EV Battery Packs Could Exacerbate ‘Fatality Crisis’ on Roads, Experts Warn

Molly Bruns
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EV Battery Packs Could Exacerbate ‘Fatality Crisis’ on Roads, Experts Warn

(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Officials in the automotive industry raised concerns that the weight of electric vehicles may cause more serious traffic accidents.

On average, EVs weigh thousands of pounds greater than gas powered vehicles. According to the Daily Caller, the 2023 Hummer EV pickup weighs 9,000 pounds—including the nearly 3,000 pound battery. The battery itself weighs more than an entire Honda Civic.

One official warned of the effect that the massive vehicles could have on old infrastructure, such as highways and parking garages, as EVs become more commonplace.

Concerns about pedestrians in motor vehicle accidents have also surfaced.

“Since we’re seeing pedestrian and roadway fatalities at record levels, the introduction of more weight into crashes via EVs will complicate any attempts to reduce the ongoing fatality crisis that has showed [sic] no signs of abating,” acting executive director Michael Brooks of the Center for Auto Safety said.

“Unless we see incredibly rapid advances in battery design and vehicle designs, and taking smart steps like using battery energy density gains to save weight rather than extend range, or opening the doors to battery swapping, we are likely to see many additional deaths and injuries attributable solely to the added weight of EV batteries.”

Pedestrian deaths rose by 18% since 2019, with the “baseline fatality probability” per crash climbing by 47% for every 1,000 pounds of vehicle. Electric Vehicles also speed up at a higher rate than other vehicles.

Raul Arbelaez, vice president of the Vehicle Research Center at the Insurance Isntitute for Highway Safety, wrote that the increased number of EVs will inevitably increase the number of collisions with weight disparities.

“Assuming the new generation of heavy EVs is designed to perform well in our crash tests, there is no reason they can’t provide good protection to their occupants,” Abrelaez wrote. “In fact, their extra weight will afford them greater protection in a multivehicle crash. Unfortunately, given the way these vehicles are currently designed, this increased protection comes at the expense of people in other vehicles.”

The sitting administration continues to encourage the purchase and manufacturing of electric vehicles via tax breaks and other tactics. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced that the military is planning to adopt an all-electric vehicle fleet in the next seven years.

All 9 SCOTUS Justices Condemn Leftist Political Attacks on Court

Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji Bello
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All 9 SCOTUS Justices Condemn Leftist Political Attacks on Court

(Abdul–Rahman Oladimeji Bello, Headline USA) All nine Supreme Court justices issued a statement reproaching Senate Democrats’ attempts to enact new ethics measures over the Supreme Court in the wake of leftist smears on the same.

The statement included a letter from Chief Justice John Roberts to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin. Roberts informed Durbin via this letter about his intended absence at a hearing Senate Democrats plan to hold, the Daily Wire reported. 

“Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the Chief Justice of the United States is exceedingly rare, as one might expect in light of separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence,” Roberts wrote. 

According to the statement, the SCOTUS justices wrote to “provide new clarity to the bar and the public on how the Justices address certain recurring issues, and also seeks to dispel some common misconceptions.”

ABC News reported that the justices’ message, though not expressly stated, was that the “court unanimously rejects legislation proposed by Democrats seeking to impose on the justices the same ethics obligations applied to all other federal judges.”

This unanimous letter also addressed threats against justices, which peaked last year as a leftist reportedly tried to assassinate about three conservative judges. 

A report by Legal Insurrection asserted that the attacks were part of a leftist campaign against conservative judges, including Justice Thomas and his wife, Chief Justice Roberts and his wife, and Justices Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

A slew of far-Left outlets have recently all echoed the same misinformation, ripping the court’s conservative justices. The irresponsible reports, critics have argued, served to further embolden leftist attacks on the court’s majority.

“A word is necessary concerning security. Judges at all levels face increased threats to personal safety,” the justices wrote. “These threats are magnified with respect to Members of the Supreme Court, given the higher profile of the matters they address.”

Lightfoot Begs for Stop of Illegal Immigrants Flooding Chicago

Ezekiel Loseke
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Lightfoot Begs for Stop of Illegal Immigrants Flooding Chicago

(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) Lori Lightfoot, Chicago’s radical leftist and lesbian mayor, wrote a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott begging for the flood of illegal immigrants entering her city to stop.

Lightfoot began the letter whining about Texas planning this month to resume bussing immigrants to sanctuary cities like Chicago, which has been dealing with a flood of illegals since August of 2022.

“We have shouldered the responsibility of caring for more than 8,000 men, women, and children with no resources of their own,” the lame duck Lightfoot wrote, ignoring the disastrous policies that have allowed illegal immigrants to flow unchecked across the border and caused widespread damage and chaos for towns and cities in southern border states.

Lightfoot noted that illegal immigrants often need expensive care including food and water, shelter and medical treatment. “None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas,” she claimed, boasting that Chicago has expended valuable resources to care for these illegals.

“We simply have no more shelters spaces, or resources to accommodate an increase of individuals at this level,” she griped.

Lightfoot further claimed the cause of the crisis was not illegal immigration, but the internal movement of these people who are already in America, and blamed Abbott for creating a “humanitarian crisis” by providing illegals transportation to sanctuary cities.

“To tell them to go to Chicago or to … bus them here is an inviable choice,” she wrote.

Abbott, in turn, defended his moves and argued that sanctuary cities like Chicago have dodged the devastating impact of open-border policies that have harmed states like Texas and terrorized its residents.

“It was just Texas and Arizona that bore the brunt” of illegal immigration,” Abbott explained according to Axios. “Now, the rest of America can understand exactly what is going on.”

San Fran. Whole Foods Made 568 Emergency Calls in One Year for Crime, Drug Use

Contributing Author
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San Fran. Whole Foods Made 568 Emergency Calls in One Year for Crime, Drug Use

(Headline USA) Records show the San Francisco Whole Foods that was forced to shut its doors last month after little more than a year in business had to make hundreds of emergency calls throughout that year.

The New York Times revealed that the Market Street location made 568 emergency calls in just 13 months, regarding crime, medical emergencies and drug use. 

“Male [with] machete is back,” the 911 operator informed police in one call.

In another call, a store manager told operators that “another security guard was just assaulted.”

The Whole Foods security guards were frequent targets of attacks, according to the records. In one instance, security guards were assaulted by a knife-wielding man, who sprayed them with a fire extinguisher after his weapon was confiscated.

At least 14 people were arrested at the Whole Foods location and charged with grand theft and battery.

There were frequent medical emergencies related to drug use as well. One man reportedly overdosed from fentanyl and methamphetamine in the bathroom in September.

Whole Foods announced last month that it was shutting down its flagship San Francisco location, citing concerns for its employees’ safety.

Whole Foods announced this week that it is shuttering its flagship location in downtown San Francisco less than a year after it opened because of rampant crime and drug use.

“To ensure the safety of our team members we have made the difficult decision to close the Trinity store for the time being,” a Whole Foods spokesperson said in a statement on Monday, adding that the location may reopen if they feel they can ensure the safety of their team members.

The store had already cut its hours significantly in response to “high theft” and hostile people.

“We’re spending more on security than any other store, I would imagine,” the manager said at the time, according to the San Francisco Standard.

AOC ‘Not Planning’ to Run For Senate in 2024

Contributing Author
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AOC ‘Not Planning’ to Run For Senate in 2024

(Headline USA) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has decided against running for Senate in 2024, according to a campaign spokeswoman.

Just one month after Ocasio-Cortez hinted at a possible primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the leftist revealed that she’s “not planning” to seek higher office.

“She is not planning to run for Senate in 2024. She is not planning to primary Gillibrand,” Lauren Hitt, Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson, told Politico.

Ocasio-Cortez’s fellow left-wing Democrat lawmakers Jamaal Bowman and Ritchie Torres have also decided to sit out the Senate primary, according to the report.

With the field mostly clear, Gillibrand has managed to rack in some hefty endorsements, including from pro-abortion group EMILYs List and the NAACP.

“She works hard. She’s active in the community. I think she’s doing a good job,” Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP’s New York chapter, said. “She’s been fighting for women’s rights and against sexual harassment and domestic violence. She’s been strong on education and good on health issues. She’s fought for veterans.”

Manhattan Democratic Party leader Keith Wright also said he’d support Gillibrand’s reelection.

“I’m absolutely backing Gillibrand’s re-election,” he said. “She’s doing a great job. She’s got seniority. She and Chuck Schumer are the equivalent of James Brown — the hardest-working senators in the United States of America.”

Last month, Ocasio-Cortez admitted she was considering seeking “higher office.”

“There’s a world where I’m here for a long time in this seat, in this position,” she told the outlet. “There’s a world where I’m not an elected official anymore. There’s a world where … I may be in higher office.”

Several Democrat strategists predicted that if AOC were to challenge Gillibrand, she would beat the incumbent senator easily.

“She could do it. Oh, my God, could she do it,” said Democrat consultant Ryan Adams. “If she ran for Senate the fundraising that would come in from all around the country would easily make her competitive. And nobody campaigns like her. Everyone would come out. The apparatus that would spring up around her would be unstoppable. People would fly in from other states to volunteer with her.”

Oregon Moves to Decriminalize Homeless Encampments, Let Homeless Sue if Asked to Leave

Mark Pellin
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Oregon Moves to Decriminalize Homeless Encampments, Let Homeless Sue if Asked to Leave

(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) With Oregon leftists having already decriminalized possession of hard drugs like heroin and fentanyl-derivatives, the Democrat-run state has turned its focus on decriminalizing the hundreds of homeless encampments proliferating throughout the state and endangering public safety and health.

In the same vein, lawmakers are eyeing legislation that would allow peopling living in the encampments to sue for $1,000 if they’re harassed or told to leave.

The proposed law, innocuously titled the Oregon Right to Rest Act, would allow homeless people to use public spaces “without discrimination and time limitations regarding their housing status.” The bill would also allow anyone to live in a vehicle or RV parked on public land “provided that the vehicle is legally parked.”

Under the proposed law, anybody who thinks their rights have been violated is entitled to “compensatory damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater.” Penalties of $1,000 could also be given to anyone who’s deemed to have harassed a homeless person.

The legislation argued that, “Decriminalization of rest allows local governments to redirect resources from local law enforcement activities to activities that address the root causes of homelessness and poverty.”

Oregon has been besieged by rampant homelessness, with large encampments taking over large swaths of neighborhoods, parks and open spaces.

Backlash to the proposed law has been fierce from outraged residents, particularly in urban centers like Portland where hordes of homeless have caused repeated disruptions. A public hearing for the proposal is slated for May 4, but lawmakers have already received upwards of 2,000 letters in response, with a huge majority of them expressing opposition.

“Our elected officials have allowed houselessness to take over sidewalks, parks, trails, hillsides, interstate rights of way and private property,” wrote one frustrated resident, an avid hiker and biker who said he regularly volunteers at homeless shelters, but argued a line must be drawn to protect public health and safety.

“I have been attacked while on a bike, forced to divert around piles of trash, observed countless needles, held my breath due to the offensive odor of urine and feces, witnessed nudity, and am completely dismayed at the trash, junked cars, tents, etc. that litter our public spaces. It’s disgusting and has reached chronic levels despite more money and raised taxes to supposedly fight this problem,” resident Doug Goebel wrote.

Anna Frankowski Nelson echoed those sentiments and related her own horrific experiences of health and safety issues caused by the growing homeless encampments.

“My neighborhood has disruptive members of the homeless community that are not good stewards of this family-friendly neighborhood. There is human feces, needles, condoms, and RVs are broken down on side streets,” she wrote. “This not acceptable. We need to get people off the streets, not enable them to stay on the streets. What is at risk is the safety, livability, and viability of the entire city of Portland. I strongly oppose this bill.”

Dissident from Infamous Shootout with U.S. Marshals is Seeking His Release

Ken Silva
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Dissident from Infamous Shootout with U.S. Marshals is Seeking His Release

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The 1983 shootout between outspoken IRS critic Gordon Kahl and U.S. Marshals was a flashpoint for the populist anti-government movement.

Some 40 years later, a man involved in the 1983 shootout seeks his release from prison.

That man is Scott Faul, who was with Kahl when U.S. Marshals attempted to execute a warrant for a misdemeanor parole violation, which stemmed from charges against Kahl for refusing to file his tax returns. Kahl did not “owe” any taxes, and his supporters say the federal government was targeting him due to his outspoken belief that the income tax was unconstitutional and a central tenant of the Communist Manifesto.

On the day of the shootout, U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement had formed a roadblock to capture Kahl in North Dakota. What happened next remains in dispute: The government claims that Faul, Kahl and his son, Yorie Von Kahl, killed two U.S. Marshals in cold blood, while the tax resisters said they acted in self-defense.

Faul maintains his innocence 40 years later, but a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in June 1983, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Yorie Von Kahl, who was shot by law enforcement—in what many argue was the first shot fired—was also given life imprisonment.

Gordon Kahl, for his part, went on the lam after the shootout and was killed by law enforcement in Arkansas months later. Kahl’s supporters say he was murdered by law enforcement—as indicated by a single execution-style shot to the back of his head.

A more complete account of these series of incidents can be found in James Corcoran’s book, Bitter Harvest: Gordon Kahl and the Posse Comitatus Murder in the Heartland, as well as the documentary Death and Taxes. Records about the saga of Kahl can also be found at ihatethefbi.com.

Headline USA recently discovered that last November, Faul filed a petition for habeas corpus, arguing that he’s entitled to parole by law.

Faul said in his petition that his first parole hearing was in 2002, at which time he was told that he’d have to serve another 10 years in prison. Faul said he was parolled from his life sentence in 2013, but still had to serve another 10 years for the charge of forcibly assaulting or impeding federal officers by deadly weapon.

In January, Faul was reportedly denied parole by the U.S. Parole Commission on the grounds that the 70-year-old man might reoffend. According to court records, Faul refused to participate in the hearing.

“Rather than expressing remorse for the murders he was convicted of, he believes he was ‘unlawfully attacked by murderous thugs,’” North Dakota U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider, who argued against Faul’s release from prison, reportedly said in February.

But on Feb. 21, Faul made another filing in relation to his petition for habeas corpus. Again, he argued that he’s “entitled to immediate release on parole because he has served 40 years on his sentence and the Parole Commission’s recent action is legally insufficient to block Faul’s mandatory parole.”

“Faul was 30 years old on Feb. 13, 1983. He is now 70. Faul has served the time required by our law,” he argued. “It is time for him to go home.”

A hearing date for Faul’s petition has yet to be set, and no other actions appear on the docket since Faul’s Feb. 21 filing. Earlier filings indicate that the government will attempt to keep him and Yorie Von Kahl in prison for the rest of their lives.

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

Chelsea Clinton Pimps Porn for Kids

Mark Pellin
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Chelsea Clinton Pimps Porn for Kids

(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is coming under fire for pushing to have graphic, sexually-explicit books and material that promote a radical LGBT agenda made available in public schools and libraries for the indoctrination of kids. 

The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and failed-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made her stand as a growing body of science reveals the potential physical, emotional and psychological damage caused by confused children rushing into misguided decisions about gender identity and, in extreme cases, irreversible genital-mutilation surgeries.

Clinton voiced her concerns after a NBC report claimed that a majority of books being pulled from school libraries contained explicit LGBT-themed content.

“Over 50% of the attempted book bans last year involved books with LGBTQ+ characters & themes,” Clinton tweeted, not even managing to complete a sentence without being called out for her lies and misinformation.

“These book are not ‘banned’ in the sense you use the word. They are very much in print,” noted one commentator. “Keeping them out of the hands of young minds is responsible parenting; something you apparently know nothing about. Unsurprising given your role models.”

The filth that public school libraries have pulled from their shelves for access by young children have, in many cases, been banned from school board meetings when parents have tried to read them in public forums.

Clinton ignored those cases and focused only on her misguided interpretation of schools’ efforts to keep children safe and parents informed, and in turn was roundly criticized for her spewing misinformation and scolding parents on how to raise their kids.

“Like father, like daughter,” quipped one commentator, referencing Bill Clinton’s myriad sexcapades and reports of rape, while another Twitter-user suggested, “Well at least friends and family will know what to buy for her kids.”

 

Direct Fox Competitor Offers Tucker ‘the Keys to the Kingdom’: Report

Robert Jonathan
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Direct Fox Competitor Offers Tucker ‘the Keys to the Kingdom’: Report

(Robert Jonathan, Headline USA) A conservative rival to Fox News has reportedly offered Tucker Carlson the opportunity to become what amounts to the channel’s program director.

TMZ previously claimed that struggling “nonpartisan” NewsNation is very serious about signing Carlson, FNC’s former top-rated anchor who delivered a must-see-TV opening monologue on each episode of his show.

The Hollywood gossip site now claims that Newsmax is “putting on a full-court press to land him.”

“Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ…the news channel is doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board — including floating the idea of letting him program the whole channel, not just his own show.”

The outlet further asserted “That would be a pretty enticing deal point…in addition to having his own primetime show, Tucker would have a say over what shows lead into and out of his show, which can be key in achieving bigger TV ratings.”

Much speculation has emerged about Carlson’s contract status or current obligations therein including that Fox is supposedly still paying him to go fly-fishing to prevent him from getting a conventional media gig or from launching his own news-and-commentary platform, at least in the near term.

With that in mind, TMZ added that “While our sources stress Newsmax hasn’t formally offered Tucker a job — he can’t have formal discussions due to his current Fox News contract — we’re told the network execs have made it clear to people around him, they would basically give him a big say in rebranding their channel.”

A TMZ reporter likened the situation to when NFL teams tried to hire Bill Parcells as their head coach. “You could be the ‘coach and the general manager.’ They’re telling [Carlson] he could come in and actually plan out the programming for the network, and he would be sort of the star,” but also select the other primetime hosts and content.

“Really give him a lot of control over the direction of the network.”

The now-retired Parcells famously once quipped that “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries,” in the context of ownership allowing the coach to also pick the pro football players that he is expected to teach and mentor.

Fox lost significant market share and a massive amount of stock value as a result of the departure of the populist pundit from the Tucker Carlson Tonight program.

FNC alienated many viewers over its rush to call Arizona for Joe Biden in Election 2020. Those viewers eventually came back, but this time around, the damage could be permanent, given Carlson’s devoted following.

In the meantime, Newsmax received a ratings spike, particularly at the 8 p.m. Eastern time (the Carlson time slot) anchored by former Fox News host Eric Bolling.

For example, Bolling had 510,000 viewers last Wednesday night, compared to 168,000 for the prior Wednesday, according to the Nielsen ratings service. The night before, Bolling had 562,000 viewers, up from 122,000 the same day a week earlier. He achieved 531,000 viewers last Monday, hours after Fox let Carlson go.

According to the New York Times, however, “Over all, Newsmax remains a ratings minnow.”

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy told the Times that “We would definitely be open to having a conversation with [Carlson]. He’s one of the most influential and significant voices in conservative media, and he shouldn’t be ignored.”

Ruddy noted that Carlson could go the independent podcast route.

Longtime Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, whose talk show is simulcast on Newsmax, maintained that “Tucker Carlson will survive, stronger than ever, for sure. (I hope the TMZ speculation about taking over Newsmax is true, although I doubt it.)”

OANN and Blaze TV have already made overtures to Carlson, who is the most influential pundit in the cable news space, even if temporarily silenced, especially given that Carlson’s brief but inspirational video message garnered nearly 80 million views on Twitter.

“Our sources acknowledge it’s too early to know for sure where Tucker will pop up next, and it might not even be at a TV network…but we’re told whatever he does, it’s going to be big, disruptive, and will create a seismic shift in the conservative media landscape,” TMZ concluded.

Controversy also swirls around the purported reason or reasons why Fox and Tucker parted ways. In the end, contractual non-disclosure clauses and other similar fine-print limitations may or may not preclude the disclosure of what actually went down.

Characterizing Fox News as “controlled opposition,” Lew Rockwell, the founder and chairman of the Mises institute, declared that “Tucker was axed by the regime’s henchmen, who work together to silence dissent, pummel the population with endless propaganda, and gaslight their victims with lies that represent the precise inverse of the truth.”

Epstein’s Private Calendar Lists Current CIA Director, Fmr. Obama Adviser

Jacob Bruns
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Epstein’s Private Calendar Lists Current CIA Director, Fmr. Obama Adviser

(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicated that the pedophile met with high-level officials after he was charged, including the current CIA director and an Obama-era White House counsel.

Specifically, the documents reportedly suggest that Epstein met with CIA director William Burns; Noam Chomsky, a left-wing activist academic; Leon Botstein, the longtime president of Bard College; and Kathryn Ruemmler, White House counsel under Obama.

All of those in question have maintained that they were meeting Epstein for purely professional or social reasons. Chomsky, for instance, apparently said in an email that Epstein had arranged for him to meet with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Epstein’s schedule does not specify the reason for the meetings. All of them, however, took place after Epstein served prison time for a 2008 sex crime involving a teenage girl, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Burns, for instance, met with Epstein a decade ago while looking for a new job in the private sector, according to Tammy Kupperman Thorp, a CIA spokeswoman.

“The director did not know anything about him, other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector,” she told the Journal. “They had no relationship.”

However, Thorp also reportedly denied that any further communication took place between Burns and Epstein, despite there having been several meetings in 2014 listed on Epstein’s schedule.

“The director does not recall any further contact,” she reportedly said.

Chomsky’s meeting with Epstein was scheduled to take place in Epstein’s Manhattan home in 2015.

Botstein allegedly met with Epstein on numerous occasions, even inviting Epstein to the Bard College campus.

Ruemmler, Obama’s former legal counsel, reportedly met with Epstein dozens of times, both during her White House tenure and after, when she made the move to Goldman Sachs.

The revelations are only the most recent examples of elites corresponding with the famous pedophile.

Top officials from Google, JP Morgan, and Hyatt have also had their relations with Epstein scrutinized in recent months as more documents are released to the public.

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