The Buffalo News: “Rep. Lee Zeldin of Suffolk County appears to have wrapped up the 2022 Republican nomination Friday when he received backing from the leaders of two major Western New York party organizations. Zeldin, an Army veteran and former state senator with backing from a host of GOP leaders, picked up support from Erie County Chairman Karl J. Simmeth Jr. and his Niagara County counterpart, Richard Andres. He has now topped the necessary 50% of state committee support to gain the nomination. ‘New York needs him more than ever,’ Simmeth said. ‘If we’re going to restore New York to glory, we need a new generation of leadership at the helm, and Lee Zeldin is that man.’ Andres called Zeldin a ‘proven leader.'”

““New York is at a crossroads,’ he said. ‘If we continue down the path of higher taxes, dwindling public safety and one party rule in Albany, driving our population out of our state, there will be nothing left. We need a new direction.’ Other Republicans have expressed interest in challenging Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo or another Democrat next year, including former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino (the 2014 candidate), Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro (the 2018 candidate), former Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani (son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani), and former Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra.”

“Yukon’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is still slowly climbing, but one Whitehorse business is hoping to speed things up a bit — with free beer. ‘There’s a lot of discussion online about, particularly, younger people being [vaccine] hesitant, not seeing much of a benefit,’ said Eric Miller, who with his brother runs Polarity Brewing, a restaurant and brewpub in Whitehorse. “We figured, why not just give them a little nudge over the line?’  The young entrepreneurs — who opened their bar last year — have launched a promotion this week where anybody who gets their first jab can then drop by the bar that day or the next with their immunization card and enjoy a draft, on the house,” reports the Canadian Broadcast Corporation.

“The catch is that the customer must also order food. The bar can’t just hand out free beer, so instead the price of a draft will be knocked off the total bill. ‘If you guys can make this cost us a lot of money, we’ll be thrilled,’ said Eric’s brother Kai Miller, Polarity’s brewer. The Millers describe themselves as ‘nerdy’ and say they’ve been closely watching the Yukon government’s online vaccine tracker. They’ve noticed that the rate of vaccine uptake has slowed in recent weeks — something that’s also been noticed by territorial health officials. “At a certain point, earnest public health advice and scolding and peer pressure is only going to reach so many people,’ Kai said. ‘So we thought, let’s give a little more carrot, a little less stick — and see if we can get those numbers where we want them.'”

This article will demonstrate how, with a simple revision to an existing section of the US criminal code, the United States government could address the problem of domestic terrorism in the United States. The text below represents a proposed revision for 18 U.S. Code § 2332b – Acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. In this proposed revision, text that is struck-through represents existing language that would be removed from the law, and text that is underlined represents language that would be added to the law.

A Wednesday raid by federal agents of an apartment and office belonging to former New York City mayor and one-time Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has left allies of the former President feeling uneasy about what could come next, according to sources close to Trump. “This was a show of force that sent a strong message to a lot of people in Trump’s world that other things may be coming down the pipeline,” one Trump adviser told CNN.

“Caitlyn Jenner launched her gubernatorial campaign a week ago with a media splash that teased the audacious promise of shaking up state politics – and delivering big trouble to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Since then, it’s been crickets. The reality TV star and transgender activist hasn’t made a single TV appearance. She hasn’t held a press conference or social media event. No rollout of key Republican endorsements. She doesn’t have an issues page on her website, but offers ways to ‘donate’ and buy ‘Caitlyn for California’ merchandise” Politico reports.

“‘If she doesn’t come out and say something within the next several days, I think everyone moves on and says this is just some type of crank candidacy,’ said veteran GOP consultant Rob Stutzman, who was a principal adviser to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during his successful 2003 recall bid. Jenner is ‘an outsider now auditioning to run the largest state government in the country,’ Stutzman added. ‘You’ve got to give a speech, sit for interviews – and convince people that you can do it.’ So far, Jenner has focused most of her efforts nationally rather than in California. She launched her bid while most California residents were still asleep, first confirming her run with Axios rather than a local media outlet. Fox News announced Thursday that Jenner will sit down with Sean Hannity for an interview that will air May 5 – nearly two weeks after she declared ‘I’m in’ on the recall election. The news made an initial splash beyond the state, yet was greeted with more of a shrug in California, especially among the political establishment.”

Axios: “Top Republicans are turning on Rep. Liz Cheney, the party’s highest-ranking woman in Congress, with one conservative leader suggesting she could be ousted from her GOP post within a month. The comments by Reps. Steve Scalise, the minority whip, and Jim Banks, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, carry weight because of their close relationship with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) – who is openly feuding with Cheney.”

“Banks (R-Ind.), leader of the largest conservative caucus in the House, told Axios Friday that Cheney’s continued criticisms are ‘an unwelcome distraction,’ and he questioned whether she would retain her leadership role in a month. Banks’ comments were echoed more diplomatically by Scalise (R-La.). ‘This idea that you just disregard President Trump is not where we are, and, frankly, he has a lot to offer still.’ Earlier in the week, McCarthy himself told reporters: ‘If you’re sitting here at a retreat that’s focused on policy, focused on the future of making American next-century, and you’re talking about something else, you’re not being productive.'”

Ten years ago, on May 1st, 2011 (May 2nd locally), Al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden was shot in the face by a Navy SEAL during a raid on his secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation to eliminate the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks was one of President Barack Obama’s capstone achievements in office, and still to this day the MAGA trolls detract from it by coming up with moronic conspiracy stories claiming Bin Laden is still alive, propagated by even Trump himself under the time-honored ‘just asking questions’ edgelord bullshit.

In the real world, however, it was a pretty textbook operation and the Navy SEALs kicked ass, blowing away several members of Bin Laden’s family, and suffering zero casualties in the process, aside from a stealth helicopter that cost probably tens of millions of dollars. Pakistan was pissed for whatever reason, but they can suck it. America fucking rules, and it’s time to reclaim patriotism memes from the imagery associated with Trumpism. For far too long those assholes seized the over-the-top freedom stuff that used to belong to everyone. Let’s take them back to celebrate the violent, gruesome demise of America’s worst supervillain of the 21st century.

AP: “A fire in a COVID-19 hospital ward in western India killed 18 patients early Saturday, as the country grappling with the worst outbreak yet steps up a vaccination drive for all its adults even though some states say don’t have enough jabs. India on Saturday set yet another daily global record with 401,993 new cases, taking its tally to more than 19.1 million. Another 3,523 people died in the past 24 hours, raising the overall fatalities to 211,853, according to the Health Ministry. Experts believe both figures are an undercount.”

“The fire broke out in a COVID-19 ward on the ground floor and was extinguished within an hour, police said. The cause is being investigated. Thirty-one other patients at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, a town in Gujarat state, were rescued by hospital workers and firefighters and their condition was stable, said police officer B.M Parmar. Eighteen others died in the blaze and smoke before rescuers could reach them, Parmar said. On April 23, a fire in an intensive care unit killed 13 COVID-19 patients in the Virar area on the outskirts of Mumbai.”

“A Kansas politician working as a substitute teacher at a public school shocked students with religious rants about suicide, masturbation, and same-sex relationships – and then assaulted one of them, according to reports. ‘Did it hurt?’ State Rep. Mark Samsel asked the student after allegedly kneeing him in the crotch. The 36-year-old Republican is now charged with misdemeanor battery and barred from teaching again in the Wellsville school district, The Kansas City Star reported.”

“But Samsel doesn’t seem to have any regrets. The newspaper says that after he posted $1,000 bail, he took to Snapchat to say ‘it was all planned.’ ‘Every little bit of it. That’s right. The kids and I planned ALL this to SEND A MESSAGE about art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another. To who? Parents. And grandparents. And all of Wellsville,’ he said in the bizarre post. Samsel did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast. But it appears many students and parents were horrified by Samsel’s Wednesday tirade. The newspaper says that students sent in recordings of his insanely inappropriate and offensive comments, including his claim that a sophomore had tried to kill himself because his foster parents are lesbians: ‘He’s a foster kid. His alternatives in life were having no parents or foster care parents who are gay,’ he said. ‘How do you think I’m going to feel if he commits suicide? Awful.’ ‘Who likes making babies?’ he asked in one video. ‘That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate… You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question… God already knows’” – Daily Beast.

CNN: “A Wednesday raid by federal agents of an apartment and office belonging to former New York City mayor and one-time Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani has left allies of the former President feeling uneasy about what could come next, according to sources close to Trump. ‘This was a show of force that sent a strong message to a lot of people in Trump’s world that other things may be coming down the pipeline,’ one Trump adviser told CNN.”

“The searches, which Giuliani and his attorney Robert Costello have criticized as unnecessary due to what they claim is his ongoing cooperation with investigators, were linked to a criminal probe of the former mayor’s business dealings in Ukraine and resulted in the seizure of several communications devices. According to the Trump adviser, the raid ignited a sense of fear inside the former President’s orbit that Justice Department officials may be more willing to pursue investigations of the 45th president or his inner circle than many Trump allies had previously believed. Two other people close to the former President, who echoed these sentiments, declined to be quoted for this story.”

State Rep Mike Nearman, a MAGA Republican from Polk County Oregon is facing criminal charges for allowing a mob of anti-mask/pro-Trump domestic terrorists into the Oregon State Capitol Building, where they attacked security officers and threatened and harassed State elected officials.

A report from Oregon Public Broadcasting details how “Nearman has been charged with first-degree official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor, and second degree criminal trespass, a class C misdemeanor. The decision to charge Nearman follows a monthslong investigation by state police that began Dec. 21. As lawmakers met in a special legislative session to take up COVID-19 relief that day, surveillance footage showed Nearman exiting the locked Capitol building into a throng of protesters who were trying to get inside the statehouse. In doing so, he appeared to purposefully grant entrance to far right groups demanding an end to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19.”

• Remember when Hunter Biden’s former business manager went on Fox News and claimed that he had evidence (which he has yet to disclose) that Biden was involved in underhanded dealings with foreign governments and then all the conservatives said Biden should be in jail and his father should be barred from holding public office?  Well now, we have a letter from Matt Gaetz’s pimp saying that he has evidence of Gaetz’s illegal acts and suddenly all the Republicans are like, “Well, we can’t do anything until all the facts are in and a court has ruled and stuff.”  So, what changed?
• Now Joe Biden wants to come after my hamberders?  Or not?  The conservative propaganda memes are so confusing.
• Actor Kirk Douglas’s widow died Friday at the age of 102.  He passed away last year at the age of 103.  That means Michael Douglas likely won’t pass away until 2079.
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume XVII”

Salon.com reports that “A conservative legal group founded by former Trump officials Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for its support of the American Rescue Plan, which the suit alleges discriminates against farmers of “white ethnic groups” by reserving funds for “socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.”

The legal group, America First Legal, which vows to take on “the radical activist left,” is representing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. The suit, which the plaintiffs brought to the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas, argues that “white farmers and ranchers are not included within the definition of ‘socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers,’ making them ineligible for aid under these federal programs.”

“A former Georgia Deputy pleaded guilty to possessing unregistered firearms resulting from an FBI-led investigation into a violent extremist group, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia,” reports the Justice Department.

“Cody Richard Griggers, 28, of Montrose, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count possession of an unregistered firearm before U.S. District Judge Tilman ‘Tripp’ Self on Monday, April 26. Griggers faces a maximum ten years of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on July 6. There is no parole in the federal system. Griggers was detained at his pretrial hearing and remains in custody.”

Paul Lammons, Jr., a teammate of Joe Namath when the New York Jets won Super Bowl III in 1969, died after he fell off a boat during a professional fishing tournament in East Texas, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  He was 77.

Lammons fell off the boat while it was not moving during a Major League Fishing tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir as part of the Major League Fishing Toyota Series.  His boater attempted to rescue him but was unsuccessful.  His body was recovered using sonar and he was definitively identified Friday.  The tournament held a moment of silence Friday before continuing.

Lammons caught three passes for twelve yards in the classic Super Bowl.  He had more than 2,300 yards in receptions over his seven year career, six with the Jets and one with the Green Bay Packers.

“The state Elections Commission determined Friday that Gov. Tony Evers and the commission’s director acted properly last year when they finalized results showing Joe Biden won the presidential election in Wisconsin. The pair of decisions rejected complaints brought by a Republican commissioner who maintained the state’s tally was improperly certified. At least one Republican on the commission sided with the commission’s three Democrats in finding the election results were handled properly. In December, Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson filed complaints against Evers and Meagan Wolfe, the commission’s nonpartisan director, alleging they had improperly handled the results. Such complaints are normally handled by the commission’s staff, but in this case were given to DeWitt, a Madison law firm, to avoid conflicts of interest.”

“The DeWitt attorneys concluded the Democratic governor and Wolfe acted properly and submitted their findings to the commission. The commission adopted those conclusions Friday. If two commissioners had sought one, a public hearing would have been held before the commission rendered a decision in the cases. That didn’t happen and the commission accepted DeWitt’s findings, according to commission spokesman Reid Magney. Knudson did not immediately say Friday whether he would appeal the decisions to circuit court” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin told a local radio show Friday morning that he did not support statehood for the District of Columbia, a potential fatal blow to the effort to elevate the area around the nation’s center of government.

According to the Washington Post, Manchin said that DC statehood should not be pursued through legislation in Congress but through a Constitutional amendment.

“They all came to the same conclusion: If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment. It should propose a constitutional amendment and let the people of America vote,” Manchin said in a radio interview with Hoppy Kercheval of West Virginia’s MetroNews.

ABC15: “Cyber Ninjas, the Florida company hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to conduct the controversial recount of 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots from November’s presidential and senate races, tried to keep its auditing procedures shielded from public view. In response to media requests, a Maricopa Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the company must disclose its audit procedures. Attorneys on the case tell ABC15 that lawyers from both sides agreed to let Cyber Ninjas keep its security plans under wraps. This evening however, it was included in a public filing along with several other policies and procedures being used to maintain the integrity of the ballots. Those documents filed accidentally with the Maricopa County Clerk of Court describe scenarios for potential attacks on the auditing facility by ‘Antifa’ or militias.”

“One major component of the plan is a threat assessment of security vulnerabilities at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, where the audit is being conducted, and surrounding areas, including streets. Planners laid out scenarios that could disrupt the ballot-counting process. Antifa is referred to by name. It says they ‘will likely use the backed-up traffic in those six lanes to slow police and fire response to any perimeter breach operation: Any ad-hoc or opportunistic incendiary attack.’ It is also determined that there was a ‘greater threat of militia activity than antifa activity.’ In some areas surrounding the coliseum, but that the ‘probability and likelihood are low.’ The security plan also lays out specific plans and positions for security personnel at the Coliseum, which includes private security company to monitor of the interior of the building for 24 hours a day, seven days a week while the ballots are present. No such disruptions have occurred during the recount.”

The left don't target Josh Duggar because he's a garbage fire. They target him because he advocated Christian values. http://t.co/6SoVgJ8j6Q

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 26, 2015