Alex Jones, the host and founder of InfoWars, claims during a live emergency broadcast Saturday that the federal government is orchestrating a forceful takeover of his broadcasting studios.

According to Jones, federal agents could put locks on the doors and liquidate all broadcasting assets. Jones alleges that he even spent the night in his studio and has prepared to involve local law enforcement to prevent what he describes as an unlawful raid on his property.

In a video posted Friday with the caption, “BREAKING! INFOWARS May Be Shutdown in 48 Hours,” Jones said, “The deep state thinks they’re taking down Trump. And hours after they have their false conviction, they’re making their move to shut down InfoWars right now.”

Jones has been vocal about the attacks on his platform over the past six years including de-platforming, deep state interference, and rigged trials. Despite these challenges, InfoWars has managed to survive due to overwhelming public support. However, Jones warns that this latest assault could be the final blow.

“I learned at 4:00 PM today, just a few hours ago, that Infowars was going to be shut and closed tonight. We have hired security here, a private contractor. They were told, ‘Get ready to close the doors, change the locks, and InfoWars is going to be shut down,’” Jones said Friday.

“I learned about this and said, ‘Well, I’m going to go expose this. I’m going to talk about this. This is all having the bankruptcy. It’s not the court doing it.’ I’ll reveal who’s behind it soon. And so I made some phone calls and did some things. They said, ‘Okay, we’ll back off for now if you do X, Y, and Z.’ I don’t believe anything I’m being told. So when I tell you that this could be the last show I ever do from Infowars, 50% chance. There’s a 50% chance this has what’s happening right now,” he added.

“We may be shut down [Saturday]. And this is where we are right now. And it is so horrible. It is so disgusting. And it’s because we’re viable. It’s because we’re hard to kill. It’s because we keep coming back. We don’t give up, and we’re not going to give up. This will not be a victory for them, shutting this place down,” Jones said.

In these uncertain times, Jones is asking for support from his followers. He has urged them to continue supporting InfoWars and his father’s company, drjonesnaturals.com.

“We are under global attack, just like President Trump. And you should donate to him. He’s raised like $60 million in the last 24 hours. That’s great. And get behind Trump 100 %. But the main satellite attack fleets, the main frigates supporting the capital ship, the mother ship, the flagship, we need your support.”

Watch:

BREAKING! INFOWARS May Be Shutdown in 48 Hours

Please Support https://t.co/KfYsWPgxeM pic.twitter.com/nVEVlVUCRV

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) June 1, 2024

Alex Jones is hosting a live emergency broadcast this Saturday to discuss the Deep State’s final push to shut down InfoWars, amid reports that authorities plan to lock up the studio doors tonight.

Watch Live:

Breaking: Feds Attempting To Shut Down Infowars Tonight!
https://t.co/MOm7W2I1Hu

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) June 1, 2024

This should not come as a surprise. Last month, a CIA officer/former FBI official was on an undercover video boasting about using the might of the federal government to ‘jail anyone’ by ‘setting them up.’

Gavin O’Blennis, a Contracting Officer for the CIA told an undercover journalist with Sound Investigations that the FBI “can put anyone in jail…set ’em up!”

“We call it a nudge,” O’Blennis said, adding the FBI can put “problematic” right-wing journalists like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones in jail.

O’Blennis said of Infowars founder Alex Jones: The FBI “took his money away,” and ‘chopped his legs off.’

Alex Jones stated that he had previously been aware of a CIA-FBI-led Deep State operation targeting him, which was revealed during a court case in Connecticut where it emerged that the FBI was involved, advising the operation.

“It came out in court in Connecticut in the staged trial where the judge already found me guilty that the FBI was a party to it and was advising them and going through all the discovery, trying to find something to put me in jail,” Jones told Steve Bannon in an interview.

Former President Trump was found guilty on felony charges Thursday, raising potential challenges for the Secret Service responsible for protecting him just as a top Democrat is seeking to yank that protection from him.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York v. Trump. The charges were related to alleged payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence pornographic performer Stormy Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital sexual encounter with Trump. Trump denied all charges and any affair with Daniels.

But the conviction raises the possibility the presumed 2024 Republican nominee could end up being bars. That unprecedented development would raise a number of additional questions, including how his Secret Service protection would adapt.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the agency said the outcome of the case “has no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission.”

“Our security measures will proceed unchanged,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has previously said the city’s Department of Corrections and the Rikers Island prison in New York are “ready” to receive Trump.

Asked if Trump would be housed by himself or with the general population, a Department of Corrections spokesman said last month, “The Department would find appropriate housing for him if he winds up in our custody.”

The New York Times reported that there had been conversations involving the Secret Service and other law enforcement about how to move and protect Trump if he were briefly jailed for contempt, but the challenge of a longer prison sentence has yet to be addressed.

This could be in part because, even though the sentencing is in July, a series of lengthy Trump appeals that could rise to the Supreme Court would likely follow.

A.T. Smith, a former deputy director at the agency, said that while the territory may be uncharted, the Secret Service would not allow the mission to be compromised.

“They’ll rise to the occasion. They will work with the counterparts that may become necessary depending upon the judge’s decision … in order to accomplish their mission, which is the protection of the former president,” he told The Telegraph.

One potential impediment to that protection could come from Democrats, who have introduced a bill in the House to strip Secret Service protection from convicted felons sentenced to prison.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced the Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act.

“Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protectee — even a former President,” Thompson said in a statement.

“It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality.”

An accompanying fact sheet said the bill deals with the possibility the logistics of Secret Service protection would result in Trump getting home confinement rather than prison time.

“This bill would remove the potential for conflicting lines of authority within prisons and allow judges to weigh the sentencing of individuals without having to factor in the logistical concerns of convicts with Secret Service protection,” the document states.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign says it has been energized by the trial’s conclusion and is confident that it takes him a step closer to reclaiming the White House.

“Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats confined President Trump to a courtroom for more than eight hours a day for more than six weeks, and he’s still winning,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “Now that he is fully back on the campaign trail, Biden and the Democrats better buckle up.”

Leavitt told Fox News Digital Trump “generated billions of dollars in earned media coverage throughout the trial, hosted massive rallies and impromptu campaign stops in New York and beyond, increased his lead over crooked Joe Biden in the polls and raised more money than Biden and the Democrats in the month of April. Not even a witch hunt trial could slow him down. In fact, it only made him stronger.”

Stormy Daniels has dramatically broken her silence on convicted ex-President Donald Trump, demanding: Jail him now.

Speaking for the first time since White House hopeful Trump was found guilty, the former adult actress told us:

“I think he should be sentenced to jail and some community service working for the less fortunate, or being the volunteer punching bag at a women’s shelter.”

Stormy told how she now feels vindicated – and warns the world ahead of Trump’s fresh bid for office:

“He is completely and utterly out of touch with reality.”

She said:

“You always feel like you’re the bad guy, even when you’re not just being up on that standard. Being in court was so intimidating with the jurors looking at you, but I’m glad that the stuff came out in court that wanted to come out and prove, like I said, I’ve been telling the truth the entire time. It’s it’s not over for me. It’s never going to be over for me. Trump may be guilty, but I still have to live with the legacy.”

Stormy said she was “shocked” over how quickly the jury found the former president – the first US leader ever convicted – guilty of all 34 charges saying it showed they believed her testimony. Weeks earlier she had been sat just 10 feet away from him – the first time since she sat saw him in Los Angeles in 2007 – while giving evidence.

When asked about what sentence Trump should receive, Stormy remained unsure.

“I don’t know what the sentencing could be or what Trump will even understand. It’s like when you have a child, and sometimes you take the electronics away from them, but if your child is very artistic, they don’t. They don’t care. They’ll just go colour their colouring books, and then you have another child that, you know, they don’t want to go outside. You gotta ground them or like take away electronics or don’t let them have dessert. You have to find the punishment that not just matches the crime, but is fair and just, and that impacts that particular person. Who knows what that is with Trump.”

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on the far side of the Moon to collect samples, state news agency Xinhua reported Sunday — the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space programme.

The Chang’e-6 set down in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, Xinhua said, citing the China National Space Administration.

It marks the first time that samples will be collected from the rarely explored area of the Moon, according to the agency.

The Chang’e-6 is on a technically complex 53-day mission that began on May 3.

Now that the probe has landed, it will attempt to scoop up lunar soil and rocks, and carry out other experiments in the landing zone.

That process should be complete within two days, Xinhua said. The probe will use two methods of collection: a drill to collect samples under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens from the surface.

Then it must attempt an unprecedented launch from the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.

Scientists say the Moon’s dark side — so-called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun’s rays — holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.

Material collected from the dark side may better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.

China’s space ambitions

Plans for China’s “space dream” have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping.

Beijing has poured huge resources into its space programme over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious undertakings in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers — the United States and Russia.

It has notched several notable achievements, including building a space station called Tiangong, or “heavenly palace”.

Beijing has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and China is only the third country to independently put humans in orbit.

But Washington has warned that China’s space programme is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.

China aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.

The United States is also planning to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.

Two of Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-Right coalition allies on Saturday night threatened to quit the government if he goes ahead with the truce deal outlined by Joe Biden.

The US president announced on Friday that Israel had offered a new roadmap towards a full ceasefire including the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

But Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, said his party would “dissolve the government” if the deal went through, describing the proposal as “a victory for terrorism and a security risk to the State of Israel”.

“Agreeing to such a deal is not total victory – but total defeat,” he said.

Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, said he would “not be part of a government that will agree to the proposed outline”.

“We demand the continuation of the war until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages return,” Mr Smotrich said, adding that he opposes the return of displaced Gazans to the territory’s north – one of the stages of the plan announced by Biden – as well as the “wholesale release of terrorists”.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu insisted that the destruction of Hamas was part of the Israeli plan laid out by Biden.

The Israeli prime minister also called a permanent ceasefire in Gaza a “non-starter” until long-standing conditions for ending the war are met, appearing to undermine the proposal.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid vowed to offer Netanyahu “our safety net for a hostage deal if Ben Gvir and Smotrich leave the government”.

The prime minister is facing growing political pressure over the war.

Without the support of Mr Ben Gvir and Mr Smotrich’s parties, Mr Netanyahu’s coalition could lose its majority in parliament.

It comes after Benny Gantz, a member of Mr Netanyahu’s war cabinet, on Friday submitted a bill to dissolve Israel’s government to unseat the prime minister.

Mr Netanyahu on Friday insisted that “Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place.”

The US president on Friday asserted that Hamas militants are “no longer capable” of carrying out a large-scale attack on Israel like the one on October 7. He urged Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement to release about 100 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of around 30 more, for an extended ceasefire.

The first phase of the deal described by Mr Biden would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, older people and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from the war’s devastation.

Mr Biden acknowledged that keeping the proposal on track would be difficult, with “details to negotiate” to move from the first phase to the second. Mr Biden said if Hamas fails to fulfil its commitment under the deal, Israel can resume military operations.

Hamas has said it viewed the proposal “positively” and called on Israel to declare an explicit commitment to an agreement that includes a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoner exchange and other conditions.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is reportedly leaning toward backing former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election.

The Financial Times reported that Ackman — who has given heavily to Democrats in the past — is likely to make his endorsement of Trump on X in the near future.

Those close to Ackman told the publication that his “dislike for Biden far outweighed his ambivalence for Trump.”

Ackman, 58, signaled his support for Trump following the guilty verdict that the jury returned on Thursday in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s highly controversial criminal case against Trump, which top legal experts have said was purely political persecution.

He commented on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ reaction to the verdict in the case, writing: “I think any objective person would have to agree with @GovRonDeSantis here.”

“Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America—all in an effort to ‘get’ Donald Trump,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was Trump’s top challenger during the Republican Party primaries earlier this year.

“That this case—involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago—was even brought is a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City,” he continued.

“This is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a way that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction.”

“It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law. If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict,” he concluded.

“In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court.”

A prominent Samoan author and playright has been charged with murdering the aunt of Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii Democratic Congresswoman, according to multiple reports.

Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was arrested Sunday following the death in Samoa of 78-year-old Caroline Sinaviana-Gabbard, a retired former University of Hawaii professor.

The victim was stabbed multiple times and beaten with a hammer, local reports said, citing police. Samoa is a country located in the South Pacific Ocean.

The deadly incident took place on May 25 at Figiel’s home in the village of Vaivase-Uta, which is about three miles from the island nation’s capital city of Apia. Figiel’s property also doubles as the local theater, the New Zealand Herald reports.

An argument had broken out between the pair before the incident turned violent, Samoan Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo said, according to the publication. It is not clear what sparked the argument.

The two women were colleagues and friends, and Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor, according to local media reports.

Sinaviana-Gabbard was Tulsi Gabbard’s aunt and sister of Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard.

Her family says she was the first Samoan to become a full professor in the U.S., and was an accomplished writer, teacher and environmental activist.

Mike Gabbard said he was very close to his sister growing up and proud of her accomplishments in life.

“Caroline was my best friend as a teenager,” Mike Gabbard said in a statement to Spectrum News.

“She helped me considerably during my rebellious stage of adolescence. She got me hooked on reading, so much so that I followed in her footsteps and majored in English at Sonoma State University in California, then returned to our birthplace, American Samoa, where I taught English in high schools and was a faculty member, guidance counselor and dean at the community college for many years.”

“I love her deeply and wish her well as she continues her journey.”

Mike Gabbard went on to say that he forgives the person responsible for her death, but hopes justice will be served and that the person “will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

According to Spectrum News, Sinaviana-Gabbard earned undergraduate degrees in English and psychology from Sonoma State University, a masters’ degree in folklore from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Hawaii.

She taught Pacific literature at the University of Hawaii for over 20 years before retiring.

Early in her WNBA career, Caitlin Clark has faced plenty of physical defenses.

On Saturday afternoon as she and the Indiana Fever won a 71-70 thriller over the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, she took great umbrage with one particular hard foul.

After Chennedy Carter made a basket for the Sky with 15.1 seconds left in the third quarter, she quickly went to defend Clark, who was looking for an inbound pass.

Chennedy Carter scores and gives a shoulder to Caitlin Clarkpic.twitter.com/nQxkw1rvhH

— ✶ Ⓜ️ ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD3_) June 1, 2024

But before Clark could receive any pass, she was knocked down to the floor by a shoulder check from Carter, who was immediately whistled for a foul.

Clark sank one free throw on the other end before the quarter concluded, and when the horn sounded, she was interviewed by ESPN and asked about a conversation she had with the referees after the buzzer.

“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level. I thought we’ve been really physical, we’ve missed some bunnies around the rim, so hopefully those fall in the fourth.”

Clark and the Fever, however, remained composed and hung on for their second win of the season as she finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Despite the loss, Carter finished with a game-high 19 points, going 8-for-12 from the field.

Carter refused to answer questions about the foul and Clark after the game.

“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” she told reporters.

Chennedy Carter on the sequence with Caitlin Clark in the 3rd quarter: “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

Full clip: pic.twitter.com/4bRnyXgPjV

— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) June 1, 2024

The No. 1 overall draft pick this year has had her fair share of fiery moments in the WNBA ranks, and earlier this week, she got into it with Victoria Vivians of the Seattle Storm after Clark drilled a deep three.

Clark was issued a technical foul after the incident, her third since joining the Fever.

After that loss to Seattle, Clark spoke about the physical play against her early in her pro career.

“I feel like I’m getting hammered, I don’t know,” she told reporters Thursday.

The U.S. government is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with Moderna to fund its bird flu mRNA vaccine trial.

The Financial Times reported that an agreement to fund Moderna’s late-stage trial of its bird flu vaccine has nearly been reached, citing sources close to the decision.

According to the outlet, funding that could total several tens of millions would come from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Moderna confirmed last week that it was engaged in discussions with the federal government for funding its trials. The company did not comment on the Financial Times report.

“Moderna can confirm we are in discussions with the U.S. Government on advancing our pandemic flu candidate, mRNA-1018. The Phase 1/2 dosing of mRNA-1018 is complete, with data expected soon,” the company said in a statement.

“The H5 vaccines in this trial cover the same clade as the currently circulating variant in the United States. We remain committed to using our mRNA platform to respond to public health concerns.”

Major flu vaccine manufacturer CSL Seqirus announced Thursday it had been selected by BARDA to deliver nearly 5 million doses of a prepandemic vaccine that is matched to the currently circulating strain of the bird flu.

“The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] maintains the risk to public health as low. We are closely monitoring the situation because we are acutely aware of the threat that influenza virus strains like H5N1 can pose and take seriously our role in preparedness efforts alongside our government and public health partners,” Marc Lacey, global executive director for pandemics at CSL, said in a statement.

The risk of human-to-human bird flu transmission is extremely low.

Most cases are found in livestock workers who are in close proximity to infected poultry or cattle.

Infections can be treated with antiviral drugs, with treatment recommended as soon as symptoms occur.

In a debate hosted by Patrick Bet-David of PBD Podcast fame, “Part of the Problem” podcaster and comedian Dave Smith took on former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo.

From lockdowns to masks, vaccines, Ivermectin and the vilification of resisters, the debate covered a lot of ground, with Smith dropping one laser-guided bomb after another on Cuomo.

I am against nuking civilians but whatever Dave Smith does to Chris Cuomo today will be completely justified.

— Joel Ellenwood (@_InfiniteZeal) May 31, 2024

Let’s dive right into the highlights. First, Smith opened the debate with a gentlemanly gesture, giving Cuomo a copy of the Tom Woods book, “Diary of a Psychosis: How Public Health Disgraced Itself During Covid Mania.” Tongue in cheek, he said, “I know you like following the science, and there’s a whole lot of science in that book.”

Right off the bat, @ComicDaveSmith hits @ChrisCuomo with, “I know you like science; there’s a lot of science in that book” as he gives Cuomo @ThomasEWoods‘ book “Diary of a Psychosis” #DaveCuomoDebate pic.twitter.com/Su4IylP9j3

— Christian Malazarte (@ChristianMalaza) May 31, 2024

Before the next clip, recall that, in an infamous segment on CNN, Cuomo and Don Lemon smugly battered Joe Rogan and others who used Ivermectin to battle Covid. Despite the fact that Ivermectin has been used since 1975 with great success against a wide variety of human maladies, Cuomo and Lemon ran hard with the regime narrative that referred to the wonder drug solely as a veterinary de-wormer.

Earlier this month, Cuomo revealed to Bet-David that he’s now himself taking a “regular dose of Ivermectin” for purported long Covid. However, In this jaw-dropping sequence, Cuomo stunned anyone with a memory of his exchange with Lemon by saying, “I don’t like what people did to Joe Rogan about Ivermectin.” A stunned Smith replied, “YOU did it!” Cuomo denied it and challenged Smith to “find the clips.” The PBD crew obliged, promptly rolling the damning video:

Chris Cuomo: “I don’t like what people did to Joe Rogan about Ivermectin—”

Dave Smith: “You did it!”

Cuomo: “No, no. Find the clips.”

Smith: “Find the clips.”

👀 pic.twitter.com/MWnBSdCKaT

— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) May 31, 2024

Flashback bonus video: Here’s the Rogan-Sanjay Gupta exchange Smith referred to:

Oh, look. Ivermectin is trending (again)…

Remember Dr. Sanjay Gupta with Joe Rogan?pic.twitter.com/YJzo6MM4hE

— E 🇺🇸 (@Simply4Truth_) June 19, 2023

Smith condemned Cuomo for failing to do his job, which was to “be skeptical of power and to shine a light against the propaganda…you ate up every piece of propaganda, repeated all of it without any thought to whether it was true or not, and then smeared millions of Americans like myself who were opposed to this stuff.”

Dave Smith CONFRONTS Chris Cuomo Over Failure to Apologize for COVID Smears

“You, sir, were smearing people like us for having this view.”

“It was kind of amazing to watch you admit… pic.twitter.com/fHRG3LrFbt

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 31, 2024

Cuomo said Smith was guilty of using “hyperbole” in referring to the Covid regime as “totalitarian.” An unwavering Smith had a pointed and compelling response:

🔥 Chris Cuomo Says the COVID Lockdowns Were Not Totalitarian & Gets Instantly Cooked by Dave Smith

“When you’re waking up every morning to watch your TV to find out from your governor what you’re allowed to do today, including am I allowed to go to work, am I allowed to have a… pic.twitter.com/V7tdaRZAak

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) May 31, 2024

Smith elaborated, explaining why “it was completely criminal for all of these governments to lock down”…

.@ComicDaveSmith BODY BAGS @ChrisCuomo on criminal Covid lockdowns:

“It was completely criminal for all of these governments to lockdown, they had no authority!” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/BanrmV4j8M

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) May 31, 2024

Asked whether lockdowns were a net benefit — or instead erred on the side of catastrophe — Cuomo drew audience laughter when he said, “The people I talked to — who made these decisions — stand by them.” Smith quipped, “I’m sure Dick Cheney stands by the war in Iraq too!”

Cuomo is such a slimeball.

Dave: “Do you think lockdowns worked?”
Cuomo: “I can argue yes, and I can argue no.”@ComicDaveSmith vs @ChrisCuomo Debate pic.twitter.com/h0EBlrwxe5

— Christian Malazarte (@ChristianMalaza) June 1, 2024

Smith grew indignant when Cuomo suggested that Smith’s focus was on drawing attention to himself — to the detriment of society. Smith countered: “You’re attacking my motives…meanwhile, when those CNN checks were coming in, you said nothing that would have put them in jeopardy, but now that you’re here, you’re starting to tell a little bit of the truth.”

Watch Chris Cuomo Get What He Deserves After Accusing Dave Smith of Seeking Attention

“It’s really wild, Chris, for you to psychoanalyze me and say my interest here is in generating attention. You’re the guy who went at CNN [who] said everything to defend the vaccine when you… pic.twitter.com/teKbftAHAE

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 31, 2024

The debate also covered the Russiagate hoax. Here, Smith rakes Cuomo over the coal for “repeating mindlessly every day that there was some giant conspiracy with Trump and Russia and leading the entire country to believe that our election had been stolen by a hostile foreign power.”

Dave Smith Helps Chris Cuomo Recall How CNN Accused Trump of Colluding w/ Russia Everyday for Three Years

“You guys were repeating mindlessly everyday that there was some giant conspiracy with Trump and Russia and leading the entire country to believe that our election had been… pic.twitter.com/cyFmN2XmMp

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) May 31, 2024

Finally, here’s Smith giving the audience a big-picture view of a dumbed-down, late-empire America — where the “decadence” of “two guy slapping their buttcheeks together” in a Pride parade is dressed up as “standing up for our rights,” and where people in power pit Americans against each other, diverting their attention from universally-experienced woes like the Federal Reserve’s destruction of the dollar:

You can tell when @ComicDaveSmith is saying something that really connects because everyone’s listening to him. The room is silent… 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/WDHPXWtSst

— Christian Malazarte (@ChristianMalaza) June 1, 2024

Alas, amid the joy of Smith’s outstanding performance, there was a wistful element too, as many who’d hoped Smith would carry the flag of liberty as the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential candidate were reminded of what a remarkable champion he would have been — in stark contrast to the leftist, open-borders, drag-queen-promoting, kid-transing doozie the party ended up with.

Boy Dave Smith would have made a great libertarian presidential candidate.

— HoustonWeHaveAProblem (@Anon69691139265) May 31, 2024

That said, far be it from us to end a feel-good story on a down note. Our highlight reel just scratched the surface: If you’re looking for weekend entertainment, here’s the entire debate, which also covers much more Covid ground, Trump’s trumped-up conviction and a lot more:

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg committed “political malpractice” in his choice to pursue charges against former President Trump.

The Utah Republican on Saturday morning issued a statement, days after the guilty verdict against former President Trump, criticizing both Bragg and Democrats over the case’s result.

“Bragg should have settled the case against Trump, as would have been the normal procedure. But he made a political decision,” Romney told his biographer McKay Coppins, a writer at the Atlantic. His office confirmed the comments to Fox News Digital.

“Bragg may have won the battle, for now, but he may have lost the political war,” he warned. “Democrats think they can put out the Trump fire with oxygen. It’s political malpractice.”

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on Thursday on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments that were made to pornographic performer Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump. Trump denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In the latter part of Romney’s Senate tenure, he has often aligned with more moderate conference members such as Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine. Due to this association, his response to the verdict was less predictable than other Republican senators, many of whom are close Trump allies.

Collins also denounced “the political underpinnings of this case” in her post-verdict statement.

But Murkowski avoided opining on the legitimacy of the case or verdict in her own reaction. Instead, the Alaska Republican lamented the drama and legal “baggage” that she said distracts voters from President Biden’s failures.

Members of the right-wing flank of the Republican conference reacted more strongly to the guilty verdict.

Several senators signed on to a letter to the White House on Friday, led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in which they vowed to make the legislative process as difficult as possible for Democrats going forward.

“As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart,” the letter read.

Trump has pledged to appeal the verdict.

Romney previously suggested President Biden had made a mistake in not opting to pardon Trump, his political opponent. “You may disagree with this, but had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him,” Romney said in a mid-May interview on MSNBC.

“I’d have pardoned President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy,” the senator added.

Many celebrities are opting not to endorse a candidate for president in 2024 and some have even expressed regret for previously backing President Biden in 2020.

Here are five celebrities who aren’t endorsing Biden after doing so four years ago.

“The View” co-hosts urge Charlamagne tha God to endorse President Biden, radio host rebukes attempt

Radio host Charlamagne tha God joined “The View” on May 22 where the show’s co-hosts repeatedly urged him to endorse Biden, after he repeatedly publicly questioned his own decision to do so in 2020.

Charlamagne said he prefers to focus on issues rather than individuals and noted that he has seen the co-hosts try to influence other guests into a Biden endorsement, specifically rapper Killer Mike.

“I’ve seen y’all do this on ‘The View’ before,” Charlamagne said. “I saw y’all do this to Killer Mike when he was on ‘The View,’ and Killer Mike literally sat here and said, ‘Hey, I supported Keisha Lance Bottoms, I supported Ralph [Raphael] Warnock, I supported Jon Ossoff’ … that’s your opportunity to say, ‘Well, clearly he’s talking about President Biden.’ Why do y’all need us to say this if we don’t feel comfortable saying it?”

Charlamagne did say that he still planned to vote in November despite the fact that he thinks “both candidates are trash.”

“I’m going to vote my best interest, and I’m going to vote for who I think can preserve democracy,” he said. “So if I think both candidates are trash and I don’t feel like endorsing one, would you rather me endorse an individual or endorse the fact that, hey, we need to go out and protect democracy.”

Charlamagne may still vote for Biden, though, given he recently told Fox News that Donald Trump was a “threat to democracy.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson regrets division caused by his endorsement of Biden in 2020

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson told “Fox & Friends” in April that he would not be backing Biden a second time around.

Johnson, who identifies as an independent, made his first endorsement of a political candidate during the 2020 election with Biden.

“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was what I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” he said.

But the actor and former WWE superstar said he regretted the division caused by wading into politics and said he would not be publicly endorsing a candidate in 2024.

“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” he said. “Because what I realized that what that caused back then was something that tears me up in my guts back then and now, which is division. And that got me.”

“The takeaway after [those] months and months and months, I started to realize like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country,'” he added. “So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that. I wouldn’t do that because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”

Michael Rapaport withdraws Biden endorsement, would consider voting for Trump

Liberal comedian Michael Rapaport announced in May that he would no longer support President Biden, over what he deemed his insufficient support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

“Smoking Joe Biden. Cadaver Joe Biden,” Rapaport said in a viral video on May 9 where he denounced the Democratic president. “I never thought I would say this. I’m not voting for you. You’re not getting my vote.”

“And plenty of us also ain’t voting for you. You f—, you,” he said.

The comedian, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump, said he would even consider voting for the former president.

“This is why voting for d— stain Donald Trump, pig d— Donald Trump, is on the f—ing table!” he said.

His comments came just after Biden had vowed not to send weapons to Israel if it engaged in a major offense in the south Gaza city of Rafah.

Cardi B won’t endorse Biden, says she feels ‘betrayed’

Rapper Cardi B said that while she still believes Trump to be a threat to the country, she’s felt “layers of disappointment” under Biden’s leadership. She cited the high cost of living and a lack of action as reasons why she is reconsidering voting in the 2024 election at all.

“I feel like people got betrayed,” she told Rolling Stone in an interview published last month. Cardi B interviewed Biden ahead of the 2020 election and ended up endorsing him for president, after previously endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“It’s just like, damn, y’all not caring about nobody,” she said. “Then, it really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any f—-ing thing.”

Director Oliver Stone says voting Biden was a ‘mistake,’ worried he may start World War III

Filmmaker Oliver Stone warned last year on Russell Brand’s talk show “Stay Free” that unless the U.S. changes its “suicidal” course, it faces a “potential World War III.”

“If we don’t stop this, what Biden is doing, this guy is – I voted for him – I made a mistake, I was thinking he was an old man now that he would calm down, that he would be more mellow and so-forth, I didn’t see that at all,” he said. “I see a man who maybe is not in charge of his own administration. Who knows?”

The Trump campaign said Friday it nearly doubled its single-day fundraising record after a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty in his criminal hush money trial.

The Republican’s campaign said it raised $34.8 million from small-dollar donors in less than seven hours following the historic verdict Thursday afternoon that convicted the former president of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Nearly 30% of those donors were brand new to the Trump donation site WinRed, senior campaign advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a press release.

The advisors echoed Trump’s post-trial vow that the “real verdict” will come on Election Day, Nov. 5, when he is set to face President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 contest.

Trump is set to be formally nominated as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate days after his scheduled July 11 criminal sentencing in Manhattan Supreme Court.

He is the first former U.S. president, and first presumptive major-party nominee, ever to be convicted of a crime.

The Trump campaign told NBC News that its latest fundraising figure only includes donations sent between Thursday’s verdict, which came just after 5 p.m. ET, and midnight Friday.

The massive windfall comes less than two weeks after Trump reported a higher monthly fundraising haul than the Democrat Biden for the first time in 2024.

According to an exclusive snap poll for DailyMail.com which found that the guilty verdict in Manhattan only improved the former president’s standing with likely voters ahead of the 2024 election.

UPDATE:

Trump’s campaign boasted Friday that it had received $52.8 million in donations in the 24 hours since a Manhattan jury found him guilty in his hush money trial.

New York City police said Saturday that they had 34 people in custody following a pro-Palestinian protest at the Brooklyn Museum, which reported damage to some artwork and harassment to security staff by demonstrators.

Hundreds of protesters marched to the museum on Friday afternoon, set up tents in the lobby and unfurled a “Free Palestine” banner from the building’s roof before police moved in to make arrests.

New York City police officers tackled and punched some protesters during scuffles that broke out in the crowd outside the museum while some demonstrators hurled plastic bottles at officers and shouted insults. Other protesters held banners, waved Palestinian flags and chanted boisterously on the steps of the grand, Beaux Arts museum, which is the city’s second largest.

City police said the 34 people in custody were being processed and charges were being determined.

Museum spokesperson Taylor Maatman said in a statement that the museum closed an hour early because of concerns about people’s safety and the art collections.

”Unfortunately, there was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza, and our public safety staff were physically and verbally harassed,” Maatman said.

The rally started Friday afternoon across the street from the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. Marchers banging drums and chanting then made their way to the museum about a mile away.

BREAKING: Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters have taken over the Brooklyn Museum. They reportedly broke through barricades and assaulted staff.pic.twitter.com/Dbmb3O6PbK

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 31, 2024

Organizers, including the group Within Our Lifetime, called on supporters to “flood” and “de-occupy” the museum, saying they wanted to take over the building until officials “ disclose and divest ” from any investments linked to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Videos posted on social media showed guards at the museum trying to secure its doors against the surging crowd, and demonstrators finding other ways inside.

Within Our Lifetime posted on social media that its chair, Nerdeen Kiswani, was “targeted and violently arrested” by police.

New York City has seen hundreds of street demonstrations since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October.

The Brooklyn Museum sits at the edge of Crown Heights, which is home to one of the city’s largest communities of Orthodox Jews.

On June 2, Mexicans will vote to pick their next president in a historic race that could see a woman take the top job for the first time.

In addition to the presidency, there are more than 20,000 positions to fill and an estimated 70,000 candidates vying for those offices, including 128 senate seats and 500 deputy seats; the mayorship of Mexico City; and governor’s offices in Chiapas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatán.

Here’s who is running for president:

Claudia Sheinbaum

The 61-year-old Sheinbaum is a former Mexico City mayor and climate scientist. A longtime political ally of incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, she was the Mexico City environment secretary from 2000-2006 when he was mayor.

If she wins, Sheinbaum would be not only the first female president in Mexico, but the first president with Jewish heritage, although she rarely speaks publicly about her personal background and has governed as a secular leftist.

Her close alignment with López Obrador has been both a blessing and a curse politically. Sheinbaum has said she’s “not a close copy” of López Obrador – but she also doesn’t shy away from touting the principles they share, even repeating his slogans on the campaign trail.

(López Obrador has repeatedly dismissed whispers that he favors a candidate that he could influence, telling press in February that he would “retire completely” after his term.)

Among her policies, Sheinbaum has promised:

• Continuing Lopez Obrador’s pension for all senior citizens
• Scholarships for more than 12 million students
• Free fertilizers for small farm owners
• On security, she proposed consolidating the National Guard, reform of judiciary, strengthening intelligence and research and coordination with law enforcement authorities.

Xóchitl Gálvez

Backed by an opposition coalition of Mexico’s PRI, PAN and PRD parties, Xóchitl Gálvez is a former senator and previously served as the top official for indigenous affairs under former President Vicente Fox.

The daughter of an indigenous father and a mixed-race mother, the 61-year-old was a businesswoman before entering politics.

For a relative newcomer, Galvez’s entry into the presidential race has gained impressive momentum, experts say.

Her proposals include:

• Continuing Lopez Obrador’s pension for all senior citizens
• A “universal social protection system” of welfare programs for middle and lower classes
• A security approach that would strengthen local and state police
• Galvez has also hinted that that oil-rich Mexico should invest more in renewable energy, saying earlier this year: “We haven’t done it because we are dumbasses.”

Jorge Álvarez Máynez

A late entrant in the race, Jorge Álvarez Máynez shot to international attention earlier this month, when a stage collapsed at his campaign event in the northeastern city of San Pedro Garza García, killing nine people and leaving at least 121 people injured.

The 38-year-old has pledged to:

• Eliminate the crime of simple drug possession to to stop criminalizing poverty, and move from prohibitionism to regulation of drugs
• End the longstanding militarization of Mexico and instead focus on training and strengthening police
• He has also proposed a gradual economic reform including a universal pension system, guaranteed labor rights and income and progressive tax reform
• Máynez has also called for transforming the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and Pemex into renewable and clean energy companies, and for closing some refineries

The key issues: Security and migration

Security and immigration are top issues for all of Mexico’s presidential candidates.

Campaigning in the run-up to the election has been marred by dozens of assassination attempts and other political violence. There are concerns now that that the attacks have already cooled off campaigns; experts and political parties say some candidates have renounced their bids in fear of their lives.

But electoral violence is just a part of Mexico’s broader security crisis, with sky-high crime and homicide rates. In the first four and a half years of López Obrador’s government, 160,594 homicides were recorded – a figure surpassing that of the previous administration.

However, a report from the Mexican Peace Index (MPI), prepared by the Institute for Economy and Peace (IEP), has offered some reason for optimism, reporting improvements in five key indicators: homicides, crimes with violence, fear of violence, crimes committed with firearms, and crimes of violence. Homicides and crimes committed with firearms peaked in 2019, according to the May 2024 report, and have since improved.

Meanwhile, pressure is growing on Mexico’s southern and northern borders.

In 2023, the National Migration Institute (INM) recorded a 77% increase in migrant arrivals compared to 2022. And as it grapples with the surge of migrants and asylum seekers entering and crossing its own territory, Mexico will also have to contend with external policies on migration.

As an example, Myriam Guadalupe Castro Yáñez, an academic at the National School of Social Work of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), points to a recent state law in Texas that has already caused waves in Mexico.

In December, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that would allow state officials to detain and deport people suspected of having entered the United States illegally. The law is currently blocked in a US federal court, but the López Obrador government has warned that it will not receive people deported by Texas and that it will only discuss immigration issues with Washington.

Both Sheinbaum and Gálvez have stated their support for this stance.

Progressive leaders across the Western world, along with non-governmental organizations, are continuing to facilitate an unprecedented migrant invasion into Europe and the US. This poses a significant national security risk as terror threats surge into summer.

Jumping across the Alantic to Europe, the French interior minister told AP News that security officers foiled an attack ahead of soccer events during the Paris Olympics.

Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that the members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon. -AP

The report continued:

The man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in the city of Saint-Etienne that will host several soccer matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack was to target spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events “to die and become a martyr,” the statement also said. -AP

Besides the person from Chechnya, Israel’s Mossad was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as also saying there are rising threats of terrorism ahead of the soccer events in France.

Iran is increasing its support of terror in Europe through proxy criminal groups in the 60-day lead-up to the Paris Olympics, the Mossad revealed on Thursday.

It highlighted in particular the activities of two criminal groups — FOXTROT and RUMBA — alleging that they were “directly responsible for a violent activity and the promotion of terrorism in Sweden and throughout Europe” and that they receive funds and direction directly from Iran.

Israel’s spy agency charged that Iran was behind the grenade attack against Israel’s Embassy in Belgium this past weekend and the gunshots near the embassy in Sweden on May 17. -JPost

Let’s not forget in the US, the terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has been linked to fueling chaos across colleges and universities. Through public records analysis, we have found links with PFLP to one sanctioned Iranian bank.

Remember the warning from the UAE Foreign Minister in 2017.

Today, COVID Select Subcommittee released the transcript from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s two-day, 14-hour transcribed interview. On Monday, Dr. Fauci will testify publicly for the first time since retirement.

Key takeaways from his closed-door testimony.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: The “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation forced on Americans by federal health officials was arbitrary and not based on science.

Dr. Fauci testified that this guidance “sort of just appeared.”

MASKING: Dr. Fauci testified that he did not recall any supporting evidence for masking children.

Mask-wearing has been associated with severe learning loss and speech development issues in America’s children.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS: Dr. Fauci unequivocally agreed with every travel restriction issued by the Trump Administration at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VACCINE MANDATES: Dr. Fauci admitted that vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future.

He also claimed that these mandates were not sufficiently studied.

LAB LEAK THEORY: Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory.

This comes roughly four years after he prompted the publication of “Proximal Origin” — a paper which attempted to vilify and disprove the lab leak hypothesis.

GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH: Dr. Fauci repeatedly played semantics with the definition of “gain-of-function” research.

This appears to be an effort to avoid conceding that the NIH funded this dangerous research in China.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Dr. Fauci claimed his staff had no conflicts of interest regarding the origins of COVID-19. Yet, his Senior Advisor was “best-friends” with the disgraced President of EcoHealth Alliance.

It is highly unlikely Dr. Fauci was unaware of this relationship.

GRANT APPROVAL PROCESS: Dr. Fauci testified that he signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without reviewing the proposals.

He was also unable to confirm if NIAID has any mechanisms to conduct oversight of the foreign labs they fund.

FEIGNED IGNORANCE: Dr. Fauci claimed he “did not recall” numerous issues & events surrounding the pandemic more than 100 times.

For example, Dr. Fauci testified that he did not recall details about EcoHealth Alliance’s controversial grant, which operated under his jurisdiction.

MORE

Read COVID Select Subcommittee’s staff memo highlighting key takeaways from the transcribed interview here.

Read the full transcripts from Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview below:

• Dr. Fauci’s Day 1 Transcript
• Dr. Fauci’s Day 2 Transcript

COVID Select Subcommittee released four additional transcripts from transcribed interviews with leading public health officials. See below:

• Dr. Fauci’s Chief of Staff, Greg Folkers
• Former Acting NIAID Director, Dr. Hugh Auchincloss
• Deputy Director for Clinical Research at NIAID, Dr. Cliff Lane
• Associate Director for International Affairs at NIAID, Gray Handley

Robert De Niro will no longer be honored at the National Association of Broadcasters award ceremony following his anti-Trump rant outside the former president’s criminal trial.

The Oscar-winning actor, 80, was set to be handed the group’s Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award next week.

But the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has rescinded the award after De Niro hit out at Donald Trump in a press conference in support of Joe Biden outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.

‘I owe this city a lot. And that’s why it’s so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street because he doesn’t belong in my city,’ he told reporters.

The NAB which describes itself as ‘proudly bipartisan’ said De Niro would no longer be attending their event.

‘This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners,’ an NAB spokesman told The Hill.

‘While we strongly support the right of every American to exercise free speech and participate in civic engagement, it is clear that Mr. De Niro’s recent high-profile activities will create a distraction from the philanthropic work that we were hoping to recognize.

‘To maintain the focus on service of the award winners, Mr. De Niro will no longer be attending the event.’

It comes days after De Niro said he joined the Biden campaign because it was the only way to ‘preserve our freedoms’.

‘I don’t mean to scare you. No, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you,’ he told reporters.

‘If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted.’

The actor cast himself as the true New Yorker and mocked Trump’s history of sometimes-unsuccessful business ventures and self-promotion, saying Trump was looking to ‘destroy’ the city.

‘We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,’ De Niro said.

‘I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and, eventually, he could destroy the world.’

He said if Trump gets reelected he will never relinquish power.

‘I can tell you right now. He will never leave. He will never leave. You know that. He will never leave,’ De Niro said.

Watch the entire remarks from Robert De Niro.

He calls Trump a “grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot. A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids.”

“A loser.”

“A tyrant.”

“Clown.”

And he shuts down a MAGA calling officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone… pic.twitter.com/7B5MPrVBal

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 28, 2024

Last week, the Biden campaign released a new ad that was narrated by De Niro sharply criticizing Trump’s presidency and plans if he’s reelected.

Trump labeled De Niro a ‘wacko’ following his rant outside Manhattan Criminal Court and posted a deepfake video that manipulates the actor’s own voice to call himself ‘washed up.’

The former president posted the video from his Truth Social account where the actor calls himself a ‘scared little man’ and a ‘sicko’ with ‘lots of skeletons in my closet.’

It also insults his stature, calls Trump a ‘real man,’ and includes crude references to gay sex.

‘I don’t know why they made this podium so high. I told them I’m coming straight from the bathhouse and didn’t have my platform shoes with me,’ the actor says in a manipulated voice that resembles his own in the video blasted out by Trump to his followers.

‘I’m speaking to you today because I’m a scared little man, a washed up actor with lots of skeletons in my closet. People like me need Joe Biden and power not because he’s any good, but because he enjoys the same sick perversions,’ it says.

The manipulated ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Godfather Part II’ actor then says he only gets to ‘pretend to be tough and powerful on a movie set.’

‘If Donald Trump was in front of me right now I’d punch myself right in the face, get down on my hands and knees …’ the deepfake version of De Niro says, with a crude reference in the video posted by the former president.

Watch:

Authored by Shaun Maguire via X

I just donated $300k to Trump. I’m prepared to lose friends. Here’s why.

Back in 2016 I had drunk the media Kool-Aid and was scared out of my mind about Trump. As such I donated to Hilary Clinton’s campaign and voted for her.

By 2020 I was disillusioned and didn’t vote – I didn’t like either option.

Now, in 2024, I believe this is one of the most important elections of my lifetime, and I’m supporting Trump.

I know that I’ll lose friends for this. Some will refuse to do business with me. The media will probably demonize me, as they have so many others before me. But despite this, I still believe it’s the right thing to do.

I refuse to live in a society where people are afraid to speak.

The 2016 Election

I’m going to start off with something provocative, but I think it leads to a different take on the most controversial Trump issue, which is obviously January 6th. So here goes nothing.

I believe the 2016 election was manipulated to hurt Hilary Clinton and to help Donald Trump.

Hilary Clinton herself believes this, she has denied the 2016 election result dozens of times, and still does to this day. Plot twist: I agree with her! Look into Guccifer 2.0 which was the “hacker group” that strategically leaked her emails (through Wikileaks) in a drip campaign at just the right moments. Turns out it was the Russian GRU. And remember all those fake news and bot farms? These incidents are the tip of the spear — some of the publicly known incidents. There was extreme manipulation happening during the 2016 election.

Before proceeding, please watch at least 30 seconds of this video. It’s “24 straight minutes of Democrats denying election results.”

Russia (and others) interfering in the 2016 election was nothing new, this happens in every election, everywhere in the world. Obviously.

But for me, as someone that used to work in National Security, Russia’s implicit support for Trump made me deathly afraid of him getting elected as President.

I was wrong, and Russia miscalculated. President Trump turned out to be a master of foreign policy and particularly strong towards Russia. If you’ve never seen it before, please watch this two minute clip from Trump at a NATO breakfast 5 years ago.

If you’re too lazy, Trump told Germany that they’re a) owned by Russia via their energy dependence b) financing Russia’s war machine by buying their energy c) not investing enough in defense, investing only 1% of GDP, which was below the 2% NATO commitment, meanwhile the US was investing 4.2% of GDP. And yet the world said he’s owned by Russia?

For other Trump foreign policy wins, he: a) signed the Abraham Accords b) successfully put Iran in the penalty box, which the Biden administration immediately unwound and c) he helped India see the dangers of having their comms networks controlled by China resulting in Huawei and TikTok bans there.

My “radicalization” towards the center

August 16th, 2021 was the day I knew I could never support Joe Biden or any of the senior officials in his administration. This was the day that Afghans fell to their deaths from US C-17 airplanes at the Kabul International Airport, or KAIA as ISAF forces referred to it.

Back in 2012 I deployed to Afghanistan working for DARPA. I used to fly out of KAIA at least weekly, usually taking a Blackhawk to Bagram Airfield (BAF), but sometimes jumping on a C-130 down to Kandahar (KAF).

I’m not going to go into all of the details here, but this was personal for me — as it was for anyone that served in Afghanistan. Most have the wrong impression of what happened there. Afghanistan wasn’t Iraq. And real progress had been made. It took roughly 15 years to stabilize most of Afghanistan, but the ISAF coalition had gotten it to the place that little girls were going to school in Kabul, sometimes walked there by their mothers who weren’t even wearing Burkas anymore. All of this was unimaginable a decade prior.

And then there’s the strategic aspect. The US’s most strategic base in Afghanistan was Bagram Airfield. Unless you’ve been there it’s impossible to imagine how strategic this base is, and how easy it is to defend. Nestled in a remote valley at the foothills of the Himalayas. Within a couple hour flight of China and Iran, and a few minute flight to Pakistan. I believe this airfield could have been held for 50+ years with 50,000 men. A similar scale to the US permanent forces stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany or the US bases in Okinawa, Japan.

We gave up one of the most strategic air bases in the world, and arguably stability in Kabul, for political gain — to be able to say that President Biden ended the War in Afghanistan. And we did it in the most incompetent manner possible, literally with people falling from our airplanes. Everyone I have spoken with that served in Afghanistan knows this.

Global instability

It wasn’t just Afghanistan, I believe that the Biden administration has had some of the worst foreign policy in decades. And this has manifested in two major Wars breaking out during their administration, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s proxy attack against Israel.

Was the timing just bad luck? I don’t believe so. I believe that a weak America leads to a chaotic world.

The failed Afghanistan pull-out showed the weakness of the Biden administration. They failed to adapt to changing facts on the ground, chiefly the Afghan army putting up no resistance as the Taliban drove towards Kabul. If the US can’t adapt quickly in a theater where we’re already active, how can it react quickly to a blitz in a new theater, Ukraine? Granted the Russian’s botched their blitz, miscalculating the weather, almost certainly to keep China happy as they hosted the Olympics in Feb 2022.

The most damaging foreign policy has been the Biden administration’s approach to Iran. Biden resuscitated Obama’s braindead Iran doctrine. Somehow believing that the theocratic Islamic Regime could be turned towards the West.

But it’s much worse than this. After Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7th, Iran took credit for planning the attack publicly. Moreover, Iran was so bold that their proxies carried out over 300 attacks against US bases and Naval ships. Many of the attacks haven’t been disclosed or publicized. At least 4 US soldiers have been killed in these attacks. And yet somehow despite this, the Biden administration has been rewarding Iran by unfreezing their funds, mourning the death of President Raisi and hamstringing Israel in its proxy battle.

This level of weakness is unprecedented in my opinion. The US has been kissing the ring of its attacker, literally while attacks against our Armed Forces are carried out. If you start looking, it’s hard to see anything other than Iranian foreign influence in the Biden administration, such as what Semafor reported on, and which was effectively buried by our mainstream media.

The Biden administration has been a dream come true for foreign adversaries, and a nightmare for US allies. Trusting of enemies, and fickle with friends.

Israel

To anyone that follows me on X you know that I’m a staunch Israel supporter and also Zionist. I believe that Israel is one of America’s most important allies in the world. Unfortunately, in a post-Snowden world, Israel is now arguably the world’s top cyber power. And it’s a critical intelligence ally for any US operations in the Middle East. It’s also becoming an advanced weapons partner, co-developing the hypersonic missile defense system Arrow 3 and also Iron Dome + Iron Beam.

The Islamic Regime in Iran terrorizes its own people and their proxies terrorize the entire region. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has been modernizing at an exceptional pace. Somehow the Biden administration has chosen to cuddle up to Iran while driving Saudi Arabia and Israel away. This is unforgivably disastrous policy in my opinion.

Double standards

The next topic that has boiled my blood are the double standards and lawfare that Trump has faced. Here are some examples:

• Classified documents: Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Donald Trump were all caught with classified documents. Only Trump was indicted. Either it’s a crime for all of them or none of them. All of the arguments about quantity of documents or obstruction are distractions to justify a double standard.
• The Border Wall: remember how Trump was villainized for promoting a border wall? Biden resumed building sections of it after pausing them, which the legacy media has been very quiet about.
• Election denialism: yes, Trump denied the 2020 election results. But as we linked to above, so did Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden regarding the 2016 results. As have hundreds of other politicians since 2000. Either they’re all election deniers, or none of them.
• Corruption charges: every inch has been searched for Trump corruption while Joe Biden’s involvement with foreign countries (through Hunter) have been swept under the rug. Here are some examples.
• Three strikes for thee but not for me: Joe Biden was the architect of the 1994 Crime Bill, which most attribute as the source of the mass incarceration we saw over the next two decades (especially amongst black communities). Crack cocaine in particular was treated harshly when combined with the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act. Watch this video. Hunter Biden would be locked up for life if the same rules were applied to him that Joe Biden imposed on thousands of others.

This is just the tip of the double standard iceberg.

Lawfare

This is too broad of a topic to go into detail here, but suffice to say I’ve spent hundreds of hours following the trials and researching the charges against Trump. This has been another radicalizing experience. I understand that normally when there’s smoke there’s fire, but in this case I think when there’s smoke there’s lawfare.

To anyone with a curious mind, I implore you to go deep on any of the charges against Trump, whether civil or criminal. Here’s a very quick summary of some of the fishy aspects:

• Election Interference Case: Jack Smith was appointed Special Counsel to prosecute Trump. Jack Smith previously got the Governor of Virginia convicted of corruption charges… WHICH WERE THEN UNANIMOUSLY OVERTURNED BY THE SUPREME COURT. Basically Jack Smith misled the Jury. Why would you choose Jack Smith to be the Special Counsel for this case? Maybe if all you’re trying to do is to get charges to stick before an election, even if you know they’ll be overturned subsequently by the Supreme Court?
• The Classified Documents Case: once again Jack Smith is the Special Counsel.
• Georgia Election Interference: The Fulton County DA, Fani Willis, has a history of corruption. It turns out that the outside lawyer she selected to prosecute Trump … is someone she was having a romantic relationship with, Nathan Wade.Wade’s Law firm made about $700k after Willis appointed him. This was concealed. Wade has since resigned from the case but Willis is still involved.
  The Hush Money Case: The key witness, Michael Cohen, is a proven liar. His testimony has been filled with contradiction after contradiction.
• Bank Fraud: Trump was ordered by Judge Engoron to pay over $350M in civil judgment that he committed bank fraud. This whole case reeked of corruption. This was an incident where no harm had been done: the banks had already been fully repaid with interest. The most important point in the case was Judge Engoron arguing that Mar-a-Lago was worth only between $18M and $27.6M when Trump had said it’s worth between $426.5M and $612M. Judge Engoron tried to compare apples to oranges, with an appraised value vs market value for a property that is very clearly worth something close to Trump’s range.
• Sexual Assault / E Jean Carroll: the background to this case was almost unbelievable. In simple terms, a woman in 2019, E Jean Carroll, came out and said that 20+ years prior, in the late 1990s, Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her. The statute of limitations on this case had expired more than a decade prior to her claims. But the state of New York did something unprecedented and opened a one year window where people could file claims for sexual abuse going back to exactly the window when E Jean Carroll accused him. So that’s point #1, there was lawfare around the statute of limitations. Point #2 is that the case was highly irregular and ultimately the Jury determined that Trump did not rape E Jean Carroll, despite her claims. But they did determine that he sexually assaulted her (a lesser charge than rape.)

All of these cases are too complicated for most to follow, almost by design. As someone that has been following the cases closely, I’ve had the opposite reaction of what was intended: a) every single case seems to have had impropriety and b) after going through Trump’s entire life, if these are the worst things they can find, then he did less wrong then I otherwise would have assumed.

Fairness is one of my guiding principles in life and simply, these cases haven’t been fair for Trump.

Where do I disagree with Republicans?

The number one area is abortion. This is obviously a lightning rod issue. As someone with libertarian leaning views, I believe the Republicans have the wrong stance around imposing their views on others. That said, I think Democrats misunderstand the constitutional argument that this should be a states issue.

Domestic policies

Other than abortion, I believe that President Trump and the Republicans have been better on most domestic issues. Look at the quality of life in Red States such as Florida and Texas vs that in Blue States like California, Oregon and New York. I used to live in San Francisco and now live in Los Angeles. The crime and homelessness is out of control.

Trump was villainized for his stance on building a border wall, but we’ve had about 10M illegal immigrants cross into the US already during President Biden’s tenure.

The Democrats have been trying to regulate technology — especially open source AI and crypto in ways that incentivize the best builders to build outside of America.

25 years ago I believe the Far Right was vastly more dangerous than the Far Left. But today I believe the Far Left, and especially Antifa, is more dangerous. Our attention and maintenance was on the Far Right while we ignored the Far Left.

The 2020 election and January 6th

Now onto the elephant in the room, the 2020 election. The topic so taboo that if you talk about it you’re immediately cancelled. I’m willing to wade into this fire — some of us need to be willing to.

I believe America has conflated two issues: the 2020 election itself and January 6th.

Just as Hilary Clinton and dozens of other democrats claimed the 2016 election was stolen (which I agree with). I believe there was a similar scale, or even more interference in the 2020 election. We need to be able to talk about this, so that we can fix the problems. Democracy doesn’t work without secure elections. But it also doesn’t work without peaceful transitions of power. Both are essential.

I believe there was extreme election interference but I don’t believe January 6th was the right response. Bear with me.

So what was going on during the 2020 election?

I held a Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance for about 7 years and used to work in information warfare, and also cybersecurity. I’ve seen nation-state tactics that most can’t imagine. It is from this lens, and through access to lots of non-public information, through which I viewed the election.

If you go back to the 2020 election, arguably the most sophisticated cyberattack in history was taking place. This was the SolarWinds supply chain attack. This attack was so sophisticated that it’s impossible to know exactly what it was used for. And much of what we do know has never been reported.

Washington has an interesting phenomenon where when something incredibly damaging is learned, people oftentimes clam up and refuse to deal with it. I’ve seen this first hand multiple times now.

But we also have things like the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, which the FBI was in possession of for roughly a year before the election, and despite it being easy to verify its authenticity, the FBI was actively telling Facebook and Twitter that it is fake news and they recommended banning sharing of the NY Post article about it.

But there were so many other issues. Not least of which was a global pandemic that almost certainly leaked from a Chinese lab, but we weren’t allowed to talk about that. Nor the mail-in ballot issues.

Many point to the 2020 election and say “there’s no smoking gun evidence so therefore there was no interference!” My retort is that there’s not public evidence and in general the DoD/IC is afraid to push too far on the issue, knowing how damaging it would be to find interference. There’s things I can’t say.

The end result is a 2020 election where Biden and Trump combined received 155.5M votes vs the 128.8M combined for Hilary and Trump in 2016. That’s 26.7M more votes in 2020 compared to 2016. That’s a 20% increase in voter turnout in a period where the population only grew by a few percent. In an election where people weren’t inspired by either candidate. And where there was more voting friction than ever before due to COVID-19.

Personally I don’t think it’s fair for Hilary Clinton to be able to claim the 2016 election was stolen, but Donald Trump to be indicted for the same thing.

Regarding the January 6th protests. I don’t agree with them. Even if an election is stolen I think the correct democratic response is to accept it, have peaceful transition of power, and then to fight like hell on the backend to make sure it never happens again.

Regarding Trump’s involvement in January 6th. The clearest thing he did was deny the election results, but again, so did Hilary Clinton. So if this isn’t a crime in and of itself, then what else did he do?

The rest is fuzzy. There is conflicting testimony, especially around when the National Guard was requested. On the one hand you had the testimonies of General Charles Flynn and Lt. General Walter Piatt. But on the other side you have the testimonies of Colonel Earl Mathews, Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and The Head of the Capitol Police at the time, Steven Sund. The media reports on Trump’s January 6th involvement in absolute terms but again, if you go deep, it’s unclear. For me, if Trump actually asked for the National Guard to be ready to go during January 6th it’s a major counterpoint against the allegations that he was inciting an insurrection.

Summary

In 2016 there were two primary reasons I voted for Hilary (and was deathly afraid of Trump)

#1) Russia helped him in the election by hurting Hilary. This made me susceptible to the media narrative that he’s owned by Russia and will be a foreign policy disaster.

#2) Candidly the clip where he said “I grab them by their pussy” deeply bothered me.

These two things built a pattern in my mind that Trump was out of control.

But now with the benefit of hindsight, revisiting these two points:

#1) To my shock, I believe Trump was one of the best foreign policy Presidents in decades, and during the most complex period in almost a century, as the East rises, which leads to a changing set of rules.

#2) That clip still sits in the back of my mind, but I personally consider the double standards and lawfare against Trump to be 10x worse, and 10x more dangerous for our Democracy.

What’s next?

Do I agree with Trump on everything? Of course not. The area where I disagree with Republicans the most is on Women’s rights. And I’m sure I’ll disagree with some of Trump’s policies in the future.

But in general I think he was surprisingly prescient, such as with the border wall, and he was also a masterful negotiator, such as with the Abraham accords.

There’s a real chance President Trump is convicted of felony charges and sentenced to prison. Bluntly, that’s part of why I’m supporting him. I believe our justice system is being weaponized against him.

If abortion is your most important issue, then I get it, vote for Biden. If any other topic is your most important issue, then do your homework and investigate the manipulation I outlined above.

Given the two choices, I believe President Trump is overwhelmingly the stronger candidate. Again, this is something I couldn’t have imagined saying in 2016.

Conclusion

Speak up. Don’t be silenced. Freedom of speech is worth nothing if you’re afraid to use it. We can’t let cancel culture win.

There’s no greater country in the world than America. But America has had a bad decade. America is blessed with a robust constitution, abundant natural resources and diverse people. The way out from here is by focusing on our strengths, which are liberalism and hard work. We need to start building again.

Best of luck to President Trump.

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*Note that everything in this post reflects my personal views and not the views of my employer. I work in Silicon Valley which traditionally leans very far left. I’m lucky to work at a place that tolerates spirited debate and independent thinking. If the truth is in the middle, it’s impossible to find it without sharing our ideas and debating each other.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama announced Friday afternoon that her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, passed away at the age of 86-years-old.

Michelle Obama noted in a post on Twitter from her and former President Barack Obama that Robinson was “her rock” and was “always there for whatever I needed.”

“Marian Lois Shields Robinson — our mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother — had a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think. Her wisdom came off as almost innate, as something she was born with, but in reality it was hard-earned, fashioned by her deep understanding that the world’s roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace,” the Obamas and Robinsons wrote in a reflection of her life.

My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed. She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today. We wanted to offer some reflections on her remarkable life: https://t.co/F7T6q625PC

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 31, 2024

From the South Side of Chicago, Robinson was one of seven children and the daughter of Parnell Shields and Rebecca Jumper, according to the statement.

By October 1960 Robinson married Fraser Robinson, who passed away in 1991 and was described as “another South-Sider with a boxer’s strength and jazz-lover’s cool,” eventually giving birth to Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson.

“As a grandmother, at every stage of their lives, from infancy through adulthood, she stood secondary watch over her grandchildren’s growth and development, inspiring them, listening to them, telling them she was proud of them, making them feel loved, like they were remarkable in every way,” the statement reads.

“And as a sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, and friend to so many, she was beloved beyond words by countless others whose lives were improved by her presence. We will all miss her greatly, and we wish she were here to offer us some perspective, to mend our heavy hearts with a laugh and a dose of her wisdom.”