“Unconstitutional Abuse of Power” – Three California Churches Sue Gavin Newsom Over Singing Ban

Three Northern California churches are suing Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom for banning singing in houses of worship.

Newsom on July 1st closed churches, gyms, hair and nail salons, indoor malls in Los Angeles and 29 other counties including Orange County, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego and all other counties in Southern California.

There is no end date to the lockdown and Newsom said Black Lives Matter protests are allowed!

Churches in Northern California counties are open, however Newsom imposed strict restrictions such as a ban on singing.

Newsom’s July 1 Coronavirus order says, “Places of worship must therefore discontinue singing and chanting activities.”

The ACLJ on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Calvary Chapel of Ukiah, Calvary Chapel Fort Bragg and River of Life Church.

Jordan Sekulow, the Executive Director of ACLJ blasted Newsom’s order as an “unconstitutional abuse of power.”

“Banning singing in California churches is an unconstitutional abuse of power. And to do it in the name of a pandemic is despicable. This ban is clearly targeted at religion. It is clearly a violation of the First Amendment and a direct violation of religious liberty,” Sekulow said in a statement.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/unconstitutional-abuse-power-three-california-churches-sue-gavin-newsom-singing-ban/

DoJ Busts Texas Man Using Million Dollar PPP Loan To Trade Crypto

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned in June there was a "significant risk" of fraud for Paycheck Protection Program loans.

GAO said, which oversees spending for the CARES Act, "a number of loans approved, the speed with which they were processed, and the limited safeguards, there is a significant risk that some fraudulent or inflated applications were approved."

The GAO said the Small Business Administration (SBA) had safeguards to deter fraudulent loans, but as we find out in mid-July, they weren't good enough.

Fortune reports a Texas man received almost $1 million in PPP loans to support 51 employees at his "Texas Barbecue" company to payout salaries during months of lockdowns.

The only problem, Joshua Argires, who received $956,250, never had a BBQ company nor any employees, but received the money and deposited in Coinbase to trade cryptocurrency.

On Tuesday, Argires was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and engaging in the unlawful monetary transactions by the Department of Justice (DoJ).

The DoJ didn't specify how they detected the fraud but suggest something was a miss when Argires noted on PPP forms he would pay 51 of his fictitious employees $90,000 per month.

"Such a high average salary for a barbecue operation raises further suspicion," the DoJ's complaint said.

Argires was involved in another PPP scam, that was with a fictitious business called Houston Landscaping. The DoJ said he was paid out $160,657 in PPP funds.

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/doj-bust-texas-man-million-dollar-ppp-scam-trade-crypto