Exciting news for Morgan Wallen enthusiasts! Studio teasers and unreleased song snippets hint at what's to come. Continue reading…

We get to live in a disruptive, consequential era—one for the history books. We wonder what they’ll say about today. Political correctness and cancel culture have made a major mark on our lives, but don’t seem to be aging well. The PC police have even gotten in the way of artists expressing themselves freely and enjoying a frictionless earning experience. So, now some top stars are using their considerable juice on the threat being posed to free speech and expression in the name of equity, empathy, and nondiscrimination.  They’re worth watching because they’re willing to absorb some near-term jeers to save comedy and free expression in the long run.  What if the superheroes who end up saving the day for our fundamental freedoms are actually jokers in disguise? Meaning, what if the battle between free expression and political correctness is decided with the help of humorists who saw the same troubling trend and decided to sound the alarm, despite inevitable blowback?  Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Joe Rogan, Bill Maher, Russell Brand, and Dave Portnoy are each thriving, and surely don’t make their lives easier by taking on cancel culture, but they’ve each decided to do so. These are non-conservatives warning us about the hard Left’s war on free speech. As we know, every great story requires brave protagonists and cynical antagonists. So, Free Speech’s Hall of Justice needs a Legion of Doom as its foil. Sadly, there are too many examples of professional jokesters who abandoned the pursuit of laughs in favor of partisan posturing and point-scoring. The Legion of Doom’s starting lineup is a murderers’ row of the formerly funny: Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Alec Baldwin, and Howard Stern.   Speaking of Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferers: What do Stern and Jimmy Kimmel have in common? Besides being preachy progressives, each has done blackface. That may not be a coincidence. Wokeness is a clutch survival skill in overcompensation nation. Conversely, the Hall of Justice led by Seinfeld and Chappelle are some of the most respected and respectable figures in our culture. And they’re each going against the grain and sanely saying the same thing: Freedom of speech is under attack, and it’s no laughing matter. Fatigued by the lifeguards of acceptable language, comedians’ jobs have gotten way harder and a lot less fun. And several distinguished stars have decided to go off-script and defend free expression.  Why it’s so remarkable is that they don’t need this mess. They have a lot to lose, yet each of them opted to bring more headaches and heat upon themselves. Perhaps with the Left shrinking what’s acceptable and playing for keeps, it forces one to throw the professional challenge flag, call for the referees, and assert the rulebook. Another observation about Seinfeld and Chappelle: They seem remarkably mature, peaceful, humble, free, and to be living the good life. They’re making the most of their talents and seem grateful for their good fortunes. That’s in stark contrast to the Legion of Doom’s talented team, who seem to have lost their lust for laughs and too often come off as condescending, cruel creeps. That raises the question: Who seems better adjusted and in it for the right reasons? Pay special attention to Seinfeld, Chappelle, Rogan, Maher and the rest. Not only are they supremely talented, but they may end up being more consequential  and do big and serious things, while our elected officials play court jesters. The post Some Comedians Stand Up for Free Speech, the Only Cause Celebre That Matters appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A new law in Minnesota that went into effect on June 1st allows all voters to permanently vote via absentee ballot. “Starting June 1, 2024, voters can sign up once to be mailed an absentee ballot for every election,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office announced. “On June 1, 2024, new election laws will take effect in Minnesota that make it easier to vote from home with a no-excuse absentee ballot and improve election integrity,” the announcement added. Minnesota allows for permanent absentee voting https://t.co/afRdYKKrMx pic.twitter.com/w7wG8kiD8e — New York Post (@nypost) June 4, 2024 From Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office: Starting June 1, 2024, Minnesota voters can sign up once to be automatically sent an absentee ballot before every election. All eligible voters can choose to join the permanent absentee voter list by checking the box on the interactive voter registration application. The online and paper applications can be found at mnvotes.gov/register. An absentee ballot allows a voter to vote by mail in the 46 days before an election. Since 2014, no excuse absentee voting has been available to all Minnesota voters and that permission extends to the permanent absentee list. No reason needs to be provided to receive an absentee ballot. The option to vote absentee for an individual election or a series of them is still available to Minnesota voters by completing an absentee ballot application at mnvotes.gov/absentee. Voters can choose to leave the permanent absentee voter list by written request to their county elections office. Voters will be removed from the list if an absentee ballot is returned as undeliverable, if the county receives notice of their death, or if their voter status changes to “challenged” or “inactive.” Minnesota votes to allow anyone on the electoral roll to permanently register as an absentee voter. Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/pcZbjMmDhs — AF Post (@AFpost) June 4, 2024 “Minnesota joined eight other states and Washington, D.C. to allow all voters, irrespective of disability status or age, to register online to permanently vote absentee,” The Center Square noted. Minnesota allows for permanent absentee voting. MORE CHANCES FOR ILLEGAL VOTING? https://t.co/alZP8w94dY — Jim (@DAYUNITEDSTATES) June 4, 2024 The Center Square reports: Residents can apply at mnvotes.gov/register. Those who wish to apply for absentee for only one election at a time can visit the same website. Ballots will still not count if received after election day, whether by mail, at a dropoff location or at the elections office. In addition to the new absentee rules, Minnesota residents can also now provide a description of their residence if they don’t have a specific address. This can include cardinal directions or distance from the closest crossroads. Twenty other states feature this on their voter registration forms, as does the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

Federal prosecutors arrested and charged the chief financial officer of The Epoch Times for an alleged “transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit himself and the media company.” Weidong Guan, a/k/a “Bill Guan,” is accused of conspiring with others to “benefit himself, the media company, and its affiliates by laundering tens of millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits and other crime proceeds.” “When banks raised questions about the funds, Guan allegedly lied repeatedly and falsely claimed that the funds came from legitimate donations to the media company. Today’s charges reflect this Office’s ongoing commitment to vigorously enforcing the laws against those who facilitate fraud through money laundering and to protecting the integrity of the U.S. financial system,” Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated. “No idea if the case has merits, but they have so many outstanding, quality people on staff and as contributors. Hope this doesn’t impact their jobs and the great work Epoch is doing,” Jordan Schachtel commented. Wow. Just saw that DOJ is going after the Epoch Times, and indicting their CFO. No idea if the case has merits, but they have so many outstanding, quality people on staff and as contributors. Hope this doesn’t impact their jobs and the great work Epoch is doing. — Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) June 3, 2024 Breaking: CFO of Epoch Times charged with partaking in money laundering scheme of at least $67 million: DOJ https://t.co/3d0gDjHjRr — John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) June 4, 2024 The United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York stated in a press release: According to the allegations contained in the Indictment: From at least in or about 2020, through in or about May 2024, GUAN, while working as the Chief Financial Officer of a multinational media company headquartered in New York, New York (the “Media Company”), conspired with others to participate in a sprawling, transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Media Company and related entities (together, with the Media Company, the “Media Entities”). In furtherance of the money laundering conspiracy, GUAN managed, among other teams, the Media Company’s “Make Money Online” team (the “MMO Team”), which was located in a particular foreign office of the Media Company. Under GUAN’s management, members of the MMO Team and others used cryptocurrency to knowingly purchase tens of millions of dollars in crime proceeds, including proceeds of fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, that had been loaded onto tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards. The crime proceeds were generally purchased by the scheme participants, including members of the MMO Team and others working with them, using a particular cryptocurrency platform, at discounted rates of approximately 70 to 80 cents per dollar, and in exchange for cryptocurrency. Once the crime proceeds were purchased, the MMO Team and other participants in the scheme used stolen personal identification information to open accounts, including prepaid debit card accounts, cryptocurrency accounts, and bank accounts, that were used to transfer the crime proceeds into bank accounts associated with the Media Entities. After the crime proceeds reached those bank accounts, they were often further laundered through other bank accounts held by the Media Entities, GUAN’s personal bank accounts, and through GUAN’s personal cryptocurrency accounts. In or around the same time the money laundering scheme began, the Media Company’s internal financial accounting reflected an increased annual revenue over the previous year of approximately 410%—from approximately $15 million to approximately $62 million. When banks asked GUAN about the increase in transactions entering the bank accounts of the Media Entities, GUAN lied, including to two U.S.-based banks, and claimed that the increase in funds came from donations. However, in 2022, GUAN wrote a letter addressed to a congressional office falsely stating “donations” constitute “an insignificant portion of the overall revenue” of the Media Company. Guan is charged with “one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of bank fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison,” the press release read. “The charges do not relate to the Media Company’s newsgathering activities,” it added. “Guan was arrested Sunday morning, and pleaded not guilty on Monday afternoon before a federal magistrate judge in Manhattan, according to a court notice. He was released on a $3 million personal recognizance bond, and his travel is restricted to parts of New York and New Jersey, among other restrictions,” CNBC wrote. The Epoch Times CFO charged in $67m money laundering plot https://t.co/q1tWajL4cG — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 3, 2024 CNBC reports: The Epoch Times in a statement said it has temporarily suspended Guan. “The company intends to and will fully cooperate with any investigation dealing with the allegations against Mr. Guan,” a spokesperson for the outlet told CNBC. “In the interim, although Mr. Guan is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the company has suspended him until this matter is resolved.” Guan, a resident of Secaucus, New Jersey, managed the Epoch Times’ “Make Money Online team,” which carried out the scheme to buy “crime proceeds” and transfer them to bank accounts linked to the media outlet, according to his indictment. From 2020 to 2024, the team allegedly used a crypto platform to buy tens of millions of dollars in crime proceeds at discounted rates, of 70 to 80 cents on the dollar, in exchange for cryptocurrency. The crime proceeds, which came from sources including “fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits,” were loaded onto tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards, prosecutors alleged. After purchasing the crime proceeds, participants allegedly used stolen personally identifiable information to open various types of accounts and transfer the proceeds into bank accounts linked with the media outlet and related entities. They were often laundered again through other accounts, including Guan’s own personal bank and crypto accounts, according to prosecutors.

The government of Cyprus has launched a criminal investigation into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s rampant fraud and corruption. According to reports, a company owned by Zelensky has purchased a 5-star casino hotel on the Mediterranean [...] The post Cyprus Gov’t Launches Criminal Probe Into Zelensky’s ‘Fraud and Corruption’ appeared first on The People's Voice.