Category: Opinion

United States Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry has a strong position on combatting fossil fuels in the new administration but according to Federal Aviation Administration records he and his family still own a private jet.

The FAA’s registry shows a Gulfstream Aerospace jet listed under Flying Squirrel LLC, which is the name of Kerry’s wife’s private charter jet company. The company’s listed address matches that of the Heinz Family Foundation, Heinz being the name of her former husband.

The FAA records also indicate that the jet’s registration certificate was issued in July of 2005 and doesn’t expire until October of 2023.

Evidence shows that private jets are estimated to emit about 40 times the amount of carbon per passenger than that of commercial flights.

A New York Post editorial called Kerry out last year saying, “We look forward to the anti-carbon lectures from a guy who travels the globe on private jets and luxury yachts.”

The details of his involvement in his wife’s company are unclear but during his presidential run in 2004, Kerry made 60 payments to his wife’s charter jet company totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.

Then in 2013, his executive branch personnel financial disclosure revealed Kerry owned over $1 million in assets for “Flying Squirrel LLC” through his wife.

Kerry’s financial disclosures from 2009-2012 also support that amount.

Something liberal California thought would never happen is about to become a reality, a recall campaign to remove Governor Gavin Newsom is very close to reaching its required threshold to qualify for a ballot.

Before that can happen, recall organizers must first gain 1.5 million signatures by March 17. According to one of the groups organizing the effort, petitioners have gathered 1.2 million signatures.

Organizers of the campaign will need well above the required threshold to account for many of the signatures being invalidated. California’s Secretary of State has confirmed that 84% of the signatures are valid, San Diego’s KUSI reported Saturday.

Appearing on Good Morning San Diego over the weekend, Ann Dunsmore, campaign manager and finance director of Rescue California, said the group has raised $1.7 million towards its goal of $2.5 million, with over 9,000 contributors.

If the recall qualifies for a ballot – which under California law would likely happen in the fall – voters would then have to decide who replaces Newsom. So far, the two most prominent GOP candidates who have been discussed are San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and John Cox, a businessman who lost to Newsom in 2018 by 24 percentage points.

Newsom, in turn, would have no limit on the number of donations he could receive to fend off rivals. The scenario would give Democrats a competitive advantage in a state where they outnumber registered Republicans 2-to-1.

The recall effort has gained momentum in recent months, brought on my Californian’s frustration with the governor’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom lifted the statewide stay-at-home orders on Monday after there was some speculation about his administration improvising coronavirus conditions.

His critics say the move was to reverse the growing threat of the recall campaign. Even though he will not offer a reasonable explanation for his sudden change of heart, Newsom said at a press conference that the accusations were “utter nonsense.”

Sheriff Mark Dannels in Arizona is worried that President Biden’s recent executive orders on immigration are “hasty” and is asking the president to “stop this madness.”

The Cochise County Sheriff said that the “political theater that’s being played out is scary to all of us on the southwest border, sheriffs, police departments and our federal partners and every American should be standing up on this.”

Dannels pointed to statistics from 2019, noting that more than 1,000 gang members representing more than a dozen countries breached the southwest border that year. He added that thousands of children were being exploited by the cartels as a fraud and there were hundreds of assaults on federal agents.

“It goes back to show you how vulnerable our southwest border is to include every American in this country if we don’t have a secure border,” Dannels said.

In his first week in office, President Biden signed a number of executive orders, including the administration’s 100-day moratorium on deportations. Ahead of Biden’s inauguration a large migrant caravan had been making its way to America’s southern border.

The week before Biden was sworn-in as president, two groups of more than 3,000 Honduran migrants each pushed their way into Guatemala without registering as part of a larger caravan headed to the United States, the Associated Press reported. A third group entered Guatemala on Saturday. The migrants were hoping to reach Mexico, which is north of Guatemala, and eventually make their way to the United States border.

A second migrant caravan was poised to depart Honduras on Monday, days after security forces in Guatemala stopped the first caravan of the year during a series of violent clashes where asylum seekers were met with tear gas and batons, The Daily Mail reported last week.

“We’ve worked so well over the years and why we need a secure border is just common sense,” Dannels said.

Dannels pointed out that the 800 cameras distributed in the area have shown “double” the number of illegal immigrants entering the country since Biden became the Democratic nominee last year.

He noted that when Trump was president “We had a very positive, proactive relationship with President Trump at the table to work out community issues.”

Senators were sworn in as jurors to President Trump’s impeachment trial Tuesday as the Senate voted 55-45 to end the debate on Sen. Rand Paul’s point of order arguing that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional now that Trump is out of office.

Five GOP senators voted not to dismiss the impeachment trial of President Trump: Susan Collins, Maine, Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, Ben Sasse, Neb., and Pat Toomey, Pa., and Mitt Romney, Utah. They voted with all 50 Democrat senators to table the point of order.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has indicated he has an open mind on whether Trump should be convicted, voted against ending debate.

Paul, R-Ky., had told reporters earlier that he would make a point of order alleging that the trial is contrary to the Constitution — an argument that multiple Republican senators have made. That forced a vote on the point of order, requiring senators to go on the record about whether they believe the trial is constitutional.

The Senate also passed its pre-trial organizing resolution 83 to 17, and the impeachment trial will be adjourned until Tuesday, Feb. 9, as Sen. Republican leader Mitch McConnell had been pushing for.

Paul said he expected his resolution to prove there would be “no chance” of impeaching the president in the Senate.

“I think there will be enough support on it to show there’s no chance they can impeach the president,” Paul told reporters Tuesday. “If 34 people support my resolution that this is an unconstitutional proceeding it shows they don’t have the votes and we’re basically wasting our time.”

The Senate would need a two-thirds majority, or at least 67 votes, to convict the president.

Republicans have called to “move on” from impeachment now that Trump is out of office, adding that to continue pursuing the matter would further divide the country.

According to the Constitution, “When the President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside,” and Chief Justice John Roberts made it clear he would not preside over the impeachment now that Trump has left office.

Everyone knows that President Biden benefited from an enormous amount of “dark money” donations during the 2020 presidential campaign but traditionally Democrats have railed against anonymous campaign contributions as a corrupting political influence.

This recent report shows that whoever contributed to Biden’s record-breaking donations probably played a huge part in getting him elected as President of the United States.

A report published by Bloomberg News shows that Biden raked in about $145 million in donations from anonymous donors to outside groups backing him, far outstripping the $28.4 million spent on behalf of his rival, former President Donald Trump. It also tops the previous record of $113 million in dark money donations spent on behalf of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

For instance, Priorities USA Action Fund, one of the most prominent Democratic super PACs supporting Biden, used $26 million in funds originally donated to its nonprofit arm, called Priorities USA, to back the then-candidate, according to Bloomberg. The donors of that money do not need to be disclosed.

Critics of dark money, which obscures the source of the funds, argue that voters should know who’s funding political advertisements and campaigns. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group, has called it a “serious threat to our democracy,” and Issue One, another nonpartisan group that aims to reduce the influence of money in politics, has called it “the most toxic force in politics.”

Although Democrats have previously introduced legislation to crack down on dark money donations, it did not stop them from accepting anonymous donations themselves as they fought to defeat Trump.

“We weren’t going to unilaterally disarm against Trump and the right-wing forces that enabled him,” Guy Cecil, the chairman of Priorities USA, told Bloomberg.

California Representative Katie Porter got called out after her office incorrectly labeled her as the only working single mother currently serving in Congress in what appears to be a fundraising email.

Natalie Johnson, the communications director for Representative Nancy Mace who also happens to be a single mom working in Congress, quickly responded to the claim in a tweet on Monday.

https://twitter.com/nataliejohnsonn/status/1353787548003426305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353787548003426305%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdem-congresswoman-falsely-claims-only-single-mother-of-young-kids-in-congress

The email states, “I am the only single working mother of young kids serving in Congress. I understand what it’s like to have a million meetings in one day (that I’m probably already late for) while also balancing childcare, school schedules, going to the grocery store, and so much more.”

Johnson tweeted out a screenshot of the email along with the caption, “Fact check: 100% false” and signed the tweet as “the employee of another single working mother of young kids serving in Congress.”

Porter’s office has not yet responded to the tweet.

President Joe Biden held his very first formal White House Press conference but it appeared as though most reporters were pre-selected by his team and their questions were scripted.

As was done throughout the 2020 presidential election, members of Biden’s staff were heard calling on specific reporters to present their questions to the president. Reporters from The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Bloomberg News were among those pre-selected.

However, Biden did seem to offer an impromptu question to Peter Doocy from Fox News, who he chaffed for “always ask[ing] him tough questions and always has an edge to them,” but allowed it because he “like[s] him anyway.”

Journalists on social media were quick to point out the mostly-staged event.

So I guess I need to continue the practice of telling you all what I would've asked here. https://t.co/eHytzOGx3F

— Niels Lesniewski (@nielslesniewski) January 25, 2021

A White House handler is calling on reporters by name and by outlet one-by-one to ask Biden a question, unlike Trump who called on reporters as the spirt moved him.

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 25, 2021

Like the campaign, Biden’s staff is choosing which reporters can ask questions instead of the president doing it himself. This continues to be profoundly odd and a painfully obvious attempt to protect him from those suspected of having the audacity to ask a challenging question.

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 25, 2021

This is clearly a continuation of a profoundly odd attempt to protect Biden from members of the media who might have the audacity to ask challenging questions.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claims that this was just “an effort to make sure we are rotating through reporters in the pool, the President took questions from wire reporters, one print outlet and a few network correspondents today and will look forward to taking additional questions again soon.”

Biden’s presser can not hold a candle to daily press briefings held by Psaki, who not only takes questions from virtually every reporter in the room but also allows some to ask additional questions.

California Governor Gavin Newsom received some harsh criticism for refusing to reveal the data behind his public health decisions even though he made promises to be transparent.

During her show “Final Thoughts” host Tomi Lahren asked, “If Newsom and his Democrat pals are so elite and skilled at handling the pandemic, why the heck are they refusing to disclose COVID shutdown data?”

The Associated Press recently released a report which details the secrecy behind one of the longest and most strict lockdowns in the country after a request to view the science and data that Newsom used to justify the lockdowns was denied claiming that the release of the data would confuse the public.

Several days later, Newsom announced his plans to lift the order that had residents stay home except for “essential activities.” Fed-up California residents welcomed the news but Lahren is skeptical of the Governor’s sudden change of heart.

“Without explanation, data, or science, all of a sudden outdoor dining, houses of worship, hair and nail salons, and most other businesses got their ‘permission’ to reopen,” said Lahren. “Just like that.”

“Gavin, what are you hiding?” she asked. “Did ICU capacity climb above 15%? Nope. The area has an ICU capacity of 9%.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Newsom has been one of the most aggressive state executives when it comes to restrictions. He was the first to impose a statewide shutdown back in March.

“Seems to me the misleading and uncertain thing here is why Governor Newsom and Posey are being so secretive,” said Lahren. “If there’s some science-based reasoning for this reopening change of heart, I know I’d like to hear it.”

Former President Donald Trump set up an office in Palm Beach County, Florida, to oversee his affairs and has dubbed it the “Office of the Former President.”

According to a statement, the official post-presidency office will be responsible for Trump’s “correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities” as well as “advance the interests of the United States and… carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism.”

The announcement came after Democrats pushed the impeachment case against Trump to the Senate to begin his trial. Meanwhile, Republican senators have eased off on criticizing the former president over his role in the attack of the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.

The House prosecutors delivered the impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection,” but since Republican denunciations of Trump has lessened since the riot they will instead be presenting a tangled web of legal arguments against the legitimacy of the trial and argue whether Trump’s demands to overturn the election results really led to incitement.

The Senate trial will hear arguments beginning the week of February 8 and the case against the first former president to face an impeachment will test the strength of a political party still picking up the pieces of a post-Trump era while Republican senators struggle to balance the demands of deeply invested donors who are working to distance themselves from Trump and his viciously loyal supporters.

Rumors flying around about Trump’s post-presidency range from him starting his own media company to running for a second term in 2024.

Trump’s 2020 campaign senior adviser Jason Miller eliminated the possibility of Trump ever running on a third-party ticket, stating that his immediate focus is helping Republicans to win back the House and Senate in the 2022 midterms.

Many people are calling for the protection of the world’s most mysterious and elusive creature after a lawmaker in Oklahoma recently pushed for a Bigfoot hunting season. The elected official said that he is receiving negative feedback even though his “hunt” for the mythical creature aims to bring it in alive.

Last week Representative Justin Humphrey introduced House Bill 1648 asking the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish an official “bigfoot hunting season.”

According to the bill, “The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a bigfoot hunting season. The Commission shall set annual season dates and crate any necessary specific hunting licenses and fees.”

Micah Holmes, Assistant Chief of the Information and Education Division at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation confirmed “It is a real bill, yes.”

Humphry confessed that since the bill became public he has been “flooded” with calls and messages from people, both believers and nonbelievers, upset with him over the bill. Those who deny the existence of Bigfoot are angry with him for wasting time on a bill based around an imaginary creature.

The lawmaker says deniers have called him an idiot, cursed him over the bill, and vowed to never vote for him again.

Bigfoot believers, however, aren’t very happy either (although Humphrey noted they are generally more polite). He says their main complaint is that Bigfoot should be left alone.

While Oklahoma has a high number of Bigfoot sightings, Washington, California, and Texas are among the best states to visit for a sighting. North Carolina, Georgia, and Oregon have also had many Bigfoot sightings in recent years.