Category: Opinion

Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who raised more than $100 million in her second unsuccessful bid to become governor of Georgia, appears to have left behind a number of unsatisfied staff members.

Several staff members told Axios that they stopped getting paid a week after Abrams lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, and some of them admitted that they were having trouble even paying their rent on time.

“People have told me they have no idea how they’re going to pay their rent in January,” one former staffer said. “It was more than unfortunate. It was messed up.”

Axios reported that “money became so tight that most of the 180 full-time staffers were given an abrupt paycheck cutoff date — just a week after the November election.”

Reporter Lachlan Markay summed up Abrams’s campaign’s money troubles on social media: “Stacey Abrams’ lavishly funded campaign ended in serious debt and quickly cut off paychecks to staffers.”

National Journal’s Matt Holt accused Axios of engaging in a “remarkable spin… considering they raised more than $100 million.”

According to representatives for unsuccessful Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, they would continue to pay campaign workers through December.

Since announcing on December 14 that she is “teaming up to produce a music documentary for Discovery+” with pop star Selena Gomez, Abrams has not tweeted from her official account in nearly a week.

Authorities in South Carolina declared that the body they discovered inside a donation bin had most likely been dead for at least several months.

According to Hannah Gates, who spoke with WACH news, her mother was last seen in March 2022, and she has been missing ever since. After finding out that her mother, 46-year-old Lesley Lemoine, was the woman discovered severely decomposed in a clothing bin in Kershaw County, she was relieved to have closure but still struggling.

Gates claimed that on March 29, her mother requested to be dropped off at a McDonald’s in Lugoff. On May 7, Lemoine was reported missing.

“It’s going to be hard for my children to not know her. I have a 4-year-old, a 1-year-old and another on the way,” Gates said.

According to investigators, someone who noticed a foul smell checked the rusty bin far away from U.S. Highway 1 and discovered the body.

According to Kershaw County Coroner David West, the bin contained VHS tapes and appeared to have gone years without being emptied.

The death is being treated as a homicide by the investigators.

Blood and a damaged knife were found in the home of missing Massachusetts mother-of-three and real estate executive Ana Walshe, according to the prosecution’s Monday court testimony.

Brian Walshe, the missing woman’s 46-year-old husband, was arrested on suspicion of lying to the police about his 39-year-old wife’s disappearance on Sunday and was later brought before Quincy District Court.

“[There was] blood found in the basement area and also a knife, which also contained some blood” and was damaged, said prosecutor Lynn Beland.

The prosecutor added that on January 1st and 2nd, Ana Walshe’s cellphone rang in close proximity to the family’s Cohasset home.

At Brian Walshe’s arraignment on Monday, where a judge ordered him held on a $500,000 cash bail rather than a $5 million surety bond, the shocking revelations were made. He entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The last time Brian Walshe saw his wife was on January 1, he allegedly told police, when she boarded an Uber or Lyft at 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day to catch a flight from Boston to Washington, D.C. However, police were unable to confirm whether she had used either app, Beland said.

The Tishman Speyer executive had an airline ticket for January 3 that she did not use, and according to police, she did not show up to work in Washington, D.C., the following day.

Shortly after her employer reported her absence to police on January 4, the convicted art con artist reported her missing.

Brian Walshe is accused of lying to investigators during an interview about visiting Home Depot on January 1 and spending $450 on cleaning supplies, which was caught on camera.

Tracy Minor, the defense attorney for Brian Walshe, claimed that his client was honest about his whereabouts but unintentionally forgot to mention his trip to Home Depot.

President Joe Biden promised to be “the most transparent president in history,” but his administration has been anything but. The latest incident comes in the form of blacklisting certain members of the press from attending White House events.

Not only does this go against Biden’s promise for transparency, but it is also a flagrant attack on freedom of the press and American values.

Biden’s Blacklisting Tactics Reveal Hypocrisy & Contradiction

In recent days, several mainstream media outlets have spoken out about President Joe Biden’s blacklisting tactics when it comes to inviting journalists to attend White House events. Outlets such as Salon, Newsmax, and Washington Examiner were excluded from receiving invitations from the White House for Christmas events. Furthermore, some producers and technicians from CBS and Fox were also left off the list. This omission was expected to be rectified yet CBS was still excluded from a TV press event that same day.

A Veteran White House reporter told The Washington Post that these acts are an example of hypocrisy coming straight from Biden himself: “How many acts of petty blacklisting does this White House have to commit against accredited members of the news media before a consensus forms that President Biden is neither a champion of a free press, as he so frequently claims, nor a man of decency, as his supporters claim on his behalf?”

Another veteran correspondent spoke under condition of anonymity saying that their outlet had regularly received invitations since at least George W Bush’s era; adding that these snubs should be seen in context with previous actions taken by Biden regarding issues with press access: “It’s not just civility – it’s also about democracy really.”

They went on further to say that although publicly Biden espouses support for freedom and independence within the media – privately he takes punitive measures against them which is incredibly hypocritical: “This guest list is an example of how the White House is kind of taking punitive measures against journalists who are simply doing their job exactly as [Biden] says or claims he supports – and that’s what’s most infuriating…it’s doublespeak”.

Press Secretary Katrin Jean-Pierre has no problem cherry-picking questions for Biden which reveals another layer of hypocrisy coming out of this administration. Veteran reporters have expressed their outrage stating: “Engaging in petty partisan holiday invites is a sign of weakness, not strength…apparently this white house now has total disregard for protecting even the veneer if its promised transparency and respect for a truly free press.” – Why Does This Matter?

Freedom Of Speech & The Free Press Are Cornerstones Of Democracy

It matters because freedom of speech & freedom of information are cornerstones upon which democracy stands – they must never be compromised or attacked by anyone regardless of office or political affiliation! Denying access based on ideology or personal preference goes directly against those core values & sets a dangerous precedent! Allowing any leader (regardless of political party) to pick who can report what undermines our fundamental rights as citizens! Any attempt at censorship should never be tolerated & must always be fiercely opposed! It also sends the wrong message to other countries who may feel emboldened to take similar measures themselves thus eroding human rights around the world!

How Can We Hold Government Accountable If They Can Pick Who Reports On Them?

Accountability comes hand-in-hand with having access to information necessary to make informed decisions about our leaders! To effectively hold the government accountable, we need unbiased sources of unfiltered data – with all sides represented equally, able to contribute narrative debate without fear of retribution or suppression of ideas/opinions! Without the right level of access, we cannot guarantee accurate reporting nor deliver justice when those in power lead us down the path of corruption and deceit–both of which damage the integrity of the entire system itself!

What Can Be Done To Ensure Unbiased Access For All Reporters?

We need to ensure there are clear-cut rules and regulations governing how administration officials interact with the media—every outlet journalist should hold the same standards accountable, while also giving equal opportunity to cover stories important to them without interference from outside influence! There needs to be guaranteed protection for First Amendment journalists, ensuring they are not retaliated against for publishing stories deemed unfavorable by the powers that be.

Additionally, fair representation across the board is crucial to prevent favoritism in any one particular outlet over another—everyone brings something unique to the table and offers diverse perspectives from different communities across the country. Finally, open dialogue between parties is essential to keep lines of communication open and encourage collaboration and understanding of each other’s perspectives.

Michael Che, a comedian, made fun of Joe Biden’s brain damage on a recent episode of “Saturday Night Live,” Sometimes, but not often, these guys are funny. Especially when they’re telling the truth.

Che defended Biden’s decision to force railroad workers to accept a labor agreement that doesn’t include paid sick leave by saying that the president works every day even though he has a brain injury.

“President Biden signed a measure that would force railway workers to accept a deal that averts a strike but does not include paid sick leave. How do you expect Biden to care about sick leave when he shows up to work every day with full-blown CTE,” the comedian said.

Railroad workers have said they will go on strike if they don’t get what they want, which includes more paid sick days.

But instead of continuing to talk with the workers about a deal, the president decided to go around the labor unions and demand that Congress use its power to pass a deal on its own to avoid a shutdown of the rails.

“I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the tentative agreement between railroad workers and operators – without any modifications or delay – to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown,” Biden said last Monday.

“As a proud pro-labor President, I am reluctant to override the ratification procedures and the views of those who voted against the agreement. But in this case – where the economic impact of a shutdown would hurt millions of other working people and families – I believe Congress must use its powers to adopt this deal,” he added.

The deal in mind didn’t include enough paid sick days, so a lot of people were upset by the statement.

Last night, the "most pro-labor president in American history" asked Congress to intervene and impose a deal on American rail workers many have already rejected. The rhetorical gymnastics in the White House's statement really must be seen to be believed. https://t.co/eOhjl7TXL0 pic.twitter.com/C7YkirGu7b

— Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) November 29, 2022

“Joe Biden blew it. He had the opportunity to prove his labor-friendly pedigree to millions of workers by simply asking Congress for legislation to end the threat of a national strike on terms more favorable to workers,” Hugh Sawyer said in a statement. He is currently the RWU treasurer.

“Sadly, he could not bring himself to advocate for a lousy handful of sick days. The Democrats and Republicans are both pawns of big business and the corporations,” he added.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is an acronym for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition typically caused by a history of head trauma. Patients with CTE frequently exhibit memory loss, disorientation, decreased judgment, and even dementia— Does this sound familiar?

A CNN reporter found some potentially bad news for Democrats when he asked Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin if he wanted to switch parties. Since Senator Sinema joined the Republican Party, everyone is watching Manchin. Both are more in line with conservative ideas and go against what Biden wants to do, which is more liberal.

On December 9, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said she was leaving the Democratic Party. She will stay on the committees she is on now and meet with other Senate Democrats. With this move, Rep. Ruben Gallego won’t be able to run against Sinema in the primary.

Manchin did not say that he would not leave the Democratic Party at a press conference on Monday.

“I’ll look at all of these things. I’ll look at every circumstance, and I have no intention of doing anything right now. Whether I do something later I can’t tell you what the future is going to bring,” he said in response to a question from CNN’s Manu Raju.

“I’m not a Washington Democrat. I don’t know what else to tell you. … And if a Washington independent is — we’ll see what happens there. We’ll have to look. People are registering more for independent than any other party affiliation, they are sick and tired of it,” he continued.

Manchin is running for re-election in 2024. He represents the second-most conservative state in the country. Rep. Alex Mooney, a Republican, and Gov. Jim Justice, who is also a Republican, are both thinking about running against the two-term senator.

Manchin: “I’m not a Washington Democrat. I don't know what else to tell you. … And if a Washington independent is — we'll see what happens there. We'll have to look. People are registering more for independent than any other party affiliation, they are sick and tired of it.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 12, 2022

Since Justice was elected governor of West Virginia in 2016, when he won by more than seven points, no other Democrat has won a statewide office there. In 2017, he changed his party.

Republican senators from Texas, John Cornyn and Clarence Thomas, have asked Manchin to join their party. Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, was one of only two Democrats to vote against a bill that would have made abortion legal up to the moment of birth and ended restrictions on nurses and doctors who don’t want to violate their morals.

Bernie Marcus, who helped start Home Depot and is now a billionaire, is on a mission to get people back to work. Marcus and his wife have given a lot of money to over 500 organizations through the Marcus Foundation. They are thought to be worth $5.25 billion.

Marcus made it clear in a recent interview with Financial Times that he doesn’t like people who choose to do nothing. He thinks that hard work is what makes America great and that not working hurts not only you but also your fellow citizens.

Marcus thinks that everyone should work because it’s the right thing to do and because it’s a chance to create value and dignity. It’s a way to help the economy grow and make sure the country stays strong and prosperous. He says that everyone needs to be involved and helpful in society.

“I’m worried about capitalism,” Marcus stated. “Capitalism is the basis of Home Depot [and] millions of people have earned this success and had success. I’m talking manufacturers, vendors and distributors and people that work for us [who have been] able to enrich themselves by the journey of Home Depot. That’s the success. That’s why capitalism works.”

Marcus continued that thanks to “socialism,” “nobody works. Nobody gives a damn. ‘Just give it to me. Send me money. I don’t want to work — I’m too lazy, I’m too fat, I’m too stupid.’”

Marcus didn’t care if his comments got him in trouble, especially from people he called “woke.” He said, “We used to be able to speak our minds here. It’s not here. The world has been taken over by people who are awake. I guess I don’t think they can hurt me today. I’m 93. “What does Bernie Marcus matter?”

Marcus, who voted for and gave money to both former President Trump and Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said that President Biden was “the worst president in the history of this country.” He said Trump’s policies were “right on,” but he also said, “I think DeSantis will run against him in ’24, which will make things very interesting. And the best man should win.”

I don’t think anyone can argue that the Biden agenda hasn’t pretty much destroyed the American work ethic. Even more so among the younger people.

The billionaire philanthropist is very interested in putting Americans back to work, and he is using his own money to do so. Like a lot of people, he wants the US to be free again.

Four human skulls wrapped in tin foil were found in a package that was sent to South Carolina. This has raised a lot of questions, especially since the package came from Mexico. Mexican cartels have a long history of taking advantage of people who are trying to escape poverty or violence, as well as trafficking drugs, weapons, and other illegal goods. This makes it even scarier to think that the package might have something to do with a criminal group.

On both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, the fight against illegal immigration is becoming more and more important. People are desperate to find a better life for themselves and their families, and cartels take advantage of this to make money. When the package was found, it was a sad reminder of how far these criminal organizations can reach.

No one can help but wonder what the package is trying to say. Is there a warning in it? Is it an attempt to scare people? It’s hard to say without more information.

Illegal immigration is not something to be taken lightly, though, and that much is clear. It is a complicated problem that needs to be looked at from many different angles. On the one hand, we need to stop people from crossing the border without papers. On the other hand, we need to stop dangerous criminal groups from taking advantage of people who are weak.

Again, the government isn’t giving out much information. We do know that the package came from one of Mexico’s most dangerous cities, which is run by a drug cartel. The Mexican National Guard says they found the package at the Queretaro Intercontinental Airport after it went through a security checkpoint. Reuters said that the package came from the western state of Michoacan in Mexico and was going to Manning, South Carolina.

I found a strange thread where the topic was causing people to say things that should be called “hate speech.” Even though the conversation was a little old, people are still interested in the subject, so what are they arguing about? Words like “Y’all” and “Howdy” are common southern slang. The liberals, who seemed to think they were in a safe place, kept talking about how these and other words should be banned.

One user said they get “panic attacks” when they hear the words… You can’t make up a mess like this.

Neville Croft, a writer with NPC wrote, “[A] new hate word is increasingly being used by the alt-right. The word ‘y’all’ is the most recent addition to their ammunition of hate and has already sent many unsuspecting persyns [persons] of unidentified gender identities into horrific seizures and panic attacks.”

He added: “Y’all’ is a southern hate word that evokes all sorts of grueling, racist connotations. Just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous. Journalists, in particular, have faced an onslaught of harassment by bigots using this word. I’ve spoken to several journalists and a JIT (Journalist In Training) from the magnificent Journalist Excellence Worldwide discord server to hear their thoughts on the matter.”

Then he went on to share the following examples of how the word “y’all” affects other in a very strange feed from Discord:

“It reminded me of the South’s slavery loving ways and gave me a severe panic attack over the suffering of black persyns.”

• Anonymous Journalist (Bab/Ble)

“It reminded of the time a bigoted male tried to rape me by saying ‘do y’all want some sex?’ I never recovered.”

• Anonymous Journalist In Training (She/Her)

“I hear it almost everyday and everytime I hear it, I start to involuntarily convulse and need to spend at least 20 minutes in a safe space.”

• Anonymous Journalist (Sme/Smir)

“I was in a voice chat with some friends and a newcomer joined and greeted us with ‘hey y’ll’. I was so disgusted and tried to teach them about the dangers of that word and its hidden meaning but they refused to learn. They actually referred to me as a ‘womxn’ when I clearly identify as a mxle.”

• Associate of Journalism (Potential bad actor)

“Hello, my worst experience of the last year has been brought back to me again and again by the lack of understanding around the word “y’all”. Last June, I had just got out of the office for lunch, everything was going as usual, until me and my PoC colleagues were leaving the building. A wh*te mxle came up to us, and said “y’all know where I can get some curry”. I froze. Mouth wide open and heart in my throat. I could see the affect it had on the people around me, I felt awful and still do. Please do not use this hateful word.”

• Anonymous Journalist (Ze/Hir)

Students at an Ohio school were allowed to hang gay pride flags all over campus, but when a teen girl named Gabby Helsinger responded by sharing Bible verses, she was punished severely.

Gabby was taken out of her class and given ISS (in-school suspension) because she shared Bible verses that were meant to be encouraging.

A document from the school’s administration said that Helsinger “targeting” the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and showed “abuse of others, disrespect, [and] rudeness” by just posting Bible verses.

We live in a world like this…

“So, on Thursday when I got to school, I see that there were pride flags, posters around my school,” said Gabby. “And I felt the need to write down some Bible verses so I could put them around my school. And I wrote them down and I put them around [the] lockers, the walls. And I was coming back from lunch, because I got sent back to lunch, and I [saw] the teachers taking them down.”

“The next day, I got called to the office and there is a letter that says that I have an ISS, which is an in-school suspension, and the reason why I have it is because ‘abuse of others, disrespect, rudeness’ because I put Bible verses up ‘targeting the ‘GSA’ (Gay-Straight Alliance] organization,” she continued.

“Seeing that there [were] people in my school that needed help … they don’t need to be living in the confusion of wondering if they should be gay, bi, lesbian, trans, anything like that. And I know that God is the only way that they can be healed by that, and that’s why I did it,” she said, emphasizing that she was in no way maliciously “targeting” the LGBTQ group.

“I said, ‘Because I wanted to spread the word of God,’” she explained. “And then he goes, ‘Well, did you have permission?’ And I said, ‘No.’ I didn’t know you had to have permission because people do it a lot — putting Post-It notes on people’s lockers, so I just did it.”

“I asked him why every time Jesus or God or anything like that gets brought up in school, it gets taken down straight away,” she added. “But we can put gay and pride stuff all over the school, and not have to take it down, and people can talk about it. But when you talk about God or Jesus, you just get put down and you’re not allowed to talk about it.”