Republicans can't stand him. Yet, they will vote on giving the power of House Speaker.
Behind closed doors, Republican House members decided to do an internal poll and it appears that the insufferable Ohio do nothing lawmaker Jim Jordan is now the nominee for House Speaker.
But will he have the votes?
Rep. Steve Wormack (R-AR) is a firm no on that one. They can only lose three members.
In an deliberate attempt to trick Jordan, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he will back the Jordan bid. You know that McCarthy had issues with him and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
He is secretly plotting to get revenge on Gaetz and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Mace was by far the most treacherous lawmaker to ever betray the California lawmaker.
The South Carolina lawmaker with seven other Republicans join the Democrats and removing McCarthy from his post.
He will no longer honor the promise to not endorse primary rivals.
Jordan, currently chair of the House Judiciary Committee, earned 124 votes to win the nomination over Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA). Scott had mounted a last-minute bid for Speaker that was largely seen as a protest to Jordan’s candidacy.
Scott may be the second Republican to not support a Jordan speakership.
Washed Up 45 endorsed the controversial lawmaker. Jordan is embedded with conspiracy theories, political theater and betrayal to the oath of office.
He is also a rape apologist. He backs Washed Up 45 despite the sexual assault allegations and E. Jean Carroll's testimony proving such. He also stood back and said nothing when an Ohio State University doctor named Richard Strauss sexually assaulted male wrestlers.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), the No. 2 House Republican, had narrowly defeated Jordan for the Speaker nomination earlier this week. But when it was clear he would not get enough support to win on the House floor — with many holdouts still pledging to support Jordan — he withdrew from the race on Wednesday.
On the fence. Insufferable lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene "backs" Jordan but still wants Washed Up 45 as the House Speaker.
“I think we can unite the conference,” Jordan said Friday morning before the vote. “I’ve been saying this for a week, I think I’m one individual who can bring our team together and then help our team go tell the country what we’re doing and why it matters to them.”
The fast-talking hard-line conservative’s official nomination comes amid intense turbulence in the House GOP, and it is far from certain that Jordan can win the gavel on the House floor. The conference has been rudderless and chaotic since the House ousted McCarthy from his speakership last week.
Jordan will go up against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on the House floor — if he can secure enough support.
A second vote Friday asking members if they would support Jordan on the House floor as the nominee came in at 152-55, far short of the 217 he needs to clinch the gavel.
And some Republicans are sharply opposed to Jordan’s bid.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Friday that there was nothing that Jordan could do to win his support. He was the infamous lawmaker who almost lost his toupee when he lunged at Gaetz.
During a Thursday night closed-door House GOP conference meeting, Scott stood up and announced his opposition to Jordan, according to do nothing lawmaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and another House Republican.
But following Friday’s internal vote, Scott threw his support behind Jordan — and encouraged the conference to follow suit.
“I believe in the process, we’ve had the vote, Jim Jordan won the vote, the party should unite behind the person who wins the vote, and we need a Speaker of the House,” Scott told reporters.
He said the first thing he did when Jordan clinched the nomination “was to endorse him for Speaker of the House.”
Republican Mike Rogers will not lose his toupee. He is a firm no on Jim Jordan.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fl) said Friday that he is not supporting Jordan, and predicted that he would not be able to win enough support to succeed on the House floor — which would spur a new candidate rush.
“Then they’re going to have four or five other members of Congress that are really, I think, pretty strong members who will get in the race,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan declined to say who those candidates would be, but said that those potential candidates have already been talking to him about future bids if Jordan fails.
Jordan’s nomination is nonetheless a notable mile marker in the ideological development of the Republican Party, considering Jordan — the founding chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus — once challenged McCarthy for the conference’s top spot. Now, Jordan could be rocketing up to the top slot despite never having served in a House GOP leadership position.
It would also give Washed Up 45 — who endorsed Jordan for Speaker last week — a staunch ally running the House.
Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SC), Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) nominated Jordan for the Speaker position in a Friday candidate forum, a source told The Hill. Earlier in the week, Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Mike Carey (R-OH) delivered nominating speeches for him.
Since being elected to Congress in 2006, Jordan dove into the right flank of the conference: First as chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and then as the founding chairman of the tactically confrontational conservative House Freedom Caucus — which was credited with pushing out former Speaker John Boehner in 2015. Jordan grew into an ally of Washed Up 45 when he was in office, becoming a frequent presence on Fox News as he learned to speak directly to him.
In 2018, Jordan mounted a challenge to McCarthy for the conference’s top spot, getting 43 votes to McCarthy’s 159. But after that, McCarthy, rather than ostracizing Jordan, bought the right flank into the fold and elevated him.
Now, Jordan is no longer a gadfly. As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he is front and center in congressional investigations into the Biden administration, Hunter Biden and defending the former president from various probes.
And in return, he became a staunch ally and defender of McCarthy.
Jordan’s supporters touted his aggressive style and ability to articulate the GOP position.
“How many rounds was it in ‘Rocky?’” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said earlier this week. “Look, you’re talking about some tough characters. Jim Jordan was an all-state champion wrestler, he can go the equivalent of 15 rounds. I’m not sure how they do rounds in wrestling, but he’s capable of doing whatever it takes.”
While Jordan is well-liked in the House GOP conference, his potential Speakership has also worried GOP moderates, who wonder if his leadership would be a liability in their districts.
Asked about that skepticism on Friday, Jordan said: “We got broad support across the conference.”
The scramble to fill the Speaker vacancy comes after the House booted McCarthy from the Speakership last week, marking the first time since 1910 that the chamber held a vote on toppling its top lawmaker and the first-ever successful attempt.
A group of eight Republicans, led by Gaetz, joined with Democrats in voting to oust McCarthy from his post. The GOP lawmakers were in-part frustrated with McCarthy’s handling of the government funding process, with the last straw being the California Republican’s decision to put a “clean” continuing resolution on the floor to avert a government shutdown. The stopgap passed with the help of Democrats, infuriating McCarthy’s detractors.
The R&B/soul group The Isley Brothers lost their brother.
The current members Ernie and Ron announced the passing of retired member Rudolph Isley.
Growing up in the 1980s, you knew the songs and knew they made baby making music.
The group founded in 1954 in Cincinnati.
The Isley Brothers confirmed the news in a statement on social media. "Heaven has gained another angel. Our hearts are heavy as we announce the passing of our beloved brother, Rudolph Isley," the statement said.
Rudolph's brother and bandmate Ronald Isley shared his feelings about the loss in a statement to ABC News, saying, "There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he's in a better place."
Rudolph founded The Isley Brothers in 1954 with brothers O'Kelly, Ronald and Vernon, although Vernon passed away a few years after their formation. The group had their first hit in 1959 with "Shout," which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
Other songs made famous by The Isley Brothers include "Twist and Shout" and "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)" along with "It's Your Thing," which earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
O'Kelly Isley died in 1986.
Rudolph, who was known for wearing hats and fur-attired clothing, retired from the group in 1989. He and his brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Earlier this year, Rudolph filed a lawsuit against Ronald over the trademark rights to the group's name, claiming that despite the name being jointly owned by both of them, Ronald alone filed for a federal trademark of the name in 2021, and it was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The Isley Brothers in 2021.
He sought to have a judge declare that the trademark rights to the name were equally and jointly owned by both brothers, and he wanted any revenue Ronald made from exploiting the trademark to be divided.
Born in Cincinnati on April 1, 1939, Rudolph Bernard Isley began singing in church at a young age with his brothers. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elaine Jasper Isley, and their children Elizabeth, Valerie, Elaine and Rudy, and several grandchildren.
Use of phosphorus is illegal. Israel said fuck that.
The "I Stand With Israel" crowd never see the reality. Do you honestly believe that 2.5 million people in a small strip of land will have the ability to gather their belongings in 24 hours?
Do you believe its humane cutting off the only source of life for 2.5 million being food, medicine, fuel, water and electricity?
Israeli authorities have cut electricity, water, fuel and food into Gaza, in violation of the international humanitarian law prohibition against collective punishment, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation from over 16 years of Israeli closure.
Do you really see the pictures of dead children and you automatically believe its Israel but in reality it's those living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem.
Biden promised fundamental change. Israel is not a part of that. It is status quo.
Do you believe the use of a banned illegal weapons like phosphorus is justified?
Human Rights Watch verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza.
White phosphorus, which can be used either for marking, signaling, and obscuring, or as a weapon to set fires that burn people and objects, has a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire. The use of white phosphorus in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, magnifies the risk to civilians and violates the international humanitarian law prohibition on putting civilians at unnecessary risk.
The United Nations need to really push for the Hague to prosecute Israel for war crimes.
But guess who is in the way of the push......
Despite Washed Up 45's snipe at Netanyahu, he fully supports genocide.
The United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and the European Union.
Amnesty International head just declared Israel had used phosphorus weapons which is outlawed by International groups. That is a direct War crime. The Israeli government is encouraging a propaganda campaign in the United States by making politicians like President Joe Biden, vice president Kamala Harris, Congress, celebrities and social media turn against Pro Palestinian activism and calls for Israel to be held accountable for war crimes. The Israeli government led by corrupt leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been involved in a systematic targeting civilians. In order to take all the controversy away from him, he starts a one sided war against a group that his "intelligence" agencies missed when they launched an assault on Israel.
Due to his corruption trial, his decision to try to overrule the Israeli Supreme Court, thumbing his nose at Biden and the world leaders by continuing settlements in the West Bank, what better way to take the country off his corruption?
Majority Leader, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) takes himself out the running as House Speaker of the United States. We head into another week where the House of Representatives cannot function.
About 98% of the House members are staunchly Pro Israel.
About 65% of the House members are staunchly Pro Ukraine.
Three members of the House are practicing Muslim.
There are 28 Jewish House and 10 Jewish Senate members. 26 members are Democrats and two are Republicans.
The are 14 openly LGBTQ members of the House. There are three Senators who are openly LGBTQ. 13 members are Democrats, one is a a Republican.
About 95% of Republican Party is white. They only have four House members and one Senator in their ranks. The party is the epitome of white nationalism.
Yesterday, the House held a vote on Speaker and only one came close to it. It was not Scalise or his rival Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), one of the House's least productive members.
He is right up there in the insufferable level. Same with Scalise, only for the fact, he claimed he was "David Duke without the baggage."
The only person who managed to gain more votes is the Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Scalise narrowly prevailed in a secret ballot internal GOP election Wednesday, but it was clear almost immediately that he would struggle to get the 217 votes needed on the House floor.
Momentum swung further against him, and as Thursday progressed, an increasing number of Republicans declared they would not cast their votes for him.
“It’s been quite a journey. And there’s still a long way to go. I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for the Speaker designee,” Scalise said when leaving a GOP conference meeting Thursday night.
It’s not clear where the fractured Republican conference will go next, as the House closes in on 10 days without an elected Speaker. House GOP members are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Friday morning to discuss the internal election for a Speaker nominee, and consider changing rules to select one.
Scalise added: “This country is counting on us to come back together. This House of Representatives needs a Speaker, and we need to open up the House again. But clearly, not everybody is there. And there’s still schisms that have to get resolved.”
The Republicans pick the "David Duke without the baggage" guy as their next House Speaker. Will he get the necessary votes?
The House Speaker race is going to be controversial. Between a rape apologist who literrally has no legislative accomplishments and a survivor of a mass shooting fighting cancer. The guy once said he is "David Duke without the baggage."
With Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as House Speaker, it sparked a civil war between the far right and the extreme right. McCarthy's decision to keep the government open doomed him. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and seven other Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to vacate.
Now it is a race between two controversial lawmakers.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Both are fighting and feuding with one another. Jordan and the MAGA wing spread the gospel of a $500,000 meal and drink tab on Scalise.
Jordan had faced allegations that he ignored Ohio State University wrestlers when a sexual predator abused them. Oh, Jordan was a willing participant in trying to overturn the election loss of Washed Up 45. The former president endorsed Jordan.
House Republicans voted 113-99 to nominate Scalise to succeed McCarthy as Speaker.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) reaffirmed that she will not support either candidate and said that the former president is the only one. Greene is the most laziest member of the House. Her former ally, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was not in Washington. She was at a local court finalizing her divorce with Jaycon Boebert. She had to take a smoke break.
Greene's buddy Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said that he doesn't trust either of them. However, he doesn't care whether Jordan or Scalise became the nominee. He said that they need to take a hard line or face a removal.
Gaetz and Boebert are lazy lawmakers as well.
While Republicans were able to advance Scalise's nomination Wednesday, Scalise will still need 217 votes from the full chamber to become the next Speaker.
A handful of holdouts could set up a floor fight, and five Republicans have already indicated they plan to vote for someone other than Scalise.
Nearly half a dozen others were publicly undecided as of Wednesday afternoon, with some indicating they plan to still back Jordan on the floor.
Republicans support genocide. Democrats support genocide only if it affects their interests. X is spreading hate, misinformation and partisan noise.
There maybe graphic content.
Free Palestine.
End the apartheid.
Note: This is an opinion piece that may be flagged due to allegations of violations.
Please report any community guidelines. However, may sure you have evidence that I committed such violations.
Google is censoring opinions in regards to the most polarizing controversy in the world. The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine.
Hold Israel accountable for war crimes.
The U.S. said Russia has cut off supplies like fuel, medicine, electricity, food and water to Ukraine
They call for a war crimes tribunal against the Russian Federation and its leader Vladimir Putin.
South Africa said Israel cut off supplies like fuel, medicine, electricity, food and water to the Gaza Strip.
They call for a war crime tribunal against the State of Israel and its head of state Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ah, you see the thousands of lives lost to this. As Israel is "at war" with Hamas, the Israeli Defence Force has sent jets to strike in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is a fortified land with a three story wall and razor wire fence. It only has two entries and it is monitored regularly by IDF. They have imposed separation fences, walls and roads to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Washed Up 45 inflamed the Palestinians and Middle East by formally declaring Jerusalem, the capital of Israel during his term. World leaders often look at Tel Aviv as the declared capital. President Joe Biden promises that Congress will allocate billions to Israel for weapons and the U.S. will be on standby.
I am so fed up with the U.S. ignoring the Palestinians. I may not support President Joe Biden for reelection. On top of that, I may not support Democrats in general. I will not support Republicans either. I will never supporting Washed Up 45 or Republicans.
X is trash.
The Republicans see this conflict as "an opportunity" to reclaim power. They will crank up the "which side you're on" noise. More anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish and imperialism noise. Those who are anti-war and pro Palestinian are either with Israel or the "terrorists."
They always assume that Israelis and American Jews are one in the same. Conflation and dual loyalty, all the troupes of antisemitism.
The Elon Musk platform X is the most dangerous social media on the planet. I hate to say this, but the most harshest critics of the controversies involving Israel and the Gaza Strip are "progressive and centrist" Democrats. The Republicans are by far the worst when it comes to the conflict.
Misinformation and propaganda are continuing on the platform. The Israeli government continue to push this allegation that Hamas is beheading babies. The government has no confirmation of that.
Reminder: Intelligence did not spot the surprise attack from Hamas.
The Gaza Strip has been occupied by the Israeli government for over 20 years. They control the daily lives of the Gazans. They built a border wall and maintain armed forces to shot and kill illegal crossing. On top of that, they have only two exits.
Israel is tilting towards facsism. Its leader Benjamin Netanyahu has assured that he is going to level the Gaza Strip. He does even know who is a member of Hamas or which one carried out the attack. Also, the Israeli government is seriously committing war crimes by shutting off electricity, blocking food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
They threatened to strike Egyptian and Turkish forces if they bring aid.
They killed journalist and children, leveling buildings in large populated areas, blocking exit points into Eygpt. Allegations of the Israeli Defence Force are blowing up bridges to prevent civilians from leaving the Gaza Strip.
X is leading the way to dividing up the world. One person's opinion is valued or dehumanized on X.
I support the Palestinians. But to some, I support the terrorists, antisemitic and I am anti-American.
I must hate the Jews because I believe the occupation is unlawful and the Israeli government must be held accountable for genocide and war crimes. I must be anti-American because I am sick and tired of lawmakers making blanket statements about the controversies. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) infuriates me more than Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Biden got faulty intelligence from the Israelis.
Torres is literally shrilling Israeli propaganda and Islamophobia. He is an openly gay Afro-Latino lawmaker who is a strong supporter of AIPAC and its interests. He even denounces Tlaib, an American lawmaker who is fourth generation Palestinian. Her family lives in the West Bank and she honors that by the Palestinian flag.
Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) is trying to push a "ban" on the Palestinian flag being flown on the grounds of the House of Representatives. Ironic, that most Republicans still believe the Confederate flag is honorary while they see the Pride flag and Palestinian flag as signs of extremism.
Fox was literally harassing Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). They both condemned Hamas but stood firm in calling out Israel for war crimes. That inflamed the noise and led to Torres doing his shrill. Tlaib, Omar and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) are Muslims. They are getting death threats and calls for removal because they have a difference of opinion and are Muslim.
Israeli propaganda has even President Joe Biden fooled. He went on television claiming that Hamas beheading babies. One problem, Israel has no concrete evidence and Biden listened to the most corrupt foreign leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Now a backlash and embarrassment.
Again, Biden did not once mention the lives of Palestinians. This has made me likely to turn on him. He will lose my support in 2024 if he does not stop peddling propaganda from Israel.
Israel for 75 years occupied land that was stolen. The Israeli government forced people into a slither of land and barricaded them to isolation. They control the goods and services into the Gaza Strip. The IDF shoots and kill anyone who allows them needs. Israel allow only a mere 2,000 people into Israel a week. They continue to build settlements in the West Bank despite the UN warning it causes tension and is a war crime. They continue to deface the al-Aqsa Mosque and attack parishioners during Ramadan.
Biden needs to make a bold statement condemning Israeli violence. If he continues to follow the status quo, he will be enabling the genocide.
Paging Chris Rock... we got more jokes coming along.
It is no secret that Will and Jada have seen a massive nosedive after infamous Oscar Awards slap in 2022. Will Smith was banned by the Academy for 10 years after he stormed the stage and slapped Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness. The entertainer/activist revealed she had alopecia and shaved her head frequently.
It also came after it was revealed that Jada had a two year long relationship with R&B singer August Alsina. Will never reacted to that because it was revealed he had slept with numerous women while married to Jada. Will was "cool" with it. Alsina came out as bisexual in 2022. He is also involved in a recent incident with Daystar Peterson formerly known as entertainer Tory Lanez. Peterson is under investigation for a violent encounter in Chicago where he sucker punched Alsina. He is serving a 12 year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion and once out he will be deported to Canada. He will no longer be able to raise his children in the United States. His children will have to see him in the California iron college and Canada once out.
So now the Red Table Talk host revealed she and Will were separated for seven years.
That's why she admitted they were in an open marriage.a
She revealed to Hoda Kotb that she and Will are trying to figure it out.
In an exclusive clip from her upcoming NBC News prime-time special with Hoda Kotb — which will air on Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC — Pinkett Smith confirms to Hoda that there's more to her marriage than she has previously shared.
According to Pinkett Smith, she and Smith have been separated and have lived "completely separate lives" since 2016, nearly 20 years after they married in 1997.
Her true love. Jada Pinkett Smith discussed the Tupac Shakur murder and arrest of affe D.
Pinkett Smith details more about their relationship — both how it started, and where it stands now — in her upcoming memoir "Worthy," out Oct. 17.
In the preview clip, Hoda asks Pinkett Smith for details about the marriage revelation in her memoir, which she says "surprised her the most" out of the book's "many surprising things."
While the two are still legally married, Pinkett Smith explains to Kotb that she and Smith are no longer romantically together.
"It was not a divorce on paper," Kotb clarifies.
"Right," Pinkett Smith responds.
"...but it was a divorce," Kotb continues.
"Divorce," Pinkett Smith emphasizes.
When Kotb asks directly why the couple hadn't previously shared their relationship status, Pinkett Smith says it came down to "just not being ready yet ... Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership ... In regards to, how do we present that to people? We hadn't figured that out."
When Kotb asks what led to the relationship’s “fracture,” Pinkett Smith responds:
“Why it fractured...that — that’s a lot of things ... By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be,” she says.
Pinkett Smith adds that while she has considered a legal divorce, she has never been able to go through with it.
They trying to work on their marriage.
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through ... whatever,” Pinkett Smith says. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise."
Smith and Pinkett Smith's longtime partnership has included headlines about Pinkett Smith’s “entanglement” with singer August Alsina and an ensuing joint Red Table Talk interview in 2020, as well as Smith slapping Oscars host Chris Rock after he joked about Pinkett Smith’s hair at the 2022 Academy Awards. Smith also published a memoir in 2021 which touched on their marriage.
During the Red Table Talk interview in 2020, Smith and Pinkett Smith addressed their marriage, as well as Smith's relationship with Alsina — or the "entanglement," as she called it. At the time, Pinkett Smith and Smith confirmed that prior to her relationship with Alsina, they had been “going through a very difficult time."
“I was done with your ass,” joked Smith in the episode.
“Yeah, you kicked me to the curb,” Pinkett Smith responded. “We broke up.”
What we didn't know until now is that the couple never actually got back together.
Smith and Pinkett Smith share two children, 24-year-old son Jaden Smith and 21-year-old daughter Willow Smith. The “Pursuit of Happyness” actor also has a 29-year-old son named Trey from his first marriage with ex-wife Sheree Zampino.
In her memoir, Pinkett Smith details the “rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power," per publisher Dey Sreet Books, as well as her relationship with rapper Tupac Shakur, whom she met in high school.
She had two children with Will, entertainers Jaden and Willow. Will's other son Trey was from an earlier relationship.
Will is an actor, comedian, rapper, movie director, media personality and production manager.
You can watch the special on Oct. 13. For Jada Pinkett Smith's programs, watch on Meta's Facebook Watch and listen on Spotify.
A New York woman gave up the suits to run a business in a small town called Schuylerville. For four years, the woman kept hearing a small plane buzzing around her home. It was weird.
What the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department called it, malicious stalking.
A 65 year old predator is arrested after being charged with reckless engagement and stalking. It all started from a simple conversation and a flirt. Then the pilot was sent emails of himself in inappropriate sexual positions. Then it was phone calls, harassment and thus the fly overs and tomatoes on the roof of her home.
He was a registered pilot until his arrest.
Cassie Wilusz recorded and documented the number of times this pilot flew over her restaurant and home. The woman is a widow and mother of a teen. She feared that pilot was going to either crash into her home or business.
She and her family have been awakened at 7 a.m. at least three times a week by the sound of a single-engine Cessna, piloted by a local man, rumbling above her house. It flies so close to her roof and those of her neighbors that windows and doors rattle. And on one occasion, Wilusz alleged, the pilot pelted her home and yard with tomatoes.
The freakshow was finally arrested.
“He is terrorizing us,” Wilusz said. “He flies so close to the house that it feels like he’s going to go through it. It’s a nightmare that just doesn’t stop.”
Wilusz has spent years trying to get relief from law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration, but little had been done. Police in the past have told her it’s an FAA matter because they don’t patrol the airspace. The FAA said it fully investigated her allegations and that “the agency was unable to obtain evidence that the pilot violated federal aviation regulations,” a spokesperson confirmed to the Times Union.
Wilusz said the trouble started in October 2019 after Michael J. Arnold came in for some soup at the café. That afternoon, he allegedly emailed her a picture of himself partially clothed, bound in bed, along with a group of photos of young, nude women. In the email, which the Times Union reviewed, Arnold talked about going to Costa Rica, spending time with two girlfriends “at the nudie resort in Jaco Beach,” telling her “it’s fun.”
Wilusz said she didn’t immediately know who the man in the email was and then it came to her — he was a customer.
“Then he started flying over my house, sending me pictures of my house, my pool, my backyard, of me, my family, my friends,” she said. “He tells me karma is going to get me. He said I killed my dad" — who died in a fire in 2017 — and I’m going to kill my husband. I called the police, but it never stops.”
But in November, Wilusz was hopeful. She sparked the interest of a trooper at the State Police who followed the case and ultimately arrested Arnold on misdemeanor stalking charges; the town court clerk said town Justice Charles Sherman then issued a restraining order. But Arnold, she alleges, has kept buzzing her home. The last time he flew over was May 23 — one day after her 48-year-old husband David Alexander died of cancer.
Wilusz alleges Arnold drives by her home and her restaurant, the Revolution Café, a popular eatery in the village that is across the street from the Schuylerville schools. He was spotted there on May 25 when CBS6 was interviewing her about the alleged aerial stalking.
New York business owner doesn't want other women to be a victim.
The Times Union could not reach Arnold or his attorney, Katherine DeMartino, for comment.
Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter and school Superintendent Gregg Barthelmas also have been frustrated.
Carpenter blames the justice system for not bringing the harassment to a stop.
“He’s flying lower than what we feel is acceptable, and it’s loud,” Carpenter said. “We see this as harassment of the whole community. Then last year he dropped tomatoes in her yard. ... What’s stopping him from dropping something heavier? ... The police say they are doing everything they can, but it’s not been resolved. It’s been four years.”
Barthelmas says he’s in full support of village officials who want the plane to be grounded, because it often makes turns over the school.
“I would be the happiest man in the world if I never saw that plane again,” Barthelmas said.
Pretty stupid.
On Thursday, following the CBS6 report, Arnold was arrested by Saratoga County sheriff’s deputies for criminal contempt, obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, Sheriff Michael Zurlo confirmed. All the charges are misdemeanors. He will now face further proceedings in Saratoga County town courts this month. He was arrested at Saratoga County Airport, where he parks his 1976 Cessna.
Wilusz said she just wants the harassment to stop.
“I can’t live like this anymore,” she said. “Something has to happen.”
The predator was barred from contact with Wiluz, barred from owning firearms and operating his airplane. The FBI is also investigating if this predator has other victims.
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Biden promised fundamental change. On Israel, he continues to follow the status quo.
End the apartheid.
Free Palestine.
Hold Israel accountable for war crimes.
The U.S. said Russia has cut off supplies like fuel, electricity, food and water to Ukraine
They call for a war crimes tribunal against the Russian Federation and its leader Vladimir Putin.
South Africa said Israel cut off supplies like fuel, electricity, food and water to the Gaza Strip.
They call for a war crime tribunal against the State of Israel and its head of state Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ah, you see the thousands of lives lost to this. As Israel is "at war" with Hamas, the Israeli Defence Force has sent jets to strike in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is a fortified land with a three story wall and razor wire fence. It only has two entries and it is monitored regularly by IDF. They have imposed separation fences, walls and roads to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Washed Up 45 inflamed the Palestinians and Middle East by formally declaring Jerusalem, the capital of Israel during his term. World leaders often look at Tel Aviv as the declared capital.
President Joe Biden can't stand Netanyahu. However, he will back the Israeli Prime Minister with unilateral support of weapons and funding.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can't stand Netanyahu. However, he will offer Israel all the resources of the Canadian government.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and warned Israel that the results of their actions will not be tolerated.
Iranian ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Hamas to continue their resistance.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak can't stand Netanyahu. However, he had said that the British government will offer Israel weapons and funding.
X, formerly Twitter is a breeding ground of misinformation, hate, conflation and utter stupidity. It is hard to verify things on X.
The hypocrisy is maddening.
Jamie Lee Curtis, a famous actress and activist tweeted an image of Palestinians screaming in fear mistaken as Israeli children. When called out, she deletes it. No one ounce of remorse for the children or civilians being bombarded by Israeli war planes.
I am so fed up with the U.S. ignoring the Palestinians. I may not support President Joe Biden for reelection. On top of that, I may not support Democrats in general. I will not support Republicans either. I never supporting Washed Up 45 or Republicans.
They see this conflict as "an opportunity" to reclaim power. They will crank up the which side you're on noise. More anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish and imperialism noise. Those who are anti-war and pro Palestinian are either with Israel or the "terrorists."
They always assume that Israelis and American Jews are one in the same. Conflation and dual loyalty, all the troupes of antisemitism.
One of remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre passed away.
As you know, Israel is causing intense bombing in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. and foreign nations are greenlighting this country to commit genocide among 2.4 million living in a tiny land mass blocked by land, sea and air. Egypt and Turkey are looking to provide humanitarian aid to the Gazans. Israel has threatened to attack them if aid is given.
Israel's blockade is a war crime and the U.S. is allowing it.
The Tulsa Race Massacre is an example of the outcome of turning a blind eye and racism.
Hughes “Uncle Redd” Van Ellis, one of the last three known survivors of the 2021 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at age 102, his family announced, CNN reports.
Democratic Oklahoma state rep. Regina Goodwin shared the family statement reporting his death on Monday night.
“He died waiting on justice,” his grandnephew, Ike Howard, told CNN.
Ellis was a months-old baby when he and his older sister Viola Fletcher fled racial violence in Tulsa’s Greenwood District when a white mob attacked the well-to-do Black community. Ultimately, hundreds of residents died and rows of houses were burned to the ground, KOCO news reported.
Ellis told CNN earlier this year that he and his family, among many others, had to leave their homes and a “lifetime of opportunities.”
“I lost 102 years,” he said. “I don’t want nobody else to lose that.”
In one of America’s worst cases of racial violence, the massacre began when a white mob attacked an area known as “Black Wall Street” and committed arson, shooting, and aerial bombing from private planes, CNN said. As many as 300 people died and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed according to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, CNN wrote.
Ellis lived in Denver at the time of his death and was a veteran of World War II.” KOCO reported.
He, his sister, 108, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, the last known survivors have been embroiled in a longtime legal struggle against the city of Tulsa and city officials for reparations, CNN said. Last summer an Oklahoma judge dismissed the case, but their attorneys have appealed the case, which the state supreme court said it would consider.
Note: This is an opinion piece that may be flagged due to allegations of violations.
Please report any community guidelines. However, may sure you have evidence that I committed such violations.
So they deleted a post from Saturday. Google is censoring an opinion in regards to the most polarizing controversy in the world. The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine.
Briefly, I stated that Palestinians deserve the right to freedom.
Israel commits more war crimes and the U.S. stays silent and green lights the atrocities.
They shut off water, fuel, food, electricity and sewage similar to the Russians when they invaded Ukraine.
Several Israeli top leaders are calling Palestinian civilians "animals", "savages" and are saying things similar to how Russians view Ukrainian civilians.
The U.S. lawmakers are drafting a war funding budget for Israel.
Someone reported my latest post on the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
So therefore, I will keep it simple.
Free Palestine.
Over 2.5 million people live in the Gaza Strip.
Americans should consider leaving Israel due to instability within its government and this ongoing conflict.
While I don't condone the actions, it appears that Israel is capable of starting a global war.
Israel's ultra orthodox and ultra Zionist groups are with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial decision to reform the national courts. Many believe Israel is leaning towards a dictatorship.
Israel for years peddled an influence campaign into American politics. The lawmakers, lobbyists and media agitators falsely equate criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism.
Earlier this year, the U.S. has just passed a resolution condemning Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) after she said Israel is a "racist state" during the 2023 Netroots Nation convention.
Nine Democrats voted against the resolution. They were people of color. The Jewish Democrats and senior Democratic leaders have forced Jayapal, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to apologize or walk back statements. Omar was removed from her Foreign Relations Committee by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) because she criticized AIPAC in 2019. Her remarks "all about the Benjamins" was condemned by Jewish Democrats, senior Democratic leaders and Republicans as anti-semitic. Even though she did not mention religion, they falsely equated her attacks on AIPAC as an attack on Jews. The Anti-Defamation League is also invested in the peddling of propaganda on behalf of Israel. Jonathan Greenblatt, the current leader of the ADL condemned Tlaib after she claimed it was an apartheid.
Those living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem are subjected to second class status. They are forcibly removed from their homes. They are either hit with non lethal or deadly force if they react to Israeli forces with protests or weapons.
The Israelis literally are shooting at Palestinian doctors, children and journalists who get in the way.
The Israeli military have blocked ambulances and UN inspectors.
The junk food media continues to refer the Palestinians who defend themselves as militants. They ignore the brutal bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government claims that Hamas launched rockets into Tel Aviv and they have to bomb facilities to stop the militants.
Excuses from the U.S. is basically, "Israel has a right to defend itself" or "[We] stand firm with the Jewish state."
I am sick and tired of hearing American lawmakers and media figures defending Israel.
In one breathe, most back Ukraine's fight against the Russian offense. They are willing to see bloodshed on Ukraine to prevent Russia from winning. They are willing to look the other way when Israeli spreads bloodshed on the Palestinians.
We want to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine. But when it comes to Israel and Palestine, the U.S. and many other countries ignore the war crimes, the illegal occupation and the Israel's tilt towards fascism.
The Palestinians do not have a military or the weapons of defense. Israel does and they have vowed to wipe out the Palestinians from existence.
The Republicans and some Democrats have this notion that criticism of the state of Israel is equal to antisemitism. They seriously call for boycotts and censorship of those who dare speak against the inhumane crimes done by the Israeli government.
I mean, Palestinians cannot defend themselves from the years of oppression.
Netanyahu is a war criminal, despot and a horrible man. He often lurks into American politics corrupting lawmakers into supporting Israeli interests.
It is a destructive and deadly alliance that led to 9/11, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, unrest in the Middle East and politicians in the states passing legislation to prevent protests against Israel.
The Israeli government has been very keen on demolishing the Palestinians.
Hamas, the elected government of the Gaza Strip has launchd a strike against the Israeli government. Over 1,000 Israelis were killed. An unknown amount of Palestinians were killed.
Now, Hamas is warning that continuing air strikes will result in hostages being killed.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Ireland condemned Israel for the massive air strikes.
American lawmakers are condemning pro-Palestinian protests. They are calling peaceful protesters, terrorist sympathizers and even traitors.
The Drudge Report doing what it does best.... riling up for clicks.
Free Palestine.
Ignore the noise.
I know who I am and I don't need to explain to anyone how I feel about the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip. It was bound to happen. I am almost at a point to disavow the Democratic Party and just continue to vote as an independent. I cannot support this message of blind loyalty to a foreign country and stifling (and dehumanizing) a legitimate opposition toward Israeli propaganda.
Years of oppression and the Israeli settlers defacing of the al-Aqsa Mosque every year has sparked another moment of unrest. The Western leaders are steadfast in condemning the actions of Hamas but refuse to condemn the actions of Israel.
X has become a festering ground for misinformation, propaganda, hate and disingenuous conversations by politicians, celebrities and trolls.
I am certain that my support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took a backseat yesterday when the president called for Israel to defend itself and unilaterally allowed them to use force. He literally allowed the only country with a military force the greenlight to leveling the Gaza Strip. The 2.5 million people are literally trapped in a 145 square mile land with no access to escape without repercussions.
The Israeli blockcade prevents Gazans from leaving to Egypt or Israel. If they enter Israel, they could be shot and killed. The Egyptian government would face retaliation if they aid Gazans with access. Egypt has warned that tensions could harm relations.
The Israeli citizens caught in this have been kidnapped, tortured or murdered by Hamas
There have been over 1,000 Israelis killed. Palestinians are being killed by the Israeli Defence Force in a series of air strikes. There has been over 2,000 Palestinians killed.
All of this is disputed.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a controversial figure in world politics. He is a corrupt leader who is seizing the opportunity to change the subject from his trial and his attempts to change the Supreme Court of Israel. This conflict is the best thing to happen.
I expect Republicans to support the policies of Netanyahu. I find it disheartening that Democrats are on the same page of supporting a right wing leader who is literally trying to dismantle the judiciary and the very democracy they claim Americans admire. What better way to take the country away from his corruption, his borderline fascism and influence peddling, then to launch a full scale war in the Gaza Strip and a fast construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Biden, Washed Up 45, about 98% of Congress and the junk food media are fully backing the Israeli strikes.
What infuriates me is that Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH), Rep. Emilla Sykes (D-OH) and Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison are backing Israel too.
I won't donate to their campaigns anymore. If they face a primary challenger or a Republican opponent, oh well. I will not support Nina Turner, Cornel West, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Marianne Williamson or any Republican presidential candidates.
I am going to look at politicians as the opportunists they were programmed to be.
The propaganda peddling often labels Palestinians as militants. The propaganda that shows destruction of buildings in Gaza after often excused as hideouts for Hamas.
If Israeli intelligence was a failure when Hamas striked, how can it be legitimate when the IDF is striking missiles on heavily populated areas with the claims of Hamas being stationed there.
The Western media ignores the casualties in Gaza and the West Bank.
The literal excuse from American lawmakers and Israel is they must wipe Hamas out.
At what cost?
Hamas does not have a military where they can strike from air, sea, ground and social media. Israel does and it has influenced millions.
Far right extremists like Joel Pollack and Laura Loomer are calling for a complete eradication of the Gaza Strip.
Progressive entertainers like Mark Hamill and Tara Strong have blocked or distanced themselves from progressives who support Palestinians and criticize Israel.
Black agitators like Tariq Nasheed see this as an opportunity to grift his "foundational Black American" bullshit.
Gay far right extremist Scott Presler is trying to convince Jewish voters to register as Republicans hereby stating the "duel loyalty" troupe when it comes to Israel.
Republican chairwomen Ronna Romney McDaniel said on GOP Sundays that she sees the conflict as a "perfect opportunity" meaning that the party will exploit tragedy for votes.
This has become one of the most polarizing issues in American politics.