Calif. Reparations Proposal Gives State Veto Power over Local Real Estate Deals

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Calif. Reparations Proposal Gives State Veto Power over Local Real Estate Deals

(Headline USA) Among the California reparations task force’s list of demands is a policy that would allow a state agency to have total veto power over all local real estate deals.

The task force, created by legislation signed by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, formally sent a list of policy recommendations to the state legislature this month, many of which seek to address “housing segregation” and “unjust property takings.”

One such proposal would empower the state to identify cities and counties that have historically redlined and gentrified neighborhoods and then subject all real estate transactions in these areas to state review.

“Identified cities and counties” must “submit all residential land use ordinances for review and approval by a state agency, with the agency rejecting (or requiring modification of) the ordinance if the agency finds that the proposed ordinance will maintain or exacerbate levels of residential racial segregation,” the task force said.

Real estate transactions in these areas should only be approved if the city or county “eliminates a certain degree of housing segregation in its geographic territory,” the proposal adds.

The task force additionally demanded that state lawmakers give “preference in rental housing, home ownership, and business opportunities for those who were displaced or excluded from renting or owning property in agency-assisted housing and business opportunities developed in or adjacent to communities formerly covered by restrictive covenants.”

California Democrats have been quiet about whether or not they will support the reparations task force’s proposals. Newsom initially declined to commit his support, but seemed to back down last week.

“The sensationalized framing in pieces published by outlets like Fox News and others is inaccurate. The Governor looks forward to reviewing the final report — and all recommendations — when complete,” Newsom’s office said in a statement.

Ga. Democrat Breaks w/ Party, Slams Colleagues As ‘Hypocrites’ for Opposing School Choice

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Ga. Democrat Breaks w/ Party, Slams Colleagues As ‘Hypocrites’ for Opposing School Choice

(Headline USA) A Democrat state representative from Georgia broke with her party this month, slamming them as “hypocrites” for refusing to back legislation that would expand school choice to the state’s families.

State Rep. Mesha Mainor, the only Democrat to vote for a bill that would have created $6,500 vouchers for students in poor-performing public school districts, represents a deep-blue district stretching from southwest Atlanta into Midtown. She argued the bill would have primarily benefited her constituents, many of whom are stuck in poor-performing school districts but can’t afford to send their children to better private schools.

“I support parent choice because some parents have children in schools where their needs are not being met,” she told Fox News. “In my district in particular, we have schools with 3% reading proficiency, 3% have obtained math proficiency by the eighth grade. And so to say that this is just how it is and that the kid needs to just suffer these consequences, I don’t agree with that. And I don’t think that all parents agree with that either.”

Mainor said she’s urged her Democrat colleagues to back the bill, but they ultimately refused.

“Why is no one fighting for young black minds? Why isn’t that one of the things that we’re fighting for?” she said. “I actually say you’re a hypocrite. That’s what I tell them directly. You are being a hypocrite. There are state lawmakers right now where their children are in schools that they’re not even zoned for… They’re lying about their address, state lawmakers, but they won’t vote for this bill.”

Georgia Democrats responded to Mainor’s challenge by trying to oust her from the state legislature. Fellow state Rep. Josh McLaurin offered $1,000 to anyone who would primary her.

Mainor blasted the retaliation against her as “ludicrous.”

“I can only assume it’s because poor black children are not their priority,” she said. “Let’s put it like that. Until the Democratic Party wants to put poor black children as a priority, then state Rep. Mesha Mainor will continue to vote against them when it comes to these educational needs.”

Dave Chappelle Rips San Francisco in Surprise Show: ‘Y’all Need a Batman!’

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Dave Chappelle Rips San Francisco in Surprise Show: ‘Y’all Need a Batman!’

(Headline USA) Comedian Dave Chappelle reportedly blasted San Francisco and its failed policies during a surprise stand-up special.

Referring to the California enclave as his “second home,” Chappelle said the city’s rampant homelessness and crime has made it unlivable.

“What the f*** happened to this place?” he asked during a show at the SF Masonic Auditorium on Thursday.

He cited a recent experience after dining out an an Indian restaurant in the city’s Tenderloin district, recalling how a homeless person publicly defecated in front of the establishment right as he was walking in. San Francisco has devolved into a “half Glee, half zombie movie,” Chappelle joked, according to SF Gate.

“Y’all … need a Batman!” he said.

Homelessness and crime rates have steadily increased in San Francisco over the past several years, driving businesses and residents out of town. Just last month, the city’s flagship Whole Foods store announced it would be shutting its doors after a little more than a year of being open due to rampant theft and drug use.

Residents have also accused the city of failing to live up to basic expectations by allowing the homeless population to run the streets.

Lillian Siou, owner of a Bayview area business, described cleaning off the side of her building after a local homeless person used it as a bathroom.

“There would be garbage strewn all over. It was just a dumping ground,” she said.

Another local business owner said his father filed a police report after a homeless man threatened physical violence against him, but received no response.

San Francisco has more than 7,700 homeless residents and spends $160 million annually on housing and food programs, despite residents complaining and filing police reports on a consistent basis for open air drug use, care break ins, theft, public defecation, threats of physical violence and harassment.

John Durham’s 4-Year Investigation of Russiagate Hoax Ends With a Whimper

Ken Silva
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John Durham’s 4-Year Investigation of Russiagate Hoax Ends With a Whimper

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Special Counsel John Durham ended on Monday his roughly four-year examination of the FBI’s baseless Russiagate investigation, releasing a 300-plus-page report that blasts the FBI for launching a politically charged probe into possible links between the Russian government and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign—despite having no evidence of any such links.

However, Durham’s work fell far short of what Trump and his allies had hoped for. The special prosecutor ended his work without any more criminal charges against those involved in Russiagate.

“If this report and the outcome of the Special Counsel’s investigation leave some with the impression that injustices or misconduct have gone unaddressed, it is not because the Office concluded that no such injustices or misconduct occurred,” Durham said in the report, explaining his decision not to prosecute.

“It is, rather, because not every injustice or transgression amounts to a criminal offense, and criminal prosecutors are tasked exclusively with investigating and prosecuting violations of U.S. criminal laws.”

The report repeats what an earlier DOJ Inspector General audit and quality investigative journalism has already revealed.

It criticized the FBI for opening a full-fledged investigation based on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence,” saying the speed at which it did so was a departure from the norm. And it said investigators repeatedly relied on “confirmation bias,” ignoring or rationalizing away evidence that undercut their premise of a Trump-Russia conspiracy as they pushed the probe forward.

“Again, the FBI’s failure to critically analyze information that ran counter to the narrative of a Trump/Russia collusive relationship exhibited throughout Crossfire Hurricane is extremely troublesome,” the report said.

Previously unpublicized highlights from the Durham report include the revelation that the FBI tried and failed to obtain a FISA warrant to spy on George Papadopoulos—a relatively minor former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor who the FBI had tried to coax into spreading false information about Trump-Russia connections.

The report also revealed that Barrack Obama’s CIA director, John Brennan, had briefed the White House about then-candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategy to paint Trump as a Russian asset.

“In late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained insight into Russian intelligence analysis alleging that U.S Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to Putin and the Russians’ hacking of the Democratic National Committee,” Durham said in his report.

“According to his handwritten notes, CIA Director Brennan subsequently briefed President Obama and other senior national security officials on the intelligence.”

The report has received mixed reactions in the early hours since its release.

Some Trump supporters are taking a victory lap, noting that even CNN has had to admit that Trump is exonerated from the bogus Russia-collusion allegations.

However, others are upset that those responsible for the Russiagate hoax are not being held to account. Durham’s four-year probe resulted in two indictments and one FBI employee pleading guilty to doctoring evidence, but anti-Trump juries found the two indicted officials not guilty.

“Durham let down the American people with few and failed prosecutions. Never in American history has so much government corruption faced so little accountability,” Judicial Watch said in a statement.

“FBI and Justice Department—and their political masters in the Obama White House—are responsible for the worst government corruption in American history. President Trump is a crime victim who was targeted by a seditious conspiracy by Obama, Biden, Clinton and their Deep State allies.”

Still others have noted that the Durham report failed to investigate a key element of the Russiagate hoax: the notion that Russia hacked the DNC severs to obtain and leak a set of damning internal emails from the Clinton campaign.

“[Durham] doesn’t touch Russiagate’s core allegation, which the Clinton camp also generated and FBI/media parroted: alleged Russian hacking of DNC,” said indendent reporter Aaron Maté, whose reporting won the prestigious Izzy Award in 2019 for debunking the Russiagate hoax.

Meanwhile, Republicans are indicating that the battle for accountability isn’t over yet. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan said Monday that his committee has “reached out to the Justice Department to have Special Counsel John Durham testify next week.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

Official Slams Biden as Afghan-National on Terror List Illegally Enters the U.S.

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji Bello
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Official Slams Biden as Afghan-National on Terror List Illegally Enters the U.S.

(Abdul–Rahman Oladimeji Bello, Headline USA) A San Diego official blasted President Joe Biden on Sunday as news broke about an Afghan national on the FBI’s terrorist list illegally entering the U.S. through the southern border.

A report from Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin revealed that the U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested this unidentified individual who crossed the southern border on Wednesday. The report added that the FBI confirmed the match on the Terrorist Screening Database and is now in charge of the investigation. 

“This should serve as a stark reminder to President Biden and the Federal Government on the critical need for maintaining a strong border,” said Jim Desmond, a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “The open border policy has allowed fentanyl to pour into our country, asylum seekers to be human trafficked, and terrorists to attempt entry into our country.”

“The protection of our citizens, the preservation of national security, and the facilitation of safe and legal immigration should be a top priority for this administration, yet they have failed,” Desmond added. “The presence of an individual on the terror watch list crossing our borders is a stark reminder of the failures of the Federal Government that are now being put on San Diegans and Americans.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who confirmed the report, noted that the individual is a “wanted terrorist.”

“Biden’s open borders aren’t just a gateway to five million illegals, record human and child trafficking and the deadliest drug crisis in our history. Biden’s reckless policy is also an open invitation to even the most wanted terrorists in the world to come to America,” Issa said.

“They know they’ll never have to leave,” he added. “The nation knows what’s going on, and this president has only begun to be held accountable for what he has done!”

WNBA Player Learns Gratitude for America in Russian Prison

Ezekiel Loseke
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WNBA Player Learns Gratitude for America in Russian Prison

(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) Brittney Griner, the WNBA player who protested the playing of America’s national anthem before games in 2020, expressed gratitude for America and The Star Spangled Banner, after her first post-prison game on Friday.

Griner was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to 9 years in a Russian jail.  The Biden administration exchanged Griner’s return for the release of a notorious Russian arms dealer  in December.

In 2020, before her imprisonment, Griner openly disrespected the American flag and The Star Spangled Banner, according to the Arizona Republic.

“I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season,” she said, expressing solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s anti-American protests.

In 2020, Griner was so upset by America’s national anthem, she refused to be on the court as it played.

“I’m going to protest regardless,” she said, explaining that the actions of the league would not force her to respect the symbol of her country. “I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem,” she continued defiantly.

“If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there.”

She said that the Olympics was the only sporting event where playing national anthem was appropriate.

Griner changed her tune after 10 months of Russian prison. She “stood tall” for the national anthem, according to The Blaze. Griner even expressed appreciation for the national anthem, reported CNN.

“Hearing the national anthem, it definitely hit different,” she said, in a stunning about face from 2020. “It’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different. … Being here today … it means a lot.”

Griner joined her praise of the national anthem with expressed gratitude to be in America.

“I’m grateful to be here, that’s for sure,” she said, appreciating both her freedom and her position in the WNBA. “I’m not going to take a day for granted.”

Beloved Kids Franchise ‘Transformers’ Now Pushing Transgenderism

Corine Gatti
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Beloved Kids Franchise ‘Transformers’ Now Pushing Transgenderism

(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) The latest episode of Nickelodeon’s Transformer: EarthSpark introduced a non-binary robot character named Nightshade and conservatives slammed the show for pushing transgenderism, the Daily Caller reported.

Libs of TikTok shared snips of the video, which went viral after it was posted, and the dialog explained the reasons why people were irate with its content.

The self-identifying she/they Sam responded that it was okay, “I know I’m safe when I’m with my friends or other non-binary people,” letting Nightshade know it was a safe space.

“My pronouns are they/them,” Nightshade, a non-binary identifying alien robot, shared with Sam in the episode, as the two characters discussed the challenges of navigating a world where it can be difficult to know who is safe and who isn’t. 

“I always knew my pronouns felt right, but what a wonderful word for a wonderful experience,” Nightshade explained to Sam, who had initially apologized for the mistake and also self-identified as she/they.

Conservatives took to social media, outraged that the show streamed on Paramount+, shoved its woke agenda on children.

Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly retweeted the viral clip on Twitter, and said it was “disgusting.”

Twitter owner, Elon Musk issued a simple statement about the episode and tweeted, “Computers are literally binary lol.”

Fox News host Laura Ingraham discussed the show on The Ingraham Angle on Friday and said parents probably never thought they’d need a non-binary robot to entertain their kids. 

“But that’s exactly what Paramount thinks they need because in Transformers: Earth Spark, that’s what they’re giving them, and the show is “shoving these inane pronouns down the throats of seven-year-olds[…],” she added.

This was not the first incident from the show that discussed preferred pronouns.

An earlier episode in 2022 depicted a human character telling Optimus Prime, a robot, that Nightshade only used they/them pronouns.

“He or she just doesn’t fit who I am,” Nightshade told Optimus Prime in that episode. Prime apologized for the mistake.

The show is based on the toy line by Hasbro.

Auto Companies Scheme over Charging Subscriptions for Basic Features

Molly Bruns
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Auto Companies Scheme over Charging Subscriptions for Basic Features

(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The increasing trend for automotive manufacturers to require paid subscriptions, also known as “features on demand,” for basic vehicle functions upset a vast majority of customers, many of whom said they would even go as far as switching car brands to avoid the additional fees.

According to Breitbart, a recent survey found that 69% of customers do not want to pay additional fees for their car’s added features, such as heated seats.

The survey also revealed that while 75% of people said the features on demand would increase profits for automotive companies, many of them said the subscription-based model would present several challenges for businesses.

“I think the general view is that this isn’t going anywhere because most [automakers] have seen this as a significant revenue source and that’s not just luxury brands,” commented Alistair Weaver, editor in chief of the automotive research firm Edmunds.

BMW introduced the payment method for heated seats in nearly all of their vehicles, causing backlash within their customer base, as many of them did not want to have to pay for features already built into their vehicle.

Tesla is currently testing a similar payment system for Autopilot and their fully-autonomous driving systems. Mercedes and Toyota started using subscription-based feature plans for small add-ons such as additional power for electric vehicles and access to app perks.

Toyota implemented a free trial system for customers to test the paid features for a month before committing to a payment plan. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said a free trial would likely make them reconsider paying for the subscription.

“I don’t think [features on demand] is going away,” said Weaver, “and also as the cars get more and more sophisticated, get more and more functionality, then it just feels like a natural progression.”

Several companies are implementing automated technologies into their new lines of vehicles. Ford announced that their partial or fully autonomous vehicles will be able to cut off features such as radio or air conditioning, or even drive themselves to a repossession agency, if the owner misses a payment.

Dem. Sen. Threatens SCOTUS w/ Leftist Insurrection if It Upholds 2nd Amendment

Molly Bruns
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Dem. Sen. Threatens SCOTUS w/ Leftist Insurrection if It Upholds 2nd Amendment

(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) In an appearance on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., insisted that if the U.S. Supreme Court were to rule blue states’ gun-control laws unconstitutional, American citizens would “revolt.”

According to the Daily Wire, Murphy argued that mass protests would take place and then went on to attack the legitimacy of the court itself.

“If the Supreme court eventually says that states or Congress can’t pass universal background checks or cant take these assault weapons off the streets, I think there’s going to be a popular revolt,” Murphy asserted. “… A court that is already pretty illegitimate is going to be in full crisis mode.”

Radical leftists like Murphy have frantically sought to delegitimize the conservative-leaning court by any means necessary as they engage in a campaign to pack it with justices of their own choosing.

Most notoriously, that has included a racist smear attack on Justice Clarence Thomas, accusing the court’s longest-serving member of having violated ethics rules by failing to disclose his longtime personal friendship with a billionaire philanthropist.

Murphy, notorious for his selective outrage, has previously shown his hypocrisy by complaining about Twitter’s foreign influence after the free-speech platform was purchased by South-African-born Elon Musk.

He also helped spearhead an extreme gun-grab last year, exploiting the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as his Overton windo to push sweeping regulations that could forcibly disarm law-abiding citizens.

Murphy celebrated the series of Republican defections by promising even more attacks on the Second Amendment to follow.

“There’s going to be somewhere between 15 and 20 Republican Senators who are going to vote for it, which I think sort of paves the way for even more progress in the future now that we have broken this logjam,” Murphy told MSNBC last June.

On Sunday, he lashed out at the court for attempting to keep overzealous legislatures in check, per the U.S. Constitution.

Murphy referenced the Supreme Court veto of New York’s restrictions on concealed carry and a separate decision from Virginia District Court Judge Robert Payne, who vetoed a ban on gun sales for 18-20 year olds.

Murphy went on to say he and other Democrats would work to “regulate who owns weapons and what kind of weapons are owned.”

“We broke a 30 year logjam last year by passing the first major gun safety initiative,” he told Todd.

“You’re seeing Republican states like Tennessee looking at red flag laws, Texas considering raising the age to buy assault weapons,” he continued. “I think our movement is in a position to win.”

Murphy also expressed concern over the actions of district court judges, but said he was hopeful for the future of the gun-control movement.

A majority of states do not require permits for concealed carry, and support for government regulation or bans on modern sporting rifles significantly decreased.

Minnesota senators recently managed to pass a bill implementing red-flag laws and expanding background checks by a single vote margin after nine hours of debate.

The final version of the 522-page bill was not posted until 2:30 a.m. on Friday; the vote took place that day. Minnesota’s GOP senators cannot amend the bill.

“This bill is actually what bad legislating looks like,” Republican House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring said. “Democrats have full control, but a very small margin.”

Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.

UK Gives Zelenskyy Long-Range Missiles Despite Leaked Plot to Attack Russia

Ken Silva
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UK Gives Zelenskyy Long-Range Missiles Despite Leaked Plot to Attack Russia

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Leaked Pentagon documents reportedly reveal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy secretly plotted major attacks against Russia, while lamenting behind closed doors about the fact that he doesn’t have long-range missiles to carry out his plans.

Now he does. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reportedly confirmed last Thursday that the United Kingdom is providing Ukraine with “Storm Shadow” missiles, which have a range of 155 miles and can be air-launched by Ukraine’s Soviet fighter jets.

UK and U.S. officials are reportedly confident that Zelenskyy won’t attack Russia with the missiles.

“Ukraine has repeatedly committed to employ US-provided weapons responsibly and strategically when needed to counter Russian aggression, and we are confident that will continue to be the case,” a Pentagon official said of the UK missile transfers, according to the Washington Post.

But information from the Discord Leaks—the trove of classified Pentagon records that a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked in a Discord chatroom—reportedly shows that Zelenskyy has plotted to strike Russia.

The Washington Post reported Saturday—two days after the UK confirmed it would be sending Ukraine long-range missiles—that Zelenskyy’s plots included occupying Russian villages and bombing a Russian pipeline to Hungary.

“In a separate meeting in late February with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top military commander, Zelenskyy “expressed concern” that ‘Ukraine does not have long-range missiles capable of reaching Russian troop deployments in Russia nor anything with which to attack them,’” the Post reported, citing documents from the Discord Leaks—most of which are not available for the public to read.

“Zelenskyy then ‘suggested that Ukraine attack unspecified deployment locations in Rostov,’ a region in western Russia, using drones instead, according to another classified document.”

Along with being able to strike Russian territory with missiles, Zelenskyy now has more capacity to attack the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia invaded and annexed in 2014. Zelenskyy and its Western backers don’t recognize Crimea as Russian territory, despite acknowledging that the peninsula is a “red line” for President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine is reportedly set to launch a major counter-offensive this summer. to recapture lost territory.

The only major political figure in the West to call for peace between the two countries is Donald Trump.

“I want everybody to stop dying. They’re dying—Russians and Ukrainians,” Trump said at last week’s CNN Town Hall event. Trump said he’ll immediately sit down with Putin and Zelenskyy and negotiate an end to the war “within 24 hours.”

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

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