Public support for a U.S. TikTok ban is declining over time. …
Read More
Support for Us TikTok Sell Off Is Waning, According to New Report
New Report Highlights Key 2024 Video Content Trends
The latest report from Tubular Labs highlights some key video consumption trends…
Read More
X Excludes EU Users from xAI Training Set
X has been forced to take a step back on EU user data…
Read More
What Happened Between Ice Spice And Cleotrapa? An Explainer Of The Y2K Tour Controversy
Here’s an in-depth breakdown of all the drama that is going down between the two NYC rappers…
Read More
Future And Metro Boomin Shine Together At ‘We Trust You Tour’ Inglewood
The two musicians left beef off the table…
Read More
The Foreign Policy Establishment Licks Its Chops for Harris
Politics
The old guard likes what it sees on the Democratic ticket.
Any discussion of what U.S. foreign policy under a President Harris might look like must begin with a recognition that every Democratic president beginning with Truman has ended up being captured by the very institutions that presidents are ostensibly elected to oversee. The one exception was murdered in office in 1963.
Generally speaking, Harris has three foreign policy templates from which to choose: Achesonianism, reluctant realism, and progressive internationalism.
The foreign policy template that has governed the behavior of Democratic presidents since the days of President Truman and his secretary of state, Dean Acheson, can be defined by an ingrained belief in the efficacy of American military might and the right and duty to act unilaterally and against international law in the name of security; a hard-wired deference to the prerogatives of the U.S. national security and intelligence bureaucracy; a fear of appearing “weak” on national security and defense issues by their political opponents; a barely concealed disdain for the allegedly “isolationist” tendencies of everyday Americans.
While much of what defines Achesonianism could also fairly characterize the foreign policy of President Barack Obama, his willingness to buck AIPAC and the most powerful of the Democratic party’s donor base in pursuing the JCPOA nuclear agreement with Iran, his short-lived attempts to normalize and stabilize relations with Cuba and Russia, and his refusal—at the last minute—to launch a full-scale war on Syria make him more of a reluctant realist than a full-bore Achesonian.
The less said about the third Democratic foreign-policy template, progressive internationalism, the better. As I noted in a 2019 cover story for The American Conservative, progressive foreign policy too often glosses over
national context, history, and culture in favor of an all-encompassing theory that puts the ‘authoritarian’ nature of the governments they are criticizing at the center of their diagnosis…Progressive values crusades bear more than a passing resemblance to the neoconservative crusades to remake the world in the American self-image.
Progressive foreign-policy influencers remain convinced of their clout when no evidence for it exists. Outside a small community of “experts” who have somehow convinced themselves that funding a $100 billion proxy war against nuclear-armed Russia is necessary because it will somehow advance LGBTQ rights in Severodonetsk, there is little to indicate that Kamala Harris is in sympathy with their agenda—or indeed knows they exist.
From what little one can tell, given the scarcity of her public statements on such matters, Harris will almost certainly staff her administration with Achesonians who, over the past several weeks, have dutifully lined up to endorse her candidacy.
Notable among these was that of former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta. Panetta’s speech to the DNC in Chicago was remarkable if only because it was so militaristic that it caused some in the convention to disrupt his address with chants of “No More War.” According to Panetta, “Trump tells tyrants like Putin they can do whatever the hell they want, Kamala Harris tells tyrants the hell you can. Not on my watch.”
Oh, wow.
Panetta’s speech won plaudits from the ever-predictable Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, who gushed, “Panetta made clear no one is going to call Democrats weak on national security.”
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
Meanwhile, the Democratic nominee is mining a vein of support in what was once the center of gravity within the Republican party. A group of over 200 former aides and other assorted PR and campaign types who once worked for Mitt Romney, John McCain, and George W. Bush have been busy advertising their apostasy, releasing a letter endorsing the Harris/Walz ticket.
Other prominent Republican defectors include the former Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, while neocon royalty Liz Cheney is expected to endorse Harris soon.
Clearly, the establishment likes what it sees in Kamala Harris. Whether that speaks well of her candidacy is a very different matter.
Ukraine’s Hail Mary Pass: Drag the U.S. Into the War
Foreign Affairs
The temporary gains in Kursk may turn into a liability—unless they entice the Americans into the fray.
Ukraine recently accepted the delivery of a half-dozen F-16s, and already one has crashed. Whatever the cause—ironically, the American plane might have been the victim of an American Patriot missile—the shootdown further undermines Kyiv’s claim that Wunderwaffe offer salvation in its war against Russia.
No doubt allied arms have helped sustain Ukraine’s spirited defense against its much larger neighbor. Now Ukrainian officials are pointing to Kiev’s seizure of the Kursk region in Russia as a reason for Washington to end range limits on the use of U.S. weapons. Reported POLITICO: “Ukraine’s invasion of Russia has flipped the gloomy narrative on the war, and Kyiv is using its battlefield success to launch a new pressure campaign on the U.S. to lift the last restrictions.” Indeed, Ukrainian officials reportedly are presenting a long list of potential ATACMS (long-range missile) targets, which probably number in the hundreds, to the Biden administration.
While the ability to hit farther and harder in Russia may raise Ukrainian morale, the ground battle will determine the conflict’s outcome, and there Kiev is losing. The Zelensky government risks permanent strategic failure in the east in return for temporary tactical success around Kursk. Moscow continues to gain land in Donbas, leaving it close to acquiring that territory in toto as well as securing Crimea. Kiev possesses neither the manpower nor the materiel necessary to regain the lost lands and retain the Kursk salient. Indeed, Ukraine’s troops in the latter are in danger of capture if not reinforced, yet there are few units to send when the Ukrainian military is retreating elsewhere.
While additional Western weapons wouldn’t deliver victory for Kyiv, they could expand or intensify the war, and that is not in America’s interest. The allies’ sympathies are understandably with Ukraine, despite NATO’s reckless push to Russia’s border. Yet their first responsibility is to their own nations, which is why they never fulfilled their infamous 2008 promise to bring Ukraine and Georgian into the transatlantic alliance. No one was prepared to go to war with Russia over either country. They shouldn’t do so today.
Yet the allied proxy war is slowly erasing the line between war and peace. Ukraine is still able to resist Russia only because of allied training and weaponry. Prior to the invasion Western policymakers joked that while they could not bring Ukraine into NATO, they were bringing NATO into Ukraine, arming and training the latter’s forces. Since February 2022, NATO countries have denuded their own arsenals to supply Kiev with weapons. Moreover, US and European governments have deployed troops and other forces on the ground in Ukraine, many as de facto combatants, providing intelligence and guiding high-tech weapons—which Kyiv wants to turn on Russia proper. For Moscow the allied fig leaf separating proxy and direct war is ever shrinking.
At the same time, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to do his best to drag the US into the war. In fall 2022, he approved a plan to destroy Germany’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline while blaming Russia and insisting the incident be treated as a casus belli by NATO. After that he charged Russia with a deadly strike on Poland by an errant Ukrainian missile, demanding that the allies enter the war. A couple weeks ago he again pushed Washington to drop restrictions on the use of US weapons, declaring: “The whole naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled these days.”
Ironically, the only good news regarding risks of an expanded war is that Putin evidently believes Russia is winning. Moscow won’t respond to Ukraine’s incursion by nuking its own territory, especially when it expects to recover its losses with profit by capturing Ukraine’s invading force. Moreover, so long as the allies’ assistance is helpful but not decisive, Putin has good reason to accept higher losses in men and materiel than to bomb the U.S. and NATO into the war. (Still possible, though, might be surreptitious retaliation against US bases in Germany.)
Similar restraint is evident in Moscow’s international behavior. Putin threatened to arm Washington’s adversaries, ranging from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to Yemen’s Ansar Allah. Nevertheless, as long as Moscow enjoys cordial or at least civil relations with other states, including South Korea and Saudi Arabia, he appears to be keeping his missiles at home. (Technical assistance for, say, Pyongyang to improve its own ICBMs, remains possible and would be much harder to detect.)
Such forbearance would be unlikely to survive a looming Ukrainian victory on the battlefield—which highlights the danger of running a proxy war against a nuclear power in a conflict along its border which it deems vital, even existential. It doesn’t matter whether the allies believe Moscow should view the issue as warranting war. What matters is whether Moscow does so. The more aggressively the allies back Ukraine, the more they risk pushing the regime toward expansion and escalation of the conflict. Putin might be willing to risk all if he comes to fear Russia’s defeat and loss of Donbass and Crimea, his government’s collapse, and/or his ouster from office.
Alas, Ukraine’s effort to ensnare the West continues. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited Brussels, pressing European official to lobby Washington on the issue. He explained: “I want them to go back to their capitals…to get support to finally lift restrictions on long-range strikes on all legitimate military targets in Russia.” He also urged NATO members to defend Ukrainian airspace. Kiev has been aided and abetted by congressional solons more interested in the wishes of Ukraine’s government than the security of their constituents. So far President Joe Biden has been cautious, but the tragically addled president still has the power to take the U.S. into war.
Zelensky & Co. hope he will go wild before leaving office. Per POLITICO, “‘There’s some indication now that Biden might want to do something big on Ukraine—maybe lifting some of the restrictions—before the election now that he’s not running,’ one senior Ukrainian adviser said. ‘There’s no guarantee, but we’re hearing that he’s thinking about it’.” Kiev admits to playing on Biden’s ego. An unnamed official said, “What does the Biden administration want their legacy to be on Ukraine? They have a chance to make a change. And we’re advocating they make that change now.” Others wave the bloody shirt, blaming Washington for Russian attacks. Another Ukrainian cited “the Western powers,” telling the New York Post: “I won’t go as far as to say that they’re killing our children, but they are accomplices to these war crimes because they facilitate these war crimes—they make these crimes possible.”
However, securing America’s future should be Biden’s legacy. The first responsibility of all the allied states, including the US, is to their own people. It is not just a question of avoiding war with Russia today, though that objective alone is important enough to draw back from the Ukraine conflict. Washington also should consider the security order to emerge from the war and the shifting global balance of power.
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
Reflecting the arrogance and myopia prevalent in America’s capital, for decades officials have sacrificed national security in pursuit of national primacy. U.S. policy has needlessly pushed Russia and China together into a fragile but loose alliance, shifted both countries toward Iran and, even more improbably, Yemen’s Houthis, and encouraged Moscow to reengage with and Beijing to relax pressure on Pyongyang. It will not be enough for the allies to end the war. They will need to rebuild relations with Moscow and encourage it to distance itself from China.
Such a strategy would no doubt trigger much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Ukraine and some allies. Nevertheless, Russia is too important to consign to the arms of America’s potential adversaries. The U.S. and Europeans have never allowed democracy and human rights to obstruct their perceived national interests. They regularly, and many cheerfully, do business with Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia, which is more repressive than Putin’s Russia and has killed more civilians in Yemen than Moscow has killed in Ukraine. Washington pays Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s Egypt billions of dollars annually to be an ally even as it imprisons tens of thousands of its critics, far more than detained in Putin’s Russia. Having provided the wherewithal for Ukraine to kill thousands of Russian military personnel, the allies will need to manage the difficult task of kissing and making up with Moscow, at least if they want the best chance to peacefully constrain the Chinese colossus.
The Russo–Ukrainian war is a modern tragedy. Unjustly begun by Moscow, it is an outgrowth of allied arrogance, a foolish determination to ignore Russian security concerns. After more than two years of fighting the allies should work to bring the conflict to a close. Rather than further inflame the contest, they should talk with Moscow on how to restore peace. And how to prevent a similar explosion elsewhere, both in the Middle East and Asia.
Biden Likely to Block Takeover of U.S. Steel, Agreeing with Vance
Politics
State of the Union: Senators Vance, Hawley, and Rubio sent a letter urging the president to block the sale of the company to Nippon Steel.
President Joe Biden is likely to announce his decision to block the pending acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The acquisition has proved politically controversial, with both presidential candidates—Kamala Harris and Donald Trump—arguing that U.S. Steel should remain an American-owned company. Further strong opposition has come from Ohio’s Senator J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, who in May of this year sent a letter—along with Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Marco Rubio (R-FL)—urging President Biden to block the acquisition:
By law you possess the authority to block the sale of U.S. Steel unilaterally under the Defense Production Act, 50 U.S.C. § 4565(d), or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. § 1702(a), when a national emergency is declared. You may exercise these powers now.
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
U.S. Steel is currently headquartered in Pittsburgh, Vance’s home state and the setting of his bestselling book Hillbilly Elegy, which portrayed the disastrous social consequences of the region’s deindustrialization on the social fabric of his family and community.
While Nippon Steel has pledged to invest $2.7 billion into refurbishing the Ohio steel mills operated by U.S. Steel and promised to argue current collective bargaining agreements with workers, critics have warned that the deal may put at risk thousands of American manufacturing jobs and an industry vitally necessary to American national security.
The likely beneficiary of a Biden cancellation of the deal is the American steel maker Cleveland-Cliffs, which lost the bid for the company to Nippon Steel late last year.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Resigns In Cabinet Reshuffle
Foreign Affairs
State of the Union: Kuleba’s resignation follows that of four other cabinet-level officials.
(Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba resigned Wednesday ahead of an anticipated cabinet reshuffle. Kuleba, who had served in the post since 2020, is a strong supporter of Ukrainian entrance into NATO and the European Union.
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
It currently seems likely that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will initiate a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days. David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelensky’s party, seemed to confirm the rumors of a shakeup in a post on Telegram. “As promised, a major government reshuffle is expected this week,” Arakhamia wrote. “More than 50% of the Cabinet of Ministers’ staff will be changed.”
“Tomorrow we will have a day of dismissals, and the day after tomorrow–a day of appointments,” Arakhamia added.
Earlier in the week, four other Ukrainian cabinet ministers resigned, including Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Olha Stefanishyna and Minister of Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russia has continued to gain ground in the Donbas, while Ukraine has struggled in its offensive in Kursk.
NY Governor Hochul Aide Charged as Chinese Agent
Politics
State of the Union: The governor’s former deputy chief of staff was charged with violating FARA, among other laws.
Linda Sun, the Chinese-born former deputy chief of staff of Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY), was arrested with her husband after having been charged as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese Communist Party under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Sun had earlier served as an aide to former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), including as his director of Asian-American affairs and as his chief diversity officer, before being appointed as a deputy chief of staff by Hochul in 2021. Sun was fired by Hochul in 2023 following the discovery of “evidence of misconduct.”
According to the indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday, Sun allegedly blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to the New York governor’s office, provided improper invitation letters to Chinese officials, and arranged meetings between Chinese and New York officials. Sun also allegedly changed Cuomo and Hochul’s political messaging on China issues.
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
Per the indictment, during the Covid pandemic, Sun pushed for Cuomo’s office to praise the CCP for its efforts in assisting New York while ignoring Taiwan’s. In one instance, Sun apparently alerted a PRC official that New York would not publicly thank the Taiwanese government for the donation of 200,000 surgical masks, and to have also alerted a PRC official that Cuomo would publicly praise China for the donation of ventilators. The indictment also mentions that, in 2022, Sun had ordered governor Hochul’s office not to recognize “Taiwanese American Heritage Week.”
For her efforts, Sun received remuneration from the Chinese government, as did her husband, Chris Hu, who received “millions of dollars in transactions” for his PRC-based business ventures. Hu and Sun used the proceeds to purchase a $3.6 million property in New York and a $1.9 million condominium in Honolulu, as well as various luxury automobiles.
Sun has since been released on a $1.5 million bond, and Hu on a $500,000 bond.
Report: Kamala Harris Secures Support Among Enough Delegates to Become Democrat Nominee
Vice President Kamala Harris has been coasting toward the Democrat Party nomination in the wake of President Joe Biden dropping from the race, earning enough delegates to shore up support.
Biden exited the race on Sunday and immediately endorsed Harris, which prompted waves of support and endorsements from top Democrat officials and fundraisers. According to an Associated Press (AP) survey, several delegations met late on Monday to “confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California.”
“By Monday night, Harris had the support of at least 2,471 delegates, according to the AP tally of delegates, more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP,” noted the outlet.
Harris told campaign staff in Delaware on Monday that she has confidence her new team will perform well, adding that it is her “intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” promising to “unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.”
“Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is in our hands.”
Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75 to 80 percent of the state’s delegation was on a call Monday and expressed unanimous support for Harris.
“I’ve not heard anyone mentioning or calling for any other candidate,” Hicks said. “Tonight’s vote was a momentous one.”
The AP stopped short of calling Harris the presumptive nominee due to the fact that “the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago.”
As Breitbart News reported, the Harris campaign raised “$81 million in donations within 24 hours, setting a fundraising record”:
Harris’s campaign revealed that more than 888,000 “grassroots donors” had contributed, according to Axios. Out of this number, 60 percent were reported to have been first-time donors during the 2024 presidential election. Another 43,000 people had vowed to make recurring donations to Harris’s campaign.
Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said in a statement that the team is “seeing a broad and diverse coalition come together to support our critical work of talking to the voters that will decide this election.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
Report: Joe Biden Cancels Nearly Ten Trips After Exiting Presidential Race
President Joe Biden has reportedly canceled nearly ten trips after he announced that he was withdrawing from the presidential race on Sunday.
A White House source told the New York Post that Biden had reportedly canceled nine upcoming trips, adding that things started being canceled “when he announced he wasn’t seeking reelection.” This comes after Biden announced on Sunday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat Party’s presidential nominee.
Biden, who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, has been “self-isolating” in Rehoboth, Delaware.
The source explained to the outlet that Biden was supposed to leave from Delaware on Monday and make trips to California; Denver, Colorado; and Houston and Austin, Texas.
Biden reportedly decided to remain in Delaware until Wednesday.
“He was supposed to leave today to start the West Coast trip, but they extended his stay in Rehoboth until the 24th,” the source said.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, released a letter on Monday, stating that Biden had “completed his tenth dose of PAXLOVID” and that his “symptoms have almost resolved completely.”
“President Biden completed his tenth dose of PAXLOVID this morning,” O’Connor’s letter said. “His symptoms have almost resolved completely. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”
“The President continues to perform all of his presidential duties,” he concluded.
Portland Overdose Deaths Increased During 90-Day Fentanyl State of Emergency
Overdose deaths increased in the Portland, Oregon, area during a 90-day state of emergency that officials declared to combat the fentanyl problem, leaving residents wondering what changes were actually implemented.
Gov. Tina Kotek (D), Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson (D), and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) all declared emergency orders on January 30 to “address the public health and public safety crisis driven by fentanyl.”
All three emergency orders directed the city, county, and state governments to commit resources to a “unified response” after the state saw a continuous increase in overdose deaths since a drug decriminalization measure passed in 2020, Breitbart News reported.
Just the state’s fentanyl overdose rate surged by a whopping 1,530 percent since 2019, making the state home to the most dramatic increase rate in the nation.
While nearly 60 percent of Oregon voters approved of Measure 110 when it passed the legislature, newer polls have found that they regret that move just three years later.
In April, Kotek signed a bill that restored criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs.
The emergency orders erected a command center to combat the fentanyl crisis, but preliminary Multnomah County overdose dashboard data that the Oregonian obtained revealed that approximately 200 people died of a suspected or confirmed overdose during those 90 days, which ended on April 29.
This was a notable increase from the same period in 2023, with 172 people fatally overdosing in the county.
Most of the drug overdose deaths are presumed to have been caused by fentanyl.
“It takes time to see if these initiatives, especially the broader, more upstream initiatives, yield results,” county Health Officer Richard Bruno told the publication. “That’s something our epidemiologists and a lot of the folks who are doing this work on the ground wrestle with all the time.”
Portland-area writer Hannah Griff has been amongst those criticizing the emergency orders as ineffective, pointing out that “systemic racism” has been touted by officials as a reason for fentanyl overdoses.
“[B]rilliant Oregon governor @TinaKotek blames the rise in fentanyl overdoses on systemic racism, rather than the rampant and permitted open-air drug use in Portland, because of course she does,” Griff posted in February, alongside a screenshot from Multnomah County’s emergency resolution:
Independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren has documented some of Portland’s saddest sights, including footage of a man desperately trying to pick fentanyl dust off of the street on Monday:
In late June, Dahlgren witnessed a fatal fentanyl overdose as emergency personnel attempted to save the male victim:
Local photographer Tara Faul has also worked to capture the despair and hypocrisy, sharing a picture of parking tickets being given in the city while others “can take a dump on the sidewalk while smoking fentanyl”:
Maxine Waters: Kamala Harris Is ‘Smarter than Trump’
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) said Monday on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” that Vice President Kamala Harris is “smarter than” former President Donald Trump.
Host Joy Reid said, “We have seen the right go after Vice President Harris. They have gone after her laugh, they have gone after her past, who she has dated in the past. They have tried it all.”
Waters said, “They will try anything and it is going to be tough. They will accuse her, they will call her names and do all kinds of things. But you know, she is not going to be intimidated. She is smart, she is tough. She knows how it all works now. She has worked at the White House, she is the vice president of the United States and she is smarter than Trump. So if they come after her, she is going to get him.”
She added, “She had a good career. She moved right up the ladder to the vice presidency. All because she is strong and believed in herself. It never dawned on her that she would fail and it was that kind of courage and that defines her. She did all of the right things for the most part of how you climb up the ladder. She was trained well and did all of the things that she was taught to do. She should be understood as a woman who is on a mission. She is accomplished and she succeeded.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
Police: Delaware Catholic School Teacher Sent Nudes to Student via Snapchat
A Delaware private Catholic school teacher has been arrested for sending nude photos to a 14-year-old student on Snapchat, police said.
Alanis Pinion, 24, was teaching eighth grade at St. Mary Magdalen School in Wilmington when the New Castle County Police Department said she “had frequently communicated with her students via Snapchat and had sent sexually explicit photographs to one of them.”
A press release that the department shared on Facebook detailed how Pinion was arrested on Thursday on charges of sexual solicitation of a child under 18 and endangering the welfare of a child — both felonies — as well as a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure in the first degree:
DETECTIVES ARREST TEACHER DISTRIBUTING EXPLICIT PHOTOGRAPHS – ALANIS PINION(Wilmington, DE. 19803) In July 2024, the…
Posted by New Castle County Police on Friday, July 19, 2024
Police have already notified the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington of the allegations, noting that it “fully cooperated with the investigation.”
Pinion has since been committed to the Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution after failing to pay a $46,000.00 cash bail.
A statement from St. Mary Magdalen School, which the Daily Mail obtained, referred to Pinion as a “‘former part time contract employee”:
Earlier this week, the school was contacted by the New Castle County Police to notify us of an investigation and ultimately an arrest of a former part time contract employee regarding allegations of an exchange of inappropriate images electronically with a former student.
“The contractor had successfully completed the required background check process prior to her employment. The school, parish and our Diocese officials supported the police as they conducted their investigation,” the statement continued.
“Please be assured that all of us at Saint Mary Magdalen Parish and School, along with our partners at the Diocese of Wilmington, always keep the safety of our children and youth as a primary goal.”
Investigators also said that they are “concerned that there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.”
Police detectives have asked anyone with any additional information to contact them.
Gavin Newsom Endorses Kamala Harris
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) endorsed fellowVice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian, for president on Sunday, following the withdrawal of President Joe Biden earlier in the day.
The two politicians, both protégés of Democratic kingmaker Willie Brown, have long been seen as potential rivals, though they have tended to steer clear of races against each other. Newsom was long thought to be a potential replacement for Biden but has yielded to Harris; he is unlikely to be her running mate, either, due to a rule that bars members of the Electoral College from voting for two people from the same state.
Harris has climbed the political ladder quickly, first through her romantic relationship with Brown, who appointed her to state positions; then through her election as district attorney for San Francisco, again with Brown’s help; then through a narrow victory in 2010 as California Attorney General; then in a decisive win against a fellow Democrat for U.S. Senate, where she served less than half a term; and then through a short-lived presidential campaign in 2019.
She has a thin record of achievement other than her own political rise, but would be the first black, Asian, and female president, if elected. Democrats hope the opportunity to make history will inspire their voters.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Report: Joe Manchin Considering Rejoining Democrat Party, Running Against Kamala Harris
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) is considering rejoining the Democratic Party and jumping into the presidential race, according to several reports.
Fox News’s Bret Baier reported that Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May and registered as an independent, is “considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring for President.”
Manchin has been described as being a moderate Democrat.
Baier added that CNN anchor Jake Tapper had been the first to report the news.
In a post on X, Tapper wrote that “sources close to” Manchin had revealed the senator is “considering re-registering” with the Democratic Party.
News that Manchin is considering rejoining the Democratic Party comes hours after President Joe Biden revealed that he was withdrawing from the presidential election. Biden went on to offer his “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Since Biden’s announcement that he would not be seeking reelection, several Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) have issued statements of support for Harris to be the party’s nominee.
Manchin has previously considered launching a third-party run for president. In February, Manchin put months of speculation as to whether he was launching a run for president to rest.
Meghan Markle is refused a trademark for American Riviera Orchard ahead of launch
Meghan Markle’s impending lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard has been dealt a fresh blow after its trademark application had been refused.
The Duchess of Sussex’s application was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), who warned that businesses cannot trademark geographical locations, The Telegraph reports.
American Riviera is a sweet nod to Santa Barbara, Calif., where Markle resides with her husband Prince Harry and their two children.
The USPTO said on Saturday the addition of the word Orchard “does not diminish the primarily geographical descriptiveness of the applied for mark.”
It added that since there is a location mentioned in the brand’s name, “a public association of the goods and services with the place is presumed.”
Markle’s team considers the pushback “routine and expected” when filing for trademarks. It expects to respond in due course, The Post hears.
The government agency also warned that the “Suits” alum’s product descriptions could fit into multiple trademark categories, the outlet adds.
The document also included screenshots of another Santa Barbara-based company using the term “American Riviera” to sell a candle, proving that the nickname is widely associated with the area.
However, that evidence was deemed not enough, as the USPTO said the purpose of such rulings is “to leave geographic names free for all businesses operating in the same area to inform customers where their goods or services originate.”
“Furthermore, the purchasing public would be likely to believe that the goods and services originate in the geographic place identified in the mark because the attached evidence shows that applicant’s founder, ie, Meghan Markle, resides in the geographic place identified in the mark,” it added, per the outlet.
The former actress, 43, now has three months to address the response made by the USPTO, or risks having her application dropped.
She must also pay an additional $700 to move forward with the trademark filing.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
The mom of two unveiled her new business venture in March, teasing its impending launch. But six months later, there’s still no release date or information about the products that customers can expect to be up for sale.
While products from her brand are not available for purchase yet, Markle sent out jars of strawberry jam to an exclusive group of celebs in April, prompting a “strong start” to the company’s rollout.
Since then, the mom of two has sent dog biscuits to her celeb pals and has teased a future rosé wine range.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Markle could be looking to make a whopping seven-figure sum within the first year of launching the brand.
NYU Langone launches ‘Care on Demand’ at new walk-in clinics
There’s a new doctor in the house for those needing immediate care — and CityMD may need to watch its back.
NYU Langone Health on Tuesday launched a new walk-in service at two recently opened clinics to help connect patients with primary care physicians in its system, the hospital giant announced.
The “Care on Demand” program provides a new and appointment-free way for New Yorkers to “procure the full spectrum of top-ranked clinical specialists available at one of our more than 300 locations,” NYU Langone CEO Robert Grossman said.
NYU Langone opened a primary care facility on Aug. 19 on Hudson Street in the West Village and another a week later near East 83rd Street on the Upper East Side.
On-site clinicians can also treat maladies that include allergy and asthma symptoms, gastrointestinal issues and viral illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19.
Start your day with the latest business news right at your fingertips
Subscribe to our daily Business Report newsletter!
Thanks for signing up!
The new clinics differ from urgent care centers like CityMD, which are used to treat non-life-threatening medical problems that require prompt attention when a primary care doctor is unavailable.
The primary care centers, meanwhile, are best for routine check-ups, managing chronic conditions and preventive care such as cancer screenings and vaccinations.
The concept “offers not only convenient care, but continuity of care all across our entire network,” said Andrew Brotman, NYU Langone’s chief clinical officer.
“This includes access to the NYU Langone Health app, and the NYU Langone Health MyChart patient portal, which connects each patient with Virtual Urgent care, telemedicine appointments, lab results and easy communication with their providers.”