too fat” as a disturbing new video reveals the alleged child abuse.

Christopher Gregor, 31, appeared in court Tuesday to stand trial for allegedly murdering his son Corey Micciolo in 2021. He faces life in prison if convicted.

During the trial, the Superior Court in Ocean City was shown surveillance video of Gregor forcing Corey to run on a treadmill after the boy fell off multiple times due to the exercise machine’s excessive speed.

Gregor and his son were seen on March 20, 2021, entering the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center, where the boy was promptly placed on the treadmill and began running, according to video, obtained by CourtTV.com.

Footage captured Gregor walking up to the treadmill to increase the speed and raise the incline of the track. (Read more from “Disturbing Video Shows Accused Killer Dad Forcing 6-Year-Old Son to Run on Treadmill Because He Was ‘Too Fat'” HERE)

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Another Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dies Suddenly

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Joshua Dean, 45, of Wichita, Kansas, worked as a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems’ flagship manufacturing site, which supplies Boeing with various plane parts — including the door plug that popped off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX flight, forcing a rough landing in January. Dean, who held a degree in mechanical engineering and had decades of experience, was among the first whistleblowers to claim that Spirit had turned a blind eye to defects on the controversial airliner.

Dean died suddenly Tuesday — several weeks after Boeing whistleblower John Barnett supposedly killed himself in a truck outside his South Carolina hotel amidst depositions in Charleston. Police are still investigating Barnett’s death.

Barnett and Dean were both represented by the same South Carolina-based law firm, and both raised awareness about quality control issues in the Boeing supply chain. . .

According to the Seattle Times, Dean was fired in April 2023 for allegedly bungling inspections, leading to the shipment of defective tail fin fittings to Boeing. Dean alternatively maintained that he had been canned in retaliation for having repeatedly flagged errors he observed on the factory floor — errors he suggested Spirit supervisors had ignored. He indicated as much in his November 2023 wrongful termination complaint to the Department of Labor.

A former co-worker, Lance Thompson, told the Times that Dean frustrated the mechanics on the factory floor precisely because of his attention to detail. (Read more from “Another Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dies Suddenly” HERE)

Portion of I-95 to Remain Closed for Several Days After Tractor-Trailer Carrying Thousands of Gallons of Gasoline Explodes Into Massive Inferno

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A tanker truck filled to the brim with gasoline slammed into a tractor-trailer and burst into a blazing fireball Thursday morning on Interstate 95 in Connecticut — melting an overpass that will now be demolished.

The blaze — which shut down both sides of the highway, a major East Coast artery that links New York and New England — erupted at about 5:30 a.m. and burned for nearly three hours before it was brought under control.

The portion of the major highway affected by the fire will remain closed through at least Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The tanker, which was carrying about 8,500 gallons of gas, hit the truck and a passenger vehicle near Exit 15 near the Fairfield Avenue overpass — which will be demolished beginning 3 a.m. Friday. The road will also need to be repaved.

“The heat from the burning fuel compromised some of the bridge, so that bridge is going to have to come down and that demolition is going to start first thing tomorrow morning,” Lamont said later Thursday. (Read more from “Portion of I-95 to Remain Closed for Several Days After Tractor-Trailer Carrying Thousands of Gallons of Gasoline Explodes Into Massive Inferno” HERE)

Biden’s Next Move? Resettle Palestinians in American Communities

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Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Scott Perry (R-PA), as well as dozens of Senate Republicans, are moving to prevent President Joe Biden from resettling Palestinians in American communities.

In a letter to House Appropriators, Ogles, Tiffany, and Perry ask that a provision be included in the Fiscal Year 2025 spending bill that prohibits expenditures “of any funds to issue a visa or grant parole to any alien holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.”

The House Republicans write:

Whatever fanciful leftist notion to the contrary, the United States of America cannot be expected to absorb the rest of the world’s problems. It would make much more sense for states in the region to take in those in need. If the administration is indeed working in concert with our allies in the region to pave the way for peace, that should come with the expectation that those allies are working in good faith to “do their part.” [Emphasis added]

Their letter comes as the Biden administration reportedly considers using the federal government’s refugee resettlement program to bring Palestinians to the United States. Last November, House and Senate Democrats circulated a similar plan. (Read more from “Biden’s Next Move? Resettle Palestinians in American Communities” HERE)