Podcasts about city hall

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with former St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter about his eight years in City Hall, the lessons he's learned and what's next.Guest:Melvin Carter III served as mayor of St. Paul for eight years. Elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021, he was the city's first African American mayor. Prior to his election as mayor, he served as St. Paul City Council member for Ward 1, representing the neighborhood he grew up in. He is the founding board chair of the St. Paul Promise Neighborhood and served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Early Learning. He has roots that go back four generations in St. Paul. His father was a St. Paul police officer and his mother was a teacher and Ramsey County commissioner.

Join former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown as he returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to talk national, state and local politics. As CalMatters observed last year in an article marking his 90th birthday, Brown is “one of the most flamboyant and powerful politicians California has ever known,” who “still dominates every room he enters with his smarts and swagger.” The first African American speaker of the California State Assembly, Brown served a record 14 years in that role. He then served two terms as San Francisco mayor. Brown will address a range of political topics, including Trump versus California, the state of American democracy, and the future of the Democratic Party. He'll also weigh in on San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's track record so far, the city's economic recovery, and how City Hall is dealing with problems like homelessness, affordability, and crime. And as the California governor's race heats up, we'll get his take on that contest and Gavin Newsom's political future. Don't miss this conversation with Mayor Brown and KQED political reporter and editor Scott Shafer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is presented by Create A Video – A Mecklenburg County Commissioner apparently has had a warrant out for her arrest for a year. She says it's due to a misunderstanding. Plus, the mayor of Mooresville finally speaks after a year-and-a-half of speculation as to why he was strolling City Hall without his pants. Subscribe to the podcast at: https://ThePetePod.com/ All the links to Pete's Prep are free: https://patreon.com/petekalinershow Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code! Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.comGet exclusive content here!: https://thepetekalinershow.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the son of a bus driver on a South London council estate to the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, Sadiq Khan's story is inseparable from the story of modern London. But with that journey has come a decade at the sharpest end of British politics.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O'Brien sits down with the Mayor of London to trace the path from a crowded flat in Tooting to City Hall. Khan reflects on his parents' migration from Pakistan, the racism he experienced growing up, and the teachers who helped him see that the rooms of power were not off limits. He describes the leap from human rights lawyer to MP, the gamble of running for mayor, and the reality of governing a city through terror attacks, Brexit, a pandemic and deep political division.They discuss the resurgence of overt racism, the personal cost of public life, and why Khan refuses to let abuse dictate his politics. He speaks candidly about the backlash he faced over equal marriage, the solidarity he believes minorities must show one another, and the responsibility he feels to prove that London remains a city where progress is possible.Attention also turns to the future of the Labour Party. As calls emerge for Keir Starmer to stand down, Khan addresses the speculation directly. He reflects on party unity, leadership under pressure and the dangers of allowing internal divisions to overshadow the broader task facing Labour. For Khan, the question is not about personalities but about purpose: what Labour is for, who it represents, and how it responds at moments when confidence wavers.At its heart, this is a conversation about resilience, representation and the fragile idea of social progress. Can a city that once displayed signs reading “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” continue to move forward.EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal -> https://nordvpn.com/fulldisclosure Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Welcome back to another After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast.Recorded at SHOT Show 2026, I sit down with Brian Williams — better known as the Unicorn Chief. From SWAT operator to Chief, a stint in City Hall, and back to policing, Brian's career has given him a perspective that most people in the profession never get. He's seen leadership from the street, the admin side, and the political layer in between.In this conversation, we dig into police culture, mentorship, accountability, and why standards in training actually matter. As a USPSA Grandmaster, Brian doesn't just preach performance — he lives it. If he's not in the office handling the administrative side of the job, he's on the range sharpening his edge and pushing others to do the same.Brian is direct. He doesn't sugarcoat. He's not interested in protecting feelings — he's interested in protecting the mission. Sit back and enjoy this After Dark episode with the Unicorn Chief, Brian Williams.Timestamps:00:00 Intro08:38 Brian's Career18:52 Leadership Path28:42 Public Perception40:03 Leadership Struggles48:16 City Management01:04:53 Leadership Defined01:14:07 Accountability Crisis01:22:27 Mentorship01:27:21 Training Challenges01:42:57 Competition & Standards01:55:09 Execution Mode02:02:09 Self-CareRed Dot Fitness Train Online: http://rdftrainonline.com/Online Membership (Full Access To All Programs & Virtual Coaching):https://www.reddotfitness.net/online-membershipVirtual Coaching:https://www.reddotfitness.net/virtual-coachingSelf-Guided Programs:https://www.reddotfitness.net/Self-Guided-Programs1Connect With Us:Website - https://ironsightspodcast.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ironsightspodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/

A weekly news roundup with our reporter colleagues throughout the state. First, in early 2023, Rochester City Council purchased 15 self-contained heated and cooled units to be placed in the city's only sanctioned homeless encampment, Peace Village. But three years on, Peace Village is still vacant, and those shelters now sit in snow-covered storage at a city lot on Dewey Avenue. WXXI News' investigations and City Hall reporter Gino Fanelli explains why. Then, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado ended his primary bid against Governor Kathy Hochul this week. WNYC's Jimmy Vielkind has the latest in the race for New York State's highest position. We end the week with a nod to Valentine's Day. CITY Magazine pop culture critic Johanna Lester joins us for a look at the staying power of romantic comedies, and we take a rom-com quiz! Our guests: Gino Fanelli, investigations and City Hall reporter for WXXI News Jimmy Vielkind, public media reporter at WNYC Johanna Lester, pop culture critic for CITY Magazine ---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

James Anderson leads the Government Innovation Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, the umbrella for the charitable giving of billionaire and former three-term New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.He was Mayor Bloomberg's communications director, leading on the design of NYC Service and on public engagement for a number of Bloomberg reforms.James has paid more attention than almost anyone to how cities work, and how they learn from each other. But is the Bloomberg model for making cities better “technocratic”? What can it do, and what can't it do? And should mayors be “innovative”? Or are the best practices, at the end of the day, pretty straightforward? We get into these questions and more.Read this conversation transcript at www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

In this episode, Matt sits down with Rochester City Councilor Chuck Creteau to discuss the proposal to rename Shaw Park at City Hall as Veterans Park in honor of those who served. Creteau shares his experience working with veterans, explains why recognizing their service is so important to the community, and offers a brief history of the honor roll located in front of City Hall.

The Conway Show is officially heading back to where it belongs: nights! Starting Monday, February 17, Tim moves to 6–10PM — and the whole crew is fired up because that’s the vibe. Think classic Conway energy… a little “bi-winning” audio, and a whole lot of chaos. The show hits hard with headlines and heartbreak, including news involving former Dodger Terrance Gore (34) and Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek (48), plus an infuriating story out of L.A. where a thief steals an adaptive tricycle from a 9-year-old special needs boy. Michael Monks jumps on at 4:20 with a preview of his new show “Monks & Merrill,” also debuting on the 17th — and breaks down the streetlights tax proposal at City Hall that would impact City of L.A. property owners. Then it’s time to open the toy box: Dead Giveaway, Puppet Heist, and Dilly’s World Open return, followed by Jay Leno stories (including a very NoHo strip club mention) and a warm trip back to Burbank in the ’80s. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 - Would 50% of Pennsylvania be disenfranchised if the SAVE Act Passed? Of course not, Mary Gay Scanlon. 1210 - Is “Rocky” appropriating the story of Joe Frazier? Dom's favorite Inquirer columnist thinks so. 1215 - Side - associated with the west 1220 - Why is Mikie Sherrill focused on a portal to report ICE agents? Your calls. 1230 - Are we going to put boots on the ground in Nigeria? 1235 - Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello joins us this afternoon. What is Tom upset with lately regarding ICE and immigration in Montgomery County? What is a recent Montco ICE story he would like to highlight? What do other commissioners say when Tom brings up Obama's deportations? 1250 - Your calls. 1 - Scott Presler joins us for a surprise interview! How big of an achievement is it for the SAVE Act to pass the house? What does Scott have to say about lawmakers like Mary Gay Scanlon who “can't” vote for a measure like the SAVE Act? What about Senator Fetterman's stance, would he sign off on it? Where will earlyVote Action be next? 110 - Your calls. 120 - How stupid do Democrats think the average voter is? Do they not think we're all incapable of getting IDs? Your calls. 130 - Host of What U Scared To Say Podcast and social media star John Allante McAuley joins us today. What has he been busy with regarding the city's GOP and amplifying conservative voices? What was his message at a local gym earlier this week? What is his podcast all about? Why does Stacy Garrity need to come to Philadelphia more? Where did John grow up? What is John continuing to do and will do with Flip Philly Red? What issue did he raise with City Hall earlier today? 140 - Your calls. 150 - Dom Giordano Presents: Progressive Women Gone Wild 2 - PA Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward joins us this afternoon. Will Josh Shapiro just take the new money from the school choice program? How are we holding our students back by not opting into that? Is Pennsylvania mediocre, or worse? Does Josh Shapiro embody that mediocrity? Why are we spending 32 million on defending the Governor's Mansion, is that not overkill? Why do liberal women not call out Josh Shapiro? He's taken millions for Reid Hoffman, dismissed sexual assault charges against him, and does defend women's rights? 215 - Dom's Money Melody! 235 - Former Bucks county Sheriff Fred Harran joins the show. What would he say to children about the anti-ICE walkouts and what they should know about immigration enforcement? Why is emphasizing that coming into the country illegally is wrong? 250 - The Lightning Round!

1 - Scott Presler joins us for a surprise interview! How big of an achievement is it for the SAVE Act to pass the house? What does Scott have to say about lawmakers like Mary Gay Scanlon who “can't” vote for a measure like the SAVE Act? What about Senator Fetterman's stance, would he sign off on it? Where will earlyVote Action be next? 110 - Your calls. 120 - How stupid do Democrats think the average voter is? Do they not think we're all incapable of getting IDs? Your calls. 130 - Host of What U Scared To Say Podcast and social media star John Allante McAuley joins us today. What has he been busy with regarding the city's GOP and amplifying conservative voices? What was his message at a local gym earlier this week? What is his podcast all about? Why does Stacy Garrity need to come to Philadelphia more? Where did John grow up? What is John continuing to do and will do with Flip Philly Red? What issue did he raise with City Hall earlier today? 140 - Your calls. 150 - Dom Giordano Presents: Progressive Women Gone Wild

Dallas decided Wednesday to sacrifice some of its power to keep the region's transit service alive. The high-stakes move is aimed at stopping a half-dozen suburbs from bolting from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. In other news, the Dallas City Council turned to a new search firm Wednesday to recruit a watchdog responsible for sniffing out wasteful spending, fraud and corruption in City Hall; and after four years as chief of the southern Dallas County school district, DeSoto ISD Superintendent Usamah Rodgers is retiring. The district's board unanimously approved a retirement agreement with Rodgers at a meeting Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liverpool Street Station has had a major redevelopment plan green-lit by the City Corporation this week. The scheme would be mostly funded by office space situated in a new 320ft tall tower block, much to the dismay of Victorian heritage enthusiasts. Was this the right call?In this episode of The Standard, host Tamara Kormornick sits down with the Standard's City Hall and Transport Editor, Ross Lydall, to unpick why the merits and downfalls of the application, and why the plans have caused such uproar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Africa Melane chats to COSATU’s Matthew Parks ahead of the State of the Nation Address to discuss the federation’s expectations and what organised labour hopes to hear from the President Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CapeTalk host, Africa Melane is at City Hall for the State of the Nation Address. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greg Brady & GUEST: Brad Bradford, Councillor for Ward 19, Beaches–East York, Jon Burnside, Councillor for Ward 16 Don Valley East discuss: 1 - Eglinton LRT 2 - City staff stealing packages, working other jobs on sick leave: What Toronto's auditor uncovered in 2025 3 - Chow's budget passes with low property tax hike, more spending on TTC, police Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 12, 2026 - Former mayor Paul Osborne joined Byers & Co to talk about hotel history in Decatur and memories of the Decatur Celebration. Listen to the podcast now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lester Kiewit speaks to Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson about why the Nieumeester Dome was not repaired in time for the State of the Nation Address as was expected. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/xGkqLbT or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/f9Eeb7i Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greg Brady & GUEST: Brad Bradford, Councillor for Ward 19, Beaches–East York, Jon Burnside, Councillor for Ward 16 Don Valley East discuss: 1 - Eglinton LRT 2 - City staff stealing packages, working other jobs on sick leave: What Toronto's auditor uncovered in 2025 3 - Chow's budget passes with low property tax hike, more spending on TTC, police Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Office Ladies 6.0 Jenna and Angela break down the sixth episode of The Paper, “Churnalism.” When Ned tries to boost the paper's credibility by turning the staff into product testers, the newsroom fills with sketchy supplements, glowing face masks, and one very alarming skincare side effect. Meanwhile, Esmeralda takes Ned's “boring” park bathroom story and blows it wide open into a real City Hall scandal. The ladies try out some actual viral health gadgets, expound on conspiracy theories and delve into Angela's fraught relationship with monkeys. So slather on that face mask, double-check your sources, and enjoy! Office Ladies Website - Submit a fan question for Around the Town, Chit Chat and The Paper: https://officeladies.com/submitaquestion  Follow Us on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPod Follow Us on YouTube Follow Us on TikTok To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most sweeping evaluation of Dallas City Hall in its 48-year history is nearing the finish line, with the review's leader saying findings could be released publicly as early as Feb. 20. In other news, Dallas Police Department leadership placed the 52-year old Jaime Castro, who spent 27-years as a law enforcement officer and led the Dallas Police Association, on leave in November as part of a months-long investigation into a multi-vehicle crash in northwest Dallas that killed a pedestrian; Southwest Airlines' customers have taken to social media platforms to complain about things like lack of overhead bin space and not being allowed to switch seats, even when there are plenty open; and companies are moving away from fully remote work policies with hybrid setups gaining traction and return-to-office requirements emerging as the most common model. Nationally, 87% of jobs are now entirely in-office. Dallas showed similar findings with 85% fully in-office positions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan and Chester and Angee are joined this week by Alyssa Tatro, a senior planner at the City of Auburn! What's a city planner do? Well, just about everything! From setting design standards, to helping create policy that specifies width of roads, to sidewalk egress, to citywide and downtown design standards that set the look and feel of a city. Think of it like a Fortnight skin, except it's for the entire city.  Alyssa and her team have been hard at work planning and preparing for a series of open houses to talk design standards and the first one is TONIGHT at City Hall from 4 to 6 p.m.! Come share your opinions that will directly impact the downtown design standards at the City and literally make your voice heard.  Stick around till the end of the episode to test your planning and Valentine's knowledge -- or perhaps both??? 

Super Bowl Sunday vibes with Conway — he hit Stephen Cloobeck’s party and ended up sitting next to Congressman Eric Swalwell. Michael Monks checks in with a tease: a big announcement is coming tomorrow at 4pm. Monks stays on for more L.A. City Hall heat — City Councilmember Nithya Raman jumps into the L.A. mayor’s race, plus the ongoing mess of Los Angeles streetlights being out across the city. And a scary local update to close: a teen was shot in North Hollywood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send a textProvidence State Representative David Morales joins Bartholomewtown to discuss his primary challenge against Mayor Brett Smiley. Morales is positioning his campaign as a grassroots, progressive alternative to the current administration — and recently released a detailed snow removal plan following widespread frustration with the city's response to the last major winter storm.We talk about what went wrong during the storm, what Morales says City Hall needs to change, and whether a movement-driven campaign can overcome the advantages of an incumbent mayor. Plus, how Morales is thinking about coalition-building, voter turnout, and whether Providence is ready for a Mamdani-style political upset.Support the show

Annie McDonough, senior City Hall reporter at City & State New York, talks about Mayor Mamdani's plans for a Department of Community Safety to send social workers instead of police officers to respond to mental health crises.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has emerged with new false claims about the success of his high-speed rail project -- and a creepy legislative proposal to classify as secret any rail-project document that might “harm the interests of the state.” Bonuses! Freshman State Assemblyman David Tangipa tears into the Newsom budget, and Red State editor and investigative reporter Jennifer Van Laar reveals the next chapter in Fresno's secret Chinese bio lab. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow NotesCalifornia job market ranks among the weakest of the weak nationwideLabor leaders blast Gavin Newsom over AI, demand more regulationJonathan Turley: Grandstanding Newsom will stop at nothing to ride the rails to glory in 2028State leaders propose to keep some California high-speed rail information secretA top Democrat wants to know if California laws are working. Lawmakers get to pick which onesThrow everything at the wall, see what sticksGun-wielding LA protester aims at feds then vanishes under pepper-ball fireFederal workers face daily harassment by ruthless agitators in DTLA: ‘War zone every day'Coalition rallies to defend Cypress Park day labor center amid disputed Home Depot eviction threatNew twist in mayor's race makes election a referendum on L.A.'s futurePension costs make tax- and fee-hike frenzy at City Hall the new normOvertime costs were skyrocketing. San Diego police say they have reined it in.An ex-Fresno Arts Council employee is under investigation in $1.5 million embezzlement case, city sources sayA Bay Area downtown faces a reckoning as tides riseHow bad was California's ‘Great Flood' of 1862? It was a torrent of horrorsAssemblyman David Tangipa on the state budgetOfficial websiteJen Van Laar on the worst Airbnb in America Illegal Chinese Biolab Used As Airbnb, Made Several Deathly Ill; Defendant Owns Multiple Homes in NV, CAFeds Seize 1000 Samples From Illegal CCP Biolab in Las Vegas Owned by Defendant in Reedley Case Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New York City Council members are once again calling to “demilitarize” the NYPD, reviving familiar demands to scale back specialized units and disband the NYPD's Strategic Response Group (SRG) altogether. In this episode, we break down what demilitarization actually means, why SRG continues to be a political target, and how crowd control, counterterrorism, and public order policing are being intentionally mischaracterized in today's political climate. We'll also cover the latest NYC news, including policy decisions that affect public safety, morale inside the NYPD, and the growing disconnect between City Hall rhetoric and real-world policing realities. ️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5689366474915840 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor joins the show to break down a busy week in East Bay politics. We unpack new developments in the East Bay's federal corruption case, including insights from last week's court hearing and what to expect next with Bryan Azevedo's upcoming appearance. Loren also offers an insider's view of the first major gubernatorial debate, new candidates entering the race, and how the field may evolve through June. Plus, updates on the CA14 and SD10 races, a closer look at Union City candidate Scott Sakakihara's Palantir ties, and thoughts on Floyd Mitchell's move to Fremont, and Loren's insights on the clash over Oakland Ken Houston'sEncampment Abatement Policy at City Hall.

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What’s up, Mom?”“I’ve got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I’m going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don’t have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he’d just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he’d made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn’t wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom’s list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren’t harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I’d see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won’t settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I’m just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it’s great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I’m, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that’s sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I’ll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn’t believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline’s fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I’ve got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I’ve got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason’s longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She’s an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don’t belong on the same Planet as her! You’re nothing’! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken’s arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken’s gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won’t be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn’t?”“I did. Jason, someday you’ll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won’t bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn’t bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken’s mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason’s punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that’s not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan’s families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken’s seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man’s gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that’s family; I don’t want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles’ cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I’ve got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it’s Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I’ll; I’ll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn’t even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You’ve reached Live 95.5 FM’s world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you’ve reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn’t help creeping on her! That’s where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You’re doing everyone a favor! If you’d like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken’s rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn’t even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She’s far worse! I can’t imagine how evil she’d be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken’s mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn’t know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason’s words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn’t have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken’s initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason’s cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle’s Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What’s up, Mom?”“I’ve got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I’m going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don’t have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he’d just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he’d made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn’t wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom’s list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren’t harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I’d see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won’t settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I’m just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it’s great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I’m, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that’s sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I’ll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn’t believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline’s fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I’ve got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I’ve got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason’s longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She’s an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don’t belong on the same Planet as her! You’re nothing’! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken’s arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken’s gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won’t be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn’t?”“I did. Jason, someday you’ll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won’t bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn’t bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken’s mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason’s punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that’s not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan’s families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken’s seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man’s gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that’s family; I don’t want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles’ cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I’ve got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it’s Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I’ll; I’ll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn’t even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You’ve reached Live 95.5 FM’s world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you’ve reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn’t help creeping on her! That’s where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You’re doing everyone a favor! If you’d like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken’s rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn’t even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She’s far worse! I can’t imagine how evil she’d be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken’s mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn’t know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason’s words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn’t have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken’s initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason’s cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle’s Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What’s up, Mom?”“I’ve got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I’m going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don’t have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he’d just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he’d made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn’t wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom’s list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren’t harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I’d see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won’t settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I’m just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it’s great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I’m, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that’s sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I’ll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn’t believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline’s fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I’ve got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I’ve got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason’s longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She’s an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don’t belong on the same Planet as her! You’re nothing’! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken’s arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken’s gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won’t be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn’t?”“I did. Jason, someday you’ll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won’t bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn’t bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken’s mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason’s punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that’s not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan’s families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken’s seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man’s gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that’s family; I don’t want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles’ cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I’ve got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it’s Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I’ll; I’ll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn’t even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You’ve reached Live 95.5 FM’s world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you’ve reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn’t help creeping on her! That’s where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You’re doing everyone a favor! If you’d like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken’s rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn’t even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She’s far worse! I can’t imagine how evil she’d be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken’s mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn’t know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason’s words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn’t have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken’s initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason’s cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle’s Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and

We bring you the top local stories of the week with WXXI News staff. First, the University of Rochester and RIT are seeing a significant drop in international student enrollment. Investigations and enterprise editor Brian Sharp discusses the impact of Trump administration policies on college campuses. Then, reporter Gino Fanelli has been investigating the price tag for Rochester Police Department overtime shifts. He explains what he learned and what it means for the community. And finally, from "Mean" Joe Green sharing a Coke, to Apple's "1984" computer, to the Budweiser Clydesdales, what are the Super Bowl commercials that stand out in your mind? A local sociology researcher explains why certain ads stick, what to look for when it comes to trends, and the cultural significance of Super Bowl commercials. Brian Sharp, investigations and enterprise editor for WXXI News Gino Fanelli, investigations and City Hall reporter for WXXI News Kyle Green, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Sociology at SUNY Brockport ---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

Bezos guts the Washington Post as billionaire power accelerates populist anger nationwide. The show connects media capture, rising authoritarian risk, and Houston's frontline battles over ICE, HPD, and democracy.Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletterPurchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make AmericaUtopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And BeFit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of anAfro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch's refusal to work with ICE raises serious questions about public safety, accountability, and the role of policing in a politically divided city. We break it all down and also cover the latest NYC news, from City Hall to the streets. ️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5689366474915840 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Please welcome to the Bird's Nest Mayor Regina Romero!Bob sits down with the Mayor of Tucson, Regina Romero, for a deep dive into her life story. While many know her as the first woman and first Latina to lead the Old Pueblo, this conversation goes beyond the City Hall headlines.

Thank you Steven Rosenzweig, Laura

It's the Year Of The Horse on Tue Feb 17th and the Cork celebration of the New Year Festival is in City Hall a bit before on Sun Feb 8th. Paul Byrne finds out more about China's celebration from May O'Donovan from SensAsian Food in Ballincollig and Lila Chenyao. See also here Cork Chinese New Year Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conway kicks things off with classic stories and big media news as Disney names parks chief Josh D’Amaro as its new CEO, succeeding Bob Iger. Reporter Michael Monks joins the show as LAPD says it will not enforce a federal agent mask ban, calling the policy poorly thought out. Chief McDonnell faces pushback from the L.A. City Council over the decision. A shocking national crime story: Jill Biden’s ex-husband is arrested in connection with the murder of his current wife, sending shockwaves through political and legal circles. An emotional and inspiring story to close: the Santa Clarita girls hockey team wins a tournament just days after a deadly crash in Colorado. Online fundraisers and a GoFundMe for the victims have raised more than $120,000 to help families, including funeral expenses for Manny Lorenzana. RIP. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the noon All Local for Wednesday, February 4, 2026

In this episode we explore New York City warning residents to stay indoors as dangerously low temperatures and sub-zero wind chills swept through the city yet the refused to suspend NYPD Mobile Field Force (MFF) where officers are ordered to stand outside, overnight on footposts for hours at a time, We alsodiscuss the latest scandals sweeping NYC and the NYPD. ️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5689366474915840 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Thompson takes on the surreal and the serious as reality TV star Spencer Pratt makes a move toward City Hall. Guest Rachelle Begley opens up about Ed Begley Jr.’s Parkinson’s diagnosis and their family’s upcoming docu-series comedy. Also on the docket: major cuts to L.A. County homeless services and Don Lemon’s firsthand account of his L.A. arrest & Superbowl Divide: Bad Bunny or Kid RockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vanessa Hickman, Chair of Lee's Summit's Human Relations Commission, returns to discuss Take Time to Be Kind Week (February 9-14). Discover how this annual initiative brings the community together through intentional acts of kindness—from pop-up gratitude stations to kindness bingo. Learn about simple ways to participate, share your stories using #LSKindness, and help build stronger relationships throughout Lee's Summit. Free materials available at City Hall all week. Visit LSKindness.net for details.

Give us about fifteen minutes daily, and we will give you all the local news, sports, weather, and events you can handle.   SPONSORS: Many thanks to our sponsors… Annapolis Subaru, the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, MacMedics, and Hospice of the Chesapeake, Today... Big moves at City Hall and big voices back on the air—Mayor Jared Littmann replaces Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson and names Capt. Amy Miguez acting chief, while police also identify the woman found in Truxtun Park as a 44-year-old from California. Eastport's Forward Brewing heads to the Board of Appeals over outdoor operations and neighborhood noise, and a blistering editorial grades the city's ice-storm response with a warning: fix the routes, fix the intersections, and fix the priorities. Plus, the Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce names Amy Berry as its next CEO, and WRNR brings Bob Waugh and Carrie Evans back to the lineup as the station's relaunch keeps rolling— all that and more on today's DNB! Daily Newsletter Subscription Link: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/493412887.htm The Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief is produced every Monday through Friday at 6:00 am and available wherever you get your podcasts and also on our social media platforms--All Annapolis and Eye On Annapolis (FB) and @eyeonannapolis (TW) NOTE: For hearing-impaired subscribers, a full transcript is available on Eye On Annapolis.

TALK TO ME, TEXT ITEver notice how the stories we're told to ignore somehow dominate every screen? We kick off by pulling apart the Grammys hangover in the news cycle—why outlets mock the show while feeding it two days of nonstop attention—and what that says about the incentives that keep outrage trending and nuance buried.From there, we wade into the Gavin Newsom swirl: age-gap headlines, an affair that detonated trust inside City Hall, and glossy media framing that treats politics like celebrity culture. We ask what accountability looks like when charm eclipses conduct, and whether voters lose when coverage swaps policy outcomes for personality hype.The tone shifts as we break down a New York courtroom decision that let a previously deported offender walk despite a federal warrant, forcing ICE to make an arrest on the street. Sanctuary city policy, interagency cooperation, and public safety collide here. We talk thresholds, detainers, and what coordination should look like when violent priors are in play. The core issue isn't left or right—it's whether the system protects people or performs for cameras.Then it's on to the Super Bowl halftime show and the NFL's bet on unity with Bad Bunny under the brightest lights in sports. Will a global stage invite a political moment, a Spanish-language set, a stunt—or genuine artistry that cuts across lines? We explore how music, identity, and spectacle shape expectations, and why the league's desire to “unite” often rubs against the culture's appetite for statements.Along the way, we stay grounded in the same question: who benefits when public life becomes performance? And what would it take to reward craft, coherence, and real-world impact over clicks and shock?If this conversation hits, follow the show, share it with a friend, and drop a review. Most of all, tell us: who should headline the next Super Bowl, and why? Your picks might make it on air.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREE Thanks for listening! Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!Start for FREESupport the showTip Jar for coffee $ - Thanks Music by Alehandro Vodnik from Pixabay Blog - AnAmericanist.comX - @americanistblog

After weeks of being seriously sick, Andy Riesmeyer returns to the mic. Mayor Karen Bass delivers a State of the City speech away from City Hall, KTLA’s Samantha Cortese joins to discuss Savannah Guthrie’s family learning her mom was missing, plus SoCal weather, Punxsutawney Phil’s questionable accuracy, and a brutally honest breakdown of Andy’s infamous hairstyle with Mark Rahner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gary and Shannon preview tomorrow’s California governor debate, dig into mounting frustration over Pacific Palisades rebuild delays, and question the cost of city-level dysfunction. The hour includes a look ahead to Mayor Karen Bass’s State of the City with KFI’s own Michael Monks, internal City Hall tensions, shifting betting odds in the governor’s race, and what to expect when candidates take the debate stage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Give us about fifteen minutes a day, and we will give you all the local news, sports, weather, and events you can handle. SPONSORS: Many thanks to our sponsors… Annapolis Subaru, the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, MacMedics, and  Hospice of the Chesapeake.  Today... Downtown Annapolis saw a late-night shots-fired investigation on City Dock, while the city extends storm parking relief and prepares to restart sidewalk-clearing enforcement as schools shift to 2-hour delays. City Hall is also juggling key leadership transitions in Finance and Human Resources, and looking ahead, Annapolis will host a big-ticket "Democracy at 250" conversation at Maryland Hall with David Rubenstein and NBC's Andrea Mitchell. Catch today's DNB for the details and the context you won't get from the headlines alone. DAILY NEWS EMAIL LINK: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/493412887.htm Ann Covington from CovingtonAlsina is also here with her Monday Money Report! The Eye On Annapolis Daily News Brief is produced every Monday through Friday at 6:00 am and available wherever you get your podcasts and also on our social media platforms--All Annapolis and Eye On Annapolis (FB) and @eyeonannapolis (X) NOTE: For hearing-impaired subscribers, a full transcript is available on Eye On Annapolis.

//The Wire//2300Z January 30, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: NEW FED CHAIR ANNOUNCED. ANTI-ICE GROUPS REORGANIZING AFTER SIGNAL CHAT LEAK TEMPORARILY DISRUPTED OPERATIONS IN MINNEAPOLIS.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------HomeFront-New Jersey: Governor Mikie Sherrill announced the creation of a government database to track ICE agents throughout the state. Residents have been encouraged by the Governor herself to conduct intelligence collection of ICE operations, and upload reports to a government-created web portal. Analyst Comment: This portal had not been released yet, however it's expected to be launched soon. This follows similar efforts from around the country, as counter-ICE organization becomes sanctioned by many state governments.USA: Around the nation, various protests and demonstrations were carried out today, largely centered around anti-ICE causes. In Minneapolis, crowds formed again at City Hall and the Whipple Federal building, which has seen a persistent (albeit dwindling) turnout over the past few days. Other demonstrations were also carried out in Maine (where ICE surge operations are coming to an end), as well as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In Washington, the timeless tradition of dumping information on a Friday has continued with several different developments. On the economic front, this morning President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. In addition to naming a new Fed Chair, a few more names have dropped as well, mostly in the form of a few million pages of Epstein files being released. Around 3 million allegedly new documents and thousands of videos have been posted online by the Department of Justice, however it will obviously take some time to determine if any of this information is truly new, or helpful for determining the national security implications of this case.On a related note, indications and warnings are mounting regarding another round of strikes in Iran. Nothing is certain at the moment, and rhetoric has been flying all around, but the US is moving a lot of military aircraft into the region at an increasing rate. Al-Udeid Airbase (the facility that is the chief target for Iranian retaliation) still has not been evacuated yet, however, there are currently a few exercises involving aircraft movement throughout the region...exercises that provide a convenient reason to stage forces throughout the area. In any case, it's all speculation at the moment and only time will tell as to if the United States is going to follow through on the rhetoric to conduct strikes once again.Analyst: S2A1Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2undergroundDisclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report.//END REPORT//

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture CA is a disaster, Newsom ran it into the ground follow the great reset and the green new scam. Now people and business are escaping. Walmart is leaving. Energy is the key to a strong manufacturing economy. Poland ramps up on gold. Gold has now overtaken the treasuries, everything is changing. The [DS] is panicking, they don’t have the people behind them like in 2020. Now they are left with their paid agitators. Obama, Clinton and Hollywood are preparing for chaos for the midterms. They have already put out the call. At the same time Trump is exposing Russia hoax, the rigging of the election and the J6 insurrection that the [DS] had against Trump. The D’s are in trouble Trump is putting pressure on the RINOs in the Senate to push the Save Act. Once this is done, it is game over. The D’s will push everything. Message was sent that the plan is in motion. Economy  (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/EnergyAbsurdity/status/2016553623270883769?s=20   non-viable alternatives to fossil fuels over the last 30 years: #Wind, #Solar, and #EVs. Despite all those TRILLIONS wasted, fossil fuels now account for an even HIGHER PERCENTAGE – 83% – of primary energy than they did 30 years ago. We must stop throwing away our children’s and grandchildren’s futures on false alternatives that simply do not and cannot work. https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2016793453007339819?s=20    be paying the LOWEST INTEREST RATE OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Most of these countries are low interest rate paying cash machines, thought of as elegant, solid, and prime, only because the U.S.A. allows them to be. The Tariffs being charged to them, while bringing in $BILLIONS to us, still allows most of them to have a significant trade surplus, though much smaller, with our beautiful, formerly abused Country. In other words, I have been very nice, kind, and gentle to countries all over the World. With a mere flip of the pen, $BILLIONS more would come into the U.S.A., and these countries would have to go back to making money the old fashioned way, not on the back of America. I hope they all appreciate, although many don't, what our great Country has done for them. The Fed should substantially lower interest rates, NOW! Tariffs have made America strong and powerful again, far stronger and more powerful than any other Nation. Commensurate with this strength, both financial and otherwise, WE SHOULD BE PAYING LOWER INTEREST RATES THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/2016559031574311138?s=20 https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2016890828925313192?s=20  TRIPLED since Q4 2019, driven by aggressive purchases by central banks and rising prices. Over this period, central banks have added ~4,500 tonnes of gold, including unreported purchases. At the same time, foreign Treasury holdings have remained unchanged. Gold is redefining the global monetary system. Central banks maintain FX reserves—typically a mix of currencies, bonds, and assets like gold—to stabilize their currencies, manage liquidity, and hedge against economic shocks. U.S. Treasuries have long been the go-to asset because they’re considered ultra-safe, highly liquid, and backed by the world’s dominant reserve currency (the U.S. dollar, which still accounts for about 57% of global reserves). Gold, on the other hand, is a “neutral” asset: it’s not tied to any single government’s policies, can’t be printed at will, and serves as a hedge against inflation, currency debasement, and geopolitical risks.This crossover isn’t just a blip—it’s a structural change driven by several factors: Key Driver Explanation Impact Geopolitical Tensions and Sanctions Events like the Russia-Ukraine war (leading to frozen Russian assets) and U.S. actions (e.g., tariffs, interventions in Venezuela) have eroded trust in dollar-denominated assets. Countries fear their reserves could be seized or devalued overnight. theguardian.com Accelerates “de-dollarization” efforts, especially among BRICS nations (e.g., China, Russia, India), which now buy gold at 3–5 times pre-2022 levels, averaging 60 tons per month. finance.yahoo.com Gold’s share in reserves has doubled to over 25% in the past decade. newsmax.com Rising Gold Prices and Diversification Gold’s price surge (up 70% in 2025 alone) mechanically boosts its reserve value, but central banks are actively adding to holdings rather than selling Treasuries outright. mining.com This reflects a pivot away from U.S. debt amid concerns over America’s $35+ trillion national debt, persistent inflation, and fiscal policies under the Trump administration. fundssociety.com Gold is now the second-largest reserve asset after the dollar (overtaking the euro in 2024), signaling a re-regionalization of global finance where gold absorbs outflows from U.S. bonds. lfde.com The gold and U.S. debt markets are similarly sized (~$25–30 trillion each), making this shift feasible without massive disruptions. Central Bank Strategy Emerging market central banks (e.g., People’s Bank of China, Central Bank of Russia) are prioritizing gold for stability in a multipolar world, while developed banks hold steady. americanhartfordgold.com Net purchases hit 1,000+ tonnes in 2025, with forecasts for similar levels in 2026. gold.org Could push gold prices higher—analysts at Goldman Sachs see $5,400/oz by end-2026, while extreme scenarios (full USD reserve loss) speculate $39,000–$184,000/oz if gold backs global money supply. vaneck.com This isn’t about ditching the dollar entirely but reducing over-reliance.   If trends continue, it could lead to sustained gold demand, higher prices, and a more fragmented international financial landscape. Political/Rights  DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2016915491194057147?s=20  https://twitter.com/MarioBojic/status/2016846881079300384?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2016915405327962562?s=20   of China, Russia and Iran.    EU adds Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to terrorist list The European Union has added Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list in response to Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters in recent weeks. The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said EU foreign ministers took the “decisive step” because “repression cannot go unanswered”. She said ahead of the decision that the move would put the IRGC – a major military, economic and political force in Iran – on the same level as jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Source: bbc.com   War/Peace https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/2015933550822883607?s=20 https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2016654714071285944?s=20 Anti-air warfare (AAW): Defending against aircraft, missiles, and drones using its Aegis Combat System, which integrates radar, sensors, and weapons for tracking and engaging threats. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW): Detecting and neutralizing submarines with sonar systems, torpedoes, and embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. Anti-surface warfare (ASuW): Engaging enemy ships or land targets with guns, missiles, and other weapons. Strike warfare: Launching long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles for precision strikes on ground targets. Ballistic missile defense (BMD): Intercepting ballistic missiles in flight, depending on configuration. Additional support roles: Maritime security, search and rescue, and intelligence gathering. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2016914233233981950?s=20  right after reports of massive Israeli/US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, this is Moscow quietly confirming the hits while trying to de-escalate. Bushehr is Iran's only operating nuclear power reactor (Russian-built, ironically). If it got damaged or threatened, we’d be looking at Chernobyl-level fallout risks. Putin playing both sides: backing Tehran rhetorically but signaling “don’t go too far” to Washington/Jerusalem.   https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2016697707256025533?s=20 https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2016934089165853048?s=20      Medical/False Flags [DS] Agenda IT BEGINS: Zohran Mamdani Announces Plans to ‘Tax the Wealthy' to Compensate for NYC Budget Deficit (VIDEO) Well that was fast. Zohran Mamdani has been mayor of New York City for less than a month and he is already talking about raising taxes on the ‘wealthy' to make up the city's budget deficit, which he claims is on par with the Great Recession. Get ready to see a lot of Uhauls leaving the city. CNBC reports: New York Mayor Mamdani says city must hike taxes on wealthy to fill $12 billion deficit New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday said the city's wealthiest must pay more in taxes to help fill the staggering budget deficit of more than $12 billion that he was left by his predecessor. “This is at a scale that's actually greater than what we saw here in New York City during the Great Recession,” Mamdani said of that budget hole during an interview with CNBC “Squawk Box” co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin at City Hall.   Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2016689992932749554?s=20 https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2016622314306109944?s=20 https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2016825781926662360?s=20   https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2016863073173114959?s=20   https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2016855148723593379?s=20 https://twitter.com/christopherrufo/status/2016702846822207663?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricTeetsel/status/2016681981887623280?s=20 https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2016688511017947273?s=20 benevolent and humble servant of the oppressed. Then when it turns out — as it literally always does — that he was actually a violent unhinged degenerate weirdo, they will immediately pivot and insist that his character and personal life don’t matter actually. We were told Alex Pretti had no criminal record but we now have video of him spitting on and attacking ICE agents Was he charged for this? https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2016702063334334904?s=20   https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2016714718430310577?s=20 https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2016712434606559516?s=20 https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2016708027559141441?s=20 https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2016704306401976345?s=20 https://twitter.com/FrontlinesTPUSA/status/2016734414537990436?s=20 https://twitter.com/Mollyploofkins/status/2016377949121884259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2016377949121884259%7Ctwgr%5Eb6afd1fffe8094942ed0a2c48dbd21175293b47b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fwatch-has-been-actress-molly-ringwald-claims-trump%2F   https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2016691592619516200?s=20   “But the rest of us would survive… This is the time for a revolution.” Brandon Johnson Says He's Coordinating With Other Democrat Mayors To Thwart ICE Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson admitted Wednesday he was “in regular communication” with other mayors leading so-called “sanctuary cities” in efforts to impede enforcement of federal immigration laws. “To respond to the operation in Chicago, I leaned heavily on other cities' responses, like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared her experience governing while the city was in Trump's crosshairs,” Johnson said. “We've been in regular communication both at the executive level and the staff level with cities like Minneapolis and Portland, Oakland, Boston, and Denver and Baltimore to learn from each other's experiences and develop strategies to protect our constituents.” Source: dailycaller.com   https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2016645995606552671?s=20 https://twitter.com/bitchuneedsoap/status/2016520711951564977?s=20   https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/2016662505930584574?s=20   President Trump's Plan BREAKING: ICE and CBP to DRAW-DOWN Number of Forces in Minnesota After Tom Homan Strikes Deal with State Officials – Here Are the Details (VIDEO) https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2016865706126545214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2016865706126545214%7Ctwgr%5Ef45391945d583495415892fba4a2de7da17713e7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fbreaking-ice-cbp-draw-down-number-forces-minnesota%2F   just 3 days! Tom Homan means business. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2016867645958529115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2016867645958529115%7Ctwgr%5Ef45391945d583495415892fba4a2de7da17713e7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fbreaking-ice-cbp-draw-down-number-forces-minnesota%2F   Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2016868888491761913?s=20  https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/2016584955472838709 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2016737774288654360?s=20 https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2016938140326645996?s=20   https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/2016868004798124447?s=20   https://twitter.com/FlipCrypt/status/2016359757557141542?s=20  court” “How do you set the stage” The raid showed pictures of files, one was in a bathroom, and another a stage. Funny because Hilary deleted 600k emails, from a server, kept in her bathroom. What would it look like if we “had it all” How do you set the stage? How do you inject evidence into a Grand Jury conspiracy case for Russiagate? I think a lot of the comms right now, and the actions around the country show preparation for this Grand Jury to conclude. It could take weeks, or even months. But my bet is those boxes set on the stage are Russiagate and beyond. The boxes in the bathroom are Hiliary’s emails, and currently, a grand jury is having a look at it all. https://twitter.com/FultonCo_GA_GOP/status/2016671877297488352?s=20 County Board of Elections literally denied these requests. The Georgia State Election Board has been trying for 4 years to get the records.  Including issuing a subpoena for the ballots and other records.  And ALL of those efforts have failed.  Until today. I applaud Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for finally searching for and retrieving the records from the 2020 election that the U.S. Attorney General under federal law is entitled to receive and review.  It is my hope that the FBI is in the process of getting every box of 2020 election materials in that warehouse to be able to piece together, once and for all, the truth about 2020. I am dedicated to making sure to the best of my ability that elections in Fulton County are accurate.  Let's hope this starts a new chapter in Fulton County for transparency and accountability.” Julie Adams Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections Republican Party Appointee  Why did trump start in a red state.    https://twitter.com/keithedwards/status/2016671823870513436?s=20 Materials Sought in Fulton County FBI Warrant Revealed – A Difficult Road Lies Ahead for Fulton County Officials FBI Agents seized over 700 boxes worth of documents and brought them north to Virginia in two tractor trailers  https://twitter.com/realLizUSA/status/2016701882576560547?s=20   utilized during the 2020 General Election in Fulton County All ballot images produced during the original ballot count beginning on November 3, 2020, THE RECOUNT, and any other ballot images All voter rolls from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County from absentee, early voting, in person, and any other voter roll that indicates voters: to whom an absentee ballot was issued, from whom an absentee ballot was received, or who participated in advanced voting or election day voting Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/2016665638778143047?s=20   years ago. Fulton County refused. Excerpts from witness affidavits include: Susan Voyles, 20-year election official: “Pristine” ballots “difference in the texture of the paper” with “a different feel” and “no markings” and approximately “98% for Joe Biden.” Georgia Democrat observer: “Hundreds of ballots with no folds or creases. Perfect black bubbles. All for Biden.” Another Georgia Democrat: “All had perfect black bubbles and were all Biden. I heard ‘Biden' over 500 times in a row.” @VoterGa has been fighting in court for six years just to inspect these ballots. Why was Fulton County so determined to keep them hidden?? https://twitter.com/realLizUSA/status/2016706788351971434?s=20     https://twitter.com/drawandstrike/status/2016705043144003652?s=20   AND INCLUDING THE JACK SMITH SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE. And the first thing that happens when you end up in election related litigation is you are given a PRESERVATION ORDER FROM THE COURT. So NO, Fulton County officials did not destroy these ballots, or tapes or any other federal election records THAT THEY ALREADY ADMITTED TO HAVING IN OFFCIAL COURT RULINGS BEGINNING 5 YEARS AGO.  https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/2016902941836198297?s=20 https://twitter.com/PatriotXV11/status/2016713624061116652?s=20 https://twitter.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2016663357089001566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2016663357089001566%7Ctwgr%5E18c7aab2309ab32958cb900c1fa5f6df8f16003a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fbreaking-president-trump-announces-first-ever-assistant-attorney%2F     https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2016594714569441286?s=20 https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/2016901410441289982?s=20 https://twitter.com/DoWCTO/status/2016577329393242364?s=20 3800 Q !!Hs1Jq13jV6 ID: e6ce6c No.7943347 Jan 28 2020 14:46:22 (EST) DurhamBoat.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_boat Anons found the subtle hint dropped in the beginning. Think Durham start. Think ‘Q’ start. You have more than you know. Q 1 Anonymous ID: BQ7V3bcW No.147012719 Oct 28 2017 15:44:28 (EST) Anonymous ID: gb953qGI No.147005381 Oct 28 2017 14:33:50 (EST) >>146981635 Hillary Clinton will be arrested between 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM EST on Monday – the morning on Oct 30, 2017. >>147005381 HRC extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged effective 10/30 @ 12:01am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance and others fleeing the US to occur. US M's will conduct the operation while NG activated. Proof check: Locate a NG member and ask if activated for duty 10/30 across most major cities. 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