Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

Pratt ‘could be the guy’ LA needs to ‘disrupt’ institutional chaos plaguing city: Beach volleyball legend

Pratt ‘could be the guy’ LA needs to ‘disrupt’ institutional chaos plaguing city: Beach volleyball legend

SANTA MONICA, CA — Beach volleyball legend and Los Angeles native Christopher ‘Sinjin’ Smith is touting Spencer Pratt’s “disrupter” mayoral campaign and explained why he believes Pratt has tapped into voter frustration over the glaring issues facing the city.  “It doesn’t surprise me at all that Spencer is resonating with the people of Santa Monica and LA in general, because he’s saying common-sense things,” Smith, the first volleyball player to win 100 career tournaments during a storied Hall of Fame career that earned him the nickname “King of the Beach,” told Fox News Digital.  “We’ve all seen the news and everything else of what’s been going on for the past years and how things aren’t as good as they could be, and Spencer steps in and goes. This doesn’t make any sense, particularly with the fires, and things could be a lot better. And I believe that he’s really going to try to make things better for everybody. This isn’t a political thing, I don’t think at all, I think it’s more, how do you make the lives of all people from Los Angeles better? And he’s hitting all the key points, and it seems like he could be the guy.” Smith, who was born in Santa Monica and has lived in Los Angeles for the entirety of his life, including in the Pacific Palisades, told Fox News Digital that Pratt feels like the man for the moment.  REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT GAINS TRACTION IN LOS ANGELES MAYORAL RACE AFTER FIERY DEBATE “What’s been going on in the city of LA has been going on for a long, long time, as long as I’ve been around,” Smith explained. “I think a lot of people in LA have been waiting for someone like him, somebody with common sense who speaks logically and is willing to do the tough things to make our town better.” The devastating Palisades wildfire came within a few miles of Smith’s Santa Monica home and several of his friends lost everything they owned in the tragedy that many believe Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election, didn’t do enough to prevent, respond to, or rebuild from. THE CELEB ENDORSEMENTS BOOSTING SPENCER PRATT’S CHANCES OF BECOMING THE NEXT LA MAYOR Smith said he has met Bass and that she is a “very nice lady,” but for “whatever reason,” it “doesn’t seem like she wants to do the hard work to make things better for people.” “Particularly when you have the fire and so many different things that went wrong before the fire, during the fire, after the fire,” Smith said. “It seems like anything and everything that could go wrong went wrong, and leadership is the key for all of that. Again, very nice lady, but if she’s not willing or not capable of doing the things that are gonna help the people of LA, then what’s the point? I think you have to try something different and, again, politics out of it.” While the city of Santa Monica is one of several independent municipalities that do not vote in the LA mayor race, the winner’s policies will impact all residents of Los Angeles County, and Smith believes that Pratt’s outsider status is necessary to shake up the institutional problems like homelessness, fraud and crime. “Spencer Pratt is the kind of person that he’s been on the outside for so long, he’s seen all this bad stuff that’s going on, and he’s going, why is it like this? And it doesn’t have to be,” Smith said. “So yeah, I really get a sense that he wants to come in, he wants it to change things, he wants to disrupt everything that’s been going on in the past and change it for the better. It just makes logical sense. All the things that he’s been saying, and I certainly hope that if he does get into office, he’s able to accomplish the things that he wants to accomplish, because it’ll be good for everybody.” Pratt will face off in the mayoral primary on Tuesday night against Bass and progressive city council member Nithya Raman in an election where the top two candidates will move on to the November general election. However, if a candidate receives 50% of the vote, they become the next mayor outright.

GOP’s primed for primary season payback on Trump’s most ambitious, controversial policy

GOP’s primed for primary season payback on Trump’s most ambitious, controversial policy

Senate Democrats are doing everything they can to kill President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund, and Republicans may be keen on helping them. The nearly $2 billion fund has drawn heavy criticism from both sides of the aisle since its announcement last month as part of the settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And Senate Republicans, already incensed over Trump’s decision to push out two popular members of the conference, strongly dislike the fund.  Though not the primary driver in Republicans’ disdain for the fund, Trump’s choice to get involved in Louisiana and Texas against the Senate GOP’s favored candidates — and incumbents — added fuel to their fury against the nearly $2 billion fund. SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING That bubbling frustration played out last month, when the fund played a key part in blowing up the GOP’s push to advance billions in immigration enforcement spending. It was a combination of timing and lack of information that drove the GOP to press pause. Many were surprised about the “anti-weaponization” fund, and argued that the administration could have held off on announcing it just days before reconciliation was set to wrap up.  And as lawmakers return from a week-long break, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats aren’t going to let the issue die quietly.  “This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door,” Schumer wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote.” “If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,” he continued. “If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too.” The Senate is returning to pick up where lawmakers left off on budget reconciliation, the party-line process that the GOP is using to ram through $72 billion to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years. REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN Part of that process includes a “vote-a-rama,” where unlimited amendment votes happen. Democrats already have several amendments in the works to curtail the fund, including one that would prevent those convicted of rape and sexual assault from gaining access to the taxpayer-funded pot of money.  And Republican leaders feared that many in the GOP would support those amendments. The relationship between Senate Republicans and Trump is not on its highest note, either, following the president’s decision to back successful primary challengers to Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.  But the dissent within the GOP against the Department of Justice (DOJ) fund is far broader than just two Republicans, with at least half the conference taking issue with it during a fiery closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. REPUBLICAN BREAKS WITH TRUMP AFTER PRIMARY LOSS, CALLS FOR ‘STEADY, NOT ERRATIC’ LEADERSHIP Several wanted to know what kind of action, if any, would be taken by the administration to put guardrails on the fund to prevent those convicted of assaulting police officers during the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, from gaining access to the money.  Many see this as an issue that Trump and the administration need to solve, especially with how close Republicans were to ramming the broader reconciliation package through.  But the DOJ has argued that they aren’t seeking reconciliation money for the fund, and that it’s an issue that has nothing to do with the process. However, Republicans see it differently, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of the Justice Department, plays a significant role in the legislative package.  Schumer and Democrats, however, want to outright demolish the fund. “There will be no escape hatch,” Schumer said. “No fake guardrails or backroom promises to hide behind. No Justice Department announcement that makes this corruption acceptable.” “Republicans are scrambling for a way out — not to end the corruption, but to manage it,” he continued. “That will not be enough. You do not fix a corrupt slush fund by promising to manage it better. You end it.”

Fourth US drug boat strike in a week kills more ‘narco-terrorists’

Fourth US drug boat strike in a week kills more ‘narco-terrorists’

The U.S. military conducted a deadly strike against a vessel in the Pacific on Saturday, killing several alleged “narco-terrorists,” according to U.S. Southern Command. That attack, which killed three men, was one of four such military strikes announced by SOUTHCOM last week. “On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” the post on X noted. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON BRAZIL’S BIGGEST DRUG GANGS WITH ‘GLOBAL TERROR’ DESIGNATION A strike on Friday killed three men, while a strike on Wednesday killed two, SOUTHCOM reported. A strike on Tuesday killed one person but others survived: “One male narco-terrorist was killed during this action, and there were two survivors. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors,” SOUTHCOM noted in a post on X. U.S. MILITARY KILLS ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORIST IN LETHAL STRIKE ON DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN EASTERN PACIFIC The U.S. conducted what it characterized as “self-defense strikes” against Iran over the weekend. “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island this weekend. The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” according to a press release. “No American service members were harmed. CENTCOM will continue to protect U.S. assets and interests in response to unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire,” the release added. US MILITARY ATTACKS IRAN IN ‘SELF-DEFENSE STRIKES’ OVER WEEKEND CENTCOM noted in a Monday post on X, “Last night at 11 p.m. ET, U.S. forces successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait. These missiles were immediately defeated and no American personnel were harmed. U.S. Central Command remains vigilant and will continue to protect our forces from Iranian aggression while supporting the ongoing ceasefire.”

Trump flips script on left, maneuvers to use foreign influence law against the them

Trump flips script on left, maneuvers to use foreign influence law against the them

President Donald Trump is turning foreign-influence laws that once ensnared figures in his own orbit toward left-wing activist networks accused of benefiting from overseas money and support. Once seldom enforced criminally, FARA became a more prominent tool at the DOJ after 2016, including in cases involving several figures in Trump’s orbit as well as some prominent Democrats. Now, legal experts say that FARA and other laws dealing with foreign influence are emerging as a potential weapon in Trump’s campaign against left-wing activist networks. “Unfortunately, it seems clear that the Biden administration went overboard and tried to use FARA as a political weapon against allies and supporters of President Trump instead of concentrating on real national security threats and those acting on behalf of foreign governments and principals without disclosing it as required by the law,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, told Fox News Digital.  TRUMP, DEMOCRATS LOCKED IN ENDLESS CYCLES OF PAYBACK AFTER COMEY INDICTMENT AND TARGETING PRESIDENT’S ENEMIES’ FARA requires people acting in the United States on behalf of foreign governments or political parties to disclose their relationships, activities and funding to the Justice Department. While the law has been on the books for decades, criminal prosecutions related to it have become more common from 2016 onwards, engendering resentment among conservatives who feel they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. “Prior to the Mueller gang and the deep state using it against Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, FARA was rarely, if ever used for criminal purposes,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Fox News Digital. “It was seen as a paperwork issue … anti-Trump fanaticism turned it into a weapon to put people in jail.” FARA prosecutions were relatively rare prior to the first Trump administration, with only seven criminal cases being prosecuted between 1966 and 2015. In 2018 alone, however, the Department of Justice charged more than 20 individuals and entities with FARA violations. FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS During the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, many of those targeted by the Department of Justice for undisclosed links to foreign governments were viewed as close allies of Trump. Paul Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chair and a long-time GOP consultant, for instance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in 2018 in connection with his activity as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukraine.  Michael Flynn separately came under scrutiny for his firm’s work tied to Turkish interests, while his criminal plea involved false statements to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador. Flynn’s business partner was convicted of acting as an undisclosed agent of Turkey, though the conviction was eventually overturned and the investigation was dropped by the Justice Department. Conservatives were not exclusively targeted during the last two administrations, however. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Linda Sun, a former Democratic staffer, all faced foreign influence investigations under the Biden administration.  TAX COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS PRESS FOR TREASURY CRACKDOWN ON NONPROFITS PROMOTING FRAUD, ‘ANTI-AMERICAN’ HATE The pattern of right-wing politicos getting caught up in alleged foreign influence schemes continued into the Biden administration, with Rudy Giuliani, GOP megadonor Stephen Wynn and Trump associate Tom Barrack all being investigated for foreign ties. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi wound down FARA enforcement upon taking office in 2025, narrowing prosecutions to activities resembling traditional espionage, citing the law’s purported weaponization under President Joe Biden. Fitton characterized this as a “reversion to the norm.” In a departure from the prior two administrations, Spakovsky told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is working to “implement a comprehensive national security strategy that integrates FARA as a tool,” citing a national security memo issued by the president in 2025. NSPM-7, the memo referenced by Spakovsky, is a Trump administration directive ordering federal agencies to investigate and disrupt alleged networks behind domestic terrorism and organized political violence. It specifically directs the Department of Justice to scrutinize foreign ties and investigate possible FARA violations in order to investigate advocacy groups, nonprofits, donors and activists linked to alleged political violence. Some groups on the right and left have criticized the memo for potentially targeting constitutionally protected expression. The ACLU, for instance, argued that it could chill free speech since the document explicitly calls out “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity” as dangers to the United States. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS Spakovsky, however, argued that the memo simply implements changes that were recommended by career civil servants during the Obama administration. “When looking at the directive, another important point on FARA is to go back to a very revealing report issued by DOJ’s Inspector General in 2016 in which it criticized DOJ’s lack of enforcement of FARA, including during the Obama administration,” he said. “It recommended that DOJ develop a comprehensive enforcement strategy that was integrated with DOJ’s overall national security efforts … This relatively new directive seems to be an effort to do exactly what the DOJ IG recommended ten years ago – implement a comprehensive national security strategy that integrates FARA as a tool.” Though FARA is seen by many as the obvious mechanism to address foreign influence, if it is indeed being exerted on American activists, some legal experts are skeptical about relying on it alone. “FARA is a powerful tool. It’s just a difficult tool to use,” Jason Torchinsky, a partner at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, told Fox News Digital. “It is a powerful tool, but there are other tools they can use too.” Torchinsky pointed to the recent investigation into Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and Code PINK co-founder Medea Benjamin, initiated by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as an example of this. TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US “If these guys literally are shipping things to