Pritzker Doesn’t Just Gamble with Lives

We’re unsure if Governor Pritzker is lucky in love, but he certainly is lucky at cards. Chicago Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker, five months before Democratic primary voters head to the polls as he runs for a third term as Illinois governor, released partial tax records Wednesday showing he and his wife reported more than $10.3 million in taxable income — including more than $1.4 million in income from gambling… The 2024 tax return records showed Pritzker and his wife reported making $1.425 million in income from “gambling.” Asked for additional details, the Pritzker campaign spokesperson said, “The Governor had winnings and losses from a casino during the year and those amounts are reported on his tax return.” (Chicago Tribune) NBC News: “I went on vacation with my wife, with some friends. I was incredibly lucky. You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere — it was in Las Vegas — and I like to play cards,” Pritzker told reporters during a press conference Thursday. (NBC) Pritzker announced he will donate the winnings to charity, but only after he faced intense criticism from annoyed voters who have not proven to be so lucky in Vegas.

Democrat Senate Candidate in Maine Declared Himself a Communist

Graham Platner, an oysterman in Maine whose pitch to voters is that he is an everyman who can get along with Trump voters, turns out to be a communist who calls rural whites racist and police officers “bastards.” Bangor Daily News: Insurgent U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is disavowing incendiary posts he made a few years ago on a social media platform. In the now-deleted Reddit posts, Platner described himself as a “communist,” castigated rural white Americans as “racist” and “stupid,” and called all cops “bastards.” While he disavowed those posts made on various left-wing subreddits around 2020-21, Platner still stands by another post telling conservative musician Ted Nugent to “suck a d*ck,” according to CNN, which first reported about the posts deleted ahead of his campaign launch. “To be fair,” Platner told CNN. “I’m not really regretful of that one.” Platner described himself as a “communist” in response to a thread in the subreddit r/Antiwork about people becoming more conservative as they get older, saying, “I got older and became a communist.” In another post, Platner described himself as “a vegetable growing, psychedelics taking socialist these days. After the war, I’ve pretty much stopped believing in any of the patriotic nonsense that got me there in the first place, and am a firm believer that the best thing a person can do is help their neighbors and live a loving life.” (Bangor Daily News) Who knew a politician running for office could lie?

Letitia James Housing Felon In Yet Another Virginia Home

Letitia James is a budding real estate tycoon who houses interesting tenants in her now-famous Virginia houses. James famously committed mortgage fraud by claiming that she would live in the home in which she houses her fugitive niece, and now we learn that she owns a second home in Virginia, in which another niece—a felon and OnlyFans creator—resides. New York Post: New York Attorney General Letitia James is housing a second felon family member at her properties in Virginia — and The Post can reveal she and her big sister were partners in crime. James’ grand-niece Cayla Thompson-Hairston, 21 — who is an OnlyFans star with a public, X-rated social media presence — was charged in April 2024 with lying about her felony criminal record when she tried to buy a gun in Suffolk, Virginia, according to court docs. Cayla was legally “disqualified” from owning a firearm due to an August 2020 felony charge of malicious wounding — which Virginia law defines as a crime in which a person “shoots, stabs, cuts or wounds any other person, or by any means causes bodily injury, with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill.” … Both family members — Cayla Thompson-Hairston and Nakia Thompson — live in houses owned by James that have been at the center of federal criminal scrutiny over mortgage documents that James signed. James is currently facing 60 years in prison for bank fraud and false statement charges after federal prosecutors accused her of lying on the mortgage application for the house where Thompson lives. (New York Post)  Perhaps James should consult with Donald Trump about how best to invest in real estate.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Refuses to Applaud Veterans

Video has surfaced of Minnesota Attorney General and former DNC Vice Chair Keith Ellison refusing to applaud military veterans deplaning from an Honor Flight. Alpha News: The video was captured at Reagan National Airport on Sept. 26, just after the honor flight landed. Airline workers were announcing some veterans by name as they arrived—yet as the bystander video shows, Attorney General Ellison was not clapping. The bystander who recorded the video is from Minnesota and recognized Ellison. Wanting to remain anonymous, the bystander said Attorney General Ellison’s response—or lack of response and applause—seemed strange, which is why the bystander said they started recording Ellison in the first place. The clapping went on for several minutes and at no time did they see Attorney General Ellison clap, the bystander said. The bystander told Alpha News that, “For a period of no less than five minutes while several veterans exited the plane to applause, I did not once see Mr. Ellison clap at all. What the hell is with this guy?” (Alpha News) Ellison, who once proudly photographed himself with The Antifa Handbook, has at least not openly mused about murdering anybody, unlike the Democrats’ candidate for Attorney General in Virginia.

First Terrorism Charges Against Antifa Members Filed

If there ever was a slam dunk case for terrorism charges against Antifa members, this is likely it. The Justice Department has indicted two Antifa members for their ambush of law enforcement officers in Texas. Fox News: A federal grand jury indicted two alleged Antifa members with terrorism-related charges for a July 4 attack on an ICE facility in Texas. The indictment, issued Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, charges Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts with providing material support for terrorism, attempting to murder federal and assisting officers and discharging firearms during attempted murders. “For the first time ever, the FBI has arrested anarchist violent extremists and charged these Antifa-aligned individuals with material support to terrorism,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “This was a planned and coordinated terrorist attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where armed extremists tried to murder U.S. officers on July 4th,” he continued. “We are executing under President Trump’s new authorities at record speed. To date, the FBI has made over 20 arrests tied to this case and related Antifa networks. No one gets to harm law enforcement. Not on our watch,” Patel added. (Fox News) Democrats continue to insist that Antifa is mythical, but the bullets these terrorists fired were real enough to strike an Alvarado police officer in the neck.

United Nations Wants to Tax U.S. Citizens

The United Nations plans to tax U.S. citizens to change the weather, and the Trump administration is having none of it. Wall Street Journal: The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a U.N. body based in London, hopes at its meeting this week to secure final approval for its “net-zero framework” for shipping. The measure would impose charges per metric ton of carbon-dioxide that ships emit above certain limits; the tax would be $100 or $380 per metric ton depending on various factors. That could translate to an annual tax take of $10 billion-$12 billion. If you’ve heard about this at all, it’s probably because the Trump Administration last week threatened to slap sanctions on any country that votes in favor of imposing this tax. Washington rightly worries it will increase the costs of goods American households buy by increasing global shipping costs as much as 10%. Setting aside the trade-policy irony, at least someone in the Trump Administration is worried that expensive imports might be bad for the American economy. The damage from this U.N. climate tax is as much political as economic. The U.N. has previously toyed with emissions-monitoring schemes, such as for aviation, and the IMO claims this proposal is no different. But this is the first instance we can find of the U.N. claiming the ability to levy a tax—the revenues from which will be paid directly into a U.N.-controlled fund. For the U.N. system as a whole, roughly 90% of revenue comes from governments. Those capitals at least are responsible to their own taxpayers and also are in a position to impose some accountability on the U.N. if they try. The rest is income generated from U.N. consulting activities or investment returns and exchange-rate movements affecting existing reserves. The IMO carbon tax on shipping, by contrast, would be paid by ship owners directly into a new “Net Zero Fund” created by the agency. (Wall Street Journal) Talk about taxation without representation.

Irony: Va. Democratic Party Demands Winsome Sears Call for Resignation of Young Republicans While Continuing to Back Jay Jones

Some things are so absurd that no fiction writer other than Tom Wolfe could make them up. This is one of those things. David Strom: The Virginia Democrats are foursquare behind Jay Jones, apparently happy that the person they want to become the Attorney General for all Virginians is a murderous a-hole. But, proving that they believe murdering people is hardly as heinous as using racial slurs, they are demanding that Winsome Sears (who has zero input on who leads the Young Republicans) call on the YRs to boot the offenders. Sears HAS called on these particular YRs to resign, as has Jason Miyares–the Republican candidate for Attorney General–but even if they hadn’t it brings up the obvious question: if making racial slurs is beyond the pale for Young Republicans, why is wishing for the death of a colleague and for his children to die in their mother’s arms NOT disqualifying? (Hot Air) So here’s the Democrats’ standard: fantasizing about killing a colleague is perfectly acceptable for an Attorney General, but racist jokes are disqualifying for membership in a social club.

Trump and Putin Agree to High-Level Summit on Ukraine War

Donald Trump managed to cut the Gordian Knot to end the war in Gaza, but the war in Ukraine has vexed him for months. But Russia and the United States will take another shot at negotiations, according to Trump. Trump: I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one. President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries. I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin thanked the First Lady, Melania, for her involvement with children. He was very appreciative, and said that this will continue. We also spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over. At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated. A meeting location is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this “inglorious” War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end. President Zelenskyy and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more. I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation. (Donald Trump on Truth Social)

John Fetterman Blames Senate Democrats for Shutdown

Democrats are, reportedly, looking to oust Senator John Fetterman from the Senate in the next election, and you can see why. He is far too honest for their taste. John Fetterman:  That’s why shutting the government is, is really what the Democratic Party wants to do. And I follow country, then party, and it’s the wrong thing for the country. In a period of chaos, I refuse to vote to shut our government down. I absolutely would love to have, I would love to have a conversation about. Uh, extending the tax credits for healthcare. Absolutely. But I would remind everybody, too, that this was designed by the Democratic Party to expire at the end of the year. This is not something taken from by the Republicans. That’s they were designed to expire. (X) Ed Morrissey: Democrats vociferously defended John Fetterman’s candidacy after a serious stroke in 2022 rendered him unable to campaign for much of the cycle. Fetterman won the general election against Mehmet Oz, and Democrats rejoiced, claiming that common sense had prevailed over MAGA ‘extremism.’ However, when that argument became much more accurate than they realized — especially in Fetterman’s firm stance on Israel — suddenly common sense fell out of favor on the Left. Now, Axios reports that Democrats have begun plotting a primary campaign to oust Fetterman in his first re-election bid: Top Democrats in Pennsylvania are maneuvering to run against Sen. John Fetterman in a 2028 primary contest, threatening to tear the party apart in the biggest battleground state in the nation. Why it matters: Democrats haven’t flipped a GOP Senate seat since Fetterman did it in 2022. He’s still popular with Pennsylvania voters, even as Democrats turn on him over his softened approach to President Trump. Potential Democratic challengers are already bashing Fetterman — and each other — years ahead of schedule. Some Democratic officials are openly contemplating running against Fetterman or keeping the door open to a Senate bid in the event he retires. Yes, this seems like a brilliant idea. Why not run a divisive internecine fight in Pennsylvania — in 2028? Nothing else important will be on the ballot, right? Oh, wait — nothing else other than a presidential election, in a swing state that Democrats can’t afford to lose. (Hot Air) Democrats aren’t particularly good at this “politics” thing anymore, are they?

Mexican Drug Cartels Infiltrate Ukraine Military to Learn Drone Tactics

Well, this isn’t comforting. As the United States and Europe pour resources into helping Ukraine push the Russians out of its territory, they may also be helping to train Mexican drug cartels in the fine art of drone warfare. Telegraph: Hidden in a derelict factory in western Ukraine, the Kill House Academy is a Top Gun school for the drone-warfare era. Decked out with an obstacle course of hoops and window frames to practise flying drones, it has trained some of the country’s best UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilots. Among the more promising recent recruits was a pilot with the callsign Aguila 7 (Eagle 7) – a former special forces soldier from Mexico, enlisted with Ukraine’s International Legion. But while he excelled at the course, it seemed he had foes other than Russian soldiers in his sights. Eagle 7 was in fact a foot soldier in Mexico’s feared Los Zetas drug cartel and had been sent there to learn drone skills for use in drug wars back home, according to reports. His presence, along with that of several other suspected gang members, emerged after Mexican intelligence officials tipped off their Ukrainian counterparts in July. They warned Kyiv that cartel members were infiltrating Ukraine’s foreign fighter cadres to learn how to fly first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones, which give pilots a bird’s-eye view of the target as they close in with an explosive payload. (The Telegraph)