Tracker

QAnon cultist businessman goes on Newsmax to say 'Trump is president' and JFK Jr. is his VP Far right wing cable channel Newsmax TV hosted a QAnon conspiracy theorist Monday night who told viewers Donald Trump is still president and his vice president is John F. Kennedy, Jr., who died in a tragic plane accident in 1999 at the age of 38. JFK, Jr. being alive is one of the QAnon cult's beliefs. Newsmax introduced its guest as "a Minnesota business owner who refused to take down a massive, massive Trump 2020 flag that violated his city's ordinance," as Media Matters reports. The cable channel is owned by former President Donald Trump's longtime friend Chris Ruddy. "Jay Johnson is facing increased fines and says not even jail time can stop him from flying this huge flag over his construction business," Newsmax's Rob Schmitt said. "Just this weekend, he doubled down, put up an even bigger flag. This one is 40 by 60 [feet]. It is 900 square feet bigger than his previous flag. So this thing's like 3,600 square feet. It is huge. The size of the footprint of a house. He's also flying it proudly in the small city of Buffalo, Minnesota, which is, I guess, is technically a blue state which makes it even funnier." The flag, Schmitt noted, "has the names Trump and JFK Jr. on it, is that right? With the slogan 'where we go one we go all.' Explain this flag." "Well," Johnson replied, "Trump, to me, is the lone ranger and the lone ranger needs a guy by his side, and that's JFK. And, so, I decided to put it up and leave the people — think about what's going on." "Well, JFK and Donald Trump were friends," Johnson claims (which is debatable.) "And, I don't know if you know this, but Donald Trump is president and Donald Trump needs a vice president. So when the time was right, I bring him out. And he's your new vice president." QAnon cultist businessman goes on Newsmax to say 'Trump is president' and JFK Jr. is his VP - Alternet.org

Too soon. And Carly Rae Jepsen is suing you for plagiarism.

Please, please please let it be Tucker....

It seems that Kenny and Co. are having a death-bed repentance.

If these officers place their quasi-religious beliefs ahead of their sworn duty to uphold the law, they ought to resign or be fired. They will lose the case and doubtless appeal it as high as they can, but at the very least they ought to be suspended without pay until the case is decided. This cannot stand as a precedent- if police can choose to enforce whatever law pleases them, it opens a massive Pandora's box.

Yup. Anyone who refuses to follow der furhrer's delusions is a danger and must be attacker before the truth contaminations spreads. Pathetic.

It will take the whole staff of a national accounting firm years to value the assets.

Do you think Mr. Fantastic would make some physical alterations on his anatomy in the bedroom?

This paragraph from a Clinton-to-GOP voter shows the country has reached a dark place A new piece from the New York Times published this weekend and focusing on the rightward shift of south Texas politics included a remarkable quote from a voter highlighting the deep divides in the U.S. over basic understandings of social reality. Reporter Jennifer Medina peered into Hidalgo County, which contains the city of McAllen. Democratic U.S. Rep. Vincente Gonzalez represents the area, and his is considered one of the most at-risk seats in the party heading into the 2022 midterms. He explained the Republicans' recent strength in the area by pointing "in part to misinformation, particularly on YouTube and other forms of social media." And then the Times quoted 40-year-old voter Elisa Rivera, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but turned to the GOP in 2020, to clearly illustrate Gonzalez's point: "I was following along the family tradition, my dad is a hard-core Democrat, my father was really for unions, and I thought the Democrats defended the union," Ms. Rivera said, before adding: "But then I started to research myself and found out the Democrats are supporting witchcraft and child trafficking and things like that, things that get censored because they get labeled conspiracy theory." Oddly, the Times report does nothing to point out that her specific claims are completely false. Democrats do not support witchcraft and child trafficking — these are complete delusions. Rivera is clearly a believer in QAnon, misled by the sprawling conspiratorial fiction into accepting truly bizarre and baffling claims about American politics. They have no connection to reality, but as Rivera's claim that she "started to research myself" indicates, they're tied into a web of liars, scammers, and deluded people who spread these malicious myths online. The fact that someone could go from voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016 to believing in QAnon now is a stark reminder of how quickly these lies can spread and have an impact on political reality. This paragraph from a Clinton-to-GOP voter shows the country has reached a dark place - Alternet.org

The Hulk does nor count.

CVS and Walgreens have wasted more vaccine doses than most states combined. The CDC recorded 182,874 wasted doses as of late March. Of those, CVS was responsible for nearly half Two national pharmacy chains that the federal government entrusted to inoculate people against covid-19 account for the lion's share of wasted vaccine doses, according to government data obtained by KHN. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 182,874 wasted doses as of late March, three months into the country's effort to vaccinate the masses against the coronavirus. Of those, CVS was responsible for nearly half, and Walgreens for 21%, or nearly 128,500 wasted shots combined. CDC data suggests that the companies have wasted more doses than states, U.S. territories and federal agencies combined. Pfizer's vaccine, which in December was the first to be deployed and initially required storage at ultracold temperatures, represented nearly 60% of tossed doses. It's not completely clear from the CDC data why the two chains wasted so much more vaccine than states and federal agencies. Some critics have pointed to poor planning early in the rollout, when the Trump administration leaned heavily on CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate residents and staff members of long-term care facilities. In response to questions, CVS said "nearly all" of its reported vaccine waste occurred during that effort. Walgreens did not specify how many wasted doses were from the long-term care program. CVS and Walgreens have wasted more vaccine doses than most states combined | Salon.com

As bad as this is, it is a bit of a downturn. We all live in hope of a better day to come.

Suspect that they will simply re-name themselves.

Well, he's got the size and decent hands, but seems a bit slow on his cuts and breaks. Maybe because he's so tall and lanky- not carrying any excess weight. Would be a project, though.

As depressing as the current spate of new cases is, we can take heart that the rate has flatlined and is likely to slowly fall over the next week as those who were infected as long as two weeks ago present. I think we are at the top of the crest.

The water shortage in the US is already there, partially due to climate change and also due to wasteful water usage practices in the American southwest- and that includes California. Some 30 years ago, the Americans held a conference called "Water For Peace" and the invitees were the US, Canada and Mexico. Not hard to figure out the dynamics there. There was a plan tabled wherein the Americans would foot the bill for a massive dam across the northern end of James Bay. That would raise the water level several meters and re-direct all the waters flowing into James Bay into the Great Lakes, raising their levels in turn and ultimately directing water into the Mississippi and thence into the American southwest. A grandiose plan but a frightening one.

Yup. Stupidity is still contagious.

When the announcement was made, Pallister made it sound like the cheque had been sent .

What a bizarre concept that a broadcaster that calls itself "Fox News" can excuse its race-baiting and spewing of hatred and lies as just entertainment in the courts. Only in America, you say? This week, Arizona has had a blatantly partisan, Republican-inspired 'audit' of Maricopa County's votes in the 2020 presidential election. And one of the people seen counting ballots, according to reporter Brahm Resnik, was former Arizona State Rep. Anthony Kern — a far-right Republican who was in Washington, D.C. on January 6 for former President Donald Trump's infamous "Stop the Steal" rally. The recount in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, was ordered by Republicans in the Arizona State Senate and has been conducted by the Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas — with One America News, a cable channel that prides itself on being to the right of Fox News, handling the livestream. Arizona Democrats have been slamming the recount as a pointless farce, noting that the election results in that state were certified by conservative Republican Gov. Doug Ducey last year and were already verified repeatedly. In other words, now-President Joe Biden's victory over Trump in Arizona was thoroughly vetted and settled. Regardless, Republicans in the Arizona State Senate wanted another audit more than five months after Biden won the state. On Friday, Resnik — who is with KPNX-TV, the NBC affiliate in Phoenix — tweeted: UPDATE: I deleted retweet that showed ballot at audit table where ex GOP State Rep. Anthony Kern was counting ballot… https://t.co/EXTdRnB0bd — Brahm Resnik (@Brahm Resnik)1619810593.0 AZ Central previously reported Kern's appearance at the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Reporter catches a Republican who allegedly went to the Capitol riot counting ballots in the shady AZ audit - Alternet.org

McPizza tasted like cardboard with bird droppings on it.

Some good- no, GREAT news today. The chief immunologist for the federal government said in an interview today that the pace of vaccine arrival and injection is accelerating and that, barring unforeseen complications, Canada ought to have herd immunity some time in June.

Sex Toy Company Receives Award From Queen For ‘Outstanding Continuous Growth’ British sex toy company Lovehoney has received a royal seal of approval. The adult retailer this week was honored with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise “for outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years,” according to a press release on its website. The accolade, announced by the official journal of record, The London Gazette, allows the company in Bath, southwest England, to fly The Queen’s Awards flag at their office and use its emblem on marketing and packaging materials for five years. Lovehoney also won the award in 2016. “We are thrilled to have received official recognition from the Queen,” Debbie Bond, Lovehoney’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement. “Her Majesty has been a wonderful supporter of Lovehoney as we have grown into being the world’s leading sexual wellness brand.” Sex Toy Company Receives Award From Queen For ‘Outstanding Continuous Growth’ | HuffPost

A 'sweet stress relief': DOJ releases info about sheriff's deputy who allegedly bragged about beating Black man A violent extremist's phone records have led to the discovery of a group chat that included racial epithets and threats from a law enforcement officer. According to The Washington Post, the man in the group chat labeled himself as "Shadow Moses" but federal investigators later determined that the mystery man was Cody Richard Griggers, a Georgia sheriff's deputy. In court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that Griggers "boasted about beating a Black man during an arrest, threatened to falsely charge Black people with felonies so that they could not vote and advocated for killing politicians and others he viewed as political enemies." On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement about the case involving Griggers. The 28-year-old, who has been terminated from the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office several months ago, entered a guilty plea on a weapons charge after federal agents confirmed his ties to violent extremists. The law enforcement agency also noted that federal authorities confiscated a total of 11 unregistered firearms inside his home and in his police patrol vehicle. "This former law enforcement officer knew that he was breaking the law when he chose to possess a cache of unregistered weapons, silencers and a machine gun, keeping many of them in his duty vehicle," acting U.S. attorney Peter D. Leary said in a statement. "Coupled with his violent racially motivated extreme statements, the defendant has lost the privilege permanently of wearing the blue." Despite the group chat records where Griggers boasted about his actions, Wilkinson Sheriff Richard Chatman has pushed back against the claims. He reportedly believes Griggers may have fabricated stories about targeting Black people "to impress the other people in the extremist group's chat." In reference to Griggers' claim about beating a Black man during an arrest, Chatman claims, "That never happened." However, investigative evidence suggests otherwise. Griggers faces the possibility of up to 10 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. The Washington Post has also confirmed that he will never be allowed to work in law enforcement again. A 'sweet stress relief': DOJ releases info about sheriff's deputy who allegedly bragged about beating Black man - Alternet.org

Devin Nunes is caught up in Giuliani’s 'Russian mob' scandal: Trump impeachment prosecutor Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) has exposure in Rudy Giulian's legal scandal, according to former prosecutor Daniel Goldman, who served as majority counsel in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. Goldman offered his analysis after The New York Times reported that FBI agents also executed a search warrant at the home of Giuliani ally Victoria Toensing. "This makes sense because, during the Ukraine impeachment investigation, we obtained draft retainer agreements between a Ukrainian official and Toensing and diGenova that Giuliani brokered," Goldman tweeted. Podcast host Eric Garland noticed Goldman's analysis and added his summary of the situation. "UM. SO GIULIANI AND TOENSING AND DIGENOVA WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY UNREGISTERED AGENTS OF UKRAINE *WHILE ON THE PAYROLL OF RUSSIAN MOB BOSS DMITRO FIRTASH* - while working for Trump. When he was President. And they all were conspiring with Russian intelligence," he wrote. "Correct," Goldman said. "And don't forget Devin Nunes and his sidekick Derek Harvey were involved too," he added. Devin Nunes is caught up in Giuliani’s 'Russian mob' scandal: Trump impeachment prosecutor - Alternet.org

THE SMOKING GUN! Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg said in a letter that Gaetz paid for sex with a minor Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz paid to have sex with a minor, his longtime associate Joel Greenberg said in a letter obtained by 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 said in the letter, referring to an individual who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged encounter with Gaetz, according to The Daily Beast. "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. I did see the acts occur firsthand and Venmo transactions, Cash App, or other payments were made to these girls on behalf of the Congressman." Insider could not immediately verify the letter. The Justice Department has been investigating since last year whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws and engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor. The investigation into him stems from a broader inquiry into the former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, a close associate of Gaetz's who was indicted on 33 felony counts, including carrying out the sex trafficking of a minor between the ages of 14 and 17. Greenberg previously pleaded not guilty.