Former Republican Rep. George Santos has spent the past year denying wrongdoing as he faces almost two dozen federal charges related to campaign fraud.
According to NBC News, it was reported over the weekend that Santos will plead guilty this week to the charges in an effort to avoid potential serious jail time.
News of Santos taking a plea deal comes just shy of a month before his trial was set to begin.
Many believe he took the deal to not only avoid jail time, but to avoid and especially humiliating trial, given the charges he faces.
The former GOP lawmaker faces a number of serious charges. NBC Noted:
The disgraced former lawmaker faces a 23-count superseding indictment in the Eastern District of New York, including charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
Santos was hit with the first round of charges in early 2023. As he made headlines at the time, Santos denied he was guilty before ultimately being ousted from Congress.
Santos had also previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges prior to the superseding federal indictment.
His career, which lasted less than one term, was already off to a shaky start as he was exposed before being elected for alleged lies and campaign-related fraud.
The former New York congressman was especially humiliated in December 2023 after a vast majority of his congressional colleagues voted to oust him from Congress over the scandal.
The Hill noted:
Federal prosecutors accused the former congressman of five criminal schemes: misleading campaign donors, charging their credit cards without authorization, falsely inflating campaign finance reports, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits and lying on his financial disclosures.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert will have to accept the plea deal negotiated by the two sides. A hearing is set for Monday where Santos is expected to plead guilty.
Many across social media reacted to the news that Santos intends to plead guilty this week, with many offering their own views of why he's doing it.
Many also believe he should get jail time.
"I am tired of 'elected officials' thinking they can say and do whatever they want and have no consequences for their actions. Lock him up," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "He should be sentenced according to what is normal under law for these crimes."
President Joe Biden, by most accounts, was forced out of the 2024 race by high-profile members of his own party.
While some have denied their roles in leading what was essentially an election coup, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), reports continue to emerge that she was at the forefront of walking Biden off the proverbial plank.
According to The Post Millennial, it was reported by insiders to the Daily Mail that Pelosi gave Biden an ultimatum in the lead-up to his July 20 announcement that he was dropping out of the race.
Apparently, the ultimatum came the night before he dropped out.
As the reports go, Biden was at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware home recovering from COVID. That night, he reportedly received a message from the former Democratic speaker threatening that she would go public with her doubts that he could beat Trump in November unless he dropped out.
The alleged "urgent message" sent by Pelosi to Biden that evening was crystal clear.
"The ultimatum was clear: Drop out now – or Pelosi trashes her political ally, and friend of over 50 years, on the global stage," the Daily Mail reported.
A "well-placed source" reported that the conversation between the two was intense, to say the least. They said that Pelosi went as far as threatening to publish poll numbers while arguing that Biden would not be able to defeat Trump.
The outlet noted:
Her demand reportedly sparked a "come to Jesus moment" for Biden, who began drafting his letter announcing his withdrawal from the race. The White House and Pelosi’s office denied that the two spoke on the phone.
Of course they would deny such reports, as it would look shockingly bad for the party.
It took him awhile to make an appearance before the press in the wake of dropping out, but when he did, he admitted that the polling numbers were not swinging his way, noting the concerns that members of his party had about him staying in the race.
"The polls we had showed that it was a neck and neck race, woulda been down to the wire," Biden said during the interview. "But what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races. And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic."
The president added, "And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic — you'd be interviewing me about why did Nancy Pelosi say [something] … and I thought it'd be a real distraction."
Again, of course he would never admit to being pushed out by his own party, as that would look weak and chaotic.
Kamala Harris' campaign has rejected Donald Trump's proposal to have three presidential debates, accusing him of playing "games" as Trump ramps up pressure on Harris to begin taking questions from reporters.
The Harris campaign agreed to debate Trump on ABC News on September 10, and debate again sometime in October.
Trump has proposed debating three times in September, a timeline that would give voters more opportunities to see the candidates on stage before early voting begins.
Historically, there have been at least two presidential debates, but in recent years the number has typically been three.
Trump had one debate with Joe Biden in June, where Biden exposed signs of cognitive decline, sparking an effort to pressure him off the ticket.
In a statement, the Harris campaign agreed to two debates and accused Trump of playing "games," declaring, the "debate about debates is over.”
“Voters deserve to see the candidates for the highest office in the land share their competing visions for our future,” campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement.
"The more they play games, the more insecure and unserious Trump and Vance reveal themselves to be to the American people. Those games end now.”
The Harris campaign said running mate Tim Walz would debate on October 1 with J.D. Vance, who has asked for two debates, although usually there is just one VP debate. Walz has been weathering a bruising stolen valor scandal for lying about his military service.
Harris has yet to hold an unscripted interview or press conference since launching her campaign weeks ago. She has gestured at doing an interview sometime by the end of August.
Trump has invited former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to help him prepare for his debates with Harris. In 2019, Gabbard was credited with one of the most memorable moments of the Democratic primary when she confronted Harris over her record as a prosecutor.
“President Trump has proven to be one of the best debaters in political history as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
"He does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisors and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage.”
Former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly emerged from obscurity to trash former President Donald Trump's mass deportations pledge, calling the proposal "impossible" to implement.
In an interview with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, O'Reilly claimed Trump's plan to deport millions of illegal immigrants would last "10 minutes" before getting blocked.
When Trump was president, his hardline immigration policies were frequently challenged by leftist groups like the ACLU.
O'Reilly speculated that Trump's mass deportation plan would meet the same fate.
“No, I don’t, because it’s impossible, number one. As soon as Donald Trump started to order federal marshals or whomever to remove people from their property, the ACLU and everybody else would fire lawsuits and the federal courts would stop it," O'Reilly said.
"It would take 10 minutes to stop it and it would never proceed after that. Even the Supreme Court would not go along with it,” he said.
President Trump has repeatedly pledged to carry out the "largest deportation operation in history."
His idea is popular with voters, despite the skepticism it has received from some corners.
Beyond the inevitable legal challenges Trump would face, skeptics point to the sheer number of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. as an insurmountable logistical challenge.
The actual number of illegal immigrants living in America, while unknown, is commonly pegged at 11 million. The 11 million figure is probably dated, however. Under the Biden administration, there have already been 10 million illegal border crossings.
Trump's running mate J.D. Vance has emphasized taking an incremental approach.
“Let's start with the first million who are the most violent criminals, who are the most aggressive," he said Thursday. "Get them out of here. First prioritize them, and then you see where you are, and you keep on taking bites of the problem, until you get illegal immigration to a serviceable point,” he added.
President Trump has pointed to using local police or the National Guard.
“Our local police know everything about these criminals that have come into the country," he said Tuesday. "They know their names and their middle name, they know where they live, what country they came from," he said. "We’ll work with the local police and we have to get them out and you’re going to want them out and everybody’s going to want them out.”
A former police deputy in California has been charged with carrying out a cruel extortion scheme on behalf of a Chinese businesswoman that involved raiding the home of her former business partner.
Retired Los Angeles deputy Steven A. Lankford was still working part time when he orchestrated a fake immigration raid to intimidate the victim, a Chinese immigrant and legal U.S. resident, with phony threats of deportation.
Lankford and three others raided the victim's home and coerced him into signing away his business rights to the tune of $37 million.
The four co-conspirators were paid $400,000 to carry out the 2019 raid on behalf of an unnamed businesswoman from China.
“At some point, this wealthy Chinese national decided to hire these mercenaries to go carry out what they did," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said.
"The goal was to get this person to sign a contract to give away his business rights. That’s what he ended up doing, but he did it by force, intimidation and extortion," Estrada said.
Two of the men charged, 68-year-old Steven Lankford and 63-year-old Glen Louis Cozart, are former LA County Sheriff's deputies. Also charged were a former British solider, 39-year-old Max Samuel Bennett Turbett, and a 41-year-old former Australian soldier, Matthew Philli.
The indictment charges the four co-conspirators with conspiracy against rights, conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, and deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to prosecutors, Lankford used his authority as a sheriff's deputy to plan and execute the raid. Lankford also tried to shut down a probe into the raid when the victim reported it to police.
“He used his badge to gain entry into the home. He used his authority as a Sheriff’s deputy to intimidate the family and to threaten the businessman with deportation," Estrada said.
The victim's wife and two sons were home during the raid, which lasted about two and a half hours. They threatened to separate the victim from his family if he did not agree to their demands.
“The defendants in this case allegedly believed they could carry out vigilante justice by using official police powers to enter the home of vulnerable victims and extorting them out of millions of dollars,” Akil Davis, who leads the Los Angeles FBI field office, said.
Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz responded to the stolen valor scandal that has plagued his candidacy during his first solo event on Tuesday.
The Minnesota governor is campaigning on his own for the first time, taking his "folksy Midwestern dad" routine to five different states.
The governor made his first stop in Newport Beach, California on Tuesday, where he spoke with a union for government employees, AFSCME.
In a speech to the union's members, Walz accused his Republican rival J.D. Vance of denigrating Walz's National Guard service.
"I firmly believe you should never degenerate another person’s service record," Walz said.
“To anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: thank you for your service and sacrifice,” Walz added.
The Harris operation has marketed Walz as a normal Midwestern guy, part of an effort to win Rust Belt voters and deflect Republican attacks that the Harris-Walz ticket is radical and elitist.
But Walz's rollout has proven rocky. Within days of Harris announcing her pick, Walz conceded he "misspoke" about serving in combat as Republicans scrutinized his military record.
As Walz touched down in California on Tuesday, Orange County Republicans mocked Walz over the stolen valor scandal.
Chairman Fred Whitaker said Walz "may walk away heavy with campaign cash from liberal donors but he will leave with the same empty and fake record he came in with.”
Like Harris, Walz hasn't engaged with the media. Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance, a Marine veteran who brought attention to Walz's military record, sat for three back-to-back interviews with hostile reporters on the big networks last Sunday.
In those interviews, Vance explained that he takes issue with Walz for lying about his service - not the fact that he served.
"I’ve never criticized what Tim Walz did when he was in the military. ... I’m criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain,” Vance told CNN.
Walz is obviously trying to conflate two different things - but Republicans are sure to keep the stolen valor scandal an issue going forward.
Walz will continue fundraising in the Democratic enclaves of Denver and Boston Wednesday. He'll finish up Thursday with a swing through Newport, Rhode Island and The Hamptons.
Would-be president Hillary Clinton will speak at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, along with Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Kamala Harris will formally be nominated the party's nominee for president at the convention, which runs from August 19 to August 22 in Chicago.
The display of unity comes despite tensions within the party that spilled into the open following Biden's disastrous debate performance. Obama played a role in pressuring Biden to end his re-election bid, which he eventually did after initially insisting he would stay.
Biden endorsed Harris, who quickly rallied the Democratic party and media behind her surprise presidential campaign.
The tentative DNC schedule has Biden speaking on Monday, along with Hillary, followed by Obama on Tuesday, Harris' running mate Tim Walz and Bill Clinton on Wednesday, and Harris accepting the nomination on Thursday. The grandson of Jimmy Carter, Jason Carter, will also appear on his behalf.
Clinton - who lost to Trump in a shocking upset in 2016 - has been a vocal backer of Harris' campaign.
Recently, Clinton raised eyebrows after she praised Tim Walz for stocking boys' bathrooms with menstrual products.
How nice of the Trump camp to help publicize Gov. Tim Walz's compassionate and common-sense policy of providing free menstrual products to students in Minnesota public schools! Let's do this everywhere. pic.twitter.com/hk6v8cs8p4
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 7, 2024
The convention will likely prolong the Harris "honeymoon," but Republicans argue that she will begin to falter as she comes under closer scrutiny.
While Harris' entry into the race has given Democrats hope, she has yet to face serious pressure, with no unscripted interviews or press conferences.
President Trump has labeled Harris "fake" and a copycat for ripping off his agenda, including his pledge to end taxes on tips.
Harris has not received a single primary vote, and her previous run for the presidency flamed out before the primaries began, something Trump has been eager to point out.
“She was the first loser when, during the primary system, during the Democrat primary system. She was the first one to quit. And she quit. She had no votes, no support, and she was a bad debater, by the way. Very bad debater,” he said at a press conference last week.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has taken an absolute beating at the legal level in his pursuit of former President Donald Trump.
While he faced a mountain of litigation regarding his authority as special counsel, among other issues, Smith recently asked Judge Tanya Chutkan for a three-week delay in Trump's election interference case.
According to Newsweek, some believe Smith is "signaling" to the judge that he's ready to continue the case, but needs more time to consult with the Justice Department on how to proceed.
On Friday, Judge Chutkan approved Smith's request for a delay, raising questions as to what he has up his sleeve at this point.
The request for the trial delay came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's immunity ruling, which heavily favored Trump and his legal team.
Smith will now have until Aug. 30 to explain his case against Trump now that the immunity ruling has presumably changed his legal strategy to a significant degree.
Tanya Chutkan acquiesces to Jack Smith’s request to delay her status report deadline and postpone hearing.
Chutkan should be embarrassed but I don’t think she’s capable. pic.twitter.com/nSYByX0P6F
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) August 9, 2024
Newsweek noted:
The case, led by special counsel Smith, accuses Trump of attempting to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in events that led to the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump was indicted by a grand jury in August 2023 on four counts over allegedly working to overturn the election.
Trump had originally claimed immunity from the charges, aruging that he was president at the time so he was not subject to such a prosecution. That defense was bolstered after the high court ruled mostly in Trump's favor on the immunity question.
Newsweek added:
Smith's one-page motion pushes the joint report required by both the prosecution and defense until the end of the month. It was originally supposed to be submitted on Friday, with a scheduled court date for August 16, but that has also been delayed until September now.
Users across social media had their own ideas regarding the latest move from Smith's side and the judge agreeing to it.
"Chutkan is a rubber stamp DC judge who will oversee a Democrat jury in another show trial. The decision will have to be appealed," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "They’re up to something."
Only time will tell what the new strategy will be on Smith's side, but yeah, they're definitely up to something.
For those actually tuning into the Olympics, the sharpshooting event has drawn extra popularity this year thanks to a few memorable athletes competing in the sport.
One of those is Olympic sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji of South Korea. The shooter has made headlines for her performances so far, but made the news for a not-so-pleasant reasons earlier this week.
According to the Daily Caller, during a recent press conference in South Korea, Ye-ji suddenly collapsed, providing a very scary and shocking moment for those in attendance and her legion of fans, including family, at home.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the South Korean sharpshooter collapsed and fell to the floor during the news conference.
As the 31-year-old athlete fell to the floor, many in attendance at the news conference rushed to her aid. Cameras were still rolling during the scary and devastating scene as paramedics eventually rushed to her aid.
After getting the young athlete on a stretcher, paramedics transported her to Jeonju Hospital, where she was admitted.
South Korea Olympic pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji treated in hospital after fainting
Coach said she had no underlying health issues, had been dealing with accumulated fatiguehttps://t.co/KA92GxfpJX
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) August 9, 2024
After conducting a battery of tests, hospital officials later explained that they believe the Olympic sharpshooter collapsed due to "accumulated fatigue."
The Daily Caller noted:
She is reportedly still in hospital under observation at this time.
It’s unclear if there are any underlying medical issues that could have contributed to her frightening collapse. No further information about her health has been shared.
Ye-ji made waves in the sport and gained a new group of fans after winning a silver medal in one of the shooting contests. Her very unique style in how she holds her firearm during matches made her extremely popular across social media, like some of the other sharpshooters experienced.
Elon Musk is also a huge fan of hers, as he shared one of her iconic photos from the Olympics and claimed she was "Hollywood" material.
She eventually thanked Musk for making her so popular.
"I received a lot of unexpected attention and I believe it's thanks to Elon Musk rather than myself. So, thank you," Ye-ji wrote after gaining thousands of new fans and followers.
Hopefully, the Olympic shooter will make a full recovery in short time.
A recently elected Democratic state lawmaker in California is leaving her party to become a Republican.
California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil said she no longer identifies with her old party, which has moved radically to the left in recent years.
“In the past two years that I’ve been working in the Senate, I have not recognized the party that I belong to,” she told The Steve Hilton Show. “The Democratic Party is not the party that I signed up for decades ago.”
She now joins the outgunned Republican opposition in California, which is dominated by liberal Democrats.
“It’s not a very popular decision to leave a supermajority party where perhaps, you know, you have a lot more power and ability,” she said. “But this is a decision that is right for the constituents that voted me into office.”
Alvarado-Gil represents a rural, Republican-leaning district in the state Senate that covers a swath of Central California, including Modesto and Turlock.
She faced a progressive Democrat in the general election, and won, after advancing from a non-partisan primary crowded with Republican candidates.
During her time in Sacramento, she has become known for an independent streak, especially on crime.
She told the Sacramento Bee that her "last straw" was when the Democrats undermined a set of tough-on-crime bills that she supported with "poison pill" amendments.
State Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D) said her decision “is disappointing for voters” who elected her in 2022.
“They trusted her to represent them, and she’s betrayed that trust,” he said in a statement. “One silver lining is MAGA Republicans are gaining a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ rights, anti-Trump colleague. We wish her the best of luck.”
But Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) applauded her independence.
"It takes courage to stand up to the supermajority in California and Marie has what it takes,” Jones said in a statement. “Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her constituents speaks for itself.”
Republicans often point to California as a cautionary tale of unchecked liberalism. Residents have fled the state over vagrancy, crime, and the high cost of living.
Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has started to crack down on the tent encampments that plague California's cities.