truepundit--2020-09-05--‘Suicide Mission’: 52 Ex-Franchisees File $1 Billion Discrimination Lawsuit Against McDonald’s

A group of 52 former McDonald ’ s franchisees filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the fast food giant of decades-long discrimination practices .
The plaintiffs allege that McDonald ’ s “ systematically steered ” black franchisees toward buying locations in minority communities , Business insider reported .
They are collectively seeking $ 1 billion in damages from McDonald ’ s .
“ We ’ re always taking on the worst stores , ” Juneth Daniel , a black former franchisee and plaintiff , told Business Insider last year .
Another plaintiff said that buying a McDonald ’ s location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial suicide mission , ” according to the lawsuit , Business Insider reported .
The plaintiffs ’ average revenue between 2011 and 2016 was about $ 2 million compared to the McDonald ’ s average of $ 2.7 million , according to the lawsuit , Business Insider reported .
The lawsuit said the differences were statistically significant and the “ result of Defendants ’ racial bias and barriers within the McDonald ’ s franchise system.
” Black franchisees are covertly restricted to buying locations that are less lucrative , excluded from growth opportunities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss , the lawsuit additionally alleges , according to Business Insider .
McDonald ’ s also enforces harsher renovation standards and deploys “ unreasonable ” inspections against black franchisees , the lawsuit said .
“ When allegations such as these occur , I want them investigated thoroughly and objectively , ” the company ’ s chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski said in a Tuesday video message , according to Business Insider .
“ That ’ s been our approach to this situation .
Based upon our review , we disagree with the claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly defend against it.
” Kempczinski told CNBC in June that McDonald ’ s has created more black millionaires “ than probably any other corporation on the planet.
” McDonald ’ s posted a video tribute to George Floyd and others including Michael Brown , Trayvon Martin and Alton Sterling .
Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25 after an officer kneeled on his neck , video of the incident shows .
“ They were all one of us , ” the video said .

A group of 52 former McDonald’s franchisees filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the fast food giant of decades-long discrimination practices.
The plaintiffs allege that McDonald’s “systematically steered” black franchisees toward buying locations in minority communities, Business insider reported. They are collectively seeking $1 billion in damages from McDonald’s.
“We’re always taking on the worst stores,” Juneth Daniel, a black former franchisee and plaintiff, told Business Insider last year.
Another plaintiff said that buying a McDonald’s location as a black person was a “financial suicide mission,” according to the lawsuit, Business Insider reported.
The plaintiffs’ average revenue between 2011 and 2016 was about $2 million compared to the McDonald’s average of $2.7 million, according to the lawsuit, Business Insider reported. The lawsuit said the differences were statistically significant and the “result of Defendants’ racial bias and barriers within the McDonald’s franchise system.”
Black franchisees are covertly restricted to buying locations that are less lucrative, excluded from growth opportunities and forced to sell stores at a loss, the lawsuit additionally alleges, according to Business Insider. McDonald’s also enforces harsher renovation standards and deploys “unreasonable” inspections against black franchisees, the lawsuit said.
“When allegations such as these occur, I want them investigated thoroughly and objectively,” the company’s chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski said in a Tuesday video message, according to Business Insider. “That’s been our approach to this situation. Based upon our review, we disagree with the claims in this lawsuit and we intend to strongly defend against it.”
Kempczinski told CNBC in June that McDonald’s has created more black millionaires “than probably any other corporation on the planet.”
McDonald’s posted a video tribute to George Floyd and others including Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Alton Sterling. Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25 after an officer kneeled on his neck, video of the incident shows.
“They were all one of us,” the video said.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Justice Department Announces FISA Reforms To Prevent Another Carter Page Debacle

• Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday announced new measures aimed at preventing abuse of the FISA system that occurred during the FBI ’ s investigation of the Trump campaign .
• Barr placed more stringent requirements on the FBI to obtain FISA orders against elected federal officials , federal candidates , and their advisers .
• Barr also announced the formation of the FBI Office of Internal Auditing .
The Justice Department announced a series of reforms to its procedures for obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) orders on Tuesday aimed at preventing abuses that the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign aide Carter Page .
Attorney General William Barr issued two memos laying out the reforms Tuesday .
One memo announced the creation of an FBI Office of Internal Auditing , which will review all factual allegations submitted in FISA applications .
The other memo deals with surveillance of elected federal officials and candidates seeking federal office .
The protocols also lay out new rules for the handling of FISA orders for officials ’ and candidates ’ staff members and advisers .
The reforms include “ any person who has been publicly announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or member of an official campaign advisory committee or group , or any person who is an informal advisor to the campaign , ” Barr ’ s memo says .
Barr implemented the changes in response to the FBI ’ s abuse of the FISA system during a counterintelligence investigation of Page , a former Navy officer who was a national security adviser on the Trump campaign .
“ FISA is a critical tool to ensuring the safety and security of Americans , particularly when it comes to fighting terrorism , ” Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the American people must have confidence that the United States Government will exercise its surveillance authorities in a manner that protects the civil liberties of Americans , avoids interference in the political process , and complies with the Constitution and laws of the United States.
” “ What happened to the Trump presidential campaign and his subsequent Administration after the President was duly elected by the American people must never happen again , ” he added .
Page , who released his memoir last week , expressed doubt that the reforms will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we now approach the next presidential election , these latest small steps by the DOJ and FBI have not yet sufficiently addressed the criminal acts by ruthlessly partisan political actors in the Swamp , ” Page told the DCNF .
“ The cancerous abuses by the once-respected National Security Division have still not found an effective remedy , following the destruction of so many loyal American citizens.
” The FBI applied for the first of four FISA applications against Page on Oct. 21 , 2016 , a month after he severed ties with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office of the inspector general found that the FBI committed at least 17 “ significant ” errors and omissions in FISA applications granted against Page in April 2017 and June 2017 .
The Justice Department deemed the two FISAs to be invalid because of all of the errors in the FBI applications .
The IG said that the FBI withheld evidence that undercut the FBI ’ s theory that Page was acting as an agent of Russia .
A report from the IG also said that investigators failed to disclose evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dossier .
The IG report said that the dossier was “ central and essential ” to the FBI ’ s decision to seek FISA orders against Page .
Though Page was not technically on the Trump campaign when he was subject to FISA coverage , a Justice Department official said the new protocols are intended to cover individuals in positions similar to Page ’ s in 2016 .
“ The memo covers anyone ‘ who is an informal advisor to the campaign , ’ which was intended to capture individuals like Carter Page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formal advisors but were nonetheless connected to the campaign informally , ” Marc Raimondi , a Justice Department spokesman , told The Daily Caller News Foundation .
Barr ’ s memo requires FBI and Justice Department officials to go to greater lengths to verify information included in all FISA applications .
The reforms also require the FBI director to consider first briefing candidates and officeholders about counterintelligence concerns before seeking FISA orders .
Republican lawmakers have criticized the FBI over its handling of defensive briefings for the Trump campaign .
In August 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joseph Pientka , to collect evidence during a briefing for then-candidate Donald Trump and Michael Flynn that would potentially be using for the ongoing counterintelligence probe .
Barr ’ s policy says that FISA applications shall not be made “ unless the Director of the FBI first considers conducting a defensive briefing of the target and either the FBI conducts such a briefing or , if the Director determines that such a briefing is not appropriate , the Director documents this determination in writing.
” In the Page case , the FBI relied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dossier author .
Steele alleged that Page was part of a “ well-developed conspiracy of cooperation ” between the Trump campaign and Russian government aimed at influencing the 2016 election .
Steele also alleged that Page met with two Kremlin insiders in Moscow in July 2016 to discuss the exchange of election-related information .
Page has vehemently denied meeting with the Kremlin officials .
The special counsel ’ s office also determined that there was no evidence that Page or anyone else on the Trump team conspired with Russia or acted as @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday announced new measures aimed at preventing abuse of the FISA system that occurred during the FBI’s investigation of the Trump campaign.
Barr placed more stringent requirements on the FBI to obtain FISA orders against elected federal officials, federal candidates, and their advisers.
Barr also announced the formation of the FBI Office of Internal Auditing.
The Justice Department announced a series of reforms to its procedures for obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders on Tuesday aimed at preventing abuses that the FBI committed during its investigation of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Attorney General William Barr issued two memos laying out the reforms Tuesday. One memo announced the creation of an FBI Office of Internal Auditing, which will review all factual allegations submitted in FISA applications. The other memo deals with surveillance of elected federal officials and candidates seeking federal office.
The protocols also lay out new rules for the handling of FISA orders for officials’ and candidates’ staff members and advisers.
The reforms include “any person who has been publicly announced by a campaign as a staff member or member of an official campaign advisory committee or group, or any person who is an informal advisor to the campaign,” Barr’s memo says.
Barr implemented the changes in response to the FBI’s abuse of the FISA system during a counterintelligence investigation of Page, a former Navy officer who was a national security adviser on the Trump campaign.
“FISA is a critical tool to ensuring the safety and security of Americans, particularly when it comes to fighting terrorism,” Barr said in a statement. “However, the American people must have confidence that the United States Government will exercise its surveillance authorities in a manner that protects the civil liberties of Americans, avoids interference in the political process, and complies with the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
“What happened to the Trump presidential campaign and his subsequent Administration after the President was duly elected by the American people must never happen again,” he added.
Page, who released his memoir last week, expressed doubt that the reforms will fix the FISA process.
“As we now approach the next presidential election, these latest small steps by the DOJ and FBI have not yet sufficiently addressed the criminal acts by ruthlessly partisan political actors in the Swamp,” Page told the DCNF.
“The cancerous abuses by the once-respected National Security Division have still not found an effective remedy, following the destruction of so many loyal American citizens.”
The FBI applied for the first of four FISA applications against Page on Oct. 21, 2016, a month after he severed ties with the Trump campaign.
The Justice Department’s office of the inspector general found that the FBI committed at least 17 “significant” errors and omissions in FISA applications granted against Page in April 2017 and June 2017.
The Justice Department deemed the two FISAs to be invalid because of all of the errors in the FBI applications.
The IG said that the FBI withheld evidence that undercut the FBI’s theory that Page was acting as an agent of Russia. A report from the IG also said that investigators failed to disclose evidence that undermined the credibility of the Steele dossier. The IG report said that the dossier was “central and essential” to the FBI’s decision to seek FISA orders against Page.
Though Page was not technically on the Trump campaign when he was subject to FISA coverage, a Justice Department official said the new protocols are intended to cover individuals in positions similar to Page’s in 2016.
“The memo covers anyone ‘who is an informal advisor to the campaign,’ which was intended to capture individuals like Carter Page who were no longer staff members or formal advisors but were nonetheless connected to the campaign informally,” Marc Raimondi, a Justice Department spokesman, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Barr’s memo requires FBI and Justice Department officials to go to greater lengths to verify information included in all FISA applications.
The reforms also require the FBI director to consider first briefing candidates and officeholders about counterintelligence concerns before seeking FISA orders.
Republican lawmakers have criticized the FBI over its handling of defensive briefings for the Trump campaign. In August 2016, FBI officials tasked an agent, Joseph Pientka, to collect evidence during a briefing for then-candidate Donald Trump and Michael Flynn that would potentially be using for the ongoing counterintelligence probe.
Barr’s policy says that FISA applications shall not be made “unless the Director of the FBI first considers conducting a defensive briefing of the target and either the FBI conducts such a briefing or, if the Director determines that such a briefing is not appropriate, the Director documents this determination in writing.”
In the Page case, the FBI relied on unverified allegations from Christopher Steele, the dossier author. Steele alleged that Page was part of a “well-developed conspiracy of cooperation” between the Trump campaign and Russian government aimed at influencing the 2016 election. Steele also alleged that Page met with two Kremlin insiders in Moscow in July 2016 to discuss the exchange of election-related information.
Page has vehemently denied meeting with the Kremlin officials. The special counsel’s office also determined that there was no evidence that Page or anyone else on the Trump team conspired with Russia or acted as an agent of Russia in 2016.


truepundit--2020-09-05--The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Says He Kept Sources Anonymous Because People Would Be Mean On Twitte

The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Says He Kept Sources Anonymous Because People Would Be Mean On Twitter

The Atlantic ’ s editor-in-chief said Friday he kept sources anonymous in a story about President Donald Trump because the sources didn ’ t wish to face “ angry tweets and all the rest.
” Jeffrey Goldberg explained why he allowed sources to remain anonymous in his Sept. 3 story , “ Trump : Americans Who Died in War Are ‘ Losers ’ and ‘ Suckers , ’ ” during a Friday interview on CNN ’ s New Day .
The story alleges that Trump called fallen soldiers “ losers ” and “ sucker ” and cites four anonymous sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and current members of the Trump administration who were on the trip where Trump allegedly made these remarks have denied Goldberg ’ s story , according to NBC News .
“ They don ’ t want to be inundated with angry tweets and all the rest , ” Goldberg said of the anonymous sources .
“ And we push hard , and that ’ s why you have to sort of do this reporting with even more belt-and-suspenders approach .
You know , dotted i ’ s and crossed t ’ s and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Each time , this is a judgment call , right , ” Goldberg continued .
“ Does the public ’ s interest in needing this information outweigh the ambiguities or the difficulties of anonymous sourcing ?
And in this case , I decided that I felt I knew this information well enough from high enough sources and multiple sources that I thought we should put it out.
” Trump also denied the report himself , saying Friday according to the New York Times , “ If people really exist that would have said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re liars .
And I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes .
There is nobody that respects them more.
” He added , “ What animal would say such a thing ?
”

The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief said Friday he kept sources anonymous in a story about President Donald Trump because the sources didn’t wish to face “angry tweets and all the rest.”
Jeffrey Goldberg explained why he allowed sources to remain anonymous in his Sept. 3 story, “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers,’” during a Friday interview on CNN’s New Day. The story alleges that Trump called fallen soldiers “losers” and “sucker” and cites four anonymous sources with “firsthand knowledge.”
Multiple former and current members of the Trump administration who were on the trip where Trump allegedly made these remarks have denied Goldberg’s story, according to NBC News.
“They don’t want to be inundated with angry tweets and all the rest,” Goldberg said of the anonymous sources. “And we push hard, and that’s why you have to sort of do this reporting with even more belt-and-suspenders approach. You know, dotted i’s and crossed t’s and find multiple sources for it.”
“Each time, this is a judgment call, right,” Goldberg continued. “Does the public’s interest in needing this information outweigh the ambiguities or the difficulties of anonymous sourcing? And in this case, I decided that I felt I knew this information well enough from high enough sources and multiple sources that I thought we should put it out.”
Trump also denied the report himself, saying Friday according to the New York Times, “If people really exist that would have said that, they’re lowlifes and they’re liars. And I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes. There is nobody that respects them more.”
He added, “What animal would say such a thing?”


truepundit--2020-09-05--Trump’s DOD Delivers Another Big Blow To Bezos, Gives $10 Billion Cloud Project To Microsoft Instead

Trump’s DOD Delivers Another Big Blow To Bezos, Gives $10 Billion Cloud Project To Microsoft Instead Of Amazon

The Pentagon reaffirmed its decision Friday to give a $ 10 billion cloud computing project to Microsoft instead of Amazon , marking the second time in one year that the Trump administration bypassed the online giant ’ s attempt to secure the program .
The Trump administration ’ s decision comes amid a legal battle Amazon Web Services initiated in 2019 after the Department of Defense ( DOD ) selected Microsoft in 2019 for the $ 10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud computing contract , media reports show .
Amazon previously stated that President Donald Trump ’ s dislike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move .
“ The Department has completed its comprehensive re-evaluation of the JEDI Cloud proposals and determined that Microsoft ’ s proposal continues to represent the best value to the Government , ” Russ Goemaere , a Defense Department spokesman , told The Washington Post .
The DOD initially awarded the project to Microsoft in October 2019 until Amazon filed a lawsuit .
JEDI would give the Pentagon a single cloud computing system for data ranging from personnel statistics to intelligence information rather than the hundreds the military currently uses .
“ DoD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our men and women in uniform , ” Goemaere said before adding that the contract could not begin until after the legal battle is completed .
Amazon called the “ DoD ’ s re-evaluation nothing more than an attempt to validate a flawed , biased , and politically corrupted decision ” in a statement Friday on the company ’ s website .
Trump asked for an investigation into the contract over concerns that the contract requirements had been tailored for Amazon .
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper then launched his own “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach .
The Pentagon soon awarded JEDI to Microsoft , prompting a lawsuit from Amazon .
Amazon was long considered a front-runner for the project , but the tech behemoth fell out of favor after Trump found out about the deal .
The decision to give Microsoft the deal came in October 2019 after Trump , a Bezos critic , instructed the DOD that August to put the contract on hold .
Amazon ’ s lawsuit put a grinding halt to JEDI .
A judge eventually concluded that officials made mistakes while they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications .
The DOD then asked to redo the award .
The DOD , in reaffirming its initial decision , is arguing whatever mistakes the agency made were not significant enough to impact the project .

The Pentagon reaffirmed its decision Friday to give a $10 billion cloud computing project to Microsoft instead of Amazon, marking the second time in one year that the Trump administration bypassed the online giant’s attempt to secure the program.
The Trump administration’s decision comes amid a legal battle Amazon Web Services initiated in 2019 after the Department of Defense (DOD) selected Microsoft in 2019 for the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud computing contract, media reports show. Amazon previously stated that President Donald Trump’s dislike of CEO Jeff Bezos contributed to the move.
“The Department has completed its comprehensive re-evaluation of the JEDI Cloud proposals and determined that Microsoft’s proposal continues to represent the best value to the Government,” Russ Goemaere, a Defense Department spokesman, told The Washington Post.
The DOD initially awarded the project to Microsoft in October 2019 until Amazon filed a lawsuit. JEDI would give the Pentagon a single cloud computing system for data ranging from personnel statistics to intelligence information rather than the hundreds the military currently uses.
“DoD is eager to begin delivering this capability to our men and women in uniform,” Goemaere said before adding that the contract could not begin until after the legal battle is completed.
Amazon called the “DoD’s re-evaluation nothing more than an attempt to validate a flawed, biased, and politically corrupted decision” in a statement Friday on the company’s website.
Trump asked for an investigation into the contract over concerns that the contract requirements had been tailored for Amazon. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper then launched his own “review” of the department’s approach. The Pentagon soon awarded JEDI to Microsoft, prompting a lawsuit from Amazon.
Amazon was long considered a front-runner for the project, but the tech behemoth fell out of favor after Trump found out about the deal. The decision to give Microsoft the deal came in October 2019 after Trump, a Bezos critic, instructed the DOD that August to put the contract on hold.
Amazon’s lawsuit put a grinding halt to JEDI. A judge eventually concluded that officials made mistakes while they were evaluating Microsoft and Amazon’s applications. The DOD then asked to redo the award. The DOD, in reaffirming its initial decision, is arguing whatever mistakes the agency made were not significant enough to impact the project.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Barr Commends Federal Agents For Taking Out ‘Violent Agitator’ Michael Reinoehl

Attorney General William Barr commended federal agents on Friday for tracking down Michael Reinoehl , the Antifa supporter wanted for allegedly murdering a Trump supporter at a protest in Portland last weekend .
“ The streets of our cities are safer with this violent agitator removed , and the actions that led to his location are an unmistakable demonstration that the United States will be governed by law , not violent mobs , ” Barr said .
A member of a federal fugitive task force fatally shot Reinoehl while attempting to detain him in Lacey , Washington on Thursday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting last Saturday of Aaron “ Jay ” Danielson , a supporter of the group Patriot Prayer .
Danielson died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest .
Video footage of the incident showed that a gunman fired two shots at Danielson , 39 .
Reinoehl was identified as the possible gunman on Sunday , but the Multnomah District Attorney ’ s office did not issue a warrant for his arrest until Thursday .
VICE News conducted an interview with Reinoehl that aired moments before The New York Times broke the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not directly admit in the interview to shooting Danielson , but he said , “ I was confident that I didn ’ t hit anyone innocent.
” Reinoehl suggested that he opened fire on Danielson to defend one of his friends , saying , “ I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color .
But I wasn ’ t going to do that.
” Reinoehl said that “ the shot ” may be the beginning of a civil war .
Portland police have not released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or any other Antifa protesters .
Barr said that Reinoehl pulled a firearm on Thursday as members of a federal task force attempted to arrest him .
“ The tracking down of Reinoehl — a dangerous fugitive , admitted Antifa member , and suspected murderer — is a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities , ” Barr said .
Reinoehl had a lengthy criminal history and had described himself as a supporter of Antifa , a loosely organized left wing group involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an Instagram post on June 16 that he was “ 100 % Antifa.
” He also wrote on the social media cite that he expected casualties at protests .
Reinoehl had two separate illegal gun possession charges pending against him at the time of his death .
Police found him with a loaded Glock handgun on June 8 after he was pulled over driving 111-mph on Interstate 84 .
Portland police issued him a citation on July 5 after he was found with a loaded gun at a protest in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter at the time of Reinoehl being detained by police .
The department has declined to explain why Reinoehl was roaming the streets despite the two gun charges .

Attorney General William Barr commended federal agents on Friday for tracking down Michael Reinoehl, the Antifa supporter wanted for allegedly murdering a Trump supporter at a protest in Portland last weekend.
“The streets of our cities are safer with this violent agitator removed, and the actions that led to his location are an unmistakable demonstration that the United States will be governed by law, not violent mobs,” Barr said.
A member of a federal fugitive task force fatally shot Reinoehl while attempting to detain him in Lacey, Washington on Thursday.
Reinoehl was wanted in connection with the shooting last Saturday of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a supporter of the group Patriot Prayer. Danielson died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest. Video footage of the incident showed that a gunman fired two shots at Danielson, 39.
Reinoehl was identified as the possible gunman on Sunday, but the Multnomah District Attorney’s office did not issue a warrant for his arrest until Thursday.
VICE News conducted an interview with Reinoehl that aired moments before The New York Times broke the story that he had been killed.
Reinoehl did not directly admit in the interview to shooting Danielson, but he said, “I was confident that I didn’t hit anyone innocent.”
Reinoehl suggested that he opened fire on Danielson to defend one of his friends, saying, “I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn’t going to do that.”
Reinoehl said that “the shot” may be the beginning of a civil war.
Portland police have not released any evidence suggesting that Danielson threatened Reinoehl or any other Antifa protesters.
Barr said that Reinoehl pulled a firearm on Thursday as members of a federal task force attempted to arrest him.
“The tracking down of Reinoehl — a dangerous fugitive, admitted Antifa member, and suspected murderer — is a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities,” Barr said.
Reinoehl had a lengthy criminal history and had described himself as a supporter of Antifa, a loosely organized left wing group involved in the racial justice movement.
Reinoehl said in an Instagram post on June 16 that he was “100% Antifa.” He also wrote on the social media cite that he expected casualties at protests.
Reinoehl had two separate illegal gun possession charges pending against him at the time of his death.
Police found him with a loaded Glock handgun on June 8 after he was pulled over driving 111-mph on Interstate 84. Portland police issued him a citation on July 5 after he was found with a loaded gun at a protest in the city. The police department posted a photo on Twitter at the time of Reinoehl being detained by police.
The department has declined to explain why Reinoehl was roaming the streets despite the two gun charges.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Protesters Demand More Police Patrols, Funding In Boston’s ‘Methadone Mile’

A group of protesters gathered in Boston on Thursday arguing that the city needs to reform “ Methadone Mile , ” a stretch that is known for homeless tents and public drug use .
Protesters demanded Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov .
Charlie Baker make immediate changes to the area through policies including treating opioid use as a public health crisis and increasing funding for police patrols .
The area is located on one part of the busy Massachusetts Avenue that cuts through the city ’ s Roxbury neighborhood , according to The Daily Free Press .
“ As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shouldn ’ t feel like we need to walk on eggshells when we ’ re going for a walk in the neighborhood , ” said Anyssa Buchanan , a member of the South End-Roxbury Community Partnership , according to The Daily Free Press .
She continued , “ Our first instinct shouldn ’ t have to be looking around and making sure needles aren ’ t on the ground.
” Human feces and needles are often strewn on sidewalks in the area , according to Buchanan , The Daily Free Press reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ group formed to discuss the issue , requested Walsh and Baker make neighborhoods cleaner and safer by treating the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency , according to The Daily Free Press .
Baker signed a law in 2018 , which he called a “ blueprint ” for the nation and was a member of President Donald Trump ’ s Commission on Opioids .
“ It ’ s out of control , it ’ s inhumane , ” one protester told Boston 25 News .
“ The population is big , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the state.
” The community group also demanded more funding for Boston Police Department patrols , The Daily Free Press reported .
The city cut the Boston Police Department budget by $ 10 million in June following the death of George Floyd , according to Boston.com .
In August 2019 , Boston police made 15 arrests on “ Methadone Mile ” after a corrections officer was brutally beaten in an apparently random act of violence , according to ABC affiliate WCVB .
The officer was surrounded by a large group and attacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve never seen a pack of animals jump somebody like that , ” said the officer ’ s father , WCVB reported .

A group of protesters gathered in Boston on Thursday arguing that the city needs to reform “Methadone Mile,” a stretch that is known for homeless tents and public drug use.
Protesters demanded Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker make immediate changes to the area through policies including treating opioid use as a public health crisis and increasing funding for police patrols. The area is located on one part of the busy Massachusetts Avenue that cuts through the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, according to The Daily Free Press.
“As a community, or as taxpayers, we shouldn’t feel like we need to walk on eggshells when we’re going for a walk in the neighborhood,” said Anyssa Buchanan, a member of the South End-Roxbury Community Partnership, according to The Daily Free Press.
She continued, “Our first instinct shouldn’t have to be looking around and making sure needles aren’t on the ground.”
Human feces and needles are often strewn on sidewalks in the area, according to Buchanan, The Daily Free Press reported.
The South End-Roxbury Community Partnership, a group formed to discuss the issue, requested Walsh and Baker make neighborhoods cleaner and safer by treating the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency, according to The Daily Free Press. Baker signed a law in 2018, which he called a “blueprint” for the nation and was a member of President Donald Trump’s Commission on Opioids.
“It’s out of control, it’s inhumane,” one protester told Boston 25 News. “The population is big, is explosive, and we need the support of the state.”
The community group also demanded more funding for Boston Police Department patrols, The Daily Free Press reported. The city cut the Boston Police Department budget by $10 million in June following the death of George Floyd, according to Boston.com.
In August 2019, Boston police made 15 arrests on “Methadone Mile” after a corrections officer was brutally beaten in an apparently random act of violence, according to ABC affiliate WCVB. The officer was surrounded by a large group and attacked, security camera footage showed.
“I’ve never seen a pack of animals jump somebody like that,” said the officer’s father, WCVB reported.


truepundit--2020-09-05--A Left-Wing American Writer Reveals How He Was Suckered Into Becoming A Russian Propaganda Creator

A writer who lost his job due to the pandemic explained Friday how he unwittingly became a pawn in a Russian troll farm ’ s apparent attempt to inflame the electorate ahead of the November election .
A man calling himself the editor of a left-wing outlet called Peace Data reached out to aspiring writer Jack Delaney in July about contributing content to the website , Delaney explained in a Guardian post Friday .
The supposed editor , who went by the name Alex Lacusta , promised the 26-year-old the opportunity to write columns and get paid $ 200-250 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his part-time job at a restaurant after the pandemic as lockdowns culminated in millions of job losses and a severe economic dip .
“ I was in need of income and an outlet to build my portfolio .
The opportunity to write a column could be the break I was hoping for , ” he added .
Delaney jumped at the chance to further his writing career after reading some of Peace Data ’ s articles , which lambasted the Trump administration and was critical of United States ’ foreign policy , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Lacusta was a persona , and Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency ( IRA ) created Peace Data to troll voters ahead of the election , Facebook noted in a report Tuesday .
The platform removed a network of accounts and pages that day tied to the IRA .
IRA created Peace Data , which purports to be a left-wing outlet and features content focused on American politics , according to Graphika , a social media analytics company Facebook uses to flesh out Russia ’ s influence operation .
A small number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2020 election , CNN reported Tuesday .
Peace Data ’ s content also painted Biden and his running mate , Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris , as immoral and puppets for political conservatives , The Washington Post reported Tuesday , citing Graphika ’ s report .
Peace Data created fake personas to appear legitimate , according to Graphika .
The personas then recruited American writers and activists online , according to Peace Data ’ s website , which is no longer active .
“ I had been completely unaware of PeaceData ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oligarchs .
I wish this had never happened and I ’ m not proud to be associated with it , ” Delaney wrote Friday .
“ I ’ ve lost sleep because of it .
I have been confused , embarrassed , and frankly angry at myself for letting the potential for a break get the best of my judgment.
” The IRA allegedly created fake identities on Twitter and Facebook in 2016 to post content aimed at aggravating U.S. voters on divisive issues .
Former special counsel Robert Mueller also indicted twelve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and released them through WikiLeaks .
The IRA additionally stirred up strife inside the U.S. following the 2016 election , according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report published in 2019 .
“ After Election Day , left-leaning IRA accounts were promoting hashtags such as ‘ # Impeach45 , ’ ‘ # Resist , ’ and ‘ # GunReformNow , ’ ” the report notes , adding that “ right-leaning IRA accounts were focused on the NFL kneeling controversy , ” as well as hashtags criticizing the @ @

A writer who lost his job due to the pandemic explained Friday how he unwittingly became a pawn in a Russian troll farm’s apparent attempt to inflame the electorate ahead of the November election.
A man calling himself the editor of a left-wing outlet called Peace Data reached out to aspiring writer Jack Delaney in July about contributing content to the website, Delaney explained in a Guardian post Friday. The supposed editor, who went by the name Alex Lacusta, promised the 26-year-old the opportunity to write columns and get paid $200-250 per piece, Delaney wrote.
Delaney lost his part-time job at a restaurant after the pandemic as lockdowns culminated in millions of job losses and a severe economic dip. “I was in need of income and an outlet to build my portfolio. The opportunity to write a column could be the break I was hoping for,” he added.
Delaney jumped at the chance to further his writing career after reading some of Peace Data’s articles, which lambasted the Trump administration and was critical of United States’ foreign policy, according to Delaney.
Unbeknownst to Delaney, Alex Lacusta was a persona, and Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) created Peace Data to troll voters ahead of the election, Facebook noted in a report Tuesday. The platform removed a network of accounts and pages that day tied to the IRA.
IRA created Peace Data, which purports to be a left-wing outlet and features content focused on American politics, according to Graphika, a social media analytics company Facebook uses to flesh out Russia’s influence operation. A small number of Peace Data’s articles reference the 2020 election, CNN reported Tuesday.
Peace Data’s content also painted Biden and his running mate, Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris, as immoral and puppets for political conservatives, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing Graphika’s report. Peace Data created fake personas to appear legitimate, according to Graphika.
The personas then recruited American writers and activists online, according to Peace Data’s website, which is no longer active.
“I had been completely unaware of PeaceData’s links to the IRA and Russian oligarchs. I wish this had never happened and I’m not proud to be associated with it,” Delaney wrote Friday. “I’ve lost sleep because of it. I have been confused, embarrassed, and frankly angry at myself for letting the potential for a break get the best of my judgment.”
The IRA allegedly created fake identities on Twitter and Facebook in 2016 to post content aimed at aggravating U.S. voters on divisive issues. Former special counsel Robert Mueller also indicted twelve Russian intelligence officers on charges that they hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and released them through WikiLeaks.
The IRA additionally stirred up strife inside the U.S. following the 2016 election, according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report published in 2019.
“After Election Day, left-leaning IRA accounts were promoting hashtags such as ‘#Impeach45,’ ‘#Resist,’ and ‘#GunReformNow,’” the report notes, adding that “right-leaning IRA accounts were focused on the NFL kneeling controversy,” as well as hashtags criticizing the FBI.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Biden Megadonor Owns The Atlantic And Reportedly Communicates Often With Reporter Behind Anonymously

Biden Megadonor Owns The Atlantic And Reportedly Communicates Often With Reporter Behind Anonymously-Sourced Trump Bombshell

• Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs , the majority owner of The Atlantic , has donated over $ 1.2 million to former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates and groups since 2019 , Federal Election Commission records show .
• Powell Jobs owns a 70 % stake in The Atlantic , and she reportedly communicates often with its editor-in-chief , Jeffrey Goldberg .
• Goldberg published an anonymously-sourced story Thursday alleging that President Donald Trump had denigrated fallen American soldiers .
The Atlantic ’ s majority owner has donated over $ 1.2 million to Democratic candidates and political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close contact with the magazine ’ s editor-in-chief , who published an anonymously-sourced story Thursday alleging that President Donald Trump denigrated fallen American soldiers .
Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs , the widow of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs , obtained a 70 % stake in The Atlantic in 2017 through her firm , the Emerson Collective .
In November , she further solidified her control over the magazine after its longtime chairman , David Bradley , said he was going to step away from management , according to Politico .
Politico noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often with The Atlantic ’ s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg .
Powell Jobs contributed $ 2,800 to former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s primary campaign in October , and in June she divvied out an additional $ 610,600 to the Biden Victory Fund .
She ’ s also provided maxed out donations to at least 66 other Democratic politicians since the start of 2019 , all the while providing nothing to Republican candidates , according to Federal Election Commission records .
Other notable Democrats that Powell Jobs has contributed to this election season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tom Steyer , Amy Klobuchar , Andrew Yang and Michael Bennett , FEC records show .
She also contributed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Democratic Reps. Joe Kennedy , Ayanna Pressley , Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff , the records show .
The Atlantic was the first outlet to report that Biden was running for president in April 2019 .
Bradley , who ’ s still identified as The Atlantic ’ s chairman in the magazine ’ s masthead , served as a board member of the now-defunct Biden Cancer Initiative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return requests for comment asking if Powell Jobs had any involvement in or had any advanced knowledge of Goldberg ’ s anonymously-sourced story .
The report , published Thursday evening , alleged that Trump called fallen soldiers “ losers ” and “ suckers ” during a 2018 trip to France .
Democrat immediately seized upon the story , and by Friday morning , the progressive PAC VoteVets had produced an ad featuring six Gold Star families pillorying Trump for his alleged comments .
A VoteVets spokesman told Daily Caller News Foundation reporter Chuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowledge of The Atlantic ’ s story and that they pulled an all-nighter to get the ad up so quickly .
FEC records show that Powell Jobs has never made a contribution to VoteVets .
Biden said Friday that he ’ s “ never been as disappointed in my whole career ” after reading Goldberg ’ s report , saying it would be “ absolutely damnable ” if it ’ s true that Trump made disparaging comments about fallen troops .
Trump and multiple high-level administration officials denied Goldberg ’ s report , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report were flawed .
Goldberg opened the story saying that Trump had falsely claimed he canceled a visit to the venerated Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 because rain had grounded his helicopter and the Secret Service refused to drive him there .
“ Neither claim was true , ” Goldberg wrote .
Instead , Goldberg reported that four anonymous sources told him that Trump rejected the idea of visiting the cemetery “ because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain , and because he did not believe it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold published documents Thursday evening showing that the Navy did indeed cancel Trump ’ s air transport to the cemetery that day due to rain .
And Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted Thursday that she was told by Trump administration officials that it would have taken three hours to drive the president to the cemetery .
The White House said in a statement at the time that Trump ’ s visit to the cemetery was “ canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chief of Staff John Kelly , whose son was killed while serving in Afghanistan , went instead .

Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the majority owner of The Atlantic, has donated over $1.2 million to former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates and groups since 2019, Federal Election Commission records show.
Powell Jobs owns a 70% stake in The Atlantic, and she reportedly communicates often with its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Goldberg published an anonymously-sourced story Thursday alleging that President Donald Trump had denigrated fallen American soldiers.
The Atlantic’s majority owner has donated over $1.2 million to Democratic candidates and political committees since 2019 while reportedly keeping in close contact with the magazine’s editor-in-chief, who published an anonymously-sourced story Thursday alleging that President Donald Trump denigrated fallen American soldiers.
Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, obtained a 70% stake in The Atlantic in 2017 through her firm, the Emerson Collective. In November, she further solidified her control over the magazine after its longtime chairman, David Bradley, said he was going to step away from management, according to Politico.
Politico noted in its report that Powell Jobs communicates often with The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Powell Jobs contributed $2,800 to former Vice President Joe Biden’s primary campaign in October, and in June she divvied out an additional $610,600 to the Biden Victory Fund. She’s also provided maxed out donations to at least 66 other Democratic politicians since the start of 2019, all the while providing nothing to Republican candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Other notable Democrats that Powell Jobs has contributed to this election season include former Democratic presidential candidates Cory Booker, Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Michael Bennett, FEC records show. She also contributed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Reps. Joe Kennedy, Ayanna Pressley, Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, the records show.
The Atlantic was the first outlet to report that Biden was running for president in April 2019. Bradley, who’s still identified as The Atlantic’s chairman in the magazine’s masthead, served as a board member of the now-defunct Biden Cancer Initiative.
Goldberg and Powell Jobs did not return requests for comment asking if Powell Jobs had any involvement in or had any advanced knowledge of Goldberg’s anonymously-sourced story. The report, published Thursday evening, alleged that Trump called fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers” during a 2018 trip to France.
Democrat immediately seized upon the story, and by Friday morning, the progressive PAC VoteVets had produced an ad featuring six Gold Star families pillorying Trump for his alleged comments.
Donald Trump called our fallen troops “suckers” and “losers.”
They can’t speak for themselves, but these 6 Gold Star families speak for our fallen.
Here is their POWERFUL message.#GoldStarParentsAgainstTrump #VeteransAgainstTrump pic.twitter.com/ZnbFevqkNR — VoteVets (@votevets) September 4, 2020
A VoteVets spokesman told Daily Caller News Foundation reporter Chuck Ross that the group had no advanced knowledge of The Atlantic’s story and that they pulled an all-nighter to get the ad up so quickly. FEC records show that Powell Jobs has never made a contribution to VoteVets.
Biden said Friday that he’s “never been as disappointed in my whole career” after reading Goldberg’s report, saying it would be “absolutely damnable” if it’s true that Trump made disparaging comments about fallen troops.
Trump and multiple high-level administration officials denied Goldberg’s report, and critics said crucial aspects of the report were flawed.
Goldberg opened the story saying that Trump had falsely claimed he canceled a visit to the venerated Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 because rain had grounded his helicopter and the Secret Service refused to drive him there. “Neither claim was true,” Goldberg wrote.
Instead, Goldberg reported that four anonymous sources told him that Trump rejected the idea of visiting the cemetery “because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead.”
However, BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold published documents Thursday evening showing that the Navy did indeed cancel Trump’s air transport to the cemetery that day due to rain.
And Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs tweeted Thursday that she was told by Trump administration officials that it would have taken three hours to drive the president to the cemetery.
The White House said in a statement at the time that Trump’s visit to the cemetery was “canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather” and that former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, whose son was killed while serving in Afghanistan, went instead.


truepundit--2020-09-05--‘Wild Goose Chases’: Strzok Says Steele Dossier Was ‘A Problem’ For The Trump-Russia Probe

Former FBI official Peter Strzok said in an interview published Friday that the Steele dossier was a “ problem ” for the Trump-Russia probe because it sent investigators off “ on a series of wild goose chases.
” “ The report was very typical of information that the FBI often receives .
It comes from several sources , including some suspect sources .
Some of it is bullshit , and some of it is rumor , and some of it is disinformation , ” Strzok told The Atlantic .
“ From our perspective , ” Strzok said of the dossier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distraction.
” Strzok ’ s comments mark one of the strongest public critiques to date from an FBI official regarding the dossier , which was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele .
The FBI relied heavily on information from Steele to obtain warrants to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page .
Steele , who was investigating the Trump campaign on behalf of the DNC and Clinton campaign , alleged that Trump associates conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election .
Reports from the special counsel ’ s office and Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dossier .
The special counsel ’ s report said there was no evidence that Page or anyone on the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin .
The IG report said that the FBI received evidence that Russian intelligence officers may have fed disinformation to Steele .
Strzok , who was fired from the FBI in August 2018 because of anti-Trump text messages , sought to downplay the significance of the dossier to Crossfire Hurricane , the code name for the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign .
“ The Steele report was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it sent people off on a series of wild-goose chases .
That problem got worse after it was published by BuzzFeed , ” he told The Atlantic .
“ So some people have sought to use the weaknesses of the Steele reporting to try and cast aspersions against the entirety of the FBI ’ s massive investigation .
These efforts have been very disingenuous , very distorting , and very successful.
” Despite Strzok ’ s claim , text messages show that he suggested using the publication of the dossier in early 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of the investigation .
“ Hey let me know when you can talk .
We ’ re discussing whether , now that this is out , we use it as a pretext to go interview some people , ” Strzok wrote to then-FBI attorney Lisa Page on Jan. 10 , 2017 , the day that BuzzFeed published the dossier .
Strzok told the IG ’ s office that he wanted to use the publication of the dossier as cover to interview former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign chairman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investigation .
“ Strzok said the media release of the reports would be a logical reason for the FBI to interview Cohen and Manafort without alerting them to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation , ” the IG report says .
While Strzok claims the FBI did not rely heavily on the dossier for the investigation , Steele ’ s report captured the attention of the establishment media and general public , helping fuel the prominent conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign was in cahoots with the Kremlin .

Former FBI official Peter Strzok said in an interview published Friday that the Steele dossier was a “problem” for the Trump-Russia probe because it sent investigators off “on a series of wild goose chases.”
“The report was very typical of information that the FBI often receives. It comes from several sources, including some suspect sources. Some of it is bullshit, and some of it is rumor, and some of it is disinformation,” Strzok told The Atlantic.
“From our perspective,” Strzok said of the dossier, “some of it was a distraction.”
Strzok’s comments mark one of the strongest public critiques to date from an FBI official regarding the dossier, which was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.
The FBI relied heavily on information from Steele to obtain warrants to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Steele, who was investigating the Trump campaign on behalf of the DNC and Clinton campaign, alleged that Trump associates conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election.
Reports from the special counsel’s office and Justice Department inspector general debunked key allegations in the dossier. The special counsel’s report said there was no evidence that Page or anyone on the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin. The IG report said that the FBI received evidence that Russian intelligence officers may have fed disinformation to Steele.
Strzok, who was fired from the FBI in August 2018 because of anti-Trump text messages, sought to downplay the significance of the dossier to Crossfire Hurricane, the code name for the counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign.
“The Steele report was a problem for the investigation, because it sent people off on a series of wild-goose chases. That problem got worse after it was published by BuzzFeed,” he told The Atlantic.
“So some people have sought to use the weaknesses of the Steele reporting to try and cast aspersions against the entirety of the FBI’s massive investigation. These efforts have been very disingenuous, very distorting, and very successful.”
Despite Strzok’s claim, text messages show that he suggested using the publication of the dossier in early 2017 as cover to conduct interviews with witnesses as part of the investigation.
“Hey let me know when you can talk. We’re discussing whether, now that this is out, we use it as a pretext to go interview some people,” Strzok wrote to then-FBI attorney Lisa Page on Jan. 10, 2017, the day that BuzzFeed published the dossier.
Strzok told the IG’s office that he wanted to use the publication of the dossier as cover to interview former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort without revealing the existence of the investigation.
“Strzok said the media release of the reports would be a logical reason for the FBI to interview Cohen
and Manafort without alerting them to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” the IG report says.
While Strzok claims the FBI did not rely heavily on the dossier for the investigation, Steele’s report captured the attention of the establishment media and general public, helping fuel the prominent conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign was in cahoots with the Kremlin.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Three Men Arrested After One-Year-Old Baby Is Fatally Shot In The Head In Pittsburgh

Police arrested three men Friday in connection with the late August shooting death of a one-year-old baby in Pittsburgh .
Andre Crawford , 29 , Devon Thompson , 36 , and Marvin Hill , 41 , were apprehended by officers and charged in relation to the Aug. 24 fatal shooting of Zykier Young , a baby , according to Fox News .
Young was shot in the head inside his own home as he slept around 6 p.m. , a Pittsburgh Police blotter detailed .
Young was rushed to a local hospital in a patrol car , as officers sat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control the infant ’ s bleeding , according to the blog post .
Young was unable to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at a medical facility , the post read .
The shots came from outside the boy ’ s home and passed through a window and two walls before striking the infant , according to the blotter .
Officers have yet to release a motive for the shooting or the circumstances surrounding the violent incident , but police are continuing to investigate , the blog said .
A similar incident occurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby was shot in the stomach and killed during a cookout in July , according to the New York Post .

Police arrested three men Friday in connection with the late August shooting death of a one-year-old baby in Pittsburgh.
Andre Crawford, 29, Devon Thompson, 36, and Marvin Hill, 41, were apprehended by officers and charged in relation to the Aug. 24 fatal shooting of Zykier Young, a baby, according to Fox News. Young was shot in the head inside his own home as he slept around 6 p.m., a Pittsburgh Police blotter detailed.
Young was rushed to a local hospital in a patrol car, as officers sat in the back seat and tried to control the infant’s bleeding, according to the blog post. Young was unable to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at a medical facility, the post read.
The shots came from outside the boy’s home and passed through a window and two walls before striking the infant, according to the blotter. Officers have yet to release a motive for the shooting or the circumstances surrounding the violent incident, but police are continuing to investigate, the blog said.
A similar incident occurred recently in New York City when one-year-old baby was shot in the stomach and killed during a cookout in July, according to the New York Post.


truepundit--2020-09-05--Self-Proclaimed ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Charged With Conspiracy And Attempting To Provide Material Support T

Self-Proclaimed ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Charged With Conspiracy And Attempting To Provide Material Support To A Foreign Terrorist Group

Two self-identified “ Boogaloo Bois ” who allegedly conspired to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization to harm the U.S. were taken into custody Thursday evening , the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) announced on Friday .
Michael Solomon , 30 , of New Brighton , Minnesota and Benjamin Ryan Teeter , 22 , of Hampstead , North Carolina , were charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist group Hamas , the DOJ announced .
Solomon and Teeter allegedly “ sought to join forces and provide support , including in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to harm the U.S .
The Boogaloo Bois are a “ loosely- connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments , ” according to the DOJ .
“ This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage , ‘ The enemy of your enemy is your friend , ’ ” National Security Division Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said , according to the DOJ .
“ As alleged in the complaint , these defendants sought to use violence against the police , other government officials and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to overthrow the government.
” Solomon and Teeter first appeared in court Friday in Minneapolis , Minnesota , and remaining custody pending their formal hearing scheduled for Sept. 9 , according to the DOJ .
“ Michael Solomon and Benjamin Teeter proclaim themselves to be members of the Boogaloo Bois , a group that espouses a violent ideology and an objective to overthrow the government , ” U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said , according to the DOJ .
“ The defendants believed their anti-U.S. government views aligned with those of Hamas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed plans to carry out violence in Minnesota and elsewhere.
” Solomon and Teeter said that they shared aligning anti-government views with foreign terrorist group Hamas , according to the DOJ .
They also expressed aspirations to become Hamas “ mercenaries ” to fund recruitment and a training compound for the Boogaloo Bois .
When Solomon and Teeter reportedly thought they were communicating with a senior member of Hamas , they were actually talking to an undercover FBI employee and expressed ideas to destroy government monuments and target politicians and journalists , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also told the undercover agent that they were able to produce unmarked gun parts and unregistered weapons including suppressors , according to the DOJ .
The two men thought the suppressors would be used to carry out attacks against Israeli and U.S. soldiers by Hamas .
The charges were filed as the result of the FBI ’ s Joint Terrorism Task Force ’ s investigation , in which the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives assisted , according to the DOJ .

Two self-identified “Boogaloo Bois” who allegedly conspired to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization to harm the U.S. were taken into custody Thursday evening, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday.
Michael Solomon, 30, of New Brighton, Minnesota and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, of Hampstead, North Carolina, were charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist group Hamas, the DOJ announced.
Solomon and Teeter allegedly “sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories” to Hamas to harm the U.S.
The Boogaloo Bois are a “loosely- connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments,” according to the DOJ.
“This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend,’” National Security Division Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said, according to the DOJ.
“As alleged in the complaint, these defendants sought to use violence against the police, other government officials and government property as part of their desire to overthrow the government.”
Solomon and Teeter first appeared in court Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and remaining custody pending their formal hearing scheduled for Sept. 9, according to the DOJ.
“Michael Solomon and Benjamin Teeter proclaim themselves to be members of the Boogaloo Bois, a group that espouses a violent ideology and an objective to overthrow the government,” U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said, according to the DOJ.
“The defendants believed their anti-U.S. government views aligned with those of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization, and actively developed plans to carry out violence in Minnesota and elsewhere.”
Solomon and Teeter said that they shared aligning anti-government views with foreign terrorist group Hamas, according to the DOJ. They also expressed aspirations to become Hamas “mercenaries” to fund recruitment and a training compound for the Boogaloo Bois.
When Solomon and Teeter reportedly thought they were communicating with a senior member of Hamas, they were actually talking to an undercover FBI employee and expressed ideas to destroy government monuments and target politicians and journalists, according to the DOJ.
Solomon and Teeter also told the undercover agent that they were able to produce unmarked gun parts and unregistered weapons including suppressors, according to the DOJ. The two men thought the suppressors would be used to carry out attacks against Israeli and U.S. soldiers by Hamas.
The charges were filed as the result of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force’s investigation, in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted, according to the DOJ.


truepundit--2020-09-05--DC Anti-Police Activist Claims Armed 18-Year-Old Shot By Police Was ‘Hunted And Gunned Down’ With ‘S

DC Anti-Police Activist Claims Armed 18-Year-Old Shot By Police Was ‘Hunted And Gunned Down’ With ‘Slave-Catching Tactics’

The Stop Police Terror Project DC and Black Lives Matter DC accused the Metropolitan Police Department of murdering 18-year-old Deon Kay and criticized MPD Chief Peter Newsham and Mayor Muriel Bowser ’ s handling of the incident in a joint statement on Friday .
The organizations on Friday claimed that Newsham and Bowser “ distort the facts ” to “ smear a teenager as a violent threat.
” Newsham said during a press conference Wednesday that Kay was armed at the time of the incident , and that two firearms were recovered at the scene .
“ The same false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s boyhood and turned him into a full grown man out for blood is the same narrative we have seen from Mayor Bowser and MPD over and over again , ” Stop Police Terror Project DC organizer Natacia Knapper said , according to BLM DC .
“ Don ’ t be fooled — Deon was a child , barely 18 , hunted and gunned down through the deeply woven slave-catching tactics cops have been using since the birth of policing in America , ” Knapper added , according to BLM DC .
Bowser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragic ” and offered her condolences to his family in a press briefing Thursday .
She said that Kay ’ s mother had been offered “ counseling and support ” encouraged people to “ not to let any anger spill over into violence in our city.
” “ We refuse to allow the mayor to continue to insult the intelligence of DC residents , ” Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer Nee Nee Taylor said , according to the press release .
“ Every action she has taken — from calling for prosecutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killings of Black people in DC — is antithetical to the idea that Black lives matter.
” Police were responding to a report of a man in possession of a gun around 4 p.m. on Wednesday , Newsham said during the briefing with Bowser .
Newsham also said that officers saw a livestream of Kay with the gun on social media .
“ The idea that recovering a gun is worth the life of a child should be horrifying to every DC resident , ” Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer Makia Green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
Kay reportedly brandished the firearm as police pursued him and another individual running after they were approached , Newsham said .
The second individual has not been identified .
The firearm was reportedly found 98 feet from where Kay was shot , according to Newsham .

The Stop Police Terror Project DC and Black Lives Matter DC accused the Metropolitan Police Department of murdering 18-year-old Deon Kay and criticized MPD Chief Peter Newsham and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s handling of the incident in a joint statement on Friday.
The organizations on Friday claimed that Newsham and Bowser “distort the facts” to “smear a teenager as a violent threat.” Newsham said during a press conference Wednesday that Kay was armed at the time of the incident, and that two firearms were recovered at the scene.
“The same false, racist narrative that stole Deon’s boyhood and turned him into a full grown man out for blood is the same narrative we have seen from Mayor Bowser and MPD over and over again,” Stop Police Terror Project DC organizer Natacia Knapper said, according to BLM DC.
“Don’t be fooled — Deon was a child, barely 18, hunted and gunned down through the deeply woven slave-catching tactics cops have been using since the birth of policing in America,” Knapper added, according to BLM DC.
So Newsham needs multiple days to come up to a conclusion of whether a black boy deserved to be executed in broad daylight. Yet – the cop who shot him decided to be judge and jury in less than 10 minutes. We know this story, we know these patterns. #DeonKay deserved to live https://t.co/U9gyzeTaJx — Black Lives Matter DC (@DMVBlackLives) September 3, 2020
Bowser described Kay’s death as “tragic” and offered her condolences to his family in a press briefing Thursday. She said that Kay’s mother had been offered “counseling and support” encouraged people to “not to let any anger spill over into violence in our city.”
“We refuse to allow the mayor to continue to insult the intelligence of DC residents,” Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer Nee Nee Taylor said, according to the press release. “Every action she has taken — from calling for prosecutions of unlawfully arrested protesters to ignoring the killings of Black people in DC — is antithetical to the idea that Black lives matter.”
Police were responding to a report of a man in possession of a gun around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Newsham said during the briefing with Bowser. Newsham also said that officers saw a livestream of Kay with the gun on social media.
“The idea that recovering a gun is worth the life of a child should be horrifying to every DC resident,” Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer Makia Green said, according to the press release Friday.
Kay reportedly brandished the firearm as police pursued him and another individual running after they were approached, Newsham said. The second individual has not been identified.
The firearm was reportedly found 98 feet from where Kay was shot, according to Newsham.


truepundit--2020-09-05--‘AARP Works Against Its Members’: AARP Overcharges Members While Reporting Billion-Dollar Revenues,

‘AARP Works Against Its Members’: AARP Overcharges Members While Reporting Billion-Dollar Revenues, Report Says

• Although AARP is a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) non-profit organization , it has been consistently racking in large profits .
• AARP ’ s 4.95 % fee that it charges members who enroll in Medigap policies has resulted in a House investigation and lawsuits .
• The Affordable Care Act awarded Medigap policies a series of favorable exemptions from key provisions in the bill .
AARP finances its operations by overcharging members for health care policies and through its billion-dollar relationship with UnitedHealth Group , according to a new public policy report .
Despite its “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profits have been increasing for years largely due to the organization ’ s practices of marketing of products and services , the report .
The report , published by public policy think tank American Commitment , mainly examined AARP ’ s source of revenue since the passage of The Affordable Care Act in 2010 .
“ AARP works against its members in many respects , ” Chris Jacobs , founder of consulting and analytics firm Juniper Research Group and author of the report , told The Daily Caller News Foundation .
He continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marketing empire that they use for compensation for their executives and their staff.
” AARP reported $ 1.6 billion of revenue and $ 246.4 million of profit in 2018 , the most recent year in which data was available , according to Jacobs ’ report .
That means AARP reported a surplus of 13.4 % .
Membership dues were just 18 % of AARP ’ s revenue in 2018 and since 2000 have increasingly made up a smaller portion of revenues , according to Jacobs .
More than half of the organization ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , derived from “ royalty fees , ” which are payments for the use of its brand .
“ Royalty fees are more than three times larger than membership fees , ” Jacobs said .
In the past four years , AARP has been sued three times by its own members over its royalty fee policy , which they argued was deceptive , according to court filings .
However , AARP ultimately won each of the cases .
The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted the AARP multiple times seeking comment for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The biggest contributor to the AARP royalty fee revenue comes from health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group , the American Commitment report said .
One of the drivers of AARP ’ s revenue growth has been UnitedHealth .
AARP received $ 283.7 million from UnitedHealth in 2007 , accounting for 57 % of its royalty fee income , according to the report .
In 2017 , the most recent year this data was available , that number had risen to $ 627.2 million or 69 % of royalty fee income .
The income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ double the amount it received from membership dues , according to Jacobs .
While membership dues accounted for 18.3 % of total income , UnitedHealth revenue accounted for 38.2 % .
The organization offers three AARP-branded health care plans to its members via its marketplace : Medicare Advantage , Medicare Part D and Medigap , according to the report .
UnitedHealth , which is the main insurance provider on the marketplace , pays a royalty fee to AARP since it is using its brand to sell these health plans .
While UnitedHealth pays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ability to sell Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D to AARP members , it charges a 4.95 % fee to every member that purchases Medigap coverage , according to Jacobs .
That royalty , which has been in place since at least 1997 , has been the subject of a congressional investigation and multiple lawsuits .
Members enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Part D pay premiums directly to UnitedHealth who then pays the flat royalty fee to AARP , whereas members with Medigap coverage pay AARP who takes a percentage and gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jacobs .
“ That 4.95 % ‘ royalty fee ’ represents a sizable share of premium dollars paid , ” the report said .
It continued : “ To put the figure into perspective , it exceeds the 2018 profit margins of five major health insurers ( Anthem , Centene , Humana , WellCare , and Molina ) , and approaches the profit margins of the other two ( UnitedHealthGroup and Cigna ) .
” Further , AARP takes the revenue that it receives from members with Medigap insurance and makes interest on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the report .
Jacobs laid out an example in which a member had a $ 100 premium and $ 5 royalty fee .
“ They will get $ 105 from the senior on the first of the month , but they may not pay UnitedHealth the $ 100 until the 20th of the month , ” Jacobs said .
“ They make interest and they make money on that money.
” The 4.95 % fee has faced scrutiny because it represents an upcharge on premiums , which directly affects members who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marketplace , according to Jacobs .
U.S. District Court of Washington D.C. Judge Beryl Howell ruled in favor of AARP in May dismissing the plaintiffs ’ class action lawsuit .
The plaintiffs , led by AARP member Helen Krukas , argued that the organization misrepresented its Medigap royalty fee structure , according to Forbes .
The plaintiffs specifically argued that AARP was “ micromanaging the sale of Medigap and therefore is not really a royalty fee for its intellectual property .
They are a salesman .
This is a commission and it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Howell originally rejected AARP ’ s motion to dismiss the case in March 2019 giving credence to Krukas ’ argument .
Krukas “ sufficiently and plausibly alleged that the defendants engaged in unfair trade practices…by materially misrepresenting information about the 4.95 % charge , ” Howell wrote .
But , in May Howell ruled that Krukas ’ argument misses the mark .
She said Krukas failed to prove that AARP has a fiduciary relationship with its members .
Similarly , U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson of Los Angeles dismissed two separate AARP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pregerson ruled against plaintiff Simon Levay in November 2018 and against Jerald Friedman in November 2019 .
The second dismissal came after the three-judge panel Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs .
The panel ruled that AARP “ transacts ” and “ solicits ” insurance without a license and engaged in fraud by calling the 4.95 % commission a “ royalty , ” according to Forbes .
Pregerson didn ’ t agree , however , saying the plaintiffs failed to prove they suffered economic harm , Forbes reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee investigated AARP in 2011 .
The investigation pointed out several potential issues with AARP ’ s structure including its royalty fee practices and concluded with a series of suggestions for the Internal Revenue Service to consider .
“ As this report has shown , AARP may be in violation of a number of the requirements imposed on organizations operating under a federal tax exemption , ” the committee ’ s report said .
It continued : “ In particular , one might question whether AARP is primarily operating to promote the common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that AARP has become increasingly dependent on hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty revenue from insurance companies.
” The requirements of AARP as a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization are that it must operate to promote the common good , must be organized as a non-profit , may engage in political activity as long as it ’ s not the organization ’ s main activity and may engage in legislative lobbying to further its social welfare purposes , according to the committee ’ s report .
The AARP has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount of money lobbying a variety of legislation on Capitol Hill , according to the U.S. Senate lobbying database .
For example the non-profit organization has spent about $ 4 million in 2020 so far , according to its first and second quarter lobbying reports .
“ My favorite issue that they were lobbying on was the cost of an annual fee , each annual passes to the national parks , ” Jacobs said of past lobbying reports .
“ They were lobbying on anything and everything.
” Jacobs said AARP doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive payouts , but for lobbying many “ liberal causes.
” AARP was particularly active during the ACA debate in 2009 and 2010 , according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics .
The ACA , which passed in 2010 , was very favorable to the AARP , according to Jacobs ’ report .
AARP lobbied for the ACA , according to its first , second , third and fourth quarter lobbying reports from 2010 .
“ Medigap insurance received a host of exemptions in the law , ” the report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saved UnitedHealth and therefore AARP $ 14 billion in taxes on Medigap , according to the report .
This exemption was repealed in 2019 .
The ACA also exempted Medigap from the medical loss ratio provision , according to Jacobs .
That provision forces insurance companies to spend a minimum of 80 % of income made from premiums on health care , according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services .
Rather , the ACA lowered the ratio for Medigap policies to 65 % meaning AARP is able to spend 35 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrative costs like executive salaries and marketing , according to the report .
Finally , the 2010 health care bill exempted Medigap policies from “ rate review , ” according to Jacobs .
“ Rate review ” requires insurance companies to publicly explain premium rate hikes of 15 % or more , according to HealthCare.gov .
“ AARP infamously endorsed Obamacare notwithstanding the vocal objections of their members , the overwhelming objections of their members , ” Jacobs said .
“ AARP works against its members in many respects .
”

Although AARP is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, it has been consistently racking in large profits.
AARP’s 4.95% fee that it charges members who enroll in Medigap policies has resulted in a House investigation and lawsuits.
The Affordable Care Act awarded Medigap policies a series of favorable exemptions from key provisions in the bill.
AARP finances its operations by overcharging members for health care policies and through its billion-dollar relationship with UnitedHealth Group, according to a new public policy report.
Despite its “non-profit” status, AARP’s profits have been increasing for years largely due to the organization’s practices of marketing of products and services, the report. The report, published by public policy think tank American Commitment, mainly examined AARP’s source of revenue since the passage of The Affordable Care Act in 2010.
“AARP works against its members in many respects,” Chris Jacobs, founder of consulting and analytics firm Juniper Research Group and author of the report, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
He continued: “They’ve built a marketing empire that they use for compensation for their executives and their staff.”
AARP reported $1.6 billion of revenue and $246.4 million of profit in 2018, the most recent year in which data was available, according to Jacobs’ report. That means AARP reported a surplus of 13.4%.
Membership dues were just 18% of AARP’s revenue in 2018 and since 2000 have increasingly made up a smaller portion of revenues, according to Jacobs. More than half of the organization’s 2018 revenue, or roughly 57%, derived from “royalty fees,” which are payments for the use of its brand.
“Royalty fees are more than three times larger than membership fees,” Jacobs said.
In the past four years, AARP has been sued three times by its own members over its royalty fee policy, which they argued was deceptive, according to court filings. However, AARP ultimately won each of the cases.
The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted the AARP multiple times seeking comment for this article, but the organization never responded.
UnitedHealth Group
The biggest contributor to the AARP royalty fee revenue comes from health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group, the American Commitment report said. One of the drivers of AARP’s revenue growth has been UnitedHealth.
AARP received $283.7 million from UnitedHealth in 2007, accounting for 57% of its royalty fee income, according to the report. In 2017, the most recent year this data was available, that number had risen to $627.2 million or 69% of royalty fee income.
The income AARP received from UnitedHealth in 2017 was double the amount it received from membership dues, according to Jacobs. While membership dues accounted for 18.3% of total income, UnitedHealth revenue accounted for 38.2%.
The organization offers three AARP-branded health care plans to its members via its marketplace: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medigap, according to the report. UnitedHealth, which is the main insurance provider on the marketplace, pays a royalty fee to AARP since it is using its brand to sell these health plans.
While UnitedHealth pays a flat royalty fee to AARP for the ability to sell Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D to AARP members, it charges a 4.95% fee to every member that purchases Medigap coverage, according to Jacobs. That royalty, which has been in place since at least 1997, has been the subject of a congressional investigation and multiple lawsuits.
Members enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Part D pay premiums directly to UnitedHealth who then pays the flat royalty fee to AARP, whereas members with Medigap coverage pay AARP who takes a percentage and gives the rest to UnitedHealth, according to Jacobs.
“That 4.95% ‘royalty fee’ represents a sizable share of premium dollars paid,” the report said.
It continued: “To put the figure into perspective, it exceeds the 2018 profit margins of five major health insurers (Anthem, Centene, Humana, WellCare, and Molina), and approaches the profit margins of the other two (UnitedHealthGroup and Cigna).”
Further, AARP takes the revenue that it receives from members with Medigap insurance and makes interest on it before giving it to UnitedHealth, according to the report. Jacobs laid out an example in which a member had a $100 premium and $5 royalty fee.
“They will get $105 from the senior on the first of the month, but they may not pay UnitedHealth the $100 until the 20th of the month,” Jacobs said. “They make interest and they make money on that money.”
The 4.95% fee has faced scrutiny because it represents an upcharge on premiums, which directly affects members who enroll in Medigap coverage through the AARP marketplace, according to Jacobs.
U.S. District Court of Washington D.C. Judge Beryl Howell ruled in favor of AARP in May dismissing the plaintiffs’ class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs, led by AARP member Helen Krukas, argued that the organization misrepresented its Medigap royalty fee structure, according to Forbes.
The plaintiffs specifically argued that AARP was “micromanaging the sale of Medigap and therefore [the 4.95% fee] is not really a royalty fee for its intellectual property. They are a salesman. This is a commission and it’s taxable,” Jacobs said.
Howell originally rejected AARP’s motion to dismiss the case in March 2019 giving credence to Krukas’ argument. Krukas “sufficiently and plausibly alleged that the defendants engaged in unfair trade practices…by materially misrepresenting information about the 4.95% charge,” Howell wrote.
But, in May Howell ruled that Krukas’ argument misses the mark. She said Krukas failed to prove that AARP has a fiduciary relationship with its members.
Similarly, U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson of Los Angeles dismissed two separate AARP class action lawsuits, Forbes reported. Pregerson ruled against plaintiff Simon Levay in November 2018 and against Jerald Friedman in November 2019.
The second dismissal came after the three-judge panel Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The panel ruled that AARP “transacts” and “solicits” insurance without a license and engaged in fraud by calling the 4.95% commission a “royalty,” according to Forbes.
Pregerson didn’t agree, however, saying the plaintiffs failed to prove they suffered economic harm, Forbes reported
Further, the House Ways and Means Committee investigated AARP in 2011. The investigation pointed out several potential issues with AARP’s structure including its royalty fee practices and concluded with a series of suggestions for the Internal Revenue Service to consider.
“As this report has shown, AARP may be in violation of a number of the requirements imposed on organizations operating under a federal tax exemption,” the committee’s report said.
It continued: “In particular, one might question whether AARP is primarily operating to promote the common good and general welfare given the fact that AARP has become increasingly dependent on hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty revenue from insurance companies.”
The requirements of AARP as a 501(c)(4) organization are that it must operate to promote the common good, must be organized as a non-profit, may engage in political activity as long as it’s not the organization’s main activity and may engage in legislative lobbying to further its social welfare purposes, according to the committee’s report.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA)
The AARP has a long history of spending a large amount of money lobbying a variety of legislation on Capitol Hill, according to the U.S. Senate lobbying database. For example the non-profit organization has spent about $4 million in 2020 so far, according to its first and second quarter lobbying reports.
“My favorite issue that they were lobbying on was the cost of an annual fee, each annual passes to the national parks,” Jacobs said of past lobbying reports. “They were lobbying on anything and everything.”
Jacobs said AARP doesn’t just use its profits for large executive payouts, but for lobbying many “liberal causes.”
AARP was particularly active during the ACA debate in 2009 and 2010, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. The ACA, which passed in 2010, was very favorable to the AARP, according to Jacobs’ report.
AARP lobbied for the ACA, according to its first, second, third and fourth quarter lobbying reports from 2010.
“Medigap insurance received a host of exemptions in the law,” the report said.
One exemption in the ACA saved UnitedHealth and therefore AARP $14 billion in taxes on Medigap, according to the report. This exemption was repealed in 2019.
The ACA also exempted Medigap from the medical loss ratio provision, according to Jacobs. That provision forces insurance companies to spend a minimum of 80% of income made from premiums on health care, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Rather, the ACA lowered the ratio for Medigap policies to 65% meaning AARP is able to spend 35% of its income from such policies on administrative costs like executive salaries and marketing, according to the report.
Finally, the 2010 health care bill exempted Medigap policies from “rate review,” according to Jacobs. “Rate review” requires insurance companies to publicly explain premium rate hikes of 15% or more, according to HealthCare.gov.
“AARP infamously endorsed Obamacare notwithstanding the vocal objections of their members, the overwhelming objections of their members,” Jacobs said. “AARP works against its members in many respects.”


truepundit--2020-09-05--Trump Rips Media For Going Easy On Biden, Asking Him Questions ‘Meant For A Child’

President Donald Trump tore into the media on Friday for supposedly going easy on former Vice President Joe Biden during a press conference earlier that day .
“ Read the questions you asked .
They were like meant for a child , ” Trump said during a press conference , referring to questions reporters asked the former vice president Friday afternoon .
The president was comparing the grilling he received about an anonymously-sourced article suggesting he called fallen soldiers “ suckers ” and “ losers ” to questions reporters asked Biden .
“ Those questions were meant for a child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump said .
“ Not like you and you .
There were smiles — what do you think ?
Take a look at those questions they asked him .
They were not meant for grown-up , they were meant for a child , ” he added .
Biden spent much of his time at the conference railing against Trump over a report Thursday in The Atlantic magazine , which cited four anonymous sources claiming the president disparaged fallen World War I soldiers during a trip to France in 2018 .
The former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time this week after going a month without holding a press conference .
Several of the reporters ’ questions focused on Trump ’ s supposed comments , while others homed in on the president in general .
“ When you hear these remarks — ‘ suckers , ’ ‘ losers , ’ recoiling from amputees , what does it tell you about President Trump ’ s soul and the life he leads ?
” Atlantic staff writer Edward-Isaac Dovere asked at one point .
Another reporter asked Biden what he thought about Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder if you worry that this kind of language that comes from the president of the United States can deter some Americans who are tuning into him to not wear masks , ” CNN Political Correspondent MJ Lee Lee told the former VP .
Trump joked at a Sept. 3 rally in Pennsylvania about Biden ’ s love for masks .
Numerous former and current Trump officials have dismissed The Atlantic ’ s reporting .
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton , for instance , reportedly told Fox News reporter John Roberts that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his forthcoming book had the president made such remarks .
“ I didn ’ t hear that , ” Bolton , who was present the day Trump supposedly made the remarks , told The New York Times Friday .
Trump , for his part , dismissed the report as well .
“ I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes , ” the president told reporters as he was exiting Air Force One Friday .
“ There is nobody that respects them more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a horrible , horrible thing … no animal , nobody , what animal would say such a thing .
”

President Donald Trump tore into the media on Friday for supposedly going easy on former Vice President Joe Biden during a press conference earlier that day.
“Read the questions you asked. They were like meant for a child,” Trump said during a press conference, referring to questions reporters asked the former vice president Friday afternoon.
The president was comparing the grilling he received about an anonymously-sourced article suggesting he called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers” to questions reporters asked Biden.
“Those questions were meant for a child. Smiles on faces of reporters,” Trump said.
“Not like you and you. There were smiles — what do you think? Take a look at those questions they asked him. They were not meant for grown-up, they were meant for a child,” he added.
Biden spent much of his time at the conference railing against Trump over a report Thursday in The Atlantic magazine, which cited four anonymous sources claiming the president disparaged fallen World War I soldiers during a trip to France in 2018.
The former vice president took questions for the second time this week after going a month without holding a press conference.
Several of the reporters’ questions focused on Trump’s supposed comments, while others homed in on the president in general.
“When you hear these remarks — ‘suckers,’ ‘losers,’ recoiling from amputees, what does it tell you about President Trump’s soul and the life he leads?” Atlantic staff writer Edward-Isaac Dovere asked at one point. Another reporter asked Biden what he thought about Trump mocking his mask wearing.
“I wonder if you worry that this kind of language that comes from the president of the United States can deter some Americans who are tuning into him to not wear masks,” CNN Political Correspondent MJ Lee Lee told the former VP. Trump joked at a Sept. 3 rally in Pennsylvania about Biden’s love for masks.
Numerous former and current Trump officials have dismissed The Atlantic’s reporting.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton, for instance, reportedly told Fox News reporter John Roberts that he would have written a chapter in his forthcoming book had the president made such remarks. “I didn’t hear that,” Bolton, who was present the day Trump supposedly made the remarks, told The New York Times Friday.
Trump, for his part, dismissed the report as well.
“I would be willing to swear on anything that I never said that about our fallen heroes,” the president told reporters as he was exiting Air Force One Friday. “There is nobody that respects them more. So, I just think it’s a horrible, horrible thing … no animal, nobody, what animal would say such a thing.”