Sacramento wants to criminalize investigating corruption The Sacramento, California, Assembly Judiciary Committee voted 11-2 on Monday to advance AB 2624, which is dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.” The act is actually called “The Safe at Home Act,” and it’s billed as a privacy act. Nick Shirley, a citizen journalist, uncovered Medicaid fraud among a mostly immigrant population. California wants him stopped. They don’t want citizen journalists they can’t control. If a citizen journalist shows up a fake hospice immigrant center with a camera, for example, the pro-crime government will levy fines starting at $4,000. These government types hate the 1st Amendment, which is under assault nonstop. It is unlawful to knowingly violate the 1st Amendment. California legislators are trying to make investigating fraud illegal https://t.co/tmWik0Z1iv — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 13, 2026 The bill was authored by Bolshie Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (wife of another Bolshie, Attorney General, Rob Bonta). Rob Bonta claims he has been investigating this all along, but he hasn’t, not in earnest. Lately, he has stepped up the arrests of a few, but doesn’t address the core problem. He’s not a serious lawman. Bonta is serious about having all immigrants’ and illegal immigrants’ backs. California Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) is slamming state Democrats for voting to advance a controversial new law, Assembly Bill 2624, by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), to silence citizen journalists and shield taxpayer-funded organizations from public scrutiny, according to the California Globe. I guess she didn’t like the bad publicity her husband got for his lack of action in this matter. We wish Assemblyman DeMaio success, but it is California. Mrs. Bolshie B The post The Problem with Crime in California Is the Criminals Are in Office appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Free to use PexelMohan Nannapaneni Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA The COVID money is gone, health care has increased, and the town of South Hadley, Massachusetts. According to the Wall Street Journal, the politicians want a 50% increase in property taxes over five years. They claim they have been cutting. Although, it would be interesting to see what their welfare and illegal alien budget is like. Do they ever cut that? Democrats have an affordability problem, and it has hit hard in South Hadley. Without millions in additional taxes, local officials warn, there will be deep cuts: no school sports or extracurriculars and slashed Advanced Placement offerings, along with hits to police. public-works staffing. and senior programs. Welfare, a bloated administration with high salaries, and people here illegally are not lined up for cuts. This Is How the Government Becomes the First Owner of Your Home Critics counter that a potential 50% jump in property-tax bills, even phased in over five years as envisioned, would overburden residents already feeling higher prices for groceries, gas, and other essentials. Some opponents say the town should instead cut what they deem to be excessive local government salaries and bloat. Towns are facing the end of federal pandemic-era aid that propped up budgets. “It’s really a preview of what communities across the country are going to face,” Morrill said. “I think South Hadley’s perhaps the canary in the coal mine.” The federal budget increased 42% under COVID. A similar vote on March 31 in Malden, Mass., narrowly failed. A disappointed Mayor Gary Christenson said officials would identify cuts needed to balance the city budget, adding, “We will find a way to move forward together.” “People are not just concerned about what’s happening in their own lives,” Wong said. “They’re really concerned about what’s happening with their neighbors, both in terms of the services that we need, but also the financial impact.” Massachusetts law generally caps annual increases in property tax revenue at 2.5%. Anything more requires voter approval. Faced with a $3 million deficit, South Hadley’s elected selectboard put two override questions on the ballot—one for $9 million, one for $11 million. Either would permanently lift the sum that can be raised via property taxes well above the current $35 million. If the $11 million option passes, owners of an average home valued at $417,000 would see their property tax bill rise from $5,640 to $8,477, likely over five years, the town says. If neither passes, that same bill would reach $6,472 in that span. That doesn’t account for rising property assessments, which have been going up. Politicians view your home as their ATM. The post COVID $$$ Gone: South Hadley Wants a 50% Property Tax Increase appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

While Americans scramble to get their tax filings submitted, Democrat leaders are pushing to tax the rich (and middle class) even more so than they already do. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tax Day has arrived again, and our April 15 condolences go to those who pay the bulk of the nation’s bills. This group is smaller than many Americans realize, and the Democrats are reiterating their claim that the wealthy won’t contribute their “fair share.” Sen. Cory Booker has a bill to raise the top individual income tax rate to 43% from today’s 37%. Sen. Chris Van Hollen wants 49%. Both proposals would also eliminate income taxation for many lower earners. Tax and spend is all they have. Exempting large numbers of people from federal taxes provides Democrats with their dependent underclass. Freebies also disengage the non-taxpaying public from responsibility. Everyone should invest in federal taxes. Almost half the country avoids paying federal taxes, which means the other half, including the middle class, pays for those who avoid paying. It is a form of wealth redistribution. The notion that America’s income tax is biased against the working class is a progressive fantasy. According to IRS data, the top 1% of income-tax filers in 2022 contributed 40.4% of total revenue. The top 10% of filers paid 72%. The top quarter contributed 87.2%. The reason the left loves the “fair share” language is that it excuses Democrats from ever having to define it. If the top 10% of income-tax filers are already paying nearly three-quarters of the burden, what would Mr. Booker and Mr. Van Hollen consider equitable? Eighty percent? Eighty-five? We speculate that they would seize everything if they could somehow safeguard George Soros and their donors. Democrats think your money is their piggy bank to use at will. The average tax refund is about 11% higher so far this season than during the same period in 2025, according to IRS filing data. As of April 3, the average refund amount for individual filers was $3,462, up from $3,116 about one year ago, the IRS reported on Friday. The post Theft Alert! Tax Time & Democrats Want Your Money appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The United States is set to receive and refill more than 100 oil tankers as the war with Iran has disrupted global energy flow. They took off two weeks ago, deciding not to wait it out in the Strait of Hormuz. They probably also don’t like getting blown up. According to Fox News, 121 empty oil tankers are en route to the U.S. Gulf, 68 of which are “Very Large Crude Carriers,” or VLCCs. The tankers are likely headed largely to Texas, where most crude export terminals and ports are located. According to Energy News Beat,, the U.S. Gulf Coast churns out around 7 million barrels of oil daily, with room to increase as demand soars, writes RSBN Network. “With capacity headroom and record bookings already in place, U.S. Gulf Coast exports are poised to set new highs in the coming months — cementing America’s role as the world’s swing supplier and ‘gas station,’” writes ENB’s Clark Savage. We don’t threaten or blow people up when they sail to Texas. It’s so funny how California can’t get Texas oil. They demand a specially refined oil to satisfy their extreme climate agenda, and get their oil from the Middle East or India. "A ship tracking firm reports 121 empty oil tankers are making their way to the United States… President Trump has urged countries squeezed by Iran's disruption of the Strait of Hormuz to turn to American energy supplies instead." pic.twitter.com/1UBqybljJx — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 13, 2026 The post 121 Empty Oil Tankers Head to the USA to Fill Up with Iran Closed appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Donald Trump warned on April 13 that the United States could destroy any Iranian vessels approaching its newly announced blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump said in a post to TruthSocial. He was alluding to operations used against drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump said that Iran’s navy had suffered significant destruction, with 158 ships “completely obliterated.” He added that smaller “fast attack ships” had not been targeted previously because they were not considered a significant threat. U.S. Central Command later clarified that ships traveling between non-Iranian ports would still be allowed to pass through the strait, allowing continued traffic through one of the world’s most important shipping routes as long as Iranian ports are avoided. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said 34 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. PUTIN’S OFFER Russia has offered to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium as a way to ease nuclear tensions and revive stalled talks. The proposal could reduce proliferation risks, but it depends on whether Washington and Tehran accept outside control over a core issue in the dispute. Pakistan, Russia, and China are Iran’s alleged allies. None of the three would consider giving Iran a nuclear weapon. They know the leadership of Iran is unstable and generally crazy. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is just as zero-sum-minded as the Islamic clerics they protect. And there are so many of them. Having Russia take the uranium might be feasible. The post President Trump Issues a New Warning & Russia Makes an Offer appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.