Judge May Force Trump to Miss Son Barron’s Graduation Over ‘Hush Money’ Sham Trial
Donald Trump may be required to miss his son Barron’s high school graduation ceremony if a New York judge doesn’t approve the former US president’s request to skip his trial that day.
Trump brought light to the situation during remarks to reporters outside the first day of his criminal hush money trial, where acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the presiding judge, said he could not yet determine whether to approve Trump’s request to skip May 17 to attend Barron’s graduation in Florida.
“We had some amazing things happen today,” Trump told the press on Monday outside the first day of his criminal hush money trial.
President Trump after Day 1 of the hush money trial:
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 15, 2024
“My son is graduating from high school. It looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who’s worked very, very hard and he is a great student. This is a SCAM trial.” pic.twitter.com/EtTPgmmdfr
“My son is graduating from high school and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who’s worked very, very hard. He’s a great student. And he’s very proud of the fact that he did so well, and was looking forward, for years, to have his graduation with his mother and father there.
“Looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a SCAM trial.”
Amazing Donald Trump Throwback with Barron:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 21, 2022
“No drugs. No alcohol. No cigarettes.”
pic.twitter.com/x9UbaibUrc
According to Business Insider:
Merchan said that he would not yet rule on Donald Trump’s request to not have the trial held that day.
“It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” Merchan explained.
Judge Merchan, who Trump has labeled “compromised” over his daughter’s anti-Trump fervor and her close ties with Democrats and the Biden administration, ruled Monday against Trump attending the Supreme Court’s arguments debating presidential immunity.
According to Forbes, Merchan told Trump’s attorney that he’d “see (Trump) here next week,” adding, “your client is a criminal defendant,” and “he’s required to be here. He’s not required to be in the Supreme Court.”
Merchan went on to threaten that the former president could face arrest if he disrupted proceedings or skipped the trial.
“If you disrupt the proceedings, you can be excluded from the courtroom and committed to jail based on your conduct and the trial will continue on in your absence,” Merchan reportedly told Trump. “If you do not show up, there will be an arrest…Do you understand?”
Trump later told reporters, “That I can’t go to my son’s graduation, or that I can’t go to the United States Supreme Court, that I’m not in Georgia or Florida or North Carolina campaigning like I should be is perfect for the radical left Democrats, that’s exactly what they want.”
“This is about election interference, that’s all it’s about.”
Barron won’t forget and neither will we. pic.twitter.com/aVKInjrE3e
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 15, 2024
‘Terrifying’: FISA Bill Set to Include ‘Vast’ New Surveillance Powers Forcing Businesses to ‘Become NSA Spies’
The Senate is set to vote on the FISA reauthorization bill that includes a provision forcing any company or individual that provides ANY communications service to become a pawn of the National Security Agency’s surveillance grid.
The Section 702 provision of the FISA renewal bill requires any company that hosts any form of communication service to surrender surveillance data to the NSA under a gag order if compelled by the agency.
“Buried in the Section 702 reauthorization bill (RISAA) passed by the House on Friday is the biggest expansion of domestic surveillance since the Patriot Act. Senator [Ron] Wyden calls this power ‘terrifying,’ and he’s right,” wrote Elizabeth Goitein, Co-director of the left-leaning Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice on X Monday.
URGENT: Please read thread below. We have just days to convince the Senate NOT to pass a “terrifying” law (@RonWyden) that will force U.S. businesses to serve as NSA spies. CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW using this call tool (click below or call 202-899-8938). 1/25 https://t.co/HAOHURZoJQ
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
I’ll explain how this new power works. Under current law, the government can compel “electronic communications service providers” that have direct access to communications to assist the NSA in conducting Section 702 surveillance. 3/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
“Under current law, the government can compel ‘electronic communications service providers’ that have direct access to communications to assist the NSA in conducting Section 702 surveillance.”
“In practice, that means companies like Verizon and Google must turn over the communications of the targets of Section 702 surveillance. (The targets must be foreigners overseas, although the communications can—and do—include communications with Americans.),” she added.
Through a seemingly innocuous change to the definition of “electronic communications surveillance provider,” an amendment offered by House intel committee (HPSCI) leaders and passed by the House vastly expands the universe of entities that can be compelled to assist the NSA. 5/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
But “an amendment offered by House intel committee (HPSCI) leaders and passed by the House vastly expands the universe of entities that can be compelled to assist the NSA,” she pointed out.
“If the bill becomes law, any company or individual that provides ANY service whatsoever may be forced to assist in NSA surveillance, as long as they have access to equipment on which communications are transmitted or stored—such as routers, servers, cell towers, etc.”
That sweeps in an enormous range of U.S. businesses that provide wifi to their customers and therefore have access to equipment on which communications transit. Barber shops, laundromats, fitness centers, hardware stores, dentist’s offices… the list goes on and on. 7/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
“That sweeps in an enormous range of U.S. businesses that provide wifi to their customers and therefore have access to equipment on which communications transit. Barber shops, laundromats, fitness centers, hardware stores, dentist’s offices… the list goes on and on.”
“It also includes commercial landlords that rent out the office space where tens of millions of Americans go to work every day—offices of journalists, lawyers, nonprofits, financial advisors, health care providers, and more,” she said, adding it also “would encompass hotels, libraries, and coffee shops.”
It also includes commercial landlords that rent out the office space where tens of millions of Americans go to work every day—offices of journalists, lawyers, nonprofits, financial advisors, health care providers, and more. 8/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
But the expanded Section 702 requirements even include services that are provided within individuals’ homes such as “house cleaners, plumbers, people performing repairs, and IT services providers.”
“None of these people or businesses would be allowed to tell anyone about the assistance they were compelled to provide. They would be under a gag order, and they would face heavy penalties if they failed to comply with it,” Goitein wrote.
None of these people or businesses would be allowed to tell anyone about the assistance they were compelled to provide. They would be under a gag order, and they would face heavy penalties if they failed to comply with it. 12/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
She also warned that the the vast new “Orwellian” powers could easily be abused despite assurances by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that the government wouldn’t abuse the new powers.
“There are certain powers a government should not have in a democracy. The ability to force ordinary businesses and individuals to serve as surrogate spies is one of them. Even if the targets are supposed to be foreigners, a power this sweeping WILL be abused.”
…so they hid the real goal by writing the amendment as broadly and vaguely as possible. But no worries, Americans! The administration isn’t actually going to USE all the power it just persuaded the House to give it. 17/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
The FISA bill is set for a Senate vote on April 19, and the Biden White House is anxious to get it passed.
If there’s an opportunity to remove this provision, senators should remove it. If not, they should vote against the bill,” Goitein wrote.
The White House will tell senators they have no choice other than to pass the House bill, because Section 702 expires on April 19, and trying to fix the House bill—or pass different legislation—would take too long. But the April 19 deadline exists only on paper. 22/25
— Elizabeth Goitein (@LizaGoitein) April 15, 2024
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sounded the alarm about these disturbing revelations, calling Goitein’s analysis “the most important thread you will read this year.”
This is the most important thread you will read this year. https://t.co/bOQoEjVoYi
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 15, 2024
The House passed the FISA reauthorization bill on a bipartisan basis last Friday by a vote of 273-147 with the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who previously criticized FISA’s spying powers and storied history of abuse, including against former President Donald Trump in 2016.
Video: Bill Cooper Predicted Israel Would Trigger WWIII
Alex Jones shares his take on Bill Cooper’s 1992 analysis that Israel was created to kick off World War III and ultimately lead to the creation of a World Government.
“Israel was created as the instrument to bring about…a war that will be so terrible, where nuclear weapons will be used, so that [people] will get down on their knees and beg for no more war,” he said in the 1992 interview.
“And what is the answer to that? They’re going to be told the only way we can guarantee no more war is if we destroy the sovereignty of nations, and we come together as one humanity in a one world government.”
Audit Unable to Account for $24 Billion Spent on California Homeless Crisis
An audit was unable to determine how a California agency spent $24 billion on the state’s homeless problem, which has only become worse since the money was doled out.
According to KTLA, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness recently claimed they were unable to track the effectiveness of the taxpayer-funded program, saying it “has not consistently tracked and evaluated the state’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”
California spent $24 BILLION on the state’s homeless crisis
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 15, 2024
A recent audit showed no one knows where the money went
On top of that, homelessness increased by 50% pic.twitter.com/XR1nsyVLAq
“If you’re a taxpayer, right, you should be outraged because obviously your money is being wasted,” said Republican assembly member Josh Hoover.
“But even if you’re a homeless advocate, someone that wants to support these programs with state dollars, you should be outraged right because the reality is they’re clearly not getting people the help that they need,” he added.
While the audit failed to find how the missing billions were spent, another proposition, Prop. 1, passed by voters this month touted by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will also dole out another $6.4 billion to the homeless issue.
USA Today reports:
Prop. 1 had passed by less than half a percent of the vote and will allocate about $6.4 billion to build mental health treatment facilities and housing. It will also provide rental assistance for the unhoused who are chronically homeless and have mental health or addiction issues.
Funding will be used to add 11,150 new treatment beds and supportive housing units and over 26,00 outpatient spots, according to the governor’s website. The bond includes $1 billion set aside specifically for veterans’ housing.
While the measure is not expected to significantly change the number of unhoused people in California, it received bipartisan support to boost funding for housing and mental health.
Breaking: Jack Posobiec Predicts Attacks On U.S. Soil Ahead Of NATO Mobilization In Ukraine
Jack Posobiec joins The Alex Jones Show to break down the unfolding developments in NATO’s proxy war against Russia, warning attacks on U.S. soil may be forthcoming to renew public outrage against Russia.
John Kirby Flounders When Asked: Biden ‘Called on Iran Not to Retaliate But They Did Anyway, What Does That Tell You?’
White House National Communications Security Advisor John Kirby completely avoided answering an incisive question by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on the Israel-Iran conflict Sunday.
“This Week” host Stephanopoulos pointed to Biden’s weak and ineffective leadership, asking: “The President also called on Iran not to retaliate, but they did anyway, what does that tell you?”
Kirby dodged the question and replied with a platitude about Biden’s commitment to defending Israel.
ABC: Biden called on Iran not to retaliate, but they did anyway — what does that tell you?
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 14, 2024
JOHN KIRBY: “What it tells me is that we can make good on our commitment to defend Israel…” pic.twitter.com/j6X7jqVhuq
“What it tells me is that we can make good on our commitment to defend Israel,” Kirby responded. “It tells me that Israel does have superior military capability, just think about the hardware that Iran threw into the sky and how little damage it caused.”
Kirby couldn’t even offer a mediocre non-answer!
In a separate appearance on MSNBC Sunday, Kirby refused to directly answer if Israel and Iran are now engaged in a “wider war.”
“I don’t think there’s any reason that it needs to,” he replied.
“But has it?” host Kirsten Welker asked.
NBC: “Has this now escalated into a wider war?”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 14, 2024
KIRBY: “I don’t think there’s any reason that it needs to.”
NBC: “But has it?”
KIRBY: “The president doesn’t believe that it needs to.” pic.twitter.com/Byzd1EfnE9
Kirby avoided the question again, “The president doesn’t believe that it needs to.”
Yikes.
In another instance of Biden’s weakness on the world stage, the puppet president urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran’s unprecedented attack, but was ignored.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday announced Israel will indeed retaliate against Iran imminently.
“We are looking ahead, we are considering our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs into the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Halevi declared.