Blog

Karen Bass refuses to give ‘yes or no’ answer on whether noncitizens should vote in LA: ‘It depends’

Los Angeles mayoral candidates clashed Wednesday night when a simple yes-or-no question on whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections exposed a sharp divide.

During a debate hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo, moderator Enrique Chiabra pressed candidates for a yes-or-no answer. Democrat Mayor Karen Bass declined to do so, while Republican challenger Spencer Pratt responded flatly, “No.”

Bass instead said, “It depends,” adding, “It’s not a yes or no.”

The exchange comes as a Los Angeles city councilmember has renewed debate on the issue and is pushing to put the question before voters on the November ballot.

While federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, some U.S. cities — including a few in California — allow limited forms of noncitizen voting in local races.

When explaining her answer, Bass said the term “noncitizens” can include legal residents.

“Well, first of all, when you say noncitizens, it doesn’t mean they’re here illegally. It doesn’t mean they’re undocumented. They can have green cards. They could be here perfectly legal,” Bass said. “And there’s a lot of states and cities that do that on very, very local elections. We have to see what the councilman is proposing.”

Keep reading

Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Tosses Lawsuit That Would Have Forced Hunter Biden to Register as Foreign Agent Over Burisma and China Deals

A Biden-appointed federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to compel Hunter Biden to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his work with Ukrainian energy giant Burisma and a Chinese Communist Party-linked energy fund.

U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb issued the ruling Tuesday in Washington, D.C., shutting down the case brought by the America First Legal Foundation, the conservative legal group founded by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, argued that Hunter Biden’s business dealings, including his board seat at Burisma Holdings and payments from the China Energy Fund Committee, required him to register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice.

In a press release at the time of filing, America First Legal Vice President and General Counsel Gene Hamilton wrote:

“As a result of AFL’s dedicated investigation and litigation against the National Archives, it is now crystal clear that Hunter Biden should have registered as a foreign agent while his father served as Vice President. This is just another example of influence peddling and politicians and their families exploiting their positions of power for personal gain and wealth. It is crucial that the DOJ examine this new evidence and take appropriate action based on what appears to be a clear violation of FARA. We’ve only just scratched the surface of the Biden family’s influence peddling and corruption and will continue to conduct rigorous oversight to ensure no one is above the law – not even the President’s son.”

Keep reading

Cost of California’s High-Speed Rail Goes Up Again

It was also supposed to be carrying 65.5 million to 96.5 million intercity riders a year by 2030. Yet now 2040 is the date for “full service to start.” Skeptics don’t believe we’ll ever see the train run with paying customers aboard.

“In my judgment, the Draft 2026 Business Plan describes a project that has reached a dead end,” says Louis S. Thompson, a 15-year member of the California High Speed Rail Peer Review Group that was established by legislation.

In a letter to lawmakers, Thompson, who was also on the team that created Amtrak, said that after so many changes in the project—cost, design revisions, longer estimated trip times—it’s “not, not even remotely, the system the voters approved in Proposition 1A” in 2008.

Early last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom, that “Steel Driving Man,” promised there soon would be some visible manifestation of the train’s “progress.” A few months later, HSRA CEO Ian Choudri promised, “We are going to be laying high speed tracks next year.”

The HSRA “expects to achieve several other procurement milestones in 2026,” but not track laying and there is no hard deadline for it to begin to be found in the plan. There is only a three-and-a-half-year timeline, which starts in July for the “Track & Systems Design & Construction” of the first section in the Central Valley.

In other words, the HSRA has provided itself cover should it fall short of its 2026 promise.

California’s perpetually unfolding mess has caught the attention of the editorial board of a newspaper one state over after a recent “60 Minutes” report “shined the spotlight on what has become the most embarrassing and costly government infrastructure boondoggle in US history.”

“Has there ever been a greater fraud perpetrated on the taxpayers than California’s high-speed rail travesty?” asked the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Where are the folks at ‘American Greed’ when you need them?”

That is, of course, a reference to the CNBC documentary series “American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals.” It won’t happen, but it would be fitting, if the HSRA borrowed the program’s name for the subtitle of its 2027 business plan, which this year is shamelessly being called “Transforming California’s Future.”

Keep reading

ICE Bags Child-rape Suspect in Fairfax County, Va., After Detainer Ignored; Defiance of Federal Laws Continues

Yet again, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has likely saved a child in Virginia from sexual assault by arresting an illegal alien freed by Fairfax County.

ICE agents awaited Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia after a judge freed him to leave a courtroom, where he had appeared to answer a charge of child rape.

Garcia is the second such individual authorities in Virginia have released and whom ICE has been forced to arrest. In February, ICE bagged Iranian illegal Shayan Kahhal. Yet the agents can’t be everywhere.

A Fairfax County prosecutor released a violent Third World “migrant” who had been arrested almost three dozen times despite a warning from cops not to do so. Result: Abdul Jalloh stabbed 41-year-old mom Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop, prosecutors allege.

The Garcia case is typical. Local authorities ignore a valid detainer from ICE, then release a dangerous suspect.

In this case, the Department of Homeland Security reported, cops arrested Garcia in June 2025 and charged him with raping a child under 13 years old and using a computer to commit a sexual offense with a minor. Cops also allege he distributed drugs to a minor. 

Keep reading

Deep State Leaks CIA Iran War Dossier to WaPo

The Deep State leaked a CIA Iran war dossier to the Washington Post that refutes Trump’s claims that the Iranian Regime’s missiles are mostly decimated.

On Wednesday, President Trump sparred with a reporter in the Oval Office during a meeting with UFC fighters.

The reporter asked Trump about his decision to pause Project Freedom amid a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump told the reporter that the US military has decimated Iran’s missile capabilities and they probably only have about 18 percent left.

“You’re facing an opponent right now in Iran that has refused to submit. You seem optimistic announcing you may be closer to a deal – but what’s different now?” a reporter asked Trump about his latest decision to pause Project Freedom.

“Well, why do you say they refused to submit? You don’t know that! You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors,” Trump said.

The reporter tried to interject: “They were firing on US troops a few days ago…”

“Yeah, a few days ago is a long time ago. You know, in the world of war, a few days ago, no, they want to make a deal badly. And we’ll see if we get there,” Trump said.

“If we get there, they can’t have nuclear weapons. You know, it’s very simple. But what’s not to submit? So they had a Navy with one hundred and fifty nine ships and now every ship is blown to pieces and lying at the bottom of the water,” Trump added.

“They had an air force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes. They don’t have any anti aircraft. They don’t have any radar left,” the president said.

“Their missiles are mostly decimated. They have some. They have probably 18, 19 percent, but not a lot by comparison to what they had,” he said.

“And their leaders are all dead. So I think we won. Now it’s only a question of, look, if we left right now around, it would take them 20 years to rebuild!” Trump said. “We’re in good shape.”

Keep reading

Canada House of Commons Tracks Online Posts About MPs

The House of Commons in Canada is keeping a database of what Canadians say about their elected representatives online and officials are sorting those comments by category, including the tone and identity-based content of social media posts about MPs.

That admission came from Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Mellon at a parliamentary committee, where he described the operation as a “very robust records management system.”

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the system catalogues incidents involving MPs and allows staff to sort and analyze posts, including those deemed “misogynistic” or otherwise “abusive.”

Mellon told MPs the database tracks “every single incident” and can break complaints down by category, including gender-based harassment.

What the records contain, why they are kept, and who has access to them, none of that was explained. Mellon offered few details. A spokesperson for the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms said files may include both criminal and non-criminal complaints, but declined to disclose specifics, citing security reasons.

So the Commons is logging non-criminal speech about politicians. Citizens posting opinions about their representatives are being filed away in a government system, sorted by category, and held for purposes the government will not describe. The line between a threat and a sharp comment is being drawn by people who answer to the institution being commented on.

The testimony came as MPs pushed for the system to track speech in more granular ways.

Keep reading

Japan to Be Culturally Enriched With 300,000 Bangladeshi Migrants

Citing the “attractiveness” of Japan for Bangladeshi migrants, the Japanese authorities have announced a grand plan to culturally enrich the lamentably homogenous homeland with a third of a million Bangladeshis, with much more ambitious proposals in the pipeline.

Via Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (emphasis added):

“The government has intensified preparations to send huge numbers of skilled manpower to Japan under the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) category, as Japan faces an ongoing shortage of qualified manpower.

The Japanese government has set a target to recruit [820,000] foreign workers across 16 sectors under the SSW category by March 2029.

Experts and officials believe that if Bangladesh prepares effectively, it can supply up to 40 percent of this demand that is more than 300,000 workers.

Previously, Bangladesh had the capacity to send workers in only six of these categories. Now, the government is working to develop skilled manpower for all 16 categories.

Professor Dr. Md. Jahangir Alam, Chairman of the Japanese Studies Department at Dhaka University described Japan as an attractive destination for Bangladeshi workers*.

He said with proper focus on skill development, Bangladesh can meet a substantial portion of Japan’s labour demand, boosting foreign currency earnings.”

*Obviously Japan is going to be “an attractive destination for Bangladeshi workers,” as it houses millions and millions of unraped exotic Orientals to pillage.

They’re going to have a field day.

Keep reading

Oil trader pockets reported $125 mn on suspiciously well-timed Iran bet – media

A massive crude oil bet placed shortly before reports of a possible US-Iran peace deal sent prices crashing and fueled suspicion of insider trading, after the position reportedly generated a $125 million profit in just over an hour.

According to market commentary platform the Kobeissi Letter, nearly 10,000 crude oil short contracts were placed around 3:40 AM (07:40 GMT) on Wednesday “without any major news,” describing the roughly $920 million position as unusually large for that time of day.

At 4:50 AM, Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were nearing an agreement to end the conflict and resume negotiations. Oil prices plunged more than 12% within two hours of the report, turning the short position into an estimated $125 million profit before the price later rebounded, the platform said.

During the US-Israeli war against Iran, prediction and traditional financial markets were flooded with suspiciously well-timed bets linked to airstrikes, ceasefire announcements, and diplomatic developments.

According to The Guardian, traders placed more than $1 billion in seemingly prescient wagers, including an $850,000 bet shortly before US strikes against Iran and around $950 million in oil futures hours before Trump announced a ceasefire in April. AP reported that the ceasefire announcement alone generated more than 413 million predictions and over $100 million in wagers across prediction markets within days.

Keep reading

Report: Saudi Arabia Blocked ‘Project Freedom’ by Denying U.S. Access to Bases

Two unnamed U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” — the plan for American military forces to safely escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — was “paused” after less than 48 hours because Saudi Arabia denied the use of its airbases to protect ships from attacks by Iran.

According to NBC’s sources, the Saudi government was “surprised” and “angered” when Trump announced Project Freedom with a Truth Social post on Sunday afternoon.

Trump said he was acting in response to requests from “countries from all over the world” who were “neutral and innocent bystanders” to the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways, so that they can freel and ably get on with their business,” the president wrote.

Trump dubbed the initiative “Project Freedom” and said it would begin on Monday, only a few hours after he wrote his Truth Social post. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was ready to support the effort immediately, as part of America’s commitment to freedom of navigation.

“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Bradley Cooper said on Sunday.

CENTCOM’s statement suggested Project Freedom was an extension of an initiative announced by the Department of War the previous week to “enhance coordination and information-sharing among international partners in support of maritime security in the strait.”

“Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope, temporary in duration [and] with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Monday, announcing that two ships had already passed through the Strait of Hormuz under the protection of U.S. destroyers.

Hegseth said Iran “cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway.”

“Iran is the clear aggressor, harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately, and weaponizing a critical choke point for its own financial benefit,” he said.

On Tuesday, Hegseth praised the success of Project Freedom at a Pentagon press conference, and said “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit.”

“As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait,” he said.

“American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones and surveillance aircraft providing 24/7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels — except Iran’s, of course,” he said.

Keep reading

Federal and State Officials in Talks to Close Down Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz

Federal and state officials are in talks to close down Alligator Alcatraz in Florida.

Alligator Alcatraz is a detention center for illegal aliens, many of whom are rapists, murderers, and designated foreign terrorists.

The facility, which opened over the summer at the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis, is surrounded by Florida’s natural defenses, including alligators, pythons, and dense swampland in the Florida Everglades.

On Thursday it was reported that federal officials are working with Florida officials to close down Alligator Alcatraz.

The New York Times reported:

Florida is in talks with the Trump administration to shut down a high-profile immigration detention center that opened last summer in the Everglades and has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars to operate, according to a federal official, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, and a person close to the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The shutdown talks are preliminary, the people said. But officials at the Department of Homeland Security have concluded that it is too expensive to keep operating the center, known as Alligator Alcatraz. Homeland security officials have also come to consider the center ineffective, the federal official said. All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks.

The DeSantis administration has been spending more than $1 million a day to run the center, which is in a swampy, isolated area between Miami and Naples. Some private vendors hired by the state to operate it have been struggling to front costs, according to the person close to the DeSantis administration.

Fox News confirmed reporting from The New York Times:

“Since its inception, Alligator Alcatraz has processed over 21,000 illegal aliens for deportation. The facility’s purpose was to provide Florida and the Trump administration with a rapid, temporary solution to four years of Biden’s open border invasion. Needless to say, Alligator Alcatraz was a massive success.

President Trump secured record funding from Congress to set up permanent sites for detaining and deporting illegal aliens. As those sites come online, the need for Alligator Alcatraz as a holding area will wane, while its 2.5-mile runway will remain available and used for large flights from neighboring ICE facilities.

We are glad to see DHS rebuilt under President Trump. We continue to fully support the mission, and when it’s no longer required, Alligator Alcatraz will return to the Everglades with Florida’s commitment that it will never be developed. We also appreciate the federal government’s commitment to reimbursing Florida for its immediate efforts to step in and help with this mission.”

Keep reading