Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

California Dems Cook the Books on $2 Billion, Then Try to Make Filming Their Fraud Illegal

Max Bonilla publicly accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration of making a $2 billion calculation error in the state budget and then mischaracterizing the issue after it was identified.

Bonilla said the discrepancy involved accounting related to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, commonly known as CalPERS, and described how the error affected projected employer contributions.

“Governor Newsom’s office made a $2 billion calculation error in regards to the state budget and then lied about it to the public, and they actually covered this up for months.”

He said the handling of the issue raised concerns about transparency and competence within the administration.

“This should be disturbing to you, with all the fraud that’s going on across the United States of America, it shows you how incompetent they are. Shows you that they can’t even do basic math, and they can’t even be transparent to the public when it really comes down to it.”

Bonilla said officials referred to the issue as a revision rather than an error, which he criticized.

“And instead of calling this an error, they’re calling it a revision. And that, my friends, is revisionist history.”

According to Bonilla, the accounting problem involved double-counting employer contributions to CalPERS, the retirement system that provides benefits to public employees after they leave service.

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Instant karma for maniac who sank teeth into cop after going on racist rant

This is the wild moment a California woman is slammed to the ground by a cop after she launched a racist rant and bit him.

Officers from the San Diego Police Department were called at 6 p.m. March 21 for reports of a woman behaving aggressively toward people.

The unidentified woman made racist comments, according to police, concerning adults and children at the Linda Vista Recreation Center.

The officers found her at the skate park area. Police alleged that she became confrontational and refused to comply with commands.

The start of the video shows a standing police officer’s left hand holding on to the sitting woman’s left hand, almost as if in a tug of war.

The officer suddenly uses his other hand to take the back of her neck and in one fell swoop, launches her into the paved ground.

Witnesses could be seen around the incident with a police car in the background next to the table the woman was sitting at.

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Zionist Doxxing Campaigns Upended Their Lives. Now They’re Suing for Damages.

Areckoning could be coming for pro-Israel groups known for doxxing Palestine advocates. In March, the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) filed a class-action lawsuit in Illinois state court against the organizations Canary Mission and StopAntisemitism, as well as groups and individuals identified as their funders or board members.

“This case represents addressing a broader harm caused by organized doxxing and harassment campaigns,” Laila Ali, a Chicago-based artist and activist and one of six named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, told Truthout. “I’m hoping that it’ll establish clear consequences for those who engage in those tactics.”

StopAntisemitism and Canary Mission have histories of systematically posting the personal information of individuals (known as doxxing or doxing) who engage in pro-Palestine speech, or criticize Israel’s assaults on Palestine and the United States’ involvement, on their websites and social media channels to whip up attack campaigns. Many of those targeted have been Arab, Muslim, or Palestinian young professionals who have faced backlash on university campuses or in their workplaces, as well as online harassment and threats to their personal safety.

Alongside Ali, the named plaintiffs in the new case include two physicians, an IT professional, a former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student organizer, and an English lecturer at Loyola University Chicago. The class includes anyone residing in Illinois who has had their personal information shared by StopAntisemitism or Canary Mission without their consent and experienced harm as a result. CAIR-Chicago Staff Attorney Noah Halpern told Truthout his organization expects the group to include about 300 people. The organization is still soliciting outreach from Illinois residents who may be part of this class.

“The goal is to have relief for everyone and do that through this vehicle of a class action,” Halpern explained to Truthout. The lawsuit seeks injunctive and declaratory relief and damages, meaning CAIR-Chicago would like to secure a judgment prohibiting the defendants from doxxing Illinois residents, requiring the defendants to remove existing content about Illinois residents from their social media channels and websites, awarding damages to compensate for harms to the plaintiffs, and assessing punitive damages.

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‘Gas station heroin.’ TN passes full kratom ban after weeks-long debate over effects

Tennessee lawmakers have passed a full ban on kratom, derived from a Southeast Asian plant, following a weeks-long debate over its safety and effects.

“Kratom contains compounds that activate opioid receptors in the brain- mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)– and is often referred to as gas station heroin,” said Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Brainerd during a committee hearing in March.

Kratom supporters say, in its natural form, the plant can help curb opioid addiction and manage pain.

But Tennessee legislators sided with caution this week, aligning with advocates who argue kratom in any form can ultimately lead to addiction and potentially deadly overdoses.

Tennessee now joins about eight other states in banning kratom entirely, including its natural form.

“This bill addresses the growing public health and safety concern surrounding kratom, often marketed as a natural supplement,” Helton-Haynes said. “But natural does not mean safe.”

The kratom plant has been used as an alternative to opioids, sometimes as people wean off heroin, and as a natural pain reliever.

In recent years, however, kratom has been modified into a stronger form known as 7-hydroxymitragynine, or “7-OH,” often sold at gas stations and vape shops as a supplement or extract. Some experts say it is 13 times more potent than morphine.

“I never heard of kratom until the day we lost him,” said Karen Davenport, a mother from Chattanooga who is advocating against the substance, working with lawmakers to get the bill passed. “Like many families, we didn’t realize the risk because kratom is often marketed as a safe, natural product.”

Davenport’s 27-year-old son, Matthew, died after taking kratom, which interacted with his prescription medication. The bill has since been named “Matthew’s Law.”

“What he didn’t know was there’s an exhaustive list of more than 250 drug interactions that can cause a lethal reaction with kratom,” she said.

There remains ongoing debate over whether natural kratom is safe or beneficial. Some states are potentially revising bans. A petition circulating online includes testimonials from some of the estimated hundreds of thousands of kratom users in Tennessee, who say they use it to help with issues like arthritis, back pain and Sciatica.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have maintained a generally negative stance on kratom and have not approved it for any medical use.

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3 Disasters That Legal Weed Didn’t Unleash—Despite the Forecasts

Happy 4/20 to the millions of people across the country who celebrate, including much of the Reason staff. As someone who’s never been interested in pot—save for one summer in college—or drugs in general, I’ve always found the day a bit strange. But as I’ve grown older (and more libertarian), I’ve come to appreciate it as a celebration of personal freedom. 

I’m not the only one who has changed his mind. In 2025, 64 percent of Americans thought marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use (up from 31 percent in 2000), according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 40 states have legalized medical use of cannabis, including 24 that also allow recreational use. Late last year, President Donald Trump ordered that marijuana be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, putting it in the same category as prescription drugs such as “ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine,” explains Reason‘s Jacob Sullum.

Prohibitionists warned that legalization would have dire consequences. Here are some of their predictions that have yet to come true. 

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IDF Confirms Viral Photo of Soldier Smashing Jesus Statue Is Real After Swift Backlash

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the authenticity of a viral image showing one of its soldiers smashing the face of a Jesus statue with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon, vowing to take “appropriate measures” against the soldier and to help locals repair the damage.

The image, which first surfaced on Sunday, appeared to show the uniformed soldier striking the fallen statue’s head in what local reports say is the Maronite Christian village of Debel, near the Israeli border, where Israel is waging a campaign against Hezbollah.

It spread rapidly online and prompted backlash from Christian communities in the region as well as prominent conservatives in the U.S., while the IDF said it was investigating.

The initial image drew rebuke from prominent conservatives in media and politics, including from Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Donald Trump.

Right-wing critics of the Trump administration, recently attacked by the president for speaking against his conflict with Iran, also weighed in to slam the image, including ex-Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and commentator Candace Owens.

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Christian in Egypt Faces Terrorism Charges for Simply Declaring His Faith in Jesus in Legal Docs: Report

A Christian convert in Egypt faces a trial over his attempt to change his legal documents to reflect his newfound faith.

Said Abdelrazek, who turned from Islam to Christianity, has been accused of terrorism merely for trying to amend the papers, according to a report from International Christian Concern.

The ministry noted that Abdelrazek will therefore face proceedings before the First Criminal Terrorism Circuit in Badr — a court that is notorious for disappearing convicts and practicing other “opaque proceedings” — on April 21.

“The Badr court complex, where Abdelrazek’s hearing will take place, has drawn increasing concern from international observers,” International Christian Concern warned.

“Critics argue that its terrorism circuits operate with minimal transparency and routinely deny defendants basic legal protections.”

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Despite New Gun Controls, Homicides Are Spiking in Colorado’s Democratic Stronghold

When the FBI’s official crime stats come out later this year, we’re likely to learn that 2025 saw a record-setting decline in homicides nationwide, and that the overall homicide rate is the lowest it’s been since the FBI started keeping track in 1960. 

That welcome trend seems to be continuing in 2026, with criminologist Jeff Asher’s Real Time Crime Index showing another 22% decline in homicides through the first two months of the year. 

Still, there are some outliers, and one of them is Denver, Colorado. Last year Denver saw a 48% decrease in homicides, with Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas pointing to “a mix of faster police response, medical intervention, and long-term prevention strategies.” This year, though, homicides are trending in the wrong direction.

Data provided by police show that total crime, violent crime and reported gun-related offenses are down compared with both last year and recent averages. At the same time, homicides have risen compared with this point last year, with 17 reported so far in 2026, up from 10 during the same period in 2025.

Last year, Democrats in the Colorado legislature added several new restrictions to the spate of gun control laws that have been put in place since 2011, but they don’t appear to be having any kind of impact on homicides in the state’s biggest city. That’s hardly a surprise, though, given that violent crime overall climbed steadily over most of the past 15 years. 

In May, 2024 the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice released its report documenting crime rates between 2013 and 2022. Over that ten year period, violent crime rose by 61%, homicides increased by 94%, and aggravated assaults grew 88%. 

During that same ten-year period, Colorado instituted a number of gun control laws, starting with “universal” background checks and a ban on “large capacity” magazines in 2013. That was followed by a “red flag” law in 2019, and in 2021, new storage mandates for gun owners, a “lost or stolen” reporting requirement, and an end to the state’s firearm preemption law. 

Despite having almost a dozen anti-2A measures implemented over that time period, the homicide rate nearly doubled, and violent crime rates soared ever upward. 

Supposedly, overall violent crimes are down in Denver this year, even though homicides have increased by 70%, according to the CBS affiliate. Oddly, the Denver PD’s homicide dashboard reports 16, not 17 homicides, but even that is a 60% increase in murders. Non-fatal shootings have declined by 12% this  year, according to police, though in raw numbers we’re talking about five fewer incidents over the first 3 1/2 months of the year, which is hardly anything to write home about. 

The number of gun-involved homicides is also higher this year than at the same point in 2025, which is yet another sign that Colorado’s restrictive gun laws aren’t preventing violent offenders from getting their hands on a firearm. In the first four months of 2025 there were 10 homicides involving a firearm. We still have almost two weeks left in April, but Denver has already seen 12 homicides where a gun was involved. 

Of course, none of these statistics will matter to the anti-gun Democrats who keep ramming gun control laws through the legislature. They may use crime and public safety as a rationale for these laws, but the real goal is to prevent and prohibit lawful gun ownership. If violent crime falls at the same time, all the better, but that’s clearly not necessary for them to continue their crackdown on the exercise of our Second Amendment rights. 

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Harmeet Dhillon on DOJ Suing Multiple States and DC Over Access to Voter Rolls: “We Have Found at Least 350,000 Dead People Currently On the Voter Rolls” 

US Assistant AG for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon was on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo to discuss the DOJ suing 29 states and DC over access to voter rolls.

Bartiromo and Dhillon also discussed the Russia Collusion Hoax and why it appears that no one is ever held accountable for it.

“Our audience knows exactly what happened with the Russia Collusion story. No one has been held accountable. Why not?” Bartiromo asked.

“I heard Kash’s remarks. I agree with them. And you know, your folks need to understand that when we start these investigations, it takes time. We have to interview a lot of witnesses. We don’t want to do what the other side did, which is just jump to conclusions. And so we are building strong cases,” Dhillon said.

“Some of the judges out there, particularly judges appointed more recently, have been, you know, doing their own form of lawfare by simply denying the Trump administration’s valid cases in court,” Dhillon continued.

“I can assure you that you know, the whole Department of Justice is very committed to this, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is continuing the work started under the Attorney General Pam Bondi,” Dhillon explained.

“If the Republicans lose seats in the House, will these investigations get derailed?” Bartiromo asked.

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U.S., U.K. Lawmakers Finally Scrutinize China’s Use Of ‘Cultural Associations’ As Communist Fronts 

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department has long conducted intelligence-gathering and influence operations abroad by embedding itself in seemingly benign overseas organizations. These groups often operate in plain sight — shaping public opinion, supporting pro-Beijing policies, and sometimes interfering in election processes — while enjoying the legal protections and tax benefits afforded to nonprofit organizations in open societies.

For too long, Western governments largely ignored these activities. That may finally be changing. In recent days, bipartisan lawmakers in the United States and United Kingdom have taken concrete steps to demand greater accountability from organizations suspected of advancing Beijing’s agenda.

Hometown Associations and Marxist Groups in America

On April 8, 2026, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano. They urged a thorough review of U.S. tax-exempt organizations linked to the CCP’s United Front that may be violating rules against political campaign intervention.

The letter builds on a February 2026 Ways and Means hearing that exposed how foreign actors exploit America’s nonprofit sector to sow division and distort political discourse. A key figure highlighted was Neville Roy Singham, an American tech entrepreneur now based in Shanghai and married to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans. Fox Digital investigations show Singham has funneled more than $278 million into Marxist and far-left groups in the U.S., including The People’s Forum, to incite anti-American protests and create chaos in American cities, all while promoting pro-China propaganda.

The letter also spotlights the troubling transformation of Chinese “hometown associations.” Originally created to help immigrants from the same provinces or towns adapt to life in America, many have been co-opted by the United Front. A 2025 New York Times investigation identified more than 50 such groups in New York City alone that actively promote Beijing’s agenda — meeting regularly with Chinese consular officials, fundraising for and openly endorsing pro-Beijing candidates, and even mobilizing to unseat a New York state senator who attended a banquet with Taiwan’s president.

Many of these hometown groups operate as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, which are legally barred from significant political activity. Some leaders of hometown groups have gone even further, collaborating with Beijing’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

In 2023, the FBI arrested two officials from the America Changle Association in New York City for allegedly operating an illegal Chinese “police station” out of their offices to harass dissidents. Separately, former New York gubernatorial aide Linda Sun was arrested and charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent; evidence presented in her case showed close coordination with leaders of major hometown associations in New York City, including the United Chinese Associations of the Eastern United States, which declared itself a foreign agent of China.

Highlighting these examples, Moolenaar and Smith urge both U.S. Treasury and the IRS to conduct “a thorough review of how tax-exempt organizations in the United States, which are influenced by foreign adversaries like the People’s Republic of China, are violating our laws and engaging in prohibited political campaign interventions that undermine our democracy and the integrity of the tax-exempt status for other organizations that are engaging in legitimate charitable purposes.”

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