Jake Tapper Now on Apology Tour

A feud between restaurant owners and illegal street vendors in San Diego has boiled over to vandalism and a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against city officials. Twelve businesses in the famed Gaslamp Quarter filed a lawsuit alleging that street vendors were allowed to run rampant and take customers away from brick-and-mortar restaurants. The lawsuit sought an order against city officials to enforce street vendor regulations as well as $12 million in damages. Sitto says that his restaurant can be completely full and then totally empty out after the illegal street vendors move in. The issue was highlighted by an incident in which a restaurant worker angrily turned over the food cart of a street vendor before getting into a vulgar yelling match with a bystander. The worker was reportedly angry that the vendors had forced Henry's Pub, his employer, to go out of business after 25 years. Mareous Sitto told KGTV-TV that street vendors undermined his Doner Mediterranean Grill business to the point where he had to change it to a taco restaurant to lower food costs and compete with the illegal carts. "It used to be a shawarma place, and because the pricing was a little bit higher than the hot dog stands out there, we switched the business, and we decided to do a taco shop," said Sitto. "I lose between $1,500 to $2,000 a night," he added. The city council strengthened a law restricting street vendors in February, but business owners said that officials did not enforce the law enough and police often ignored the violators. The lawsuit was filed against San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, the city council, and the city. RELATED: Class-action lawsuit claims San Diego officials who cleared out encampments violated constitutional rights of the homeless Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images A report investigating street vendor businesses in California found that many were manned by illegal aliens who had been coerced by criminal organizations that blackmailed them into working for next to nothing. The victims were often threatened with violence if they did not work to pay off money owed for smuggling them into the U.S. Sitto says that his restaurant can be completely full and then totally empty out after the illegal street vendors move in. "Last Saturday we were busy, from like 6 p.m. all the way until 12:30 a.m. nonstop," he said. "My shop was completely full all the time," he said. "At 12:30 a.m., these hot dog stands came into town, and it stopped. Empty."KGTV reported that it had reached out for comment from the mayor's office but did not receive a response. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A former contractor with a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development admitted to defrauding taxpayers of nearly $100,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.On Monday, Stephen Paul Edmund Sutton, a 53-year-old United Kingdom citizen, pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent kickback scheme from May through November 2015.'This is why shutting down USAID is such a good policy.'Sutton, employed through a contracting firm, previously worked as a logistics operations manager on a power distribution program in Pakistan that USAID funded. The program, launched in September 2010, aimed to support Pakistan's energy sector by facilitating improvements to the country's "government-owned electric power distribution companies."The U.S. Attorney's Office explained, "The main goal of the PDP was to improve the commercial performance of the participating distribution companies through technology upgrades and improvements in processes, procedures, and practices, as well as training and capacity building. Under the PDP contract, Sutton's employer subcontracted through purchase orders with vendors in Pakistan for certain goods and services."RELATED: USAID staff told to shred, burn sensitive documentsRELATED: Trump admin slashes 83% of USAID programs: Rubio Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesWhile employed, Sutton received "kickbacks of USAID funds used to pay for the services rendered."After battling extradition for over two years, he pleaded guilty on Monday to "one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning a program receiving federal funds." Sutton was sentenced to time served and turned over to federal immigration authorities.Sutton's supervisor also allegedly participated in the scheme. They apparently created two companies to obtain purchase orders for equipment. However, they reportedly distributed the profits to themselves by hiring "low-grade local vendors" to perform the work at a fraction of the contract rates."U.S. government sentencing documents indicate the agency was defrauded of almost $100,000 and that for his part, Sutton received at least $21,000 in kickbacks," the U.S. Attorney's Office stated. "Sutton's co-conspirator is also charged by indictment, and his case is pending disposition."A State Department spokesperson told Blaze News, "This recent legal victory in federal court delivers much-needed accountability on an individual who conspired to steal tens of thousands of dollars from American taxpayers and divert resources away from lifesaving assistance.""It is also just another reason why ensuring foreign aid contracts have proper oversight under the State Department is crucial to the future of how America administers aid," the spokesperson added.USAID wasteSince President Donald Trump began his second term, USAID has been heavily scrutinized for its wasteful spending and vulnerability to fraudulent activity.The Department of Government Efficiency previously uncovered millions of dollars in wasteful spending on propaganda, climate hysteria, LGBT advocacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. As a result, the Trump administration has pushed to significantly restructure USAID, including moving it under the domain of the Department of State and eliminating most of its programs. Oversight Project President Mike Howell told Blaze News, "A great way to prevent fraud and abuse in government spending is to throw less money around third-world countries that passes through the hands of contractors and other entities. The idea that we can ever competently and safely spend money in those regions without it being siphoned off is lunacy. This is why shutting down USAID is such a good policy."Editor's note: Mike Howell is a contributor to Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Law enforcement authorities reportedly uncovered an explosives lab in the home of Guy Edward Bartkus, the FBI's sole suspect in the Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic car bombing on Saturday.Agents discovered "huge quantities of highly explosive materials," including PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources. PETN, a chemical compound used in commercial detonators, has been utilized for decades in terrorist attacks across the globe.'Basically, it just comes down to, I'm angry that I exist and that nobody got my consent to bring me here.'Thomas Bickel, Bartkus' neighbor, told the Post that FBI agents evacuated his Twentynine Palms neighborhood after the bombing attack. "Five FBI agents came knocking on my door. ... They told me, 'The house behind you has suspected bomb-making materials,'" Bickel told the news outlet. "I talked about it with agents. There was a full-blown bomb lab in this guy's house."Bickel, a father and Army veteran, stated, "I know how powerful and destructive IEDs can be."He added, "Sitting here with my kids, knowing that this guy was 50 feet away — a bomb of that magnitude could have destroyed our house. Just knowing that he was working on that right here while I was hanging out with my kids — it was pretty insane."RELATED: Fertility clinic bombing suspect declared war on 'pro-lifers' in alleged manifesto Photo by GABRIEL OSORIO/AFP via Getty ImagesThe FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.Saturday's bombing targeted the American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic, resulting in severe damage to the building and other nearby structures. Bartkus, 25, died in the blast, and at least four others were injured. According to the fertility clinic, no embryos were destroyed."DNA testing of the decedent's remains found at the scene of the Palm Springs vehicle explosion is a positive match to Guy Edward Bartkus, the suspect in the clinic attack," the FBI stated.Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, confirmed that the attack was an "intentional act of terrorism" motivated by "nihilistic ideations."Bartkus was described as an "anti-natalist" who was active online, including online forums such as Reddit.His alleged online manifesto read, "The end goal is for the truth (Efilism) to win, and once it does, we can finally begin the process of sterilizing this planet of the disease of life.""Life can only continue as long as people hold the delusional belief that it is not a zero sum game causing senseless torture, and messes it can never, or only partially, clean up," it continued. "I think we need a war against pro-lifers."The alleged manifesto encouraged viewers to "download the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic."RELATED: Wyoming abortion ban blocked hours after suspect arrested in connection to clinic fire — (@) The suspect allegedly shared a 30-minute audio recording explaining why he decided to "bomb an IVF building.""Basically, it just comes down to, I'm angry that I exist and that nobody got my consent to bring me here," he allegedly stated.He noted that he was "very against" IVF, citing that it is not possible to obtain consent from those who are not yet born, according to the recording."Basically, I'm anti-life," Bartkus allegedly said. "And IVF is like kind of the epitome of pro-life ideology."Bartkus' estranged father told KTLA that his son had a history of setting fires as a child, including burning down their family home at 9 years old.The anti-natalist movementSimone and Malcolm Collins with the Pronatalist Foundation, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about demographic collapse, detailed the anti-natalist movement and its growing popularity across online forums.They told Blaze News, "Antinatalism is a negative utilitarian philosophy, meaning they either believe positive emotional states have no value or are trivial experiences and the core goal of all life should be the eradication of suffering."They noted that the fertility clinic bombing was not the first suicide attack motivated by the anti-natalist movement, citing the Sandy Hook shooting.'Their ultimate goal is to see all of us dead and human civilization snuffed out in its infancy.'Simone and Malcolm Collins explained that antinatalism "has always been the logical end state of the urban monoculture that dominates progressive culture." "However, we would be remiss to not mention that antinatalism appeals disproportionately to individuals who have unusually high amounts of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy as has been confirmed in multiple academic studies," they added."Their ultimate goal is to see all of us dead and human civilization snuffed out in its infancy," Simone and Malcolm Collins stated.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 19 aimed at reducing the scope of the federal bureaucracy. The U.S. Institute of Peace, a think tank with an apparent problem with political bias and a budget last year of $55 million, was among the federal entities whose non-statutory components and functions Trump sought to eliminate "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." Sure enough, the administration canned 10 voting members of the USIP board of directors along with the institute's president, former Clinton official George Moose; terminated nearly all of the institute's staff and activities around the world; had elements of the Department of Government Efficiency take over the institute's headquarters on March 17; and transferred USIP's property to the General Services Administration. This proved intolerable to four outgoing members of the board and the board's chair, John Sullivan — Biden's ambassador to Russia at the time of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine — who filed suit on March 18. 'The United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget but failed to deliver peace.' The Obama judge who previously found that Trump's firing of a member of the National Labor Relations Board was an "illegal act" reversed the administration's USIP-related actions in a ruling Monday, declaring that the changes undertaken at the institute by officials affiliated with the DOGE were "effectuated by illegitimately installed leaders who lacked legal authority to take these actions, which must therefore be declared null and void." U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell not only reinstated Moose as USIP president and reversed the administration's key changes but banned defendants — among them, Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — from "further trespass against the real and personal property belonging to the Institute and its employees, contractors, agents, and other representatives." When the DOGE took control of the USIP headquarters, Moose had remained inside until forced to leave by Washington, D.C., police. RELATED: Trump's birthright citizenship order may not fly — but activist judges could soon find themselves grounded Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Howell assigned greater weight to the judgment of a previous president than the one elected to now run the country, stating, "The President second-guessed the judgment of Congress and President Reagan in creating USIP 40 years ago," and claimed that Trump's efforts "represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP." When pressed for comment about U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's ruling, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Blaze News, "The United States Institute of Peace has existed for 40 years on a $50 million annual budget but failed to deliver peace. President Trump is right to reduce failed, useless entities like USIP to their statutory minimum, and this rogue judge's attempt to impede on the separation of powers will not be the last say on the matter." Congress established the USIP under the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1985 to serve as: an independent, nonprofit, national institute to serve the people and the Government through the widest possible range of education and training, basic and applied research opportunities, and peace information services on the means to promote international peace and the resolution of conflicts among the nations and peoples of the world without recourse to violence. Howell noted that the institute is "unique in its structure and function" because it is neither a "traditional Executive branch agency nor an entirely private nonprofit corporation," adding that USIP officers and employees "are considered federal employees only for limited, express purposes." 'USIP has transferred ~$13M to its private Endowment, mainly used for private events and travel.' The Heritage Foundation noted in a report last year that the USIP had "expanded its remit far beyond the intent of the [United States Institute of Peace Act of 1984] — and to such an extent that the mandated activities and lawful purposes of the institute are hardly reflected in its current portfolio." In addition to the USIP overstepping its bounds, Heritage noted that the institute is not bipartisan, as required by law. "The USIP is neither nonpartisan nor bipartisan. Political contribution analysis suggests that its staff are almost entirely Democrat, indicating political discrimination (i.e., a 'political testing') in its hiring decisions," claimed the Heritage report. "The USIP's Republican board members lack significant connection to the most recent Republican president and current nominee for president." RELATED: Will the Supreme Court rein in rogue judges — or rubber-stamp them? Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images Weeks after it conducted its March house-cleaning, the DOGE alleged on X that the prior management at the institute, which "receives $55M in congressional (taxpayer) funds" annually, "would sweep excess funds into its private Endowment (zero congressional oversight)" and that "in the past 10 years, USIP has transferred ~$13M to its private Endowment, mainly used for private events and travel." The DOGE also alleged that USIP's contracts included: "$132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, an ex-Taliban member who was Afghanistan's former Chief of Protocol"; "$2,232,500 to its outside Accountant, who attempted to delete over 1 terabyte of accounting data (now recovered) after new leadership entered the building"; "$1,307,061 to the Al Tadhamun Iraqi League for Youth"; and "$675,000 for private aviation service." George Foote, a former lawyer for the institute who helped bring the lawsuit, told the Times that "the culture is intact, and the management and staff are ready to go back to work." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While the likes of Industry Giant used to rule the production line game roost back in the day, more recent entries in the series have a lot more competition to face up against these days. Ambitious breakout hits like Satisfactory, simple yet satisfying experiences like Shapez 2, and obscenely addictive games like Factorio are now the go to destinations for folks that love building and resource management. Now seeing a resurgence, three years after launching in early access, Captain of Industry is the latest challenger to see a huge spike in popularity. After dropping a massive update last week, it's now setting new player count records on Steam. Continue reading 94% rated Captain of Industry hits new Steam high after enormous new update MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best building games, Best management games, Best simulation games

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