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Trump’s Truth Social could be facing financial trouble

August 29, 2022

Former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social is reportedly facing some financial troubles. A vendor said the social media platform isn’t paying its bills.

Twitter banned Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection. So, under the Trump Media and Technology Group, the former president created Truth Social.

The social media site is pretty much just like Twitter. But instead of a “tweet,” users post a “truth.”

To operate a large social media platform, those platforms need cloud-based services. Truth Social contracted with a company called RightForge to handle those needs.

Truth Social soft-launched in February. By May, all iOS users in the U.S. could download the app. Android users are still out of luck.

Now RightForge is claiming Truth Social hasn’t paid for the internet infrastructure company’s services since March.

Fox Business was the first to report the news, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

The sources told Fox Business Truth Social only made three payments, and is now over a million dollars in arrears.

The former president is pushing back on the narrative, truthing out that Truth Social is doing “well” and that it was “up more than 550%” since what he called the “Raid,” referring to the FBI’s execution of a search warrant on his Mar-a-Lago home.

While it’s true Truth Social saw an uptick of interest after classified documents were retrieved from Trump’s home, the site is heavily lacking in users. This could explain the financial problems.

Trump is the site’s most popular user with just under 4 million followers. When it was suspended, Trump’s Twitter account had over 88 million followers.
Texas judge rules adults 18-20 can carry handguns in public

August 26, 2022

One of the last laws limiting gun rights in Texas is unconstitutional. A federal judge ruled adults 18-20 in the Lone Star State have a Second Amendment right to carry a handgun outside the home.

Texas joined a growing number of Republican-led states and expanded gun rights last year. Now, most anyone 21 and older has the right to carry a handgun without a license, background check or training.

A few months later, a lawsuit was filed by a man, a woman, and a gun rights advocacy group argued they should be allowed to carry a gun for protection, even though they were not 21.

This week, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, ruled in favor of the pair and the gun rights group on the basis of “the Second Amendment’s text, as informed by founding-era history and tradition.”

Judge Pittman stayed his ruling from taking effect for 30 days.

Gun rights supporters said the ruling is another victory for their cause and shows similar bans in other states won’t stand up to constitutional challenges.

The Texas Democratic Party lambasted the ruling, and urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, to call a special legislative session to pass “meaningful, widely-supported gun safety laws.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden Administration rolls out new DACA rule

August 25, 2022

Ten years ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden helped create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. This week, President Joe Biden’s administration rolled out a new regulation to codify DACA.

DACA was designed to protect children who entered the United States illegally. It does not grant them legal status or a pathway to citizenship, but DACA does let recipients apply for driver’s licenses, social security numbers and work permits.

There were more than 600,000 immigrants enrolled in DACA at the end of March. The program closed to new enrollees last year after a Texas district judge ruled it illegal. The judge in the case based his decision largely on the fact DACA was created by a memo.

The new regulation from the Department of Homeland Security replaces the decade-old memo and had to go through a public comment period.

The Biden Administration hopes the process of creating the rule will stand up to legal scrutiny, since its implementation depends on the outcome of current, and certainly future, lawsuits.

As it’s drafted now, the new rule protecting DACA recipients, known as Dreamers, will go into effect on October 31.

DACA can also accept new enrollees when and if the rule is put into action.
California banning sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035

August 25, 2022

California is moving forward with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. The new plan does not ban the sale of used gas-powered vehicles.

California is the largest auto market in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. Therefore, when California moves ahead with sweeping changes, the world takes notice. And when it comes to green initiatives, there are 12 other states that typically follow California’s lead.

So, conceivably, the restriction banning these car sales could be in place for around a third of the country very soon.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, originally announced the plan in 2020 through an executive order.

“You can still keep your internal combustion engine car,” Newsom said at the time. “You can still have a market for used cars. You can still trade and transfer those cars. We’re not taking anything away. We’re providing an abundance of new choices and new technologies.”

The California Air Resources Board is the government entity codifying the new rule, which takes a stepped-approach to hit its target.

Thirty-five percent of new passenger vehicles sold by 2026 need to be zero-emissions. The number revs up to 68% by 2030.

Newsom’s office is also including $10 billion for vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure and public outreach to help meet the goal.

Critics of California’s plan said it doesn’t take external factors into account, like how the price of new electric vehicles are significantly higher than standard vehicles or how the state will supply all of the electricity that’s going to be needed when it can’t meet current demands.

But California is far from alone in driving the transition to electric vehicles.

Large automakers like General Motors and Ford are investing billions of dollars in electric vehicles. Countries like Canada, Britain, France and Spain also all have goals to phase out new gas-powered cars by 2040.
Young Americans using more marijuana, hallucinogens

August 24, 2022

It seems whether they are prescription, over the counter or illicit, Americans like their drugs. A new study shows young Americans are growing particularly fond of pot and hallucinogens.

In the late 1980s, the National Institutes of Health started tracking how often people from ages 19 to 30 were using drugs.

The latest figures from 2021 show 43% of young adults used pot in the past year, 29% in the last month and 11% were daily users.

Folks are using marijuana vape cartridges more, but flower—that’s marijuana in its natural plant form—is still the most popular way to consume the devil’s lettuce.

In 2021, 8% of young adults said they took hallucinogens in the past year. Hallucinogens are things like LSD, magic mushrooms, or MDMA.

Opioid use is going down, but the number of accidental deaths from overdoses is soaring. Epic Research found about half of patients going to the emergency room for overdoses are tested for opioids, and the positivity rate is going down.

Good news, right? Well, not quite.

Fentanyl, the #1 killer of Americans 18-45, is a synthetic opioid and doesn’t show up on standard screenings. So, only 5% of overdose patients are actually getting tested for fentanyl. When hospitals do test for fentanyl, it shows up around half the time.

According to Epic Research, that means fentanyl could be killing even more people than we thought.
Uvalde Schools Police Chief Arredondo facing lawsuit, firing

August 24, 2022

It’s been three months since a gunman in Uvalde, Texas used a rifle to kill 19 children and two teachers. Now, residents and the school board are looking to hold people to account.

Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes of when the shooter first entered Robb Elementary. However, it took more than an hour before the heavily armed police went into the classroom where fourth graders were being murdered.

The Uvalde Independent School District is now considering firing the district’s police chief. Pete Arredondo has been on administrative leave since July. An investigation into the shooting and the police response found Arredondo failed to take charge during the May 24 tragedy, he should have ordered a breach of the classroom sooner, and he wasted time looking for a key to the unlocked classroom door.

If the school board fires Arredondo, he will be the first law enforcement officer to face punishment for action, or inaction, during the shooting.

But losing a job isn’t Arredondo’s only concern. A San Francisco-based attorney announced this week he’s filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of some of the families in Uvalde who lost loved ones.

Charles Bonner is filing a $27 billion civil rights lawsuit. Bonner said the victims’ 14^th Amendment right to life was disregarded. It’s expected the lawsuit will name the school district’s police force, the city police, sheriff’s office, Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Border Patrol and the manufacturer of the type of gun used by the shooter.

Bonner said he’ll file the lawsuit in September, when the Department of Justice’s investigation into the shooting is complete.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US fires airstrikes in Syria, primary takeaways, Ukraine’s Independence Day

August 24, 2022

On August 24, 2022, U.S. fired airstrikes in Syria, primary results are in for New York and Florida, and Ukraine is celebrating its independence from the Soviet Union amid current war with Russia.

U.S. fires airstrikes in Syria overnight – The U.S. military carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria in the early morning hours Wednesday. The strikes targeted areas used by militias backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. A central command spokesman said the strikes were in response to an attack on U.S. forces from earlier this month.

Primary takeaways in New York, Florida- Tuesday’s primaries in New York and Florida saw a win for abortion rights with Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) riding the wave of support for pro-choice candidates to win a special election in a typically swing New York district. New York also saw the ousting of two current members of congress with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Mondaire Jones (D-NY) falling in redistricted primaries.

In Florida’s biggest race of the night, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) won the democratic nomination for governor. Crist was previously governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 as a member of the Republican Party. He left the Republican Party in 2010. Crist will now run against Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in November.

Ukraine’s Independence Day – Residents in Ukraine are marking 31 years since the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union today. This year’s anniversary also marks exactly six months since Russia’s invasion. Kyiv authorities pushed back large-scale celebrations to tomorrow out of fear of potential Russian missile attacks on the anniversary.
Drought in China could impact global markets, supply chains

August 23, 2022

China has a water problem. Specifically, it does not have enough of it. After months of drought, the lack of water in China could have global impacts.

China, like the United States, Europe, and pretty much the rest of Earth’s northern hemisphere, is seeing record high temperatures and very little rain.

The worst conditions have been recorded in the country’s southern region. Hydroelectric power provides the vast majority of electricity to millions of people and thousands of manufacturing plants.

Receding water in the Yangtze River isn’t just revealing centuries old statues–it’s also hampering the movement of goods because large ships can’t sail in shallow water.

Some reservoirs that supply hydroelectric power stations are also dry. Shopping malls are operating on reduced hours to conserve power. Manufacturing plants are also being idled so the grid has enough power to run people’s air conditioning units at home.

China could produce more electricity through coal or nuclear power plants, but those processes still require water.

Most farms in China are smaller, just a few acres, which means most farmers can’t afford things like drip irrigation systems to conserve water. Thousands of acres of crops have already been deemed total losses this year.

China is a global supplier of food, construction materials, electronic components, solar panels, and more. If the drought in China continues, the global fallout could be disastrous. Some experts said the supply chain issues the world faced during the COVID-19 pandemic will be tame by comparison.

To combat the deepening drought, China is firing silver iodide into clouds in an effort to induce rain. It’s a process known as “cloud-seeding.”

Crews are also digging trenches to keep water flowing from Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, to a key rice-growing region.

China’s president, Xi Jinping, wants to give himself another five years in office. He’ll be in a better position to do that if his people aren’t baking in the heat or starving from lack of food. At least five of China’s 17 dynasties were brought down by drought-induced famines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Millions of fentanyl pills, other drugs seized near Arizona/Mexico border

August 23, 2022
Customs and Border Patrol Area Port Director of the Port of Nogales, Arizona Michael Humphries reported millions of fentanyl pills have been seized in the past week. On Monday, he tweeted a staggering 1.57 million fentanyl pills were seized over the weekend after being stashed inside a tractor trailer and car.

Hidden compartments also revealed more than 100 pounds of cocaine and 13 pounds of heroin. Just days earlier, over 15,000 pills were confiscated at the same interception point.

“Second consecutive day colored fentanyl pills with the appearance of candy seized,” Humphries tweeted last Wednesday. “This could be the start of a trend with Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting younger users.”

Other seizures reported by last week include:
- Over 250,000 fentanyl pills (some of which were different colors, similar to the appearance of candy), 11 pounds of heroin and 10 pounds of meth
- Approximately 108,000 fentanyl pills, 26 pounds of cocaine and 27 pounds of meth
Fentanyl is a common narcotic smuggled across Arizona and other border states, primarily in the form of pills or powder. U.S. officials have reported a 200% increase in the amount of fentanyl recovered at the border compared to this time last year.

The opioid epidemic and fentanyl crisis continue to be the leading causes of death among Americans 18 to 45 years old. In Arizona, recent polls show border security is tied with inflation as the top issue driving voters in the midterms.
Off-campus student housing at UC Berkeley reportedly bans white people from common areas

August 23, 2022

A private, off-campus housing unit for students at the University of California, Berkeley drew attention for allegedly banning white people from some common spaces. The brouhaha began when a screenshot of the unit’s house rules made the rounds on social media.

The guest rules for residents of the so-called “Person of Color Theme House” — a five-story, 30-room structure near the UC campus, according to the New York Post — were posted to Reddit and reportedly include announcing when guests are in common spaces “and if they are white” and that whites “are not allowed in common spaces.” The rules reflect the house’s efforts to protect residents from “white violence.”

“Many POC members moved here to be able to avoid white violence and presence, so respect their decision of avoidance if you bring white guests,” an intro to the alleged rules states.

The meaning of “white violence” and what that might include sparked debate and complaints online. One subreddit asked, “How do you feel about the ‘POC Themed Housing’ at UC Berkeley?”

“I saw several articles and photos of a house in Berkeley that explicitly prohibits white tenants, as well as heavily restricting visitation for white guests, including prohibiting them from any common areas,” the post said. “Isn’t that illegal? Doesn’t that fall under the Fair Housing Act?”

Some students alleged that even biracial and light-skinned people of color risked being ostracized at the POC house. Critics of the rules condemned them as purely racist and just another form of segregation.

The POC Theme House was built as part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative that offers housing for low-income and minority students in the Bay Area and is not affiliated with the school, the College Post reported. The co-op’s anti-discrimination policy bans residential restrictions based on race or skin color.

After the list was leaked, a manager told the College Fix that there’s no “official” policy that excludes white visitors and claimed that whites can and do live in the POC Theme House.

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