Hidden report reveals how workers got sick while cleaning up Ohio derailment site
The creeks around East Palestine, Ohio, were so badly contaminated by last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment that some workers became sick during the cleanup.
Workers who reported headaches and nausea — while shooting compressed air into the creek bed, which releases chemicals from the sediment and water — were sent back to their hotels to rest, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press about their illnesses.
The findings were not released to the public last spring, despite residents’ concerns about the potential health effects of exposure to the long list of chemicals that spilled and burned after the disaster.
The workers’ symptoms, as described in the report, are consistent with what Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers going door-to-door in town had reported shortly after the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment.
Since then some residents have also reported unexplained rashes, asthma and other respiratory problems, and serious diseases including male breast cancer.
Researchers are still determining how many of those health problems can be linked to the derailment and how the disaster will impact the long-term health of residents in the area near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Many wonder whether there will be cancer clusters down the road, which of course won’t be clear for years…..
Susan Rice: Kamala has been “integral architect” of Biden Admin’s agenda
Former Biden adviser Susan Rice defended Vice President Kamala Harris as a key architect of the Biden administration’s policies, amid declining approval ratings for President Biden.
Key Details:
- Susan Rice stated that Kamala Harris has been an “integral architect” of the Biden-Harris administration’s agenda.
- Rice’s comments followed reports suggesting Harris might seek to distinguish herself from certain aspects of Biden’s policies during her campaign.
- President Biden’s approval ratings remain below 40% on key issues such as the economy, foreign policy, and inflation.
Diving Deeper:
According to Fox News, Former Biden domestic policy adviser Susan Rice strongly defended Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, describing her as a crucial figure in shaping the Biden administration’s policies. Speaking on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Rice dismissed the notion that Harris had not been a significant contributor to the administration’s agenda as “bizarre and offensive.”
Rice emphasized that the policies implemented by the Biden administration, including efforts to strengthen unions and raise the minimum wage, were initiatives that Harris played a central role in crafting. “Kamala Harris has been an integral architect and executor of the policies of the Biden-Harris administration,” Rice stated….
Kamala Harris’ promise to close private ICE detention centers ‘on day one’ could dump thousands of convict migrants onto US streets
Vice President Kamala Harris’ past pledge to “absolutely” close all privately run immigration detention centers could mean releasing roughly 29,000 illegal migrants into American communities — including some 7,000 convicted criminals.
A newly resurfaced clip shows then-Sen. Harris (D-Calif.) responding to a question at an October 2019 town hall in Iowa City, when she was running as a candidate in the 2020 presidential race, promising to close the detention centers on “day one” in the White House.
“I want to know, when you become president, would you be committing to close the immigration detention centers?” the attendee asked.
Harris responded: “Absolutely, on day one. On day one.”.
More than 75% of the 37,000 migrants in ICE detention are held in privately run detention centers. More than 10,000 of the migrants are convicted criminals and 4,000 have pending criminal charges.
At least 7,000 of the convicts are in private facilities, data shows.
It’s not clear whether Harris still supports the policy of immediately closing private detention centers. Although Harris is running as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, she hasn’t officially released her policy agenda.
A spokesperson for Harris’ campaign didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment…..
Reporting From Chicago Ahead of the DNC: It’s A War Zone Thanks to Kamala’s Border Policies
Airbnb used as migrant stash house; smuggler arrested: Police
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning about a trend of Airbnbs being used as stash houses for human smuggling.
This alert follows a recent operation in El Paso, Texas, where U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers uncovered a stash house harboring migrants from Mexico and Guatemala.
The property owner became suspicious after noticing unusual activity and contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). On Aug. 8, agents arrested 13 migrants and an alleged smuggler in the home rented through Airbnb.
The trend of rental properties as stash houses isn’t new, often involving yearlong leases. However, with short-term rentals, smugglers cycle people through more quickly, making it harder to prove the homeowner is innocent and not involved in the crime.
Victor Avila, a former HSI special agent, told NewsNation that during his investigations, homeowners were generally unaware of what was taking place.
He blames the current administration’s policies for the rise in stash houses, noting that many people in these locations likely have criminal histories….
Army Fires Command Sgt. Maj. of D.C. Task Force
The senior enlisted leader in charge of the Army branch that oversees military operations in Washington, D.C. was fired late last week, officials confirmed.
After a 15-6 investigation, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Veronica E. Knapp was removed Thursday as the senior enlisted leader of the military task force responsible for defense and day-to-day military operations in the nation’s capitol, Task & Purpose reported Monday.
Knapp was dismissed “due to a loss of trust and confidence in her leadership,” according to Bernhard Lashleyleidner, a spokesperson for the Military District of Washington, Military.com reported Tuesday
The “loss of trust” phrase is the military’s catch-all term for why a leader may be unfit to hold a position of authority.
A 15-6 investigation is a probe that can be done in response to allegations involving command climate concerns, poor leadership or misconduct….
Arkansas Mom Who Said Nothing as BF Drowned Her Son, 5, in Toilet and Then Buried Body in Floor Gets 40 Years
Ashley Rolland, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor in Lee County Circuit Court two years after her boyfriend killed her son by drowning the boy in a toilet, according to a copy of her plea agreement obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Rolland had been facing charges of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and battery in the first degree as well, but prosecutors moved to nolle prosequi in exchange for her guilty plea on the two counts of permitting abuse.
Bridges, 34, pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in court last month He also entered an additional guilty plea to a charge of first-degree battery for an incident involving the victim’s older sister.
The judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison.
A criminal complaint obtained by Inside Edition Digital says that authorities learned about Blu’s death after the boy’s grandmother contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and requested a welfare check for Blu and his sister.
Rolland then turned over her 6-year-old daughter to deputies but said Blu was not home at that time, according to the complaint.
Blu’s sister had severe scab wounds on her head that her mother claimed were caused by an allergic reaction, but doctors determined the child had been severely burned, according to the complaint.
The children’s grandfather then called deputies to say that he learned his grandson might be buried under the floorboards inside the home, according to the complaint.
NASA Reveals Major New Problem With Boeing’s SLS Rocket
Washington state ‘increasingly at risk’ for rolling blackouts
A proposed battery energy storage system near Goldendale under consideration by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council would, if ultimately approved by Gov. Jay Inslee, be able to provide 200,000 homes with electricity for up to four hours.
It’s a facility that Washington residents might need if the state is unable to meet future energy demands, which the company behind the project warns is growing more likely.
Tenaska is an independent power company based out of the Midwest and behind the proposed $250 million BESS, which would store excess electricity generated by the grid for later use.
In an Aug. 13 presentation to EFSEC, company officials cautioned that “the region is increasingly at risk for rolling blackouts and brownouts,” which it blames in part to “aging transmission infrastructure that cannot meet current or projected demand.”…
Israel “removing threats” and ready vs Iran; U.S. seeks regional de-escalation TV7 Israel News 14.08
1) Amid heightened tensions with Iran and its proxies; Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stresses continued preparations in order to be able to attack anywhere Jerusalem deems necessary.
2) U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein visits Beirut – during he course of which he stresses his belief that “a diplomatic resolution is achievable.”
3) U.S. President Joe Biden voices pessimism over prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza, amid Iran’s belligerent intentions.
Trump’s 3rd Motion for Judge Recusal in New York Case Denied
In his most recent motion, Trump again raised concerns about an alleged conflict of interest, claiming that Merchan’s daughter stood to gain financially from the court’s decisions, as had been addressed in earlier motions to convince the judge to recuse.
Trump’s legal team argued that “the political and financial interest” of the judge’s daughter could potentially influence the rulings. The claim was first introduced on May 31, 2023, when Trump sought Merchan’s recusal for the first time.
Merchan dismissed Trump’s third motion as “nothing more than a repetition of stale and unsubstantiated claims,” and repeating his earlier view that there was no need for recusal…..
Greg Kelly breaks down the must-see moments from Elon Musk and Donald Trump interview
On Tuesday’s episode of “Greg Kelly Reports” Greg discussed X owner Elon Musk’s interview with former President Donald Trump, explained how Elon gave Trump a fair interview, talked about the success of Elon Musk and more on NEWSMAX
In Germany, plan to deploy US cruise missiles draws opposition
In the months leading up to the deployment of American Pershing II and cruise missiles in West Germany in the early 1980s, the country erupted in mass protest.
Anti-missile demonstrators blockaded U.S. military installations and some turned their ire directly at American troops, carrying banners reading, “Ami [Yankee] go home” and shouting “We don’t like you” at Americans driving to Ramstein Air Base, according to Stars and Stripes reporting at the time.
Now Germans are grappling with another divisive deployment: the return of U.S. longer-range cruise missiles to German soil for the first time since the 1990s. Last month’s announcement of the stationing, set to begin in 2026, has stirred painful memories of the Cold War and raised anxiety among some of the possibility of a new arms race with Russia.
Russia has warned of irreparable damage to German-Russian relations if the deployment goes through. President Vladimir Putin last month threatened to place similar missiles within striking distance of the West and he pointedly evoked the Cold War, specifically mentioning the controversial Pershing deployments. Analysts say comparisons to the arms buildup of the 1980s are overblown…..
The country is losing its Christian values | Chris Plante The Right Squad
On Tuesday’s episode of “Chris Plante The Right Squad” Chris Plante, Mercedes Schlapp, Daniel Lippman, Harrison Fields, and Tiana Lowe Doescher discuss a church in Buffalo, NY being turned into a Mosque.
Nine states file lawsuit to stop Biden voter registration executive order
The states say that the federal bureaucracy is inserting itself into state electoral systems and the voter registration process without the scrutiny of a public comment period.
Mississippi, Montana, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas on Tuesday to halt the implementation of the March 7, 2021, executive order.
Biden’s order required federal agencies to develop strategies to expand voter registration efforts and to submit plans to the administration within 200 days.
The complaint says the order would “convert the federal bureaucracy into a voter registration organization and to turn every interaction between a federal bureaucrat and a member of the public into a voter registration pitch.
“That exceeds any authority executive entities have under federal law, violates the Constitution, threatens states’ attempt to regulate voter registration, and thus ultimately undermines the voter registration systems set up by the states,” the complaint says…..
Consumer prices rise in latest federal inflation data
Pfc. Kyara D Aguilar | U.S. Army photo
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday released its Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, which showed that consumer prices rose 0.2% in July, part of a 2.9% increase over the past 12 months.
The data is the latest step in Americans’ struggle with higher costs. Prices have risen more than 20% since President Joe Biden took office.
The latest CPI increase comes after a 0.1% decrease in June. BLS said that shelter cost increases accounted for 90% of the increase.
The data, which is being closely watched by economists and business leaders, comes out just a few days after the stock market sunk over fears of a U.S. recession.
The data will have an influence over whether the Federal Reserve can stop raising interest rates and begin looking to cut them, something always welcomed by the market.,,,,
Roger Stone responds to reported Iranian Trump campaign hack | Newsline
America’s worst mayor REVEALED: Midwestern teacher-turned-politician has topped a ranking of bad city chiefs for treating migrants better than his own voters
This Midwestern progressive has only been in office for 15 months, and he’s already deluged with criticism over his handling of an influx of asylum seekers.
For many in Illinois and further afield, Chicago‘s Mayor Brandon Johnson got off to a terrible start.
This week, he’s been ranked as America’s ‘worst sanctuary mayor’ by a migration watchdog.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) says Johnson lavished hundreds of millions of dollars on migrants while his own voters languish in poverty.
He’s followed in the ranking by New York City‘s Mayor Eric Adams and his counterpart from Denver, Michael Johnston.
The rest of the pack are Democratic mayors who embrace ‘sanctuary’ policies.
That means they treat non-legal migrants comparably to US citizens, and don’t work with federal agencies to have them deported.
The scorecard comes as fears of migration drives voters in the 2024 election, after record-breaking people flows across the southern border…
Hackers find vulnerabilities in voting machines — but officials say there’s no time to fix them by Election Day
Participants at the Voting Village event at the 2024 DEF CON Hacking Conference in Las Vegas were able to uncover vulnerabilities in various voting machines, e-poll books, and other equipment used in elections across America — but officials say they do not have enough time to address these issues before Election Day in November.
As it has for nearly a decade, the DEF CON conference featured a Voting Village event that permitted some of the world’s most skilled hackers to take their best shot at finding vulnerabilities in election-related equipment, including different sorts of voting machines, most of which are used in at least one jurisdiction in America, Politico reported.
The event drew significant interest, and hackers stood in long lines to attempt to circumvent firewalls and other security tools meant to deter cybercriminals.
They also had to go out of their way to participate since Village Vote was held in an isolated area away from the main floor this year after some online users leveled threats and accused the event of undermining democracy.
According to Voting Village co-founder Harri Hursti, the list of security vulnerabilities discovered this year spanned “multiple pages,” though he added that the total number of vulnerabilities was about average for Village Vote events.
The good news is that security vulnerabilities can often be fixed. The bad news is that the repair process takes time, and the 2024 election is only about 12 weeks away……
Exclusive: Rep. Matt Gaetz, Sen. Mike Lee Vow to Hold Google Accountable if It Skirts Antitrust Fixes
Lee and Gaetz wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai after a federal court ruled that Google maintains a monopoly in search and text advertising and has engaged in anticompetitive behavior to maintain its 90 percent market share in the search markets.
The conservatives argued that Google’s dominant status leads to “suppression” of free speech and even “manipulation” of Google search results that prevented Americans from easily accessing information about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
This suppressive behavior has been evident in the past, as shortly after the 2016 election of Trump, Breitbart News published this leaked video, which shows the internal reaction at Google headquarters and its mission to make populism a blip on the radar of history.
Similarly, before the 2020 election, Google suppressed Breitbart News in its search results. REAL FULL STORY HERE.
While the Justice Department (DOJ) said it is seeking a range of remedies to restore competition in the search market, Gaetz and Lee noted that big tech platforms have often flouted court rulings and settlements to address their anticompetitive behavior:…..
DOJ Considers Breaking Up Google Following Landmark Antitrust Ruling
Bloomberg reports that the DOJ is deliberating on the possibility of breaking up Google following a landmark court ruling that found the company guilty of illegally monopolizing the online search and search text advertising markets.
This marks the first time since the unsuccessful efforts to break up Microsoft two decades ago that Washington has considered dismantling a company for illegal monopolization.
According to people with knowledge of the deliberations, the Justice Department is also exploring less severe options, such as requiring Google to share more data with competitors and implementing measures to prevent the company from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products.
However, the government is likely to seek a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were central to its case against Google, regardless of the chosen course of action.
If the DOJ decides to pursue a breakup plan, the Android operating system and Google’s web browser, Chrome, are the most likely candidates for divestment. Officials are also considering the possibility of forcing a sale of AdWords, the platform used by the company to sell text advertising.
The Justice Department’s discussions have intensified following Judge Amit Mehta’s August 5 ruling, which found that Google illegally monopolized the markets of online search and search text ads.
Google has stated its intention to appeal the decision, but Mehta has ordered both parties to begin planning for the second phase of the case, which will involve the government’s proposals for restoring competition, potentially including a breakup request…..
NYC migrant accused of raping woman in Brooklyn had ICE detainer placed on him: report
The Nicaraguan migrant accused of raping a woman this week near a popular beach boardwalk in Brooklyn had an ICE detainer placed on him after he previously was arrested for sexual assault, but he managed to walk free after striking a deal with local prosecutors, a report says.
Sources told the New York Post that an ICE detainer was issued for Davon-Bonilla after he was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel-turned-migrant shelter in another part of Brooklyn in April 2023.
Davon-Bonilla later pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree and served time at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island prison complex before being released on June 24, according to WABC.
“After he spent over a year in jail and following the victim’s request not to testify in any court proceedings, this defendant was offered a plea of time served and court-managed programming,” WABC quoted prosecutors as saying.
New York City Councilman Bob Holden, a Democrat who represents part of the Queens borough, said to the newspaper that Davon-Bonilla’s alleged rape this week is a “direct result of City Hall’s refusal to act and work with ICE to keep our communities safe, leaving us vulnerable to those who should have been deported.
“Instead of being turned over to ICE after being arrested, convicted, and sentenced, this sicko was released back onto the streets, only to commit the same vile sexual assault again,” Holden added…..
New York City migrant crisis costs expected to exceed $5B in 2-year period — double to $10B by 2025
At an average of $352 per night for at least 36,939 households, the city projects it will spend $4.75 billion providing shelter, food, healthcare and education to the influx of migrants in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the current forecast by the city’s online asylum seeker funding tracker. The city budgeted $3.76 billion in funding for the migrant crisis in the 2024 fiscal year.
In the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years combined, the city spent $4.88 billion on the migrant crisis.
Based on the current rate of spending, the New York Post reported that the city has likely spent more than $112 million on the migrant crisis since the start of the new fiscal year, which began on July 1, meaning the cost of the crisis will soon exceed $5 billion if it hasn’t already. That’s nearly the amount of the total $5.8 billion budget allocated for the New York City Police Department budget in the 2025 fiscal year.
The NYPD went from spending $1 million on the migrant crisis in the 2023 fiscal year to $20 million in the 2024 fiscal year, as police have increasingly been dispatched to quell illegal activity at overcrowded city migrant centers. That includes the one at Randall’s Island, where migrants who’ve maxed out their stays have erected encampments nearby…..
Joe Concha: Where is the outrage?
Fox News contributor Joe Concha argues the new revelations are ‘vindication’ for media outlets that have continued covering Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
This is so humiliating for Time magazine: Gutfeld
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld and the panel react to Vice President Kamala Harris being on the front cover of Time magazine despite denying requests for an interview on ‘Gutfeld!’
Ingraham: The ‘twisted Tim saga’ keeps getting worse
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., discusses the ‘stolen valor’ allegations against Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
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