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Thursday, July 20, 2023

7/20 WAKE-UP CALL: Congressional Hearing Gets Explicit

The mystery surrounding Whistleblower X ended Wednesday as Joseph Ziegler, who has worked with the IRS since 2010, appeared to claim that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment in the investigation into his financial dealings. At the same time, a pre-recorded interview with Ziegler was released where he said that anytime the IRS tried to look into President Joe Biden they were told 'we can't ask those questions.'  Ahead of his appearance, the name plate Mr. Ziegler was placed at the witness table next to unveiled whistleblower and IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley's spot.

➤HEARING GETS EXPLICIT: Marjorie Taylor Greene shared explicit images of Hunter Biden with prostitutes during the Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday. The Georgia congresswoman warned parents watching at home before her time questioning IRS whistleblowers that 'discretion is advised.' The shocking moment went out on the C-SPAN live stream as well as other cable network channels airing the hearing, including Fox News.  'Should we be displaying this?' Democratic Ranking Member Jaime Raskin questioned at one point during crosstalk with other members of the panel. The images from Hunter's laptop hard drive were printed on poster board that Rep. Greene held up at the hearing that showcased President Joe Biden's son engaged in sex acts with prostitutes. The reason for showing the images, other than to shock viewers, was for Greene to ask about Hunter Biden writing off taxes for costs related to escorts, prostitutes and sex clubs.

➤SUPPORTS GROWS TO BAN LAWMAKERS FROM OWNING STOCK: Two senators are set to introduce legislation to bar executive-branch members and lawmakers from owning stock in individual companies, even in blind trusts. The bill from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) and Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) would still allow the president, vice president, members of Congress, Capitol Hill aides and employees of the executive branch to own mutual funds and broad industry and index funds. Polling shows broad public support for such a ban. The legislation comes after a WSJ investigation, which found that many top executive-branch employees owned stocks in companies their agencies regulate. Elsewhere in Washington, antitrust authorities issued new proposed-merger guidelines, which could help the government’s efforts to block deals.

🏠BRAND-NEW HOMES SALES BOOMING: High mortgage rates are dissuading sellers who can’t afford to give up the low rates they have now. So, newly built homes accounted for nearly one-third of single-family homes for sale nationwide in May, compared with a historical norm of 10% to 20%, according to the National Association of Realtors. Existing-home sales in May fell 20% year-over-year, while new single-family home sales that month rose 20% on an annual basis. So far, the home-building revival, coupled with financial incentives some builders offer, is providing only minor relief to prospective buyers. Developers aren’t erecting enough homes to offset the shortage, which still means bidding wars in many places, and home prices remain high nationally.


➤RUSSIANS STRIKE UKRAINIAN PORT: Russian strikes on Ukrainian port areas continued on Thursday, local authorities said, after Moscow warned that ships heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be considered military targets. As concerns grew over Russia pulling out of a deal that has protected global shipments of Ukrainian grain, authorities in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions reported some 20 people injured in the strikes. With Russia's exit from the year-old threatening to worsen global food supplies, Ukraine said on Wednesday it was establishing a temporary shipping route via Romania, a neighbouring Black Sea country.

➤MERCENARIES RELOCATING TO BELARUS: Video footage purporting to show leader Yevgeny Prigozhin welcoming troops there was published on a Telegram channel linked to the private army. It’s the clearest signal yet that the forces are relocating under a deal that curtailed their aborted insurrection. Wagner didn’t respond to a request for comment. Prigozhin’s whereabouts has been the subject of speculation since his mutiny last month demanding the removal of Russia’s senior military leadership. Separately, the U.K.’s spy chief said in a rare speech that Russia has little chance of regaining momentum in Ukraine.

💸POWERBALL HAS A WINNER: The winning numbers in Wednesday night's drawing for a $1 billion Powerball jackpot were: 7, 13, 10, 24, 11 and Powerball 24. A ticket matching all six numbers of Wednesday's $1.08billion Powerball drawing was sold in California, meaning someone has won the third-highest prize for the multi-state lottery in history. It's the second time this year someone from the Golden State has struck gold. In February, Edwin Castro came forward to claim the winnings from November's $2.04billion drawing, opting to take the lump sum payment of $997.6 million. The rich Powerball payout, and a Mega Millions jackpot sitting at a whopping $720 million, have spurred a frenzy of ticket sales at convenience stores and gas stations across the country.

➤IMPOSTER PHONE SCAMS INCREASING:  A Georgia mother became the latest to face a shocking AI phone scam, using her 16-year-old daughter's voice saying she'd been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of $50,000 for her safe return. So-called imposter scams, where a fraudster impersonates someone in order to steal money, are the most common scam in the US, losing American's $2.6 billion in 2022 alone, the Federal Trade Commission reported . One in four respondents to a McAfee survey in April 2023 said they had some experience of an AI voice scam and one in ten said they had been targeted personally.


⚾MLB ANGELS 7 YANKEES 3:  The New York Yankees have capped off a road trip from hell in humiliating fashion, as their chances of making the playoffs continue to slip away. A slim chance of a comeback was destroyed by the eighth inning, with the Los Angeles Angels up to bat leading 7-3. Yankees pitcher Tommy Kahnle gave up a ground rule double to score a runner from second that essentially ended any hope of a victory. Frustrated, Kahnle may have thrown his most accurate pitch of the night when he hurled his glove at a cooling fan in the dugout - destroying it. these Bronx Bombers have been suffering through injuries and an anemic offense that saw Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, and DJ LeMahieu get one hit a piece while Oswald Peraza, Anthony Volpe, Harrison Bader, and Oswaldo Cabrera fail to make contact at all. 'We stink right now. We acknowledge that,' manager Aaron Boone said. 'We've got to be better. We all understand where we are at. 

⚾MLB D-BACKS 5 BRAVES 3: Ryne Nelson allowed only three hits in seven innings, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run double and Arizona dealt Atlanta its fourth straight loss. Nelson (6-5) allowed two runs with five strikeouts in seven innings. Kyle Nelson and Kevin Ginkel each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Gurriel's two-run double off Charlie Morton gave Arizona a 3-1 lead in the third. Nick Ahmed drove in two runs with two hits for the Diamondbacks.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Rangers 5 Rays 1
  • Brewers 5 Phillies 3
  • Pirates 7 Guardians 5
  • Orioles 8 Dodgers 5
  • Cardinals 6 Marlins 4
  • Astors 4 Rockies 1
  • Athletics 6 Red Sox 5
  • Padres 2 Blue Jays 0
  • Reds 3 Giants 2
  • Mets 5 White Sox 1
  • Cubs 8 Nationals 3
  • Tigers 3 Royals 2
  • Twins 6 Mariners 3

⚽WOMEN’S WORLD CUP KICKS OFF: Players from 32 nations including the U.S. will compete in the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

⛅NO RELIEF FROM THE HEAT: National weather forecasters say there is no end in sight for the brutal temperatures gripping the south-central and southeastern U.S. The record-smashing heat wave is expected to continue into next week throughout the region. In Phoenix, where temperatures at or above 110 degrees have been recorded for 19 consecutive days now, no relief is expected until at least the middle of next week.

🌞OVERHEATED PEOPLE TREATED WITH BODY BAGS FILLED WITH ICE: This summer’s extreme heat is sending waves of nauseated, dizzy and sometimes comatose patients to hospitals. Among the treatments: placing the heat sick in body bags packed with ice to rapidly lower their temperatures. At Memorial Hermann’s flagship hospital in Houston, doctors using the body-bag treatment called in cafeteria workers to deliver five-gallon buckets of ice, said emergency physician Dr. Samuel Prater. Southwest Temperatures have hit at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit daily for more than two weeks. People suffering from the extreme heat can arrive at hospitals with symptoms such as cramps, nausea and fatigue. Body temperatures of about 104 degrees or higher can also lead to a potentially fatal condition known as heat stroke, which can cause hallucinations and organ damage or failure.  Heat-related deaths have climbed each of the past three years, reaching 1,708 in 2022, the most recent provisional figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. 



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