NY AG Claims "Political Retribution"

This week, a Virginia Grand Jury indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud. Evidence included her signature on a mortgage loan document that asserted the property to be financed was to be her primary residence. The Jury found that the fact that James lives and works in New York and that the Virginia house could not possibly have been her primary residence sufficient for her to be put on trial for fraud.

James denounced the indictment calling it "unfair political retribution directed at me by Trump. True, I did prosecute and convict Trump for mortgage fraud, but that was the fulfillment of a campaign promise I made to voters in 2018 and, thus, a legitimate exercise of a democratic mandate. Trump had no similar mandate. I wasn't even mentioned in his 2024 campaign. No one voted for my prosecution."

"Further, Trump is a billionaire," she pointed out. "He is experienced in mortgage lending and can afford the best lawyers. Yet I, a young working girl, was able to get a jury to convict him and impose a $500 million penalty even though he paid back the loans and no one lost a penny in the transactions he made with the big banks that lent him the money."

"In contrast, the loans I am being prosecuted for were for much smaller amounts," James added. "Technically, I did get a lower interest rate by fudging my place of residence, but this little scam, as CNN anchor Kasie Hunt pointed out, 'is something that everyone who buys a house in America does, but doesn't get prosecuted for.' The amount of illicit income I gained from renting out this property was tiny in comparison to Trump's billions in annual income. I think the chances of a jury from a blue area of Virginia finding me guilty are slim. So, not only is my being singled out unjust, it is waste of taxpayers' money."

CNN's Anderson Cooper wasn't so sure that James would get off easy, saying "only a small minority of folks buy properties to rent out for income. Even fewer falsely claim these properties as their residences. The reason why interest rates are lower for primary residences is because the government wants to help people become home owners. Letitia's abuse of this policy may not be viewed as favorably by a jury pool that hasn't also abused this benefit. A year and a half ago, she asserted 'everyday Americans cannot lie to a bank to get a mortgage, and if they did, our government would throw the book at them. There simply cannot be different rules for different people.' If a jury in Letitia's trial is reminded she said this they may very well convict her. As the top attorney in the New York government she simply cannot plead ignorance of the law to excuse what she has done."

Dem Admits Death Wishes

Former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and current Democrat nominee for State Attorney General (AG) Jay Jones is facing widespread criticism for a 2022 text exchange with Delegate Carrie Coyner (R) in which he wrote "if I had two bullets and faced a choice between shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, or Pol Pot, Gilbert gets two bullets to the head."

Coyner called him back to express her dismay at his remarks, but was treated to Jones speculating that "if Gilbert's two little fascists were to die in their mother's arms perhaps that would be more effective. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy." At the time Jones made these remarks the children were ages two and five. Conyer characterized his words as "disgusting and unbecoming of any public official."

Jones rebuffed demands that he drop out of the race for AG, saying "maybe it was insensitive for me to say those things, but they are protected freedom of speech. I didn't actually shoot Gilbert and can't imagine myself really doing it. I was only trying to convey how horrible Gilbert was compared to other historic villains. In hindsight, I am now embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry."

The Republican nominee for AG Jason Miyares called Jones' remarks "disqualifying. Can someone who fantasizes about violently attacking a political opponent be trusted to be the top law-enforcement officer in the state?"

Former US Rep. Abigail Spanberger and current Democrat nominee for governor answered "maybe. Jay has apologized for wishing ill on a Republican and his children. It's now up to voters to decide whether they want him as the next AG. He has been a fighter for Democrat policies and values. Voters need to balance this big plus against the belated revelation of his three-year old utterance of a few ill-chosen words. Jay wasn't the first, nor will he be the last to vow to piss on the grave of a dead enemy."

US Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) was less hesitant to firmly endorse Jones: "Jay has apologized. The statements that he made were indefensible, but I've known Jay Jones for 25 years, and I think those statements were not in character. I wish other people in public life would apologize for stuff. I still support him."

Speaking of character, in 2022 Jones was arrested for reckless driving--clocked at 46 mph over the speed limit. He avoided jail time by paying a fine and agreeing to complete 500 hours of community service. In Virginia, community service is defined as "unpaid service or labor performed through any non-political, charitable non-profit." Jones performed his "community service" by working for his political action committee Meet Our Moment (MOM), which is registered with the Virginia Board of Elections and not recognized as a nonprofit charity. MOM's purpose is "to recruit and train minority Democratic candidates to run for and win state and local offices," one of whom is Jay Jones himself. This self-serving and non-complying activity does not demonstrate the good character Sen. Kaine alleges is the Jay Jones he knows.

Meanwhile in North Carolina, forty-one year old State Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-NC) has been charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of statutory rape of a person 13 to 15 years of age. North Carolina House Democrat Leader Robert Reives said "after all the praise he received for establishing the Youth Academic Center, it is disappointing to see that he misused this organization as a cover for his predilections for lewd interactions with minors. It has become clear to me that he is unsuitable to continue to serve in the House of Representatives. He must resign immediately."

Mayor Declares Chicago an "ICE-Free City"

Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order "banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from entering any city property to enforce federal laws against illegal immigration. This includes streets and parking lots. Further, City Police are instructed to ignore any 911 calls from ICE personnel being attacked by protesters."

Gov. JB Pritzker hailed this "strong response to the federal invasion of Chicago and our state. In support of Mayor Johnson I have filed a lawsuit seeking a court injunction to prevent Trump from using National Guard troops to fight crime in our state. We going to use every lever at our disposal to resist this power grab and get Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's thugs out of Chicago."

One of the "levers" included a protester ramming an ICE vehicle and a crowd besieging the officers who were inside. When one of the ICE officers shot a driver that tried to run him over, the Mayor said "this is attempted murder by a member of ICE's illegal invasion squad. I have ordered our police to arrest this criminal so he can be tried, convicted, and punished. We will prevail over Trump's thugs in our just efforts to provide sanctuary for immigrants from Trump's tyranny. We are not alone in this battle for states' rights. Citizens are also rising up in California, Oregon, and elsewhere. We will not be bullied. We will not be defeated."

Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling was hesitant to heed the Mayor's order to arrest any federal officers. "Mayor Johnson's executive order is not a law. The federal officers are not committing a crime by trying to enforce federal laws. We have no legitimate authority to impede their activities."

Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke concurred with Snelling's observations and added "the last time some states' rights advocates decided to fight federal troops didn't turn out well. I'm okay with suing in court, but if we don't win there I think it's 'game over' for resistance to federal law enforcement in our state."

Venezuelan Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado bested 337 other nominees to win this year's Nobel Peace prize. The Nobel Prize Committee stated "she is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela, and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

The 58-year-old Nobel Prize winner has been in hiding since August 2024, fearing for her safety after threats from supporters of the dictatorship led by President Nicolás Maduro. She has refused to leave the country even though the Maduro government has repeatedly threatened her with arrest.

In the US, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) pronounced himself "greatly relieved that Trump did not win this award. He's already insufferable right now forcing Democrats to take the losing side of every political issue. If he had won the Nobel Prize I think my head would've exploded."

In her first remarks after winning, Corina Machado thanked the Committee and added "we are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy. I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!"

Muslims Claim Church Vandalism Is 1st Amendment Right

In Euless, Texas, three Muslims have been charged vandalizing a church in 2023. One of them is Raunaq Alam who claimed that he was merely exercising his First Amendment rights. He pointed out that "the church had raised an Israeli flag they claimed was a show of solidarity with the victims of the October 7 massacre. My spray painting 'f*** Israel' and putting Hamas stickers on the outside of the building was my rebuttal. I admit that they may have considered my rebuttal offensive, but their message was offensive to my religion. Allah commands us to slay the Jews. October 7 was done in obedience to this command. The church's solidarity with the Jews insulted my religion. So, both my freedom to practice my religion and my freedom of speech rights are being disregarded by this prosecution."

The jury wasn't persuaded by Alam's arguments and found him guilty of felony criminal mischief. The judge sentenced him to pay a $10,000 fine, pay $1,700 in restitution to the church, serve 180 days in jail, complete 180 hours of community service, undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, wear a GPS monitor, and issue an apology to the church.

A second one of the vandals, Afsheen Khan, is also charged with felony criminal mischief. Her trial is set to start soon. A third vandal, Julia Venzor, agreed to testify against Alam and Khan as part of a plea deal. She pleaded guilty in exchange for the deal and received five years of probation.

This case is one of a series of incidents in Texas where Christians, churches, Jews, synagogues and pro-Israel Americans have been targeted with unprovoked crimes committed by Muslims. In January 2022, a Pakistani Islamist held Jews hostage at a Colleyville synagogue. In 2023, threats were made against Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Monica De La Cruz by Hamas supporters. At least three public schools in Texas committed religious discrimination against Jewish students. Antisemitic incidents escalated nationwide, and pro-Palestinian and Hamas rioters called for the annihilation of Israel and protested Israel on college campuses.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the rioters arrested. The rioters argued their actions are protected by the First Amendment. Abbott asserted that "calling for the death of Jews is not protected speech. Students who riot on campus should be expelled and faculty members promoting antisemitism should be fired."