Corruption Trial Begins for Sen. Bob Menendez, Two Alleged Co-Conspirators

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Corruption Trial Begins for Sen. Bob Menendez, Two Alleged Co-Conspirators

(Headline USA) Jury selection was scheduled to start Monday in the trial of Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat charged with accepting bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to deliver favors that would aid three New Jersey businessmen.

Menendez, 70, will stand trial in Manhattan federal court along with two of the businessmen—real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana.

All three have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The senator’s wife is also charged, but her trial is delayed until at least July. Prior speculation centered on whether the longtime senator might through his wife under the bus, claiming she was the one arranging the improper payments and he had no knowledge of them.

Opening statements were possible, but unlikely, before Tuesday for a trial that has already sent the senator’s political stature tumbling. After charges were announced in September, he was forced out of his powerful post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The three-term senator has announced he will not be seeking reelection on the Democratic ticket this fall, although he has not ruled out running as an independent.

It will be the second corruption trial for Menendez this decade. The previous prosecution on unrelated charges ended with a deadlocked jury in 2017.

In the new case, prosecutors say the senator’s efforts on behalf of the businessmen led him to take actions benefitting the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez has vigorously denied doing anything unusual in his dealings with foreign officials.

Besides charges including bribery, extortion, fraud and obstruction of justice, Menendez also is charged with acting as a foreign agent of Egypt.

Among evidence his lawyers will have to explain are gold bars worth over $100,000 and more than $486,000 in cash found in a raid two years ago on his New Jersey home, including money stuffed in the pockets of clothing in closets.

The Democrat’s wife, Nadine Menendez, was also charged in the case, but her trial has been postponed for health reasons. She is still expected to be a major figure. Prosecutors say that Nadine Menendez often served as a conduit between the men paying the bribes and Menendez.

The senator’s lawyers in court papers have said they plan to explain that Menendez had no knowledge of some of what occurred because she kept him in the dark.

According to an indictment, Daibes delivered gold bars and cash to Menendez and his wife to get the senator’s help with a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund, prompting Menendez to act in ways favorable to Qatar’s government.

The indictment also said Menendez did things benefitting Egyptian officials in exchange for bribes from Hana as the businessman secured a valuable deal with the Egyptian government to certify that imported meat met Islamic dietary requirements.

In pleading guilty several weeks ago, businessman Jose Uribe admitted buying Menendez’s wife a Mercedes–Benz to get the senator’s help to influence criminal investigations involving his business associates.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Beloved Actor w/ Highly Punchable Face Is Victim of NYC ‘Knockout Game’

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Beloved Actor w/ Highly Punchable Face Is Victim of NYC ‘Knockout Game’

(Headline USA) From Reservoir Dogs’s Mr. Pink to The Big Lebowski‘s Donny, actor Steve Buscemi moved from journeyman to Hollywood A-lister by developing a brand for playing weird, off-beat and slightly unlikeable, if mostly well-meaning, characters.

He can thank his distinctive mug for helping him rise to the top of Tinsel Town’s list for most in-demand antiheroes.

But while many movie fans may have thought about punching him at one time or another, one New Yorker acted on those impulses—in what may have simply been a random crime as the city continues to deal with the lawlessness enabled by Manhattan District Attorney “Fat Alvin” Bragg’s fixation with playing partisan politics instead of doing his job.

Buscemi is OK after he was punched in the face by a man on a New York City street, his publicist said Sunday.

The 66-year-old star of Fargo and Boardwalk Empire was assaulted late Wednesday morning in Manhattan and taken to a nearby hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye.

“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” according to a statement Sunday from his publicist. “He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”

The assault was first reported by the New York Post.

The New York Police Department put out a nameless statement on the assault Wednesday. Buscemi’s representative confirmed Sunday that the unidentified assault victim in the police statement was the actor.

The police department said there were no arrests and the investigation was continuing.

Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park on March 31. Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was taken into custody outside the park.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Biden, Who Jails Pro-Life Moms, Attacks Trump w/ Deranged Mother’s Day Ad

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Biden, Who Jails Pro-Life Moms, Attacks Trump w/ Deranged Mother’s Day Ad

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Trump campaign has issued a strong rebuttal to a partisan ad released by President Joe Biden’s campaign, which exploits Mother’s Day to level criticisms against the former president. 

“What a sad, miserable, cowardly existence Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign must have to make such a disgusting ad on such a joyous day,” the Trump team expressed in remarks to Fox News. 

Expanding on their stance, the campaign added, “Their lives are obviously filled with anger, hate, and resentment because they clearly suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome.” 

The controversial ad in question portrays Trump as anti-mother.

In a press release, the Biden campaign wished “Happy Mother’s Day,” while asking “Americans to do the moms in their lives a favor. Stop Trump.”

The infamous ad manipulates some of Trump’s comments on illegal immigration and abortion. 

Claiming, “This is how Trump treats mothers,” the ad depicts what seems to be U.S. border patrol agents apprehending a woman, followed by scenes of women in distress. 

However, the ad conveniently omits mothers who lost their children to criminal acts carried out by illegal aliens, like Allyson Phillips, mother of nursing student Laken Riley, allegedly murdered by an illegal alien paroled into the U.S. by the Biden administration.

The ad also makes no mention of the mothers who are raped by smugglers and the carters in control of the weakly protected southern border. 

Additionally, the ad misrepresents Trump’s remarks on potential abortion punishments and his support for overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Yet the Biden ad ignores pro-life mothers viciously prosecuted for peacefully protesting abortion. 

Last year, the Biden-led DOJ indicted Paula “Paulette” Harlow, a 75-year-old woman, for singing hymns and offering support to women in protest of a D.C. abortion clinic. 

“Don’t be afraid. It’s never too late to change your mind,” Harlow pleaded to abortion seekers in a video of the protest. “Please don’t be afraid, we’ll help you in any way we can.”

Harlow faced charges under federal conspiracy and the FACE Act, receiving nearly a year in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines for her peaceful protest.

“Congrats to the DOJ for protecting our nation from prayerful grandmas who oppose the murder of unborn life,” remarked Annabelle Rutledge, a Concerned Women for America member in an interview with Fox News.

Notably, the Biden campaign omitted any mention of Harlow in their Mother’s Day ad.

Two Zelenskyy Ministers Sacked Following Multi-Million Dollar Corruption Scandal

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Two Zelenskyy Ministers Sacked Following Multi-Million Dollar Corruption Scandal

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Ukrainian parliament has expelled two ministers in the wake of criminal charges stemming from an alleged multi-million-dollar scheme to illegally acquire public land. 

The ousted officials are Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi and, unrelated to the charges, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. 

Solskyi came under fire last month when anti-corruption prosecutors exposed his alleged role in obtaining government-owned land through falsified records and illicit payments. 

The charges assert his involvement in a scheme totaling $7,331,093 (291 million hryvnias), with additional attempts to seize an extra $4,786,624 (190 million hryvnias) worth of land. 

As reported by Politico, Solskyi tendered his resignation last month, which the parliament accepted on Thursday. 

Kubrakov, while not implicated in the charges, was nevertheless removed from office. 

“I am always ready for an open dialogue and a detailed report on the work of the Ministry in all areas of my responsibility,” Kubrakov declared in a Facebook post, according to Politico. 

He further affirmed that he had not discussed his resignation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political party or Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the same post. 

Ukraine operates under a parliamentary-presidential unitary system of government, meaning that Zelenskyy’s ministers are also elected officials. 

Zelenskyy’s press office did not immediately respond to Headline USA’s request for comment regarding his government’s resignations.

In March, Zelenskyy hinted at an impending government reshuffle, likely in response to concerns from world leaders increasingly wary about supporting his administration as it battles Russia. 

In the U.S., several Republicans oppose funding Ukraine due to the lack of a clear winning strategy and ongoing corruption concerns.

CNN Anchor Finally Admits: Trump’s Manhattan Trial ‘Politically Motivated’

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CNN Anchor Finally Admits: Trump’s Manhattan Trial ‘Politically Motivated’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria asserted on Sunday that the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump was propelled solely by the president’s name—a sentiment long echoed by Republicans. 

Zakaria made these remarks during his CNN show Fareed Zakaria: GPS while assessing the nation’s future amid the upcoming 2024 presidential election. 

He noted that the trials against Trump have sparked fury within the Republican base, garnering sympathy for the president due to the perception that the prosecuting attorneys “are politically motivated.”

Tellingly, Zakaria then conceded, “This happens to be true, in my opinion. I doubt the New York indictment would have been brought against a defendant whose name was not Donald Trump.”

During the segment, Zakaria also highlighted a CNN poll indicating that a majority of Americans doubted Trump would receive a fair trial. 

This sentiment isn’t surprising, given that all of Trump’s legal charges are spearheaded by Democratic prosecutors (or those appointed by Democrats, such as Special Counsel Jack Smith).  

The only trial Trump is likely to face before the 2024 election is that of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a far-left Democrat who campaigned on the promise to indict Trump in 2021.

Furthermore, Zakaria’s assessment coincided with his discussion on the mounting scandals confronting President Joe Biden’s re-election bid. 

Despite the ongoing dubious charges, the Republican base has overwhelmingly rallied behind Trump, potentially paving the way for his return to the White House—an observation Zakaria emphasized.

“Whatever opposition he faced in the primaries has largely melted away,” he said, referring to Trump.

Zakaria also pointed out that Biden faces competition from third-party candidates who align closely with Democratic policies. 

“I haven’t even mentioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornell West and Jill Stein—all of whom would probably take votes away from Biden,” he added.

Sen. Lee Blasts Biden: Withholding Terrorists’ Location from Israel Is ‘Extortion’

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Sen. Lee Blasts Biden: Withholding Terrorists’ Location from Israel Is ‘Extortion’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has accused President Joe Biden of engaging in extortion against Israel by withholding intelligence on the whereabouts of Hamas leaders unless the Jewish state refrains from invading Rafah, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.

Lee made these remarks during an interview on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with host Maria Bartiromo. The alleged offer was first reported by The Washington Post.

Bartiromo, after paraphrasing The Post, exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? In other words, the U.S. knows where the terrorists are. They’re not going to share the information with Israel unless Israel doesn’t go into Rafah?”

Concurring with Bartiromo, Lee did not hold back in his response. “The story is outrageous,” he said. “The facts underlying it are tragic. This is extortion.”

Expanding on his critique, Lee continued, “We’re saying, ‘We can help you locate your victims who have been kept under just horrible, horrific conditions, the worst anyone can imagine. We will share that information with you if and only if you choose not to defend yourselves.’”

The Post’s report cited four individuals “familiar” with the offers made by the Biden administration. In addition to the intelligence, Biden also promised shelters for Israel to construct tent cities and assistance with the delivery of food, water and medicine, the outlet claimed. 

This offer comes as Israel prepares to target Hamas terrorists in Rafah, the southern part of Gaza, where most Palestinians fled after the Gaza government invaded Israel on Oct. 7.

In response, the Israeli military has launched an forceful military operation to rescue hostages taken by Hamas. 

However, Biden is desperately attempting to block Israel from entering Rafah, likely fearing it could be politically damaging for his re-election campaign. 

Biden’s actions against Israel have been so extreme that he even blocked the shipment of military weapons, an act that many suggest could constitute an impeachable offense by Democratic standards, similar to their claims during the 2019 impeachment of then-President Donald Trump. 

Despite the pressure campaign from Biden against Israel, the war was instigated by Hamas following their brutal onslaught against civilians on Oct. 7, a fact underscored by Lee.

“We are revictimizing the victim nation here,” he said, alluding to Israel. “This is terrible. And, again, yet another reason why Joe Biden is unfit for office, and Americans need to elect Donald Trump.” 

Bill Maher Exposes Stormy Daniels’s Contradictory Testimony in Trump Trial

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Bill Maher Exposes Stormy Daniels’s Contradictory Testimony in Trump Trial

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Real Time host Bill Maher has spotlighted former porn star Stormy Daniels’s statements from 2018, which directly contradict her recent testimony in the Manhattan criminal trial involving former President Donald Trump. 

During Friday’s episode of his HBO show, Maher labeled Daniels a “bad witness” for dismissing her previous claim that her alleged brief affair with Trump wasn’t linked to the #MeToo Movement. 

“You say it’s not a MeToo case,” Maher reminded Daniels during the 2018 interview. 

“It is not a MeToo case,” Daniels concurred, adding, “I mean, I wasn’t assaulted. I wasn’t attacked or raped or coerced or blackmailed.”

In the same interview, Daniels appeared to criticize the MeToo movement, alleging that they attempted to “shove her” into furthering their agenda. 

“First of all, I didn’t want any part of that because it is not the truth and I’m not a victim in that regard,” she asserted. 

Despite these earlier assurances, Daniels has now changed her stance, six years later and 18 years after her alleged encounter with Trump, which remains unproven. 

“That’s not what she’s saying now,” Maher pointed out on Friday, replaying the 2018 interview. “She was talking about, ‘He was bigger and blocking the way.’ It’s all the MeToo buzzwords. She said, ‘There was a power imbalance of power, for source.’” 

Echoing Daniels’s recent claims, Maher noted that she recounted her hands “were shaking” and that she “blacked out.” 

A seemingly skeptical Maher questioned, “‘Blacked out?’ She’s a porn star.” 

Daniels first gained national recognition in 2018 when she, alongside her then-attorney Michael Avenatti, alleged that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about her anti-Trump claims. 

Notably, Avenatti has since disputed some of Daniels’ assertions from that time. He is currently serving federal time for, among other charges, embezzling funds from his clients, including Daniels.

The $130,000 payment lies at the center of a criminal trial in Manhattan led by the leftist District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Bragg – a former federal prosecutor who campaigned on the promise to indict Trump if elected in 2021 – alleges that Trump ordered the payment and falsified business records to do so.

Bragg is pursuing these charges based on a widely criticized legal theory that his predecessor refused to pursue. Similarly, federal prosecutors also declined to bring charges against Trump.

The former president vehemently denies these allegations and has criticized Bragg as part of a broader legal campaign aimed at preventing his potential return to the White House in 2024.

Cop Ambushed and Murdered in Ohio

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Cop Ambushed and Murdered in Ohio

(Headline USA) An Ohio police officer was shot and killed after being ambushed while answering a disturbance call over the weekend, and a suspect was being sought, authorities said Sunday.

Police in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid said officers were dispatched just before 10 p.m. Saturday to a home after a reported disturbance.

“While police were investigating, a gunman ambushed an officer, striking him with gunfire,” police said. The officer was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries, police said. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in a search for the person responsible, authorities said. WKYC-TV reported that residents who live on the street reported hearing about a dozen gunshots.

Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, identified the slain officer as Jacob Derbin and said he was in his first year with the department.

Yost vowed that the person responsible “will be found and will receive the full measure of justice.” Yost’s office posted photos online of the 24-year-old suspect and the vehicle being sought.

“It is a cruel irony that a mother lost her son on Mother’s Day, and that this murder happened just as we prepare to solemnize our fallen during Police Memorial Week,” Yost said in a statement. “My heart burns with anger at this injustice, for the family of this young officer and the Euclid Police Department.”

Euclid police asked in a statement early Sunday that people “keep the fallen officer, his family, loved ones, and our agency in your thoughts and prayers.”

“He was an amazing human being. Just a great heart. Had an incredible smile. The world’s a better place with him in it,” said Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer, WJW-TV reported.

Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said in a statement Sunday that “we find ourselves grappling with a profound sense of sorrow and disbelief.” The mayor called on the community “to come together in solidarity and support, not only to honor a hero who selflessly served and protected us but also to offer strength to one another in this time of grief.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Senators from 17 States Want Postal Service to Pause 10-year Plan to Save $160B

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Senators from 17 States Want Postal Service to Pause 10-year Plan to Save $160B

(Joe Mueller, The Center Square) – A bipartisan group of 26 U.S. senators from 17 states are urging leaders of the U.S. Postal Service to delay execution of its strategic plan.

“We call on you to pause planned changes to the U.S. Postal Service’s processing and delivery network under the ‘Delivering for America’ plan, until you request and receive a comprehensive Advisory Opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission to fully study the potential impacts of these changes,” according to a letter signed by the Senators and addressed to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the Board of Governors.

Democratic Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen signed the letter and highlighted ongoing demands to change the plan, made along with U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev. They highlighted planned changes to a facility in Reno, which will be downsized from a regional hub to a local center and its regional operations moved to Sacramento, Calif.

“We call on USPS to pause all changes, pending a full study of this plan by its regulator,” the letter stated. “While USPS claims these changes overall will improve service while reducing costs, there is evidence to the contrary in locations where USPS has implemented changes so far. USPS must stop implementation, restore service in those areas where changes were implemented, and fully understand the nationwide effects of its plan on service and communities.”

“Delivering For America,” a 60-page, 10-year plan published by USPS, states the organization is optimizing mail and packaging processing capabilities as it lost $87 billion during the last 14 years.

“The Plan’s strategic initiatives are designed to reverse a projected $160 billion in losses over the next ten years by achieving break-even operating performance,” according to the publication.

Changes in how people use the Postal Service resulted in costly inefficiencies, according to the plan.

“Our processing network was originally designed to meet the demands of a robust, and ever-growing mail market,” the plan stated. “Similarly, our facilities were located geographically and set up operationally to facilitate the timely and efficient processing of mail. As mail volume has decreased, our machines and facilities have been left under-utilized, leaving us with a physical network infrastructure that does not correspond to the current and projected needs of our customers.”

In addition to the senators from Nevada, senators from Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming also signed the letter. It highlighted problems associated with moving mail processing away from local communities and reductions in transporting mail, leaving mail sitting overnight in local offices.

“We are concerned about the impacts these changes have had so far, and the potential impacts that further changes could have,” the senators wrote. “In regions where USPS has implemented significant changes, on-time mail delivery has declined. In addition, it is not clear these changes will improve efficiency or costs. Despite these concerns, USPS has moved forward with announcing and approving additional facility changes across the country.”

Northern Border Apprehensions Highest in US History First 6 Months of Fiscal ’24

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Northern Border Apprehensions Highest in US History First 6 Months of Fiscal ’24

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – Despite being stretched thin and understaffed, Border Patrol agents at the northern border continue to apprehend a record number of illegal border crossers.

In the busiest northern border sector of Swanton, Border Patrol agents made history by apprehending the greatest number of illegal border crossers in sector history of 1,109 in March, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. While the numbers are significantly lower than those apprehended at the southwest border, they are out of the ordinary for the northern border and its busiest sector. By comparison, agents apprehended 37 illegal border crossers in March 2021.

Those they apprehended in March 2024 came from 40 countries. The top three nationalities of those apprehended were India, Bangladesh and Mexico, Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said.

In one week, from April 28 to May 4, agents apprehended 492 illegal border crossers, more than the total apprehensions for all of fiscal 2021 of 365, Garcia said.

In the previous week, Champlain Border Patrol agents apprehended 220 illegal border crossers, “the highest number ever encountered in a single week in Swanton Sector history,” Garcia said.

Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents are breaking records every month, apprehending double or triple the number of people they apprehended in the same month in previous years. The CBP fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

In October 2023, Swanton Sector agents apprehended 1,075 illegal border crossers, up from 334 in October 2022, 43 in October 2021, and 25 in October 2020.

The Swanton Sector spans 295 miles of international boundary with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, of which 203 miles is on land. The remaining 92 miles of border fall primarily along the St. Lawrence River. The sector is the first international land boundary east of the Great Lakes.

The sector includes all of Vermont, six upstate New York counties and three New Hampshire counties.

In fiscal 2023, Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents broke previous records by apprehending the greatest number of illegal border crossers in sector history of more than 6,700 foreign nationals from 76 countries, The Center Square exclusively reported. Those who evaded capture, known as gotaways, totaled at least 3,745, more than half of the apprehensions, according to data obtained by The Center Square.

Garcia has long praised the relationship Border Patrol agents have with local residents. He says residents have been instrumental in identifying suspicious activity that has led to apprehensions.

In the first six months of fiscal 2024, Border Patrol agents working in all sectors along the northern border apprehended 91,408 illegal border crossers – the greatest number in U.S. history for that time period, The Center Square first reported.

This is after in the first quarter of fiscal 2024, the greatest number of illegal border crossers were apprehended at the northern border, more than 60,600, the most ever for that time period in U.S. history, The Center Square first reported.

By comparison, in fiscal 2021, 27,180 illegal crossers were apprehended at the northern border. After Biden administration policies were implemented, that number increased dramatically to 109,535 in fiscal 2022, and to 189,402 in fiscal 2023. Fiscal 2024 numbers are on track to surpass those numbers.

The U.S.-Canada border is the longest international border in the world of 5,525 miles. Unlike the U.S.-Mexico border, there are no border walls or similar barriers separating the U.S. from Canada and most of the northern border is unmanned and unpatrolled.

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