SunSeeker
SunSeeker's JournalAn official says a historic Grand Canyon lodge has been destroyed by wildfire
Source: NBC News
A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon's North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said Sunday.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park Superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.
Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures. The park initially was managing it as a controlled burn but then shifted to suppression as it rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) because of hot temperatures, low humidity and wind, fire officials said.
The White Sage Fire doubled in size on Sunday, growing from roughly 20,000 acres to 40,000, according to government website that tracks U.S. fires.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/grand-canyon-lodge-destroyed-wildfire-rcna218566
First DOGE cuts and now this. A bad summer at Grand Canyon National Park.
Farmworker injured during Southern California immigration raid has died, family says
Source: KTLA.com
A farm worker who was hospitalized with a brain injury during an immigration raid at a Ventura County cannabis farm has died, his family confirmed Saturday.
On July 10, Jaime Alanís was attempting to evade officers when he fell 30 feet from a building and was hospitalized with critical injuries.
He remained on life support at the Ventura County Medical Center. His family said he would remain on life support until his wife arrived from Mexico to be by his side and say goodbye.
On Saturday afternoon, family members confirmed that Alanís had died. “With heavy hearts, my uncle has passed away,” his niece wrote on a GoFundMe page to help the man’s family.
Read more: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/farmworker-injured-during-southern-california-immigration-raid-has-died-family-says/
It was erroneously reported earlier that he died on July 10, but he was actually on life support following catastrophic brain & neck injuries. They waited to take him off life support so his wife could be there.
Social Security Administration sends misleading email lauding Trump's new tax cuts law
Source: NBC News
"The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits, providing meaningful and immediate relief to seniors who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation’s economy,” said the email, which multiple beneficiaries shared with NBC News.
But it does not eliminate federal taxes on Social Security. Budget reconciliation, the arcane process Senate Republicans used to pass the bill while avoiding a Democratic filibuster, does not allow changes to be made to Social Security.
The Trump package does, however, include a temporary tax deduction of up to $6,000 for seniors ages 65 and older, and $12,000 for married seniors. Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers argued last month that nearly 9 in 10 seniors would not pay any federal taxes on their Social Security benefits because the new deduction would eliminate their tax burden.
“This email went to every Social Security subscriber and every word of it is a lie. Social Security benefits are still taxed. This big, ugly bill doesn’t change that,” New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote on X. “It’s disturbing to see Trump hijack a public institution to push blatant misinformation.”
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/social-security-administration-sends-misleading-email-lauding-trumps-n-rcna216990
Trump says he 'hates' Democrats at Independence Day event
Trump, speaking at an event organized by a nonpartisan group meant to celebrate America's independence, said he "hates" Democrats for opposing legislation to fund much of his domestic agenda.
Every Democrat in Congress voted against the "Big, Beautiful Bill," many fiercely criticizing the expected cuts it would bring to Medicaid.
"They wouldn’t vote only because they hate Trump, but I hate them, too, you know?" Trump said. "I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country."
Trump said he hopes to weaponize Democratic opposition to the bill in next year’s midterm elections. "With all of the things we did with the tax cuts and rebuilding our military, not one Democrat voted for us, and I think we use it in the campaign that’s coming up the midterms, because we got to beat them," he said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-big-beautiful-bill-house-taxes-immigration-live-updates-rcna215842/rcrd84276?canonicalCard=true
Did anyone else just get a skeevy propaganda email from the Social Security Administration?
I have never gotten an unsolicited email like this from Social Security before. It gushes about the passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill" and how it will allow 90% of seniors to not pay tax on their Social Security. WTF. Who sent this, Big Balls? Oh, and it states that the email "was produced and disseminated at U.S. taxpayer expense."
California public pension fund, the nation's largest, faces probe launched by concerned retirees
In recent years, the handling of the nation’s largest public pension fund has caused growing alarm among a group of retirees who rely on it.
They have sought an outside audit of California’s $530 billion pension fund, known as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS. They have also tried to persuade legislators to install an inspector general to monitor its operations.
Both efforts went nowhere. Now, they’ve decided to take matters into their own hands.
The retired public employees are taking the unusual step of hiring a forensic pension investigator to provide clarity on the fund’s investments, the high fees it is paying to big Wall Street firms and its lagging performance.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-public-pension-fund-nations-largest-faces-probe-launched-co-rcna215534
Southern California man reportedly arrested, dragged out of car, for filming immigration raid
He yelled out at the federal agents, but remained seated in his van. When the agents spotted Hermosillo filming, they approached him and allegedly said he was blocking the path for an ambulance and that he had to move his van.
Hermosillo said he complied, but accidentally bumped a vehicle behind him when reversing.
That’s when the agents quickly moved in on Hermosillo’s van, opened the car door and demanded that he step outside.
Footage from a bystander showed several agents forcefully removing Hermosillo from the driver’s seat, grabbing him by the neck, upper body and legs, before he was pushed onto the ground and handcuffed. Hermosillo said government officials told him he was under investigation for interfering with federal agents and could face up to six years in jail if convicted.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/southern-california-man-reportedly-arrested-dragged-out-of-car-for-filming-immigration-raid/
Judge denies California's request for immediate restraining order but sets arguments for Thursday
Source: CNN
A federal judge in San Francisco declined on Tuesday California’s request to immediately block the Trump administration from using Marines and members of the state’s National Guard to enforce laws in the state, including by assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement.
Senior US District Judge Charles R. Breyer instead scheduled a hearing for 1:30 p.m. Thursday over a request from the state for a temporary restraining order that would bar officials from directing the service members to assist with certain law enforcement activities.
Attorneys for the state had asked the judge earlier Tuesday to swiftly issue the order without receiving a response from the Trump administration. But the judge has asked both sides to submit more written arguments in the case ahead of the hearing later this week.
In a brief filing to the court Tuesday afternoon, the Justice Department called the state’s request “legally meritless” and argued that if granted, it “would jeopardize the safety of Department of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the Federal Government’s ability to carry out operations.”
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/la-protests-ice-raids-trump-06-10-25#cmbqvql660000356mqpt6znw1
The lock screen picture on Trump's phone is...you guessed it...HIMSELF!
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2150835771996546
Such a narcissistic psycho!
Hateful, antisemitic road rage tirade unfolds on Southern California street
An Iranian American who has an Israeli flag in his windshield to show support for his Jewish friends and family was the target of a hateful antisemitic verbal assault last week in Reseda, an incident that was captured on camera.
The victim, who only wanted to be identified as a Los Angeles resident named Justin, was alone in his vehicle on May 22 when the unprovoked, hateful tirade unfolded.
Justin told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that the man rolled down his window and threatened to kill him.
...
In dashcam footage of the incident, the unidentified man behind the wheel of a Kia, gets in front of Justin’s Tesla and brakes hard, his recklessness, according to the victim, engaged the Tesla’s emergency braking system, nearly leading to Justin being rear-ended by the motorist behind him. The man spits toward Justin’s vehicle, accuses him of not being an American tells him, “Go back to your country you Zionist piece of s***.”
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/hateful-antisemitic-road-rage-tirade-unfolds-on-southern-california-street/
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