Report: Unfunded Cost of Retirement Benefits Reaches $1.14 Trillion

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Report: Unfunded Cost of Retirement Benefits Reaches $1.14 Trillion

(Tom Gantert, The Center Square) – New Jersey, California, New York, Texas and Illinois face a hundred billion plus deficit when it comes to paying for the benefits other than pensions promised to state retirees.

The State of New Jersey’s unfunded liability for post-retirement benefits other than pensions in state health care plans reached $174.9 billion in 2022. That was the highest in the country, according to a report by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The report stated the nationwide costs of state-sponsored post-retirement benefits reached $1.14 trillion in 2022.

California ($140.2 billion), New York ($133.2 billion), Texas ($120.2 billion) and Illinois ($103.1 billion) rounded out the top five states with the highest liabilities.

Other Post-Employment Benefits are referred to as OPEB by actuaries and includes costs such as retiree health care, life insurance, Medicare Supplement Insurance and deferred compensation.

Nebraska and South Dakota didn’t have any unfunded liabilities.

Hawaii had the highest per-capita cost of unfunded liabilities at $19,933. Hawaii’s overall unfunded OPEB liability was $28.2 billion, ranking it 11th highest in the U.S.

The American Legislative Exchange Council report commented on the high cost of retirement.

“Maintaining the status quo for other post-employment benefit plans is no longer a viable option,” the report concluded.

“By ignoring the problem, state policymakers are putting promised benefits in jeopardy and saddling taxpayers with hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a free-market nonprofit that advocates for reducing the costs of government.

The report included model legislation for legislators about how they could pass laws to lower the cost of providing OPEB benefits. One option offered by the report is to have private sector funding of public-sector retiree benefits.

Seattle to Spend $1.8M on All-Gender Waterfront Bathroom Facility

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Seattle to Spend $1.8M on All-Gender Waterfront Bathroom Facility

(Spencer Pauley, The Center Square) – The City of Seattle will spend $1.8 million to construct an all-gender bathroom facility near the waterfront.

The facility will consist of six individual all-gender stalls including an accessible stall. The breakdown of the $1.8 million bathroom facility sees $300,000 for each all-gender bathroom stall.

Waterfront Seattle told The Center Square in an email that the $1.8 million being awarded to Bayley Construction is funded by a mix of Local Improvement District bonds and other city funding, as well as philanthropic donations.

Funds stem from the Seattle Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. Construction is planned to begin in spring 2024 and take approximately nine months to complete.

In a statement, Angela Brady, director of the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects, explained the city’s waterfront park.

“[The park] will attract many thousands of visitors from around the world,” and the six-stall bathroom facility will ensure “public spaces provide appropriate and accessible amenities for all that come to the waterfront,” she said.

The restroom will be situated adjacent to the Pier 58 park that is currently under construction. Pier 58 is the city’s response to the collapse of the original Waterfront Park in September 2020.

When the restroom facility is completed, it will be staffed part-time from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The restroom will be cleaned and maintained daily and locked outside of operating hours.

The restrooms are expected to be open to the public in early 2025.

Jimmy Van Eaton, an Early Rock ‘n’ Roll Drummer, Dies at 86

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Jimmy Van Eaton, an Early Rock ‘n’ Roll Drummer, Dies at 86

(Headline USA) J.M. “Jimmy” Van Eaton, a pioneering rock ‘n’ roll drummer who played behind the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Lee Riley at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, died Friday at age 86, a family member said.

Van Eaton, a Memphis native who came to the famous record label as a teenager, died at his home in Alabama after dealing with health issues over the last year, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported, with a daughter, Terri Van Eaton Downing, confirming his death.

Van Eaton was known for his bluesy playing style that the newspaper said powered classic early-rock hits at Sun like “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Lewis and “Red Hot” by Riley. He also played with Bill Justis and Charlie Rich.

James Mack Van Eaton initially began playing trumpet in a school band, but he soon moved to drums, saying in a 2015 interview that “it was an instrument that intrigued me.”

Van Eaton had his own rock ‘n’ roll band called The Echoes that would record a demo at the recording studio operated by Sam Phillips. His work there led him to connect with Riley and later Lewis.

“The hardest man to play with in the world was Jerry Lee. I told every musician to stay out of this man’s way,” Phillips told The Commercial Appeal in 2000. “The one exception was JM Van Eaton.”

Van Eaton became a core of musicians that performed at Sun through the 1950s, the newspaper reported.

Van Eaton drifted away from the music business in the 1960s, but he resumed performing by the 1970s, particularly as interest in rockabilly grew following the death of Elvis Presley.

By the early 1980s, Van Eaton began four decades of working in the municipal bond business. But he also was part of the team that played the music for the film “Great Balls of Fire,” about Lewis, and he put out a solo album in the late 1990s. He was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Memphis Music Hall of Fame. He moved from Tennessee to Alabama a few years ago.

Other survivors of Van Eaton include another daughter, two sons and a stepson. His former wife, Deborah, said that private services will be held in the coming week, the newspaper said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Biden Wanted Garland to Rig Hur Report; AG Likely to be Ousted After 2024

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Biden Wanted Garland to Rig Hur Report; AG Likely to be Ousted After 2024

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A Friday report unveiled yet another instance of apparent hypocrisy in President Joe Biden’s weaponization of the DOJ, triggered directly from the president’s mishandling of classified documents.

According to Politico, Biden is frustrated with Attorney General Merrick Garland—the supposed independent cabinet member appointee—for not sufficiently shielding him from the damning report issued by Special Counsel Robert Hur, where the president’s mental acuity was questioned.

While Hur mentioned that Biden “willfully” retained classified documents, he declined to recommend charges, citing the president’s age and failure to remember key details properly—factors necessary to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.

Politico reported that Biden and his allies claim Hur’s assessment was inappropriate and are now placing blame on Garland, who could potentially be ousted if Biden is re-elected in 2024. “This has been building for a while. No one is happy,” a source told Politico.

Biden criticized how federal prosecutors scrutinized his son, Hunter Biden, raising concerns that the criminal investigation could push Hunter Biden into addiction. Specifically, Biden stated that Garland should have rejected U.S. District Attorney David Weiss’s request for a special counsel appointment.

Hunter Biden currently faces a criminal indictment over his failure to pay taxes and the alleged illegal purchase of a weapon. Such an indictment was on the verge of being avoided in a sweetheart deal that crumbled under scrutiny by a federal judge. Following the defunct deal, Weiss, leading the investigation, requested special counsel status, which Garland granted.

Politico reported that Biden “grumbled” to aides, asserting that Garland should have “moved sooner” in the investigation of his leading political opponent, Donald Trump, and the alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden’s frustration appears to contradict his earlier assertion that Garland would be an independent cabinet member. “Your loyalty is not to me,” Biden said at the time, according to Politico. “You won’t work for me. You are not the president or the vice president’s lawyer.”

Former Teacher Admits Sexual Assault of Minor After Her DNA Discovered in Student’s Bed

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Former Teacher Admits Sexual Assault of Minor After Her DNA Discovered in Student’s Bed

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A former teacher at Hungary Creek Middle School from Virginia pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old and now faces up to 50 years in prison.

The Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office reported that Megan Pauline Jordan pleaded guilty to four felony counts of carnal knowledge of a minor and one felony count of indecent liberties with a minor on Feb. 6, 2024, according to Blaze Media.

The 25-year-old woman is currently facing up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all five of the felonies.

In its press release, the Henrico County Police Department said that, in June 2023, Jordan was arrested on suspicion of committing “multiple crimes involving a minor.”

Jordan has been held at the Henrico County Jail since her June arrest without bond, according to the inmate records.

The Henrico County Police Department said that, at the time of her arrest, it “was made aware of potentially inappropriate acts involving an adult acting in a custodial manner with a Henrico County student.”

“From this case, enough information was gathered permitting Henrico County police to seek indictments related to potential sexual acts between an adult and a teen minor,” the department said.

Prosecutors added that she would sneak into the boy’s house and sexually abuse a 14-year-old student.

“On several occasions, Ms. Jordan would go to the victim’s house and have sexual intercourse with the student,” Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney Shannon Taylor said.

The Henrico County Public School District described Jordan’s sex scandal allegations as “an extremely serious and upsetting situation.”

“We have communicated with families at the school and will continue to support our school community in any way needed,” the district stated.

Investigators also said that they recovered Jordan’s DNA from the student’s bed sheets.

“I must recognize the brave action of those who brought this matter to the attention of Henrico Police Division. We are always asking people if they see something unusual, or not quite right, to say something. Because of their efforts, this predator is off the streets, out of our schools and will be held accountable for her actions,” Taylor said.

GOP Rep. Announces Exit amid Mayorkas Impeachment Backlash

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GOP Rep. Announces Exit amid Mayorkas Impeachment Backlash

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., one of the three infamous GOP lawmakers who voted against the impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, announced on Saturday that he won’t seek re-election ahead of the 2024 election.

In a statement shared on social media, Gallagher expressed that Congress is “no place to grow old,” opting instead to spend time with his family after his term ends on Jan. 3, 2025.

“Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old,” he said. “And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election.”

Earlier in his statement, Gallagher likened his congressional career to a “high-intensity” military deployment, claiming he has “accomplished more on this deployment than I could have ever imagined.”

Gallagher faced criticism last week for being one of the three representatives who sided with Democrats in rejecting the impeachment of Mayorkas. Gallagher’s pro-Mayorkas vote drew the ire of critics who called for a primary challenge.

The DHS secretary is currently under fire for unprecedented illegal immigration and the exploitation of the parole system, known by many as “catch and release.” 

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Gallagher argued that the impeachment of Mayorkas would not have resolved the border crisis and instead would have set a “dangerous” precedent that could be used against future Republican administrations.

Describing the 2019 and 2021 impeachments of former President Donald Trump as “rushed” and “hyperpartisan,” Gallagher declared: “Republicans rightly railed against this effort and the dangers of a single-party impeachment, impeachment for unpopular decisions, impeachment for non-criminal acts, and impeachment for not complying with congressional subpoenas.”

He added, “Republicans should have rejected the Pelosi precedent. Creating a new, lower standard for impeachment, one without any clear limiting principle, won’t secure the border or hold Mr. Biden accountable. It would only pry open the Pandora’s box of perpetual impeachment.” 

School District Puts on Leave Teacher Who Criticized ‘Woke Kindergarten’ Program

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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School District Puts on Leave Teacher Who Criticized ‘Woke Kindergarten’ Program

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Hayward Unified School District placed on leave an elementary school teacher on Feb. 8, 2024, after he dared to question a California school’s spending $250,000 on a teacher training program called “Woke Kindergarten.”

The Daily Caller reported that Glassbrook Elementary School in the state of California used $250,000 in federal funding for underperforming schools to pay for training for teachers on how to be “anti-racist” and to “disrupt whiteness” in the classroom.

After Tiger Craven-Neeley, the elementary school teacher, questioned the Marxist indoctrination, Hayward Unified School District, the school district that governs the school, put him on leave for “allegations of unprofessional conduct” via a video call on Feb. 8, 2024, ordering him to turn in his keys and laptop.

According to Craven-Neeley, he had voiced concerns over the program on Feb. 7, 2024, at a staff meeting. Shortly after that, another teacher, who happened to think that the indoctrination program was good, stood up, pointed a finger at him and said, “You are a danger to the school or the community” before storming out of the room.

As expected, a district administrator asked Craven-Neeley to leave the meeting after one of the woke teachers stormed out of the room.

Unlike the majority of teachers, Craven-Neeley dared to question what it meant to “disrupt whiteness” in the classroom, which eventually resulted in the school district putting him on leave.

“What does that mean? I just want to know, what does that mean for a third-grade classroom?” he said.

Aside from the teacher’s questions regarding the far-left, anti-white indoctrination in the classroom, it is also important to point out that scores for English and math at Glassbrook Elementary have fallen since the program’s implementation.

It was reported that fewer than 4% of students in the school are posting proficient scores in math and a little under 12% testing at grade level in English, a nearly 4% drop since the implementation of “Woke Kindergarten” at the school.

U.S. Marshals Forced to Hand-Deliver Subpoena to Defiant Fani Willis

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U.S. Marshals Forced to Hand-Deliver Subpoena to Defiant Fani Willis

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis rejected an emailed subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee, forcing the U.S. Marshals Service to hand-deliver the document directly to her, a report unveiled on Friday. 

The Daily Caller reported that Willis defied a Feb. 2 subpoena seeking all documents tied to an alleged attempt to use federal funds for “swag,” including laptops. However, Willis demanded the subpoena be served in person, prompting the U.S. Marshals Service to hand-deliver the subpoena, the Caller revealed, citing a source.

“Why wouldn’t Fani Willis just accept service like everyone else? Making the U.S. Marshals Service use taxpayer money to do this is a complete waste of time and resources,” the source told the Caller. 

In a three-page letter to Willis, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, cited a Washington Free Beacon report containing whistleblower testimony. The report claimed that Willis’s office sought to misuse a $488,000 federal grant intended for the creation of a juvenile crime prevention center.

However, the whistleblower, Amanda Timpson, said she was fired after notifying Willis that top aide Michael Cuffee wanted the funds for “swag,” including laptops and potential travel expenses. Timpson secretly recorded Willis, where the fired employee raised the alarm of the potential corruption.

“These allegations raise serious concerns about whether you were appropriately supervising the expenditure of federal grant funding allocated to your office and whether you took actions to conceal your office’s unlawful use of federal funds,” Jordan wrote in the letter.

Jordan highlighted the issuance of two previous letters, dated Sept. 27, 2023, and Dec. 5, 2023, both of which Willis failed to comply with.

“In our prior letters, we requested several categories of material relevant for our oversight. However, in response to the recently disclosed whistleblower allegations and as an accommodation, we are prioritizing the production of documents concerning your office’s receipt and use of federal funds,” Jordan added before notifying Willis of the subpoena. 

Willis has faced damning scrutiny over claims of misconduct following her prosecution of former President Donald Trump for alleged illegal attempts to question the presidential results in Georgia. 

Willis came under fire for failing to disclose her engagement in a love affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she selected to lead the prosecution of Trump. Willis went on several vacation trips paid for by Wade using the bank account where his Fulton County salary went, raising concerns about ethical issues and potential violations of the law. 

Timpson said that her firing from the Fulton County DA’s office is similar to the Wade case. “My case and Nathan Wade’s case are very similar when you break them down point by point. Ethical violations, abuse of power, and the misuse of county, state, and federal funds.”

In addition to the House Judiciary Committee investigation, Willis is also entangled in a Fulton County Commission investigation, a bipartisan Senate investigation, and calls for the State Bar of Georgia to investigate Willis.

Disney’s Streaming Platform Loses 1.3M Subscribers after Price Hike

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Disney’s Streaming Platform Loses 1.3M Subscribers after Price Hike

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Disney reported that its streaming platform, Disney+, lost 1.3 million subscribers all around the world in the final three months of 2023.

According to the Epoch Times, the Walt Disney Company’s streaming platform — which includes brands like Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars — lost about 400,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada alone. Internationally, the streaming platform lost 900,000 subscribers.

The news source also reported that, in total, subscriptions decreased from 112.6 million to 111.3 million at the close of its first fiscal quarter, which ended on Dec. 30, 2023. It was also pointed out by the Securities and Exchange Commission that Disney’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday that is closest to Sept. 30.

The streaming platform partially attributed the losses to the “substantial price increase” it implemented that same quarter. The company raised the price for its ad-free Disney+ Premium plan by $3 on Oct. 12, 2023, bringing the cost of commercial-free watching from $10.99 to $13.99 per month. Disney+ Basic, which includes ads, however, kept its original price of $7.99 per month.

The news source reported that this change represents a more than 27% increase, adding that Disney+’s ad-free plan was originally only $6.99 when the platform launched back in 2019.

To compare Disney+ with other streaming platforms, Netflix’s Standard ad-free plan is $15.49 but has far more subscribers, about 260 million members. Hulu, a streaming platform that is owned by Disney, also introduced a $3 increase on its ad-free plan, raising the price from $14.99 to $17.99. However, despite the price increase, Hulu managed to secure a 1.2 million boost in subscribers.

Despite losing over a million subscribers, the company expects a rebound from its first quarter, adding that it wants to acquire between 5.5 and 6 million additional subscribers by the end of its current quarter, which runs from January to March.

In addition to that, Disney+ representatives also said that the streaming platform will reach profitability by the end of its current fiscal year, even though the company has not been able to turn a profit since its founding.

Trump Condemns Two-Tier Justice System after Biden Evades Charges

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Trump Condemns Two-Tier Justice System after Biden Evades Charges

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump denounced what he labeled as a two-tier system of justice in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s much-anticipated report and demanded be charges against him be dropped.

The Hur report recommended against pursuing charges against President Joe Biden, despite evidence suggesting he “willfully retained” and “shared highly classified” information.

Similarly, Trump underwent scrutiny from Special Counsel Jack Smith, who investigated him for alleged mishandling of classified information.

In contrast to Biden, Trump possessed the authority to declassify the documents but now faces a 37-felony count indictment for actions similar to those of Biden, then a former vice president who did not have any authority to hold classified documents past his tenure.

“SO THEN WHY ARE THEY CHARGING ME, I DID NOTHING WRONG???” Trump questioned Saturday in Truth Social. “PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT! A TWO TIER SYSTEM OF JUSTICE. THIS IS AN ATTACK ON SLEEPY JOE’S POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME. IT IS LARGE SCALE ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”

Trump voiced similar concerns in a lengthy speech at the National Rifle Association 2024 Presidential Forum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

“If Biden is not going to be charged, he said, that’s up to them, you know, look, if he’s not going to be charged, that’s up to them, but then I should not be charged,” Trump told the crowd on Friday.  

“This is nothing more than selective persecution of Biden’s political opponent: me,” Trump added. “I don’t know that it’s Biden because I don’t think he knows he’s alive but it’s vicious and very smart people that surround the Resolute desk.”

Hur disclosed on Thursday that Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen.” However, the special counsel recommended against pressing charges, citing Biden’s age and noting that he did not “remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.” 

Prosecutors argued that Biden, in a hypothetical trial, would have presented himself as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The investigators added that it would be “difficult” to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden acted willfully, and a jury would not likely convict him.

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