It was 2018, just before the California primary election. The #MeToo movement was in full swing, and Democrats decided that leveling dubious sexual assault and sexual harassment claims could be an easy path to victory.
National Democrats were still months away from elevating shaky sexual assault claims against then-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The allegations against Kavanaugh were denied (or not remembered) by everyone named by accuser Christine Blasey Ford as a witness, but Democrats opened up the floodgates for even more unbelievable and thin allegations to come forward – as was their goal.
Local Democrats in California, however, jumped on the allegation bandwagon in May and June of 2018. A series of 47,000 robocalls went out days before the primary election alleging that Republican candidate Phil Graham – the favorite to win the safely Republican Assembly seat in San Diego – had inappropriately grabbed and kissed a woman against her will.
The woman who made the allegation, Nichole Burgan, was criminally charged with making a false accusation, but as with all false accusers, she received little punishment – just two days in jail, Graham <a href="https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/fake-robocalls-falsely-accusing-assembly-candidate-phil-graham-garner-10m-fcc-fine/">told the California Globe</a> in December.
Graham told the outlet that whoever put Burgan up to the false allegations also needed to be punished. He filed a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, and also filed complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Public Integrity Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Graham told the outlet he thought he was falsely accused because Democrats wanted to win the Assembly seat, which they ended up winning.
The San Diego Union-Tribune <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2019-12-12/fcc-proposes-nearly-10-million-fine-for-san-diego-based-telemarketer-accused-of-spreading-false-accusations-about-assembly-candidate">reported</a> in December that the Federal Communications Commission announced it would fine the San Diego telemarketing company behind the false robocalls $10 million for “spoofing” a competing company’s phone number.
“Telemarketing company Marketing Support Systems and its owner, Kenneth Moser, made more than 47,000 unlawful robocalls over a two-day period in May 2018, according to the FCC,” the Tribune reported.
Moser allegedly “spoofed” the calls to hide his tracks, making the calls appear to come from a rival company when someone checked the caller ID. The Voice of San Diego <a href="https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/politics/how-a-strange-accusation-caught-fire-and-took-down-an-assembly-candidate/">reported</a> what the calls said:
<blockquote>“Creepy alert,” said a woman on the other end of a robocall that hit phones on May 30. She cited press coverage of Burgan’s allegation, and asked why Graham was out harassing a woman when he should have been at home sleeping.
“Vote carefully on June 5,” the caller said. “We don’t need any more creeps in Sacramento. Don’t vote for Phil Graham. #JustSayNo.”
Then came the disclaimer: “Paid for by Jennifer Jones.”
But Jennifer Jones, it turns out, isn’t real.</blockquote>
Graham’s attorney, Brian T. Hildreth, released a statement regarding the FCC’s fine:
<blockquote>After a six month investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC is proposing a nearly $10 million fine against California telemarketer Ken Moser in connection with Moser’s efforts to mislead voters with approximately 50,000 robocalls containing fraudulent and false accusations relating to the 2018 Primary Election for the California State Assembly and Assembly candidate Phil Graham.
The proposed Commission action, formally called a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (“NAL”), contains allegations that advise a party on how it has apparently violated the law and may set forth a proposed monetary penalty.  After these substantial developments, it is now imperative that the USDOJ undertake a criminal investigation and prosecution.
We are calling for the Public Integrity Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice to launch their own investigation to determine if other individuals and/or groups were involved in this fraud and election tampering.  We stand ready to assist the USDOJ in any way necessary.
As the FCC noted, the calls took place about one week prior to the primary election for the California State Assembly, 76th District.  The calls made false and deceptive allegations about Mr. Graham.  The allegations had already been investigated and disproven by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.  The California Secretary of State referred a complaint about the matter to the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, which investigated, resulting in today’s proposed fine.  The calls unquestionably had a devastating impact on Mr. Graham and his candidacy for elective office.
The Truth in Caller ID Act prohibits manipulating caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.  In addition, to finding that Moser apparently violated the Truth in Caller ID Act, the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau found separately that Moser sent more than 11,000 prerecorded voice messages to wireless phones, without consent, in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s (TCPA).
While there has rightly been a significant focus on election interference at the national level, we respectfully ask that the USDOJ apply the same level of scrutiny at the state and local level to prevent any new illegal acts.</blockquote>

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

A Candidate Was Falsely Accused Of Sexual Harassment. The People Behind The Lie Were Just Fined $10 Million By The FCC.

2018 Election

California

false accusations

On the evening of January 4, a family was taking its first trip to the beach in Venice, California, when a homeless man persisted in trying to grab the family’s six-year-old girl from her mother’s arms. That triggered the girl’s uncle, a U.S. Army veteran, to execute a takedown where the two men wrestled until LAPD Pacific Division officers arrived; it took six officers to subdue the homeless man.
Riley Pegram, his daughter Neveah and her uncle Chris were first accosted on the beach by Evan McLaurin-Nelson, whom investigators stated had a “lengthy arrest record in both Las Vegas and California that includes false imprisonment, indecent exposure, battery and disorderly conduct,” according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7880887/Shocking-moment-homeless-man-tries-snatch-girl-6-moms-lap-California.html">The Daily Mail</a>, which added that McLaurin-Nelson claimed he knew Neveah and had to “save her.”
The family attempted to evade McLaurin-Nelson by joining Neveah&#8217;s mother getting dinner at a pizza shop, but McLaurin-Nelson followed them, trying to seize Neveah. Chris got a hand on his neck trying to forestall him, but McLaurin-Nelson again attempted to seize Neveah as her mother to shove him away with her leg, prompting Chris to grab McLaurin-Nelson&#8217;s hair and yank him to the ground, where they wrestled before Chris pinned the frenzied homeless man down.
Police stated, “He wrestled with the suspect for several minutes until LAPD Pacific Division officers responded and took the suspect into custody.” Riley said, &#8220;We think he was on something. On some type of drugs or something. I don&#8217;t know if he was homeless but I know he was on drugs.”
McLaurin-Nelson was later charged with one count of attempted kidnap and one of resisting an officer; he pled not guilty to both counts.
Neveah told <a href="https://ktla.com/2020/01/10/video-man-allegedly-tries-to-kidnap-6-year-old-girl-in-venice-family-member-intervenes/">KTLA</a>, “It was so scary. I was bawling my eyes out because I was scared I was going to get taken away from my mommy and daddy.”
As The Department of Housing and Urban Development <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homelessness-is-on-the-rise-in-the-u-s-and-one-state-is-driving-it">reported</a> in December, homelessness in California has spiraled out of control. HUD <a href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_19_177">stated:</a>
<blockquote>While the rest of the country experienced a combined decrease in homelessness in 2019, significant increases in unsheltered and chronic homelessness on the West Coast, particularly California and Oregon, offset those nationwide decreases, causing an overall increase in homelessness of 2.7 percent in 2019. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported declines in homelessness between 2018 and 2019, while 21 states reported increases in the number of persons experiencing homelessness. Homelessness in California increased by 21,306 people, or 16.4 percent, which is more than the total national increase of every other state combined.</blockquote>
HUD Secretary Ben Carson commented, &#8220;As we look across our nation, we see great progress, but we&#8217;re also seeing a continued increase in street homelessness along our West Coast where the cost of housing is extremely high. In fact, homelessness in California is at a crisis level and needs to be addressed by local and state leaders with crisis-like urgency. Addressing these challenges will require a broader, community-wide response that engages every level of government to compassionately house our fellow citizens who call the streets their home.&#8221;
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Venice Beach

WATCH: Homeless Man Tries To Seize 6-Year-Old Girl. Then Her Uncle, An Army Vet, Responds.

homeless

One surefire way to ensure your cause doesn’t look serious is to throw bodily waste around during a protest. One woman who allegedly threw menstrual blood at lawmakers during a protest is finding out the hard way what is and isn’t an acceptable form of protest.
“Rebecca Dalelio, 43, has been charged with one felony count of assault on a public official and one felony count of vandalism. If convicted, she could face up to three years in county jail,” The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-10/charges-filed-against-vaccine-protester-accused-of-throwing-blood-onto-california-state-senators">reported</a>.
In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a bill that all but eliminated exemptions to the state’s laws regarding mandatory vaccinations for children. The Daily Wire at the time <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-passes-stringent-new-vaccine-emily-zanotti">reported</a> that some “California residents, however, who say that the bill represents a shocking governmental overreach that threatens their personal autonomy, are pushing to have the law included on the November ballot.”
The bills that Newsom signed last year (there was a package) where designed to keep doctors from giving parents fraudulent medical excuses for children’s vaccinations. California’s childhood vaccination rate has been falling in recent years, which has led to multiple outbreaks of completely preventable diseases, such as the measles. The drop in the vaccination rate is occurring largely within the white, upper-middle-class areas of the state.
“This legislation provides new tools to better protect public health, and does so in a way that ensures parents, doctors, public health officials and school administrators all know the rules of the road moving forward,” Newsom said in a statement released when he signed the bills.
When lawmakers were heading to the State Capital after Newsome signed the bills, protesters showed up outside. One protester allegedly threw menstrual blood on legislators on their way into the statehouse. That person was identified as Dalelio, who is now accused of throwing a full menstrual cup onto the lawmakers.
“The complaint lists 10 senators whom Dalelio is accused of assaulting. The count of vandalism refers to a separate offense that involves graffiti, though additional details were not immediately available, according to Sacramento County district attorney’s office spokeswoman Shelly Orio. At the time of the incident, California Highway Patrol officers said a bathroom near the Senate chamber was found to have writing on the wall,” the Times reported. “The fluid hit multiple people and splashed onto desks and the carpet, forcing the chamber to be cleared. As the contents of the cup were thrown, a voice in the crowd was heard saying the action was ‘for the dead babies.’”
The Times reported that some “lawmakers left to shower and at least one legislator was treated for blood exposure the next day. Senators moved to a nearby hearing room hours later, and worked until 3 a.m.”
Dalelio was initially booked just after the incident on six charges of assault, vandalism, and disorderly conduct, but she was released the next day. The California Highway Patrol then conducted an investigation of the incident, resulting in the new charges against Dalelio late last week.

Rebecca Dalelio

Anti-Vaxxer Who Allegedly Threw Menstrual Blood At Lawmakers During Protest Has Been Charged

Vaccines

Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was widely criticized last year for releasing the Green New Deal, a $93 trillion piece of legislation that researchers at non-profit libertarian think tank <a href="https://cei.org/content/what-green-new-deal-could-cost-typical-household">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a> summarized as “an overwhelmingly expensive proposal reliant on technologies that have not yet been invented.”
Now, Rob Bonta, a Democratic lawmaker from California, has announced the “California Green New Deal,” a plan similar to Ocasio-Cortez’s legislation, but designed to “boldly address the impacts of climate change and issues of equity” from a state-centric point of view. 
“Same name, same pillars addressing climate change as we promote equity, but this is California’s Green New Deal, so it’s different,” said Bonta, as reported by the <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article239005473.html">Sacramento Bee</a>. 
“People who have been hurt by the fossil fuel economy must be first in line to benefit from the new clean energy, Green economy,” Bonta announced in a <a href="https://a18.asmdc.org/press-releases/20200106-assemblymember-bonta-launches-california-green-new-deal">press release</a> on Monday. “The goals outlined in my bill will create the foundation for this diverse coalition to work together on additional and future legislative efforts.” 
Since the press release has few specifics, it is unclear what exactly Bonta is trying to accomplish with the plan. Some of the plan&#8217;s goals, however, include “reducing disparate standard of living indices for historically impacted communities of color by 2030,” reducing air pollution, and “increasing affordable housing and public transportation by doubling their current availability by 2030.” 
Marie Waldron, leader of the Republican caucus in the California State Assembly, ripped proponents of the bill for omitting any specifics about the cost of the plan. 
“It’s telling that Democrats refuse to say how much this plan will cost or where they’ll get the money,” said Waldron, according to the Sacramento Bee. “If their plan is to reduce emissions by making California so unaffordable that only Tesla drivers are able to stay here, they’re certainly on the right track.”
Bonta claims Californians “can’t afford not to pay for it” and suggests that the money will &#8220;turn up&#8221; eventually. 
“There’s no bigger threat to our planet, people, existence, state, all the residents of California than climate change. It is existential,” says Bonta, reports the news agency. “When the federal government decides to go to war, sometimes endless war, we don’t ask how it’s being paid for. There’s many things we do we don’t ask how it’s going to be paid for. The money shows up. It turns up.”
After announcing the Green New Deal last year, Ocasio-Cortez was slightly more upfront about the cost, saying that she believes “we really need to get to $10 trillion to have a shot” at addressing climate change, according to the <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/447077-ocasio-cortez-10-trillion-needed-for-effective-climate-plan">Hill</a>. 
“I know it’s a ton,&#8221; said Ocasio-Cortez, reports the news agency. &#8220;I don’t think anyone wants to spend that amount of money, it’s not a fun number to say, I’m not excited to say we need to spend $10 trillion on climate, but &#8230; it’s just the fact of the scenario.”
She was off by about $80 trillion.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ocasio-cortez-promotes-pro-iran-propaganda-from-russian-state-media-on-twitter">Ocasio-Cortez Promotes Pro-Iran Propaganda From Russian State Media On Twitter</a>

San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm in Palm Springs, California

‘We Can’t Afford Not To Pay’: Dem Lawmaker Introduces ‘California Green New Deal,’ Gets Slammed For Omitting Cost

Green New Deal

As part of the Blumhouse Productions horror firm &#8220;Into the Dark&#8221; anthology series, Hulu will be breaking new ground with the release of &#8220;Midnight Kiss&#8221; — a slasher movie in which a quartet of Los Angeles gay men are picked off by a masked killer during a weekend trip to Palm Springs.
&#8220;The friends are a quartet of L.A. gays and their closest straight gal pal,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-12-26/midnight-kiss-hulu-blumhouse-into-the-dark-gay-slasher">Los Angeles Times</a> wrote of the movie. &#8220;Their cabin in the woods is a rambling, ultra-modern manse in Palm Springs. And &#8216;Scream’s&#8217; white mask has been replaced with a sly reference to the popular kink known as &#8216;pup play.'&#8221;
&#8220;In other words, &#8216;Midnight Kiss,&#8217; which arrives Friday on Hulu, gleefully remixes familiar genre tropes with distinctly gay subject matter, delving into the use of hookup apps and the pitfalls of open relationships while coining the hilariously ribald phrase &#8216;psychopath bottom,'&#8221; the report continued.
According to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7010681/Ruff-Inside-kinky-world-pup-play-San-Francisco-men-act-like-young-dogs.html">Daily Mail</a>, &#8220;Pup Play&#8221; is a kink subculture within BDSM &#8220;in which mostly men act like young dogs decked out in gear that includes a colorful array of masks, hoods, muzzles, collars, leashes, mitts and tails, and sometimes coupled with brightly-hued knee socks stamped with paw prints. &#8221;
In an interview with the Times, actors August Prew and Scott Evans, along with writer Erlingur Thoroddsen and director Carter Smith, recalled how the film centered on its subject matter and Hulu&#8217;s encouragement in creating a mainstream &#8220;gay slasher movie&#8221; that uses aspects of gay culture to create a horror-thriller.
&#8220;Being able to make a gay slasher movie for one of the major streaming services is a sort of tectonic shift in its own right,&#8221; said the Times.
&#8220;I hate that it seems groundbreaking. That really sucks. [But] it’s kinda cool,&#8221; responded Evans.
&#8220;Horror, traditionally, gay people have had to read between the lines,&#8221; said director Carter Smith. &#8220;It’s spoken to queer people before, but it’s rarely represented them in a way that they felt like they could see themselves. It’s very rare that you see a gay character in a horror film that is not there to be the sidekick or the best friend or the comic relief.&#8221;
On the subject of race, the Times wondered if perhaps critics might see the movie as &#8220;too white,&#8221; given that the two queer characters of color do not make it to the final round of slasher-dom.
&#8220;Everybody’s gonna criticize. Of course they are,&#8221; said Evans. &#8220;But come on! Look at the bigger picture! It’s a cast full of gay men playing gay parts. Also, seeing those abs at the beginning. … It’s what hooks the gays.&#8221;
&#8220;In the script stage, and in pre-production — before we cast anything — there wasn’t that much talk or thought about what these people looked like,&#8221; Smith added. &#8220;That wasn’t how Zachary was written at all. Zachary was a studly male model in the script. And then Chester [Lockhart] came in read for it, and I was like, &#8216;Oh, my God.'&#8221;
&#8220;We spend so long searching for ourselves in entertainment, but more than anything, this is a very specific story about a very specific group of people, and hopefully all types of viewers can find a bit of themselves in these characters,&#8221; he continued.

In this photo illustration the Hulu logo is seen displayed

‘Midnight Kiss’: Hulu Breaks New Ground With ‘Gay Slasher Movie’

Hollywood

Homosexuality

LGBT

Los Angeles

President Trump&#8217;s war of words with Democrats over the homelessness crises plaguing progressive strongholds, particularly California and New York, continued over the weekend. The president took to Twitter Saturday to offer some federal help with the escalating problem of homelessness in the Democrat-controlled states, but on one condition: they&#8217;ve got to learn some manners.
Trump&#8217;s feud with Democratic leaders over the growing number of homeless people in the two highest population Democrat-run states — which has reached a critical point in California over the last year, with some <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/los-angeles-homeless-crisis">60,000 homeless people</a> now living in Los Angeles County alone — ratcheted up in recent days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom attempted to shift some of the blame for the growing crisis to the Trump administration.
Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, Newsom suggested, bears some of the blame for the problem. The department is “not serious” about the issue because they are not prioritizing &#8220;housing first,&#8221; as he believes they should.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In spin room at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> slams Trump Administration and HUD for doing “nothing” on “housing first,” the priority to solve homelessness. <a href="https://t.co/AQXRHUwZys">pic.twitter.com/AQXRHUwZys</a>
&mdash; Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1207882406612455424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump did not appreciate the attempt to put the crisis, which has been many years in the making in California, on his administration.
&#8220;Governor Gavin [Newsom] has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California,&#8221; Trump said in a Christmas Day response to a tweet highlighting Newsom&#8217;s comments (tweet below). &#8220;If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!&#8221;
Trump addressed the issue again on Saturday, this time offering the government&#8217;s help in a slightly different tone.
&#8220;California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems,&#8221; he tweeted. &#8220;They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and &#8216;politely&#8217; ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Governor Gavin N has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved! <a href="https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA">https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1209964406324510720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems. They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and “politely” ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1210916803800707072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump&#8217;s Christmas Day tweet was posted in response to Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren calling out Newsom for the blame-shifting. &#8220;Take accountability, Gavin,&#8221; she <a href="https://twitter.com/TomiLahren/status/1208077788323831809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1209964406324510720&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-urges-strong-response-to-horrific-attack-on-nyc-jewish-community">wrote</a>. &#8220;This is your state and you and your democratic cohorts created this mess. You can’t blame [President Trump] forever. Step away from the hair gel and get to work!!!&#8221;
As highlighted by <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/los-angeles-homeless-crisis?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1">Big Think</a>, research reported by the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-homeless-count-encampment-affordable-housing-2019-results-20190604-story.html">Los Angeles Times</a>, paints a grim picture of the state of California, where some of its biggest cities have seen a massive spike in homelessness over the last year. In the city of Los Angeles, the homeless population has topped 36,000 and is nearing 60,000 in the county:
<blockquote>Los Angeles County now boasts nearly 59,000 homeless, a 12 percent increase from last year. In the city itself, there are over 36,000 homeless, representing a 16 percent increase. The city estimates that 75 percent of this number, roughly 44,000 citizens, live outdoors.
It&#8217;s not only Los Angeles. Orange County has noted a <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2019/04/24/homeless-count-in-orange-county-shows-increase-but-with-more-accurate-picture-of-whos-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">42 percent uptick</a> in homeless residents, mostly due to new, more comprehensive <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-homeless-orange-county-increase-study-20190425-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">counting measures</a>. In nearby Alameda County, the number of homeless is up <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/16/its-definitely-not-getting-better-homelessness-up-43-percent-in-alameda-county/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">43 percent</a>; in Kern County, a whopping <a href="https://www.bakersfield.com/news/percent-increase-found-in-county-s-homeless-population-over-last/article_b358e6c8-4a8c-11e9-80da-b3062e64dc0f.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">50 percent</a>. Further upstate, San Francisco&#8217;s homeless population has seen a <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-homeless-population-swells-by-17-in-latest-13851897.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17 percent</a> increase.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-governor-under-fire-after-paroled-immigrant-murder-convict-immediately-taken-into-ice-custody">California Governor Under Fire After Paroled Immigrant Murder Convict Immediately Taken Into ICE Custody</a>

Donald Trump Gavin Newsom

Trump Offers To Help California, New York Democrats With Their Homeless Problem, On One Condition

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

New York

A woman in Sacramento had been using Pond’s Rejuveness cream, which she purchased from Mexico, for the past seven years without incident.
But in July, she began having strange symptoms. At first, the 47-year-old went to a doctor after experiencing what CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/26/health/woman-injured-mercury-skin-cream-trnd/index.html">described</a> as “an odd pricking sensation and arm weakness.” Two weeks later, she went back to the doctor, this time with blurred vision and slurred speech. She was admitted to a hospital at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). Her condition worsened. Dr. Paul Blanc, part of UCSF’s division of occupational and environmental medicine and the California poison control system, wrote that the woman’s condition declined into “agitated delirium,” according to CNN.
He also wrote that he found “abnormally high” levels of methylmercury in her system. As CNN reported, methylmercury “is highly toxic and can cause permanent nervous system damage.”
The woman is now in a coma, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said her injuries may be permanent.
The woman had purchased the cream through friends. CNN reported it had been tainted after manufacturing, but it is unclear how. The cream is used to lighten skin in order to reduce blemishes and wrinkles.
“Officials tested the cream and found it contained 12,000 parts per million of methylmercury &#8212; a bit over 1.2%. It&#8217;s illegal in the US to sell skin creams that contain more than 1 ppm mercury,” CNN reported.
Dr. Blanc <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/12/416266/buyers-beware-skin-lightening-cream-could-cause-neurological-damage">wrote</a> that &#8220;Most harmful skin-lightening creams are intentionally tainted with inorganic mercury,&#8221; but, “in this case, the patient used a skin-lightening product containing organic mercury, which is far more toxic.&#8221;
More from CNN:
<blockquote>The harm methylmercury inflicts upon the nervous system often worsens after patients stop using or consuming tainted products, he said.
The woman&#8217;s condition continued to deteriorate even after she underwent chelation therapy, a treatment to flush mercury through her urine.
&#8220;Central nervous system toxicity, as in this case, is the hallmark of organic mercury &#8212; it typically comes on after weeks to months of exposure,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Once manifested, it quickly progresses and often worsens, despite removal of any further exposure.&#8221;</blockquote>
The outlet reported that the woman cannot speak on her own or care for herself and is currently relying on a feeding tube.
CNN reported there have been more than 60 poisonings in the past 10 years in California due to tainted skin creams, and that most of the creams are purchased “on the street” in Mexico.
“They&#8217;re often packaged in plastic containers without labels or are handmade, and they&#8217;re advertised to remove spots, wrinkles and blemishes,” the outlet reported. “Some of the confiscated creams contained as much as 21% mercury, health officials said.”

Skin cream

Woman Poisoned After Using Skin-Lightening Cream Tainted With Methylmercury

Health

California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom bragged on Twitter this week about his achievements in fighting homelessness in the state despite recent reports showing that California&#8217;s increase in the number of homeless tops that of all other states combined.
Newsom&#8217;s remarks came after President Donald Trump blasted him and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a tweet early Thursday morning, writing: &#8220;Nancy Pelosi’s District in California has rapidly become one of the worst anywhere in the U.S. when it come to the homeless &amp; crime. It has gotten so bad, so fast — she has lost total control and, along with her equally incompetent governor, Gavin Newsom, it is a very sad sight!&#8221;
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Nancy Pelosi’s District in California has rapidly become one of the worst anywhere in the U.S. when it come to the homeless &amp; crime. It has gotten so bad, so fast &#8211; she has lost total control and, along with her equally incompetent governor, Gavin Newsom, it is a very sad sight!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1210183406904074240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Newsom responded, &#8220;I imagine Trump’s Christmas to be like that scene when the Grinch yells &#8216;I’m an idiot!&#8217; and his echo yells back &#8216;you’re an idiot!!'&#8221;
Newsom then retweeted a tweet from his office&#8217;s official Twitter account, which stated: &#8220;CA is doing more than ever to tackle the homelessness crisis despite the federal administration&#8217;s roadblocks: -$1B investment including $650M in emergency aid. -New legislation to help cities &amp; counties. -Homelessness experts to identify solutions + more.&#8221;
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CA is doing more than ever to tackle the homelessness crisis despite the federal administration&#39;s roadblocks: ➡️$1B investment including $650M in emergency aid ➡️New legislation to help cities &amp; counties ➡️Homelessness experts to identify solutions + more<a href="https://t.co/1ZMjC1eSOt">https://t.co/1ZMjC1eSOt</a>
&mdash; Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1210365309338521600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump fired off a tweet later Friday afternoon: &#8220;California leads the nation, by far, in both the number of homeless people, and the percentage increase in the homeless population — two terrible stats. Crazy Nancy should focus on that in her very down district, and helping her incompetent governor with the big homeless problem!&#8221;
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California leads the nation, by far, in both the number of homeless people, and the percentage increase in the homeless population &#8211; two terrible stats. Crazy Nancy should focus on that in her very down district, and helping her incompetent governor with the big homeless problem!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1210347885386178560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week revealed that homelessness was on the rise in the United States in large part because of Democrat-controlled California.
“While the rest of the country experienced a combined decrease in homelessness in 2019, significant increases in unsheltered and chronic homelessness on the West Coast, particularly California and Oregon, offset those nationwide decreases, causing an overall increase in homelessness of 2.7 percent in 2019,” HUD <a href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_19_177">said</a> in a statement. “Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported declines in homelessness between 2018 and 2019, while 21 states reported increases in the number of persons experiencing homelessness. Homelessness in California increased by 21,306 people, or 16.4 percent, which is more than the total national increase of every other state combined.”
HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement: “As we look across our nation, we see great progress, but we’re also seeing a continued increase in street homelessness along our West Coast where the cost of housing is extremely high. In fact, homelessness in California is at a crisis level and needs to be addressed by local and state leaders with crisis-like urgency. Addressing these challenges will require a broader, community-wide response that engages every level of government to compassionately house our fellow citizens who call the streets their home.”
Conditions in California have become so bad that the state experienced its lowest growth rate in nearly 120 years as people are fleeing the state in record numbers. The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-21/california-population-continues-to-decline-with-state-emigration-a-major-factor">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The estimates, which indicate that California’s population grew by 141,300 people between July 1, 2018, and July 1, 2019, nonetheless signal a 0.35% growth rate, “down from 0.57% for the prior 12 months — the two lowest recorded growth rates since 1900,” [Department of Finance] officials underscored.
According to the agency, natural increase (with 452,200 births and 271,400 deaths) accounted for an additional 180,800 people to the state. Still, these gains were offset by losses in net migration — that is, the total amount of people moving into the state minus the total amount of people moving out. Notably, said Eddie Hunsinger, a demographer with the Department of Finance, even though the net international migration added to the state’s population, there was substantial negative domestic net migration, which resulted in a loss of 39,500 residents. This, said the department, marks “the first time since the 2010 Census that California has had more people leaving the state than moving in from abroad or other states.”</blockquote>

Homeless man california

California Governor Gavin Newsom Thinks He Is Doing A Good Job Fighting Homelessness

Homelessness

Pro-&#8220;sanctuary state&#8221; California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has come under fire from left-wing immigrant rights groups for &#8220;choosing to work with ICE.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s deeply disappointing that the governor is choosing to work with ICE,&#8221; said Asian Law Caucus attorney Anoop Prasad, as reported by <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-23/newsom-paroles-immigrant-who-is-immediately-detained-by-ice">The Los Angeles Times</a>.
Newsom&#8217;s &#8220;deeply disappointing&#8221; actions, according to Prasad and other immigrant rights activists, is his decision to allow a paroled immigrant who served two decades behind bars for murder to be handed over to federal immigration authorities, a process Prasad decried as &#8220;unjust and illogical&#8221; and &#8220;tearing apart communities in California.&#8221;
The outrage from immigration rights groups stems from the case of Cambodian refugee Tith Ton, 40, who served 22 years in prison for the murder of a rival gang member.
Upon Newsom approving his parole, Ton was immediately transferred into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration rights groups are demanding that Newsom further expand California&#8217;s &#8220;sanctuary state&#8221; policies by refusing to cooperate with federal authorities in such circumstances.
According to the LA Times, Ton&#8217;s case, as well as other convicts from Southeast Asia facing deportation, drew &#8220;dozens&#8221; of rallyers last month, who gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol to attempt to pressure the state to further thwart federal authorities by ending a corrections policy of notifying them about the release of convicts listed on ICE detainers or arrest warrants.
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Their demand would expand the state&#8217;s already radical &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; policy, the &#8220;Trust Act&#8221; (SB 54), which &#8220;prohibits state and local law enforcement from holding people longer than 48 hours for federal immigration agents — unless they’ve been convicted of certain crimes, most of them serious or violent,&#8221; as the Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-trust-act-sanctuary-state-immigration-20170910-htmlstory.html">explained</a> in 2017.
The revised Trust Act (2017) &#8220;curb[s] state and local agencies from collecting or sharing their personal information and release dates from jail or prison with federal immigration officials.&#8221;
&#8220;Ton was picked up Monday by a private government contractor in what immigrant groups contend is a violation of federal law, his attorney said,&#8221; the Times reports. &#8220;Newsom this year vetoed a bill that would have blocked private companies from picking up paroled immigrants in California.&#8221;
</div>
</div>
Asked about the decision to approve the parole and transfer of Ton, Newsom&#8217;s office offered no comment. A corrections department spokesman, however, did respond, succinctly telling the LA Times, &#8220;We followed normal procedure.&#8221;
Prasad says that while in prison Ton turned his life around and has become a substance abuse counselor. Since Newsom approved his parole, he must agree that Ton no longer poses a threat to the community, Prasad maintains.
Newsom has made national headlines in recent days due to a public feud with President Trump. Newsom has attempted to shift the blame for the homeless crisis in California away from the progressive policies Newsom has supported to Trump&#8217;s Department of Housing and Urban Development &#8220;doing nothing&#8221; on the &#8220;housing first&#8221; initiative.
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In spin room at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> slams Trump Administration and HUD for doing “nothing” on “housing first,” the priority to solve homelessness. <a href="https://t.co/AQXRHUwZys">pic.twitter.com/AQXRHUwZys</a>
&mdash; Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1207882406612455424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In response, Trump offered to get the federal government more involved in Newsom&#8217;s state: &#8220;Governor Gavin [Newsom] has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!&#8221;
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Governor Gavin N has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved! <a href="https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA">https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1209964406324510720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-christmas-tweets-take-aim-at-nancy-pelosi-gavin-newsom">Trump’s Christmas Tweets Take Aim At Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom</a>

California Governor Gavin Newsom

California Governor Under Fire After Paroled Immigrant Murder Convict Immediately Taken Into ICE Custody

Crime

Immigration

On Monday, a rapper known as &#8220;Blueface,&#8221; whose real name is Johnathan Michael Porter, posted a video of his, uh, unique charitable giving this Christmas season.
In a video posted to his Twitter account, Blueface is standing atop his vehicle throwing wads of cash at poor people on Skid Row in Los Angeles. As shown in the video, desperate folks swarm the rapper as they fight over the cash; one man evens climb on top of the rapper&#8217;s vehicle.
It&#8217;s unclear how much money Blueface gives away, though YouTuber DJ Akademiks said he tossed out $50,000.
WATCH:
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The season of giving 💰 <a href="https://t.co/paGrYB6WKo">pic.twitter.com/paGrYB6WKo</a>
&mdash; blueface (@bluefacebleedem) <a href="https://twitter.com/bluefacebleedem/status/1209257620411834369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Blueface&#8217;s bizarre execution of generosity was met with mixed responses online.
&#8220;They say a lot about BlueFACE but they never mention that he one of the most generous rappers in the game &#8230; here he is humbly donating $50,000 to the less fortunate! THANK U BLUEFACE,&#8221; said DJ Akademiks.
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They say a lot about BlueFACE but they never mention that he one of the most generous rappers in the game &#8230; here he is humbly donating $50,000 to the less fortunate! THANK U BLUEFACE <a href="https://t.co/p15qYy0ntP">pic.twitter.com/p15qYy0ntP</a>
&mdash; DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Akademiks/status/1209267541044080641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I had an opinion about this and then I asked myself, self how much money did you give? The answer was none. Carry on Blueface,&#8221; another Twitter user wrote.
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I had an opinion about this and then I asked myself, self how much money did you give? The answer was none. Carry on Blueface <a href="https://t.co/eMorstwhYd">https://t.co/eMorstwhYd</a>
&mdash; The Spike Lee of D.C. (@_MCKENTON_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MCKENTON_/status/1209282923368570880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Human Events&#8217; Ian Miles Cheong was not as impressed, ridiculing the rapper for treating poor folks like peasants beneath him.
&#8220;Utterly dehumanizing,&#8221; he said of the video. &#8220;This isn’t the Middle Ages. You don’t need to act like royalty and you don’t need to treat homeless people like plebs.&#8221;
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Utterly dehumanizing. This isn’t the Middle Ages. You don’t need to act like royalty and you don’t need to treat homeless people like plebs. <a href="https://t.co/DeZJwjEZqb">https://t.co/DeZJwjEZqb</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1209301708200796161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Wire&#8217;s Jessica Fletcher posted: &#8220;10 points for generosity -10 points for execution.&#8221;
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10 points for generosity -10 points for execution <a href="https://t.co/cj7iivV4k1">https://t.co/cj7iivV4k1</a> <a href="https://t.co/wBPgWLDWpQ">pic.twitter.com/wBPgWLDWpQ</a>
&mdash; Jessica Fletcher (@heckyessica) <a href="https://twitter.com/heckyessica/status/1209299700731518976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;No one is coming for blue face. [I don&#8217;t know] that n****. but [I] will comment on behavior openly as [I] see fit. [H]e’s not the only one. [D]avid [D]obrik does this, too. [I] just keep to myself. [B]ut watching humans scramble for money makes me sad,&#8221; commented fellow rapper <a href="https://time.com/5567340/chika-rapper-interview/">Chika</a>.
Skid Row is known for its extreme poverty. As reported last year by <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-la-poverty-on-skid-row-defies-us-humane-reputation">PBS</a>, &#8220;Sanitary and living conditions for an estimated 2,000 homeless people along Los Angeles&#8217; Skid Row are so severe that the United Nations recently compared them to Syrian refugee camps.&#8221;
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-supporters-go-clean-filthy-la-shocked-james-barrett">The Daily Wire</a>, progressive policies have contributed to Los Angeles&#8217; struggle with mass-homelessness, &#8220;which has resulted in rampant drug abuse, the spreading of diseases, and the accumulation of garbage in many areas. The problem has also increasingly inspired residents to begin to call out elected officials for failing to keep neighborhoods safe.&#8221;
The devastation of the Democrat-controlled area was documented by humanitarian and conservative activist Scott Presler, otherwise known as &#8220;The Persistence,&#8221; in September.
&#8220;I’m at Skid Row in Los Angeles. There are 500,000 homeless Americans in our country. Why do democrats choose illegal aliens over US?&#8221; Presler captioned the shocking video of the poverty.
WATCH:
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I’m at Skid Row in Los Angeles. 
There are 500,000 homeless Americans in our country. 
Why do democrats choose illegal aliens over US? <a href="https://t.co/MAIbj8Uj8k">pic.twitter.com/MAIbj8Uj8k</a>
&mdash; #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/1175216756899450880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Presler has traveled to Democrat-run cities across the nation, accompanied by volunteers, to help pick up literally hundreds of tons of garbage. For example, in September, Presler and a group of volunteers mostly comprised of self-described Trump supporters went to Los Angeles to pick up a stunning 50 tons of waste.
“We have to look at how our money is being allocated,” one of the female volunteers said during the documented clean-up effort. “My impression is that my congressman, Adam Schiff, is not really paying attention for a few reasons. One, he doesn’t live here. And, B, he’s very focused on his hyper-partisan anti-Trump, Republican vs. Democrat thing.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-supporters-go-clean-filthy-la-shocked-james-barrett">WATCH: Trump Supporters Go To Clean Up Filthy L.A., Shocked With What They Find</a>

Blueface

WATCH: Rapper Throws Money At Poor People On Skid Row From Atop Car; Chaos Ensues, Mixed Reactions Pour In

A new report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday revealed that homelessness is on the rise in the U.S. and that Democrat-controlled California is the main force behind the overall increase of the homeless population in the United States.
&#8220;While the rest of the country experienced a combined decrease in homelessness in 2019, significant increases in unsheltered and chronic homelessness on the West Coast, particularly California and Oregon, offset those nationwide decreases, causing an overall increase in homelessness of 2.7 percent in 2019,&#8221; HUD <a href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_19_177">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported declines in homelessness between 2018 and 2019, while 21 states reported increases in the number of persons experiencing homelessness. Homelessness in California increased by 21,306 people, or 16.4 percent, which is more than the total national increase of every other state combined.&#8221;
The report found that 567,715 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2019, which was an increase of nearly 15,000 thousand people from the previous year.
&#8220;As we look across our nation, we see great progress, but we&#8217;re also seeing a continued increase in street homelessness along our West Coast where the cost of housing is extremely high,&#8221; said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. &#8220;In fact, homelessness in California is at a crisis level and needs to be addressed by local and state leaders with crisis-like urgency. Addressing these challenges will require a broader, community-wide response that engages every level of government to compassionately house our fellow citizens who call the streets their home.&#8221;
HUD noted the following key findings from its report [emphasis is HUD&#8217;s]:
<ul>
<li>567,715 people were homeless, representing an overall 2.7 percent increase from 2018 but a nearly 11 percent decline since 2010.</li>
<li>37,085 Veterans were reported as homeless, a decline of 2.1 percent from 2018 and 50 percent since 2010.</li>
<li>53,692 families with children experienced homelessness last January, down nearly 5 percent from 2018 and more than 32 percent since 2010.</li>
<li>Homelessness increased in California by 21,306 people, or 16.4 percent, accounting for more than the entire national increase.</li>
<li>The estimated number of persons experiencing long-term, chronic homelessness increased 8.5 percent between 2018 and 2019. This increase was concentrated on the West Coast, with the largest increases in California.</li>
<li>The number of unaccompanied homeless youth and children in 2019 is estimated to be 35,038, a 3.6 percent decline since 2018. HUD and local communities are engaged in a more intense effort to more accurately account for this important, difficult-to-count population.</li>
</ul>
The rapidly deteriorating conditions inside Democrat-controlled California are likely a significant reason why California&#8217;s population growth rate is at its lowest point in nearly 120 years.
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-21/california-population-continues-to-decline-with-state-emigration-a-major-factor">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The estimates, which indicate that California’s population grew by 141,300 people between July 1, 2018, and July 1, 2019, nonetheless signal a 0.35% growth rate, “down from 0.57% for the prior 12 months — the two lowest recorded growth rates since 1900,” [Department of Finance] officials underscored.
According to the agency, natural increase (with 452,200 births and 271,400 deaths) accounted for an additional 180,800 people to the state. Still, these gains were offset by losses in net migration — that is, the total amount of people moving into the state minus the total amount of people moving out. Notably, said Eddie Hunsinger, a demographer with the Department of Finance, even though the net international migration added to the state’s population, there was substantial negative domestic net migration, which resulted in a loss of 39,500 residents. This, said the department, marks “the first time since the 2010 Census that California has had more people leaving the state than moving in from abroad or other states.”</blockquote>
&nbsp;

Mission on LA&#8217;s Skid Row Holds Back-to-School Giveaway for the Underprivileged

Homelessness Is On The Rise In The U.S. And One State Is Driving It

Ahead of the Democratic president debate Thursday — in which frontrunner Joe Biden said that he&#8217;d be willing to &#8220;displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue collar workers&#8221; to transition to a &#8220;greener&#8221; economy — residents in Venice, California near where the debate was held noticed a lot of activity around homeless encampments around the city.
&#8220;Some residents in Venice say they’re seeing lots of cleanups at homeless encampments right before the Democratic presidential debate,&#8221; KFI AM 640 <a href="https://kfiam640.iheart.com/content/2019-12-19-homeless-encampments-in-venice-cleaned-up-ahead-of-presidential-debate/">reported</a> Thursday along with some photographic evidence of the cleanups (h/t Hot Air&#8217;s <a href="https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2019/12/20/prior-debate-get-homeless-people-away-cameras/">Jazz Shaw</a>). &#8220;Dump trucks, homeless service workers and police have been cleaning up encampments,&#8221; the outlet reports.
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Some residents in Venice say they’re seeing lots of cleanups at homeless encampments right before the Democratic presidential debate. City officials say the cleanups are routine. <a href="https://twitter.com/KFIAM640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KFIAM640</a> <a href="https://t.co/fKhgZAoDqQ">pic.twitter.com/fKhgZAoDqQ</a>
&mdash; mollenbeck (@amollenbeckKFI) <a href="https://twitter.com/amollenbeckKFI/status/1207737677589532672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
When KFI reached out to the city, they pleaded ignorance, Councilman Mike Bonin&#8217;s office telling the outlet that they were not aware of any additional cleanups scheduled ahead of the big debate.
While city officials told the outlet that the cleanups are &#8220;routine,&#8221; residents pushed back against the claim.
&#8220;They usually have, along Grandview, all kinds of homeless people in tents and everything,&#8221; one Venice resident told KFI reporter Andrew Mollenbeck.
&#8220;It&#8217;s completely different,&#8221; another resident told Mollenbeck. &#8220;For the most part, the city does little to nothing to combat that unless there&#8217;s a media spotlight on Santa Monica, and/or Venice.&#8221;
California, which has been run by progressive Democrats for decades, has been increasingly plagued by homelessness. Democrat-run cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, in particular, have seen homeless encampments springing up all over — and with them a spike in serious diseases, violence and crime.
While Venice reportedly scrambled to literally clean up the mess resulting from the Democrat-controlled city and state&#8217;s various progressive policies Thursday, at the Democratic debate down the road, the candidates doubled down on their progressive rhetoric. One of the debate&#8217;s more notable moments — and one potentially relevant to the Venice homeless crisis — was Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-eliminate-hundreds-of-thousands-of-blue-collar-jobs-for-greener-economy">response</a> to a question about forcing the country to transition to a &#8220;greener economy,&#8221; even if it means displacing &#8220;maybe hundreds of thousands&#8221; of blue collar workers.
&#8220;Vice President Biden, I’d like to ask you, three consecutive American presidents have enjoyed stints of explosive economic growth due to oil and gas production,&#8221; Politico&#8217;s Tim Alberta said during the CNN-hosted debate that was co-moderated by Politico and PBS. &#8220;As president would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth, even knowing potentially that it could displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue collar workers in the interest transitioning to that greener economy?&#8221;
&#8220;The answer is yes,&#8221; said Biden.
The reason he would be willing to do something so drastic, he explained, is that the &#8220;green&#8221; economy would supposedly create enough work to give all those displaced people even better jobs.
&#8220;The answer is yes because the opportunity for those workers is to switch to high paying jobs,&#8221; he insisted. &#8220;We should, in fact, be making sure right now that every new building built is energy contained, that it doesn’t leak energy, that in fact we should be providing tax credits for people to be able to make their homes turn to solar power. There are all kinds of folks — right here in California, we’re now on the verge of having batteries that are about the size of the top of this podium that you can store energy when in fact the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. We have enormous opportunities.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-immigrants-are-the-future-of-america-you-should-get-used-to-it">Biden: Immigrants ‘Are The Future Of America,’ ‘You Should Get Used To It’</a>
<section class="re-content-block" data-block-type="html"></section>

Homeless

Homeless Encampments In California Cleaned Up Ahead Of Democratic Debate, Residents Say

Democratic Party

Joe Biden

On Monday, Vox Media-owned SB Nation announced that it was cutting more than 200 freelance writers as a direct result of California&#8217;s new law targeting independent contractors. When one of those soon-to-be terminated writers posted about the &#8220;devastating&#8221; situation online, the chief sponsor of the bill responded by telling her it&#8217;s &#8220;not all bad&#8221; and framing the loss of jobs as a choice by the contractors. Amid blistering blowback, the lawmaker offered a meek apology.
California&#8217;s Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) — sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who The Atlantic cheered as &#8220;<a href="https://a80.asmdc.org/biography">The California Democrat setting the National Agenda</a>&#8221; — targets the so-called &#8220;gig economy,&#8221; the use of independent contractors, including freelance writers and ride share drivers. Because Gonzalez&#8217;s bill arbitrarily imposes the limit of 35 contributions for freelance writers a year for a publication, SB Nation has been forced to cut ties with over 200 contractors, creating only about 20 part-time and full-time jobs to replace them — meaning some 180+ former freelancers have officially lost a source of income.
One of those writers, Rebecca Lawson, editor-in-chief of the blog Mavs Moneyball who covers the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks from San Diego, posted about the &#8220;terrible&#8221; bill after SB Nation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/californias-new-law-that-vox-supported-just-cost-hundreds-of-vox-writers-their-jobs">announced</a> the hundreds of layoffs Monday.
&#8220;Today, along with literally HUNDREDS of my colleagues, I was told that I can no longer hold a paid position at SB Nation,&#8221; Lawson tweeted Monday. &#8220;California, you’re breaking my heart (and taking my money).&#8221;
In a <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2019/12/16/21024414/california-terrible-ab5-came-for-me-today-and-im-devastated">post</a> for her site, Lawson expanded on SB Nation&#8217;s &#8220;devastat[ing]&#8221; announcement: &#8220;California’s terrible AB5 came for me today, and I’m devastated &#8230;SB Nation has chosen to do the easiest thing they can to comply with California law — not work with California-based independent contractors, or any contractors elsewhere writing for California-based teams.&#8221;
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Today, along with literally HUNDREDS of my colleagues, I was told that I can no longer hold a paid position at SB Nation. California, you’re breaking my heart (and taking my money). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AB5?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AB5</a> 
MY COLUMN: <a href="https://t.co/lek2y60ZF0">https://t.co/lek2y60ZF0</a> <a href="https://t.co/iMQ7vswjV3">pic.twitter.com/iMQ7vswjV3</a>
&mdash; Rebecca Lawson (@beccaaftersix) <a href="https://twitter.com/beccaaftersix/status/1206622920845516806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Gonzalez — the San Diego assemblywoman who is behind a series of left-wing laws since she came to office in 2013 and is reportedly eyeing California&#8217;s Secretary of State spot — posted a direct response to Lawson in defense of her much-maligned bill.
The firing of hundreds of contractors in order to hire just 20 employees, Gonzalez attempted to argue in her response, is a net positive. The 180+ contractors unable to land one of the 20 jobs, Gonzalez suggested, simply don&#8217;t &#8220;want a job.&#8221;
&#8220;First, this states the company had been contemplating the switch for 2 years,&#8221; Gonzalez wrote of Vox Media and SB Nation. &#8220;Second, it clearly states that those contracted jobs are being converted to full &amp; part time jobs. I understand a contractor who doesn’t want a job being upset, but that’s certainly not all bad.&#8221;
In response, Lawson fired back. &#8220;They&#8217;re creating like 15 full time jobs for HUNDREDS of us who were let go just because California. That&#8217;s good? How???&#8221;
&#8220;And don&#8217;t tell me what&#8217;s good for me,&#8221; Lawson added in a follow-up post. &#8220;This is lost income for my family. In the case of some of my friends, THOUSANDS of dollars a month. It&#8217;s horrible.&#8221;
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They&#39;re creating like 15 full time jobs for HUNDREDS of us who were let go just because California. That&#39;s good? How???
&mdash; Rebecca Lawson (@beccaaftersix) <a href="https://twitter.com/beccaaftersix/status/1206637026390331395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In response to the intense blowback, Gonzalez wrote, &#8220;I’m sorry, in no way did I mean to minimize your specific loss.&#8221;
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I’m sorry, in no way did I mean to minimize your specific loss.
— Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) <a href="https://twitter.com/LorenaSGonzalez/status/1206639138142703618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/04/lorena-gonzalez-ab-5-champion-black-widow-of-public-policy/2423465001/">USA Today</a> highlights, Gonzalez has been very active in pushing her progressive agenda since being elected in 2013.
&#8220;The Democrat who represents Southern San Diego authored 34 pieces of legislation, but for Gonzalez, that’s not exactly out of the ordinary. She&#8217;s achieved big wins each year she has been in office. Her bills often start conversations in other states and set the bar for progressive policies around the country, especially when it comes to workers&#8217; rights,&#8221; USA Today reports.
Among the other job-killing bills she&#8217;s helped push through is the state&#8217;s $15 minimum wage bill.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/californias-new-law-that-vox-supported-just-cost-hundreds-of-vox-writers-their-jobs">California’s New Law That Vox Supported Just Cost Hundreds Of Vox Writers Their Jobs</a>
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Lorena Gonzalez

Democrat Behind Law That Just Got Hundreds Of Writers Fired Says It’s ‘Not All Bad,’ Gets Smacked, Apologizes

Left-wing outlet Vox supported California&#8217;s controversial new law targeting &#8220;gig&#8221; workers — including contractors who work for ride share companies and freelance writers — arguing that those sounding the alarm over the law fail to understand how it&#8217;s really going to &#8220;protect&#8221; independent contractors. With the law going into effect in January, Vox Media has just informed hundreds of its freelancers that they&#8217;ve been cut. Out of the hundreds, only about 20 will potentially get a part-time or full-time job with the company.
In October, about a month after California&#8217;s Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) was passed, Vox&#8217;s Alexia Fernández Campbell defended the law by insisting to the outlet&#8217;s readers and freelancers that &#8220;<a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/21/20924781/freelance-journalists-writers-ab-5-california">the alternative to AB 5 would be worse</a>&#8220;:
<blockquote>
The law, which goes into effect in January, makes it much harder for companies to label workers as independent contractors (a.k.a. freelancers) instead of employees, a common practice that has allowed businesses to skirt state and federal labor laws.
Hundreds of thousands of independent contractors in California, ranging from Uber and Amazon drivers to manicurists and exotic dancers, will likely become employees under AB 5. So would many freelance journalists who do four or more assignments each month for one news outlet.
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But, as many journalists, particularly on the right, have predicted, that&#8217;s not what is actually happening. Rather than &#8220;many&#8221; of these contractors becoming employees, as Vox insisted, a vast majority are simply losing their gigs — just like hundreds of writers for Vox Media&#8217;s SB Nation learned on Monday.
In a &#8220;bittersweet&#8221; announcement posted on SB Nation on Monday equivocally titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2019/12/16/21024100/thank-you-california">Thank You, California</a>,&#8221; SB Nation&#8217;s executive director John Ness informed the over 200 independent contractors for the outlet working in California that they won&#8217;t have a job with them next year because of SB 5:
<blockquote>
This is a bittersweet note of thanks to our California independent contractors. In 2019, SB Nation contractors who live in California or contribute to California’s team sites did some truly amazing work: They ran 25 different communities, with all of the sites’ managers pulling together their own unique recipe for smart coverage. Contractors ran social media through the nerve-racking ups and downs of gametime and moderated our sprawling communities. Together, over 200 people on California sites wrote thousands of blog posts in 2019 – pieces so diverse in their conception that it’s impossible to describe them en masse except to say, they were written for a community of fellow fans. This is how things have run for our California blogs since 2003, when Tyler Bleszinski launched Athletics Nation.
Now comes the bittersweet part: In 2020, we will move California’s team blogs from our established system with hundreds of contractors to a new one run by a team of new SB Nation employees. In the early weeks and months of 2020, we will end our contracts with most contractors at California brands. This shift is part of a business and staffing strategy that we have been exploring over the past two years, but one that is also necessary in light of <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB5">California’s new independent contractor law</a>, which goes into effect January 1, 2020. That new law makes it impossible for us to continue with our current California team site structure because it restricts contractors from producing more than 35 written content “submissions” per year. To comply with this new law, we will not be replacing California contractors with contractors from other states.
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Ness goes on to encourage the more than 200 axed contractors to apply for SB Nation&#8217;s &#8220;newly-created full-time or part-time employee positions.&#8221; But there&#8217;s one big problem. As reported by<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/16/vox-media-to-cut-hundreds-of-freelance-jobs-ahead-of-californias-ab5.html"> CNBC</a>, SB Nation is only creating about 20 of those positions.
AB 5 &#8220;has the potential to change the employment status of more than 1 million workers in California,&#8221; CNBC notes, while Uber, Lyft and DoorDash have &#8220;pledged $90 million on a ballot initiative for the 2020 election that would exempt them&#8221; from the bill.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sb-nation-writers-lose-jobs-because-of-new-california-law-democrat-behind-law-says-its-not-all-bad-gets-smacked-apologizes">Democrat Behind Law That Just Got Hundreds Of Writers Fired Says It’s ‘Not All Bad,’ Gets Smacked, Apologizes</a>

Welcome to California

California’s New Law That Vox Supported Just Cost Hundreds Of Vox Writers Their Jobs

The southern California community college that punished an autistic student for trying to make friends by offering “fist bumps” and asking to take “selfies” has officially filed a notice of appeal after a court ruled the school needed to remove the negative marks from the student’s transcript.
The student at the center of the case is Marcus Knight, who has autism, cerebral palsy, and a shunt in his brain to relieve fluid pressure. Knight and his mother, Aurora, have fought his entire life for him to be treated like everyone else. He had been taught at a young age that he could try to make friends by offering fist bumps, and that asking people to take selfies with him would be inoffensive, since Marcus has difficulty making friends due to his disabilities.
While enrolled at Saddleback College, however, these simple and inoffensive gestures left Marcus with sexual misconduct marks on his permanent record.
One female student accused him of making her uncomfortable when he asked for a fist bump. Another said Marcus had “over 300 photos” of her on his phone, but this was due to his cerebral palsy and accidentally pressing the “burst” option when taking a selfie. Another student claimed Marcus was following her and staring at her.
Marcus’ story should be one about intolerance toward people with disabilities. Instead, thanks to the #MeToo movement, it is about sexual harassment.
Marcus was not allowed to defend himself against the allegations, his mother and attorney, Mark Hathaway, have alleged. The hearing against him was cancelled after one of Marcus’ accusers refused to testify and failed to appear. Despite this, Marcus was punished with Title IX-related marks on his transcripts, making him look like a sexual predator. Marcus was allowed to continue his studies at Saddleback, but must be accompanied at all times by a handler.
Marcus’ mother, Aurora, has been devastated by her son’s treatment. She launched a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-support-for-marcus">GoFundMe account</a> to raise money to sue Saddleback. She was able to hire Hathaway, who has had numerous successes for male students denied due process.
In late November, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/autistic-college-student-punished-for-fist-bump-and-selfies-finally-clears-his-name">a court ruled</a> that Saddleback must remove the misconduct sanctions from Marcus’ transcript. At the time, Saddleback appeared to agree to remove the sanctions, but a week later, a spokesperson for the school told reporter Toni Airaksinen that Saddleback <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/autistic-college-student-punished-for-fist-bump-and-selfies-finally-clears-his-name">would appeal the sanctions</a>.
Aurora was surprised by the turn around, telling The Daily Wire at the time that she couldn’t believe Saddleback was “really out to destroy my son!!”
Now Saddleback has made their intentions official. The school on December 5th filed a notice of appeal with the court, according to a document obtained by The Daily Wire.
Hathaway, Marcus’ attorney, previously told The Daily Wire that he “would continue to fight for Marcus Knight.” Aurora said she just wants “justice for my son” and “to see him happy again.”
“I have been fighting for my son[‘s] right to be for 20 years,” she said. “All he wants is to be like everyone else. Have friends, people that loves him.”

Marcus Knight

CONFIRMED: College Will Appeal Ruling That Favored Autistic Student Punished For Fist Bumps And Selfies

Disability

Education

Sexual Harassment

Thousands of so-called &#8220;penis fish&#8221; — which earned their nickname due to their phallic-looking appearance — washed up on the shore of in California earlier this month.
The organisms, called &#8220;fat innkeeper worms,&#8221; were spotted all over Drakes Beach in Marin County on December 6 after a recent storm had occurred, <a href="https://baynature.org/2019/12/10/naturally-2019-closes-with-thousands-of-10-inch-pulsing-penis-fish-stranded-on-a-california-beach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-ylk="subsec:paragraph;cpos:2;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-rapid-parsed="slk">Bay Nature</a> reported.
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Thousands of &#39;penis fish&#39; wash onto California beach <a href="https://t.co/9bn6LUIWPE">https://t.co/9bn6LUIWPE</a> <a href="https://t.co/hmOnds5MBw">pic.twitter.com/hmOnds5MBw</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1205253573111681024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Bay Nature <a href="https://baynature.org/2019/12/10/naturally-2019-closes-with-thousands-of-10-inch-pulsing-penis-fish-stranded-on-a-california-beach/">reports</a>:
<blockquote>The fat innkeeper worm (Urechis caupo) is a type of spoonworm (Ehciuroidea), an order of non-segmented marine worms identified by a spatula-shaped proboscis used for feeding and sometimes grasping or swimming. The fat innkeeper’s family (Urechidae) contains only four species worldwide, collectively known as either innkeeper worms or, well, penis fish. This is why we prefer scientific names. U. caupo is the sole representative in North America, found only from Southern Oregon to Baja, with the bulk of sightings between Bodega Bay and Monterey. So, whether or not you feel privileged by its presence, U. caupo is an almost uniquely California experience, perhaps having the best claim for State Worm.
Yes, the physical design of the fat innkeeper worm has some explaining to do. But the fat innkeeper is perfectly shaped for a life spent underground. Within a beach or mudflat, it digs a U-shaped burrow extending a few feet in length but no wider than the worm itself. The burrow’s front entrance pokes up like a little sand chimney. These can be seen clustered around the low tide line of a mudflat or sandy beach. The backdoor is marked by a pile of worm castings, which get projected out the end of the tunnel with a blast of water from the worm’s hindquarters.</blockquote>
David Ford, who submitted a photo to the magazine of the penis fish on the beach, told Motherboard that they smelled bad and that they littered the beach for miles.
“I didn’t expect to see such bizarre creatures on the ground. I had no idea what they might be&#8230;it went on for two miles. I walked for another half hour and they were scattered everywhere,&#8221; Ford <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7jjqq/thousands-of-penis-fish-washed-up-on-a-california-beach-it-went-on-for-miles?dsd">said</a>. &#8220;There were seagulls lined up the beach the whole way having eaten so much they could barely stand. A quarter of them looked like they were still alive. The rest were dead, they had a dead sea-creature smell.”
On the issue of how the penis fish ended up at the beach, Bay Nature wrote:
<blockquote>And then there are phenomena such as the one depicted in this photo. So how did thousands of fat innkeeper worms get strewn across Drakes Beach? Well, we’re seeing the risk of building your home out of sand. Strong storms – especially during El Niño years – are perfectly capable of laying siege to the intertidal zone, breaking apart the sediments, and leaving their contents stranded on shore. Do these high-energy storm events have a long-term impact on fat innkeepers? So far as I know, there are no programs explicitly taking stock of the worms. However, you can help monitor this and other species by continuing to use citizen science to report mass strandings, noting when and where they took place, and roughly how many stranded worms you see.</blockquote>
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This may just be the weirdest thing you&#39;ve seen today! 
Thousands of these marine worms, called fat innkeeper worms—or &quot;penis fish&quot;—washed up on Drake&#39;s Beach after a recent storm. 🌊 But why? <a href="https://t.co/MwY6xkN3kb">https://t.co/MwY6xkN3kb</a> <a href="https://t.co/vGMpSvGoAT">pic.twitter.com/vGMpSvGoAT</a>
&mdash; Bay Nature magazine (@BayNature) <a href="https://twitter.com/BayNature/status/1204905854572449792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Beach

Thousands Of ‘Penis Fish’ Wash Up On California Beach

In Hollywood, playing an imaginary character is not a job limited to actors. It’s an ethos that is visible going back to Raymond Chandler’s 1930s and 1940s detective stories that depicted a particular culture of strangeness and cynicism in Southern California that persists today: Most people are not as they appear.
Such is the case with the <a href="https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/muslim-public-affairs-council-and-j-street-accuse-trump-and-netanyahu-of-fueling-ethnonationalism/">Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)</a>, which plays the part of a supposed civil rights organization based in Los Angeles, <a href="https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/facebook-and-disney-sponsor-islamist-group-mpacs-media-awards-honoring-dead-anti-semitic-activist-jamal-khashoggi/">supported</a> by numerous entertainment and technology companies, yet has clear <a href="https://gohmert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=306135">origins with the Muslim Brotherhood</a>.
Back in <a href="https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/facebook-and-disney-sponsor-islamist-group-mpacs-media-awards-honoring-dead-anti-semitic-activist-jamal-khashoggi/">April</a>, MPAC held its annual “media awards” and chose to honor the late Jamal Khashoggi, a supposed Washington Post “journalist” and thus an alleged martyr for free speech. But the truth about Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia is more complicated: The desert kingdom has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-idUSBREA260SM20140307">designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization</a> and Khashoggi has <a href="https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/facebook-and-disney-sponsor-islamist-group-mpacs-media-awards-honoring-dead-anti-semitic-activist-jamal-khashoggi/">associated himself</a> with the group for a long time, parroting its propaganda and even indulging in Islamism’s frequent partner, <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/larryprovost/2018/10/24/khashoggi-writings-reveal-antisemitism-pro-shariaism-n2531301">anti-Semitism</a>.
On November 23, at its 19th annual convention, MPAC <a href="https://convention.mpac.org/banquet">honored</a> another man of mystery who is not as he appears. The “Community Changemaker Award” went to Dr. Ahmed Soboh, chairman of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shuracouncil/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA6hfOqEB1ADV_lDpqmzTbubduraoZ5Acprm0iHogPf_BVNPGMb8zZVyahW0WMQDKZtwHjEwGwqYwOQKME8pH3KJoO8iI1oeyvF3aSba5_uyyNULXXU8o2G7wgh7RcWsAvnniTz0uVfmY4dqTp-TP2IMkVDkoE9gFWtkrr0xt-gwIv66DgNKjGPgmYMKm-MI2iMKTIjiJ-0LTJSVMKqgHcr_mSj4PL6LCRUjeKpgRxgDKZ1UfwJY5Rn_MG5UeMiQvMx86J2dHR4kPVQSN8CxBDVZTVqEaGf9KXoJ7ZhLkU7deRPCV9hRJ9veOTI2iRLTmXeCEcLwBjnDiklSQ&amp;__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARCj9TS4VcW45qp0v53Dbi3JpUKBX-L-n-s3PsHzbPp1Xw9wW3X7TqkefKRBxXA0yYzhzLp2SQQY6fBx5cL_nmJEGEyfSYmeHK1rC8Lc87ioCRSDtFhlNFiO90wMBWjC9-_0U-auJR-oP_1t63U2R_eMR8uydC-p6dIu1BZdvaGTEPovamISkyNFM9A4iAK9lVYBjSYsAjTn4_pAfM9dLeodQcH7VQH8u5PahSS3IwRhIzv3EZf3D0UVogzPQfJ6ORbK7FoxVRY6ytq73Yt1drfi0JbrAJCwgusO4cG_Fobj_Ea5K92ouzhoDf-4KxmjQ6PbatHgTcb7uyhWqA&amp;__tn__=K-R&amp;eid=ARA748xLwUqlBDXFhcskqp8MdWhQUPwd9nFKxN2q3mx5wxA0KHqqiDHPPow2Yur5NdXkpwhOphwwLXtK&amp;fref=mentions">Islamic Shura Council of Southern California</a> (ISCSC), an organization he has led following the tenure of <a href="https://www.islamicity.org/by/muzammil-siddiqi/">Muzammil Siddiqi</a>, a prominent Islamist leader and <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/profile/171/muzammil-siddiqi">longtime defender of sharia</a>. Soboh works as a dentist at <a href="http://www.sobohliswidental.com/?orig_url=www.sobohdental.com">Soboh Liswi Dental</a> in Pomona and has held numerous positions in the Southern California Islamist community over the last 15 years. One of his first roles was as an executive committee member for the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Greater Los Angeles chapter (CAIR-GLA), <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_la_holds_community_forum_with_bakersfield_muslims">appearing at a March 2008</a> community forum.
He currently serves as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ahmed.soboh/about?section=education&amp;lst=20704912%3A649505902%3A1575153912">Director of Religious Activities</a> for the <a href="https://cvislamiccenter.org/">Chino Valley Islamic Center</a> (CVIC), a mosque that has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cairgla/photos/a.259334470172/10161733228925173/?type=3&amp;theater">hosted</a> such radical speakers as CAIR-GLA Executive Director <a href="http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/709.pdf">Hussam Ayloush</a>, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/51845/countering-islamist-extremism-the-right-way">Bayan Claremont</a> Founder/President <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/51845/countering-islamist-extremism-the-right-way">Jihad Turk</a>, and <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/58905/prominent-california-islamists-praise-imam-call">Ahmed Billoo</a>, who was recently criticized for <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/58905/prominent-california-islamists-praise-imam-call">anti-Semitic remarks</a>. Soboh’s support of CAIR continued further as CVIC hosted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/365949797439438/">two CAIR-GLA events</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/630623767443548/">in July</a> and an event in May with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/354381118541954/">the L.A. chapter</a> of the Muslim American Society (MAS) — which, like CAIR, has also been labeled as a <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/4655/uae-designates-cair-mas-as-terrorist-groups">terrorist organization</a> by the United Arab Emirates.
So how significant is the role which Soboh now plays? What does the ISCSC actually do? The group seems to have three primary functions: (1) Radicalizing the Muslim community by sponsoring extreme speakers, (2) providing Islamist groups opportunities to coordinate their activism, and (3) creating a private space for Islamists to subvert transparency, airing groups’ differences only behind closed doors rather than in public.
First, a brief rundown of the ISCSC’s regular speakers makes clear the organization’s support for radicalism: An April 14, 2018 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shuracouncil/photos/gm.964947137006083/10155608897342833/?type=3&amp;theater">banquet featured</a> <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/52758/hardline-salafist-yasir-qadhi-headlines-islamic">Yasir Qadhi</a>; the March 4, 2017 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1822238718058166/">banquet brought</a> <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/55337/the-worst-of-suhaib-webb">Suhaib Webb</a> to town; the February 27, 2016 fundraiser banquet offered two radicals for the price of one with both former Congressman <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/12/keith-ellison-islamic-radical/">Keith Ellison</a> (D-MN) and <a href="https://www.meforum.org/6576/svcf-hate-speakers-siraj-wahhaj">Siraj Wahhaj</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/167482580270436/">appearing</a>; for the March 1, 2014 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/317864788354203/">banquet</a>, ISCSC chose <a href="https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/10181/tariq-ramadan-reformist-or-islamist">Tariq Ramdan</a>, a man now with multiple <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/15/tariq-ramadan-oxford-professor-facing-rape-charges-granted-conditional-release">rape accusations</a> against him. On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/577702172256409/">March 9, 2013</a> ISCSC hosted a day-long conference featuring <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/52341/worst-of-the-icna-mas-conference-2017">Jamal Badawi</a>, Qadhi, Wahhaj, Siddiqi, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swindle-a-rising-female-islamist-leaders-self-defeating-argument-against-white-liberal-feminists">Muslema Purmu</a>, with Soboh acting as a moderator.
Second, visit<a href="https://shuracouncil.org/our-members"> ISCSC’s list of 74 members</a> to see its unique role in the community. ISCSC acts as an “umbrella organization” and brings together Muslim groups — not all of which are clearly Islamist — of such types as mosques, K–12 schools, higher education, clinics, charities, and activist groups from the moderate-posing MPAC to the more openly radical CAIR and MAS. While MPAC, CAIR, and MAS have tactical differences and varied targets of influence, it’s the role of ISCSC to try and get the three of them to get along and to influence Muslims to support all three groups. On October 25, ISCSC <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=499759974210390">released a video with Soboh urging Muslims</a> to attend the groups’ upcoming November banquets and conventions.
Third, ISCSC’s place in Southern California’s Islamist community came into focus from its role in the Institute of Knowledge’s (IOK) “<a href="https://www.iokconference.com/">Ilmspiration</a>” conference on September 21, which was a one-day gathering of Islamist scholar-activists — including individuals from <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/51455/the-worst-of-omar-suleiman">Omar Suleiman’s</a> <a href="https://yaqeeninstitute.org/">Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research</a>, and <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/civil-rights/328873-once-again-cair-shows-that-islamism-and-civil-rights-dont-mix">Abdul Nasir Jangda</a>’s <a href="https://www.qalam.institute/">Qalam Institute</a>. ISCSC sponsored the event, Soboh gave the opening welcome, and at the day’s final panel, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swindle-a-rising-female-islamist-leaders-self-defeating-argument-against-white-liberal-feminists">Muslema Purmul</a> offered a revealing explanation of how the group operates behind the scenes.
In his speech, Soboh explained how various Islamic organizations had been developing over decades and collaborating together. He began with a reference to the past: “Our Muslim community in America has been building its assets in America for the past 60 years. … And now we have amazing organizations, amazing institutions, amazing properties, endowments, funds, and all that.” What happened approximately 60 years ago? The Muslim Students Association was founded in <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/money-politics/organizations/">1963</a> and from it came such “amazing organizations” as the Islamic Society of North America, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, and the North American Islamic Trust. “But for the past 20, 15 years, we started shifting our building of assets to something that’s extremely important, which is building our base of Muslim scholars and intellectuals.  … Indeed, our institutions are also becoming an asset: IOK, Yaqeen, and Qalam Institute … Shura Council is very proud to sponsor, to collaborate, to see the collaboration of these organizations. &#8230;”
ISCSC would not receive mention again until <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swindle-a-rising-female-islamist-leaders-self-defeating-argument-against-white-liberal-feminists">Purmul</a> brought it up: “Not every single thing that every organization does is agreed upon by every other organization within the Muslim community … we have things like Shura Council that we can come together under one umbrella … we do need to have private spaces where people can go up to each other and say, ‘Look, this is really confusing. Why did you do this?’”
So congratulations to Dr. Soboh for this recognition. A downside of this exposure: The mask is now off and you’re under the spotlight. Opponents of Islamism are now well aware of what, until now, had been a quiet influence operation.
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David M. Swindle is the Southern California associate of the <a href="https://counterislamist.org/">Counter-Islamist Grid</a> and a fellow for <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/">Islamist Watch</a>. He also works as the Director of Research for <a href="https://theisraelgroup.org/">The Israel Group</a>. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/daveswindle">@DaveSwindle</a>.

Los Angeles skyline mountains

SWINDLE: A Troubling Award For A Rising Leader Behind Southern California Islamism

CAIR

Islam

Muslims

Radical Islam

Surveillance footage recently released by the Emeryville Police Department shows a disturbing incident that occurred at an outdoor shopping mall near San Francisco on Black Friday that involved an off-duty highway patrol officer being choked unconscious and a woman being repeatedly shoved and threatened by a group of teens.
&#8220;A group of juveniles were arrested on Black Friday after assaulting a woman and an off duty CHP officer, according to authorities,&#8221; the Bay Area&#8217;s <a href="https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/police-juveniles-arrested-after-assaulting-victim-off-duty-officer-in-emeryville/">KRON</a> reported Monday.
The incident took place at around 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, after the woman said she returned to the Emeryville&#8217;s Bay Street Mall, where she believed her cell phone was stolen by a group of teens.
As seen in the surveillance footage, the woman, who is wearing a white coat, approaches the group that she believes to have robbed her. When she walks over to ask them to give her the cell phone back, the situation quickly becomes violent.
The video (below) shows one of the teens, a male in a white hoodie and red hat, suddenly shove the diminutive woman, who refuses to back down despite being greatly outnumbered. Another male teen, wearing a black jacket, moves right in front of the woman in a threatening manner, refusing to let her question his peers. The teen who had shoved the woman soon joins his friend in the black jacket and the two walk threateningly toward the woman, compelling her to momentarily turn away.
While this is taking place, multiple bystanders can be seen failing to take any action despite the clearly escalating situation and the threat posed to the woman. When the male in the white hoodie shoves the woman again, a few people who also appear to be teens finally intervene. The woman still refuses to give up her quest to get back her phone. With tension mounting again, a man, who turned out to be a Chicago Highway Patrol officer, steps in to try to de-escalate the situation.
&#8220;After a few minutes, the off-duty officer, wearing civilian clothes, approaches and talks to the woman, then gestures toward the teens, possibly taking photos of them on his own phone, the video shows,&#8221; <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article237996109.html">The Sacramento Bee</a> reports. &#8220;Yanking off his hat and sweatshirt, at least one teen charges the man and a wild brawl erupts, the video shows.&#8221;
The situation gets so dire for the off-duty officer, that he attempts to run, but the group of teens chase him down and continue to punch and shove him.
&#8220;Some of the teens appear to try to intervene while others join in as the chaotic fight moves down a pedestrian walkway, into landscaping and then back onto the walkway, the video shows,&#8221; the Bee reports. &#8220;Several teens can be seen beating the off-duty officer, sometimes as he’s on the ground.&#8221;
Eventually one of the teens allegedly choked the officer until he became unconscious. When he regained consciousness, KRON reports, the officer pepper sprayed one of the more aggressive suspects.
&#8220;He was punched. He was kicked. He was taken to the ground. He was choked. He lost consciousness for a minute, came back, was able to defend himself,&#8221; detective Jaime Pardo told CBS News-affiliate <a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/12/02/teens-arrested-assault-off-duty-chp-officer-female-shopper-emeryville-bay-street-mall/">KPIX</a>.
As the surveillance footage shows, eventually, security officers, wearing yellow vests, arrive on the scene and try to restore order.
Emeryville police officers ended up arresting two of the teens, a 14-year-old and 16-year-old, on suspicion of assault. Authorities are seeking six other teens involved in the incident.
According to <a href="https://abc7news.com/off-duty-chp-officer-assaulted-at-emeryville-shopping-mall/5730159/">ABC 7</a>, the officer who was assaulted reportedly drove himself to a hospital for treatment.
Surveillance video below via <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article237996109.html">The Sacramento Bee</a>:
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Police Car

WATCH: Group Of Teens Brutally Attack Off-Duty Officer Trying To Defend Woman

Law Enforcement

The increasingly ugly case against California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter appears to have finally come to its inglorious end after the congressman reversed his previous position and pleaded guilty to campaign finance violation charges and one charge of conspiracy. The guilty plea comes after the congressman blamed his wife for egregious campaign spending violations amounting to some $250,000 and amid allegations of multiple affairs by the reportedly &#8220;cash-strapped&#8221; San Diego representative.
The <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/02/gop-rep-duncan-hunter-will-plead-guilty-to-swiping-250k-from-campaign/">New York Post</a> broke the news of Hunter&#8217;s guilty plea on Monday. &#8220;Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Ca.), who was hit with federal charges of illegally swiping more than $250,000 in campaign funds to cover personal expenses, will plead guilty in the case, his attorney told The Post on Monday,&#8221; the outlet reported.
Paul Pfingst, Hunter&#8217;s attorney, also told the Post Monday that as part of his plea deal, his client will plead guilty to a conspiracy count.
The case started back in August 2018, when Hunter and his wife Margaret, who were reportedly &#8220;<a href="https://nypost.com/2019/06/25/california-congressman-allegedly-funded-affairs-with-campaign-cash/">mired in personal debt</a>,&#8221; were charged with campaign finance violations amounting to $250,000 of campaign funds directed to personal expenses, which allegedly include Hunter&#8217;s multiple extramarital affairs.
After a year-long investigation, Hunter and his wife were charged with &#8220;wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy,&#8221; the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2018/08/21/gop-congressman-indicted-for-campaign-finance-violations/">reported</a> in August 2018. &#8220;A 48-page indictment charged the Hunters with lavish spending from 2009 to 2016, including family vacations to Italy and Hawaii, school tuition, theater tickets and even dental bills.&#8221;
In response, Hunter blamed his wife, saying that he gave her full control of his campaign&#8217;s finances while he was deployed in Iraq as a Marine and she continued to control the money upon his return.
&#8220;[Margaret] was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure,&#8221; the congressman told Fox News in August. &#8220;But I didn’t do it. I didn’t spend any money illegally.&#8221;
While he admitted that his campaign &#8220;did make mistakes,&#8221; Hunter maintained that the money illegally directed to personal expenses was spent &#8220;not by me but by the campaign.&#8221; He also stressed that he paid back the money before the election.
The congressman&#8217;s reversal comes months after his wife pleaded guilty in June and agreed to help the investigation into her embattled husband.
Among the expenditures, the indictment charged, Hunter and his wife spent campaign funds on &#8220;family vacations to Italy and Hawaii, tuition for their children, theater tickets, groceries, restaurant bills, dental visits and even plane tickets for their pet bunny, Eggburt, to travel alongside them,&#8221; the Post details.
According to a motion filed by the Justice Department in California’s Southern District in June, Hunter also used campaign funds to pay for some of his affairs with politicos and a congressional staffer between 2010 and 2016.
&#8220;Carrying out all these affairs did not come cheap — Hunter spent thousands of dollars treating women to meals, drinks, and vacations, and traveling to and from their homes,&#8221; the motion reads, as the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/06/25/california-congressman-allegedly-funded-affairs-with-campaign-cash/">reported</a>. &#8220;Given the pronounced financial difficulties the Hunters were facing, his use of campaign funds to pursue these relationships was necessary for Hunter to satisfy his desire for intimacy.&#8221;

Duncan Hunter

After Throwing His Wife Under The Bus, Rep. Duncan Hunter Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy, Spending Charges

The lawsuit from James Safechuck and Wade Robson against Michael Jackson&#8217;s estate may be resurrected due to a new law in California that allows sex abuse victims to sue past any alleged statute of limitations.
&#8220;A California appeals court appeared strongly inclined Monday to give new life to lawsuits filed by two men who accuse Michael Jackson of repeatedly molesting them when they were boys,&#8221; reported <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/appeals-court-asks-reconsideration-michael-jackson-accusers-lawsuits-1255914">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. &#8220;Three judges from the 2nd District Court of Appeal said in a tentative ruling that lawsuits from James Safechuck and Wade Robson against two corporate entities that Jackson owned should be reconsidered by the trial court that dismissed them in 2017.&#8221;
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into state law an extension of the statute of limitations — sexual abuse victims in the Golden State can now file suits up until the age of 40.
Wade Robson and James Safechuck became household names following the release of the explosive documentary &#8220;Leaving Neverland,&#8221; which accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing young boys, often in his own home. The documentary sent a shockwave across social media, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/44191/fallout-over-michael-jackson-documentary-music-paul-bois">dividing people into two camps</a>: Fierce defenders of Jackson and ex-fans too sickened by the allegations to hear him sing again. Despite their detailed accounts of how the abuse unfolded and corroboration from family members, Robson and Safechuck have faced some scrutiny since the documentary’s release over a discrepancy in their account. As Jeffery Cawood has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/45819/report-leaving-neverland-discrepancy-found-key-jeffrey-cawood">reported</a> for The Daily Wire:
<blockquote>A British journalist said he found a significant discrepancy in HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” documentary, raising questions about the film’s credibility and its graphic molestation allegations against the late international entertainment icon, Michael Jackson.
Since its release a month ago, several tabloids in the United Kingdom have published a series of critiques based on the research of reporter Mike Smallcombe, who also authored a biography on the King of Pop. He says his most damning <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/james-safechucks-michael-jackson-abuse-14207115">discovery</a> focuses on a claim made by James Safechuck, who has repeatedly <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/273431049/Safechuck-Civil-Complaint">said</a> that he was sexually abused by Jackson from 1988 to 1992, ending when he was 14 years old.
However, Smallcombe obtained building permits last week that he says discredit Safechuck’s story.
“Construction on Neverland’s train station didn’t start until the latter part of 1993, and it didn’t open until the first part of 1994, when Safechuck was 16,” Smallcombe <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/james-safechucks-michael-jackson-abuse-14207115">told</a> The Mirror Online.</blockquote>
Speaking outside the Los Angeles courtroom following Monday&#8217;s hearing, Robson and Safechuck&#8217;s attorney Vince Finaldi said the court made the right decision by allowing the lawsuit to move forward.
“All they’ve ever wanted is their day in court,” Finaldi said.
Attorneys for Jackson&#8217;s estate, however, emphasized that the ruling in no way guarantees that Robson and Safechuck&#8217;s lawsuit will ultimately proceed to trial.
“This new law extends the time for genuine victims of abuse to file legal claims,” Jackson estate attorney Howard L. Weitzman said in a statement. “The appellate court’s tentative ruling is not on the merits of Robson and Safechuck’s allegations and the court in no way said that these cases will go to trial. Neither does it reverse the 2015 rulings dismissing Robson and Safechuck’s claims against the estate, which are final and no longer subject to any appeals. We are confident that the claims against Michael Jackson’s corporate entities will, once again, be dismissed as has happened before.”

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