Judge Merchan Faces Ethics Complaint after Kamala Re-Hired Daughter

Luis Cornelio
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Judge Merchan Faces Ethics Complaint after Kamala Re-Hired Daughter

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have re-hired the marketing company run by the daughter of Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, renewing scrutiny for the leftist judge.

On Friday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., filed an ethics complaint to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, calling out Loren Merchan’s renewed financial entanglements with the Harris campaign.  

According to Stefanik, the Harris campaign paid $468 to Authentic Campaigns shortly after the vice president inherited the campaign apparatus of President Joe Biden.

Merchan presides over the Manhattan criminal case against President Donald Trump, brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Loren’s financial ties to both Biden and Harris have drawn criticism over the integrity of the case, leading to growing calls for Judge Merchan’s immediate recusal.

 

The FEC report’s filing, which was not public until Aug. 20, showed a transaction for web hosting services, suggesting a potential contract between Harris and Authentic.  

Stefanik pointed out that Harris shifted her campaign’s web hosting from Amazon Web Services to Authentic. 

“As the FEC report’s filing did not occur until August 20, nearly a month after the Harris campaign and Authentic had begun doing business, no one in the public, including the Commission, could have known of the relationship,” Stanik wrote in the two-page letter. 

Stefanik argues that the new contract represents a conflict of interest that warrants a new investigation. The commission had previously rejected an earlier demand from Stefanik. 

“This is merely the beginning of a new contract with a new campaign, regardless of the amount reimbursed. Sure, there’s an immediate benefit, but this is a play at a potential larger benefit for Authentic and Merchan down the road,” Stefanik warned. 

During the 2020 Democratic primary, Harris’s campaign paid roughly $7 million to Authentic.

The concern is that Authentic could profit from the sentencing, as it has helped fundraise for Democrats in past criminal cases involving Trump. 

To Match Biden’s 532 Days Off, Many in U.S. Would Have to Work 48 Yrs

Luis Cornelio
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To Match Biden’s 532 Days Off, Many in U.S. Would Have to Work 48 Yrs

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Being the most powerful individual in the world isn’t as exhausting as it seems—just ask President Joe Biden.

Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2021, Biden has spent approximately 532 days on vacation—that is 40% of his time as president away from Washington. 

The average American would need to work roughly 48 years, assuming an average of 11 vacation days per year, to match the time off Biden has taken in less than four years, according to estimates by the Republican National Committee and the New York Post. 

Over the past three weeks, Biden has been secluded at a luxurious 8,000-acre estate in California and his multi-million-dollar vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. 

This staggering absence has ignited concerns about a potential power vacuum in the nation’s capital, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for the 2024 presidential election.

Mark Paoletta, a senior fellow at the Center for Renewing America and former Trump official, minced no words in response to Biden’s vacations.

“The image of Biden fast asleep and lying flat on his back in his chair at the beach while America and the world is on fire will define the Biden presidency,” Paoletta told the Post. 

“Inflation has been out of control; prices still way too high; our border overrun with millions of illegal aliens committing violent crimes on our citizens; the world in a perilous state; and all Biden wants to do is go on vacation and check out — for more than 530 days,” Paoletta added. 

Paoletta’s comments followed a post by RNC Research on X (formerly Twitter) featuring video footage of Biden sunbathing in Delaware with the beach as his backdrop. 

“Biden spent today — his 16th straight day on vacation — lounging on the beach,” the RNC Research noted. “He has spent a total of 532 days (40.3% of his presidency) on vacation. Who’s running the country?” 

Delaware and California are not the only destinations Biden has frequented. 

As reported by the Post, the commander-in-chief has also traveled to properties with a collective worth of $84 million, including St. Croix in the Caribbean, Kiawah Island in South Carolina, Lake Tahoe in California and Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.

DOJ Arrests Illegal Alien over ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot Targeting NYC

Luis Cornelio
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DOJ Arrests Illegal Alien over ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot Targeting NYC

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The DOJ foiled a terrorist plot by a would-be illegal alien targeting Jewish Americans in New York City, thwarting what could have been one of the deadliest attacks in recent U.S. history. 

Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national living in Canada, planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn on or around Oct. 7, marking one year since the Hamas attack on Israel. 

Khan, plotting on behalf of ISIS, hired a smuggler to help him cross into the U.S. illegally through the northern border, according to a criminal indictment.

The accused suspect was arrested on Wednesday just 12 miles from the U.S. and now faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray announced that the FBI led the investigation with the help of Canadian law enforcement.

“The defendant is alleged to have planned a terrorist attack in New York City around October 7th of this year with the stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” Garland said in a press statement.  

He added, “Thanks to the investigative work of the FBI, and the quick action of our Canadian law enforcement partners, the defendant was taken into custody.” 

The indictment alleges that Khan posted pro-ISIS content on social media in November 2023, and then began communicating with two undercover law enforcement agents about his intent to carry out the terror attack. During these conversations, Khan allegedly revealed that he received assistance from a U.S.-based associate. 

While the full role of the undercover agents is unclear, Khan allegedly instructed them to acquire AR-style rifles, ammunition and other supplies for the attack, according to the indictment. 

Khan identified Oct. 7 as the “best day for targeting” Jewish individuals because of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on southern Israel.

On that day, Hamas terrorists indiscriminately killed roughly 1,200 people. Several hundreds of individuals were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where some of them remain captive.

Elton John Praises Trump’s ‘Brilliant’ Use of ‘Little Rocket Man’ for Kim Jong Un

Luis Cornelio
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Elton John Praises Trump’s ‘Brilliant’ Use of ‘Little Rocket Man’ for Kim Jong Un

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Elton John had only nice things to say about President Donald Trump’s nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, “Little Rocket Man,” a reference to the 1972 song Rocket Man.

“I laughed, I thought that was brilliant. just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald,’” John told Variety this week. “Donald’s always been a fan of mine, and he’s been to my concerts many, many times.”

John continued, “I mean, I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh.” 

Trump gave Kim the nickname in 2017, first in a series of tweets and later during his United Nations address in September of that same year. 

Kim didn’t understand the nickname and was unfamiliar with Elton John, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed in his 2023 book, Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.

“Of course, he hasn’t heard of me, Kim Jong Un. I’d be very surprised if he had,” John said, laughing, according to Variety. “I’ve never toured North Korea, and I have no intention of doing so—but I thought it was a light moment, and it was fun.” 

In 2017, Trump used the nickname to mock Kim’s frequent missile tests, which many viewed as threats to South Korea and neighboring countries. The two later became friendly, with Trump becoming the first sitting U.S. president to step into North Korea in 2019.

According to Pompeo, Kim didn’t grasp what the “Little Rocket Man” moniker meant, prompting Trump to explain the song reference. Kim and his officials burst into laughter, with Kim reportedly saying, “Rocket man,’ OK. ‘Little,’ not OK.” 

Later in the interview, John claimed he usually avoids bringing politics into his concerts but appeared to take a subtle jab at Trump, regurgitating former Vice President Dick Cheney’s endorsement of Kamala Harris. 

“I just want people to vote for things that are just, things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the Supreme Court,” he said. 

In September 2022, President Joe Biden awarded John with the National Humanities Medal. 

Federal Government Claims 142,000 Jobs Were Added in August

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Federal Government Claims 142,000 Jobs Were Added in August

(Steve Wilson, The Center Square) According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 142,000 in August, but the nation’s unemployment rate remained at 4.2%.

According to the report, the jobs numbers were in line with average job growth in recent months, but lagged behind the average monthly gain of 202,000 new positions over the past year.

The release follows a bombshell last month when the BLS admitted it had been lying to the public by vastly overprojecting the number of job additions for the past year. The August projections are similarly likely to be revised downward when the actual data become available.

Democrats are hoping that overall job losses will encourage a larger rate cut from the Federal Reserve in September—possibly half a point—from some of the highest interest rates in decades.

That would give the U.S. economy a convenient jolt just ahead of the November election.

Yet, it must also navigate the precarious waters of a recession, which is defined by more than two quarters of negative growth in the gross-domestic product. Too many job losses in consecutive months would offer a strong indication that the weak economy was heading in that direction, particularly after recent antitrust investigations from the Justice Department last week sent stocks spiraling downward.

There are 7.1 million unemployed nationally, keeping the national labor force participation rate at 62.7% in August.

The report also says there were 5.6 million people in August that are “not in the labor force, but are seeking a job.” The bureau says these people were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the four weeks before the survey or were unavailable to take a job.

The jobless rate is higher than last year, when it was at 3.8% and the number of unemployed then was at 6.3 million.

According to the surveys of 60,000 households and 119,000 businesses and government agencies by the bureau, the majority of job gains were in the construction and health care sectors.

The construction sector gained 34,000 jobs in August, nearly 79% higher than the average monthly gain of 19,000 in the last 12 months.

Even though the health care sector added 31,000 jobs in August, that was a reduction of nearly half of the 12-month average of 60,000. The biggest gain was in ambulatory health care services, which grew by 24,000 jobs.

The manufacturing sector shrunk by 24,000 jobs in August, with growth remaining static for the past 12 months.

Among worker groups, the rates were little changed in August. Adult men had an unemployment rate of 4%, trailing adult women (3.7%). Teenage unemployment was at 14.1% and showed little movement.

Among ethnic groups, whites had the lowest unemployment at 3.8%, followed by Asians (4.1%), Hispanics (5.5%) and blacks (6.1%).

Also showing little change from July to August was the number of people (4.8 million) who seek full-time employment, but are working part-time. That number was 600,000 higher than the same time last year.

Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.

Biden-Harris Cuban Visa Program Endangers National Security, Senators Argue

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Biden-Harris Cuban Visa Program Endangers National Security, Senators Argue

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – U.S. senators are demanding answers about another visa program expanding entry to Cuban nationals they argue “further endangers our national security.” They sounded the alarm after a Cuban American congressman said nearly 115 Cuban regime agents are illegally living in south Florida.

Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to explain why a nonimmigrant visa (NIV) program was expanded through the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. The NIV “does not serve America’s interests,” they said. “It only benefits Cuba’s cruel, adversarial regime – a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT) – and further endangers our national security.”

Because the State Department has designated Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria as SSOT, they also asked if it was granting NIVs to citizens from all SSOT countries.

They expressed concerns that NIVs weren’t being properly vetted, saying “it will be nearly impossible to provide proper vetting” because of the “regime’s lack of transparency and our inadequate insight into the island.”

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-FL, uncovered that federal agency “vetting” involved relying on the SSOT to provide information about its citizens prior to entry, a process he said was “insane” and planned to change, The Center Square reported.

Because releasing citizens of SSOT into the U.S. cannot benefit Americans, Rubio’s delegation argues, the only possible explanation is that “this is yet another case of the Biden-Harris Administration’s appeasement of the regime.”

They also expressed alarm about former high-ranking Cuban officials and security forces “complicit in human rights abuses” being allowed into the country and about the administration lifting Cuba’s designation as a “not fully cooperating” country on counterterrorism efforts despite it still being designated as a SSOT.

“The only reasonable motivation for removing this designation would be to mollify the regime that continues to harbor terrorists and U.S. fugitives and support militant groups in the region,” they said.

Meanwhile, Gimenez most recently announced that “nearly 115 Castro regime agents are already living in the United States,” including “high-ranking Communist Party officials, judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement.”

Biden-Harris parole programs are allowing “these agents to commit fraud against the United States and enter into our communities,” he said in a newsletter to constituents. He also said “Castro agents” illegally living in the U.S. were committing immigration fraud.

The Republican lawmakers’ warnings come after a former Department of State employee who served on the National Security Council and as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia pleaded guilty to secretly acting for decades as an agent of the Cuban regime and after Gimenez and others raised the alarm about Chinese spies operating in Cuba.

The Rubio delegation also reiterated concerns Gimenez has expressed about why the administration has invited Cuban foreign agents to tour high-level government facilities, which they argue poses a national security threat.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has also called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to stop the agency’s “continued support of Cuba’s communist interests” by reversing previous banking prohibitions. Scott has led another delegation calling on the administration to deny visas “to evil dictators from Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.”

“Rather than compelling the Cuban dictatorship to end its human rights abuses and bring democracy to the island, the Biden-Harris Administration has only looked for opportunities to pacify the regime and mend diplomatic relations,” the Rubio delegation said to Blinken.

The visa expansion is part of an outworking of President Joe Biden’s support of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection formalized in 2022, The Center Square reported. It’s also an outworking of Biden’s stated goal to facilitate more foreign nationals coming to the U.S. at a North American Summit in Washington, D.C. in 2021.

By September 2022, the State Department announced it was expanding visa services to Cubans “to facilitate safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration,” expanding “regular pathways available to Cubans wishing to come to the United States,” and expanding a family unification parole program. It also increased personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana and by early 2023 resumed “full immigrant visa processing for the first time since 2017.”

Through the U.S.-Cuba Migration Accords, the State Department pledged to “ensure that total legal migration to the United States from Cuba will be a minimum of 20,000 Cubans” per year.

This is in addition to 109,000 Cubans released into the U.S. through a CHNV parole program created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Cubans are also among the top nationalities released into the U.S. through a CBP One mobile app, with all nationalities combined, they total more than 765,000.

These programs are illegal, attorneys general, including Moody, who sued to stop them, and Republican members of Congress, argue.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, CBP and Border Patrol agents apprehended 660,764 Cuban illegal border crossers from fiscal 2021 through the end of July, according to federal data. The majority were not deported. U.S. Coast Guard crews have apprehended and repatriated thousands of Cubans, The Center Square has reported.

Police Union Endorses Trump

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Police Union Endorses Trump

(Headline USA) President Donald Trump accepted a key endorsement from one of the nation’s most influential law enforcement unions on Friday.

The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump as a law-and-order candidate.

President Trump emphasized the corruption of the U.S. election system and the rigged nature of the 2020 election.

He also promised to crack down on Marxist prosecutors and spoken of his recent victories in the judicial system.

“Big news today is the Manhattan D.A. witch hunt against me has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was no case — because I did nothing wrong,” Trump said.

Patrick Yoes, the FOP’s national president, said Trump had tamped down the “defund the police” movement and supported law enforcement in the summer of 2020 during nationwide protests against police brutality after the murder of George Floyd.

“During his time in the White House, we had a partner and a leader,” Yoes said. “We have your back.”

President Trump also attacked Harris’s record on crime in front of the law enforcement officers.

“American cities, suburbs and towns are totally under siege. Kamala Harris and the communist left have unleashed a brutal plague of bloodshed, crime, chaos, misery and death upon their land,” Trump said, adding that police are “not allowed to do your jobs.”

Trump pledged unyielding support for police: “We have to get back to power and respect.”

President Trump also informed the officers that they could help with voter fraud.

“I hope you as the greatest people … watch for voter fraud,” he said. “I hope you can watch and you’re all over the place. Watch for the voter fraud. Because we win. Without voter fraud, we win so easily. Hopefully, we’re going to win anyway. But we want to keep it down. You can keep it down just by watching. Because believe it or not, they’re afraid of that badge. They’re afraid of you people.”

The FOP joins other police groups that have already lined up behind Trump, including the National Association of Police Organizations and International Union of Police Associations.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

1.5 Million Dodge Ram Trucks Recalled Due to Brake Issues

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1.5 Million Dodge Ram Trucks Recalled Due to Brake Issues

(Headline USA) Stellantis is recalling nearly 1.5 million Ram pickup trucks worldwide.

The recall is to fix a software problem that can disable the electronic stability control system.

The recall covers certain trucks from the 2019 and 2021 through 2024 model years, mostly in North America.

Stellantis said in a statement Saturday that the trucks may have anti-lock brake software that could inadvertently shut down the stability control, which manages the throttle and brakes to avoid skidding.

If that happens, the company said the brakes would still work.

Stellantis said it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries from the problem.

U.S. safety standards require electronic stability control to work during nearly all phases of driving, the company says.

Dealers will update software to fix the problem at no cost to owners, who will be notified by letters starting Oct. 3.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Biden Won’t Pardon Hunter to Make Trump Witch Hunts Look Good

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Biden Won’t Pardon Hunter to Make Trump Witch Hunts Look Good

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Joe Biden will not pardon his son, Hunter Biden, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who made her statement on Sept. 5, 2024, during her regular afternoon briefing.

The news came right before the crucial 2024 election, which could mean that the reason why Joe decided not to pardon his son was that the regime wanted to indicate that witch hunts on Donald Trump were not examples of political persecution since even Hunter is “not above the law,” as some leftist propagandists like to say.

There is also a theory that Hunter would be pardoned after the election by either his father or Harris if Joe leaves the White House before the end of his term.

The Post Millennial wrote that a reporter asked Jean-Pierre if Hunter’s changing his plea had any influence on the “calculus” of Biden’s decision. Jean-Pierre responded that Joe doesn’t intend to pardon Hunter.

“It’s still no,” Jean-Pierre said about Joe pardoning Hunter.

She also said she didn’t “have anything to say” about whether Hunter’s predicament contributed to Joe’s decision not to seek a second term as president.

The news source reported that on Sept. 5, 2024, Hunter pleaded guilty to nine tax evasion charges, three of which were felonies, in a Los Angeles court.

In pleading guilty on Hunter’s behalf, his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said he decided to save his family from more grief and finally end the trial.

“Your honor has basically indicated that there’s a need to address the public interest, but Mr. Biden also has to address the private interest. This has been a difficult time for him and his family. Enough is enough,” Lowell said.

Biden’s lawyers had wanted to enter an “Alford plea,” in which Hunter would have pleaded guilty while maintaining his innocence. However, they agreed to drop that course of action after meeting with prosecutors.

Harris-Walz Campaign Claimed It Doesn’t Take Money from Lobbyists; Public Records Say Otherwise

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Harris-Walz Campaign Claimed It Doesn’t Take Money from Lobbyists; Public Records Say Otherwise

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Harris–Walz campaign has reportedly said it rejects money from lobbyists, even though campaign finance records show otherwise.

The Daily Caller’s analysis of Federal Election Commission records showed that dozens of lobbyists have contributed to the Harris-Walz campaign since the leftist regime replaced Joe Biden with Harris on July 21, 2024.

The cash from lobbyists came after the New York Times and Politico released their propaganda articles about Harris continuing Biden’s policy of not accepting direct contributions from individual lobbyists.

Among the lobbyists who bribed the Harris-Walz campaign with money were tobacco and vaping giant Altria, a marijuana interest group, Apple, the Dow Chemical Company and a bio-fuel trade group, among many others.

The Washington Examiner reported that Harris has a history of pledging not to accept bribes from lobbyists but still doing it anyway. During her 2020 presidential campaign, she took over $100,000 from lobbyists at firms such as DLA Piper, Venable, DCG and others, breaking her promise.

“Our campaign is not taking a dime from corporate PACs or lobbyists — and that was a very deliberate choice. Yes, it means we are leaving money on the table. But that’s ok with me,” Harris wrote in a February 2019 email to her supporters.

Even though FEC records indicate that the Harris campaign isn’t holding to its current promise to avoid donations from lobbyists, it doesn’t mean anything because the pledge doesn’t prevent lobbyists from giving her money since the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which can spend money to support Harris’s run for the White House, is not prohibited from accepting donations from lobbyists.

The Harris-Walz campaign is aware of this loophole, sending Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, to a lobbyist-heavy fundraising event hosted by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-Va., last week. The Caller reported that the invites to the event, which ultimately raised $1.2 million, stated that the Harris campaign-Walz does not accept donations from lobbyists but that the DNC does.

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