Prominent Seattle Homeless Advocate Charged with Possession of Child porn

(Spence Pauley, The Center Square) A founder of one of Seattle‘s largest homeless service providers has been charged with the possession of child pornography.

David Bloom is an American Baptist minister and one of the founders of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, the nonprofit that received the third largest funding allocation from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority with $15.6 million this year.

On Sept. 23, Bloom was charged by King County prosecutors with two counts, including second-degree possession of child pornography.

Bloom’s bail was set at $5,000.

Bloom has had a strong presence in homeless advocacy work in Seattle for decades. Along with being one of the founders of the Downtown Emergency Service Center in 1979, Bloom was also a board member for the nonprofit Seattle weekly newspaper Real Change from 2011-2013, according to his LinkedIn account.

He also ran for Seattle City Council in 2009, but lost in the general election.

Bloom, who is 82 years old and retired, states on his LinkedIn page that he is currently an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University in Seattle, where he says he is still available for guest speaking, consulting, and short-term courses in his areas of interest.

The Seattle Times reported that Microsoft notified the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children of a user uploading several illicit files to its database last March. Later in June, Seattle police detectives located Bloom using his IP address and got a warrant to search his home in September.

Bloom admitted to detectives that he had been viewing child pornography for about three to four years.

He posted bond on Sept. 24 after spending a day in jail.

Downtown Emergency Service Center Communications Manager Claire Tuohy-Morgan told The Center Square that the organization is aware of the criminal charges against Bloom and noted that he has had no connection with the organization for nearly 30 years.

“We are deeply saddened and disturbed by this news, and we support the authorities in their investigation,” Tuohy-Morgan said in an email.

The Center Square reached out to other organizations affiliated with Bloom, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Gov’t Watchdog Outlines $700B in Cuts w/ Bipartisan Support

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) A think tank proposed $700 billion in spending cuts that it says should have bipartisan support in the legislature as Congress prepares for a new term that could focus on taxing and spending policies, including extending the debt limit and the 2017 tax cuts.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget proposed a list of cuts and revenue increases that could save $700 billion over the next decade. Some are as simple as closing loopholes in federal programs and making sure Americans pay their full tax bills. Others are more complex.

“But not all deficit reduction needs to be contentious,” according to the report. “Some of these policies already enjoy broad bipartisan support, or at least should.”

In addition to cuts, the group proposed some options for raising revenues without raising taxes.

“On the revenue side, improving tax compliance allows policymakers to raise revenue without raising taxes,” according to the report. Every president from Reagan to Biden – including President Trump – has proposed increasing funding to the IRS and enacting other measures to reduce the “tax gap,” or the difference between taxes owed and taxes actually collected.

The Internal Revenue Service published its projections that the net tax gap after enforcement actions fell from $617 billion in 2021 to $606 billion in 2022.

The IRS projects that taxpayers owed $4.6 trillion in total tax liability in 2022. About $3.9 trillion of that was paid on time and without penalty. Enforcement actions and late payments led to an additional $90 billion in collections.

Most of the tax gap comes from individual income taxes, which accounted for 74% ($514 billion) of the gross tax gap in 2022. Of this amount, underreporting of income accounted for 74%, most of which came from underreported business income ($194 billion) and non-business income ($87 billion).

The tax year 2021 and 2022 tax gap projections translate to about 85% of taxes paid voluntarily and on time.

The tax gap has been an entrenched problem for decades.

“The results underscore there remains a sizable tax gap between taxes that are legally owed but aren’t actually being paid,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “While the bottom line for the new tax gap numbers shows the increase basically reflects growth in the larger economy, the size of the gap also vividly illustrates the ongoing need for adequate funding for the IRS.”

Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. Lawmakers appropriated about $80 billion to the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act to expand operational support, modernize systems, enhance customer service and improve tax enforcement.

CNN’s Dana Bash Responds to Pro-Gaza Heckler: ‘You Have No Shame’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A pro-Palestinian heckler confronted CNN anchor Dana Bash inside a synagogue, accusing her of supporting “genocide” in Gaza. Bash, who is Jewish and has faced protests at her home, responded bluntly via X. 

“You came to a place of Jewish worship, stood on the Bhima, near the holy Torah scroll, and pretended to be congregants,” Bash wrote Thursday in response to CODEPINK, which had shared a video of the confrontation. “You have no shame, no decency, and no clue what you’re talking about.” 

CODEPINK, a radical leftist group known for opposing Israel’s military operations to rescue hostages in Gaza, organized the disruption inside a synagogue, where a protester and a cameraperson cornered Bash. 

“I want to tell you I’m really upset at what I perceive to be a conflation of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism… and that’s not very true and very dangerous to our Jewish community and our Jewish values,” the protester said, accusing Bash of being a “mouthpiece for the genocide in Gaza.” 

As Bash tried to walk away, she replied that she was not in the synagogue to debate and added that anti-Zionism does not equate to anti-Semitism. However, Bash noted that protests targeting her have turned anti-Semitic. 

“Have you been to the [protests] at my house where they call me Zionist trash and call for the intifada against me?” Bash asked the CODEPINK-tied individual. “These are extremists,” Bash told the protester, referencing the demonstrations outside her home. 

This isn’t the first time Bash has been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists. In September 2024, demonstrators disrupted her book tour in Washington, D.C. 

“You belong behind bars,” one protester shouted in video footage. “We know who you are, we know what you’re saying. It’s not a war, it’s never been a war, it is ethnic cleansing.” 

Bash’s colleague Jake Tapper defended her on X, denouncing the “harassment” as blatant “antisemitism.” 

Trump Sues Far-Left Media for Billions

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump recently announced that he would be suing many mainstream media outlets that had been lying about him for almost a decade for $10 billion.

Columbia Journalism Review reported on Thursday that just days before the presidential election, Trump’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, sent a letter to the New York Times and Penguin Random House demanding $10 billion in damages for spreading lies about Trump in their articles.

The outlet reviewed the letter, which accused the articles’ authors, Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, of making “false and defamatory statements” about Trump.

“There was a time, long ago, when the New York Times was considered the ‘newspaper of record,’” the letter stated. “Those halcyon days have passed.”

The letter also stated that the Times is a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democratic party” that wages “industrial-scale libel against political opponents.”

Trump’s team also accused the Times of harboring “every intention of defaming and disparaging the world-renowned Trump brand that consumers have long associated with excellence, luxury and success in entertainment, hospitality and real estate, among many other industries, as well as falsely and maliciously defaming and disparaging him as a candidate for the highest office in the United States.”

The news source pointed out that on Nov. 5, Trump’s campaign co-chief, Chris LaCivita, sent a letter to the Daily Beast demanding that the far-left propaganda outlet correct some of its blatantly anti-Trump articles.

Trump’s team also sued CBS News and filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission about the Washington Post.

“Interesting,” Elon Musk wrote.

Other people who despise the mainstream media also responded to the recent news.

“I hope he bankrupts them all!” @GuntherEagleman wrote. “It’s time for them to learn a lesson!”

Comedian Tim Young also approved of Trump’s revenge on the media.

“GOOD. Anyone who only even half pays attention could see they lied about him,” he wrote.

Independent journalist Kyle Becker also agreed with the tactic.

“Trump is exercising his legal right to bring lawsuits against those who maliciously slandered him, libeled him or attacked his character. This is not an ‘attack on press freedom.’ It is called ‘media accountability,'” he wrote.

Trump previously sued CBS News for election interference over the heavily edited former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s 60 Minutes interview.

To avoid being Trump’s enemies, some leftist publications already stopped their non-stop far-left propaganda by refusing to endorse Harris before Election Day and vowing to hire conservative writers and editors.

 

Judge Overturns Rigged Infowars Auction, Says It Did Not Accept Highest Bid

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A judge recently overturned the Infowars auction because it was revealed that leftists rigged it so that they could get rid of the conservative news source.

The Gateway Pundit recently reported that The Onion initially planned to turn the news source into another satirical website. However, it was later revealed that the organization didn’t buy Infowars via the auction. The judge overseeing the case ordered a hearing into how The Onion supposedly won.

“Whoever wins the auction might not necessarily be the highest bidder. The U.S. trustee has broad discretion to ‘determine the highest or otherwise best bid or bids’ [emphasis added] according to the auction firms Tranzon Asset Advisors and ThreeSixty Asset Advisors,” NPR wrote.

Alex Jones, the founder of Infowars, also told his Twitter followers that The Onion didn’t buy his news outlet.

“Infowars was not sold to The Onion. I am breaking the news now. Please watch and share the link below,” Jones wrote.

Jones also shared another video in one of his social media posts in which he revealed that the judge blocked the sale of Infowars, criticizing how the auction was conducted.

After that, he posted another video, claiming that his lawyers told him the auction was “basically” illegal.

On the next day, Jones published another video in which he said that the judge halted the sale of Infowars to The Onion after discovering the secret activities.

However, before the recent news was shared, the mainstream media, including The Onion itself, had been cheering after discovering that Infowars was bought, resulting in the death of the conservative news source.

“This is INSANE… WTF?” Eric Daugherty wrote. “The auction was pretty much FAKE. They gave special treatment to the Democrats who wanted to buy out his assets… buy out with nonexistent money…. and without the other bidders knowing what’s going on. Unreal. It’s now playing out in court.”

Jones also told Glenn Beck of Blaze Media that the Justice Department had been heavily involved in the auction.

Dems Openly Steal Election in Swing State

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Democrats in Pennsylvania are still trying to steal one of the Senate seats.

The Washington Examiner reported that Bucks County commissioners decided to count ballots without proper signatures, thus violating a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.

“I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws anytime they want,” Diane Marseglia, one of the board members, said. “So for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.”

Republicans from Bucks County quickly responded to the recent news, adding that their lawyers are handling the problem.

“Democrat Commissioners Diane Marseglia and Bob Harvie voted today to count illegal ballots against PA Supreme Court ruling, in an attempt to aid former Senator Bob Casey,” Bucks County GOP wrote. “Thank you to Republican Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo for making a motion to uphold the law! Our attorneys are working with attorneys from the PAGOP and RNC to address this matter.”

People on Twitter quickly responded to the blatant steal of the Senate seat.

“They are openly trying to count illegal ballots in Pennsylvania! Unreal,” Elon Musk wrote.

Even Catholic priests, like Fr. Calvin Robinson, responded to the recent news.

“They are cheating. You know they are cheating. They know you know they are cheating. They will continue to cheat, regardless. Shameless disrespect, undermining democracy and their roles within it,” he wrote.

Others also pointed out the hypocrisy on the Left regarding election interference.

“If Bucks County had Republican officials that were counting ballots in violation of a court order, they would’ve already been arrested by Merrick Garland DOJ. And we all know it,” @DefiyantlyFree wrote, adding that Republicans need to sue Democrats for stealing the Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

Republican chairman Michael Whatley also responded to the recent news, stating that the Republican National Committee already filed several lawsuits.

“The RNC has filed four lawsuits over this already and will fight for as long as necessary. This is the exact kind of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence,” he wrote.

Some conservatives also rhetorically asked why Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., doesn’t do anything to prevent this from happening.

“Does Governor Shapiro have any comment about the fact that Bucks County violated a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling and counted ballots illegally for Democrats in the Senate race? The guy who keeps talking about election integrity? Or is he just a hypocrite?” @DefiyantlyFree wrote.

Musk’s New Dept. Looks for Volunteers

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) After President-elect Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency, the department announced that it sought people willing to volunteer to eliminate government spending. 

“We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE,” the department wrote.

However, DOGE noted that the work is hard and time-consuming, which means not everybody can work for the department.

“We don’t need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants,” the department wrote.

Many conservatives agreed with the approach in the comments section.

“Only the best should be accepted. We need to ensure this venture is as successful as possible,” @GuntherEagleman wrote.

Others also claimed they shared the information about the department hiring with people they know.

“Sharing with some friends who might fit the bill. Thank you so much,” @_johnnymaga wrote.

Some people suggested that you don’t need geniuses working at DOGE if something with common sense can do the job.

“You don’t necessarily need high IQ people. You need high common sense people,” @DisrespectedThe wrote.

Some conservatives just said they were glad about the department slashing government spending.

“This is seriously the coolest thing ever,” @BehizyTweets wrote.

Elon Musk, one of the department’s leaders, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, also confirmed that the department is ready to hire new people in a post from his account in response to one of the people reacting to the recent news.

“I get the unbridled enthusiasm of wanting to be part of something of profound historical significance like the @DOGE, but I think people don’t quite realize that the task at hand will require a monumental amount of tedious super-high quality work,” @ajtourville wrote.

Musk responded by agreeing with the person.

“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies & compensation is zero. What a great deal,” he wrote.

Mayorkas Hands Out Free-for-All Visas in Final Days in Office

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Outgoing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is expanding temporary worker visas for Fiscal Year 2025 by more than 60,000, despite only having two months left in office.

Mayorkas announced Friday that DHS, with the help of the Department of Labor, will make an additional 64,716 H-2B visas available. This is in addition to the 66,000 visas already allocated by Congress.

Of the new visas, 20,000 will be reserved for workers from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador or Costa Rica. The rest, 44,716, will be allocated to workers who previously held H-2B status within the past three fiscal years

Mayorkas claimed the move is part of the agency’s broader commitment to supporting the economy. These visas, which cover industries like hospitality, tourism, and landscaping, allow companies to recruit foreign nationals for jobs too few Americans are willing or able to take, DHS wrote.

“By maximizing the use of the H-2B visa program, the Department of Homeland Security is helping to ensure the labor needs of American businesses are met, keeping prices down for consumers while strengthening worker protections and deterring irregular migration to the United States,” Mayorkas said.

The expansion was flagged first via X by Mike Howell, a columnist and director of The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project. “Mayorkas [is] massively increasing visa caps on his way out,” Howell wrote.

The visa extension could be undone by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. The rule applies to Fiscal Year 2025, which extends into mid-2025—months after Trump will take office following his 2024 landslide victory.

Trump has already announced plans to nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Mayorkas’s replacement. The House of Representatives impeached Mayorkas over his open border policies, making him the first cabinet official to face such a rebuke since 1876.

In his final year in office, Trump signed an executive order freezing new visas for foreign workers, arguing that preserving American jobs was needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malcolm X’s Family Hits CIA, FBI w/ $100M Lawsuit Over Assassination Plot

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Malcolm X’s family slapped the CIA, DOJ, FBI and NYPD with a $100 million lawsuit, alleging these government entities conspired in the civil rights leader’s assassination. 

The family, along with attorney Ben Crump, held a press conference Friday where they claimed the discovery of new evidence tying federal and local authorities in Malcolm X’s murder. They had initially announced the lawsuit in 2023.

“This cover-up spanned decades, blocking the Shabazz family’s access to the truth and their right to pursue justice,” Crump claimed in a press statement. “We are making history by standing here to confront those wrongs and seeking accountability in the courts.” 

Malcolm X, a proponent of “Black Nationalism,” was killed on Feb. 21, 1965, in front of his wife, Betty Shabazz, and their daughters. He was 39 years old. Three men—Muhammad A. Aziz, Khalil Islam and Mujahid Abdul Halim—were arrested and convicted of his murder. 

Aziz and Islam were exonerated in 2021 after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office found evidence the FBI and the NYPD had withheld evidence that would have led to their acquittal, according to The New York Times. 

Crump alleged that these entities failed to provide security for Malcolm X in the weeks leading up to his assassination. He accused the J. Edgar Hoover-led FBI of “actively conspiring to reduce his protection and leaving him vulnerable to an attack they knew was imminent.” 

Crump added, “Despite knowing the gravity of the threats, the FBI failed to protect Malcolm X, instead actively compromising his safety by arresting his security team days before his assassination, removing security officers from the ballroom where he was killed, and not approving permits allowing him to purchase a firearm.” 

Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, invoked her mother’s name during the press conference: “We fought primarily for our mother, who was here,” Shabazz stated, according to ABC News. “My mother was pregnant when she came here to see her husband speak; someone who she just admired totally and to witness this horrific assassination of her husband…” 

Scientific American Editor Resigns after Election Night Rant about ‘F**king Fascists’

(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) In the wake of an unhinged election night rant, Laura Helmuth, former editor-in-chief of the Scientific American resigned her post, the Washington Post reported.

“I’ve decided to leave Scientific American after an exciting 4.5 years as editor in chief,” Helmuth wrote in a post on left-wing social media site Bluesky.

“I’m going to take some time to think about what comes next (and go birdwatching),” the disgraced editor continued. 

Helmuth penned a series of incendiary posts in the wake of president-elect Donald Trump’s dominant victory in the 2024 election.

“Gen X is so full of f***ing fascists,” Helmuth complained in one post, adding in another that she sympathizes with those “whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high school classmates are celebrating early results because f**k them to the moon and back.”

The former editor concluded her unhinged rant by railing against middle America and her own past.

“Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist,” she wrote. “The moral arc of the universe isn’t going to bend itself.”

In a follow up message, however, Helmuth apologized for her rant, claiming that she was under the influence of “shock and confusion in the wake of the election.”

In her apology she claimed that she respects and values “people across the political spectrum,” adding that, despite her rhetoric, she is committed to “civil communication and editorial objectivity.”

The Scientific American issued a statement thanking Helmuth for her work, but made no mention of her bizarre outburst.

“We thank Laura for her four years leading Scientific American during which time the magazine won major science communications awards and saw the establishment of a reimagined digital newsroom,” the statement said.

Helmuth in the past has written for publications such as Slate and the Washington Post.