AOC and Bernie Sanders Are Still Taking ActBlue Money After an 88-Year-Old Said She Donated $150,000 From a Trailer With No Computer

ActBlue’s own CEO sat before Congress in June and invoked the Fifth Amendment 22 times.

The platform – the financial backbone of every major Democrat campaign in America – just got caught with a new donor who says her name was used for more than 16,000 contributions she didn’t make.

And AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Ilhan Omar are still cashing the checks from ActBlue.

An 88-Year-Old Woman Living in a Trailer Has 16,000 Donations in Her Name

Elizabeth Waffle is 88 years old.

She lives in a trailer down a dirt road in Milan, Michigan, after her house burned down two years ago.

She has no computer.

She has spotty internet service.

Federal Election Commission records say she has made more than 16,000 political contributions totaling nearly $150,000 through ActBlue since 2020.

That’s eight donations a day, every day, for five years straight – averaging $9.18 a pop.

“One hundred and fifty thousand? Hell no, I don’t have that kind of money,” Waffle told reporter Charlie LeDuff of the Michigan Enjoyer in a now-viral video.

She acknowledged making small donations through ActBlue – she disputed the $150,000.

“I don’t see $150,000,” she said. “That’s very abnormal and I think it’s wrong. I think there’s something in there that’s off.”

ActBlue responded by saying it had “zero tolerance for fraud.”

Then it kept processing donations for AOC, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, and the Democratic National Committee.

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Nord Stream bombing suspect arrested while working on film about attack

Ukrainian man arrested in the Nord Stream bombing was detained while working on a Hollywood movie about the gas pipeline attack starring Adrien Brody and Sean Penn, a report said Thursday.

Police in Pula, Croatia on Wednesday arrested Volodymyr Zhuravlyov under a European arrest warrant put out by Germany, which is seeking his extradition.

German prosecutors say Zhuravlyov is a trained diver and accuse him of helping plant explosives on the Baltic Sea energy link between Russia and Germany that destroyed three of the four pipelines in 2022.

Germany’s Legal Tribune Online reported he was arrested while working on the set for the movie “Snake Island” by US director Doug Liman (“Bourne Identity”), with Brody and three-time Oscar winner Penn.

Zhuravlyov worked as an advisor for the film, according to media reports AFP was unable to immediately verify with German or Croatian authorities.

The Ukrainian suspect had previously been held in Poland for his alleged role in destroying the pipelines.

But authorities there refused to extradite him and let him go, judging that any such Ukrainian attack would have been a legitimate act of war rather than a crime.

The Baltic Sea sabotage attack came months after Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

German investigators believe the attack was ordered by a Ukrainian state agency with the aim of depriving Russia of future energy revenues to finance its war in Ukraine.

Prosecutors charge Zhuravlyov worked closely with Sergiy Kuznetsov, another Ukrainian man who was arrested in Italy last year before being extradited to Germany.

The case is politically awkward for Germany and Ukraine, as Berlin has strongly backed Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

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Sanofi Didn’t Follow Protocol for Clinical Trial in Which Infant Died

Sanofi shut down its RSV vaccine trial for infants and toddlers in 2024 after a baby died. It was later determined that the baby had an underlying congenital heart defect, which should have disqualified the infant from participating in the trial.

Now, a newly obtained letter shows the company paused the trial “to re-educate all participating sites and investigators” on the criteria they should use to judge who should or shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the trial, and to “reiterate the need to assess for chronic illnesses” that would make an infant or toddler ineligible to participate in a clinical trial.

The letter — obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by British general practitioner and RSV vaccine expert Dr. Peter Selley — sheds new light on the infant death and trial pause first reported by The Defender.

The infant’s death constituted a “serious adverse event” that triggered the halt.

A Sanofi spokesperson last month confirmed the death and told The Defender that the baby had underlying congenital heart disease. The company’s analysis — supported by the independent data monitoring committee — the spokesperson said, concluded the experimental vaccine was not the “underlying cause of the event.”

Research published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal indicates that most children who die from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have comorbidities such as congenital heart or lung disease.

Congenital disorders should have excluded babies from the study, and participants should have been assessed for preexisting conditions, according to the clinical trial’s exclusion criteria.

“Given that they stopped the trial to ‘re-educate’ investigators about inclusion and exclusion criteria, it suggests that the trial protocol was not being followed in at least one of the trial sites,” Selley told The Defender.

Sanofi told The Defender that when the infant with an undiagnosed underlying heart condition died after receiving the experimental vaccine, the company proactively informed and worked closely with the independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) and health authorities to address the issue.

He said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put the trial on a clinical hold and the company worked “to amend the Phase 3 protocol, adjust and clarify screening procedures and inclusion criteria, and re-educate all participating sites and investigators.”

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Montreal minor allegedly used AI to plan school attack targeting Muslims, Haitians and LGBTQ+ community

A Montreal minor arrested in a national security investigation allegedly used artificial intelligence while planning a potential attack on a school and posted threats targeting Muslims, Haitians and members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to new details provided by the RCMP to Rebel News.

The RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team arrested the youth Friday morning after investigators said they had reasonable grounds to believe the suspect might commit a violent extremism offence.

The investigation began several weeks ago after the FBI provided intelligence to Canadian authorities.

In response to an inquiry from Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie, the RCMP revealed additional details not included in its initial public statement.

“According to the alleged facts, the individual was planning an attack at a school located in Montreal,” the RCMP told Lavoie.

Police said the suspect “allegedly used artificial intelligence as part of the potential planning of an attack in the Montreal area.”

The RCMP also clarified who was allegedly targeted by threatening messages posted online.

“He also allegedly posted threatening statements on Telegram targeting various groups, including Muslim, Haitian and LGBTQ+ communities,” police said.

Investigators also executed a search warrant at the youth’s residence, seizing electronic devices and any other evidence considered relevant to the investigation.

The police operation was intended to disrupt the suspect’s alleged activities and require him to enter into a peace bond under Section 810.011 of the Criminal Code.

That provision allows authorities to seek a recognizance where there are reasonable grounds to fear a person may commit certain terrorism or criminal organization offences, without waiting for the feared offence to occur.

Despite the arrest, the investigation remains ongoing and charges could be laid at a later date.

“The investigation is ongoing, and all of the evidence will be analyzed,” the RCMP told Rebel News.

The youth was scheduled to appear Friday in Youth Court at the Montreal courthouse.

The RCMP characterized the investigation as involving ideologically motivated violent extremism and said combating such threats remains a national priority.

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Texas Appeals Court Slashes Alex Jones’ $50 Million Sandy Hook Judgment by More Than $43 Million

A Texas appeals court on Friday delivered a significant victory to Infowars founder Alex Jones, drastically reducing the massive $50 million judgment against him in one of the Sandy Hook defamation cases.

The Texas Third Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis to exceed the state’s strict statutory cap on punitive (exemplary) damages.

The court ordered the punitive damages reduced from roughly $45.2 million down to $1.5 million, $750,000 for each parent, in line with Texas law, according to Reuters.

Jones still faces the roughly $4.1 million in compensatory damages the jury awarded, plus interest and fees, bringing the total Texas judgment to around $5.5–6 million.

More than $43 million was wiped from the judgment. That is a massive cut from the original figure.

In the 2022 trial, a jury found Jones liable and awarded the parents more than $50 million. Texas law generally caps non-economic punitive damages at $750,000 per plaintiff.

The trial judge allowed the parents’ lawyers to amend their claims after the liability verdict but before the final damages ruling, arguing that the trauma somehow counted as a “disability” that would let them blow past the cap.

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US Meddling In Brazilian Elections, Preparing For Possible Military Intervention

The United States is interfering in the Brazilian presidential elections, pressuring the Brazilian electorate into voting for right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of disgraced former president, Jair Bolsonaro. If that does not work and President Lula da Silva secures a fourth term in office, the groundwork is already being laid for a potential military intervention. From sanctions and economic warfare, to coaching influencers and journalists on how best to attack the left-wing government, the Trump administration is doing everything it can to overthrow Lula.

Meanwhile, the State Department’s recent decision to designate Brazilian gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations” just as it did with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, signals a willingness to intervene militarily.

Brazil is Trump’s next target, and builds upon recent U.S. and Israeli interference in May’s Colombian elections, where pro-Trump candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won a razor-thin victory.

MintPress examines the Trump administration’s attempts to undermine Brazilian democracy and install another Bolsonaro back into power.

A Thumb on The Scale

Brazil’s October elections are rapidly approaching, and while thirteen people are standing for president, two principal candidates have already emerged: current left-of-center president Lula da Silva, and far-right challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro. Flavio is the son of disgraced former president, Jair (sentenced to 27 years in prison for leading a January 6th-inspired coup attempt), and the brother of Eduardo (convicted in absentia for lobbying the United States to intervene in his father’s trial).

It is obvious which candidate Washington prefers. The Bolsonaro’s are politically, ideologically, and personally very close to the MAGA movement, and Flavio has already promised that, if elected, his country will become one of the U.S.’ closest allies.

Lula currently holds a double-digit lead on Bolsonaro (40% to 28%, with no other candidate holding more than 10% of the public’s voting intentions). But Brazilian politics can change very quickly; in 2018, Lula held a 20-point lead over Jair Bolsonaro when the Brazilian Supreme Court blocked him from running. He was imprisoned on bogus charges in a case orchestrated by the U.S. government, leaving the path clear for Bolsonaro’s victory.

Lula has sounded the alarm that Brazilian democracy is once again under threat from Washington. “As far as I’m concerned, [Trump] can continue liking Bolsonaro, the father, the son, the grandson… There is no problem with that. It’s his problem. There’s no accounting for taste,” he said. “Now, don’t meddle in the Brazilian elections, because the Brazilian elections are a Brazilian problem, just as American elections are their business, not mine,” he added: “All I want is the same respect for Brazil that I have for the United States. That’s it.”

Washington, however, has other ideas. On May 26, Flavio Bolsonaro traveled to Washington to meet with Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sell them on the concept of military intervention in Brazil. Two days later, the U.S. State Department designated two Brazilian gangs, Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital, as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” and “Foreign Terrorist Organizations, a decision that Brian Mier, an American journalist who moved to Brazil in 1991 and is now Brazil correspondent for TeleSur English, described as “a preemptive move to possibly invade if Lula wins reelection.”

In 2025, the State Department did the same with Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Just months later, the U.S. carried out an operation to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro, decapitating the Venezuelan government.

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Oregon State Mentors Face Social Justice Criteria After Ending Official DEI Program

Woke has not yet been destroyed in Oregon, where, according to a Campus Reform report, “Oregon State University requires applicants for its 2026–27 Academic Learning Assistant positions to demonstrate an ability to learn “social justice principles and concepts,” even after the university ended two diversity programs.”

In other words, its DEI is just not called by name.

Oregon State wants its Mentors trained in political correctness and Social Justice, even if not called DEI.

“Another residence-life position now makes a commitment to diversity or social-justice education, initiatives, and programs a minimum qualification rather than a preferred one.”

These requirements are absurd and unfair, but that’s come to be expected at this point at left-leaning universities.

“The university’s Academic Learning Assistant page says the live-in mentors serve one per residential community and work an average of 15 hours per week. Applicants must hold at least a 3.0 GPA. Oregon State also prefers applicants who demonstrate engagement with diversity and social-justice education, initiatives, or programs.”

“Academic Learning Assistants meet individually with residents, hold weekly office hours, conduct hall rounds, and lead two or three academic-success workshops per term. They also contact students experiencing academic difficulty, make referrals, and staff residence-hall front desks.”

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The Strait of Hormuz Is Repricing the Entire World Economy

The politicians continue to speak about the Strait of Hormuz as though this were merely a regional dispute between Iran and its neighbors. That is complete nonsense. The strait is one of the most important arteries in the global economy, carrying roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments. Brent crude has moved above $91, but the headline price of oil is only the beginning. The real economic damage appears in shipping rates, insurance premiums, refinery margins, diesel prices, electricity costs, and ultimately government borrowing. War does not remain confined to the battlefield. It enters every household through inflation.

Washington claims the strait is open while Iran insists it remains closed. Both statements are political propaganda because it is the shipowners, insurers, and commodity traders who determine whether a waterway is commercially open. A tanker can theoretically pass through Hormuz, but that means nothing if the insurance premium becomes prohibitive or the crew refuses to accept the risk. Most politicians have never operated a business and do not understand that commerce depends upon confidence—not government declarations. Once confidence collapses, trade will retreat regardless of how many officials stand before cameras insisting that everything remains under control.

This is why the cost of the conflict cannot be measured solely by the number of barrels temporarily removed from the market. Every vessel delayed or redirected reduces available shipping capacity and increases freight rates elsewhere. Insurers must reprice the probability of a tanker being damaged, captured, or destroyed. Refineries must compete for alternative supplies, while countries dependent upon Gulf energy begin building precautionary inventories. Traders add a geopolitical premium because nobody knows whether the next missile will strike a ship, a refinery, a pipeline, or an export terminal. These costs compound through the entire system long before the average person notices the increase at the gasoline station.

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Fake News New York Times Loses Defamation Lawsuit — Ordered to Pay $9.25 Million After Falsely Linking Innocent Alabama Basketball Player to Deadly Shooting

The failing New York Times just suffered a massive and historic defeat in court.

An Alabama jury on Thursday ruled that the Fake News New York Times defamed Kai Spears, a former University of Alabama Crimson Tide walk-on basketball player, and ordered the paper to pay him $9.25 million in damages, according to CBS News.

Spears was just an 18-year-old freshman walk-on when the Times swept him into a 2023 story about a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa.

The paper’s report falsely claimed he was a passenger in a car at the scene of the January 15, 2023, killing of 23-year-old mother Jamea Harris.

Three Alabama basketball players were connected to the incident; Spears was not one of them. He was never charged with any crime and had no involvement.

After a nine-day trial in federal court in Tuscaloosa, the eight-person jury found the Times liable for defamation and false light invasion of privacy.

The original March 15, 2023 article by Times sportswriter Billy Witz relied on an anonymous source described as a “person familiar with the investigation.”

It wrongly placed Spears in the car with star player Brandon Miller when the shooting occurred. University of Alabama officials and Spears’ father immediately denied it.

The Times stuck with its story until after Spears filed suit in May 2023. Only then did the paper issue a correction admitting the passenger was actually student manager Cooper Lee, not Spears.

Spears has said the false report was “100% inaccurate” and that the writer showed “complete disregard for the truth.” He described trying to cope with being permanently linked in the public mind to a murder he had nothing to do with. His lawsuit argued the article caused severe emotional distress and mental anguish.

The Times, true to form, is spinning it as an “honest mistake.” Spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said the paper is “disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake” and is reviewing its legal options. Jurors clearly disagreed.

This is the same New York Times that lectures the country about “disinformation” and “threats to democracy” while publishing anonymous-sourced claims that can destroy a young man’s reputation overnight.

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Top Fauci adviser’s plea deal provides possible roadmap for further conspiracy prosecutions

The plea deal agreed to by former top Dr. Anthony Fauci adviser David Morens, filed in federal court this week, provides a roadmap for further conspiracy charges in the scheme to conceal communications about coronavirus research grants from Freedom of Information Act requests, a review of the court documents shows.

Morens, who served as a senior adviser to Fauci at the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 16 years, pleaded guilty earlier this week to the conspiracy, admitting to working with two co-conspirators to conceal agency records from public view. 

The records dealt with a National Institutes of Health grant to “Company #1,” an entity that sponsored coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology laboratory in China. Just months after the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States, the NIH canceled the bat coronavirus grant to the company as it reviewed allegations that the laboratory may have been the source of the virus in a lab leak after President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged his awareness of the grant in late April 2020. 

Though not identified by name by prosecutors, Company #1 is EcoHealth Alliance, the former New York-based nonprofit headed by Peter Daszak that Fauci’s agency used as a pass-through to fund controversial gain-of-function research at the Chinese facility. At the time, as questions swirled about the origins of the virus then spreading across the globe, federal health officials were assessing their agencies’ exposure to that research in China. EcoHealth and Daszak, which awarded sub-grants to the facility in Wuhan, were at the center of that scrutiny. 

While the focus has been on Morens after his guilty plea earlier this week, the plea agreement provides significant detail about the overall conspiracy and identifies Daszak – by implication and not by name – as “Co-Conspirator 1” in the scheme to avoid FOIA requests, raising the possibility that the British zoologist could face his own legal jeopardy for his alleged involvement. 

The agreement, which was signed by Morens, lays out in detail how he, Daszak and another conspirator worked to conceal records related to EcoHealth’s coronavirus research grant and used Morens’ status as a senior adviser to advance the interests of EcoHealth within the NIH. 

“On or about April 25, 2020, after learning about the cancellation of the bat coronavirus grant from Co-Conspirator 1, MORENS forwarded his communications with Co-Conspirator 1 and Co-Conspirator 2 from his NIH email account to his Gmail account,” according to the Stipulation of Facts appended to Morens’ plea deal. 

You can read the plea agreement and the addendum laying out the facts of the case below: 

gov.uscourts.mdd_.603873.36.0.pdf

gov.uscourts.mdd_.603873.36.1.pdf

“​​MORENS then emailed Co-Conspirator 1 and Co-Conspirator 2, stating, ‘This is sent from my gmail account. Please send all replies here To gmail […] There are things I cant say except [Senior NIAID Official 1] is aware and I have learned that there are ongoing efforts within NIH to steer through this with minimal damage to you, [Co-Conspirator 1], and colleagues, and to nih and niaid,’” the document also states, outlining Morens’ effort to initiate the conspiracy to conceal federal records.

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