Friday, September 27, 2024

September 27, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Helene lashes the South with wind and flood rains after coming ashore as a Category 4 storm . . . Authorities rescued people trapped by floodwaters and more than 3 million customers were in the dark across much of the southeastern U.S. as Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia early Friday after making landfall overnight in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm. Helene came ashore amid warnings from the National Hurricane Center that the enormous system could create a "nightmare" storm surge. There were at least four storm-related deaths. Video on social media sites showed sheets of rain coming down in Perry, Florida, near where Helene made landfall, and siding being torn off buildings. Associated Press

Politics

New York appeals court judge calls Trump's $454M civil fraud judgment 'troubling' . . . A panel of New York appeals court judges appeared skeptical about the gargantuan $454 million civil fraud judgment Donald Trump was dealt after he was found liable for business fraud — with one jurist calling it "troubling." The former president is attempting to reverse or reduce the judgment of $354 million — plus an additional $100 million in interest — after a judge sided with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who argued in a lawsuit that Trump inflated his net worth by billions to get better loan and insurance terms. New York Post

Cuomo set to attempt comeback with bid to succeed Adams as NYC mayor . . . Since last year, Andrew Cuomo has been signaling to some insiders he was disinclined to run against Adams, given their shared base of predominantly moderate, Black Democratic voters. But the Democrat's calculus has shifted amid Adams' deepening legal troubles, which crescendoed with the unsealing of a five-count criminal indictment that alleged the mayor received favors and campaign contributions from the Turkish government in exchange for official actions. Politico

Scranton was Biden's strength in PA but could be Kamala's downfall . . . It's not just the loss of Biden — an older, white, Catholic man with an affinity for the working class — from the top of the ticket that worries local Democrats. It's the cultural dissonance with Harris, a Californian and woman of color who has spearheaded the party's post-Dobbs abortion messaging. That profile makes her an awkward fit in a closely watched, economically hard-pressed working-class region that's historically been a locus of anti-abortion activity. Politico

Harris border visit to focus on curbing fentanyl flow, boosting resources for border agents . . . Vice President Harris plans to call for more resources for border patrol agents, on her visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, a senior campaign official said. She is also set to describe curbing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. a "top priority" if she's elected in November. Harris is set to visit Douglas, Ariz., and meet with border patrol agents. While there, she plans to argue that "American sovereignty requires setting rules at the border and enforcing them," the official said. The Hill

This is not smart. The visit will only call attention to the Biden-Harris failure on the border. Republicans are already having a field day scooping up this unexpected gift.

Trump calls for Nancy Pelosi to be prosecuted for insider trading . . . Former President Donald Trump demanded that Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California be prosecuted for alleged insider trading after a suspicious report about a Visa company stock trade. Pelosi's husband sold at least half a million dollars of Visa stock months before a massive lawsuit. He went on to say she should be prosecuted for reportedly turning down a request to order the National Guard to provide security at the U.S. Capitol for the Jan. 6. The Blaze

North Carolina pulls 747,000 people off of voter registration rolls . . . Three of the top reasons for removal were that the voter was determined to have been deceased, had duplicate registrations due to moving within the state, or had garnered an "inactive status" from election officials after failing to participate in two federal elections. The board's announcement comes after the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party filed two lawsuits concerning ineligible voter registration records. Washington Examiner

If this continues, it could become the first election in years in which the deceased are denied their right to vote.

Culture

Newsom signs bill apologizing for California's role in slavery . . . "The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities," the governor added. "Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past — and making amends for the harms caused." Washington Examiner

California was a free state.

State AGs assail pediatric org over trans policies . . . Twenty state attorneys general are accusing the nation's largest association of pediatricians of violating state consumer-protection laws in relation to gender dysphoria care for minors and transgender children. The AGs' letter was addressed to merican Academy of Pediatrics. "It is abusive to treat a child with biologically altering drugs that have an unknown physiological trajectory and end point," Labrador wrote. "It is also inhumane to endorse such experimentation without a confident safety profile, especially if more times than not, it proves to be medically unnecessary." Daily Signal

National Security

New Chinese nuclear attack submarine sank during construction . . . Satellite imagery showed that China's newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday. The sinking of China's first Zhou-class submarine represents a setback for Beijing as it continues to build out the world's largest navy. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade. Associated Press

Well, that was easy.

More than 50,000 criminals crossed the border this year, House report says . . . Unprecedented numbers of violent gang members, drug cartel operatives, and aliens on the terror watchlist are among the estimated 11.6 million illegal aliens expected to have entered during the Biden-Harris administration, a report released Wednesday by the House Committee on Homeland Security states. The committee reported that U.S. Border Patrol arrested 52,755 illegal aliens with criminal records since the start of fiscal year 2021. Americans have fallen victim to the rising number of violent offenses committed by criminal aliens since the start of fiscal year 2021. Daily Caller

Technically, they're all criminals.

US intel stresses risks of allowing long-range strike by Ukraine . . . U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russia is likely to retaliate with greater force against the United States and its coalition partners, possibly with lethal attacks, if they agree to give the Ukrainians permission to employ U.S., British and French-supplied long-range missiles for strikes deep inside Russia, U.S. officials said. The intelligence assessment, which has not been previously reported, also plays down the effect that the long-range missiles will have on the course of the conflict. New York Times

International

Zelensky stumbles into partisan battle with Vance remarks, Pennsylvania trip . . . Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, for organizing the visit with Democrats to a Keystone State weapons factory. Zelensky came under criticism from Republicans for calling Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), "too radical" in a New Yorker article because the senator would give up Ukrainian territory to Russia and stop supporting Ukraine in the war. Zelensky also cast doubt on Trump's plan to end the war before he takes office. The Hill

This has been a disastrous trip for Zelensky. There's nothing American hate more than presumptuous foreign leaders interfering in our elections.

Trump says he will meet Zelensky despite campaign criticism

Money

Dockworker strike could spark economic crisis . . . Ten of thousands of dockworkers could go on strike on Oct. 1 in a move that experts say could wreak havoc on American supply chains and reignite the rapid inflation seen in the early years of the Biden-Harris administration. The move could cost the U.S. economy roughly $5 billion a day in trade, and would massively disrupt supply chains in a way not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, causing rapid inflation and hiking the cost of living for everyday Americans. Daily Caller

Bad for Harris, who's helping run the country.

You should also know

AOC's 'red light' district overrun with prostitutes as locals call out MIA 'Squad' member . . . The trash-filled streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, which encompasses the migrant-heavy communities of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, has become a veritable hotbed for one of the world's oldest professions, and residents say that most elected officials and police are turning a blind eye to the neighborhood nightmare, which looks more like the famed brothel-filled red-light district streets of Bangkok than one of America's biggest cities. Fox News

Elon Musk denies he's sleeping with the prime minister of Italy

Guilty Pleasures

CNN request to kids to describe Kamala backfires . . . A CNN segment featuring children talking about the presidential election has supporters of former President Donald Trump in stitches, as students are asked to react to a photo of Vice President Kamala Harris. When one young boy is asked to describe Harris in one word, he replies, 'Liar' without hesitation. When one girl is asked which candidate would be more selfish, one child replies 'probably her' and points at Harris, pointing out that 'girls are a little bit dramatic sometimes.' Daily Mail

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