June 19, 2025

Man shoots 2 men because he thought they were immigrants

A Caroline County (VA) man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to pursuing and ultimately shooting two Latino men because of his “anger at illegal immigration.”

On Wednesday, June 18, Douglas W. Cornett of the Ruther Glen area pleaded guilty to two counts of federal hate crimes involving attempts to kill and one count of discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence.

Court documents identify the two Latino men Cornett shot as “Victim 1” and “Victim 2.” Authorities in Spotsylvania previously said they are both from Prince William County.

On Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett was driving on Interstate 95 when he came up on a box truck driven by Victim 1. Per court documents, Cornett honked at the truck and remained behind it despite Victim 1 trying to let him pass. He then followed the truck to a fueling station.

Upon his arrival, Victim 1 spoke to a friend of his who worked at the fueling station. He asked that friend, who spoke English, to ask Cornett what was wrong. After a brief conversation between the friend and Cornett, Victim 1 left the fueling station.

Cornett proceeded to follow Victim 1 to the Thornburg area Sheetz, located close to the fueling station, according to court documents. Seeing this, Victim 1’s friend called Victim 2 and told him that someone was following Victim 1.

Victim 2 happened to be fueling up at the Sheetz at that time and he witnessed both Victim 1 and Cornett pulling into the station. Victim 2 then approached Cornett and asked him why he was following Victim 1. Cornett answered by asking Victim 2 how long Victim 1 had been in the United States.

With Victim 2 translating for them, Victim 1 said he had been in America for about a year and a half.

Cornett then pulled out a handgun and shot a total of six times. Victim 1 was hit three times and Victim 2 was hit once. Both had serious injuries. Per court documents, Cornett then left the scene, returned home and told the two people he lived with about what happened.

https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/caroline-county/guilty-plea-thornburg-sheetz-hate-crime-shooting/

"Shooter admitted to fantasizing about gunning down migrants at U.S.-Mexico border" He can het *no more than 24 years" becayse of his guilty plea. I ask you, is that enough?

June 18, 2025

Trump's $499 'U.S.-built' smartphone will most likely be made in China

The Trump Organization’s newly announced smartphone will most likely be made in China, experts say, despite claims that the device will be manufactured in the U.S.

Owned President Donald Trump, the company on Monday announced the T1, a gold-colored device that it said would retail for $499. The smartphone will run Google’s Android operating system.

The Trump Organization says the phone will be “built in the United States” — but experts note the phone was most likely designed and would be manufactured by a Chinese firm.

'“There is no way the phone was designed from scratch and there is no way it is going to be assembled in the U.S. or completely manufactured in the U.S.,” Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at International Data Corp., told CNBC on Tuesday. “That is completely impossible.”

Jeronimo suggested that the phone would most likely be produced by a Chinese original device manufacturer, or ODM — a type of company that designs and manufactures products based on the specifications of another firm.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/trumps-499-smartphone-will-likely-made-china-rcna213668

A ripoff phone, made in China......what a surprise! said no one.

June 18, 2025

Fox Host Rips Trump for 'Ceding Control' to Stephen Miller

Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov tore into President Donald Trump on Tuesday for how he’s handled immigration, claiming he has once again “ceded control” of the issue to top aide Stephen Miller.

The Five guest panelist Emily Compagno touted an NBC News poll released on Sunday that showed 51 percent support for Trump’s handling of immigration. But Tarlov told her fellow panelists that the poll represented just a slim majority within the margin of error. The narrow approval, after years of much wider gaps, reflected a broader frustration with ICE’s aggressive pursuit of undocumented immigrants, Tarlov argued.

The token liberal host highlighted how Trump had planned to steer ICE agents away from people in the farming and hospitality sectors—“like he used to employ a lot of people at his properties,” Tarlov quipped—after pressure from leaders like agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins—until the Department of Homeland Security ultimately reversed course once again.

“It seems like Stephen Miller is back in charge,“ Tarlov said. ”It’s a bad thing for the country and a bad thing for the president’s immigration policy because that flies in the face of where public opinion is. I don’t know why Trump has completely ceded control to Miller in terms of this, but it’s not a good look and it’s not going to go well with the governors who run states that have a lot of these people that keep them in business—big agriculture states, states with hotels, leisure, etc."

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-host-rips-trump-for-ceding-control-to-stephen-miller/

Stephen Miller is the "shadow president" now. Make no mistake about that.

June 17, 2025

Former Warsaw pastor pleads guilty to child sex crimes

A former pastor of the Victory Baptist Church in Warsaw has pleaded guilty to eight child sex crimes.

During a plea hearing the afternoon of Monday, June 16, Albert Wharton entered an Alford plea for eight charges related to indecent liberties with a child and aggravated sexual assault.

On Dec. 8, 2023, Wharton was arrested in South Carolina by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and South Carolina’s Pickens County Sheriff’s Department. He was charged with 22 felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 13 while in a custodial position and eight felony counts of aggravated sexual assault.

The church leader was ultimately charged with a total of 30 felony charges in 2023 for crimes committed between 1981 and 1997.

After Wharton pleaded guilty Monday afternoon, Richmond County Commonwealth’s Attorney Elizabeth Trible announced the remaining charges were nolle prosequi — meaning officials are declining to prosecute.

Wharton entered an Alford plea. This means that, per his plea agreement, he is maintaining his innocence while recognizing the Commonwealth’s evidence could find him guilty if this case were sent to trial.

https://www.wric.com/news/taking-action/former-warsaw-pastor-child-sex-crimes-plea-hearing/

Not a trans person, not a drag queen---a PASTOR, a BAPTIST MINISTER.

June 16, 2025

Singer at Dodger Stadium sings national anthem in Spanish in protest against L.A. immigration raids

Los Angeles is home to a reported 1.8 million Spanish-speaking residents but rarely do they hear the national anthem sung in that language.

On Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, with 51,548 fans on their feet and television cameras trained on the field, Vanessa Hernández stood behind home plate and sang the national anthem, which is traditionally sung before every sporting event in the United States.

Only this time, it was different.

Known to fans by the stage name, Nezza, the Dominican American singer took the mic at Dodger Stadium and performed “El Pendón Estrellado,” the official Spanish-language version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — apparently against the wishes of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Wearing a shirt adorned with the flag of her family’s homeland, Hernández’s voice quivered with emotion as she reached the final line, her eyes welling with tears. But her defiance was clear.

As she later shared on her TikTok, a Dodgers staff member had explicitly told her, “We are going to do the song in English today.” She didn't answer her, but then she let her singing do the talking, performing the anthem in Spanish. "I just felt like I needed to do it, para mi gente," (for my people), she explained on TikTok.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/singer-dodger-stadium-national-anthem-spanish-nezza-rcna213236

I say, good for her. We are, to paraphrase the slogan of Guyana, one nation, many peoples.

June 16, 2025

MAGA Madman Also Shot Slain Democrat's Rescue Dog

The alleged MAGA assassin shot murder victim Melissa Hortman’s beloved pet dog so badly it could not be saved.

The horror was revealed as the suspect was caught by a senior Democratic official.

“The cruelty knows no bounds,” said Ken Martin, a Minnesotan who became chair of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year. He was a longtime friend of the Hortmans, who were brutally attacked in their home early on Saturday morning.

Melissa Hortman, 55, the former Speaker of the House in Minnesota, was shot and killed inside the family home in Brooklyn Park, a city outside Minneapolis. Late on Sunday night, suspect Vance Luther Boelter was apprehended by sheriffs in the Minnesota backwoods.

Hortman’s husband, Mark, 58, was also killed in the attack, which left their two adult children without any parents.

Erin Koegel, a member of the Minnesota House since 2017, said one of their first tasks had been to euthanize the golden retriever, which their mother had adored. “Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered,” she wrote on X.

Hortman had been a foster home trainer for a local dog shelter called Helping Paws, which is how she came to meet Gilbert.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-madman-also-shot-assassinated-democrat-melissa-hortmans-rescue-dog-gilbert/

Rest east, Gilbert. You have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and you're with your people now. And I hope that nasty man goes the OTHER way!

June 16, 2025

The stunning reversal of humanity's oldest bias

Perhaps the oldest, most pernicious form of human bias is that of men toward women. It often started at the moment of birth. In ancient Athens, at a public ceremony called the amphidromia, fathers would inspect a newborn and decide whether it would be part of the family, or be cast away. One often socially acceptable reason for abandoning the baby: It was a girl.

Female infanticide has been distressingly common in many societies — and its practice is not just ancient history. In 1990, the Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen looked at birth ratios in Asia, North Africa, and China and calculated that more than 100 million women were essentially “missing” — meaning that, based on the normal ratio of boys to girls at birth and the longevity of both genders, there was a huge missing number of girls who should have been born, but weren’t.

Sen’s estimate came before the truly widespread adoption of ultrasound tests that could determine the sex of a fetus in utero — which actually made the problem worse, leading to a wave of sex-selective abortions. These were especially common in countries like India and China; the latter’s one-child policy and old biases made families desperate for their one child to be a boy. The Economist has estimated that since 1980 alone, there have been approximately 50 million fewer girls born worldwide than would naturally be expected, which almost certainly means that roughly that nearly all of those girls were aborted for no other reason than their sex. The preference for boys was a bias that killed in mass numbers.

But in one of the most important social shifts of our time, that bias is changing. In a great cover story earlier this month, The Economist reported that the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to around 200,000, which puts it back within the biologically standard birth ratio of 105 boys for every 100 girls. Countries that once had highly skewed sex ratios — like South Korea, which saw almost 116 boys born for every 100 girls in 1990 — now have normal or near-normal ratios.

Altogether, The Economist estimated that the decline in sex preference at birth in the past 25 years has saved the equivalent of 7 million girls. That’s comparable to the number of lives saved by anti-smoking efforts in the US. So how, exactly, have we overcome a prejudice that seemed so embedded in human society?

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/416809/sexism-girl-preference-sex-ratios-discrimination-ivf

My daughter tells me that the Old Ones say that when many girls are born, it's a sign that peaceful times are coming. I have two great-granddaughters and three great-nieces---no boys. And in my church, the little girls outnumber the boys almost 2:1. That's just two small samples.

June 16, 2025

From massive protests to a puny parade, America really let Donald Trump down

Rex Huppke

Well, Americans, I hope you’re happy with yourselves. You really let President Donald Trump down June 14.

All he wanted was to celebrate his 79th birthday with a massive military parade that made him look powerful, scary and beloved. Instead, thanks to millions of Americans and their stupid First Amendment rights, he got a derpy, dull parade overshadowed by massive nationwide protests denouncing him.

People from Virginia to California and everywhere in between were hoisting signs that said mean things about President Trump like “IF MELANIA DOESN’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH HIM…WHY DO WE?” and “You sucked in Home Alone 2,” referring to the 1992 movie in which Trump had a cameo.

Nice job, guys. Do you know how hurtful that was for a man who just wanted to have a cool birthday parade that would make him feel like a powerful dictator?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/06/16/trump-military-parade-ice-protests-no-kings/84223316007/

This is hilarious! I suggest you read while NOT drinking something. I almost had coffee all over my keyboard.

June 15, 2025

Food worker with 'fantasy' of security career sought in Minnesota political shootings

A nationwide manhunt is in its second day for Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who has been identified by law enforcement agencies in Minnesota as the primary suspect in the targeted shootings early Saturday morning that left Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband dead.

Authorities said Boelter disguised himself as a law enforcement officer during the attack and news reports have focused on his apparent work as a security professional. But NPR's review of Boelter's online records and employment history found many of those claims about his professional life appear untrue.

In social media posts and websites, Boelter said he had extensive experience as a security professional with "training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military."

NPR found little evidence to support Boelter's account. He appears to have worked most of his career in the food service industry and one long-time friend described parts of Boelter's narrative about his life as "fantasy."

Boelter is also being sought for the shooting of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who were wounded at their home. Authorities say Boelter should be considered armed and dangerous. They asked the public for help identifying his location and are offering a $50,000 reward, but said anyone seeing Boelter should call 911 and avoid contact.

On the website for a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services, LLC, Boelter described himself as part of the "leadership team."

NPR found no record of the firm having clients or providing any services. A call to the company's phone number connected to what appears to be a private phone line, not a business. The address listed in incorporation papers appeared to be that of a law firm specializing in divorce litigation.

Boelter himself appears to have no history working in law enforcement, the military or private security.

During a press conference Saturday, Drew Evans, commissioner of Minnesota's state Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions [BCA], said part of the investigation is now focused on Boelter's background, possible training and alleged motives.

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/15/nx-s1-5434227/food-worker-with-fantasy-of-security-career-sought-in-minnesota-political-shootings

"Mr. Big Talk" Boelter, is apparently a nobody with a rich fantasy life, like a lot of MAGAts. As for "friends", I'm surprised if he has any at all.

June 15, 2025

Gunman Opens Fire on 'No Kings' Protest in Salt Lake City

A gunman opened fire on thousands of protesters in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday evening. One person has been critically injured while a suspect has been taken into custody by police, authorities have said.

“We can confirm the shooting resulted in one person being critically injured,” the agency said in a social media post. “The patient has been taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries”.

An estimated 10,000 people were in attendance at the “No Kings” rally that began in Pioneer Park and marched north through the downtown area, the Salt Lake City Police Department said. Gunfire was heard at around 8 p.m., with video posted online showing protesters fleeing in terror.

Police were seen with guns drawn approaching a man standing next to a building near 200 South and State Street. A Fox 13 News crew reported seeing the man, who was taken into custody, with blood on his hands.

“We have a person of interest in custody,” the police department said. They are appealing for people to leave the area and asking for anyone with photos or videos of the incident to upload them here.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gunman-opens-fire-on-no-kings-protest-in-salt-lake-city/

I didn't see this anywhere else. I did see about the idiots driving their cars into protests in a couple of places, but not this. WTF, MAGAts?