McConnell Refuses to Endorse Trump Despite His Strong Lead

Luis Cornelio
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McConnell Refuses to Endorse Trump Despite His Strong Lead

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has opted not to endorse former President Donald Trump despite his strong lead in the Republican presidential primaries, Fox News reported on Monday.

“I’ve stayed essentially out of it, but if I change my mind, I’ll let you know,” McConnell claimed on a Monday luncheon, referring to the 2024 Republican primaries and his decision not to endorse a candidate. 

“I don’t have any news to make today,” he added. “We’re watching New Hampshire with great interest.” 

McConnell’s remarks came before Trump was declared the projected winner of the New Hampshire primary. Notably, tensions between the Senate minority leader and Trump have persisted since the 2020 presidential election.

McConnell has blamed Trump for the Republican loss of the White House in 2020 and the violence on Jan. 6, 2021. On the other hand, the former president has blasted McConnell as a “looser” and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, as “Coco Chow” in response.

Since their conflicts began, McConnell—closely tied to the Republican establishment and frequently labeled a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only)—and Trump—known for his America First policies—have at times supported different Republican candidates in key electoral races.

Some Republicans had hoped for alternative candidates to surpass Trump in the primaries, with many eyeing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, DeSantis withdrew from the race after losing in the Iowa caucuses in 2024. 

The sole remaining candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, positions herself as a new generational leader compared to Trump. In a campaign speech, Haley conceded the New Hampshire primary but refused to drop out.

‘Sugar Brother’: Hunter’s Tax Returns Became Political ‘Emergency’ During 2020 Campaign

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‘Sugar Brother’: Hunter’s Tax Returns Became Political ‘Emergency’ During 2020 Campaign

(Headline USA) The Hollywood lawyer who paid Hunter Biden’s tax bill and covered his living expenses admitted during newly released congressional testimony that it only became urgent for Hunter to file his tax returns when it became clear his father, President Joe Biden, was going to run for office, Fox News reported.

Kevin Morris, also known as Hunter’s “sugar brother,” testified before closed doors at the House Oversight Committee last week as part of the House’s impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden.

One of the key points of interest before his testimony was a February 2020 email he sent, in which he cited the “political risk” Hunter Biden’s finances posed to Joe Biden’s political success.

“Emergency is off for today,” he wrote on Feb. 7, 2020. “Still need to file Monday—we are under considerable risk personally and politically to get the [tax] returns in.”

When asked what the “emergency” was, Morris admitted to lawmakers that he was worried Hunter Biden’s finances would come under scrutiny on the campaign trail, especially after former President Donald Trump brought them up during his impeachment trial that month for asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate the Biden family’s business dealings with Burisma.

“You know, I believe that, you know, remember that the Trump impeachment process was going on at this time,” Morris said, according to Fox News.

“And they were waiving around the possibility of calling Hunter … right until the very end, I believe, that it wrapped up,” he continued. “I believe that was the … thing prompting us—you know, this is about preparing his tax returns.”

Morris then claimed that he had been willing to give Hunter Biden slack because he was coming “from addiction stuff.” Getting his taxes “straight’ was simply “part of recovery, making amends,” Morris claimed.

“Personally, he hadn’t filed his taxes. Okay? That’s his personal problem,” Morris said of Hunter Biden. “And then, politically … look, there was an impeachment proceeding going on. His name was and face was everywhere in the world.”

Though the lawyer tried to deny that Joe Biden’s candidacy was a factor in Hunter’s situation, House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., argued Morris was a part of the cabal that worked to “insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability.”

Socialist Group Facing Seven-Figure Budget Deficit Due to Self-Inflicted ‘Financial Crisis’

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Socialist Group Facing Seven-Figure Budget Deficit Due to Self-Inflicted ‘Financial Crisis’

(Headline USA) The Democratic Socialists of America are staring down bankruptcy, leading the leftist organization to make drastic budget cuts to protect its bottom line.

DSA, which includes leftist members of Congress such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., revealed this week that it must cut at least $500,000 from its expenses to deal with a self-inflicted “financial crisis.”

A proposal by the group’s National Political Committee admitted the budget cuts would result in job losses, according to the New York Post.

“We will first ask for volunteers from both director-level and bargaining unit staff to have their position cut and receive severance,” it said. “If necessary, we will then explore initiating lay-offs according to the DSA union’s contract.” 

DSA said it had no choice but to cut staff, since “staff-related costs account for 58% of our total expenditures and 72% of our projected income,” and funding has all but dried up.

“The current deficit will force us to make 7-figure budget cuts,” DSA informed its employees.

“This will require us to make painful decisions that will impact all levels of the organization,” it added. “… Given our current financial state, we do not believe we can have a healthy, democratic, and effective organization while spending the amount we currently do on staff.”

The leftist organization has been in internal turmoil ever since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, which DSA refused to condemn. One of the group’s founding members, Maurice Isserman, even publicly left DSA over the group’s response.

“I left to protest the DSA leadership’s politically and morally bankrupt response to the horrific Hamas October 7 anti-Jewish pogrom that took the lives of 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and saw over 200 hostages carried off to Gaza, both groups of victims including children and infants,” she said at the time.

DSA members have, in the past, served as paid activists for various protests and resistance movements, some of which are underwritten by billionaire George Soros.

It is unclear whether the group receives any outside funding from organizations like the International Communist Party, to which it also has been loosely linked.

One place it is unlikely to receive a bailout, however, is from its most famous member. Ocasio–Cortez has notably abandoned at least one other group that helped to launch her political career, the Justice Democrats.

After it was forced to lay off half its staff last year, some of that group’s leaders slammed the opportunistic “Squad” member for quickly forgetting her roots and core values as soon as fame and fortune presented themselves to her.

“It took all the wind out of our movement,” said Justice Democrats co-founder Cenk Uygur at the time. “…Our movement is shrinking and losing all hope because the people we sent to D.C. chose their personal comfort over their voters.”

Uygur is currently challenging incumbent President Joe Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.

Hamas-Linked Group Working w/Chicago Public Schools to Combat ‘Islamophobia’

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Hamas-Linked Group Working w/Chicago Public Schools to Combat ‘Islamophobia’

(Headline USA) A radical, Hamas-linked group that celebrated last year’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel is reportedly working with Chicago Public Schools to counter “Islamophobia,” the Center Square reported.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has a long history of anti-Semitism, has been working with the city’s public school district to launch various student initiatives that “promote inclusion and understanding about Islam and the Muslim community,” according to CAIR-Chicago’s website.

These initiatives include “cultural sensitivity training” and a “Muslim background seminar,” it said.

The news comes despite allegations that CAIR works with and is tied to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. In fact, President Joe Biden’s White House had to condemn the group’s director, Nihad Awad, late last year after Awad said he was “happy to see” Hamas terrorists attack and kidnap Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

“The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7,” Awad said at the time.

“And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their lands that they were not allowed to walk in,” he continued. “And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.”

Awad is not the only CAIR leader who has expressed support for terrorism. Zainab Chaudry, director of the group’s Maryland chapter, was temporarily suspended last November from the state’s hate crime task force after she compared Hamas terrorists to “Ukrainian freedom fighters” and dismissed reports of Hamas’s brutality as “fake.”

The next month, the head of CAIR’s Los Angeles chapter, Hussam Ayloush, said in a speech to the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City that Israel “does not have the right to defend itself as an occupier.”

CAIR has already worked to insert this radicalism into Chicago’s education system, according to reports.

Last month, for example, CAIR-Chicago pressured Chicago Public Schools to fire a Chicago Academy Elementary School substitute teacher who referred to Hamas terrorists as terrorists.

“We call on CPS to intensify its investigative efforts, engaging additional witnesses to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired,” said Phil Robertson, litigation director of CAIR-Chicago. “This is fundamental in taking appropriate actions to address any misconduct and restore a sense of security for the affected students.”

Transgender Golfer on Course to Join Top Ladies Circuit, but Some Hazards Remain

Matthew Doarnberger
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Transgender Golfer on Course to Join Top Ladies Circuit, but Some Hazards Remain

(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson was recently victorious at the NXXT Women’s Classic tournament.

With the win, Davidson is now this season’s leader in total points. That status could mean that the controversial golfer, who was born male, could be on the path to a spot on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour.

Despite the ongoing success, Davidson will now face several challenges in making it to that level.

“In light of recent events, we have initiated a poll among our tour players to gather their opinions on our gender policy,” said a statement from NXXT. “We believe it is vital to consider the perspectives of those directly affected by these policies.”

But it’s not just the opinions of other golfers that could be a roadblock to Davidson’s future in women’s golf, as NXXT went on to say:

“Furthermore, in maintaining the integrity of our standards, we have requested Hailey Davidson to undergo additional testosterone testing to ensure compliance with the appropriate guidelines.”

Davidson began hormone therapy in 2015 and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021. Time will tell what kind of effect those actions will have on the golfer’s status with the tour.

The LPGA removed the requirement that a golfer had to be female at birth to compete on the tour in 2010. Since the NXXT is a smaller organization and attempting to send its best players to the LPGA level, similar rules were thus adopted.

Davidson, a native of Scotland, currently resides in Kissimmee, Florida. The golfer last competed as a man at a U.S. Open qualifier in 2015 and became the first male-born golfer to win a women’s event in 2021.

Serial Liar Adam Schiff Cries after Being Called Out by GOP Opponent

Luis Cornelio
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Serial Liar Adam Schiff Cries after Being Called Out by GOP Opponent

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a contender for the open California Senate seat, faced a humiliating moment on a Monday debate when his GOP opponent, former MLB first baseman Steve Garvey, blasted him “for lying.”

Garvey mentioned Schiff’s involvement in the Democrat-led Russian collusion investigation, consistently accusing Trump of conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election. However, Democrats failed to provide evidence to support these claims.

“I think you’ve been censured for lying,” Garvey told Schiff, to which the California representative retorted: “I was censured for standing up to a corrupt president.”

As the debate moderator tried to move on, Schiff interjected, expressing his intent to respond. “I was just called a liar by Mr. Garvey,” he claimed. “And you know something, I would do it all over again!”

Garvey pushed back against Schiff’s remarks: “Sir, you lied to 300 million people, you can’t take that back.”

The verbal tussle between Schiff and Garvey comes as both, along with Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter, vie for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s vacant seat.

Schiff announced his bid for the seat on Jan. 26, 2023. He previously served as the House Intelligence Committee chair from 2019 until 2023, when Democrats lost their majority to Republicans.

Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., refused to seat Schiff in the House Intelligence Committee, citing his role in fueling anti-Trump Russian collusion hoaxes.

In June 2023, Schiff faced a House censure vote over “falsehoods, misrepresentations, and abuses of sensitive information” related to his infamous work on the committee.

Despite the embarrassing setbacks, an Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey showed Schiff leading with 25% support among California voters. Garvey had 18%, while Porter and Lee received 13% and 8%, respectively.

“Thirty-eight percent of California Democrats support Schiff, while 41% of Republicans support Garvey,” said Spencer Kimball, the executive cirector of Emerson College Polling. “Independents are split evenly between the two candidates, with 21% apiece. Seventeen percent of Democrats support Porter, along with 15% of independents.”

The special election is scheduled for March 5, 2024.

Tucker Carlson Interviews Social-Media Influencer ‘Catturd’

Jacob Bruns
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Tucker Carlson Interviews Social-Media Influencer ‘Catturd’

(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) With woke legacy-media institutions like the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated all having recently announced mass layoffs, the power of citizen-sleuths and amateur keyboard warriors to sway public opinion has never been greater.

Where hard-hitting journalism once dominated as the persuasive medium of choice, memes, tweet threads and other forms of social media now reign supreme.

In a Monday episode of the Tucker Carlson Encounter, former Fox News star Tucker Carlson interviewed Catturd, one such online s**t-poster who has managed to float to the top of the Internet cesspool, the Gateway Pundit reported.

The Florida panhandle resident—who opts to remain anonymous but has been named by several leftist media outlets as Phillip Buchanan—managed to attain a Twitter following of more than 2.2 million by sharing irreverent and subversive content, much of which humorously touches on right-wing political topics.

His success has led him to branch out into a regular afternoon podcast, among other things. But Catturd’s tweets continue to provide the foundation for his commentary, even garnering the attention of former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk—not to mention the hordes of angry leftists who have been triggered by them.

Catturd’s online fame first spilled over into the real world in November 2022, when newly retired RINO Rep. Adam Kinzinger threatened him with physical violence over a crudely drawn Ukraine cartoon.

Carlson wryly covered the unhinged reaction on his Fox News show at the time.

“Literal evil,” Kinzinger tweeted. “If I met you in person it would not end well … for you. Sicko.”

Kinzinger, who served in the U.S. Air Force, also attempted to flaunt his military credentials.

“Trolls who have never done a thing in their life pretend to be patriots and laugh at real warriors,” said the future CNN correspondent.

Unbeknownst to Kinzinger, Catturd had enlisted in the U.S. Army right out of high school.

“I spent my 18th birthday in a foxhole in Fort Dix, New Jersey, in basic training,” he told Carlson.

According to Rolling Stone, the thrice-divorced 59-year-old also played in a band and worked at the post office before finding his true calling in the 2010s, with the emergence of Twitter and Trump as two major cultural phenomena.

Asked about his unlikely success, Catturd told Carlson that it had taken him by surprise.

“I never thought I’d have 100 followers,” he said. “It just got legs somehow and it took off.”

The prolific online personality told Carlson that he thought he was liberal for a long time, until he began listening to the late Rush Limbaugh, realizing that “this guy is saying everything I believe.”

Things may have come full-circle last April, when he appeared on a podcast with Limbaugh’s longtime producer James “Snerdley” Golden.

Still, Catturd’s star is likely to rise even more following the interview with Carlson, which had, as of Tuesday afternoon, received more than 9 million views.

Although he has reason to be optimistic about his own prospects, Catturd told Carlson that he shared the same apprehensions many are grappling with about the future of the country, as the Biden administration continues to push America past the brink of constitutional crisis.

“We’re in trouble,” Catturd said in response to Carlson’s question about what lay in store for the coming year. “Sometimes I can’t see a way out of it anymore.”

Gaslighting public officials have succeeded, he noted, in convincing a large portion of the public to deny basic, empirical truths and, instead, to see everything as being morally and factually subjective.

“If you can convince your voters that men can have babies—think about that—you’ve got ’em,” Catturd said.

After the interview, Catturd thanked his followers, noting that he was very nervous but was put at ease by Carlson, calling the TV host an “easy-going, down to earth” man.

Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.

New Orleans Mayor the Latest Official Caught in Alleged Scandal

Luis Cornelio
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New Orleans Mayor the Latest Official Caught in Alleged Scandal

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat, faces an FBI investigation after reportedly having an affair with a married police officer who billed taxpayers $14,000 for a Dubai trip he took with Cantrell.

As reported by Fox 8 on Tuesday, investigators are also specifically probing Cantrell’s ties to NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie, after the duo spent time together at a taxpayer-funded apartment in New Orleans and took a trip to Dubai for a United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Vappie, Cantrell’s security detail, flew with the mayor, billing the city a whopping $14,000 for the expense. Cantrell’s expenses, totaling $24,000, were covered by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which hosted the conference. New Orleans taxpayers covered the per diem pay and other expenditures for the mayor, Fox 8 and the New York Post reported.

In addition to the Dubai trip, Vappie and Cantrell reportedly spent time together at a New Orleans apartment (owned by the city), particularly during and off work hours.

As reported by the Associated Press, the New Orleans City Council passed legislation to block Cantrell and other mayors from using the apartment, usually kept for visitors or official meetings.

Instead, video footage reportedly caught Vappie and Cantrell entering the apartment during non-official gatherings. Cantrell has reportedly stayed at the apartment overnight, potentially violating the state’s constitution, according to the city’s inspector.

Fox 8 reported that the scandal prompted Vappie’s wife to file for divorce. In court filings, the estranged wife declared Vappie admitted to holding an extramarital affair with somebody called “Mrs. L.C.” In contrast, both Cantrell and Vappie have publicly denied the relationship, calling it “professional.”

Cantrell’s husband, Jason Cantrell, passed away in August 2023 following a heart attack.

The affair scandal comes against the backdrop of similar allegations rocking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, both leading the Georgia criminal election case against former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants.

According to scathing court filings by Michael Roman, one of Trump’s co-defendants, Willis and Wade held an affair and took several flights and vacations paid for by Wade’s income through his contract with the district attorney’s office in Fulton County.

Roman raised the alarm that Willis directly benefited from Wade’s contract, which she approved, amounting to nearly $700,000. Notably, Nathan Wade’s wife, Joycelyn Wade, is seeking to subpoena Willis in the couple’s divorce hearings, centered around financial support requests. Joycelyn Wade alleged that her husband hid his Fulton County income from her.

Willis is facing an investigation from a Fulton County commissioner, along with demands for an ethics investigation with the State Bar Of Georgia. Willis has not denied the allegations but has instead filed a motion seeking to thwart Joycelyn Wade’s subpoena request.

TurboTax Maker Barred from Advertising ‘Free’ Tax Services w/o Disclosing Eligibility

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TurboTax Maker Barred from Advertising ‘Free’ Tax Services w/o Disclosing Eligibility

(Headline USA) U.S. regulators have barred TurboTax maker Intuit Inc. from advertising its services as “free” unless they are free for all customers, or if eligibility is clearly disclosed.

In an opinion and final order issued Monday, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Intuit engaged in deceptive practices by running ads claiming consumers could file their taxes for free using TurboTax though many people did not qualify for such free offerings.

“The character of the past violations is egregious,” reads the FTC commissioners’ opinion, which details Intuit ads across TV, radio and online over the years. “Intuit blanketed the country with deceptive ads to taxpayers across multiple media channels.”

In addition to prohibiting Intuit from marketing its products or services as free unless there’s actually no cost for everyone, the FTC’s order requires Intuit to disclose what percentage of consumers are eligible and note if a majority of taxpayers do not qualify.

Terms and conditions to obtain a free good or service must also be clearly disclosed or linked to if ad space is limited, the FTC said in its order.

The order also bars Intuit from “misrepresenting any material facts about its products or services,” including refund policies and price points.

In a statement sent to the Associated Press Tuesday, Intuit said it had appealed what it called the FTC’s “deeply flawed decision.”

“This decision is the result of a biased and broken system where the Commission serves as accuser, judge, jury, and then appellate judge all in the same case,” Intuit stated. The California company later added that it believes it will prevail “when the matter ultimately returns to a neutral body.”

Monday’s opinion and final order upholds an initial decision from FTC chief administrative law judge D. Michael Chappell, who ruled that Intuit violated federal law by engaging in deceptive advertising back in September.

There was no financial penalty in the FTC’s order, but Intuit has previously faced hefty charges over the marketing of “free” services.

In a 2022 settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Intuit agreed to suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay $141 million in restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers nationwide.

Settlement checks were sent out last year. Those impacted were low-income consumers eligible for free, federally-supported tax services—but paid TurboTax to file their federal returns due to “predatory and deceptive marketing,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Customers Vent as Applebee’s Sells Out of $200 Weekly ‘Date Night’ Passes

Molly Bruns
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Customers Vent as Applebee’s Sells Out of $200 Weekly ‘Date Night’ Passes

(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Country star Walker Hayes’s hit song “Fancy Like” may suggest that even the most blue-collar couple can enjoy the “bougie” lifestyle at Applebee’s.

However, it turns out that the ubiquitous Neighborhood Grill + Bar may be more exclusive than people realize.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the restaurant chain recently ran a promotion selling yearlong “date night” passes, which sold out minutes after sales opened at noon EST on Monday.

The passes cost $200 on their website, allowing a few lucky customers to get $30 worth of food and non-alcoholic beverages up to 52 times between Feb. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025, according to NBC 9 News.

Assuming the full $30 discount was applied every week for the entire year, the total value of the pass would be $1,560—not covering gratuity, taxes and, of course, alcohol.

The company announced that passes sold out “due to popular demand,” shortly after the sale went live on the website.

Several disgruntled customers took to social media to report website malfunctions and to bemoan the apparent shortage of passes.

“Within the span of probably 30 seconds the Applebee’s date night pass was in my cart available and then sold out,” one Twitter user said.

“Literally spamming refresh on @Applebees for the date night and didn’t even see the option to purchase one,” another user said. “What’d they sell, like 5 of them?”

In response, another user said the page linked to a Shopify store, and guessed that some people managed to get the Shopify link before it was publicly available on the website.

Several people complained that the website crashed right as the sale went live, and they never got the chance to see the purchase button.

Applebee’s executives explained that the number of passes available was very limited, and thanked their customers for their excitement over the promotion.

“Thank you to our fans for their interest in our Applebee’s Date Night Pass—the response far exceeded our expectations, as the passes sold out in one minute,” the statement continued.

Despite the complaints, several Twitter users were enthusiastic about the promotion and said they would gladly continue to go to Applebee’s.

According to a survey by Match.com, spending on dates is up by 40% from the past decade, effectively killing the first-date dinner as more single people opt for a cup of coffee or a walk in the park.

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