Virginia AG sounds alarm on DC crime as Trump mulls federal action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99LDOZtE6es

More than a dozen states, both red and blue, are open to redistricting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb4ETvGsWTw

Dozens of undocumented workers fired from LA Equestrian Center over immigration status

-As many as 40 employees at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center were fired on Friday.

-LA Mayor Karen Bass said the firings came after immigration officials asked the facility if employees had proper identification.

Employees told FOX11 as many as 40 employees who cared for the horses and stables were let go Friday morning.

Some who board their horses at the center were upset by the mass firing.

"It's terrible," said Susan Becker. "There's a lot of people whose life has been upended."

The Equestrian Center is tucked just north of Griffith Park.

The city contracts private company ASM Global to run the facility. LA Mayor Karen Bass spoke with our Elex Michaelson about the matter.

"Apparently, I guess ICE asked for whether or not the employees had proper identification and through e-Verify, and that's all I know right now," said Bass. "But what's important to me, though is, is ICE changing their tactics? Are they changing their tactics?"

Just last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a federal judge's Temporary Restraining Order preventing ICE from stopping and questioning people about their immigration status without reasonable suspicion or a warrant.

It does not appear that today's events at the equestrian center violate that order, but still people are upset.

"I'm devastated you know? This is a terrible situation for all these people who, a lot of these people have been working a long time and they've been working really hard," said Becker.

ASM Global shared a statement saying, "The Los Angeles Equestrian Center prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of every horse entrusted to our care. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on personnel issues."

FOX11 also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a statement on this, but it has not yet responded.

FOX11 also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a statement on this, but it has not yet responded.

Information in this story is from boarders at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, an interview with LA Mayor Karen Bass, a statement from ASM Global, which contracts with the city of Los Angeles to run the equestrian center and previous FOX 11 reports.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dozens-undocumented-workers-fired-la-233237974.html

CJ Pearson

@thecjpearson

Hochul: "Democrats always follow the rules"

Is she serious? 🤣

https://x.com/thecjpearson/status/1953616885997621455

RNC Research

@RNCResearch

In a deranged and profane rant, Chronic Loser Beto O'Rourke calls Republicans "fascists" and tells Democrat states to redraw their districts now.

"Fuck the rules, we are going to win whatever it takes."

https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1954307689741210096

Remember when the Billionaires said they would give away all their stuff? Never happened.

-Fifteen years ago this week, 40 of America’s richest families and individuals pledged to give away most of their wealth.

-In the years since, the Giving Pledge has lost steam even as billionaire wealth and headcount has soared.

-The Giving Pledge has shaped how the wealthy think about philanthropy, but its material impact is harder to measure.

In June 2010, Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett started what could be described as the world’s most ambitious fundraising drive. After promising to give away the vast majority of their wealth, the trio asked their ultra-wealthy peers to pledge at least half of their assets to charity during their lifetimes or in their estates.

In two months, the Giving Pledge garnered signatures from 40 of America’s richest families and individuals to sign up. That first batch of pledgers, including Michael Bloomberg and David Rockefeller, was announced 15 years ago this week.

In the years since, the Giving Pledge has lost steam when it comes to enrollment. By the end of 2010, 57 signatories representing an estimated 14% of America’s billionaires had made the nonbinding commitment, according to a recent report by the Institute for Policy Studies. Currently, the pledge has commitments from 256 individuals, couples and families, including 110 American billionaires, per the progressive think tank. This group makes up 12% of the U.S. billionaire population as estimated by Forbes.

The annual number of sign-ups has also flagged since that first year. Even in 2020 when the pandemic spurred wealthy donors to give more, the Giving Pledge only earned 12 new signatories. This past May, the pledge welcomed 11 new members, a marked improvement over 2024′s record low of four.

Meanwhile, over the past 10 years, the number of billionaires worldwide has increased by more than half to 2,891, according to UBS. Their wealth also doubled by more than half to an estimated $15.7 trillion, UBS said.

“It’s disappointing in that you would hope more people would step up,” said Chuck Collins, program director at the IPS and great-grandson of the meatpacker Oscar Mayer.

Collins, a co-author of the report, said the rapid increase in wealth may be partly to blame. This surge in wealth has also made it challenging for the pledgers to give away their money fast enough.

“Some of this is fairly sudden, the wealth growth,” he said, “so you got to give people … a decade of slack, if you just land in the billionaire class to figure it out.”

Whether the Giving Pledge has been successful depends on whom you ask. The IPS report described the Giving Pledge as “unfulfilled, unfulfillable, and not our ticket to a fairer, better future” and identified only one living couple to have fulfilled the pledge, John and Laura Arnold.

A spokesperson for the Giving Pledge described the IPS report as “misleading,” and said the IPS used incomplete data and excluded “significant forms of charitable giving,” including gifts to foundations.

“For fifteen years, the Giving Pledge has helped create new norms of generosity and grown into a connected and active global learning community,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement to Inside Wealth.

Collins said the Giving Pledge has some merit, describing it as a “community of peers among a group who don’t have a lot of peers.”

Amir Pasic, dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, said it has had a lasting impact on how the wealthy think about their giving.

“I still think that it was really important attempt to socialize the new wealth that was emerging early on in this century,” he said. “We can interestingly debate how successful it has or hasn’t been, but it’s become a feature of the high-net-worth philanthropic landscape.”

Though Giving Pledge enrollment has stagnated, other efforts to accelerate giving have emerged, said Pasic, citing the collective Blue Meridian Partners.

And while some billionaires, particularly younger ones, may be reluctant to associate themselves with the Gateses and Buffett, it doesn’t mean they aren’t contributing in their own way, Pasic said.

“Buffett is the senior representative of new wealth at the beginning of this century. New representatives have emerged since then,” he said.

According to Collins, impact investing and other alternatives to traditional philanthropy have gained traction, especially among the new class of tech billionaires. He gave the example of Oracle

’s Larry Ellison amending his pledge to focus his resources on technology research instead of traditional nonprofit organizations.

“I think there’s a little more blurring between for profit and nonprofit, charity versus impact investing,” Collins said.

Venture capital billionaire Marc Andreessen has gone so far as to declare that innovating technology — and amassing personal riches in the process — is philanthropic in and of itself.

“Who gets more value from a new technology, the single company that makes it, or the millions or billions of people who use it to improve their lives? QED,” he wrote in 2023.

Pasic said it is possible that Bill Gates’ recent commitment to give away virtually all of his wealth over the next 20 years may bring new urgency to the Giving Pledge.

“I think that remains to be seen,” he said, “whether it’s going to end up being more of a kind of a private club that becomes less relevant or if it’ll be the beginning of something broader, gaining new energy in this turbulent time and or spawning other kinds of groups … or other collectives.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/07/giving-pledge-buffett-gates-billionaires-philanthropy.html

2024: A member of Taiwan's parliament stole a bill and ran off with it to prevent it from being passed

In 2024 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi, BJP made an assault on Constitution: Rahul Gandhi doubles down on ‘vote chori’ claim

Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Bengaluru, said that the Election Commission and BJP colluded together to steal votes in the Lok Sabha election last year.

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi extended his poll-rigging charge against the Election Commission during a rally in Bengaluru Friday, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP led an assault against the Constitution during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“In the previous elections, we had defended the Constitution, which grants the right to one vote. The BJP attacked this right in the last polls by undermining India’s institutions. After the Lok Sabha elections, the Maharashtra polls were held. In the General Elections, our alliance won, but four months later, the BJP won in Maharashtra. This surprising result led us to investigate, and we found that one crore new voters had voted in those elections. Wherever these new voters appeared, the BJP won,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He added: “In yesterday’s press conference, we have proved 100% that the Election Commission and the BJP have committed theft of votes.”

Gandhi, in a press conference held on Thursday, alleged that over one lakh votes from a constituency in Karnataka were “stolen” during the general elections last year. Hitting back at the Congress leader, the Election Commission urged him to sign a declaration regarding his claim or apologise to the nation.

Replying to the ECI’s demand, Gandhi said in Bengaluru today, “The Election Commission asks me to file affidavit under oath, however, I have taken oath inside Parliament holding Constitution.”

Attacking the Election Commission, he said, “Today, when people are questioning EC based on our data, it has shut its website.” He further claimed that the EC websites in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar have been closed.

Further, the former Congress president said, “In the (2024) Lok Sabha election, our alliance wins. But after 4 months, the BJP wins the Maharashtra Assembly election. It was a surprising election result. When we tried to find out, we learnt that 1 crore new voters cast their votes; 1 crore new voters who had never voted in the LS polls voted in the assembly election in Maharashtra.”

The Congress leader claimed that such new votes went to the BJP, which pointed to “wrongdoings.”

“Wherever these new voters cast their votes, the BJP won. The votes of our alliance did not reduce and we got exactly the same number of votes we had in the Lok Sabha election. The new voters went to the BJP in the Assembly election,” he added.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rahul-gandhi-pm-modi-bjp-vote-chori-bengaluru-election-10177451/

UK: Schoolchildren as young as five are asked to 'write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers'

Schoolchildren as young as five are being asked to write Valentine's Day cards to asylum seekers.

Pupils in schools across Birmingham have created handmade cards with slogans including 'You're welcome here!'.

Labour-run Birmingham City Council has partnered with the Schools of Sanctuary Network which has as many as 1,200 primary and secondary school pupils on its scheme.

Pupils at one school created cards that were sent to St Chad's Sanctuary, a local group which supports asylum seekers, the Telegraph reports.

While another school showed off its card-making on social media which was championed by the Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary group.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said that 'children as young as five shouldn't be used to push political agendas'.

While teachers cannot promote political views in the classroom there is no suggestion that writing the Valentine's Day cards broke the law.

In images shared on social media and seen by the Telegraph, one group of pupils held a a large card intended for refugees.

Another set of school children held a 'Special Refugee Day' on Valentine's Day, which saw refugees visit the schools and encourage the pupils to create messages and cards for the immigrants.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accused Labour of turning classrooms into 'propaganda hubs' and weaponising pupils.

He said: 'Classrooms should be for teaching maths, not immigration. Labour-run Birmingham council are allowing political campaigning to creep into our schools.'

A spokesperson for Birmingham Council said: 'School of Sanctuary is a national scheme, which is independent of local authorities and schools apply independently to become 'schools of sanctuary'

In a diverse, welcoming and inclusive city like Birmingham, it comes as no surprise that several schools across the city have signed up independently to be schools of sanctuary.'

Cities of Sanctuary UK describes itself as coordinating, supporting and growing networks to 'support people seeking sanctuary in our communities'.

Their website states they 'work with individuals, groups and organisations in every area and in every sector to encourage inclusivity, solidarity and compassion for people from a forced displacement background.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14984735/Schoolchildren-young-five-asked-write-Valentines-Day-cards-asylum-seekers.html

Putin’s warlord ally flying migrants into Europe

Libyan strongman helping Kremlin trigger fresh crisis on EU’s eastern borders, flight records suggest

Vladimir Putin appears to have teamed up with a Libyan warlord to trigger a fresh migrant crisis in the European Union.

The European Commission has tracked an increased number of flights between the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi and Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Officials said the pattern suggested possible co-ordination with Gen Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman who controls much of eastern Libya, to facilitate a wave of illegal migration into the bloc.

It could mark a repeat of the summer of 2021, when tens of thousands of would-be asylum seekers were helped across the borders of Belarus in what officials warned was a Russian-orchestrated attempt to destabilise the EU.

“We are monitoring recent Minsk-Benghazi flights operated by Belavia Airlines,” a commission official told The Telegraph.

“The frequency and nature of these flights, particularly within a short timeframe, raise questions about potential co-ordination or facilitation of irregular migration flows.”en-source data reviewed by The Telegraph shows a spike in flights between the Libyan city and the Belarusian capital on the flag-carrying airline in recent months.

In May, there were just two flights between the cities, jumping to five in June and four in July.

In the past, Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, had been accused of allowing migrants to land in Minsk on similar flights before helping transport them to makeshift camps on the borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

From the camps, the migrants were said to have been advised by Belarusian officials on how to cross the frontier without being detected.

Analysts have since said this was done in co-ordination with Putin to distract from his forces massed on the borders with Ukraine before his invasion in February 2022.

After launching the bloodiest conflict since the Second World War, the Russian president has ordered a series of hybrid attacks on Nato and EU nations supporting Kyiv’s defence.

In the first seven months of this year, the EU has recorded around 5,000 illegal crossings at its eastern land borders.

While this is down from last year, the few flights between Libya and Belarus could lead to a new influx of arrivals across the frontier.

Some in Europe say Putin could use his growing influence in Libya to once again target the continent.

The Russian president has invested efforts in building a presence in the North African country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

As Russia evacuated its Syrian bases, there was evidence equipment was being moved from the port of Tartus to Libya.

When Haftar held a parade of his Libyan Arab Armed Force last month, it showcased hundreds of Russian armoured vehicles and air defence systems.

He is known to control a small army of people smugglers operating out of Libya, one of the main crossing points from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean.

“The fact that Russia is increasing its influence in Libya is precisely our concern, and that’s why we must also engage with Libya,” Magnus Brunner, the EU’s migration commissioner, told Politico last month.

“There is certainly a danger that Russia will use migrants and the migration issue as a whole as a weapon against Europe. This weaponisation is taking place, and of course we also fear that Russia intends to do the same with Libya.”

Mr Brunner was one of a group of high-ranking EU officials on an ill-fated visit to Benghazi last month, which was abruptly scrapped after the delegation landed at the city’s Benina airport before being told they were persona non grata.

Belarus has been identified by Frontex, the agency that polices the EU’s external border, as one of the main challenges the bloc faces in its fight against illegal migration this year.

The evidence suggests that Lukashenko, Putin and Haftar have teamed up to exploit the frontier once again.

“Migrants are used as an instrument by the regime to put pressure on the European Union’s borders, and our neighbours are really suffering from this,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’s exiled opposition leader, told The Telegraph.

“This is all the actions of Lukashenko and just business for his regime and a tool to put pressure on the EU for the principled and strong position in supporting democracy.”

https://en.minbarlibya.org/2025/08/10/putins-warlord-ally-flying-migrants-into-europe/