[Maru]

Dog leads authorities to missing Florida woman, authorities say
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-...say-rcna236106

Florida authorities released body cam footage on Monday that appears to show a dog leading a deputy sheriff to a woman reported missing by her husband that night.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office posted footage of the September 25 incident on Facebook on Oct. 6. The video begins by showing a man at the door of a home in Destin, Florida, a town about 50 miles east of Pensacola.

The man tells Deputy Devon Miller that his wife has been missing for an hour that evening. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said in an email that the woman is 86 years old, but declined to provide the couple's names.

"She just takes that dog, but she never takes more than 10 or 15 minutes," he said. "It's almost an hour now. It's over an hour now."

The video then shows Miller returning to their car and driving off before spotting the loose canine, which the sheriff's office identified as "Eeyore." Miller then gets outside to greet the dog before following it.

Eeyore then leads the deputy to the missing woman, who is near grass. The video does not show the woman, but Miller describes her to the sheriff's office as lying on the sidewalk, "alert and conscious."

Miller then tells the woman that the dog helped find her. The woman repeats back the deputy's comments in disbelief before revealing that Eeyore is her adult child's dog.

[Maru]

Buddhist monks continue peace walk despite accident injuries
https://kfdm.com/news/local/buddhist...ident-injuries

SETX — A group of Buddhist monks is persevering on their peace walk from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., despite facing challenges, including a recent accident in Dayton that injured two monks.

The monks began their journey on Oct. 26 at the Hong Dao Buddhist Temple and have covered nearly 300 miles. They aim to complete the 2,300-mile trek in 120 days.

The monks say their mission is to support a suffering society and promote healing worldwide. "We try to spread that love, loving kindness, compassion, and hopefully that everyone will be living in harmony and unity, and that is our purpose of walking," they said.

Supporters have been inspired by the monks' dedication. One supporter shared, "I woke up my daughter and I was like, hey, we got to go and we flew here... I think it's awesome what they're doing."

Despite the accident involving a pickup truck, which left one monk hospitalized, the group remains committed to their journey. "The surgery went well, and he's well, and he's happy. He supported this walk, and he wanted all the monks to continue walk in to finish this journey," they said.

[Maru]

[Maru]

Crazy judge

Glamorous female judge's career ends in disgrace after she was caught out in outrageous lie
https://mol.im/a/15379631

Central to the fabrications that the judge pushed was claims that she was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm - the name for the US-led Gulf War in the early 1990s - despite being aged just 16 at the time.

In the investigation into Foxworth-Roberts' insurance claim, it was found that she had claimed around $40,000 in jewelry and expensive goods were stolen from her car during a break-in.

As she was removed from the bench, the Supreme Court said in its majority ruling that her conduct 'calls into question her honesty and integrity — minimum qualifications the public expects from every judge.'

Writing in the decision to remove Foxworth-Roberts from the bench, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jay McCallum said officials were bemused by her continued attempts to defend herself.

'Rather than take responsibility for her conduct, (Foxworth-Roberts) has persisted with tortured explanations and excuses,' he wrote.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Yuki Maru Hoshi

Dog leads authorities to missing Florida woman, authorities say
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-...say-rcna236106

Well done, that dog

[Maru]

Upstream homeowners flooded by Addicks, Barker reservoirs during Harvey win major court ruling
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...ource=facebook

Catastrophic flooding during (Hurricane) Harvey

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls gated dams at the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which were built in the 1940s and can hold about 410,000 acre-feet of floodwaters in an emergency.

The reservoirs were constructed to prevent catastrophic flooding along Buffalo Bayou, in the city of Houston and along the industry-heavy Ship Channel. According to court rulings in the flood victims' case, urban sprawl encroached on the reservoirs over the years, measurably reducing the capacity to mitigate upstream flood damage when the water rises in the reservoirs.

Facing Hurricane Harvey's extreme rainfall in August 2017 that drenched Houston for days, Army Corps operators had to decide when to open the flood gates and allow water to flow downstream. Harvey caused major flooding for over 10,000 upstream homes and businesses, according to lawyers' estimates. Properties downstream were also flooded when the Army Corps opened the gates.

Flood victims with properties downstream of the reservoirs are still waiting for a separate lower-court decision after arguments in their trial concluded in early 2025.

Ruling in favor of homeowners

The panel affirmed the conclusion by the Court of Federal Claims that the Army Corps should have foreseen flooding on these adjacent properties, and that it was not a one-time occurrence.

"Every property owner whose land is subject to the government's flowage easement deserves compensation," said Charest, the property owners' lawyer, in a news release after the ruling was handed down. His firm worked with several others to represent flooded landowners in the case.

In the appeals court ruling issued on Dec. 22, the judges found that "the flooding was permanently recurring and, in the alternative, that, even if the flooding were characterized as temporary, it would still constitute a taking."

MORE COVERAGE: These 5 Houston-area neighborhoods saw the most floodplain development since Hurricane Harvey

The three judges did deviate from the lower court on how to calculate flood victims' damages, though, telling the Court of Federal Claims to leave out line items including lost rental income before recalculating the dollar figure owed to six bellwether property owners presented at trial.

The federal judge had initially ruled in 2022 that those six victims should get over $450,000 compensation in total, plus interest. The final decision on their compensation is designed to set the standard for payouts to other upstream litigants.

If all property owners flooded above Addicks and Barker join litigation efforts, the federal government could owe a combined 1.67 billion before interest, according to a 2022 estimate by Charest's firm.

I wonder how this will impact the flood control district.. because most of our watershed is dotted with retention/detention areas and those do overflow in extreme rainfall events causing damage. Granted, those homes would've likely flooded anyway without drainage...

The same could be said about the reservoir, but they made a very public decision to hold back the water. So it's a bit different than a passive system that collects water so that it has somewhere else to go/drain more slowly so that the bayou/watershed has more room to take water downstream without cresting.

Could effect other states also.

These are rainfall totals across several days (the worst of Harvey was a 3-day event iirc)

[Maru]

CAUGHT ON CAM: Escaped giant snow globe rolls through South Carolina town
https://www.wtoc.com/2025/12/29/caug...carolina-town/

EASLEY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A giant inflatable snow globe was caught on camera blowing through Easley on Monday morning.

A viewer said she watched the snow globe blow from a car dealership along Old Easley Bridge Road to a gas station across the street.

While rolling along, the inflatable can be seen running into street lights, tumbling over cars and bouncing off a power line before deflating over a home.

Youtube video

Hope that car dealership has liability coverage

[Maru]

Local police union at war with Houston Chronicle (local newspaper) for being terrible. Kinda sucks because they used to be good. I grew up reading their paper... and to be fair, it's the state of all media to write things for the effect it has rather than the information it provides, so not just this paper. Have seen information from sources well before it even hits coverage only to be reported very differently in the media. Not even just spin, just completely inaccurate and made up..., so that's not a new phenomenon for local news, sadly.

S: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BvqX7PBEH/

Op-Ed, by Douglas Griffith
Houston Police Officers' Union, President

The Houston Police Officers’ Union has always had a good working relationship with the media for the most part. As president, I have always been open and available to speaking with the media on any topic, good, bad, or indifferent. I am a very proud Houston Police Officer and believe that we have the best department in the nation! I also understand that we are not always perfect and will readily admit if or when we make a mistake. I have done this before with the SL Code cases, and other instances in the department. I believe that this is what gives the HPOU credibility within the community.

In the last few weeks, the Houston Chronicle has printed several stories about the immigrant mother whose “autistic” son was taken and placed with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ACF - ORR), or by Chronicle standards, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Several of these articles were crafted by the Editorial Board and not regular investigative reporters. Not only are these articles misleading, but the reports are crafted to produce an emotional outcome. The comments in the story are opinion based, as it does not have to be factual, just in the public mind.

The Chronicle has worked hard to make the public believe that the 15-year-old autistic migrant child was ripped from his mothers’ arms and placed into federal custody at the hands of incompetent police officers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Several of the Chronicle articles had headlines disparaging HPD like “Houston Police fractured a loving family”. Other articles had comments stating, “botched police investigation.” “Police fail at their most basic duty of protecting Houston Families”, and “the story is more about incompetence than malice,”. Each of these editorials disparage the great work of the officers of the Houston Police Department.

Have any of the editorial board writers or journalist reached out to the HPOU for comment? NO, because I do not believe that it would not fit their narrative. The department may not comment on current investigations, but the HPOU will. The body worn camera videos and reports generated the day Emannuel was found were provided to city council and many of them stated that the officers did a great job given the circumstances.

It is important to know that Emannuel told officers that he was homeless and from another country. Officers did what policy dictates and contacted Child Protective Services and followed their direction. Officers were told to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement and they did. The officers were advised to take the child to the Office of Refugee Resettlement as they match unaccompanied children with their families. That is exactly what happened and thank God it did. The child then had a medical emergency that his mother may not have been able to handle.

In at least four Chronicle news articles the headlines stated that Emannuel was autistic. This is not a factual statement, and the editorial board later pivoted by saying, “Though not diagnosed” his school records show he has learning disabilities. So now it is unclear to what extent or how severe Emmanuels issues are. It should be noted that Emannuel had conversations with firefighters and officers at the scene and according to Chronicle reporting, long conversations with his mother over the phone. It appears that he has the ability to understand what he was saying and what he told officers.

The editorial board blames HPD for failing to connect two different names. I know in their world they can Google and get different variations of different names. The department computers do not have that same ability. The officers who were called to help Emannuel did everything possible to help him. The editorial board running a headline of “Houston police called ICE on missing teen. Then they blamed his mom” is, in my opinion, inaccurate and inflammatory. In this editorial they insinuate that we blamed the mother, with the only evidence provided being Chief Diaz’s account of the incident at city hall.

The editorial board also stated that they found a complicated story, “one that reveals a botched police investigation and startling gaps that failed a child.” This is another claim that cannot be supported by facts only insinuations, as far as I can tell. Thanks to the officers, the child was safe and protected during this entire incident even to the point of receiving medical care.

These little hit articles by the Chronicle and the Editorial Board, do more damage to the community because of the accusations and fear that they spread. This is especially true right now in the immigrant community. HPD is dedicated to the safety and security of all Houston residents. It is for this reason that the Houston Police Officers’ Union will no longer provide statements to the Houston Chronicle, until a formal apology is printed to the HPD and its officers.

Until then, no further comments will come from the HPOU! Our officers and the citizens of Houston deserve to have a newspaper that prints only on facts, not politics and opinions!

- Douglas Griffith
Houston Police Officers’ Union, President

[Maru]

My in-laws came to town just in time for this

SWAT standoff ends with man in custody after coming down from roof of Chick-fil-A, HCSO says
https://abc13.com/post/swat-standoff...says/18378179/

[Maru]

OK lawmaker AJ Pittman resigns, pleads guilty to felony charges amid ethics investigation
https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-legis...investigation/

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – On Wednesday, State House Democrat Representative Ajay Pittman, who has been under fire after the Ethics Commission filed a lawsuit and accused her of fraud, has resigned.

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission announced the resolution of what they say is one of the most serious campaign finance enforcement matters in recent years, involving the intentional misuse of campaign funds, fraud, and falsified filings by the now former State Representative Ajay Pittman.

“This case involved intentional misconduct and deception, not reporting errors or technical mistakes,” said Lee Anne Bruce Boone, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. “Campaign funds are not personal funds, and when an elected official deliberately abuses that trust, the Commission will pursue every appropriate remedy available under the law.”

According to the Ethics Commission, under the terms of the settlement and agreed-upon judgment, Pittman admits that she knowingly and intentionally violated Oklahoma’s campaign-finance laws by converting campaign contributions to personal use, withdrawing campaign funds as cash for personal expenses, paying personal credit-card charges with campaign funds, submitting falsified campaign reports, and presenting fraudulent documents to the Ethics Commission.

Pittman further admits that this conduct constituted fraud and that these obligations cannot be
discharged in bankruptcy.

The Attorney General says Pittman appeared before a judge Wednesday morning and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Forgery in the Second Degree, and Violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.

...

[Maru]

Videos show ICE agents chasing, detaining individuals at Midland job site
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/vi...te/ar-AA1VlSro

Youtube video

MIDLAND, Texas (KMDI/KPEJ)- Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were allegedly involved in an enforcement operation Friday afternoon at a Midland construction site, according to videos obtained by KMID/KPEJ and various social media reports.

Videos sent to ABC Big 2 News show ICE agents chasing several suspects through the area. Other footage shows workers remaining on the roof of a home under construction as agents gathered below and attempted to get them to come down.

The additional video shows at least one individual being taken into custody. The total number of people detained has not been confirmed.

Midland Fire Department and Midland EMS were observed at the scene. Fire crews appeared to assist after workers remained on the roof for a period of time.

The activity occurred near the Stonebridge and Porterfield area, where multiple homes are currently under construction.

[Maru]

Jury finds Seattle NEGLIGENT in 2020 CHAZ killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr, awards family $30 MILLION
https://thepostmillennial.com/breaki...campaign=64530

A King County jury has found the City of Seattle negligent and liable for the 2020 death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was fatally shot in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), also known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). The verdict, delivered three-plus weeks after a month-long trial at the King County Courthouse presided over by Judge O'Donnell, stems from a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Mays Estate accusing the city of negligence in its handling of the zone, which protesters occupied for three weeks amid nationwide unrest following George Floyd's death.

The jury's ruling holds the city accountable for creating a "state-created danger" by abandoning the Seattle Police East Precinct, installing barricades that fortified the zone, and prohibiting police and emergency responders from entering the area, which plaintiffs argued enabled unchecked violence and delayed life-saving aid to Mays Jr. Jurors were required to determine whether the City was negligent in its response to the incident, and if so, whether such negligence contributed to Mays' death.


The 12-person jury awarded the family roughly $30 million in damages. Jurors found the City "negligent" and that its negligence was a "proximate cause of the death of Antonio Mays Jr."

...

[Maru]

Plan to tax drivers per mile ‘is a direct assault on the everyday Californians’
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/ne...vers-per-mile/

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A California Assembly bill could drive the state closer to a mileage-based tax system.

AB 1421 passed its third Assembly reading 43-18 Thursday.

One of those no votes was Valley Assemblymember David Tangipa.

“This is a direct assault on the everyday Californians in rural portions of California that own gas vehicles,” Tangipa said.

The bill would not itself enact the mileage tax, but would launch research into how much to charge drivers per mile and how to collect that money.

The research would have to be finished and presented by Jan. 1, 2027, so they can move forward enacting the milage tax.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Lori Wilson, said, “AB 1421 asks a basic fairness question: How do we ensure all motorists pay their fair share, no more and no less?”

California’s gas tax is $0.61 a gallon, generating billions of dollars for the state each year.

However, as more drivers gravitate toward electric vehicles, the California Transportation Commission expects to lose $31.3 billion over the next decade.

“This loss, this $31 billion loss, actually proves that the policies that my colleagues really wanted to push to get people into electric vehicles really started to work. But now they want to re-weaponize this taxation arm to take from people to back-fill the pockets of Sacramento,” Tangipa said.

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio represents San Diego – a county that already tried the mileage-based tax system in 2022.

“When you add up the car tax, the gas tax, and this new mileage tax for a family with two cars, a working family with two parents driving, they would have to pay $4,200 a year to the state of California just for the privilege of driving on crappy roads,” DeMaio said.

The bill calls the mileage-based tax system an ‘alternative to the gas tax system.’

Republicans worry it could end up being an addition, though.

“There is no language in the bill right now that makes it – that repeals the gas tax,” Tangipa said.

Wilson says she has a plan to address that.

“I am committed to amending AB 1421 in the Senate to explicitly direct the research to help understand and avoid situations where motorists could be double taxed,” Wilson said.

[Maru]

(Jan 27th)
‘No Kings Act’ passes California Senate, heads to Assembly
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/...223638776.html

(Inside California Politics) — A bill that would make it easier for Californians to sue federal agents has passed the state Senate on a party line vote.

The “No Kings Act” — formally Senate Bill 747 — would make it easier for California residents to take federal law enforcement officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, to court over alleged constitutional violations.

It passed the California Senate on a party-line vote Tuesday, with all 30 Democrats voting in favor and all 10 Republicans voting in opposition.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said the legislation aims to hold ICE officers accountable.

Wiener, who wrote the bill, said that as things stand today, Californians can sue state and local law enforcement officers in federal court — but they face far more limitations when bringing a lawsuit against federal agents.

“This bill stands for the basic proposition that no one, no one, is above the law,” Wiener said.

Republicans, however, said the bill would undermine law enforcement and blamed sanctuary state policies for causing dangerous situations. State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, said those policies put law enforcement in a tough position.

The vote came a day after top California Democrats called a news conference to push back against President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, vowed to advance a series of bills they say would bring accountability to ICE.

Meanwhile, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty is also working with lawmakers on another bill that would require the attorney general to investigate shootings

The “No Kings Act” now advances to the Assembly, where it must go through the committee process and a full floor vote before it could potentially head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

[Maru]

Seattle mayor, police guild spar over ICE protection directives
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/g...es/ar-AA1VmJ4t

• Mayor Katie Wilson signed an executive order barring ICE from using city-owned properties—including parks, garages, and Seattle Center—for civil enforcement operations.
• The Mayor also directed Seattle Police to "investigate, verify, and document" ICE activity using body cameras and ID checks to gather evidence for potential prosecution.
• SPOG President Mike Solan rejected the directive, labeling it "political theater" and stating he will not allow officers to be used as pawns in a conflict with federal agencies.

SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Officers Guild is refusing to cooperate with a recent directive from Mayor Katie Wilson ordering officers to investigate and document ICE activity in the city.

On Thursday, Wilson announced a set of actions ahead of an expected increase in federal immigration enforcement activity. She directed the Seattle Police Department to "investigate, verify and document" ICE activity, and prohibit ICE from staging operations on city property.

If called to reports of ICE activity, Wilson directed officers to document it with video, check the IDs of federal agents and "secure scenes of potentially unlawful acts to gather evidence for transmital to prosecutors."

City and local authorities are not allowed to interfere with federal immigration, but they are also not required to assist.

The other side

Seattle Police Officers Guild president Mike Solan said he does not intend to let union members do any of this.

"Toothless virtue signaling rhetoric like this has already cost two people their lives," wrote Solan. "The concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous, and will not happen. I will not allow SPOG members to be used as political pawns."

The push for local police assistance comes just days after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.

State lawmakers have considered measures to slow federal immigration activity in Washington, including a bill that would prevent former ICE agents from being hired into local law enforcement, as well as banning officers from wearing face coverings.

[Maru]

Teen wins $2M first-ever ‘malpractice’ lawsuit over breast-removal gender transition
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/01...ition-1619366/

In a first-ever victory of its kind, a detransitioner has won a lawsuit against the psychologist and plastic surgeon who’d allegedly encouraged and approved her gender transition at the age of 16.

Now 22, plaintiff Fox Varian sought and received gender transition surgery in 2019. She later came to deeply regret the decision.

“I immediately had a thought that this was wrong, and it couldn’t be true,” Varian previously testified regarding the immediate moments after she’d received her chest surgery, according to The Epoch Times.

She also testified that the surgery left her with nerve pain that she described as “searing hot … ripping sensations across my chest.”

“Shame — I felt shame,” her previous testimony continued. “It’s hard to face that you are disfigured for life.”

During the trial, Varian’s attorneys argued that her psychologist, Dr. Kenneth Einhorn, and surgeon, Dr. Simon Chin, had incorrectly diagnosed her with gender dysphoria.

They pointed to a referral letter that Einhorn wrote in 2019 to Chin in support of Varian’s desire to have gender transition surgery.

“Varian’s attorneys said that since the letter contained some omissions and inaccuracies, Chin didn’t have a clear picture of his patient’s psychological history,” according to the Times.

Einhorn and Chin’s attorneys, meanwhile, maintained that Varian hadn’t ever expressed any regret for the procedure until 2023, the year she filed the suit.

In fact, they alleged she was “happy” after the surgery and continued to live as a trans man for years afterward. As evidence, their attorneys read from an essay Varian had written 10 months after receiving the surgery.

“It’s such an immense relief to wake up and not feel at odds with my body,” the essay read.

While on the witness stand, Varian blamed the essay on “cognitive dissonance.”

She also noted that, prior to the surgery, she’d told Chin’s staff that she’d “felt pressure to decide” on a gender identity “by family, friends, and culture.”

She also admitted to continuing to question her gender identity but being afraid to bring that up because she might “lose credibility.”

“Einhorn said he might not have written the letter had he known; Chin also testified that had he known Varian was unsure of her gender identity, he would not have performed the surgery,” the Times notes.

Einhorn and Chin’s attorneys pushed back by arguing that Varian was the one who’d pushed for a male gender identity, not them.

“[D]efense attorneys argued that Varian, not Einhorn, had spurred decisions like using ‘he/him’ pronouns, cutting her hair short, and changing her name from Isabelle to Gabriel, then Rowan, then Fox,” according to the Times. “They said the decision to wear a chest binder, and later the breast removal, were also her idea.”
ADVERTISEMENT

But funnily enough, Varian’s attorneys also pushed back by making the case that this blind acceptance of whatever she wanted was the very issue at hand.

“Whatever the kid wants, the kid gets,” they said in closing arguments.

Varian’s mother, Claire Deacon, also took the stand to testify that she had consented to the gender transition surgery out of the fear that her daughter would commit suicide otherwise. Einhorn and Chin’s attorneys pushed back this time by pointing to similar suicide threats Varian had made, and by also noting that the idea of suicide hadn’t come from them.

The jury ultimately sided with Varian, awarding her $1.6 million for pain and suffering, and another $400,000 for any future medical expenses.

“The jurors found that in many respects the surgeon and psychologist had skipped important steps when evaluating if she should go forward with the surgery and had not adequately communicated with each other,” the Times notes.

[Maru]

Texas legislature forced a redistrict, so this is actually hilarious. Though it being in Ft Worth isn't really that surprising.

Dem Taylor Rehmet flips Texas state senate seat blue for first time since 1992 in shocking upset
https://nypost.com/2026/02/01/us-new...me-since-1992/

WASHINGTON — Democrats notched a shocking upset victory Saturday when they flipped a Fort Worth-area Texas state Senate seat blue for the first time since 1992, defeating a President Trump-backed candidate.

Dem Taylor Rehmet dispatched Republican Leigh Wambsganss by more than 14 percentage points in the special-election race for the state seat in District 9, where President Trump won by 17 points in 2024.

“This win shows what is possible in Texas with strong organizing, great candidates, and strategic investments,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder crowed in a statement.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin added that Rehmet’s victory is “a warning sign to Republicans across the country” — as Trump has admitted the GOP is facing headwinds heading into the midterms.

The contest was to fill a vacancy left by four-term Republican Kelly Hancock, who became comptroller of Texas over the summer.

Rehmet, an Air Force veteran and leader with the machinists and aerospace workers union, came out on top in the Nov. 4 special election with 48% of the vote compared to Wambsganss’ 36% but was short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, which then took place Saturday.

He will have to defend seat in November for a complete four-year term.

Trump publicly backed Wambsganss, hailing her as “an incredible supporter.”

Democrats haven’t won statewide in Texas since 1994.

Adding to Republicans’ woes, Democrat Christian Menefee also prevailed in a special election for the Lone Star State’s solidly blue 18th Congressional District seat that had been held by late Dem Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March.

While Democrats were always expected to win that race, Rehmet’s win means that the GOP’s margin in the local House will slip to 218–214, narrowing the Republican leadership’s room for error.

Typically, special and off-year elections have lower voter turnout than midterm and presidential cycles, which can be difficult for the party in power in Washington, DC, to mobilize turnout, while the minority party usually has ample fodder to get its base energized.

Special and off-year elections also have been seen as a harbinger of what’s to come in the midterms.

Last week, Trump swung through Iowa to tout his accomplishments while acknowledging that the party in power typically faces an uphill battle in House races, dubbing it a “psychological factor.”

“Presidents, whether it’s Republican or Democrat, when they win, it doesn’t make any difference. They seem to lose the midterms,” Trump told Fox News’ Will Cain.

“Maybe [voters] want to put up a guard fence. You just don’t know. It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re going to change that around. We’re doing great.”

Since 1938, the party in control of the White House has lost House seats in all but two elections in such races. Given the GOP’s threadbare grip on the lower chamber, many analysts believe Democrats are the favorites to control the House this time around.

That means Trump will likely face a wave of investigations that will plague the final two years of his term if Democrats regain control of key House committees.

[Maru]

They handle the cold better than we do

WATCH: Florida man creates ‘blanket’ of cold-stunned iguanas
https://fox8.com/news/watch-florida-...unned-iguanas/



S: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUOpUNvATZI/

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man was seen using several cold-stunned iguanas as a “blanket” to keep warm during chilly weather in the Sunshine State.

Influencer @stackz posted a video on Feb. 1 joking that he was trying to sleep under a pile of the invasive lizards.

The iguanas were easy to capture because they were in a state of torpor, where they temporarily lose muscle control and appear “frozen,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

On Friday, the FWC issued an executive order allowing Floridians to remove live, cold-stunned iguanas without a permit and bring them to five FWC locations between Sunday, Feb. 1 and Monday, Feb. 2.

The FWC said the iguanas would be “humanely killed or, in some cases, transferred to permittees for live animal sales.”

In the video, @stackz said he did not kill the iguanas.

“We love everything with a heartbeat.”

[Maru]

‘Rampant fraud’: More than 100 identities stolen in massive SNAP fraud scheme in Mass., feds say
https://www.boston25news.com/news/lo...BJZKTTG5JPF3E/

Youtube video

BOSTON — Criminal charges have been lodged against four people who federal prosecutors say stole vast amounts of taxpayer money in a massive fraud scheme in New England involving SNAP and pandemic-era government benefits.

More than $1 million in governmental benefits were stolen using more than 100 stolen identities as part of a multi-state fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said in Boston on Tuesday.

One of the people charged, Raul Fernandez Vicioso of Fitchburg, used government supplemental assistance benefits, also known as SNAP, to buy food for his Leominster restaurant, which he then sold to customers, federal officials said.

Vicioso was caught on camera taking a cart full of meats and groceries using fraudulent SNAP benefits, prosecutors said.

Vicioso used fraudulent SNAP EBT cards to buy food from local stores, including BJ’s Wholesale in Leominster and Hannaford supermarket in Leominster, prosecutors said. He ultimately used that food to supply El Primo restaurant in Leominster.

Proceeds from the scheme were then wired to people in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, officials said.

“This fraud is nationwide. We are doing what we can to stop that nationwide,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said during a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Authorities have charged the following people by criminal complaint:

Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg;
Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster;
Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster; and
Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, of Fitchburg.

Raul Fernandez Vicioso has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and Abetting and Money Laundering.

According to the charging documents, the accused bought and used stolen personal information of over 100 real people from multiple states to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits.

The stolen identities were used to create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. Prosecutors said all of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, Rhode Island.

A number of the stolen identities from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico were used to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Prosecutors allege that Raul Fernandez Vicioso and Joel Vicioso Fernandez used their own personal information to create fraudulent SNAP benefit accounts that were found commingled among the victim identities in the applications.

In support of the fraudulently submitted SNAP applications, the accused allegedly provided images of counterfeit passports and passport cards, with metadata indicating the images were taken inside or within the immediate vicinity of El Primo Restaurant – a restaurant operated by Raul Fernandez Vicioso in Leominster.

The accused allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to buy large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense.

With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, prosecutors said they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

According to the charging documents, between April 2020 and December 2021, the accused further enriched themselves by over $700,000 by submitting fraudulent applications and supporting documents for pandemic unemployment benefits in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada.

The fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefits were issued in the names of Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and in the names of suspected identity theft victims, including identities common to the related SNAP benefit fraud.

At least 29 different identities were allegedly used in PUA applications in six different states – all of which listed the address for El Primo Restaurant as the residential address.

Bank records obtained during the investigation detail approximately $276,021 in fraudulent PUA benefits deposited into bank accounts held in the names of the El Primo Restaurant, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and other co-conspirators, prosecutors said.

Other fraudulent PUA benefits were allegedly issued to prepaid cards using the identities of various individuals using their known addresses and telephone numbers.

During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s home and the El Primo Restaurant, investigators found fraudulently-obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents bearing a Providence address involved in the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and handwritten lists of more than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings.

The charge of Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud provides for a sentence of up tofive years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

The charge of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000

The charge of illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.

Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, echoed Foley’s comments on Tuesday.

“This case is not a one-off,” D’Esposito said during the press conference. “This is something that is happening throughout the United States of America. When there’s no checks and balances in place... fraud ensues.”

The criminal charges announced Tuesday occurred as authorities are working to catch and prosecute “criminals who are stealing from the taxpayers,” Foley said.

“This is in the public’s interest. The public needs to know what its officials are doing to protect the taxpayer dollars,“ Foley said.

The goal, officials said, is to root out waste, fraud and abuse from across the country, including in Massachusetts.

“The work continues. It never stops for us,” Michael Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, said to reporters on Tuesday.

The public can report fraud, waste or abuse to the Council of the Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency by clicking here.