The Bulwark: “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-MAGA), has announced in the pages of the Wall Street Journal that he is taking a stand on principle.He will no longer accept corporate donations. Mr. Constitutional Conservative was moved to this extremity by what he calls the ‘watch-me-woke-it-up’ CEOs who have ‘parroted the radical left’s talking points’ about the Georgia election law:”

“This is the point in the drama when Republicans usually shrug their shoulders, call these companies ‘job creators,’ and start to cut their taxes. Not this time. This time, we won’t look the other way on Coca-Cola’s $12 billion in back taxes owed. This time, when Major League Baseball lobbies to preserve its multibillion-dollar antitrust exception, we’ll say no thank you. This time, when Boeing asks for billions in corporate welfare, we’ll simply let the Export-Import Bank expire.”

“It’s worth pausing on this comment, because of the cynicism it reveals. Cruz is saying that, all this time when Republicans were claiming that corporations were ‘job creators,’ it was really just code for ‘they send me cash.’ And it seems we are to conclude that Republicans knew all about Coke owing back taxes and winked at it in the name of political compatibility and campaign contributions. Remember all those GOP defenses of the Export-Import Bank as a pillar of U.S. competitiveness when libertarians and good-government types called for its abolition? Cruz is now telling the world that it was a sham. It was all a quid pro quo. What a great look.”

“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 37 GOP senators will call on the Education Department today to stop a proposed rule that invokes the 1619 Project – the latest turn in the culture wars. The Biden administration – citing the ongoing reckoning over race and the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on African Americans – has proposed updating American history curricula to more fully flesh out the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans. The lightning rod for Republicans? That the proposal specifically mentions the 1619 Project, which several prominent historians have criticized – particularly its suggestion that the American Revolution was fought to secure slavery. In a letter, McConnell and the other senators will blast the administration for putting ‘ill-informed advocacy ahead of historical accuracy.'”

“‘Americans do not need or want their tax dollars diverted from promoting the principles that unite our nation toward promoting radical ideologies meant to divide us,’ the letter reads. ‘Americans never decided our children should be taught that our country is inherently evil.’ The missive comes as former President Donald Trump on Thursday called for McConnell to be replaced as leader. That won’t happen, of course, but the Kentucky Republican no doubt is looking to throw some red meat to the base. McConnell has been warning that ‘woke ideology’ is taking over corporations, Hollywood – and now the education system. And Republicans generally think these issues could help them win the House and Senate in 2022” – Politico Playbook.

The DOJ in late 2019 covertly obtained access to my iCloud and never notified me.

They invaded the attorney client relationship as we were defending against the phony impeachment.

These prosecutors violated the laws, not me.

If again, nothing is done, you could be next.

— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) April 30, 2021

Charlotte News and Observer: “Lawmakers decided not to move forward with a controversial bill that would prevent transgender girls from playing on female sports teams. House Speaker Tim Moore confirmed to The News & Observer Thursday that House Bill 358, also known as the Save Women’s Sports Act, is dead after legislative staff found that there had been no complaints in North Carolina on this topic. ‘A wise legislature does not go out looking for social issues to tap,’ Moore said. Had it passed, North Carolina would have followed the lead of several states that have passed similar bills, drawing national media coverage and a response from the NCAA.”

“In a circular issued by the General Directorate of Security, it is stated that people who receive sound and video with their mobile phones will be blocked and legal action will be taken against them. The Istanbul Branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) shared the Circular of the General Directorate of Security, which prohibited audio and video during the demonstrations, on its Twitter account. In the circular issued with the signature of Security General Director Mehmet Aktaş, it is stated that the sharing of audio and video recordings of police officers and civilians on social media ‘violates the privacy of private life’, and receiving sound and video prevents them from performing their duty” – BBC Turkey, translated by Google.

Daily Beast: “Week by week, the Republican field to take on Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in 2022 keeps developing the way Donald Trump wants: into a would-be coronation for football legend and Trump family favorite Herschel Walker. On Monday, former Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) announced he would not run for U.S. Senate, becoming the latest and most high-profile figure to bow out of consideration. GOP circles considered the stalwart Trump ally to be a likely candidate for the office. He sought the Senate seat just last year, after all, when he unsuccessfully challenged his fellow Republican, then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler. But even with no GOP incumbent in his way this time, Collins ruled himself out – and he did it surprisingly early. Some Georgia insiders say that Walker didn’t play a role in Collins’ calculus, but the former University of Georgia football great is casting an undeniable shadow over the GOP primary as he decides whether to run.”

“And that is because it is abundantly clear to all Republicans how badly Trump and his family want Herschel Walker to run. Publicly, the former president has encouraged Walker to run against Warnock. But his behind-the-scenes push has been even more robust. In recent weeks, Trump has personally asked GOP senators to call Walker and urge him to get in the race, according to two people familiar with those conversations. He has even merged senators onto his own calls with Walker to push them to make the pitch. (Walker could not be reached for comment.) With Trump’s enthusiastic support behind him, however, Walker could be tough to beat in a GOP primary in Georgia. But the party needs a candidate who can take down Warnock, and there’s a sense among some Republicans in the state that an untested first-time candidate like Walker could be a risky prospect in what may be the most closely-watched Senate race in the country. Given those concerns – and the continued uncertainty over where Walker actually stands on a run – some Republicans aren’t taking the prospect of his candidacy all that seriously. Neither are many Democrats. The most important person in the GOP, however, is extremely serious, and that’s all that matters right now.”

An apartment management company in Maryland owned by Jared Kushner and his brother were found guilty of having violated numerous consumer laws in a longstanding case Kushner claimed was politically motivated, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Administrative Law Judge Emily Daneker found the violations “widespread and numerous,” and she determined that they were not politically motivated, but followed the laws and regulations applicable to any landlord in the state.

Westminster Management and a predecessor company, JK2, were owned by Kushner and his brother Joshua, who each owned 50% of the business.  They were found to be in violation of collecting debts without the required licenses, charging tenants improper fees, and misrepresenting the condition of rental units.

“The FBI warned Rudolph W. Giuliani in late 2019 that he was the target of a Russian influence operation aimed at circulating falsehoods intended to damage President Biden politically ahead of last year’s election, according to people familiar with the matter. The warning was part of an extensive effort by the bureau to alert members of Congress and at least one conservative media outlet, One America News, that they faced a risk of being used to further Russia’s attempt to influence the election’s outcome, said several current and former U.S. officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter remains highly sensitive” the Washington Post reports.

“Giuliani received the FBI’s warning while deeply involved with former president Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and related activities in Ukraine to surface unflattering or incriminating information about the Biden family. The revelation comes as the FBI this week seized Giuliani’s cellphone and other electronic devices as part of a long-running criminal investigation into whether the onetime New York mayor and personal attorney for Trump acted as an unregistered foreign agent. The FBI executes a search warrant at Rudy Giuliani’s home’

“The warning, made by counterintelligence agents, was separate from the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal probe, but it reflects a broader concern by U.S. intelligence and federal investigators that Giuliani – among other influential Americans and U.S. institutions – was being manipulated by the Russian government to promote its interests and that he appears to have brazenly disregarded such fears. Despite the alert, Giuliani went forward in December 2019 with a planned trip to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where he met with a Ukrainian lawmaker whom the U.S. government later labeled ‘an active Russian agent’ and sanctioned on grounds he was running an ‘influence campaign’ against Biden. That operation, officials said, involved Ukrainian officials and political consultants who the U.S. intelligence community has since concluded were acting as Russian proxies not only to smear Biden and derail his candidacy but also to curtail U.S. support for Ukraine. Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert J. Costello, did not respond to requests for comment. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment. The FBI last summer also gave what is known as a defensive briefing to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who ahead of the election used his perch as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to investigate Biden’s dealings with Ukraine while he was vice president and his son Hunter Biden held a lucrative seat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.”

Jerusalem Post: “About 103 people were injured and at least 44 were killed amid a stampede and massive crowds at Mount Meron as about one hundred thousand people celebrated the festival of Lag Ba’omer at the site in northern Israel on Thursday night. Some 44 people were in critical condition, with dozens of ambulances and six helicopters called to the scene to evacuate the injured, according to Magen David Adom. A field hospital was set up at the scene. Israel Police and IDF soldiers worked to evacuate the injured and clear the crowds from the scene.”

“Phone service at the scene crashed as thousands attempted to contact family members and emergency services. An investigation has been opened by Israel Police into the incident. ‘Difficult sights, people crushed without being able to escape. Some of the wounded are still being treated at the scene,’ said MDA spokesman Zaki Heller, according to Maariv, The Jerusalem Post’s sister publication. Shortly after the incident, Israel Police closed traffic into the area and began evacuating visitors from the site. The IDF announced that it had sent soldiers from the rescue brigade and Israel Air Force helicopters to help at the scene.”

“A confession letter written by Joel Greenberg in the final months of the Trump presidency claims that he and close associate Rep. Matt Gaetz paid for sex with multiple women – as well as a girl who was 17 at the time.” reports the Daily Beast.

“‘On more than one occasion, this individual was involved in sexual activities with several of the other girls, the congressman from Florida’s 1st Congressional District and myself,’ Greenberg wrote in reference to the 17-year-old. ‘From time to time, gas money or gifts, rent or partial tuition payments were made to several of these girls, including the individual who was not yet 18.'”

In what the United Auto Workers calls a “slap in the face,” General Motors has announced that it will build its fifth plant to manufacture electric vehicles in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico, where it will spend $1 billion to upgrade and expand an existing facility, the Detroit Free Press reports.

GM has four other plants in North America building electric vehicles, three in the US and one in Canada:  Spring Hill, Tennessee; Factory ZERO in Detroit and Hamtramck, Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Michigan, and CAMI in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.

“We are really proud about contributing to GM’s vision of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, by the production of electric vehicles,” said Francisco Garza, GM Mexico president and managing director, in a statement. “We are confident that future economic conditions will enable this investment to eventually grow the complex workforce in some operations from two to three shifts.”

“The Hawaii state legislature is set to make history later on Thursday by becoming the first state in the country to pass a resolution declaring a climate emergency. Hawaii lawmakers will declare in a nonbinding resolution that the current global climate crisis is a threat to both humankind and the environment. The text of the resolution calls for a collaborative effort to address the effects of the crisis and come up with ways to halt the increase of global temperatures.”

“‘We must take strong action to address climate change related challenges, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion, and the protection of our critical infrastructure,’ the resolution’s primary sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Mike Gabbard, said in a statement. Although it does not have any forceful language requiring immediate action on the climate crisis, the resolution calls for state lawmakers to seek ways to prohibit ‘any further public or private investment or subsidies in projects that will make the climate emergency worse, such as coal, oil, gas, and tree-burning projects.’ It also asks for lawmakers to pass bills that facilitate investments in low- and zero-emission projects, including reforestation efforts throughout the state. While more must be done, climate activists in the state have praised the move” – TruthOut.org

*Congressional Address Lies based on data by fact checkers that were determined to be false, misleading, exaggerated or inaccurate.

**From FiveThirtyEight aggregator

The Forward: “Antisemitism rose across the U.S. during the Trump administration. But the insular nature of Miami’s Hispanic community, particularly among a conservative Cuban faction that has reversed a years-long moderating trend to become politically dominant again, appears to be magnifying that tilt here, while making it more acceptable for leaders to ignore or even encourage the slide towards prejudice. No politician condemned the antisemitic graffiti. The signatories on the Catholic school letter, which was covered by the Miami Herald and the Miami New Times, defended their calls to abandon teaching about racism. ‘The idea that equality and racial equity are rooted in a socialist Jewish group – that’s ridiculous,’ said Billy Corben, the Jewish filmmaker lambasted by the Miami commissioner, who first exposed the letter on Twitter. ‘You cannot minimize the impact of these very powerful and influential policy makers who have signed this letter.'”

“Jessica Landsberg, a young political operative who has worked on several local campaigns, and whose father is Jewish and mother is Cuban, was disturbed by the ‘communism is judiasm’ and other anti-Semitic graffiti – and frustrated no one denounced it. ‘That there’s no conversation that long after the Holocaust antisemitism is alive in a city with one of the largest Jewish populations is disappointing,’ said Landsberg, 23. ‘The graffiti is just the latest thing. I’ve been repeating for the last few years that antisemitism is not just alive but on the rise.’ A resurgent Hispanic right-wing has ignited long buried feelings, said Fernand Amandi, Cuban-American president of Bendixen Amandi International, which specializes in Hispanic and minority polling. ‘It’s the weaponization of antisemitism,’ said Amandi, whose firm has studied Florida Hispanics’ attitudes towards Jews. ‘Sublimated feelings of discrimination and prejudice that by and large were more dormant have now risen to the surface.’ He said he has seen an increase in the labeling of Jews as socialists, and in the old tropes that Jews are a powerful behind-the-scenes cabal. ‘There’s this saying ‘esta en la sopa tambien’ – they’re in the soup too,’ Amandi said. ‘The Jews are always in the soup of every negative thing – socialists, pedophiles, Wall Street, Hollywood, landlords. Things people would not have said 20 years ago they’re saying openly now.'”

The President and First Lady traveled to Plains, Georgia for a private meeting with former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, Thursday, raising speculation about the health of the President Carter.

Karen Travers of ABC News tweeted photos of President and Dr. Biden at the Carters’ home, with Rosalynn seen in the doorway of the home as the Bidens left.  President Carter was not seen.

At 96-years-old, Jimmy Carter is the longest-living former president in American history, the first to live past his 95th birthday.  He’s had multiple battles with cancer, including brain cancer.  Walter Mondale, who served as Carter’s vice president, passed away on April 19th at the age of 93.

CNN’s PR blog says they scored the highest ratings of all the cable news networks during Biden’s Thursday night address to a joint session of Congress. A table at the bottom says the total amount between broadcast and cable networks was 22.6 million.

This is enough for MAGA Nation to declare permanent victory over the Democrats forever, Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address managed 22.7 million TV viewers, the lowest of his three as 2018’s and 2019’s clocked in at 26.9 million and 28 million, respectively.

Yeah, he’s really on today. Just went on the air as of 3:09 pm EDT. If you didn’t tune in immediately as we posted this, you would’ve missed everything Rudy planned to say about the FBI raid, rambling some shit about how since he’s going on Tucker tonight and this is his show, he doesn’t want to give only one side of the story, whatever that means. All that said, Tony from Staten Island and Maria from East Meadow are bound to mention it when they call in.

Washington Post: “More than five months after the 2020 election, and after numerous failed attempts to overturn the results, former president Trump has seized on a new avenue to try to call the outcome into question: a hand recount of 2.1 million ballots cast in Arizona’s largest county. Several advisers said the former president has become fixated on the unorthodox process underway in Phoenix, where the GOP-led state Senate took ballots and voting equipment from Maricopa County and turned them over to Cyber Ninjas, a private contractor whose CEO claimed that the election was fraudulent but has now promised a fair review of the November results.”

“Ensconced at his private club in Florida, Trump quizzes aides for updates about the process multiple times a day, advisers said, expressing particular interest in the use of UV lights to scrutinize Maricopa’s ballots – a method that has bewildered election experts, who say it could damage the votes. ‘He talks about it constantly,’ said one person who recently visited Mar-a-Lago and listened to Trump discuss the recount for about 45 minutes, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.”