Former Illinois deputy Sean Grayson only spent less than a year in the iron college but got the fulfillment of a LIFE term. He died while in the iron college. A month ago, he was pleading to Gov. JB Pritzker for clemency as he was dealing with terminal cancer.
He wanted the governor’s office to commute his sentence to a hospice. The governor denied it.
Now vindication.
Grayson passed away at the age of 32.
The former Sangamon County deputy was called to a Springfield home of a mentally distressed woman. He was disrespectful from the jump. When the woman was making inaudible remarks while holding a pot, Grayson got a hold of his service weapon demanding she drop her pot.
The woman speaks a religious rant before he pulled the trigger shooting her twice in the face.
Her name was Sonya Massey.
Daniel Fultz, the attorney who represented Grayson during his murder trial, said he died around noon. He was six months into his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Grayson, 32, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, and it had progressed to Stage 4 and spread to his liver, lungs and rectum, another defense attorney, Mark Wykoff, said at his sentencing in January. In July, he was denied medical release by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
It was not immediately clear whether cancer is what caused Grayson’s death.
Grayson shot Massey, 36, after he responded to her 911 call shortly before 1 a.m. July 6, 2024. The shooting, which was captured on body camera video, set off protests and calls for justice.
Grayson was convicted last year.
During the 911 response, Massey picked up a pot of boiling water from her stove, prompting Grayson to back away, according to court testimony.
Justice. We still mourn the death of Sonya Massey.
Grayson testified that he believed Massey was going to throw the boiling water on him after she said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” When Grayson looked confused, Massey repeated the sentence.
He testified that he took the remark as a threat.
Grayson pointed his gun at Massey and threatened to shoot her, according to body camera video. She apologized and dropped to the floor, but he fired three times, striking her.
Grayson declined to offer medical care, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser said in court. Massey was pronounced dead at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.
First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers said in court: “‘I’m sorry.’ That is the last thing Sonya Massey said before the defendant murdered her, just like he said he would.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Act, a law requiring stricter background checks for law enforcement hires, and it went into effect at the beginning of the year.
Sangamon County officials agreed in early 2025 to pay a $10 million settlement to Massey’s family.
President Donald J. Trump's favorite Black guy. I am not sure if it was Tim Scott or Byron Donalds. Regardless, they are the very reasons why anti-Blackness exists.
Sen. Timothy Eugene Scott (R-SC), the sole Black U.S. Republican senator is one of five members in the Senate. The other four are Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).
The possibility of Juliana Stratton and Angie Nixon are possible if the voters reject Republicans.
Scott is considered a "matter of dispute" when it comes to relationships. He is married to an interior designer named Mindy Noce. Some look at the longtime bachelor being married as a shield. Because some think, he is playing on the other team. Ain't nothing wrong with what people do in their bedrooms. But Scott being anti-LGBTQ but secretly is a part of the community is so Lindsey Graham.
Scott often called "Gums." Many nicknamed him "Mushmouth", the recurring character on Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids.
This weekend's Trump rally for Republican gubernatorial nominee Alan Wilson and Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), Scott declared Trump kept America safe.
Graham Nordone made a massive flub during a debate between her and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). When far right agitator Greta Van Sustern asked Graham Nordone about foreign conflict like Taiwan and China, the senator honestly was stumped.
She made it go viral and Norman is hoping her flub will deny her the nomination.
I still have her as favored to be the nominee and eventual winner. I have the race as Safe Republican. If Norman does win, the race does not change.
I want to clarify that Trump never kept the country safe nor kept Scott's life safe.
The president in the final weeks of his first term unleashed a mob of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol. The intent was to stop former vice president Mike Pence from certifying the 2020 presidential election through the electoral college. The mob wreak havoc on Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) office. They defectated, vandalized and stole property. They attacked U.S. Capitol Police officers and Washington, DC Metropolitan Police officers. They damaged the incoming president inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
It was one of the worst incidents in U.S. history. It also became Trump's earliest second term curse. The president pardoned almost all the individuals the U.S. Justice Department prosecuted.
The president also ordered many federal agents to be fired for investigating the Jan. 6 incident. The Republicans continue to rewrite history as they claim the Biden Administration conspired with anti-Trump agitators to create the Jan. 6 riots.
Trump faced a second impeachment. Had the Republicans stop putting their heads up his curmudgeon ass, he would've been disqualified to run for president. Nah, Republicans cared about political power and the need to "own the libs."
Trump didn't keep Scott and millions of Americans safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Byron Donalds, Tim Scott, Clarence Thomas, Wesley Hunt, Burgess Owens and John James are the GOP's version of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
Before Biden took office, 789,000 Americans died from this pandemic. Had Trump listened to Anthony Fauci and Jerome Adams, we wouldn't be in the economy crisis we are facing now.
Biden allowed Trump to waltz back in because his stupid Catholic faith believes divine intervention allows Israel to commit crimes against humanity. His support for Ukraine and Israel allowed inflation to fester and cost him his second term and Kamala Harris her historic victory.
Trump never kept people safe. As we are entering September, we are well past 400 mass shootings. That means 1 in 12 people (approximately 16,000 to 40,000 Americans) will be killed firearms.
We are in survival mode. He did not keep Gary, Indiana safe. The deadly derecho destroyed the Northwestern Indiana city. In Southeastern Indiana, there were massive floods which destroyed small communities that heavily favor Trump and Gov. Mike Braun.
He did not keep Hawai'i safe. The islands were hit with massive flooding from a rare hurricane that poured over five years of average rain.
He did not keep Puerto Rico safe. The island is dealing with a massive water crisis. The infrastructure (yeah, $15 billion) could fix the territory. Yet, Israel gets billions without any restrictions.
The U.S. has dealt with a longer fire season. More wildfires have led to heavy toxins which create more deadlier storms. Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, California, Texas, Arizona and even Tennessee have dealt with some of the worst wildfires in modern history.
On GOP Sundays, as chairman of the Republican senate elections, Scott got to motivate voters to vote for Trump endorsed nominees. He will do everything in his power.
Even blame former president Joe Biden for 19 months of Trump's economic chaos.
He engaged with Kristen Welker in a somewhat heated interview.
We ain't fighting your wars or your demands for economic trade.
Ottawa and Washington are at odds.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has told President Donald J. Trump that his trade deal is null and void. He said that Canada's interests will always be first and the president's threats could dismantle the USMCA.
Trump pushed for USMCA in his first chaotic term.
The Republican president and his tariffs have crippled the U.S. economy. Trade with the U.S. is now considered hostile. Canada and Mexico are two of biggest partners. China is the biggest country for imports.
Trump's tariffs make companies in the U.S. pay more for goods dutied. The companies pass the costs on consumers, shippers and disturbing companies.
Mexico is considering leaving USMCA and joining BRICS after the president kept pushing for military actions in its sovereignty. The claims the U.S. is pushing to stopping illegal smugglers and drug cartels from entering its borders.
Carney told his negotiators to walk away from the table after the Trump administration introduced late unacceptable demands on culture, autos and sovereignty that, when taken in concert with their overall approach to talks, revealed the U.S. was not interested in a "true economic partnership" with Canada.
In a departure from his usual diplomatic language, Carney suggested the U.S. sometimes signs trade deals in "pencil," and while Canada's government is united and working together, the same is not true of the Trump administration.
"We cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked," Carney said on Saturday in Ottawa, adding that the United States 'asked too much and offered too little.'
The prime minister revealed that the U.S. had issues with Canada's subsidies for French culture; the prevalence of French-language media online and even the requirement to have bilingual labels on products sold in Canada.
"It was unacceptable right from the start, but the Americans kept trying and trying and we said no," Carney said. "Ultimately it's simple. That was never on the table for Canada and it would not have been acceptable to Canadians."
Quebec and New Brunswick. About 95% of Quebicans and 30% New Brunswickers speak French.
When it came to the auto industry, Carney said the U.S. wanted to treat Canadian-made parts unfairly and to exempt some cars and pick-up trucks from U.S. tariffs but not others without any explanation.
Carney said those demands were introduced late and, if accepted, would have moved Canada "into a series of terms that would have made the production [of vehicles in Canada] more un-economic over time."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford welcomed Carney's decision to abandon negotiations and insisted Canada would win a trade war with the U.S. because Canada is united and prepared for a fight.
"I'm glad he didn't sign that deal because it was a bad deal," Ford said in Toronto on Saturday. "It was a bad deal for Ontario. It was a bad deal for the auto sector, the steel sector and the manufacturing sector."
The premier said Canada needs to inflict pain on the U.S. to remind the Trump administration that Canada is its best customer and should be treated as such.
The U.S. team also wanted to introduce measures into the pact that would significantly undermine Canada's sovereignty, the prime minister said.
"The U.S. introduced, in the last hours, efforts to restrict our ability to have other trade deals," Carney said. "Because we believe in free trade, we're the partner of choice, in many respects, for countries around the world, and Americans wanted to restrict that, they had language to restrict that. Unacceptable."
Throwing shade at the Trump team
Carney said the effort to try to squeeze more concessions into the deal at the last minute derailed months of negotiations.
"Any of [those issues] individually, but collectively put us in a position here that had been on a trajectory, absent those elements, for a fair deal, a good deal for Canadians — not perfect — but a good deal [became] a deal we would not accept," Carney said.
"The prime minister's decision to recall his negotiators means threatened 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian products kicked in at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Carney said Canada's dollar-for-dollar matching tariffs on U.S. goods will begin the Tuesday after Labour Day.
He was asked if U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's intervention in the talks was an impediment to the deal, and he used the opening to get a dig in at his southern neighbour's approach to the talks.
"The Canadian team, unified ... everyone in the loop, everyone knows what our objectives are, collective decision making — ultimately, I and the cabinet bear responsibility for those decisions, but unity. You cannot say that about the United States administration."
Carney said Canada went into the trade talks fully aware the U.S. had changed its spots and had embarked on a mission to reshape its trading relationships to one where it used previous "economic integration as a weapon."
He noted that the Trump administration has justified tariffs on Canada with a continually changing rationale that began with fentanyl and since moved to wildfire smoke, dairy quotas, the certification of U.S. aircraft and Ontario Premier Doug Ford's anti-tariff ads that quoted former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, all of which violate the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
Through the Trump administration's actions, Carney said, Canada has come to realize "that sometimes, its signature was written in pencil."
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre issued a statement saying he is disappointed with the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on Canada and that his party will "support action to protect Canadians and our industries."
"Canada cannot accept one-sided tariffs that will deindustrialize our country. Nor can we accept a bad deal. Instead, we must continue the fight for tariff-free trade," Poilievre said.
The Conservative leader said he is hoping to have a conversation with Carney later on Saturday "to discuss what we can do to fight for our workers, businesses and economy."
Writing in The Hub on Friday, University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe said the 50 per cent tariffs might only knock a "couple of tens of a percentage point off of GDP growth," but they will hit Canada's job market hard.
"If these tariffs take effect and remain in place, I estimate that nearly 90,000 jobs across Canada could be lost. And those losses go beyond where the tariffs directly land," he wrote.
Tombe said Alberta's exports will be "barely touched" by the tariffs compared with Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, but Alberta-based businesses that provide support for exporters elsewhere in the country stand to lose 9,000 jobs. He also said he expects about 36,000 job losses in Ontario, 18,000 in Quebec and 11,000 in B.C.
The federal Liberal government estimates the tariffs will impact about $27 billion worth of Canadian goods and put about 56,000 jobs at stake.
Carney said he's concerned about how the failure to secure a deal with Trump will impact ordinary people and promised to do whatever is required to help support businesses harmed by the tariffs.
"We'll be releasing details of this early next week — alongside our tariff actions — to support these businesses, and we will support these businesses for as long as it takes; in other words, beyond the life of this administration," he said.
While I have the state of Florida as Lean Republican, these scandals involving allies of that doofus governor and the curmudgeon president could tip the balance.
Florida Democrats are incompetent. Drop Site News reported that Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Nikki Fried demanded Florida state senator and U.S. senate nominee Angie Nixon disavow the Democratic Socialists of America. He said that she had concerns about her policies. Friedk feared the Jewish and Hispanic votes would not support a candidate backed by the DSA.
On CBS News, Nixon was asked about Hasan Piker. Gayle King doing Bari Weiss' dirty work asked the candidate about her being associated with him. Nixon quickly dismissed it by telling King she has not campaigned with him or knows him personally.
On CNN, Kasie Hunt repeatedly interrupted Nixon when she was asked about DSA, socialism and Florida's politics.
A former Florida state representative who has ties to President Donald J. Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) and the apartheid genocidial ethnostate of Israel is being held in Palm Beach County Lockup on charges of lewd acts on a child.
The victim was this man's own grandson. The victim told the law that they engaged in these acts numerous times.
The charges are as followed
Kidnapping
Lewd or lascivious molestation
Lewd or lascivious exhibition
Luring or enticing a child
Child abuse causing mental injury
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, he could face LIFE or DEATH. Ironic, he voted for the very authoritarian law that punishes sexual predators in Florida.
Michael Caruso was arrested on August 18, 2026 after arriving in Orlando. The Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that Caruso was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on charges related to child sexual abuse. The victim was Caruso's grandchild.
Following the arrest, DeSantis suspended Caruso from his position as clerk circuit court and comptroller.
This fool is accused molesting a young boy at the child’s home, on fishing excursions and while on a family cruise, arrest records show.
Caruso, a 67-year-old Republican whom DeSantis appointed as Palm Beach County’s clerk of courts and comptroller a year ago, was taken into custody by local police and officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“Being in a position of public trust provides no shield from accountability,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement Tuesday.
After the arrest was announced, DeSantis suspended Caruso from his post and noted in an executive order that the allegations include lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, kidnapping, child abuse causing mental injury, and luring or enticing a child.
Caruso had regular and unsupervised access to the child, a probable cause affidavit released by the governor’s office said.
Caruso is accused of preying on the boy more than half a dozen times since Thanksgiving 2024, sometimes under the guise of playing “tickle monster,” according to the affidavit.
Birds of feather stick together.
Asked at a news conference whether he was aware of the allegations before Caruso was nominated for the Palm Beach post, DeSantis said, “Of course not.”
“He had a clean vet, he was well-regarded in the community,” the governor said.
DeSantis said that once he became aware of the allegations against Caruso, “it was a very easy decision for me to yank him from this position.”
Noting that Florida now has a death penalty for convicted pedophiles, DeSantis warned that if Caruso is found guilty of the allegations, “he is going to be in a world of hurt.”
Caruso is running for re-election in November to retain the top county post that DeSantis appointed him to. Previously, he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 to 2025. And when DeSantis ran for president in 2024, Caruso campaigned with him in Iowa.
Calls to Caruso’s number, as well as his wife Tracy’s number, went unanswered Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether Caruso has a lawyer.
The lawyer for the alleged victim blasted DeSantis for releasing information that could potentially identify the boy.
“Child sexual abuse victims should never have identifying details about them released, and it is abhorrent that the child victim in connection with the arrest of Michael Caruso has been subjected to this breach,” Lisa Haba of The Haba Law Firm said in a statement on her firm’s website.
The chain of events that led to Caruso’s arrest began in December, when he was confronted by the boy’s father about the alleged abuse, the affidavit states.
Caruso denied abusing the child but “acknowledged that he had showered with all his own children,” the affidavit states. He stated that he’d previously been accused “of sexually inappropriate behavior, including sexual battery” by a female relative, according to the court document.
“You tell anyone, I’m going to jail,” Caruso told the child’s father, according to the affidavit.
The boy’s father also spoke with Tracy Caruso, who said her husband faced a “life in jail kinda thing” if police knew about the alleged behavior, according to the affidavit.
In February, the boy’s father confronted Caruso again about the abuse allegations while wearing a wire for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the affidavit states.
During that conversation, Caruso “asserted that the allegations were impossible because, in substance, sexual deviation is directed toward only one sex rather than two, and because he is attracted to women he could not be a sex offender,” the affidavit states.
Caruso urged the boy’s father to keep quiet, allegedly saying, “If you report this to the authorities, there won’t be any of me left, I can tell you that,” according to the affidavit.
Caruso sponsored that Antisemitism Awareness law with Fine (before he became a U.S. House member). Those two along with DeSantis went to Israel for that bill to be signed into law.
America, we are paying for a bunch of sandal wearing jackass terrorists!
Israel is on the back burner because the junk food media is more concerned about socialism, Hasan Piker and puppies.
Did you know a deadly derecho destroyed parts of Gary, Indiana?
Indiana has committed over $135 million in state funds to Israel-related initiatives, sparking significant public backlash from residents who argue that taxpayer money should instead be invested locally into struggling communities like Gary, Indiana.
Did you know there were massive floods in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio?
Yet we give nearly $3.6 billion to apartheid genocidial ethnostate of Israel?
And yet, this fucking country continues to violate the ceasefires it has with Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and continues to engage in terrorism in the West Bank.
They are manipulating the U.S. elections.
Israel announced they will not launch any investigations into the deadly attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers. The regime claims that is a systematic error not a criminal act.
In an announcement by the Israeli Military Advocate General, the military officially dismissed and closed the case regarding the WCK convoy deaths. The military's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism concluded that the deadly strike occurred because forces mistakenly believed Hamas militants had taken control of the vehicles.
TΓΌrkiye has announced they are willing to break with NATO to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel launched a series of attacks on Syria was Turkish military officials were present in the vicinity. They claim they were trying to stop a "terrorist" resurgence. They tipped the U.S. they were going to aim at Syrian territory near Damascus.
Reports indicated that a Turkish military delegation had inspected the airfield's ongoing construction and left just hours before the Israeli jets struck the runways and storage units, leading Ankara to view the attack as a deliberate, direct threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military presence moving further south into Syria. Israel views a Turkish military buildup closer to its borders as a direct threat to its security.
Both TΓΌrkiye and the new Syrian government strongly denied that a permanent Turkish base was being built. They stated that Turkish military officers had only visited the airfield to help train and rebuild the new Syrian army following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
TΓΌrkiye's top intelligence agency explicitly warned Israeli counterparts that any attempt to assassinate foreign officials or political figures (such as Hamas members) on Turkish soil would face severe consequences. Following statements from Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency vowing to target leaders globally, Ankara countered that unauthorized actions within its borders would be treated as illegal acts of aggression.
With Democratic opponent Charles Booker being a sacrificial goat and perennial candidate, it is almost assured that Rep. [Garland Hale] "Andy" Barr (R-KY) will be likely the next senator.
It is disappointing that Addison Mitchell McConnell will be regarded as one of the boomers who ruined the country as a senator. The turtle looking senator got into Washington being known as a master strategist who prioritized party unity. He focused heavily on winning judicial seats, cutting taxes, and rolling back business regulations.
You notice the junk food media has moved on from the August deadline to file a special primary. The only news given to the junk food media and Gov. Andy Beshear is that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was released from the hospital and is in a transition home recovering.
The 84 year old curmudgeon who infamously denied then president Barack Obama his third Supreme Court justice but rammed through President Donald J. Trump's three justices had a major health incident in June. Throughout June and July, the junk food media from both sides have called for transparency.
McConnell's staff and his wife, former Trump Transportation secretary Elaine Chao keep pushing photos but no actual evidence of life.
TMZ released a commentary of concern. McConnell assisted by his aides and fellow Republicans forced him to make votes without acknowledging what he voted for.
At one point McConnell — who has served in Congress for more than 40 years — is seen giving a thumbs up to indicate a positive vote, and walks away with an aide before a Senate clerk appeared to speak to them, the outlet reported.
In a election year, more Americans are getting tired of old people running the government.
McConnell then switched his vote, the video appeared to show.
Another time, a clerk seemed to signal to McConnell which way to vote, indicating he should vote nay, the footage appeared to show.
A rep for McConnell did not immediately respond to Mediaite’s request for comment.
McConnell was reportedly found unconscious in his Washington, DC home on June 14 and hasn’t been to work since.
His office repeatedly refused to give detailed answers to questions about his whereabouts or later, his health status, at times issuing the same verbatim statements before ultimately releasing two different photos of McConnell with his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
McConnell’s absence has sparked controversy with critics demanding transparency and Beshear calling out the Senator’s refusal to tell voters why he’s not at work.
Beshear told CBS News’ White House political correspondent Ed O’Keefe on Face the Nation Sunday that McConnell “absolutely refuses” to make a video showing he’s alive and well.
“His boss[es] are the people of Kentucky, and this is why the Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken,” Beshear said.
“They feel like they’re not accountable to anyone. All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.”
I mean we are seeing his cognitve decline the moment he fell, froze and forgot what he spoke about. Yet, they were all on former president Joe Biden when he stuttered.
We are watching Trump cognitvely decline right before our eyes.
Now there's rumors that his staff is prepared to announce that he is resigning. That has enraged Democrats and some Republicans. For a lawmaker who spent over 40 years being a protectionist of white supremacy his last middle finger will be his resignation to prvent Beshear from appointing a replacement or the Kentucky state legislature intentionally blocking him from doing so by issuing a special election.
Boomers (1946 to 1975) are the generation of selfishness. They think the younger generation is lazier and not willing to put in the work. They stuck on their rigid views of America back in their days. They are not willing to accept change or adapt to new things.
Well, AI is taking over the work.
All the work has outsourced to technology. They are getting their paychecks and they are not matching the cost of living.
McConnell made millions off the lobbying, the extensive contacts and luxury gifts.
His absence only makes me wonder why the elite have it way better than the working class.
When folks hear about Gary, Indiana, they automatically think Chicago. Well it is a damn Republican state and of course, its governor is a white nationalist.
The city had some massive storms and it wiped out over 90% of the citu's energy grid.
Mike Braun is worthless. Donald J. Trump is worthless. JD Vance is worthless.
Chris Wright is worthless.
Jim Banks and Todd Young are worthless.
Frank Mrvan is worthless.
Indiana Republican governor Mike Braun has faced severe criticism from residents and local advocates over his administration's response to the catastrophic August 2024 derecho that left much of Gary, Indiana without power for over a week. Critics point to a slow state-level response as evidence of neglect toward the predominantly Black city, while the administration highlights mobilized state resources, National Guard deployments, and federal disaster requests as their active response to the crisis.
Tens of thousands of people in northwest Indiana remained without power Wednesday, more than a week after deadly storms leveled trees and knocked down power lines across the region.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. said crews were working nonstop to fix the outages, but 75,000 customers still lacked electricity by late afternoon, mostly in Lake County next to the Illinois border.
They included more than 20,000 customers in Gary, where residents lined up again at community centers for hot meals and a place to charge phones.
The latest news for Gary wasn’t good: Full restoration is not expected there until Aug. 25, NIPSCO said.
Indiana voted for this idiot.
Roughly 300 poles and 44 power transmission poles need to be repaired or replaced in Gary as a result of the storm, which carried winds of 99 mph (159 kilometers per hour), said Melody Birmingham, an executive at NIPSCO’s parent company.
Birmingham acknowledged the “real burden” of losing perishable food and people living for days without air conditioning after a “historic storm” that initially left 300,000 customers in the dark.
“These aren’t simple repairs,” Birmingham said at a news conference. “These are systems that are being rebuilt.”
Utility says low-income residents are not ignored
Jeremy Spurrier, 51, said he’s fortunate to have a generator at his Portage home, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. But the generator is expensive — it goes through about $75 of gas a day — and Spurrier said his family is relying on nonperishable food like soup. He drives to Illinois to get ice to chill his insulin.
“If I run out of ice, that’s several hundred dollars of insulin just ruined,” he said.
Gary, a majority-Black city, has been especially hit hard, with some residents voicing frustration that they’re being ignored. Birmingham denied that low-income residents were being overlooked and blamed posts on social media.
“We have areas that are probably affluent where we still have customers out as well. ... This has nothing to do with race or any type of division,” said Birmingham, who is Black. “It’s really a matter of where the storm hit.”
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton acknowledged that locals were “frustrated and exhausted” but said more than 600 linemen were working to restore power in the city.
“I want to reiterate this is clearly not just a Gary situation. It is a northwest Indiana situation,” Melton said.
No storm damage — but no power
A 4-year-old boy, three men and three women were among those who had died since the storms began Aug. 11, said Liz Woods, a spokesperson for the state Department of Homeland Security.
In Whiting, Myra Carden, 74, said her home wasn’t damaged by the storm — “not even a chair was blown over in the yard.” But she was in her second blackout Wednesday.
Carden, her son and three dogs lost power for more than two days last week. Then the electricity went out again Tuesday.
“More than once I have put in an outage report,” she said. ”All I get back is, ‘You already put in a report.’ Well, what do you want me to do? ... This doesn’t make sense. Of course I’m not a lineman; I’m a paralegal.”
Carden uses a generator to keep the refrigerator humming but only when someone’s home to monitor it.
“We have a deep freeze in the garage packed full with beef and chicken. I’m sure everything will be thrown away,” she said.
Afghani-American doctor wins the seat to replace former lawmaker Eric Swalwell.
Rep-elect Aisha Wahab (D-CA), current California state senator will resign soon. She will represent the 14th Congressional District which covers the East Bay cities of Haywood, Livermore, Fremont and parts of Oakland.
Swalwell, a Democrat who was running for California governor, ended his campaign and resigned from Congress in April after he was accused of sexual assault and harassment, which he denies. Wahab will represent the state’s 14th Congressional District, which covers parts of Alameda County on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, through Swalwell’s term ending in January.
She will be the first Afghan American to serve in Congress. The progressive Democrat defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez even after a swell of spending by outside groups opposing Wahab in the race’s final stretch. She said her victory shows her district “cannot be bought.”
“I will fight for this district that raised me,” Wahab said in a statement. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.”
The conclusion of the race to replace Swalwell comes as criminal investigations continue into the sexual assault allegations he faces. Over the weekend, federal agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport and later searched his home in Washington, D.C., according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Swalwell’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment.
Wahab became the first Afghan American elected to public office in the U.S. when she won a Hayward City Council seat in 2018.
She has championed housing affordability and access in her time in the Legislature and throughout her campaign. She also wrote a bill in 2023 to ban caste-based discrimination, which garnered national attention. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it, saying such discrimination is already outlawed by civil rights protections.
Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in a separate November election determining who will serve the next full two-year term.
At a candidate forum in April, Wahab answered “yes” when asked if she considered “what is happening to the Palestinian people” to be a genocide.
Hernandez did not give a straight yes or no answer. She said Israel had a right to defend itself following the October 2023 attack by Hamas but that “the destruction into Gaza has gone too far.”
Hernandez, a moderate Democrat, said she was proud to put up a competitive fight after Wahab’s success in the primary.
“I’ve been a fighter my whole life, and when I promised the residents of CA-14 I would fight for them, I never gave up,” she said in a statement.
On a Saturday afternoon, Walmart looks like a Tuesday afternoon.
I go to Walmart almost every weekend and it seems like ⅓ of my paycheck goes to groceries. The company introduced AI technology which is placed on their shelf tags.
Those tags eliminate the need to use paper but are considered troubling due to the perception thry will change prices according to shoppers demand.
Say of I wanted a frequent buys, Walmart tracks it and keeps a record of my shopping habits. The next time I shop there, I purchase something and notice it went up 5%.
AI price tags—officially known as Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) or Digital Shelf Labels (DSLs)—have sparked major controversy because consumers fear they will be used for "surveillance pricing" and real-time surge pricing. While major retailers like Walmart and Kroger are rapidly rolling out these digital screens to cover their entire store fleets, the sudden ability to change prices across thousands of items in seconds has triggered widespread anxiety, union backlash, and a push for government bans.
Would I buy it or skip it?
I mean it's a risk on both sides.
When you purchase at least 20 items, you are expected to pay between $60 to $120.
Then when you get gas in a midsize vehicle, you are paying from $35 to $85 for a full tank.
When you get home, you see you bills for car insurance, home insurance, electric, phone and water bills. The costs eats your check. Even with working at 40 hours or more, you still are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
President Donald J. Trump and Republicans don't seem to care much about it. They are telling you that short term pain for long term gains. Who is gaining from this?
Billionaires and millionaires.
Abdul El-Sayed went on Will Cain's clown show on Fox and got the host to admit he doesn't pump his own gas. I mean this should be something we should address when you hear these agitators complain about socialism while profiting off of capitalism.
They literally are calling themselves working class but they forgot the last thing to their class.... they are millionaires.
Okay, Walmart is posting their quarterly earnings. It shows a decline. Walmart reported its smallest sales gain in more than six years as some Americans continue to spend cautiously—especially when shopping at the retailer’s physical stores.
Six years ago, Trump was president overseeing a global pandemic. He was totally incompetent and it led to Joe Biden's victory. Had Trump took control of this, he would have won (barely). Yet, Trump being a curmudgeon with ADHD, just couldn't stay focused on the situationz.
On Thursday, Walmart said U.S. comparable sales, those from store and digital channels operating for the last 12 months, rose 2.6%. That is the smallest quarterly increase the retailer has reported since 2020. The number was hurt by new pharmacy-pricing regulations, without which Walmart would have had a 3.4% lift, the company said. That is below analyst’s estimates of a 3.8% gain, according to FactSet.
Walmart’s stock fell over 6% to $107 in premarket trading Thursday.
Walmart’s slower growth came as some consumers continue to watch their wallets amid higher gas prices and the company navigates a shift to sales growth driven by new channels, increasingly e-commerce, membership and advertising sales, not its core big-box base. It is a marked transition for the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer that still earns the bulk of its sales and profits from sprawling supercenters.
Much of the growth came from a 24% increase in U.S. e-commerce sales, a figure that includes Walmart’s increasingly prominent advertising-revenue business. Walmart sells ads that run in its digital channels and stores.
“The relevance of store comps, I think, is not as pertinent as it was a decade ago,” said Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey. For example, items ordered online and picked up in store parking lots are counted as e-commerce sales, he said, so increasingly stores are a digital-fulfillment node that enable speedy delivery. “It’s a legacy fixation,” he said. “We are not the Walmart of a decade ago.”
Top executives are discussing if they should report those store-fulfilled sales differently to better reflect Walmart’s current business model, he said. E-commerce accounts for nearly a quarter of overall sales.
Sales of groceries, toys, fashion and private brands were strong in the most recent quarter and Walmart said it is gaining market share broadly, but especially among higher-income households, a term the retailer uses to describe households that earn $100,000 a year or above. Lower-income shoppers continue to spend cautiously, but they are spending, said Rainey. “It appears there were choices between necessities within the quarter because of where gas prices are,” he said.
Walmart also lowered some prices in the quarter, using some of the windfall of its $2.9 billion in tariff refunds. Prices during the quarter were still slightly higher than the same period last year due to overall cost increases, said Rainey, but the company put in place additional price cuts near the end of the period and is giving priority to price investments on items that have been particularly affected, such as beef. Walmart is “muting what was otherwise a higher price increase where consumers were feeling pressure,” he said.
The quarterly sales lift was enough for Walmart to raise its net sales and operating-income estimates for the full year. It now expects net sales to increase 4% to 5% for the full year, up from a previous estimate of 3.5% to 4.5%. Operating income will rise 7% to 8.5% for the full year, up from a 6% to 8% range set earlier this year, the company said.
Walmart’s latest results add to a string of mixed quarterly-sales reports from retailers in recent days. Earlier this week, Target said its quarterly comparable sales rose 3.8%, reversing last year’s declines. TJX, which owns chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, said that its comparable sales rose 4% in the most recent quarter, but that its flagship U.S. store sales grew just 1% after it made some apparel missteps. Home-improvement retailer Home Depot said its comparable sales rose 1.7%, while competitor Lowe’s reported sluggish 0.2% growth.
July government retail-sales data showed a softening overall, though some of that softness was likely caused by one-time events like the switch of Amazon.com and other retailer’s summer online-sales events to June.
Walmart’s net sales rose 5.9% to $186.1 billion in the most recent quarter ended July 31. Net income fell 9.4% to $6.37 billion as the decline of some equity investments ate into profits.
Walmart recently got into the news when Damon Darling, a comedian and social media influencer was permanently banned from their properties after he did his charity stunts.
The comedian who amasses over 3 million followers on TikTok has publicly acknowledged his past stunts caused his banishment and called his supporters to not back a boycott. Regardless, protesters are calling full day boycott to protest their AI pricing, the Damon Darling ban and the unfair labor practices.
Walmart remains the juggernaut in retail in the United States and Canada. With sales lagging, several factors would require them to close locations. They are slated to close 30 stores in the United States this year.
President Donald J. Trump and his former fixer Michael Cohen are back on good terms.
Cohen who once threatened then rival Stormy Daniels made peace with her. It seems like he has turned on her again.
He was the point man to paying Daniels to stay silent about the affairs Trump had when he ran for president in 2016. That got him convicted in New York for fraud. First Lady Melania Trump was pregnant at the time when Trump slept with Daniels and Karen McDougal.
Trump is the first U.S. president to be a convicted felon.
After years of dissing one another and the U.S. Justice Department putting his ass in federal time out multiple times, Cohen seems to be begging for the pardon.
Cohen was a main feature on MediasTouch Media. Sometime around mid-2024, Cohen was dismissed as a host on their shows.
I am guessing that Cohen begged then president Joe Biden for that pardon.
Regardless, the reconciliation will also have the former lawyer interview the president on the conservative 77 WABC AM radio station. Cohen would now change his tune about the prosecution.
He accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James of forcing a confession in attempt to get Trump.
Cohen said on the radio, after years of conflict, the two are now on better terms.
“Out of nowhere, when I was sitting with my wife at a restaurant, my phone buzzed and it was a text from that friend who expressed to me the president’s genuine empathy for the hell that I was being dragged through … I deeply appreciated that text,” Cohen told John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on WABC’s “Cats & Cosby” radio talk show.
“I actually texted the president. I thanked him. Expressed my sincere hope that this long, exhausting feud between the two of us could finally end,” Cohen added.
Mea Culpa and The Michael Cohen Show are still his official podcasts. From what I've seen, he seems like a mixture of anti-establishment and pro Zionist. Still critical of Trump's policies but also Republican and Democratic lawmakers who end up in the junk food media.
So for the Democratic lawmakers and media agitators obsessed with Hasan Piker, here's the one figure that should be receiving scrutiny for being a turncoat.
By the way, he was the former lawyer for Sean "Softball" Hannity. Of course, the softball claims he never paid Cohen for fixing relationships. It was simply about tax information.
ESPN sports agitator and politicial agitator gets shunned by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Stephen A. Smith joins Sage Steele, Jason Whitlock and Royce White in the back of the whip. Literally they are catching whips to the back. Protecting the man.
NABJ awards Smith its "Thumbs Down" Award for years of attacking Black journalism and Black women. The NABJ presented Smith with the award during their annual convention, stating he has a "recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports and media". They specifically referenced his past harsh critiques of several notable figures in Black America.
Kamala Davi Harris in particular was a frequent target of the agitator.
And who else did that doofus target in his political rants?
Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Tiffany Cross, Serena Williams, Jemele Hill, Maxine Waters and other Black women.
He also went off on the WNBA.
It earned him their award and he was pissed. He goes on his podcast to rant. Then goes on Fox to rant to the most annoying media personality on the fucking planet.
Sean "Softball" Hannity.
I will add Stephen A. Smith to the list of frequent agitators on the next Sean Hannity Word Vomit.
And then he goes to the sex pest.
He rants to Chris Cuomo. The Cuomo brothers, former governor Andrew and media agitator Chris both are sexual deviants. Andrew tried twice for a politicial comeback for mayor of New York only to lose to Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman who barely polled but ended up winning.
He calls the award a "politicial hit job."
On social media and during a subsequent appearance on Fox's Softball Hannity, Smith labeled the award "utterly ridiculous" and a "flat-out lie". He defended his character by highlighting his personal life, noting he was raised by his mother and four older sisters, and has two daughters and 10 nieces.
Smith doubled down, labeling the prize the "lowest insult" he has ever received and accusing the organization of attacking him purely for political reasons. He also claimed NABJ President Errin Haines declined to debate him publicly on air.
Looks like he upset over their free speech. He should accept the award and head to Fox to say that he graciously accepts the award on behalf of the "free" Blacks.
While on camera, he can polish that huge forehead.
Progressives aren't listening to distractions. They are aggressively demanding candidates who can do systematic change.
Democratic enthusiasm was 64%. Now it is 53% and falling.
If the Democrats have to lose elections to understand why they are failing the base, then so be it. I rather let President Donald J. Trump destroy everything. He will set an example for why its necessary to have diverse leaders. Old white men are not doing it right.
We have to force everyone to see why it's important to stop embracing the status quo.
I am tired of watered down moderates. I am tired of hearing about costs when they spending relentlessly on wars, tax cuts and the elite.
We need strong leaders. Strong fighters.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) ain't it. Most of the candidates that were backed by the Democratic Socialists of America have declared they will not support him as the House Speaker.
Jeffries went on GOP Sundays to declare that the concerns were null and void.
Jeffries explicitly stated that Medicare for All is “not legislation that I am currently co-sponsoring or that I support,” reversing his position from 2021. When pressed by host Kristen Welker, he refused to commit to bringing it to a floor vote if Democrats retake the House majority.
He flatly declared, “I don’t support” the DSA's platform, explicitly distancing leadership from calls to defund the police, abolish ICE, or open U.S. borders.
When the Democratic Party forced Graham Platner out it drove frustrations. When Francesca Hong lost to David Crowley it drove frustrations. When folks like Shannon Watts and Fred Guttenberg were taking shots at Abdul El-Sayed after he won his primary, it drove frustrations. When Darializa Avila Chevalier was harassed by Zionist agitators it drove frustrations. When folks were obsessing over streamer Hasan Piker, it drove frustrations.
Gay lobbyist Michael LaRosa who appears frequently on Fox along with Sen. John Fetterman (I-PA) have constantly dissed El-Sayed. LaRosa along with former Democratic National Committeeofficial and Democratic strategist Jose AristimuΓ±o openly stated that he wants El-Sayed to lose.
AristimuΓ±o explicitly stated, "I hope he doesn't [win]... these DSA candidates do not represent my party."
AristimuΓ±o argued that the majority of Democrats are center-left moderates and expressed deep concern that "growing extremism" from far-left candidates would backfire in the November general election. He emphasized that the country needs to remain the "United States of America" rather than shifting toward ideologies reminiscent of Cuba or Venezuela.
Tensions often surface regarding foreign policy, particularly concerning the Middle East. Some Arab-American and Muslim Democrats argue that mainstream party stances do not adequately represent their communities' perspectives, leading to feelings of exclusion or conditional belonging within the coalition.
