Third man with successful Neuralink implant

https://x.com/ALScyborg/status/1916630186382291242

100 hardcore leftist lawyers quit Civil Rights division of Justice Dept.

Civil rights division director Harmeet K. Dhillon has redirected her staff to focus on combating antisemitism, anti-Christian bias and what she calls “woke ideology.”

The new head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division is dramatically reshaping the office to propel President Donald Trump’s social agenda, prompting the departure of about half of the division’s lawyers in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the situation and public statements from top officials.

Since being sworn in this month, civil rights director Harmeet K. Dhillon has redirected her staff to focus on combating antisemitism, anti-Christian bias, the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports and what Trump and his allies have described as Democrats’ “woke ideology.”

The division changed mission statements across its sections to focus less on racial discrimination and more on fighting diversity initiatives and what the administration sees as bias against Christians. And department officials reassigned more than a dozen career staffers — including section chiefs overseeing police brutality, disability and voting rights cases — to areas outside of their legal expertise.

The changes under Dhillon, a longtime Republican activist, coincide with a second White House offer to federal workers that allows them to resign from their positions and be paid through September. The deadline for that offer is late Monday evening, and civil rights employees have been submitting their resignations en masse as the deadline nears, said people familiar with the operations of the division who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

More than 100 division attorneys have already said they will leave their jobs, Dhillon told conservative podcaster Glenn Beck during an appearance on his show Saturday. Many departed because they disagree with the division’s new direction, she said.

The division had around 380 attorneys when Trump began his second term in the White House. Approximately half have left, according to people familiar with the division, and Dhillon told Beck she had no problem with their departures.

“I think that’s fine,” Dhillon said. “We don’t want people in the federal government who feel like it’s their pet project to go persecute police departments based on statistical evidence or persecute people praying outside abortion facilities instead of doing violence. … The job here is to enforce federal civil rights laws — not woke ideology.”

The civil rights division usually experiences the sharpest swings in ideological priorities within the Justice Department during transitions from Republican and Democratic administrations. But several former officials interviewed by The Washington Post described the shifts implemented so far by Dhillon and other political appointees at Justice as more extreme than anticipated.

In the first Trump administration, former Justice Department officials said, the division was largely left intact. The section did not pursue actions against police departments in the way that recent Democratic administrations had done, but it continued to focus on prosecuting hate crimes, protecting disability rights and enforcing employment laws.

Since Trump’s second inauguration, nearly every civil rights section has been upended, the people familiar with the situation said. The immigration and employees rights section is now primarily focused on ensuring that immigrants are not favored over citizens in job opportunities. Attorneys once dispatched to ensure education facilities are not discriminating against minority groups are now concentrating much of their resources on ensuring these institutions are not being antisemitic.

In one of her first acts, Dhillon changed the mission statements for many of the division’s sections to align with Trump executive orders with titles such as “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” “Keeping Men Out of Woman’s Sports” and “Eradicating Anti-Christain Bias.”

Speaking on Beck’s podcast, Dhillon said she intended to send the message to her new staff: “These are the president’s priorities. This is what we will be focusing on. Govern yourself accordingly.”

“This is not simply a change in enforcement priorities that comes with a change in administration — the division has been turned on its head and is now being used as a weapon against the very communities it was established to protect,” said Vanita Gupta, who was associate attorney general during the Biden administration and director of the civil rights division under President Barack Obama. “The mass exodus that this has triggered is unprecedented and also understandable.”

The division’s criminal section — which prosecutes hate crimes, human trafficking and other cases — has been largely left intact.

The changes at civil rights began before Dhillon took over the division. In the first weeks of the Trump administration, Justice Department officials ordered the division to pause most of the investigative activity launched during the Biden administration, pending reviews by new leadership. Many top leaders were removed from their positions. And Trump’s appointees launched a multiagency task force housed within the civil rights division to combat antisemitism.

Dhillon has pledged more of the same. And in line with her new priorities, the Justice Department has withdrawn or moved to dismiss Biden-era court filings and cases alleging discriminatory electoral practices in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and supporting protections for transgender prison inmates. Dhillon derided the latter in a statement as “politically motivated and based on junk science.”

The Justice Department also has withdrawn from voting rights cases in Georgia and Texas, and several top managers from the voting section have been reassigned.

“The ability of the Justice Department to enforce laws that protect the American people from discrimination, from fraud, from illegal activity, is being decimated,” said David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, who worked as a senior trial attorney in the voting rights section under the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “The American people should expect to see more discrimination … more wrongdoing and all of the harms that go with it.”

Dhillon, in her appearance on Beck’s podcast, acknowledged that recent departures had — for the moment — affected the resources her division could bring to bear on its newly established priorities.

“We’re going to run out of attorneys to work on these things at some point,” she quipped. Still, she added, the civil rights division was looking to hire new lawyers to carry out hers and the president’s vision.

https://archive.is/FEPKQ

Trump Is Right: China Is Literally Building An Island Made Of Trash

President Donald Trump mocked China on Tuesday for its pollution, which represents a sizable share of the world’s waste.

Trump posted a series of photos to his Truth Social account that showed islands of floating bottles, plastics, and other waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The president called the mess “A Gift from China.”

China is one of the foremost polluting countries, commonly ranking near the top on lists of nations that produce the most waste that finds its way into the natural environment. China was number four on a list of “highest ocean plastic waste polluters in 2025” put together by the United Kingdom’s GreenMatch.

China produces 71,000 metric tons of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean, according to GreenMatch. China ranked just behind Malaysia, which produces 73,000 metric tons. The Philippines and India took the top two spots at 360,000 metric tons and 130,000 metric tons, respectively.

China’s plastic manufacturing sector is the largest in the world and contributes to its chronic appearance at the top of pollution lists.

“China is responsible for 32% of global plastic materials production in 2021, making it the world number one plastic producer by far. China is followed by the world’s second largest plastic producing region: North-America, they are responsible for 18% of the plastic production. In Europe, the plastic footprint is 15%,” according to hydration company Aquablue.

The International Trade Administration reported in 2023 that “China discharged 55.7 billion cubic meters of wastewater in 2021, 28.7% of which originated from industrial sources.”

“The PRC’s sludge volume could reach 90 million tons by 2025, according to the PRC’s National Development of Reform and Commission. … China’s sludge has low organic matter but possesses high silt and heavy metal content levels,” the Trade Administration said.

The evidence of China’s substantial waste is obvious. In 2022, the world’s largest buildup of plastic waste in the ocean floated between California and Hawaii. A study of the plastic island found that China was a top contributor. Waste from China was estimated to make up 32% of the plastic in the floating mound. Japan was the largest contributor to the monstrosity, responsible for an estimated 34% of the plastic waste.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-is-right-china-is-literally-building-an-island-made-of-trash

Bannon and Natalie deep dive on Communist infiltration

https://x.com/nataliegwinters/status/1916990735846428854

Connolly to step down as top Dem on Oversight, paving the way for generational change

Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, will step down from his leadership post on the panel and not run for reelection.

The Virginia Democrat, whose constituency includes many federal workers, cited the return of his esophageal cancer — first diagnosed in late 2024 — as the reason for his planned departure.

“With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years,” Connolly said in a statement Monday, saying he would pull back from his ranking member position “soon.”

Connolly had beaten out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the top leadership position on the panel in a contest last fall that in many ways had tested the House Democratic Caucus’ appetite for generational change. Several aging committee leaders had stepped aside in the face of challenges from Democrats who promised to bring a more vigorous opposition to the Trump administration to the table, though Connolly and his allies had stressed that the veteran lawmaker had invaluable investigative experience.

Ocasio-Cortez is no longer a member of the Oversight Committee and joined Energy and Commerce this year, so she could have a difficult time mounting a comeback bid — though it’s not clear she intends to do so. Others who might step up to the plate include Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Jasmine Crockett of Texas.

When reached for comment, Crockett and Khanna didn’t close the door on seeking a bid to succeed Connolly.

“I’m the vice ranker so when I took the role on, I was and still am willing to step in, in service to the caucus and the country, but conversations need to be had before any formal announcement can be made,” Crockett said in a text message. The vice ranking member position was created in 2016 to give younger Democrats leadership responsibilities and does not reflect seniority on any given committee.

“I admire Representative Connolly for his years of service and commitment to accountability and transparency. He has stepped back, not stepped aside. I’m praying for him and his family. I’m focused on that right now and our committee’s work,” said Khanna in a statement.

According to a congressional aide granted anonymity to share private conversations, Connolly has been in communication with Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts — the second in line in seniority among Democrats behind D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton — about covering for him on the dias until a permanent replacement is elected. He has asked Lynch to begin that stint at the Wednesday markup of the panel’s portion of the GOP’s massive tax, border and energy bill.

When late-Oversight chair Elijah Cummings, a Democrat, was unable to act as chair due to health issues, he tapped then-Rep. Carolyn Maloney to act in his capacity. She ultimately became the committee chair.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/28/congress/connolly-to-step-down-as-top-oversight-dem-00312360

Conclave: A visual guide to the secretive process of choosing a new pope

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/28/world/conclave-pope-selection-intl-dg/index.html

Life is hell in Altadena, robberies spike 450 percent

When the smoke of the Eaton fire cleared, residents whose homes were left standing believed they had escaped disaster.

But many are finding that blessing comes with a curse. They are now prime targets for opportunistic thieves who prowl their neighborhoods at night.

Jenna and Howard Morris’ home has been burglarized three times: first on the night they evacuated, then at the start of April and then again the following week.

“When we found out that our home survived, we had no idea that three months later we would be dealing with this,” Jenna Morris said.

Thieves have broken windows, raided their garage and ransacked their home, stealing engraved family silverware dating to the 1800s. The couple is now left with thousands of dollars in property damage on top of what was already sustained in the fire, and a gnawing anxiety that their home will be targeted again.

In the first few days of the January firestorm, burglaries spiked in both the Palisades and Eaton fire evacuation zones. But although crime is no longer surging in Pacific Palisades, it is skyrocketing in Altadena.

From Jan. 1 to April 15, the number of residential burglaries reported in the Altadena area was up about 450% compared with the same period in 2024, according to data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. More than 140 residential burglaries have been reported to the Altadena sheriff’s station so far this year.

In Pacific Palisades, on the other hand, year-over-year burglary rates remain relatively stable. There were 20 incidents reported from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2024, and 23 incidents reported during the same period this year, according to LAPD data.

The disparity in burn scar security has left many residents feeling anxious, angry and abandoned.

“Why can’t we get the same type of security that Palisades is getting?” said Altadena resident Natalie LaFourche. “It’s hard for me to accept that they don’t care about us in the same way that they care about Palisades.”

Brown attributes the lack of ongoing burglaries in the Palisades to the high level of neighborhood security. The California National Guard staffs around-the-clock entry and exit checkpoints with assistance from the California Highway Patrol. The LAPD regularly patrols the community.

Checkpoints in Altadena, on the other hand, were lifted at the end of January. In response to the spike in crime, the Sheriff’s Department has more than doubled the number of deputies on patrol in the fire zone, brought in specialized anti-theft teams to assist with undercover operations, and implemented routine checks on some 600 uninhabited properties that have opted in to the free service, according to Lt. Ethan Marquez, who works at the Altadena sheriff’s station.

Still, the burglaries have continued.

LaFourche is a second-generation Altadena resident who “fought tooth and nail” to provide a home for her two children. Her house survived the fire, sustaining mostly smoke damage, but was hit by burglars in early April.

She is now working up to 14 hours a day to try to cover her mortgage, rent on a temporary place to live and the repairs necessary to eventually return home. Losing thousands of dollars worth of goods and irreplaceable memorabilia — including collector’s items from her time playing “Queenie,” the Queen of New Orleans at Disneyland — to thieves felt like a sucker punch.

“I just kind of broke down,” she said. “My knees buckled and it really hurt my feelings, because we are already going through it.”

Altadena resident Leslie Wright also feels let down by the neighborhood’s lack of security. Burglars broke into her home just one hour after she fled from the fire — when the area was under a mandatory evacuation order — and made off with her husband’s Emmy award and other valuables before they were apprehended by the Sheriff’s Department. Wright eventually got most of the items back.

“It was pretty disturbing to hear that it happened so quickly and then we couldn’t get back to our house,” she said. Wright is constantly worried about her home being broken into — a nagging feeling that never goes away.

Both women said they understand it’s harder to control access to Altadena, which has dozens of entry points, than the Palisades, which can be accessed by only a handful of roads.

Still, during the first few weeks of January, checkpoints were effectively used to close the Eaton fire evacuation zone to the public. And although they caused significant wait times to access the neighborhood, some question why they were removed so quickly.

“Why aren’t we at that level where you have to have a checkpoint to come in and out?” Wright said.

The checkpoints in Pacific Palisades were initially set to be lifted on Feb. 2. However, Mayor Karen Bass backtracked on that directive after facing fierce pushback from residents and Councilmember Traci Park over security concerns.

Some residents who have returned to Altadena go to bed each night worried about who may be lurking in the desolate streets.

Resident Madalyn Majors said she is grateful that she, her husband and their 2-year-old were able to move back after the fire. But she feels on edge after dark.

“When 6 p.m. hits and all the construction workers and truck drivers leave, it’s different,” she said. “It’s really peaceful and lovely until the sun goes down and then it starts getting weird.”

Resident Elena Amador-French said she is shocked by the brazenness of thieves on her street, where criminals have been captured on security cameras stealing from homes without making any attempt to disguise their appearance.

“I wouldn’t want to be living there right now,” she said. “I wouldn’t feel safe knowing that people are constantly coming in and scouting out the area. It’s like this trauma on top of the trauma that we’ve already all been through.”

Amador-French’s home was razed during the fire. She attempted to salvage some burned pieces of her grandmother’s silver she spotted in the wreckage, but when she came back to retrieve the jewelry, it was nowhere to be found.

“I didn’t even consider that someone would come digging through literal ash,” she said. “I was very angry, I felt very violated.”

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said she is angered by the increase in burglaries and confident that Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman will prosecute offenders to the extent of the law.

“Our residents have endured enough trauma and loss, and opportunists are taking advantage of an incredibly vulnerable situation,” she said in a statement to The Times. “I will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure we direct resources where they’re needed to prioritize the safety and protection of Altadena.”

Barger advised residents to add interior and exterior cameras, lighting, fencing and “no trespassing” signs to their homes and to work with neighbors to keep an eye on one another’s properties.

Marquez said thieves will take anything they can get their hands on and have even taken to ripping up copper pipes to sell to metal recyclers.

The Sheriff’s Department is now running multiple targeted operations per week with undercover agents to catch criminals in action. One such operation, on April 13, netted 15 arrests — including one suspect who had 500 pounds of scrap metal in his car, Marquez said.

Several more operations are planned in the coming days and weeks. But until Altadena begins repopulating in earnest, he fears the thieves will keep coming back.

“We shouldn’t see this,” he said. “People in the community have lost everything and now people are trying to capitalize on their losses.”

https://archive.is/NaI3P

Daniel Cameron leads by 26 pts in race to replace Mitch McConnell

https://x.com/cameronwarroom/status/1916862144173248630

PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: Border Security Achieved in Fewer Than 100 Days

https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/04/promises-made-promises-kept-border-security-achieved-in-fewer-than-100-days/

Trump is speaking tomorrow in Michigan

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114415903776055788

NEW: Just two weeks ago, Harvard partnered with a Chinese Communist Party influence group.

The group has been flagged by the US government for subverting institutions to “take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing’s preferred policies.”

The group - the China United States Exchange Foundation - part of CCP’s United Front Work Department, which seeks “to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party.”

The State Department also compares the United Front to the Chinese regime’s “magic weapon” to advance its preferred policies by infiltrating academia.

Despite these ties, CUSEF sponsored the recent 28th Harvard College China Forum.

James Chau, President of CUSEF, even spoke: “The modern story of US -China relations was about table tennis, was about two people who bumped into each other on a team bus at the world table tennis championships and from that went on to help shatter the silence that these two countries had endured for a couple of decades. It wasn't politicians, it wasn't diplomats, it wasn't traditional established leadership, it was two people who played sports, two people who represent culture.”

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1916879533849874501.html

Treasury Secretary Bessent says it’s up to China to de-escalate trade tensions

-Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a CNBC interview Monday put the responsibility for reaching a trade agreement on China.

-Bessent added that “many countries” have put forth “very good proposals” on trade, and a deal with India could be announced soon.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday put the responsibility for reaching a trade agreement on China.

“I believe that it’s up to China to de-escalate, because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them, and so these 120%, 145% tariffs are unsustainable,” Bessent said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

The comments come with markets on edge over the direction of tariffs following President Donald Trump’s April 2 announcement of broad-based global duties. A week later, Trump said he would keep in place 10% across-the-board tariffs but table for 90 days more aggressive levies against individual trading partners.

Since then, the U.S. has made progress in negotiations, Bessent said, singling out India for a potential deal in coming days among 15 to 18 “important trading relationships” that are subject of negotiations.

“We’ve had many countries come forward and present some very good proposals, and we’re evaluating those,” he said.

“I would guess that India would be one of the first trade deals we would sign. So watch this space,” Bessent added.

In addition to his assessment of the situation with China and other Asian countries, Bessent charged that European nations are likely “in a panic” over the strength of the euro against the U.S. dollar since the trade tensions began. The euro has risen nearly 10% this year against the greenback after the currencies had reached near parity in early January.

“You’re going to see the [European Central Bank] start cutting rates to try to get the euro back down,” Bessent said. “Europeans don’t want a strong euro. We have a strong-dollar policy.”

Administration officials have sent mixed signals recently regarding the state of negotiations.

Trump last week said he was talking with Chinese officials about trade as they visited Washington. However, other reports indicated that negotiations were not taking place as the officials instead were in town for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings.

Bessent insisted that the White House will not be conducting negotiations in the press.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/28/treasury-secretary-bessent-says-its-up-to-china-to-de-escalate-trade-tensions.html