OHIO PENSIONS NAMED LEAD PLAINTIFFS IN $76 MILLION FRAUD SUIT

Friday, December 20, 2024
Marty Schladen | Ohio Capital Journal

A federal judge has tapped two Ohio pensions to lead a class-action suit by seven entities accusing the business-information platform ZoomInfo of making false statements about the health of the business. Later, truthful disclosures led to plunging stock values, costing public-pension systems and other investors tens of millions of dollars, the suit says.

Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright of the U.S. District Court of Western Washington last week named the Ohio pensions — the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System — lead plaintiffs in the case, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement Tuesday. The two pension systems lost a combined $75.9 million due to what the suit calls ZoomInfo’s fraudulent statements, Yost said.

Vancouver, Wash.-based ZoomInfo offers clients a data platform with contact and business information about prospective customers. As the pandemic waned, the company misled its investors about the declining state of its business, the lawsuit alleges.

During the pandemic, it claimed that it was raking in record revenues, attracting billions in investments, the lawsuit said.

“The individual defendants, because of their positions of control and authority as officers and/or directors of the company, were able to, and did, control the content of the various SEC filings, press releases, and other public statements pertaining to the company during the class period,” the complaint said. “Each individual defendant was provided with copies of the documents alleged herein to be misleading before or shortly after their issuance, participated in conference calls with investors during which false and misleading statements were made, and/or had the ability and/or opportunity to prevent their issuance or cause them to be corrected. Accordingly, each individual defendant is responsible for the accuracy of the public statements detailed herein and is, therefore, primarily liable for the representations contained therein.”

By late 2022, it became impossible for ZoomInfo to hide the truth about the health of its business from the public, Judge Cartwright wrote in her order making the Ohio pensions the lead plaintiffs. 

“Eventually, the truth about ZoomInfo’s financial status began to emerge,” she said. “ZoomInfo gradually revealed its customer retention and revenue in a series of five corrective disclosures between Nov. 1, 2022 and Aug. 5, 2024. On Nov. 1, ZoomInfo published a report disclosing losses and held a call with analysts in which (Chief Financial Officer Cameron) Hyzer revealed difficulties in the contract renewal process… Financial analysts ‘panned the report as inconsistent with the Company’s prior representations, . . . observing that the abrupt change in tone caught them ‘flat-footed’ given the Company and its management’s recent ‘bullish’ commentary.’ Following the Nov. 1 news, the price of ZoomInfo Class A common stock plunged.”

After those disclosures, the stock lost 90% of its value, going from $79 a share to just $8 a share, the suit said.

In announcing that the Ohio funds were joining the suit, Yost in a November statement said his aim was to protect Ohio retirees.

“ZoomInfo’s leadership willfully blinded investors to the reality that interest in the company’s product was waning,” he said. “Their reckless deception inflicted serious losses for Ohio’s pension systems and other investors, and we’re demanding accountability.”

SOCIAL SECURITY MAY GET AN OVERHAUL UNDER NEW SENATE BILL: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

Thursday, December 19, 2024
Jack Phillips

The Senate this week will attempt to pass legislation designed to provide full Social Security benefits to millions of American retirees.

Senators are due to schedule a test vote on the bill on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said. The measure will need 60 votes or more to clear the procedure before moving to its final passage.

The bill, the Social Security Fairness Act, has 62 sponsors, and a similar bill was passed several weeks ago in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The Senate bill, in the meantime, also has significant bipartisan support.

The House bill, the Social Security Fairness Act, passed the lower chamber in November by a 327–75 vote.

In a floor address on Monday, Schumer said that “we will vote,” on the Social Security bill, “and every Senator will choose.”

“Where are you? Do you stand on the side of public retirees who deserve their benefits, or bungle this golden opportunity by blocking this bill?” Schumer asked.

The majority leader urged his fellow Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. While a number of Republicans back the measure, some have indicated they will try to block it.

MORE STRAIN PREDICTED

The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which were already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. It would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget also estimates that if passed, the policy would hasten the Social Security program’s insolvency date by about half a year as well as reduce lifetime Social Security benefits by an additional $25,000 for a typical dual-income couple retiring in 2033.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he opposes the measure, saying it would cause the Social Security program to become bankrupt more quickly. Paul said he wants the Senate to approve his amendment to raise the retirement age.

“It speeds the bankruptcy of Social Security. Social Security is due to go bankrupt in 2034. This will speed it up by a year or so. It’s $200 billion added to a program that is already short of money,” he told The Hill this week.

Other Republicans, such as Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have warned that the bill would add more to the national deficit.

“I understand the need to address some inequities that have arisen in this area,“ Lee told The Hill. ”I don’t think there’s any member of our conference who doesn’t think that we need to do some repair, but I think we’re kidding ourselves and mistreating the American people if we blow a $200 billion hole in it and give no thought as how to fix that.”

Johnson, meanwhile, told the outlet that the bill is “way too broad” and would provide benefits to people who aren’t being harmed.

SOME REPUBLICANS WANT IT PASSED

Some Republicans have pushed Schumer to bring it up for a vote.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said last month that the current federal limitations “penalize families across the country who worked a public service job for part of their career with a separate pension.”

“We’re talking about police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public employees who are punished for serving their communities,” Cassidy said.

He predicted the bill would pass.

Incoming Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said at a press conference on Tuesday that cost is a concern.

“There was a lot of conversation around today, as you might expect, and I think in the end it’s going to come down to individual members are going to make their own decisions about where they want to come down on that,” Thune said. “Obviously I am concerned about the long-term solvency of Social Security and that is an issue I think we need to address.”

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

If passed by the Senate, the bill would go to President Joe Biden.

If the bill is signed into law, the changes would be effective for benefits payable after December 2023. If the bill doesn’t pass the Senate by Jan. 3, when a new session of Congress begins, it would expire and supporters would have to start over.

WHAT IT DOES

Sponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the measure would eliminate Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision, created in 1983, and the Government Pension Offset. The windfall provision currently reduces Social Security benefits for workers who get pensions from federal, state, or local government, or benefits from jobs that are not covered under the program.

Meanwhile, the Government Pension Offset, set up in 1977, reduces benefits for widows, spouses, and widowers whose spouses had received pensions from government entities.

Around 3 percent of all Social Security recipients, or 2.1 million people, were impacted by the provision as of December 2023, the Congressional Research Service said in a report released earlier this year.

The Social Security Administration provides a tool to allow people to see how their pension may affect their Social Security benefits.

Separately, the Social Security Administration last month said that retirees will receive a 2.5 percent increase in their Social Security checks in 2025. That translates into an average of roughly $50 per month more starting in January, according to the agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GEAUGA COUNTY ADP BOARD MOTIVATED TO CUT UNNECESSARY EXPENSES

Saturday, December 14, 2024

On December 10, Geauga County Commissioners met at the County Administration Building on Ravenwood at 10 am, while the County ADP under County Auditor Charles Walder held its regularly-scheduled meeting at 11 am in Suite 1A on Main Street. County Commissioners and County Administrator Gerry Morgan and Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne are entitled to be represented at both functions, though they do not usually occur at the same location. Thus, because Burhenne, Commissioner Dvorak, and Water Resources Director Nick Gorris were all involved with an Executive Session at the Commissioners’ Meeting, they showed up after the ADP Board meeting had already approved the first three items of the ADP agenda.

Because Director of Developmental Disabilities Don Rice was not present, Agenda Item # 5 “regarding onsite ADP support for the Board of Developmental Disabilities” was tabled until Rice could make the presentation personally.

Linda Burhenne prefaced Agenda Item #6 with reports of serious malfunctioning of audiovisual equipment (screens, software programs) and serious issues with technical staff assigned to efficiently-servicing the audiovisual equipment ( such as, screens and efficient operation of relevant software packages). Burhenne noted that of three firms interviewed to best train staff to improve audiovisual presentations, two responded and Burhenne was aware of a $20,000 plus annual quote for AV training.

Auditor Walter immediately questioned the rationale for the quote/contract because it fails to state the scope of work. Burhenne agreed that the scope of the work, identified as the Geauga County Office Building AV System Upgrade, project # 8107, had not been identified. Root Integrated Systems provided a one-year warranty on installation of microphones, wall switches, touch-panel controls for a contract price of $24,862.00.

Prosecutor Flaiz questioned why the Commissioners didn’t sue the contractor responsible for the Office Administration Building when it became apparent that the contractor failed to deliver the promised audiovisual requirements in the contract instead of now intending to hire another vendor for yet another $25K of taxpayer funds?

Walder noted the importance of the ADP Board to bring efficient operation within the new county building without setting the standard of accepting less than those goods and services which should have been expected to be delivered at taxpayer expense.

Burhenne at this point recommended that any new audiovisual technology should be tabled until the new board of county commissioners takes over in January. This new board would consist of existing Commissioners Dvorak and Spidalieri, as well as Commissioner-Elect Carolyn Brakey. Agenda Item #6 was officially tabled until after the first official meeting of the new Board of Commissioners in early January 2025.

In moving to Agenda Item #7, also under Assistant County Administrator Burhenne, the ADP Board considered approving purchase of 24 portable emergency radios @ $2,168.04 each for a total of $52,032.96 to be remitted to Vasu Communications, Inc. Auditor Walder, Sheriff Hildenbrand, and Prosecutor Flaiz all had negative opinions of the efficiency of a portable radio that needed constant battery charging and needed to be brought to the scene of potential emergency. The implication was that after expending more than $52 thousand, the portable radio was only as good as the county official who chose to bring it with him/her. Flaiz emphasized that the necessity of relying on $2400 radios that are not used is never a good idea.

Agenda Item #8,”Approval of Engineers’ Allen Precision Equipment,” and Agenda Item #9, Approval of Sheriffs; Motorola Solutions Inc., passed after minimal discussion, but Items #10 and #11 revealed more underlying future concerns.

#10 sought approval of the Water Resources Mission Communications package. Nick Gorris, Water Resources Director headed up initial discussion about software vendor,Mission Communications’, failure to authorize two-factor authorization as part of MFA (multi-factor authorization) to facilitate user safety and security against hacking. Mission Communications has been hedging for close to 18 months. Approval to continue with Mission came with the caveat that continued approval depends on Mission’s acceptance of multifactor authorization. Gorris expressed confidence that Mission would utilize MFA within six months rather than be dropped from contract. Time will tell.

The most significant part of this ADP meeting concerned ongoing fear that in 2025 ADP will be faced with serious cost-cutting issues in view of an intergovernmental bill for $120,000, outstanding since October 2024. Gorris commented on software licenses and costs which have cost increases to jump from $34,000 to $128,000 in just one year. Gorris cites the cost options at about $45,000 per year, but acknowledges that software options that have been ordered but not used wind up being wasteful of taxpayer dollars.

In the past county employees who claimed they needed New World modules that have sat around without being utilized are examples of extravagance and lack of efficiency during periods when cash shortfalls become issues. Jim Flaiz emphasized the need to cut all unnecessary, and therefore extravagant portions of expense. He fell back on the example of paying for multiple software licenses that were really not completely necessary in the first place. Further, in the future, there is the understanding that county department heads will not pay excessive bills for the sake of paying them. In corroboration, Walder notes that come January 2025, it will be necessary for him to cut any unnecessary and/or irrational expenditures.

Agenda Item #13, “End of 2024” Archives and Records Recap, noted the first year of inclusion of that department under the ADP umbrella and emphasized the value of the individual department employees. In addition, the consensus was that the placement of Archives/Records under ADP was one of the wisest money-saving decisions undertaken.

Before officially adjourning the meeting at 12:36 pm, Frank Antonucci summarized Burton Township personnel’s invigorated interest in becoming part of ADP’s Office 365 program. He expected the township to be on the December 17 County Commissioners’ agenda to seek official recognition of that upgrade.

TEXAS SUES CHEMICAL GIANTS OVER FOREVER CHEMICALS MARKETED AS SAFE FOR FAMILIES

Friday, December 13, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

Texas has filed a lawsuit against several large chemical companies alleging they manufacture toxic forever chemicals used in products marketed as safe for families.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued 3M Company, Corteva, Dupont De Nemours, and EIDP in the District Court of Johnson County.

The lawsuit alleges the companies “engaged in deceptive trade practices by failing to disclose health risks and environmental harms associated with their products, and representing and/or implying their products were ‘safe’ in a false, deceptive, or misleading manner, in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act.”

The products marketed as safe were made with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemical products, known as forever chemicals. They include brand names Teflon, Stainmaster and Scotchgard, according to the complaint.

PFAS chemicals are used in cookware, stain-resistant carpets, water-repellent clothes, multiple cleaning, agricultural and other products. PFAS chemicals have been linked to causing numerous health problems including decreased fertility, hormone and immune system issues, thyroid disease, kidney, prostate or testicular cancer, among others, according to Webmd.com.

Because their synthetic compounds resist disintegrating, “a characteristic born of their carbon-fluorine chemical bonds, PFAS can last thousands of years,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health explains.

This year, the EPA issued health advisories saying forever chemicals are more hazardous to human health than was originally believed.

“Exposure in humans may be associated with diseases such as cancer and thyroid disease, and PFAS contamination accumulates in animals, plants, drinking water, and human blood over time,” Paxton argues. “For decades, 3M and Dupont knew about the dangers of these chemicals but continued to market their beneficial use in ordinary household products.”

“Defendants marketed products containing harmful PFAS chemicals for over 70 years and were aware of the harmful effects of PFAS chemicals for over 50 years,” the complaint states. “Despite this knowledge, Defendants continued to market PFAS products and chemicals in Texas and elsewhere as safe for consumer use, misrepresent their environmental and biological risks, and conceal risks of harm from the public.”

Texas previously sued the manufacturers of Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which contains PFAS, “for its harmful effect on Texas lands and waters.”

Texas’ 45-page brief cites congressional testimony of one executive claiming their products are safe and don’t cause adverse health effects, includes examples of advertisements of forever chemical products with images of smiling families and babies, and alleges one company restructured operations to protect it from billions of dollars of liabilities.

The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit the companies from manufacturing and selling products that contain PFAS chemicals, and to require disclosures related to health risks among other requirements. It also requests a $10,000 civil penalty be levied for each violation, at least $1 million to cover attorney fees, penalties and other costs, and demands that the companies can’t file bankruptcy to avoid paying penalties.

“While we don’t comment on litigation matters, we believe this complaint is without merit, and we look forward to vigorously defending our record of safety, health and environmental stewardship,” a DuPont de Nemours spokesperson said, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The lawsuit was filed after Chemours, DuPont and Corteva agreed to pay more than $1.1 billion in a class action PFAS water contamination lawsuit consolidated in South Carolina.

In 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a multi-million-dollar verdict in a case related to a class action lawsuit and multidistrict litigation consolidated in Ohio brought by residents alleging a West Virginia DuPont plant discharged forever chemicals into their environment for decades, causing cancer and other illnesses in residents. The appellate brief summarizes a history of lawsuits filed against DuPont alleging it discharged forever chemicals “into the air, Ohio River, and landfills without limits” for 50 years, increasing discharges between 1984 and 2000.

Last year, the Sixth Circuit rejected a lower court’s ruling in another class action brought against EI du Pont de Nemours and Co, 3M and Corteva, Inc., that would have allowed 11.8 million Ohio residents to sue them as a group.

In January, the state of Connecticut sued multiple companies, including 3M, Dupont, Corteva and Chemours alleging they contaminated the state’s natural resources with PFAS chemicals.

In August, a class action was filed in Minnesota against 3M, Dupont, Corteva, Chemours and Daikin America, “intentionally manufactured, distributed, marketed, and/or sold stain- and soil repellents with PFAS to carpet manufacturers and others without disclosing the dangers of PFAS that were known to each of those entities.” It seeks to include residents from all 50 states who installed carpets unknowingly treated with PFAS chemicals from the companies.

GEAUGA FINANCIAL DIRECTOR PROVIDES POWER POINT ON 2025 PERMANENT APPROPRIATIONS

Thursday, December 5, 2024 updated December 7, 2024

Adrian Gorton began his Tuesday, December 3, power point acknowledging that the hardware and software did not do justice because it was defective. One of Gorton’s concerns during his last budget presentation was also defective software.

Commissioner Spidalieri responded quickly to Gorton’s comment. His question: “Why doesn’t the software system work?”

Adrian Gorton responded,“The system worked for one year. ”

Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne provided more insight, clarifying that the cost for service to renovate the deficient software is about $21,000 per year.

Ralph Spidalieri shot back, “We have a brand new building and deficient software equipment.” Touche’, Ralph. . . So, what is the solution to this problem?

Gorton offered no practical software solutions. For the next twenty minutes he presented his power point financial analysis of Geauga County’s upcoming 2025 Permanent Appropriations.

We will attempt to summarize Gorton’s findings and the potential conflicts that may interfere with any proposed solutions.

The first basic premise on the Revenue Side is that the minimum estimated carryover on January 1, 2025, is $9,876,924.00 with 2025 revenues of $47,223,674.00 for total estimated 2025 Resources of $57,100,598.00.

On the Appropriation Side, the 2025 General Fund is listed as $47,128,230.00.

Funds coming into the County from 6.75% sales tax that vendors are required to charge on retail purchases continue to bring in the largest amount of revenue for the county. Gorton, as in previous budget presentations, emphasized that the average county sales tax rate of 7.00% or higher has drawn shoppers to Geauga County for their purchases.

Being able to have a more complete knowledge of estimated Judicial operating expenses has provided some complications since the final months of 2023. Some of these complications have arisen from withdrawal of Geauga County from being serviced by the Portage County Juvenile Court in favor of less expensive juvenile detention services in a few other counties. In addition, the Geauga Juvenile/Probate Court missed the deadline, per Gorton’s oral explanation, to file its 2025 budget requirements.

Juvenile/Probate Court, as part of the Court of Common Pleas, along with the Office of the Clerk of Courts, comprises about 13% of the operating expenses of the county, well subordinated beneath the monetary requirements of Public Safety (Sheriff).

Legislative/Executive, which is second to Public Safety, encompasses 37.7% of the total budget’s operating expenses, close to a predicted $16 million for 2025 to be distributed primarily among the Auditor, the Commissioners, Treasurer, Prosecutor, and ADP Board.

The estimated January 1, 2025, cash balance is projected to be $18.5 million with supplemental appropriation hearings in February 2025. If there are any unaccounted funds, Gorton and his team will consider any special unfulfilled department funding needs. The biggest consideration, according to Gorton, is avoiding expanding county debt.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO KILLED IN TARGETED ATTACK: 5 THINGS WE KNOW

Thursday, December 5, 2024
Jack Phillips

Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a hotel in Manhattan on the morning of Dec. 4, NYPD officials say.

The chief executive of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit was shot and killed in what New York City police officials say was a targeted attack on the morning of Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel.

Brian Thompson, 50, was killed outside the Hilton building on Sixth Avenue, where the health insurance giant’s yearly investor conference was set to take place. Thompson was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said. The gunman remains at large.

NYPD Chief Confirms CEO Killed

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the fatal shooting, describing it as a “brazen targeted attack.” The gunman waited for Thompson, ignored bystanders, and then shot him in the back and leg, she said in a news conference.

“I want to be clear at this time: Every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack,” she said, adding that it “does not appear to be a random act of violence.”

“Investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway, and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter.”

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said NYPD patrol officers responded to a 911 call at 6:46 a.m. ET about an individual shot at a Midtown Manhattan Hilton hotel. Police officers arrived at 6:48 a.m. and found a man on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his leg and back, he said.

No Arrests Made, No Suspect Identified

The suspect, who was described as a “light-skinned male” and who was wearing a “cream-colored jacket,” was on the scene about five minutes before Thompson arrived outside of the hotel, Kenny said.

As Thompson walked to the hotel, the suspect followed him before firing several rounds at him, Kenny said. The suspect then fled on foot before riding an electric bike away from the scene and was last seen at Central Park on Center Drive, officials said.

Authorities said the man was wearing a mask, had a distinctive-looking backpack, and was wearing black-and-white sneakers. Police photos released of the suspect show that he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt or jacket, and the handgun that he used appeared to have a suppressor.

NYPD Crime Stoppers, the police department’s tip line, announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect involved in the shooting.

“The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted,” Kenny said at the news conference. “But at this point, we do not know why.”

Wife Says He Faced Threats

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that she was told by the NYPD that the attack targeting her husband was planned. She said Thompson had recently been receiving threats.

“Yes, there had been some threats—basically I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” Paulette Thompson told the outlet, likely referring to insurance coverage. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

She did not provide any other details.

“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” Paulette Thompson told NBC. “I just found this out, and I’m trying to console my children.”

Elected Officials Alarmed

New York City Mayor Eric Adams reiterated to reporters on Dec. 4 that the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack.

“We want to just really calm New Yorkers, and particularly the business executives, that again, this was not what appears to be just a random act of violence. This seemed to have been clearly targeted by an individual, and we will apprehend that individual,” the mayor said.

Several elected officials in Minnesota, where UnitedHealth Group is headquartered, responded to the shooting on social media.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a recent vice presidential candidate, described Thompson’s death as “a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.”

“This is a horrifying and shocking act of violence. My thoughts are with Brian Thompson’s family and loved ones and all those working at [UnitedHealthcare] in Minnesota,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote in a post on social media platform X on Dec. 4.

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), a former Democratic presidential candidate, wrote on X that he was “horrified” by Thompson’s “assassination” in New York City and has Thompson’s family in his prayers.

UnitedHealth Issues Statement

UnitedHealth Group, which operates UnitedHealthcare, released a statement following the NYPD’s news conference.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” the statement said.

“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

UnitedHealth Group Inc. CEO Andrew Witty abruptly brought an investor conference on the morning of Dec. 4 to an end. Thompson was slated to attend the conference.

“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” Witty said.

Thompson was named the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, after joining the company in 2004, according to the company’s website. He previously served as the company’s chief of Medicare and Medicaid services.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurance company in the United States and is considered one of the largest corporations in the world.

Reuters contributed to this report.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SUPPORTS CHINESE LAB-LEAK THEORY FOR COVID-19 ORIGIN

Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Aldgra Fredly | Freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news

The report stated that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell sick with a COVID-19-like virus months before the first case emerged.

A Republican-led oversight subcommittee has concluded that the COVID-19 virus likely originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, following a two-year investigation into the pandemic.

The House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a 520-page report on Dec. 2, detailing the findings of the subcommittee’s investigation.

The report found that the U.S. National Institutes of Health funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), and that EcoHealth Alliance Inc. used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate this research at the lab.

It also found that the Chinese communist regime, agencies within the U.S. government, and some members of the international scientific community sought to cover up facts concerning the origins of the pandemic.

The committee said that COVID-19 possesses biological characteristics not found in nature and that data indicates that all COVID-19 cases stemmed from a single introduction into humans, unlike previous pandemics, where there were more spillover events.

“By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced,” the oversight subcommittee said in a statement.

Several researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell sick with a COVID-like virus months before the first case of the outbreak was allegedly detected at a wet market, according to the report.

The report said that in January 2021, the U.S. State Department published an unclassified fact sheet that stated: “The U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illness.”

Citing the fact sheet, the report stated that the Wuhan Institute of Virology “has a published record of conducting ‘gain-of-function’ research to engineer chimeric viruses.”

The report said the June 2023 ODNI assessment supported this conclusion and went further, stating, “Scientists at the WIV have created chimeras, or combinations of SARS-like coronaviruses through genetic engineering, attempted to clone other unrelated viruses, and used reverse genetic cloning techniques on SARS-like coronaviruses.” The June 2023 ODNI Assessment said that some of the “WIV’s genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it difficult to detect intentional changes.”

Among those interviewed during the panel’s investigation was Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who stepped down from his role in December 2022.

The report stated that Fauci had “prompted” a research study titled “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2”—which dismissed the idea that the virus was laboratory constructed—to “disprove” the lab leak theory.

Fauci testified at a June hearing that he did not suppress the lab leak theory and did not view it as inherently a conspiracy theory but said that “some distortions on that particular subject are,” according to the report.

“Although Dr. Fauci believed the lab-leak theory to be a conspiracy theory at the start of the pandemic, it now appears that his position is that he does have an open mind about the origin of the virus—so long as it does not implicate EcoHealth Alliance, and by extension himself and NIAID,” it stated, citing Fauci’s memoir published just weeks after the hearing. “Understandably, as he signed off on the EcoHealth Alliance grant.”

In a May 2021 Senate hearing, Fauci said his agency did not provide funds for “gain of function” research into coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Fauci told the hearing.

The report also stated that Taiwan notified the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019, about “atypical pneumonia cases” reported in Wuhan and asked the agency to investigate, but the WHO ignored the warnings.

The WHO response to the COVID-19 pandemic was “an abject failure because it caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and placed China’s political interests ahead of its international duties,” the subcommittee said.

In a statement accompanying the report, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), chairman of the committee, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a distrust in leadership. Trust is earned. Accountability, transparency, honesty, and integrity will regain this trust.”

A study published in the journal Risk Analysis on March 15 found a high probability that the COVID-19 virus had an unnatural origin. Although the study did not prove the origin of the COVID-19 virus, its authors said that “the possibility of a laboratory origin cannot be easily dismissed.”

Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.

THE GEAUGA COUNTY COURTHOUSE EXPANSION EXPENSES CONTINUE TO MOUNT

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Prosecutor Flaiz’s live appearance before a full board of Commissioners plus an appointed County Administrator and an appointed Assistant County Administrator provided the greatest influence upon the issue of bureaucracy and waste of Geauga taxpayer funds.

Prosecutor Flaiz no sooner finished his live performances regarding Agenda Items 15 and 16 and hearing from outgoing Commissioner Lennon’s dislike for waste and and general fund payment of outside counsel in Agenda Item # 15 when Flaiz announced Agenda Item 16’s “better news,” the text of which authorized him to amend Paragraph 8 of the Agreed Judgment Entry of Case #20M000648, City of Chardon vs. Geauga County, Ohio, et al.. under Judge David Ondrey.

Paragraph 8 notes,

The City agrees to contribute 10 percent(10%) capped at $2 million dollars, toward the public infrastructure, site work and beautification of the square involved with the Courthouse expansion/renovation project. The City shall not be responsible for cost overruns as there is a $2 million-dollar cap. These dollars will be in addition to the County’s expenditure set forth in section 2.

The aforementioned section 2 stipulates,

“The County agrees to spend a minimum of $15 million for an addition/ renovation to the Courthouse.”

Flaiz prefaced his “better news” with the note that the Geauga Courthouse renovation of infrastructure should have been addressed about 30 years ago, about 1994, but he clarified that the City of Chardon to this date has paid off $600.000 of its agreed-upon payment of $2,000,000. The amended language will reflect that Chardon will set up payment plans to pay off the remaining $1,400,000 during 2025, helping to provide needed cash flow for the County.

The Commissioners unanimously approved Flaiz’s Agenda Item 16 3-0 and routinely moved on to approve paying an additional $1,053, 105. 31 in Agenda Item # 22 “for Partial Payment #14 for Geauga County Courthouse Expansion, GMP #1 and #2.” The total costs expended by the Geauga County Commissioners in the form of overruns/ unexpected cost increases now add up a whopping $21,000,000. Readers will recall the agreed judgment entry that the County’s initial hope of getting off with spending $15 million was only the minimum so that by our calculation the County has already become responsible for an additional $6 million, regardless of any “better news” that Prosecutor Flaiz hoped to present to the Commissioners.

FLAIZ REPRIMANDS COMMISSIONERS FOR “CHANGING THE RULES” WITH GEAUGA PUBLIC HEALTH (GPH)

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Prosecutor Jim Flaiz showed up on November 26, 2024,to engage in what appeared to be a contest of semantics, primarily with outgoing Commissioner Timothy Lennon in regard to the question of whether the Board of Health would be required to pay a rental fee for its space in the County Administration Building on Ravenwood Drive. The question first came up in the third quarter of 2023, when the current County Commissioners communicated their intention of charging $8 per square foot. Over the course of a year’s occupancy, GPH would have paid about $58,000.

When Assistant County Administrator Burhenne drew up a lease agreement defining office space as $2 per square foot and storage space as $1 per square foot, the total amount the County would collect from GPH after the first year was still $12,502, with the possibility of increasing the rental rate by $1 per square foot the second year of GPH’s occupancy, and increasing thereafter. Ms. Burhenne clarified GPH’s rent as GPH’s portion of the cost of utilities, custodial services, and grounds maintenance. Ms. Burhenne clarified that GPH’s occupancy implied the need for the Commissioners to lose money because comparatively, commercial rental space in Geauga County was going for $12 per square foot.

Flaiz, whose appearance and interaction with all three Commissioners occupied the biggest portion of time during the November 26 public meeting. He reminded them that “the Commissioners’ Office has been pursuing a lease with the Board of Health for some time, recalling a meeting held in 2019 with then Health Director Tom Quade, County Administrator Gerry Morgan, and himself. Flaiz recalled that Quade had been “gung ho” to move into the Ravenwood Building with a lease. Later during this interaction, Spidalieri recalled that Tom Quade had never had any problem with the concept of paying rent in exchange for receiving county office space. Tom Quade subsequently left Geauga County at the height of the Covid Crisis

Flaiz clarified that “the current Health Department could use the argument that the rules are being changed on the combined Health District after three years of occupancy for free.” Flaiz further noted that Ohio Revised Code says the County “can charge rent” but is not given the duty or obligation to do so. Therefore, “the Prosecutor’s Office is requesting the Board approve and authorize . . .Appointment of Legal Counsel for the Geauga County Board of Health [by] appointing Attorney Bryan Kostura to represent and advise the Board of Health on the proposed lease agreement and any other matters relating thereto between the Board of Health and the Board of Commissioners.” Flaiz accused the Commissioners of wasting time and money by taking”taxpayers’ money out of the left pocket and putting it into the right pocket of the same pair of pants.” He identified the action as “money being moved around.” Further, “If you want a binding lease agreement, the General Fund will pay for the Health Department lawyer [Bryan Kostura]. . .You can’t deny the Health Department the things you’ve given them for free the last three years.”

As a complication, Chardon, Middlefield, and Bainbridge currently all receive health services from the same Department of Health, as explained by Flaiz. The pre- Tom Quade Department of Health actually collected fees tor which no services were ever rendered. When the current Department of Health audit uncovered this gross inequity, GPH leadership returned those fees; in fact, Commissioner Lennon, a Geauga business owner happily acknowledged receipt of his refund from current GPH leadership.

Adam Litke, director of GPH, sat next to Commissioner-Elect Carolyn Brakey. The irony is that Mrs. Brakey has been an ongoing member of the Geauga County Board of Health; she has been instrumental in overseeing the return of fees for services never performed in the pre- Tom Quade Department of Public Health.

Litke clarified that under a limited budget if GPH finds itself in need of extra money, there will be no alternative except to float a levy that Geauga taxpayers will have to pay, because, as usual, the buck stops with them.

Commissioner Dvorak clarified that central location of the Health Department should be rent-free, but subject to a Memorandum of Understanding with all appropriate terms and definitions.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SUPPORTS CHINESE LAB-LEAK THEORY FOR COVID-19 ORIGIN

Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Aldgra Fredly | Freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news

The report stated that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell sick with a COVID-19-like virus months before the first case emerged.

A Republican-led oversight subcommittee has concluded that the COVID-19 virus likely originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, following a two-year investigation into the pandemic.

The House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a 520-page report on Dec. 2, detailing the findings of the subcommittee’s investigation.

The report found that the U.S. National Institutes of Health funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), and that EcoHealth Alliance Inc. used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate this research at the lab.

It also found that the Chinese communist regime, agencies within the U.S. government, and some members of the international scientific community sought to cover up facts concerning the origins of the pandemic.

The committee said that COVID-19 possesses biological characteristics not found in nature and that data indicates that all COVID-19 cases stemmed from a single introduction into humans, unlike previous pandemics, where there were more spillover events.

“By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced,” the oversight subcommittee said in a statement.

Several researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell sick with a COVID-like virus months before the first case of the outbreak was allegedly detected at a wet market, according to the report.

The report said that in January 2021, the U.S. State Department published an unclassified fact sheet that stated: “The U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illness.”

Citing the fact sheet, the report stated that the Wuhan Institute of Virology “has a published record of conducting ‘gain-of-function’ research to engineer chimeric viruses.”

The report said the June 2023 ODNI assessment supported this conclusion and went further, stating, “Scientists at the WIV have created chimeras, or combinations of SARS-like coronaviruses through genetic engineering, attempted to clone other unrelated viruses, and used reverse genetic cloning techniques on SARS-like coronaviruses.” The June 2023 ODNI Assessment said that some of the “WIV’s genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it difficult to detect intentional changes.”

Among those interviewed during the panel’s investigation was Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who stepped down from his role in December 2022.

The report stated that Fauci had “prompted” a research study titled “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2”—which dismissed the idea that the virus was laboratory constructed—to “disprove” the lab leak theory.

Fauci testified at a June hearing that he did not suppress the lab leak theory and did not view it as inherently a conspiracy theory but said that “some distortions on that particular subject are,” according to the report.

“Although Dr. Fauci believed the lab-leak theory to be a conspiracy theory at the start of the pandemic, it now appears that his position is that he does have an open mind about the origin of the virus—so long as it does not implicate EcoHealth Alliance, and by extension himself and NIAID,” it stated, citing Fauci’s memoir published just weeks after the hearing. “Understandably, as he signed off on the EcoHealth Alliance grant.”

In a May 2021 Senate hearing, Fauci said his agency did not provide funds for “gain of function” research into coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Fauci told the hearing.

The report also stated that Taiwan notified the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019, about “atypical pneumonia cases” reported in Wuhan and asked the agency to investigate, but the WHO ignored the warnings.

The WHO response to the COVID-19 pandemic was “an abject failure because it caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and placed China’s political interests ahead of its international duties,” the subcommittee said.

In a statement accompanying the report, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), chairman of the committee, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a distrust in leadership. Trust is earned. Accountability, transparency, honesty, and integrity will regain this trust.”

A study published in the journal Risk Analysis on March 15 found a high probability that the COVID-19 virus had an unnatural origin. Although the study did not prove the origin of the COVID-19 virus, its authors said that “the possibility of a laboratory origin cannot be easily dismissed.”

Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.

FLAIZ GETS COMMISSIONER APPROVAL TO UPGRADE SECURITY IN DEALING WITH “SOME UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS”

Thursday, December 5, 2024

Prosecutor Jim Flaiz noted that his office was last remodeled about 20 years ago when Dave Joyce was the Prosecutor. He referenced the abundance of glass that causes the lobby to feel insecure. Handing the Commissioners the renderings he had asked Then Designs Associates to complete, Flaiz was quick to inform the Commissioners that without adding additional space , he wanted to create two functional offices (one for Laura LaChapelle and one for himself) and to create “flex space” for future use. He referred to the project as a small one with an approximate $204,000 cost to make maximum use of his existing space.

Flaiz expressed his opposition to coming back to the Commissioners in 2025 to request anything that he had not thought of requesting in the first place. He explained that his intention of opening up a blanket certificate for $204,000 before December 31, citing his own Contract Services funding. He was quick to reassure the Commissioners that every year he returns unused funding from the Contract Services Fund.

Commissioner Lennon asked a lot of questions about methodology that Flaiz might utilize, including any rationale for bidding. Flaiz clarified that he expected this project to be a small one that he identified as “cheap” in price, then explained, “I’m not a revenue-generator.”

At this point. Adrian Gorton suggested that the Building Improvement Fund already has $4 million set aside for any improvement of the Prosecutor’s Office and therefore was a more appropriate choice than the General Fund.

Flaiz succinctly quipped that the Building Improvement Fund uses General Fund monies. As Jim Flaiz has noted before, money is money and therefore fungible. Adrian Gorton agreed.

In the end, all three Commissioners approved Flaiz with authorization to improve security in the Prosecutor’s Office and to use Then Design’s contracted drawings as part of the renovation plan.

Lennon’s final comment was his expression of appreciation for Flaiz “being in front of it.”

WALMART ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE FROM DEI INITIATIVES

Tuesday, November 26, 2024
James Lalino | Investigative Journalist

Walmart said it will also ‘identify and remove inappropriate sexual and/or transgender products marketed to children.’

Walmart plans to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion—or DEI—initiatives, the retail giant said on Nov. 25.

“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the company said in a statement.

The company announced that it will refrain from financing events aimed at sexually influencing children, stop participating in the Human Rights Coalition’s Corporate Equality Index, and remove the gender-neutral term “Latinx” from its documents, according to conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck, who had been talking to Walmart for a story he was doing featuring the company’s DEI initiatives.

The company will also change its Supplier Inclusion program, which was criticized because of its tendency to give “preferential treatment on the basis of race.” Its purpose was to assist suppliers that were more than 51 percent owned by “protected classes,” such as minorities, women, and LGBT individuals.

The retail giant said it would not provide further funding beyond its 2020 commitment of $100 million to its nonprofit Center for Racial Equity, for which it promised funding for five years.

Walmart will also “identify and remove inappropriate sexual and/or transgender products marketed to children,” such as chest binders, which it sells on its website.

Starbuck said that Walmart contacted him after the company became aware of his investigation.

“After various conversations, I am very proud to report to you guys that Walmart has decided on making some changes,” Starbuck stated in the video on Nov. 25. He is calling Walmart’s turnaround a “massive win” for the conservative movement, which supporters said is supportive of equality of opportunity over the equality of outcome outlined in DEI policies.

Companies including Lowe’s, Ford, Jack Daniel’s, John Deere, Tractor Supply, and Harley-Davidson have dropped their DEI practices, Starbuck noted.

The changes come amid growing concerns over DEI policies and programs in corporate America and other sectors of society.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to start rooting out what he called divisive policies in the U.S. military on day one of his new administration.

Trump’s Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth is expected to fire generals who implement DEI in the military. Appearing on the “Shawn Ryan Show” earlier this month, Hegseth said, “Any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI” must be removed.

According to the Fortune 500 list, Walmart is the biggest company in the world, by revenue. Forbes predicts that Walmart’s 2024 revenue will be $657.3 billion, an increase of $46 billion from last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SENATE DOGE CAUCUS CHAIR OUTLINES BLUEPRINT TO WEED OUT GOVERNMENT WASTE

Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Rachel Acenas | Freelance Reporter

The new chair of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus has identified about one trillion dollars in potential federal spending cuts.

In a letter sent on Monday to DOGE advisors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) outlined her “instruction manual” of ways to eliminate government waste.

“With $3 billion of interest being added to our national debt every day, the longer we delay tackling the problem, the further away the finish line gets,” Ernst wrote in the letter. “To give you a head start, here are a trillion dollars’ worth of ideas for trimming the fat and reducing red ink.”

Ernst pointed out that the cost of maintaining and leasing government buildings costs $8 billion every year.

She noted that the federal workforce still works remotely and “not a single headquarters of a major government agency or department in the nation’s capital is even half full.”

Ernst targeted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in her blueprint of cost-cutting targets. She cited her audit of the tax collection agency which revealed that 5,800 employees and contractors owe nearly $50 million themselves.

The lawmaker also called for the DOGE to act as the “Grinch” on the government’s end-of-year “use it or lose it” spending spree which she called “Christmas in September.” The senator said that Sept. 20 every year marks the deadline for the federal government to spend money left over at the end of a fiscal year.

“In the rush to use it before they lose it, $53 billion was recently spent in a single week! The September spending sprees of the past included impulse purchases on $4.6 million of lobster tail and crab and $2.1 million for games and toys, including nearly $12,000 for a foosball table,” the letter read.

Additionally, Ernst cited billions of dollars of unspent COVID funds for potential savings.

The lawmaker included in her lengthy cost-cutting list United Nations payments and what she described as bogus bonuses and “welfare checks” for politicians with presidential ambitions.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Monday pointed out that Musk and Ramaswamy will serve as outside government advisors who will provide recommendations to the cost-cutting panel, but Congress ultimately appropriates federal money.

Khanna further suggested that there could be bipartisan collaboration on the defense budget.

“There has been tremendous reporting on the waste, fraud and abuse in that budget. The Pentagon hasn’t passed an audit, has failed the last six or seven audits,” Khanna told CNN.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was chosen to lead a DOGE subcommittee within the House Oversight Committee.

Greene said she “can’t wait” to start working, adding that the “DOGE subcommittee will expose the waste and bring truth and transparency to the American people.”

Meanwhile, Ernst wrote on X that she has spent 10 years in the Senate in “a lonely fight” to address excess federal spending, and is now looking forward to working with Musk and Ramaswamy to “eliminate trillions in waste.”

WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS MEET WITH TELECOM EXECUTIVES OVER CHINA HACK

Monday, November 25, 2024
Catherine Yang

The FBI and CISA jointly stated that the CCP’s cyber actions against the United States are a ‘broad and significant cyber espionage campaign.’

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, hosted telecommunications executives for a meeting on Nov. 22 to share intelligence after several networks were reportedly hacked.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to confirm that major telecommunications companies including AT&T and Verizon were the target of a large-scale cyberattack that was part of the “Salt Typhoon” campaign, which is backed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Hackers reportedly had access to the network for months or longer.

“The meeting was an opportunity to hear from telecommunications sector executives on how the U.S. Government can partner with and support the private sector on hardening against sophisticated nation state attacks,” the White House officials said in a statement.

The industry and U.S. officials alike have pointed out that while the CCP uses a whole-of-state approach in its cyberattacks against U.S. institutions, the targets are individual private entities that do not have an intelligence-sharing mechanism across the industry or with the government.

On Nov. 13, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly stated that the CCP’s cyber efforts against the United States are a “broad and significant cyber espionage campaign,” encouraging victims to contact local FBI offices.

The FBI and CISA said they think that the CCP-backed hackers were after customer call records and private communications, targeting people involved in government and political activity, and evidence obtained by law enforcement via warrants.

Last month, Vice President-elect JD Vance confirmed that his phone had been breached by Chinese hackers, and he said he believed that President-elect Donald Trump’s phone had also been hacked. Vance said on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” a podcast, that authorities believed the breach was part of the Chinese state-backed Salt Typhoon campaign.

U.S. lawmakers and intelligence officials have sounded the alarm on several large-scale, CCP-backed cyberattack campaigns.

In addition to the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage operation, officials have long warned about the China-backed Volt Typhoon threat group, which intelligence agencies say targets critical infrastructure in the Western world and has already compromised organizations in the fields of energy, transportation, and wastewater, among others.

Authorities also identified a Flax Typhoon campaign that targeted consumer devices, installing malware to create a botnet that could launch additional attacks. The FBI was able to disrupt this network and disable the malware.

Intelligence officials have also warned that the CCP-backed campaigns are “not consistent with traditional cyber espionage or intelligence gathering operations.” In the case of Volt Typhoon, officials believe hackers are prepositioning themselves on critical IT networks to monitor and disrupt in the event of conflicts.

In the wake of these telecom breaches, lawmakers have requested closed-door briefings with telecom executives and intelligence officials to increase private–public cooperation on the issue.

GRENDELL WANTS COUNTY TO PAY HIS LEGAL FEES

Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Allison Wilson, John Karlovec | Geauga County Maple Leaf

Geauga County Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell is looking for taxpayers’ help to pay mounting legal bills related to a state disciplinary case related to his handling of juvenile cases, specifically involving a situation where he ordered two teenage brothers into juvenile detention for refusing to visit their father.

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct found Grendell engaged in blatant, deliberate and egregious misconduct and has recommended he immediately be removed from the bench. The matter is now in the hands of the Ohio Supreme Court.

As a result of his disciplinary troubles, Grendell has requested Geauga County Commissioners appropriate an additional $300,000 to pay current legal fees owing to Montgomery Jonson — the law firm that represented him in the disciplinary case — which total more than $318,000 since the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court filed charges against Grendell in 2022.

The request also includes the appointment of Roetzel & Andress to assist in his appeal of the disciplinary case, at a rate not to exceed $300 per hour, and to approve all related Roetzel & Andress invoices going forward.

He said county commissioners were required to provide for his defense while acting in good faith within the scope of employment. And, because the case has been appealed and is ongoing, Grendell claimed he was entitled to payment and reimbursement of his legal defense costs.

Grendell, accompanied by Court Administrator Kim Laurie and Constable John Ralph, appeared before the county commissioners Nov. 19 to discuss the request.

“As you know from our filing, the court is looking to address its representation pursuant to sections 309.09 and 305.14 of the (Ohio Revised Code),” he said.

As a Geauga County officer and county employee, he said he is entitled to defense in any action, with no exception for disciplinary actions, adding he would have been entitled to representation by the county prosecutor.

“However, in this case, that’s not possible because (Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz) is conflicted because he testified against me in these proceedings, amongst other things,” said Grendell.

Commissioner Tim Lennon clarified Grendell was approaching them with two separate requests.

The supreme court will also cover up to a certain amount, Grendell said, adding he believes it’s $10,000 per complaint.

Lennon also pointed out Grendell’s legal proceedings are not yet at an end. There’s some distance to go, Grendell said.

Geauga County Administrator Gerry Morgan said he has sought a legal opinion about the county’s obligation to cover Grendell’s bills.

Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri said commissioners needed to get some opinions on the matter and see what they’re required to do and responsible for.

“All I request is that we follow the law and not the court of public opinion,” Grendell said.

No action was taken, with Dvorak saying he wanted to keep researching and Lennon reiterating commissioners would check with legal counsel.

‘FAILURES TO FOLLOW THE LAW WERE NOT MERE GOOD-FAITH ERRORS’

Last month, a three-judge panel of the Board of Professional Conduct of the Supreme Court of Ohio (OBPC) unanimously recommended Grendell be suspended from the practice of law for 18 months, with six months stayed on the condition he refrain from further misconduct.

In its 88-page findings of fact, conclusions of law and recommendation, the panel found Grendell failed to uphold the law — “a decided ignorance of the law at best and an intentional disregard of the law at worst” and “(Grendell’s) noncompliance with the law shows that he was simply acting in an arbitrary manner to achieve his goals without even considering the law” — and to disqualify himself despite the “reasonable questionability” of his impartiality, abused the power of his office to “advance the personal interests of himself and others, and made “public statements that could reasonably be expected to affect the outcome, or impair the fairness, of an impending matter.”

More concerning to the judges was Grendell’s “utter failure to recognize and acknowledge the wrongful nature of his conduct.

“(Grendell) not only apparently believes he has done nothing wrong but testified that he would do it again,” the panel wrote.

“(Grendell’s) blatant, repeated errors of fact and law, his refusal to acknowledge those errors time and time again . . . and his cavalier ‘If I was wrong, I was wrong’ dismissal of his responsibility for his actions, constitute more than mere mistakes in the exercise of judicial discretion, especially by a judge with (Grendell’s) extensive curriculum vitae as both a legislator and a jurist,” the panel

wrote. “(Grendell’s) failures to follow the law were not mere good-faith errors. They included errors that deliberately side-stepped substantive law . . . .”

As such, the panel said protective measures were needed to shield the public from “serious risk of allowing (Grendell) to remain on the bench unchecked.”

Richard Dove, OBPC executive director, signed off on the panel’s findings and recommendation, as did OBPC’s 28-member board, which includes 17 lawyers, seven active or retired judges and four non-lawyers.

CO-EDITORS’ NOTE: While Judge Timothy Grendell, accompanied by longtime employee Kim Laurie, explained that some of the original charges filed against him had been dismissed, Stacy Hartman, mother of the two boys that Grendell had caused to be ordered into juvenile detention, sat silently in the front row of the Commissioners’ Meeting Room on Ravenwood Drive and videoed the entire discussion between Grendell and the Commissioners. As soon as this item [ Number 17 out of 22] was completed with no vote taken, Ms. Hartman left without comment. ABC News on Channel 5 provided a 5pm commentary on the Grendell handling of the two boys as well as a personal interview of Ms. Hartman’s tearful plea for justice.

For those readers with additional interest in the Ohio Disciplinary Council’s recent sanctions of other long-term judges, we refer them to the following case : The State, ex rel, O’Diam, Judge, v.Greene County Board of Commissioners.

AUBURN TRUSTEES NOT IMPRESSED WITH DEVELOPER’S $175K PURCHASE OFFER

Tuesday, November 20, 2024

Ron Dinardo and two associates, representing Kowit & Company, appeared as “guests” with detailed plans to demonstrate their zeal for constructing a 7000 square foot combination gas station and “quick-serve” restaurant on Route 44 just north of the Route 422 exit ramp similar to a facility at Route 87 and Bell Roads developed by the same entity. The latest gas station, according to the presentation of the developers, would involve the purchase of a 1.6 acre township-owned property on Ravenna Road, about halfway between Washington Street and Route 422. The land that is alleged to be developed for a gas-station and currently owned by 44 East LLC finds the township’s 1.6 acre lot attractive. Checking the properties in the area, we find that with the purchase of the township’s land, the development company would have a total of 12.39 totally contiguous acres to develop.

Township Trustees McCune, Cavanagh, and Troyan listened to the details and examined the drawings quietly. They all recalled a previous unsuccessful attempt to construct a gas station about ten years earlier in nearly the same location without the purchase of the the township-owned parcel. In the earlier case Ohio Department of Transportation had thrown a monkey wrench into the deal by demanding an additional access road that could not be accomplished.

In the current plans, Circle K ownership of the Auburn Township property would allow Circle K to install an access driveway crossing the north portion of the property. Trustee McCune asked if the project could be customized to half its original size whether Circle K would still require purchase of the Auburn Township Property. At that point, Bret Lamb, the most talkative of the Dinardo team, appeared to dance all around McCune’s implied question with no direct answer and no indication to meeting attendees that 12.39 acres for prime development could change the essential semi-rural nature of Auburn Township for its residents forever. McCune concluded that if he were an entrepreneur on Shark Tank, he would proclaim, ”I’m out. I don’t want to sell the property.”

Trustee Cavanagh asked if the access driveway in question would be built according to engineers’ specifications. When Bret Lamb affirmed that the company could require such standards, Cavanagh then added that the trustees have not had the time or interest to set a dollar value on the worth of the township’s parcel.

Lamb explained that before any further negotiations might take place, the company must first go through a traffic-pattern study.

Trustee McCune noted that providing the Circle K with an easement on the vacant property would cause a decrease in the value of the entire piece of land. When trustees were presented with the $175,000 offer for the outright sale of the parcel, McCune said that he personally has no interest whatsoever in any outright sale or even lease of township property to the proposed Circle K station because the vacant land in question is simply too valuable. McCune noted that the best possible solution is for Circle K to build the project without involving the township parcel.

Ron Dinardo, who had left most of the talking to Bret Lamb, now asked to be notified of the township’s final reasoning either way. We will see how this proposal works out.

In other township business, Trustee Cavanagh reported that the the Timmons Dairy Farm’s request for a Methane Digester was subject to a November 7 EPA Hearing with approval subject to a current public Comment period.

Resolution 2024-26 cleaned up the Auburn Township Personnel Policies and Procedure Manual to permit new hires to use sick time accumulated under other previous public employers to be transferred to their current Auburn sick days account with an upward limit of 80 hours credit.

A resident whose home is in quite close proximity to the so-called Auburn Arts District expressed her concern about noise from live music emanating every weekend beyond 2 am from Route 44. The resident reported noise so loud and penetrating that it was impossible to enjoy a beneficial night’s rest. Trustees agreed to research any current noise resolutions and advised the resident to report the disturbances to the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office.

With the passage of the latest Auburn Township road levy on November 5, the Geauga County Budget Commission certified the new dollar amounts for Auburn Township [aka Resolution 2024-27].

The next public Trustees meeting will take place at the Old Administration Building on Monday, December 3, 2024, at 7:30 pm.

LEGISLATION WOULD OFFER TRANSPARENCY, REFUNDS FOR OHIO UTILITY CUSTOMERS

Tuesday, November 19, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

Ohio utility customers could have an itemized, detailed list of their bills and receive refunds if charges are determined to be unlawful, according to two pieces of legislation before the Senate.

What Sen. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, wants with Senate Bills 227 and 228 is transparency and protection for Ohio ratepayers.

“These bills are about giving Ohioans the transparency and protections they deserve from the companies providing their essential services,” Smith said. “By requiring greater clarity in billing and ensuring unlawful charges are refunded, we’re putting Ohio consumers first.”

SB227 would require utility companies to give residential customers itemized lists of their bill costs. Companies would also be required to separate the costs of distribution, generation, transmission and supply from riders or additional charges.

“An itemized bill will allow customers to check for billing errors, monitor their usage, and perhaps adjust their consumption patterns," Smith said. “This ‘truth in utility pricing’ legislation is important because it can help consumers make more informed decisions, which could lead to them saving money.”

SB228 would require refunds to customers if charges paid were ruled unlawful. Smith said it would correct a 1957 decision that prohibited refunds.

Smith also said that since 2009, $1.5 billion has been paid by Ohioans through illegal utility billing, but none of that has been returned to customers.

He pointed to a time period between Oct. 1, 2017, and Aug. 31, 2019, when FirstEnergy collected $456 million through a Distribution Modernization Rider that was found illegal but cannot be refunded.

The bills would apply to gas, water and electric companies operating in the state.

Both bills await more hearings in the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee as the two-year General Session nears a close at the end of this year.

BIDEN ALLOWS UKRAINE TO USE U.S. LONG-RANGE MISSILES IN RUSSIA’S KURSK

Monday, November 18, 2024
Melanie Sun

Russia previously warned that if NATO allows Ukraine to strike inside the country, it would be considered the same as getting directly involved in the war.

Anonymous U.S. officials have said that President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the United States to strike targets in the Russian region of Kursk, which is currently occupied by Ukraine in the ongoing war.

Ukrainian forces launched a significant cross-border operation into Russia’s region of Kursk earlier this year. Intense fighting is ongoing as Russian forces attempt to reclaim lost territory. Ukraine seized several settlements and is still holding strategic positions. In response, Russia has allowed 11,000 North Korean soldiers to amass in Kursk to aid its fight.

Last year, in response to North Korea supplying Russia with long-range ballistic missiles, the Biden administration already greenlighted the use of the long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs—with a range of about 190 miles—by Ukraine for targets within its territories, including in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The latest decision to allow Ukraine to expand its use of U.S. missiles comes in Biden’s last two months in office, according to the unnamed officials who talked to The New York Times. The officials also claimed that while the missiles are intended to support Ukraine’s fight in Kursk, they believed that Biden could authorize their use elsewhere in Russia.

They said that they do not believe the permission to use the missiles will significantly change the outcome of the war.

The officials said that Biden decided to lift the restrictions for Kursk, in part, because he believes the United States needs a strong response to Russia employing the North Korean troops on its frontlines. The president was also concerned that Ukrainian forces could be overwhelmed without using the missiles, they said.

The officials and the others knowledgeable about the matter were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, The Associated Press reported on Nov. 17.

The White House declined The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-D.C.) told NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times, in response to the report that the approval “was a policy that was necessary.”

“As always, we don’t want to escalate but Ukraine’s our partner. We have to stand with them. They have to be able to defend themselves,” she said.

According to the AP report, other officials said the decision does not have unanimous support in the U.S. government. President-elect Donald Trump has also said his administration will seek to de-escalate, if not end, the war. Trump or the Trump campaign hasn’t publicly responded to the reports as of publication time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday in response to the anonymous reports that, “Strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves.”

Zelenskyy also told Ukrainian media on Friday that Kyiv hopes to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means” once Trump is in office.

Zelenskyy has long been seeking permission to use long-range weapons inside Russian territories, and Biden had remained opposed. At the time, Biden said he felt allowing U.S. missiles to be used on Russian territories could draw the United States and other NATO members into direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if NATO allies allow Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory, it would be considered the same as getting directly involved in the war, and that Moscow could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.

The United Kingdom and France had also supplied Ukraine with some Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles with a range of about 155 miles, and said they would follow U.S. restrictions on missile use despite their support for Zelenskyy’s requests to strike inside Russia.

In response to the reports, Donald Trump Jr. said on social media platform X, “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.”

Richard Grenell, former acting director of national Intelligence, said on X the move is “as if [Biden] is launching a whole new war.”

America is Ukraine’s most valuable ally in the war, providing more than $56.2 billion in security assistance since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

Worried about Russia’s response, however, the Biden administration repeatedly has delayed providing some advanced weapons sought by Ukraine, agreeing only under pressure from Kyiv, its supporters, and in consultation with allies.

That includes initially refusing Zelenskyy’s pleas for advanced tanks, Patriot air defense systems, and F-16 fighter jets, among other systems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

RUSSIA CUTS OFF GAS SUPPLY TO AUSTRIA

Monday, November 18, 2024
Naveen Athrappully

More than 90 percent of the European country’s natural gas has typically come from Russia.

Russia, a major energy supplier to Austria, has ceased exporting gas to the nation starting on Nov. 16, Russian state-owned natural gas company Gazprom said.

Gazprom informed Austria’s largest energy supplier, OMV, on Nov. 15 that all gas supplies were to be stopped. More than 90 percent of Austria’s gas imports came from Russia as of March.

OMV said it had expected a possible halt of gas supply and has shifted to non-Russian sources. Austrian authorities addressed fears that energy shortages might cripple the economy during the winter season.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer assured citizens of energy availability following the Russian announcement. “What we have been preparing for since the outbreak of war in Ukraine has happened,” he wrote in a Nov. 15 post on social media platform X.

“I can promise: No one will freeze in the winter, no home will remain cold. We are prepared: our gas storage facilities are full and from tomorrow we will receive sufficient gas from other sources.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for using “energy as a weapon,” according to a Nov. 16 post on X.

“He is trying to blackmail Austria & Europe by cutting gas supplies. We are prepared for this and ready for the winter. Gas storage across the EU is full. As I told @karlnehammer yesterday Europe stands united in supporting Austria,” she wrote.

Gazprom’s gas stoppage followed an arbitration case victory by OMV in relation to the Russian company’s irregular gas supplies to Germany.

The International Chamber of Commerce, based in France, ruled in favor of the Austrian energy supplier. As part of the ruling, OMV won 230 million euros (about $242 million) plus interest and costs. OMV recovered this amount from payments due to Gazprom. Following this series of actions, the Russian company ceased gas deliveries.

Nehammer dismissed concerns that Austria would be placed in a tight spot, pointing out that the country’s natural gas storage level is currently at 93 percent, enough for 94.5 trillion watt-hours of power generation.

“That is more than the annual requirement for the whole of Austria,” he said.

“All gas suppliers have been legally obliged to develop precautionary measures so that we are as well prepared as possible for this day. We are showing that we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by Putin!”

According to Russian news agency Interfax, Gazprom’s decision is in line with Moscow’s terms on gas exports to countries deemed to be unfriendly. In case of incomplete payments, gas supplies would be halted under the policy.

EU Gas Situation Amid War

In a Nov. 15 post, following Gazprom’s supply cut, ING bank said that European natural gas prices traded at “their highest levels since November last year.”

Dutch TTF Natural Gas futures, a leading European benchmark for gas prices, rose by 0.7 percent to close at 46.55 euros on Nov. 15.

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the European Union launched a plan to phase out the region’s dependence on Russia for fossil fuels.

“With EU sanctions banning seaborne imports of Russian crude oil and refined petroleum products as well as Russian coal, imports of Russian gas ... dropped from a 45% share of overall EU gas imports in 2021, to only 18% up to August 2024,” a recent report from the European Union stated.

After ditching Russian supplies, the EU governments scrambled to secure other sources of energy supplies. Liquefied natural gas exports from the United States surged in the aftermath, with the largest U.S exporter, Cheniere Energy Inc., signing multiple long-term contracts.

Meanwhile, the ascension of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025 opens up a path for a possible resolution in the Russia–Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently suggested that the war might conclude with the new Trump administration in power.

During his election campaign, Trump vowed to end the conflict, saying that the United States had spent too much to support the European nation against Moscow.

RAMASWAMY SAYS SOME GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WILL BE ‘DELETED OUTRIGHT’

Monday, November 18, 2024
Jack Phillips

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to co-lead a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said on Sunday that some federal agencies will be “deleted outright” and that contractors may see “massive cuts” in what they can charge when the incoming administration takes office next year.

Last week, Trump named former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to lead the presidential advisory commission, DOGE. Their work must be completed no later than July 4, 2026, Trump said in his statement.

Ramaswamy told Fox Business on Sunday that “there is massive waste, fraud, and abuse right now.”

“Federal contractors are really exploiting the federal government,” he said.

When Fox host Maria Bartiromo asked him whether entire government agencies will be closed, he responded in the affirmative.

“We expect mass reductions. We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright,“ Ramaswamy said. ”We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated. We expect massive cuts of all federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government. So, yes, we expect all of the above.”

As a presidential candidate, Ramaswamy had called for totally eliminating or restructuring of several agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Elaborating on Fox, Ramaswamy said that “failures of the executive branch need to be addressed.”

“Unelected bureaucrats in the administrative state that was created through executive action” are running the government, he said, which needs to be fixed by the executive branch.

“This is about restoring self-governance and accountability in America as well. Elected leaders, if they make the wrong decisions, voters have a great choice. You can vote them out and remove them,” Ramaswamy said.

“Most of the people making these decisions from health care to the Department of Defense are failing on effectiveness because they have no accountability. Historically, it’s been the view of many scholars to say that those people could not even be fired. Now, we take a different view with the environment the Supreme Court has given us in recent years, and we’re going to use that in a pretty extensive way to move quickly.”

DOGE will not be an official government agency, meaning that both Ramaswamy and Musk are not considered Cabinet members in the incoming Trump administration and therefore not subject to the Senate confirmation.

Both Ramaswamy and Musk, as well as Tulsi Gabbard, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined the president-elect at a UFC event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Gabbard is Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, while Trump nominated Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

On Thursday, DOGE’s account on social platform X, which is owned by Musk, posted a job listing announcement that is calling for individuals to work 80 or more hours per week ahead of Trump’s return to the White House.

Musk and Ramaswamy both threw their support behind Trump this year.

PENTAGON FAILS 7TH AUDIT IN ROW, AIMS FOR CLEAN AUDIT IN 2028

Sunday, November 17, 2024
Tom Ozimek

Auditors recommended enhanced monitoring, timely variance resolution, and standardized processes to ensure compliance with accounting standards.

For the seventh year in a row, the Department of Defense (DOD) has failed its annual financial statement audit, a massive undertaking meant to ensure accountability for its $3.8 trillion in assets and $4 trillion in liabilities.

Despite the setback, Pentagon officials highlighted incremental progress and reaffirmed their commitment to securing a clean audit opinion by 2028.

The latest results, released on Nov. 15, confirmed that the DOD, once again received a disclaimer of opinion, meaning auditors could not provide assurance over the completeness and accuracy of the Pentagon’s financial records.

This year’s audit, like the six before it, exposed persistent challenges in the DOD’s financial management systems.

Teams of auditors conducted hundreds of site visits, assessing how the DOD manages taxpayer dollars across its operations, which span more than 4,000 sites in more than 160 countries.

Of the 28 sub-audits conducted across Pentagon entities that undergo standalone financial statement audits, only nine received unmodified (clean) opinions. Another entity received a qualified opinion, while 15 entities were issued disclaimers. Three audit opinions remain pending.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that, while some progress was made in this year’s annual audit, challenges remain.

“There are several areas where we need to work harder and achieve better results,” Austin said in a statement. Critical improvements are needed in areas such as improving efficiency and property valuation, increasing accountability, capturing all accounting system transactions, and modernizing the Pentagon’s financial systems, he said.

The audit report revealed that the Pentagon reported a Fund Balance with Treasury (FBWT) of $855.5 billion but failed to perform accurate and timely reconciliations, increasing the risk of material misstatements.

Key issues noted in the report include unresolved variances and inadequate internal controls in reconciliation processes.

The Pentagon also reported $452.1 billion in General Equipment and Internal Use Software but failed to provide adequate documentation or controls to support its valuation, raising the risk of inaccuracies in its financial statements.

To address these shortcomings, auditors recommended enhanced monitoring, timely variance resolution, and implementing standardized processes to ensure compliance with accounting standards.

Austin said although “significant strides” have been made this year, more work needs to be done. He expressed confidence that the Pentagon will achieve a passing grade in 2028.

“We are determined to reach this milestone. I have zero tolerance for fraud, waste, and abuse—in the Pentagon or elsewhere in the Department,” he said.

Despite failing to pass the annual audit, the Pentagon has made progress in resolving key material weaknesses identified in prior audits, according to Mike McCord, the DOD’s chief financial officer. McCord singled out the U.S. Marine Corps’ unmodified audit opinion—a first for the branch—as a model of success driven by high-level leadership and sustained effort.

“We expect this same commitment from the leaders of the other Military Services,” McCord said in a statement.

The Pentagon also closed its DOD-wide Contingent Legal Liabilities material weakness and made progress in other critical areas, with 19 material weaknesses closed or downgraded in 2024, including improvements in Fund Balance with Treasury reporting, according to McCord.

To meet the 2028 deadline for an unmodified opinion, McCord said the Pentagon will focus on addressing the root causes of its most significant material weaknesses.

He emphasized the importance of training initiatives across the Pentagon’s financial management workforce to close essential skills gaps, while leveraging advanced technologies, such as machine learning and robotic process automation, to increase data reliability and streamline financial processes.

RFK JR HAS TAKEN AIM AT THESE ADDITIVES, WHAT COULD HE DO AS HHS SECRETARY?

Sunday, November 17, 2024
Marina Zhang

“Americans are being poisoned,” former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeated throughout his campaign. He linked the nation’s poor diet to rising health care costs for chronic diseases and shorter lifespans.

Americans have a life expectancy that is five years shorter than other developed nations and that may be because 50 to 70 percent of the American diet is ultra-processed foods—the highest consumption rate in the developed world. Many of the food additives and ingredients used in the United States are already restricted or banned in Europe.

Now nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, Kennedy will oversee 80 percent of the country’s food supply, as well as all cosmetics, drugs, and pharmaceutical products.

Kennedy has primarily scrutinized several key food ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, seed oils, and food dye. What is the evidence, and what can he possibly do to exclude them from the American diet?

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

During his campaign, Kennedy repeatedly emphasized the risks of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the most common sweetener in American processed foods.

Though approved for use in both the EU and the United States, HFCS in Europe is used in a modified form called isoglucose, which contains up to 30 percent fructose, whereas American HFCS has 42 to 55 percent fructose.

HFCS 55, which contains 55 percent fructose, is the most commonly used. This more concentrated formula allows food to taste sweeter with a smaller volume of sweetener.

HFCS is similar to table sugar in overall composition, though it went through additional enzymatic processing during production. Research has not shown clear evidence that HFCS is more harmful than sugar, though as a common ingredient in ultra-processed foods, HFCS has undergone a lot of scrutiny.

HFCS is a cheaper ingredient than sugar. Ultra processed food makers adopted HFCS rapidly in the late 20th century. Between 1970 to 1990s, HFCS consumption increased by more than 1,000 percent, the greatest change in the American diet over that time. This increase coincided with the emergence and rise of obesity in the 1980s.

Research in rats found that rats that consumed HFCS gained more weight than those that consumed table sugar. Another study in 2012 found that countries that consumed more HFCS had a 20 percent greater prevalence of Type 2 diabetes.

HFCS 55 has a higher fructose content than sugar. This can strain the liver because the liver has to convert fructose to glucose. Therefore excess fructose consumption can lead to buildup in the liver and cause fatty liver disease. Fructose also doesn’t trigger the body to release insulin, nor the hormones that tell the brain to stop eating. Research suggests that this dynamic may lead to overeating and weight gain.

HFCS, like sugar, has also been linked to liver disease, heart disease, and cases of behavioral problems.

HFCS is currently approved by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), which means that it underwent a less rigorous approval process by the FDA than products approved as food additives. While the FDA sets an allowable limit for food additives, it does not set one for GRAS substances.

SEED OILS

Kennedy has repeatedly criticized the wide consumption of processed vegetable oils, also called “seed oils.”

During his campaign, he said that seed oils are everywhere and are the most common ingredient in the processed foods that make up the American diet.

Most seed oils, like canola, soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, are approved by the FDA as GRAS. Soybean oil is the most commonly consumed oil in the United States.

These oils are highly processed. They are extracted using a solvent (often hexane, which is toxic), degummed by adding water and acids to remove the gums of the oil, neutralized with soda to keep the oil from turning rancid, deodorized to make the oil non-pungent, bleached to remove the color, potentially hydrogenated to keep it shelf-stable, and more.

There is currently inconclusive evidence to link seed oils with major health risks, though some studies have suggested a correlation between popular seed oil usage with cancer, according to a previous investigation by The Epoch Times.

This is because, compared to fats like tallow, which is saturated, most processed vegetable oils are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which make them more prone to oxidation when heated. When eaten, these oxidized fats can damage cells and genes in the body.

Seed oils also have a higher omega-6 fatty acid content than omega-3 fatty acids. Research has linked higher omega-6 fatty acid consumption with a whole host of chronic diseases like Type-2 diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and more.

SYNTHETIC FOOD DYES

Synthetic food dyes, which include tartrazine (yellow 5), red 40, red 2, yellow 6, green 3, blue 1, and blue 2 are not used as prolifically or at all in other countries, Elizabeth Dunford, project consultant for The George Institute for Global Health’s Food Policy Division and adjunct assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, told The Epoch Times.

These food dyes have been linked to behavioral problems like ADHD and cancer.

Most food dyes are made from petroleum, which makes them cheaper and more durable than the natural colors used in countries like Canada and Australia.

In a campaign video released in mid-October, Kennedy specifically targeted tartrazine, or yellow 5 for its prolific use in foods ranging from Doritos to yogurt and supplements like vitamin gummies and cough syrups.

In Europe, where food coloring is restricted, foods colored with some of these dyes require a label noting they are linked with behavioral problems.

BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA) AND BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE (BHT)

Used in chips, crackers, cereals, premade baked goods, and granola bars, BHA and BHT are approved in the United States as GRAS substances.

These chemicals prevent oils from oxidizing. However, unlike antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, these chemicals affect immunity and are also carcinogenic. Both chemicals are “anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program.

Animal studies have also shown that these chemicals can cause hormone disruptions, and that BHT can lead to liver, thyroid, and kidney problems.

POTASSIUM BROMATE

Potassium bromate is added to dough when making bread and baked goods to increase its volume and improve its texture.

Potassium bromate is a possible human carcinogen. In animal studies, it has been shown to cause cancers, and blood and liver toxicity.

Since bromate breaks down during the cooking process, one study has suggested that potassium bromate may not cause health problems in humans if the bread it is added to has been properly heated during baking.

Nevertheless, if bromate remains, it can still be problematic.

OTHER ADDITIVES USED IN THE US BUT BANNED IN THE EU

Besides the food additives Kennedy mentioned during his presidential campaign, there are others he didn’t mention that have come under similar scrutiny.

TITANIUM DIOXIDE

Titanium dioxide is approved by the FDA as a color additive and is often used in foods like salad dressings, bread, and cheese to give it a white appearance.

Titanium dioxide was deemed unacceptable for food products by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in May 2021, because scientists “couldn’t exclude genotoxicity concerns,” Maged Younes, chair of EFSA’s Food Additives and Flavorings Panel, said in an EFSA assessment. Genotoxicity refers to the properties of a chemical that can impair DNA or chromosomes.

AZODICARBONAMIDE (ADA)

Azodicarbonamide (ADA) is most commonly used in plastics and as a bleaching agent in flour-based foods. It is currently approved by the FDA as GRAS.

Animal studies revealed that ADA could be an organ and cellular toxin, while other research demonstrates that it can cause respiratory complications in humans. In another study, researchers found that rats fed a diet containing ADA experienced “significant behavioral changes.”

BENZOYL PEROXIDE

Benzoyl peroxide is most commonly added to flour and milk made for cheeses to bleach the color. It is currently approved by the FDA as GRAS.

The EU banned the use of benzoyl peroxide in food in the 1990s due to concerns about potential toxicity such as liver damage and poisoning.

Benzoyl peroxide can also break down into benzene, a known carcinogen, at temperatures above 50°C. Benzene is classified as a type A carcinogen, meaning that it can cause cancer.

WHAT TO DO?

The GRAS system, introduced in 1958, is one of the most criticized aspects of American food regulation.

Food ingredients that are categorized as food additives undergo relatively rigorous premarket safety review, with the FDA setting an allowable limit.

But GRAS ingredients do not have to undergo this premarket review if the substance has a long history of use, or if there is a scientific consensus on safety.

In 1997, the FDA proposed a new regulation that allowed companies to self-determine GRAS status without submitting it for affirmation from the FDA. This change was gradually phased in and made official in 2016. As a result, companies no longer have to notify the FDA when they have a new GRAS substance.

This created a major loophole, with the primary one being that “there are unknown ingredients in the food supply that the FDA and the public don’t know about,” Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, told The Epoch Times.

Since this rule was made by the FDA, the FDA can amend the rule to close the loophole, requiring companies to declare what GRAS ingredients they have made. Congress may need to update the 1958 legislature to make it clear that the FDA should review GRAS applications, Pomeranz said.

Europe tends to ban food additives faster than the FDA and require a rigorous pre-market approval process for new ingredients. The FDA is much slower than other countries to make these changes, often 30 years slower or more, Pomeranz said.

If the FDA is able to lower their criteria needed to ban a product, that could allow potentially harmful substances to be taken out of food faster, Pomeranz said. The agency’s criteria for banning a product is also not transparent to the public.

Additionally, there is currently limited evidence linking various food additives with conclusive findings of harm, mostly due to limited research funding.

“The FDA will need more resources in order to review the unbelievable amounts of ingredients we have.” Pomeranz said, which would need to come from Congress.

The FDA in September hosted a conference where they mentioned they would do a systematic post-market review of products on the market, with the growing list of GRAS substances as a major focus.

They may not know what to review, though, if food makers do not clearly label what is in their products, Pomeranz said. The new ingredients may be given a vague label of flavoring or preservatives without giving the actual chemical.

Kennedy mentioned during his campaign that he would get National Institutes of Health, which has an annual research budget of more than $45 billion, to fund research into the causes of chronic disease. This would include finding the health and safety risks of various food chemicals.

Pomeranz said this would be a welcomed change.

Some large industry groups have publicly expressed their support to regulate food more rigorously, Pomeranz said.

Companies that give consumers safe and nutritious food are currently at a disadvantage, Pomeranz said. “It’s really hurting competition to allow companies that are not doing right to just get into the marketplace.”

“If there’s no regulation to even the playing field, companies have less incentive to protect us, right?”

HOUSE VOTES ‘YES’ ON A BILL THAT INCREASES SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS FOR SOME PENSIONERS

Sunday, November 17, 2024
Jack Phillips

The bill would eliminate the government offset that can reduce Social Security benefits for those who also receive government pensions of their own.

The U.S. House voted in favor of a bill that would increase Social Security payments for certain retirees who are on a pension.

The measure passed earlier this week, with 327 lawmakers voting in support of the bill. The proposal will now go to the Senate, where it will likely be passed because 62 senators publicly backed their version of the bill, according to the two House lawmakers who co-sponsored the bill.

The bill, called the Social Security Fairness Act, would repeal provisions that reduce Social Security payments to people who receive pension benefits from local or state governments.

The bill will eliminate the “government pension offset,” which can reduce Social Security benefits for “spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own,” according to the text of the bill.

It also would terminate the “windfall elimination provision, which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes,” the bill’s text reads. Around 3 percent of all Social Security recipients, or 2.1 million people, were impacted by the provision as of December 2023, the Congressional Research Service said in a report released earlier this year.

The proposed changes would be effective for benefits payable after December 2023, it also says.

Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) said on the House floor that the provision are, in effect, a form of discrimination against certain workers.

“This has been 40 years of treating people differently, discriminating against a certain set of workers,” Graves said. “They’re not people that are overpaid; they’re not people that are underworked,” he said on Nov. 12.

He then listed police officers, teachers, firefighters, and other “public service” workers as those who would be affected by the bill. Retired federal, state, and local government employees may also be impacted by the change, according to a statement from Graves’s office.

A co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), said in a statement that the bill would “provide a secure retirement to the hundreds of thousands of spouses, widows, and widowers who are denied their spouses’ Social Security benefits simply because they chose careers of service.”

“Social Security trust funds have been artificially propped up by stolen benefits that millions of Americans paid for and that their families deserve,” she said. “The long-term solvency of Social Security is an issue that Congress must address—but an issue that is wholly separate from allowing Virginians, Louisianans, and Americans across our country who did their part and contributed their earnings to retire with dignity.”

If the Senate passes the measure, the bill would then go to President Joe Biden’s desk. The House passed the bill in the “lame duck” session that lasts several months following a general election and before the next Congress is sworn in, which is on Jan. 3, 2025.

The Social Security Administration last month said that retirees will receive a 2.5 percent increase in their Social Security checks in 2025. That translates into an average of roughly $50 per month more starting in January, according to the agency.

The cost-of-living adjustment, also known as COLA, is tied to inflation. The COLA for 2024’s payments was 3.2 percent, reflecting higher inflation at the time.

The same 2.5 percent increase will be applied to those receiving supplemental security income benefits, which is designed for the elderly and people with disabilities. In total, more than 72.5 million people will benefit from the increase, the Social Security Administration said in a statement.

In January, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax is set to rise to $176,100 from $168,600, the agency also said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

DOGE: EXAMPLES OF FEDERAL SPENDING THAT COULD BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK IN EXCESS OF $21 TRILLION

Friday, November 15, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will take over a new effort to make the government more efficient.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, is a government efficiency effort that has turned a public spotlight onto government waste and duplication in a way not done for years.

While journalists and nonprofits have been writing about examples of government waste during that time, very little of it actually got much attention.

Musk created a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) account on X where he is asking followers for suggestions.

Aside from lopping off entire agencies, here are some examples of controversial federal spending that, based on Musk and Ramaswamy’s recent comments, could be in the line of fire for coming cuts:

Billions to maintain office buildings, many of which are empty as employees work from home.

$6 million for United States Agency for International Development to
boost tourism in Egypt.

$400 million of taxpayer dollars for presidential campaigns.

$2.6 million in taxpayer dollars to fund a critical race theory program that trains students to promote CRT.

Millions to train school teachers in DEI.

Hundreds of millions of FEMA dollars for migrants.

Tens of millions per year for DEI at the Pentagon.

Nearly $32 million in COVID funding for luxury cars.

$1.2 million in taxpayer dollars to find evidence that racism is to blame for poor sleep in minority communities.

$426,250 for an app to encourage Latino men to exercise.

$28 million for camouflage uniforms that you can see.

Billions in improper payments of COVID funds to businesses.

$100 million for projects in wealthy Manhattan.

$1 million for the West Harlem "Environmental Justice Center."

$50 million via "Environmental Justice" grant to anti-Israel group.

$3 billion overall for "Environmental Justice" grants to groups, many of which are accused of partisanship.

Part of New York's $9 billion in federal COVID funding went to train staff in ‘culturally responsive sustaining instruction’ and ‘privilege’ and to recognize ‘equity warriors.’"

$200,000 spent by the Department of Defense on Starbucks espresso machines

Millions to study COVID "misinformation."

MUSK, RAMASWAMY SEEK VOLUNTEERS TO JOIN NEW DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY

Friday, November 15, 2024
T.J. Muscaro | Epoch Times

‘Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies, and compensation is zero,’ Musk said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Nov. 14 that they are looking for volunteers to join the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling for the top 1 percent of small-government revolutionaries.

“We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE,” they announced on social media platform X. “We don’t need more part-time idea generators.

“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that’s you, DM (Direct Message) this account with your CV (Curriculum vitae). Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”

Musk further confirmed that DOGE work would be unpaid, stating on X, “Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies, and compensation is zero. What a great deal!”

In response to that comment, Ramaswamy stated, “That stands in contrast to the many government bureaucrats who: (a) do little or no work, (b) tell people only what they want to hear, & (c) make more money than the value they create.”

DOGE’s objective is in its name: to make government more efficient, with significant spending cuts being among the top expectations.

“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,” Trump said in a Nov. 12 statement announcing the new department and its leaders. “Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘WE THE PEOPLE.’”

Musk stated on X that all DOGE actions will be posted online to provide “maximum transparency.” This will include the creation of a leaderboard showcasing the “most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars,” which he said would be “extremely tragic and extremely entertaining.”

He also urged the public to be vocal about anything that is being cut that they think might be important.

Trump said the initiative could be “‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”

The request for volunteers followed Musk’s announcement in September that he was willing to forgo compensation.

“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises,” Musk said in a post on X. “No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.”
DOGE will work with the Office of Management and Budget and is set to complete its work no later than July 4, 2026, America’s 250th anniversary.

“Either we get government efficient or America goes bankrupt. That’s what it comes down to. Wish I were wrong, but it’s true,” Musk wrote on X, responding to Trump’s official announcement on Nov. 12.

American Petroleum Institute offers roadmap to energy independence

Friday, November 15, 2024
Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square

Implementation of policies to secure the nation's energy leadership and tackle inflation are encouraged in a presentation to President-election Donald Trump from the American Petroleum Institute.

The five-point plan, with open letter to the nation's 45th and soon to be 47th president, emphasizes the economic benefits of a robust fossil fuel sector. It promotes U.S. energy independence – one of his signature campaign promises – and revitalizes the oil and gas industry.

"Our country has a generational opportunity to fully leverage U.S. energy leadership to improve the lives of all Americans and bring stability to a volatile world," API President and CEO Mike Sommers wrote in the letter to President-elect Trump. "It has never been more vital that America control its energy future."

The institute's roadmap would protect consumer choice and encourage Trump to expand oil and natural gas production across federal lands and waters, tapping into "unprecedented resources" to reduce reliance on foreign energy services.

The roadmap rolls back regulations by easing restrictions and stimulating investments in domestic energy projects to create more jobs.

"Yet our continued success is far from guaranteed, and we have been heading down a path of extreme regulations threatening everything from our choice of home appliances to the cars we drive," Sommers said. "As an industry committed to American prosperity, we stand ready to work with you and Congress to reverse course and advance a robust vision for securing America's energy dominance."

American Petroleum Institute has asked for repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency's tailpipe rules; leverage of natural resources by issuing a new five-year offshore leasing program; repeal of restrictive onshore leasing rules; and to work with Congress to repeal EPA's methane fee.

Reform on the permitting system is also sought by working with Congress to pass Comprehensive Permitting Reform and repeal the Biden-era National Environmental Policy Act rules.

The presentation highlights the need to advance tax policy to help retain the 21% corporate tax rate that would ensure global competitiveness while maintaining and extending tax provisions for domestic infrastructure investments.

The institute emphasized the need to preserve crucial international tax provisions through overseas investments to ensure an adequate energy supply while protecting companies that made those investments from duplicative and punitive double taxation.

Trump has been open about his intent to "drill, baby drill" while prioritizing American energy interests. Many are looking to Trump's administration to support policies shifting the U.S. to greater energy independence.

"President Biden's promise to end fossil fuels hurt the hardworking energy producers of my district, who have worked diligently to increase production while reducing emissions," said U.S. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, in a statement.

Pfluger represents 20 counties in Texas' 11th Congressional District, including Midland and Odessa, known for the Permian Basin oil boom.

"The Biden-Harris EPA's 'natural gas tax' will drive up costs for all Americans, jeopardize our energy security, and increase emissions," Pfluger said. "I have fought the natural gas tax since its inception, and I look forward to its repeal under President Trump."

FEDS SPENT MILLIONS ON ‘ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE’ GRANTS WITH 'POLITICAL' MOTIVES

Monday November 4, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

A new Congressional report from House Republicans alleges that the Biden-Harris administration gave billions of taxpayer dollars to “Environmental Justice” grants for political reasons. 

The Republican-led House Energy and Commerce Committee released a staff report Monday that laid out the allegations.

“As part of its radical rush-to-green agenda, the administration gave hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to activists who also engage in political activities,” lawmakers behind the report said in a joint statement. “It was empowered to do so by congressional Democrats who jammed through legislation that was designed to rush money out the door as quickly as possible with no guards against waste, fraud, and abuse.”

The report points to the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a Democrat bill that, among other things, gave about $41 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency, four times its annual budget, $3 billion of which was for the environmental justice grants.

The EPA defines environmental justice as “the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people…” which includes making sure no groups are disproportionately impacted by environmental decisions.

It also includes working for “equitable access to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient environment in which to live, play, work, learn, grow, worship, and engage in cultural and subsistence practices.”

To this end, the EPA began doling out the grants, but Republicans say the money was distributed unfairly.

From the report:

The lists of organizations selected to receive funding or partner with those organizations include environmental activist organizations that work to influence public and elected officials to adopt their often-extreme views, such as completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels, which Americans recognize are an important part of an all-of-the-above energy mix. While some selected organizations include other types of entities such as institutes of high education, many are special interest environmental nonprofit organizations. These organizations’ views and missions often align with those of the administration, in effect using taxpayer dollars to promote the Biden-Harris radical energy agenda. While organizations must use these grants for specified purposes, the acceptable uses of funding are broad enough to include activities such as “public outreach” or “public education.” The IRA’s language also permits grant recipients to use awards for “facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes”

Simply put, the EPA is awarding taxpayer dollars to special interest groups committed to a radical energy agenda to “educate” others and drive public outreach, as well as assist those it engages with to influence government policymaking and outcomes,” the report said. “One might consider it akin to a taxpayer-funded lobbying operation. Given these organizations’ existing efforts to sway public opinion, they may use these awards to attempt to indoctrinate members of the communities in which they conduct outreach.

The EPA pushed back on the allegations, pointing to their vetting process for grant recipients.

“All eligible applications submitted for EPA funding go through a rigorous competitive process,” Joseph, Dominique, a spokesperson for the EPA, told The Center Square. “EPA takes program integrity very seriously and will continue delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s environmental justice goals in a robust and transparent manner. The agency has multiple safeguards in place to ensure grant activities are fully compliant with grant commitments and the laws Congress has directed EPA to implement.”

US HOUSEHOLD DEBT INCHES CLOSER TO RECORD $18 TRILLION IN 3RD QUARTER: NEW YORK FED

Thursday, November 13, 2024
Andrew Moran

New Federal Reserve Bank of New York data show that total U.S. household debt inched closer to $18 trillion in the third quarter, with delinquency rates remaining elevated.

According to the New York Fed’s Household Debt and Credit Report for the July to September period, household debt increased by $147 billion to $17.94 trillion.

Credit card balances rose by $24 billion to $1.17 trillion. Auto loan debt climbed by $18 billion to $1.64 trillion.

Home equity line of credit (HELOC) balances jumped by $7 billion to $387 billion, “representing the 10th consecutive quarterly increase” since the first quarter of 2022.

While income growth has outpaced household borrowing, New York Fed economists say “elevated balance levels continue to reveal stress for many households, even amid some moderation in delinquency trends this quarter.”

Aggregate delinquency rates inched higher to 3.5 percent from the second quarter, though the numbers offered a mixed assessment of households’ debt situation.

Credit card delinquency rates eased to 8.8 percent from 9.1 percent.

However, the flow into serious delinquency (90 days or more delinquent) surged above 7 percent in the third quarter, up from 5.78 percent for the same three-month span a year ago.

Early delinquency transitions for auto loans and mortgages edged up by 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively. The flow into serious delinquency also rose to 2.9 percent and 1.08 percent, respectively.

“About 126,000 consumers had a bankruptcy notation added to their credit reports this quarter, a small decline from the previous quarter,” the report stated.

Regional central bank economists concluded that the aggregate debt-to-income ratio is below pre-pandemic levels despite record nominal (non-inflation-adjusted) consumer debt.

“More recently, income growth has averaged a robust 6.2 percent annually, while aggregate debt balances have expanded at just over 4 percent per year,” they wrote in a paper attached to the quarterly study.

“This difference has induced some downward movement in the debt-to-income ratio over the last two years.”

Households’ projections for financial situations in the coming year have also been mixed.

According to the New York Fed’s October Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), median one-year-ahead household income growth forecasts have hovered around 3 percent for nearly two consecutive years.

Household spending growth expectations over the next 12 months stood at 4.9 percent.

Additionally, nearly a quarter (23 percent) say they will be financially worse off a year from now. Thirty percent think they will be better off next year, while 48 percent say it will be about the same.

As for debt delinquencies, 14 percent are concerned they will be unable to make a minimum debt payment over the next three months, little changed from September.

This is also the highest reading since the onset of the pandemic.

‘DIFFICULTY MAKING ENDS MEET’

Achieve’s think tank, the Achieve Center for Consumer Insights, recently published the results of a new report aimed at complementing the New York Fed’s quarterly study on household debt and credit.

The fourth-quarter survey found that more than one-quarter (28 percent) of respondents have witnessed their debt rise over the past three months.

The research identified various reasons why consumer debt continues to grow. Thirty percent noted the “difficulty making ends meet without additional debt,” and 20 percent referenced “general overspending or living beyond your means.”

Others cited job loss or reduced income (19 percent), child-related expenses (16 percent), and major home repairs (12 percent).

“Across the board, unemployment is low and wages have risen, but those macroeconomic conditions aren’t felt equally across the population, especially for consumers who live in areas where the impact of inflation is the greatest,” Bradford Stroh, the co-CEO and co-founder of Achieve, said.

“More than a quarter of Americans are seeing their amount of debt increase and a majority don’t have enough money to cover their spending month to month.

“The slippery slope of debt will increase for many households if they don’t take steps to realign their finances.”

While close to half (47 percent) of respondents reported an improved financial situation, optimism for the future diminished.

When respondents were asked how their situation will compare in the second quarter of 2025, 40 percent said it will improve. This is down from 57 percent in the April through June period this year.

With the holidays around the corner, a growing number of consumers are feeling the financial stress that could impact their Christmas shopping plans.

According to Experian’s annual holiday shopping survey, 68 percent of consumers say inflation will impact their Christmas shopping endeavors.

Moreover, 33 percent of consumers say they are stressed when thinking about Christmas, which could be related to the 63 percent who reported they spend too much during the holidays.

Still, consumers are anticipated to feel the holiday spirit at the shopping mall or on Amazon.

Last month, the National Retail Federation projected that this year’s U.S. holiday sales will increase between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent from 2023.

Consumer spending is expected to hit a record $902 per person, up about $25 per month from last year.

JURY AWARDS $12.6 MILLION TO WOMAN FIRED FOR NOT RECEIVING COVID VACCINE

Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Zachary Stieber

The Michigan woman was fired in 2022.

A woman fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over a COVID-19 vaccination has been awarded more than $12 million in damages.

A jury on Nov. 8 awarded Lisa Domski, a former employee of the company, $10 million in punitive damages.

Jurors also awarded $1 million in non-economic damages, $1.375 million in front pay damages, and $315,000 in back pay damages.

Jurors said that Blue Cross Blue Shield illegally discriminated against Domski when the company denied her request for an exemption from its policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination.

The company also illegally terminated Domski over the lack of COVID-19 vaccination, the jury found.

“Lisa is so thankful that a diverse jury of her peers saw through the company’s bogus decision to terminate her after 38 years of service. Clearly, the religious accommodation process was meant to stamp out religious beliefs of employees and promote COVID-19 vaccination within the company,” Noah S. Hurwitz, an attorney representing Domski, told The Epoch Times in an email.

In response to the ruling, Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement: “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.”

According to Domski’s attorneys, because she worked from home, the company could have accommodated her safely. They said Blue Cross Blue Shield also denied more than 500 other religious accommodation requests and fired hundreds of employees in addition to Domski over vaccine refusal.

The verdict in the civil case was handed down after a trial that started on Nov. 4.

According to Domski’s complaint, which was filed in federal court in eastern Michigan in 2023, she asked Blue Cross Blue Shield for an accommodation from its vaccine requirement because her sincere religious beliefs prevented her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Domski, an information technology specialist who was employed by Blue Cross Blue Shield from 2008, said the company “conducted a short, arbitrary interview with her regarding whether she had taken other vaccines or over-the-counter medications.” Blue Cross Blue Shield then, according to Domski, ignored a warning from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to assume religious accommodation requests were based on sincere beliefs and to not assume employees were insincere “simply because some of the employee’s practices deviate from the commonly followed tenets of the employee’s religion, or because the employee adheres to some common practices but not others.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield said it did not discriminate against Domski and said her religious beliefs were not sincere.

DESANTIS ORDERS PROBE AFTER FEMA ALLEGEDLY AVOIDED TRUMP SUPPORTERS’ HOMES

Sunday, November 10, 2024
Caden Pearson | The Epoch Times

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that he has ordered an investigation into reports indicating that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief workers neglected storm-affected supporters of former President Donald Trump while assessing damage from Hurricane Milton.

According to screenshots of internal messages published by The Daily Wire, a FEMA official instructed relief workers who were identifying residents eligible for federal aid in Lake Placid, both orally and via internal messages, that it was best practice to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”

One image shows that a relief worker uploaded a photo of a property with a Trump flag with a note stating, “Trump sign no entry per leadership.” Other notes stated: “Per leadership no stop Trump flag;' ”Trump sign,“ and ”Trump sign, no contact per leadership.”

Relief workers reportedly skipped at least 20 homes since late October in a district that voted 70 percent for Trump. The Epoch Times has not independently verified these claims.

Responding to the report, DeSantis called the FEMA supervisor’s message “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”

DeSantis said that he has directed Florida’s Division of Emergency Management to look into “the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”

“New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired,” he added.

The Epoch Times contacted FEMA for comment.

A spokesperson for the agency told The Daily Wire that the supervisor who sent the messages, Marn’i Washington, is not actively working for the agency pending an investigation. The agency said it was horrified and deeply disturbed by Washington’s actions.

“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Washington didn’t have the authority to tell relief workers to avoid the homes of Trump supporters, the spokesperson said. The agency said it is taking the matter very seriously and is contacting the residents who may have been overlooked to remedy the situation.

To date, FEMA said it has helped more than 365,000 Floridian households impacted by both recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton and has provided over $898 million in direct assistance to survivors.

“We are horrified that this took place and, therefore, have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels,“ the FEMA spokesperson said. ”Helping people is what we do best and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.”

The news spread on social media, prompting responses and action from elected officials in Congress.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) verified the report’s claims, saying his office had confirmed its substance with FEMA.

Rep. Anna Paulina (R-Fla.), who represents Florida’s 13th district and is a member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, wrote to FEMA chief Deanne Criswell.

“It is completely unacceptable that a FEMA official was allowed to exploit Hurricane Milton to further their political beliefs at a time when Americans were struggling due to the damage caused by the storm,” Luna wrote. “The opportunity to apply for federal aid through FEMA should never be used to discriminate against an individual.”

Luna asked Criswell to respond by Nov. 25 with information about when the agency became aware of Washington’s guidance, how guidance sent to workers is approved, how long FEMA’s investigation will take, and what steps are being taken to hold Washington accountable.

TRUMP SEEKING TO USE MILITARY ASSETS TO ENACT HIS ILLEGALS MASS DEPORTATION PLAN

Saturday, November 9, 2024
Rusty Weiss | RedState

Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump are formulating plans to execute his promise of mass deportations once he assumes office, potentially involving a national emergency declaration to repurpose assets from the Pentagon to detain and deport illegal immigrants.

The idea of using a national emergency has been floated in the past, and implementing such a declaration, according to a Wall Street Journal report, would "repurpose military assets," allowing the new administration "to detain and remove migrants."

Trump has, for months on the campaign trail, vowed to invoke the Alien Enemies Act if elected, a wartime law that would allow the president to authorize the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants over the age of 14.

And he has been unwavering in his promise to restart border wall construction, which was halted by the Biden administration, while launching a mass deportation program once he returns to the White House.

The Journal writes:

"As a first step, Trump’s advisers are discussing issuing a national emergency declaration at the border on his first day in office, which his team thinks would allow him to move money from the Pentagon to pay for wall construction and to assist with immigrant detention and deportation."

They state that the behind-the-scenes discussions are already underway.

These same advisers note that the declaration would also "unlock the ability to use military bases for immigrant detention and military planes to help carry out deportations."

There is a 100 percent chance that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will define military bases used for detaining illegal aliens as 'concentration camps,' which somehow disappeared under President Joe Biden, but are sure to make a big comeback with Democrats raging over their imported voter base being sent back from whence they came.

On the plus side, AOC will have a couple of months to work on her sad panda photo-op face.

I’ll never forget this, because it was the moment I saw with my own eyes that the America I love was becoming a nation that steals refugee children from their parents,& caged them.

More kids died after this. To date, no one has been held accountable.

We need to save these kids. https://t.co/HhdMqc5zML

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 25, 2019

The discussions indicate advisers are very early in the planning stage and all ideas are in flux. But the WSJ report seems to point to a very serious operation being formulated. And it will be implemented very quickly after Inauguration Day.

The administration will first focus its efforts on illegal aliens who have already received final deportation orders from an immigration court. A reasonable move that should be fairly easy to kickstart, removing 1.3 million illegals from the country.

President-elect Trump has relentlessly insisted on not only stopping the flow of illegal immigration across both the southern and northern borders, but reversing it.

In an interview this past March, Trump vowed to begin mass deportations on “day one.”

“We have no choice,” he said. “And we’ll start with the bad ones.”

“They [illegal aliens] ... come from prisons and mental institutions,” he said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “They’re killing our people. They’re killing our country. We have no choice!”

The WSJ report notes that there are questions as to how President-elect Trump will implement his plans, even questioning the "legality" of these moves.

The Alien Enemies Act, part of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, will be used, Trump has previously said, to end “the scourge of illegal alien gang violence once and for all.”

President Trump will invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known and suspected cartel members from the United States, and deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full naval embargo on the cartels! pic.twitter.com/2AgAp9AhmB

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 25, 2023

The Act is not without its controversies.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the authority granted in the Act to incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II.

The law states that a president may order non-citizens “to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies” when he or she is deemed as coming from a “hostile nation.”

Democrats will no doubt attempt to fight back against using the Act, and any declaration of a national emergency, though with Trump having likely control of both Houses of Congress, it would remain to be seen if they can stop him.

RedState's Margaret Clark reports that the deportation plans are already receiving pushback in the form of massive protests in New York.

Clark revealed that the thousands marching in the streets are protesting against mass deportation and "systematic oppression," with many carrying signs accusing Trump of being racist, fascist, sexist, anti-gay, and anti-trans.To see videos of the chaos on the streets of Manhattan, please check out her report (which is linked above).

LAWMAKERS TURN ATTENTION TO CHIPS COMPANIES AS INDUSTRY BRACES FOR CHINA RESTRICTIONS

Saturday, November 9, 2024
Catherine Yang | The Epoch Times

The lawmakers’ concerns echo recent fears voiced by colleagues on both sides of the political aisle.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Nov. 7 sent inquiries to several semiconductor technology companies to assess the extent to which the industry relies on China, shortly after third-quarter earnings were posted and some of the companies projected a continued U.S.–China tech feud.

In letters to ASML, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, KLA, and Lam Research, committee chair Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich) and ranking member Raja Krishnamoothri (D-Ill.) noted that industry stakeholders have voiced concerns over increased export controls to China. For example, news that the Biden administration was considering new export controls on artificial intelligence (AI) chips led to shares falling for companies like ASML and Nvidia last month.

But lawmakers say they believe that partnerships between the United States and its allies, as well as policies like the CHIPS and Science Act, can provide opportunities that offset export controls. Indeed, the companies predicted growth in recent earnings reports despite geopolitical tensions and stock market dips accompanying news of potential trade restrictions.

These are all companies that produce specialized equipment needed to manufacture advanced chips.

The lawmakers expressed concern that, despite currently existing export controls, which have been in place for years, the Chinese communist regime has been able to “stockpile” semiconductor manufacturing equipment and make advances in military-use technology.

“As one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) firms, your company has information that will help us better understand the flow of SME to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] and its contributions to the PRC’s rapid buildout of its semiconductor manufacturing industrial base,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Alarming reports show the PRC now purchases more semiconductor manufacturing equipment than the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan combined,” they added, citing a report by the international chips association SEMI.

The lawmakers’ concerns echo recent fears voiced by colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. Evidence that CCP-backed companies Huawei and SMIC have obtained advanced semiconductor technology that should have been blocked to them by current U.S. export control laws has raised questions about the enforcement of those laws and whether more are needed.

In the Nov. 7 letter, the congressmen asked the companies to provide information spanning fiscal years 2022 to 2024 on sales to China and associated revenue, including the export licenses obtained for these transactions and whether any companies the five sold to are tied to the Chinese communist regime or are affiliated with blacklisted Chinese companies.

The lawmakers also requested information regarding the volume of equipment that has been sent to China—directly or indirectly—and what the most advanced technologies were.

Although the United States has for years taken steps to prevent the CCP from obtaining the most advanced semiconductor technologies, China is a major player in the global chips industry as both a buyer and seller, particularly when it comes to larger, less advanced chips, and is thus deeply integrated into the world supply chain.

In a recent earnings call, ASML CFO Roger Dassen alluded to possible upcoming export controls. He told investors it expected sales to decrease in China, predicting a drop from 29 percent of sales in 2023 to 20 percent in 2025. Despite that, the company predicted overall growth.

ASML, a Dutch company, produces the extreme ultraviolet lithography systems required to manufacture the smallest, most advanced chips. The Dutch government has issued its own export restrictions, preventing ASML from shipping its most advanced systems to China last year and enhancing the controls this year.

Applied Materials likewise reported lower China sales this year, something the company had anticipated. The company is a leading producer of DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips, and it has noted that though DRAM sales were down 11 percent in China, overall, DRAM sales grew nearly 50 percent year over year. It’s one of the SME companies the government has investigated over suspected shipments of sensitive technologies to China.

Lam Research, whose customers include TSMC, Intel, and Samsung, recently reported that 37 percent of its sales came from China in the third quarter. Lam Research CFO Doug Bettinger said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology in September that Chinese customers were purchasing larger 28-nanometer chips, older technology not targeted by export control rules.

“It’s not the most advanced, but it’s not easy to do if you’re new to this, and they need help,” he said. “This spending is not going to go away.”

KLA noted in its recent earnings report the possibility of new export control rules. China currently makes up 42 percent of its revenue, with North America coming in next at 18 percent. Demand in China has lowered, KLA reported, but the company experienced overall growth.

China is also Tokyo Electron’s biggest customer, and the company saw growth in sales there over the past year, according to a recent earnings report.

ASML declined to comment. Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, KLA, and Lam Research did not return The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

FBI STOPPED IRANIAN PLOT TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP

Saturday, November 9, 2024
Andrew Thornebrooke | The Epoch Times

U.S. authorities thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, new documents reveal.

The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges on Nov. 8 against three men who it is alleged were involved in a murder-for-hire network orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designates as a terrorist organization.

“The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an associated statement.

“We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security.”

The Justice Department said that authorities arrested Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt in New York, and that a third man, Farhad Shakeri, remained at large and was believed to be in Iran.

Shakeri immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported in or about 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction.

The criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in the IRGC instructed a Shakeri in September to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump.

Shakeri was unable to create a plan by then, the complaint said, and the official told him Iran would pause its plan until after the presidential election because the official believed Trump would lose and it would be easier to assassinate him then.

Shakeri then went to work building a network of accomplices, offering $100,000 to locate and kill Trump and other individuals of U.S. and Israeli origin, according to the complaint.

“We have also charged and arrested two individuals who we allege were recruited as part of that network to silence and kill, on U.S. soil, an American journalist who has been a prominent critic of the regime,” Garland said.

The plot, with the charges unsealed just days after Trump’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, reflects what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil. The Justice Department’s statement said that these efforts include assault, kidnapping, and murder, both to repress and silence dissidents critical of the Iranian regime and to take vengeance for the January 2020 death of then-IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a Trump-ordered U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an associated statement.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a designated foreign terrorist organization—has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won’t be tolerated.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

COURT RULES BIDEN’S BROAD AMNESTY PLAN ILLEGAL

Friday, November 8, 2024
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor

A federal judge in Texas has struck down President Joe Biden’s plan to fast-track citizenship for a wide swath of illegal foreign nationals.

In June, Biden announced 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 married a U.S. citizen. The plan also expanded protections for recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which a federal judge has twice ruled is illegal. The most recent ruling was in a multi-state lawsuit led by Texas to end DACA once and for all, The Center Square reported.

To implement his plan, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a “Keeping Families Together” program. It directed 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.

Not soon after, Texas and a coalition of 16 states sued, arguing granting PIP status to noncitizens living in the country illegally was illegal, ignored the Constitution, violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and contravened existing federal law, The Center Square reported.

“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.”

The PIP status is only supposed to be used “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” not issued en masse, according to federal law the brief cites.

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, an estimated 204,000; Florida has 93,000, followed by Georgia’s 34,000, among others.

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

However, within days of filing the lawsuit, Judge J. Campbell Barker, presiding over the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division, temporarily halted the program and scheduled the case for expedited proceedings, The Center Square reported. Judge Barker said the states’ claims that the DHS may be violating federal statutory law are “substantial” and issued an administrative stay.

He issued a 74-page ruling on Thursday, refuting the arguments DHS made and ruled DHS lacked the statutory authority to implement such a program.

He also issued a one-page judgment vacating the “Implementation of Keeping Families Together” and PIP program.

In it, he declared that DHS lacks statutory authority under federal immigration law “itself (as opposed to under other provisions modifying or supplementing that authority) to grant parole ‘in place’ to aliens, as that term is used in the final agency action published” in the Federal Register.

For months, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris claimed his so-called amnesty plan issued five months before the general election was responsible for reduced illegal border crossings between ports of entry. This claim was fact-checked to be false, The Center Square reported.

Illegal border crossings were not only historically high this past year but continued after he announced his plan in June. Nearly 3 million illegal border crossers were reported in fiscal 2024, and roughly 14 million under the entire Biden-Harris administration—the most in U.S. history, The Center Square reported.

There were at least a record 1.6 million illegal border crossers from just 4 of 12 countries of particular concern under Biden: China, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia. These countries are known for “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom,” which includes “torture, prolonged detention without charges, forced disappearance, or other flagrant denial of life, liberty, or security of persons,” The Center Square exclusively reported.

More than 3 million illegal border crossers were also reported illegally entering the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, as well as through another DHS parole program, The Center Square exclusively reported.

The greatest number of known or suspected terrorists were also apprehended attempting to illegally enter the U.S. under Biden, The Center Square exclusively reported.

The ruling blocks the amnesty plan from being implemented. DHS is unlikely to appeal due to the administration only having less than two months left in office.

MANDATE? TRUMP'S BIG WIN FUELS TALK OF POLICY ACTIONS

Thursday, November 7, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Former President Donald Trump is on track to potentially receive 300 electoral votes or more. He won the national popular vote by about 5 million with votes still being counted. As a result, some analysts and Republicans say Trump and the GOP have a “mandate” to aggressively push forward with their agenda.

"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," Trump said in his speech early Wednesday morning, creating a refrain echoed by his supporters.

As of midday Wednesday, Trump secured 292 electoral votes after Michigan and its 15 votes were called – 270 were needed to win the race. He also leads Vice President Kamala Harris in Alaska, Arizona and Nevada.

If Trump holds in those states, he will have 312 electoral votes, propelled in large part due to a level of support from Black voters and Hispanic voters unusual for a Republican.

“The American people have sent a clear message through President Trump’s resounding victory,” U.S. Sen. Thom Thillis, R-N.C., wrote on X. “The mandate is clear: fix the economy, secure the border, keep America safe, and confirm more judges who follow the Constitution.”

At the same time Wednesday, House Republicans had won 198 House racers and Democrats had won 177 with the rest uncalled; 218 are needed to win a majority. In the Senate, Republicans won 52 seats and Democrats won 42 with six still to be called, flipping the upper chamber to GOP control.

“This is a mandate,” Scott Jennings, an alum of the George W. Bush administration and CNN analyst said on the air as results came in early Wednesday morning.

“He won the national popular vote for the first time for a Republican since 2004,” Jennings said. “This is a big deal. This isn’t backing into the office. This is a mandate to do what you said you were going to do. Get the economy working again for regular, working class Americans. Fix immigration. Try to get crime under control. Try to reduce the chaos in the world. This is a mandate from the American people to do that.”

On economic policy, Trump is expected to double down on domestic oil drilling to increase revenue for the U.S. and lower energy costs for Americans. Trump made inflation a focus of his campaign, pledging to use domestic oil to get costs down for Americans and even pay off debt with the tax revenue.

“Our long national nightmare with the Green New Deal is finally over because energy was on the ballot in 2024, and energy won," said Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of energy worker advocacy group Power The Future. "On day one, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris fired thousands of Keystone XL workers and thankfully starting in January it’s this administration that will be unemployed."

Republicans have also vowed tax reform, something they prioritized after Trump came into office last time around. Experts said the market reacted favorably to Trump’s win.

“Trump’s election victory sparked a rally in the greenback last night as growth and inflation expectations rerated higher,” Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist for LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina, said in a statement. “Fed funds futures dialed back rate cut expectations from five to four 0.25% cuts by the end of next year. Yields surged higher, a move further exacerbated by deficit spending concerns, especially if Republicans secure the House.”

Trump also pledged to quickly negotiate an end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, something that earned him bipartisan support from many Americans, including Arab and Muslim Americans frustrated by the Biden-Harris handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Pop culture figure and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy told his 3.3 million followers the win was a “ringing endorsement of Republicans” and “an indictment against the Democrats,” using a familiar message analysts across platforms online and on television.

That perception will be key for Republicans who likely have two years to push through a legislative agenda as reports indicate they will have a majority in the Senate and possibly the House.

Polls showed only 28% of Americans felt the country was headed in the right direction, something incumbent Harris could not overcome.

“I wanted Trump to win, but more than that, I wanted a decisive victory,” Newsweek Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon wrote on X. “If it's true he's won the popular vote, that is a mandate to lead. Calling Trump Hitler is now proven to be what it always was: an unforgivable smear of the majority of Americans. It's time to embrace unity.”

While Harris delayed in recognizing Trump as the winner, still not conceding as of early Wednesday afternoon, his other fiercest opponents, like former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, recognized him on X but offered a warning.

“Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night and we have a new President-elect,” said Cheney, a Republican who campaigned with Democrat Harris on the trail. “All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections. We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years.”

MORE COSTS PLAGUE GEAUGA COUNTY COURTHOUSE EXPANSION PROJECT

Friday, November 1, 2024

The renovation of the Geauga County Courthouse continues almost ad nauseum. At the latest public Geauga County Commissioners meeting, there were 14 items on the public agenda before the Board of Commissioners went into Executive Session to discuss Agenda Item # 15. Called into session on Tuesday, October 29, all the action or lack thereof was finished when the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am.

Shadowed by announcement at the October 22 meeting that there would be a meeting at 2 pm that day to discuss and define terms involved in the mediated judgment involving the Chardon Square Courthouse Expansion Project and/or confusion over responsibility for partial payments to Infinity Construction and other contractors for a project that has blossomed to over $20,000,00, perhaps as a result of confusion, Finance Director Adrian Gorton announced that the aforementioned meeting fizzled out to a formal opening that lasted no more than 15 minutes so that Gorton’s and Prosecutor Jim Flaiz’s scheduled meeting with Chardon officials was dead in the water with no improved understanding and certainly no breakthroughs in relieving the bills that are piling up in the form of so-called Phase 1 and Phase 2 categories.

Although County Administrator identified formal accrued expenses for the Geauga Courthouse Expansion Project as just a hair under $20 million in a written statement of July 25, 2024, all three Commissioners found themselves divvying out “Partial Payment #13“ to Infinity Construction Company for an additional $569,071.82. The exact wording for Agenda Item # 13 read as follows:

“The Commissioners’ Office is requesting the Board approve and authorize the President of the Poard to execute the Request for Partial Payment #13 for Infinity Construction Company for the Geauga County Courthouse Expansion Project GMP Phase #1 and Phase #2 expenses in the amount of $569,071.82.”

GMP is an abbreviation for “Guaranteed Maximum Price.”

Considering that the Courthouse Project as delineated by GMP Phase #1 has already reached an outlay of $20, 348,077, the additional Phase #2 expense of $569,071.82 now places the total investment in the Courthouse Expansion Project at $20,917,148.82.

For all practical purposes, the total investment committed is $21 million with no clearcut end in sight, between Phase #1 and Phase #2. For most Geauga taxpayers 2024 has turned into a year tied up in inflationary expenses that have become most burdensome, particularly as the next Geauga property tax payment surfaces right after the New Year of 2025 for another round of being squeezed between the old rock and the hard place.

This writer was optimistic that Chardon City might be more open about discussing responsibility for portions of construction overruns that grossly exceed the original guesstimate of a $14-$15 million investment in the Courthouse Expansion Project. It would appear that 2024 will long be remembered as a sorely burdensome time for taxpayers simply trying to exist during financial hard times when ghastly

GREAT LAKES GROWERS GAIN APPROVAL TO SUBORDINATE MOST RECENT GEAUGA COUNTY COMMUNITY/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN TO TAKE OUT SEVERAL FARM CREDIT LOANS FOR “A BUILDING EXPANSION.”

Friday, November 1, 2024

Local hydroponic farmer, John Bonner, has been involved over about the last dozen years in the development of Great Lakes Growers. In the process, according to Gina Hofstetter, Director of Community and Economic Development, Mr. Bonner has become recognized for his consistent and reliable payback of three local revolving county loans. Ms. Hofstetter indicated that Mr. Bonner has already paid back about half of the amount borrowed and that he does not need any further moneys from Geauga County. She indicated that as a result of being able to utilize Farm Credit loans for the latest round of expansion, Mr. Bonner has requested that the third county loan be subordinated to fulfillment of payment of the Farm Credit indebtedness.

Agenda Item #14 identified Mr. Bonner’s current situation:

“The Community and Economic Development Department [Ms. Gina Hofstetter, Director] is requesting the Board discuss a request from Mr. John Bonner, Great lakes Growers [sic] regarding subordination of his Revolving Loan Fund Loan to a new mortgage he would like to secure, as the company is seeking funding for a building expansion.”

Commissioner Lennon took the lead of the three present commissioners in asking for clarification and providing some extra information before advising that he would be abstaining from the vote. He noted that a cousin had been an angel investor in the original start-up of Great Lakes Growers at a time before Mr. Lennon’s original election to the office of Geauga County Commissioner. Mt. Lennon further noted that Mr. Bonner eventually bought out the stake held by the angel investor. Mr. Lennon noted further that subordination of the third Geauga revolving loan to reduce Geauga County’s order of importance of being paid back from second to fourth might as well reduce fourth in importance to tenth because “if you’re not first [to be paid back], you’re last.”

With Mr. Lennon’s choice to abstain from the voting, Commissioners Spidalieri and Dvorak readily voted their 2-0 approval.

Explaining that the deadline for correctly preparing the necessary paperwork on Mr. Bonner’s behalf was due on October 31, just two days away, Ms. Hofstetter confided that “[w]e use Gerry [Morgan] quite a bit.” Gerry Morgan is the current appointed Geauga County Administrator.

OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES BOEING ON BEHALF OF TEACHERS, EMPLOYEES

Monday, October 28, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says Boeing has safety issues costing Ohioans.

Yost sued the aerospace giant on behalf of two Ohio pension funds, claiming a pattern of safety and compliance failures have hurt the companies and its investors.

“The safety failures at Boeing are endangering lives and threatening the financial security of shareholders,” Yost said. “Running a safe, respectable company starts with the people at the top – and it’s time for them to be held accountable.”

The attorney general's office is representing the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio. The lawsuit accuses Boeing board members of breaching their fiduciary duties by failing to oversee the company.

Boeing has been under fire for reportedly rushing production and thus compromising quality. Lawmakers and aviation experts raised concerns about the American aerospace company at two Senate hearings in April.

In January, a door blew off of a Boeing 737 Max 9 while in the air. Later, former CEO David Calhoun said on an earnings call that “we caused the problem,” which was apparently related to missing bolts on the door.

The Department of Justice and the Federal Aviation Administration also investigated Boeing. The FAA said in March after an audit it "found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements."

Ohio’s lawsuit also says board members and senior management, including Calhoun, failed to implement adequate safety measures or to address whistleblower concerns about the company’s production processes.

“The failure of Boeing’s directors and officers to implement and oversee Boeing’s safety and compliance functions in good faith led to incalculable damage to Boeing’s relationships with its regulators, customers, lenders, potential employees, and the flying public,” the lawsuit says.

In August, the board hired Robert K. Ortberg as its new president and CEO, replacing Calhoun. The board approved an annual base salary rate of $1.5 million for Ortberg, and an annual incentive award target of $3 million for 2025, as well as a long-term incentive award target of $17.5 million for 2025, according to an SEC filing.

LAROSE SUES HOMELAND FOR ACCESS TO CITIZENSHIP DATA

Monday, October 28, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

Less than two weeks after 16 Republican attorneys general pressured the Department of Homeland Security for voter registration information, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sued.

LaRose wants access to citizenship records to continue to remove noncitizens from the state voter rolls.

“I swore an oath to uphold our state constitution, and that document clearly requires that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections,” LaRose said. “The Biden-Harris administration is engaging in obstruction and outright abuse of power to prevent us from removing noncitizens from our voter rolls. I take my duty seriously, so if they want a fight over the integrity of our elections, they’ve got it.”

The lawsuit says the Biden administration failed to give LaRose access to federal citizenship records four times and eventually denied the state access to the Systematic Alien Verification and Entitlements database Oct. 10.

Last week, 16 attorneys general, led by Ohio's Dave Yost, called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide voter registration information to states, particularly when it relates to citizenship status.

The state prosecutors “raise grave concerns that by failing to work with States to verify voter registration information, your office has failed to discharge its duty ahead of a national election,” the letter to Mayorkas states.

In May, LaRose announced an effort to verify citizenship status of registered voters in the state, calling on county boards of election to review people who appear to be noncitizens from the rolls.

He also said he was taking steps to verify citizenship status that required cross-checks with other databases and asked for citizenship data from the federal SAVE database, access to citizenship-identifying records from the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration and federal District Court records.

In August, he announced more than 200,000 people were removed from the state’s voter rolls, including 500 noncitizens. He said state officials confirmed the noncitizens through federal records.

LaRose’s lawsuit also comes two days after an emergency motion was filed in the U.S. District Court in Northern Ohio to stop recently established questions and regulations for voters to show proof of citizenship before voting just days before the November election.

The filing from the ACLU of Ohio says the same court ruled those requirements were unconstitutional in 2006.

The ACLU said LaRose revised the form used by election officials to challenge voters at the polls based on citizenship. Early voting is already underway in the state.

“Requiring naturalized citizens to bring additional documentation to verify their eligibility to vote is not only burdensome and discriminatory, it’s unlawful," said Freda Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio. "After nearly 20 years of compliance with the federal injunction, Secretary LaRose suddenly decided to defy the injunction and impose an 11th-hour requirement forcing naturalized citizens to produce these papers. We are hurrying back to the court, asking it to enforce its long-standing order.”

PROPOSAL: IF IN OHIO, WOULD NEED TO BE IN USA LAWFULLY

Monday, October 28, 2024
J.D. Davidson | The Center Square

New legislation in the Ohio House would make it a crime for someone illegally in the United States to enter or attempt to enter the state.

The bill’s sponsor said The America First Act supports federal immigration law.

“Ohioans are charitable, gracious, kind and welcoming," said Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery. "However, we expect those who would join us to reciprocate by following our laws, including immigration laws. The America First Act only addresses immigration already determined to be unlawful on the federal level.”

If passed and signed into law, the act would carry a penalty of a $500 fine and a year in jail. Offenders would also have to leave the state within 72 hours of being released.

The act also contains provisions for those trying to get an extension of their visa and those seeking refugee status.

“The America First Act sends the message that we welcome lawful immigrants, and we value those who value America enough to knock and come through the front door,” Click said. “More than once, legal immigrants have come and expressed their gratitude for this great country and how offensive it is to them that others would disrespect our nation so much that they would enter in any way but the legal way. They take legitimate pride in the fact that they did it by the book. They did it the American way.”

It’s the second piece of legislation introduced by Republicans in the House in less than a month that targets immigration. The first, the Protecting Ohio Communities Act, was introduced in late September and strips sanctuary city protections in the state.

There are no sanctuary cities in Ohio. Only Hamilton and Franklin counties are sanctuary jurisdictions.

Both come while lawmakers are not in session and focused on the November general election, and both come with less than a month expected in the general session.

IRS URGES TAXPAYERS TO ACTIVATE IDENTITY-THEFT PROTECTION MEASURE

Sunday, October 27, 2024
Naveen Athrappully | The Epoch Times

Nearly two million potential identity theft cases were discovered by the IRS by early February for the 2024 filing season.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) asked taxpayers to sign up for extra security measures ahead of the 2025 tax season by obtaining their identity protection personal identification number (IP PIN).

An IP PIN is a six-digit number that “prevents someone else from filing a federal tax return using a taxpayer’s Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number,” said an Oct. 23 press release from the agency. This “simple yet crucial step” protects against tax-related identity theft, and the agency encouraged citizens to sign up before the Nov. 23, 2024 deadline.

“Signing up for an IP PIN now will ensure that a taxpayer’s identity is protected when the filing season begins. New IP PINs are generated for the 2025 filing season during this period, so online enrollees must retrieve their new IP PIN starting early January 2025,” according to the press release.

Taxpayers ought to sign up for an IRS Online Account, which offers an “easy way” to obtain the IP PIN, said the agency.

The IP PIN is known only to the individual and the IRS. It confirms taxpayer identity when filing electronically, making it difficult for malicious actors to breach and access sensitive information, the agency said.

Taxpayers start by providing identity verification when applying through the IRS Online Account. Once verified, they can click the profile tab to request for an IP PIN. After a PIN is issued, the taxpayer uses this number when filing federal returns, whether via paper or electronically.

According to the IRS, an IP PIN is valid for a period of one year, with a new number generated at the beginning of each calendar year. Some taxpayers receive their PIN via mail rather than online.

“IP PIN users should share their number only with the IRS and their tax preparation provider. The IRS will never call, email, or text a request for the IP PIN,” the agency said.

For those who wish to apply for PINs via mail, the IRS imposes an income threshold.

This option is available to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income on their last filed return was below $79,000. For married people filing jointly, the threshold is $158,000.

The taxpayer must apply using Form 15227. The IRS will get in touch with the person for the purpose of validating their identity, following which the IP PIN will be mailed.

In case the individual is unable to verify their identity with Form 15227, they can schedule an in-person meeting at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center.

“Please bring one current government-issued picture identification document and another identification document to prove your identity. Once we verify your identity, you will receive your IP PIN via the U.S. Postal Service usually within three weeks,” the agency states.

Tax-related identity theft is a major issue for the IRS. In the 2024 filing season, the agency identified almost 1.9 million tax returns for additional review as of Feb. 29, citing suspected identity theft fraud, according to an April report by watchdog Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

More than 15,200 tax returns were confirmed to be fraudulent, preventing the issuance of more than $180 million in refunds to criminals. This is up from more than 12,600 returns in the 2023 filing season.

SECURITY INCIDENTS, IP PIN REISSUE

Although the IRS says the IP PIN safeguards taxpayers from identity theft, there have been incidents of criminals stealing taxpayer PINs.

In 2016, there were complaints of IP PINs being compromised. According to a March 2016 blog post by cyber security expert Brian Krebs, the issue at the time was that the IRS allowed taxpayers to retrieve their IP PIN from the agency’s website if they provided answers to “four easy-to-guess questions.”

These questions were about things like the previous address of the taxpayer, loan amounts, and such. Criminals can either randomly guess this information or access them from platforms such as Facebook and Zillow, Krebs noted.

At the time, the IRS then temporarily suspended the IP PIN tool; reinstating the measure later on with tightened security measures.

While IP PINs can be easily accessed online by taxpayers, some individuals may not be able to do so in certain cases.

In such situations, taxpayers can contact the IRS at 800-908-4490 for assistance and get their IP PIN reissued. “An assistor will verify your identity and mail your IP PIN to your address of record within 21 days,” the agency states.

Several lawmakers have promoted IP PIN use among taxpayers. In 2021, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Maine taxpayers to apply for IP PIN “to thwart tax-related identity theft.”

In June this year, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) also said that the IP PIN program could reduce the risk of taxpayers’ returns being fraudulently filed.

GEAUGA COUNTY RESOLUTION #24-144, APPROVED JULY 30, 2024, BACKFIRES ON COMMISSIONERS, RESULTING IN OCTOBER 10 SPECIAL MEETING TO RESTORE FISCAL SECURITY

Friday, October 10, 2024

Back on July 30, 2024, when Commissioners were concerned about receiving return of their original monetary investment in the Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Court from the Portage County Commissioners and also receiving some disappointing news about potential building purchases in Geauga County which turned sour, no one thought too much about the fallibility of the $10 million dollar reserve fund that was being held in reserve as a result of the Geauga- Chardon City legal mediation to correct the Geauga Courthouse structural defects.

Resolution 24-144, “Approving the use of ARPA Standard Allowance Funds and Authorizing the Establishment of the Necessary Payroll Accounts within the ARPA Fund,” was signed on July 30, 2024, a day when Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri was absent, leaving responsibility for any future successes or failures to Commissioner Jim Dvorak and outgoing Commissioner Tim Lennon.

Apparently, the impact of Resolution 24-144 had immediate unexpected negative results as Financial Budget Officer, Adrian Gorton, came face-to-face with on October 8 when he discovered that the first withdrawal of funds from Geauga’s Standard Allowance Funds occurred during the very first pay period of August and has been ongoing continuously so as to affect Real Estate Assessment Fund, Clerk of Courts Fund, Engineer’s Road Fund, Prosecutor’s Victims Witness Fund, and two distinct delinquent tax funds.

Based on his discovery within the week that $447,530 has been depleted from the expected $10 million reserve fund in and the total number of payroll periods remaining, Adrian Gorton anticipates that the county could realistically be depleted by $1million. He noted that it is not regular procedure to check on these funds for unexpected withdrawal of assets, but nevertheless, he expressed his regrets for not thinking to do the checking sooner. He added that one area creating a sense of relief is that the County’s September bills for Capital Improvements have been lower than they could have been, providing some wiggle room.

Gorton presented two text versions of Resolution 24-180 to all three Commissioners: Ralph Spidalieri, Jim Dvorak, and Tim Lennon. Both were largely identical in presenting the background of explaining the Board of Commissioners option of choosing the “standard allowance” of loss of $10 million with Resolution 22-053 on April 26, 2022.

The first option, rejected by the Commissioners, would have limited the use of ARPA funds to pay salaries and benefits in the the General Funds only with the extra condition that the Auditor’s Office would from October 10, 2024, forward “apply deductions only to the General Fund.”

Option #2, “LIMITING THE USE OF ARPA STANDARD ALLOWANCE FUNDS . . .TO PAY FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES PROVIDED ONLY BE THE GENERAL FUND AND REQUIRING THE RETURN OF FUNDS THAT WERE OUTSIDE THE GENERAL FUND” was the text unanimously approved because it authorizes the Auditor to act thusly:

“The Auditor’s Office shall then advise departments how to submit payroll in compliance with this resolution the remainder of the year for only their General Fund payroll submissions. This resolution does not apply to any funds that the above offices [Auditor, Clerk of Courts, Commissioners, Coroner, Engineer, Prosecutor, Recorder, Sheriff, Treasurer, ADP, Building Department, Board of Elections, Public Defender, and the Veterans Commission] have outside of the General Fund.”

And the final sentence:

“Any salaries and benefits that are or have already been paid [since August 1, 2024] with ARPA money from funds outside the General Fund [sic] shall be compelled by the Auditor to return those funds to the ARPA fund within thirty days of the date of this resolution.”

Spidalieri spoke over and over about “good faith commitments, employee salary increases over a three-year period” and his hope “that the Auditor’s Department will do the right thing. . .” because “that $10 million was supposed to be committed to the Courthouse Project.”

Commissioner Lennon cited the “need to make the $10 million ARPA Fund whole again. Whatever has gone out has to come back.”

Adrian Gorton hoped “that there will be no more room for discrepancy.”

The official meeting adjourned about 2:45. Adrian Gorton and Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, in attendance the entire meeting “to answer any questions that might come up, “discussed various aspects of the unexpected ARPA fund shortage. There was conversation about funds that the Engineer Department may have received and concern that once funds had been paid out, there might be difficulty in receiving them back.

Although Adrian Gorton noted that he had attempted to communicate with Ron Leyde of the Auditor’s Department, he did not receive any word back until the morning of the Special Meeting.

There was also an acknowledgment that without clear assurance of the $10 million to finance the Courthouse Project,the Commissioners would have been totally unable to undertake any architectural correction. Readers will note that the Courthouse Correction Project has been the subject of recent angst because the original estimated cost of $14-$15 million dollars has been subject to overruns that place the total actual cost at $20-21 million dollars.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL GEAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

The Geauga County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. to consider and if necessary approving a resolution regarding the use of ARPA Standard Allowance Funds and Necessary Payroll Account Adjustments. This meeting will be held at Commissioners’ Offices at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, Ohio.

Christine Blair, Commissioners’ Clerk

ELON MUSK TO ATTEND TRUMP RALLY AT SITE OF ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Zachary Stieber | The Epoch Times

Elon Musk said on Oct. 3 that he will attend former President Donald Trump’s upcoming rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I will be there to support!” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform that he mostly owns.

Trump has a rally scheduled for Saturday, October 5^th at the Butler Farm Show, where he was struck by a bullet during an event in July.

Authorities say Thomas Crooks, who was shot dead by a U.S. Secret Service agent, attempted to assassinate Trump.

About 30 minutes later, Musk shared video footage of Trump rising to his feet and holding a fist up after surviving the attempted assassination. Musk said he endorsed the former president.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote at the time. “The martyr lived. Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt,” he wrote in a  follow-up post.

The business mogul, who is also CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, said in another post on Thursday that backing Trump has become “essential to saving America!”

Musk’s posts frequently support Trump and Republicans while denigrating Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Democratic Party.

Trump welcomed Musk’s endorsement at the time and said in a September speech that, if elected, he would, on Musk’s advice, create a government efficiency commission tasked with improving government operations.

The exact security protocols in place for Trump’s next Butler rally have not been disclosed but the U.S. Secret Service says it is prepared.

A spokesman told The Epoch Times in an email that the agency has, since the attempted assassination attempt, “made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations.” Trump, he said, is receiving heightened protection.

The agency has said previously that Trump is receiving the same level of protection as President Joe Biden and Harris in the wake of the assassination attempt by Crooks and another apparent attempt by a man at a golf course in Florida.

“Regarding the October 5th event in Butler, PA, we are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township. We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology,” the spokesman said.

“To maintain the integrity of our protective operations, we cannot go into the specifics regarding the security enhancements. Residents in the area should expect traffic delays and an increased presence of state, local, and federal law enforcement as part of our efforts to ensure a safe and secure event.”

DEA WARNS OF COUNTERFEIT PAIN PILLS WITH FENTANYL AT ILLEGAL ONLINE PHARMACIES

Saturday, October 6, 2024
Brett Rowland | The Center Square

A federal agency is warning consumers about using illegal online pharmacies after an increase in sales of counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The warning comes after the death of one person who bought what she thought was oxycodone but died of fentanyl poisoning.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported an increase in illegal online pharmacies selling and shipping counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine to unsuspecting customers in the United States. The customers thought they were buying real pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone, Adderall, Xanax and other drugs from legitimate pharmacies.

The increase comes as more Americans turn to online pharmacies to buy medications.

The agency issued a Public Safety Alert to warn of an increase in illegal online, often foreign-based websites that are targeting American consumers.

The DEA has identified websites being operated in India and the Dominican Republic.

"Many of these sites purport to be legitimate, U.S. based or FDA approved sites, but are actually working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with fake pills," according to the agency. "These website operators are going to great lengths to make the websites look like legitimate online pharmacies – they offer 24-hour customer service, post online reviews and safety facts, and offer deep discounts to deceive customers into believing they were buying from a reputable business."

DEA officials said these illegal websites often appear professional.

"These companies operate illegally, deliberately deceiving American customers into believing they are purchasing safe, regulated medications when they are actually selling fake, counterfeit pills made with fentanyl or methamphetamine," according to the agency. "Fake medications can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment, and even death."

One U.S. based buyer had ordered what she believed to be oxycodone from an online pharmacy. Instead, she got fake pills made with fentanyl. Fentanyl is more powerful than oxycodone.

"The pill looked identical to a real oxycodone, but it was not – it was made with fentanyl and filler," according to the DEA. "Days after receiving the medication, the victim passed away from acute fentanyl poisoning as a result of taking one of the pills sent to her."

The agency identified nine fake pharmacies in a recent criminal investigation. The sites included: Curecog.com, Pharmacystoresonline.com, Careonlinestore.com, yourphamacy.online, MD724.com, Greenleafdispensarystore.com, Whatishydrocodone.weebly.com, Orderpainkillersonline.com and USAMedstores.com.

DEA also offered tips and red flags to look for to avoid fake pharmacies:

*Sells prescription drugs without requiring a valid prescription from a healthcare provider

*Offers much cheaper prices than what is typically seen in the market

*Lists prices in a foreign currency

*Does not contain proof of a valid pharmacy state license or DEA registration

*Medicine arrives in broken or damaged packaging or in a foreign language

*Medicine does not have an expiration date or is expired

*Medicine looks different from what you have received in the past from your trusted pharmacist

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's provisional estimated overdose deaths in 2023 declined about 3.1% to 107,543. That's down from 111,029 in 2022. Two out of every three deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, a cheap and potent opioid smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico.

The pills are often made with precursor chemicals from China.

The DEA's most recent National Drug Threat Assessment found the purity level of illicit fentanyl in the U.S. drug market has increased and the amount of fentanyl found in counterfeit prescription pills has increased, making the nation's top drug threat even more dangerous.

A lethal dose of the potent opioid is about 2 milligrams, depending on the opioid tolerance of the user.

In 2022, the average fentanyl pill contained 2.4 milligrams of fentanyl, according to analysis by DEA forensic chemists who test random samples of the fentanyl seized in the U.S. Overall, the tested samples ranged from a low of .03 milligrams to a high of 9 milligrams.

‘TENTATIVE AGREEMENT’ KEEPS PORTS OPEN AND ECONOMY RUNNING, FOR NOW

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Casey Harper | The Center Square

Dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coast are returning to work and reopening U.S. ports for new shipments after reaching a deal with the Maritime Alliance that boosts workers pay.

The International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents 45,000 dockworkers, released a statement Thursday saying they had reached a “tentative agreement,” preventing a major supply chain and cost issue just weeks before the U.S. election.

“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume," ILA said in a statement.

The deal gave workers a 62% raise over the next six years and extends the current contract until Jan. 15, beyond Election Day. Biden-Harris administration officials reportedly helped mediate the deal, which also includes promises to avoid automation, though those details are not yet finalized and public.

Negotiators will keep hammering out the details of that agreement in the weeks to come, and there is a small chance the deal, which has not been signed off on by workers, could fall through.

Workers rejecting union deals is not uncommon. Last month, Boeing workers in the Pacific Northwest rejected a union leadership-negotiated pay raise of 25% over four years and are currently on strike, even after Boeing has since offered to up the raise to 30%.

Vice President Kamla Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, praised the deal. If it were to fall through before Election Day, she could have a political liability on her hands. Prices would begin to rise steeply after already rising more than 20% since she took office.

“This step indicates progress toward a strong contract and represents the power of collective bargaining,” Harris said in a statement. “As I have said, this is about fairness – and our economy works best when workers share in record profits. Dockworkers deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America.”

The longshoremen had brought much of the U.S. economy to a halt this week with a workers strike that effectively closed the entire East Coast and Gulf Coast’s shipping capabilities.

Many experts warned earlier this week of the high cost of the strike, predicting escalating prices on all kinds of goods, from groceries to alcohol to cars and more.

President Joe Biden lauded the agreement on Thursday.

“I applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding,” Biden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Collective bargaining works.”

The strike had sparked criticism for the Biden-Harris administration for not acting sooner to avert it as well as critiques of the longshoremen, many of whom are well paid compared to the average American salary. Negotiators had been trying to find an agreement since June.

The potential shipping disruption came amid the recovery from Hurricane Helene, a disaster that has caused billions in damage, destroyed infrastructure, caused food and water shortages, and left many dead or missing.

“Disrupting the distribution of food, equipment, and supplies as the Southeast U.S. recovers from Hurricane Helene is unacceptable,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.

“Floridians need a reliable, steady supply of resources and building materials to keep their families fed and rebuild their homes and businesses,” he added.

OFFICIALS SAY FEMA DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING TO LAST HURRICANE SEASON

Saturday, October 6, 2024
Samantha Flom | The Epoch Times

The agency spent $1.4 billion over the past two years to house illegal immigrants.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have enough money to make it through the hurricane season, and lawmakers representing areas devastated by Hurricane Helene are voicing their frustration.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air Force One on Oct. 2.

But officials expect another hurricane to hit before the end of the season on Nov. 30, and FEMA “does not have the funds” to last that long, Mayorkas said.

That reality did not sit well with Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), where Helene left catastrophic damage in her wake.

“It’s outrageous that the Biden-Harris administration claims that FEMA may not have the money to make it through hurricane season after they allocated over $1.4 billion to house illegal aliens who should have never been in this country,” Budd wrote on Oct. 3 on X.

Helene barreled through the Southeast last week, making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm hammered Florida’s Gulf Coast with record storm surges and brutal winds before pommeling the rest of the region with historic flooding, wiping out entire towns.

At least 215 people have died, with rescue efforts still underway.

FEMA personnel have been at work delivering meals, water, generators, and other supplies to survivors. But with the agency’s coffers about to run dry, President Joe Biden has suggested that he may request an emergency spending package to replenish its reserves.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has given no indication that he intends to bring such a package up for a vote, though Congress recently allocated $20 billion for FEMA’s disaster relief efforts in a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20.

Other Republicans, like Budd, have been quick to point out that the agency’s recent expenditures were to benefit noncitizens.

In April, FEMA allocated $640.9 million to state and local governments to offset the costs of the overwhelming surge of illegal immigrants flooding their communities.

Those funds added to the $780 million FEMA awarded to affected communities last year through its Shelter and Services Program and its Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who represents the hard-hit Clearwater area in Pinellas County, said the funds should “be used to house Pinellas residents!” she wrote in an X post.

President Joe Biden visited affected communities in Florida and Georgia on Oct. 3 after surveying the damage in the Carolinas the day prior.

“You’ve been through hell,” Biden told residents in Ray City, Georgia. “And I want you to know, I see you, I hear you, I agree with you, and I promise you, we have your back.”

More than 150,000 households have registered for FEMA assistance, according to Frank Matranga, an agency representative. That number is expected to climb as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

UNCERTAINTY CLOUDS NORTH CAROLINA’S 2024 ELECTION AFTER HELENE: HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Jack Phillips The Epoch Times

The area impacted by the storm is significantly more Republican than Democratic, the state election board shows.

Officials in North Carolina warned that voting in some parts of the battleground state might be impacted due to Hurricane Helene’s impacts.

During Helene, critical infrastructure in large swaths of western North Carolina and especially parts of the Appalachian Mountain areas were damaged or totally destroyed.

“There may be polling places impacted by mudslides, there may be polling places inaccessible because of damaged roads, and there may be polling places with trees that have fallen on them,” Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told NPR on Tuesday.

HOW MANY VOTERS IMPACTED?

According to the North Carolina elections board website, five county boards of elections were closed as of Thursday morning. That includes Avery, Buncombe, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties, it shows.

In Avery, Buncombe, and Watauga counties, elections staff are working or taking calls. The status of Mitchell and Yancey counties is not clear as the elections website lists them as “closed” with no other details.

The website also includes a breakdown by party among registered voters in the 25 counties designated as disaster zones. Some 480,000 voters are registered as Republican and 292,000 as Democratic.

Another 490,000 are unaffiliated with either major party, the elections website shows. Around 10,000 people are registered with third parties in the affected areas.

KEY DATES

North Carolina’s voter registration deadline for the coming election is Oct. 11, or 25 days before the Nov. 4 election, although some voters can register in person at early voting sites during the early voting interval, lasting Oct. 17 to Nov. 2, according to the elections board website.

For mail-in voters, a county board of elections has to receive a completed voter registration application no later than 20 days before the general or primary election, the election board says. Meanwhile, the deadline to request an absentee ballot in the state is 5 p.m. ET on the Tuesday before Election Day, which falls on Oct. 29. The deadline to return a mail-in ballot is 7:30 p.m. ET on Election Day itself.

A tracking website provided by the University of Florida’s Election Lab shows that about 16,000 people have already cast early votes in the state. All of them are mail-in ballots.

EXPECTED TO BE CLOSE

North Carolina is expected to be a key swing state in the 2024 election, coming four years after then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, narrowly defeated then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden by more than 70,000 votes, or 1.3 percent.

The Cook Political Report moved North Carolina to “toss-up” for the 2024 election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in August. Recent polls in the state have shown the two candidates are neck-in-neck with one another, it noted.

Both Harris and Trump have made numerous stops to the Tar Heel State this year.

‘DAUNTING’ LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY

On Tuesday, Brinson Bell, the state election director, described the storm as causing a “daunting” level of uncertainty, with early in-person voting scheduled to start in just over two weeks on Oct. 17. Still, she said the state is prepared to help voters navigate the emergency.

“We’ve battled through hurricanes and tropical storms and still held safe and secure elections, and we will do everything in our power to do so again,” Brinson Bell told reporters. “Mountain people are strong, and the election people who serve them are resilient and tough, too.”

FEDERAL OFFICIALS, NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED

More than 6,700 Army and Air National Guard members have been deployed to areas that were hard-hit by Hurricane Helene last month, while a federal official confirmed that more than 5,000 federal employees are responding.

Some 6,700 guardsmen from 16 states were activated, with more than 1,100 members being sent to North Carolina, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) said in a statement.

Frank Matranga, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told reporters earlier this week that federal agencies have sent 5,000 personnel to help with the response in the southern United States, including more than 1,500 FEMA staff members.

“I cannot thank enough all of the people across this country, across the federal family, across private and nonprofit sectors that are dedicating their time and energy to help the people in impacted areas and especially help the people of Western North Carolina,” Matranga said in a news conference. “We know it’s a big job and we know there’s still work to do, but we are making steady progress.”

FEDERAL AGENCIES WARN OF POTENTIAL VIOLENCE ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL

Saturday, October 5, 2025
Matt McGregor | The Epoch Times

“Over the past year, we have observed violent extremist activity and hate crimes in the United States linked to the conflict,” the FBI and DHS said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a statement warning of potential violence on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group.

The anniversary of the attack that ignited the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict could be a “motivating factor” for extremists to commit hate crimes and threaten public safety.

“Over the past year, we have observed violent extremist activity and hate crimes in the United States linked to the conflict,” the federal organizations said in a joint statement. “Jewish, Muslim, or Arab institutions—including synagogues, mosques/Islamic centers, and community centers—and large public gatherings, such as memorials, vigils, or other lawful demonstrations, present attractive targets for violent attacks or for hoax threats by a variety of threat actors, including violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators.”

These actors may see the anniversary as an opportunity to orchestrate an attack or conduct other illegal activity leading to terrorist acts, the agencies said.

Foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) are expected to continue to “exploit narratives” connected with the attacks to perpetuate violence, the agencies said.

“Online messaging associated with FTOs and other violent extremists highlighting the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks could motivate threat actors across ideologies, including those who espouse violent anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, to engage in violence,” the agencies said. “Individuals inspired by this online messaging could act alone to commit an attack with little to no warning.”

US TARGETS HOUTHI POSITIONS IN YEMEN WITH AIRSTRIKES

Saturday, October 5, 2024
Chase Smith | The Epoch Times

U.S. forces conducted 15 strikes in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, announced on Friday.

CENTCOM stated that the targets were related to “Houthi offensive military capabilities.”

“These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said in a statement on social media.

The strikes were reported earlier by Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthi terrorist group, which controls significant parts of Yemen.

According to Al Masirah TV, the strikes were in response to a “massive rally” held in support of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Nasrallah was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike last week—a move that led to Iran retaliating by firing a barrage of missiles directly at Israel earlier this week.

Iran’s direct assault on Israel has led to increased tensions in the region and an escalation of military operations in Lebanon by Israel.

The Houthi outlet reported that the rally was held to express anger toward the United States and Israel for their actions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

Al Masirah TV added that the airstrikes targeted the provinces of Hodeidah, Baidha, Dhamar, and the capital city of Sanaa.

President Joe Biden at a White House Press Briefing responded to a question about his statement the previous day, where he mentioned that the United States and Israel were “discussing” targeting Iranian oil facilities in response to Iran’s recent direct missile barrage on Israel. On Friday, Biden clarified that he believed Israel should explore alternative targets.

“Look, the Israelis have not concluded what they are going to do in terms of a strike,” Biden said at the press briefing. “That’s under discussion. I think if I were in their shoes, I would be thinking of other alternatives than striking oil fields.”

He added that “no administration has helped Israel more than [his] has” and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should “remember that.”

The U.S. airstrikes follow recent threats by the Houthis to escalate military operations against Israel. This comes days after they claimed responsibility for downing a U.S. military drone over Yemen and a week after asserting responsibility for an attack targeting U.S. ships in the Red Sea.

According to U.S. officials cited by The Associated Press, the Houthis recently fired ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drones at three U.S. ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, all of which were intercepted by Navy destroyers