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Sonic Boom Rocks Washington DC as Fighter Jets React to Unresponsive Plane Before Crash
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An unresponsive private plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m. Sources reported the Cessna was on autopilot when it crashed.

It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board. The plane flew directly over the nation’s capital, though it was technically flying above some of the most heavily restricted airspace in the nation.

A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that the military jet had scrambled to respond to the small plane, which wasn’t responding to radio transmissions and later crashed. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Flight tracking sites showed the jet suffered a rapid spiraling descent, dropping at one point at a rate of more than 30,000 feet per minute before crashing in the St. Mary’s Wilderness.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command later said in a statement that the F-16 was authorized to travel at supersonic speeds, which caused a sonic boom that was heard in Washington and parts of Virginia and Maryland.

“During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares – which may have been visible to the public – in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot,” the statement said. “Flares are employed with highest regard for safety of the intercepted aircraft and people on the ground. Flares burn out quickly and completely and there is no danger to the people on the ground when dispensed.”

Virginia State Police said officers were notified of the potential crash shortly before 4 p.m. Police were still working to find the plane on Sunday evening but hadn’t located it, police spokesperson Corinne Geller said.

The plane that crashed was registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc, which is based in Florida. John Rumpel, who runs the company, told The New York Times that his daughter, 2-year-old granddaughter, her nanny and the pilot were aboard the plane. They were returning to their home in East Hampton, on Long Island, after visiting his house in North Carolina, he said.

Rumpel, a pilot, told the newspaper he didn’t have much information from authorities but hoped his family didn’t suffer and suggested the plane could’ve lost pressurization.

“I don’t think they’ve found the wreckage yet,” Rumpel told the newspaper. “It descended at 20,000 feet a minute, and nobody could survive a crash from that speed.”

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  • jan says:

    where were the jet fighters to intercept the 9-11 planes? the military were having wargames on the west coast that day–how convenient!

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    Trump Unable to Secure Bond for $454m Judgment, Letitia James Threatens to Seize Assets

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    Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a bond to cover a $454 million judgment in a New York civil fraud case has been rejected by 30 surety companies, his lawyers said on Monday, inching him closer to the possibility of having his properties seized.

    The former president must either pay the sum out of his own pocket or post a bond to stave off the state’s seizure while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 judgment against him for misstating property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

    Trump, two of his adult children and other Trump Organization executives had so far approached the 30 companies through four separate brokers without success, his lawyers said. The other defendants face judgments totaling $10 million.

    A bonding company would be on the hook for any payout if Trump loses his appeal and proves unable to pay.

    The case, brought by New York state Attorney General Letitia James in September 2022, is one of several legal travails the businessman-turned-Republican candidate faces as he seeks a Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

    Trump, 77, has denied wrongdoing and vowed to appeal the judgment, which threatens his family’s real estate empire.

    He must post cash or a bond within 30 days of Engoron’s formal entry of the order on Feb. 23 or risk the state seizing some of the Trump Organization’s assets to ensure James can collect. Thirty days end on March 25.

    In a court filing on Monday, Trump’s lawyers urged a mid-level state appeals court to delay enforcement of the judgment, arguing the amount was excessive. It was unclear when the court, known as the Appellate Division, would rule.

    The lawyers asked that Trump instead be allowed to post a $100 million bond while he appeals the judgment.

    Gary Giulietti, an executive with insurance brokerage the Lockton Companies hired by Trump to help get a bond, wrote in the court filing that a bond for the full $464 million is not possible under the circumstances presented.

    Giulietti said many sureties would not issue bonds above $100 million and were willing to accept only cash or securities – not real estate – as collateral.

    “Enforcing an impossible bond requirement as a condition of appeal would inflict manifest irreparable injury on Defendants,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

    Before a three-month, non-jury trial began in October, Engoron found Trump had engaged in fraud by overvaluing properties including his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, his penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, and various office buildings and golf courses.

    The trial dealt mostly with damages. In the Feb. 16 decision, Engoron wrote that Trump and the other defendants “are incapable of admitting the error of their ways.”

    Trump this month posted a $91.6 million bond to cover an $83.3 million defamation verdict for the writer E. Jean Carroll while he appeals, in a case that arose from his branding her a liar after she accused him of raping her decades ago. He has denied wrongdoing.

    He has also pleaded not guilty in four criminal cases stemming from his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden, his handling of government documents after leaving office in 2021, and hush money paid before his 2016 election win to a porn star who said she had a sexual encounter with him.

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    King Charles Declared “Alive” After Russian Media Shares Fake Death Announcement

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    Ukraine’s British embassy was today forced to give an official statement confirming King Charles III is still alive after Russian media claimed he had died.

    A host of Russian news sites and their associated social media accounts reported earlier today that the King had died aged 75 as a result of cancer complications, citing unnamed ‘media’ sources in an inexplicable stream of posts.

    It came as an image of a clearly fake statement from ‘Buckingham Palace’ reporting Charles’ ‘unexpected death’ was circulated on social media.

    ‘King Charles III of Great Britain has died at the age of 75, according to media reports,’ Russian newswire Sputnik reported.

    ‘There is no information about this on the royal family website or in the British media.’

    Minutes later their stories were updated after they were forced to climb down following reports the King was in fact not dead.

    The British Embassy in Kyiv shared an abrupt notice on social media that read: ‘We would like to inform you that the news about the death of King Charles III is fake.’

    Several prominent outlets reported the bogus news but it was not immediately clear whether they had made an error or whether Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine was directly behind it.

    The sick stunt involving the monarch followed criticism in Britain and other Western countries of Vladimir Putin’s election ‘victory’ in a ‘rigged’ presidential election.

    The British embassy’s Telegram channel posted a notice in Russian to stress the reports were fake.

    ‘Reports about the death of King Charles III of Great Britain are fake,’ said the announcement, shortly after the British Embassy in Ukraine issued a similar message.

    Early outlets running the fake report were RIA, Sputnik, Readkovka and Mash – staunchly pro-Putin outlets – but all later corrected their stories.

    Mash media outlet wrote: ‘Britain’s King Charles III has died, Buckingham Palace reports. The son of Elizabeth II ascended the throne less than a year ago – the coronation took place on May 6, 2023. He was 75 years old.’

    It updated to say ‘the message turned out to be fake’ while adding: ‘Let us remember that a few months ago he was diagnosed with cancer.’

    But the outlet later stated: ‘The fake news about the death of Charles III quickly spread and was just as quickly debunked.

    ‘The King of Great Britain is alive and continues to go about his business. At least that’s what Buckingham Palace says.’

    Even Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joined the fray, posting: ‘London looks pathetic.’

    Pro-Kremlin BAZA online media posted: ‘The Russian media reported the death of British King Charles III with reference to a document allegedly published by Buckingham Palace.

    ‘The screenshot of the message about the death of Charles III turned out to be fake.’

    The fake palace announcement was dated today and said: ‘The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon.’

    Independent outlet Meduza stated: ‘A number of media and Telegram channels reported the death of the British King Charles III – with reference to a fake statement from Buckingham Palace.

    ‘A screenshot of the statement, which became a news source, is provided, in particular, by the BAZA Telegram channel.

    ‘This statement is not on the website or social networks of the royal family.’

    Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti corrected its earlier report while admitting it was based on ‘rumours’, stating: ‘The press service of Buckingham Palace denied RIA Novosti rumours about the death of King Charles III.

    ‘He continues to conduct official and private affairs.

    ‘Information about Charles’ death appeared some time ago in many Russian sources. The basis for it was a certain message, the authorship of which was attributed to Buckingham Palace and which, apparently, turned out to be a fake.’

    State news agency TASS reported that the story was fake.

    The Kremlin’s own newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, published by Putin’s government, wrote: ‘King Charles III continues to carry out work and private affairs, Buckingham Palace said.

    ‘Previously, many Telegram channels published unverified and false information about the death of the monarch.’

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    Trump Slams “Fake News Media” After Spin on Auto Industry “Bloodbath” Prediction

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    Former President Donald Trump slammed the media on Monday after multiple outlets ran out of context headlines on a prediction he made about there being a “bloodbath” in the auto industry job market due to President Joe Biden’s policies.

    NBC News, CBS News, Rolling Stone, and other outlets published headlines on Trump’s “bloodbath” comments excluding the fact that he was referring to American auto workers being hurt by Biden’s trade policies. Trump made the remarks during a speech in Ohio on Saturday.

    “The Fake News Media, and their Democrat Partners in the destruction of our Nation, pretended to be shocked at my use of the word BLOODBATH, even though they fully understood that I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “The United Auto Workers, but not their leadership, fully understand what I mean.”

    Trump also took a shot at Biden’s electric vehicle policies, which he said would lead to no cars being made in the United States.

    “With the Electric Car Mandate being pushed by Biden, there soon won’t be any cars made in the USA – UNLESS I’M ELECTED PRESIDENT, IN WHICH CASE AUTO MANUFACTURING WILL THRIVE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!! MAGA2024,” he said.

    During his Ohio rally, Trump said that China was building manufacturing plants in Mexico to sell cars in the United States “with no tax at the border.”

    “Let me tell you something to China, if you’re listening President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal,” he continued. “Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us?”

    “No. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going be able to sell those cars. If I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it,” he said.

    After the speech, NBC News ran a headline saying, “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election,” while CBS News said, “In Ohio campaign rally, Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses November election.” Biden’s campaign also commented, releasing a statement on the “bloodbath” remark without a single mention of cars but repeated mentions of violence.

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    Comer Says Biden Impeachment Inquiry Will Lead to ‘Multiple’ Criminal Referrals

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    The corruption-focused impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden will lead to criminal referrals, the lead investigator in the probe said on Sunday.

    House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) made the announcement on Fox News while discussing his plans to proceed with a public hearing this week even though Biden’s son, Hunter, declined to participate after he took part in a private deposition last month.

    “If he does not show up, then it’s not going to end well for the Bidens, because we have three witnesses that … have already testified under oath to significantly different stories as to what exactly the Biden influence peddling schemes were,” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” anchor Maria Bartiromo.

    “This is very serious, because we’re at the point now of criminal referrals,” Comer added. After Bartiromo asked the chairman how many criminal referrals were in the making, Comer said there would be “multiple” criminal referrals, but he did not say how many or exactly who would be receiving them.

    Biden and his defenders have sought to counter the impeachment effort, calling it a “sham” inquiry lacking impeachable offenses. Still, the president’s denials of being involved in his family members’ business dealings have been belied by evidence of Biden meeting and speaking with their associates.

    Comer said there has been “massive obstruction” from the White House and the Biden legal team. Still, congressional investigations have been “able to get probably 80% of the information that we have requested,” he said.

    “We have accumulated lots of evidence of wrongdoing, from the 170 suspicious activity reports, to the multiple shell companies that were used to launder the money and then send the ten different Biden family members incremental payments, all the payments from Romania, from Kazakhstan, from Ukraine, from Russia that were sent to the Bidens during — most of which was — happened during Joe Biden’s tenure as vice president of the United States,” Comer said.

    “We have given the Bidens opportunities to explain what business they were actually in. And, as of this point, I can’t tell you a single legitimate business the Bidens had, other than they were influence peddling,” Comer added. “And I think most Americans would agree that we don’t need the immediate family of our President of the United States profiting to the tune of tens of millions of dollars from our adversaries around the world.”

    He continued, “So we’re at the point of holding people accountable for criminal wrongdoing. And I think we have already demonstrated several instances of criminal mischief by multiple members of the Biden family.”

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    United Airlines CEO Tries to Reassure Customers That the Airline Is Safe Despite Recent Incidents

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    United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby reassured flyers in a letter this week that the carrier is looking into the string of incidents that have recently involved its planes, from engine and structural issues to a wheel falling off during takeoff.

    At least six unrelated incidents have occurred on planes operated by United since the end of February. Five of them involved a Boeing plane.

    “Safety is our highest priority and is at the center of everything we do,” Kirby said in a letter sent to United customers. “Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety.”

    While the incidents were all unrelated, they “have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” Kirby said in the letter.

    Safety Concerns

    Last week, a Boeing 777 was forced to turn around midflight after leaving Sydney due to a hydraulic leak.

    A few days earlier, an Airbus A320, en route to Mexico City, was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after a reported hydraulics issue.

    Shortly before that, a Boeing 737 “rolled onto the grass” at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after landing, and a Boeing 777-200 aircraft bound for Japan lost a tire shortly after taking off in San Fransisco.

    Earlier this month, a flight from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, made an emergency landing after experiencing an engine issue. A video showed flames spewing out of one of the plane’s engines as a crew member acknowledged the situation.

    In February, a Boeing 757 operated by United diverted to address an issue with the slat on the wing of the aircraft. A passenger reported seeing the wing “coming apart” and missing noticeable chunks during the flight.

    Kirby said United is currently in the process of reviewing the details of each incident to better understand what happened. The airline is using those insights to “inform our safety training and procedures across all employee groups,” he continued.

    The company already planned to give pilots an extra day of in-person training starting in May, according to Kirby. United has also already created a centralized training curriculum for new-hire maintenance technicians.

    “We’re also dedicating more resources to supplier network management,” Kirby added.

    The chief executive said he is empowering the company’s team to “speak up” if they see something wrong. Still, he said that passengers can still “be confident that every time a United plane pulls away from the gate, everyone on our team is working together to keep you safe on your trip.”

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    Study: How Google Has “Interfered 41 Times” in US Elections Since 2008

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    Google has “interfered” with major elections in the United States 41 times over the last 16 years, according to a new study from the Media Research Center.

    “MRC researchers have found 41 times where Google interfered in elections over the last 16 years, and its impact has surged dramatically, making it evermore harmful to democracy. In every case, Google harmed the candidates – regardless of party – who threatened its left-wing candidate of choice,” MRC Free Speech America vice president Dan Schneider and editor Gabriela Pariseau wrote in a summary of their findings.

    “From the mouths of Google executives, the tech giant let slip what was never meant to be made public: That Google uses its “great strength and resources and reach” to advance its leftist values,” they continued. “Google’s outsized influence on information technology, the body politic and American elections became evident in 2008. After failing to prevent then-candidate for president Donald Trump from being inaugurated following the 2016 election, Google has since made clear to any discerning observer that it has been — and will continue — interfering in America’s elections.”

    Google pushed back, insisting it has a “clear business incentive” to keep both sides happy and that safeguards ensure non-biased and accurate search results.

    MRC Free Speech America, a division of the conservative Media Research Center, believes the most recent example was recorded after Google artificial intelligence Gemini “refused to answer questions damaging” to President Biden.

    The group’s research found that from 2008 through February 2024, “Google has utilized its power to help push to electoral victory the most liberal candidates, regardless of party, while targeting their opponents for censorship.”

    Examples include appearing to favor Barack Obama over John McCain in 2008, favoring Obama over Mitt Romney in 2012, refusing to correct a “Google bomb” that “smeared” then-leading GOP primary candidate for president Rick Santorum, using its algorithm to exclude autofill results that were potentially damaging to Hilly Clinton in 2016, “not doing the same for then-candidates Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders,” and working with partners to help likely pro-Clinton Latino voters go to the polls that same year, according to MRC Free Speech America.

    Other examples cited by the MRC include disabling Tulsi Gabbard’s Ads account just as she became the most searched candidate following the first Democratic Party primary debate in 2020, suppressing news critical of Biden, concealing most Republican campaign websites for the 12 competitive Senate races in 2022, and aiding Biden in 2024 by “burying in its search results the campaign websites of every one of his significant opponents.”

    The study cites several other examples.

    “Utilizing the many tools in its arsenal, Google aided those who most closely aligned with its leftist values from election cycle to election cycle since as far back as the 2008 presidential election. Meanwhile, it targeted for censorship those candidates who posed the most serious threat,” Schneider and Pariseau wrote.

    “While its interference was first evident in 2008, its meddling has turned into an organizational mission to ensure that its candidates win on election day,” they continued. “Many studies reveal the results of the tech giant’s commitment.”

    Schneider and Pariseau cited AllSides and Dr. Robert Epstein, who performed additional research and found that “Google’s search algorithm likely shifted at least 2.6 million votes to Hillary Clinton” in 2016 and that “Google’s results and get-out-the-vote reminders favored Democrats and shifted the 2020 election results by at least 6 million votes.”

    Google strongly denied any wrongdoing.

    “There is absolutely nothing new here – just a recycled list of baseless, inaccurate complaints that have been debunked by third parties and many that failed in the courts. Politicians on the left have a long history of making similar claims too. We have a clear business incentive to keep everyone using our products, so we have no desire to make them biased or inaccurate and have safeguards in place to ensure this. Numerous conservatives have been particularly successful in using our platforms to spread their message to a wide audience,” a Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

    Google has said it is restricting the types of election-related queries on Gemini out of an abundance of caution, directing users to Google Search instead. As for Gabbard’s ads, Google points to a federal judge dismissing a lawsuit she filed against the company on the matter.

    MRC Free Speech America offered three recommendations.

    The conservative watchdog feels Speaker Mike Johnson should “direct relevant committees and committee chairmen to investigate Google for abridging people’s constitutional rights” by “coordinating with government to violate freedom of speech,” “interfering in elections by making unreported in-kind contributions,” and for “defrauding its users by failing to meet its Terms of Service.”

    The group also feels state legislatures should resolve any question of whether Google is a common carrier and urged Americans should stop using Google products, particularly its search engine.

    “From our research, alternatives appear to produce better, less biased results,” Schneider and Pariseau wrote.

    Media Research Center founder and president Brent Bozell urged Congress to act.

    “No organization has more control over information than Google, and they have repeatedly used that power to manipulate the public to vote for the most left-wing candidates in every major election since 2008. It’s un-American to attempt to manipulate elections this way. It’s time Congress acts to shut down this massive election interference scheme,” Bozell told Fox News Digital.

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    WATCH: Don Lemon Releases Interview with Elon Musk

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    Don Lemon’s comeback show with Elon Musk saw the duo get into a tetchy exchange over his alleged heavy drug use, in a wide-ranging interview that included arguments over his Twitter habits and relationship with Donald Trump.

    The former CNN anchor claimed last week that Musk was ‘so upset’ by the interview that he cancelled their deal to exclusively share the show on X.

    In the wide-ranging grilling – which at times sounded more like a deposition than an interview – Lemon took issue with the Tesla CEO’s stance on woke ideology, racism, trans rights and drug use.

    The pair frequently disagreed, and traded barbs about neither having ‘evidence’ to back up their claims. Musk told him that users on X would correct any discrepancies in real time as they watched the interview.

    When quizzed over his prescription ketamine use, Musk appeared to take offense to Lemon’s questioning and said it is ‘pretty private to ask somebody about a medical prescription.’

    Watch:

    As of Monday morning Musk has not responded to the release of the interview, however several commentators have waded in to condemn Lemon’s approach to the interrogation.

    ‘The Don Lemon interview is the worst piece of media I’ve ever seen,’ said commentator Benny Johnson. ‘Nothing else even comes close. Offensive to the eyes & intellect… Oh this is painful.’

    Others noted the seemingly low viewership numbers that the show received in the hours after it was shared, drawing just over 80,000 views in five hours. In comparison, Tucker Carlson’s first X show drew a total of 120 million views.

    Conservative pundit Liz Wheeler criticized the questioning over Musk’s drug use, saying: ‘My jaw dropped. Don Lemon had the AUDACITY to ask Elon Musk what doctors prescribe him medication for… Kudos to Elon for handling that INSANELY rude question with class.’

    Drug Use

    As the topic fell on Musk’s private life, he brushed off claims he is a heavy partier and seemed to try and direct the conversation back towards his work.

    ‘I think anyone who smokes pot can tell I don’t know how to smoke pot,’ he said, adding his infamous toke on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2018 was just ‘one puff.’

    Musk has previously hailed the benefits of ketamine use for treating depression, and told Lemon that those that are struggling with their mental health should ‘talk to their doctor about ketamine instead of SSRI’s.’

    ‘There are times when I have a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression I guess, or depression that’s not linked to any negative news, and ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,’ he added.

    When asked if he has ever ‘abused’ the tranquilizing drug, Musk continued: ‘I don’t think so… if you use too much ketamine you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work.’

    ‘It’s a prescription from a real doctor, not a, you know…’ he added, as the conversation stalled and became awkward.

    ‘Putting in 16-hour days, that’s normal for me, and it’s rare for me to even take off a weekend day, so I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.

    ‘I can’t really get wasted.’

    Musk noted that he will take a ‘small amount’ of ketamine every other week on average, and often ‘there will be several weeks go by that I don’t use it.’

    Cancelled show

    The show’s release on Monday comes a week after Lemon’s comeback was rocked before the interview was ever published, as he claimed Musk axed their deal in response to Lemon’s line of questioning.

    On X, Musk countered that he decided to end his partnership with the show after finding Lemon’s approach was ‘basically just CNN, but on social media.’

    ‘And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity,’ he said, referencing Lemon’s ex-CNN boss.

    A source added to the New York Post that Musk was ‘underwhelmed’ at the end of the interview, and canned it after ‘realizing how bad it was.’

    The two have since traded barbs online in the week since, as Musk branded Lemon a ‘pompous fool’ while Lemon challenged him to ‘actually watch it.’

    Allegations also emerged that Lemon had made a number of demands in his X contract, which included a Tesla Cybertruck, an equity stake in X and a $5 million upfront bonus.

    Much of the interview centered on Lemon asking Musk about his private life and allegations that have been made against him, including at one point directly asking him: ‘Do you suffer from depression?’

    ‘I ask as someone who has suffered from depression,’ Lemon said in an attempt to qualify the question.

    ‘I wouldn’t say that I have a case of extended depression, it’s just once in a while I get into a negative chemical mind state,’ Musk responded.

    The two also failed to agree on the facts in Lemon’s questioning, as when Lemon claimed that hate speech has increased since Musk bought X, he replied: ‘That is false.’

    Relationship with Donald Trump

    Earlier in the show, Lemon asked Musk about his relationship with Donald Trump, as the billionaire has frequently shared right-wing jokes and comments online that have linked him to the former president’s run for the White House.

    Lemon referenced a recent meeting between Musk and Trump in Florida, which the billionaire brushed off as a chance encounter rather than a scheduled meeting.

    ‘I was at a breakfast at a friend’s place, and Donald Trump came by, that’s it,’ he said.

    When asked what the two of them discussed, Musk paused and laughed, appearing to flounder for an answer for several seconds.

    ‘He did most of the talking,’ he said with a laugh.

    ‘Of all the things he said, there wasn’t really anything groundbreaking or new. But he, you know… President Trump likes to talk.’

    When the meeting was revealed, it sparked rumors that Musk could put his huge fortune behind the former president. However, he quickly denied he had any plans to do so.

    ‘While I’ll voice my opinion (on the presidential race), I think I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale voluntarily.’

    Musk responded with a blunt ‘no’ to several questions on the topic, including whether he plans to help Trump pay for his mounting legal bills.

    Racism and DEI

    Musk has courted controversy since buying Twitter, now X, in April 2022, and has used it as a platform to take on ‘woke’ issues including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in corporate America.

    He argued that ‘trying to make everything a race issue is divisive or corrosive to society’, and felt that race is given too much importance in the minds of many.

    ‘I think we should not make this a constant subject I think we need to move on. I think we need to treat people as people,’ he continued.

    ‘But I think we want to look to the future rather than the past. Because if you look at history everyone was a slave. We are all descended from slaves, it’s just a question of whether it was less recently or more recently.’

    Musk argued that DEI lowers standards, using the example of surgeons to claim that if they received their job through DEI, they may be more likely to make a medical mistake.

    Lemon then interrupted that there was ‘no evidence of that’, leading to a tense moment as Musk repeated, ‘I think there is’ while Lemon insisted there wasn’t.

    ‘They literally lowered the standards at Duke University… are you saying they didn’t?’ Musk said. ‘I believe that is a false statement you’re making.’

    Musk grew irate as Lemon repeated that he was citing a ‘hypothetical’ scenario where a surgeon kills a patient as a result of DEI, angrily responding: ‘I didn’t say it was happening, I said it will!’

    ‘Do you believe that women and minority pilots are inherently less intelligent and less skilled than white pilots?’ Lemon asked, again angering Musk as he responded with a quick ‘no.’

    ‘I’m just saying we should not lower the standards for them,’ he said, challenging Lemon to read replies on X for ‘all the evidence’ that standards are lower under DEI.

    Lemon claimed that Musk was ‘insulting’ him as he implied that Musk was arguing that he hadn’t been discriminated against in his life, which the Tesla chief batted off and insisted that wasn’t what he was saying.

    ‘You keep putting words in my mouth,’ he responded.

    ‘I’m saying that we as a country should move beyond questions of race and gender, and we should treat people as individuals.’

    Trans Rights

    Lemon also took aim at Musk’s past remarks on trans rights, bringing up an old tweet where Musk said that having pronouns in your bio means the ‘woke mind virus ate your brain.’

    Musk’s daughter Vivian came out as transgender several years ago, and they appear to be estranged. When she sought a legal name change in 2022 to Vivian Jenna Wilson, she said: ‘I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.’

    The topic of transgender rights has since become a common theme of Musk’s jokes, and Lemon said he ‘writes a lot about that on the thing’ – presumably meaning X.

    ‘Do you know what the term woke actually means?’ Lemon asked.

    Musk countered that the term has ‘come to mean a lot of things’, to which Lemon cut him off by noting the original meaning was to have an understanding of ‘inequities in society.’

    Great Replacement Theory

    Musk sparked backlash late last year after branding an anti-Semitic post about the ‘Great Replacement Theory’ the ‘actual truth’.

    The theory alleges that Jewish communities are orchestrating the reduction of white populations in Western countries by replacing them with mass immigration.

    His tweet led a number of advertisers to leave X, and Musk later visited Auschwitz in an apology tour where he admitted the post was ‘foolish.’

    He has also claimed that Democrats push immigration to get ‘more votes’, a claim that Lemon took issue with in his interview as he noted that undocumented immigrants can’t vote, so ‘how is that possible?’

    ‘You’re conflating two things,’ Musk responded, as he argued that he ‘doesn’t subscribe’ to the Great Replacement Theory.

    ‘Immigrants have, at least from what I’ve read, a very strong bias to vote Democrat,’ he said.

    While they cannot legally vote, Musk said that censuses also count non-citizens, and the states that have higher immigration therefore receive more representation in Congress.

    He cited higher numbers of illegal immigrants in California and New York, and claimed that not counting them in Congressional representation would lead Democrats to lose approximately 20 seats in the House.

    When Musk claimed the same is true with the presidential Electoral College, Lemon responded that the Electoral College system actually mathematically helps Republicans.

    In another tense exchange, Musk responded: ‘I think that statement is true, but I think that what I said is also true.’

    Tesla

    While much of the interview centered on Musk himself and his personal life, Lemon also quizzed him on the upcoming release of the new Tesla Roadster.

    Musk has said that deliveries of the vehicle, which has been in the works since 2017, may finally be ready for 2025, and has claimed it will be the fastest car of all time with a 0-60mph acceleration in under a second.

    ‘Are there any kind of updates?’ Lemon said, adding a jab that Tesla stock has dropped. ‘What’s next for the company?’

    ‘The stock’s going to go up and down, but what really matters is, are we making and delivering great products?’ he replied.

    ‘The Tesla products are outstanding,’ Musk continued. ‘Last year, the Tesla Model Y was the best selling car of any kind in the world.

    ‘We launched the Cybertruck, that’s obviously being very well received… So, it’s a really special product.’

    At the conclusion of the show, Lemon remarked that he knew Musk had to leave soon so he offered him a ‘rapid fire’ final question – if the billionaire would ‘change anything that you’ve done’ from any stage of his life.

    ‘I have made many mistakes over the years,’ he said. ‘If I had a time machine I’d go back and fix them, but I don’t have a time machine.’

    Lemon closed the interview with a brief monologue saying: ‘And that’s it. And as Elon would say, you be the judge.

    ‘Let me tell you something about this show. The conversation doesn’t end just because the camera stops. We’ll see you next time.’

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    Wild Pics Show Spring Break Mayhem in Miami Beach as Cops Bust Over 250 Partiers

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    Wild photos show the chaos of spring break revelry in Miami Beach as officials confirmed they have busted over 250 partygoers despite dramatic preemptive crackdowns by the city, including a midnight curfew implemented over the weekend.

    The hotspot for spring breakers implemented a curfew that began at 11:59 p.m. and continued until 6 a.m. from Friday through Monday.

    The curfews came in response to last year’s mayhem that resulted in nearly 500 arrests, the seizure of 105 guns and two fatal shootings.

    Despite the measures, cops in the party town have already made 256 spring break-related busts from March 1 to March 16, according to Christopher Bess, a spokesman for the Miami Beach Police Department.

    Photos show some arrests made Friday as droves of scantily clad men and women raged for hours of rampant partying during the day and at night.

    In preparation for the annual celebration, Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched at least 140 state troopers to the locale, along with drones and license plate readers to proactively curb violence.

    DeSantis vowed to crack down on crime for the event.

    “We welcome people to come and have a good time. What we don’t welcome is criminal activity,” DeSantis warned. “What we don’t welcome is mayhem and people who want to wreak havoc on our communities.”

    And last month, the city announced in a messaging campaign that it is “breaking up with spring break.”

    In a video for the campaign, a woman warned, “This March, you can expect things like curfews, bag checks and restricted beach access, DUI checkpoints, $100 parking and strong police enforcement for drug possession and violence.”

    In a statement to The Post, Miami police said the situation was managed effectively and officers were able to keep the crowd under control.

    “While some arrests were made during the evening, we can confirm that all incidents were handled efficiently and in a controlled manner by our law enforcement personnel,” the Miami Police Department said.

    The city experienced three years in a row of violence during the co-ed bash that inevitably descended into anarchy.

    In nearby Fort Lauderdale, roughly 10 “isolated” spring break-related arrests have been made from March 4 through March 12, in incidents involving disorderly conduct, drugs, thefts and battery of law enforcement, according to Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokesperson Casey Liening.

    “Our spring break crowds have been as expected so far this year, with this week being the busiest week we are anticipating,” Liening said.

    Liening added that they haven’t had “any major issue or disturbances” that would have forced mass arrests.

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    One Dead, Two Injured After Gunman Opens Fire During St Patrick’s Day Celebration in Florida

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    One person has been killed and two other have been injured after a gunman opened fire in the beachfront Bar District at Jacksonville Beach in Florida.

    Around 10 gunshots rang out sending hundreds of people who had been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on a warm spring evening, rushing out onto the beach in order to escape the terror.

    One of those hit is said to be in serious condition while a third victim has non-life-threatening injuries.

    Revelers ran onto the sands in sheer terror as gunshots could be heard ringing out from the boardwalk.

    Police have closed off an eight block area and have completely shut down the beachfront Bar District ‘until further notice’ while the suspects are still at large.

    Officers say they are still trying to work out if there were in fact multiple shooters.

    The incident happened on the boardwalk close to Jacksonville Beach Pier near 2nd Ave N & 1st St N.

    ‘We got here and everybody was safe and next thing you know there was things going down,’ said the owner of Salt Bar & Restaurant to News4Jax.

    ‘People got scared. There was a few people who were worried about getting shot from blind bullets, but the boardwalk is a public beach and sometimes people come out that maybe shouldn’t be here.’

    Jacksonville Beach Police Department first revealed they were working an active shooter incident in the downtown area just after 9pm on Sunday night.

    The Department asked those in the area to shelter in place until the all-clear was given which came just after 11pm. Officers say they are working on getting descriptions of the suspects.

    Sergeant Tonya Tator with the Jacksonville Beach Police said authorities are still looking for suspects

    ‘If anyone knows or sees anything, they are asked to call the Jacksonville Beach Police Department’, Tator told reporters, while confirming the shooting happened ‘out in the open’, rather than inside a bar.

    The downtown area was busy with plenty of revelers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and enjoying Spring Break.

    Jacksonville Beach Mayor Christine Hofmann said she was at the scene to show support for officers. Multiple agencies were at the scene from across the region.

    Hofmann said business owners acted bravely on what was a particularly busy weekend.

    “We have a lot going on out here. The fact we had a couple of bad actors out here that really made a dangerous situation for everyone is extremely tragic and unfortunate,’ Hoffman said to First Coast News.

    Law enforcement agencies have been on heightened alert across the entire state of Florida with the popular Spring Break getaway underway.

    Earlier this month, Governor DeSantis said 17 law enforcement agencies had requested extra Florida Highway Patrol troopers to help patrol their communities because of spring breakers.

    The Jacksonville Beach Police Department, however, was not one of them.

    ‘If you have any information that can assist us, please call 904-270-1661,’ read a post on the police Facebook page and the Jacksonville Beach Emergency Preparedness X account.

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    Putin Wins Russia Election in Landslide

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin is projected to win Russia’s election in a record post-Soviet landslide on Sunday, extending his rule for at least another six years, according to exit polls.

    Putin clinched 87.8 percent of the vote, according to an exit poll as the polls closed Sunday from the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). This is the highest voting percentage in Russia’s post-Soviet history, and the first official results suggest FOM’s early polls are accurate, Reuters reported Sunday.

    A preliminary statement from Russia’s Central Election Commission said Putin received about 87 percent of the votes, deeming him the winner of the election, according to multiple media outlets. The commission also reportedly said voter turnout was about 75 percent nationwide.

    The results are poised to hand Putin his fifth term since first being elected as Russia’s president more than 20 years ago in late 1999. The win will make Putin Russia’s longest-serving leader since Catherine the Great in 1796, surpassing the record held by former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, Reuters reported.

    Prior to Putin’s rule, the Russian Constitution allowed for presidents to serve just two successive terms of four years, but amendments made in 2008 under Putin’s rule lengthened the presidential term to six years. Amendments in 2020 removed the rule that presidents could not serve more than two terms, per Reuters.

    FOM’s exit polls showed communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov followed in second with a little under 5 percent of the vote, while Vladislav Davankov of the New People party came in third with more than 3 percent of the vote. Leonid Slutsky, an ultra-nationalist, came in fourth, per the exit polls.

    Putin’s win comes as no surprise, with two other official opponents previously barred from the ballots due to opposition against the Ukraine invasion.

    The election drew a massive protest on Sunday from thousands who attempted to cast ballots against Putin.

    Putin has faced increasing opposition since the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a remote Arctic penal colony last month. Navalny endorsed the scheduled protest days before he died.

    The Kremlin has rejected accusations from other Russian opposition leaders and Western governments that Putin is to blame for Navalny’s death.

    Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, participated in Sunday’s protest and vowed to continue fighting against Putin.

    “Thank you very much to the wonderful, best people who stood with me today from 12 noon for a whole six hours, side by side in line at the polling station. Thank you for coming, crying, laughing. Thank you for endlessly shouting ‘Yulia, we are with you’ and ‘Navalny’ and telling me that I gave you back hope,” she wrote in a post on social media.

    “In fact, of course, it’s the other way around — it’s you who give me hope that everything is not in vain, that we will fight on. Thank you to all of you who came out in every city around the world. You are my support and buttress. I love you all very much,” she added.

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    WATCH: FDNY Commissioner Booed at St. Patrick’s Day Parade After Call to “Hunt Down” Letitia James Hecklers

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    The New York City Fire Department’s fire commissioner was booed and jeered at by protesters during a lively St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Big Apple.

    “You suck,” one protester yelled at New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire commissioner Laura Kavanaugh as she paraded by Trump Tower. “Firefighters are the hunters.”

    The outburst against Kavanaugh came after the city official promised to “hunt” down the protesters who booed Attorney General Letitia James when she took the stage at a ceremony last week.

    One protester held a protester with Kavanaugh face on the body of a donkey.

    “Pin the tail on the jacka–,” the poster said.

    Later in the video, FDNY members were seen stopping to wave and shake hands with the protesters.

    “Trump, Trump, Trump,” the protesters yelled.

    The controversy began after booing erupted as James walked up to the podium to honor the swearing-in of the first Black female chaplain of the FDNY, the Rev. Pamela Holmes, as well as other first responders at a promotion ceremony on Thursday at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.

    “Oh, c’mon, we’re in a house of God. Simmer down,” James told the rowdy crowd. “Thank you for getting it out of your system.”

    As James continued her remarks, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Trump!”

    Following the interruption, Hodgen’s wrote that the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) would “hunt” down the firefighters who were there.

    “BITS is investigating this, so they will figure out who the members are,” Hodgens was said to have warned in an email to high-ranking FDNY officials Friday. “I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the Commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward, and we don’t have to hunt them down.”

    The FDNY downplayed reports it was hunting anyone to begin with following an eruption from firefighters.

    “Nobody is hunting anyone down,” FDNY spokesman Jim Long told Fox News Digital in an email. “We’re looking into those who clearly broke department regulations. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about professionalism at an official event held in a house of worship.”

    The department further softened its language, saying that leadership is having a “conversation” about “decorum.”

    “FDNY leadership is having ongoing conversations with our members about decorum during department events to ensure we are upholding the core values that make the FDNY the greatest fire department in the world,” a spokesperson told Fox News. “Being a NYC firefighter is an honor, and we will continue to impress upon our members that their actions impact everyone who wears the uniform.”

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    Chicago Begins Evicting 2,000 Illegal Aliens from City Shelters

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    Chicago officials on Sunday began evicting some migrants from shelters, joining other cities that have made similar moves to ease pressure on overstretched resources.

    The process is starting gradually. Out of the nearly 11,000 migrants living in 23 homeless shelters in Chicago, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, a fraction — 34 single adults — were required to leave on Sunday.

    Many people will be eligible for exemptions. They will be determined on a case-by-case basis, city officials said, for pregnant women, people with certain medical issues and migrants who are already in the process of securing housing. Families with children can receive renewable 30-day extensions.

    But officials said that more than 2,000 people would be evicted by the end of April. And many families with children may be forced to exit the shelter network altogether by the summer.

    Backed by an army of volunteers, Chicago and other cities have found shelter for migrants, enrolled their children in schools, provided food assistance and held workshops to help them fill out paperwork to apply for work permits.

    But housing migrants has been draining city coffers — Chicago has received more than 37,000 migrants since August 2022. Overall, in the past year, hundreds of thousands of migrants have ended up in large cities.

    The evictions are placing even more pressure on the volunteers as they scramble to fill the void. Many of them said they had grave concerns about the impact, particularly when they begin to apply to families.

    “There is a lot of fear there will be people in the streets,” said Annie Gomberg, whose volunteer group, People’s Shelter Response, has been assisting migrant families in Chicago.

    For families in the shelters, there was confusion and worry as news spread of the policy.

    A Venezuelan migrant named Nelly, who declined to share her last name for fear of retribution, said that her family’s allotted time in the shelter would expire on March 19. “The social worker said that there was no extension order, and we are waiting for the actual day to arrive to find out what happens,” she said.

    A mother of two special-needs children, ages 5 and 6, and a former dental hygienist in her home country, she said that neither she nor her husband had found jobs because they still lacked work permits. “It’s an anguishing situation,” she said, “because we can’t make money.”

    For months, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration had delayed enforcing a 60-day limit on shelter stays amid frigid temperatures and concerns over the repercussions of evicting people who might have nowhere to go.

    A progressive Democrat who took office last year, the mayor has repeatedly struck a welcoming tone toward migrants from Central and South America, while criticizing Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas for orchestrating charter buses that have brought tens of thousands of migrants to Chicago.

    But citing limited city services, Mr. Johnson decided to begin enforcing the limit. And Chicago is not alone.

    Denver began to clear hotels housing migrants in February. The city has received about 40,000 migrants.

    The number of arrivals has declined since late last year, as they have in Chicago. So far this month, Denver has received 11 charter buses from the border, compared with seven in February — substantially fewer than in December, when 144 buses unloaded migrants. Still, the large number of newcomers has overwhelmed the city.

    “What we have been doing actively is working with nonprofits day and night to help families secure housing,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesman for Denver Human Services.

    “But we don’t have resources to do this forever, and the nonprofits don’t either,” he said. “It’s very, very important to keep the numbers down.”
    Hundreds of local families have been hosting migrants, and more are expected to do so in the coming months.

    In New York, where the migrant shelter population stands at about 65,000, the city will begin limiting the amount of time most adult migrants can remain in shelters to 30 days.

    Some would be allowed to stay longer if they met certain criteria. The new cap on shelter stays represents a major shift in the city’s right-to-shelter policy, and it is a culmination of months of negotiations in state court.

    The city had already imposed limits on how long migrants could stay in several shelters, evicting many and requiring them to reapply if they still wanted a bed, which is also part of the new policy in Chicago.

    Families still have 60 days before they have to leave shelters, and can ask to be readmitted under the new rules. The city has said that 80 percent of evicted migrants end up giving up and voluntarily not trying to remain in the shelter system.

    In all the cities, the biggest impediment to the migrants achieving self-sufficiency has been their inability to secure steady jobs without employment authorization, a permit that gives them the legal right to work in the United States. Migrants who have crossed the border illegally and seek asylum are eligible for employment authorization but can only apply for the benefit 150 days after they have filed their asylum claim in immigration court.

    Many migrants are finding odd jobs, but they have been unable to save enough money to afford skyrocketing rents and support their families in expensive cities, creating a burden on social services. The cities’ mayors, struggling with busted budgets, have pleaded for assistance from the federal government.

    In a statement on Friday, Mayor Johnson said his city “is committed to compassion. By encouraging resettlement while also providing case-specific extensions with a focus on health and safety, we are advancing a pathway to stability and self-sufficiency.”

    Although migrants in Chicago who are evicted will have the option of returning to the city’s so-called landing zone, an intake center, to apply for admission to a different facility, the potential to be repeatedly uprooted is problematic, especially for families with children in school.

    “There is so much uncertainty and concern,” said Erika Villegas, a volunteer who has helped families secure apartments. “The families are wondering, ‘When is it going to be me next?’”

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    Creditors Demand Giuliani Sell His $3.5 Million Florida Condo to Pay Debts

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    Creditors want to force Rudy Giuliani to sell his $3.5 million Florida condo to help pay his significant debts, according to a court document filed on Friday.

    The former New York City mayor filed for bankruptcy protection in December, citing myriad unpaid debts including a $148 million payment to two Georgia election poll workers who he falsely claimed had tampered with the 2020 election ballots while he was serving as a lawyer for former President Donald Trump.

    In response to Friday’s filing, Giuliani’s counsel said the request to sell the Florida condo is “extremely premature.”

    “The case is still in its infancy,” said Heath Berger, partner at Berger, Fischoff, Shumer, Wexler & Goodman, LLP, who is representing Giuliani in his bankruptcy litigation.

    Giuliani has argued that he does not have the funds to pay his debts, the Friday court filing said: “According to the Debtor’s counsel, ‘there’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.’”

    Giuliani’s primary income comes from Social Security payments and money from his Individual Retirement Account, Berger told CNBC.

    But the court document cited various expenses Giuliani pays now to maintain his lifestyle.

    For example, Giuliani spends tens of thousands of dollars a month to maintain his Florida condo. In January, according to the document, he also racked up more than $26,200 in credit card payments on 60 Amazon transactions, with charges for Netflix, Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Paramount+, Uber rides and more.

    “Unfortunately, like everybody else, that’s like a debit card for him,” Berger said. “We don’t believe that there’s anything out of the ordinary, outside of normal living expenses.”

    Creditors see his real estate assets as fair game to recoup what is owed. They said his “pre-war co-op” apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side is exempt since it is his primary residence.

    However, the document said, Giuliani spends “approximately 20-30% of his time in Florida” and therefore creditors claimed the $3.5 million condo must be sold.

    “It is merely a matter of when, not if, the Debtor will have to sell the Florida Condo in order to distribute the proceeds thereof to creditors,” the filing said.

    But Giuliani is in the process of selling the Manhattan apartment and is looking to relocate to his Florida residence full-time, Berger said.

    “The Manhattan property is more expensive to maintain. It’s worth more so there’ll be a greater distribution to creditors from the sale of that property,” Berger told CNBC.

    Berger added that payments related to his divorce “will be coming to a conclusion … within the next year or so.”

    Creditors also demanded that Giuliani secure homeowners insurance for his Florida and New York City residences since they are his two most valuable assets and “if anything were to happen to either of them, such loss would be a significant impediment to creditor recoveries.”

    Giuliani has claimed he cannot afford the insurance, the court document said.

    The former Trump adviser has faced a slew of legal woes for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election results, all of which have helped land him in bankruptcy court. His bankruptcy filing from December estimated that he has between $1 million and $10 million worth of assets and nearly $152 million to pay off, including what is owed to the IRS and law firms.

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    Tyson Foods Closes Iowa Plant but Looks to Hire 42,000 Immigrant Workers

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    Tyson Foods says it would like to hire 42,000 immigrants to fill positions just days after the company announced it would close a plant in Iowa that employed about 1,200 people.

    Tyson is joining Tent Partnership for Refugees, a nonprofit that works to get refugees hired, and it plans on hiring at least some of the more than 180,000 migrants who have gone through New York City’s intake system over the past two years, Bloomberg reported last week.

    About 42,000 of Tyson’s 120,000 U.S. employees are immigrants, and Garrett Dolan, who is in charge of the company’s efforts to overcome barriers to employment, including immigration status, said, “We would like to employ another 42,000 if we could find them.”

    Following the Bloomberg report, Tyson stressed that it only hires people who are legally authorized to work in the United States.

    “We have a history of strong hiring practices, and anybody who is legally able is welcome to apply to open job listings,” the company said, according to Fox Business.

    “Tyson Foods is strongly opposed to illegal immigration, and we led the way in participating in the two major government programs to help employers combat unlawful employment, E-Verify and the Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program.”

    Meanwhile, the company said on Monday last week that it would permanently close a pork plant in Perry, Iowa, which would result in the elimination of about 1,200 jobs, per Reuters.

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    Disturbing Video: Helpless Student Attacked at Minn. Middle School

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    A shocking video captured by a local outlet shows the exact moment a mob of thugs viciously assaulted a terrified middle school student at a Minnesota middle school.

    According to Crime Watch Minneapolis, this disturbing incident occurred Friday at Eagle Ridge Middle School in Savage, which is located approximately 20 miles south of Minneapolis.

    The video obtained by Crime Watch Minneapolis starts by showing the middle school kid cornered against a locker by laughing bullies.

    Then, two portly boys begin whaling on the helpless student as he tries desperately to avoid their punches.

    The rest of the crowd swarms the victim, and pandemonium ensues before the video clip ends.

    WATCH:

    Savage Police told the Daily Mail they did not receive a report on the incident.

    This latest incident comes just over a week after 16-year-old Missouri student Kaylee Gain was severely beaten by another girl blocks away from her high school. The innocent girl was left having a seizure on the floor after her head was slammed multiple times onto the concrete.

    Gain also suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. The girl’s grandmother, Terry Nordstrom Thompson, posted online that Gain “may not recover” from the horrifying assault.

    Thompson went on to say she would provide an update on her granddaughter soon.

    This is also far from the first horrifying incident involving individuals at Eagle Ridge Middle School. Mohamed Ali Selim, who was the principal at Eagle Ridge Middle School, was arrested in May 2022 after trying to hire a 15-year-old girl for sex. The person he contacted was actually an undercover police officer working a sex trafficking and prostitution sting operation.

    Selim resigned from his job a week later and was sentenced in November 2022 to 30 days in the county workhouse and three years of probation.

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    Evidence Discovered in Search for College Student Who Went Missing in Nashville

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    Police have discovered a bank card near a Nashville river in their desperate search for missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain, who vanished nine days ago.

    Strain, 22, was last seen on March 8 at Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink on Broadway, which is owned by country superstar Luke Bryan, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

    The Delta Chi fraternity member was in Tennessee on a group trip for their annual spring formal when he was kicked out of the bar around 10 p.m. for unknown reasons.

    Nashville Metro Police said Thursday that they were utilizing a boat to continue their search along the Cumberland River.

    On Sunday, they confirmed that a bank card belonging to Strain was found on the embankment near Gay Street, which is a three minute walk from the Downtown Smoke & Vape Shop on Church Street where he was last seen on video.

    Authorities said at a media availability Sunday that the search for the 22-year-old continues.

    On Wednesday, video obtained by WKRN showed Strain near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Church Street.

    He is seen wearing a two-toned black and brown shirt and blue jeans taking a tumble then quickly getting back up and continuing down the street.

    Another camera caught near the intersection of Gay Street and 1st Avenue North just before 10 p.m. taking large strides with his head down as he stumbled through the streets.

    ‘We feel like when he came out, because they had been to a couple of other places, that he had got turned around on the direction,’ said Strain’s stepfather Chris Whiteid.

    Additional surveillance footage released by the Nashville police show him wobbling and appearing confused as he crossed a closed road near the water.

    The next morning, his fraternity brothers tried to find Strain using his Snapchat location but were unsuccessful and called police to report him missing.

    His last cellphone location was recorded between Gay Street and James Robertson Parkway close to the bar where he was last seen.

    Police have attempted to locate his phone but have drawn a blank, while also checking local hospitals and jails.

    They conducted a helicopter search on Tuesday to scour the downtown Nashville area, including the Cumberland River.

    His mother Michelle Whiteid said he’s ‘a great kid’ and normally ‘very communicative’.

    ‘We miss him and we want him back so bad,’ she told WKRN.

    ‘He’s always texting me, calling me, FaceTiming me,’ she added. ‘He’s always in touch with me. He’s very communicative.’

    Country singer Luke Bryan, one of the owners of the bar, said on Instagram, ‘Y’all this is scary. Praying for his safe return.’

    TC Restaurant Group, the operator and another owner of the bar, said they are ‘continuing to work closely with the Metro Nashville Police Department to provide security camera footage and any other potentially helpful information to aid in the search for Riley Strain.’

    ‘Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones for his safe return.’

    In an appeal for information about Riley’s whereabouts, Nashville Metro PD described him as ‘6’6″, 165 lbs. with blonde hair and brown eyes.’

    Anyone with information is asked to call police on 615-862-8600.

    The University of Missouri has released a statement saying they’ve ‘been in touch with the family and authorities in Nashville’ who are working to find the student.

    ‘The safety of our community is our highest priority,’ said Angela King Taylor, interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs.

    ‘Our thoughts are with Riley’s family as the search continues. We will be offering any support to them that we can, and we encourage anyone who needs help to reach out to our counseling resources.’

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    Media Spreads Hoax That Trump Threatened “Bloodbath” If Not Elected — He Was Talking About Auto Industry

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    On Saturday during an Ohio rally, former President Donald Trump said there would be a “bloodbath” in the automobile industry if President Joe Biden got reelected, meaning that many jobs would be lost. Liberal media and influencers jumped on the quote and took it out of context to suggest Trump was making violent threats.

    Headlines from Politico, Mediaite, Independent, as well as a post from official Biden HQ campaign page suggested that Trump was making violent threats when he said, “It’s gonna be a bloodbath for the country,” in reference to the automobile industry, acting like it was a call for violence.

    What Trump said?

    “China now is building a couple of massive plants where they’re gonna build the cars in Mexico, and they think that they’re gonna sell those cars into the United States,” Trump stated.

    “If you’re listening, President XI,” Trump told the crowd. “Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now, and you think you’re going to get that, you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars as now we’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those guys if I get elected.”

    Trump then, referring to the car industry said, “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — That’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.”

    What media reported?

    Biden HQ – the official campaign page of the Biden-Harris campaign on X – posted an out of context clip of the president, saying, “Trump: If I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath. It’s gonna be a bloodbath for the country.”

    Politico even published that it was “unclear what the former president meant exactly” in an archived copy of the outlet’s report. In addition, the archived report added, “Trump frequently paints a dark picture of the country as he lays out his case against President Joe Biden ahead of November’s presidential rematch.”

    The Biden campaign later put out a statement, saying “Donald Trump continues to praise dictators, promise to pardon political violence, and launch racist attacks against Black and brown Americans.”

    Many left-wing influencers also posted the clip out of context. Keith Olbermann, posted, “This is a terrorist threat. FBI Detain him as he leaves the stage. After which America doesn’t give a sh*t where you keep him.”

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    Behind Scenes, Biden Angry and Anxious About Reelection

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    President Joe Biden was seething, NBC News reported.

    In a private meeting at the White House in January, allies of the president had just told him that his poll numbers in Michigan and Georgia had dropped over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

    Both are battleground states he narrowly won four years ago, and he can’t afford any backsliding if he is to once again defeat Donald Trump. He began to shout and swear, a lawmaker familiar with the meeting said.

    He believed he had been doing what was right, despite the political fallout, he told the group, according to the lawmaker.

    Asked about the episode, Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said: “President Biden makes national security decisions based on the country’s national security needs alone — no other factor.”

    For months, Democrats have watched the 2024 campaign unfold with rising alarm as the sitting president struggles to gain ground against his defeated predecessor. Frustrations rippling through the party have reached the top, with Biden at times second-guessing travel decisions and communications strategies that have left much of the electorate clueless about his record, interviews with nearly 20 lawmakers, present and past administration officials and Biden allies show.

    The starting gun for the general election campaign fired last week as Biden wrapped up the Democratic nomination. Yet he is still searching for ways to impress upon voters that he deserves a second term by dint of policy achievements that eluded past presidents.

    History suggests it will be tough for him to recover. Biden’s 38% approval rating at this stage in the calendar is lower than that of the last three presidents who went on to lose re-election: Trump (48%), George H.W. Bush (39%) and Jimmy Carter (43%), according to Gallup survey data.

    Biden has long believed that he isn’t getting sufficient credit for an economy that has created 15 million new jobs. Looking to reach distracted voters who may be tuning in, he told his speechwriters before the State of the Union address to tone down some of the lofty rhetoric and plainly lay out what he’s done, a person familiar with speech preparations said.

    During internal discussions, he’ll press aides about which parts of his record to highlight in different states, said a second person who is familiar with the matter.

    Surrounded by protective aides who want to minimize the chances of a flub, the 81-year-old president has chafed at restraints that he sees as counter to his natural instincts as a retail politician, a third person familiar with internal discussions said.

    He has felt cocooned at times and has been eager to get out more, meet voters face-to-face and take the fight directly to Trump, said the third person and a fourth also familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss campaign strategy and the president’s private views.

    There are signs that some within his party are also losing patience with him.

    “Biden stood up in front of the whole world and said, ‘I’m ready. I’m the guy who can take down Donald Trump,’” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. “So, he goddamn well better do it. We don’t have time for him to be worried about whether or not people are saying things right or the poll numbers are where they should be. I want focused energy and not defensive anger.”

    ‘A little mad at himself’

    At times, Biden gets suggestions that conflict with one another. Some advisers have told him he should walk faster out of concern that his gait feeds impressions that he’s too old. And yet the White House is sufficiently worried about him tripping that he has taken to boarding Air Force One via a shorter staircase through the belly of the plane, forgoing the iconic image of the president waving from the main doorway high above the tarmac.

    “He’s probably a little mad at himself for not being more forceful with the staff,” a person familiar with internal discussions said.

    Privately, Biden questions whether he should trust his gut instincts over the guidance coming from the array of advisers tending to his political interests, this person added.

    “The man’s been successful for decades in Congress and became vice president and president,” said a fifth person, who formerly served in the Biden administration. “If you try to change the person, you’re making a mistake. Let the president go out there and do his thing.”

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    Bibi Slams Schumer for Interfering in Israel Election

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a sharp rebuttal against Sen. Chuck Schumer, who called for new leadership in the Jewish state.

    “I think Schumer’s statements are wholly inappropriate. I think we’re not a banana republic. The people of Israel will choose when they’ll have elections, who they elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted upon us,” Netanyahu said on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Sunday.

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Israel to elect a new prime minister to replace Benjamin Netanyahu in order to move towards a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the form of a two-state solution.

    The majority leader said he believed that “Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel.”

    “It’s wrong to try to replace the elected leaders of a sister democracy and a staunch American ally at any time, but especially during the time of war,” the Israeli leader countered.

    “Just imagine that, after 9/11, and when you’re in the midst of fighting Al Qaeda, and winning… some Israeli would say, ‘oh, the right thing to do is not to have new elections in America or have President Bush resign.’ It’s inappropriate. Shouldn’t have been said. It’s wrong.”

    In what was billed as a major speech on a two-state solution, Schumer said on the Senate floor on Thursday that Netanyahu was one of four obstacles to this solution. The other obstacles mentioned were Hamas and Palestinian supporters, “radical, right-wing” Israelis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

    “I don’t know why Sen. Schumer made those statements. I think the only thing that we should be focused on is changing the regime in Gaza, bringing down the terrorist regime of Hamas, and not the duly elected government of Israel. That’s the right policy,” Netanyahu said.

    President Biden seemed to sign off on these remarks, saying on Friday from the Oval Office, “Senator Schumer contacted my staff, my senior staff. I’m not going to elaborate on the speech. He made a good speech, and I think he expressed a serious concern, shared not only by him but by many Americans.”

    The remarks from Schumer come as Israel battles Hamas for the fifth straight month and fears of a wider war grow.

    While Israeli forces continue to battle Hamas terrorists inside the Gaza Strip, U.S. leaders and officials from across the globe have increased calls for de-escalation and cease-fire.

    Even President Biden, who initially championed himself as an unwavering supporter of Israel, seems to have changed his tune on the ongoing war.

    During the State of the Union, President Biden was caught in a hot mic moment saying he and Netanyahu were going to have a “come to Jesus moment.”

    “What’s happening is [Netanyahu] has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken,” Biden told MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart, explaining the nature of his comment.

    “He’s hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” he continued, adding that it was “contrary to what Israel stands for.”

    “I think it’s a big mistake and I want to see a cease-fire,” Biden told Capehart.

    Many lawmakers and pundits have been critical of Biden’s changed attitude towards the cease-fire, including the former president.

    “All of a sudden he dumped Israel. That’s what he’s doing. He dumped Israel,” former President Donald Trump said on “MediaBuzz” Sunday. “He just said essentially that Bibi Netanyahu should take a walk.”

    Despite the political drama, Israel remains focused on its commitment to “total victory over Hamas.”

    “We need total victory over Hamas. We’re within reach. We should do it,” Netanyahu said. “We’re going to do it while we enable the civilian population in Rafah to leave, as we’ve done up to now. But we have to finish the job. We need total victory. There’s no substitute for total victory.”

    Watch:

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    Moscow Airport Targeted in Kamikaze Drone Strike

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    Ukrainian explosive drones targeted the Russian capital city overnight, according to local authorities, as unverified footage appears to show uncrewed vehicles approaching one of Moscow’s main airports.

    A brief video posted to social media on Sunday shows a flash as an unidentified object hits the roof of what appears to be part of Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, after an audible buzzing sound which can be distinctive of drone strikes.

    In another clip, a loud explosion can be heard as pedestrians watch and move to take cover. Another video circulating online appears to show a cavernous room filling up with smoke.

    Russian Telegram channel Mash posted a video it said showed the “moment of destruction of a Ukrainian drone near the capital’s Domodedovo airport,” adding that debris had fallen onto a nearby warehouse.

    Ukraine has previously launched a series of drone attacks on the Russian capital, and has periodically used uncrewed aerial vehicles to target Moscow, along with other regions of internationally recognized Russian territory.

    Kyiv damaged a series of buildings in Moscow in the summer of 2023, and has upped its drone strikes on wider Russian territory in recent weeks. Drone assaults have temporarily disrupted activity at Moscow’s major airports, including Domodedovo.

    Russian authorities said the country’s air defenses had destroyed a slew of Ukrainian drones over the capital, including over Domodedovo, but did not specify the airport as a target.

    Flight restrictions were placed on several of the city’s airports, Russian independent news outlet Astra reported, citing the country’s Federal Air Transport Agency. Russia’s state-backed news agency RIA Novosti then reported that the controls on aircraft taking off and landing at the airports had been lifted.

    Ukraine is contending with Russia’s almost constant drone and missile strikes on its key infrastructure. Kyiv’s air force said on Sunday it had shot down 14 kamikaze drones overnight.

    Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Sunday that air defenses in the Domodedovo area of the capital had “repelled an attack by two drones flying towards Moscow.” Sobyanin later said another three drones, including one over Domodedovo, were shot down by air defenses.

    Debris fell, but there were no casualties nor damage, he said in a post to Telegram.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a separate statement on Sunday that its air defenses had shot down 35 Ukrainian uncrewed vehicles across its territory overnight, including four over the Moscow region. In a following update, the Russian government said it had destroyed another airborne drone over the capital at around 10:15 a.m. Moscow time (3:15 a.m. ET).

    Russia shot down 17 drones over the country’s southern Krasnodar region, as well as three drones over the border Belgorod region, according to Moscow, and another three over Kursk, which sits north of Belgorod on the northeastern edge of Ukraine.

    Another eight drones were intercepted across Russia overnight, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said.

    Russian authorities in Krasnodar said “several” Ukrainian drones had targeted the Slavyansk oil refinery in the region and that a fire had broken out at the facility. One person died of a heart attack during the strikes, Russian officials later said, adding the blaze had been extinguished.

    Ukraine has repeatedly zeroed in on Russia’s oil refineries, including several in the past week.

    The strikes come on the final day of voting in Russia’s presidential elections, with President Vladimir Putin expected to solidify his grip on power for another six years in ballots not deemed free and fair by the international community.

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