politics

Ted Cruz Reveals Daughter Is “Okay” After Reports Of A Medical Emergency

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Texas Senator Ted Cruz revealed that his teenage daughter is “okay” after police responded to his home earlier this week. Per TMZ, officers received a report that a 14-year-old had “self-inflicted stab wounds to their arm.”

Cruz has two daughters, ages 14 and 11, with his wife Heidi Cruz.

Requesting privacy following the incident, a representative for Cruz reportedly told ABC News, “This is a family matter and thankfully their daughter is okay.”

“There were no serious injuries,” the rep continued. “The family requests the media respect their daughter’s privacy at this time.”

Cruz confirmed last month that he would be seeking reelection in the U.S. Senate in 2024. If he wins, it will be the 51-year-old’s third consecutive term.

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

According to the Texas Tribune, the Republican politician recently shared, “I’m running for reelection in the Senate, I’m focused on the battles in the United States Senate.” Cruz previously stated, “We need a real debate about how are we going to lead during the next two years in the minority in the U.S. Senate.”

Cruz then alluded to a possible run for the presidency. After being asked if he would be a possible candidate in the upcoming election, the senator reportedly stated, “there’ll be plenty of time to discuss [the] 2024 presidential.”

READ MORE: Scarface Calls Out Ted Cruz’s NRA Appearance: “No Compassion For Anything”

He previously campaigned for the presidency in 2016 but suspended his efforts. Cruz later endorsed Donald Trump, who went on to become the 45th U.S. President.

Trump recently announced he may run for president in 2024 despite his approval rating dropping and accusations that he incited the January 6 Capitol attack. 

Check back in with HNHH for updates on the upcoming election.

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Raphael Warnock Defeats Herschel Walker in Georgia Runoff, Dems Hold Senate 51-49

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Raphael Warnock will have his first six-year term as U.S. Senator. The Democratic Senator beat Republican Herschel Walker in a runoff, which concluded Tuesday night.

The self-proclaimed “senator reverend,” evoking his religious background, Warnock has beaten a Republican for the third time. Before Walker, Warnock bounced Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rep. Doug Collins, wrapping what is seemingly a continuous campaign season, according to NBC News.

Warnock’s win expands the power of Democrats in the Senate, granting a 51st seat and flexibility to Vice President Kamala Harris for tie-breaking votes.

“After a hard-fought campaign — or, should I say, campaigns — it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy: The people have spoken,” Warnock said following the race being called.

“I often say that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children,” Warnock added. “Georgia, you have been praying with your lips and your legs, your hands and your feet, your heads and your hearts. You have put in the hard work, and here we are, standing together.”

“Reverend Warnock’s well-earned win is not just a victory for Georgia, but also for democracy — as the last brick in our firewall against extremist MAGA Republican policies that threaten the very essence of our democracy,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

In the previous election, Warnock led Walker by 37,000 votes but did not pass the mark to avoid a runoff. Walker accepted the defeat.

“The numbers look like they’re not going to add up,” Walker said in defeat. “There’s no excuses in life, and I’m not going to make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight.”

The post Raphael Warnock Defeats Herschel Walker in Georgia Runoff, Dems Hold Senate 51-49 appeared first on The Source.

Trump Organization Found Guilty Of All Counts Of Tax Fraud

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A Manhattan jury officially handed down a guilty verdict in the Trump Organization’s trial surrounding allegations of tax fraud. According to CNN, the court found Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. guilty of a 15-year tax scheme. They were accused of failing to accurately report and pay taxes on payments to the top executives of the company. The jury found Trump Org. guilty of criminal conduct and criminal tax fraud.

Authorities did not charge Trump or his family in the case. However, authorities mentioned the former president a few times. They believed that Trump had direct connection to issuing benefits. Prosecutors, specifically, focused on personal expenses, car leases, and apartments funded by the company. However, the prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, argued that Trump played a significant role in sancitioning tax fraud.

“This whole narrative that Donald Trump is blissfully ignorant is just not true,” Steinglass said.

At this point, the company could face paying nearly $1.61M in fines. The Trump Org. will face sentencing in mid-January, but it likely won’t impact the business itself. Trump Organization won’t dissolve under New York State law. On the other hand, a felony conviction would certainly affect the Trump Organization’s ability to do business, receive loans, and land contracts.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 09: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) presides over a meeting about immigration with Republican and Democrat members of Congress in the Cabinet Room at the White House January 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. In addition to seeking bipartisan solutions to immigration reform, Trump advocated for the reintroduction of earmarks as a way to break the legislative stalemate in Congress. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“This was a case about greed and cheating,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “The Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities to avoid paying taxes. Today’s verdict holds these Trump companies accountable for their long-running criminal scheme.”

Allen Weisselberg, an employee of the company that’s on paid leave, testified in court that he should’ve paid taxes on compensation, which amounted to nearly $200K annually.

We’ll keep you posted on any response from Trump or his reps.

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Sacha Baron Cohen Brings Out Borat To Roast Ye, Joe Biden, And U2

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Sacha Baron Cohen has cemented himself as an icon of Hollywood. While he may have retired his most beloved character from street work, he wasn’t afraid to revive him for a bit at Sunday’s Kennedy Center Honors.

While his purpose at the event was to pay tribute to U2, everyone knows Borat can’t be controlled that easily.

Sacha Baron Cohen attends a screening of the Oscars on Monday, April 26, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Rick Rycroft-Pool/Getty Images)

As soon as Cohen’s character took the stage he wasted no time in turning his focus to current events. Firstly, he targeted Joe Biden, who was in the audience.

“I know the president of US and A is here,” Borat said to the crowd. Among them were celebrities such as George Clooney, Amy Grant, and Gladys Knight.

“Where are you, Mr. Trump? You don’t look so good. Where has your glorious big belly gone? And your pretty orange skin has become pale,” the comedian jokingly mistook Biden for the former president, before turning his attention to the first lady.

“But I see you have a new wife. Wa wa weee wa! She is very erotic. I must look away before I get a Bono.”

Cohen made no attempt to hold back on his comedy. Next, he took aim at Kanye West. “Before I proceed, I will say I am very upset about the antisemitism in US and A,” Borat said.

“It not fair. Kazakhstan is number one Jew-crushing nation. Stop stealing our hobby, stop the steal! Stop the steal!”

The entertainer was, of course, referring to the rapper’s recent anti-Semitic posts which got him banned from Twitter. The Kazakhstan character then went on to poke more fun at Ye.

“Your Kanye, he tried to move to Kazakhstan and even changed his name to Kazakhstan-Ye West. But we said no. He’s too anti-semitic, even for us.”

Borat then turned his gaze to U2 and decided to read them a letter from his mother. Written in the Kazakh language, it translated to “Please remove your wretched album from my new iPhone 6.”

This was a reference to when U2 uploaded one of their albums to all iTunes users without their consent.

The actor ended his skit by telling Biden he hoped he liked his speech, with the final remark, “It is my wish to pleasure you with my mouth.”

Awards host Borat poses in the Awards Room at the 12th annual MTV Europe Music Awards 2005 at the Atlantic Pavilion on November 3, 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for MTV)

Do you think Sacha Baron Cohen hit the mark with his jokes? Or was he too out of pocket? Let us know in the comments and check out Trump’s latest request to terminate the U.S. Constitution.

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Kanye West Tells Jewish People To Forgive Hitler

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The unraveling of Kanye West will make for several documentaries in the coming years as his Nazi praise continues. The legendary musician’s fall from grace has been rapid in recent years, and it doesn’t look as if West is interested in recovering his reputation. His admonishing of Harriet Tubman and enslaved Black people became viral moments. Then, he was a MAGA Trump supporter, and these days, your favorite rapper has praised Hitler.

As the masses pleaded with West to cease his interview cycle, the rapper sat down with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. The chat took place on Censored.TV, an alt-right streaming platform with McInnes claiming he doesn’t want West to become a Nazi.

Read More: Akon Defends Kanye West’s Nazi Praise

However, according to The Daily Beast, McInnes also spewed his own hate. He targeted former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, and “liberal elites of all races.”

Meanwhile, West claimed he welcome his recent backlash with open arms because it has helped with his bid for president in 2024. “Jewish people control the majority of the media, along with banks, along with real estate, along with malls,” said the disgraced icon. “They can control the narrative. History is written by the winners.”

West also blamed the Jewish community for tarnishing Hitler’s reputation. White supremacist Nick Fuentes once again joined West for the incendiary conversation. He added “kids love Hitler” as the pair continued to promote their campaign of bigotry.

Read More: Kanye West To Alex Jones: “I Like Hitler”

Meanwhile, West chimed in with bits about pornography being “the gas chamber” or “silent killer.” He reiterated that porn “destroyed” his family, and according to TDB, West noted that “women in porn as ‘products of pedophilia.” Additionally, women who choose to freeze their eggs to have children later in life or those that show off their bodies on social media are lacking the “dream” of “having a husband and kids.” People encouraging women to pose “half-naked” were also called sexual predators.

“Jewish people can’t tell me who I can love and who I can’t love,” said West. “You can’t say, you can’t force your pain on everyone else. Jewish people, forgive Hitler today.”

Read More: Kanye Denies The Holocaust, Calls Obama A “Jewish President”

After Hollywood Unlocked reposted a clip of the interview, there were hoards of people who weren’t happy with the appearance.

“This is how i feel about white people and slavery,” Guapdad 4000 commented. “The answer is NO . F*ck what ye talking about I’m NOT SYMPATHETIC FOR NO NAZI’s they hated us too .”

Check out clips of the interview above and below.

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California Becomes First U.S. State To Ban Using Rap Lyrics In Court

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California has become the first state in the U.S. to ban lyrics from being used against rappers as evidence in court proceedings. The landmark law came into effect on Friday, when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to limit “creative content” from being held against artist or musicians in the state. It’s been a long and arduous fight for advocates against this practice, but recent legislation in New York points towards a brighter future along with this bill. Amid the YSL indictment that put Young Thug and Gunna behind bars in large part due to their lyrics, fans are probably grateful to see their outrage result in action from authorities.

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California – Monica Schipper/Getty Images

That New York bill did not completely ban the use of lyrics, though, and there’s a similar loophole in California’s bill: lyrics can be used but only if reviewed and deemed necessary for the verdict by the judge. Even with this caveat, AB 2799 (the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act) is a one-of-a-kind piece of legislation that takes unprecedented steps to protect rappers’ creative works. Governor Newsom signed the bill on a Zoom call with rappers E-40, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, YG, and more in attendance.

Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, who introduced the bill, expressed his belief that the DAE Act “will give judges needed guidance for evaluating whether a creative expression is admissible during a criminal trial and provides a framework which will ensure creative expression will not be used to trigger or reinforce stereotypes or activate racial bias.” Entertainment attorney Dina Polt was one of many to celebrate the achievement.

“This legislation sets up important guardrails that will help courts hold prosecutors accountable and prevent them from criminalizing Black and Brown artistic expression,” she stated. “Thank you, Gov. Newsom, for setting the standard. We hope Congress will pass similar legislation, as this is a nationwide problem.”

A similar bill was introduced in Congress last July, so rap lyrics might still have a chance for salvation at the federal level. For now, state laws are what stands between a rapper’s artistic expression and jail time, and California is setting an important precedent for the rest of the union.

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Authors Protest Publishers’ Law Suit Against the Internet Archive Library

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A large and growing group of authors and creative professionals including Neil Gaiman, Naomi Klein, Cory Doctorow, Alyssa Milano, Lily Wachowski, and Tom Morello have signed a letter protesting the publishing industry’s lawsuit against the Internet Archive Library. 

The Internet Archive is a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form, including digital books and texts, audio recordings, videos, images and software.  The Internet Archive allows books to be borrowed through its Open Library service.   Users borrow books from Internet Archive under the Archive’s Controlled Digital Lending program, which allows users to check out books fort wo weeks or less, and only permits users to check out as many copies as the Archive physically owns.

In 2020, four publishing companies, Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and Penguin Random House LLC, filed a lawsuit against the Internet Archive, claiming its Controlled Digital Lending program has infringed the publishers’ copyrights and has caused them to lose millions of dollars.  Internet Archive has countered that libraries have paid billions to the publishing industry for books, are investing tremendous resources in digitizing books, that Controlled Digital Lending is fundamentally the same as library lending and is helping ensure that readers can have access to books that libraries have bought and paid for, and is not harming the publishers.  In its response to the lawsuit, the Archive has warned that publishers “would like to force libraries and their patrons into a world in which books can only be accessed, never owned, and in which availability is subject to the rightsholders’ whim.”

Indeed, the authors who have signed on to the letter have characterized the lawsuit as one of several efforts by the publishing industry to attempt to prohibit libraries from lending e-books.  The letter states:  “Libraries are a fundamental collective good. We, the undersigned authors, are disheartened by the recent attacks against libraries being made in our name by trade associations such as the American Association of Publishers and the Publishers Association: undermining the traditional rights of libraries to own and preserve books, intimidating libraries with lawsuits, and smearing librarians.” 

The letter goes onto state that “[w]e fear a future where libraries are reduced to a sort of Netflix or Spotify for books, from which publishers demand exorbitant licensing fees in perpetuity while unaccountable vendors force the spread of disinformation and hate for profit.”

Internet Archive filed a motion in July seeking dismissal of the claims on the grounds that its Controlled Digital Lending is a non-infringing fair use of the books at issue.  The court has not yet ruled on the motion.

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THE SOURCE LAW REVIEW: California Woman Charged with Murder After Ramming Car into Man She Accused of Trying to Kill Cat

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A California woman has been charged with first-degree murder after killing a man by ramming her car into him after accusing him of trying to run over a cat in the street.

Hannah Star Esser, 20, was charged with murder in the death of Victor Anthony Luis, 43, and detained on $1 million bail, the Orange County prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Authorities said that Esser was driving in the community of Cypress on Sunday night when she confronted Luis and accused him of trying to run over a cat. Esser ultimately returned to her vehicle while arguing with Victor, made a U-turn, and drove straight at him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There are three murder charges in California: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and capital murder. First-degree murder in California is defined as a premeditated killing with malice aforethought. The penalty in California for first-degree murder is 25 years to life in prison.

Second-degree murder requires malice and intention; however, it does not require premeditation or deliberation before the crime. Essentially, second-degree murder in California is any murder that is not either first-degree murder, felony murder, or capital murder. The penalty in California for second-degree murder is 15 years to life in prison.

Capital Murder is “murder with special circumstances.” The penalty for capital murder can be life in prison without parole or capital punishment in California.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said that Esser’s actions showed a complete disregard for human life,” hence the First-degree murder charge. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will ensure that this random act of violence targeting a stranger will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Kimberly Edds, spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office, told the news outlet it was not “immediately clear whether a cat was involved.”

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NY Correctional Officers Plead Guilty of Smuggling Contraband Into Rikers for Bloods Gang

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On Tuesday, two New York City corrections officers pled guilty to smuggling contraband into Rikers Island. 

According to the Department of Justice, prosecutors say Krystle Burrell and Katrina Patterson accepted a total of $44,000 to bring narcotics and cellphones into the facility.  The duo was reportedly taking bribes from bloods gang members, with Burrell helping one inmate facilitate business. 

Krystle Burrell, 35, pleaded guilty to bribery, admitting that she accepted nearly $10,000 in bribe payments from her co-defendant Terrae Hinds in exchange for smuggling unauthorized cell phones into the Anna M. Kross Center at Rikers. She also facilitated Hinds’ sale of narcotics and other contraband items at the facility.

READ MORE: 46 Georgia DOC Officers Arrested In Drug Trafficking Sting

 Katrina Patterson, 31, had previously admitted to accepting $34,000 in bribes when indicted on Aug. 16. Patterson was smuggling contraband into the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island for her co-defendant Michael Ross. Ross, who is a Bloods gang member, has also pleaded guilty to a bribery offense and is awaiting sentencing.

“The defendants threw in their lot with Bloods gang members and betrayed their sworn duty to maintain the safety of incarcerated individuals and other correction officers at Rikers Island by smuggling cell phones and drugs into the jail,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.  “This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out corruption at Rikers Island.”

“When correction officers betray their oath to serve and protect, the public is put at risk and the entire law enforcement community is tarnished,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “We have zero tolerance for such misconduct. With today’s guilty plea, Ms. Burrell joins Ms. Patterson in publicly acknowledging that their actions were immoral, unethical, and without integrity – diametrically opposed to the core requirements of our profession.”

When sentenced, Burrell faces up to ten years in prison and Patterson faces up to five years. Charges against Hinds remain pending. 

Share your thoughts and comments with us on social media.

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Court Upholds Texas Law That Would Force Tech Companies To Allow Hate Speech, Abuse, and Misinformation on Their Platforms

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On September 16, 2022, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court’s decision that had blocked a highly controversial Texas law prohibiting tech companies from moderating content based on viewpoint.  

In September 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed bill HB20 into law, claiming it would stop “a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas.”  Under this law, “[a] social media platform may not censor a user, a user’s expression, or a user’s ability to receive the expression of another person based on: (1) the viewpoint of the user or another person; (2) the viewpoint represented in the user’s expression or another person’s expression; or (3) a user’s geographic location in this state or any part of this state.”  The law defines “censor” as to “block, ban, remove, deplatform, demonetize, de-boost, restrict, deny equal access or visibility to, or otherwise discriminate against expression.”

The Texas law has been heavily criticized because it prevents tech companies from regulating hate speech, abuse and misinformation on their own platforms, and forces them to allow viewpoints and content that they may not want to have associated with their business.  Moreover, the law’s enforcement may lead to further consequences, such as making email spam filters illegal because they are used by tech companies to “block” political speech.   

The Texas legislature excluded conservative social media services Parler and Gab from the new law by limiting it to services that have 50 million users or more, and rejecting any attempts to lower this threshold.

On December 1, 2021, a federal district judge in Texas blocked the law, finding that it “compels social media platforms to disseminate objectionable content and impermissibly restricts their editorial discretion” under the First Amendment.   On May 11, 2022, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the district court’s order, allowing the law to take effect while the case continued in the district court.  The ruling was not unanimous, and did not include the judges’ reasoning.  This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which issued a decision on May 30, 2022 which did not address the issue directly, but vacated the Fifth Circuit’s May 11 Order and blocked the implementation of the law pending resolution of the district court case.  

Now that the Court of Appeals has again allowed the law to move forward, it will almost certainly be appealed again to the Supreme Court.  Additionally, the parties challenging the law may first seek a hearing before all the judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Either way, the dispute over the Texas law is far from being resolved.

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