Washington Doctor Facing Probe For Criticizing COVID Policies Wins Emergency Injunction Authored by Caden Pearsen via The Epoch Times, A Washington state appeals court has granted an emergency injunction to a retired doctor facing disciplinary action from the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) over articles he wrote against the official COVID-19 narrative in 2021. Dr. Richard J. Eggleston, a retired ophthalmologist in Clarkston, Washington, faces disciplinary action over articles published in the Lewiston Tribune he wrote challenged the prevailing information and guidance regarding the pandemic. During the pandemic, doctors could be accused of spreading misinformation if they provided advice contrary to the official information. This included, for example, advocating or prescribing treatments such as ivermectin or disagreeing with the effectiveness of face masks and vaccines. The United States officially ended the pandemic emergency on May 11. The WMC filed charges against Dr. Eggleston, accusing him of unprofessional conduct, including spreading false information and misinformation about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its treatments. They assert that his actions violated state laws related to moral turpitude, misrepresentation, and interference with an investigation. In response to the charges, Dr. Eggleston has maintained his innocence and has argued that his articles are protected under the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. He sought to have the disciplinary proceedings dismissed on the grounds that the statutes applied by the WMC infringed upon his constitutional rights. Despite a separate, initial motion to dismiss being previously denied, the recent emergency injunction granted by the appeals court now provides a temporary reprieve for Dr. Eggleston. The injunction halts the disciplinary proceedings while the court further examines the case. The WMC wants to carry out the fact-finding hearing, they say, to protect public health and fulfill its disciplinary responsibilities for the medical profession “and to resolve issues of fact and credibility that require the expertise of the Commission to resolve,” according to a court filing (pdf). Court Commissioner Hailey L. Landrus noted in her ruling that while putting a stay on the proceeding would inconvenience the commission—as lawyers for the WMC argued—it doesn’t demonstrate harm to the public. ‘Chilling Effect’ on Free Speech Dr. Eggleston, on the other hand, argued that he sought to halt the disciplinary proceedings to assert his First Amendment right to free speech. Landrus favored the retired doctor’s argument, saying public dialogue by professionals receives strong First Amendment protection, and the mere fact of prosecution can have a “chilling effect” on the exercise of these rights for Dr. Eggleston and other medical professionals. “Dr. Eggleston has a competing interest in enjoining the disciplinary proceedings in order to seek First Amendment protection for his speech, which is the reason for the administrative proceedings in the first place. Denying a stay would, according to Dr. Eggleston, violate his constitutional right to free speech,” Landrus said in her ruling. “Balancing the parties competing interests and hardships favors Dr. Eggleston,” the court commissioner added. She found that it would be more efficient to review the trial court’s decision on the injunction instead of proceeding with a lengthy administrative hearing. Granting the injunction could potentially resolve the entire proceedings, saving time and resources, she noted. The court’s decision to grant the emergency injunction comes as a significant development in Dr. Eggleston’s ongoing legal battle with the WMC. The granted stay of the proceedings will delay hearings scheduled to commence this week, Wednesday through Friday. This delay provides a short window of opportunity for the WMC to withdraw the charges against Dr. Eggleston. However, if the WMC chooses not to withdraw the charges, the legal process will proceed as planned. “I’m very happy to see that this part of the legal system understands this First Amendment issue and basic rights to get accurate information from a physician,” Dr. Eggleston told The Defender. The legal team representing Dr. Eggleston expressed their satisfaction with the court’s ruling to grant the stay of proceedings. Todd Richardson, one of Dr. Eggleston’s lawyers, emphasized the significance of protecting First Amendment rights. “As Americans, if we don’t conscientiously defend these foundational rights and freedoms, we may soon wake up to realize we have lost them,” he told The Defender. The Epoch Times contacted WMC for comment. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 20:00.....»»

Top 10 Cheapest Beach Homes In America The 30yr fixed mortgage rate is back above 7% for the first time since early March. Housing affordability is the worst in decades. Those still searching for a beach home but don't want to pay Hamptons or South Florida prices have other options that are still considered "affordable."  A new report via Realtor.com reveals the top ten most affordable beach towns for homebuyers this summer. To find these affordable homes, Realtor analysts used listing data for every home put on the market in the past year located within a one-mile radius of each beach."  "We then selected the most affordable beach towns by price per square foot. Only locations with at least 50 properties within a mile of the water in the past year were included," they said.  Topping the list as the most affordable beach home community in the US is Gulfport, Mississippi, with an average median home price of around $225,000 within 1 mile of the beach. The median price per square footage within 1 mile of the beach was $144.  Second on the list is Newport News, Virginia, with average home prices within 1 mile of a beach around $220,000 and the median price per square foot around $150.  "The city is perched on the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, where the James River meets the Chesapeake Bay near its mouth to the Atlantic Ocean," Realtor said.  The rest of the list includes: 3. New London, Conn. 4. Grand Isle, La. 5. Corpus Christi, Texas 6. Atlantic City, NJ. 7. Navarre, Fla. 8. North Beach, Md. 9. Crescent City, Calif. 10. Shirley, N.Y. Most of the affordable beach towns can be found in the South, Mid-Atlantic, or Northeast regions. However, Northern California also has one reasonably priced beach town.  Affordability challenges persist, with the mortgage rates back above 7%.  The beach towns listed above are gems of affordability.  Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 20:30.....»»

What A Difference A Real DA Makes Authored by Lloyd Billingsley via American Greatness, Chesa Boudin, named after cop-killer Joanne Chesimard, and son of Weather Underground terrorists Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert, was elected district attorney of San Francisco in November 2020. Criminals were happy with the outcome.  “Chesa Boudin threw a monkey wrench into the city’s criminal justice system,” recalls Richie Greenberg, San Francisco resident and business consultant. “Amid a series of high-profile cases, his promise to release repeat criminals and to allow quality of life crimes to go unpunished, San Francisco descended into a scofflaw paradise.”  Greenberg spearheaded a recall effort and in June 2022 voters booted Boudin by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin. Mayor London Breed then appointed University of Chicago law alum Brooke Jenkins, a prosecutor in the city’s homicide division.  Jenkins proceeded to fire 16 Boudin loyalists, part of “important changes to my management team and staff that will help advance my vision to restore a sense of safety in San Francisco by holding serious and repeat offenders accountable and implementing smart criminal justice reforms.”  In November 2022, Jenkins prevailed over three rivals with approximately 54 percent of the vote. As the victor proclaimed. “I pledge that improving and promoting public safety will be my and our office’s top priority.”  The “scofflaw paradise” recently threw up a challenge.  On April 27, “black trans man” Banko Brown shoplifted items from a downtown Walgreens store. That drew the attention of security guard Michael Earl-Ray Anthony, who struggled with Brown. Anthony contended that Brown threatened to stab him and shot the shoplifter, who later died from the wound. No weapon was found on the decedent.  “Banko’s death is yet another testament to the dire need for increased advocacy for the safety of all trans people in this country, especially Black trans people,” said a statement from Tori Cooper of the Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. “His death comes at a time of blatant hateful, xenophobic rhetoric and legislative measures which fuel violence against our community. We can’t continue to stand idle while this unfolds.”  Protesters also called for Anthony to be prosecuted for murder, but San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins took a different approach. “The killing of Mr. Banko Brown on April 27, 2023 was a tragedy and my heart breaks for his friends and family,” Jenkins said in a statement.  After careful review of all of the evidence gathered by the San Francisco Police Department in this case, my office will not be pursuing murder charges, at this time, in connection to the shooting. We reviewed witness statements, statements from the suspect, and video footage of the incident and it does not meet the People’s burden to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the suspect is guilty of a crime. The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense. We cannot bring forward charges when there is credible evidence of reasonable self-defense. Doing so would be unethical and create false hope for a successful prosecution. No matter the case, however, we must follow the law and the evidence, wherever it leads. We never make decisions based on emotions or what may be politically expedient. For Jenkins, “this wasn’t someone just walking out with an item. This is a shoplifting that became violent because Banko Brown initiated that aggressive contact with the security guard which turned this legally into a robbery.” The D.A. asked that “even in the midst of very intense heightened emotions that people look at the same evidence that we did, because that is what our decision is based on.” “We all share that we wish that this never happened,” Jenkins added, “but the facts are what they are and that is what we are limited to.” One fact missing from many reports was that Michael Earl-Ray Anthony is also black and something of a hardship case.  “I’ve really been on my own since I was a young teenager,” Anthony told the D.A.’s office. “Always moving, different places, different houses, different family, friends. My parents never really worked. I was the only one working. My stepdad—he was on drugs.”  Anthony spoke of working as a security guard since he was 18, and for a time as an armored truck driver, delivering bags of up to $600,000 to banks. The guard was distraught at killing someone and told detectives, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Local activists cast him as a murderer.  “If there was a crime that was committed in terms of stealing—that is if—there was a greater crime, which was murder.” That was Honey Mahogany, the first black trans chair of the local Democratic Party, in a May 17 protest outside the D.A.’s office.  “Banko Brown was not a danger to anyone,” according to Kevin Ortiz of the Latinx Democratic Club. “Brooke Jenkins needs to do her job—she must be held accountable for the families she’s failed. And that starts with Banko Brown.” The people of San Francisco might not think so.  California’s 2014 Proposition 47 changed felonies to misdemeanors and essentially legalized theft of property valued at less than $950. Car break-ins and property crime quickly surged, and in parts of the city, contrary to Tony Bennett, the stench of excrement filled the air. The pro-criminal Chesa Boudin made it all worse, and voters turned him out.  Brooke Jenkins, by contrast, has made public safety a top priority. She follows the law and the evidence and does not make decisions on what may be politically expedient. That is good advice for district attorneys in Los Angeles, New York, and across the country. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 19:00.....»»

Lululemon Fires Two Store Employees For Calling Police On Masked Robbers America's descent toward lawlessness is most visible at retail stores in progressive metro areas. The latest incident occurred at a Lululemon store in Atlanta. Three masked men pillaged the store while two employees wearing overpriced yoga pants were fired by corporate for calling the police to report the robbery.  Local media outlet WXIA said Jennifer Ferguson, the former assistant manager of the Peachtree Corners Lululemon, and Rachel Rogers, a former employee at the store, encountered the men in "masks and hoodies" who "swiped" as much merchandise as they could before sprinting out the door. "No, no, no, you can march back out," Ferguson said in a video that caught the entire robbery. One of the robbers told her, "Chill, b-tch, shut your ass up."  New York Post said the thieves had robbed the store several times because Lululemon has a "zero-tolerance policy" on chasing or physically engaging with a robber. Although both employees did not physically try to stop the masked men, they called the police to report the theft.  "We are not supposed to get in the way. You kind of clear path for whatever they're going to do. "And then, after it's over, you scan a QR code. And that's that. We've been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We're not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it," Ferguson told WXIA.  In a Facebook post, the assistant manager's husband, Jason Ferguson, said, "My wife was terminated from her job at Lululemon for 'breaking employee handbook policy' of not interfering with a burglary." He continued: Lululemon representatives held a zoom call a few days after the incident to learn what Jenn knew about the policy. Then, a few days later, they scheduled a follow-up zoom call where they terminated her citing the company's "zero-tolerance policy" in these situations. No warning. No coaching. No additional training. Just. Fired. Georgia being an at-will employment state, employers can do that whenever they wish. That is their right. But it doesn't make it right. Especially in this situation. Jason Ferguson said the regional manager told his wife and the other former employee that calling the police would "look bad for Lululemon."  Lululemon appears to have an open-invite policy for thieves, which puts its employees in harm's way. Not intervening physically is probably smart because who wants to die over expensive yoga pants made in Southeast Asia? However, terminating employees for simply calling the police is upside-down clown world stuff. We hope Lululemon fixes these broken policies and puts more effort towards protecting employees and improving work conditions.  Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 19:30.....»»

Children"s Hospital "Health Hero" Award Given To Trans Democrat Pushing Child Sex Changes.....»»

As Interest Rates Rise, The Era Of "Deficits Don't Matter" Is Over Authored Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute, Back in 2002, then-Vice President Dick Cheney claimed "Reagan proved deficits don't matter" and went on to push for tax cuts combined with more federal spending. Indeed, the Bush administration would go on to push immense amounts of new spending, supporting a huge Medicare expansion and blowing hundreds of millions of dollars on costly and pointless occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The national debt grew by 70 percent during Bush's eight years, but no one in Washington—Republican or Democrat—really cared. After 2003, the economy seemed to be growing and after the 2008 financial crisis hit, all that really mattered was bailing out Wall Street to "save" the global economy.  In fact, for more than thirty years, stern warnings about the federal debt and annual deficits have come from wet-blanket curmudgeons who insisted that running up huge debts would become a problem. They were right, but the time frame has proven to be quite a bit longer than most anticipated. Many significant global political and economic changes intervened to ease the process of incurring an enormous national debt, even as the total debt exploded from $5.6 trillion to $22.5 trillion between 2000 and 2019. These changes included rising global productivity, a new globalized work force, and solid global demand for dollars—which fueled apparently limitless demand for for US government bonds. This ensured the debt remained easy enough to manage. For a time. Things are changing, however, and in the coming five years we'll begin to see how a newly accelerating debt, declining demand for dollars, and rising price inflation will finally reveal how and why deficits do matter, after all.  How Much Debt Are We Talking About? The US's national debt is now projected to exceed $32 trillion in 2023. That's up by nearly ten trillion dollars since January of 2020. Nearly eight trillion of that came in 2020 and 2021 alone. Since 2019, the rate at which the US government has taken on new debt has significantly accelerated beyond what was already a shocking rate of deficit spending. Back in 2019, I noted that the Trump administration had added nearly a trillion dollars to the deficit in a single year of what was considered an economic expansion. That was remarkable at the time. Of, cours, what happened under both Trump and Biden during the covid panic made a trillion dollars look like spare change.  Moreover, the debt has reached new post-World-War-II highs in proportion to the overall size of the economy. In 2020, total federal debt as a percentage of national GDP shot up to 120%. This puts the US at previously-unseen peacetime debt levels.  Comparing debt to GDP doesn't tell us much about the government's ability to pay and service its debt, however. A more realistic measure is total debt compared to federal revenues. By this measure, we also find debt has accelerated to peacetime highs. Total federal debt is now more than 6 times the size of annual federal receipts.  This Translates Into a Lot of Interest Payments  The problem with a large national debt isn't that it's big or difficult to pay off. An enormous debt can be sustained indefinitely by a government so long as it can manage paying the interest on the debt. For most of the past three decades, the US government had it very easy in this respect. It could run up huge annual deficits, incur trillions of dollars in new debt, yet interest payments on that debt remained remarkably stable and did not rise to "out of control" levels.  This was made possible by the fact that interest rates trended downward again and again for most of the past 35 years. If we look at the federal funds rate—which tends to trend with average interest levels paid on federal debt—we can see that debt levels surged at the same time that interest rates were falling. This fall in interest rates prevented interest payments from surging upward as well.  Why this rates fall? During much of the 1990s, the US grew to dominate the global economy in the wake of the end of the Cold War. This drove far greater need for dollars worldwide, and all those dollar holders put many of the dollars into buying US government debt. This pushed down the cost of issuing new federal debt considerably. Even after the rise of the euro after 1999, globalization helped sustain global demand for US debt, as did the eurodollar economy.  After 2008, interest rates on US debt were pushed down even further as the US central bank bought up nearly six trillion dollars worth of US bonds. As this artificial demand for federal bonds rose, the interest rate sank further. So, even as the federal government was adding trillions to the national debt after 2009, interest payments remained manageable. We can see how from 1998 to 2015, total debt service costs barely budged in spite of an ever growing national debt. This finally began to grow after 2017 with Trump's growing mega deficits and efforts at the Federal Reserve to finally allow interest rates to increase over fears of price inflation. After 2020, of course, interest payments on the debt then surged above half a trillion dollars, and are projected to increase further:  Interest Payments Will Gradually Consume the Federal Budget It is here where we begin to see the problem with such huge debt levels. An enormous debt makes total debt payments far more sensitive to movements in interest rates. In 2007, when the national debt was at a "mere" nine trillion dollars, the federal funds rate could rise above five percent without a resulting surge in interest payments. More than a decade later, with debt levels at $30 trillion, a similar increase in the federal funds rates leads to a much larger increased in debt service payments.  In practical terms, this means that a government with enormous debt levels likely cannot sustain any sizable increases in interest. Under these conditions, debt payments will gradually grow larger and larger until they consume much of the nation's federal spending.  We can see this in even the official federal projects for debt payments moving forward. For example, according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the federal government will owe $660 billion in debt service in 2023. But this will increase to $960 billion by 2028, in five years. For comparison, we can note that the OMB also projects the entire defense budget in 2028 will be $966 billion.  The OMB's projections are rather conservative compared to forecasts in a February report from the Congressional Budget Office. According to the CBO report, interest payments will reach nearly a trillion dollars in 2028 and will continue to climb after that. In a decade, total interest payments will exceed $1.4 trillion and will be the third largest federal "program" behind Social Security and Medicaid. At that time, interest payments will exceed defense spending by $300 billion.  On a per-capita basis, this is not exactly trivial. In 2030, for example, the $1.4 trillion owned in interest payments will work out to approximately $4,000 per American adult of working age (adults between ages 18 and 65).  In other words, within six years, American taxpayers will be forced to pony up more than a trillion dollars every year to just to cover long-past federal spending on various lost wars and failed social programs. Baby Boomers will be mostly dead or in nursing homes, but young workers will be paying for the bill incurred by their elders decades ago.   Keep in mind, however, that this is all a "best case scenario." CBO and OMB estimates assume there will be no recessions in coming years, and they also assume relatively stable interest rates. The CBO estimates forecast interest on US federal debt will average about 2.7 percent in 2023, but will not increase significantly after that, rising only to 3.2 percent by 2031.  That's possible, of course, but current trends suggests the CBO is too optimistic. Geopolitical realities point to a relative decline in demand for the dollar—which will also lead to a decline in demand for US bonds. The US insists on isolating itself both politically and economically as it wages sanction wars—or threatens to do so—on many of the world's key economies. This will all drive up interest rates. As we've shown here on mises.org, the dollar is unlikely to disappear as an important global currency, but it is likely to face more competition. That will mean higher interest rates for federal debt as dollar demand wanes.  Another key development here is that the central bank no longer has the freedom to force down interest rates as it did a decade ago. Back then, the Fed could simply buy up new government debt to prop up demand and keep down interest rates. This has required the central bank to engage in large amounts of monetary inflation. For a time, that seemed to work, but then price inflation rose to 40-year highs and has remained stubbornly high.  The Fed can no longer simply print up an additional trillion dollars to buy up US government debt—and then just hope no price inflation appears. Rather, because price inflation is so politically unpopular, the Fed has to treat lightly on new monetary expansion. This ties the hands of Fed in how much it can intervene to keep interest rates low.  Thus, the very mild increases in interest rates predicted by the CBO may greatly understate the true risks.  Moreover, this all assumes that endless increases to debt service will be politically tenable ten years from now. Will voters really be convinced that they have to endure increasingly large cuts to popular government programs in order to keep paying money to bondholders forever and ever?  At some point, the voters are likely to say "enough" when it comes to escalating debt payments. And that's when a country gets either hyperinflation or a sovereign debt crisis. In the meantime, that interest bill is just going to keep getting bigger. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 17:00.....»»

Vegas Group Accused Of Cheating Casino Out Of More Than $225,000 Playing Electronic Craps A group that played digital craps in Las Vegas in November and December 2021 is being accused of cheating, allegedly racking up $200,000 in illicit winnings from what CBS/KLAS has called a "dice sliding scheme". The group reportedly played at The Cosmopolitan in November and December 2021 and went on a winning streak that cost the casino more than $225,000, the Nevada Gaming Control Board confirmed. The cheating took place on one of the newer, electronic craps tables, which have a smoother surface than traditional felt craps tables, and sometimes fewer dealers standing by to oversee the action.  According to the NGC, “the cheating involved multiple suspects and occurred on the Azure Roll to Win Electronic Craps table." Documents on the incident stated: “The cheating method involved dice sliding and sliding occurs when the shooter slides one or both dice across the table in order to prevent the cubes from rolling. The dice will be in the same position as they started, allowing the shooter to control the outcome of the game.” Investigators also believe cheating may have taken place at Resorts World.  The group “was observed both together on the table and away from it, during and after fraudulent dice sliding activities occurred," the CBS report says, citing case records. “Before illegally sliding the dice [one person whose name is redacted in court documents] would signal the other by placing single wagers in a circle motion around the main screen [wagers].” All four people involved now face "cheating-related charges" and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing in early June.  Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 17:30.....»»

Bill To Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms Advances In California Senate Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times, A bill to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms cleared the California Senate May 24, reaching the halfway point in the state’s effort to legalize the drug, despite increasing opposition by law enforcement and many citizens. Senate Bill 58 was introduced in December by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who said criminalizing drug use and possession does nothing but fill up prisons with people who are addicted. “We shouldn’t be criminalizing people for personal use of these non-addictive substances,” Wiener said in a May 24 statement. If passed, the bill would allow the cultivation, transfer, and transportation of fungi or other plant-based materials that can be used as ingredients for the drugs, according to the bill text. Psilocybin is found in a variety of mushrooms and can be produced synthetically. The bill would only allow plant-based psychedelic drugs for use by people 21 years old and older. Ingesting the drug can cause sensory perception changes, including auditory and visual hallucinations. The drug’s effects after ingestion can begin within 20 to 90 minutes and can last up to 12 hours in some cases, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Several law enforcement associations, local California governments, and organizations are opposed to legalizing the substance, including the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, the City of Beverly Hills, the California State Sheriffs’ Association, California Statewide Law Enforcement Association, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Concerned Women for America, and many others. The California District Attorneys Association opposed the measure, expressing concern that legalizing the drugs for recreational use is not grounded in scientific evidence. “While we are sympathetic to proponents who argue that the veteran population might benefit therapeutically from exploration of these substances, these drugs are Schedule I controlled substances for a reason,” the association said, according to a Senate analysis of the bill. “They have no federally accepted medical use and have a high probability of misuse.” The California Contract Cities Association was also against legalization and was concerned about public safety risks associated with the cultivation and transportation of the materials. “This means that more hallucinogenic drugs would be able to move across local jurisdictions in far greater numbers with insufficient oversight or accountability from local agencies,” the cities association wrote in a Senate analysis. “This is very worrisome from the perspective of local decision-making authorities like our member cities.” Support for the bill includes the Hippie and a Veteran Foundation, Initiate Justice, the Alameda County Democratic Party, the California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies, and the California Public Defenders Association. The cities of West Hollywood and Eureka are also in favor of the bill. Clinical trials are underway to study its use for treating depression and other mental health disorders, according to the American Psychiatric Association. The association determined in a 2020 study that while research is still preliminary, psychedelics show promise for treating conditions including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder but the drugs were not ready for use as a treatment. Psychedelic mushrooms are still illegal under U.S. federal law. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated psilocybin, the substance found in psychedelic mushrooms, as a “breakthrough therapy,” speeding up the development and review of the drug to treat serious conditions. Preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy in clinical studies, according to the FDA. Local measures to deprioritize the policing or prosecution of conduct related to hallucinogens have passed in Oakland and Santa Cruz. Ann Arbor, Michigan, Denver, and Washington, D.C., have also passed similar measures. Oregon and Colorado have passed similar measures to decriminalize psilocybin and legalize it for supervised use. The legislation is a stripped-down version of a bill proposed by the same senator in 2021. That bill, which would have legalized plant-based and synthetic psychedelics—such as MDMA, LSD, and ketamine—failed to pass. In Wiener’s San Francisco district, rampant drug use has contributed to runaway homelessness throughout the city. The city passed a motion in 2022 calling for law enforcement to deprioritize investigations and arrests of adults found in possession of psychedelics. Last month, dozens of residents and advocates protested at San Francisco City Hall against open-air drug markets and unsafe streets. Rally organizer Ricci Wynne told The Epoch Times data showed that the most prominent issues in San Francisco stem from drug use and drug dealing. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 18:00.....»»

Manchester Clubs Dominate The Premier League Era Following a title race that looked very close for large parts of the season, Manchester City clinched its seventh Premier League title last weekend, when Arsenal lost 1:0 to Nottingham Forest. Having taken the lead in the Premier League table after matchday 3 and not given it up until after matchday 34, Arsenal had a real chance at winning title just a couple of weeks ago, only to suddenly find itself 8 points behind City with one game to play. Due to some scheduling issues, Arsenal’s lead – Arteta’s team was 8 points clear at the top of the table after matchday 29 – looked perceptively commanding at times, as Arsenal had yet to face City away and Guardiola’s team always had one or two games in hand to close the gap. In the end, City’s dominant run of form towards the end of the season was enough to secure yet another title, while Arsenal will have to wait another year for a chance to win a fourth Premier League title. As Statista's Felix Richter reports, City’s latest triumph marks the club’s fifth title in the past six years and its seventh in both, the Premier League and the Abu Dhabi era. While Manchester City has dominated the Premier League over the past decade, local rival Manchester United has done so for large parts of the preceding two Premier League decades. The Red Devils have a record 13 Premier League titles to their name, but the last one came in 2013 – the final season under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The following chart shows which clubs have claimed the most titles since the Premier League’s foundation in 1992. You will find more infographics at Statista Interestingly, the world’s most popular and supposedly most competitive football league has only seen seven different champions in 30 years of its existence. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 07:35.....»»

US Builds New Base In Northern Syria, Signaling Indefinite Occupation Via AntiWar.com, The US-led anti-ISIS coalition is building a new military base in Syria’s northern province of Raqqa, The New Arab reported, citing a source close to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The US backs the SDF and keeps about 900 troops (officially at least) in eastern Syria, allowing the US to control about one-third of Syria’s territory. The report said there are currently about 24 US-led military sites spread throughout eastern Syria. While the US says it’s in Syria to fight ISIS, the presence is part of Washington’s economic war against Damascus, which includes crippling economic sanctions. ISIS also holds no significant territory, and the Syrian government and its allies would continue to fight the remnants of the terror group if the US withdrew. But the construction of a new base demonstrates the US plans to continue the occupation indefinitely. In March, the House voted down a resolution introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would have ordered President Biden to withdraw from Syria. The legislation failed in a vote of 103-321, with 56 Democrats and 47 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. The House also recently voted to maintain sanctions on Syria after an earthquake killed thousands of Syrians. Only two members of Congress voted against the legislation. The US could come under pressure to withdraw from Syria and lift sanctions on the country as more and more regional countries are normalizing ties with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Matt Gaetz speaks his mind on Syria: "900 Americans were sent to this hellscape with no definition of victory, with no clear objective, and purely existing as a vestige to the regime change, failed foreign policies of multiple former presidents." pic.twitter.com/Jc7UAYcaPq — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 8, 2023 Saudi Arabia spearheaded an effort to bring Syria back into the Arab League despite US objection. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 08:10.....»»

EU Official Threatens Twitter For Pulling Out Of Anti-Disinfo Pact EU officials have been mega-triggered after Twitter decided to abandon the bloc's voluntary disinformation "code of practice" that other major platforms have pledged to support. "You can run but you can’t hide," European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted, ominously. EU Sith Lord Thierry Breton (L), Elon Musk (R) Twitter will be legally required to 'fight disinformation' in the EU beginning August 25th, referring to the Digital Services Act - a set of new social media rules that include fines of up to 6% of a company's annual revenue. Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation. But obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide. Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under #DSA as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement. — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 26, 2023 The code of practice on disinfo is a voluntary set of rules that includes the tracking of political advertising, stopping the monetization of disinformation (like Covid originating in a lab? Questions over vaccine efficacy? Hunter Biden's laptop? Masks? Joe Biden having 'probably inappropriate' showers with his daughter?). Twitter is one of eight social media platforms which falls under the scope of the DSA - which includes Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat. Breton has threatened to personally hold Musk to account for failure to comply. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 08:45.....»»

Gross Domestic Income GDI Suggests US Is In Recession Right Now Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, Gross Domestic Income (GDI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are two measures of the same thing. But they radically differ in outlook... GDP and GDI data from the BEA, chart by Mish Yesterday the BEA released the second estimated of first-quarter 2023 GDP. The GDP rose from +1.1 percent to +1.3 percent. And personal consumption expenditures (PCE) rose from +3.7 percent to +3.8 percent. The BEA does not release GDI in the advance estimate, but does in the second estimate.  GDI was -2.3 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and -3.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. That's recession territory, but GDP isn't. GDP and GDI Details Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2023 according to the "second" estimate released by the BEA. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 percent. The updated estimates primarily reflected an upward revision to private inventory investment. The increase in real GDP reflected increases in consumer spending, exports, federal government spending, state and local government spending, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by decreases in private inventory investment and residential fixed investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased. Real gross domestic income (GDI) decreased 2.3 percent in the first quarter, compared with a decrease of 3.3 percent (revised) in the fourth quarter.  Corporate Profits Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments) decreased $151.1 billion in the first quarter. Profits decreased of $60.5 billion in the fourth quarter. Profits of domestic financial corporations decreased $25.4 billion in the first quarter, compared with a decrease of $59.0 billion in the fourth quarter.  Profits of domestic nonfinancial corporations decreased $109.3 billion, compared with a decrease of $22.9 billion.  Rest-of-the-world profits (net) decreased $16.4 billion, in contrast to an increase of $21.4 billion. Average of GDP and GDI Also Signals Recession The average of real GDP and real GDI, a supplemental measure of U.S. economic activity that equally weights GDP and GDI, decreased 0.5 percent in the first quarter, compared with a decrease of 0.4 percent (revised) in the fourth quarter. The BEA discusses the average of GDP and GDI because that is what the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) uses as an input to determine recessions. Even if one averages the numbers, a recession is possible if not likely. But the NBER is so delayed on its determination. By the time the NBER releases a recession announcement, it will be clear which one of these sets of numbers is wrong. [ZH: Mish is not alone in pointing this huge discrepancy out as former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Jason Furman recently explained in a brieft Twitter thread] New data out indicates that the economy contracted at a -0.5% annual rate in Q1, the fourth quarter of the last five with negative growth. This is based on average of GDP (+1.3% in Q1) and GDI (-2.3%) which is generally more reliable than either one individually. — Jason Furman (@jasonfurman) May 25, 2023 He continued: Can't know where the negative growth comes from because the expenditure numbers (consumption, investment, etc.) sum to the 1.3% growth. So if that's wrong then one of the components is wrong. Is why I wish the BEA was more Bayesian in formulating a single number w/ best info. Reported consumption growth was very strong at 3.8%. Non-residential fixed investment up 1.4%. Inventories subtracted 2.1pp from the growth rate (as measured on the product side), a factor that is likely to be temporary. On the income side, corporate profits fell for the third straight quarter and are down 2.8% over the last year. BUT, this reflects a huge loss for the Fed. Taking that out profits down a little in Q1 and up 7.0% in the last quarter. I have to say, I find all of this a little confusing and want to think more about it and read what others have to say. The numbers are telling wildly varying stories about the truth in the economy. And then that truth itself has some strange aspects to it (like the Fed losses). If I truly believed the average of GDP + GDI (and I mostly do believe it) then one could reasonably describe the economy as having been in recession for some time, but a very very strange recession with strong employment gains and low unemployment--so a productivity decline. Revisions A recent GDP revision was in the direction of GDI.  Given that heading into recessions, most revisions tend to be negative, and positive out of recessions, there is no strong reason to pooh-pooh GDI.  Real Disposable Income is Flat, But Real Spending Jumps 0.5 Percent Earlier today I noted Real Disposable Income is Flat, But Real Spending Jumps 0.5 Percent Also note Trade Deficit in Goods Jumps 17 Percent as Imports Surge and Exports Plunge The latter report sent the GDPNow forecast down from 2.9 percent to 1.9 percent for the second quarter of 2023. *  *  * Please Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 09:20.....»»

Tesla Model Y Passes Toyota Corolla To Become Best Selling Car In The World In 2023 While Elon Musk continues to be a lightning rod for political controversy and discussion, Tesla is (at least for the time being) still executing in the background. Just last week the company's Model Y vehicle passed the Toyota Corolla as the best selling car in the world, according to The Driven, an Australian auto blog.  Citing data from JATO Dynamics, the blog says that in Q1 the Model Y sold 267,200 vehicles, blowing past Toyota Corolla’s 256,400 sales. The blog also notes that the Model Y has been "hugely popular" in Australia and is the second best selling SUV of any type.  "When comparing it to ICE vehicles, the Tesla Model Y is the best-selling Medium SUV in the over $60,000, in the country by a wide margin," The Driven writes. "With 5,264 sales, it far outpaces the next best-selling Medium SUV which is the Audi !5 with 1,618 sales." The Model Y's passing the Corolla is especially notable due to the difference in price, The Verge reported, noting that the 2023 Model Y starts at $47,490, whereas the Toyota starts at $21,550. They noted that Musk had predicted sales “in the 500k to 1 million unit per year level" for the Model Y dating back to 2016.  In 2021, Musk added: “We think Model Y will be the best selling car or vehicle of any kind in the world. Probably next year. I’m not 100 percent certain next year, but I think it’s quite likely... more likely than not, that 2022 Model Y is best selling car or truck... in the world.” Pushing the company's mainstream appeal even further last week was news that it would share its Superchargers with Ford.  As we noted, three months after the Biden administration announced that Tesla, Inc. would make its Supercharger network accessible to non-Tesla electric vehicles, Ford Motor Co. reached an agreement with Tesla, allowing Ford's EV customers to tap into approximately 12,000 Supercharger stations across North America.  "This is great news for our customers who will have unprecedented access to the largest network of fast chargers in the US and Canada with 12,000+ Tesla Superchargers plus 10,000+ fast-chargers already in the BlueOval Charge Network," said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO.  Farley continued, "Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand, and this breakthrough agreement comes as we are ramping up production of our popular Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, and preparing to launch a series of next-generation EVs starting in 2025." Beginning in 2024, Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit customers will be able to use Superchargers via an adapter and software integration and payment activation through FordPass or Ford Pro Intelligence.  Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 09:55.....»»

Sorry Our Demographic Karma Ran Over Your Economic Dogma Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, Your bogus economic dogma of "growth via the wealth effect" created the demographic karma that will bring down the status quo. What happens when you bleed your workforce while enriching those who already own assets with one bubble after another, all in the name of "fostering growth"? To answer this, let's modify a felicitous phrase: Sorry Our Demographic Karma Ran Over Your Economic Dogma. The Demographic Karma is young people can no longer afford houses, healthcare or children and so the birthrate plummets and the workforce shrinks to the point that the bloated, heavily indebted status quo collapses under its own weight. Demographic-economic chartist CH summed it up very succinctly in a recent Tweet: @Econimica: Asset/RE bubbles (of assets primarily held by elderly/institutions) must be maintained to avoid a banking/economic crash...but the price will be the ongoing collapse of families/births...saving the present at the expense of the future (again). This dynamic of Demographic Karma crushing Economic Dogma is global, as evidenced by this Tweet about China's demographic collapse and bubble-economy: @fuxianyi: Chinese policymakers now face a dilemma: if the real-estate bubble does not burst, young couples will be unable to afford to raise two children. But if the bubble does burst, China's economy will slow, and a global financial crisis will erupt. The Economic Dogma holds that inflating one speculative credit-asset bubble after another is wonderful because each bubble produces a "wealth effect" in which those who inherited assets or bought assets in the past are greatly enriched by the bubble. Feeling wealthier, they then borrow and spend more freely. This Economic Dogma--that bubbles are excellent pathways to "growth"--is a form of "trickle down" economics in which the wealthy borrowing and spending more "trickles down" to the middle class and working class. As the charts below show, this theory is baseless and bankrupt: the rich get richer and richer and everyone else gets poorer and poorer with each bubble. What's "growing" is wealth and income inequality as the demographic consequences of this soaring inequality collapses the social contract. Let's go through the chart deck. 1. The US workforce is fully employed. Many expect a recession and AI will slash employment and create a pool of unemployed seeking work at low wages, but this isn't how it works. As I'll explain in a future post, the mismatches between the work employers need done and the skills and willingness of the workforce to do the work for the offered wage mean the unemployment rate can be high but workers are still scarce. 2. The expectation that US population and the workforce will ceaselessly expand is not guaranteed, especially if immigration declines. What is guaranteed is the population of retirees will continue rising. 3. Wages' share of the national income has declined for 45 years as the gains of the economy were shifted from labor to capital. 4. The top 1%'s share of wealth soars to new heights in every speculative credit-asset bubble. 5. The middle class's share of wealth plummets in every speculative credit-asset bubble and only gains ground when bubble pop. (We all know what happens when bubble pop: the Federal Reserve fraks out and creates trillions of dollars in stimulus that then flows into the pockets of the wealthy via the next bubble.) 6. Household net worth has skyrocketed far above inflation and the growth of the economy (GDP). As the charts above show, this wealth flowed disproportionately to the top 1%. 7. Thanks to the Fed's latest bubble--The Everything Bubble--housing affordability is at an all-time low. Put another way, the ratio of median income to housing prices is at an all-time high. 8. To stave off the inevitable karmic consequence of extreme wealth inequality--social disorder--the federal government has borrowed and blown tens of trillions of dollars on "fiscal stimulus" to buy the complicity of the 90% left behind. So sorry Our Demographic Karma Ran Over Your Economic Dogma. Your bogus economic dogma of "growth via the wealth effect" created the demographic karma that will bring down the status quo. *  *  * My new book is now available at a 10% discount ($8.95 ebook, $18 print): Self-Reliance in the 21st Century. Read the first chapter for free (PDF) Become a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 10:30.....»»

"Kevin Caved": McCarthy Savaged Over Debt Ceiling Deal.....»»

Mr. Market Is Still In Denial Over TINA's Passing Authored by Jesse Felder via TheFelderReport.com, Despite the stock market rally so far in 2023, the S&P 500 Index has not come close to regaining its all-time high put in early last year. What has soared to new highs, however, is the stock/bond ratio. In fact, its ascent has been so strong that, over the past two decades, the SPY-to-TLT ratio has only been as overbought (as measured by quarterly RSI) as it is today at the 2007 top heading into the GFC. It came close back in late 2018, just before the steep fourth quarter selloff that year, but didn’t quite manage to reach the level we see currently. So it would appear that stocks need bonds to rally hard and soon in order to justify current levels. However, if bonds rally because the economy weakens significantly, that would likely not be bullish for equities subject to significant earnings downgrades. And if bonds can’t rally, whether the economy falters in a meaningful way or not, that too could prove problematic for a stock market that appears far out of equilibrium with competing financial assets. In short, it looks like Mr. Market is still in denial over TINA’s passing. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 13:00.....»»

Texas High School Delays Graduation After 85% Of Class Failed Requirements A Texas school district has postponed graduation after 85% of students failed to meet the requirements to receive their diploma. KWTX Students at Marlin High School took a 'victory' lap on Wednesday and had been preparing for graduation later in the week, when Marlin ISD Superintendent Darryl Henson announced that just five out of 33 students would be eligible to pass following an internal audit of attendance, grades and credits. Seniors in the school's alternative education program were not included in the tally, NPR reports. School officials worked with students over the weekend and this week to help an additional 12 students resolve missing credits and other issues as of Wednesday evening, Henson said. But the district opted to call off the ceremony until more than those 17 students can graduate. The announcement was made via the school's Facebook page on Wednesday. According to GreatSchools.org, Marlin High School has a 2/10 rating. Just 12% of low-income and underserved students graduate prepared for college, while 37% of all other students are considered 'ready.' "It's emotional" for the affected students, said one parent during a Wednesday meeting with administrators in the school auditorium. "They get their hopes up: 'I'm graduating next week! I'm at Six Flags!'" she added, referring to the senior trip from the previous Friday. The school's director of human resources, Jesse Bustamante, told parents that "the support was there" - a statement which students disagreed with. One student said that when she was told she needed to do "credit recovery" for an online class earlier this year, it took three months — and repeated email requests — for the school to make the class available to her. -NPR The school's deal of instruction, William Ealy, said the school notified parents that senior students weren't on track to finish on time - and that they had held an open meeting, called parents, mailed a notice and offered to host meetings. "Let this be a lesson learned for all," tweeted superintendent Henson. "As we continue to go through our annual graduation audit, it's our obligation to ensure that all students have met all requirements." "Students in Marlin ISD will be held to the same high standard as any other student in Texas," he added. Our district will grow from this setback. Let this be a lesson learned for all. As we continue to go through our annual graduation audit, it’s our obligation to ensure that all students have met all requirements. Support, accountability, & integrity will remain at the forefront. pic.twitter.com/Pm1B2m1W9Y — Dr. Darryl J. Henson (@DrHenson2) May 25, 2023 According to the district, changes are coming to Marlin, as the school will convert to a four-day schedule next year in what the district's chief academic officer, Nikisha Edwards, says should reduce absentee rates. Can't be absent when you get the day off! Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 13:30.....»»

The Dodgers Have A Groomer Problem Authored by Techno Fog via The Reactionary, For years, the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco has been a venue for public debauchery. Billed as “the world’s largest celebration of kink, leather, and alternative sexualities,” it brings together a perverse crowd to browse “exhibitors showcasing their kinky wares and ample live BDSM demonstrations over 13 blocks of historic Folsom Street.” Its current policy allows for public nudity and disallows public sex acts. But that wasn’t always the case. In the 2000s (and really up until recently), the Folsom Street Fair was notorious for allowing public sex acts (couples, solo, etc.), urination, and more extreme displays of bondage and fetishes. Nearly everything was allowed on the city street. I won’t go into further details on the acts themselves, but you can view the work of a photojournalist who was there. (Warning - it’s graphic.) And the public was there to see it all. Including children. In fact, until relatively recently, the event’s organizers welcomed children. Even kids in strollers. There were no age restrictions. The event’s executive director commented that he had seen “a thousand doting aunts and uncles, and a kid having the time of his life.” They disclaimed any duty to protect children from witnessing nightmare-inducing lude acts, saying “parents were responsible for determining whether the fair was suitable for kids.” One 2005 East Bay Times article described the story of “unlikely attendees” to the “kinky leather fetish festival.” Were they referring to celebrities? VIPs? Wrong. It was toddlers: “Two-year-olds Zola and Veronica Kruschel waddled through the Folsom Street Fair surrounded by strangers in fishnets and leather crotch pouches, semi and fully nude men.” Two year-old girls “surrounded” by nude men. The author didn’t disclose what those “semi and fully nude men” were doing to/with each other, but I promise you it wasn’t good. Local children who lived in the area had no choice but to look at the degeneracy in horror. One nearby resident, a 10 year-old boy, had the unfortunate luck of witnessing the Folsom Street Fair since he was 6. He described it as “pretty nasty because a lot of people here are naked.” Not all participants in the Folsom Street Fair thought it was wise to have children around. The presence of kids was too much for one solo performer: “‘Why do (these people) bring kids here? This is a leather fair for god’s sake,’ said Bahran Aliassa, who was masturbating in public. He has been doing it annually for the past six years.” When you’ve lost the public masturbator… All this leads to an important question: Who let the kids into the venue? The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. According to reporting from 2019, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence had “manned the gates” of the Folsom Street Fair for over 25 years. The group was a familiar sight to visitors: “Longtime attendees of the Folsom Street Fair are used to their first sight at the annual leather and fetish jamboree being the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, working the gates.” Photographic evidence proves their words to be true. As the group in charge of the gates, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence welcomed the toddlers, the 10 year-olds, the babies in strollers – many of whom would be subjected to men having oral sex. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence allowed entry for thousands of children who would be forced to watch grown men masturbate in public. Then there were the vendors that targeted children. In 2009, the Folsom Street Fair allowed for vendors that sold bondage gear for children. You can see an example of the display here and here. According to one now-defunct San Francisco blog: The booth was for a company called “Fetish Tots,” which makes custom leather fetish gear for kids. Their slogan is “Kinky couture for little people.” They had some little-kid-sized mannequins in baby blue and girly pink leather hoods, gas masks, and, of course, pacifier ball gags. That year, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were there at the gates, as usual, taking the entrance fees (some of which would go back into its pockets) so participants - some of whom were undoubtedly children - could take a look at fetish gear for 3 year-olds. And on June 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers will honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with the Community Hero Award and “stand in solidarity with them at Pride Night.” We’ve reached out to two individuals with the Dodgers press office for comment via email. They haven’t responded. Subscribe to The Reactionary here... Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 14:00.....»»

Erdogan Wins Reelection To 5-Year Term As President After 20 Years In Power.....»»

DeSantis Says He Would Sign Legislation To Defund "Corrupt" IRS Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called IRS a “corrupt organization” and said he would welcome a bill abolishing the agency if elected president in 2024. DeSantis made the comments during an interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch on May 25, a day after the governor announced his White House bid on Twitter. “If Congress defunded the IRS and sent such a bill like that to your desk, number one, would you sign it?” Loesch asked. “And then what would you replace the system with? Are you for like a fair tax? A flat tax? Where do you stand on that?” “So, the answer’s yes,” DeSantis said in response. “I think the IRS is a corrupt organization and I think it’s not a friend to the average citizen or taxpayer. And so we need something totally different.” “I’ve supported all of the single rate proposals, I think they would be a huge improvement over the current system,” the governor added. “And I would be welcoming to take this tax system, chunk it out the window, and do something that’s more favorable to the average folks.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Heritage Foundation’s Leadership Summit in National Harbor, Md., on April 20, 2023. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times) DeSantis The governor has long spoken favorably of a flat tax system. In a Q&A published by Palm Coast Observer in 2012, months before DeSantis won his first term as a House lawmaker from Florida, DeSantis said he believed the federal tax code should be overhauled. “I think the federal tax code is an affront to a free society in the sense that it’s 70,000 pages,” DeSantis stated. “I am in favor of a complete overhaul; my principle is that consumed income should be taxed one time at a low, single, flat rate. He added, “Now whether that’s at the point of after savings and investment income on a flat tax, or on the point of consumption which people talked about a fair tax, I think you need to repeal the 16th Amendment for that because I don’t think you want a sales and an income tax.” Last year, DeSantis criticized the Biden administration’s nearly $80 billion in funding for the IRS, which Republicans argue would pave the way for the hiring of 87,000 tax agents, as giving  a “middle finger to the American public.” The funding to the IRS was part of the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in August 2022. “I think of all the things that have come out of Washington that have been outrageous, this has got to be pretty close to the top,” DeSantis said at the time. “I think it was basically just a middle finger to the American public that this is what they think of you.” He continued, “All these problems we have to deal with, and they think the way is to do 87,000 IRS agents. There’s going to be more people in the IRS than in a lot of these other agencies combined now.” “They are going to go after independent contractors. They’re going to go after small-business people. They’re going to go after someone that may be driving an Uber or a handyman or all these things,” DeSantis added. “Why would they do that? Because you’re not going to be able to contend with the audit—so they’re going to crush a lot of people by doing that.” In January, the House passed the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act (H.R.23) on party lines with a 221–210 vote, with the aim to rescind the administration’s new funding for the IRS. The legislation is unlikely to advance in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Former President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Fla., on April 4, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 2024 Race The 2024 race for the Republican presidential nomination now includes former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, conservative radio host Larry Elder, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and DeSantis. Trump currently holds a sizable lead over other GOP presidential hopefuls, according to poll results. According to a new survey by Echelon Insights that queried 390 likely GOP primary voters between May 22 and May 25, Trump garnered 49 percent support, leading DeSantis by 30 percentage points. Former Vice President Mike Pence finished third with nine percent support, followed by Ramaswamy (eight percent), Haley (five percent), Scott (2 percent), former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (one percent), and Elder (one percent). In a hypothetical two-way matchup, Trump picked up 59 percent of support, with DeSantis trailing with 34 percent of support. Tyler Durden Sun, 05/28/2023 - 15:00.....»»