BOOOM!!! THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT!!!🇺🇸
(Did Luntz decide to be honest this time? Trump and union vote. Luntz was always owned by the Bush's)
0:44
https://rumble.com/embed/v58jm59/?pub=4
DR. KHALILAH ALI KNOWS A TRUE FIGHTER WHEN SHE SEES ONE!!!😎🇺🇸🔥🔥🔥
il Donaldo Trumpo
3:43
This is an impressive statement, she is going to vote for Trump! Democrats don't have the best interest of black people.
https://rumble.com/embed/v58j7jx/?pub=4
Aug 13, 2024 -
Politics & Policy
Scoop: Trump shooting spurs bill to split up the Secret Service
Andrew Solender
A House Democrat is introducing legislation that would cleave off the Secret Service's original mission of investigating financial crimes and have the agency focus solely on protecting political leaders, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It is an idea that has been floated for years and has recently received bipartisan support in the aftermath of last month's assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Driving the news: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) is introducing a bill, first obtained by Axios, to "transfer the investigative jurisdiction over payment and financial systems" from the Secret Service to the Treasury Department.
The Focus on Protection Act would require the transfer of all assets and personnel involved in the financial crimes mission within 180 days.
Such a move would "enhance efficiency and focus in combating financial crimes" and allow the Secret Service to "focus on its core mission" of protecting high-profile U.S. political figures, their families and visiting foreign dignitaries.
Torres and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced a bill after the Trump shooting to enhance protection for Trump and President Biden and to provide a Secret Service detail for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Context: The Secret Service was founded in 1865 as a sub-agency within the Treasury Department with the task of cracking down on counterfeiting, a rampant issue after the Civil War.
It was only given its second role of protecting the president and other political leaders after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.
The agency, whose financial mission has evolved to cover bank and wire fraud, cybersecurity and illicit financing, was transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
Between the lines: Amid budget constraints, hiring difficulties and a series of well-publicized mishaps during the Obama administration, a bipartisan House Oversight Committee report in 2015 urged the agency to look into shedding its "collateral or non-essential missions."
It's an idea that has repeatedly cropped up in the intervening years, with Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for a second Trump administration, recommending the Secret Service be "divided in two."
State of play: The Trump rally shooting, which led to Director Kimberly Cheatle's resignation, has renewed those calls.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on X two days after the shooting: "Perhaps it's time for the Secret Service to be dedicated entirely to dignitary protection."
"Common sense would say that plenty of other federal law-enforcement agencies could pick up the financial-crimes portfolio," Johns Hopkins political science professor Eliot Cohen wrote in The Atlantic on Thursday.
Yes, but: The U.S. Government Account Office found in a 2020 report that while the Secret Service could do a better job prioritizing and synchronizing its resources, its investigations actually support its protective mission.
Most of the 40 current and former agents the GAO interviewed said the investigations do not negatively impact the protection mission, the report said.
The GAO also interviewed a dozen federal prosecutors who argued that the Secret Service's overlap with other agencies that investigate financial crimes is beneficial, often providing additional manpower and expertise.
What to watch: It's not clear whether Torres' bill can get a vote in the Republican-controlled House, but the topic may be explored by the bipartisan task force the chamber has convened to investigate the shooting.
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/13/trump-shooting-secret-service-financial-crimes
Ukraine approves $20 billion plan to increase renewable energy production by 2030
By Reuters August 13, 20247:39 AM
KYIV, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine will need $20 billion in investments to develop its renewable power sector under a plan which seeks to boost its share in the country's energy mix to 27% by 2030, the government said on Tuesday.
The country's energy sector has lost half of its generating capacity as a result of Russian missile and drone attacks, which intensified in spring 2024, forcing it to rely on its nuclear plants as well as solar and wind generation.
The plan approved by the government aims to add around 10,000 megawatt of new generation facilities.
The share of renewable energy in heat and cold supply systems should reach 33%, in electricity generation 29% and in the transport sector 17% in 2030, the government said.
It did not say what the current share of renewables in the energy mix was. Local media reported that it accounted for 10%.
The government also said it would announce several tenders for the construction of new generating capacities of 700 megawatts and 5 to 80 megawatts. The new facilities are to be operational by the end of 2027.
Nuclear is Ukraine's largest source of low-carbon energy, but its plants have become the site of safety fears during the war with Russia.
Fuck Ukraine! No money to Ukraineanother boondoggle for the Oligarchs.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/ukraine-approves-20-bln-plan-increase-renewable-energy-production-by-2030-2024-08-13/
White Cops Win Landmark Discrimination Case.
Three white police officers have succeeded in a discrimination claim after an employment tribunal determined that they were bypassed for a promotion due to their race. The tribunal found that the officers, Detective Inspector Phillip Turner-Robson, Inspector Graham Horton, and Custody Inspector Kirsteen Bishop, faced disadvantage by being excluded from a promotional opportunity within Thames Valley Police.
The tribunal found that in an effort to diversify senior staff, a decision was made to promote an “Asian” sergeant to the rank of detective inspector, bypassing the standard competitive process. Superintendent Emma Baillie made the decision after being directed by Deputy Chief Constable Jason Hogg to “make it happen.” The move disregarded warnings regarding the legal implications of not following competitive procedures.
The tribunal heard that in August 2022, plans were in motion to advertise a position for detective inspector in the priority crime team at Aylesbury. DI Turner-Robson expressed interest in the vacancy on the same day.
However, by the following month, the superintendent had placed Sergeant Sidhu, whose first name was not mentioned, into the role without any formal promotion process.
At the time of the appointment, Sergeant Sidhu had not yet been promoted to inspector status.
Despite this, she was appointed as detective inspector after the decision-makers “jumped the gun,” according to the tribunal. The tribunal noted that the Superintendent’s actions were influenced by a directive to ensure the appointment quickly, which resulted in discrimination.
Employment Judge Robin Postle ruled the decision constituted direct discrimination against the three officers, emphasizing that their right to a fair promotion process was compromised.
The judge stated that the actions taken were beyond mere encouragement anddisproportionately favored an officer with the protected characteristic of race.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2024/08/13/white-cops-win-landmark-discrimination-case/
2/3
The remaining three ex-Senate staffers — Raven Shirley, Kari Ridder and Kelicia Rice — served as presidential advisers to Sasse, though their specific duties remain unclear. Rice, Sasse’s Senate scheduler, is listed as a presidential adviser in UF’s salary directory but in practice remained as Sasse’s scheduler, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Sasse raised his former Senate staffs’ salaries at UF by an average of 44% compared to their Capitol Hill pay, contributing to a $4.3 million increase in presidential salary expenses over Fuchs’ last year in office.
Outside of his Senate staff, Sasse also tapped former Republican Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn as UF’s inaugural vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelors programs. Schwinn, with a starting salary of $367,500, worked the newly-created position from her $1 million home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Additionally, Sasse hired Alice James Burns, former scheduler for Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), as Director of Presidential Relations and Major Events. Burns, salaried at $205,000, also worked for UF outside of Florida.
Citing his wife’s recent epilepsy diagnosis, Sasse abruptly resigned from his post in July — leaving the future of his UF inner circle unclear. The university did not respond to questions about whether his political appointees were fired, non-renewed or resigned following his departure.
Fuchs, who began as interim president Aug. 1, kept a relatively small staff of less than 10, compared to Sasse who employed more than 30 in his office.
Jet-setting on UF’s dime
All but one of Sasse’s political appointees worked for UF outside of Florida and commuted to Gainesville on the university’s dollar when needed — a move reflected in his office’s travel expenses.
In Sasse’s first full fiscal year at the university’s helm, travel expenses for the president’s office soared to $633,000 — over 20 times higher than Fuchs’ annual average of $28,000. Sasse spent more on travel in his 17 months at UF than Fuchs’ entire eight-year tenure.
It is not unprecedented for UF employees to work outside of Florida, but out-of-state positions have typically been reserved for those representing the university as federal lobbyists in its Washington, D.C. office. It is virtually unprecedented for top UF officials and rank-and-file administrators to work outside of Florida.
The university hasn’t responded to requests for a complete log of Sasse’s travel expenses, leaving it unclear how much of his sky-high travel expenditures were spent shuttling his remote hires to campus. A partial report shows Sasse spent over $20,000 between April 29 and July 29 to fly his employees to campus.
Taylor Sliva, Sasse’s press secretary, was the only one of Sasse’s political hires to work in Florida. His employment contract, obtained from a public records request, included a $15,000 relocation stipend. He currently rents out a house in Gainesville.
McKinsey comes to the Swamp
When Sasse took over UF in February 2023, he knew he’d need a hand.
His track record in higher education administration was limited to his five-year presidency at Midland University, a small, private liberal arts college in Fremont, Nebraska. At UF, which enrolls over 60,000 students and pulls in an annual $1 billion in research grants, Sasse faced a steep learning curve.
He turned to consultants for help.(CIA)
https://www.alligator.org/article/2024/08/sasse-s-spending-spree-former-uf-president-channeled-millions-to-gop-allies-secretive-contracts