Judge Who Helped Illegal Criminal Escape Indicted By Grand Jury

There are consequences for actions, and, really, if the judge is found guilty, she should not only get the maximum but receive an enhancement because she’s a judge and does know better

Wisconsin judge indicted in immigration case

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, allowing the case against her to continue.

The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan escalated a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to the crackdown.

That’s where Politico, and other Credentialed Media outlets, goes? Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was in court for assaulting people, including women.

Prosecutors charged Dugan in April via complaint with concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. In the federal criminal justice system, prosecutors can initiate charges against a defendant directly by filing a complaint or present evidence to a grand jury and let that body decide whether to issue charges.

A grand jury still reviews charges brought by complaint to determine whether enough probable cause exists to continue the case as a check on prosecutors’ power. If the grand jury determines there’s probable cause, it issues a written statement of the charges known as an indictment. That’s what happened in Dugan’s case.

Dugan faces up to six years in prison if she’s convicted on both counts. Her team of defense attorneys responded to the indictment with a one-sentence statement saying that she maintains her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court. She was scheduled to enter a plea on Thursday.

Well, I wouldn’t expect her defense team to say anything different, but, it’s a pretty slam dunk case for the prosecution. There are plenty of witness, and, was caught doing it. But, hey, if the Trump admin wanted a national example, Dugan walked right into it by breaking multiple laws

Read: Judge Who Helped Illegal Criminal Escape Indicted By Grand Jury »

Pentagon Reportedly Ending All Gender Wacko Transition Procedures Immediately

I’m not sure why the U.S. military was providing drugs and medical procedures for members in the first place. They didn’t pay for all those 18 year olds to get tattoos of the strippers they married or the car they made a bad decision on, did they? Would the military pay for that leg lengthening procedure? How about for Botox and elective cosmetic surgery for those who were not injured in the line of duty?

Report: Pentagon ‘Immediately’ Halting Gender Transition Procedures for Transgender Troops

The Pentagon is reportedly barring gender transition treatments for so-called “transgender troops,” the news coming after former President Joe Biden (D) allowed such procedures.

According to Reuters, a memo from Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Stephen Ferrara said, “I am directing you to take the necessary steps to immediately implement this guidance,” the outlet reported Monday.

Defense Department officials are apparently halting new hormone treatments and surgical procedures for those individuals.

The outlet also noted that “Trump signed an executive order in January, after returning to the presidency, that reversed a policy implemented under his predecessor Joe Biden that had allowed transgender troops to serve openly.”

It’s not up the US military, meaning the taxpayers, to pay for the surgeries. They could make a case that instead of college tuition the military could provide so much once they get out, but, they’re joining to apparently get the medical treatments, which means they are not doing their jobs. Would someone who hurt their spine as a civilian be allowed to join to have the military pay for the surgeries and rehab? Obviously, no.

Going to that Reuters article

Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said that the abrupt termination of healthcare was “needlessly disrespectful and cruel.”

“It is shameful that our nation’s military would treat any service member this way,” Minter said.

One transgender service member, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted, called the decision “the latest slap in the face” to troops serving honorably.

Are they serving honorably? They’re living a lie, transgenders have a much higher rate of mental illness and suicidal thoughts (just who you want around military grade weapons, right?), and spend their time unable to do the job. They can go be civilians and pay for their own procedures. Mutilating your body is not healthcare.

“If there was any doubt left, there is not anymore: transgender service members are no longer entitled to the same standard of medical care as their peers,” the service member said.

They can get the same. What they want is more.

Re-posting an article that said the Pentagon would resume treatments for transgender troops, Hegseth said: “If this is true – we will find any way possible to stop it.”

“Taxpayers should NEVER pay for this lunacy,” Hegseth added.

They shouldn’t. And no one seems to be making a rational argument as to why the taxpayers should foot the bill.

Read: Pentagon Reportedly Ending All Gender Wacko Transition Procedures Immediately »

If All You See…

…is terrible Bad Weather rain causing flooding because Other People drove fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is A View From The Beach, with a post on Tuesday tanlines.

Read: If All You See… »

EPA Looks To Get Auto-Engine Idle Feature Out Of Vehicles

Well, this would be a big conundrum for the Trump haters: do they support ditching auto-engine idle/start-stop because every single one of them hate the feature, or oppose because Orange Man Bad?

EPA takes aim at start-stop systems in cars, calls feature a ‘climate participation trophy’

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to roll back federal incentives for automatic start-stop technology in new vehicles.

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced the move Monday on social media, calling start-stop systems a “climate participation trophy” that most drivers dislike.

“EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it,” Zeldin posted on the social media platform X.

The system automatically shuts off a vehicle’s engine when it comes to a complete stop—like at a red light or in traffic—and restarts when the driver lifts their foot off the brake or taps the accelerator.

While not required by law, the feature became widespread due to fuel economy credits granted under federal emissions rules. Start-stop systems are considered an “off-cycle” emissions-reduction technology, meaning they provide benefits not measured during standard testing procedures.

The incentive was created more than a decade ago as part of federal emissions and fuel economy standards, which aimed to reward automakers for adding technologies that cut pollution in ways not captured by traditional testing. Start-stop systems are one of several features that qualify.

Two things: first, the engines aren’t shutting off on every vehicle, some just go into an idle, especially those which are more fuel efficient. Second, they are really put in vehicles to avoid fines and fees from certain Blue states, as increasing the the fuel economy a tiny bit on each vehicle helps across the entire line. That came directly from a high level suit who works for a car manufacturer. Heck, they’d remove the moonroofs if they could. The extra weight and slight air flow change reduces MPG just a little bit.

Supporters say the technology can reduce fuel consumption in city driving and lower greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Battery Council International, start-stop systems helped eliminate nearly 10 million tons of emissions in 2023 alone.

Tests by the Society of Automotive Engineers show the feature can improve fuel economy by 7% to 26% in stop-and-go traffic. However, the benefits are minimal for highway driving.

And the minute the car has done it a few times in traffic people shut them off. But, that doesn’t matter, because they are about EPA testing, not for you the consumer.

The EPA’s proposal would not ban start-stop systems but would eliminate the incentives that reward automakers for including them.

But, again, that would only end the federal incentives: you’d still have the state mandates. So, would manufacturers still install auto engine idle to avoid the fines/fees? Or, would those states drop the mandates? Because, yeah, there may be some “advocates”, as the article says, but, I bet they hate driving cars with auto engine idle as well.

Read: EPA Looks To Get Auto-Engine Idle Feature Out Of Vehicles »

GOP Looks To Annihilate Biden’s Climate Scam Incentives

But, can they actually get this out of the Senate?

House GOP looks to gut Biden’s climate incentives in megabill proposal

House Republicans are proposing a significant rollback of Democrats’ clean energy tax credits— a key step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to eviscerate President Joe Biden’s landmark climate change programs.

The tax-writing Ways and Means Committee is moving to repeal key subsidies for electric vehicles and phase out many other clean energy tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act — derided by Trump as the “Green New Scam” — as part of its highly anticipated portion of the GOP’s megabill.

The tax incentives made up the core of the IRA’s clean energy stimulus, and were estimated to cost about $370 billion by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation over the decade until they expired in 2032, though other analyses predicted their costs would exceed $1 trillion. The incentives have sparked hundreds of billions in private sector investment in clean energy since the law was enacted.

As part of the Ways and Means Committee’s contributions to the party-line package intended to enact broad swaths of Trump’s domestic agenda, GOP leaders are seeking to satisfy conservative hardliners who want to eliminate all the energy incentives under the climate law to pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts. But they are also looking to keep the support of moderates who fear scrapping these credits will jeopardize the jobs associated with manufacturing and power generation projects in their red states and districts.

The proposal would preserve some IRA tax credits, including the advanced manufacturing production tax credit, known as 45X — though wind energy components would no longer be eligible after 2027. It would, as well, maintain credits supporting carbon capture, while extending subsidies benefiting biofuels that are backed by the fossil fuel and agriculture industries — which a group of House Republicans successfully defended in 2023.

I’ll be honest, just keep the EV rebates. It’s hurting anything, and, come on, this costs nothing. It just means less inflow of tax money. And, really, it’s not all that much. Is it worth the fight to ditch them? Not really. It also doesn’t hurt to keep tax credits for solar and wind. Hell, let’s extend it to hydro! Carbon capture can go. The biofuels garbage needed to be cut decades ago.

There really is nothing wrong with intentivizing clean energy. Forcing it on citizens is something completely different. If the GOP tries this it will never make it past the Senate. Democrats, and a few squishy Republicans, will block it. Pick your fight.

Read: GOP Looks To Annihilate Biden’s Climate Scam Incentives »

Hmm: DHS Investigating If PRC Gave Illegals Social Security

I wonder, though, if DHS finds out that the People’s Republik Of California did give illegal/non-citizens Social Security benefits who gets punished?

DHS investigating if migrants received Social Security in California

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a California state-funded program that assists disabled migrant residents, alleging it provided Supplemental Security Income benefits to immigrants who entered the United States illegally and whom federal officials say were not entitled to receive financial assistance.

DHS sent a subpoena to the State of California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants’ Los Angeles field office, ordering that it hand over records relating to SSI payments made to migrants since 2021. The agency said that under the leadership of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, it will not allow U.S. taxpayer dollars to be “squandered” on migrants.

A DHS news release did not specify how much financial assistance was provided to immigrants who benefited from CAPI between 2021 and the current time.

“Radical left politicians in California prioritize illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits,” Noem said in a statement issued by DHS. “The Trump Administration is working together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally.

“If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County – it is just the beginning.”

A 1996 federal law bars non-citizens from receiving SS benefits. Reportedly, 2 million improperly receive SS in 2024. So, if DHS finds out that they were given SS, who in government goes to jail for violating federal law? Because if no one gets in trouble than other liberals in government will feel empowered to do the same thing.

Read: Hmm: DHS Investigating If PRC Gave Illegals Social Security »

Warmists Upset Trump Trying To End State Climate Scam Initiatives

I love how Democrats suddenly discover the 10th Amendment when Trump is president and it interferes with their moonbattery

Trump is illegally trying to overturn state climate laws

The foundation of American government rests on a simple but powerful principle: states are not mere departments of the federal government. They are sovereign entities with both the right and the responsibility to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of their residents.

President Trump’s recent executive order, which instructs the Justice Department to block state climate laws such as New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act, is a direct attack on that principle. But executive orders cannot undo duly enacted state laws.

Trump’s action is a political stunt, not a legal reversal. New York’s Climate Change Superfund Act stands on strong constitutional ground.

Across the country, states are stepping up to respond to the rising toll of climate-fueled disasters. More than ten states have introduced climate superfund legislation based on a simple idea: those massive, multinational oil and gas corporations that caused the climate crisis should help pay for the damage. This is not only fair but necessary. The costs of climate change are staggering, and without action, those costs are already falling entirely on the shoulders of working families.

Under our system of federalism, states have always had broad authority to enact laws that protect their people. That authority is rooted in the Tenth Amendment and reinforced by centuries of precedent. Whether regulating public health, consumer safety, or environmental protection, states serve as both innovators and defenders when federal action falls short.

Huh. But, when Democrats work to force states to comply with the notion that CO2 is a danger to the United States the 10th Amendment doesn’t apply? Weird. They want it both ways. And one of the ways they did this was by saying it was interstate commerce, hence, Los Federales had authority. Which is it, Dems?

Trump’s executive order does not simply challenge this one law, but rather the very idea that states have the right to hold powerful interests accountable when Washington will not. By branding state efforts as “illegal” simply because they conflict with his administration’s ideological agenda, the president undermines the same state sovereignty that he once claimed to champion.

So, when the feds pass ‘climate change’ laws that force companies in states to comply that is un-Constitutional? Make up your minds.

I know how we can solve this: all fossil fuels companies should stop operating in these states. Let’s see how well they do without gas, diesel, natural gas, and lubricating oils. It would be fun.

Read: Warmists Upset Trump Trying To End State Climate Scam Initiatives »

If All You See…

…is an area flooded by carbon pollution Bad Weather, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is 357 Magnum, with a post on Canada’s war on the disabled.

Read: If All You See… »

Trump – China Announce Interim Tariffs Deal

Oh, this must be giving Democrats a serious case of heartburn

US, China announce reduced tariffs for 90 days after trade talks

The U.S. and China announced on Monday that tariffs against one another will be reduced for a 90-day period after officials held trade negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The tariffs President Donald Trump announced against China on April 2 are being cut by 24 percentage points for this temporary period while retaining the remaining ad valorem rate of 10% from that announcement, according to a joint statement.

China agreed to the same stipulations, adding that it will “adopt all necessary administrative measures to suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2,” the announcement stated.

Under the deal, reciprocal tariffs for both countries would be reduced by 115%. The U.S. will temporarily lower its tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and China will reduce its levies on American products from 125% to 10%.

Both the U.S. and China agreed to take the aforementioned actions by Wednesday.

Could this turn into something long lasting? The NY Times, Washington Post, and many other Credentialed Media outlets are gently naysaying this, almost like they want Trump, meaning America, to lose. Reducing tariffs on exported American goods would be a good thing, right, especially to China? Hey, maybe this would lead to all those Chinese EVs being brought over. You’d like that, NY Times and Washington Post, right? You’ve posted articles about how great they are and so much less expensive many times.

The two sides also agreed to “establish a mechanism” to continue discussions about economic and trade relations, which will be led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, according to the joint statement.

It’s good that you have business people who want to protect the U.S. first, rather than squishy diplomats squishing around.

Read: Trump – China Announce Interim Tariffs Deal »

Doom Today: Bananas Under Threat From Global Boiling

Well, this is horrible

Bananas under threat as rising temperatures killing crops – report

Bananas are coming under increasing threat from climate change, and farmers saying extreme weather is “killing” their crops, according to a report.

An analysis by international development charity Christian Aid released on Monday shows rising temperatures and climate-related pests are putting bananas at risk.

It found that nearly two-thirds of the most suitable banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean – a region responsible for around 80% of the world’s banana exports – could be lost by 2080 due to climate impacts.

Bananas grow in a temperature range of between 15-35C but are also very sensitive to water shortages, meaning increasingly extreme weather is affecting the plant’s ability to photosynthesise.

Oh, phew, it’s in the far flung future. Surprise? It was just last year that we were told that climate doom would just make bananas more expensive.

In light of the findings, Christian Aid is urging developed nations to urgently reduce their carbon emissions to stem the growing impacts of climate change.

It also calls for international climate finance to support banana growers and agricultural communities to adapt to the changing climate.

Government force and redistribution of money from the 1st world to the 3rd.

Read: Doom Today: Bananas Under Threat From Global Boiling »

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