From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Open the Books, December 31, 2020
TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS
1. One hundred and three federal agencies outside of the Department of Defense spent $2.7 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between fiscal years 2006 and 2019 (inflation adjusted). Nearly $1 billion ($944.9 million) was spent between fiscal years 2015 and 2019 alone. Continue reading “The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies”
Officials still cannot say exactly how many billions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program loans fraudsters made off with in the past couple of years, but they know it is a lot.
Reports and estimates vary, but multiple inspectors general have said the total value of the fraudulently obtained loans through the Paycheck Protection Program is likely to total in the billions. A total of $800 billion was earmarked for relief by the Small Business Administration during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading “COVID-19 relief fraud led to billions in taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program loans lost”
The Biden administration announced Monday that 20 leading internet service providers have agreed to offer basic low cost plans that will be free for millions of Americans after a refund.
The 20 companies, including AT&T (T), Comcast (CMCSA), and Verizon (VZ), cover more than 80% of the U.S. population. They will immediately provide at least one plan that costs no more than $30 a month and provides download speeds of at least 100 mbps. Continue reading “White House says 20 internet companies will provide effectively free internet to millions of Americans”
LAS VEGAS — It was a perfectly decent patch of lawn, several hundred square feet of grass in a condominium community on this city’s western edge. But Jaime Gonzalez, a worker with a local landscaping firm, had a job to do. Continue reading “Where Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)”
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken on the hot-button issue of gun rights, and for one South Florida community, this issue hits especially close to home.
DeSantis on Friday said that the Sunshine State is trailing behind many other states when it comes to gun rights. Continue reading “DeSantis vows to pass, sign into law ‘constitutional carry’ gun legislation”
President Biden is expected to sign an executive order and a national security memo Wednesday to advance quantum information science in an effort to place the United States in a position to be able to “leapfrog well ahead” of adversaries and mitigate risks that the emerging technology poses to national and economic security. Continue reading “Biden to sign executive order, national security memo to advance quantum technologies”
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed on Tuesday the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade — and called it an “egregious breach” of trust. Continue reading “Chief Justice Roberts confirms draft Roe v. Wade opinion, orders leak investigation”
What is being billed as “bipartisan” talks about immigration reform is really the resurrection of the Gang of Eight through a Gang of Four, including Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX), who are in favor of amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. Continue reading “Tillis, Cornyn Start Talks with Democrats to Promote Amnesty for Hundreds of Thousands of Illegals”
Amazon just signed a lease for its largest piece of property in the U.S. ever.
The company just signed a lease for an astounding 4.1 million square feet in Ontario, California, marking its largest U.S. lease to date. Continue reading “Amazon Signs Lease For Largest US Property Ever, Locking Up 4.1 Million Square Feet And 370 Acres In California”
FBI Director Christpher Wray addressed the skyrocketing rate of murders against police officers Sunday, saying the surge is far outpacing general violent crime.
Wray made the comments during a “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday, saying murders of police officers rose 59% in 2021. The total murder rate rose 29% last year, and the U.S. lost 73 police officers to such attacks in 2021. Continue reading “FBI director says violence directed at police officers unlike anything he’s seen before”
President Joe Biden announced a new program on Thursday to help immigration advocates and corporate donors import tens of thousands of Ukrainian workers and consumers from safe European countries.
The migrants will be brought into the United States via the “parole” side door in the border that was created to help individual foreigners in emergencies. Continue reading “Biden Imports More Ukrainian Migrants for Investors”
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to the massive wind-fueled wildfire burning in Coconino County.
The Tunnel Fire, burning roughly 14 miles north of Flagstaff, has grown to over 20,000 acres as firefighters brace for increasingly windy conditions expected Friday. Continue reading “State of emergency declared as Arizona wildfire continues to grow”
It can be argued that April 19th, 1775 is the most important date in American history. The Battle of Lexington, Concord and Battle Road was the opening engagement of the American Revolution. And, it is not surprising that after two hundred and [forty-seven] years, some of the details are still the subject of some debate. Continue reading “Never Too Old: The Story of Captain Samuel Whittemore”
Common Dreams – by William Hartung, Julia Gledhill
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought immense suffering to the people of that land, while sparking calls for increased military spending in both the United States and Europe. Though that war may prove to be a tragedy for the world, one group is already benefiting from it: U.S. arms contractors. Continue reading “Pentagon Contractors Seizing New Gold Rush to Cash in on the Ukraine Crisis”
A married mother of two was stabbed nearly 60 times after she allegedly met up with a man at her $2 million New York City home while her teen son was upstairs, according to a new report.
A preliminary autopsy revealed that Orsolya Gaal, 51, received 60 sharp blunt force injuries to her neck, torso and left arm, police sources told the New York Post. Continue reading “NYC mom found in duffel bag stabbed nearly 60 times: report”
Firefighters scouted the drought-stricken mountainsides around a New Mexico village as they looked for opportunities to slow a wind-driven wildfire that was believed to have killed two people and that burned at least 150 homes and other structures while displacing thousands of residents.
Homes were among the structures that had burned, but officials on Wednesday did not have a count of how many were destroyed in the blaze that torched at least 8.4 square miles (21.8 square kilometers) of forest and grass on the east side of the community of Ruidoso, said Laura Rabon, spokesperson for the Lincoln National Forest. Continue reading “Destructive wildfires rage in New Mexico, Colorado”
James “Whitey” Bulger’s nephew, Jim Bulger, was a business associate of Hunter Biden, and according to emails obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, appears to have played a key role in a number of his Chinese business ventures.
Whitey Bulger was a notorious Boston crime boss, who became one of the nation’s most-wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in late 1994. He was captured in 2011. Bulger was serving a life sentence for 11 murders and other crimes when he died in prison in October 2018. Continue reading “Whitey Bulger’s nephew played key role in Hunter Biden’s Chinese business ventures”
Update (1430ET): The NYPD have now confirmed the arrest, and also that the suspect will be hit with federal charges. Fox News is reporting that a tip to the NYPD’s “crime stoppers” hotline helped police bring the suspect into custody, with citizens surreptitiously taking photos of the suspect on their phones, leading police to arrest him near St. Mark’s Place.
An NYPD news conference is being held shortly. Continue reading “Brooklyn Subway Shooter Arrested In Manhattan, Will Face Federal Terrorism Charges”
According to a report from Reuters, the Pentagon will host leaders from the top eight US weapons makers to discuss the industry’s capacity to produce arms for Ukraine if the war lasts years.
One source told Reuters that the Pentagon’s Office of Acquisition and Sustainment will host a 90-minute meeting that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will likely attend. Resupplying the weapons stockpiles of the US and its allies are expected to be discussed, as well as planning for a long-term conflict. Continue reading “Pentagon Asks Top 8 US Arms Makers to Meet on Ukraine”
China-based entities, including the Chinese government, secured $120 million in contracts with American colleges in 2021, federal data reveals.
The Chinese institutions entered into agreements ranging from $105,000 to $31 million with more than two dozen universities, a search of the College Foreign Gift and Contract Report database shows. Continue reading “China secured $120 million in contracts with US universities in 2021, records show”