Random News Blogs (44)

First Pakistan Global is joining with Just Foreign Policy to share news of the most significant Congressional action in response to the stolen election yet. House Reps. Casar (TX) and Wild (PA) are leading a letter calling on the US to demand a credible, transparent investigation into the rigging allegations before recognizing the election. The letter also calls for the US to work to free political prisoners and hold accountable those who engaged in anti-democratic actions and human rights abuses.

This is urgent -- the letter will likely close in the coming days, before a new government is finalized in Pakistan.

We need everyone who cares about democracy in Pakistan to ensure that their Representatives in the House and Senate sign this letter.

Click "Start Writing" to connect to your representative today! We've provided a sample letter, but feel free to personalize it to maximize your impact!

Motivation

5/2/24 Update - RFK Jr. calls on Biden to drop out of Prez race.

4/28/24 Update - Gallup Poll: Biden Prez Approval Rating Lowest In 70 Years

A few years ago, I bought an attractive IKEA bed frame that matched the dressers, also from IKEA. The mattresses were to sit on supports that comprised of a few dozen pieces of flexible slats. They were purchased as optional supports, made for that style of bed. I opened one box, read the instructions, packed them up and returned for credit. Instead, I went to Home Depot, bought 2 plywood pieces (cut to size) and installed them as platforms.

The mattress height on this Scandinavian style is very low and I later bought some box-spring units to raise everything so getting in and out of the bed was more of the height of conventional beds sold in America.

Not long after, the bed developed a creaking sound that annoyed me for months. To fix it required removal of the mattresses, box springs, plywood and tighten the inner support brackets, then reinstall everything.

I did the maintenance and a few months later, the creaking returned. Thinking the problem was the plywood, I installed some wood supports around the perimeter. It helped some but the creaking was still there.

Soon... like many of my projects, it will have to wait.



Photo from the IKEA catalog:

Like him or not, Micheal Cohen brought up some interesting discussion about how Trump could raise money to post bond for the New York civil fraud trial. Trump had claimed to have the cash. He doesn't or he would have posted bond and stop the accruing interest.
If he liquidates properties, it won't be soon and he will have to pay taxes on the long-term capital gains, as high as 40% and pay off mortgages too.
Chubb already fronted money for the defamation case against E. Jean Carroll. What corporation or billionaire will front him money knowing there's a chance it won't be repaid?

There's always a suspicion he will back channel money from a foreign government... Saudi or Russian. That would put him in a compromising position of favoritism should he make it to the White House. Other suspicions are he's holding on to some of the classified documents that could be a negotiating tool. Cohen states our national security is at risk.
As he says... it's No Joke.

Daniel Gwynn found himself on death row at 25 after Philadelphia prosecutors said in court that two witnesses had picked him out of a photo array in a fatal arson case.


The photo spread had by then gone missing, and his trial lawyer in 1995 may not have asked for other proof of the supposed match. But appellate lawyers who spent decades pursuing his innocence claims finally unearthed the police photo — with a federal judge's help — in 2016 and Gwynn was noticeably absent.


“He was nowhere to be found," said lawyer Karl Schwartz, who joined Gwynn as he left prison this week after 30 years, most of it spent on death row in western Pennsylvania. “It shocks the conscience.

Five Bulgarians have been jailed in the UK for the biggest benefit fraud in history. 54 million pounds were claimed fraudulently by using false names and scams.

Trump appealed to the District Court of Washington DC to dismiss Jack Smith's criminal suit against him.

The appeal was based upon three arguments previously rejected by the trial judge Tanya Chutkan:

1. The proposed DC criminal trial constitutes double jeopardy because Trump wasn't successfully impeached for his involvement in the January 6th riot/insurrection;

2. The president has immunity for acts performed within the outer perimeter of the scope of his/her office;&

3. The president has aboslute immunity for any criminal act, or from any civil liabilty during his/her period of office.

(I think there may have been something about absolute presidential immunity forevermore, but that's so bonkers I can't get my head round the mere suggestion.)

The appellate court consisting of a panel of three judges (Republican appointee Judge Henderson and Democrat appointees Judges Pan and Childs) affirmed Judge Chutkan's ruling per curium (all three agreed) that there is no legal, or constitutional basis for dismissing the case on those grounds and that Trump's right to defense is the same as any other US citizen.

The District Court also ruled that Trump has until the 12th February to request a stay of the order pending appeal to the Supreme Court. If they don't hear from him by then, the trial is back on.

In a post on Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the 'clink' for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela - It will be my GREAT HONOR

Mandela wound up spending 27 years in prison for leading the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed apartheid policies that kept South Africa's Black residents segregated, often in inhumane conditions.

While rulers all over the world were busy empowering themselves and their friends, he was busy empowering his people.

Get over yourself Donald you are no match for Mandela and your comment is an insult.The only person you try to empower is yourself.

A cluster of wildfires has scorched the Texas Panhandle, including a blaze that grew into one of the largest in state history, as flames moved with alarming speed and blackened the landscape across a vast stretch of small towns and cattle ranches.


Authorities warned that the damage to communities on the high plains could be extensive.


The largest fire — which expanded to more than 3367 square kilometres — jumped into parts of neighbouring Oklahoma and was only about 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.