Judge rules Arizona’s Maricopa County must turn over 2.1 million November ballots to state Senate

A judge ruled Friday that  Arizona's Maricopa County must provide roughly 2.1 million ballots from the Nov. 3 election to the state Senate and allow the chamber to access to its election equipment to conduct an audit, according to a news reports.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason ruled that subpoenas issued by the state Senate are valid and should be enforced. Thomason also disputed arguments from county officials the Senate subpoenas are unlawful, according to the Epoch Times. The county has argued that previous, multiple audits are sufficient and that the ballots should be sealed.

"The Court finds that the subpoenas are legal and enforceable,” Thomason wrote in his ruling, obtained by The Times. “There is no question that the Senators have the power to issue legislative subpoenas. The subpoenas comply with the statutory requirements for legislative subpoenas. The Senate also has broad constitutional power to oversee elections.”

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, a Republican, told news outlets after the judge’s ruling that their move was "never about overturning the election, it was about the integrity of the Arizona election system."

Whether the Maricopa Board of Supervisors will appeal judge's decision remains unclear.

 

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/judge-rules-arizonas-maricopa-county-must-turn-over-21-million-november 

Boston Halts Advanced Learning Program Because Too Many Asian, White Students

Boston Public Schools are halting a selective program for high-performing kids in grades four through six because of a lack of racial equality in the makeup of the student population, local media have reported.

According to the school district's website, the AWC is a full-time program that provides an "Accelerated academic curriculum for highly motivated and academically capable students." Students who wish to participate need to take the popular Terra Nova 3 standardized test, and those who meet the score requirement will be put into a lottery conducted by the central administration office, and lottery winners receive letters inviting them to apply to the program.

Last fall, 453 students received invitations, 143 students applied and 116 enrolled for this year, officials said, reported WGBH. The decision to pause the AWC is based on a district analysis of the program, which found that more than 70 percent of the students enrolled were Asian or white.

By contrast, a Massachusetts state analysis of the BPS suggests that out of the district's 48,000 students in school year 2020-21, 42 percent are Hispanic, 29 percent are black, 15 percent are white, and only 9 percent are Asian.

New fourth-grade students will be admitted by standards to be determined by individual schools.

The G&T program, which offers specialized instruction and enrichment opportunities for young learners deemed exceptional, admits students based on a single, high-stakes entrance exam.

The advisory panel highlighted the fact that black and Hispanic students make up only 27 percent of students in those gifted classes, even though they account for about 70 percent of students citywide.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/boston-halts-advanced-learning-program-because-too-many-asian-white-students_3713990.html 

‘Blame Trump’ defense in Capitol riot looks like a long shot

Facing damning evidence in the deadly Capitol siege last month - including social media posts flaunting their actions - rioters are arguing in court they were following then-President Donald Trump's instructions on Jan. 6.

Chrestman's attorneys argued in court papers that Trump gave the mob "Explicit permission and encouragement" to do what they did, providing those who obeyed him with "a viable defense against criminal liability."

Hundreds of Trump supporters were photographed and videotaped storming the Capitol and scores posted selfies inside the building on social media, so they can't exactly argue in court they weren't there.

ADVERTISEMENT.Shamansky said his client would never have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6 if Trump hadn't "Summoned him there." Trump, he added, engaged in a "Devious yet effective plot to brainwash" supporters into believing the election was stolen, putting them in the position where they "Felt the the need to defend their country at the request of the commander in chief."

While the legal bar is high for prosecuting Trump in the Capitol siege, the former president is already facing a lawsuit from Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson that accuses him of conspiring with extremist groups to prevent Congress from certifying the election results.

Trump spread baseless claims about the election for weeks and addressed thousands of supporters at a rally near the White House before the Capitol riot, telling them that they had gathered in Washington "To save our democracy." Later, Trump said, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."

A lawyer for Jacob Chansley, the shirtless man who wore face paint and a hat with horns inside the Capitol, attached a highlighted transcript of the Trump's speech before the riot to a court filing seeking Chansley's release from custody.
 

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-us-news-75b5963841a2263fe8d79b1d18ef552b 

Democrats Manufacture Racism

If you wanted to tear apart a country, really have the people hate each other, the playbook Democrats are following would be the way to do it.

Convince people others are out to get them, thereby absolving them of any responsibility for problems in their life, and they will eventually give up.

We now have the Cartoon Network running public service announcements telling children to "See color" when it comes to people.

In a little less than 60 years we've gone from Martin Luther King changing the world with the words, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," to a cartoon character telling kids, "My experience with anti-black racism is really specific. Other people of color experience other forms of racism, too. But you won't see any of that if you 'don't see color.'".

This racism as anti-racism can only exist as long as people keep funding it.

The description says "Dismantling white supremacy requires white people to commit to a lifetime of education and accountability."

In their pursuit of manufacturing racism out of thin air for control over people, Democrats are exposing themselves as the racists they've always been.
 

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2021/02/28/democrats-manufacture-racism-n2585452 

Wikipedia's Founder is Creating New Free Speech Competitor to Website, Citing Leftist Domination

President Donald Trump is slated to present an argument before a self-appointed 'Facebook Supreme Court' of sorts, seeking reinstatement to his page on the platform after being indefinitely suspended following the raucous January 6th US Capitol riot.

The Facebook Oversight board is almost exclusively composed of left-wing neoliberals, many of whom are affiliated with global tech corporations and leftist oligarch George Soros.

It's highly unlikely that the board is going to allow Trump to restore his presence on Facebook, raising questions as to the merit of the appeal.

The judges on the platform are employed by Facebook itself, serving as a de facto kangaroo court to justify the platform's censorship decisions.

The case regarding Trump's account is the first time the court has been utilized to judge a case of censorship.

Twitter has confirmed that Trump's suspension from the platform is permanent.

Instead of asking to get back on Facebook, President Trump should take custody of the large Gab account already reserved for him, and invite his tens of millions of followers to join the free speech platform.
 

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/wikipedias-founder-is-creating-new-free-speech-competitor-to-website-citing-leftist-domination/ 

Doubts about Biden's mental acuity aren't the only reason to limit prez's nuke power

Should it be harder for presidents to push the nuclear button? That's what some lawmakers are asking, with three dozen congressional Democrats recently urging President Biden to give up his sole authority.

In theory, an incoming nuclear strike would lead to the president and several other senior officials being called together on a conference call to decide what to do.

In theory, the president has the nuclear codes and could launch a massive nuclear strike on a whim.

That's why the Democratic lawmakers, headed by Rep. Jimmy Panetta, want to change the rules so a president launching a first strike would have to consult with other officials first.

They recommend requiring the president to consult with other officials, such as the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives, neither of whom can be fired by the president, before launching a nuclear first strike.

Congress tried, with limited effect, to curb a president's commitment of troops abroad through the 1973 War Powers Act.

A nuclear first strike on another nation is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, and it seems doubtful that a president would set out to evade a law governing such an attack; indeed, any effort to do so would set off alarm bells within the military leadership.
 

https://nypost.com/2021/02/25/bidens-senility-isnt-only-reason-to-limit-presidents-power-to-launch-nukes/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons 

Second former aide accuses Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment

A second woman has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, according to a new report.

Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to Cuomo, told The New York Times that the governor asked her inappropriate personal questions, told her he was open to relationships with women in their 20s, and left her feeling that he "Wanted to sleep with me."

Cuomo told her he was lonely since his relationship celebrity chef Sandra Lee, his girlfriend of 14 years, ended in 2019.

The revelations come after another former staffer, Lindsey Boylan, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, including a claim that he planted an unwanted kiss on her in his office.

Cuomo defended himself in a statement released Saturday night.

Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior adviser to Cuomo said in a statement that Cuomo "Has requested an independent review and all staff will cooperate in that endeavor. Former Federal Judge Barbara Jones will lead the review."

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who has called for Cuomo to resign over the Boylan allegations, said Saturday evening that "Gov. Cuomo is a criminal sexual predator and he must immediately resign."

https://nypost.com/2021/02/27/second-woman-accuses-gov-andrew-cuomo-of-sexual-harassment-report/ 

Oklahoma House Passes Bill Allowing Review, Veto of Biden Executive Orders

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow the state to put the brakes on the power of President Joe Biden's executive orders there.

HB 1236 would allow the Oklahoma state legislature to review each executive order and determine if the order should be given to the Oklahoma attorney general, who would determine if it is allowed under the U.S. Constitution.

If the attorney general deemed an executive order unconstitutional, the bill seems to indicate the attorney general could sue for a court order invalidating the executive order.

If the legislature invokes its option to declare an executive order unconstitutional, the statute is unclear whether the Oklahoma government would file suit or the state would ignore the order inside the state, leaving it to the federal government to enforce or try to take it to court.

The bill outlines different categories of orders lawmakers would review, from pandemics and other health emergencies, land use issues, oil and natural gas regulations, education issues, and agriculture regulations.

In today's OK House shenanigans, we're hearing HB 1236 which would allow the Oklahoma Legislature to declare executive orders & federal laws unconstitutional.

"In today's OK House shenanigans, we're hearing HB 1236, which would allow the Oklahoma Legislature to declare executive orders & federal laws unconstitutional. Can you say 'pandering?'" Virgin tweeted Thursday.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/27/oklahoma-house-passes-bill-allowing-state-review-reject-biden-executive-orders/ 

Biden admin call on Putin pipeline provokes GOP anger

The Biden officials also denied negotiating with the Germans over a potential side deal to allow the pipeline to be finished.

At one point during the call, a Republican Senate staffer asked the Biden officials why they hadn't sanctioned Nord Stream 2 AG - the company in charge of building the pipeline.

"I'm on their web page right now and they identify themselves as the company that's in charge of the planning, construction and operation of the pipeline." "You have determined that sanctionable activity was occurring related to the pipeline," the official continued.

State Department officials contended that the word "Exchange" shouldn't be construed as a negotiation and that the Biden administration, in the course of normal diplomatic conversations, had registered its concerns about the pipeline with the Germans.

GOP congressional staffers asked the Biden officials to commit to updating the report they'd already delivered Congress with new entities that ought to be sanctioned, but the State Department officials did not commit to doing so.

One of the Biden officials told the congressional staffers that if they had more information about entities involved in the pipeline, they should say what it is.

The big picture: Pipeline construction halted during the Trump administration after Congress mandated sanctions in a 2019 bill and top Trump officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, issued aggressive threats.
 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/scoop-biden-admin-call-putin-183018761.html 

‘Conversations' Pelosi Had With Sgt At Arms About National Guard Presence Factored Into ‘Blender Of Decision Making' That Led Up To Riot

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Former Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving recalled to House Admin how previous discussions with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her office factored in to his "Blender of decision making," according to three sources with direct knowledge of Irving's talk with House Admin.

Pelosi's office had previously impressed upon Irving that the National Guard was to remain off Capitol Grounds, Irving allegedly told House Admin.

"The Speaker's Office has made it clear publicly and repeatedly that our office was not consulted or contacted concerning any request for the National Guard ahead of January 6th. That has been confirmed by former Sergeant at Arms Irving in sworn testimony before Senate committees. The Speaker expects security professionals to make security decisions and to briefed about those decisions," Hammill said.

Irving testified that he first received a formal request from Sund to activate the National Guard after 2 pm on Jan. 6th. Additionally, when Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley asked if he had to run the request "Up the chain of command," Irving replied "No," in testimony before a joint Senate Homeland Security and Rules Committee.

Sund said he sent a request for help from the National Guard to Irving around 1:09 p.m, according to CNN. Irving said he was contacted about the matter after 2:00 pm, Axios reported.

Sources questioned how Irving got the request after 2 pm but Pelosi approved the request at 1:43 pm.

Another source familiar with conversations told the Caller, "Irving is covering for Pelosi. There's no doubt."

https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/27/sources-nancy-pelosi-sergeant-at-arms-paul-irving-national-guard-capitol-riot/ 

China Emits More Carbon in 2 Weeks Than Australia Does in One Year

China emits more carbon dioxide in 16 days than Australia does in one year, according to new research published by a free-market think tank.

Australia's net-zero emissions target would therefore be cancelled out by China in just two weeks, the Institute of Public Affairs said in a press release on Wednesday.

The report also added that while Australia's carbon emissions per capita have declined by 15.4 percent since 2004, China's emissions per capita over the same period have increased by 83.5 percent.

Globally, the report identified that Australia's share of global carbon emissions declined from 1.3 percent in 2009 to 1.1 percent in 2019.

"Despite Australia's negligible share of global emissions, under the Paris Agreement, Australians are subject to the deepest per capita emissions cuts in the developed world," the report added.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is pursuing "Low emissions technologies" instead of committing Australia to net-zero emissions, with New South Wales and Western Australia referring to net-zero it as an "Aspirational" target, reported Herald Sun.

Cian Hussey, Research Fellow at the IPA, said calls for Australia to adopt a net-zero emissions target would "Ignore the significant economic, social, and humanitarian costs which would inevitably be the result of such a target."

https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-emits-more-carbon-in-2-weeks-than-australia-does-in-one-year-think-tank_3709999.html