Tag Archives: The New York Post

The Cost Of The Trans Fad

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about Miles Yardley, formerly a very successful New York City model.

The article reports:

In Catholic churches across Manhattan and Brooklyn, Salomé captivated the congregation, uplifting the faithful with her soulful singing and skilled organ playing. The New York Archdiocese Organist Training Program enrollee’s musical gifts had her booking gigs across the city.

But for years, Salomé’s bashful smile and angelic voice concealed a secret — one not even known in the shadows of the confessional. She was a he: Salomé was born Miles.

His story is one that’s becoming all too familiar: A child with unconventional interests, swayed by strange ideologies on the internet, is hustled by doctors into a life of medical dependency — only to find himself questioning everything years later.

“They very quickly put me on hormones without really any discernment. Looking back, if I were a doctor, I would think this is a much larger decision than the kid thinks that it is,” he tells The Post.

Miles Yardley, as his female persona Salomé, arrived in the Big Apple in 2022 from his native Pennsylvania. He (then she) quickly became the toast of New York’s downtown fashion scene.

Yardley signed a modeling contract, was featured in a Marc Jacobs perfume ad shot by famed photographer Juergen Teller, exhibited for Enfants Riches Déprimés, and strutted Fashion Week runways for designers Batsheva and Elena Velez — all while singing in parishes and mentoring Catholic schoolchildren in music.

Soon Yardley was a regular bohemian socialite, a fixture on podcasts, was even flown to Romania to meet the Tate brothers, with virtually everyone unaware of Salomé’s secret.

Please follow the link to read the entire article. It is a lesson to all of us not to rush major medical procedures on anyone without seriously considering the consequences and fully examining the situation.

The article concludes:

As for those doctors, Yardley is surprisingly merciful. “I don’t believe, as a Christian, that people are setting out to do evil for evil’s sake. I don’t think anyone has that in their heart,” he said.

“But I think it has a lot to do with an overreach of professionals and a lot to do with money. Hospitals make a lot of money from these procedures. They benefit from having lifelong patients, which is what transgender people are. You need the hormones to maintain the identity.”

If he could go back, would he change any of it? “There’s no way to live your life without making mistakes or going down the wrong path,” Yardley says.

“My life would be totally different if I made different decisions at 15 years old, so I can’t really conceive of a different path. I don’t live in a regret state. In many ways, I’m extraordinary lucky.”

He does, however, wish that doctors would learn to be more open-minded.

“If you’re a gender-nonconforming kid, you should be allowed to be yourself. I think that was the biggest problem. I didn’t feel like I could be confident in who I was. And if that person happens to like singing and dancing and cooking and Barbie dolls, who really cares? You can be a boy who likes that,” Yardley says.

“At the time, nobody in my life told me that was possible.”

When The Keystone Cops Do An Investigation

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On Monday, The Daily Caller posted an article about the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Evidently, it was not a very thorough investigation.

The article reports:

An FBI draft memo from May 2016 stated reviewing the thumb drives would be necessary to conduct a “thorough and complete investigation,” including assessing national security risks associated with the private server. Yet the agency “never finalized the memorandum or submitted this request to the department,” according to the document released Monday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

On Monday, The New York Post reported:

But the feds declined to “comprehensively” analyze those drives due to concerns about individual data caught up in the hack — despite an internal draft memo concluding it was necessary to “assess the national security risks” pertaining to Clinton’s private server use.

“This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) of the appendix.

The report was penned by then-DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who currently holds the same position at the Federal Reserve Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The investigation carefully avoided getting anywhere near the truth. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the tarmac at Phoenix Airport on June 27, 2016, while Attorney General Lynch was overseeing the investigation, but it was just a coincidence that they happened to meet. I truly hope that the people who lied and ignored the law will be brought to justice at some point.

The Fight For Fiscal Sanity

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On Tuesday, The New York Post reported the following:

Vice President JD Vance cast two tie-breaking votes in the Senate Tuesday to move forward a $9.4 billion rescissions package — which would rip federal funding from PBS and NPR — in the upper chamber. 

The Senate deadlocked, 50-50, on two procedural votes to start debate on the multibillion-dollar spending clawback package before Vance’s votes advanced the measure requested by the White House. 

Three Republicans — Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) — joined all Democrats in opposition to the bill. 

The article includes this statement:

Collins defended her “no” vote by arguing that OMB didn’t provide senators with details about what programs would be scrapped as a result of the clawback.

How many times has Collins voted on a bill without knowing exactly what is in it?

The article notes:

The Maine Republican also described the cuts to public broadcasters as “excessive” and expressed concern that PBS viewers would lose access to “popular programs like ‘Antiques Road Show’ and ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.’”

“I share the frustration with the biased reporting by NPR, and I would support defunding it,” Collins continued. “Nevertheless, local TV and radio stations continue to provide important coverage.”

She noted that CPB funding in Maine supports the state’s emergency alert network and allows high school basketball games to air on television.

PBS should be required to stand on its own just as other broadcasters are. They have no official commercials, but they fund raise and name sponsors. Frankly, if they had had any copyright lawyers worth their salt in the early days of Sesame Street, they would have been set for life on Tickle-Me Elmo.

The article concludes:

The Senate now has at least 10 hours to debate the measure before amendments are voted on and a final vote takes place.

The House, which passed the measure 214-212 in June, would then need to consider the changes the Senate makes to the bill.

Slowly Getting Judicial Confirmations Done

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On July 10th, The New York Post posted an article about Whitney Hermandorfer, the first of President Trump’s judicial appointments to be confirmed this term.

The article reports:

The Senate on Thursday cleared the way to confirm the first judicial appointment of President Trump’s second term, marking a slower tempo than at the same point of both his first term and that of President Joe Biden’s.

By a 51-43 party-line vote, the Senate moved to conclude debate on Whitney Hermandorfer’s nod for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, teeing up an expected vote next week.

At this stage of Trump’s first term, the Senate had already confirmed two court nominees — Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar.

By next week, that figure will shoot up to three, including US District of Idaho Judge David Nye, who was confirmed in July of 2017.

Meanwhile, former President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats had already wrangled through 14 judges at this stage of 2021.

The Democrats have decided to fight President Trump’s agenda through the courts and are probably going to drag their feet in confirming the President’s judicial nominees. This is one of many reasons that the Republicans need to gain Congressional seats in the mid-term elections.

The article notes:

In the past, confirmations used to be more cumbersome because they had to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster from the minority party. In 2013, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) used the nuclear option to eliminate that in most instances.

Republicans won back the Senate the following year.

Reconfiguring the ideological composition of the judiciary has been a key goal of administrations from both political parties. But the GOP-led Senate has been busy with other priorities as well.

Harry Reid was warned that using the nuclear option would come back to bite him in the future. It did. The Democrats were so used to being in the majority that they couldn’t envision losing that majority.

Recognition Long Overdue

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I first heard of the Culper Spy ring when I read Brian Kilmeade’s book George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution. The spy ring was based on Long Island and generally consisted of people who had known each other since childhood. That is how they avoided being infiltrated. The book is fascinating, and I strongly recommend it. Among other things, it deals with Benedict Arnold, how he was discovered, and why he was not returned to America to stand trial.

On July 4th, The New York Post reported:

Long Island’s newest steakhouse is a fascinating nod to the Culper spy ring, a local group of Revolutionary War double agents whose heroic espionage efforts saved the colonial forces on multiple occasions.

“As we were going through school, we learned about the spy ring and the effect it had on the American Revolution,” Scott Brittman, part owner of Culper’s 1778, which opened in Setauket two weeks ago, told The Post.

…The new eatery is filled with Revolutionary War-themed decor, including prints of the Battle of Setauket, a print of the Declaration of Independence, a life-size replica musket, and an original US flag, to name a few.

However, Brittman’s team truly committed to the theme by tracking down and recreating George Washington’s spiced cherry brandy drink of choice, which he often carried, as per the first president’s journal.

“The Commander,” as it’s called, is served infused with lemon and cinnamon and stands among a bevy of Colonial cocktails — like Benedict Arnold’s “The Traitor,” made with vodka and, fittingly, tea.

There is also the gin-based “Agent 355,” a nod to a female member whose identity is still unknown, in addition to “The Clothesline” Ketel One libation, which pays homage to how Setauket Culper spy Anna Smith Strong sent signals by laying out her laundry in covert patterns.

“There’s been a lot of people that have come in here from different towns who are big history buffs,” Brittman said, adding that Culper’s will be closed on July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

The article explains who the Culpers were:

Washington’s secret agents were a brave band of at least seven known members, according to Christopher Judge, a longtime educator at Oyster Bay’s Raynham Hall Museum, which is the former home of Cupler spy Robert Townsend.

Setauket native Benjamin Tallmadge led the clandestine group on British-occupied LI alongside his tight-knit allies, Abraham Woodhull and Caleb Brewster, circa 1778, the year in which the restaurant is named.

“They were all childhood friends, and they knew they could trust each other with their lives. They all agreed to stand against what they considered the tyranny of the British,” said Judge.

“You could almost say that they were the CIA of the time — and predecessor to James Bond.”

Sounds like a wonderful restaurant to visit!

Lying To Congress Is Not A Good Idea

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has been in President Trump’s doghouse lately for his refusal to lower interest rates despite the lack of inflation. He has now tripped over his feet in his testimony to Congress about the plans for revamping the central bank’s Washington headquarters.

On Monday, The New York Post reported:

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is being accused of lying to Congress after he denied that a $2.5 billion revamp of the central bank’s Washington headquarters will load the facility with lavish amenities — and some are demanding that he be punished, The Post has learned.

Powell called The Post’s exclusive report in April about the bloated renovation project — which led Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) to liken it to the “Palace of Versailles” during a grilling by the Senate Banking Committee last week — “misleading and inaccurate.”

“There’s no VIP dining room, there’s no new marble. There are no special elevators,” Powell insisted under questioning from the powerful panel on Wednesday. “There are no new water features, there’s no beehives, and there’s no roof terrace gardens.”

Well, not so fast.

The article continues:

But Powell — who is meanwhile facing heat from President Trump over a failure to slash interest rates — directly contradicted the project’s own planning documents, which were signed off on by government pen pushers in 2021 — and which haven’t been revised since.

“The private dining rooms on Level 4 (of the Fed’s Eccles building) will be restored,” reads one excerpt from the filing with the National Capital Planning Commission. “The Governors’ private elevator will be extended to discharge at the dining suite level.”

The documents also expressly mention “vegetated roof terraces” that will welcome “urban wildlife and pollinators” as well as new marble and water features.

Andrew T. Levin — a professor of economics at Dartmouth College who served as an economist and advisor to the Fed’s board from 1992 to 2012 — urged Congress to step in and punish Powell for lying to lawmakers.

“A top Fed official cannot be permitted to make false statements under oath at a congressional hearing. Such statements must be promptly corrected, and in egregious cases, subject to censure by the Senate,” Levin said.

…The revelations are controversial at a time when the Fed is struggling with mounting losses, which stand at a total of $233 billion from the past three years.

Stay tuned. There may be some changes coming sooner than expected at the fed.

The Problem With Ranked-Choice Voting

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Ranked-choice voting in the New York City mayoral primary gave a victory to Zohran Mamdani, a member of the New York State Assembly from the 36th district, based in Queens, since 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. (see previous article referencing the Democratic Socialists of America.) 

Here are a few of Zohran Mamdani’s ideas according to his campaign website:

1. As Mayor, Zohran will immediately freeze the rent for all stabilized tenants, and use every available resource to build the housing New Yorkers need and bring down the rent. The number one reason working families are leaving our city is the housing crisis. The Mayor has the power to change that.

2. Zohran won New York’s first fare-free bus pilot on five lines across the city. As Mayor, he’ll permanently eliminate the fare on every city bus – and make them faster by rapidly building priority lanes, expanding bus queue jump signals, and dedicated loading zones to keep double parkers out of the way. Fast and free buses will not only make buses reliable and accessible but will improve safety for riders and operators – creating the world-class service New Yorkers deserve.

3. Zohran will create the Department of Community Safety to prevent violence before it happens by prioritizing solutions which have been consistently shown to improve safety…Police have a critical role to play. But right now, we’re relying on them to deal with the failures of our social safety net—which prevents them from doing their actual jobs. Through this new city agency and whole-of-government approach, community safety will be prioritized like never before in NYC.

4. Zohran will implement free childcare for every New Yorker aged 6 weeks to 5 years, ensuring high quality programming for all families. And he will bring up wages for childcare workers – a quarter of whom currently live in poverty – to be at parity with public school teachers.

He may provide living proof of the Margaret Thatcher quote, “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” The only question is going to be how long that will take in New York City. The city avoided bankruptcy in 1975 (article here).

Just to add some perspective, the following headline was posted at The New York Post on Wednesday:

Luxury real estate brokers say wealthy New Yorkers are already looking to flee after Zohran Mamdani’s primary win

The Republican candidate for Mayor is Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. However, generally speaking, Republicans do not win mayoral races in New York City. Eric Adams is running as an independent candidate.

Setting The Captives Free

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I just finished reading the book A Time To Betray by Reza Kahlili (obviously not his real name). It is the story of a man who believed that the Iranian Revolution on 1979 would bring freedom to his country. He realized he was wrong rather quickly. One of the things that added to his disillusionment was the fact that the new government was putting innocent people in prison and torturing them. One of this friends and his friend’s brother and sister were put in Evin Prison, tortured, sexually abused, and eventually killed. Reza Kahlili eventually went to work for the American CIA. His book tells his story.

On Monday, The New York Post reported:

Israel hit key Iranian targets in a fresh series of devastating airstrikes Monday, attacking the headquarters of the country’s elite military police force and blowing off the front of its most notorious, brutal prison.

The most intense bombing yet of government sites around Tehran came a day after the US joined Israel’s war on thwarting the Islamic Republic from being able to build nuclear bombs.

“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel’s Defense Ministry said of the latest attacks.

…Shocking security footage shows one missile strike blasting open the doors of Evin Prison, where the Islamic Republic held its opponents and critics in brutal conditions, with public hangings.

The article concludes:

“The IDF is currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran, including the Basij headquarters, the Evin Prison for political prisoners and regime opponents, the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Palestine Square, the internal security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideology headquarters, and other regime targets,” Katz said in a statement.

Further strikes in Iran hit the access roads to the Fordow nuclear facility, one of three sites in Iran hit during US air strikes over the weekend.

The strikes were intended to “disrupt” accessibility to the underground nuclear enrichment center, the IDF claimed.

We may be about to see regime change in Iran.

Getting To The Root Of The Problem

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There are a number of problems with the current regime in Iran. If they had simply minded their own business instead of sponsoring worldwide terrorism, the world might not be particularly concerned about their weapons programs. However, continually shouting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” does not create an image of a peaceful country. Also, the intelligence gathered by Israel in recent years reveals that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. This is a problem for America, Israel, and the rest of the world. Radiation does not stay in one place.

On Tuesday, The New York Post posted an article detailing what it would take to destroy the Fordow fuel enrichment plant built some 300 feet inside a mountain near the city of Qom, two hours south of Tehran. The Iranians saw what Israel did to the Iraqi nuclear program, because of that they have protected their main nuclear reactor well.

The article reports:

Israel needs a 15-ton “bunker buster” bomb to destroy the last untouched nuclear facility in Iran, but only the US has one.

Such a powerful weapon — the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal — is needed because the target, the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, is built some 300 feet inside a mountain near the city of Qom, two hours south of Tehran.

The heavyweight explosive is known as a GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator and was designed by Boeing for the United States Air Force.

Its huge weight means it can only be delivered with a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber — a jet that Israel’s air force does not possess.

As much as I would hate to see America get involved in the war between Israel and Iran, I suspect that if America supplied the weapon and the reactor was taken out, most of the world would rejoice. However, I also suspect that Israel may have their own method of doing the job.

The article concludes:

US intelligence has long agreed that taking out Fordow is key to disabling the Iranian nuclear program.

“If you don’t get Fordow, you haven’t eliminated their ability to produce weapons-grade material,” Brett McGurk, who served as Middle East coordinator for several American presidents of both parties, recently told the New York Times.

In a less-than-ideal scenario, a state-of-the-art bunker buster is not the only solution.

It’s also possible, said Spencer, that, without help from the US, Israel could do a jerry-rigged attack on Fordow.

“Israel has cornered the market on what they call drilling,” said Spencer. “They drop one bomb that reaches a certain depth, then another and another, at different angles, within seconds, to get to where they want to go. But you put multiple people and multiple aircraft at risk. The GBU is one and done.”

Considering that option, Spencer concluded, “There are many ways to destroy the nuclear program in Iran. But this is the effective and efficient one. It gets to the objective quicker and is the perfect solution.”

The article has a picture explaining how the bunker buster works. It would be the most useful tool in this situation.

Interfering With America’s Food Supply

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On June 10th, The New York Post reported:

Cityslicker state lawmakers from the Big Apple want to limit the number of cows on New York’s dairy farms – a green push that opponents argue would cripple an industry that needs to be beefed up.

The bill would prohibit dairy farms from reaching or exceeding 700 cows as a way to keep bovine farts from spewing the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere, as well as “billions of pounds of manure” from polluting waterways.

But Chris Noble, co-owner of the 1,800-cow Noblehurst Farms in Livingston County, argued the “arbitrary” cow cap would create an economic burden on dairy farms such as his.

The proposed moo-ve has also sparked an upstate-downstate beef between lawmakers from rural and urban districts — with even Gov. Kathy Hochul viewing the bill as “insane,” according to a source close to the Democratic leader.

“Let’s be clear: this bill makes no sense,” Sen. Mark Walczyk (R-Jefferson) said in a statement.

“By restricting dairy farm expansions, we are undermining successful farmers in an industry that is already incredibly challenging. Why are New York City lawmakers trying to create mandates for farmers in our rural communities? They have no business doing so.”

The bill’s sponsors are Democratic Socialists of America member state Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan). Other supporters include fellow DSA member Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn) and downstate Democrats, including Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn).

Notice that none of the sponsors of the bill are from areas that have dairy farms–they all represent areas of New York City.

The article concludes:

Critics claim Brisport and Rosenthal – the two sponsors of the bill – don’t understand how farming and upstate agriculture work.

“Our family-run, sometimes women-owned farms take great pride in caring for our land, animals, and communities,” said Jefferson County Agricultural Coordinator Jay Matteson in a statement provided by Walczyk’s office.

“Many of these farms provide important income to minorities and disadvantaged people.”

GOP House Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is eyeing a run for governor, called out the legislation as did a rival looking to pick up her congressional seat.

Stefanik called the proposal an “anti-farm bill” while Democrat Blake Gendebien, a St. Lawrence County farmer, complained “New York City Dems don’t get agriculture.”

Walczyk said state lawmakers from the city should focus on the five boroughs and “leave Upstate out of it.”

“Our farmers deserve support, not obstacles,” he stated. “This legislation will drive farms out of New York altogether.”

The farms the bill would impact provide the residents of New York City with milk, butter, and cheese. The legislators sponsoring this bill would do well to consider that.

Winning

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On Wednesday, The New York Post reported that America had reached a trade agreement with China.

The article reports:

President Trump announced early Wednesday that the US had reached a trade agreement with China following two days of negotiations in London.

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,” Trump revealed in an all-caps post on Truth Social. “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China.”

“Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. The relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The article concludes:

The commerce secretary said the new arrangement would see China ease barriers on rare earth minerals “in a balanced way,” without elaborating on specifics.

Lutnick (Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick) claimed that the framework brokered in London put “meat on the bones” on the Geneva consensus and would allow China to ease barriers on rare earth minerals “in a balanced way,” without elaborating on specifics.

China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang had similarly confirmed late Tuesday that an agreement in London had been reached, subject to Trump’s and Xi’s approval.

I really would like to see a limit on the number of Chinese students allowed in our universities, but overall I think this will turn out to be a good deal.

Sports Records That Need An Asterisk!

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On Thursday, The New York Post posted an article about the high school girls’ Minnesota state softball championships.

The article reports:

A controversial high school softball team has made the Minnesota state championships for the first time after their star transgender pitcher smashed two doubles and pitched a complete game in a walk-off win.

Trans athlete Melissa Rothenberger’s performance helped her Champlin Park team beat White Bear Lake 3-2 on Wednesday, leading a girl on the losing team to cry and ask her father, “Why can’t you do something?” according to OutKick.

Rothenberger, a junior, went 2-3 at the plate for Champlin Park, sparking her team’s comeback victory after falling behind 2-0 and sending them to the Group 4A state championship Friday.

I guess to that coach, winning is more important than a level playing field.

The article concludes:

“You’re looking at a whole team of future Republicans,” one dad said.

The Minnesota State High School League [MSHSL] permits students to compete under gender identity, despite President Trump’s executive order barring all biological men from women’s sports.

The league has said that the inclusion of trans athletes is protected and “determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution,” Outkick reported.

While national governing sports organizations such as USA Softball and the NCAA have implemented female-only policies in women’s sports, state-level laws have created loopholes that allow trans athletes to participate.

If the general public does not support this, why is it continuing? Do people remember these things when they vote? If they don’t, we are doomed to have them continue.

When The Engineers Don’t Quite Get The Math Quite Right

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On Thursday, The New York Post posted an article about North Korea’s launch of its new navy destroyer. It didn’t go well.

The article reports:

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un was left red-faced and furious after a navy destroyer was badly damaged during a botched launch as he looked on.

The hermit dictator slammed the incident as a national embarrassment and vowed to punish those responsible in a rare public admission of failure, according to state media.

Kim suffered a humiliating blow when the newly built 5,000-ton destroyer became unbalanced during its christening at the port of Chongjin on Wednesday.

The malfunction caused the vessel to slide prematurely into the water, crushing parts of the hull and leaving the bow stuck on the shipway, Korean Central News Agency reported.

The article concludes:

Seoul intelligence claim the Choe Hyon was likely built with Moscow’s assistance following last year’s strategic military partnership summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While North Korea’s naval forces are considered far inferior to South Korea’s, its destroyer program is still viewed as a serious threat by the West, given Kim’s nuclear arms.

Hours after releasing the report of the damaged destroyer, North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles from an area near the northeastern town of Sondok, according to South Korea’s military.

The hermit leader of North Korea is not someone to be taken lightly. His anger can easily be misplaced and misdirected in ways that could be a serious threat to world peace. I guess getting your shipbuilding plans from Russia might not be a great idea.

Getting Rid Of A Really Dumb Car Feature

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On Tuesday, The New York Post posted an article about a common-sense decision by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The article reports:

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin hinted Monday that he’s preparing to roll back one car feature that every driver “hates.”

“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin tweeted Monday in a post that has since racked up more than 8 million views.

“EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”

The feature kills internal combustion engines at red lights and has been touted by proponents for being able to conserve fuel and cut down on pollution.

Critics have questioned whether the feature can wear down the car’s battery or engine more quickly.

The “off-cycle CO2 reducing” tech has its origins in a federal rule proposed under President Barack Obama in 2012 — but didn’t take effect until new fuel economy standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions five years later.

Between 2012 and 2021, the number of vehicles produced with a stop-start feature due to the carbon credits surged from 1% to 45%.

Up to 65% of vehicles had the technology included in new models by 2023.

For those of us who grew up driving clunkers while in high school, this feature is nerve wracking. The carburetor in my 1954 Lincoln used to jam causing the engine to stall. This often happened at stop lights. When my husband’s car shuts off at stop lights, it brings back really bad memories. There were times when we shoved a board into the engine to unstick whatever it was that stuck! That’s what I think of every time we are stopped at a traffic light–I am ready to get the board out of the trunk and go to work!

Rescuing The Children Impacted By The Open Border

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On Tuesday, The New York Post reported that Homeland Security agents in California rescued two teenage migrant sisters who were sex trafficked after they came across the southern border as unaccompanied minors.

The article reports:

It’s the latest effort by the Trump administration to track down more than 320,000 migrant children who went missing under President Joe Biden’s watch — kids whom whistleblowers have warned are vulnerable to exploitation.

Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations saved the girls, ages 16 and 18, Saturday from captivity at a hotel in West Covina, California, where Christopher Ramirez was allegedly “pimping” the young sisters out, sources told The Post.

Cops with the West Covina Police Department initially found the girls and arrested Ramirez on local charges.

The feds are still looking for co-conspirators who helped move the migrant girls, who are from Honduras, from Texas to California and forced them into prostitution, sources said.

The article concludes:

The Trump administration recently found that approved migrant sponsors were providing fake or doctored photos in their applications to HHS.

Tara Rodas, who became a whistleblower on the issue after she was recruited as a federal government employee to help HHS with an influx of migrant kids in 2021, told The Post that “targeting criminal sponsors is a simple yet powerful tool” the Trump administration can use to “save the children.”

“By targeting fraudulent sponsors, the Trump administration is sending a powerful message to predators who commit crimes against children,” she said.

Of the 320,000 missing migrant kids, 291,000 were released into the US and never given a date to appear in immigration court — meaning there is no way to track their whereabouts, according to the 14-page report — which tracked a period from October 2018 to September 2023.

Another 32,000 children were released with hearing dates but then failed to show up to their immigration hearings.

All of these children need to be located, assuming they are still alive. What happened at America’s southern border under the Biden administration was a disgrace. The cartels got richer, and innocent people paid the price.

The Spies We Love?

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about Ming Xi Zhang, known as “Sushi John, Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, NJ. On March 24, Sushi John was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark.

The article reports:

Zhang was convicted in April 2024 of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and sentenced to three years’ probation. In May 2021, he pleaded guilty to having served as an agent of China in 2016 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General.

ICE says he legally entered the U.S. in 2000 but later “violated the terms of his lawful admission.”

…“Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage or export control against the United States is subject to deportation,” said ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris.

Zhang met with Chinese security officials in the Bahamas in 2016 and delivered $35,000 to an unnamed individual in New Jersey, according to NJ.com. He also admitted to twice hosting a Chinese government agent at his Princeton home that fall.

He’s being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center awaiting immigration proceedings, a worker at his restaurant told the Post on Saturday.

“He’s doing good, I mean, given the circumstances,” the worker said. “But yeah, he’s just kind of waiting… to get let out.”

The community surrounding Zhang’s restaurant has apparently rallied around him and his restaurant in the days since his arrest. 

“The whole town has been really supportive,” the worker said. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family . . . everyone’s really supportive.”

What is wrong with Americans? The man was spying for a country that would very much like to eliminate America and its freedom. During World War II, would they have treated a Nazi spy this well?

How Could They Be So Cruel?

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I hope that as you read this article, you will realize the headline is dripping with sarcasm.

On March 25th, The New York Post reported the following:

Trump administration officials have severed $620,288 worth of federal funding that was aimed, in part, at pregnancy prevention for transgender boys, a senior official confirmed to The Post.

The grant, titled “inclusive teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys,” was given to the Center for Innovative Public Health Research, a non-profit public health research group, by the National Institutes of Health.

All of the $620,288 in funding has been saved after the grant was cut off earlier this month, according to the official, who confirmed the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) claim about the cut.

“Youth who are assigned female at birth (afab) and identify as transgender … not as girls, are at risk for negative sexual health outcomes yet are effectively excluded from sexual health programs,” grant data given to the government explained.

When dealing with the concept of transgender, follow the money is always a good idea. Gender dysphoria when treated with drugs and surgery results in a medical patient for life. Gender dysphoria has always been relatively common in children at certain ages. In the past, the treatment was to let the child outgrow the idea that they were in the wrong body. Sometimes counseling was used to tell the child they were not a mistake–they were exactly as they were supposed to be. Unfortunately, today a counselor is more likely to encourage surgery and drugs. I am familiar with a case where a young boy told his parents he wanted to be a girl. His parents sent him to a counselor who found the root of the problem. He had a handicapped sister and thought he would get more attention if he were a girl. A solution was found, and he continues his growth as a young man. Unfortunately, many of the medical treatments given to teenagers with gender dysphoria are not reversible, and if the patients later change their minds, there really is no going back.

The article concludes:

Other recent cuts made across the Department of Health and Human Services include $1,344,044 from Boston Children’s Hospital for a “TransHealthGUIDE” initiative; $222,977 in savings from a University of Miami program to monitor migroagressions against black women with HIV; and $573,588 to the University of Michigan to research prevention for HIV spread in transgender women/men.

Some in the medical profession have forgotten their oath to do no harm.

An American Prisoner Returns Home

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On Thursday, The New York Post reported that George Glezmann, who had been kidnapped by the Taliban in December 2022 has been released and is on his way back home.

The article reports:

A Georgia man held by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers since December 2022 was on his way back to the US Thursday after Trump administration negotiators secured his freedom, a diplomatic source told The Post.

The Taliban kidnapped George Glezmann, 65, while he was visiting Afghanistan — but he has just been released following negotiations brokered by Trump special hostage envoy Adam Boehler, Taliban officials and Qatari officials.

Boehler and former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman and senior adviser to the prime minister Majed Al Ansari as well as Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to finalize Glezmann’s release earlier Thursday.

Glezmann later left Kabul en route to Doha following weeks of three-party talks.

It is wonderful that he is being returned, but why was he visiting Afghanistan? There are better places to go on vacation.

The article notes:

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before Congress in 2023 that at least 175 Americans remain stranded in Afghanistan, though he didn’t divulge how many were being wrongfully detained by the Taliban.

Qatar is taking the lead in providing support for Glezmann’s immediate repatriation and any necessary medical assistance as he flies back to be reunited with his family.

President Trump “has made the freedom and homecoming of Americans held abroad a high priority,” Khalilzad said on X. “It is an honor to assist in this important effort.”

“We extend our deepest appreciation to the State of Qatar, who’s steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts were instrumental in securing George’s release,” added the State Department in a statement.

“Qatar has consistently proven to be a reliable partner and trusted mediator, facilitating complex negotiations,” the department added.

“George’s release is a positive and constructive step. It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained worldwide.”

The work to return all overseas hostages to America needs to be a priority. American citizens need to have the full force of the government behind them when they travel overseas.

Scaring Up Voters–Literally!

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One of the signs held up by the Democrats at President Trump’s speech on Tuesday said “Save Medicaid.” Just for the record, Medicaid is not in danger. That is a scare tactic to try and persuade voters to vote Democrat.

On Wednesday, The New York Post reported:

Get ready to be bombarded with ghoulish ads warning about grandmothers dying and children denied needed cancer treatments “just to make billionaires like Elon Musk even richer.”

The ads, paid for by a Democratic PAC, started running Monday. And Monday night Democrats attending President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress held up paddles with the message “Save Medicaid.”

It’s demagoguery in full swing to combat Republican efforts to control federal spending on Medicaid and stabilize the nation’s debt.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is claiming, “House Republicans just voted to rip health care away from up to 1.8 million New Yorkers — all to bankroll giveaways for billionaires.”

The article notes:

These are lies. The needy are not going to lose their health care, and the demagogues know it. 

Truth is, congressional Republicans are finally sticking up for working people who resent covering the bills for healthy folks who refuse to work.

To control Medicaid spending, Republicans are calling for a “work requirement” for able-bodied adults without children or an elderly dependent.

“Work” overstates the toughness.  Anyone who is employed for 80 hours a month, or attends school, a training program or drug-recovery program and is low income will still be eligible for free care. Just not moochers.

Just a reminder–in 1996, President Clinton added a work requirement to welfare payments. President Obama removed it in July 2012. President Trump reinstated it in 2017. President Biden removed the work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.

The article reminds us of the recent history of Argentina:

Take it from Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, elected one year ago.

He campaigned with a chainsaw, pledging deep cuts to his government’s out-of-control spending.

At that time, his country had one of the highest inflation rates in the world. A year later, inflation is coming down fast.

Republicans aren’t taking a chainsaw to Medicaid, but slowing its spending growth will help deter inflation and allow them to renew Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are about to expire.

Before 2017, the US was losing 10 multinational corporate headquarters a year to countries with lower corporate taxes.

After Trump’s 2017 cuts, the exodus stopped.

Renewing those corporate tax cuts is essential to save American jobs. Possibly yours.

When you hear the demagogues oppose Medicaid “cuts,” think of the guy sitting on the couch, while you go to work to pay his health-care tab.

Don’t fall for the phony sob stories.

Remember, there is no legal requirement for political ads to tell the truth.

How Does The Amount Of Money Actually Used To Solve The Problem Compare To The Amount Of Money Given To The NGO ?

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about the misuse of American taxpayer dollars under the banner of USAID.

The article reports:

DOGE wants to see where our tax dollars go, and we should let them. No surprise that the “government industrial complex” will resist every effort to bring transparency and accountability to how those funds are spent when the system is ripe with problems.

I’ve had first-hand experience with USAID and other international aid organizations, such as the World Bank, UNESCO, and even the Red Cross, during my 40-plus trips to Haiti after being invited by then Haitian President René Préval to help rebuild the nation following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

And I’ve seen how USAID, along with other NGOs, delivered on very few of their promises, failed to coordinate relief activities, and even skimmed money off the top.

…What happened in Haiti captures, at the very least, the incompetence — if not the outright corruption — of these international relief organizations. There is probably no more corrupt government agency than USAID.

Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed as many as 300,000 people, the US government has disbursed around $4.4 billion in foreign assistance to the small island nation.

At least $1.5 billion was disbursed for immediate humanitarian aid, while another $3 billion went to recovery, reconstruction and development.

Of the at least $2.13 billion in contracts and grants for Haiti-related work, less than $50 million, or 2% went to Haitian organizations or firms. By comparison, $1.3 billion, or 56%, has gone to firms located in or near the US capitol. Little wonder USAID is so threatened by the sudden scrutiny.

The article concludes:

Money is lost when charities give funds to other organizations to implement the work they had promised. For example, the Red Cross set aside some of the original Haiti funds for their own administrative fees. Then, the charities they hired took a cut of their subsequent administrative fees.

Finally, the Red Cross had yet another charge which they described as “program costs incurred in managing third-party projects,” or an oversight fee.

Ultimately, this lack of transparency allows for ineffective and misleading uses of large donations that might otherwise have the potential to make an important impact in long-term relief.

The lack of information required by these organizations also complicates further analysis of this distribution of money and its long-term success.

The US provided $72 billion in aid to 180 countries in 2023, with USAID serving as its lead agency. DOGE attention to USAID is much deserved and long overdue as American goodwill and generosity have been repeatedly squandered.

The Haitian experience is the best case study of the failures of the American foreign aid program’s lack of transparency and accountability.

Governmental agencies such as USAID and their NGO partners and collaborators act as if they are sovereign nations — accountable to no one.

I don’t mind helping countries in need. I do mind lining the pockets of people who run charities where very little of the collected money actually goes where it needs to go.

People Who Live Or Work In New York City Will Cheer This

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On Wednesday, The New York Post reported that the much-hated congestion toll in New York City will be going away. The Department of Transportation (DOT) under President Trump has pulled the previous approval of the toll.

The article reports:

New York City’s spectacularly unpopular congestion pricing scheme is on death row as the Trump administration announced Wednesday it is pulling its approval of the toll — slamming it as “backwards and unfair” — in a major blow to Gov. Kathy Hochul, The Post has learned.

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration terminated the approval of the controversial program, according to a letter Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent to Hochul on Wednesday afternoon.

“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” said Duffy, noting that commuters entering NYC have already financed the construction and improvement of city roadways through their taxes.

“But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair,” he said, blasting the program as harmful to small businesses in the Big Apple that depend on customers from New Jersey and Connecticut.

I have a nephew (who has since moved to North Carolina) that worked in New York City in the motion picture industry. The toll would have resulted in more than $100 a week in commuting expenses. There were times when he needed to bring his truck into the City for his job, and the extra expense would be a problem. The people paying this toll are not the people who can afford it–they are the working people who are afraid to ride the subways because of safety issues. During the 1960’s, I rode the subway every day when I commuted to school, but I wouldn’t want to ride it now. This tax needed to go away, and I applaud Secretary Duffy for ending it. Also, some serious effort needs to be made to clean up the subways and make them safer.

Where A Lot Of The Money Went

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On Thursday, The New York Post posted an article about how much money the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent on migrants from 2020 to 2024.

The article reports:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included cash assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for $22.6 billion.

HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) — which came under fire last year for having lost track of 32,000 migrant kids in the US — handed out the high sum to a host of nonprofits, effectively acting as a “giant magnet” for those crossing the US border and claiming asylum, auditors from the money monitor OpenTheBooks revealed exclusively to The Post.

Tasked with settling migrants, asylum seekers and other refugees in America, ORR drastically increased the number of noncitizens eligible to receive funding over the bulk of President Joe Biden’s term, with more than $10 billion shelled out to grant-receiving organizations just in fiscal year 2023.

…Non-governmental groups bilked taxpayers for up to $1.7 billion in services including dollar-for-dollar matching savings plans for cars, homes, college educations or startups; small-business loans of up to $15,000; loans to repair credit history of up to $1,500; “cultural orientation,” “emergency housing support,” legal assistance and Medicaid care.

Some programs were only available to migrants or refugees who had been living in the US for several years, who were employed or who were making around double the federal poverty level or less, among other stipulations.

The article concludes:

Hart (OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart) slammed ORR’s treatment of migrant kids and said it had revealed “the Left’s counterfeit compassion around immigration.”

“Losing track of 300,000 children violates their dignity and puts them at risk,” he said.

In its report, OpenTheBooks claimed Dunn Marcos’ past work for nonprofits receiving ORR grants posed a “conflict of interest.”

Reps for Dunn Marcos’ office said in a statement that after being appointed in September 2022, she had recused herself from approving funding for any past employer.

…OpenTheBooks nevertheless submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to ORR’s parent office, the Administration for Children and Families, where Dunn Marcos served until recently. Email bouncebacks, the group noted, suggest she departed government service after President Trump took office Jan. 20.

“While Dunn Marcos may have disappeared from ORR, our questions remain over whether certain nonprofit organizations received special treatment amid the billions in grants furnished by the government office,” the group’s report concludes.

“What’s clear is that ORR has funded a constellation of NGOs deployed in border states and nationwide, who give out aid designed to attract even more migrants.”

Reps for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is clearly time to stop the NGO gravy train.

Making Room For People Who Tell The Truth

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On February 3rd, The New York Post posted an article about changes being made in the Pentagon office space designated for news organizations.

The article reports:

The Trump administration has ordered four left-leaning news organizations including the New York Times and NBC News to vacate their dedicated office space at the Pentagon, making room for new media outlets such as The Post and the right-leaning Breitbart News and One America News.

The decision was announced late Friday in a Department of Defense memo issued by spokesman John Ullyot, who wrote that the Times, NBC News, NPR and Politico must relinquish their Pentagon office space by Feb. 14.

According to Ullyot, the move is part of a new annual media rotation program designed to allow access by “a new outlet from the same medium that has not had the unique opportunity to report as a resident member of the Pentagon press corps.”

As part of this reshuffle, The Post will replace the Times as a print outlet, OAN will take NBC News’ spot as a cable network, Breitbart News will assume NPR’s role as a radio outlet and HuffPost, owned by BuzzFeed, will take Politico’s space.

The reaction is predictable:

She urged the Pentagon to expand media office space to ensure equal access for all news organizations.

Other affected outlets voiced similar concerns.

Politico’s senior managing editor Anita Kumar called the decision “troubling,” while an NBC News spokesman expressed disappointment over losing a broadcasting booth that had been in use for decades.

Where were the complaints when the organizations now given space didn’t have space?

The article concludes:

The reshuffling of Pentagon media access marks another chapter in the Trump administration’s strained relationship with the press.

With accusations of press favoritism and concerns over media transparency mounting, the decision is likely to fuel further debate over the role of independent journalism in government reporting.

If the reporting of the news organizations that lost their space had been accurate, they would still have their space.

Follow The Money

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Some of us were appalled by the message given at the National Cathedral Prayer Service. It was not Biblical and was not appropriate. (article here) Well, as usual, it turns out that there was more to the story than meets the eye.

On Friday, The New York Post reported the following:

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon to President Trump during an inaugural prayer service, coupled with her church’s advocacy for humanitarian immigration programs, reveals a striking hypocrisy — one that could be seen as self-serving and even a conflict of interest.

That’s because the federal contracting arm of the church, Episcopal Migration Ministry (EMM), is paid to bring in people on resettlement programs that Trump has temporarily paused and targeted for re-evaluation.

EMM budget figures for 2024 are not available yet, but in 2023 it earned $53 million from various taxpayer-funded government programs to resettle 3,600 individuals.

…Unlike everyday immigrants, these new arrivals receive government assistance and, most importantly, are immediately eligible for all forms of welfare, such as Medicaid and cash assistance, on the same basis as a US citizen.

Further, they can immediately sponsor friends and relatives under a recent Biden expansion of the refugee resettlement program.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement was projecting 656,500 new arrivals in 2025, who would fall under its care. Clearly this is a program wildly out of control.

In an wild understatement, a 2012 Government Accountability Office report quotes an official noting that “funding is based on the number of refugees they serve, so affiliates have an incentive to maintain or increase the number of refugees they resettle each year rather than allowing the number to decrease.”

The article concludes:

Of course, it is not fair to question the Episcopalians alone on this.

Their resettlement contractor is the second smallest of the 10 contractors in the industry. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) dwarfs EMM.

Forbes reported that USCCB affiliate Catholic Charities USA, which has its hand in all aspects of immigration and seems to get money from every government agency except NASA, received $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars in 2021. That’s 68 times more than EMM got that year.

It was never intended that the sponsoring organizations, formerly known as “Voluntary Agencies,” would be purely federal contractors, with all the behavior, untoward incentives, money, and influence-peddling that this brings, not to mention questions of church-state relations which are never raised in this context.

Any re-tooling of our humanitarian immigration programs must put the bulk of responsibility back on the “sponsoring” entity and limit new arrivals’ access to welfare.

As for encouraging the church to practice true sacrificial charity, Bishop Budde may have put it best when she said in an interview with Rachel Maddow, “the first and primary role that we have is [to lead] by example.”

I would have no problem with the church sponsoring immigrants if the church took care of them after they got here rather than making the taxpayer pay for the church’s generosity. This is a racket. These facts make the Bishop’s remarks seem even more hypocritical than they seemed to be at the time they were given.

Another Consequence Of The Biden Administration

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In June of 2024, The New York Post reported that the Biden administration had fast-tracked the takeover of the Audacy radio network by George Soros. Audacy reaches 165 million monthly listeners and includes a handful of conservative shows from hosts including Sean Hannity, Dana Loesch, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and Erick Erickson.

This week we saw one ugly result of that takeover.

On Monday, Newsbusters posted the following:

This weekend, a radio station owned by the George Soros-controlled Audacy outrageously identified the vehicle whereabouts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in San Jose, California, which is known for violent gang activity.

KCBS 740 AM – not to be confused with the Los Angeles CBS affiliate – elevated the insane unmasking of ICE agents from the leftist Rapid Response Network, which fights against deportation initiatives during the January 26 edition of KCBS Radio Weekend News.

But to make matters worse, anchor Bret Burkhart gave exact descriptions of the vehicles the ICE agents were reportedly using, including specific locations. NewsNation confirmed January 27 that the agents were conducting an operation in the area around that time, meaning their cover was potentially blown.

Post Millennial senior editor Andy Ngo noted the agents were allegedly working “undercover.” KCBS, in effect, “put the law enforcement officers at serious risk while an operation was ongoing targeting violent, criminal foreign nationals,” Ngo concluded. 

The article notes:

KCBS 740 was one of the stations prominently implicated in that deal. The Federal Communications Commission, in a bizarre act, fast-tracked Soros’s purchase of the radio giant, which was also backed by foreign money.

I am not sure if there is a definitive law that covers this activity, but there should be a penalty for this action.