Tracker

'Bullying worked': Experts blast FBI after bombshell report reveals agents were 'afraid' to raid Mar-a-Lago Legal experts are blasting the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a bombshell Washington Post exclusive report reveals some FBI agents were “afraid” to raid Mar-a-Lago and some wanted to simply shut down the criminal investigation, delaying for months the retrieval of classified documents that Donald Trump had unlawfully retained and refusal to return. “Months of disputes between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents over how best to try to recover classified documents from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and residence led to a tense showdown near the end of July last year,” The Post reports. “Prosecutors ultimately prevailed in that dispute,” and the “FBI conducted an unprecedented raid on Aug. 8, recovering more than 100 classified items, among them a document describing a foreign government’s military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities.” Two senior FBI officials wanted to ask Trump’s permission to go to Mar-a-Lago to search the ex-president’s resort and residence, despite having video evidence that appeared to show a trove of presidential documents being moved from a storage room after Trump was directed to return the items, including classified documents, that had been taken from the White House. Foreign policy and intelligence expert John Sipher, who spent 28 years in the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, said in response to the Post’s report, “Trump bullying worked.” Noted national security attorney Brad Moss, a frequent political commentator, observed: “This extensive piece once again makes clear a simple fact: the FBI, traumatized from the Trump era assaults on it, treated Trump with kid gloves.” https://www.alternet.org/smartnews/trump-mar-a-lago/

If she was wearing a mask as well as gloves, I would be very, very worried.

There is good reason to believe that the Bomber linebacking and defensive backfield will be as good as or better than last year, barring catastrophic injuries, of course. I do have concerns about our D-line, though. It would be nice to think that Jeffcoat will be back up to snuff and Walters can find us a good, if not great nose tackle. Jake the Snake is not getting any younger, and finding someone of his ilk and passport would be a BIG plus.

Apparently there are people out there who have not heard of unintended consequences. We humans are nowhere as clever as we think we are.

Putin is all in on sustaining the war on Ukraine, no matter the cost. His survival literally depends on something/anything he can sell as a victory. The scary thing is that he may not be worse than anyone who replaces him.

Meanwhile, at Costco.....

Tom Sizemore's Family 'Is Now Deciding-End-Of-Life Matters' For The Actor The "Saving Private Ryan" star has been in a coma since suffering a brain aneurysm on Feb. 19. The family of stricken actor Tom Sizemore is making an “end of life” decision for the “Saving Private Ryan” star after he suffered a brain aneurysm, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sizemore has been in a coma at a Los Angeles-area hospital since the Feb. 19 emergency at his home. The staff has determined there is no chance for recovery, prompting the family’s choice, THR reported on Monday. “Today, doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end-of-life decision,” spokesperson Charles Lago said in a statement to the outlet. The “family is now deciding end-of-life matters.” “We are asking for privacy for his family during this difficult time, and they wish to thank everyone for the hundreds of messages of support and prayers that have been received,” Lago added. “This has been a difficult time for them.” Sizemore, 61, appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning World War II movie “Saving Private Ryan” and also played prominent roles in Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” and Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down.” His life off-screen has been marred by arrests involving domestic abuse and drugs.

Further: Dominion’s Latest Filing Is Devastating For Fox News In a new filing in their lawsuit against Fox News, Rupert Murdoch admits that his hosts endorsed Trump’s election lies which is a devastating admission of defamation. Via: Dominion’s filing here is Rupert Murdoch in his deposition: Q: You are aware now that Fox did more than simply host these guests and give them a platform; correct? A. I think you’ve shown me some material in support of that. Q. In fact, you are now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election? A. Not Fox, No. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe Maria, as commentators. Q. We went through Fox hosts Maria Bartiromo, yes? A. Yes. C’mon Q: Fox host Jeanine Pirro? A: I think so. A. Oh, a lot. Q: Fox host Sean Hannity? A: A bit Q Lou Dobbs? Q. All were in that document; correct? A. Yes, they were. About Fox endorsing the narrative of a stolen election; correct? A. No. Some of our commentators were endorsing it. Q: About their endorsement of a stolen election? A. Yes. They endorsed

Murdoch is getting set to throw his lickspittle hosts under the looming bus in order to limit Fox's corporate liability in the current lawsuit that could bankrupt Fox.

Adams has been dropped by hundreds of papers in the US and Canada as well as his agent. I will miss his dead-on organizational satire.

Judge decides DOJ can search Jan. 6 'key figure' Scott Perry’s phone in scathing ruling Late Friday, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. swatted aside protestations from Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) who was trying to keep the Department of Justice from reviewing over 2,000 documents on his phone related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Perry, who continues to support Donald Trump's assertion that the election was stolen and is reportedly under investigation, claimed that the 2,219 documents on his phone were protected by the "speech or debate" clause in the Constitution which shields members of Congress from a criminal investigation into fulfilling their duties. However, Judge Howell bluntly disagreed on Friday. "Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court in D.C. released a number of previously sealed opinions after finding that the 'powerful public interest' outweighed the need for secrecy in the constitutional battle over Perry’s claims and the historic investigation," the Washington Post is reporting. In the ruling, Howell wrote, "What is plain is that the Clause does not shield Rep. Perry’s random musings with private individuals touting an expertise in cybersecurity or political discussions with attorneys from a presidential campaign, or with state legislators concerning hearings before them about possible local election fraud or actions they could take to challenge election results in Pennsylvania." According to the Post's Spencer Hsu, "Perry is a key figure who sought to help Trump replace the attorney general after the 2020 election with former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and get the Justice Department to reverse its finding that Joe Biden had been elected fairly, according to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol." The report adds, "The Justice Department has separately prioritized and obtained access to 37 emails between Perry and Trump-connected lawyers John Eastman, who pushed false claims of mass electoral fraud in 2020, Clark and aide Ken Klukowski, as well as 331 documents from Clark about his Jan. 6 role, according to the filings."

Conspiracy theorists pushing ivermectin as a flu and RSV panacea: report In 2020 and 2021 — during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic — some far-right MAGA Republicans and conspiracy theorists promoted ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, as a treatment for COVID-19. And they drew a great deal of criticism from mainstream health officials, including veteran immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The FDA, in an official statement, warned, "The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals…. Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19…. Taking large doses of ivermectin is dangerous." But despite warnings from Fauci, the FDA and countless others, ivermectin proponents on the far right continued to insist that it was a valuable tool in fighting COVID-19. According to Washington Post reporter Lauren Weber, the ivermectin cult hasn’t gone away — only in 2023, its focus is on ivermectin as a treatment for the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). READ MORE:'We tried our best': Retiring Dr. Anthony Fauci recalls challenges of serving Donald Trump during COVID-19 Weber, in an article published on February 26, notes that the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) was formed in 2020 to, in its own words, "prevent and treat COVID." But with interest in ivermectin as an anti-COVID-19 drug having waned, the group is now focused on other respiratory problems. And the group's critics, according to Weber, are still speaking out.

There are huge Russian bot farms whose sole purpose is to spread disinformation in order to further Russian political and economic influence. They do this by flooding social media of all sorts to discredit by volume anything unfavourable to Russia and to undermine peoples' faith in democratic governments and judicial systems.

‘Dilbert’ Author Invokes Mike Pence to Explain Racist Rant Newspapers dropped Scott Adams’ comic strip this week after he advised white people to stay away from Black people. In a new video, Adams says some racism is okay, actually. Embattled Dilbert creator Scott Adams responded to allegations of racism on Saturday by arguing that racism is fine in some situations. Newspapers including Cleveland’s Plain Dealer announced this week that they would stop running Dilbert cartoons after Adams went on a “racist rant” in which he encouraged white people to stay away from Black people, whom he described as a “hate group.” In a follow-up video on Saturday, Adams attempted to clarify his comments, likening them to former Vice President Mike Pence’s policy of avoiding one-on-one interactions with women, out of fear of what Adams described as “getting me-too’d when maybe you didn’t me-too anybody.” On Wednesday, Adams advised white people to keep their distance from Black people, whom he described as hateful. “I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people,” the Plain Dealer quoted Adams as saying in the Wednesday video. -REUTERS

Woody Harrelson Spews Anti-Vax Conspiracies in Rambling ‘SNL’ Monologue It was Woody Harrelson’s fifth time hosting Saturday Night Live this week, a distinction that often comes with a star-studded induction into the coveted Five-Timers Club. Instead, the actor used his time on stage to ramble incoherently for several minutes until ultimately delivering a not-so-coded anti-COVID vaccine message to the millions of viewers at home. The actor began his opening monologue by describing himself as a “redneck hippy” who considered himself “purple” in his politics, a line that he seemed surprised got neither laughter nor applause from the crowd. After highlighting the fact that he apparently wasn’t getting the typical Five-Timers smoking jacket, Harrelson began to tell a bizarre story about a script he read in 2019 after the last time he hosted the show, but continually interrupted himself to talk about his penchant for weed and the fact that he spent seven months without alcohol last year… “and five glorious months.” Harrelson—who has previously linked COVID-19 to 5G networks—arrived at the point he was apparently trying to make. “So the movie goes like this,” he said. “The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.”

If you learned the answer, they would have to kill you in order to silence you.

Much like the league which is full of has-beens and never-weres.

Kentucky officials fear measles outbreak after 'spiritual revival' Kentucky health officials have warned people who attended a large "spiritual revival" to be on the lookout for any measles symptoms after an unvaccinated participant came down with the disease. Measles are re-emerging as a concerning health issue as anti-vaxxers have spread their message to cover other vaccines. Some religious groups also preach against vaccines. Measles can have serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis. Nearly 250,000 kindergarten children are now vulnerable to the disease amid a drop off in vaccinations, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control. “Anyone who attended the revival" at Asbury University in the town of Wilmore on Feb. 18 "may have been exposed to measles,” Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, warned in a statement. “Attendees who are unvaccinated are encouraged to quarantine for 21 days, and to seek immunization with the measles vaccine, which is safe and effective.” He also warned anyone with symptoms not to show up at hospitals, clinics or emergency rooms without advance notice so health care workers can take precautions to protect themselves and others. Measles is extremely contagious. The latest case is the third in three months, according to officials, but cases can spike quickly. Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose and a rash three to five days after symptom onset. The Kentucky Health Department is working with local agencies to boost the number of children who receive the combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. MMR vaccine coverage among Kentucky kindergarten children is among the lowest in the nation, according to CDC statistics

Have had two acquaintances who had bad experiences in Ontario so a no-go there. I am in Winnipeg.

Good luck on the knee replacement- I am envious. I have been waiting for almost 31 months. Two weeks ago I received a letter stating I could have the procedure sooner if I was willing to go to Cleveland, Fargo or Ontario, but.....travel, meals and any accommodation would not be covered for me or any companion.

And do not expect to depart or arrive on time. Those, as posted, are suggestions and aspirational targets. The wife flew with them to Calgary in Ocotber- two hour delay in leaving Winnipeg and almost 7 hour delay in arrival back. she described the staff as "indifferent".