Jussie Smollett has six months in the iron college as well as a $130,000 payment for Chicago and $25,000 in punative fines. He was convicted of filing a false police report and wasting the Chicago Police and Cook County Prosecutor's time investigating a racial hoax.
Smollett explodes when he realizes he will be heading to the iron college. He signals he will appeal his sentence. He remained defiant in his role to the incident that destroyed his acting and singing career.
The 40 year old is now a convicted felon.
Jussie Smollett after the sentencing: “I am not suicidal. If anything happens to me when I go in there, you must all know that.” pic.twitter.com/xe2wYpQJ4O
Happy Jussie Smollett Sentencing Day! Remember when he masturbated with one of his "attackers" before the "hate crime" he staged?#JussieSmollettpic.twitter.com/de4rpeIzHO
When served his bid, he yelled, "I am not suicidal, I am innocent." He said he stuck his "fist out for Black America" and the LGBTQ community.
His outburst ends the career of a once promising entertainer.
The extreme right (and their enablers of color) are gleeful that Smollett is heading to the iron college.
I mean, these are the same folks who believe that the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol was rightfully justified. These are the people who believe the Jan. 6 insurrection was "legitimate political discourse."
They just gonna ignore the numerous other cases where white people (i.e. Ashley Todd) used race as a factor to stage a criminal act.
Todd was a college Republican who wanted to hurt Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign by staging a fake mugging and branding attack in Pennsylvania. She literally carved a backwards "B" inside her face to say that the suspect tried to rob and rape her. The "robber" claimed that because she was a supporter of John McCain, he wanted to make her "Believe" in "Barack."
Yeah, racial hoaxes exist.
But these far-right agitators and those online trolls act like their shit don't stink. Think about that "articulate idiot" Candace Owens. She bilked the NAACP out of money. She complained she was a victim of racism and got them to help her win a lawsuit.
Owens, a Black nationalist, conservative agitator and conspiracy theorist was formerly a left-wing, in your face type. She still an in your face type, but she is suck the cock of white supremacy.
Had Washed Up 45 never ran for president, you would have never heard of Candace Owens, Byron Donalds, Terrence K. Williams, Diamond & Silk, Darrell Scott, Christian Walker, Brandon Tatum, Enrique Torino, Lavern Spicer, Paris Dennard and every buck dancing Black Republican. Hell, you would never have heard about the domestic violence claims thrown at Herschel Walker and Burgess Owens.
These idiots can celebrate a disgraced entertainer like Smollett. He was a defiant desperate nutjob who felt that his racial hoax was real. He knew that his time was up when they realize that the claims did not match up to the situation. Had he gotten away with it, he would have been given millions in contracts and a movie deal.
Now he's unemployed and he will spent time in the iron college.
Jussie Smollett will serve 150 days (approximately 6 months) in the iron college.
The washed up entertainer will face a sentence. Jussie Smollett, 40 could be serving time in the iron college after he was found guilty of staging a racial hoax and filing a false police report.
He single handedly ruined his career and forced Fox to cancel the musical drama Empire.
Smollett paid two men to rough him up so he could use this as a platform to boost a bigger role on Empire. The two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo testified that Smollett paid a hefty sum to rough him up. They purchased bleach, a rope and a few Washed Up 45 memorabilia to portray themselves as a two white men who wanted to beat up a gay Black man.
He sabotaged his career.
Smollett refused to admit he staged the whole ordeal. The jury found him guilty and now as a convicted felon, he will face two options: probation or the iron college.
Smollett’s punishment will be meted out by Judge James Linn, who presided over Smollett’s eight-day trial in November and December 2021 when the actor was found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct — a low level felony charge in Illinois that carries a maximum of three years in the iron college.
With Smollett’s minimal criminal history, experts say a prison sentence is not likely. A sentence of probation, community service or a fine, however, is in play.
Smollett testified in his defense during last year’s trial and he steadfastly denied any involvement in the phony hate crime plan. After he was convicted, Smollett’s lead defense attorney, Nenye Uche, vowed to appeal.
At Thursday’s hearing, Smollett will once again have the chance to address the court. Unlike the trial, though, Linn will this time allow news cameras inside his courtroom to broadcast the proceedings.
While Thursday’s sentencing hearing could mark the end of Smollett’s criminal case, two federal lawsuits tied to the case are still proceeding.
In one suit, the city is seeking to recoup $130,000 that was spent on police overtime costs incurred during the initial “hate crime” investigation.
Chicago want their money back for the time spent on the hoax.
Former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson lambasted Smollett, telling reporters: “How can an individual who’s been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims?”
However, those charges against Smollett were quickly dropped in late March, infuriating Chicago leaders. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the decision “a miscarriage of justice.”
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin in June 2019 found that irregularities in the case warranted a special prosecutor. Toomin appointed Dan Webb — the chair of Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn and a former U.S. Attorney — as special prosecutor in the case in August 2019.
A year later, Webb found “abuses of discretion” by the state’s attorney’s office.
Webb brought a new set of disorderly conduct charges against Smollett in February 2021.
Smollett was written out of Empire, and he testified last year that his career as an actor was derailed by the ordeal.
A man from Seattle is facing hate crime charges after an incident at a local 7-Eleven.
The suspect, 38, allegedly showed up at the store at the 2000 block of Rainier Ave. S. on March 2, 2022.
The suspect, Phillip E. Haskins, was standing in line to buy food and gas from the convenience store, which had a card reader not working properly.
Court records says the suspect cuts the line before getting to the counter, where the card reader had issues.
This incident caused the suspect to be enraged.
A witness, who called 911 from the freezer inside the store said the suspect was yelling racial slurs at the cashier in the store, telling him to "Go Back to Africa," while also threatening his life with what appeared to be a gun.
The victim later said he believed the suspect would follow through with the threats.
Although the suspect was gone before officers got to the scene, it wasn't long before they found him.
He was found. He had caused an accident after leaving the property. He tried to run a light and got into an accident. After they ran through his license, the found out that he had criminal charges out of Alaska and Texas.
He had reckless endangerment, protection order violations, assault and drug charges.
The King County Prosecutor said the the suspect will face hate crimes. He will be held on a $10,000 cash out. The judge released him soon after. The suspect will be facing the judge again in mid-March.
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
One of the crown jewels of pastries, cakes, muffins, donuts, breads and pies is Entenmann Bakeries. You probably bought a box of donuts or a fruit pie from Entenmann.
Charles Edward Entenmann, who helped turn his family's New York-based bakery into a national brand, died in Florida at age 92.
Entenmann died Feb. 24 in Hialeah, his son, Charles William Entenmann, told Newsday.
Charles E. Entenmann was a grandson of William Entenmann, a German immigrant who founded a bakery in Brooklyn in 1898, delivering baked goods door to door.
The business moved to Bay Shore on Long Island, and the founder's son, William Entenmann Jr., took over. William Jr.'s wife and three sons inherited the bakery after his death in 1951.
According to Newsday, Charles Entenmann focused on engineering and technical aspects of Entenmann’s, while his brother Robert specialized in sales and his brother William concentrated on baking.
The new generation of Entenmanns began delivering to supermarkets and pioneered the use of “see-through” cake boxes to lure shoppers.
After expanding Entenmann's nationally in the 1970s, the family sold the business to pharmaceutical company Warner-Lambert. The brand has been sold several times since then and is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA.
Charles Entenmann, known as Charlie, moved to Florida in the 1980s and founded Biolife LLC, which created technology to help seal wounds, his son said. He also supported and conducted research on cold fusion.
“Nobody knows how he got so smart. He never went to school,” his son said. “I don’t think he ever forgot anything he read.”
While Entenmann's cakes and pastries have tempted generations of Americans to break their diets, Charlie Entenmann was not among the devotees, his son said.
"I'm going to tell you something that’s been pretty much a secret, most of my life anyway,” his son told Newsday. “He didn’t eat Entenmann’s cake … He just wasn’t a dessert guy.”
This is the 25th anniversary of the tragic murder of Christopher Wallace, best known as the Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie Smalls, one of the greatest rappers in history was gunned down in Los Angeles as he and his entourage were heading to an award show after party.
The 24 year old entertainer death still remains unsolved.
The Los Angeles Police Department still has an open case on the murder. Biggie was engaged in a high profile feud with his former ally Tupac Shakur. This was highly publicized by the junk food media. The East Coast vs. West Coast feud was some of the most controversial events in hip-hop.
Bad Boy and Death Row were engaged in a high profile feud and it pitted many acts on the label feuding one another. Death Row didn't just go after Bad Boy, but artists like Jay-Z, Nas, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, The Fugees, Chino XL, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lil' Kim, and others.
The whole ordeal was publicized and written about. It was considered one of the worst moments in hip-hop, but also one of the best periods in sales for corporations.
Some still consider the death as a retaliation. His death came six months after the fatal shooting of Tupac on September 13, 1996. He was shot on September 6 after leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas.
Some claim that Marion "Big Suge" Knight orchestrated a hit on the Biggie Smalls.
Christopher George Latore Wallace was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the father of two. He had a daughter named T'yanna and son Chris, Jr (CJ).
Anyway, Biggie Smalls blew up in 1994 when he released Ready to Die.
Produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Heavy D and "D-Dot Madd Rapper" Deric Angelettie, the album took hip-hop by storm.
His death came 16 days before the release of Life After Death. The album was a double disc and it was an instant hit with the junk food media. It was the truest music I've ever heard.
Ryan Coogler looks like a person cashing his check. Bank of America calls the law on him.
Director Ryan Coogler is the genius behind Marvel's Black Panther. The movie made over $1.4 billion in ticket sales.
When he cashes his check, he goes to Bank of America. Well you know what happens at BoA when it comes to being Black, right?
Banking while Black is a continuing thing in the United States.
And these folks are calling Joy Reid, a racist for pointing out the obvious things in the America.
Anyway, Coogler was in Atlanta filming the sequel, Black Panther:Wakanda Forever when he was in a local Bank of America branch.
He tried to withdraw $12,000 out of his account. The teller received an alert on his account, according to the police report obtained by CNN. The amount was over $10,000, a flag for suspicious activity. The teller notified the supervisor. She thought that Coogler was trying to rob the bank and they called 911.
Coogler had written a note on the back of his withdrawal slip stating he wanted the money counted discreetly, given the amount that he's obtaining.
Bank of America notorious for calling the law on Black people.
When the police arrived, two of Coogler's colleagues, who were with him in a parked vehicle outside the bank, were detained and placed in the back of the police vehicle. Coolger was placed in handcuff while police investigated the call. He was released shortly after they verified his identity.
Coogler was filming Wakanda Forever at Tyler Perry Studios, the first Black owned movie studio on the grounds of the former Fort McPherson Army Base.
Coogler did briefly address the matter and said "let's move on."
"This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."
Bank of America released a statement.
"We deeply regret that this incident happened. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in November around Thanksgiving.
I hate when this guy always says, "You know what I'm sayin'" every time he's trying to explain himself.
Thank you to Real World Police and The Evolve for making Raymond "Benzino" Scott the laughing stock in hip-hop. Scott, a resident of Brookhaven, Georgia is known to the police. He has been extremely loud and ignorant towards people. He doesn't know when to shut the fuck up when he's detained or arrested by police.
He's making a complete ass of himself.
The washed up entertainer has now got another encounter with the police. The washed up entertainer was ejected from Red Roof Inn after failing to pay. He was told by the Brookhaven Police to leave the property after getting into a dispute with the hotel manager. The hotel manager told Scott to leave the property.
The washed up entertainer and his male friend were staying together inside one of the rooms. They failed to pay for that room and were told to leave the property. As usual, Scott goes into an epic meltdown.
He goes full Karen on the police and the hotel manager.
Real World Police also took aim at the homophobic remarks he made at the hotel manager.
Last year, Scott attacked Lil Nas X after he did his performance at the BET Awards. Scott is known to be quite homophobic is staying in a room with a male companion. On top of that he made it seem like they're a couple.
Gives some speculation to what he was doing in a Red Roof Inn in Brookhaven, Georgia with another man. I thought he lived in an apartment.
In the previous recordings, he was arrested for not paying that citation from an earlier pull-over. He made racist and homophobic remarks towards an Asian-American Brookhaven officer. The police were called when he made a scene at the Brook Leigh Flats. He was formally being evicted from the apartment for failing to pay rent. He told a Black cop, that "Black Lives Matter." The Black cop dismissed him as a D-list star who wants to flex his mouth instead of paying his rent.
Then later that year, the mother of his youngest child called the law on him after he threatened to attack her for taking his son from her during the holidays.
Scott is the guy who got his hip-hop career ruined by Eminem after he dissed him on a mixtape. He threatened Em's daughter and called him a "culture vulture" who rhymes "masturbator in an elevator."
Scott is also the father of rapper/socialite Coi LeRay.
Scott's entertainment career is pretty much dead. Eminem ruined his career and he's been most notable for his outbursts on social media.
What's funny, the Black cop heard of Love & Hip-Hop but never heard of him on the show. So you know you've hit rock bottom when folks say they never heard of you and you've been around for almost 40 years.
Fun facts about Raymond "Benzino" Scott.
He is the former co-owner of The Source Magazine and Hip-Hop Weekly.
He is a former rapper.
He is a Boston-native entertainer.
He is the reason why The Source Magazine nearly went bankrupt.
He is the father of rapper/socialite Coi LeRay
He is standing at 5'3" tall.
He is bipolar.
He is a one-hit wonder. His biggest single "Rock The Party" was hot in 2002.
He is the guy who took on Eminem and it left his rap career ruined.
He is the one who told staffers to give Eminem's albums poor ratings.
He is the one who threatened to kill Eminem daughter in a rap verse.
He is a known hot head.
He is not known much outside of mainstream.
He is allegedly on cocaine and steroids.
He is the father of five children.
He was born on July 18 either in 1963 or 1965.
He has appeared on Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta and Marriage Boot Camp.
He was a member of The Almighty RSO which is known as Made Men.
He says "You know what I'm sayin'" a lot.
He has got into feuds with YouTube personalities NoLifeShaq and TheEvolve.
He has feuded with Lil Nas X, Royce Da 5'9", Merkules, Obie Trice and D12.
He was shot in Massachusetts after getting into a confrontation at his mom's funeral.
He owes child support to former reality television star Althea Hart.
He continues to drive a vehicle without a valid license. It's a reason to his multiple arrests.
He was on camera using racial slurs against an Asian-American Brookhaven, Georgia cop.
He is a subject of Real Police Videos. His antics expose the turmoils of fame.
He is an internet troll.
He is sabotaging Coi LeRay's rap career on purpose because of jealousy.
He has already sabotaged his son Yung Chavo's career by dragging on the Eminem feud.
He was relentless trolled on social for his D'Angelo-themed "The Bigger Picture" video.
He has many videos on YouTube and none of them cracked over 500,000 views.
He has a struggling restaurant called Benzino's Crab Trap. It closed two previous locations.
He has been a failure most of his adult life.
He has no neck
He has no fame.
So I gave you enough of Scott. I just want to let you know about him. He's a bipolar man who is jealous of Eminem. Scott is trying to sabotage Coi LeRay's career because he's upset she's not giving him props to him.
Scott said that no one in the hood plays Eminem's music. He said Em's music is trailer trash and his fans voted for Washed Up 45. He said thinks Em rhymes "masturbater in the elevator" whenever he's on the mic.
Tell me:
Has anyone in the hood ever heard of a Benzino song?
Or perhaps has anyone ever played any of Benzino's music?
So in closing: BENZINO: NO NECK AND NO ROOM (TO STAY)!
Russell Wilson is leaving the Seattle Seahawks. He is heading to the Denver Broncos.
As his wife, Ciara Wilson is planning on getting her own talk show, Danger Russ is making the move which will have ripple effects in the NFL.
Six years and a day after Manning retired, Broncos general manager George Paton agreed to send a massive haul of players and draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks for nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, two people familiar with the negotiations confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the blockbuster trade, which is pending Wilson passing a physical, can’t become official until the start of the new league year on March 16.
The teams cannot comment on the deal until then, but the Broncos cleverly tweeted a clip of Tom Hanks’ character in “Cast Away” drawing a face on the volleyball he named “Wilson.”
About an hour later, the Seahawks tweeted another clip from that movie in which Hanks’ scraggly, skinny character loses the volleyball at sea and hollers, ” Wilson, where are you? Wilson! Wilson!”
Denver was seen as the front-runner for Aaron Rodgers before the two-time reigning MVP agreed Tuesday to stay in Green Bay, presumably as the highest-paid player in NFL history. Not long afterward, Paton landed a Super Bowl-winning quarterback anyway, and one who’s five years younger than the 38-year-old Packers star.
The NFL Network reported the Seahawks agreed to send Wilson and a fourth-round pick to Denver in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-rounder, along with quarterback Drew Lock, defensive end Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick in 2019.
Since Manning retired a month after winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have churned through 10 starting quarterbacks, including a different starter in each of the last five season openers: Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, who beat out Lock last summer.
The Broncos haven’t been back to the playoffs since Manning retired, but they appear to have a playoff-worthy roster. New coach Nathaniel Hackett, Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator, is building an offense around dynamic wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and running back Javonte Williams.
And now he has the quarterback to make it all work, one who can stack up with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr in the tough AFC West.
Russell Wilson and pop singer Ciara have two children. Wilson is stepdad to Future Wilburn, the son of rapper Future.
Jeudy tweeted a frowning emoji upon word of Rodgers staying put, then he tweeted a smiling emoji when word broke that Wilson was headed to Denver.
The Seahawks had made it clear they weren’t interested in moving Wilson unless a transformational offer came along.
Seattle’s offseason had mostly been focused on adjustments on defense with coaching and scheme changes, and the belief that with Wilson still at quarterback the Seahawks would remain contenders in the stacked NFC West.
Last week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, coach Pete Carroll said that general manager John Schneider was receiving calls about Wilson’s availability but the Seahawks weren’t shopping him.
The trade, though, was the culmination of more than a year’s worth of buildup. Wilson first expressed his discontent with the franchise last offseason after Seattle won the division but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
The acrimony got to the point that his agent publicly expressed the teams Wilson would be willing to accept a trade to, but the quarterback and the Seahawks moved forward together for one more season.
This was always the offseason that seemed to make the most sense for a potential move with Wilson, however. He has two years remaining on his current contract and a salary cap hit of $37 million for the 2022 season.
Wilson was a third-round pick in 2012 out of Wisconsin. He won the starting job as a rookie after Seattle had signed Matt Flynn in free agency. The decision to go with Wilson was one of the smartest ever made by Carroll.
Wilson started 149 regular-season games and 16 playoff games before suffering a fractured middle finger on his right hand and missing four games last season, when he went 6-8. Seattle finished 7-10, the only losing season in Wilson’s tenure.
He struggled upon his return but finished strong, showing it was more of an injury-marred stretch than an indication he was in any sort of decline.
Wilson helped Seattle to its only Super Bowl title with a 43-8 thumping of Manning and the Broncos in Super Bowl 48, then lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl a year later. Overall, he’s 9-7 in the playoffs.
Lock is 8-13 with 25 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions over three seasons in Denver.
Unless the Seahawks package their newly acquired picks and try to land, say, Deshaun Watson from the Texans should he clear up his legal issues, it appears a larger rebuild may be in play for Seattle.
The Seahawks have major free agent questions with left tackle Duane Brown, safety Quandre Diggs, cornerback D.J. Reed and running back Rashaad Penny. There also have been questions about 31-year-old linebacker Bobby Wagner’s future in Seattle with the Seahawks facing a $20 million cap hit under his current contract.
Lynching in the United States will be a federal crime and it took a generation to make it happen.
You won't please the transracial Jeffrey Shaun King, Black leftist Nicholas Cruse, the SocialistMMA or hotep Tariq Nasheed. But damn it, it is a good day for Black America.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) can finally retire knowing he succeeded in getting it done.
This kind of deflates Nina Turner. Her challenge against Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) will be more difficult. Brown who sponsored the anti-lynching bill got it through as well. Brown has done more than Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Rep. Idiot Karen Greene (R-GA) in her first four months.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) finally have it done.
I won't credit Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). He is a defender of white supremacy and did not have an impact on this monumental accomplishment.
Congress gave final approval Monday to legislation that for the first time would make lynching a federal hate crime in the U.S., sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law.
Years in the making, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is among some 200 bills that have been introduced over the past century that have tried to ban lynching in America.
Bobby Rush made it happen.
It is named for the Black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi in 1955 — and his mother’s insistence on a open funeral casket to show the world what had been done to her child — became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights era.
“After more than 200 failed attempts to outlaw lynching, Congress is finally succeeding in taking a long overdue action by passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
The bill would make it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury, according to the bill's champion, Bobby Rush. The maximum sentence under the Anti-Lynching Act is 30 years.
The House overwhelming approved a similar measure in 2020, but it was blocked in the Senate.
Last week, the House overwhelmingly approved a revised version and the Senate passed the bill unanimously late Monday.
"Lynching is a longstanding and uniquely American weapon of racial terror that has for decades been used to maintain the white hierarchy,” said Rush.
The congressman said passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act “sends a clear and emphatic message that our nation will no longer ignore this shameful chapter of our history and that the full force of the U.S. federal government will always be brought to bear against those who commit this heinous act.”
Decision for America to pull from Russian oil will have a global impact.
The president makes an extremely difficult decision in the wake of high fuel prices and a potential war looming. The announcement was held today.
President Joe Biden has formally announced the United States will no longer import Russian oil. It will be a crippling blow to the Russian Federation and it will affect the global markets. On top of that, the European Union, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom will follow soon.
Expect the Republicans to make noise about the decision. After all, they will first praise it but then accuse Biden instead of the oil and gas producers of hiking up the prices.
The companies are still making billions despite the price hikes and potential costs for Americans.
Although the president and federal government have no affect on the price of fuel, the perception from anti-Biden critics is the price hike is due to his policies.
The action follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady stream of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.
“We will not be part of subsidizing Putin’s war,” Biden declared, calling the new action a “powerful blow” against Russia’s ability to fund the ongoing offensive.
He warned that Americans will see rising prices, saying, “Defending freedom is going to cost.”
Biden said the U.S. was acting in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies and who he acknowledged may not be able to join in immediately. The announcement marked the latest Biden attempt at cutting off Russia from much of the global economy and ensuring that the Ukraine invasion is a strategic loss President Vladimir Putin, even if he manages to seize territory.
“Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin,” Biden said.
The European Union this week will commit to phasing out its reliance on Russia for energy needs as soon as possible, but filling the void without crippling EU economies will likely take some time. The U.K., which is no longer part of the EU, announced Tuesday that oil and oil products from Russia will be phased out by the end of the year.
Unlike the U.S., which is a major oil and gas producer, Europe relies on imports for 90% of its gas and 97% of its oil products. Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas and a quarter of its oil. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.
The issue of oil sanctions has created a conflict for the president between political interests at home and efforts to impose costs on Russia. Though Russian oil makes up only a small part of U.S. imports, Biden has said he was reluctant to ban it, cutting into supplies here and pushing gasoline prices higher.
Inflation is at a 40-year peak, fueled in large part by gas prices, and that could hurt Biden heading into the November midterm elections.
“Putin’s war is already hurting American families at the gas pump,” Biden said, adding, “I’m going to do everything I can to minimize Putin’s price hike here at home.”
It was a tough decision for Biden to do. But he said he can't allow American money to fund Russia's decision to invade Ukraine.
Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. hit a record $4.17 Tuesday, rising by 10 cents in one day, and up 55 cents since last week, according to auto club AAA.
Biden said it was understandable that prices were rising, but cautioned the U.S. energy industry against “excessive price increases” and exploiting consumers.
Even before the U.S. ban many Western energy companies including ExxonMobil and BP moved to cut ties with the Russia and limit imports. Shell, which purchased a shipment of Russian oil this weekend, apologized for the move on Tuesday amid international criticism and pledged to halt further purchases of Russian energy supplies. Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.
In 2021, the U.S. imported roughly 245 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia — a one-year increase of 24%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“It’s an important step to show Russia that energy is on the table,” said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who is now a senior fellow at the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress.
Bergmann said it wasn’t surprising that the U.S. was able to take this step before European nations, which are more dependent on Russian energy.
“All of this is being done in coordination, even if the steps are not symmetrical,” he said. “We are talking to them constantly.”
The White House said the ban on new purchases was effective immediately, but that the administration was allowing a 45-day “wind down” for continued delivery under existing contracts.
The news of Biden’s decision Tuesday was first reported by Bloomberg.
Speedway, a gas station under 7-Eleven is first to rise prices.
The White House announcement comes amid bipartisan pressure on Capitol Hill to ban Russian energy and impose other economic costs.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gave a big boost when she declared, “Ban it.”
On Monday, Democrats on the powerful Ways & Means Committee posted, then removed, an announcement on a bipartisan bill to ban Russian oil imports and slap further trade sanctions on the country, according to an aide, because of pushback from the White House to acting before Biden had made his decision.
“President Biden is finally doing what members of Congress have been pushing for all along,” Sen Karen Barrasso (R-WY) and a member of party leadership, said Tuesday. “His decision to ban Russian oil is a much-needed step to kill Putin’s cash cow.”
Said Jason Furman, a Harvard professor and former economic adviser to President Barack Obama: “The United States economy can fully handle any of the challenges associated with higher oil prices. But it will bring some challenges. We’re going to have higher prices at the pump, and there’s no way around that.”
Pelosi said the House would go forward with a vote Tuesday on legislation to ban the Russian oil imports, impose trade costs on Russia and expand sanctions authority against Russians for attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
Before the invasion, Russian oil and gas made up more than a third of government revenues. Global energy prices have surged after the invasion and have continued to rise despite coordinated releases of strategic reserves, making Russian exports even more lucrative.
As a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and international partners have sanctioned Russia’s largest banks, its central bank and finance ministry, and moved to block certain financial institutions from the SWIFT messaging system for international payments.
But the rules issued by the Treasury Department allow Russian energy transactions to keep going through non-sanctioned banks that are not based in the U.S. in an effort to minimize any disruptions to the global energy markets.
An uncomfortable way to diplomacy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he opposes a European ban on Russian energy imports and that there’s no other way to meet the European Union’s needs for motor fuel, heat and electricity, and industrial use. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Tuesday that when he visited Washington last week, U.S. officials acknowledged Europe was in a different situation.
“They told me in the talks that they will neither demand nor ask that Germany do the same. But I would extrapolate from that for us, and for me, that we need as soon as possible to create the possibility to take similar measures.”
While Russian oil makes up a small amount of overall U.S. energy imports, the U.S. could replace Russian crude with imports from other oil-rich nations, but that could prove politically problematic.
Key U.S. senators are warning the Biden administration from seeking any oil import deal from the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela.
“The Biden administration’s efforts to unify the entire world against a murderous tyrant in Moscow should not be undercut by propping up a dictator under investigation for crimes against humanity in Caracas,” said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement late Monday. “The democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people, much like the resolve and courage of the people of Ukraine, are worth much more than a few thousand barrels of oil.”
The price of gasoline in the United States is above $4.00. Of course, Americans are feeling the pain and President Joe Biden is taking the heat.
Things to understand with gas prices.
Drive-offs will increase with companies that allow motorists to pay after pumping. Maintain well lighting and security cameras at pumps that are located to furthest from the station. Good cameras and video surveillance can deter thieves from stealing. Gas stations will prosecute theft of fuel. Most gas stations rely on "good faith" behavior of motorists. If theft continues to rise at stations, they will require pay before pumping. Do not stop thieves. Companies are insured for fuel theft and if you can get as much information from the drive-off, the company can pursue pressing charges against those who steal. Don't risk your life for a few dollars. Shoplifters are likely to be caught about 95% of the time.
Be aware of your surroundings. Thieves will steal fuel from a motorist who sits in their vehicles or go into the gas station while the fuel is being pumped into their vehicle. Thieves only need a few seconds of a motorist being distracted by being on the phone or inside the gas station buying products to make off with more than $20 dollars in fuel. Do not leave purses, phones, electronic devices, children or pets inside vehicles. Thieves look for opportunities and having your keys inside a vehicle while running and pumping gas is the gift that keeps on giving.
Gasoline is a highly combustible liquid. It is extremely flammable and can cause severe injury if you ingest, inhale or improperly use in unauthorized vehicles. Do not leave an engine running while pumping gas. Turn off your vehicle. Please do not fill gas inside the trunk or back of a pickup truck. Please sit your "red" gasoline, "yellow or green" diesel, your "orange" E75-E85 or your "blue" kerosene containers on the ground and please pump them. If you can't lift the container, call for an attendant to help you if they are available. Do not smoke or vape near the pumps. Smoking is considered dangerous near flammable liquids.
Do not put unauthorize fuel inside your vehicle. Each vehicle has a specific grade of fuel. Do not use diesel, E-75 or E-85 in non-equipped vehicles or motorize equipment. Those brands of fuel can severely damage your car, truck, motorcycle or motorized equipment.
With technology improving, the thieves are looking for ways to install skimming devices. Most states require gas stations to be able to prevent card readers from being tampered. They have variable seal on many pumps where card readers are. If the seal is broken, the gas station must notify the police. Skimmers look similar to card readers. It's always best to pay inside but if you are to do transactions out at the pump, notice any alterations on the pump or alterations around the card reader.
Again, may state auditors prefer gas station pumps free of debris and graffiti. Some people put political or tag gas pumps. It's an unnecessary distraction to gas station workers to clean off graffiti, religious and political propaganda. Please respect their jobs by not tagging the pumps. You could be criminally charged with vandalism and they can bill you for property damage.
Get fuel on days like Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays. Gas prices can go up any day of the week. However, on days that are considered slow, it would be best to fuel on these days instead of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Also use the apps or their fuel savers promotions. Buy a couple cups of coffee and get .25 off of fuel.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has rattled the global market. Many Americans want the U.S. to end importing oil from Russia. With Russia being the third largest producer of oil and natural gas, cutting them loose could put America into a global recession. The dedicate measures the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, Japan and the United Nations are imposing are not stopping the Russian Federation from bombing Ukraine.
The thoughts of a "no fly zone" are being chatted by the armchair generals in Washington and junk food media. If we impose a "no fly zone" on Russia, it will be a precursor to World War III.
Americans are already feeling the pain of rising prices. Not just in the U.S. but across the world. Inflation is due to the need for products and the supply chain doesn't have enough to maintain order. Businesses must raise costs to offset the demand. That means if we have 200 products but 300 purchasers, that means 100 is not available. That leads to a decline in product and the prices rise to keep the product shelved.
The national average price for a gallon of gas hit $4.06 on Monday, up a staggering 45 cents from a week ago, to reach its highest level since July 2008, according to AAA.
Analysts say consumers can expect new record high gas prices as soon as this week, as strong demand and supply disruptions, fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, send crude oil prices soaring.
"A big price factor for the market is risk, and at the moment this entire escalation for the conflict appears very risky," AAA spokesperson Devin Gladden told ABC News. "The market puts that risk premium back onto consumers."
GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan tweeted the national average for a gallon of gas has now increased at its fastest weekly pace since Hurricane Katrina, adding prices have already eclipsed their all-time highs, according to GasBuddy data.
Crude oil prices, which account for more than half of the cost of retail gasoline, have spiked roughly 30% in the nearly two weeks since the war began.
"The big question will be how high crude goes," Gladden said.
Oil had already been edging higher at the start of the year, as consumer demand outpaced global supply. Major oil producers slashed supply during the pandemic – and it takes time to ramp up production again as more drivers hit the roads and travelers take flights, requiring more fuel.
"We were already in a relatively tight market," John Kilduff, an energy expert and partner at Again Capital, told ABC News.
Traders fear the market will become even tighter if Russia's oil supply to the rest of the world is cut off. Russia is the third-largest producer of crude oil in the world, accounting for about 12 percent of global crude exports, according to the Information Energy Agency."The problem is it's a global market," Kilduff said.
There are already signs of supply constraints from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Analysts at J.P. Morgan estimated last week about 66% of Russian oil is currently struggling to find buyers. A growing number of companies are pulling business from Russia, facing hurdles from new sanctions on the banking and payments system, and fearing global backlash from customers.
"The commercial entities involved in this market are shunning the supply," Kilduff added. "We are already in the process of losing a chunk of Russian crude oil supplies."
Import bans on Russian oil would further exacerbate supply shortages. While the U.S. only imports a fraction of its crude oil from Russia, analysts say a coordinated move between the U.S. and European allies would drastically alter supply to the critical European market.
The International Energy Agency reported European countries imported 34% of their oil from Russia in November 2021, the latest month official oil statistics are available.
Oil traders expect it will take time for other countries to ramp up production and fill the void if that supply is cut off. So as long as oil prices remain near multi-year highs in anticipation of further disruptions in the global market, consumers and businesses will feel the pinch.
"When the price of oil goes up, the cost of everything goes up because oil is used as a component in manufacturing and a range of products," AAA's Gladden said.
There is no comeback. He better stay out of the limelight.
William Henry Cosby II is a free man but still a TIER III offender.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday without comment that it would not review Bill Cosby's sexual assault case, leaving him a free man and ending a two decade legal drama that shifted the cultural landscape, destroyed the groundbreaking Black actor's reputation, and sent him to prison for several years in his late 70s.
Cosby is a legally blind. He is no longer entertaining millions of Americans. His groundbreaking show, The Cosby Show is no longer on television. Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby Show, Cosby and Little Bill are no longer aired. A Different World is still on television for a time being but any Cosby appearances are pulled.
The former media mogul now is a sexaul offender for the rest of his life. He can't go into businesses or schools with children or women without reporting to his probation officer.
It was lucky break.
The Court has nine members. Two of them Karen Thomas, the Black associate justice appointed by George H.W. Bush and Karen Kavanaugh, the white associate justice appointed by Washed Up 45 have allegations of sexual misconduct. They declined to review the stunning decision out of Pennsylvania that released Cosby from the iron college in June over the word of a former prosecutor who said he had made a secret promise with the washed up actor's lawyers that he could never be charged.
Cosby's representatives expressed "sincere gratitude to the justices" on behalf of him and his family for the announcement and said he was the victim of "a reprehensive bait and switch" by the prosecutor and trial judge in the case.
"This is truly a victory for Mr. Cosby, but it shows that cheating will never get you far in life, and the corruption that lies within Montgomery County District's Attorney Office has been brought to the center stage of the world," said Andrew Wyatt, a spokesman for Cosby.
Cosby, 84 is in good health but is blind. Wyatt said that Cosby is hoping to make a return to television soon. He said that "many people are calling for projects for him" and that he is considering a final standup tour.
Yeah, right!
Kevin Steele, the Montgomery County District Attorney who oversaw the Cosby trial said that it was the "right thing to do" to ensure that Cosby will have this tag on his legacy for LIFE.
"All crime victims deserve to be heard, treated with respect and be supported through their day in court," Steele said.
Cosby was arrested after Andrea Constand had filed a criminal complain against him for the 2005 rape incident where he drugged her and raped her. The two settled out of court and had a non-disclosure agreement. But Constand would be the only one willing to put her name and face to the downfall of Cosby.
Hannibal Buress was the comedian who brought Cosby's rape allegations into the spotlight. His 2014 act where he said that Cosby's hypocrisy is an open secret.
"[You know Cosby likes] 'talk[ing] down' to young Black men about their style of dress and lifestyle."
"Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby, so that kind of brings you down a couple notches," said Burress. He also encouraged folks to look up "Bill Cosby rape" on Google.
At least Cosby isn't the Boston marathon bomber. Back in April 2013, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan planted backpacks with nail-filled crockpots near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombs killed three, also killed a police officer and maned dozens. The two were caught. Tamerlan was killed in a firefight and Dzhokhar was seriously injured. Dzhokhar was convicted and sentenced to DEATH. The district courts had overturned the conviction and it was stalled for a handful of years before the Supreme Court had said that it's DEATH.
Dzhokhar is in Florence ADX and will be transferred within six years to Terra Haute USP for his DEATH card.
