Panera Bread Exempt From California’s $20 Minimum Wage Law After Owner Donated to Gov. Newsom: Report

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that exempts Panera Bread from a new $20-an-hour minimum wage hike for fast food chains after the billionaire owner of several of the chain’s locations donated to his campaign, according to a report.

In September, Newsom, a Democrat, signed into law a measure that raises the minimum wage of food fast workers from $16 an hour to $20 an hour.

But the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Act) includes an unusual carve-out that exempts “chains that bake bread and sell it as a standalone item,” according to Bloomberg News.

Newsom reportedly sought the exemption, which benefits among others Greg Flynn, the billionaire CEO of Flynn Restaurant Group, the company that owns some two dozen Panera Bread locations in the state.

Flynn, who attended the same high school as Newsom, has been involved in business dealings with the California governor, according to Bloomberg News. (Read more from “Panera Bread Exempt From California’s $20 Minimum Wage Law After Owner Donated to Gov. Newsom: Report” HERE)

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Supreme Court Will Decide if Trump Immune From Prosecution for Attempting to Overturn Election

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The U.S. Supreme Court has granted former President Donald Trump’s request to decide if he is immune from prosecution on charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The court will consider “Whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.”

The Wednesday court order granting certiorari to Trump says oral arguments will begin the week of April 22. The order also instructs the appellate court to keep Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump paused until the Supreme Court reaches a decision on the immunity matter.

That question has already delayed what was an expedited schedule for the prosecution. A federal grand jury in D.C. indicted Trump on four counts on August 1, 2023, and after legal back-and-forth between Smith and Trump’s legal team, the court set a March 4, 2024 trial date.

Before today’s order by the court, District Judge Tanya Chutkan had delayed that trial date, as the case has been on hold since December. Today’s order makes clear that pre-trial work in that prosecution must remain on hold.

(Read more from “Supreme Court Will Decide if Trump Immune From Prosecution for Attempting to Overturn Election” HERE)

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The Possible Return of Donald Trump Sends Deep State Into Tailspin

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The intelligence community is reportedly “on edge” over former President Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House and what it may mean for those who oppose him.

Politico — the outlet that published a debunked article implying the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation — interviewed 18 former officials and analysts who worked in the sprawling bureaucracy as either appointees or career officials, with the majority wanting to snipe at Trump anonymously, allegedly to “avoid provoking backlash.”

The piece cites Trump critic Fiona Hill — a Russia analyst and former intelligence official who served under George Bush and Barack Obama and went from the liberal think tank Brookings Institution to join the Trump National Security Council, where a number of holdovers from the Obama administration served. . .

The critics and anonymous former officials warned that Trump could “overhaul the nation’s spy agencies in a way that could lead to an unprecedented level of politicization of intelligence.” They warned that Trump would “push even harder” than his first administration to oust people hostile to his political agenda.

While Politico acknowledged, “America’s spy agencies are never completely divorced from politics,” it implied that is only a problem under Trump:

[A]n overhaul of the type Trump is expected to attempt could undermine the credibility of American intelligence at a time when the U.S. and allies are relying on it to navigate crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. It could also effectively strip the intelligence community of the ability to dissuade the president from decisions that could put the country at risk.

(Read more from “The Possible Return of Donald Trump Sends Deep State Into Tailspin” HERE)

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House Republicans Subpoena DOJ For Biden-Hur Transcript

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House Republicans subpoenaed the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday for the transcript of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, the Daily Caller has learned.

Hur released his report on Biden’s handling of classified documents earlier in February, in which he detailed a five-hour interview with the president over the course of Oct. 8-9. In his report, the special counsel made comments about Biden’s declining mental state, noting that he appeared to forget when his vice presidency began and ended as well as the date of his late son’s death.

The House Judiciary and Oversight Committees notified Attorney General Merrick Garland of the subpoena on Tuesday in a letter obtained by the Daily Caller. The committees previously requested that the DOJ provide the transcript by Feb. 19 at 5 p.m., but the department did not do so.

“The Oversight and Judiciary Committees, in coordination with the Ways and Means Committee, are investigating whether sufficient grounds exist to draft articles of impeachment against President Biden for consideration by the full House,” the letter states. “The Committees further seek to understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys placed any limitations or scoping restrictions during the interviews with Special Counsel Hur or Mr. Mark Zwonitzer precluding or addressing any potential statements directly linking President Biden to troublesome foreign payments.”

Whether or not to release the transcript of the Hur interview has been the topic of much debate amongst Biden allies and opponents alike. (Read more from “House Republicans Subpoena DOJ For Biden-Hur Transcript” HERE)

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TSA Precheck Goes Touchless: ID-Free Travel at Select Airports

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TSA PreCheck members can now experience a touchless travel process at certain airports, eliminating the need to present ID or boarding passes. United Airlines has initiated this innovative service at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and partially at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

United Airlines recently introduced TSA PreCheck Touchless ID at O’Hare International Airport, allowing travelers to drop off their bags and navigate through security without the need to present identification. The touchless ID service is also available at the TSA PreCheck security checkpoint.

To utilize the touchless ID service, TSA PreCheck customers need to register their Known Traveler Number (KTN) through United when booking or checking in for their flight. By opting in for facial scan identification, travelers can take advantage of the touchless experience. At the airport, passengers can follow signs to the PreCheck Touchless ID kiosk, located next to the regular PreCheck lane, where they can scan their faces and proceed to the security checkpoint.

United Airlines is pioneering this technology in Chicago and Los Angeles, with plans to expand the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to additional hubs throughout the year.

This development joins other recent security updates in the aviation industry, such as the PreCheck service in Las Vegas, the Delta Digital ID in multiple locations, the American Airlines Mobile ID in Washington D.C., and Global Entry processes. These advancements leverage facial recognition technology to enhance security and facilitate a smoother journey for both passengers and Transportation Security Officers (TSOs).

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Report: Biden Doesn’t Want to Confront China on Fentanyl Due to His Family’s Money

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On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” president of the GAI and a senior contributor to Breitbart News Peter Schweizer debuted his new book Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans and stated that President Joe Biden doesn’t want to confront China about their involvement in the fentanyl trade due to ties between major players in the fentanyl trade and people who have sent money to the Biden family.

(Read more from “Report: Biden Doesn’t Want to Confront China on Fentanyl Due to His Family’s Money” HERE)

US Airman Claimed to Have Classified Knowledge of US Forces Fighting in Gaza Tunnels on Night Before Setting Himself on Fire: Pal

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Aaron Bushnell claimed he had secret knowledge of US troops fighting in Hamas tunnels under Gaza — just hours before setting himself on fire in an “extreme act of protest” against Israel, a close pal told The Post on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old airman — who served in the Air Force’s 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing, but also interacted with radical anarchist groups online — ranted he had “top-secret clearance’’ for military intelligence data in the call to his friend Saturday night, he said.

“He told me on Saturday that we have troops in those tunnels, that it’s US soldiers participating in the killings,’’ the pal, whose ties to Bushnell have been verified by The Post, claimed.

“His actual job involves the processing of intelligence data. Some of what he was processing had to do with the Israeli Gaza conflict.”

“One of the things he told me is that coming across his desk … was the US military was involved in the genocides going on in Palestine,’’ the friend said, referring to Israel’s war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas in Gaza. (Read more from “US Airman Claimed to Have Classified Knowledge of US Forces Fighting in Gaza Tunnels on Night Before Setting Himself on Fire: Pal” HERE)

Trump Beats Haley in Another State Primary

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Former President Donald Trump won Michigan’s Republican Party presidential primary on Tuesday night, beating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley by more than 30 points.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed in the state. With 12% of the vote being counted, Trump leads Haley 66.0% to 29.4%.

The New York Times live forecast said Trump’s expected margin of victory was roughly 47 points.

“We have a very simple task — we have to win on Nov. 5,” Trump, speaking of this November’s general election, told a Michigan GOP watch party in Grand Rapids. “We win Michigan, we win the whole thing.”

“Nov. 5, we’re going to get [Biden] out,” Trump added. “We’re going to change our country. We’re going to bring our country back.” (Read more from “Trump Beats Haley in Another State Primary” HERE)

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President Biden Secures Michigan Democratic Primary Amidst ‘Uncommitted’ Movement Pushed by Anti-Israel Protests

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President Biden easily won Michigan’s Democratic primary Tuesday night, but his support was impacted by an anti-Israel protest movement calling for voters to fill in “uncommitted.”

With almost three-fifths of the expected vote in, Biden had 81.2% support, while rivals Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) garnered 3.0% and 2.8%, respectively.

“Uncommitted” received 13.0% of the vote, far below the benchmark set in the 2008 Michigan Democratic primary, when close to 40% of the electorate opted not to back any candidate.

A fuller picture of the “uncommitted” vote would not be clear until final results came in from Wayne County — home to the largest Arab-American community in the country, based in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn.

The movement to steer clear of supporting Biden, 81, was driven by anti-Israel group “Listen to Michigan,” which aimed to show Biden he can not win a second term unless he demands the Jewish state enter a cease-fire in its war against Hamas following the Oct. 7 terror attack that killed an estimated 1,200. (Read more from “President Biden Secures Michigan Democratic Primary Amidst ‘Uncommitted’ Movement Pushed by Anti-Israel Protests” HERE)

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Illegal Alien Arrested for Allegedly Murdering Toddler

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An illegal alien from Central America was arrested this week in connection with the murder of 2-year-old Jeremy Poou Caceres in Maryland.

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit arrested 25-year-old Nilson Noel Trejo-Granados in connection with the murder earlier this month at Langley Park.

The toddler and his mother were shot as two groups of males opened fire on each other. The toddler died a short time later while the mother is expected to make a full recovery.

Four other individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder, including two minors — ages 15 and 16 — who were not named due to their age, 33-year-old Israel Fuentes, Jr., and 28-year-old Johnny Alejandro Turcios.

Trejo-Granados is charged with murder-first degree, murder-second degree, two counts of assault first degree, assault second degree, attempted first degree murder, and attempted second degree murder. (Read more from “Illegal Alien Arrested for Allegedly Murdering Toddler” HERE)