California faces ‘severe revenue decline,’ record $68 billion budget deficit as mass exodus continues
California is facing a major budget crisis due to a “severe revenue decline,” and a record $68 billion budget deficit, likely forcing Democrats running the state to cut spending as the mass exodus of people and businesses moving to Republican-run states continues. According to California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report released Thursday, the state’s budget deficit has grown exponentially in just a few months’ time, up more than $54 billion from just $14.3 billion in June. The deficit isn’t the largest to ever face the state as a percentage of overall spending, but it is the largest in terms of real dollars. PROGRESSIVE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION BOSS OWES THOUSANDS IN UNPAID UTILITY BILLS DESPITE EYE-POPPING SALARY The LAO’s report made no mention of the billions in tax revenue lost by California due to the exodus of its people and businesses, but said the massive deficit increase and lower revenues were largely driven by a change to the state’s tax filing deadline and poorer than expected economic conditions. According to IRS data reported by CNBC in May, California lost $29 billion in tax revenue in 2021 after suffering a loss of $18 billion in 2020. As a remedy to the ballooning deficit, the LAO suggested the state dip into its $24 billion in cash reserves, as well as reduce spending on schools and community colleges. It also pointed to one-time spending cuts and shifting costs without impacting core services. SWING DISTRICT DEMOCRAT COMPLAINS SHE WON’T RUN FOR RE-ELECTION BECAUSE RACE IS ‘RIGGED’ AGAINST HER It added that the legislature should “exercise some caution” should it take such measures, and noted that the cash reserves would likely be insufficient to cover what it said were California’s multi-year $30 billion average deficits. It went on to suggest a long term fix would be to either increase revenue, cut more spending, or both. California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000. HUNTER’S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE BLASTS BIDEN’S NEW CLAIM ABOUT SON’S BUSINESS DEALINGS: ‘COMPLETE MALARKEY’ Fox News Digital has reached out to Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for comment. Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
From sex clubs to strippers: Here are the 5 most salacious details from the Hunter Biden indictment
Hunter Biden’s Thursday indictment on federal charges in California revealed more than just his alleged failure to pay taxes over a years-long period, but rather what he was actually doing with the millions he was making in that time frame. According to the indictment, filed by DOJ Special Counsel David Weiss in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Biden spent hundreds of thousands of dollars specifically on “adult entertainment” and “women,” including a sex club membership and strippers. Here are the 5 most salacious details contained in the indictment: HUNTER’S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE BLASTS BIDEN’S NEW CLAIM ABOUT SON’S BUSINESS DEALINGS: ‘COMPLETELY MALARKEY’ 1. Biden allegedly spent a total of $872,172 on “various women” and “adult entertainment” From 2016 to 2019, Biden allegedly spent $683,212 paying what the indictment described as “various women,” including people he had romantic or sexual relationships with, and $188,960 on adult entertainment, including a sex club membership, exotic dancers and strip clubs. “Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes,” the indictment read. The total $872,172 was just a portion of the millions Biden allegedly spent in those years, before ultimately receiving financial support between Jan. 2020 and Oct. 2020 that still did not go to the Internal Revenue Service. PROGRESSIVE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION BOSS OWES THOUSANDS IN UNPAID UTILITY BILLS DESPITE EYE-POPPING SALARY 2. Biden allegedly failed to identify payments to a stripper and escort as personal expenses, rather than business Biden met with his accountant in California on Jan. 28, 2020 and reviewed the general ledger for his business entity, Owasco PC, to confirm line item accuracy. “While he reviewed the schedules for ‘Office Expenses’ and ‘Professional and Outside Services,’ the Defendant affirmatively identified, with a yellow highlighter, personal expenses that should not be deducted as business expenses,” the indictment read. It added that he failed to identify a $1,500 Venmo payment made on Aug. 14, 2018 to an exotic dancer at a strip club as a personal expense, rather than business. “The Defendant described the payment in the Venmo transaction as for ‘artwork.’ The exotic dancer had not sold him any artwork,” the indictment read. Biden also allegedly failed to identify an $11,500 payment to an escort for spending two nights with him as a personal expense. SWING DISTRICT DEMOCRAT COMPLAINS SHE WON’T RUN FOR RE-ELECTION BECAUSE RACE IS ‘RIGGED’ AGAINST HER 3. Biden allegedly claimed money paid to sexual and romantic partners were wages to reduce tax burden According to the indictment, Biden allegedly directed his personal assistant in 2018 to place three women “with whom he had romantic or sexual relationships,” and a fourth woman related to one of the three, on his business payroll, as well as provide them with healthcare benefits. The indictment said Biden knew the wages, which totaled $86,000, were “a false deduction,” but that he failed to inform his accountants. “These payroll expenses were treated as business expenses on Owasco, PC’s Form 1120, reducing the amount of income to the Defendant and, as a result, his individual income tax liability,” the indictment read. 4. Biden allegedly falsely claimed stripper and sex club payments were business expenses In the Jan. 28, 2020 meeting with his California accountant, Biden allegedly falsely identified payments from his personal bank account and other wire transfers as business expenses. “Many of the expenses the Defendant circled were not, as he knew, business expenses. Instead, they were personal expenses generated during what he described in his memoir as a ‘bacchanal’ in 2018,” the indictment read. Biden allegedly circled one payment for $1,248 for airline tickets for an exotic dancer to fly from Los Angeles to New York in Sep. 2018. MARYLAND AG REINSTATES HATE CRIME TASK FORCE MEMBER WHO CLAIMED ISRAELI BABIES MURDERED BY HAMAS WERE ‘FAKE’ “The Defendant wired money to JP Morgan Chase to pay personal expenses and falsely represented to the CA Accountants that these wire transfers were business expenses,” the indictment read. “In truth, the wire transfers from the Owasco, PC account to JP Morgan Chase were to pay for personal expenses.” One such wire transfer in July 2018 was for $18,000 to an individual not named in the indictment, of which $10,000 was for a “golf member deposit.” “In fact, at the Defendant’s direction, the $10,000 was used to purchase a membership in a sex club,” the indictment read, noting he visited the club with the individual he wired the money to. 5. Biden allegedly spent thousands on his business line of credit at a strip club The indictment stated that Biden used his business line of credit “to pay personal expenses and falsely represented to the CA Accountants that it was for business expenses.” “In truth, the Defendant had used the business line of credit to pay for luxury hotels, restaurants, high-end clothing, and other personal items in New York and in California during 2018, among others,” it read. This allegedly included $3,947 in payments to M Street Management, a Washington, D.C. strip club, in Jan., and a $774 Venmo payment to an exotic dancer in April. Fox News Digital reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team for comment after the indictment was handed down. A spokesperson for Special Counsel Weiss declined to comment.
Delhi’s air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category, overall AQI at 374
Visuals from AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, Kalindi Kunj and Akshardham showed smog engulfing the city at around 7 am.
Former Telangana CM KCR hospitalised after a fall, may need surgery
Former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) was admitted to a hospital after he reportedly suffered an injury after a fall.
Soros’ foundation funds nonprofit that finances pro-Palestine protests: Watchdog group
A nonprofit that has received donations from George Soros has been bankrolling groups who have hosted pro-Palestinian rallies, according to a watchdog group. The nonprofit, San Francisco-based Tides Foundation, has been given over $22 million for different causes. The Tides Foundation has then given millions to liberal organizations who have all organized pro-Palestinian protests, according to the Capital Research Center. Soros’ Open Society Foundations network made donations to the liberal organizations. MAN FIRES SHOTGUN, SHOUTS ‘FREE PALESTINE’ OUTSIDE JEWISH TEMPLE WITH PRESCHOOLERS INSIDE The Mass Liberation Project’s Arizona chapter, which is a direct affiliate of the Tides Foundation, has accused the U.S. government of “ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” and also paints Hamas in a positive light. “We acknowledge Hamas as a legitimate political actor and democratically elected Gazan resistance working to free Palestinian people,” a page on the Mass Liberation Project’s Arizona chapter’s website states. “We unequivocally support Palestine’s demands and acknowledge Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as a necessary step to secure Palestine’s freedom. There are not two sides to genocide. As Palestinian people resist ethnic cleansing they must have unwavering global support.” TRUSTEES GATHER FOR EMERGENCY MEETING AS CALLS INTENSIFY FOR IVY LEAGUE PRESIDENT TO RESIGN “We wholeheartedly reject the false Zionist narrative that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism…We will not be bribed or extorted by funders or philanthropy who use anti-BDS clauses to silence our movement’s solidarity with Palestine,” their website also states. The page specifically says “We do not condemn Gazan resistance.” Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow both held a protest inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda on Oct. 19, resulting in about 300 people being arrested, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. “We were raised saying ‘Never again.’ Never again is right now. It’s this very moment,” one of the protesters told Fox News. A spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations told Fox News they condemn Hamas and support a future that respects the rights and freedoms of all. The Tides Foundation didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy takes this big step right after taking oath, know what
The large structure, erected during the previous CM KCR’s term, was seen as a hindrance to traffic. Revanth Reddy, who led the Congress to victory in Telangana, had pledged to take down these barricades once in power.
ZPM leader Lalduhoma to be sworn in as Mizoram Chief Minister today
With a 40-member assembly, Mizoram can have 12 ministers, including the chief minister.
Cash for query row: Ethics panel report on Mahua Moitra to be tabled in Lok Sabha today
As per the revised list of business of Lok Sabha, the Ethics Panel’s chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar and member Aparajita Sarangi will lay on the table the ‘First Report (Hindi and English versions) of the Committee on Ethics’ on Friday.
Hunter Biden faces new indictment in California
President Biden’s son Hunter Biden will be indicted in California, Fox News has learned. While the exact nature of the charges remain unclear, the indictment in the Central District of California was expected later Thursday. Special Counsel David Weiss has been using a federal grand jury in Los Angeles to gather evidence of possible criminal tax charges against Biden. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware after being charged out of Weiss’ years-long investigation. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
North Dakota senator’s son charged with manslaughter following police chase that killed officer
The son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., was charged with manslaughter in connection with the police pursuit of a stolen vehicle that ultimately resulted in the death of a sheriff’s deputy. On Thursday, authorities identified Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin, 53, as the deputy killed in the crash. According to online records, 42-year-old Ian Cramer was charged with felony counts of manslaughter, fleeing a police officer and reckless endangerment, as well as a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday. NORTH DAKOTA SENATOR SAYS SON WAS INVOLVED IN POLICE CHASE, CRASH THAT KILLED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY According to a press release from the Bismark Police Department, deputies responded to the Sanford Hospital at 4:30 p.m regarding reports of damage to an overhead door in the ambulance bay. Authorities said that Cramer’s mother, Kris, brought her son to the hospital after he was exhibiting “mental health issues.” When the pair arrived, police said that Cramer fled from the hospital, stole his mother’s SUV and rammed the vehicle into the doors of the bay. CONNECTICUT POLICE OFFICER KILLED AFTER SPEEDING CAR RUNS THROUGH RED LIGHT, STRIKES INTO CRUISER When officers arrived at the scene, the 42-year-old had fled that scene, but a cellphone tracking device confirmed to police that he was still in the stolen car. Authorities said that multiple agencies worked together to track Cramer, and he was eventually taken into custody. Police said that during the pursuit, Cramer crashed into Sheriff’s deputy Martin’s car. The 53-year-old sheriff’s deputy was immediately killed, authorities said. Sen. Cramer said in a personal statement that his family grieves the loss of the deputy. He also asked for prayers for healing for his son. “I will take the first flight I can to be with our family as we grieve what has happened. We grieve especially for the family of the hero who tried to help Ian, and we pray for our gracious God to show up as He always does in tragedy. We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer’s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us,” the senator wrote. “We also ask God for healing for Ian. We love him and hurt deeply.” Sen. Cramer said that Ian, “suffers from severe mental disorders.” The senator said that Ian “suffers from severe mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations” and was with Kris, when he insisted on going to visit his brother Ike, who died in 2018. INDIANA STATE TROOPER STRUCK, KILLED BY STOLEN VEHICLE DURING INDIANAPOLIS PURSUIT: ‘THE BEST OF US’ Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, issued a statement following the incident, thanking Martin’s “ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our community.” “The events in Mercer County last night are a stark reminder of the heroic actions of our law enforcement officials each and every day. This deputy made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our community, and Mikey and I send our sincerest condolences to the deputy’s loved ones and the entire Mercer County Sheriff’s Department,” Sen. Hoeven said. “We are praying for comfort and peace for all those impacted by this tragic event.”