A juror on former President Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York City was dismissed Thursday after prosecutors raised concerns that he may not have answered truthfully to all questions as part of jury selection‚ according to multiple reports. Prosecutors questioned whether the man‚ an IT consultant who was one of seven jurors sworn in Tuesday‚ had been honest in answering a question about whether he or a relative had been convicted of a crime‚ The New York Times reported. Prosecutors voiced concerns after discovering an article describing an individual with the same name who was arrested in the 1990s for tearing down right-wing political posters. It is not known whether the juror confirmed it was him because he was questioned out of reporters’ earshot‚ according to The Associated Press. Judge Juan Merchan said the juror had “expressed annoyance about how much information was out there about him in the public‚” according to NBC News. This is the juror whom prosecutors said shared a name with someone once arrested for tearing down political posters — something that wasn't disclosed during voir dire. https://t.co/VjtAMppdDV— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 18‚ 2024 The juror’s dismissal initially brought the count back down from seven selected jurors to five. Another juror was released earlier when she expressed concerns about her ability to be impartial after friends and others asked whether she was a juror‚ NBC News reported. NEWSA 12-person jury has been selected for Trump's first criminal trial in New York.After a flurry of peremptory and for-cause challenges‚ jury selection progressed in a fast and furious fashion. An alternate already has been chosen.— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 18‚ 2024 The judge directed reporters Thursday not to report physical descriptions of jurors or note their place of employment‚ according to multiple reports. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Trump Juror Dismissed After Prosecutors Question His Honesty on Arrest Record appeared first on The Daily Signal.

It’s been a week since a liberal‚ 25-year veteran editor for National Public Radio published a damning online essay about the network’s biased‚ left-wing coverage‚ and there appears to have been no self-reflection by NPR’s powers that be. Uri Berliner‚ who authored the essay‚ was chastised by NPR employees‚ suspended‚ and finally submitted his resignation Wednesday. I can’t say I’m surprised. With apologies to Berliner‚ who said that he’d rather see the taxpayer-subsidized network reform itself and get back to serving the broader public‚ rather than be defunded‚ he hasn’t quite come to grips with the depth of the problem. The West’s compromised and radical institutions won’t reform willingly. They are part of a tightly knit‚ self-reinforcing system that uniformly rewards left-wing ideology and punishes even mild dissent. If you want a look at where NPR is headed‚ just take a look at the social media posts of the network’s new CEO‚ Katherine Maher‚ who took over at the helm in January. Old media posts and media appearances paint an almost ludicrously predictable picture of what NPR has become. The portrait they create is of a woman who seems more like an AI bot crafted by Google employees‚ rather than a real person. She has backed every left-wing cause‚ cheered every Democratic presidential candidate with pom-poms‚ and riffed on the news with every kind of woke inanity you can think of. Follow journalist Christopher Rufo on X for the latest: https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo. Here are some of the more noteworthy reveals. This is what she said about “truth” at a 2022 TED Talk‚ when she was the CEO of Wikimedia. “Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that is getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done‚” she said. “That is not to say that the truth doesn’t exist or to say that the truth isn’t important. Clearly‚ the search for the truth has led us to do great things … [but] one reason we have such glorious chronicles to the human experience and all forms of culture is because we acknowledge there are many different truths.” Here's the new NPR CEO Katherine Maher (and former chief executive of Wikipedia) explaining that &;quot;the truth&;quot; is an outdated concept.Everyone can have their own truth: pic.twitter.com/LyUGXSBI8g— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 17‚ 2024 Maher is all aboard the relativistic “my truth” train. She said she cracked down on the “free and open” ethos at Wikipedia because it was too often based on a “white male‚ Westernized construct” that led to “exclusion of communities and languages.” It’s no surprise then that she’s not a huge fan of the problematic First Amendment‚ which she saw as the “No. 1 challenge” to combating what she called “disinformation and misinformation.” She said she coordinated with the government to suppress content related to COVID-19 and the 2020 election. As a quick reminder to our nation’s cultural elites like Maher: The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech‚ not because all speech is good‚ but because it was the best way to protect the truth. Why does the head of a major media organization seem to have a problem with a constitutional amendment protecting the free press&;#63; The problem at NPR isn’t just the woman in charge. If anything‚ it seems like the most empowered employees want to do more to smash dissent and control the narrative. Are these employees in the majority&;#63; Who knows‚ but given how quickly Berliner was purged‚ it doesn’t take a lot to surmise that people like him aren’t going to be listened to behind closed doors. So‚ what can be done to fix NPR&;#63; I’d suggest that asking for the network to fire Maher might be satisfying‚ but won’t ultimately solve the underlying problem. If NPR were to fire her‚ she would likely just be replaced by another AI chatbot with similar‚ but perhaps slightly stealthier opinions. Many on the Left believe—correctly—that their position within America’s most elite institutions is unassailable. Speaking the generic‚ DEI-laden language of the institutions is how one makes it to the top in the institutional rat race. This is why the nation’s most elite private high schools are often even more absurdly left-wing than public schools. They know that the path to success doesn’t just come from grades‚ or accomplishments‚ or genuine merit. Instead‚ it comes from a combination of immutable and select mutable personal characteristics and from relentlessly being on the right side of the “narrative” at all times. That’s how revolutionary regimes often operate‚ whether it be France in the late 18th century or the Soviet Union in the early 20th century. Maher played that game flawlessly‚ which is why today she is NPR’s CEO. “The new CEO of NPR is part of a rising cohort of affluent‚ left-wing‚ female managers who dominate HR and DEI‚” Rufo wrote for City Journal. “… They value safety over liberty‚ censorship over debate‚ and relativism over truth.” In some rare cases‚ somebody different rises to the top and is willing to defy institutional left-wing gatekeepers. That’s the Elon Musk model and why his takeover of Twitter‚ now X‚ was such a big deal. That’s unlikely to happen with NPR‚ as it’s more directly connected to higher education and the federal government. The only way forward for positive “change” at NPR is to not only pull the plug on the network’s direct funding‚ but also to cut off the flow of grant money that has floated many of its most ridiculous programs. Out of the hundreds of millions of dollars Congress appropriates to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting‚ a significant amount is appropriated to local NPR affiliates through grants. Maybe if NPR is totally defunded and forced to operate on its own‚ the network will have to finally reckon with its narrow‚ shrunken audience. BREAKING: Rep. Jim Banks to introduce legislation to defund NPR. The American people should not be subsiding a CEO who is explicitly anti-truth‚ anti-speech‚ and anti-First Amendment. https://t.co/qndvhuPExw— Christopher F. Rufo &;#63;&;#63; (@realchrisrufo) April 18‚ 2024 Let’s stop using taxpayers’ money on media organizations with leaders that treat the First Amendment as if it’s problematic. Is that too much to ask&;#63; The post NPR Is in Turmoil. But Nothing Will Change If It Keeps Getting Taxpayer Subsidies. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Born in Coatzacoalcos‚ Mexico‚ Salma Hayek is one of the most successful actresses in the world. She's shined in projects such as Desperado‚ 30 Rock‚ Grown Ups‚ and works as a producer‚ too. Fans will want to look through these gorgeous photos of Hayek both on and off-screen. One of the movies Salma Hayek is best known for is the titular role in 2002's Frida. Her stellar performance earned her a... Source

Good: Google Fired Them

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested at Columbia University

Rep. Gallagher Releases More Details on Decision on Early Leave from Congress

Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere and if you’re looking to give your garden an all-natural boost‚ scientists have a simple trick: don’t cut your lawn. Gardeners and bug lovers have long sworn by this advice‚ but it's now been reaffirmed by scientific research. In a new study‚ scientists at Butterfly Conservation in the UK found that allowing parts of your garden to grow wild with long grass can increase the number of butterflies by up to 93 percent. “Nature is in crisis; 80 percent of butterflies have declined since the 1970s‚ so we need to take action now to protect them‚” Dr Richard Fox‚ Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation and co-author of the study‚ said in a statement sent to IFLScience. “We wanted to be able to give tried and tested gardening advice that will benefit butterflies as we know lots of people want to help. This study proves‚ for the first time‚ that allowing a patch of grass to grow long will attract more butterflies into your garden‚” Dr Fox continued.To reach these findings‚ the team analyzed butterfly sightings from more than 600 gardens across the UK‚ collected by members of the public over a period of six years. The results showed that gardens with long grass had a significantly higher number of butterflies recorded‚ as well as a greater variety of species. In rural areas‚ gardens with long grass saw up to 93 percent more butterflies‚ while those in urban areas had an 18 percent rise. The European peacock‚ aka the peacock butterfly‚ is a colorful butterfly‚ found in Europe and temperate Asia.Image courtesy of Andrew Cooper/Butterfly ConservationOne of the main reasons that butterflies and other insects are on the demise is habitat destruction. Simply put‚ fewer wildflowers and shorter grass means fewer places for butterflies to feed and breed. By letting grass grow long and full‚ it helps to provide vulnerable bugs with much-needed shelter and can help fight back against the wider trend of insect decline.Along with humble grass‚ the study found that flowering ivy can also raise the number of certain butterfly species – including holly blue‚ red admiral‚ and comma – because they provide the insects with a breeding habitat and nectar source.Even a little bit can make a big difference‚ the researchers say. They found that even just leaving a small portion of grass uncut could help to encourage butterflies to return. Likewise‚ people without gardens can help by planting long grass or wildflowers on their balcony or in a window box.“The simple act of creating wild spaces by allowing a patch of grass to grow long‚ or a border edge to go wild is free and easy to do‚ and can significantly boost butterfly numbers‚ especially in urban and agricultural settings where they are most under pressure. The benefits of each individual wild space are small‚ but if thousands of people get involved the boost to butterflies could be huge‚” explained Dr Fox.The study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment‚

Earlier this week‚ Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was grilled in a Senate hearing about allegations of corruption after it was discovered that she had financial ties to some of the very electric vehicle companies she was tasked with regulating and forcing Americans to eventually buy. But none of that was addressed by ABC News in an interview conducted by The View cast on Thursday. Instead‚ America was treated to questions about how energy companies read meters‚ how stupid Trump voters were‚ and when she was running for president. The first question out of the gate came from co-host Sara Haines‚ which only served to promote next week’s Earth Day celebrations and to give Granholm the opportunity to lecture about how to shrink their “carbon footprint”: And as we're all gearing up to celebrate Earth Day‚ from your perspective‚ what is the single most important thing people watching – watching this right now can do to fight climate change and reduce or lower our own carbon footprint&;#63; Granholm also used the question to promote the electric vehicles she had a financial stake in‚ before divesting in response to conservative media scrutiny and an ethics complaint being filed. At no point did she receive any questions – let alone serious ones – about her financial ties or allegations of corruption and ethics violation. Instead‚ moderator Whoopi Goldberg asked about EVs in “the projects” and people without homes to charge them.     Goldberg also wanted Granholm to explain how her electricity company can read her meter: People are getting … electric bills that are insane and I don't understand how you can – Because I watch these guys. And they come and look at the little thing going around then they read the number. How do you know $300 is on there&;#63; How do you know to charge me that&;#63; Faux-conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin was as useless as ever since she didn’t grill Granholm either. Instead‚ she teed up the Secretary to blame the rise in gas prices on something other than President Biden. “Gas prices. They’re are somewhat on the rise‚ but they did go down significantly…What is the administration doing to lower those prices‚ and should we be worried about the conflict in the Middle East contributing&;#63;” she clownishly wondered. For her part‚ co-host Joy Behar proclaimed President Biden “cares about his grandchildren” because he was “working very hard” to stop climate change‚ while former President Trump “couldn’t care less about his grandchildren” because he wanted to “drill‚ drill‚ drill” and pointed out that off-shore wind turbines were harming whales. She panicked that “a new Washington Post poll shows that nearly half of Republicans now believe Trump that climate change is a hoax‚” and wanted Granholm to answer: “How do we convince these people to start believing the truth&;#63;&;#33;” Behar also asked one of the final questions‚ pushing Granholm to run for president. “Jennifer‚ when are you going to run for president&;#63;” she quipped. The View’s refusal to hold Granholm to account was important to call out because the show is under the ABC News umbrella. The transcript is below. Click &;quot;expand&;quot; to read: ABC’s The View April 18‚ 2024 11:32:45 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Welcome back. Our ABC news series‚ The Power of Us: People‚ Climate‚ and Our Future is kicking off just in time for next week's Earth Day and joining us now to weigh in on hot topics from rising temperatures and gas prices to how we can all do our part to save the planet‚ please welcome U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. [Applause] SECY. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (Department of Energy): Thank you so much. GOLDBERG: Welcome. Sara. SARA HAINES: Madam secretary‚ thanks for joining us. GRANHOLM: Yes‚ of course. HAINES: And as we're all gearing up to celebrate Earth Day‚ from your perspective‚ what is the single most important thing people watching – watching this right now can do to fight climate change and reduce or lower our own carbon footprint&;#63; (…) 11:35:02 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: What if you live in the projects&;#63; What if you don't have a home‚ what do you – (…) 11:36:48 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Okay‚ so while President Biden who cares about his grandchildren – GRANHOLM: Yes. BEHAR: -- is working very hard on this as you just pointed out‚ he has record climate investments‚ former president -- can't even say it‚ former p – p – p[resident] Trump he says he would be a dictator on day one and drill‚ drill‚ drill&;#33; You know‚ he couldn't care less about his grandchildren and he spreads conspiracy theories that wind turbines are killing whales and causing cancer. But here's the problem that makes me nuts. A new Washington Post poll shows that nearly half of Republicans now believe Trump that climate change is a hoax. How much more evidence do these people need when they see what goes on with hurricanes‚ et cetera‚ how do we convince these people to start believing the truth&;#63;&;#33; (…) 11:39:47 a.m. Eastern GRANHOLM: Whoopi‚ you don’t look convinced. GOLDBERG: I am convinced but I do have questions‚ because people are getting bills‚ energy bills. HOSTIN: Electric bills. GOLDBERG: Electric bills that are insane and I don't understand how you can – Because I watch these guys. And they come and look at the little thing going around then they read the number. How do you know $300 is on there&;#63; [Laughter] How do you know to charge me that&;#63; HOSTIN: Good point&;#33; (…) 11:40:10 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: More specifically‚ I did want to ask‚ Madam Secretary‚ gas prices. They’re are somewhat on the rise‚ but they did go down significantly. We’re seeing them rise a bit. Former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain had encouraged the President to focus on pocketbook issues to voters. What is the administration doing to lower those prices‚ and should we be worried about the conflict in the Middle East contributing&;#63; GRANHOLM: Yeah‚ we should and thank you for raising that. (…) 11:41:22 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Jennifer‚ when are you going to run for president&;#63; GRANHOLM: Oh‚ my lord. What were you saying&;#63; HOSTIN: Shouldn't gas companies be better corporate citizens and lower the prices and stop gouging the American people&;#63;&;#33; (…)

As to the double murder case against O.J. Simpson‚ there was so much evidence that his guilt was obvious. This evidence included‚ but was not limited to‚ blood at the crime scene and on and in Simpson’s white Bronco; a bloody glove found at the crime scene and a matching glove found at Simpson’s home; a knit cap‚ with hair that resembled that of Simpson‚ found at the crime scene; footprints matching Simpson’s foot size found at the crime scene; blood found in Simpson’s home; blood on socks found in Simpson’s home; and the limo driver‚ scheduled to pick up Simpson on the night of the murder‚ buzzed Simpson’s intercom and got no response. There was other evidence‚ including the infamous low-speed Bronco chase‚ not used against Simpson. Evidence was not used either because the prosecution elected not to use it‚ the judge refused to allow it‚ or certain things‚ like Simpson taking and flunking a polygraph‚ were inadmissible. One piece of evidence not used was testimony from a witness named Jill Shively. On the night of June 12‚ 1994‚ Shively saw a white Bronco driving quickly and recklessly from near the scene of the crime and around the time of the crime. The driver of the Bronco nearly hit Shively’s car. When she learned about the murders‚ she called the police‚ described what happened‚ gave them the Bronco’s license plate and identified the driver as Simpson. One would consider this a crucial piece of evidence placing Simpson near the crime scene on the night of the murders. Why did the prosecution choose not to use this eyewitness&;#63; Shively sold her story for $5‚000 to one of the tabloids. Lead prosec utor Marcia Clark believed this tainted Shively’s credibility‚ and Clark decided against putting her on the stand to face cross-examination. Besides‚ the prosecution reasoned‚ there is so much evidence pointing to Simpson’s guilt‚ why bother with an iffy witness&;#63; Simpson‚ without a lawyer present‚ was interviewed by the police the day after the murders. The detectives saw cuts on Simpson’s hands. Simpson claimed he sustained them “when I was rushing to get out of my house‚” but in his pretrial deposition he claimed the cuts came from a glass he broke in anger when he heard about the death of his ex-wife. The jury consisted of eight blacks. Given the jury’s unwillingness to apply reason and common sense‚ none of the evidence really mattered. Years after the trial‚ one of the jurors‚ a black woman named Carrie Bess‚ in an interview admitted she ignored the evidence. Interviewer: Do you think there are members of the jury that voted to acquit O.J. because of Rodney King&;#63; Bess: Yes. Interviewer: You do&;#63; Bess: Yes. Interviewer: How many of you do you think felt that way&;#63; Bess: Oh‚ probably 90% of them. Interviewer: 90%. Did you feel that way&;#63; Bess: Yes. Interviewer: That was payback. Bess: Uh-huh. Interviewer: Do you think that’s right&;#63; After that question‚ Bess just put up her hands and shrugged. During the trial‚ an inner-city New Jersey high school teacher wrote an article called “Race‚ O.J.‚ and My Kids.” It was published in a center-left magazine called The New Republic: “No more than four of my 110 students (most of whom are black) think O.J. Simpson is definitely guilty and few are willing to admit the possibility that he might be. This faith in Simpson is strongest among black girls. ... “One student suggested that Ron Goldman killed Nicole before killing himself and then throwing away the knife. Another believes the dog did it. Shenia suggested that Al Cowlings‚ Simpson’s best buddy‚ did it. Bryant believes the killer is O.J.’s son. Philip blames ‘that (gay) dude who wants to marry O.J.’; that would be Kato Kaelin‚ Simpson’s houseguest. ... “Jon‚ a bright student‚ had his own scenario: O.J. was shaving and cut himself. Kato took the blood from the shaving cut‚ brought it to the crime scene and dumped it.” What can one say other than this&;#63; O.J. Simpson has died. Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson were unavailable for comment.

Even though Russia invaded Ukraine over two years ago‚ the ongoing war between the two countries still has many people confused. Who’s the good guy in this situation&;#63; Surely‚ it’s not Putin. But Zelenskyy&;#63; What about the U.S. and the other countries offering aid to Ukraine&;#63; According to founder and CEO of “Truth in Media” Ben Swann‚ &;quot;none of the above&;quot; is the answer. Despite the various narratives surrounding the war‚ Swann claims that Ukraine is actually a pawn in a much bigger game. Swann recently joined Auron MacIntyre to explain how Ukraine became a “corrupt slush fund for the global managerial elite.” “Is there something particular about the culture or the way that Ukraine is structured or the corruption there that allows United States companies or officials to profit uniquely from Ukraine&;#63;” MacIntyre asked. “There’s a couple of things‚ actually‚” Swann said. “Ukraine itself was historically‚ in the last 40 years‚ infamously ... one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. ... It’s run by oligarchs; it was handed over and basically auctioned off to the highest bidder; it is essentially run by gangsters.” Further‚ “we have within the United States a whole lot of political players who have managed to get themselves involved in Ukraine‚” including the Biden family‚ which we know “has business interests” in the country‚ Swann explained. “Ukraine is being handed over. It’s not just about the war but the rebuilding effort afterwards; it’s the massive global funds that are being set up to administer hundreds of billions of dollars going back into Ukraine and the control of that.” Swann went on to explain that Argentina has had the highest International Monetary Fund debt of any country‚ which is why Javier Milei was elected — to hopefully recover their “famously destroyed economy.” However‚ once the warring between Russia and Ukraine comes to an end‚ “by a long margin ... it will be Ukraine.” A lot of the global money being funneled into Ukraine — money we’ve been told is a generous gift to aid their war against Russia — “is no longer a gift” and “no longer aid.” “It’s a loan‚” Swann said. “[The money] is all being restructured into loans that now the nation of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine will owe for generations” — billions‚ if not trillions of dollars that will take “lifetimes” to pay off. “If you really want to look at who’s at war with Ukraine and who just conquered Ukraine‚ it’s multinational corporations; it’s not Russia. The real winner — the real entity that has won a war without firing a bullet at the people of Ukraine — is multinational corporations that now own that country and will own it into the foreseeable future‚” Swann concluded. To hear MacIntyre’s response‚ watch the video below. — (@) Want more from Auron MacIntyre&;#63;To enjoy more of this YouTuber and recovering journalist's commentary on culture and politics‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.