The Political Thread

[Barry Poppins]

Trump sues CBS News over 60 Minutes interview with Harris; network says suit is "completely without merit"

Former President Donald Trump has sued CBS News over a recent 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The network says it intends to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Chris]

Jury convicts former Kentucky officer of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during deadly raid

A federal jury has convicted a former Kentucky detective of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor the night she was shot to death by police officers in 2020.

apnews.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted a former Kentucky police detective of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during a botched 2020 drug raid that left her dead.

The 12-member jury returned the late-night verdict after clearing Brett Hankison earlier in the evening on a charge that he used excessive force on Taylor’s neighbors.

It’s the first conviction of a Louisville police officer who was involved in the deadly raid.

 

[Just Juice]

Kemi Badenoch promises change after historic Tory leadership win

The former business secretary is the first black woman to lead a major political party in the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Loochblade]

GBI Arrests Former Gordon County Commissioner and Her Husband in Child Abuse Investigation

Calhoun, Georgia (October 31, 2024) – On Thursday October 31, 2024, the GBI arrested and charged Rebecca Hood, age 50, of Calhoun, GA, and Scott Hood, age 56, of Calhoun, GA with cruelty to children.

gbi.georgia.gov

Spoiler

 

[Barry Poppins]

BUT THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

 

[Butters]

They think of the children maybe too much.

 

[Loochblade]

In that X thread multiple people basically talk about the theory that they wanna ban books on sex ed and sex ed all together, so children don't even know they are being abused. That angle never really crossed my mind. There's most likely a lot of truth to it in many cases.

 

[Chris]

Netanyahu Fires Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister

Mr. Gallant had differed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times over Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.

www.nytimes.com

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on Tuesday after disagreements between the two men over Israel’s prosecution of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to sideline Mr. Gallant, a powerful figure within his own party, Likud, is a dramatic step for the prime minister. But Mr. Gallant had increasingly been viewed as an internal opponent, and he has been one of the main voices of moderation within the government on security issues.

Immediately after the announcement, made by Mr. Netanyahu in a video statement issued by his office, Mr. Gallant wrote on social media that “Israel’s security has always been and will always be my life’s mission.” He did not directly address his dismissal.

 

[Chris]

US cuts interest rates as Trump election raises uncertainty

Donald Trump's plans for tax cuts and tariffs raise questions about much further the Fed might cut.

www.bbc.com

The US central bank has cut its key interest rate again as Donald Trump's election as president raises new uncertainty about the future for borrowing costs.

The cut puts the Federal Reserve's lending rate in the range of 4.5%-4.75%.

It marks the second drop in a row after the Fed lowered rates for the first time in more than four years in September, indicating confidence that price rises were finally stabilising.

Forecasters have been expecting borrowing costs to fall further in the months ahead but warned that Trump's plans for tax cuts, immigration and tariffs could keep pressure on inflation and drive up government borrowing, complicating those bets.

 

[Chris]

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba Is Indicted on Federal Corruption Charges

The mayor and two other local officials pleaded not guilty on Thursday after being accused of taking part in a scheme in which F.B.I. agents posing as real estate developers offered bribes.

www.nytimes.com

member and the local district attorney have been indicted on federal corruption charges, with court documents unsealed on Thursday detailing a scheme in which F.B.I. agents posing as real estate developers paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to city officials.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat first elected to lead the state’s capital in 2017, and the City Council member, Aaron Banks, were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges. The Hinds County district attorney, Jody Owens, faces similar charges and was also accused of making false statements. All three men pleaded not guilty on Thursday in their first court appearances.

In the 32-page indictment, prosecutors said that beginning last year, F.B.I. agents assumed the guise of out-of-state developers eager to build a hotel on a long-vacant piece of prime property in downtown Jackson. Working with Mr. Owens as a kind of fixer, the developers offered money to Mr. Lumumba and two City Council members in exchange for their support for the developers’ plans, the indictment says.

 

[Y2Jayne]

Disgusting.

Maccabi/Ajax: Israeli soccer fans attacked in Amsterdam, Israeli and Dutch authorities say | CNN

Israeli soccer fans were attacked in a “serious incident of violence in Amsterdam” overnight into Friday, authorities said, with the Israeli government saying it was sending planes to evacuate affected citizens.

amp.cnn.com

 

[Chris]

Meanwhile in Louisiana, we are repeating what was an Arrested Development gag in 2005, only it's not a gag sadly

Judge blocks Louisiana law requiring schools to display Ten Commandments

Judge called law ‘unconstitutional on its face’ but an appeal would be heard by perhaps most conservative court in US

www.theguardian.com

A new Louisiana law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public classroom by the beginning of 2025 has been temporarily blocked after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday.

The judge said the law was “unconstitutional on its face” – and plaintiffs were likely to win their case with claims that the law violates the US constitution’s first amendment, which bars the government from establishing a religion and guarantees the right to religious freedom.

The ruling marks a win for opponents of the law, who argue that it is a violation of the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. They also argue that the poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments would isolate students, especially those who are not Christian.

 

[Chris]

Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison by a federal judge

A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents is expected to be sentenced in federal court.

apnews.com

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years. Brought into court wearing an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.

 

[Just Juice]

Kemi what a star

 

[Chris]

Here’s Why I Decided To Buy ‘InfoWars’

Today we celebrate a new addition to the Global Tetrahedron LLC family of brands. And let me say, I really do see it as a family. Much like family members, our brands are abstract nodes of wealth, interchangeable assets for their patriarch to absorb and discard according to the opaque whims of...

theonion.com

The Onion has legitimately purchased InfoWars bc Alex Jones was forced to auction off everything to pay for his lawsuits