Author: J.P. Knowles

Dwayne Johnson, widely known for being “The Rock,” continued his upcoming presidential tease in the near future as part of his growing “ambition to unite our country.”

Johnson has been one of the most successful superstars in the most recent years once he emerged as an action star for franchises like the “Fast & Furious.” During an interview on Sunday Today with Willie Geist, the actor hinted at his upcoming presidential campaign if there was enough public support. With a very recent poll showing that 46% of Americans wanted him as president, America could see “The Rock” on ballots in 2024.

Johnson said of the poll in April: “Not sure our Founding Fathers ever envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club – but if it ever happens it’d be my honor to serve the people.”

Not sure our Founding Fathers ever envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club – but if it ever happens it’d be my honor to serve the people 🙏🏾💪🏾🇺🇸 https://t.co/6Xd9ADzqX7

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 9, 2021

In the hit show “Young Rock,” a fictionalized version of the actor runs for president in 2032. Johnson has once described himself as a “political independent and centrist,” even though he publicly supported Biden in the previous election.

“I have a goal, and an interest and an ambition to unite our country,” he said. “If this is what the people want, then I will do that.”

“If the time comes where there is a good amount of people who want to see that happen, then I’m going to consider it,” he added.

This past February, while speaking with USA Today about “Young Rock,” Johnson echoed his 2017 comments to Ellen DeGeneres that he may run for president.

“I would consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted,” he said. “Truly I mean that, and I’m not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people…So I would wait, and I would listen. I would have my finger on the pulse, my ear to the ground.”

The Biden administration is pulling out all the stops in an effort to gain the favor of all Americans. Biden promised his pledge once more that no American earning less than $400,000 would not pay “a single penny” in additional taxes, with a politician twist of course.

During his speech at Tidewater Community College, Biden appeared to “mistakenly” leave out a keyword when he instead said that no one under $400k would pay any taxes.

“The reason I’m bothering to do this is I keep hearing in the press ‘Biden’s going to raise your taxes’ – anybody making less than $400,000 a year will not pay a single penny in taxes,” Biden said.

Last week, Biden unveiled his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which focuses on education and child care. This is after the Biden administration announced the American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion investment that would revamp much of the nation’s infrastructure.

Both spending plans rely on tax hikes on businesses and the wealthy for funding.

The American Jobs Plan establishes a global minimum tax of 21% and eliminates various perceived loopholes in the corporate tax code. It also includes an increase in the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%,

The second proposal contains a number of increases on individuals and households, notably raising the top personal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%.

The proposal would increase the capital gains tax rate for individuals earning more than $1 million to 39.6%, bringing it in line with the proposed top individual tax rate. Currently, short-term capital gains are taxed at the same rates as income, but long-term gains are taxed at lower rates.

Derek Chauvin’s attorney is arguing that his client should be given a new trial after the former police officer was convicted of murder. Attorney Eric Nelson has already filed the legal documents requesting the jury verdict in Chauvin’s murder trial be thrown out, claiming there several errors concerning the jury and prosecution.

In the documents, Chauvin’s defense claims he was not given a fair trial and accuses the court of abusing its diplomacy denying the defense’s request to sequester the jury and move the trial to a new location.

The defense claims the jury should have been sequestered or at least given strict warning to avoid all media and news related to the case. Nelson said it’s possible jurors may have felt intimidated.

Nelson also brought up remarks made by Representative Maxine Waters during the trial encouraging people to take to the street and get confrontational if the verdict did not come out the way they wanted. Chauvin’s attorney said Waters’ words could have been an incitement of violence and her comments may have influenced the jury.

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1383635117147451417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1383635117147451417%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tmz.com%2F

Nelson demanded a mistrial but Judge Cahill wasn’t hearing it but did say Waters’ words opened the possibility for Chauvin to appeal the guilty verdict, however, he felt confident the jurors had followed his strict instructions to avoid any news about the case.

Chauvin is facing 40 years in prison after being found guilty on all 3 counts, including 2nd-degree murder, for the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

There has been some talk about a fourth stimulus check swirling around and how it differs from President Biden’s American Families Plan.

Both could provide some form of payment and benefits to American families but are they considered the same thing?

The short answer is no.

Biden’s American Families Plan is a piece of proposed legislation that needs to be approved by Congress before it will become law — and the benefits get paid to you. Media outlets have been touting the proposed benefits as a type of “fourth stimulus,” as many families are slated to receive money this year in addition to the other three stimulus payments already doled out.

This money will largely be for parents, in the form of an extended Child Tax Credit. This tax credit will give payments out to parents from July until December, for children up to the age of 17, as a part of the American Rescue Plan COVID relief and stimulus package.

This has been labeled as a form of “fourth stimulus” for those who were able to take advantage of it, as it is a temporary benefit included in the COVID stimulus and relief bill. Important to note, this is a separate piece of legislation that was passed as part of the American Rescue Plan and is entirely separate from the American Families Plan introduced last week.

Biden is proposing to extend this temporary credit until 2025 by making it a part of his new legislation, the American Families Plan, essentially borrowing the credit from one plan and transferring it to another.

This extended tax credit would not be available to as many people as a stimulus check would be. This particular credit is available to parents only.

There have also been some details on bonus payments for those who received a stimulus check based on a 2019 tax return but had changes on their 2020 return that qualify them for additional money. This bonus is linked to the stimulus payments and is available to those citizens whether or not they have children.

As far as another stimulus check is concerned, there is no official information just yet as to if it will happen at all.

Joe Rogan was blasted by mainstream media and members of the radical left on social media when he had his own opinion on the COVID-19 vaccine on his podcast last week.

Rogan’s remarks come after discussing whether young and “healthy” people should get the vaccine for the virus. Many viewers, out of his 200 million monthly viewers, disagreed.

“But if you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go, ‘No.’ Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don’t do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself,” Rogen said. “You should — if you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well, like, I don’t think you need to worry about this.”

Rogan double-down on his own opinion with another comment on the subject even “after a string of sharp rebukes on Twitter and from Dr. Anthony Fauci himself.”

“I am not an anti-vax person,” Rogan said. “In fact, I said I believe they are safe and I encourage many people to take them. I just said if you’re a young, healthy person, you don’t need it. Their argument was you need it for other people. But that’s a different conversation. And yes, that makes sense.”

Rogan also said, “I am not a doctor. I am a f***ing moron. I am a cage-fighting commentator … I am not a respected source of information, even for me. But I at least try to be honest about what I am saying.”

John Oliver, the host of “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, condemned Rogan on a segment during his show since his opinion was different then his.

“Our best way out of this mess long-term is clearly vaccines,” argued Oliver. “These vaccines can save not just your life but the lives of people around you, and it’s genuinely dispiriting that just a few months into the vaccine rollout we are already at this point. And the problem is, for the coronavirus, the herd immunity threshold is thought to be between 70 and 90% of the population, but a survey found that while 60% of American adults have got — or want to get — the vaccine, and about 18% say ‘maybe,’ and 22% say ‘no.’”

Like other liberal media figures and outlets, Oliver then focused on the impact “right-wing” media is having on the issue.

“If you’re thinking, Yeah, I’m not sure I’ll need it. Joe Rogan says I’m probably fine. It is true: You might not get seriously sick from COVID — or indeed sick at all — but you could still inadvertently pass it to someone who could then die,” said Oliver. “And before you say, ‘Well, vulnerable people should just get vaccinated then,’ the vaccines are only 95% effective… so they’ll probably be OK, but maybe not. Also, the more the virus circulates, the likelier we’ll see mutations that make it more dangerous, possibly helping it to evade the vaccine completely, putting us all the way back to square one, so get the f***ing vaccine!”

“It is genuinely weird to see someone hosting a show on a supposed news network and ending every sentence with a question mark—especially when answers to most of those questions are out there for anyone who cares to know,” continued Oliver, adding, “That the CDC still recommends wearing masks indoors around vulnerable, unvaccinated people does not mean the vaccine doesn’t work. Clinical trials found that the vaccines are spectacularly successful at preventing people from getting a serious disease. As for whether they protect you from spreading the virus, the trials weren’t designed to assess that, but evidence has so far indicated that they drastically reduce transmission. The reason we still see mask and distancing recommendations is that the CDC is being cautious and wants to be sure that it is not spreading bullshit around during a global pandemic like a frozen dinner duke with a TV show.”

“Stop listening to what Joe Rogan tells you, he’s a ‘f***ing moron’—and those are his words, not mine,” Oliver concluded.

President Joe Biden has been working the campaign trail to drum up support from voters for his $4 trillion spending spree meant to redistribute funds and widely expand the government-funded social safety net.

The plan is for Biden to travel to the Virginia coast to rally for the two tax and spending proposals which are the $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and the $1.9 trillion American Families Plan both of which make up his “Build Back Better” agenda.

The president will then travel to Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday to pitch the spending plans that would create universal pre-kindergarten, 12 weeks of paid leave, and two years of free community college, as well as make massive investments in the nation’s ailing infrastructure. The dueling measures would be funded by dramatically raising the taxes paid by wealthy Americans and corporations.

The travel is part of the administration’s “Getting America Back on Track Tour” to sell the spending proposals as they move past Biden’s first 100 days in office.

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other administration officials began the travel blitz last week, fanning out across the country to tout the packages. After delivering his first address to Congress, Biden flew to Atlanta; a day later, he visited Philadelphia to celebrate Amtrak’s 50th anniversary. Harris, meanwhile, visited Baltimore last Thursday and Cincinnati on Friday. She’s slated to go to Milwaukee on Tuesday.

“It’s only been 100 days but I tell you, I’ve never been more optimistic about the future in America,” Biden said on Thursday during a car rally in Atlanta. “America is on the move again. We’re choosing hope over fear, truth over lies, light over darkness. We’re working. We’re working again. We’re dreaming again. We’re discovering again. And we’re leading the world again.”

Biden is trying to rally support for his vision despite the White House saying it’s trying to work with Republican lawmakers, who have panned the two proposals: the American Jobs Plan, which includes billions in new funding for the nation’s roads and bridges, as well as transit systems, green energy, and care for the elderly, and the American Families Plan, which includes billions for child care, prekindergarten, paid family leave and tax credits for qualified families.

A special order was issued last week by Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese that allows deputies to immediately book those suspected of misdemeanor reckless burning and criminal mischief into the county jail. The order went into effect on April 23 as Portland continues to suffer violent protests that have wrecked businesses and government buildings.

In the past, deputies would only issue a citation for misdemeanor crimes and the individual would later have to appear in court.

According to the sheriff’s office spokesman Chris Liedle, “The addition of the two specified crimes was done in recognition of the recent proliferation of attempts to set fire to objects and structures during demonstrations, and has been done in the best interest of public safety.”

This new order comes after a long year of protests and violence in the area that have resulted in buildings being destroyed, fires being set, and confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement.

Previously, the sheriff’s office had an open booking policy which means that any person with a criminal charge could be booked. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that changed to limit jail bookings to only higher-level crimes in order to reduce to possible transmission of the virus within correctional institutions.

Since the new order has gone into effect, at least three people have been arrested and booked into the chail on charges of second-degree criminal mischief.

But Liedle says this is a special order and is only temporary.

“It’s expected that as we round the corner with COVID-19 in the future,” he said, “open booking will be restored.”

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler expects that these changes will strike fear into those who are still out on the streets setting fires, breaking windows, and spray painting graffiti.

Wheeler said during a press conference, “Once they cross that line and engage in criminal destruction, they are no longer protesters they are criminals.”

For one of the jurors on the Derek Chauvin murder trial, the decision to reach a guilty verdict wasn’t the most difficult part of the job but it never got easier to watch all of the horrible videos on repeat throughout the 3-week trial.

Brandon Mitchell, also known as Juror #52 on the case, appeared on ‘CBS This Morning’ and ‘Good Morning America’ to give some interesting insights. Host Gayle King asked Mitchell if he or any of the other jurors felt pressure to deliver guilty verdicts on all counts. He did not deny there was stress but not from where you would think.

If you have seen any of the videos yourself you know it had to be stomach-turning every time the jurors had to watch George Floyd die. It’s obvious that Mitchell took a lot of what was discussed during the trial personally being a tall Black male, slightly similar in description to Floyd.

GMA’s Robin Roberts asked a question that everyone has been wanting to ask: How were they able to reach consensus in such a short about of time? It took the jurors just 10 hours to come to an agreement after a 3-week-long emotional and difficult trial.

Mitchell says there were no major hang-ups except on how to interpret the instructions. He tells how the group had to reread the instructions over again several times before one apprehensive juror came around.

As previously reported, Chauvin was found guilty on all counts, second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The ex-cop is facing 40 years in prison depending on the outcome of his sentencing which is set for late June. Until then, Chauvin remains behind bars.

In a press release, late Friday in Portland, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler begged Portland residents to “unmask” and assist local law enforcement to identify members of the “self-described anarchist mob” that have rioted and looted the city nearly every night since last May. Wheeler extended the city-wide state of emergency that has been in effect for days.

A riot was declared just a few hours after the mayor pleaded with Portland residents by the Portland Police. Rioters caused a massive wave of destruction and chaos across the city’s northwest side, with only two “anarchist” protesters arrested.

“The Portland Police Bureau said the planned protest had been billed as an ‘autonomous demonstration,’” Fox News said. “It started around 9 p.m. PT with around 75 protesters dressed all in black who started vandalizing property around 15 minutes after they began marching from a park near the city’s downtown.”

Wheeler declared the state of emergency in the city last week due to being concerned that a “not guilty” verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial would set off a wave of destruction and violence. Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd, but even that hasn’t stopped the rising violence by protestors.

Wheeler declared a state of emergency in the city early last week, ahead of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, concerned that a “not guilty” verdict might set off a wave of destruction. Chauvin was ultimately found guilty of killing George Floyd.

“The Democrat extended a state of emergency in Portland through Monday amid concerns about potential unrest following the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty on all charges for the death of George Floyd. The Portland mayor asked the public to come forward with any information on members of the anarchist group,” Fox News added on Sunday.

“The city is beginning to recover, but self-described anarchists who engage in regular criminal destruction don’t want things to open up, to recover,” Wheeler told Portland residents. “They want to prevent us from doing the work of making a better Portland for everyone. They want to burn, they want to bash.”

Wheeler who, back in June, pledged to divert millions from Portland law enforcement amid calls to “defund the police” (a position he reversed in March) said on Friday that he supports Portland police using all “legal strategies” to handle the riots, including the controversial “kettling” maneuver, which has police routing protesters into a small area, allowing them out one by one after being processed and searched.

Wheeler said that Black Lives Matter has already stepped forward to denounce the destruction, and he is now asking Portland residents to turn in friends and neighbors they believe might be part of the “self-described anarchist mob” to authorities.

“Our job is to unmask them, arrest them and prosecute them,” he said, ” asking the public to contact the police and provide them with information about the rioters, write down their license plate numbers or film them when they commit acts of vandalism,” per The Washington Post.

“Together we can make a stand,” Wheeler added. “We’re doing what we can today. I’m also asking for your help to make a stand and take our city back.”

“Our community needs to resume their lives, people need to go back to work, employers need to be able to reopen,” he said.

New photos have emerged over in a British tabloid that was published late on Saturday night. These photographs show Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell visiting then-President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, inside the White House during a VIP reception for those who contributed money toward refurbishing the Oval Office.

Epstein and Maxwell “toured Clinton toured Clinton’s residence and the East Room during a reception after Epstein gave £7,280 to the refurbishment of the Oval Office,” The Sun reported. “The White House reception — hosted by both Clinton and wife Hillary — was for people who contributed towards the £290,000 renovation via the White House Historical Association.”

https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1386287314951806977

A source told the publication that the photos “show just how close Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein got to one of the most powerful men in the world — in the most powerful building.”

Jeffrey Epstein has became known nationwide for being a convicted pedophile and being accused as an international sex trafficker. Epstein allegedly committed suicide in 2019 after being arrested by federal law enforcement officials on sex trafficking charges.

The Daily Beast reported in 2019 that Epstein and Clinton met on multiple occasions while Clinton was president, including one as early as 1993 when, according to records, Epstein donated $10,000 to the White House Historical Association and attended a donors’ reception hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Around the same time, according to a source familiar with the connection, Epstein visited presidential aide Mark Middleton several times at the White House. Two years later, businesswoman Lynn Forester de Rothschild wrote a personal letter to Clinton thanking him for their talk about the financier.

Clinton also failed to mention the intimate 1995 fundraising dinner at the Palm Beach home of Revlon mogul Ron Perelman, where Clinton hobnobbed with the likes of Epstein, Don Johnson, and Jimmy Buffett. (Nearby, at Epstein’s own Palm Beach mansion, the money man allegedly abused hundreds of underage girls.)

Jeffrey Epstein’s name shows up again in the Clinton Library archives in a letter dated April 27, 1995, from Lynn Forester to “President William T. Clinton.” Forester—who became Lynn Forester de Rothschild after her marriage in 2000 to Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild—served on Clinton’s National Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee and on the president’s Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. She and her husband also spent the first night of their honeymoon in the Lincoln Bedroom by invitation of the Clintons.

In the 1995 letter, Forester de Rothschild writes, “Dear Mr. President: It was a pleasure to see you recently at Senator Kennedy’s house. There was too much to discuss and too little time. Using my fifteen seconds of access to discuss Jeffrey Epstein and currency stabilization, I neglected to talk to you about a topic near and dear to my heart. Namely, affirmative action and the future.” She then goes on to note that she’s sending him a memo on the latter subject, which George Stephanopoulos had asked her to write, and signs off, “Sincerely, Lynn Forester.”