U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Here are a few ways the Biden-Harris Administration is lowering costs for hardworking families.

[Rick Plant]

Corrupt Clarence Thomas is bought and paid for by a billionaire GOP donor and the Republican party looks the other way defending the corruption. ProPublica just released a new exclusive on another Clarence Thomas scandal. Read it below.


Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.

Crow paid for private school for a relative Thomas said he was raising “as a son.” “This is way outside the norm,” said a former White House ethics lawyer.

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus



Justice Clarence Thomas let GOP donor pay child’s tuition



WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday.

The revelation of tuition payments made by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is the latest example of Crow’s generosity to Thomas and his family that has raised questions about Thomas’ ethics and disclosure requirements more generally. The payments, along with the earlier examples of Crow’s financial ties to Thomas, were first reported by the nonprofit investigative journalism site ProPublica.

ProPublica reported Thursday that Crow paid tuition for Thomas’ great-nephew Mark Martin. Thomas and his wife, Virginia, raised Martin from the age of 6.

Over the past month, ProPublica has reported in other stories about luxury vacations paid for by Crow that the conservative justice took as well as Crow’s purchase of property from the Thomas family, neither of which were disclosed. Democrats have used the revelations to call for stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and the Democrat-controlled Senate held a hearing on ethics issues this week. Republicans have defended Thomas.

According to the ProPublica story, Crow paid tuition for Martin at a military boarding school in Virginia, Randolph-Macon Academy, as well as Hidden Lake Academy in Georgia.

ProPublica said Thomas did not respond to questions. Crow’s office responded in a statement to questions but did not address a question about how much he paid in total for Martin’s tuition. He did say that Thomas had not requested the support for either school, ProPublica reported.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press about whether Thomas would have any response to the story. On Twitter, however, lawyer Mark Paoletta defended Thomas in an extended statement. Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas, called the story “another attempt to manufacture a scandal about Justice Thomas.”

Paoletta said in his statement that Crow had recommended that Thomas consider Randolph-Macon Academy, which Crow had attended, and had offered to pay for Martin’s first year there in 2006, a payment that went directly to the school. When the school recommended Martin spend a year at Hidden Lake Academy, Crow offered again to pay for that year, a payment that also went directly to the school, Paoletta said.

In response to the story, lawmakers in Congress were again divided by party.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, said it was ”just the latest installment of the left’s multi-decade campaign to target Justice Thomas.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement that with “every new revelation in this case, it becomes clearer that Harlan Crow has been subsidizing an extravagant lifestyle” that Thomas could not otherwise afford.

“This is a foul breach of ethics standards, which are already far too low when it comes to the Supreme Court,” Wyden said.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged Roberts to take note.

“I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads this story this morning and understands something has to be done,” Durbin said. “The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here, the credibility of the court when it comes to its future decisions is at stake.”

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-justice-clarence-thomas-tuition-donor-bb1f59fc913fb3d70fd8bc913d8f7ef4

[Rick Plant]

Another strong jobs report for April 2023 as 253,000 more new jobs were added. This figure beat economists' expectations.

The national unemployment rate decreased to 3.4% in April. In March, the rate was 3.5%. The lowest unemployment in recent history.
 
The unemployment rate for college-degreed workers who are 25 or older — the professionals highly sought-after by many employers — also edged down slightly last month to 1.9%. The rate was 2.0% in March.

President Biden continues his historic job growth with this historic economy as the Biden Boom continues.

US labor market heats back up, adding 253,000 jobs in April
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/05/business/april-jobs-report-final/index.html

[Rick Plant]

New Ginni Thomas secret pay scandal 'won't fade away' like the others: legal analyst



Reacting to new reporting that Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was getting money from a conservative activist secretly funneled to her by former Trump White House official Kellyanne Conway, CNN's Supreme Court correspondent Joan Biskupic predicted the latest scandal will be hard for the court to ignore.

On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that Ginni Thomas, already under a cloud for her attempts to help aides to Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election results, was on the receiving end of payments from activist Leonard Leo, according to documents the newspaper had seen.

The Post report stated, "Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conway that he wanted her to 'give' Ginni Thomas 'another $25K,' the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have 'No mention of Ginni, of course,'" before adding, "Conway’s firm, the Polling Company, sent the Judicial Education Project a $25,000 bill that day. Per Leo’s instructions, it listed the purpose as 'Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting,' the documents show."

Asked how the new revelations will impact the court, CNN's Biskupic said the new allegations are quite different than the reports of Texas billionaire funding Ginni Thomas and her Supreme Court justice's lavish lifestyle with gifts and expensive vacations.

In particular, she notes that money was reportedly being exchanged which could lead to a criminal investigation.

"Those instances were supposed to be reported as money that came to Clarence Thomas," she explained to host Kate Bolduan. "This instance arguably did not have to be reported in any way because right now the spouses don't have to detail their income on these forms."

"But that aside, let me just say that once again it's another issue that points up how much we don't know about wealthy interests trying to influence justices or maybe not even trying to influence justices, but raising that kind of spectre," she elaborated. "And that's why there's so much pressure for the justices to adopt a formal code of ethics rather than as the justices hope this all fades away. I don't think this time, Kate, this is going to fade away."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

'Never forget': Eric Swalwell calls out Texas Gov. over gun comments after deadly mall shooting

In the wake of a fatal shooting in Texas, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is reminding everyone that the lone star state's top executive once called on Texans to "pick up the pace" on gun sales.

The shooting in Allen, Texas, caused confirmed loss of life, according to CNN. In response to the shooting, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blamed "mental illness, drugs, and evil forces," but did not touch on the potential for any firearm reform.

Swalwell on Saturday targeted Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), who was called "remarkably callous" by MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace for his response to another mass shooting in his state, for his positions on obtaining firearms. Abbott has reportedly called the attack an “unspeakable tragedy,” saying in a public statement published by CNN that “our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas.”

Swalwell wasted no time informing others where Abbott's loyalties lie. He tweeted the words "Never forget" along with a tweet by Abbott.

"I'm EMBARRASSED," Abbott's tweet reads. "Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA."

"Let's pick up the pace Texans," the governor added, including a link to the NRA.

Swalwell's promotion of the tweet is likely a direct response to recent shootings in Texas.



https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1655018522072735744

[Rick Plant]

'Blindsided' GOP House members furious with Kevin McCarthy over broken promises



Republican House moderates are fuming at House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for kowtowing to extreme rightwing members of his caucus over his budget deal which they feel has painted them into a corner.

According to a report from Juliegrace Brufke writing for Axios, as the budget deadline approaches members of the moderate wing of the party worry they will be blamed if things fall apart because McCarthy let members of the Freedom Caucus call the shots and likely won't bend as negotiations heat up.

Add to that, the report states, members feel "blindsided" by some of the concessions McCarthy made after telling them there would be no additional changes.

According to the report, "Some House Republicans are fretting about whether they'd be able to pass a watered-down version of their debt ceiling bill once the terms are negotiated with Senate Democrats and the White House."

The report notes that McCarthy and his lieutenants are being accused of not "tamping down" expectations of the extremists in the party which could create chaos during negotiations for the inevitable compromise bill.

Of note, Brufke wrote, "Despite the initial House GOP bill passing, several lawmakers told Axios the process has hurt their ability to move major pieces of legislation moving forward."

Among the GOP "grievances" over how things are going, Axios reports, "Multiple members said they were irritated by promises made to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) about movement on bills related to gun control, reproductive health and cannabis laws. They also felt blindsided by changes on ethanol subsidies and work requirements for food stamps and Medicaid, despite repeatedly being told the bill wouldn't be changed."

The report notes that McCarthy has pushed back at complaints over his negotiations, claiming that alterations to his budget bills "were technical fixes to clarify certain provisions."

Read More Here: https://www.axios.com/2023/05/06/republicans-debt-ceiling-mccarthy-freedom-caucus

[Rick Plant]

Texas mall shooting live updates: 8 victims killed at Allen Premium Outlets
The suspected shooter was also killed by a police officer who was in the area on an unrelated call, authorities said.

Witness recalls pulling a young boy covered in blood from underneath his wounded mother


A law enforcement officer walks as people are evacuated from a shopping center where a shooting occurred Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas.


A witness who rushed to Allen Premium Outlets after receiving a frantic call from his son said he found seven people with gunshot wounds outside a store.

Steven Spainhouer, a former police officer, said he began checking for pulses and pulled a young boy, covered in blood, from underneath his wounded mother.

Spainhouer said he was one of the first to arrive at the outlet, before police got to the scene.

“The trail of blood from where the victims were laying to the police car will stick in my head forever,” he said.

One victim died as Spainhouer performed CPR on him.

“There was nothing I could do,” he said.

Suspected shooter interacted with neo-Nazi and white supremacist content online, officials say

Suspected Allen, Texas mall shooter Mauricio Garcia interacted with neo-Nazi and white supremacist content online, according to two senior law enforcement officials.

According to one of the officials, 33-year-old Garcia posted such content himself. The other official said the suspect consumed such rhetoric online, had several social media accounts, and said that authorities found him with a patch with a right-wing acronym on his chest.

It's not known at this time what the right-wing acronym is.

NBC News has not seen any of the suspect’s accounts thus far, and the officials have stressed it’s still early in the investigation and it is too early to ascribe a motive.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-mall-shooting-live-updates-rcna83240



Texas shooter lived with his mother — and was 'right-wing death squad' member interested in neo-Nazis: police



Fox News is reporting more information about the man who opened fire at the mall in Allen, Texas on Saturday. According to the report, the police were searching the home of the shooter, which he shared with his two parents.

The 33-year-old Mauricio Martinez Garcia lived in Dallas.

"Neighbors said Garcia had lived in the home with his parents for years," said Fox, "and they had never seen him in possession of a weapon. They told WFAA that he could often be seen going to and from the house in an outfit that suggested he worked in a security role. Despite the regular sightings, neighbors added that both the man and his gray Dodge Charger had frequently been missing in recent weeks."

Eight people were killed and seven injured.

After the gunman was shot by a responding officer, a photo showed the man with an AR-15 and many rounds of ammunition strapped to him, CNN reported Sunday.

"We are horrified by today's senseless tragedy and outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the police officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders," the mall said in a statement about the ordeal.

The motivation for the attack was right-wing extremism, CNN said, citing a local law enforcement official. He had a patch reading RWDS on his chest, which police claim means "right-wing death squad."

"Officials are also investigating any possible ties between the suspect and radical beliefs after he was found wearing a patch on his chest that suggested white supremacist or neo-Nazi leanings," said the Washington Post.

NBC News explained in greater detail, "suspected Allen, Texas mall shooter Mauricio Garcia interacted with neo-Nazi and white supremacist content online, according to two senior law enforcement officials."

Watch: