The Political Thread

[Chris]

Bag of cash doesn't stop jurors from convicting 5 of 7 defendants in $40 million food fraud scheme

A jury has convicted five Minnesota residents and acquitted two others in a scheme to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to steal more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children

abcnews.go.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- A jury convicted five Minnesota residents but acquitted two others on Friday for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. The case received widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash.

That juror was dismissed before deliberations began, and a second juror who was told about the bribe attempt was also dismissed. An FBI investigation of the attempted bribe continues, with no arrests announced.

 

[Deezy]

That case so old they still calling it the Corona Virus.

 

[Chris]

New Jersey businessman who pleaded guilty to trying to bribe Sen. Bob Menendez with Mercedes testifies in corruption trial

The businessman, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty to trying to influence the senator by buying his wife a luxury car.

www.cbsnews.com

Washington — A key witness in the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez is testifying Friday about what he says was an attempt to bribe the New Jersey Democrat by buying his wife, Nadine Menendez, a new Mercedes-Benz convertible.

Jose Uribe, a New Jersey insurance broker who was indicted with Menendez, pleaded guilty in March and confessed to buying a $60,000 luxury car to influence the senator. He is cooperating with prosecutors.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Bag of cash doesn't stop jurors from convicting 5 of 7 defendants in $40 million food fraud scheme

A jury has convicted five Minnesota residents and acquitted two others in a scheme to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to steal more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children

abcnews.go.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- A jury convicted five Minnesota residents but acquitted two others on Friday for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. The case received widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash.

That juror was dismissed before deliberations began, and a second juror who was told about the bribe attempt was also dismissed. An FBI investigation of the attempted bribe continues, with no arrests announced.

Yeah that whole thing was an utter shit show and I'm glad all of them got convicted for it. Absolutely disgusting to commit fraud under the guise of helping impoverished people.

 

[Deezy]

Tell that to Pfizer

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/08/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-hostages/

Four Israeli hostages have been rescued alive from Gaza, the Israeli military said Saturday. Israeli forces rescued Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, from two separate locations in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

 

[Chris]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/08/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-hostages/

Four Israeli hostages have been rescued alive from Gaza, the Israeli military said Saturday. Israeli forces rescued Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, from two separate locations in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Israeli hostages rescued, Palestinians killed in raid

The Israeli military says it rescued four hostages in a military operation in central Gaza. Palestinians report scenes of horror on the ground, and Gaza officials say more than 200 were killed. Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

• Israel rescued four hostages in a military operation in central Gaza on Saturday. The four were all kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 and are in “good medical condition,” according to Israeli officials.
• Israel heavily bombarded central Gaza as it carried out the hostage operation, killing more than 200 Palestinians and wounding hundreds more, according to the Gaza government media office. Civilians described scenes of horror on the ground, calling it “hell on earth.”
• This is just the third time Israel’s military has successfully rescued hostages. The Israeli government is under intense pressure to recover the more than 100 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, with weekly protests calling for their release.
• Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz postponed a news conference Saturday in which he had been expected to resign from government over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war. Netanyahu has now called on him to stay.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/09/middleeast/benny-gantz-resignation-post-war-plan-gaza-intl-latam/index.html

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has resigned from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, delivering a blow to the prime minister who has been celebrating the rare rescue of hostages held in Gaza.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/european-election-results-06-09-24-intl/index.html

• Results will soon start rolling in after the European Parliament elections, one of the world’s largest democratic exercises.
• Voters in the 27 nations of the European Union headed to the polls from Thursday to Sunday to elect 720 members of the parliament, which will have a crucial role in shaping the bloc’s political direction for the next five years.
• Polls have predicted big gains for hard-right parties in a number of countries, which could have long-term implications for the continent.
• The vote comes at a pivotal moment for the EU, which is grappling with issues ranging from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to immigration and climate change.

 

[Chris]

UN Security Council backs US Israel-Gaza ceasefire plan

www.bbc.com

The UN Security Council voted 14-1 in support of the US-proposed Israel-Gaza ceasefire plan on Monday.

The proposal sets out conditions for a "full and complete ceasefire", the release of hostages held by Hamas, the return of deceased hostages' remains and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.

The plan includes three phases that would end with a multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza, which has been largely destroyed due to the fighting.

 

[Chris]

Businessman Says He Asked Senator Menendez Directly for His Help

Lawyers for Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey have attempted to shift blame for any wrongdoing to his wife.

www.nytimes.com

Jose Uribe, the businessman who has said he bribed Senator Robert Menendez in return for his help in quashing a criminal investigation involving two people close to him, testified on Monday that he had asked the senator directly for his help and that Mr. Menendez had said he would “look into it.”

Mr. Uribe said that on Sept. 5, 2019, the night before Mr. Menendez met with New Jersey’s attorney general to discuss the matter, he was invited to the senator’s home in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., where he and Mr. Menendez sat on a backyard patio, with the senator smoking a cigar.

Mr. Menendez rang a little bell that he had on the table, calling out “mon amour” — French for “my love” — and summoning his girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Nadine Menendez. Mr. Uribe said she brought him a piece of paper and went back into the house.

 

[Sky]

Douglas Ross to resign as leader of Scottish Conservatives

He will carry on in the role until after the election and will resign as an MSP if he is re-elected to Westminster.

www.bbc.co.uk

Get fucked you slimy chinless bastard

 

[Chris]

Judge Strikes One Element From Trump Indictment in Documents Case

Judge Aileen Cannon threw out one basis for the case against the former president, involving a highly sensitive military map he showed an aide after leaving office.

www.nytimes.com

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case struck down a small but significant part of the indictment on Monday, ruling that the government must remove from its charges an episode in which Mr. Trump is said to have shown a highly sensitive military map to one of his close aides after he left office.

The decision by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was more of a swipe at prosecutors working for the special counsel, Jack Smith, who brought the case against Mr. Trump, than a major blow to the allegations in the case. Even though Judge Cannon technically removed the incident from the charges, prosecutors may still be able to introduce evidence of it to the jury if and when the case finally goes to trial.

The incident that Judge Cannon struck took place in August or September 2021 at a meeting at Mr. Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, N.J. During the meeting, prosecutors say, Mr. Trump showed a classified map related to an ongoing military operation to a representative of his political action committee, widely believed to be Susie Wiles, who is now a top adviser to Mr. Trump’s campaign.

 

[Chris]

Justice Alito Caught on Tape Discussing How Battle for America 'Can't Be Compromised'

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a new recording says the battle for America "can't be compromised," and that one political party will "win."

www.rollingstone.com

Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right — discussing the difficulty of living “peacefully” with ideological opponents in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to “return our country to a place of godliness.” And Alito offered a blunt assessment of how America’s polarization will ultimately be resolved: “One side or the other is going to win.”

Alito made these remarks in conversation at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner on June 3, a function that is known to right-wing activists as an opportunity to buttonhole Supreme Court justices. His comments were recorded by Lauren Windsor, a liberal documentary filmmaker. Windsor attended the dinner as a dues-paying member of the society under her real name, along with a colleague. She asked questions of the justice as though she were a religious conservative.

The justice’s unguarded comments highlight the degree to which Alito makes little effort to present himself as a neutral umpire calling judicial balls and strikes, but rather as a partisan member of a hard-right judicial faction that’s empowered to make life-altering decisions for every American.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Fucking theocratic cunt weasel.