The controversial president of Columbia University, Minouche Safik, has resigned effective immediately. 

Palm Beach is in a quandary over the Secret Service closing a busy road to provide more security after the barely unsuccessful attempted assassination of Donald Trump. It has created problems for residents and possibly some emergencies. The Palm Beach officials think they could shut down Mar-a-Lago and are looking into the legalities. It’s hard […] The post Palm Beach Might Shut Down Mar-a-Lago Over USSS Road Closure appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy is expected to select his former chief of staff to replace outgoing Sen. Bob Menendez, who announced he would be stepping down after his conviction on corruption charges.  Murphy will pick George Helmy, who worked as the governor’s chief of staff for four years, to replace Menendez, according to multiple reports. Helmy left Murphy’s team in October 2023 and became the chief external affairs and policy officer for RWJBarnabas Health.   Helmy received high praise from Murphy, who reportedly picked him over Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who won the Democratic primary for Menendez’s seat and is running to replace him in November’s election. Helmy would finish up Menendez’s term which ends in January.  “Simply put, you cannot write the history of our administration without recognizing George’s singular role in leading our team for over four and a half years,” Murphy said after Helmy left his office. The Republican nominee for Senate, Curtis Bashaw, praised the selection of Helmy. “Governor Murphy did the right thing in appointing a temporary caretaker to this seat and letting New Jersey voters make the ultimate decision on who will best represent them in the United States Senate come November,” he said. “On Election Day, I’m confident New Jerseyans will vote to make a change from the Democratic monopoly that has brought them decades of corruption, higher taxes, and chaos at the border.” WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI Menendez announced that he would leave the Senate by August 20 after he was convicted on 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. He will be sentenced on October 29 and faces up to 222 years in prison.  Prosecutors said that Menendez used his clout to help a friend secure a multi-million dollar investment deal from the Qatari government, in part by taking actions as a senator that benefited Qatar. They also said that Menendez was bribed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz.  The New Jersey Democrat was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when federal investigators say the bribery scheme took place.  Menendez believes that he will be able to reverse his convictions on appeal.  “Obviously, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury’s decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal,” he said after the conviction. 

Democrats got some serious blowback on Wednesday after they gleefully celebrated the media’s full-on reinvention of their newly anointed presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. After a disastrous debate performance, the party unceremoniously forced President Joe Biden to vacate the top of the 2024 ticket — and then foisted Harris on the voters, despite the fact that she’s never won a single presidential primary vote on her own merits. In the nearly four weeks since, despite Harris’ active avoidance of anything that looks like a camera or might pose a question, media outlets have undertaken the Herculean task of erasing everything she’s ever said or stood for in order to rebrand her as someone voters might actually like. On X, @TheDemocrats celebrated two of the most egregious examples—glowing profiles from Essence and TIME Magazine, the latter of which was written despite Harris’ refusal to give the outlet even a single quote. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI The breathless caption: “She’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment.” She’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment ? pic.twitter.com/GYJfbsd1ZK — The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) August 14, 2024 Critics weren’t buying it, however, and shared their thoughts on the media’s attempt at revisionist history. “You are witnessing the most blatant redesign of an inferior product since New Coke,” one social media user said. You are witnessing the most blatant redesign of an inferior product since New Coke. https://t.co/iQlXeCpnMj — Tandy (@dantypo) August 15, 2024 “She’s not an icon or a legend. She received precisely zero votes to be the Democrat nominee. You’ve now turned her into the second coming with propaganda. And people are buying it so I’ll give you that. I find it gross. She’s not a pop star, she’s the D candidate for president. Interviews? Policies? Nope. I’m so disappointed and disturbed that people are buying this. But here we are. Again. Buying bulls***,” Jennifer Sey posted. She’s not an icon or a legend. She received precisely zero votes to be the Democrat nominee. You’ve now turned her into the second coming with propaganda. And people are buying it so I’ll give you that. I find it gross. She’s not a pop star, she’s the D candidate for president.… https://t.co/4qafff3ubq — Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) August 15, 2024 “Please seek help,” Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro wrote. Please seek help https://t.co/Ovl69lUaJr — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 15, 2024 “Four (4) weeks ago, Kamala Harris was an embarrassment and a consensus joke to the vast majority of Americans, including the majority of Democrats. Now… an American legend. An icon. This is North Korea level propaganda,” another added. Four (4) weeks ago, Kamala Harris was an embarrassment and a consensus joke to the vast majority of Americans, including the majority of Democrats. Now… an American legend. An icon. This is North Korea level propaganda. https://t.co/E9b7ePtAQC — Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 15, 2024 “Look at these pictures. Look up the art movement called Socialist Realism. Look at these pictures again,” one suggested. Look at these pictures. Look up the art movement called Socialist Realism. Look at these pictures again. https://t.co/pe4E9alrcD — James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) August 15, 2024 Matthew Folds summed it up: “Media to DNC propaganda pipeline remains undefeated.” Media to DNC propaganda pipeline remains undefeated https://t.co/VeWF5fIbtV — Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) August 14, 2024

Multiple people were arrested on Thursday morning over the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that five people – including two doctors – have been charged in connection with Perry’s unexpected death at the age of 54. No information about the people arrested has been made public, but law enforcement sources told the outlet that they have been charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine, which was found at high levels in Perry’s system. The indictment, obtained by ABC, alleges that the doctors were the initial sources of Perry’s supply, but officials believe the drug became too expensive, so Perry found new sources, including a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen of Los Angeles.” Those arrested will also be charged with the death of an unnamed person referred to only as C.M. More information is expected later Thursday during a press conference. The “Friends” star was found face down in his hot tub on October 28, 2023, at his home in Pacific Palisades. The L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office determined he drowned but attributed his death to ketamine, which Perry had been taking as part of a therapy. The levels of ketamine found in his system, however, were so high they were close to the range that would be used for general anesthesia during surgery. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI “At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression,” the report said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Another contributing factor was buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction. Perry has been open about his struggles with addiction, even writing about his excessive drug use in a tell-all memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” which was published one year before his death. In the book, he wrote about using ketamine, which is a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties that is used in experimental treatments to help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, chronic pain, and more. “I often thought that I was dying during that hour. Oh, I thought, this is what happens when you die. Yet I would continually sign up for this s*** because it was something different, and anything different is good,” Perry wrote. Perry wrote that the ketamine treatments made him feel like he was “hit in the head with a giant happy shovel” but that the feeling he got from the hangovers “outweighed the shovel.” In late May, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) launched a joint criminal investigation to determine how Perry was able to get so much of the drug into his system. At the time, Former CIA and FBI special agent Tracy Walder told Page Six that multiple people could be charged and explained that Perry’s death could be connected to a drug ring.

A woman caught the most spectacular footage of a beach sunset through an arched piece of driftwood when a passing family of ducks made it even better! Anna Dravland shared the precious video on social media. She was already pretty excited when she discovered that the setting sun looked even more beautiful when filmed through the curved chunk of wood. However, a chance encounter turned this into a once-in-a-lifetime shot! While Anna was capturing the magnificent sunset through the driftwood, two teeny ducks waddled across the frame! They were immediately followed by a bigger, grown-up duck and even more little ones. Mama duck was watchful as her babies toddled down the shore, waiting for them to pass her by before bringing up the rear. Eventually, the entire family swam out into the water under the glow of the waning sunlight. @survivingwithgoodness I found a beautiful piece of driftwood to video the sunset through. Suddenly the cutest, most magical surprise came along. Happiness is…. #puremichigan #quack #cuteness #nature #sunset #yooper #lakesuperior #greatlakes #summervibes #jappyplace #babyducks ♬ Can’t Take My Eyes off You – Frankie Valli “I found a beautiful piece of driftwood to video the sunset through,” Anna wrote in her caption. “Suddenly the cutest, most magical surprise came along.” This video has been going viral on social media. Commenters were totally mesmerized by the photographer’s impromptu duck sighting while filming the sunset on the other side of the driftwood. “Couldn’t plan that in a million years!” wrote one user. “So freaking adorable!” Another added, “This is the end of a movie and you can’t convince me otherwise.” @survivingwithgoodness Replying to @Matthew Keeler This is how small the opening was. To capture their entire shapes and to have them fully in frame with the sunset was just AMAZING!!! #puremichigan #quack #natgeo #lakesuperior #nature #driftwood #photography #sunset #bts #greatlakes #yooper #ducks ♬ The Little Mermaid (Marimba Remix) – Harry Goes Boom! In another video, Anna gave viewers a better look at her filming set up. She shared footage of the hunk of driftwood through which she captured the sunset and the adorable ducks. In order to record the sky through the small arch, the woman had to lay flat on her stomach with camera in hand. It was definitely worth the effort to grab this incredible shot! Anna couldn’t have arranged for a better view if she’d tried. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Mesmerizing Footage Turns Adorable When Woman Accidentally Captures Unexpected Visitors appeared first on InspireMore.

'Who doesn’t keep a bottle of Cuervo Gold by their bedside table?'

There is no evidence to suggest that Hobby Lobby was an Olympic sponsor to begin with.