Tag: corruption

Trump 2020 Election Lawyer John Eastman Disbarred in California For Challenging Democrat Fraud

President Trump’s 2020 election lawyer John Eastman was officially disbarred in Californian on Wednesday.

The California Supreme Court affirmed that Eastman was disbarred after a two-year battle with the state bar.

CBS News reported:

John Eastman, Chapman Law School’s former dean, lost his law license after he allegedly helped President Trump try to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

“After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the Court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public,” said State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona.

The California Supreme Court affirmed Eastman’s disbarment two years after the State Bar found him culpable of 10 disciplinary charges, claiming he engaged in misconduct by allegedly helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Eastman was disbarred in April 2024 after a judge ruled he should have his law license stripped for challenging the 2020 election.

John Eastman previously asked a California judge to pause the disbarment ruling, citing massive legal fees.

Eastman faced disbarment in California for ‘undermining democracy’ by trying to ‘overturn the presidential election.’

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This Is Why Law Firms Are Telling Asylum Seekers to Pretend They Are Gay

Law firms are helping migrants remain in the United Kingdom by having them pretend to be gay so they can get asylum status.

A BBC News investigation uncovered the scheme, revealing how migrants are claiming to be homosexual so they can convince the authorities that they will be persecuted if they are sent back to their home countries.

In the first part of a major undercover investigation, we reveal how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports.

They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.

In response to our findings, the Home Office said: “Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK.”

The UK’s asylum process offers protection to people who can’t return to their home countries because they would be in danger, for example in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh where gay sex is illegal.

But the BBC News investigation reveals the process is being systematically exploited by legal advisers extracting fees from migrants who want to stay in the country.

These are often people whose student, work or tourist visas have expired, rather than those who have just arrived in the country on small boats or through other illegal routes.

This group now makes up 35% of all asylum claims, which topped 100,000 in 2025.

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DOJ fires at least 4 prosecutors involved in FACE Act cases during Biden administration

The Justice Department has fired at least four prosecutors who were involved in prosecutions under the FACE Act during the Biden administration, a government official familiar with the firings told CBS News.

Among those fired Monday is Sanjay Patel, a longtime federal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division’s criminal section who was placed on administrative leave last month, sources told CBS News at the time. The terminations occurred at about the same time a report on the FACE Act and the Biden Justice Department was being finalized. 

Congress passed the FACE Act in 1994 to address rising concerns about threats and intimidation that women were facing at reproductive health clinics. Nonviolent and first-time offenses of the law are misdemeanors, while repeat offenses or violations that result in bodily injury or death can be treated as felonies.

The FACE Act report is being drafted by the Justice Department’s “weaponization working group,” established in the first days of former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s tenure. 

Tuesday’s firings mark the latest in a purge that started last year of Justice Department employees, many of whom worked on criminal or civil cases opposed by the Trump administration or President Trump’s allies.

A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that the department “has terminated the employment of personnel responsible for weaponizing the FACE Act who still remained at the department.”

Stacey Young, a former Civil Rights Division lawyer who founded and leads the nonprofit Justice Connection, said in a statement, “Congress passed the FACE Act with bipartisan support more than 30 years ago, and courts have consistently upheld the constitutionality of its provisions that ensure safe access to reproductive health services.”

She added, “Firing DOJ attorneys for zealously enforcing the law is unconscionable — it politicizes the department’s enforcement actions and punishes dedicated civil servants for doing their jobs.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly alleged without citing evidence that the Civil Rights Division under former Attorney General Merrick Garland used the Act to intentionally target conservative Christians who are morally opposed to abortion.

Although the Justice Department also pursued criminal charges against abortion rights activists who were accused of trying to scare volunteers and workers at a crisis pregnancy clinic that counseled on alternatives to abortion, excerpts of a draft the report reviewed by CBS News said the total number of such cases were minimal compared to those targeting conservative anti-abortion Christians.

Early in his second term, Mr. Trump pardoned many of the FACE Act defendants convicted during the Biden administration. The Justice Department also dismissed several other FACE Act cases and ordered prosecutors to put the brakes on future FACE Act investigations.

At the same time, however, the current Justice Department has allowed the remaining FACE Act cases involving abortion rights activists to proceed without interference, with one Florida-based defendant receiving a 120-day prison term in March 2025.

Many of the other former federal prosecutors who handled FACE Act cases have since left the Justice Department.

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FDA Calls On Drug Companies to Release Missing Clinical Trial Data

The Food and Drug Administration is urging pharmaceutical companies to make public data from clinical trials.

About three in 10 studies deemed highly likely to fall under mandatory reporting requirements have no results filed with the government’s clinical trial website, the FDA said on April 13. That is in line with historical estimates.

The FDA sent more than 2,200 companies and researchers messages in late March that reminded them of the requirements, the agency said on April 13.

“Far too often, companies are suppressing unfavorable clinical trial results and keeping them secret from patients and the scientific community. Those sponsoring clinical trials have an ethical obligation to make results public regardless of the data’s influence on the company’s share price,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement.

“Too many clinical trial sponsors and researchers are failing to report their results, leaving important information unavailable to clinicians and other researchers. If you are a doctor deciding whether or not to prescribe a medication to a patient, you deserve to have the best data about clinical studies on that medication.”

Sponsors of many clinical trials, and researchers involved with them, are required by federal law to report at least a summary of results within one year of completion. Phase 1 trials are among those excluded from the requirements.

The FDA can initiate a process when the people responsible for submitting the information fail to do so, which can lead to fines of up to $10,000. The process includes sending notices of noncompliance.

Only two such notices were sent in 2025, and the agency is declining to issue any, at least for now.

“The messages issued on March 30, 2026, represent an extra step the agency is taking to provide the relevant responsible parties with the opportunity to comply with federal law before the agency considers whether to take further regulatory action,” the FDA stated.

The agency, under Makary, has favored pressing companies to voluntarily meet its demands, including the removal of synthetic dyes from food.

“I fully support this new initiative to increase the prompt publication—as required by law—of results information from interventional studies of the medical products we regulate,” Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

“We hope that the thousands of messages sent to sponsors and investigators reminding them to publicly report their findings will improve patient safety and keep researchers and the public better informed of benefits and risks of new and investigational products.”

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Péter Magyar: The Insider Who Toppled Orbán – And the Uncomfortable Questions About His Past That Lingered in the Shadows

Today in the early hours, Budapest’s streets erupted in celebration. Fireworks lit the sky over the Danube as Péter Magyar, the 45-year-old leader of the Tisza Party, declared victory in Hungary’s parliamentary elections.

His centre-right opposition movement had just crushed Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, securing a stunning 53.6% of the vote and 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament – a supermajority that will let him rewrite the constitution, dismantle Orbán’s “illiberal democracy,” and unlock frozen EU funds. Orbán, the man who had ruled Hungary for 16 unbroken years, conceded defeat in a terse speech, calling the result “painful but clear.”

European leaders could barely contain their glee. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, posted immediately: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger.

A country returns to its European path.” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were among those who phoned Magyar that night.

For Brussels, it was more than an election result – it was the end of a long nightmare. Orbán had blocked EU sanctions on Russia, vetoed aid to Ukraine, and turned Hungary into the bloc’s internal troublemaker. Now, von der Leyen and others hailed Magyar as the man who would “save Hungary” and bring it back into the European mainstream.

But as the champagne corks popped in Brussels and Budapest, a quieter question echoed in Hungarian pro-government circles and among some international observers: Why has so little been said – especially in Western media – about Péter Magyar’s own troubled past?

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Everyone Knew Eric Swalwell Had a ‘Women and Whiskey’ Problem: The View’s Alyssa Farah Griffin


“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said Monday that Rep. Eric Swalwell’s past conduct with women was widely known and created potential national security concerns, as the California Democrat suspended his campaign for governor following allegations of sexual assault and other reported misconduct.

Swalwell, who represents California in Congress, announced he was stepping back from his gubernatorial bid after facing accusations that include sexual assault, as well as multiple reports alleging inappropriate behavior involving women.

He has acknowledged what he described as “mistakes in judgment” but has denied the sexual assault allegations.

Griffin, who recently returned to “The View” following maternity leave, addressed the situation during the program, pointing to reports that the allegations did not come as a surprise to some observers.

“Swalwell sat on the intel committee, and there were allegations he had a suspected Chinese spy, Fang Fang, who was associated with him in his office,” Griffin said.

“Now, he was not found to have engaged in wrongdoing, but to me, my spidey senses from having worked at the Pentagon go off, which is it was an open secret that he had issues with women, that he was somebody who was susceptible, potentially to heavy drinking, to impropriety with women.”

Griffin said that such allegations should be considered disqualifying for public office and argued that political considerations should not outweigh concerns about conduct.

“I think we need to remember that winning isn’t everything, and you lose the plot when you think that,” Griffin said.

“When somebody does something that’s beyond the pale, that should be it, and we should move on and get back to that kind of society.”

She also referenced the seriousness of the claims made against Swalwell, noting their public visibility.

“I think of the victims. These allegations are horrible. They’re well-documented. This is, I mean, deeply reported,” she added.

Griffin further argued that the implications extend beyond the individuals involved, stating that reputational concerns tied to repeated allegations could pose broader risks.

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Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego Throws “Best Friend” Swalwell Under the Bus, Denies He Is in Viral Video of Swalwell and Sex Worker

Senator Ruben Gallego turned on his good friend Eric Swalwell after initially defending him on social media.

On Monday, Gallego began to distance himself from Swalwell shortly before the California Democrat announced his resignation from Congress amid allegations of sexual assault.

“I want to be clear: I had no knowledge of the allegations of assault, harassment, and predatory behavior against Eric Swalwell,” Gallego said ahead of Swalwell’s resignation.

“I trusted someone who I believed was a friend, but it is now clear that he is not the person I thought I knew,” he added.

On Tuesday, after a fifth Swalwell accuser came forward at a press conference in Beverly Hills and accused the California Democrat of violently raping her at a West Hollywood hotel in 2018, Gallego threw Swalwell under the buss

“Eric Swalwell lied to all of us. He lies to the most powerful people in this country. And they trusted him,” Gallego told reporters.

“They trusted him with the most sensitive spots in our government. Whether it was a Judiciary Committee, Intel Committee, or impeaching Donald Trump,” he said.

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DNC votes down ‘dark money’ resolution singling out AIPAC, defers resolution on military aid to Israel

Members of the Democratic National Committee voted down a symbolic resolution aimed at curbing the “growing influence” of “dark money” corporate groups in Democratic primaries that specifically called out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Earlier in Thursday’s meeting in New Orleans, committee members approved a broader measure condemning the influence of dark money in the midterms without naming specific groups. They then rejected a separate resolution that singled out AIPAC.

Allison Minnerly, who sponsored the resolution, responded to the criticism that her resolution was singling out AIPAC, the pro-Israel political lobbying group.

“Members like to say that we don’t want to single out AIPAC, but AIPAC will entirely single out them and all of our different progressive leaders when it comes to primary elections,” said Minnerly.

AIPAC’s influence has become a flashpoint inside the Democratic Party, as leaders struggle to respond to rapidly shifting views about Israel among progressives, especially in the wake of the war in Gaza and amid the current U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. 

DNC Chair Ken Martin posted on X, stating, “We had various resolutions that focused on different industries and groups, and instead of going one-by-one, we passed a blanket repudiation.”

The panel’s rejection of the AIPAC resolution means it will not go before the full body for a final vote on Friday.

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O’Keefe Media Group: LA Housing Department Financial Officer Admits Witnessing Fraud – Embezzlement Helps Mayor Karen Bass Maintain “Re-Election Funds” 

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday released undercover video of a Finance Development Officer for Los Angeles Housing Department admitting to witnessing multiple instances of fraud.

Donald Byers told the undercover OMG journalist that $10 to $20 million are going into people’s pockets and that homeless developers are embezzling money.

Byers also said that the superiors look the other way to help corrupt Democrat Mayor Karen Bass maintain “re-election funds.”

Per the O’Keefe Media Group:

Donald Byers, a Finance Development Officer from the Los Angeles housing programs, admits on hidden camera that millions of taxpayer money disappear inside the city’s low-income housing system. Byers told our undercover journalist he flagged the fraud internally but was ignored.

“I’ve reported it… nothing happens.”

Accountability is avoided. Despite years-long delays on projects, funding continues to flow even when, by his own admission, officials are failing. Meanwhile, as billions are poured into homelessness programs, the money is “going to people’s pockets.”

Despite years-long project delays, funding continues to flow even as, by his own admission, oversight appears to be failing. After raising red flags, Byers says nothing changed and now he claims, “At this point, I’m just covering myself.”

“I have a couple of developers doing really sketchy stuff,” Donald Byers said.

My project was with a developer called CRCD — Marcella Gardens. We [LA City] can’t figure out where all the money is going… it’s going to people’s pockets,” Donald Byers said.

“If they [LA Housing Department] were to call out the people [Developers] contacting Karen Bass’s office, she might not get enough money for re-election — or for what she needs done,” he said.

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French Police Tries to Raid Elysée Palace in Corruption Probe, but Are Denied Entrance by Presidency Staff Invoking Macron’s Immunity

A Panthéon corruption scandal is brewing.

A new French corruption scandal erupted today (14) as financial and anti-corruption police raided services linked to the Élysée Palace as part of an investigation opened in October 2025.

The probe is looking into allegations of favoritism, conflict of interest, corruption, and influence peddling when awarding public contracts for organizing prestigious Panthéon ceremonies by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (Center of National Monuments).

French cops are focusing on Shortcut Events, which monopolized the organization of all such €2 million ceremonies from 2002 to 2024.

Investigators want to know if the contracts awarded to the same firm involved improper support from the Élysée, Ministry of Culture, or related bodies, bypassing normal procurement rules.

But the French police found the doors of the Presidential Palace closed to them.

Politico reported:

“The French presidency refused to let investigators enter the Elysée Palace on Tuesday as part of a probe into contracts linked to memorial ceremonies, invoking the immunity enjoyed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The investigators that presented themselves at the Elysée Palace weren’t granted entry, according to a French presidency official who was granted anonymity for protocol reasons.

‘Investigators were told that the documents pertaining to Élysée Palace staff, which are unrelated to the President’s official duties and can therefore be disclosed, would be provided to them upon request’, an Elysée official said.”

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