SOCIAL SECURITY RESERVE DEPLETION WILL CUT BENEFITS BY 21 PERCENT BEGINNING 2033

Friday, September 6, 2024
By Naveen Athrappully | The Epoch Times

Social Security recipients stand to lose more than a fifth of their annual benefits beginning in 2033 because of significant reserve depletion in the federal program, according to a recent report released by a nonpartisan policy analysis organization.

“The Social Security program is currently paying out more in benefits than it collects in payroll tax and other revenue, and it is drawing down its reserves to cover the remaining cost of benefits,” a Sept. 5 report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) stated. “The program’s Trustees project that the Old-Age & Survivors (OASI) trust fund—which funds retirement benefits—will deplete its reserves in the fourth quarter of 2033.”

Once the reserves are depleted, a 21 percent cut, as required by law, will be implemented for the 70 million beneficiaries of Social Security, CRFB stated.

A typical dual-income couple is estimated to see an annual benefit reduction of $16,500, while for a single-income couple, benefits will be reduced by $12,400.

Benefit cuts would vary depending on the age, lifetime incomes, and work history of the retirees, the group noted. For instance, a low- and dual-income couple retiring in 2033 is expected to see a $10,000 reduction in benefits, while a high-income couple’s benefits are expected to be cut by $21,800. Even though the former’s benefit cut is smaller in dollar terms, it represents a “larger share of their income,” CRFB said.

The 21 percent reduction is predicted to widen to 31 percent by 2098 due to the rising gap between program revenues and benefit payments.

In May, the Social Security Administration (SSA) said it expects the Social Security trust funds to deplete by 2035, a year later than previously projected, following which only 83 percent of the benefits would be payable.

“Congress can and should take action to extend the financial health of the trust fund into the foreseeable future, just as it did in the past on a bipartisan basis,” Martin O’Malley, commissioner of Social Security, said at the time.

Social Security is primarily funded via payroll taxes, with employers and employees each paying 6.2 percent of wages into the program. In 2024, the maximum taxable income for Social Security is $168,600, up from $160,200 last year. Self-employed individuals pay 12.4 percent.

RESOLVING FUNDING ISSUE

Social Security is a key issue in the upcoming elections. Last month, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris said in an X post that if she were to become president, she would “protect and expand” Social Security.

In February last year, a group of Democrat lawmakers and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the Social Security Expansion Act to resolve the funding challenges.

The act recommends “requiring the wealthiest American households to pay their fair share of taxes” to extend the solvency of social security by 75 years, according to a fact sheet.

The bill suggests making all income above $250,000 subject to the Social Security payroll tax. It proposes a 12.4 percent tax on the investment and business income of wealthy individuals.

A Heritage Foundation report criticized the Social Security Expansion Act, pointing out that its “enormous tax increases would exacerbate Social Security’s strain on workers and families, making all but the oldest generations worse off.”

During his presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump had asked Republicans not to make any proposal to cut Social Security or Medicare. The Republican Party has adopted this stance as its policy and also dismissed lifting the retirement age.

During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said he would cut taxes on Social Security for seniors if reelected.

Roughly 40 percent of Americans who receive Social Security benefits pay taxes on these receipts. Retired individuals making more than $25,000 per year and couples earning more than $32,000 are subject to taxes.

The CRFB has raised concerns over cutting tax on Social Security, saying that such a move would slash federal revenues by roughly $1.8 trillion between fiscal year 2026 and 2035.

“This includes $1.05 trillion less in revenue collection for Social Security and $750 billion less revenue for Medicare,” it said in a post. The revenue reduction “would grow over the long run,” it said.

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS GUILTY TO TAX CHARGES, AVOIDS PUBLIC TRIAL

Thursday, September 5, 2024
Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square

Hunter Biden, the sole surviving son of President Joe Biden, pleaded guilty Thursday in Los Angeles to avoid a trial on nine federal tax charges that include three felonies and six misdemeanors.

The charges involve failing to file and pay $1.4 million in taxes, filing falsely, and claiming false and fraudulent business deductions.

The House Oversight Committee found the Biden family and associates received more than $20 million from overseas, including entities in China and Russia. The indictment alleges Hunter Biden spent this money on drugs and prostitutes while not paying taxes.

"Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," the indictment said.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty under an Alford plea, in which one maintains one’s innocence while admitting the prosecution has enough evidence to find one guilty. This is different from a nolo contendere plea, which unlike the Alford plea does not require special court approval, and is often entered in which the defendant neither admits or disputes the charges. While a nolo contendere plea is often viewed as a tacit admission of guilt, the Alford plea is viewed as a relatively lesser admission of guilt. Hunter Biden now avoids a public trial that would involve witnesses detailing his life during the period in which he allegedly committed tax fraud.

Hunter Biden was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for securities fraud under the Trump administration, and was found guilty of felony gun charges for lying about his drug use on a gun purchase form and possessed a firearm while using illicit drugs. Hunter Biden is set to be sentenced for his gun charges, for which he can face up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, on November 13, a week after the 2024 presidential election.

MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION HITS 4-YEAR LOW: AUGUST PURCHASING MANAGERS INDEX (PMI)

September 3, 2024
Philip Neuffer | Supply Chan Dive

Increasing inventories and cratering demand are creating “one of the most worrying signals witnessed since the global financial crisis,” according to S&P.

The manufacturing sector remained stuck in a holding pattern in August as production levels sunk to levels not seen since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Institute for Supply Management’s August PMI remained relatively flat during the month, inching up slightly to 47.2% from July’s mark of 46.8%.

A reading below 50.0% on a PMI index signals economic contraction.

Dragging down the overall index were continued declines in new orders and production. Production was particularly weak in August, with the production index’s 44.8% reading falling to its lowest level since May 2020, according to the ISM. The August figure was also down 1.1 points from July’s production index of 45.9%. Meanwhile, the August new orders index (44.6%) was down 2.8 percentage points from July as “a supply demand timing mismatch” led to a continued climb in inventories.

“Up until three months ago, the fact that we didn’t have demand wasn’t a super problem because we’ve been working on backlog, but now that the backlog is diminished, after 24 months of declining backlog and tracking indexes, we pretty much run out of the order book,” Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, said on a media call Tuesday.

As production decreased, so did staffing levels, with the employment index (46%) remaining in contraction territory once again in August.

“The ratio of hiring versus staff reductions returned to negative territory as companies continue to right size their workforce using layoffs as the primary tool,” said Fiore, although he did note that inputs “overperformed” in August.

While elevated interest rates have held capital investments at bay over the last two years, Fiore continues to believe the September cuts expected from the Federal Reserve will not have a major short-term impact. Instead, Fiore said he doesn’t anticipate any major changes until after the U.S. presidential election.

“Now we’re getting caught up here in the election cycle, where you’re a couple of months away from a huge decision point, not only in terms of who controls Congress, who controls the White House, and so now we’re kind of bunched up,” Fiore said. “It’s like a slinky. Unfortunately, we’re not at the extended slinky cycle, we’re at the compressed slinky cycle.”

Meanwhile, the S&P Global PMI August report, which had been slightly cheerier than its ISM counterpart this year, showed production decreased for the first time in seven months in August. The S&P PMI dropped to a reading of 47.9% during the month, a notable decline from July’s mark of 49.6%, with S&P describing it as “the most marked [decrease] in 2024.”

The production slowdown was a direct result of softening sales and demand, according to S&P, with new orders reducing at a rate not seen since June 2023.

“Slower than expected sales are causing warehouses to fill unsold stock, and a dearth of new orders has prompted factories to cut production for the first time since January,” Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said in a statement.

S&P noted that some companies “showed a reluctance to commit to new projects” because of the fall in demand. In addition, staffing levels fell for the first time this year and purchasing activity decreased at the “sharpest” rate of 2024.

The decrease in demand allowed manufacturers to deplete their backlogs of work for the 23rd straight month, increasing inventory of finished products, according to S&P, further souring the short-term outlook.

“The combination of falling orders and rising inventory sends the gloomiest forward-indication of production trends seen for one and a half years, and one of the most worrying signals witnessed since the global financial crisis,” Williamson said.

COMMISSIONERS SQUEAK IN “NEWLY DISCOVERED” BUDGET INFO; BUDGET COMMISSION SUSPENDS JFS LEVY AND ADMONISHES BOCC ABOUT OPEN MEETINGS VIOLATION[S]

Monday, September 2, 2024

Showdown during the last possible moment occurred at 3:30 pm on Friday, August 30. While many Geauga residents were attending The Great Geauga County Fair, all three Geauga Commissioners were attending a schooling session at the back office of the Geauga Auditor, Charles Walder, along with Geauga Budget/Finance Director, Adrian Gorton, County Administrator Gerard Morgan, and Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne.

This showdown followed the Geauga Budget Commission’s unanimous rejection of Gorton’s first 2025 Geauga County Budget on Monday, August 19 (see article). At that meeting, Morgan and Burhenne made no comments, leaving Gorton to express his obvious disagreement with Budget Commission members, Auditor Charles Walder, Prosecutor James Flaiz, and Treasurer Christopher Hitchcock. Gorton had submitted his written estimated beginning 2025 balance as $4,551,265.00. This dollar figure had raised so much skepticism and disbelief that all three members of the Budget Commission, had voted to reject Gorton’s budget at the last moment before the final state deadline.

At this eleventh hour meeting, Jim Flaiz was quick to express his preference of where he would rather be at 3:30 pm the second day of Geauga Fair: “ There’s a fair going on today,” he noted wistfully and his voice trailed off into silence. Everyone who could hear him knew where he would rather be this clear, sunny, perfect fair day.

The Budget Commission identified four questions about the final 2025 County Budget to be answered:

1) Does this final budget submission fall into the range of “Legally compliant”? Walder orally determined that the budget met current “legal” requirements, and therefore the answer was “Yes.”

2) Does the budget submission contain or depend on misleading information? Walder again determined that the answer was “Yes” because some of the information placed back into the budget may have misled taxpayers and members of the public.

3) Was the submission properly submitted to the public and/or open to discussion at a public meeting?

This question raised the biggest criticism from Chuck Walder, who cited at least one open meeting involving presentation of the 2025 County Budget where several tenets of the Open Meetings Act could have been violated. The biggest concern expressed by the Budget Commission was that opportunity for members to gain understanding of subtle nuances within the 2025 County Budget as presented during public session were either violated or subtly denied. Prosecutor Flaiz extended his concern as he wondered whether the manner of Gorton’s presentation of the budget during public session could be viewed as a violation of Ohio’s Open Meetings Policy,

In addition, Walder noted that he has heard from taxpayers that they want to experience the issue of the county budget so that they know where their tax dollars are going and “that their money is being spent wisely” by Geauga county officials. All three Budget Commission members opined that those who pay the expenses in our current form of county government are deeply committed to asking questions, providing relevant input, and reinforcing their conclusions with their votes on Election Day.

Flaiz documented his comments with ORC 5705.24. Further, the estimated beginning balance should be $9,876,924.10. He also noted that inside millage increased $2million last year so that Geauga County, after suspending collection of a Job and Family Services (JFS) levy in November 2023, would again need to suspend collection of $1 million for JFS in November 2024 because there is already enough money in the General Fund to cover any JFS needs that come up.

Christopher Hitchcock reminded Gorton that the unearned dollar windfall for Geauga County needs to be addressed in order to return extra, unneeded funds back to the taxpayers. Hitchcock cited previous Geauga County budgets, for instance the 2023 Fiscal budget, when the of where the estimated ending balance of $344,000 was grossly underestimated, compared to the actual ending balance of $11 million.

With the tough decisions behind him, Gorton remarked that there may yet be a way to use New World software to bring positive results to the new county budget. With a few minutes of the hour-long meeting remaining, Flaiz directed the Commissioners to provide assistance to Geauga townships and municipalities by distributing excess local government funds to them. In response to a direct question from Spidalieri, the City of Chardon could receive approximately $60,000. Bainbridge Township could receive $147,000. Chester Township could receive $117,000.

With just a few minutes remaining, Assistant County Administrator spoke up to the silence of Commissioners Lennon and Dvorak to object proclaim her belief that she is allowed to speak to Commissioners one at a time. Prosecutor Flaiz referenced her speaking one-on-one with commissioners as serial meetings. Serial meetings that result in a unanimous decision by commissioners without any discussion, debate, or clarification as a result of taxpayer input during the public session are illegal. Burhenne first insisted that no wrongs had been committed. Flaiz became so frustrated that he exclaimed, “Stop it! Stop it right now!”

Gorton advised his concern about approximately $5 million spent in excess of original estimates for Geauga Courthouse renovation and the possible unexpected burden that may result in 2025. This lead-in statement was the cue for Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri to vent his frustration with Chardon’s lack of financial contribution and the $5 million extra-indebtedness for the courthouse project. Spid described the burden as an “untenable overload.” Spidalieri further insisted in typical fashion that he “never supported the extra expense” of the courthouse renovation and “that Commissioners have thrown good money after bad.”

That rationalization prompted Walder to question Adrian Gorton’s removal of the Auditor’s ADP fund from the county budget. Walder noted that the Commissioners and/Adrian Gorton have no authority to defund any ADP fund, but the fund was removed anyway. As a result, according to Prosecutor Flaiz, the Commissioners have abandoned their statutory responsibilities.

This is a breaking story.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE ALLOWS UNDOCUMENTED TO GET FREE $150K HOME DOWN PAYMENTS

Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square

The California legislature passed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to make use of the state’s $150,000, 0 down, 0 interest home “loans.” The bill now goes to the governor’s desk, where he must either veto or approve the bill by the end of September.

California has one of the worst home shortages in the nation, with an estimated 4.5 million home shortage, and a nearly $1 million median home price.

"Many generational Californians can’t afford to buy a house in their home state thanks to Democrats’ unsustainable economic policies,” said State Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, R-San Diego, in a statement urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto the bill. "This policy is not only unfair but also sends a dangerous message: ‘Come to California, whether legally or illegally, and claim your $150,000 home loan.’"

California’s Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loans program allows applicants to secure “loans” of up to $150,000 or 20% of the home’s purchase price — or, about what a typical down payment is — with zero down payment on this state “loan,” and no payments. In exchange, the state receives the original loan amount plus 20% of the appreciated gain when the home is refinanced, sold, or transferred.

Last year, the state allocated $255 million for the program for 1,700 lucky “winners” of an application lottery. This year, the state did not fund the program at all as it narrowly balanced a $47 billion budget deficit.

It’s not clear what happens if a family decides to hold on to a home as there are no provisions on how long a property can be held for, which means certain kinds of trusts could potentially allow the loan to not be paid back.

The bill now goes to Newsom’s desk for approval where it faces an uncertain future. The governor has often used the state’s poor finances to justify vetoing bills popular with California Democrats but unpopular nationwide.

RED TAPE, NEW POWER PLANT DELAYS PUT OHIO GRID 'IN PERIL'

Thursday, August 20, 2024
Anthony Hennen | The Center Square

PJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

That means the state’s role in generating power to keep the lights on in neighboring states is crucial. But a report warns that recent government policy choices have weakened the grid, making it more vulnerable to disruptions.

A potential power shortage could hit by 2030 if more problems mount.

“It’s an issue in Washington and it’s an issue in various state capitals,” said Ken Zapinski, director of research and public policy at Pittsburgh Works Together, which published the report warning that the PJM grid is “in peril.”

PJM works as a middleman of sorts; it plans for the future and coordinates the marketplace where utilities and consumers buy electricity across 13 states and Washington, DC. States like Pennsylvania, Illinois and West Virginia generate more electricity than they use, which states like Ohio and Virginia buy up, keeping the lights on for 65 million people.

However, the growing demand for power, roadblocks to building more generation and transmission lines, and a lack of authority or responsibility for certain problems are causing frustrations.

“Regardless of where one stands on the energy mix issue, transmission will require lots of things being built,” Zapinski said. “And it’s really difficult and time consuming and expensive to build big things in this country.”

The result has been that, as coal power plants shut down, the power generation isn’t getting replaced quickly enough. Roadblocks from local zoning issues, state and federal regulations, and financial hangups after regulatory approval delay new sources of power.

“To keep the grid working, no matter what the future direction, requires building a lot of big things,” Zapinski said. “If Pennsylvania, somehow, is not producing the same amount of power for whatever reason, at the end of the day, there's no clear model as to how that works.”

A June report from PJM warned that energy demands will increase significantly by 2040, and another “623 to 798 terawatt hours of annual electricity by 2040 to meet the resource gap” will be needed.

Supply scarcity is “nearly certain” unless fossil fuel retirements slow or more energy generation gets built faster.

But federal rules, like an EPA greenhouse gas regulation that would require coal plants to upgrade their equipment or shut down by 2032, are causing early retirements, Zapinski argued, at a time when PJM only approved 11 gigawatts of new projects in 2023.

State and federal rules, along with the priorities of power generators, utilities and businesses, means that some actions work against others.

“The real challenge is nobody’s in charge,” Zapinski said. “There’s a lot of different public and private sector players that are in charge of different aspects, and for things to work correctly everything has to be in alignment. If any of them fall out of alignment, things can fall to pieces very quickly.”

In February, a joint Pennsylvania-Ohio House and Senate Committee hearing took testimony on how bureaucracy shuts down power generators before new replacements are at hand and strains reliability. But one overriding fix isn’t easy to pass — no one group has the ultimate authority.

As intermittent power sources like wind and solar grow, and the footprint of coal and natural gas shrink, the risk of blackouts like what’s happened in Texas and California grows.

“That math isn’t good,” Zapinski said.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP AUGUST 19, 2024, PUBLIC HEARING IN RE ZC2024-01

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

The previous township meeting (August 5, 2024) generated information about the establishment of a public hearing to be held Monday, August 19, 2024, regarding Zoning Amendment 2024-01, developed with the assistance of Geauga County Zoning Professional, David Dietrich, to the Auburn Township Zoning Commission as a result of questions and concerns of local residents interested in utilizing Auburn parcels they own as family burial sites to hold the interred remains of individuals who are descendants of a common ancestor in accordance with a ruling by a current or past Ohio Attorney General ruling recognizing such internment as a permitted zoning use. Mr. Dietrich noted that the Geauga County Planning Commission recently presented input regarding acceptable usage for family burial grounds on private property to be defined under an affidavit of fact. Ohio Revised Code ()RC) utilizes the language of ORC 4767.02C-4767.04. ORC 1721, ORC 3705, and ORC 517 to identify the need to protect the final resting places of family members as a proactive practice which cannot be denied or forbidden by local government regulations.

The hearing began at 7:15 pm on August 19 in the presence of multiple residents, as well as Mr. Dietrich, all three trustees, Fiscal Officer Dan Matsko, and Fiscal Assistant Lorraine Servich. Some confusion had been created regarding the beginning time for the public hearing as 6: 45 pm, instead of 7:15 pm. Additionally, former Zoning Secretary Dee Ballew, noted that the notice of the public hearing in print media did not appear according to plan. The small number of Auburn Township residents in attendance for the public hearing exemplified a heightened level of misunderstanding regarding the time of the proposed public hearing. The hearing closed at 7:30 pm to make way for the regular public meeting to be called to order.

GEAUGA BUDGET COMMISSION REJECTS 2025 GEAUGA COUNTY BUDGET

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Finance Director Adrian Gorton, and Geauga County Administrator Gerry Morgan and Assistant Administrator Linda Burhenne represented Geauga County, ie County Commissioners before the Geauga Budget Commission as the last of six entities seeking financial approval. That hearing before the Budget Commission –composed of Geauga County Auditor Charles Walder, Geauga County Treasurer Christopher Hitchcock, and Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz-- seemed to put Gorton in deeper water, while Morgan and Ms. Burhenne said nothing at all.

By 2:50 pm Gorton found his 2025 Budget unanimously rejected by Walder, Flaiz, and Hitchcock on the grounds that the County Budget’s 2025 estimated beginning balance of $4.5 million

ELON MUSK SAYS BIDEN-HARRIS-WALZ CENSORSHIP PUTS AMERICA'S SURVIVAL AT RISK

Monday, August 12, 2024
Elyse Apel | The Center Square

Saying he remains more moderate and left than not, billionaire Elon Musk hosted and affirmed his endorsement of former President Donald Trump in a conversation on his social media platform.

Musk said, "We are at a fork in the road in the destiny of civilization. We need to take the right path and I think you are the right path."

And in another moment, describing the election race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, he said of the Republican, "You are the path to prosperity. And Kamala is the opposite."

Undeterred by an opening glitch, Trump and Musk chatted in a public interview on Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. More than 1 million people joined the stream to listen to the two-hour conversation after the host said they would have to scale back the event to a smaller number of listeners because of a “massive” cyberattack.

“Congratulations on breaking every record in the book tonight,” Trump told Musk, when, within 30 minutes of the intended start of the stream, nearly 30 million people had already viewed the post.

“We view that as an honor,” Trump said.

Throughout the conversation, Musk and Trump touched on a wide range of subjects, from illegal immigration to the assassination attempt on Trump. There were no deviations from past policy foundations in his campaign.

Musk, co-founder of PayPal and an early investor of Tesla before becoming its CEO, has estimated net worth of more than $220 billion – richest man on the planet. Trump is estimated net worth of $4.7 billion.

Musk gave context to his position, saying he waited in line six hours to shake President Barack Obama's hand, he has significant investments in industries typically associated with Democrats, and he has a love for his country.

Musk applauded Trump for his “inspiring” reaction to the assassination attempt on his life, saying that played a part in his excitement over endorsing Trump.

“Instead of shying away from things, instead of ducking down, you were pumping your fist in there and saying, fight, fight, fight,” Musk said. “The President of the United States represents America. And I think that is America. That is strength under fire.”

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Secret Service since the attempt, leading to the resignation of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on July 23.

Yet, when asked by Musk his thoughts on the job done by security at the event, Trump said a lack of communication seemed to be the biggest problem, while continuing to stand by the “tremendous courage” of his Secret Service team.

They then went on to touch on illegal immigration, where Trump was quick to blast President Joe Biden and Harris.

“You have millions of people coming in a month, and then he gets up and she tries to pretend like she's going to do something," Trump said. "She had three and a half years and, by the way, they have another five months that they can do something, but they won't do anything. It's all talk.”

He added, “She was in charge of the border and the border is the worst ever.”

Musk agreed with Trump’s concerns.

“It’s simply not working," Musk said. "Whether it’s a question of intention or incompetence, either way, we don’t have a secure border.”

Trump said the world would be in a better place if he had been president these last four years, reminding voters to ask themselves if they are better today than four years ago.

“The Israeli attack would have never happened, Russia would never have attacked Ukraine, we'd have no inflation, and we wouldn't have had the Afghanistan mess,” Trump said.

Musk also advocated the importance of a strong leader in the United States.

“In the context of global security, if the American president is someone who evil dictators are scared of, that makes a huge difference to the security of the world,” Musk said.

Trump said he was that person.

“I know Putin. I know President Xi. I know Kim Jong Un of North Korea. I know every one of them,” he said. “They are at the top of their game. They're tough, they're smart, they're vicious, and they're going to protect their country . . . and when they see Kamala or when they see Biden, Sleepy Joe, they can't even believe it. They can't believe this happened.”

Trump promised that, if given a second term by voters in November, he wants to decrease income taxes on middle-class families.

He also called out what he sees as Harris’ hypocrisy in recently announcing similar policies. The most significant is no taxes on tips.

“Our country is becoming a very dangerous place and she is a radical left San Francisco liberal,” Trump said. ‘Now she’s looking like she wants to be more Trump than Trump.”

Prior to the interview, a member of the European Union sent a letter to Musk, stating that it led to a greater “risk of amplification of potentially harmful content” which might lead to the EU taking “interim measures” against X.

Musk said that he believes issues like this are why it is important to elect Trump.

“I think, really, it is essential that you win for the good of the country,” he said. “There’s a lot of attempts to . . . force censorship, even on Americans from other countries.”

Trump ended the interview by saying that Nov. 5 is going to be the "most important day in the history of our country."

"We are going to do some great things," Trump said. "We are going to really turn around things fast. We have no choice, otherwise we are not going to have a country."

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN UNDER FIRE FOR PRESSURING FACEBOOK TO CENSOR AMERICANS

Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off a firestorm of controversy this week when he sent a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee admitting his mistake in caving to pressure from the Biden administration to censor Americans’ posts that contradicted the administration’s viewpoints on COVID-19.

"In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree," the letter said.

Zuckerberg also said that Facebook made posts about Hunter Biden’s laptop harder to see during the 2020 election at the request of the FBI, the latest evidence of coordinated social media censorship driven by the federal government.

"Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure," Zuckerberg continued. "I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it. I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today. Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction – and we're ready to push back if something like this happens again."

The FBI also warned multiple social media companies in 2020 that forthcoming news of a Hunter Biden laptop would likely come out but that it was merely Russian disinformation.

When that news did come out, reported by the New York Post, the media refused to pick it up and social media companies censored it. In fact, the New York Post had its Twitter account locked. The laptop was later confirmed as entirely real.

The House Judiciary Committee said in July of last year that Laura Dehmlow, the Section Chief of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, testified to the committee that FBI personnel in fact knew the laptop was not Russian disinformation when they advised tech companies.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty laid this out in his court ruling in July of last year when he said the White House and FBI must stop pressuring social media companies to censor conservative speech, saying it violated the First Amendment, as The Center Square previously reported.

"Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits in establishing that the government has used its power to silence the opposition,” the ruling said. “Opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, opposition to COVID-19 mask and lockdowns, opposition to the lab leak theory of COVID-19, opposition to the validity of the 2020 election, opposition to President Biden's policies, statements that the Hunter Biden laptop was true, and opposition to policies of the government officials in power. All were suppressed. It is quite telling that each example or category of suppressed speech was conservative in nature."

Speaking of inappropriate social media censorship on COVID-19 or Hunter Biden's laptop was once considered conspiracy by many media outlets and pundits.

"Looks like Mark Zuckerberg has joined the ranks of the crazed conspiracy theorists who claim that the Biden administration pressured Facebook to censor dissent during Covid," Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently dropped out of the presidential race to endorse former President Donald Trump, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Trump reacted strongly online Tuesday after the news broke, repeatedly calling it evidence the 2020 election was “rigged.”

“IN OTHER WORDS, THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

JUDGE HALTS BIDEN-HARRIS PLAN TO GIVE SPOUSES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP

Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

A federal judge on Monday temporarily paused a Biden administration program that would grant a path to citizenship for the spouses of American citizens.

District Court Judge J. Campbell Barker paused the new Biden administration effort until a final ruling is made. The program in questions allows illegal immigrants who have married an American citizen to avoid deportation and start the path to citizenship.

The halt comes after a coalition of 16 states filed a lawsuit to challenge the program.

Proponents of the policy say it helps repair the immigration system and helps the migrants in limbo in the U.S.

Critics say it incentivizes illegal immigrants even more than they already are and that the policy violates the U.S. Constitution and breaks federal law.

“Under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the federal government is actively working to turn the United States into a nation without borders and a country without laws. I will not let this happen,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who helped drive the effort, said in a statement. “Biden’s new parole workaround unilaterally grants the opportunity for citizenship to unvetted aliens whose first act on American soil was to break our laws. This violates the Constitution and actively worsens the illegal immigration disaster that is hurting Texas and our country.”

DHS PATTERN OF RELEASING SUSPECTED TERRORISTS THREATENING U.S. MILITARY BASES, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

May 17, 2024
Irene Loewenson | Marine Corps Times

Under the Biden administration the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a pattern of releasing suspected terrorists at the southwest border resulting in national security risks that include threats to U.S. military installations and critical infrastructure, a congressional committee affirms.

Federal lawmakers reveal that since Biden took office the U.S. Border Patrol has encountered at least 351 illegal aliens on the Terrorist Screening Data Set coming into the country between ports of entry. Among them are two Jordanian nationals who recently attempted to breach a military base not far from the nation’s capital. The men drove a truck to the main gate of Marine Corps Base Quantico earlier this month and ignored guards’ orders to stop when they could not provide credentials required to gain access to the facility. The Virginia base is about 35 miles south of Washington D.C.

Now the House Homeland Security Committee, established nearly two decades ago to ensure that the American people are protected from terrorist attacks, is investigating the matter and demanding action from administration officials charged with safeguarding the nation, including the secretaries of Homeland Security (Alejandro Mayorkas) and Defense (Lloyd Austin) as well as FBI Director Christopher Wray. In a letter to the Biden officials, high-ranking committee members including chairman Mark Green of Tennessee, ask for documents and other pertinent information to aid in their investigation into threats posed by foreign nationals to U.S. military bases and other critical infrastructure. That includes communications such as text messages and electronic mail between DHS, DOD and the FBI related to the May 3 incident at Marine Corps Base Quantico, documents to identify the names and countries of origin of the truck’s occupants and their current alien file. The committee also wants files with all derogatory information in the Terrorist Screening Data Set associated with any individual who attempted to breach the military compound and all files containing notes from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and prosecutors referring to the individuals involved.

The attempted breach at the Marine Corps base reflects a possibly more dire reality for the state of U.S. national security, the committee members write, adding recent congressional testimony delivered by the FBI director. “As Director Wray stated in a recent Senate hearing, ‘a wide array of very dangerous threats . . . emanate from the border, requiring ‘much greater vigilance’ to protect the country.” The legislators point out that DHS’s relaxed vetting standards, which complement Biden’s avowed desire to surge the border with inadmissible migrants, have created an environment ripe for exploitation by individuals aiming to undermine the United States at its most critical points. “If individuals on the terrorist watchlist are so emboldened to attempt to breach a Marine Corps base, the Department of Homeland Security and the entire executive branch must act swiftly to identify, apprehend, and detain such hostile actors on American soil,” the letter states.

The recent incident in Virginia appears to be part of a broader security issue involving U.S. military bases and foreign intruders. Less than a year ago a mainstream newspaper published an alarming exposéinvolving Chinese nationals, sometimes posing as tourists, accessing military bases and other sensitive U.S. sites as many as 100 times. In the story U.S. officials, from agencies such as the FBI and DOD, describe the incidents as espionage threats designed to test security practices at U.S. military installations and other federal sites. Examples include Chinese nationals—required to report back to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico to scuba divers swimming in murky waters near a U.S. government rocket-launch facility in Florida. The same Homeland Security Committee also initiated an investigation into the Chinese breaches after learning about them in the media. In a September 2023 letter to Mayorkas, Wray and Austin, the committee points out that the “persistent and multi-faceted threats posed by the CCP to U.S. homeland security have only intensified under the Biden-Harris administration.”

16 STATE COALITION, INCLUDING OHIO, SUES BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO BLOCK AMNESTY PLAN

Saturday, August 24, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

A 16-state coalition led by Texas has sued the Biden administration to stop a widespread amnesty plan from going into effect.

They did so two months after President Joe Biden announced the plan designed to fast track a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who’ve been living in the country illegally for more than 10 years and who are married to a U.S. citizen.

Part of his plan was implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week through its “Implementation of Keeping Families Together” program. It enables federal agents to “process for certain noncitizen spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens who are present in the United States without admission or parole,” meaning they are in the country illegally, “to request parole in place” (PIP) status.

Granting a PIP status “will achieve the significant public benefit of promoting the unity and stability of families, increasing the economic prosperity of American communities, strengthening diplomatic relationships with partner countries in the region, reducing strain on limited U.S. government resources, and furthering national security, public safety, and border security objectives,” DHS says.

By doing so, the Biden-Harris administration did “an end-around the law” by ignoring the Constitution, violating the Administrative Procedure Act, and contravening existing federal law, the coalition argues.

They sued in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division and asked the court to grant injunctive relief to prevent DHS from implementing it.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and their respective heads, are named as defendants.

“Federal statute prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining most immigration benefits, such as permanent resident status, without first leaving the country and being admitted to re-enter and reside in the country lawfully,” the coalition said. Instead of following current federal law, the program “effectively provides a new pathway to a green card and eventual citizenship,” the coalition added, because it allows “more than 1.3 million aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States to circumvent the processes established by Congress to apply for permanent residency – an opportunity that is not legally available to those present in the country unlawfully.”

Similar to the more than a dozen parole programs DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas created to expand illegal entry into the country, critics argue, the PIP is also only supposed to be used “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” not en masse, according to federal law the brief cites.

“Under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the federal government is actively working to turn the United States into a nation without borders and a country without laws. I will not let this happen,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “Biden’s new parole workaround unilaterally grants the opportunity for citizenship to unvetted aliens whose first act on American soil was to break our laws. This violates the Constitution and actively worsens the illegal immigration disaster that is hurting Texas and our country.”

Joining Texas are the attorneys general of Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming.

Each of the states says they will be “irreparably harmed by the PIP program,” citing estimated costs to taxpayers who fund a range of subsidized services that illegal foreign nationals receive. They include Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), uncompensated healthcare costs, law enforcement costs due to crime, public education, “unemployment, environmental harm and social disorder due to illegal immigration.”

“As the number of paroled and illegal aliens” in these states increase, the brief argues, “the number of paroled and illegal aliens receiving” subsidized services will also increase.

The complaint also lists an estimated number of foreign nationals illegally living in each of the plaintiff states who are married to a U.S. citizen and may qualify for the PIP program. Texas has the most of an estimated 204,000; Florida has the second greatest number of 93,000, followed by Georgia’s 34,000, according to Migration Policy Institute data cited.

The next greatest number is 14,000 in Ohio, 12,000 in Tennessee, 9,000 each in Kansas and Missouri, 7,000 each in Alabama and Louisiana, 6,000 each in Arkansas and Iowa, and 4,000 in Idaho. An unknown number are cited for the states of North and South Dakota and Wyoming.

DHS said the process began on Aug. 19 and the “family unity is a bedrock objective of the U.S. immigration system.”

GEAUGA PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE USES EXECUTIVE SESSION TO NEGOTIATE SECOND EXTENSION OF WITHDRAWAL FROM PORTAGE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER UNTIL SEPTEMBER 5

Thursday, August 22,2024

After announcing another delay in holding the Portage County Commissioners responsible for honoring their written and verbal commitments to Geauga County’s withdrawal from continuing (See Geauga GEAUGA COUNTY SEEKS OFFICIAL EXIT FROM JOINT PORTAGE-GEAUGA JUVENILE DETENTiON AND REHABILITATION CENTER), Laura LaChapelle from the Geauga Prosecutor’s Office and County Administrator Gerry Morgan exited Commissioners’ Chambers to join Prosecutor Jim Flaiz by phone “for the purpose of discussing Imminent Litigation.” Prosecutor Flaiz was calling from Auditor Walder’s Conference Room as a member of the Budget Commission’s final review of 2025 Fiscal Budgets.

When Morgan and LaChapelle returned from nearly 30 minutes of discussion, they announced that an extension has been granted from August 15 until September 5, 2024, to facilitate Geauga County’s withdrawal from the arrangement.

With Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri not present for the session, Commissioners Dvorak and Lennon seemed comfortable that the executive session was just a means to an end and simply part of the process.

The meeting adjourned at 10:48 am.

‘SHOCKING’ JOBS NUMBER REVISION BRINGS QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN-HARRIS ECONOMY

Thursday, August 22, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

New federal economic data shows that previous data significantly overestimated the health of the U.S. economy.

The Department of Labor released revised jobs data that showed they overestimated the number of jobs created in the U.S. economy by 818,000, a whopping revision that set off alarm bells Wednesday.

Economic data is often revised, but the size of this change is large enough to raise eyebrows.

“Even this number is shocking, job growth is still positive,” Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris Financial Group in Richmond, Va., said in a statement. “If you are in the rate cut in September camp, these data all but seal the deal on what Fed needed to cut rates.”

The new job creation numbers are nearly a third lower than the previous figure. The numbers come amid scrutiny of the economic record of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential pick, whose administration oversaw a massive spike in inflation while in office.

To address inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, and those rates have increased significantly in recent years. However, the Fed relies in part on federal jobs data to make those decisions.

“THE DATA DEPENDENT FED IS FLYING BLIND — UNRELIABLE DATA,” Johns Hopkins Professor of Applied Economics Steve Hanke wrote on X.

The revision drew widespread outrage. The Washington Post called Wednesday's correction a “big fix” to the jobs data, and The Wall Street Journal reported that the job market "was weaker than previously reported."

“It’s troubling to see the Dept. of Labor issue an unusually large correction to last year’s jobs report,” Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “As unemployment rises, American workers need pro-growth action, not the stale policies of the Biden-Harris admin.”

Former President Donald Trump blasted the Biden administration, calling it a “massive scandal.”

“The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating Job Statistics to hide the true extent of the Economic Ruin they have inflicted upon America,” Trump said in a statement. “New Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Administration PADDED THE NUMBERS with an extra 818,000 Jobs that DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID. The real Numbers are much worse than that and, if Comrade Kamala gets another four years, millions more Jobs will VANISH overnight, and Inflation will completely destroy our Country.“

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. SCHEDULED TO ADDRESS THE ‘PRESENT HISTORIC MOMENT AND HIS PATH FORWARD’ FRIDAY

Thursday, August 22, 2024
Jack Windsor | The Ohio Press Network

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will deliver an address to America Friday from Phoenix, his press secretary Stefanie Spear announced on social media Wednesday.

The announcement comes one day after Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan hinted the campaign was exploring withdrawing from the race and favoring an endorsement of Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump.

Trump is holding a rally Friday in Glendale, Arizona which is approximately 10 miles away from Phoenix.

The Ohio Press Network emailed Kennedy’s campaign to ask if he plans to drop out of the race and endorse Trump, but no response was given by the time this report was published.

Trump was asked by Fox News whether the 45th president had talked with Kennedy after news broke that he is mulling a withdrawal and endorsement. Trump said he hadn’t spoken with Kennedy and despite a “little different philosophy” he respects Kennedy who he called a “very smart guy.”

When asked if Kennedy would join him on stage Friday, Trump said “I would always be honored to. I mean, if he endorsed me, would I be honored by that? Absolutely.”

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is Trump’s running mate. He was asked about Kennedy Wednesday morning on Fox and Friends. Vance said, “I think it would be good for the campaign. I've never talked to RFK about this, but my pitch to him and to a lot of his voters would be the Democratic Party of my grandparents that supported his uncle. John F. Kennedy for president has been completely abandoned by the modern leadership of the Democratic Party."

RealClearPolitics 2024 General Election Poll Average in a five-way race including Trump, Harris, Kennedy, Cornel West and Jill Stein reports Harris at 46.4, Trump at 44.8 and Kennedy at 6.4 followed by Stein at 0.9 and West at 0.4.

GEAUGA COUNTY ELECTED REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP DEMAND IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF PARTY CHAIR, NANCY McARTHUR

Thursday, August 15, 2024

In a show of outstanding unity and cohesiveness in a critically important national-election year, ten well-known Republican elected incumbents have signed a letter demanding that long-time chair, Nancy McArthur immediately resign. The letter presents a list of McArthur’s actions and motivations which have discouraged new membership and party unity and calls for party action to resolve the problem and move forward on a positive note for the Geauga County Republican Party.

GEAUGA COUNTY SEEKS OFFICIAL EXIT FROM JOINT PORTAGE-GEAUGA JUVENILE DETENTION AND REHABILITATION CENTER DISTRICT WITH RETURN OF WITHHELD FEES

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

After encountering blockades to leaving a 15+year legal relationship with Portage County over the housing of delinquent Geauga County juveniles, Geauga County Commissioners on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, listened to new information presented by Geauga County Administrator Gerry Morgan, who had been entrusted to reach out to the Portage County Administrator after the promised reimbursement for for Geauga Commissioners’ expressed desire to leave a business relationship with the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center after ceasing to pay a rental fee to Portage County Juvenile Detention Center back in early May 2024 did not net Geauga County the expected $225,000 refund by the expected date of July 31. Further, and the Portage County Administrator has appeared to avoid discussion of the value of Geauga County’s total financial investment in the brick- and-mortar construction of the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center, when the project became a reality about 1998.

Geauga County was permitting the Geauga County Prosecutor to set the negotiator guidelines with the Portage County Prosecutor to facilitate the return of two payments from the Portage County Commissioners: a payment for $225,000 and a payment reflecting today’s accumulated value of Geauga County’s original brick-mortar-investment at an approximate 23% return of capital of as much as a $1 million dollar litigation settlement.

Prosecutor Flaiz commented on the progress of current negotiations during a post-commissioner meeting in the Administration Building. He noted that it behooved Geauga Commissioners to exit a rental situation with the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center as soon as practical because every day for which Geauga County is paying for juvenile overnight space is prohibitively expensive when Geauga Juvenile Court is seeking a contract with a more efficient Juvenile Court facility outside of Portage County.

At 9:50 am Agenda Item #16 (out of 17 total items for Tuesday, August 13) was read as follows:

“The Commissioners’ Office is requesting the Board extend the effective date on which the Geauga County Board of Commissioners will withdraw from the Joint Board of County Commissioners of Portage and Geauga Counties and the Joint Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center District from August 15, 2024, to August 21. 2024.”

It is our understanding that the Commissioners, per public information provided in late

May 2024 seek to become a Joint Board of County Commissioners of Lake-Geauga County

to form the Joint Lake-Geauga Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center District when the two payments are properly rebated/refunded to Geauga County and its taxpayers.

AFTERMATH OF 4 TORNADOES DURING AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 7, 2024, EXACERBATE POWER OUTAGE FOR 400,000-500,000 NE OHIO RESIDENCES

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The afternoon of August 14, 2024, resulted in 70+mph winds that accompanied at least 4 tornado sightings, downed trees, and extensive power outages throughout northeast Ohio. Originally estimated at 500,000 households in which power losses negatively impacted families for several days, some 4,000-5000 outages remained late Monday, August 12, 2024. The loss of electrical power for extended periods of time created a loss of frozen foods in grocery retail stores through the morning of Tuesday, August 14, 2024, motivating retail groceries to provide negatively impacted households with free ice until situations were returned to more normalcy.

HOURLY SALARY UPGRADE FOR COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Geauga County Commissioners, County Administrator Gerry Morgan, and Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne announced an Executive Session at 10:15 am during the Public Commissioners Session of August 14, 2024, “for the purpose of discussing the employment and compensation of a public employee in the [county] Building Department.” Dan Spada, who succeeded Mike Mihalic, the previous head of the County Building Department, moved into executive session with the above-mentioned individuals.

When Executive Session was over, Commissioners and County Administrative Officers returned to announce Dan Spada’s newly-negotiated salary of $47.23 per hour, effective August 14, 2024.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BORROWED $5 BILLION A DAY IN FISCAL YEAR 2024

Sunday, August 11, 2024
Tom Gantert, Managing Editor | The Center Square

So far in the fiscal year 2024, the federal government has had to borrow about $5 billion every day.

The Congressional Budget Office said Thursday the federal budget deficit was $1.5 trillion for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2024, which covers October through July.

The CBO stated that the $1.5 trillion deficit for the first 10 months of FY 2024 was $103 billion less than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.

The federal budgeting agency projects the deficit for 2024 will be $2.0 trillion. The deficit for fiscal year 2023 was $1.7 trillion. But the CBO says the differences in the deficits those years could be attributable to budgeting “timing shifts”.

“We’re nearly at the end of fiscal year 2024, and while most of America is focused on the momentum in the race for the White House, beneath the surface our nation’s fiscal health has continued to worsen,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in a media release. “We’ve just surpassed $35 trillion in gross debt, and today’s CBO projections estimate we’ve borrowed another $242 billion in July, or $5 billion each day this fiscal year. Our fiscal trajectory cannot be left on autopilot – the stakes are far too high and the consequences far too steep to leave our national debt climbing in perpetuity.”

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which was founded by Peter Peterson, the former secretary of commerce for President Richard Nixon, tracks the national debt at $35.08 trillion, or $104,193 for every person in America, as of Aug. 8.

"Historically, our largest deficits were caused by increased spending around national emergencies like major wars or the Great Depression," the foundation stated on its website. "Today, our deficits are caused mainly by predictable structural factors: our aging baby-boom generation, rising healthcare costs, and a tax system that does not bring in enough money to pay for what the government has promised its citizens."

The think tank Truth in Accounting states the real national debt is closer to $156.8 trillion if unfunded Social Security and Medicare promises were included.

NEWSOM STRENGTHENS CHINESE RELATIONS AS SCRUTINY GROWS OVER WALZ’ CHINA TIES

Thursday, August 8, 2024
Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared "California Panda Day" to highlight Sino-Californian cooperation as scrutiny grows over Minnesota governor and now Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz's close relationship with China.

“Building on our strong foundation of partnership and deep cultural and economic ties, I traveled to China last year to advance priority issues including climate action and economic development,” said Newsom in his proclamation making August 8 “California Panda Day.” “We hope that the newly arrived panda ‘envoys of friendship’ will lead to further exchanges and cooperation between California and China.”

According to the California Chamber of Commerce, California exports to China were $18.15 billion in 2022, with Chinese imports to California reaching $147.6 billion that year.

While visiting China in 2023, Newsom signed a declaration and five memorandums of understanding with China on climate change.

“Specifically, our partnership and work together will accelerate the clean energy transition, including offshore wind, advanced energy storage technologies, and zero-emission vehicles; mitigate carbon emissions and sustain economic growth, including the role of carbon markets and climate finance; advance action that reduces non-CO2 emissions, including methane; and build resilience to our changing climate while protecting biodiversity,” wrote Newsom in his declaration.

China produces 80% of the world’s solar panels, 80% of the world’s batteries, 60% of the world’s windmills, and more than half of the world’s electric vehicles, including 80% of the world’s zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, and the largest share of the world’s electric busses; in 2018, 421,000 out of the world’s 425,000 electric buses were in China.

The governor’s declaration also noted that China is expanding its carbon market, suggesting that most aspects of California’s green energy revolution — from the state’s $53 billion climate package to carbon credit mandates and even more local governments’ EV bus and solar panel operations — could drive American taxpayer and business funds to China.

Newsom’s announcement comes over increasing security regarding Walz, who is from a small Nebraska town, and his ties with China. Walz speaks Mandarin and says he has both lived in the country and visited 30 times. Walz first visited China at the time of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, telling Congress later — according to NBC — that “It was my belief at that time that the diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people, and the opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important.”

As a teacher, Walz told the Nebraska Star-Herald he secured funding from the Chinese government to bring American students to China. He also told the Star-Herald that “If [the Chinese] had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish.”

Walz and his wife founded a company to take American high school students to China, and were married on the five-year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a decision his wife says was intentional, and honeymooned in China while bringing American students on a tour.

As a member of Congress, Walz traveled to Tibet and met with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet exiled by China, and served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focused on Chinese human rights abuses, suggesting Walz’ public and close appreciation for China and its people may not extend to its government.

However, as governor of Minnesota, Walz is celebrated by Democrats for his emphasis on green energy, which in the current market means buying equipment from China — a point Republicans were quick to attack.

“Tim Walz is a guy who wants to shift more and more American manufacturing jobs to China,” retorted Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance. “If you care about the environment, and I certainly do, why are you going to ship American manufacturing jobs to the dirtiest economy in the world? Why wouldn't you keep them right here?”

MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS WRONGLY WENT TO UNION PENSION PLANS FOR DECEASED AMERICANS

Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Lawmakers say tens of millions of taxpayer dollars were wrongly set aside for union pension plans, and now lawmakers want those funds back.

U.S. Rep. and Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chair Bob Good, R-Va., sent a letter to the Biden administration Wednesday following up to see what action the administration has taken to recover funds wrongly allotted to multi-employer pension plans.

Lawmakers passed the American Rescue Plan in 2021, which created the Special Financial Assistance Program to save the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which was in dire financial straits.

Foxx and Good have been conducting ongoing oversight of the PBGC, which has been under scrutiny ever since the Inspector General reported that millions of dollars were wrongly paid out to pensions for thousands of deceased Americans.

From the IG:
"We found 3,479 deceased participants in Central States’ (Plan) SFA application because the Corporation did not ensure deceased participants were removed from the Plan’s application. While the Corporation’s review process required Central States to provide a list of all Plan participants and proof of a search for deceased participants (death audit), the Corporation did not cross-check the information against the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Full Death Master File (DMF) ─ the source recommended by the U.S. Government Accountability Office for reducing improper payments to deceased people. (The Full DMF is more accurate than any database private pension plans have access to and is used by the Corporation in its other insurance programs to ensure proper payments of pension benefits to plan participants). On December 5, 2022, PBGC approved the application and authorized payment of $35.8 billion to Central States. Based on our identification of deceased participants, Central States calculated the value attributed to deceased participants in the SFA application at approximately $127 million."

The letter went to Attorney General Merrick Garland and demanded documents to prove the administration is actually following up on this issue.

“On April 8, 2024, DOJ announced it had entered into a civil settlement agreement to receive repayment of these funds from Central States,” the letter said. “One other plan, the Graphic Communications National Pension Fund (NPF), also agreed to repay $8 million of improper SFA it received on behalf of deceased participants. However, PBGC has not reported repayment from more than 60 other plans that received similar improper payments.”

The PGBC was created by the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and insures private pension plans for more than 30 million Americans.

PGBC and the DOJ did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

After the initial IG report uncovered the payment problems, the PGBC blamed the errors on bad Census data and has pledged to increase cross-checking with Social Security's death database.

HOUSE JUDICIARY REPORT: BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN RELEASING KNOWN, SUSPECTED TERRORISTS INTO US

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

Biden-Harris administration policies are resulting in Border Patrol agents releasing known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) into the U.S., a new congressional report states.

“The open-borders policies of President Joe Biden and border czar Vice President Kamala Harris have allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the United States, including terrorist organizations and other bad actors looking to harm Americans,” creating a national security threat, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement said in a new interim report released Monday.

It points to 99 KSTs released into the U.S. during a two-year period evaluated. It also cites original reporting by The Center Square on terrorism data and warnings given by national security experts about imminent terrorist threats stemming from the border crisis.

The report only appears to focus on KSTs apprehended between ports of entry at the southwest border, excluding the threat posed by the overwhelming majority apprehended at the northern border. Congressional reports continue to appear to only cite one KST data set, instead of four U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports: at and between ports of entry at both borders.

The majority of KSTs are historically apprehended at the northern border, The Center Square first reported. In fiscal 2023, 736 KSTs were apprehended, the greatest number recorded in U.S. history. The majority, 487, were apprehended at the northern border compared to 249 at the southwest border

The trend continues in fiscal 2024, with 234 KSTs apprehended at the northern border and 125 at the southwest border, according to CBP data last updated July 15.

The total number of KSTs apprehended under the Biden administration is over 1,700, with the greatest number coming through the northern border, The Center Square first reported.

The greatest number of illegal border crossers have entered the U.S. while Biden’s been in office of over 12 million, including two million who evaded capture, known as gotaways, The Center Square first reported. Law enforcement officials estimate the gotaway number is underreported by between 10% and 20% and say they have no idea how many, who or where they are.

“Of the more than 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist who were encountered by Border Patrol at the southwest border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released nearly 100 of them, with at least 34 others in DHS custody but not yet removed from the United States,” the report states, without clarifying the data solely refers to apprehensions at the southwest border between ports of entry.

The report notes that between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, Border Patrol agents apprehended “aliens on the terrorist watchlist from 36 different countries, including places with an active terrorist presence such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen,” solely referring to one data set.

“So far during fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol has encountered tens of thousands of illegal aliens nationwide from countries that could present national security risks, including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese nationals, 541 Iranian nationals, 520 Syrian nationals, and 3,104 Uzbek nationals,” the report states.

It refers to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officials arresting eight Tajik nationals with potential ISIS ties in June after Border Patrol agents released them into the country. If federal law were followed, they would have been processed for removal instead of being released into the country, former Border Patrol, ICE and CBP officials have told The Center Square.

The Biden-Harris administration released into the U.S. “at least three illegal aliens with potential ISIS ties after the aliens used the Administration’s CBP One app to arrive at a port of entry and be processed into the country,” the report notes, although a different report shows several hundred with ISIS ties were released into the U.S., The Center Square reported.

At a House Judiciary hearing last year, as well as other congressional hearings and in news interviews, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly claimed “illegal aliens are adequately screened and ‘individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety are detained,’” the report states. Several DHS Office of Inspector General reports have refuted his claim, providing evidence to the contrary, including foreign nationals not being vetted at airports.

The report also highlights problems in federal immigration courts, pointing to judges who “granted asylum, bond, and other immigration relief to potential terrorists.” The court problem has been compounded by hundreds of thousands of deportation cases being dismissed because DHS failed to file proper paperwork, The Center Square reported.

DHS SUSPENDS PAROLE PROGRAM FLIGHTS MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION

Friday, August 2, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

Three months before the November election in which Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee for president, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it is suspending a parole program she, as the president's "border czar," has overseen with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

DHS announced on Friday that it was suspending flights it had been using for years to bring Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) into the country, who otherwise do not qualify for legal entry under current law.

"Out of an abundance of caution, DHS has temporarily paused the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new beneficiaries while it undertakes a review of supporter applications. DHS will restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards," DHS spokeswoman Erin Heeter said in a statement.

Mayorkas created the "CHNV parole program" to fly in hundreds of thousands of CHNV parolees at the taxpayer's expense. It's one of more than a dozen issues identified by the U.S. House on Homeland Security as evidence to impeach Mayorkas, The Center Square first reported.

A coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by Texas, also sued to stop it, arguing it's an "illegal visa system." Federal judges and members of Congress also argue that it's illegal.

An internal review from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identified tens of thousands of potentially fraudulent CHNV applications. Foreign nationals released into the country used fake Social Security Numbers, fake phone numbers and listed the same physical address on nearly 20,000 applications, according to several news reports.

Mayorkas and other Biden administration officials have claimed those released into the country were "thoroughly vetted." Multiple DHS Inspector General reports have found this not to be the case, including one that found no vetting was conducted at a major international airport prior to releasing them into the U.S., The Center Square reported.

Mayorkas, President Joe Biden and others have argued that illegal border crossings are down by not counting those being released through the parole program, The Center Square first reported. Instead of being counted as illegal border crossers between ports of entry, nearly half a million were flown into the country through the program contrary to federal law, The Center Square reported. They include 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans, and 110,541 Venezuelans, according to recent U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

BUT THESE NUMBERS ARE ACTUALLY HIGHER.

"As of mid-October 2023, there were 1.6 million inadmissible aliens awaiting travel authorizations through the CHNV program," the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security found as part of an investigation into the program. It also discovered that DHS was using 50 airports worldwide to fly them in, The Center Square reported.

None have a legal basis to enter the U.S. before being paroled through the CHNV program, DHS documents the committee obtained state.

"All individuals paroled into the United States are, by definition, inadmissible, including those paroled under the CHNV Processes," one of the DHS documents states.

Additionally, CHNV parolees are being arrested nationwide for committing brutal, violent crimes against Americans, The Center Square reported.

Suspending the CHNV flights, U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said, "vindicates every warning we have ever issued about the unlawful CHNV mass-parole program. It also exposes the lie by administration officials, like now-impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, about the quality and extent of the vetting process—not just for the inadmissible aliens seeking entry, but those attempting to sponsor them. We issued a subpoena last year to compel documents regarding this program, and while DHS partially complied, the department remains delinquent in producing certain documents and communications relating to the program.

"This is exactly what happens when you create an unlawful mass-parole program in order to spare your administration the political embarrassment and bad optics of overrun borders," he said, adding that the CHNV program should be immediately terminated.

With Texas leading the charge to stop the CHNV program, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, "Biden/Harris want you to think he secured the border. They just bypassed it by flying illegal immigrants OVER the border. They say they are curbing illegal immigration when in reality they are an accomplice to it."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also said, "After shipping hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals across America, the Biden-Harris Administration now admits that the program is rife with fraud. The CHNV program has been a DISASTER for this country in addition to being blatantly ILLEGAL. That's why I sued Biden last year to stop the program and look forward to arguing the case before the 5th Circuit. We must close the border, end the loopholes, and finally put America first."

Mayorkas changed or created many new parole policies after some countries refused to accept their citizens being deported back from the U.S., The Center Square reported. Instead of detaining and removing them, he directed federal agents to release them into the U.S.

TALIBAN GETS $239 MIL IN U.S. AFGHANISTAN AID AFTER STATE DEPT. FAILS TO VET AWARDEES

Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Judicial Watch | The Iowa Standard

Less than a year after Judicial Watch reported that the Taliban has established fake nonprofits to steal millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Afghanistan, a new investigation reveals that the terrorist group has also received hundreds of millions in development assistance from Uncle Sam because the State Department fails to properly vet award recipients. At least $239 million have likely filled the coffers of the extremists running the Islamic republic since the 2021 U.S. military withdraw, according to a report published this month by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The money was disbursed by State Department divisions known as Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to implement development projects intended to help achieve American foreign policy and national security goals in Afghanistan.

Investigators found that the State Department failed to comply with its own counterterrorism partner vetting requirements in Afghanistan before awarding at least 29 grants to various local entities. The agency has a system to identify whether prospective awardees have a record of ethical business practices and is supposed to conduct a risk assessment to determine if programming funds may benefit terrorists or terrorist-affiliates before distributing American taxpayer dollars. In the more than two dozen cases examined, the agency did not bother and failed to keep proper records. “Because DRL and INL could not demonstrate their compliance with State’s partner vetting requirements, there is an increased risk that terrorist and terrorist affiliated individuals and entities may have illegally benefited from State spending in Afghanistan,” the SIGAR report says. “As State continues to spend U.S. taxpayer funds on programs intended to benefit the Afghan people, it is critical that State knows who is actually benefitting from this assistance in order to prevent the aid from being diverted to the Taliban or other sanctioned parties, and to enable policymakers and other oversight authorities to better scrutinize the risks posed by State’s spending.”

The watchdog found issues with 29 awards distributed by DRL and INL. For instance, DRL failed to properly screen the recipients of seven awards totaling about $12 million, investigators found. INL did not provide any supporting documentation for 19 of its 22 awards totaling about $295 million so there is no way to determine if they complied with the vetting requirements. The State Department acknowledged that not all its bureaus have complied with document retention requirements, which makes it conveniently impossible to fully assess the magnitude of its transgressions. The explanation offered for INL not retaining records is “employee turnover and the dissolution of the Afghanistan-Pakistan office,” according to the report. SIGAR points out that, given the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, it is critical that U.S. government activities adhere to the laws, regulations, and policies intended to prevent certain transactions with terrorists.

Besides establishing fraudulent non-governmental organizations (NGO) to loot big chunks of the $3 billion in humanitarian aid that the U.S. has given Afghanistan since the Biden administration’s abrupt military withdraw, the Taliban has raked in millions more by charging taxes, permit fees and import duties. That money has flowed through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a famously corrupt State Department arm that got $63.1 billion for foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement this year, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the government’s international broadcasting services that aims to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. The United Nations has also received $1.6 billion in U.S. funding for Afghanistan and a large percentage of that money most likely went to the Taliban as well, according to a federal audit, because the U.S. government does not require the leftist world body to report on taxes, fees or duties incurred on American funds for activities in Afghanistan.

RANSOMWARE GROUP CLAIMS COLUMBUS ATTACK, SELLING 6 TERABYTES OF PASSWORDS AND MORE

August 2, 2024
Mark Feuerborn, Daniel Griffin | COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)

As a dozen Columbus police officers said Thursday that their bank accounts were hacked, a group claiming responsibility for a city ransomware attack is holding an auction for a massive amount of data it reportedly stole.

The hacking gang known as Rhysida has advertised making off with 6.5 terabytes — or 6,500 gigabytes — worth of sensitive data from City of Columbus servers. Multiple cybersecurity watchdogs including Dark Web Intelligence and Ransom Look reported Rhysida’s offering on an onion site, commonly used on the dark web and only accessible with the specialized internet browser Tor.

Details on the treasure trove of compromised data come after Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther confirmed the shutdown of multiple online city services was due to a July 18 ransomware attack. While he credited the city’s IT department with cutting off access before the hackers encrypted any of the city’s data, the mayor said they were investigating just how much of it was accessed. He did not name Rhysida or any suspected hacking group on Monday, but said the attack was from “an established and sophisticated threat actor operating overseas.”

“For non-IT people, folks at home, the best way to describe this would be robbers were in our house,” Ginther said. “They tried to lock us out from our own house, but we stopped them. They took some valuables, data, and we’re in the process of determining the extent, and their value, data, before we notify their owners.”

A screenshot of the onion site posted Wednesday by Dark Web Intelligence and multiple other sources showed Rhysida was holding an auction for the data, which would run for six more days. Rhysida claimed the buyer would get:

• Internal logins and passwords for city employees

• City databases

• A full dump of servers with emergency services applications for the city

• Access to city video cameras

• Full instructions and support, as well as certificates for the databases

“We sell only to one hand, no reselling,” Rhysida reportedly wrote on the listing. “You will be the only owner!”

Rhysida was seeking 30 bitcoin as the base price for Columbus’ data, which translated to $1.9 million as of Thursday. In past hacks when Rhysida did not receive a bidder, they instead released the data publicly. Polygon reported on a previous example in December, where the hackers leaked 1.67 terabytes of Insomniac Games’ employee and project data.

Even before the auction, some city employees were already falling victim to compromised data. Brian Steel, president for the local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, confirmed to NBC4 that at least 12 Columbus police officers had their bank accounts hacked. However, there’s no evidence to connect this as a direct symptom of Rhysida’s attack.

Still, officers have seen real damage, including someone opening lines of credit in their names or money being taken out of their accounts, according to Steel.

“The city set up a basically a hotline and email,” Steel said. “They’re asking us to tell our members to go ahead and email any of these issues to them.”

When asked about Rhysida’s involvement in the ransomware attack, the stolen 6.5 terabytes of data and the auction, Ginther’s spokeswoman said his office was “not at liberty to discuss the ongoing situation or investigation.” However, they went a step further Thursday evening by announcing that the city would provide Experian credit monitoring for all city, Franklin County Municipal Court clerk, and judge employees out of precaution. The mayor previously said it was clear the perpetrators wanted to make “as much money as possible,” and the city was hardening its cybersecurity to avoid falling victim to another attack.

Daniel Maldet, the owner of Northwest Columbus tech firm CMIT Solutions, told NBC4 that there could be some truth to Rhysida’s claim of hostage data even if the city stopped the attempted encryption. He said they were using a common tactic among ransomware groups called “double extortion.”

They would have exfiltrated sensitive data before initiating the encryption process,” Maldet said. “Although Mayor Ginther has stated that they were able to halt the encryption, Rhysida may have already exfiltrated a significant amount of data by that time … Rhysida is known to exaggerate the volume of data they claim to have stolen, so their claim of 6.5 terabytes might be inflated or include data from other sources or systems.”

Another cybersecurity expert, Denise Bergstrom, told NBC4 that Columbus should have intrusion detection software that would keep a log of data that moved. But going through all of that would still be a “laborious process.”

A ransomware attack typically encrypts a computer’s hard drive, or vital servers in a business environment, and the infection can spread to other computers from the original host. The data on the infected drives becomes locked and inaccessible to the user. Unless they pay a ransom to the hacker, they can either lose their data permanently, or have it leaked publicly. In a successful attack, hackers restore a victim’s data in exchange for large payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Ransomware has made for a profitable business venture for hackers, sometimes even earning the sponsorship of governments like North Korea.

Rhysida first emerged in May 2023, according to cybersecurity company SentinelOne. On its onion site, the group created a victim support chat portal where it negotiates with victims trying to retrieve encrypted data. SentinelOne noted the hackers typically deploy their ransomware through phishing campaigns, which is consistent with the “internet website download” of a .zip file that Ginther described as how the city initially fell victim. He didn’t specify whether a city employee initiated the download and subsequent breach, or which department it originated in.

In its statement on Thursday, the city said the incident is being investigated by cybersecurity experts, the FBI, and Homeland Security, and the investigation is still in the early stages.

GEAUGA COMMISSIONER EXIT FROM PORTAGE COUNTY DETENTION CENTER HEATS UP

Wednesday, July 31. 2024

The July 30, 2024, Geauga Commissioners Meeting lasted 20 minutes, easily one of the shortest on record as Commissioners Dvorak and Lennon took care of county business and Geauga’s County Administrator clarified details around Portage County Commissioners to return funds dished out by Geauga Commissioners to assure that Portage County be a holding-location for Geauga juveniles who don’t fit in in with the dictates of Geauga County Juvenile Court. On July 24 Geauga Commissioners bemoaned the apparent red-tape, delays, and failure to follow through with return of hundreds-of-thousands of prepaid Geauga taxpayer funds. At that meeting Commissioner Spidalieri noted his intention to delay any legal repercussions stemming from Portage County’s delays until Wednesday, July 31.

At the July 30 meeting, however, Spidalieri was not present again, resulting in an explanation from Administrator Gerard Morgan about a further deterioration of the amicable relationship with Portage County as Geauga County Juvenile Court Judge Grendell seeks to forge a working contract with Lake County Juvenile Detention Center once Portage County follows through on previous written contract obligations. Per Morgan’ explanation, Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz has advised no more oral contact from the Geauga Commissioners and has extended the July 31 deadline for return of Geauga’s prepayments to the Portage Juvenile Court until August 15, 2024.

We will be observing and reporting on the details of this breaking story.

FACEBOOK, GOOGLE 'WRONGLY CENSORED' PHOTO OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Former President Donald Trump blasted Facebook and Google Tuesday after Facebook admitted it had censored photos of Trump’s assassination attempt, images widely seen as a major moment and rallying point for the Trump campaign.

Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, began posting online this week that Google searches for Trump’s assassination, including the photo, were not being autocompleted like other searches. They also posted screenshots saying that searches for Trump turned up news for Trump’s opponent, Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Users on these sites can have different experiences depending on the algorithm, but enough users experienced it to raise concerns, including billionaire Elon Musk, who reposted users writing about these concerns.

Musk quoted one user, Arynne Wexler, who wrote, “Why is it that when you google Donald Trump, you get news about Kamala Harris. But when you google Kamala Harris, you don't get news about Donald Trump?”

Google told CBS MoneyWatch that the search problems were technical “anomalies” that could affect any search and were not intentional.

Facebook admitted the mistake Monday.

“This was an error,” Facebook Communications Director Dani Levi wrote on X in response to a post about Facebook censoring the iconic photo of Trump holding his fist in the air after the shooting. “This fact check was initially applied to a doctored photo showing the secret service agents smiling, and in some cases our systems incorrectly applied that fact check to the real photo. This has been fixed and we apologize for the mistake.”

COLUMBUS FIGHTS ONLINE ATTACK; STATE TO SPEND $7M ON ISSUE

Tuesday, July 30, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

As Columbus continues to deal with a digital security incident, the state of Ohio announced it will spend $7 million in taxpayer money to help cities fight interent attacks.

The global outage earlier this month, which impacted airlines, banks, emergency response, hospitals, and other businesses, also affected the city.

As late as the end of last week, city officials could still not access external email, and they said the attack started when an employee clicked on a malicious email.

In a statement, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said the Information Technology Department took "swift action to significantly limit potential exposure, which included severing internet connectivity. The city has engaged law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to eradicate the threat, comply with applicable laws and limit further risk.”

Gov. Mike DeWine announced a new statewide grant program expected to help municipalities with security software and services.

"We are taking another crucial step to ensuring our local government partners are protected against cyber threats from around the world,” DeWine said. "These threats are constantly changing, and we must help Ohio stay ahead.”

Local governments can use the money for endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, secure mail, vulnerability management, migration to a dot gov internet domain and internet security services from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Center for Internet Security.

The money comes from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FEMA.

"This grant funding is another tool in our collective defense toolbox," Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor Kirk Herath said. "Our local government partners' cybersecurity is key to protecting Ohio. This grant funding will aid our partners in anticipating attacks and evolving quickly to protect critical government systems and citizen data."

HARRIS HAUNTED BY ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’

Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Vice President Kamala Harris’ kickstart to her presidential campaign last week immediately faced a flurry of her most controversial stances and statements, not the least of which was her support of the “defund the police” movement in 2020.

“Defund the police” took off as a moment in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter riots in cities around the country.

In June of 2020, Harris praised the movement, repeatedly saying we need to “reimagine” how we get safety in our cities and rework budgets instead of spending so much on police.

“Defund the police, the issue behind it is that we need to reimagine how we are creating safety,” Harris told the radio show "Ebro in the Morning" in a clip now resurfaced by CNN. “When you have cities with one third of their entire city budget focused on policing, we know that is not the smart way or the best way or the right way to achieve safety.

“This whole movement is about rightly saying, we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out if it reflects the right priorities,” she continued. “For too long the status quo thinking has been, you get more safety by putting more cops on the street. Well, that’s wrong.”

When Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti diverted $150 million from the police budget, Harris praised the decision.

“I applaud Eric Garcetti for what he’s done,” Harris said on “Good Morning America” at the time.

Many American cities saw a spike in violent crime in the months following the BLM riots.

In 2022, Garcetti pushed for adding about $150 million to the city’s police budget, an apparently about-face turn on the policy.

Again in June of 2020, Harris echoed her support for the “defund the police” movement during an appearance on ABC’s “The View.”

Harris proposed diverting funding from police to social services.

“We have confused the idea that to achieve safety you put more cops on the street instead of understanding to achieve safe and healthy communities you put more resources into the public education system of those communities, into affordable housing, into home ownership, into access for capital for small businesses, access for healthcare regardless of how much money people have,” Harris said. “That’s how you achieve safe and healthy communities.”

President Joe Biden came out and distanced himself from the “defund the police” movement during its peak. Later in 2020, when the issue was less popular and Harris was grappling with being Biden’s pick for vice president, Harris’ press team reportedly claimed Harris did not support defunding police.

Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have hit Harris for her stance on the issue. Trump pushed out a clip of Harris’ comments praising defunding police to his followers over the weekend.

“She’s a radical left lunatic, defund the police, all of the different things,” Trump said of Harris during remarks in Nashville over the weekend.

Defunding police never had majority support, and after 2020, what support it did have dropped significantly, according to polling from Pew Research.

“Support for reducing spending on police has fallen significantly: 15% of adults now say spending should be decreased, down from 25% in 2020,” Pew said in an October of 2021 release. “And only 6% now advocate decreasing spending a lot, down from 12% who said this last year. At the same time, 37% of adults now say spending on police should stay about the same, down from 42% in 2020.”

“NO WARM FUZZY FEELING” FROM PORTAGE COUNTY ABOUT RETURNING GEAUGA’S OVERPAYMENT TO PORTAGE-PORTAGE DETENTION CENTER

Friday, July 26, 2024

Remember that promise that Geauga’s payment of some $225,000 to be able to house rowdy Geauga juveniles in the Geauga-Portage Juvenile Detention Center, along with a portion of the valuation of that building, would be returned to Geauga Commissioners under amicable circumstances at the end of April, 2024?

The check has not arrived at the Ravenwood office nearly 90 days after the promise to the Geauga Commissioners was made. Why are Portage County Commissioners holding out?

Spidalieri, Dvorak, and Lennon would like the answer to that question, just like Geauga taxpayers. Spidalieri said they need to have the ball rolling no later than July 31, when there will reportedly be another Portage County meeting. So far, the Portage County Administrator, who has not discussed the value of the Portage County Courthouse so that the Geauga Commissioners can receive a check for both the already agreed-upon $225,000 and a check reflecting the more ambiguous assessed value of the building, is putting Geauga County in unforgivable limbo.

Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri confided that he has not gotten any “warm, fuzzy feelings” from the likes of the Portage County Administrator’s silence on the subject of reimbursement to Geauga County. Therefore, “we have to figure out whether we‘re going to court” to get the money back. “We should be able to get the reimbursement back. I don’t want to sit on this” so “do we reach out to the Geauga Prosecutor [Jim Flaiz} to continue the contact with the Portage County Prosecutor?”

When pressed to be more specific regarding the appropriate process of receiving the delayed reimbursement from Portage County, Spidalieri conceded that Portage County could receive the deadline of July 31, 2024, to resolve the delay without negative consequence -- that is, litigation.

Commissioner Jim Dvorak noted that there are “a lot of moving parts” that need to be resolved…
This is another breaking story.

OHIO UNEMPLOYMENT RATE CONTINUES TO RISE

Saturday, July 27, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to rise, and revised figures show jobs are leaving the state.

Statistics from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed the state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in June from 4.2% in May, while the labor force participation rate increased to 62.1% from 61.9% the same month.

The national unemployment rate is 4.1%.

The same figures show the state lost 12,300 private-sector jobs in June, and an initial May report showed a gain of 22,900 jobs was revised to 14,900 new jobs.

“Taken together, Ohio added only 2,600 new private-sector jobs in May and June – a worrying decline in Ohio’s job market,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “Halfway through 2024, Ohio’s job market has cooled since the start of the year, adding only 11,000 private-sector jobs with unemployment climbing from 3.7% to 4.4%. While policymakers should be concerned about the rising unemployment rate and should adopt pro-growth policies to strengthen the job market, it is important to note that 4.4% is – historically speaking – a low unemployment rate for Ohio.”

Other analysts haven’t moved to call the increase in unemployment a trend yet.

“Last month’s job loss is minor in comparison to a strong year of growth,” said Molly Bryden, a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. “It would take a few more months of job loss to establish a new trend. Ohioans continue to return to the labor force, indicating an improving economic outlook.”

In May, service providers lost the most jobs with 14,600 fewer in the month. Private health care and social assistance employment rose slightly.

The manufacturing industry lost 1,300, while the public sector showed the most gains, with 10,000 jobs.

TRUMP'S FORMER PHYSICIAN SAYS FBI DIRECTOR 'WRONG' TO SUGGEST TRUMP WASN'T HIT BY BULLET

Saturday, July 27, 2024
Tom Gantert | The Center Square

Ronny Jackson, the former physician to the president for Donald Trump and a U.S. representative from Texas, wrote a letter to Congress admonishing FBI Director Christopher Wray for suggesting Trump wasn’t hit by a bullet.

“During the Congressional Hearing two days ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that it could be a bullet, shrapnel, or glass. There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet. Congress should correct the record as confirmed by both the hospital and myself. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else,” Jackson wrote in his letter.

In testimony before Congress on July 24, Wray said, “there is some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear.”

Jackson said he reviewed Trump’s medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital and it said Trump was treated for a “Gunshot Wound to the Right Ear.”

Jackson said he served as a combat physician on the battlefield in Iraq and has treated many gunshot victims.

“I completely concur with the initial assessment and treatment provided by the doctors and nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital on the day of the shooting,” Jackson wrote.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, released a letter Thursday telling Wray he should correct his testimony.

"I believe it is very important for you to correct your testimony before Congress on Wednesday when you indicated it is uncertain whether President Donald J. Trump was hit by a bullet, glass or shrapnel," Graham wrote. "It is clear to everyone that President Trump survived an assassination attempt by millimeters, as the attempted assassin's bullet ripped the upper part of his ear. This was made clear in briefings my office received and should not be a point of contention. ... As head of the FBI, you should not be creating confusion about such matters, as it further undercuts the agency's credibility with millions of Americans. Please correct this statement immediately."

The Associated Press reported Friday evening that the FBI acknowledged Trump was shot by a bullet.

“What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the FBI said in a statement.

Trump attacked Wray on Thursday on his social media platform.

“FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively ‘uneventful’ - Wrong! That’s why he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals pouring into our Country at record levels. His only focus is destroying J6 Patriots, Raiding Mar-a-Lago, and saving Radical Left Lunatics, like the ones now in D.C. burning American flags and spray painting over our great National Monuments - with zero retribution,” Trump posted. “No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was. No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”

FACT CHECK: BIDEN’S CLAIM THAT ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS LOWER THAN TRUMP'S IS FALSE

Saturday, July 27, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

During President Joe Biden’s address to the American public Wednesday night, he said his administration secured the border.

Without discussing border policies in his 10-minute address, he touted his efforts in two sentences, saying, “We are also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office.”

Several news outlets made similar claims.

“July is on track to see the fifth consecutive monthly drop in migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border and the lowest level in illegal immigration there since the fall of 2020,” CBS News reported. “Migrant crossings plunge 55%” Newsweek reported; they dropped “over 40% since Biden announced asylum restrictions,” CNN reported.

“Biden finally got border numbers down,” The New York Times reported. PolitiFact labeled Biden’s claim that “migrants coming to our … border unlawfully … dropped dramatically,” as “mostly true” in its so-called “Truth-O-Meter.”

Accounting for all the data, including new ways the Biden administration is allowing foreign nationals to enter the country, the claims are verifiably false.

As The Center Square has reported every month since early 2021, after Biden took office, the number of illegal border crossers has increased, not gone down.

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and several corporate media outlets cite incomplete apprehension data, excluding at least 2 million gotaways, those who evaded capture and are in the country illegally. It is unknown how many gotaways are violent criminals or potential terrorists.

The data they cite also excludes millions of foreign nationals who were unlawfully released into the country instead of detaining and removing them, former border officials have explained, including through parole programs that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas created, which Republicans attorneys general and other elected officials maintain are illegal.

“Biden and Harris cannot hide the truth about our open border. To this day, they are still encountering on a daily basis, almost four times what the Trump administration did after Trump implemented his policies,” former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan, who served under six presidents, told The Center Square.

Harris, who Biden tapped as his "border czar" in 2021, and the president “are simply playing a shell game by bringing thousands of illegal aliens into the country through the CBP One program and the CHNV program,” Homan said. “They claim they are ‘lawful pathways’ so they don’t have to count them as illegal between the ports of entry,” which are referred to as apprehensions.

Those entering through the parole programs, at the ports of entry and between ports of entry “are the same exact population,” Homan said, regardless if the administration labels them otherwise. The processes Harris and Mayorkas created are “an illegal abuse of the federal parole statute and they know it,” Homan said.

Homan also repeated a previous warning, saying, “The most important data point is this: how many illegal aliens has this administration released into the U.S. despite the legal requirement to detain them? At least 8 million.

“That is a horrendous data point that is far beyond many administrations combined. Historic.”

By apprehension data alone, Biden’s claims are verifiably false.

In June, for example, apprehensions totaled nearly 206,000, compared to nearly 212,000 in June 2023, nearly 248,000 in June 2022 and nearly 209,000 in June 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Monthly encounters at ports of entry of foreign nationals with no lawful basis to enter increased from nearly 20,000 in January 2021 to more than 117,000 in June 2024.

Last month, the greatest number of illegal foreign nationals were apprehended at the northern border for the month of June in U.S. history, more than 17,700.

Since January 2021, nearly every month and every year, new records are made with the greatest number of apprehensions at the southwest and northern borders, the most apprehensions of known or suspected terrorists, criminal noncitizens and gang members, and largest seizures of weapons and drugs reported in U.S. history.

Under Trump, there were nearly 527,000 apprehensions in fiscal 2017, 683,000 in fiscal 2018 and over 1.1 million in fiscal 2019, according to CBP data. Under Biden, there were over 1.95 million in fiscal 2021, over 2.7 million in fiscal 2022 and over 3.2 million in fiscal 2023, according to the data.

This fiscal year’s numbers so far total more than 2.5 million apprehensions, dwarfing any year under Trump.

The apprehension totals also exclude 680,500 foreign nationals brought into the U.S. using a CBP app, which Homan and attorneys general who sued to block the app’s use say is illegal.

The totals also exclude 104,130 Cubans, 194,027 Haitians, 86,101 Nicaraguans, and 110,541 Venezuelans released into the U.S. through (CHNV) parole programs contrary to federal law prohibiting their entry. The CHNV process is directly linked to violent crimes committed against Americans by the parolees, The Center Square reported.

GEAUGA COUNTY'S IT TEAM SPENT AN ALL-NIGHTER RESTORING CLOUD SECURITY TO GEAUGA COUNTY

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

During the early hours after midnight on Friday, July 19, 2024, a global crisis affecting Microsoft users of a Cloud-based update system could have found themselves paralyzed and subject to more perilous world disasters. In Geauga County, Sheriff Hildebrandt notified Frank Antonucci shortly after midnight of two server failures and a communication failure that caused 911 systems to become inoperative. Consequently, Auditor Charles Walder notified his tech team of the failure of Cloud-based retention geared to Microsoft, and the whole team, recognizing the potential of a worldwide communication glitch, started to manually restart 120 Geauga servers in Safe Mode to help Geauga County restore its safety and security.

Noting that the decision to move Geauga County to Cloud-based data-retention “was the best decision ADP had made,” Walder praised Cloudstrike for its ability to provide users worldwide with “instantaneous data results.” Consequently, the IT team was able to get 120 servers in stable shape by 6 am Friday morning, July 19. Nevertheless, Mr. Walder and the IT team did not feel on top of the problem until about 2 pm on Friday, July 19. Walder made his team available to answer any questions from Commissioners and attendees at the July 22 Commissioner meeting.

Mr. Walder attributed the failure of Cloudstrike to use a so-called test cell as the reason the company’s CEO might endure unprecedented negative criticism. When Commissioner Tim Lennon noted the inflationary price increase from $114,000 in 2023 to $125,000 in 2024. Auditor Walder noted additional negative financial outcomes to the Cloudstrike glitch: the loss of $340,000 in Geauga County budget dollars, exclusive of additional human labor costs to restore Geauga County’s IT.

As a result, Mr. Walder cited County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz’s willingness to contact Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in regard to initiating class action litigation seeking remuneration from Cloudstrike. He compared any such outcome to the funds distributed to Geauga County as a result of the opiate class-action litigation of several years ago. Mr. Walder suggested that the final outcome of such litigation might result in final discredit for Cloudstrike’s CEO.

CHANGE ORDERS WITH INFINITY CONSTRUCTION INCREASE THE COST OF THE GEAUGA COURTHOUSE EXPANSION PROJECT BY $750,000 TO GEAUGA TAXPAYERS

July 24, 2024

Geauga County Commissioners approved an $746,488.06 in partial payment to Infinity Construction for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Courthouse Expansion Project.

The Commissioners approved the following additional items not approved in the original contract with Infinity Construction:

1) $9,562.00 for “addition of miscellaneous adjustments to wall sizes, deck heights, filling of unknown building openings and pumps and circuits”

2) $210,346.00 for “additional [unspecified] networking equipment and installation”

3) $72,853.00 for “34 dual and 37 single additional data drops” for an average price of $1026 for each additional data drop.” County Administrator Gerard Morgan defined “data drop” as an electrical outlet. Obviously, a single data drop is a single outlet, and a double data drop is an electrical outlet with double the capacity of a single outlet.

Altogether, the impromptu alterations to Phase 1 and Phase 2 provide Infinity Construction with the promise of an addition three/quarters of a million bucks on the backs of Geauga taxpayers already stretched with increased real estate payments, as well as inflation with all expenditures. . .

Commissioners at the same meeting approved paying Partial Payment for the same Geauga Courthouse Project. This was Payment # 10 for “expenses in the amount of $453,727.06 Expansion Project..” Combined with the $292,761.00 for three Change Orders cited at the beginning of this report, Commissioners approved Courthouse Expansion Project expenses of $746,488.06.

Commissioner Lennon expressed concern about the final prices of the Geauga Courthouse Expansion Project being out of hand and exceeding the original budget, presumably a cap of $15 million. Lennon asked County Administrator Morgan to have an updated report on the initial contract price provided by Infinity Construction and the total costs expended thus far. Morgan agreed to have an update on those total costs for the Commissioner meeting of July 31, 2024.

This is a breaking story, subject to updates as they become available.

BIDEN OUT: PRESIDENT EXITS RACE, ENDORSES VP HARRIS AS HIS SUCCESSOR

Sunday, July 21, 2024
Tom Gantert and Dan McCaleb | The Center Square

President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection Sunday, opening the door for Vice President Kamala Harris or another top Democrat to replace him atop the ticket.

In a statement posted to X, Biden said he is stepping aside "in the "best interest of my party and the country."

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term."

He also endorsed Harris to succeed him.

"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President," he said in a second statement. "And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this."

The historic withdrawal comes just weeks before the Democratic National Convention is set to take place Aug. 19 in Chicago, where Biden's pledged delegates will face tough decisions on who to replace him with, regardless of Biden's endorsement.

Concerns over Biden's age, declining cognitive abilities and physical health led more and more elected Democrats in Congress to call for his exit, seemingly on a daily basis. Earlier Sunday, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-West Virginia, joined the calls for the president to exit the race.

Biden’s support among Democrats began to free fall after his performance in the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump, when Biden stumbled over his own words and often lost his train of thought.

At a NATO news conference a couple of weeks later, Biden referred to Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump" when asked if he thought Harris was ready to be president if he were to step aside, one of many gaffes during the summit.

During the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week, where Trump officially accepted the GOP nomination for president just days after a failed assassination attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Biden was hunkered down at his Delaware home, recovering from his third bout with COVID-19.

Biden has not fared well in 12 major polls tracking the 2024 general election in recent weeks, leading down-ballot Democratic candidates for Congress to raise concerns that his declining support could help Republicans to retake the White House and the U.S. Senate and solidify their majority in the U.S. House.

Trump led by an overall average of 3 points in the 12 polls. Biden only led in one poll, where he had a 2-point edge in the NPR/PBS/Marist poll. Trump and Biden were tied in the ABC News/Washington Post poll. Trump led in the 10 other polls as of Thursday.

In The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll of nearly 2,300 likely voters, conducted after the June 27 debate but before the attempted assassination on Trump, Biden's deficit grew to three full percentage points nationally. The poll has a margin of error of 2.1%.

Until Sunday, Biden defiantly opposed calls to step aside.

While his June debate performance seemed to seal Biden's fate, his deteriorating cognitive abilities made news months earlier.

In February, the Report of the Special Counsel investigating Biden’s taking classified documents to his home revealed the president had issues with his memory.

“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report stated.

The report also stated, “Mr. Biden's memory also appeared to have significant limitations – both at the time he spoke to [Biden ghost writer Mark] Zwonitzer in 2017, as evidenced by their recorded conversations, and today, as evidenced by his recorded interview with our office. Mr. Biden's recorded conversations with Zwonitzer from 2017 are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries. In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden's memory was worse. He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’). He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS CALL ON DURBIN TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Thursday, July 18, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

All Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee have called on its chair, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to hold a hearing on the circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

Led by Ranking Member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, they asked Durbin to hold a hearing to call U.S. Department of Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Christopher Wray as witnesses.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction and oversight authority over all three agencies; the Secret Service falls under the leadership of Mayorkas.

“In light of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and the murder and injury of other attendees at a peaceful political event, we urgently request that you hold a hearing into the circumstances that led to this tragedy,” they wrote, calling on him to request Mayorkas, Cheatle and Wray to testify," the letter, dated Monday. said.

“There is much unknown about this attempted assassination, but its occurrence raises alarming questions and concerns,” they said, raising questions about how a “would-be assassin was able to access a nearby rooftop with a rifle and a line of sight to President Trump.”

Because of the committee’s oversight of the federal agencies responsible for security of the president and former presidents, they said the committee “must fulfill its responsibility to investigate this thoroughly and publicly to understand how this happened and how it can be prevented in the future. The sanctity of our elections, the safety of our candidates, and the peaceful transition of power in our Republic demand nothing less.”

Graham was joined by Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

On the same day as they sent the letter, Durbin said, “This morning, I was briefed by FBI Deputy Director Abbate on the investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Trump. I've requested a closed-door, in-person briefing next week with USSS, DHS, FBI for all Judiciary Committee members when the Senate is back.”

On Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said the briefing some senators did have with Secret Service “was unbelievably uninformative. Only 4 questions were allowed. The rest of us are supposed to submit questions. I already have. Awaiting a response. Not holding my breath.”

He also published a letter of his questions, including requesting information from Mayorkas about a security plan in place for the July 13 rally, all records between Secret Service, the FBI, state and local law enforcement regarding the rally, among other questions.

The U.S. House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Cheatle to testify, stating it will hold a hearing on Wednesday.

Numerous Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, have called for her resignation. Johnson said he’s creating a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt.

The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security has also demanded answers of Mayorkas, who has defended Secret Service’s failures. These include failing to secure the perimeter of the event, not having security on all surrounding building rooftops or a nearby water tower, not deploying helicopters, drones or other technologies, reportedly assigning new recruits as detail, including women who do not appear physically qualified for the job, former Secret Service agents have argued, describing the security failures as “apocalyptic” and calling for Cheatle’s immediate resignation.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General is also investigating Secret Service security breaches.

U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who chairs the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, is also conducting an investigation. He said he directed his staff “to review U.S. Secret Service actions before, during, and after the event. I am talking to law enforcement officials, Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, and others to collect all relevant information and take action.”

Cheatle will testify before the House committee “either willingly or under subpoena,” he said.

“Our nation was millimeters away from a presidential assassination,” he said. “As Americans, we must unite together and move forward from this tragedy.”

“SO, WE’RE DONE TALKING ABOUT THE DEBATE, IT’S TIME TO PUT TRUMP IN A BULLSEYE,” BIDEN SAID

July 08, 2024 02:19 PM 6 days ago
By Elena Schneider, Sarah Ferris | EXCLUSIVE POLITICO

Biden delivered a forceful message in a private call with his National Finance Committee, which includes hundreds of top Democratic donors and bundlers.

A defiant President Joe Biden insisted to his donors on Monday that he is “done talking about the debate” and implored the party to ignore any further distractions and direct its attention back to Donald Trump.

“We need to move forward. Look, we have roughly 40 days til the convention, 120 days til the election. We can’t waste any more time being distracted,” Biden said in a private call with donors Monday, according to a recording obtained by POLITICO.

“I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye,” Biden said.

The forceful message from Biden — which was delivered to hundreds of top Democratic donors and bundlers in the president's National Finance Committee — is the latest evidence that the president and his allies are working furiously to stem defections in the party. Earlier in the day, Biden sent a fiery missive to congressional Democrats, declaring his intentions to remain in the race even as roughly a half-dozen members have publicly called for him to bow out.

Several donors who participated in the call described Biden as forceful and strong. He took four questions during the meeting, including one about Biden’s plans for the next debate. The president responded that his strategy was to “attack, attack, attack,” according to a person listening to the call.

Biden repeated multiple times that he would not be leaving the race: “I’m telling you, I’m not going anywhere folks. I’m in this to the end, and I’m going to beat Trump. I promise you.”

He touted the “grassroots support” he saw during his 10-day cross-country tour following the debate, from Georgia to Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, and thanked his donors for sticking by his side.

“I appreciate you hanging in there with me. I realize you’re getting a lot of heat," he said.

Instead of airing public concerns about his campaign, Biden argued the party should be directing its ire at Trump, who he said has “gotten away with doing nothing for the last 10 days except driving around in his golf cart, bragging about scores he doesn’t score.” He said Democrats needed to focus on what Trump would do to abortion rights, Medicare, Social Security, and prescription drug prices.

But there’s still lingering concern and frustration within the high-dollar donor community about Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November.

“I’m hearing from a lot of people who think he should get out, and I’m not getting a whole lot of ‘he should stay in,’” said one donor on the call, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “I’ve also had people tell me, ‘I’m not giving anymore.’”

NEARLY HALF OF SMALL BUSINESSES SAY THEY WON’T SURVIVE SECOND BIDEN TERM

Nearly half of 80,000 small businesses surveyed say they won’t survive the current economic climate, ongoing inflation or another four years of Biden administration policies, according to the survey conducted by RedBalloon and Public Square.

Their May Freedom Economy Index found that small businesses “remain in survival mode,” with 40% delaying paying bills to manage cash flow and 70 percent putting staffing plans on hold, neither hiring nor reducing staff, “the highest reading … over the past year,” the report states.

Among those surveyed, 64% said the U.S. is headed toward stagflation, when inflation continues to climb and the economic rate slows.

Nearly half of businesses surveyed said they “definitely” (22.4%) or “probably” (26.2%) won’t survive continued inflation or “survive another 4-year term of a Biden presidency.”

An overwhelming majority, 90%, said a top priority for a second Trump administration would be to “control the border,” after more than 12 million foreign nationals have illegally entered the U.S. and violent crime has escalated since President Joe Biden’s took office, The Center Square has exclusively reported.

The survey queried 80,000 small businesses with fewer than 500 employees nationwide, including those in the retail, hospitality, service and restaurant industries.

"It’s been a difficult 3 years for America’s small businesses,” PublicSquare’s CEO Michael Seifert said. “While many inside the Beltway may feel like things are good, that isn’t translating to Main Street America – the frontlines of our small business economy.”

"Just like families all across the nation, many small business owners are now in bill paying triage,” RedBalloon’s CEO Andrew Crapuchettes said. “All of the government reports and happy-talk from Washington, D.C. doesn’t change that Americans continue wrestling with inflation, and a majority of small business owners now predict we’ll slip into stagflation."

The survey includes “verbatim” written answers from small business owners about the financial struggles they face.

When asked, “What (if any) changes would you consider making to your business plans in preparation for a second Biden term?,” small business owners said they couldn’t make it.

One said, “Actively look at selling out to a larger competitor.” Another said, “Close my businesses.” Still another, “Cross my fingers? I don't even want to consider that.”

Others said, “Decrease staff - cut costs;” “Elimination of lower performing business units, decrease staffing by 50%.”

Still others: “I would just shut the doors. We have already reduced cost as much as we possibly can to survive as it is. We would have no choice.”

“There are none to make. Have had to borrow money & with the drop in business, there's nothing more I can do. My daughter & I work 14 hours a day.”

“I will most likely have to close.”

“I would lay off all workers and transition to a self-employed business.”

“No changes can be made without just closing the doors. We have already cut costs to the bare minimum.”

“There is nothing I can afford to do in addition to what I’m already doing. If things don’t change, I’ll be finished.”

“We want to sell now and not take that chance.”

“Freeze on all new equipment, no new hires, decrease of hours for all employees.”

“I would close approximately half of my locations.”

“I, grievously, will probably have to close my business.”

“Laying off associates to stay afloat or just close the doors.”

“Buckle down and hope he doesn’t run us into the ground.”

“Sadly but probably close my business.”

Nearly half of those surveyed, 49%, have been in business for more than 10 years; nearly 28% have been in business for three to 10 years.

FOLLOW-UP ON PORTAGE COUNTY PROGRESS IN RETURNING GEAUGA TAXPAYER OVERPAYMENTS AS GEAUGA COUNTY EXITS PORTAGE COUNTY JUVENILE COURT ARRANGEMENT

Friday, July 12, 2024
UPDATE FROM June 9, 2024

During a June 4, Geauga County Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners discussed complications in their quest to exit an ongoing legal arrangement with Portage County Juvenile Detention Center. The original request to exit the arrangement with the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center followed Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell’s personal appearance before the Commissioners on May 21 to present Agenda Item 11 “to change juvenile detention centers from the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center to the Lake County Detention Facility.”

Since the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center comes under the auspices of the Portage County Commissioners, Geauga Commissioners made arrangements to meet with Portage County officials, legally terminate the written agreement, receive a refund for the Geauga taxpayer funds which have been paid annually to Portage County, and to claim Geauga County’s portion of the valuation of the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center. By researching the Portage County Auditor website, Commissioner Spidalieri noted in early June that the Geauga Commissioners had rationalized that Geauga County taxpayers’ share of the investment into the Detention Center building probably approximated $400,000.

Before the end of June, 2024, Geauga Commissioners received the notification that the Portage County Prosecutor/Administrator would “be looking into the issue” of resolving monetary funds due to Geauga County. On two separate occasions Mr. Spidalieri inquired about whether the county had received at least one check from Portage County to the tune of $200,000. At that point the issue of Geauga County’s actual portion of funds due to Geauga taxpayers for the valuation of the Portage Detention Center seemed very unclear.

Shortly before adjournment of the July 9 Geauga Commissioner meeting, this editor asked the Commissioners for an update regarding resolution of the Portage County Detention Center squabble. Per Judge Grendell’s May 21 presentation, Geauga Commissioners, Geauga County Administrator Gerry Morgan, and Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne understood that they needed to be absolved of any relationship with Portage County Juvenile Detention Center before they entered into a relationship with Lake County Juvenile Detention Center. At his May 21 appearance, Grendell had expressed the superiority of Lake County Juvenile Detention Center to house any applicable Geauga County juveniles.

This is a breaking story. We will continue to keep you informed of the details and the moneys that are returned to Geauga County to make Geauga County fiscal stewardship less prohibitive for Geauga citizens on fixed income.

GEAUGA COMMISSIONERS ASK PROSECUTOR TO CONFIRM PURCHASE OF FUTURE SENIOR CENTER OR “SCRAP THE DEAL AND MOVE ON.”

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Commissioner Lennon used the last five minutes of the Tuesday, July 9, public session to ask for explanation/clarification from the Geauga Prosecutor’s office regarding final acceptability/approval of the purchase of the one-time Dollar General Store for use by the Department of Aging as a senior center.

Commissioner Lennon appeared visibly frustrated with the Prosecutor Office’s hesitation to respond to the Commissioners’ request of several weeks ago for a written answer—one way or the other. Lennon noted the failure of a request for a representative from that office in Executive Session but related that the purchase of property is not one of the valid reasons for an assistant prosecutor to participate in an executive session.

Lennon was quick to respond that final written confirmation—if nothing more grandiose than a copy of an e-mail—was all the notification that the Board of County Commissioners was looking for. Summer vacation schedules in the Prosecutor’s Office apparently have been the fly in the ointment, and Assistant Prosecutor Laura La Chapelle could be expected to provide suitable explanation of details at the July 18, 2024, public commissioner meeting.

Mr. Lennon seemed visibly relieved and comfortable with the explanation, Otherwise, if an explanation were not to be forthcoming soon, Mr. Lennon advised that the BOCC “scrap the deal and move on,” rather than put up with the current “hangup” by “sitting on our hands.”

Public session adjourned about four minutes later.

MICHIGAN, FORD COMING TO TERMS WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLE INDUSTRY SETBACK

Thursday, July 11, 2024
Carly Moran | The Center Square

Flush with state government incentives, Ford is looking to backtrack on its electric vehicle plans by at least $750 million.

The Detroit-based automobile maker is working with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to cancel two projects, in response to lack of customer demand in the electric vehicle market. The state and Ford agreed on Tuesday to cut significant funding on a battery factory outside Marshall.

“We are nimbly adjusting our manufacturing operations to match evolving customer demand and the Michigan Strategic Fund board is revising its incentive offers accordingly,” said Tony Reinhart, a government affairs director at Ford.

The new agreement is to slash the $825 million in tax credits to just $225 million, alongside cutting $69 million in a public grant. Despite this, the Marshall plant is already partially completed, and on track to begin battery production in 2026. Wages have also increased from $20 to $25 per hour.

Prior to Tuesday, Ford had already cut back on production plans for Marshall’s BlueOval Battery factory. In late November, they reduced the project investment by a whopping $1 billion, cut 800 jobs and reduced production capacity by 40%. This week, the state has responded by substantially reducing benefits.

With the new plan, Ford could still receive a $141 million grant if it produces 1,700 jobs and invests $2.5 billion in production.

The news comes just a day after the state partnered with Consumers Energy to install 1,500 public electric vehicle fast-chargers by 2030. Consumers’ partnership is just one part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to install 100,000 public chargers by 2030.

That's a big jump from 335 installed last year.

With manufacturing speeds slowed and consumer demand far below expected levels, it’s unknown what the future of the electric vehicle industry in Michigan will look like.

INTUIT CLASS ACTION CLAIMS CO. FAILED TO PREVENT TURBOTAX, CREDIT KARMA DATA BREACH

Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Anne Bucher | Top Class Actions

Intuit class action lawsuit overview:

Who: Plaintiff Joseph Garite filed a class action lawsuit against Intuit Inc.
Why: Intuit allegedly failed to adequately safeguard sensitive data which was compromised in a TurboTax and Credit Karma data breach disclosed in March 2024.
Where: The TurboTax data breach class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

Intuit Inc. failed to adequately protect its computer systems, leaving sensitive data vulnerable to a TurboTax and Credit Karma data breach earlier this year, according to a new class action lawsuit.

Plaintiff Joseph Garite alleges Intuit, the maker of popular software services including TurboTax, Credit Karma, Quickbooks and Mailchimp, failed to maintain reasonable security safeguards and failed to adequately train employees about cybersecurity.

Garite, a former TurboTax customer, claims these failures left Intuit’s systems vulnerable to cybercriminals, who allegedly infiltrated the networks and gained access to customers’ sensitive personal identifiable information (PII).

Victims of the Credit Karma and TurboTax data breach were allegedly not informed of the cyberattack until March 2024. Garite says the data breach notice failed to inform victims about pertinent information including when the breach first occurred, how many people were impacted and how cybercriminals were able to access Intuit’s systems.

Intuit “had no effective means to prevent, detect, stop or mitigate breaches of its systems—thereby allowing cybercriminals unrestricted access to its current and former customers’ PII,” Garite alleges.

The Intuit class action alleges the TurboTax data breach took place from Dec. 23, 2023 through Feb. 21, 2024 but the hack was not discovered until Feb. 27. The breach may have compromised the following types of PII:

• Names

• Addresses

• Birthdates

• Social Security numbers

• Driver’s license numbers

• Other information contained in victims’ tax returns

PLAINTIFF SAYS HE EXPERIENCED FRAUD DUE TO TURBOTAX DATA BREACH

Garite says he trusted Intuit with his PII and its commitment to protecting his sensitive data. Due to the TurboTax and Credit Karma data breach, his PII may be published imminently (if it has not already been published) on the Dark Web, the Intuit class action lawsuit alleges.

In fact, Garite claims he has already suffered from identity theft and fraud. He says he received a letter in May 2024, purportedly from the IRS, that contained highly sensitive information, including his Social Security number and the exact amount he owed on taxes in 2023. The IRS has reportedly confirmed the letter is fraudulent.

Garite filed the Intuit class action lawsuit on behalf of all U.S. residents whose PII was compromised in the data breach.

The Intuit class action lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, negligence per se, breach of implied contract, invasion of privacy, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, declaratory judgment, and violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Privacy Act.

Last year, Intuit agreed to pay $141 million to settle allegations it improperly charged some consumers for TurboTax when they were eligible to file for free through the IRS’s Free File Program.

Garite is represented by Andrew G. Gunem of Strauss Borrelli PLLC.

The Intuit class action lawsuit is Joseph Garite v. Intuit Inc., Case No. 5:24-cv-03960, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.

JEAN-PIERRE CLASHES WITH REPORTERS OVER BIDEN PARKINSON'S REPORTS

Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Dan McCaleb | The Center Square

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clashed with reporters during Monday's press briefing while dodging questions about published reports that a renowned Parkinson's disease expert visited the White House several times this year.

Citing White House visitor logs, the New York Post reported that the visits by neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard of Walter Reed Medical Center included several with President Joe Biden's personal doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.

The revelation came less than two weeks after Biden's poor debate showing against former President Donald Trump renewed concerns about his declining cognitive abilities and his ability to remain in office and serve another four-year term.

Biden is seeking reelection against presumptive GOP nominee Trump.

During the sometimes hostile back-and-forth, Jean-Pierre refused to acknowledge the visits or even confirm Cannard's name.

Visibly frustrated with Jean-Pierre's earlier non-answers, CBS reporter Ed O'Keefe shouted: "It's a very basic, direct question. That's what you should be able to answer by this point."

"No, no, no, no, no," Jean-Pierre responded. "Ed, please. A little respect here. Please."

Jean-Pierre continuously cited security and privacy concerns for not answering the questions.

Biden, 81, has shown visible signs of decline throughout his presidency, which were punctuated by Special Counsel Robert Hur's final report on his investigation into Biden's mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House following his term as vice president under Barack Obama.

Hur declined to charge Biden, but his report highlighted Biden's trouble remembering things, including the year his son died.

"In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden's memory was worse," according to the report, as The Center Square previously reported. "He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended ('if it was 2013 - when did I stop being Vice President?'), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began ('in 2009, am I still Vice President?')"

The report continued:

"He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him."

Since the debate, when Biden repeatedly stuttered and faltered, and at times became incoherent and trailed off, many Democrats have stepped forward calling for him to step aside from seeking reelection.

Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square

MINIMUM WAGE HIKE WON'T MAKE THE BALLOT THIS YEAR IN OHIO

Monday, July 8, 2024
Sarah Donaldson, Karen Kasler | statenews.org

When Ohio voters cast their ballots in November, they won't get to weigh in on whether to raise the minimum wage.

A national spokesperson with One Fair Wage said late Wednesday afternoon the organization missed the mark on signatures—writing it was short on the 44-county requirement to make the ballot in November 2024. The spokesperson said it was “very close” to its goal but would hold off on submitting anything.

Paid gatherers and volunteers with Raise the Wage Ohio had been getting signatures to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters. The amendment would have boosted the minimum wage in the state for most workers to $12.75 per hour by 2025 and $15 per hour by 2026.

For service workers currently making less than $10.25 per hour, under the amendment, businesses would be on the hook to raise their rates on a sliding scale—hitting $15 hourly for all workers by 2029. Under state law, they can offer service workers a base minimum wage of $5.25 hourly if customer gratuity bridges the difference between that rate and the regular $10.45 hourly rate.

Raise the Wage Ohio falls under the national umbrella of One Fair Wage, a national organization seeking to get rid of subminimum wages. The state’s current $5.25 subminimum wage for service workers is three dollars higher than the federal one, which sits at $2.13 hourly.

It was down to the wire for an effort marred by dysfunction.

Signatures need to be submitted to Secretary of State Frank LaRose by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. But Monday, when anti-gerrymandering organization Citizens Not Politicians was celebrating submitting nearly double the number of signatures needed in the Ohio Statehouse atrium, volunteers with Raise the Wage Ohio lingered on the peripheral for a last-minute push.

A spokesperson with LaRose's office said earlier Wednesday they had been told numerous different times for when Raise the Wage Ohio would come. With roads closed off around downtown Columbus for the annual Red, White, and BOOM! celebration, delivery never materialized.

“My team has made every accommodation to facilitate a smooth and secure filing of this petition,” LaRose wrote in an email statement Wednesday evening. “We worked with the city’s Emergency Operations Command, the Columbus Police Department, the Ohio Highway Patrol and the chief of staff and deputy chief of staff at the Columbus mayor’s office. Access issues were never a problem. Rural Ohioans are not to blame.”

Ohio Chamber of Commerce President Steve Stivers said in an email statement Wednesday evening he believed the failure to file in time was a win.

“Raising the minimum wage will only result in higher prices for Ohio families, and today’s events prove that the general public is realizing that,” Stivers said.

Weeks earlier, the Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance (ORHA) put out a survey arguing the bulk of the state’s bartenders and servers prefer the current wage system. According to the ORHA-commissioned survey, 93% of service worker participants said they believed they’d earn less money if their base salary was raised. Right now, more than four-fifths of participants said their pay exceeds $20 per hour with gratuity.

GEAUGA PUBLIC HEALTH INVITES COMMISSIONERS TO JULY 24 MEETING TO DISCUSS “TO RENT OR NOT TO RENT”

Friday, July 5, 2024

Months ago, fees that were collected in advance to inspect commercial septic systems in Geauga County, were returned to the remitters after Geauga County Health Board member, Carolyn Brakey, investigated the reported shortcoming and made certain that improperly-collected funds were being restored to those who had never received the service. Returning the unused funds cut into the already small budget overseen by Geauga Public Health Administrator Adam Litke.

Since moving its location to the Geauga County Administration Building, Geauga Public Health has dealt several times with the issue of getting that space free as a public service or being forced to pay the County Commissioners a price per square foot of occupied area. The snafu apparently is in determining whether Ohio Revised Code authorizes Geauga Public Health to pay an agreed-upon monthly rate of rent.

During the Tuesday, July 3, 2024, public Commissioners’ meeting, all three Commissioners were present at the same time. Citing the concern that “a ton of money” to offset bona fide expenses was not an option, Commissioner Spidalieri implied that $4 per square foot can be regarded as a reasonable rent charge. Commissioner Lennon chimed in that if the Department of Health has plans to stay put in the new County Administration Building, then the Department likely will have to seek passage of a levy to bolster its small operating budget, already reduced from returning the unused fees cited in the first paragraph. Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne attributed the actual cost as $3 per square foot.

Citing some other rental rates of $1.85 per square foot, Commissioner Dvorak noted his preference for having the Department of Health closely accessible in the new Office Building. Noting that “Nothing is free in this world,” Mr. Litke noted the service to the community performed by the public health department, the department of water resources, and the department of soil and water all under one roof.

After about ten minutes of discussion of possible rental fees per square foot that Geauga Public Health might be expected to pay, Commissioner Dvorak noted a five-year rent agreement for GPH: $2 per square foot payable for the first year of occupancy, $3 per square foot the second year of occupancy, and $4 per square foot during the second, third, and fourth year of occupancy.

It was Carolyn Brakey who cited at this point that the Board of Commissioners could actively help solve their lack of “a ton of money.” Citing her understanding that the BOCC has been paying at least twice the contract rate for electricity, she urged the the commissioners to lock in a more reasonably priced contract for electricity. Assistant County Administrator quickly noted that they would follow whatever lead the County Commissioners Association of Ohio offered as a way of saving utility expenses.

The discussion ended when Ms. Brakey and Adam Litke invited the Board of Commissioners to be present for the County Board of Health meeting the fourth Wednesday of the month, July 24 at 5 pm, on the first floor of the County Office Building to discuss a suitable rent agreement.