FBI spied on Giuliani, Trump iCloud chats during impeachment hearings, says lawyer

Rudolph W. Giuliani says that the FBI secretly spied on his Apple iCloud account beginning in late 2019 when he was having regular messaging conversations with his client, President Trump, during House impeachment proceedings.

Mr. Giuliani said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan on Thursday informed his attorney, Robert Costello, that covert wiretapping took place.

The FBI raided Mr. Giuliani's New York apartment and law office on Wednesday morning, grabbing seven to nine electronic communication and storage devices.

In late 2019, Mr. Giuliani said he was defending the president against the "Phony impeachment" claim that Democrats lodged about Mr. Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Meanwhile, the Justice Department, while I'm defending him on that with others, invaded my iCloud," Mr. Giuliani said.

"The president doesn't have any more rights than anybody else, but he doesn't have any less. To me, they just trashed the president of the United States like he has no constitutional rights." Mr. Giuliani said he conducted many conversations with the president that presumably could be retrieved off of iCloud - a backup cyber storage system for emails, texts, documents, photos - just about anything contained on personal devices such as cellphones and computers.

"The government may come in and start listening to it or might try to see text of memoranda." Mr. Giuliani said that after he learned of the iCloud penetration, he notified two Trump attorneys.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/may/1/fbi-spied-giuliani-trump-icloud-chats-during-impea/ 

Washington Post, NY Times issue major corrections over story that Rudy Giuliani's lawyer called 'totally false'

The Washington Post and New York Times issued major retractions on Saturday after initially reporting that Rudy Giuliani and One America News were warned by the FBI they were targets of a major Russian disinformation campaign during the 2020 presidential election season.

The Post reported on Thursday the FBI warned Giuliani in late 2019 "He was the target of a Russian influence operation aimed at circulating falsehoods intended to damage President [Joe] Biden."

The Times claimed Giuliani had received a "Defensive briefing" in which FBI agents were "Cautioning him that some of the information he was pushing on the Biden family was tainted by Russian intelligence's efforts to spread disinformation."

Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, told CNN, "This story is totally false according to Mayor Giuliani. He never received any such briefing."

The Post issued a retraction acknowledging that neither Giuliani nor OAN received warnings from the FBI as the newspaper initially claimed.

The Times, on the other hand, initially edited out their claims about Giuliani having received a warning from the FBI without including an editor's note explaining the correction.

The newspaper later added the following note at the bottom of its story, "An earlier version of this article misstated whether Rudolph W. Giuliani received a formal warning from the F.B.I. about Russian disinformation. Mr. Giuliani did not receive such a so-called defensive briefing."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/washington-post-new-york-times-issue-major-correction-rudy-giuliani-fbi-warning 

California releasing 63,000 violent felons back onto the streets in effort to create 'safer prisons'

California is set to release at least 63,000 inmates convicted of violent crimes in an effort to create "Safer prisons."

"The goal is to increase incentives for the incarcerated population to practice good behavior and follow the rules while serving their time and participate in rehabilitative and educational programs, which will lead to safer prisons," Dana Simas, a state Office of Administrative Law spokeswoman, said in a statement about the mass release of prisoners in the Golden State.

These "Incentives" are a part of an effort to give inmates "Good time credits" to quicken their release.

Another 10,000 inmates were convicted for serious nonviolent offenses who have served half of their initial sentence.

Criminal Justice Legal Foundation Legal Director Kent Scheidegger slammed the state for releasing the prisoners, arguing the plan was "Just a giveaway" and not "Useful" in determining whether an inmate should or should not be released.

"You don't have to be good to get good time credits. People who lose good time credits for misconduct get them back, they don't stay gone," he told NBC News.

Democrats in the state have called for the state to release more convicted criminals and to close the depreciated detention facilities.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/california-release-63000-prisoners-create-safer-prisons 

Tennessee election security bill requires watermark on absentee ballots

A bill passed nearly unanimously in the Tennessee legislature this week requires absentee ballots in the state to include a watermark as a measure of election security.

SB1315, titled the Tennessee Election Integrity Act, mandates that absentee ballots there "Include a watermark approved by the coordinator of elections." The measure notes that "Under present law, signature verification is the final verification necessary before a counting board counts absentee ballots," while under the new amendment, "Signature verification will remain part of the verification process but will not be the final verification." "This amendment requires a counting board official to verify that the absentee ballots contain the watermark and reject any ballot that does not bear the watermark," the law stipulates.

The bill was passed unanimously in the state Senate and with only one opposing vote in the state House.

It will now head to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's desk for his signature.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/tennessee-election-security-bill-requires-watermark-absentee-ballots 

Household income soared 21% in March, largely due to ‘government social benefits’

U.S. household income spiked an astronomical 21% in March, due in large part to the $1,400 coronavirus stimulus checks that went out that month, the government said on Friday.

A press release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis said that, in the U.S., "personal income increased $4.21 trillion (21.1 percent) in March," while disposable personal income increased by an even higher 23.6%.

The spike "largely reflected an increase in government social benefits," the BEA said, noting that the American Rescue Plan Act "established an additional round of direct economic impact payments to households."

The BEA also noted a rise in personal consumption expenditures, one that appears to be tied to the ongoing reopening of major swaths of the U.S. economy, particularly restaurants.

"Within services, the largest contributor to the increase was spending for food services and accommodations," the press release said.

https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/household-income-soared-21-march-largely-due-government-social-benefits 

Illinois Borrows $3.2 Billion From the Federal Reserve

With its struggling finances, what better way for Illinois to get out of the hole than $3.2 billion in bond guarantees from the Federal Reserve?

The state borrowed $1.2 billion in summer 2020 and then another $2 billion in the fall from the central bank's emergency lending program for state and local government issuers, Municipal Liquidity Facility.

With its almost-junk bond status, Illinois was "Unable to secure adequate credit accommodations from other banking institutions" and so qualified for the financing from the lender of last resort.

Illinois is rated one notch above junk because of its enormous unfunded pension liability and chronic budget deficit.

With Illinois' estimated $317 billion pension liability, a family of four now owes $98,000 in unfunded pension liabilities, which is more than they earn in household income, which averages $63,585.

Illinois' financial problems are far from short term.

This desperate move by the state is a revelation: Illinois needs massive financial reform.

https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2021/04/30/illinois_borrows_32_billion_from_the_federal_reserve_774235.html 

Boebert Demands Pelosi Let House Members Speak Without Masks: 'Biden Was Able To'

Rep. Lauren Boebert is calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to "End the charade" and allow congressmembers to speak on the House floor without masks, according to a letter first obtained by Breitbart News.

Boebert in her letter, dated April 30, points to President Joe Biden's speech he gave in the House chamber Wednesday to a joint session of Congress during which he did not wear a mask, while Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris, who sat behind him, did wear masks.

In December, Pelosi tightened her coronavirus rules by requiring congressmembers to wear masks when they give floor speeches in the House chamber, and the speaker has set a $500 fine for anyone who violates the requirement as well as a $2,500 fine for a second offense.

"Your own rules state that speakers on the House Floor must wear a mask for the duration of their speech or face a $500 fine you allowed President Biden to speak for over an hour with his mask off."

"I am calling on you to, as you say, 'follow the science' and allow members to speak without masks from the lectern, and for members of the public to be allowed to return to the House Gallery," Boebert continues.

"If President Biden was able to speak for an hour without a mask, it's time to allow the general body to do the same. It's time to end the charade."

"Americans should be allowed back in the People's House, and members should be allowed to speak without a mask if they choose to do so."
 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/04/30/lauren-boebert-demands-pelosi-let-house-members-speak-without-masks-biden-was-able-to/