politics
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Rep. George Santos was hit with 10 new charges in addition to a series of charges he faced back in May. The new charges for the New York congressman are all felonies with statements regarding the matter going wide on Tuesday (October 10).
As reported by NPR, Rep. George Santos faces 10 charges that range from conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, and identity theft among other charges. Back in May, Santos faced a 13-count indictment. Just under a week ago, Santos’ campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to felony charges and faces up to five years in prison.
The new charges were unveiled by the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York where prosecutors state that Santos orchestrated a credit card fraud ploy by using credit card information from his donors list.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign.” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace shared in a statement Tuesday.
More from the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York:
“Santos allegedly led multiple additional fraudulent criminal schemes, lying to the American public in the process. The FBI is committed to upholding the laws of our electoral process. Anyone who attempts to violate the law as part of a political campaign will face punishment in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“The defendant – a Congressman – allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” stated District Attorney Donnelly. “We thank our partners in the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI as we work together to root out public corruption on Long Island.”
Rep. George Santos still maintains his elected seat for now but is no longer assigned to any committees in the House chamber. He is due in court on October 27 after pleading not guilty previously back in May and intends to run for reelection.
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Israel’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett offered an odd piece of advice to Israelis looking to uncover Hamas militants posing as soldiers in the Israel Defense Force. In a message shared with Channel 12 News Israel, Bennett advised viewers to be skeptical of soldiers saying they were with the IDF knocking on their door by […]
Stars such as Katy Perry, Madonna and more are speaking out following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, leveraged by the militant group Hamas.
So far, the violence has resulted in the deaths of more than 700 Israelis (260 of which were killed at a local music festival) and has led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order a “complete siege” of Gaza in retaliation, cutting off water, food, electricity and food to the territory from which the invasion was launched. Amid the deadly conflict, musicians including Katy Perry have made statements on social media to share their support and speak out on behalf of victims in both countries.
One day after the attack, the “Teenage Dream” singer shared a post from UNICEF to her Instagram account, featuring a statement from the organization’s executive director calling for peace in the name of children in both Israel and Palestine. “More than anything, the children of Israel and the State of Palestine need a lasting political solution to the crisis, so that they can grow up in peace and free from the shadow of violence,” it read.
Madonna, meanwhile, was one of the first major stars to speak out about the attacks, voicing support for Israel on her Instagram page. “Conflicts can never be resolved with violence,” the singer wrote. “Unfortunately Humanity does not understand this Universal truth. Has Never Understood it. We live in a World Ravaged by Hate. My heart goes out to Israel. To Families and Homes that have been destroyed. To children who are lost.”
Don McLean also shared his thoughts on the attack in a statement to Billboard. “It is hard for me to control the emotions I feel for Israel at this time,” the “American Pie” singer said. “Having lived in Israel, I remember the neighborhoods I now see being bombed. I knew the people who faced this kind of hatred every day and went to a party every night because life is something to celebrate and it is so precious. Being there changed me forever. I have lived in a different way ever since. I was proud to write the song ‘Jerusalem,’ for the Mayor of Jerusalem and I sing this song every night during shows. On this earth, Jerusalem is at the center of the atom of life and salvation no matter what might be going on anywhere else on the planet.”
Singer-actress Mandy Moore reshared comedian Alex Edelman’s post in her Stories, which read in part, “The murder of innocents is never acceptable. The desecration of corpses is never acceptable. The taking of children as hostages is never acceptable.”
Frozen star Josh Gad, who charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with “We Wish You the Merriest” alongside Idina Mendel, shared his heartbreak on Threads. “I have no words. I am praying for my many family members in Israel. What a cowardly act,” he wrote. “What we are witnessing in real time right now is unprecedented since the Yom Kippur war. My heart breaks for the families of those who have lost loved ones, and for the hostages who have been taken. What a horrific day.”
These stars are just some to react to the deadly attack, with U2, Diddy, Frozen‘s Josh Gad and more all posting statements of their own. Plus, Bruno Mars canceled his concert in Tel Aviv in light of the conflict.
Keep reading to see how musicians are reacting to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East below. (Trigger warning: Some posts may include images of war and violence.)
Deeply saddened by the loss of human lives in the ongoing conflict in Israel. My thoughts are with everyone affected. Wishing for peace and understanding to prevail in these difficult times. My love & prayers to all #PrayForPeace 🕊️— LOVE (@Diddy) October 8, 2023
U2 have been advocates for peace and justice for nearly a half century. Which his why it was not surprising that during Sunday night’s (Oct. 8) show at the new Sphere in Las Vegas singer Bono took time out to acknowledge the devastating aftermath of a brutal surprise assault by Hamas militants early Saturday morning o Israel that has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 700 Israelis, including 260 killed at the Supernova desert dance festival.
“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence…” the band wrote on Instagram next to a video of Bono introducing their enduring 1984 tribute to late civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Pride (In the Name of Love),” which they added to the middle of setlist.
“But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival…,” he added with a hitch in his voice about the 3,500 people who were attending the rave just miles from the Gaza border. In the accompanying clip, Bono updated the song’s lyrics, singing, “Early morning, Oct. 7, as the sun is rising in the desert sky/ Stars of David, they took your life/ But they could not take your pride/ Could not take your pride/ Could not take your pride,” as the band rushed into the song’s uplifting chorus.
The U2 tribute came after the multi-pronged attack from Hamas militants from Gaza, who surprised Israelis during the Sukkot Jewish holiday with an early morning attack from the air, sea and land that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called an act of war.
To date, in addition to the dead and 2,400 wounded Israelis — as well as an as-yet-undetermined number of kidnapped civilians and members of the military — the fast-moving, escalating conflict has also resulted in more than 560 dead and 2,700 wounded in Gaza.
Like U2, Madonna decried the “devastating” attack in a post, saying that watching “all of these families and especially children herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is Heartbreaking.” The violence also resulted in Bruno Mars cancelling a planned concert in Tel Aviv on Saturday. On Sunday, President Biden said he had been in touch with Netanyahu to express “my full support for the people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists. We will remain in close contact over the coming days. The U.S. will continue to stand with the people of Israel.”
Watch U2’s tribute below.
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Rep. Kevin McCarthy found himself on the wrong side of history after he was voted out of his Speaker of the House position, the first time that has ever happened in congressional history. While Kevin McCarthy says he will not seek reelection, a mad scramble is underway by the Republic Party to vote for his replacement.
The Washington Post and its political reporting team have been following the ordeal of Kevin McCarthy and the motion to vacate launched by Rep. Matt Gaetz, which adds to a growing instance of infighting between the GOP.
Gaetz filed the motion on October 2 to force a vote on McCarthy’s removal from the Speaker post. McCarthy may have saved the role had he worked with House Democrats to secure their support but he was unwilling to do so for political concessions. After an hour of debate between Gaetz and Rep. Tom Cole, voting commenced with the motion leading to oust the speaker at a vote count of 216-210.
In McCarthy’s stead, Rep. Patrick McHenry, reportedly an ally of McCarthy, was named as speaker pro tempore in an interim role.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy has maintained that Rep. Gaetz launched the motion to take attention away from the ethics probe against him and that the action was “personal.”
“It had nothing to do about spending,” McCarthy said. “It all was about getting attention. I mean, we’re getting email fundraisers from him.”
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Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty / Donald Trump
One New York Judge is attempting to do something most people have failed to do: shut Donald Trump up.
Disgraced former US President Donald Trump and his Truth social fingers finally got him in trouble.
Judge Arthur Engoront hit the twice impeached former Commander In Chief and his sorry legal team with a gag order after Trump attacked one of the Judge’s staffers, NPR reports.
Per NPR’s reporting, the gag order imposed on the second day of trial will determine if the legendary con artist will be liable for the “limits posting or publicly speaking about any member of the judge’s staff.”
If Trump or his legal team fails to comply, there will be sanctions, Engoront said.
The gag order comes after two days of Trump hurling insults at the Judge and Attorney General Letitia James on his bum a** social media platform, Truth Social, and in front of cameras.
In typical Trump fashion, he told reporters outside the courtroom on Monday and Tuesday that the Judge and NY Attorney General were politically corrupt and accused James’ a Black woman, of being racist.
He also said Engoront of being “rogue.”
We are on day three of the trial, and he claims he will testify “at the appropriate time” in this proceeding.
This fraud case is one of four he is facing in New York City, and he is currently a witness on the attorney general’s and the defense’s witness lists. According to NPR, it could be several weeks before he takes the stand.
It will be must-see television when that happens cause you know Trump is going to say some absurdity.
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Sexxy Red is the latest rapper to show support for former president Donald Trump. Her comments came during recent interview with comedian Theo Von on his This Past Weekend podcast, during which she praised the mercurial figure for freeing Black people from prison and giving out stimulus checks during his controversial four-year term. “I like Trump,” […]
Taylor Swift can fill stadiums, is about to flood the zone in movie theaters and, we found out this week, she can also seriously get out the vote. Just days after Swift urged Swifties to register to vote on National Voter Registration Day in an Instagram Story, shocker, they listened and signed up to do […]
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Sen. Tim Scott has entered his name into the presidential race sweepstakes and he appears to be landing near the bottom according to some reports. The South Carolina senator saw his name trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier on Wednesday (September 20) most especially for his being against the idea of unionized workers.
A recent video of Sen. Tim Scott on the campaign trail displayed him decrying the efforts of the ongoing United Auto Workers strike, evoking the union-busting ideas of President Ronald Reagan.
“I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were gonna strike. You strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me,” Scott is seen saying in the clip below courtesy of The Recount
Further, political commentator Keith Boykin recently put out a video dissecting Scott’s jab at the Republican Party for dredging up negative ideas about him because he’s surging in the polls.
As Boykin noted in a two-part video last week, Scott is not a frontrunner, as Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis own the lion’s share of the interest among GOP voters. Boykin suggests that Scott is not directly living his truth and is hiding the fact from his party that he might be gay.
Sen. Tim Scott is currently taking a lot of shots on X at the moment. Keep scrolling to see some of those comments below.
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Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
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Sen. John Fetterman found himself trending on the X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday morning (September 19) in the wake of the uproar over the Pennsylvanian’s casual style of dress despite it not harming a soul. Sen. Fetterman, savvy on social media, has been waving off the potshots from conservative talking heads and his GOP counterparts in elected office with ease.
Sen. John Fetterman was the target of a Fox News report regarding his style of dress, which includes hoodies, unbuttoned and untucked shirts, and basketball shorts, none of which hindered his ability to serve the people of his home state.
Quoting the tweet from Fox News, Fetterman wrote, “I figure if I take up vaping and grabbing the hog during a live musical, they’ll make me a folk hero.”
This was in reference to Rep. Lauren Boebert vaping during a Beetlejuice musical in Denver, Colo.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene then used X to fire a shot at Fetterman, of course neglecting her own gaffes and stances while doing so.
“The Senate no longer enforcing a dress code for Senators to appease Fetterman is disgraceful,” she writes. “Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions. Stop lowering the bar!”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, he of tumbling poll numbers in his bid to win the White House back for the GOP, took shots at Fetterman’s clothing while on the campaign trail in Jacksonville on Monday (September 18), you know, hard-hitting policy talk that the American people care about.
“So he would campaign in that, which is your prerogative, right? I mean, if that’s what you want to do, but to show up in the United States Senate with that, and not have the decency to put on proper attire. I think it’s disrespectful to the body,” DeSantis said.
Quoting a video of Gov. DeSantis’ stump speech, Fetterman wrote, “I dress like he campaigns,” shutting it all down.
Adding to all of this are MAGA tinfoil types who think that recent appearances of Sen. Fetterman is that of a body double and he’s handling those doofs with the same smoothness as well.
Salute to Sen. John Fetterman. Keep scrolling to check out the reactions and chatter from all sides below.
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