Arlington County, Va. Votes To Make Police Stop Working With ICE Over Illegal Criminals And Terrorists

By William Teach May 17, 2025 – 7:00 am

This one is a real doozy, though. They went way beyond the normal sanctuary city stuff

Virginia County Votes Not to Report Illegal Alien Terrorists to ICE—in Name of ‘Public Safety’

The Arlington County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to end its police department’s ability to report illegal aliens arrested for felonies and terrorist activity to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Board members couched their decision as a way to protect immigrant communities from the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, which, funny enough, target the types of criminals that Arlington is now protecting.

Prior to this egregious decision to disregard the public’s safety, the Arlington County Police Department’s interaction with ICE was already restricted in the county’s “Trust Policy,” also known as “Arlington’s Commitment to Strengthening Trust with Our Immigrant Communities,” enacted in 2022 and updated last year.

Section 7 of the “Trust Policy” very narrowly carved out a few exceptions for when police were allowed to report arrests of illegal aliens to ICE. These were for instances when police made arrests for felonies, gang activity, terrorism, and human trafficking.

Arlington County is the county just to the west of D.C. Activists have been pushing to repeal Section 7

Karantonis claimed that the community has “seen a decrease in safety” since the Trump administration has started deporting dangerous illegal aliens. Board members said immigrants are increasingly afraid to call 911 for fear of deportation—a claim, as TV station WJLA noted, that was made without supporting data.

Right, right, it’s all about protecting illegals. So much that they want to protect felons, murderers, child abusers, and terrorists.

Meanwhile

DHS mulls reality show for immigrants seeking US citizenship

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it is in the early stages of vetting a potential reality show that would have immigrants competing for a fast-track to citizenship.

As first reported by the Daily Mail, producer Rob Worsoff, the mind behind “Duck Dynasty,” approached the department about the idea, in which he envisions celebrity immigrant hosts welcoming immigrants who would then undertake competitions across the country, such as digging clams in Maine or rafting in Colorado.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the show “is in the very beginning stages” of a vetting process, noting the department receives numerous requests for participation in television programming.

I can’t tell if the Trump admin is serious with this or not. If so, no, just, stop.

Read: Arlington County, Va. Votes To Make Police Stop Working With ICE Over Illegal Criminals And Terrorists »

Posted in Illegal Immigration | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

NJ Globe Reports LaMonica McIver (D) To Be Arrested For Assault

By William Teach May 16, 2025 – 3:00 pm

As Joe Biden wrote, no one is above the law

Let’s go to the Globe

The Justice Department plans to bring charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) following a scuffle with federal immigration agents last week at Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center, three sources speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed to the New Jersey Globe.

Much is still unknown about the case against the freshman congresswoman, but interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba could announce charges as early as today. McIver may turn herself in this afternoon, the New Jersey Globe learned; she’ll be represented by Paul Fishman, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey during the Obama administration.

Partway through the visit, Baraka was arrested by federal authorities; they claimed he was trespassing, while he maintained that he had followed their directions and left when they instructed him to. Baraka’s arrest prompted a scuffle among the three representatives, ICE agents, and a group of protesters who had gathered at Delaney Hall’s gate; both sides have claimed that the other was the aggressor in the fight, which seems to have caused no reported injuries.

Video footage shows the fight to have been a general scramble. McIver in particular forcefully attempted to protect Baraka both physically and verbally as he was led away, which may be the basis for charges against her, though claims from some Republicans that she body-slammed or punched ICE officers are more dubious based on the footage available. (Menendez and the 80-year-old Watson Coleman were also involved in the melee, but there’s less video evidence of them physically engaging with agents, perhaps explaining the Justice Department’s focus on McIver.)

What could the charges be? Assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. Obstructing/delaying an arrest (we call it RDO in NC “resisting, delaying, obstructing”). Felonies.

It matters not if she was in the course of performing her duties as a member of Congress

In Article I, Section 6, Clause 1, the Framers provided for Members of Congress to be free from arrest when attending or traveling to and from Congress except in cases of treason, felony, or breaches of the peace.1 In interpreting this provision, the Supreme Court has held that the phrase treason, felony, and breach of the peace encompasses all criminal offenses.2 Consequently, Members are only privileged from arrests arising from civil suits, which were common in America at the time the Constitution was ratified.3

She was not at the Capitol Bldg, nor traveling to or from it. So, yes, she can be arrested, charged, and tried for her actions, and convicted. And jailed. They are not above the law.

I set this to post at 3pm: let’s see if she is arrested before then. Or even in the next few days.

Read: NJ Globe Reports LaMonica McIver (D) To Be Arrested For Assault »

Posted in Democrats | 12 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 16, 2025 – 1:00 pm

…is a wonderful low carbon sailboat, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Green Jihad, with a post on the Warmists never being serious about ‘climate change’

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 12 Comments | Trackback URL

Trump Admin Lays Off A Third Of Voice Of America “Employees”

By William Teach May 16, 2025 – 10:30 am

Elon Musk may be gone, but, the principles of DOGE continue. Which has driven the NY Times into a frothing lather

Trump Administration Fires Hundreds of Voice of America Employees

The Trump administration on Thursday fired nearly 600 employees at Voice of America, a federally funded news network that provides independent reporting to countries with limited press freedoms.

The layoffs targeted contractors, most of them journalists but also some administrative employees, and amounted to over a third of Voice of America’s staff. They signaled that the Trump administration planned to continue its efforts to dismantle the broadcaster despite a court ruling last month that ordered the federal government to maintain robust news programming at the network, which President Trump has called “the voice of radical America.”

Well, the actual government employees, instead of the contractors, can continue their “robust news programming.” Do more with less. It’s not like half their news articles do not look like what you see in the hard left outlets, right? There’s literally nothing on the website that can’t be found on tons of websites.

In another sign of the Trump administration’s hostility toward the broadcaster, the federal building in Washington that houses the media organization was put up for sale on Thursday.

LOL

Michael Abramowitz, the director of Voice of America, said in an email to his staff on Thursday that the firings were “inexplicable.”

Kari Lake, a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, said that the Trump administration had acted within its legal authority.

“We are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities,” Ms. Lake, who is leading the efforts to ramp down the operations of Voice of America, said in a statement. “We will continue to scale back the bloat at U.S.A.G.M. and make an archaic dinosaur into something worthy of being funded by hardworking Americans.”

And she said more is to come. English news has pretty much stopped since March, but, there is a little. There is a boatload of Chinese and Arabic language news, but, do we know what it says? Is it helping the US point of view?

Mr. Trump has accused the outlet, which delivers news to countries with repressive regimes — including Russia, China and Iran — of spreading “anti-American” and partisan “propaganda.”

VOA doesn’t help America, hence, it’s unnecessary. And most of the contractors are in the US on work visas, so, they have to leave by June. Why is it necessary for them to be here? They could write elsewhere. It’s VOA’s fault for going rogue. They created the problem.

Read: Trump Admin Lays Off A Third Of Voice Of America “Employees” »

Posted in Donald Trump, Journalistic Malpractice | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Making “Polluters Pay” Losing Steam In PRC

By William Teach May 16, 2025 – 7:15 am

What a shame: they should make the “polluters” pay in the People’s Republik Of California. Start with all the lawmakers, the governor, and state government employees who support this and still own fossil fueled vehicles. Then everyone who voted Democrat in the PRC

Push to make Big Oil pay for climate damage losing steam in California

Only weeks ago, new science had buoyed state legislation to calculate the costs of climate change in California and force fossil fuel companies to pay for it. A study in Nature published last month took the reported emissions of major oil companies and modeled their effects on temperatures, finding their pollution led to $14 trillion in worldwide economic losses due to extreme heat alone.

Yet in Sacramento, the science of making “polluters pay” is losing momentum in an unfavorable political environment. Rather than risk rejection from their colleagues, the lawmakers who backed the Climate Superfund Act — Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-San Luis Obispo, and state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-San Fernando Valley — postponed hearings for their bills in hopes of a better reception later this summer.

Since 2013, when a researcher first compiled company emissions data, scientists, regulators and campaigners have tried to tie individual corporations to extreme weather events. At the same time, improved ways of computing global climate models have yielded more refined data on worsening heat and flooding at the local level. Combining the methods offers a chance to charge companies money for climate damage in a specific region.

But the mood for such a far-reaching approach has soured in the California Legislature, after lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom spent years challenging oil companies by imposing rules on gasoline supplies to prevent price hikes at the pump. Advocates of the climate superfund are now reframing their advocacy, focusing on its potential to serve as a “common-sense revenue generator” amid the state’s projected budget shortfall.

So, it’s really all about being a shakedown. Which would mean that those companies would stop operating in the PRC. They’ll move elsewhere. Move headquarters out. Again, too bad the fossil fuels companies won’t grow some cajones and stop selling their products to the state government of the PRC.

Blame it on anxiety over the costs of living — the focus of the oil industry’s public relations campaign since last year. That, in addition to threats from President Donald Trump to eradicate state emissions policies, have left lawmakers reluctant to take on the industry. One high-ranking legislative staffer, who asked not to be identified to protect their job, told Capital & Main that the “rancid” political vibe in Sacramento is hampering all things climate-oriented

But, wouldn’t all the Warmists in California be excited to see their cost of living skyrocket even more? It’s what they want, right?

Read: Bummer: Making “Polluters Pay” Losing Steam In PRC »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

It’s OK To Kill Someone With A Car If You’re An Illegal In Colorado

By William Teach May 16, 2025 – 7:00 am

Steve Martin had a comedy bit on, I think it was his first album, about getting a ticket for smoking dope in California. That was back in the 70s. In the People’s Republik Of Colorado, though

Illegal migrant, 15, gets probation and must go to school after killing Colorado rehab worker, 24, in high-speed crash

Americans before illegalsA 15-year-old illegal immigrant who killed a Colorado drug rehab worker in a high-speed crash in a residential neighborhood was given a slap on the wrist by a Democratic prosecutor, endorsed by several prominent party members.

The juvenile Colombian national, who cannot be named due to state law, was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service for the July 2024 death of Kaitlyn Weaver.

Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden offered the teen the plea deal if he admitted guilt in the deadly crash, promised to attend school and not break any more laws, CBS News Colorado reported.

The teen was racing his mother’s Jeep Cherokee at over 90 mph through a posted 45-mph street when he slammed into Weaver’s Volkswagen in Aurora, Colo.

Weaver, 24, was “effectively killed instantly,” her father, John Weaver, told the outlet.

Meanwhile, Democrats want Republicans who wandered peacefully around the Capitol Building to be sentenced to hard labor.

The teen, who was also unlicensed to drive the car, had other kids in the car with him at the time of the deadly crash.

He was charged with vehicular homicide.

He’s apparently applied for asylum. Hence part of the reason Dems wanted to go easy. However, he has been convicted of a crime, so, he is not eligible. He can go back to Colombia with his mom, and I wouldn’t be surprised if ICE picked both up soon and flies them back.

This is all on you, Democrats. Your responsibility. Your fault.

Read: It’s OK To Kill Someone With A Car If You’re An Illegal In Colorado »

Posted in Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Doom Today: Climate Crisis (scam) Bad For Pregnant Women

By William Teach May 15, 2025 – 3:00 pm

Considering these are leftists publishing this, do they even know what a real woman is?

How Climate Change Is Impacting People’s Ability to Have Healthy Pregnancies

As the number of extreme heat days continues to rise due to climate change, the high temperatures are taking a toll on our health—extreme heat has been linked to a range of health issues, including heatstroke, dehydration, and respiratory problems. But some people are at greater risk than others: warmer days are putting pregnant people at a higher risk for health complications.

One Climate Central analysis published on May 14 found that extreme heat caused by climate change is posing dangerous risks for maternal health and birth outcomes. Between 2020 to 2024, the average number of pregnancy heat-risk days—defined as days in which maximum temperatures are warmer than 95% of temperatures observed in a given location—doubled in 222 countries. The greatest increase in heat-risk days occurred primarily in developing areas with limited access to health care, including the Caribbean, parts of Central and South America, and sub-Saharan Africa.

“Pregnant women and their fetuses are more vulnerable to climate-related changes, especially around heat and extreme heat,” says Shruthi Mahalingaiah, associate professor of environmental, reproductive, and women’s health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Mahalingaiah adds that, when it comes to extreme heat, someone who is pregnant might not be able to regulate temperatures in the same way as someone who is not. “This is because the pregnant woman’s body is already undergoing vast changes to accommodate supporting a fetus, and it’s harder to regulate and especially cool the fetal environment to a healthy range.”

The talking points when out

Just a smattering of the dozens of screeds from the cult. But, hey, I wonder, how did the human species survive previous warm periods? Anyhow, you know what’s missing? Actual data on those who have been hurt.

Read: Doom Today: Climate Crisis (scam) Bad For Pregnant Women »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 15, 2025 – 2:22 pm

…is urban decay from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Midwest Chick’s Place, with a post on Thursday meme drop.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 32 Comments | Trackback URL

Democrat Ro Khanna Introduces Legislation To Make Trump’s EO On Drug Price Law

By William Teach May 15, 2025 – 10:30 am

This is an interesting turn of events

Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna Introduces Legislation to Codify Trump Executive Order Reducing Drug Prices

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation to codify President Donald Trump’s executive order to reduce the cost of prescription and pharmaceutical drugs.

In a post on X, Khanna shared a video in which he spoke from the House floor, explaining that if he “can cross the aisle” and support Trump’s executive order in legislation, each Republican “should be willing to cross the aisle” and support Khanna’s legislation. Khanna pointed out that the only way lawmakers could “stand up to Big Pharma, is to codify in legislation what the President wants to do in an executive order.”

“Today, I am introducing legislation to codify President Trump’s executive order, ensuring Americans do not pay more than people in other countries for drugs,” Khanna said in his post. “Will Congress members stand with $16 billion in Big Pharma money, or with the American people by co-sponsoring this bipartisan legislation?”

In an executive order signed on Monday, Trump pointed out that the United States “has less than five percent of the world’s population and yet funds around three quarters of global pharmaceutical profits.”

This is a good thing. There are always things both sides can work together on if we want. This is surely something Democrats and Republicans want. At least the regular citizens of the US, since so many in Congress, both sides, take lots of money from drug companies.

But, suddenly Democrats are not happy with an EO

Dems Who Clapped Like Seals For Biden’s Big Pharma Actions Do 180 On Trump Drug Pricing Order

…

However, Democrats who previously lauded Biden’s executive orders on pharmaceutical pricing suddenly appear to have a problem with Trump’s executive action.

“This is nothing more than a flashy press release from Donald Trump,” Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden similarly criticized Trump.

“Donald Trump is all hat and no cattle when it comes to lowering the price of prescription drugs,” Wyden wrote in a statement Monday.

“If Trump was serious about lowering drug prices, he would work with Congress to strengthen Medicare drug price negotiations, not just sign a piece of paper,” he concluded.

And then

Perhaps most notably, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses and is closely allied with Democrats, demanded that Trump support an upcoming bill he was planning on proposing.

“If Trump is serious about making real change rather than just issuing a press release, he will support legislation I will introduce to ensure we pay no more for prescription drugs than people in other major countries,” he wrote on social media Monday.

Ro introduced legislatation: where’s Bernie’s? And why is an EO not OK?

So far, Ro’s legislation is not showing up in the Congressional record, nor is it on his House website, so, the devil is in the details. Just like the devil is in the details for Trump’s EO, and whether any of this is legal. Also, whether forcing private companies to lower prices is Big Government. Of course, any that took federal money can be told what to do. Because I am conflicted, since Classical Liberalism says that the government that governs least governs best, and that government should take a light touch.

Read: Democrat Ro Khanna Introduces Legislation To Make Trump’s EO On Drug Price Law »

Posted in Democrats, Donald Trump | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Good News: Quitting The Paris Climate (scam) Agreement Is Just The Start

By William Teach May 15, 2025 – 7:15 am

Politico thinks this is a bad thing, yet, how many employees have given up their own use of fossil fuels, moved into a tiny home, stopped eating meat, and only buy second-hand clothes, among other measures?

Quitting Paris was just the start

climate doom yearly

Wait, I don’t have global heating on here?

The Trump administration has been dropping hints it may exit the world’s oldest climate treaty — a move that would go way beyond his withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement.

While in line with the president’s anti-climate action agenda, a retreat from the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change could ultimately curtail President Donald Trump’s international influence, writes Sara Schonhardt.

“If we pull out, then we essentially yield the field to anti-fossil-fuel interests,” George David Banks, who led international climate policy in the first Trump White House, told Sara.

How so? Well, I read ahead, and the Politico article doesn’t say. How about that link to Schonhardt’s speculative article?

Rather than quit, he said the administration could identify countries it can work with under the framework — such as Saudi Arabia and Russia — to push for a pro-fossil-fuel agenda.

“Given the fact that the President has made energy dominance and energy exports a priority for the administration, … he should be very concerned and very engaged in venues that oppose that agenda,” Banks said.

Yeah, that really doesn’t clear up why exiting would be Bad for the fossil fuels interests. Seriously, could it be worse than what the climate cultists are doing now? Regardless, both articles are all about “hints”, with zero concrete proof. But, could he really do this?

If Trump does pull the country out of the framework, it could be difficult for a new president to undo. Joining a treaty requires a two-thirds Senate vote — a high hurdle even in less polarized times — though some legal scholars say a new administration could rely on the 1992 Senate vote.

But, can a president actually pull out of a treaty unilateraly?

If asked whether the President alone possesses a general, sweeping unilateral power to terminate every U.S. treaty in force, a layperson might well answer “no.” But among the legal academic community, the conventional wisdom seems to be “yes,” or at least “maybe.”4 On closer study, however, that conventional wisdom rests not on constitutional text, structure, or Supreme Court precedent, but on the thin reed of historical practice that followed the Court’s summary disposition nearly four decades ago in Goldwater v. Carter.5 In that case, the Court declined to review President Jimmy Carter’s unilateral termination of a bilateral treaty with Taiwan in accordance with its terms, but—like the Constitution’s text—the Justices left undecided which branch of government has the power of treaty withdrawal, and under what circumstances.6

The essay where I got that argues that a president cannot pull out of a Senate approved treaty.

And on the merits, no blanket power authorizes a unilateral presidential power to terminate international agreements. The Constitution does not directly address treaty withdrawal.

So, yes? No? Maybe? But, is the Trump admin even considering this? I guess we’ll find out.

Read: Good News: Quitting The Paris Climate (scam) Agreement Is Just The Start »

Posted in Global Warming | 11 Comments | Trackback URL
Pirate's Cove