An Ohio driver, pulled over Saturday night for running a red light in Brook Park, Ohio, tried to tell a local police officer that he was a member of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency to get out of a traffic ticket, according to court documents.

Gregory Candea, of Parma, Ohio, was pulled over by Sgt. Harold Duncan of the Brook Park police after he ran through a red light.  Duncan reported blue flashing dashboard lights coming from inside Candea’s Ford F-150 pickup.  When pulled over, Candea stated he was a member of the CIA, pointing to a CIA logo on his shirt.

Asked for identification, Candea showed Duncan a badge identifying Candea as an agent for the FBI, which Candea then said was his actual employer.  At that point, Duncan ordered Candea out of the pickup, and Duncan spotted a DEA badge on a chain along with handcuffs inside Candea’s vehicle.

“The Weber County GOP voted to censure Sen. Mitt Romney on Saturday, one week after the Utah GOP narrowly voted down such a measure. A resolution to censure Romney over his votes to convict former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trials was passed 116-97 by members of the Weber County GOP, according to County Party Secretary Jill Koford. ‘The Weber County Republican Convention censures Mitt Romney for his votes to convict President Trump in two U.S. Senate impeachment trials which denied the President due process, allowed falsified evidence, did not provide adequate time for an investigation, and did not follow the U.S. Constitution which states a President may only be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors,’ reads the resolution.”

“It also thanks Sen. Mike Lee and Reps. Chris Stewart, John Curtis, Blake Moore and Burgess Owens ‘for voting against the Democrats’ politically motivated articles of impeachment.’ The resolution says that voting to convict a former president ‘without sufficient evidence’ is ‘unjust and unethical.’ Romney, who blamed Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has become a somewhat contentious figure within the Utah GOP. He was booed on stage at the Republican State convention on May 1, prompting Trump to call him a ‘stone cold loser,’ but a resolution to censure Romney at the convention failed 798 to 711” – Salt Lake Tribune.

“Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is a great fighter for the people of Texas. He has stood up for up for Life, Liberty, the Second Amendment, Border Security, our Military and our Vets, and our God-given Freedoms. He has governed by conservative principles of LOW TAXES and careful spending, always doing what is best for his great State and for America. Texans should re-elect him! He is outstanding and has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” says a post on Trump’s blog, which does not mention Governor Greg Abbott at all. Now Texas is one of 17 states where the Lieutenant Governor is an office elected separately from that of the Governor (unlike most of the others where the Lt Governor candidate runs on a shared ticket with the Governor candidate like the President and Vice Presidential candidates), but there’s no real reason for Trump to have left Abbott out.

That this non-endorsement of Abbott came right after some Republican former state senator announced a primary challenge against Low Energy Greg may not be a coincidence. It could also be that Patrick weaseled out of paying a $1 million reward for evidence of 2020 election voter fraud to his counterpart in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, since not paying for things you said you would pay for is a signature Trump move, and Donald is known to favor assholes who act like him.

Fun fact: Patrick’s maiden name is Goeb. Yeah, he has a maiden name. His wife’s birth name is Patrick, but Dan was the one who changed his last name when they got married, doing so informally starting in 1977, before legally changing his name in 2004. Probably thought Goeb sounded too Jewish, which is usually a deal breaker with MAGA Texans.

https://youtu.be/lUVhaGCPdKw

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten told Fox News personality Martha MacCallum that the so-called “news network” makes it difficult on social studies teachers who educate students on current events because their broadcasts are so full of lies.

“I’m a big believer in celebrating diversity and actually looking at, and helping look at, people’s lived experience,” Weingarten said.  “But, if you’re really talking about misinformation now, Martha, and I hope you are, I really would hope that Fox would really look at what happened in this election and how we can–because every social studies teacher is wrestling with this–discern fact from fiction. We have to do that as social studies teachers.”

MacCallum can be heard audibly sighing as she is scolded by the teacher.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy scheduled a Wednesday vote with his Republican caucus to decide whether Wyoming Congresswoman will remain the chair of the Republican Conference Chair, according to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News.

Cheney has received backlash for leading a small group of anti-Trump Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Donald Trump to prompt his second impeachment trial.  Cheney has also stated that the GOP needs to disconnect from Trump to help the Party succeed in future elections.

In a letter to House Republicans, McCarthy seemed to back ditching Cheney, with pro-Trump New York Republican as the likely candidate to replace her if the effort to cancel Cheney succeeds.

“It is no time to take our eye off the ball,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to House Republicans.  “If we to succeed in stopping the radical Democrat agenda from destroying our country, these internal conflicts need to be resolved so as to not distract from the efforts of our collective team.  Having heard from so many of you in recent days, it’s clear that we need to make a change.  As such, you should anticipate a vote on recalling the Conference Chair this Wednesday.”

Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won’t gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 10, 2021

AP: “At Dracula’s castle in picturesque Transylvania, Romanian doctors are offering a jab in the arm rather than a stake through the heart. A COVID-19 vaccination center has been set up on the periphery of Romania’s Bran Castle, which is purported to be the inspiration behind Dracula’s home in Bram Stoker’s 19th-century gothic novel ‘Dracula.’ Every weekend through May ‘vaccination marathons’ will be held just outside the storied 14th-century hilltop castle, where no appointment is needed, in an attempt to encourage people to protect themselves against COVID-19. ‘We wanted to show people a different way to get the (vaccine) needle,’ Alexandru Priscu, the marketing manager at Bran Castle, told The Associated Press.”

“Those brave enough to get a Pfizer vaccine shot receive a ‘vaccination diploma,’ which is aptly illustrated with a fanged medical worker brandishing a syringe. ‘Besides the diploma, people benefit with free entry to the torture rooms, which have 52 medieval torture instruments,’ Priscu noted. Since the light-hearted campaign was launched over the weekend – when nearly 400 people were vaccinated – Priscu said he has received scores of requests from foreigners wishing to get vaccinated in the spooky setting. Bad news for them: only residents of Romania can officially receive a jab. The campaign runs alongside a series of government initiatives as it pushes to speed up the inoculation campaign for the European Union nation of more than 19 million people. The government is hoping to vaccinate 5 million people by June 1 to herald in a ‘return to normality.”

https://youtu.be/4nii8O7hb7U

“We don’t have a gun problem.  We’ve got a thug problem,” Tomi “Don’t call me Tammy” Lahren said in an unveiled racist manner to two Fox News enablers.  “And Democrats need a day of reckoning to understand that.”

“Glenn Youngkin clobbers the competition in Virginia Beach, stretching his lead over Snyder to 32.91% to 25.82% entering Round 2. This thing is close to over” reports Dave Wasserman.

With a projected state budget surplus of $75.7 billion dollars, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom proposed sending residents with less than a $75,000 household income checks of $600 each, KTLA-5 reports.

The plan, dubbed the “California Comeback Plan,” would expand the existing Golden State Stimulus Program, which provides $600 to households and up to $500 to families with dependents, including undocumented migrants.  It would also expand protections for renters to pay back rent and overdue utility bills.

“California is not just back. California is roaring back,” the governor said.

“New Yorkers will receive free train rides if they get vaccinated against Covid-19 in subway stations, Gov Andrew Cuomo announced Monday as part of a move to speed up immunizations. Big Apple residents will be able to get a shot of the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine in one of six stations that have been selected for a pilot program to run from Wednesday to Sunday.”

“As a bonus, they will also be entitled to receive a one-week pass in the metro, or a return trip on suburban train lines. ‘We try a lot of creative ideas because we have to increase the vaccination rate,’ said Cuomo, adding that if the pilot is a success it will be rolled out further. Stations taking part include Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal” – Yahoo News.

A California man has been indicted by federal officials for fraudulently acquiring $5.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program monies for four non-operating companies and using the money to finance a luxurious lifestyle, the New York Times reports.

Mustafa Qadiri, a 38-year-old from Irvine, was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and six counts of money laundering in the Federal District Court of Central California.

Starting in May 2020, Qadiri applied for PPP funds through three different banks using fraudulent bank records.  Qadiri then bought a Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bentley, as well as pay for high-end vacations to exotic locations with the money.  An investigation found that Qadiri actually had no employees on payroll of any of the companies.

Reuters: “The ransomware group accused of crippling the leading U.S. fuel pipeline operator said on Monday that its goal was to make money and not sow mayhem, a statement that experts saw as a sign the cybercriminals’ scheme had gone farther than they had intended. The FBI accused the group that calls itself DarkSide of a digital extortion attempt that prompted Colonial Pipeline to shut down its network, potentially causing extraordinary disruption as gasoline deliveries dry up.”

“In a statement on Monday, Colonial said it expected to ‘substantially’ restore operational service by the end of the week. read more The terse news release posted to DarkSide’s website early on Monday did not directly mention Colonial Pipeline but, under the heading ‘About the latest news,’ it noted that ‘our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society.’ The statement did not say how much money the hackers were seeking. Colonial Pipeline did not immediately offer comment on the hackers’ statement. The hackers have yet to return repeated Reuters requests to their website for further comment.”

Fast. Sexy. Sleek. What’s not to love. https://t.co/qAG4ljhFuf

— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) May 10, 2021

Axios: “Former President Trump’s acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has been called to testify this Wednesday on ‘unanswered questions’ about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said Monday. Miller, who Trump appointed to lead the Pentagon after firing Mark Esper following the 2020 election, has said he believes Trump incited the mob on Jan. 6 with his speech before the deadly riot. Miller is scheduled to testify alongside Trump’s former Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.”

A new study from a respected university data analysis center estimates that the actual number of people in the United States who died from coronavirus in the United States exceeds 900,000 people, more than 50% higher than generally accepted statistics.

The University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which the Trump administration touted as a source for accurate information early in the pandemic, used a variety of data points to calculate the number of COVID fatalities, excluding deaths due to other sources such as people who died because they failed to get medical care because of the pandemic, based on the the number of excess deaths over the course of the pandemic versus the calculated number of expected deaths.

Worldwide, the number of deaths from the coronavirus is also greatly underreported, the study claims, with worldwide deaths likely twice as high as the official numbers.  This could be due to a lack of testing, inadequate reporting capabilities or intentional undercounting by governments.

Other medical staticians caution about relying on the calculations of excess mortality, saying at this point there are significant gaps in data that could be filled in over time.

PizzaGate, a restaurant located at Geumam 1(il)-dong, in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, currently holds a 4.4 out of 5 from 77 user reviews on Google Maps, which is a pretty solid rating considering it appears to be a fairly low-end place in a country not really known for its pizza. Pictured above is a pie from PizzaGate submitted to Google Maps by a user, which would indeed seem to be appetizing enough for pizza made outside of Europe or North America.

“Pizza Gate is much tastier than Pizza School for almost the same price. This place offers small pizzas for 10,000-14,000w BUT everything is 1+1! So really, you get two pizzas for 10,000-14,000w. They are familiar with Muslim students, so vegetarians will be taken care of here. Please note that the garlic sauce contains beef” writes a local guide in a review from 2019, the first sentence of which is a totally normal comparison of two pizza restaurants in this Korean city, and “Pizza School” is nothing more than an idiosyncratic English naming not at all uncommon in Asian businesses.

Preparing for its planned withdrawal from the region, US troops are dismantling and destroying equipment and gear that it cannot remove from Afghanistan, selling some as scrap metal to locals, Politico reports.

Nearing the end of a 20-year war in the region, American armed forces continue its removal of vehicles, fixed artillery pieces and more mundane equipment like computers.  Anything deemed non-essential or non-lethal can be sold to Afghanis or dismantled and sold for scrap metal.

President Joe Biden vowed the US troops would be out of Afghanistan by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that took nearly 3,000 lives. 

“A group of Arizona citizens, including one Republican Congressional candidate, is asking the state’s Supreme Court to invalidate all election results since 2018 and remove all elected officials from their offices immediately. And who should replace the ousted election officials? Well, the citizens who filed the lawsuit, of course. The legal petition claims all officials elected in Arizona since 2018 are ‘inadvertent usurpers’ because the elections they won were conducted by vote-counting equipment that was not properly certified. The plaintiffs claim the evidence to back up this staggering claim will be provided in the lawsuit’s appendix, which unfortunately they had not submitted at the time of writing. The plaintiffs claim that the court has the authority to void the terms of the named officials – which include Gov. Doug Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs – and install themselves as appropriate replacements” Vice reports.

“‘When in the past, citizens have been appointed by the Governor to finish out a Senate term due to unusual circumstances, the Governor has typically chosen pedigreed, well known politicians, but this is not necessary. Any Arizona resident meeting the minimum qualifications is entitled to and has the right be appointed to a seat in unusual situations,’ the lawsuit claims. The legal filing is the latest harebrained effort by pro-Trump and QAnon supporters in Arizona to get the results of November’s election overturned. There is currently an audit of 2.1 million votes being conducted in Maricopa County. The GOP-sanctioned recount is being conducted by a Florida-based company called Cyber Ninjas, which has no experience conducting audits. So far the group has used UV lights to look for watermarks that conspiracy theorists claim were placed on certain ballots by former president Donald Trump to prove election fraud. And last week they began examining the ballots for bamboo fibers, based on a false claim that 40,000 ballots were flown in from Asia to tip the election in President Joe Biden’s favor.”