RussBLib
RussBLib's JournalThe "Dynamic Duo for Democracy"
Namely Harris & Walz. UAW president Shawn Fain coined that phrase at his speech yesterday(?) before Harris and Walz spoke.
It's a bit over the top and a little cringe, but hey, I'm old, and it just might work. You never know what people are going to latch on to. Weird, huh?
https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1
$10 million illegal donation from Egypt to Trump?
Sure looks that way. One can only wonder what other turds are lying buried under rocks or dead bodies. Trump is a dyed-in-the-wool criminal. I hear the statute of limitations has already expired here. Bill Barr needs to be hauled in from of a special prosecutor. Fucker goes way back subverting democracy.
$10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt
By Aaron C. Davis and Carol D. Leonnig (Washington Post)
August 2, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash.
Inside the state-run National Bank of Egypt, employees were soon busy placing bundles of $100 bills into two large bags, according to records from the bank. Four men arrived and carried away the bags, which U.S. officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency.
Federal investigators learned of the withdrawal, which has not been previously reported, early in 2019. The discovery intensified a secret criminal investigation that had begun two years earlier with classified U.S. intelligence indicating that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi sought to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign, a Washington Post investigation has found.
Within months of learning of the withdrawal, prosecutors and FBI agents were blocked by top Justice Department officials from obtaining bank records they believed might hold critical evidence, according to interviews with people familiar with the case as well as documents and contemporaneous notes of the investigation. The case ground to a halt by the fall of 2019 as Trump’s then-attorney general, William P. Barr, raised doubts about whether there was sufficient evidence to continue the probe of Trump.
original. Not sure if the link will fully function. May post it on my blog.
https://russblib.blogspot.com
Ricky Gervais 20 Best Arguments Against Religion
Looks like it was posted less than a week ago. Love Ricky.
https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1
Former North Texas CEO convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for wire fraud
Source: WFAA
WESTLAKE, Texas — The founder of Slync, a supply-chain management software startup, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for defrauding investors of tens of millions of dollars, authorities announced Thursday.
A jury convicted Christopher Kirchner, 37, of four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. He was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who also ordered him to pay more than $65 million in restitution.
Kirchner founded Slync in 2017 and held the position of CEO until his termination by the Board of Directors in 2022. He was initially charged in February 2023 after he was arrested at his home in Westlake on allegations that he misappropriated $20 million from the company.
Kirchner fraudulently raised more than $71 million over two years from numerous investors based on false representations and promises about Slync’s business operations, false representations about its financials, false representations about its customers and fantastical revenue projections. He then misappropriated over $25 million of the investor funds in various ways, according to evidence presented at the sentencing hearing. Between April 2020 and March 2022, Kirchner initiated nearly 100 wire transfers moving money from his company's Silicon Valley Bank account into the company’s account at JPMorgan Chase Bank which only he could access. He then wired some of the money from the Chase account to his personal bank accounts.
Kirchner also wired $20 million directly from Slync’s Silicon Valley Bank account into his personal checking account.
With the misappropriated funds, Kirchner bought a $16 million private jet, a suite at AT&T Stadium, exotic vehicles including a Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz G-Class, and jewelry including a $500,000 Richard Mille watch, several Rolex watches and a Cartier necklace.
Read more: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/former-north-texas-ceo-convicted-sentenced-20-years-in-prison-for-wire-fraud/287-75843cb7-bd91-4f5a-9217-e577254f4b4e
How about a change of pace? Justice marches on.
https://russblib.blogspot.com
Are hurricanes getting stronger?
Well, yeah. But maybe not how you think.
https://russblib.blogspot.com
FFRF blasts Supreme Court decision granting Trump immunity
This was posted on July 1, 2024 on the FFRF website. I've been rather lost in the ozone again.
https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-blasts-supreme-court-decision-granting-trump-immunity/
FFRF blasts Supreme Court decision granting Trump immunity
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says that today’s dangerous Supreme Court decision granting former President Donald Trump immunity from criminal prosecution underscores the urgent need to curb the unchecked power of the Supreme Court.
“This decision undermines the very foundation of our democracy,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-founder and co-president. “No one, not even the president, should be above the law. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a stark reminder of the need to implement checks and balances on the judiciary.”
Now more than ever, FFRF maintains, it’s urgent that Congress respond by passing the Judiciary Act, which would expand the seats on the Supreme Court.
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has effectively placed the president above the law — significantly threatening the principles of accountability and justice that underpin our democracy. By granting immunity, the court has set a dangerous precedent that could shield future presidents from legal consequences, regardless of their actions.
FFRF has long advocated for the separation of church and state, promoting the importance of justice and using reason. This decision highlights the broader issue of judicial overreach and the necessity for structural reforms within our highest court.
The Judiciary Act proposes expanding the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices in order to create a more balanced and representative body that is capable of making decisions reflecting the diverse views of the American public.
FFRF calls on Congress to support the Judiciary Act and the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act to prevent future abuses of power and to protect the integrity of our judicial system. The ruling on presidential immunity shows the critical need for these reforms. It is essential that we act now to ensure that justice and accountability are preserved for all citizens, regardless of their position.
For more information about the Freedom From Religion Foundation and our efforts to promote judicial reform, please visit www.ffrf.org.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 40,000 members across the country. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
To become an FFRF member, click here. To learn more about FFRF, request information here.
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Politifact did some fact-checking
Pretty good stuff. Seems pretty fair and balanced, unlike a lying network of vipers we know of.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/jun/28/2024-presidential-debate-fact-check-biden-trump/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2TJdh0diUJdmD2a2D7q89nKLvGgSMkSLcSlnzPQAfMuB9FQDAy6ygAvNo_aem_4aaKuQRQbyJvLLn6uQZ8xg&mibextid=xfxF2i#Immigration
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, shared a debate stage June 27 for the first time since 2020, in a feisty confrontation that — thanks to debate rules — managed to avoid the near-constant interruptions that marred their previous meetings.
Biden, who spoke in a raspy voice at the debate’s start, struggled at times, at one point saying that his administration "finally beat Medicare." After the debate, during a stop at a Waffle House, Biden told reporters he had a sore throat, according to the pool report.
Trump, meanwhile, repeated numerous falsehoods, including that Democrats want doctors to be able to abort babies after birth. Trump attacked Biden’s record, blaming inflation and other issues on Biden’s "insane and stupid policies." Biden questioned Trump’s conduct, noting that Trump is a convicted felon and saying he has the "morals of an alley cat."
Biden and Trump clashed on the economy, immigration and abortion, and revisited discussion of their ages. Biden is 81; Trump is 78.
Read by topic: (sorry, but the links below do not work here in this case. Click on the link above to explore them.)
Immigration
Abortion
Inflation and economy
Jobs
Trump legal cases
Social Security, Medicare and taxes
Checking the record on Hitler comment and Charlottesville
Crime
Health care
Foreign policy and terrorism
Election denial and Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol
Worst president rankings
The golf moment
https://russblib.blogspot.com
Should Joe pardon Hunter?
....If Hunter is convicted, I don't think Joe WOULD pardon him, but I would say he SHOULD pardon him. It would seem to be a better use of the pardon power to show forgiveness to your son than to bail your ratfucking co-conspirators out of prison.
But that's just me.
RussBLib blog
Boing Starliner expected to launch 1 June
Less than 2 hours from now. Will believe it when I see it. About 11:35am Central.
Musk is slated to launch Starship #4 on 5 June.
CNN
—
Boeing’s Starliner is aiming to launch its crewed maiden voyage Saturday, a mission that has been a decade in the making.
The new spacecraft is expected to lift off atop an Atlas V rocket at 12:25 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A livestream of the event began at 8:15 a.m. ET on NASA’s website.
Weather conditions are 90% favorable for launch, with the only concerns being winds and cumulus clouds, according to Mark Burger, launch weather officer of the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1
TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS - Gifted NYT article
How sweet it is! The NYT link below is a Gifted article. This turned into a great day. Lots of articles at the link below. Not sure if all the sub-stories are gifted or not.
TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/30/nyregion/trump-trial-verdict?unlocked_article_code=1.v00.WftN.KycspMDgBTJu&smid=url-share
Donald J. Trump, the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case stemming from a payment that silenced a porn star.
Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and will reverberate into November’s election.
Mr. Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, who deliberated over two days to reach a decision in a case rife with descriptions of secret deals, tabloid scandal and an Oval Office pact with echoes of Watergate. The former president sat largely expressionless, a glum look on his face, after the jury issued its verdict.
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Current location: South Padre Island, TX
Member since: 2001
Number of posts: 9,465