thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Commentary: Trump Economy Grows Record 33.1 Percent in Third Quarter Amid Rapid Recovery

The U.S. economy blew the barn doors off all other past recoveries with a record , inflation-adjusted 33.1 percent gain in the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) — more than any other quarter in economic history — in the last major economic report before the election in November .
That is great news for the American people , and it certainly bodes well for President Donald Trump in his bid for reelection against former Vice President Joe Biden as the race for 2020 comes down to the wire .
It comes as more than 14 million jobs have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid the Covid state-led lockdowns , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
Trump has framed the race as a choice between reopening under him or going back into shutdowns under Biden .
In the final debate , Trump declared , “ We can ’ t close up our nation , or you ’ re not going to have a nation.
” The President is right .
25 million jobs were lost at the height of the state-led economic lockdowns , and although we are halfway through a V-shaped recovery , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy shuts down again with Biden in office .
A big part of the remainder of the recovery will be reopening the schools , as closing them disproportionately knocked women out of the labor force , making up 53 percent of the job losses despite only making up 47.2 percent of the workforce .
The female labor participation rate fell from 57.8 percent in February to 54.7 percent in April , a low not seen since 1986 .
In other words , there are long-term consequences for leaving the economy closed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump said , “ I want to open the schools .
We have to open our country .
We ’ re not going to have a country .
You can ’ t do this .
We can ’ t keep this country closed , this is a massive country with a massive economy .
People are losing their jobs .
They ’ re committing suicide .
There ’ s depression , alcohol , drugs at a level that nobody ’ s ever seen before .
There ’ s abuse , tremendous abuse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve said it before , the cure can not be worse than the problem itself , and that ’ s what ’ s happening , and he wants to close down , he ’ ll close down the country , if one person in our massive bureaucracy says we should close it down.
” In the first debate , Biden declared , “ Schools — why aren ’ t schools open ?
Because it costs a lot of money to open them safely.
” He also repeated his line that “ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ you can ’ t fix the economy until you fix the Covid crisis.
” This mirrored what Biden told ABC News in August that “ we can not get the country moving until we control the virus ” and “ in order to keep the country running and moving , and the economy growing and people employed , you have to fix the virus , ” and adding that if it was recommended to him , “ I would shut it down , I would listen to the scientists.
” Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August that in following the Trump administration ’ s strategy for virus mitigation that there is no need for another shutdown .
“ That would not require shutting down again , ” Fauci said , adding , “ There seems to be a misperception that either you shut down completely and damage a lot of things , mental health , the economy , all kinds of things , or let it rip and do whatever you want .
There ’ s a stepwise fashion that you can open up the economy successfully .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ down again , but everybody has got to be on board for doing these five or six fundamental public health measures.
” By the time the second debate rolled around , Biden had changed his tune — maybe he read a poll — and instead said , “ I ’ m going to shut down the virus , not the country.
” But the virus appears to be largely under control .
Probable total cases are still way down from April peak 282,000 to 147,000 today , a drop of 47 percent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Evaluation ( IHME ) .
And so are deaths , which peaked on April 14 at 2,321 and are down to about 800 now , a 65 percent decrease .
The overall mortality rate is down too , therefore , from 0.82 percent to 0.67 percent , judging from the peaks in the IHME data , thanks to treatments and therapies and protecting the elderly , by 18 percent .
Thank goodness .
In the meantime , the top ten states in the country with the highest unemployment rates in August prior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all run by Democratic governors with the worst lockdowns .
This could be coming to a state near you should Biden win and he locks down the economy again : Now those numbers coming down in September , but that ’ s largely because people are losing their benefits and exiting the labor force altogether as the CARES Act expires .
In September , 879,000 Americans left the U.S. labor force nationwide .
So , we ’ re not out of the woods yet .
And clearly the impact of the ongoing lockdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race .
Trump at the debates made his closing argument to those states : “ Take a look at what ’ s happening in Pennsylvania , where they ’ ve had it closed .
Take a look at what ’ s happening with your friend in Michigan , where her husband ’ s the only one allowed to do anything .
It ’ s been like a prison .
Now it was just ruled unconstitutional .
Take a look at North Carolina .
They ’ re having spikes , and they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting killed financially .
We can ’ t let that happen , Joe , you can ’ t let that happen .
We have to open up.
” But with the Covid pandemic less intense at the moment — and perhaps the vaccines we need right around the corner — America appears to be in a position to be renewed , and the economy is roaring with unprecedented 33.1 percent growth in the third quarter and 14 million jobs recovered in just five months .
The American people can clearly see the benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few short days , we ’ ll find out if they want to keep on reopening with Trump , or shut it back down with Biden .
Stay tuned .
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Court Order Forced ICE to Release 250 Criminal Immigrants

Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) announced on Tuesday that it released 250 immigrants with criminal histories back into communities in response to a coronavirus-related order issued by the Central District of California , Fox News reports .
The news came a week after U.S. Judge Terry Hatter ordered the agency either release or deport detainees at the Adelanto ICE processing center in Southern California in order to halt the spread of coronavirus infections .
According to the order , starting from October 19 they must reduce the population at the facility by at least 50 detainees a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ below 475 detainees .
At the time of the order , about 750 people were detained there .
ICE claims that “ despite requests to transfer detainees to alternative locations , ” it ended up releasing 250 from the facility , which is run by a federal contractor .
The criminal histories of those released included , but was not limited to : assault with a deadly weapon , battery , child cruelty , contempt/violating a protected order , domestic violence , disorderly conduct , driving without a license , driving under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fraud , hit and run , grand theft , obstructing a police officer , possession of a controlled substance , prostitution , sexual offenses ( including lewd/lascivious acts with a child ) , weapons violations , and the federal offense of illegal reentry after removal .
ICE ’ s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tony H. Pham slammed the order as a danger to public safety and accused the court of overstepping its authority .
“ While opponents who continuously seek to discredit the agency might otherwise mislead the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pose no risk to public safety , nothing could be further from the truth , ” he said .
“ ICE has complied with this overreaching court order ; however , the public should know that the ruling undoubtedly places them at greater risk.
” The coronavirus-related order follows similar actions across the U.S in which prisons released inmates , according to the Los Angeles Times , the state has already expedited the release of thousands of prisoners , including a woman convicted of murder .
And in New York City , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to commit new crimes , with at least 50 landing themselves back in jail , according to the New York Post .
The recent release left the processing center with a population of 465 , slightly below the 475 previously requested by Hatter .
At least 162 had tested positive for the virus , according to Business Insider .
ICE maintains that it follows “ an aggressive inspections program for its detention centers ” and followed Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) guidelines for containing the virus .
“ As an added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s press release read , “ no detainee was released until officials established a high degree of certainty that they did not pose a COVID-19 public health risk.
” The Trump administration sued the entire state in 2018 over its sanctuary law .
In February , ICE reported that 411 inmates that were previously released had been rearrested and booked into Orange County Jail on additional charges , which included domestic violence , identity theft , and driving under the influence , according to Fox News .

by Eric Lendrum
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) announced on Thursday that the department is currently investigating 29 officers, and has suspended six, for their actions during the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, according to CNN.
A department spokesman said that “Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not keeping in line with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline.” The six who were suspended will still be receiving pay, and the 29 total officers under investigation is nearly three times the amount of officers who were previously announced as being under investigation back in January.
Pittman said that, as part of the ongoing investigations, the USCP was “reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and practices.” Some Democrats, including Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), have claimed, without evidence, that some officers openly supported the protesters, allowed them inside, and even guided them around the interior of the building.
During the mostly peaceful protests, Trump supporters entered the Capitol out of protest of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, as the questionable electoral college results were being formally tabulated by Congress. One Trump supporter, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot in the neck by a plainclothes police officer at close range; the officer who killed her will not be facing any charges for her death.
Several other people died that same day due to sudden medical conditions that had nothing to do with the protests, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick; Sicknick has been confirmed to have died of a stroke after it was erroneously reported that he had been beaten to death by protesters with a fire extinguisher.
– – –
Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Capitol Police” by Elvert Barnes. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Glenn Greenwald Resigns from The Intercept Over Censoring of Biden Piece

Shortly after resigning from The Intercept on Thursday , Glenn Greenwald published the article whose censoring he said caused him to step down in the first place .
Greenwald announced on Thursday that he would be leaving The Intercept , the publication that he co-founded in 2014 , due to censorship from editorial staff over a piece critical of Joe and Hunter Biden .
“ The censored article , based on recently revealed emails and witness testimony , raised critical questions about Biden ’ s conduct .
Not content to simply prevent publication of this article at the media outlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanded that I refrain from exercising a separate contractual right to publish this article with any other publication , ” Greenwald wrote in a piece explaining his resignation .
“ I had no objection to their disagreement with my views of what this Biden evidence shows : as a last-ditch attempt to avoid being censored , I encouraged them to air their disagreements with me by writing their own articles that critique my perspectives and letting readers decide who is right , the way any confident and healthy media outlet would.
” Later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piece on Substack , an online platform writers can use to send email newsletters .
“ This draft obviously would have gone through one more round of proof-reading and editing by me — to shorten it , fix typos , etc — but it ’ s important for the integrity of the claims to publish the draft in unchanged form that Intercept editors last saw , and announced that they would not ‘ edit ’ but completely gut as a condition to publication , ” Greenwald wrote in the preamble to his piece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that journalists are doing a disservice by looking to protect favored candidates , rather than seek truth .
“ All of these new materials , the authenticity of which has never been disputed by Hunter Biden or the Biden campaign , raise important questions about whether the former Vice President and current front-running presidential candidate was aware of efforts by his son to peddle influence with the Vice President for profit , and also whether the Vice President ever took actions in his official capacity with the intention , at least in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s business associates , ” Greenwald wrote .
“ But in the two weeks since the Post published its initial story , a union of the nation ’ s most powerful entities , including its news media , have taken extraordinary steps to obscure and bury these questions rather than try to provide answers to them.
” He goes on to lay out evidence for why the media should be deeply questioning the Biden campaign ’ s failure to respond to allegations about the former vice president ’ s son .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excuses ” for evidence presented against the Biden family , including saying , without evidence , that it is part of a Russian disinformation campaign .
In a piece about his resignation , Greenwald also alluded to a new media company , saying that he has grown increasingly disappointed in media ’ s inability to speak against corruption , regardless of politics .
“ I have spent a couple of months in active discussions with some of the most interesting , independent and vibrant journalists , writers and commentators across the political spectrum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new outlet that would be designed to combat these trends , ” Greenwald wrote .
“ …I have definitely not relinquished hope that this ambitious project can be accomplished.
” Read Greenwald ’ s resignation letter and censored article here and here .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Photo “ Glenn Greenwald ” by Robert O ’ Neill .
CC BY-SA 4.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Carol Swain Heads to Pennsylvania with the Mighty American Strikeforce This Weekend to Knock on Door

Carol Swain Heads to Pennsylvania with the Mighty American Strikeforce This Weekend to Knock on Doors for President Trump

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist , Dr. Carol Swain , to the studio .
During the second hour , Swain talked about her upcoming travel to Philadelphia where she will participate in door-knocking with the group Mighty American Strikeforce .
She also continued to describe her experience in the 2016 door knocking in White affluent neighborhoods and some of the responses she got as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : We are joined in the studio now by our good friend , former Vanderbilt professor , former mayoral candidate here in Nashville , all-star panelist , Carol Swain .
Good morning Carol .
Swain : Good morning .
How are you ?
Leahy : I am delighted to have you here .
You know , we ’ ve missed you .
You ’ ve been traveling .
You were in last week , but you travel so much and you have so much to say to people who want to listen about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I guess you ’ ll be traveling tomorrow as well .
Where are you going ?
Swain : I ’ m going to Pittsburgh to knock on doors for the president .
And in 2016 I went to Philadelphia the weekend before the election and I ’ m taking credit ( Laughter ) of Philadelphia .
No , I ’ m just joking .
Leahy : Well look , so let ’ s talk a little bit about this .
Five days to go .
The polls are tightening .
I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a number of reasons we ’ ve gone into ad nauseam .
But we just finished .
You know every day at 6:15 we play with our listeners , we play electoral college roulette and they get to pick who ’ s going to win which battleground state .
The first day was Tuesday and we had Trump winning 274 to 264 in the electoral college .
You need to 270 to win .
Today and yesterday it was 294 to 254 .
And one of our callers moved to Pennsylvania kept it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that the reaction of people in Pennsylvania where oil and natural gas plays a big role , Joe Biden made a huge mistake in saying he was going to end oil .
My question to him and I ’ ll pose this question to you .
Will Trump ’ s margin of victory in Pennsylvania this time be greater than the margin of voter fraud ?
Swain : ( Laughs ) Trump is going to win Pennsylvania hands down .
And they have lots of boots on the ground .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Strikeforce and Black Voices for Trump .
They have boots on the ground .
And so there are people including Karen Moore .
And she has a group from Nashville .
We are going to take Pennsylvania .
We going to keep Trump in office .
And eventually , we ’ ll take back our nation .
Leahy : So Karen Moore is putting together a group that ’ s going up to Pennsylvania to knock on doors ?
Leahy : I had a good friend of ours call who had participated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had this project called Volunteers for Virginia where we went up to the Roanoke area .
Leahy : I know .
We went to your stomping grounds and on 10 consecutive weekends we took Nashvillians up to Roanoke and we knocked on doors for Mitt Romney .
I was there in Roanoke on election evening .
And I could tell you and then on election morning of 2012 and I knew Mitt Romney was going to lose .
Swain : Well Mitt didn ’ t even try to win .
Leahy : Did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I love Donald Trump .
And I love the fact that you know , he clearly is doing everything that you would do if you wanted to remain in office .
And he ’ s out there among the people .
He loves the people .
And the American people need a president that cares about them .
And the data that I am seeing is showing that President Trump has greatly increased his approval rating among Black people .
And even though the approval rating is high all of them were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m still saying , you know , 15 to 20 percent will .
That ’ s enough to cause the Democrats to lose .
Leahy : Yeah , and now this effort that you ’ re taking to knock on doors in Pittsburgh , if our listeners and as I said one of our volunteers who was part of Volunteer for Virginia in 2012 wants to do the same thing this year .
And if they want to go up to Pennsylvania and knock on doors if they ’ ve and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do ?
Swain : Well , first of all , there are some other states that are in play .
I ’ m going to Pittsburgh but there are other states where we could use you .
They can email me at [ email protected ] .
Or they can contact directly at the Mighty American Strikeforce .
And I can give information or the Strikeforce can give information about the states where we need more boots on the ground .
And there are some scholarships .
Not a lot .
We don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But if someone really wants to go I think there ’ s some assistance as far as hotels once they get there .
But we really need resources .
But we are able to help some people .
Leahy : So the Mighty American Strikeforce is knocking on doors .
Is that right ?
Swain : It is .
They do that in every re-election .
They ’ ve been doing it since George W. Bush was elected .
It started in Texas and now it ’ s national .
Leahy : Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about that if you look at Tennessee , so I guess the option you ’ ve chosen to go to Pennsylvania .
Why have you chosen Pennsylvania ?
Swain : I was asked to go to Pennsylvania .
Leahy : Okay .
Well , that ’ s a place where you could have a huge perhaps of all the states and in the most important right now .
Swain : Right .
In 2016 when I was knocking on doors I was assigned a young Black man as my partner .
Leahy : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you go to people your partner ’ s right ?
Swain : And we were in an affluent upper-class affluent White neighborhood .
Leahy : Oh really ?
And so the two Black people knock on the doors of the affluent White people and say what ?
Swain : That we ’ re supporting Donald Trump and it was necessary because there were all these Republicans that want to say that Donald Trump was racist and he was bad for the country .
And I think it mattered to have two Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : How did they respond ?
Swain : Most people were very kind and receptive and they listened .
There were some people that were friendly until they realize we were supporting Trump and so every now and then you accidentally knock on the door of a Democrat .
But for the people that are going to deploy , we ’ re supposed to be knocking on doors of Republicans to get out the Republican vote .
Leahy : It ’ s to get out the vote and not to persuade a Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to persuade a Democrat .
But every now and then you run into one .
Leahy : Yeah every now and then .
So now I ’ m just curious in 2016 when you and this young Black man were knocking on doors in a White neighborhood affluent Whites neighborhood of Philadelphia .
Did any of them if you knocked on the door of a Democrat did any of them use Joe Biden ’ s line looking at you saying , well , you ’ re obviously not Black if you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No but there was this woman that said I can ’ t handle this .
I can ’ t do this .
And she kind of slammed the door in our face .
Leahy : Slammed the door in your face .
Now some might call that racist .
Swain : Well , if you don ’ t tell Black conservative , it ’ s not racist .
Leahy : It ’ s one of these rules , you know , if you if you ’ re a liberal White person and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Black conservative , you ’ re not racist .
Just like , you know , the coronavirus can not be spread in rallies for Black Lives Matter and Antifa , right ?
Swain : Well , I want to share with you that there ’ s a neighborhood that will remain nameless where I sometimes walk .
And there was a man that was very very friendly until he recognized me as Carol Swain .
And then he became very very hostile .
And it was just , I ’ ve never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a retired educator .
Leahy : A purveyor of left-wing indoctrinations is what I call it .
Swain : There is hatred on the other side .
I mean the danger like yeah , the danger that will come next week .
And I ’ m expecting the president to win by a landslide .
The political left never accepted the results of the last election .
And so you can expect a massive meltdown .
Swain : Once President Trump is re-elected then he can start really putting them , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes to conduct .
And I think that the riots that have been taken by Philadelphia .
I think that helps the president .
Leahy : I don ’ t see how you can come to any other conclusion .
It ’ s a consequence of the failed Democratic policies on policing .
Right ?
Swain : I ’ m not sure about that .
But I think that the Black community has gotten the wrong message .
They seem to think that you can not shoot a Black person regardless of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a gun .
They can have a knife .
Leahy : They can be committing a crime .
Swain : But you can ’ t shoot them .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Analysis: The Facts on Andrew Cuomo’s Nursing Home Policy

Wednesday morning on ABC ’ s The View , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave a factually misleading explanation for the thousands of people who died with Covid-19 in NY nursing homes .
After co-host Sunny Hostin praised Cuomo ’ s book Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic as “ absolutely fantastic , ” she said to the governor : There has been a lot of confusion about an alleged March 25th order that directed nursing homes to accept in New York , infected Covid patients , possibly leading to the death of more than 6,000 seniors .
Now you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lie—that New York state never demanded or directed that any nursing home accept a Covid-positive patient .
The Department of Justice however is now supposedly looking into this issue .
Can you explain what really happened ?
Yea , what a shock that the Department of Injustice sends a letter a few days before an election trying to advance a political theory .
I was shocked and amazed that the Trump administration was capable of such a thing .
Sunny , they have played politics on this from day one , right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Covid from day one , and they want a counter-defense , and what they were saying was , “ Well , a lot of people died in nursing homes in Democratic states .
It ’ s not just New York , it ’ s all the Democratic states.
” The truth is a lot of people did die in nursing homes in Democratic states .
The truth is people are dying today in nursing homes in Republican states .
It ’ s just that Democratic states had the disease worse and earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Covid , right ?
We were introduced to Covid in the state of Washington in a nursing home .
If you look at how many people died in New York nursing homes , New York is number 46 out of 50 states in the percentage of deaths in nursing homes .
The way the law works is no nursing home in New York can accept a patient if they don ’ t believe they can care for that patient adequately , and if they can do it within the safety of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re trying to spread just has no factual basis .
But yes , people in nursing homes died , and they ’ re playing politics with the issue , which I think is especially cruel because people who lost loved ones in a nursing home , they ’ re dealing with it , and now they also have to deal with the confusion or the pain of maybe government did this .
Hostin ’ s choice of words and Cuomo ’ s entire statement are incompatible with the facts of this matter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ order is not “ alleged ” but a fact .
This order explicitly states : No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [ nursing home ] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19 .
NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission .
That mandate was at direct odds with two key scientific facts about C-19 that were widely known since the outset of the pandemic : • None Elderly people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very definition of nursing home residents—are extremely vulnerable to the virus .
• None The virus is highly transmissible , and thus , it can easily sweep through large groups of sickly and/or aged people who live together .
Including an estimated 18 days between infection and death , over 5,900 nursing home patients in NY were lost by the time Cuomo rescinded this policy .
The fact that Cuomo repealed this mandate belies his claim that it did no harm .
Furthermore , Cuomo ’ s statistics on NY nursing home deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health excluded people who caught the disease in a nursing home but died “ outside of the facility.
” Thus , Cuomo ’ s “ official ” figure may undercount the real one by thousands of deaths .
While rejecting calls for an independent investigation , Cuomo has repeatedly blamed others for the nursing home carnage in his state , but none of his explanations hold water : • None Cuomo first faulted nursing homes , stating that they were only required to readmit C-19 patients “ if they have the ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , Cuomo ’ s order : • None unequivocally states in underlined text , “ No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [ nursing home ] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.
” • None often made it impossible for homes to know if they could provide appropriate care by banning them from “ requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.
” • None never mentioned or implied that it is illegal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept someone they can not care for properly .
• None Cuomo then claimed that his order “ followed President Trump ’ s CDC guidance , ” but the truth is that this guidance : • None states that C-19 patients “ should go to a facility with adequate personal protective equipment supplies and an ability to adhere to infection prevention….
” • None Cuomo ’ s top aide , Melissa DeRosa later said that his policy was “ in-line directly ” with directives from the Trump administration ’ s Centers For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but to the contrary : • None 12 days before Cuomo ’ s order , CMS warned that homes must be “ vigilant in identifying any possible infected individuals ” and “ follow CDC guidance.
” • None CMS administrator Seema Verma directly responded to DeRosa ’ s claims , stating that the CMS was “ clear and unmistakable ” in stating that nursing homes should reject people that they can not care for , and “ any insinuation to the contrary is woefully mistaken at best and dishonest at worst.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that NY “ had more people die ” because the Trump administration “ missed the boat and never told us that this virus was coming from Europe and not from China.
” In reality , the Trump administration issued a near-total ban on travel from Europe on the same day that the World Health Organization declared C-19 a pandemic ( March 11 ) .
Yet , Cuomo did not announce a stay-at-home order until more than a week later on March 20 .
• None Finally , Cuomo ’ s Department of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes while claiming that his policy was not a “ significant factor ” in fatalities .
However , the report : • None misinterprets association as causation by arguing that a “ link between the timing of staff infection and nursing home fatalities ” proves the nursing home staff transmitted the virus to residents .
• None uses a false measure of timing based on the number of homes with an infected staff member instead of the actual number of infected staff members .
• None uses grossly incomplete data that excludes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes but died “ outside of the facility , ” a figure that could number in the thousands .
So in the face of proven scientific facts and crystal clear guidance from federal health agencies , Cuomo forced C-19 carriers into the vicinity of the people who are most vulnerable to the virus .
Cuomo and his surrogates then used a series of falsehoods to cast blame for his policy on others .
Now , he is impugning people who would hold him accountable for his actions .
Anna Lynn is a writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think tank dedicated to publishing rigorously documented facts about public policy issues .
James D. Agresti is the president of Just Facts .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Non-Colored Students Need Not Apply: Loudoun County Public Schools Initially Barred White Students f

Non-Colored Students Need Not Apply: Loudoun County Public Schools Initially Barred White Students from Equity Ambassador Program

In the initial draft of a student equity ambassador program informational packet , Loudoun County Public Schools ( LCPS ) barred students who weren ’ t colored from admission into the program .
Under “ III .
Process for Selecting Student Equity Ambassadors ” the second process listing guidelines specifically mentioned students ’ skin color as a qualifying factor .
“ This opportunity is open to all Students of Color.
” Then , under the section titled “ Frequently Asked Questions ” ( FAQ ) , the document clarified that non-colored students couldn ’ t participate .
“ Q : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Student Equity Ambassador and is not a student of color .
Can they participate ?
… A : Thank you for your interest but this opportunity is specifically for students of Color .
However , students at each school have an option of creating an affinity group for students of Color who all share a similar racial identity and they may also include allies.
” The next FAQ addressed opportunities for non-colored students to get involved , suggesting “ other equity opportunities.
” LCPS parent and Parents Against Critical Race Theory ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the document on the P.A.C.T .
blog , as well as with parents associated with the LCPS Facebook page .
Since then , the board has revised the document to omit the aforementioned qualification and the two FAQs .
Everything else on the document remained the same .
Early whistleblowers linked to the original version of the document – which is now broken .
Several weeks ago , the Loudoun County School Board quietly decided to revise their “ Professional Conduct ” policy governing employee speech off of school property .
LCPS was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but decided against it after public outcry from the community .
LCPS Public Information Officer Wayde Byard told The Virginia Star that the school board didn ’ t consider the equity ambassador program during their Tuesday night meeting .
Byard also shared that he would look into the changes made on the information packet .
The Student Equity Ambassador Program is one part of LCPS ’ s “ Action Plans to Combat Systemic Racism.
” The plan is to “ create Student Leaders of Color ” that will represent all students as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these students will represent the Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee ( MSAAC ) .
MSAAC has driven many of the policy and curriculum changes reflecting social justice initiatives within LCPS .
None of LCPS ’ s platforms addressed the changes made to the informational packet .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Loudoun County High School ” by A.J .
Jelonek .
CC BY 3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Michigan: Ground Zero for Biden-Led Chinese Acquisition of Automotive Manufacturer with National Sec

Michigan: Ground Zero for Biden-Led Chinese Acquisition of Automotive Manufacturer with National Security Implications

A key presidential election battleground state of Michigan is also ground zero for a Chinese company ’ s acquisition of an automotive manufacturer with direct involvement by one of Hunter Biden ’ s businesses .
The transaction gave Chinese companies direct control of technology with possible military applications and , therefore , has national security implications .
Concerns over the transaction were laid out in an August 4 , 2019 , letter by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa , who is the Chairman of the Finance Committee .
Henniges Automotive Holdings , Inc. , a Michigan-based supplier of anti-vibration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controlling 51 percent interest going to China ’ s AVIC Automotive Systems Holding Co. Ltd .
While Henniges has said its annual sales are now $ 1 billion , up from a reported $ 824.8 million in 2014 and $ 611 million in 2011 , the growth has not resulted in any reported employment increases in Michigan .
In a news release , Henniges touted the $ 600 million deal as “ one of the largest acquisitions by a Chinese company of a U.S.-based automotive manufacturing company in history , ” reported Automotive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a subsidiary of Beijing-based Aviation Industry Corporation of China – is a $ 65 billion Chinese government-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate with over 100 subsidiaries and about 500,000 employees globally , currently ranked 163 in the Fortune Global 500 .
This one transaction is just a small glimpse into the complex ownership structures among a network of Biden-related corporate entities that carried out a larger web of transactions .
The other company involved in the transaction with 49 percent interest in Henniges is a private equity firm called Bohai Harvest RST ( BHR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Chinese government via the government-owned Bank of China .
BHR , as detailed by Peter Schwiezer in an excerpt from his book “ Secret Empires , ” was formed in 2013 as a merger between Chinese-government linked Bohai Capital and U.S.-based Rosemont Seneca Partners .
Rosemont Seneca Partners was formed in 2009 by Hunter Biden , son of then-Vice President Joe Biden , as well as Chris Heinz , stepson of former Secretary of State John Kerry among others .
Because the Henniges acquisition gave direct control of its anti-vibration technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviewed and approved by CFIUS .
CFIUS – the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States – “ is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons , in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States.
” The CFIUS Chair is the Secretary of the Treasury and members include the heads of the Departments of State , Justice , Homeland Security , Commerce , Defense and Energy as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Representative and Science & Technology Policy .
Additionally , five White House offices observe and , as appropriate , participate in CFIUS activities .
The make-up CFIUS is particularly relevant in the Henniges transaction , as Grassley notes in his letter , because of the potential conflict of interest with Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz being directly related to high-ranking Obama-Biden administration officials .
Specifically , a CFIUS participant playing a direct role in the decision to approve the Henniges transaction is the Department of State which was under Kerry ’ s leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for AVIC ’ s deal .
And , of course , another CFIUS participant is the White House which was occupied at the time by Joe Biden as vice president .
Grassley questioned the Henniges transaction by CFIUS , especially in light of 2007 reports that AVIC was involved in stealing sensitive data regarding the Joint Strike Fighter Program .
That stolen technology and aircraft secrets from the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II were incorporated into China ’ s latest version of the J-20 stealth fighter , according to the report .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a joint venture between General Electric and AVIC due to concerns that U.S. fighter jet technology would be diverted to AVIC ’ s military aircraft programs .
Notably , the Obama-Biden administration ignored those concerns and instead , promoted the systematic loosening of controls on technology transfers to China , says the report .
The Henniges transaction was also allowed to go through , despite the addition of majority-owner AVIC being added by rule of the Bureau of Industry and Security to the “ Entity List ” the year prior to the deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Entity List ” consists of those “ for whom there is a reasonable cause to believe , based on specific and articulable facts , have been involved , are involved or pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved in , activities that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy interest of the United States.
” Lest anyone think that AVIC ’ s intentions towards the U.S. have improved , the entity ’ s current Chairman of the Board , Tan Ruisong , is a member of the 13th Session @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body in the People ’ s Republic of China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China .
The question that could be asked is what did Joe Biden know and when did he know it .
Joe Biden was a long-time member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , becoming its ranking minority member in 1997 and chairing it from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2009 .
In June 2020 , the Pentagon released a list originally commissioned by Congress in 1999 pursuant to a section of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies operating directly or indirectly in the U.S. On the most recent list , AVIC appears first on the alphabetical list of 20 Pentagon-listed Chinese military-associated companies with a presence in the U.S. capital markets , according to RWR Advisory Group .
AVIC and its subsidiaries had been sanctioned five separate times – in 1993 , 2002 , 2004 , 2005 and 2006 – by the U.S. for proliferation activities that played a key role in enabling Iran to develop its missile capabilities , according to RWR ’ s executive summary .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in office .
It is unclear how hard-working , patriotic Americans benefitted from working for a company tied to the community Chinese government , just to keep their jobs and put food on the table .
Since Henniges is not publicly traded , it is difficult to find information on the company ’ s employment information in the U.S. except through scant press releases on the company ’ s website .
The year prior to AVIC ’ s acquisition of Henniges , the company reported it had over 6,500 employees worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the company appears to be on its global plans .
In announcing its expanded partnership with Argentina-based Burkool S.A. to create a strategic alliance to service automotive original equipment manufacturers in Brazil , Henniges said in May 2016 it had 7,700 employees worldwide .
Then in July 2016 , Henniges announced the opening of its first plant in Poland , with an expectation to add 500 team members there over the next five years .
In December 2017 , Henniges reported it opened a new , scalable 79,500 square foot facility in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approximately 70 new jobs and made a total of seven manufacturing plants in China .
Henniges also said it had 23 facilities worldwide , including 18 production sites and five research and development centers .
Then in 2018 , Henniges said it was up to 8,200 employees worldwide and had plans for a new manufacturing plant in South America and expanding its engineering facility in Europe .
Henniges reported in April 2019 , it was up to 19 manufacturing locations across eight countries with plans on expanding in the key regions of Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since the acquisition , Henniges appears to have added about 1,700 employees and several locations in the past five years , but most notably , none of the reported expansions in employment or locations have been in the U.S. Henniges , however , is not the only Chinese takeover that did nothing obvious to help taxpaying citizens and workers in The Great Lake State .
Michigan also saw the acquisition of General Motor ’ s former Nexteer by China ’ s Pacific Century Motors in 2010 .
A subsequent new labor agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-tier wage scale and cut wages for some Nexteer workers , reported MLive .
The deal came after the Michigan Economic Develop Corporation ’ s Michigan Economic Growth Authority approved a state tax credit valued at $ 70.7 million over 10 years and Buena Vista Township approved a 20-year 100 percent tax abatement , saving the company about $ 2.3 million in taxes per year .
Michigan-based A123 Systems Inc. was acquired by China ’ s Wanxiang America Corp. , the Chicago-based arm of Wanxiang Group Company , in 2013 as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 was awarded a grant of $ 249 million from the U.S. Department of Energy , thankfully receiving just $ 132 million of it before the foreign take over by Wanxiang , according to Financier Worldwide .
Wanxiang also acquired a Delaware-based A123 client , Fisker Automotive .
Like the A123 , Fisker ’ s takeover was also made through bankruptcy proceedings .
Within Wanxiang lies yet another connection to the Bidens .
Seneca Global Advisors – a Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz consulting firm founded in 2008 – had as a client @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Great Point Energy entered into a $ 1.25 billion partnership with Wanxiang Group .
The Washington Examiner led off with the A123 acquisition as an example in its report of how China has been exploiting holes in the U.S. bankruptcy system for years to acquire national security technology .
In 2013 , Grassley was joined by Senator John Thune of South Dakota in expressing concern over the Obama-Biden administration ’ s approval of Wanxiang ’ s purchase of the taxpayer-funded A123 and the associated national security implications related to the technology .
Laura @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tennessee Star .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Microsoft Disrupts Trickbot Ransomware, Which Could Pose Threat to Elections

Microsoft officials announced last week that they disrupted 94 percent of a global ransomware network with a presence in eastern Virginia , according to a press release and court documents .
Microsoft alleges the “ Trickbot ” ransomware is used to steal data from individuals and organizations , and could threaten U.S. elections .
“ Our disruption is intended to disable Trickbot ’ s infrastructure and make it difficult for its operators to enable ransomware attacks , which have been identified as one of the biggest threats to the upcoming U.S. elections , ” Microsoft Customer Security and Trust Corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ release .
Ransomware software has been used to lock down high-profile corporate systems and then charge companies for access to their own data .
Garmin was a recent victim of a ransomware attack , according to PCMag .
Microsoft ’ s court documents also describe how stolen data could be sold to criminals or governments .
Liberty University Executive Director of the Center for Cyber Excellence Michael Lehrfeld told The Virginia Star that in terms of elections security , the threat is that local elections officers would lose access to ballot data on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re going to have issues with public trust , because , can we count the ballots , can we not count the ballots , what ballots were on this machine , it ’ s very hard to work backwards from that.
” The Virginia Department of Elections said they couldn ’ t comment on specific threats , but Virginia Elections Commissioner Christopher Piper told WUSA9 , “ The General Assembly passed the requirement that every polling place now has a paper backup of their electronic poll book , ” Piper said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling place , if a poll book were to go down , there ’ s a paper backup to use so that voting can continue on as normal.
” Lehrfeld said that he hasn ’ t heard of this type of attack on voting systems specifically , but that it does happen to local governments .
“ It ’ s very common for municipalities to have this happen to some extent , maybe the library gets locked out , maybe it ’ s public works , so that could be a problem , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections equipment be strictly used only for those specific tasks , not for anything else like email or web browsing , since users might mistakenly open something that could infect not only one computer , but other computers in the network .
“ This is something that ’ s been on the elections officials ’ radars for a couple of cycles already .
So I would think that there would be contingency plans in place for how to deal with this , ” Lehrfeld said .
“ That becomes more challenging in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have that expertise like they would in some of the larger districts.
” “ I think this is a lesser concern overall .
The bigger concern is the social media and the influencing that is occurring.
” Lehrman said disinformation has a greater potential to influence election results than ransomware hacks .
“ It doesn ’ t necessarily impact outcome , it would more just delay the vote [ results . ]
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips @ @ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Confederate Flag Along I-95 Removed for Highway Construction Project

The Virginia Flaggers have removed their large Confederate flag from its prominent location in Stafford County along Interstate 95 after the Virginia Department of Transportation ( VDOT ) acquired the land for construction of the Rappahannock River Crossing project .
Measuring at 20-feet tall and 30-feet wide , the controversial flag flew attached to its 80-foot pole since May 2014 , nearly six and a half years , and was almost impossible to miss from both sides of the highway .
In a statement sent to The Virginia Star , VDOT said they acquired 10 parcels of land adjacent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as to build a ramp and extend the highway ’ s express lanes , but the flag pole and its foundation are located on one of the parcels .
Last week , VDOT requested Virginia Flaggers take down the flag by Friday , when the project ’ s contractor will be granted right-of-entry to access the property , or the department would immediately remove and store it to be collected by the grass roots group , according to the statement .
VDOT says it hopes the river crossing project , which began construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congestion and delays in the Fredericksburg area , one of the busiest stretches of I-95 between Richmond and Washington D.C. Barry Isenhour , spokesperson for the Virginia Flaggers , said a team of the group ’ s members retrieved the large flag in a brief ceremony Wednesday afternoon .
Isenhour said that the group was told construction would not start for a while , but was then notified on Wednesday that work was actually beginning Thursday and the flag must be removed by noon , contradicting the date provided by VDOT .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property through eminent domain as a way to bypass their First Amendment rights of expression on private property .
A VDOT official did not specify if they used eminent domain , instead saying that an agreement was reached with the owner of the property for the land .
Eminent domain is the federal and state governments ’ power to take private property for public use , but requires just compensation in return .
Despite this specific flag coming down , Isenhour said the group plans to construct multiple flags around the state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been removed .
Much like any remaining symbol , flag or monument relating to the Confederacy , there are always people in support and in opposition .
State Delegate Joshua Cole ( D-Stafford County ) is one of those people who strongly opposes the flag and has worked with others to get it removed since as early as 2016 .
Cole told The Star that he and others are relieved the flag is coming down .
“ The majority of the consensus that I got [ from local residents ] was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or that they could care less , ” said Cole , who is also president of the Stafford County NAACP branch .
“ There is a small contingency of people who ’ ve reached out and said [ the flag ] is history don ’ t take it down and this is First Amendment rights don ’ t take it down.
” Cole also said that many constituents called his office to thank him after news initially broke , but he was just as surprised and happy as the callers .
Albeit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that used to demand a glance from passing drivers is one of the many Confederate symbols taken down across the Commonwealth and country in the aftermath of George Floyd ’ s death .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] , Photo “ I-95 ” by MPD01605 .
CC BY 3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani Tells John Fredericks, ‘There Is Something Seriously Wro

Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani Tells John Fredericks, ‘There Is Something Seriously Wrong with Christopher Wray’

Live from Virginia Thursday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond , WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia , WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 ( 7-9 PM ) Hampton Roads , WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed President Trump ’ s attorney , former mayor Rudy Giuliani to the show .
During the show , Giuliani weighed in on the Hunter Biden hard drive that was held back by Christopher Wray and how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take down the United States and that ‘ it makes McCarthyism look mild.
’ Fredericks : Joining me now , the former mayor , New York City .
Also the lawyer for President Donald Trump and a big fan of the John Frederick show .
But on many times Mayor Rudy Giuliani .
Mr. Mayor man , It ’ s great to have you back sir .
Giuliani : It ’ s great to be back .
I ’ m glad that you and Bannon are doing that show on election night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is good luck .
I ’ m a little superstitious on election nights .
Fredericks : And we went well , you know , what is it about elections and they agree with that .
In fact , we did the same thing in 2016 .
And he said well your wife was there and you ’ ve got to get her to come up .
Everything has got to be the exact same .
So I ’ m like Ann , you got to come to Washington and help do a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laughs ) Steve Bannon is worse than you are for superstition .
But we got a lot to talk about Mr. Mayor .
But I want to first I mean I want to first get to all of the great news we ’ re getting right now in state after state Trump is surging .
How do you feel sir about the next five days ?
Giuliani : Well , I feel very good about it .
You know , I ’ ve been through many elections .
So I never take anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I did in 2016 .
I feel the enthusiasm is greater .
I think the support is I mean that they supported much more solid .
The people who support him are going to walk through walls for him .
I think we ’ ve been gaining a lot in the last 10 days whether it ’ s the hard drive that despite the fact that they ’ re censoring it people are learning about it .
Maybe the fact that censoring is making it even worse from their point of view .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s today should reelect any incumbent president .
The economy just grew by a record rate .
We were predicting depression about five months ago .
The whole pandemic now , we ’ re down only 3.5 percent .
We ’ ve grown at 33 percent .
In other words , one-third of our economy has zoomed right up .
Were just a few points away from where we were last year .
That ’ s ridiculous !
It ’ s ridiculous !
Nobody could do this .
And we ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a virtual progressive Democrat shutdown .
My state New York .
I mean the poor restaurants are still operating only 20 percent .
The disease now , people don ’ t die of it at anywhere near the rates they did five months ago .
The rates are kind of normal for any disease .
So when you hear all these cases it ’ s a ridiculous thing to react to .
It would appear as if I said a lot of flu this week .
Very few people now thank God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We now have therapeutics .
We know the age group .
It affects and the in the age group that doesn ’ t affect .
People get cured out in the number of days that President Trump got cured .
I have four friends they ’ re over the age of 70 .
They both got it .
They were better in four days .
And one of them has only one lung .
This is a different disease .
And the economy should re-elect him hands down .
Now if you need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s that Joe Biden would be a disaster .
He ’ s a crook .
He ’ s always been a dummy .
And now he has dementia .
I mean what else do you want ?
( Fredericks chuckles ) Giuliani : Even before the end he ’ ll get up and say , aha aha .
The other day he was running against George .
I want to know is it George Bush 41 , 43 .
George Washington ?
Possibly George III .
What ’ s going on there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean I almost felt bad for him .
When his did you see the look on Jill Biden ’ s face his wife the former second lady .
I mean she was horrified .
She had to go over and whisper Trump in his ear .
She looked horrified .
Giuliani : ( Laughs ) But you know , there was one that was one way she was introducing him .
I got ta find it where he ’ s walking back and forth behind her .
He can ’ t stay still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and forth .
the last time I saw that it ’ s when I went to visit my mother in law in her nursing home .
I mean , it ’ s the guys just walking around aimlessly .
What are we doing ?
It would be a joke , but for the fact that he ’ s a major party candidate for president .
And then I would feel worse than him if he wasn ’ t just a horrible crook and terrible father .
I think I would spit in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he has a son who has a drug problem , right 30 years ago .
He had a drug problem , right ?
You take that son and you put them in a nice easy stressless environment .
You don ’ t put them in the middle of the five to six biggest criminals in the world so he can collect money for you .
I know Mafia guys who treated the kids better than that .
Fredericks : I mean he turned his son into a bagman , right ?
Giuliani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bag man and you know , what happens to a drug addict is a bagman ?
He becomes a degenerate drug addict because the pressure of that work is ridiculous .
When he talks about on the tape that ’ s now been released is one of the major members of Chinese organized crime .
He acknowledges the fact that the number two partner is a Chinese spy .
Why are you in business with a Chinese spy ?
Who the heck would be a business with a Chinese spy except for somebody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partner in that business Joe Biden .
that ’ s the 10 percent business .
That ’ s the business where they have the memo that says to H for the big guy 10 percent .
So the only person who doesn ’ t know he ’ s the big guy is Joe because he can ’ t remember .
Fredericks : So how did they funnel money to him ?
Because you know in today ’ s environment Mr. Mayor , you can ’ t just move , you know thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How did they funnel it to them ?
Giuliani : But yeah , the FBI doesn ’ t , Joe Biden is immune from the FBI ?
They haven ’ t investigated a damn thing .
I ’ ve given him information for three years .
They happen to haven ’ t an interview a single witness .
They haven ’ t subpoenaed a single bank account .
That means Joe knows he ’ s special .
Well , how do you do it ?
I mean here ’ s how you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simple .
In fact , Hunter explains it on the hard drive .
Hunter collects the money for 30 years .
He says this .
He explains the whole program to his daughter if the media had the courage to cover it .
He takes the money .
Let ’ s say he gets 14 million from Ukraine .
He pays the expenses of the family .
He said I ’ ve paid the expenses of the whole family for 30 years .
That ’ s the quote .
And then pop requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So he pays the expenses and then whatever is leftover he keeps half and he turned half over to pop .
Now , I haven ’ t seen his bank records .
So I don ’ t know how he does it .
I don ’ t think he does it directly .
I do know that the Ukrainians are investigating four offshore bank accounts and they can ’ t get cooperation from the United States Treasury Department .
They ’ ve been trying to get cooperation for four years .
and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve been stiffed by the State Department and the Treasury Department .
There are people in government protecting it .
There are people in government protecting him because as one of the Ukrainians told me , if you open it up , it ’ s not gon na just be Joe Biden .
They ’ re going to be a lot of heads that roll in Washington .
That is a quote from an investigator in Ukraine .
I know a few of them .
I don ’ t know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , why did Christopher director of the FBI , he had this for a year .
They had the hard drive for a year .
Why did they sit on it ?
Giuliani : Because there is something wrong seriously wrong with Christopher Wray .
I can ’ t say what it is .
All I can tell you is the result .
There is no law enforcement officer that is worth their badge that wouldn ’ t have immediately investigated this including the statement that is made on that drive that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then if you look at the pictures on the drive and you wouldn ’ t investigate this in a minute , you should turn your badge in .
Listen to the full show here : Thursday morning on The John Fredericks Show , host John Fredricks welcomed the former mayor of New York City and President Trump ’ s lawyer Rudy Giuliani to the show to discuss Hunter Biden ’ s hard drive , Christopher Wray , and the dishonest mainstream media .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--TRUMPDATE: Latest from the Team Trump Virginia Campaign for October 30

Welcome to the Friday edition of our daily Virginia Trump campaign update !
We will provide our readers with daily updates on the Trump Virginia campaign from today to November 3 ( and after…if need be ! )
.
It ’ s officially four days until the election on November 3 .
Early voting in Virginia closes at 5 p.m .
TOMORROW .
President Trump continues his streak of appearances in battleground states in the run up to Election Day .
Today the president will focus his attention on rallies in Wisconsin and Minnesota .
On Saturday Mr. Trump returns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Butler .
President Trump also took some time on Thursday to meet with rapper Lil Wayne .
The two discussed the administration ’ s platinum plan , aimed at providing additional federal resources to the black community .
The president has touted record employment numbers and record low unemployment numbers for black Americans as a major victory for his administration in this first term , along with the White House ’ s commitment to additional federal funding for historically black colleges and universities ( HBCUs ) and criminal justice reform .
Lil Wayne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how positive and productive the meeting between the two was .
In Virginia there are a pair of Trump parades taking place in the final weekend before Election Day .
On Saturday , the Hanover Republican Committee will be doing what they call a “ Trump Train.
” Attendees are asked to meet in the parking lot of Calabash Seafood ( 7514 Lee Davis Rd.
, Mechanicsville , VA 23111 ) .
The lead car will depart at 1 p.m. , and the parade will cover 45 miles before ending back at Calabash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richmond City Council candidate Mike Dickinson will lead the second Trump parade .
That will once again meet and leave from the parking lot of Mission BBQ ( 5440 Glenside Dr. , Richmond , Va. 23228 ) at 2 p.m. That train of vehicles will eventually end up in the city of Richmond , in the district Dickinson is seeking to represent on city council .
For both parades , any and all vehicles are welcomed , and those participating are encouraged to decorate their vehicles with Trump signs and flags .
Check @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign updates !
If you want to join the volunteer team or if you need signs email Fredericks or Justin Rice .
To Donate to our Virginia campaign click here .
For more information , or to sign up to become a volunteer , click here .
The Trump Campaign in Virginia Needs Poll Watchers !
Don ’ t let them steal the election !
Get paid , too !
John Fredericks is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Virginia Star .
He is also a Trump 2020 delegate and the chairman of @ @ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Republican Veteran Joe Collins Talks About His Campaign Against Mansion Maxine for Her Seat in South

Republican Veteran Joe Collins Talks About His Campaign Against Mansion Maxine for Her Seat in South Los Angeles’s 43rd District

Live from Virginia Thursday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond , WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia , WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 ( 7-9 PM ) Hampton Roads , WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Congressional candidate for the 43rd district in Los Angeles Republican Joe Collins to the show to talk about his new ad , his failing district , and beating Maxine Waters .
Fredericks : Joining us now Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veteran .
Lived there his whole life .
Running for Congress in the 43rd district .
That ’ s in Los Angeles against Maxine Waters who doesn ’ t even live in the district .
And before Joe gets on , Joe hang on a second .
I ’ m gon na play his new ad that he ’ s got out on social media which is , I can ’ t do it justice so here it is .
Fredericks : Thanks for being with us .
I know you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Collins : Thanks for having me .
And I ’ m always up .
I mean we got a few days to the election and we haven ’ t slept in a year at Team Collins .
Fredericks : Well Joe that is one of the best ads I ’ ve seen right up there with the Kim Klacik ad in South Baltimore .
I think there ’ s a trend here .
I mean but you know even different than Kim Klacik is you actually grew up there and I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one thing showing it on the screen because it was a video ad as well you know showing this beautiful mansion she doesn ’ t even live in the district .
I mean how do the people of South L.A. not hold Maxine Waters accountable for anything Joe ?
Collins : You know what ?
I have no idea but I know that they did know she lived in a huge mansion you know somewhere outside of the district .
And so when we showed the contrast of how she lives versus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a lot of people upset .
Fredericks : Tell us about your campaign .
I mean obviously , she ’ s been there 44 years .
She ’ s got a ton of money .
She ’ s a very powerful legislator .
She ’ s got a machine going .
How do you break into that make some noise and actually make the race competitive Joe Collins ?
Collins : Well I think one of the biggest issues that we had whenever we first started the campaign , I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And so we had to figure out a way to out fundraise Maxine Waters which we did .
You know we raised $ 8 million on our campaign she only raised $ 1.4 million .
and so we were able to buy all the TV advertising .
All the radio advertisements .
All the billboards and get really connected and visible in the community .
And so we just started pointing out the injustices that we ’ ve been seeing when it comes to the lack of education .
The lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our communities and opportunities that we haven ’ t had a long time .
And people started to listen .
And we gained a lot of momentum you know which is why we ’ re doing so well right now .
Fredericks : So when you say momentum I mean obviously you ’ re making some noise .
Have you gotten her attention ?
I mean has she campaigned at all or is she just blowing you off like she ’ s done everybody else in that district ?
Collins : Oh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember the first time I heard an advertisement from her .
She said my name six times in a one-minute advertisement .
And I was like wow , she ’ s really campaigning .
But she sucks at campaigning .
She ’ s running a slander campaign the whole entire time to try to discredit me but it hasn ’ t worked in her favor .
We even filed a few lawsuits against her for defamation for literally lying to try and sway voters and everything .
So she ’ s trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s gon na work out in her favor this time .
Fredericks : So what could she be saying about you , Joe ?
You ’ re a veteran .
You grew up in the district .
( Collins chuckles ) I mean you went to school there you got shot at .
What possibly negative things could she be saying about you ?
Collins : She told everybody I was just trying to be discharged .
She ’ s told people I ’ m a womanizer .
And she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All the ridiculous things that someone who has done nothing for their district for 44 years would say to try and convince people not to vote for me .
Fredericks : When you say you outraised her , I mean have you raised enough money to actually run a competitive campaign ?
Collins : Oh yeah absolutely .
Absolutely .
We ’ ve done really good at fundraising .
Fredericks : What ’ s your game plan here for the next five days Joe ?
Collins : For the next five days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we ’ ve been doing .
I think now we ’ ve switched up our messaging to talk about the type of leader that we need in the district .
We ’ ve talked about how we ’ re going to rebuild our district .
Improve our education system and that message has just hit home now that we finally exposed Maxine Waters for the fraud and crook that she is .
Fredericks : Tell us Joe Collins about are you knocking on doors ?
How are you engaging voters in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knock on doors .
We ’ re making phone calls .
We have a lot of community events .
We started off with the free food pantry when COVID hit and the shutdown took a toll on a lot of families .
We ’ ve done a ton of back to school drives .
Backpack drives .
We ’ ve done prayer breakfasts .
We ’ ve literally cleaned up the streets on a regular basis .
And pretty much anything we do to engage voters .
I know last week we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We had the game truck we had the snow clown trucks and food out .
And we had all the community kids come up to the office and enjoy themselves for a couple of hours .
So we ’ ve been doing a lot of positive things in the community .
Fredericks : When you ’ re talking to people one-on-one about Maxine and about the district what are they saying Joe ?
Collins : Well , I think a lot of people are telling me that um you know they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody who ’ s gon na actually do something for them .
Someone who they can relate to .
A lot of people in the district some like President Trump , some don ’ t like President Trump .
But they ’ re all looking forward to me working with the president to bring opportunities to our communities .
We all know that President Trump has the the platinum plan with the $ 500 billion .
And the people in the district understand that he ’ s not going to give that to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are ready for some new leadership .
Listen to the full show here :


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--The Buckeye Institute Questions How Colleges, Universities Use Large Gifts

An Ohio native , J.D .
Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers @ @ @ @ @ Alabama and Texas .
He has served as a reporter , editor , managing editor @ @ @ @ @ a regional editor for The Center Square .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Lawyer for Delaware Shop Owner: FBI Initially Turned Down Purported Hunter Biden Laptop

The family of the Delaware shop owner who says he came into possession of a laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden first tried to turn over the computer to the FBI in summer 2019 but was rebuffed , only to have agents return months later during President Trump 's impeachment proceedings , his lawyer said Thursday night .
In a lengthy statement to Just the News , attorney Brian Della Rocca provided a detailed timeline of the actions his client , John Paul Mac Isaac , says he took in trying to get authorities to investigate the laptop .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides of the aisle for politicizing the episode and for attacking the Delaware computer repairman without having the facts .
Mac Isaac `` unwittingly became the target of a smear campaign by doing what he thought was right , '' Della Rocca said .
`` John Paul is not a right-wing fanatic , nor is he a Russian hacker . ''
In the statement that was originally drafted to be an op-ed , Della Rocca made several new revelations about the laptop that has stirred worldwide political intrigue on the eve of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a news media and social media censorship campaign .
Among the revelations : • A man claiming to be Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops on April 12 , 2019 to Mac Isaac 's shop to be repaired , and returned two days later with an external hard drive .
The man believed to be Hunter Biden eventually abandoned one of the laptops and the external hard drive without paying for them .
• Mac Isaac 's father , a retired Air Force colonel , first tried to provide a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Albuquerque , N.M. , in summer 2019 , but the bureau turned him away .
• FBI agents from Albuquerque , N.M. , contacted the father in October 2019 , as impeachment proceedings were ongoing in Washington , to discuss the laptop and then to interview the younger Mac Isaac in Delaware .
A few weeks later , FBI agents in Delaware seized the original laptop from Mac Isaac .
• On Oct. 13 of this year , Hunter Biden 's attorney contacted Mac Isaac to discuss the hard drive and followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action .
You can read the lawyer 's full statement here : Three people familiar with the matter told Just the News on Thursday that the FBI has an ongoing investigation into business transactions involving firms associated with Hunter Biden and other business associates .
The investigation began in 2019 around the time the FBI followed up on Mac Isaac 's concerns and has since expanded to issues raised by an IRS whistleblower complaint filed a year ago .
The probe got new evidence in recent days when Hunter Biden 's former business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other materials during an FBI interview , one person with knowledge of the case said .
The sources , who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly , said no decisions have been made about whether wrongdoing occurred or whether charges are warranted against any person or institution .
Here are key excerpts from Della Rocca 's statement : '' By way of background , John Paul has owned his shop for over ten years now .
Prior to that , John Paul was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Store in Littleton , Colo. , and New Castle , Del .
Once , while employed by Apple , he found himself in a situation where , while fixing a customer 's iMac , he came across seemingly illegal material .
He followed protocol and contacted the authorities .
No one questioned John Paul 's ethics then . ''
How did the alleged Hunter Biden laptop come into Mac Isaac 's possession ?
`` Fast-forward to April 12 , 2019 when a man claiming to be Hunter Biden walked into his shop .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hunter Biden 's notoriety was in his shop , he did not question why Hunter Biden was there .
In fact , Hunter Biden had been referred to John Paul 's shop .
John Paul is well respected in the community and it would not have been uncommon for his patrons to refer others to his shop .
John Paul provided a solution for one of Hunter Biden 's three laptops on the spot .
Another laptop was a complete write-off but the third laptop required more significant intervention .
That laptop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hunter Biden returned two days later with an external hard drive to which John Paul would transfer the information .
According to John Paul , recovering the data was difficult because of the significant liquid damage to the drive .
He would boot the computer and transfer as much as he could before the computer shut down .
Then , he would boot up the computer again , verify what was copied , and then transfer more data until the computer shut down again .
This process repeated several times .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pieces of information but , at the time , he did not think anything of it .
Instead , John Paul completed the work and contacted Hunter Biden to let him know .
Hunter Biden never responded .
As requested by Hunter Biden , a secure payment request was sent in an email but was never paid .
John Paul contacted him at least one more time but Hunter Biden never responded .
The policy of the shop is that items not picked up within 90 days of the completion of the services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' A first effort to turn over the computer contents to the FBI is turned away '' Around mid-July of 2019 , news of Hunter Biden 's business dealings with the Ukraine were coming more into focus and John Paul started to get uncomfortable with the information he had seen .
He was unsure if the hard drive contained information pertinent to the legal investigation .
At that point , he reached out to his father , a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force , for advice about what he should do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI and handing over the Mac and the drive was their best course of action .
Soon thereafter , John Paul 's father took a copy of the hard drive to an FBI field office in Albuquerque , New Mexico .
The FBI turned John Paul 's father away . ''
`` In mid-October of 2019 , an FBI Agent reached out to Colonel Mac Isaac and wanted to discuss the Mac and drive .
At that point , Colonel Mac Isaac passed along John Paul 's contact information .
The FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met him at his house to discuss John Paul 's concerns .
On December 9 , 2019 , the FBI served a Subpoena on John Paul for the computer , the hard drive , and all related paperwork .
He willingly gave it to the FBI and was happy to see it go . ''
How the laptop ’ s existence became public ?
`` Out of an abundance of caution , John Paul made a copy of the drive in case he was ever thrown under the bus as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watched the impeachment trial , he wondered why there was no reference to the information he had provided to the FBI .
As a result , starting in February of 2020 and until July of 2020 , John Paul reached out to several members of Congress to notify them of what he had in his possession .
His requests fell on deaf ears .
Out of frustration , in the beginning of September , John Paul reached out to someone he thought would be able to provide the information directly to the President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A day after John Paul reached out to Giuliani 's office , Robert Costello , Rudy Giuliani 's lawyer , contacted John Paul to discuss the information and John Paul 's concerns .
On September 24 , 2020 , John Paul then submitted information about the drive to Senator Ron Johnson through the whistleblower link on Senator Johnson 's website .
After that submission and while Giuliani 's office was still trying to verify the information , Senator Johnson released the Senate report on the Biden business dealings . ''
What Mac Isaac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We know it is Hunter Biden 's laptop because we have his signature on the Repair Authorization and Hunter Biden 's attorney has reached out to John Paul about the computer . ''
2 .
`` Hunter Biden never returned to retrieve the information rendering it abandoned property or , in other words , junk .
We know that once you throw something into the trash , you relinquish your privacy rights to it , which is why so many investigations include a search of a person 's trash . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ computer and the external hard drive and left John Paul with a receipt . ''
4 .
`` The information on the drive was leaked by someone prior to the New York Post exposé .
John Paul has not released any information as he is cooperating with law enforcement and to do so could hurt the investigation . ''
`` We do not know if all emails released by the New York Post were actually on the hard drive .
We do not know if the initial leak was from Senator Johnson 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or from somewhere else . ''
`` He was trying to get the information to law enforcement and , in doing so , became a victim of politics .
Although he is receiving support from many Americans , he is also the subject of death threats and will likely be out of business as a result of this whole affair .
This take no prisoners approach to politics is where the problem lies — on both sides of the political aisle .
The rest of us can easily get caught up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact when , in reality , much of what we hear or read is not . ''
`` … The problem is not that John Paul turned over the information to those he believed he could trust , it is that politics today seems to revel in sensation and ignores the collateral damage left in its wake .
Not only are our elected officials seemingly happy to obfuscate the facts in order to attack their opponents , they are also perfectly willing to throw everyday Americans under the bus for their own political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the matter , news outlets are making the decision themselves as to the veracity of the claims about Hunter Biden 's laptop .
If you are an avid follower of CNN or Politico , you have already been led to believe that John Paul is a part of an overall Russian disinformation campaign .
`` Twitter and Facebook have taken it upon themselves to relegate this story to a level equal to that of conspiracy theories .
The actions by these social media platforms further hurt John Paul 's reputation by advancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a Russian disinformation campaign . ''

The family of the Delaware shop owner who says he came into possession of a laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden first tried to turn over the computer to the FBI in summer 2019 but was rebuffed, only to have agents return months later during President Trump's impeachment proceedings, his lawyer said Thursday night.
In a lengthy statement to Just the News, attorney Brian Della Rocca provided a detailed timeline of the actions his client, John Paul Mac Isaac, says he took in trying to get authorities to investigate the laptop.
The lawyer also decried public figures on both sides of the aisle for politicizing the episode and for attacking the Delaware computer repairman without having the facts.
Mac Isaac "unwittingly became the target of a smear campaign by doing what he thought was right," Della Rocca said. "John Paul is not a right-wing fanatic, nor is he a Russian hacker."
In the statement that was originally drafted to be an op-ed, Della Rocca made several new revelations about the laptop that has stirred worldwide political intrigue on the eve of the American presidential election, an FBI investigation, and a news media and social media censorship campaign. Among the revelations:
A man claiming to be Hunter Biden dropped off three laptops on April 12, 2019 to Mac Isaac's shop to be repaired, and returned two days later with an external hard drive. The man believed to be Hunter Biden eventually abandoned one of the laptops and the external hard drive without paying for them.
Mac Isaac's father, a retired Air Force colonel, first tried to provide a copy of the laptop to an FBI office in Albuquerque, N.M., in summer 2019, but the bureau turned him away.
FBI agents from Albuquerque, N.M., contacted the father in October 2019, as impeachment proceedings were ongoing in Washington, to discuss the laptop and then to interview the younger Mac Isaac in Delaware. A few weeks later, FBI agents in Delaware seized the original laptop from Mac Isaac.
On Oct. 13 of this year, Hunter Biden's attorney contacted Mac Isaac to discuss the hard drive and followed up with an email but no further action.
You can read the lawyer's full statement here:
Three people familiar with the matter told Just the News on Thursday that the FBI has an ongoing investigation into business transactions involving firms associated with Hunter Biden and other business associates.
The investigation began in 2019 around the time the FBI followed up on Mac Isaac's concerns and has since expanded to issues raised by an IRS whistleblower complaint filed a year ago. The probe got new evidence in recent days when Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski turned over documents and other materials during an FBI interview, one person with knowledge of the case said.
The sources, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly, said no decisions have been made about whether wrongdoing occurred or whether charges are warranted against any person or institution.
Here are key excerpts from Della Rocca's statement:
Who is John Paul Mac Isaac?
"By way of background, John Paul has owned his shop for over ten years now. Prior to that, John Paul was the 'Lead Genius' at the Apple Store in Littleton, Colo., and New Castle, Del. Once, while employed by Apple, he found himself in a situation where, while fixing a customer's iMac, he came across seemingly illegal material. He followed protocol and contacted the authorities. No one questioned John Paul's ethics then."
How did the alleged Hunter Biden laptop come into Mac Isaac's possession?
"Fast-forward to April 12, 2019 when a man claiming to be Hunter Biden walked into his shop. While John Paul was pleased that someone of Hunter Biden's notoriety was in his shop, he did not question why Hunter Biden was there. In fact, Hunter Biden had been referred to John Paul's shop. John Paul is well respected in the community and it would not have been uncommon for his patrons to refer others to his shop. John Paul provided a solution for one of Hunter Biden's three laptops on the spot. Another laptop was a complete write-off but the third laptop required more significant intervention. That laptop remained in the shop with John Paul. Hunter Biden returned two days later with an external hard drive to which John Paul would transfer the information.
According to John Paul, recovering the data was difficult because of the significant liquid damage to the drive. He would boot the computer and transfer as much as he could before the computer shut down. Then, he would boot up the computer again, verify what was copied, and then transfer more data until the computer shut down again. This process repeated several times. During this process, John Paul saw certain pieces of information but, at the time, he did not think anything of it. Instead, John Paul completed the work and contacted Hunter Biden to let him know. Hunter Biden never responded. As requested by Hunter Biden, a secure payment request was sent in an email but was never paid. John Paul contacted him at least one more time but Hunter Biden never responded. The policy of the shop is that items not picked up within 90 days of the completion of the services will be treated as abandoned property."
A first effort to turn over the computer contents to the FBI is turned away
"Around mid-July of 2019, news of Hunter Biden's business dealings with the Ukraine were coming more into focus and John Paul started to get uncomfortable with the information he had seen. He was unsure if the hard drive contained information pertinent to the legal investigation.
At that point, he reached out to his father, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, for advice about what he should do. They both decided that going to the FBI and handing over the Mac and the drive was their best course of action. Soon thereafter, John Paul's father took a copy of the hard drive to an FBI field office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The FBI turned John Paul's father away."
A return visit from the FBI
"In mid-October of 2019, an FBI Agent reached out to Colonel Mac Isaac and wanted to discuss the Mac and drive. At that point, Colonel Mac Isaac passed along John Paul's contact information. The FBI then reached out to John Paul and met him at his house to discuss John Paul's concerns. On December 9, 2019, the FBI served a Subpoena on John Paul for the computer, the hard drive, and all related paperwork. He willingly gave it to the FBI and was happy to see it go."
How the laptop’s existence became public?
"Out of an abundance of caution, John Paul made a copy of the drive in case he was ever thrown under the bus as a result of what he knew. As John Paul watched the impeachment trial, he wondered why there was no reference to the information he had provided to the FBI. As a result, starting in February of 2020 and until July of 2020, John Paul reached out to several members of Congress to notify them of what he had in his possession. His requests fell on deaf ears.
Out of frustration, in the beginning of September, John Paul reached out to someone he thought would be able to provide the information directly to the President. That person was Rudy Giuliani. A day after John Paul reached out to Giuliani's office, Robert Costello, Rudy Giuliani's lawyer, contacted John Paul to discuss the information and John Paul's concerns.
On September 24, 2020, John Paul then submitted information about the drive to Senator Ron Johnson through the whistleblower link on Senator Johnson's website. After that submission and while Giuliani's office was still trying to verify the information, Senator Johnson released the Senate report on the Biden business dealings."
What Mac Isaac claims to know for certain:
1. "We know it is Hunter Biden's laptop because we have his signature on the Repair Authorization and Hunter Biden's attorney has reached out to John Paul about the computer."
2. "Hunter Biden never returned to retrieve the information rendering it abandoned property or, in other words, junk. We know that once you throw something into the trash, you relinquish your privacy rights to it, which is why so many investigations include a search of a person's trash."
3. "The FBI confiscated the computer and the external hard drive and left John Paul with a receipt."
4. "The information on the drive was leaked by someone prior to the New York Post exposé. John Paul has not released any information as he is cooperating with law enforcement and to do so could hurt the investigation."
Unanswered questions
"We do not know if all emails released by the New York Post were actually on the hard drive. We do not know if the initial leak was from Senator Johnson's office, from Rudy Giuliani himself, or from somewhere else."
The fallout from Mac Isaac’s actions
"He was trying to get the information to law enforcement and, in doing so, became a victim of politics. Although he is receiving support from many Americans, he is also the subject of death threats and will likely be out of business as a result of this whole affair. This take no prisoners approach to politics is where the problem lies — on both sides of the political aisle. The rest of us can easily get caught up in the information being presented as if it is fact when, in reality, much of what we hear or read is not."
"… The problem is not that John Paul turned over the information to those he believed he could trust, it is that politics today seems to revel in sensation and ignores the collateral damage left in its wake. Not only are our elected officials seemingly happy to obfuscate the facts in order to attack their opponents, they are also perfectly willing to throw everyday Americans under the bus for their own political gain."
Frustration with the media, social media
"Instead of reporting on the matter, news outlets are making the decision themselves as to the veracity of the claims about Hunter Biden's laptop. If you are an avid follower of CNN or Politico, you have already been led to believe that John Paul is a part of an overall Russian disinformation campaign.
"Twitter and Facebook have taken it upon themselves to relegate this story to a level equal to that of conspiracy theories. The actions by these social media platforms further hurt John Paul's reputation by advancing the notion that he is a part of a Russian disinformation campaign."


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--Tony Bobulinski Says FBI Interviewed Him for Five Hours About Bidens, Chinese Business Deal

Former Biden family business partner Tony Bobulinski said on Thursday that the FBI interviewed him for five hours last week about his business dealings with Hunter Biden in a proposed joint venture with a Chinese energy company .
Bobulinski said in an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting that FBI agents told him in an Oct. 23 interview that he was a material witness in their investigation .
The FBI has not said whether it is conducting any investigations related to the Bidens .
Sinclair reporter James Rosen said that a Justice Department source said that a money laundering investigation was opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associates .
Bobulinski said that FBI agents asked him about his work with “ the Biden family , CEFC , and other operations around the world involving other countries.
” CEFC is a Chinese energy company with links to the communist regime that paid Hunter Biden at least $ 5 million in 2017 .
“ It was a very cooperative deep dive , ” Bobulinski said of his FBI interview .
In May 2017 , Bobulinski and two other businessmen partnered with Hunter Biden and James Biden to form a company called SinoHawk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was to invest $ 10 million from CEFC in various energy and infrastructure projects in the U.S. and other countries .
The SinoHawk-CEFC joint venture fizzled out by August 2017 , but Hunter and James Biden continued doing business with the firm .
A Senate report released last month said that CEFC wired Hunter Biden at least $ 5 million beginning on Aug. 7 , 2017 .
Some of the wire payments were flagged for possible criminal financial activity , the Senate report said .
Bobulinski came forward last week with details about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEFC .
He said he did not know that CEFC paid the Bidens until he read it in the Senate report .
Bobulinski provided a trove of emails , text messages and business records related to his dealings with the Bidens to the Senate Homeland Security Committee and FBI .
The Daily Caller News Foundation also obtained the documents .
One of the documents shows that Hunter Biden arranged a meeting for Bobulinski with Joe Biden in Los Angeles on May 2 , 2017 .
Bobulinski said at a press conference last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plans for doing business in China .
He said that Joe Biden ’ s denials were “ false , ” and that he had “ firsthand knowledge about this because I directly dealt with the Biden family , including Joe Biden.
” Bobulinski has also said that Joe Biden was referenced as “ the big guy ” in an email laying out the equity stakes for the partners in the joint venture .
The email allocated 20 % equity to Hunter Biden and 10 % for “ the big guy.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never held equity in his son ’ s companies .
Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Tony Bobulinski ” by Fox News .
Background Photo “ DOJ Building ” by Bjoertvedt .
CC BY-SA 3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-10-30--EXCLUSIVE: NY Post’s ‘Smoking Gun’ Hunter Biden Email 100% Authentic, Forensic Analysis Concludes

An email Hunter Biden received in April 2015 from a Burisma executive discussing an introduction to then-Vice President Joe Biden , which lies at the heart of a New York Post investigation , is unquestionably authentic , a cybersecurity expert told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday .
The DCNF obtained a full copy of Hunter Biden ’ s alleged laptop from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday .
The DCNF provided Robert Graham , the founder of the cybersecurity firm Errata Security , with a copy of the email and its metadata for forensic analysis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cybersecurity expert in The Washington Post , the Associated Press , Wired , Engadget and other news and technology outlets , told the DCNF that he used a cryptographic signature found in the email ’ s metadata to validate that Vadym Pozharsky , an advisor to Burisma ’ s board of directors , emailed Hunter Biden on April 17 , 2015 .
In the email , Pozharsky thanked Hunter Biden for “ inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [ sic ] some time together.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the email in October , describing it as a “ smoking-gun ” showing that Hunter Biden had introduced his father to the Burisma executive in 2015 .
The email was sent less than a year before Joe Biden pressured former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to fire a prosecutor who was reportedly investigating the gas company in return for a $ 1 billion loan guarantee .
Graham previously told the DCNF that emails sent from Gmail , such as Pozharski ’ s message to Hunter Biden , can be “ absolutely verified beyond a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its contents against the unique DKIM signature found in its metadata .
Graham used the DKIM signature within the email to verify with a private key on Google ’ s servers that the sender , recipient , subject , date and body of the message that the DCNF obtained from Giuliani were unchanged from when the email was originally sent in April 2015 .
Graham said the only way the email could have been faked is if someone hacked into Google ’ s servers , found the private key and used it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signature .
Email metadata on its own does not provide any indication of whether hacking had anything to with the email ’ s release , Graham noted .
“ Of course , committing criminal hacking doesn ’ t make true information any less true , so no matter how illegitimately they gathered emails , the contents are provably legitimate , ” Graham said .
Joe Biden ’ s presidential campaign said in a statement that his schedule indicates that no such meeting as alleged in the email took place .
However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not rule out the possibility he had a cursory encounter with the Burisma executive .
The email came from a computer that Hunter Biden reportedly dropped off at a Delaware-based computer repair shop in April 2019 .
The repair shop owner provided Giuliani a copy of the hard drive after it went unclaimed .
Hunter Biden has not denied giving his laptop to the Delaware repair shop .
Giuliani had initially refused to provide the Daily Caller with a copy of the hard drive in mid-October , saying that questions surrounding the veracity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” pushed by the “ liberal press.
” The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment .