Donald Trump’s grotesque fraud
When Donald Trump set up Trump University, he promised to share his “secrets of success.” He said he would tell people how they could “just copy exactly what I’ve done and get rich.” It was a fraud. Now, courtesy of the New York Times, we know for certain it could never be anything but a fraud. The only knowledge Trump can impart to anyone about wealth is an unteachable skill: have rich parents.
As the Times’s investigation revealed, Trump’s success depended on massive transfers of family wealth from his father, real estate developer Fred Trump. Ultimately, Fred Trump gave hundreds of millions of dollars to his children, a staggering amount turbocharged, as the Times reported in extensive detail, reportedly by fraud. By age 3, the Times reports, the young Donald Trump received an income that was the equivalent of $200,000 in today’s dollars from his dad. He was a millionaire before finishing elementary school. The largesse continued into adulthood. He even paid for the adult Donald’s car, and Manhattan offices — the same ones where the future president gave interviews claiming business genius.
The story Trump told on the campaign trail, about how he received only a “small” $1 million loan from his dad to build his business — and one Fred Trump made him pay back. “It has not been easy for me,” he whined. Garbage. The Times reports that the senior Trump loaned his son $60.7 million at a minimum, most of which was never repaid.
So why the pretense? Well, Americans love the myth of the self-made man. A foundational belief in our culture is that anyone can become a millionaire — or even better, a billionaire — with just the right amount of hard work, gumption and smarts. There is an idea that the person who goes out and makes himself — and it is almost always a man — a fortune is somehow a more skilled and smarter human being, capable of using his skill in one industry to master another.
Americans love this myth despite evidence that it is widely exaggerated. The United States has less class mobility than many European nations, but Americans think we enjoy more. In the United States, the quickest and easiest way to make it to the 1 percent of wealth holders and remain in that world is to be born into it.
One reason we might love this myth as much as we do: It allows us to avoid hard discussions about the reality of class in the United States. All too many Americans, the beneficiaries of what I like to call the upper-middle-class welfare state, can convince themselves that they are uniquely deserving. When Jessica Wiederspan, now a researcher studying basic income with Y Combinator, interviewed working- and middle-class families in Rust Belt states, she found many in absolute denial about what their financial backers accomplished for them. One woman, the recipient of family aid that permitted her everything from a nice home (with a mortgage in her mother-in-law’s name) to soccer lessons and summer camp for her children, told the researcher she believed the vast majority of people who did well in the United States, “are people who are willing to work for what they want.” As for the others, she sniffed, “they expect handouts to get from here to here.”
In fact, as both Wiederspan’s research and the Times story shows, it is frequently the rich and well-to-d0 who seek handouts without copping to it. It is the Trump administration that signed into law a tax-reform package that gave the typical worker a tiny and time-limited tax cut, while showering the wealthiest with a massive and permanent cut. It is the Trump administration that is seeking to make staggering cuts in social safety-net programs, such as Medicaid and food stamps, which is the only help available for people who hit a rough patch or are mired in poverty. At the same time, it is the Trump family — and no doubt many other families — who seek to skip out on paying taxes, money that can be used to help those who lack their financial advantages. That too many Americans tacitly accept this reality allows frauds such as Trump to flourish.
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FEMA Tests New Presidential Emergency Alert System On Cellphones
I got a txt and now I’m scared. Trump is crazy.
The mandatory part of the system allows Donald Trump to send alerts directly to most Americans.
In case you missed it, the Federal Emergency Management Agency tested its first wireless alert system on Wednesday ― a new feature that will allow President Donald Trump to send emergency messages to the majority of American cellphones.
The wireless emergency alerts (WEA) will come in three forms: presidential alerts during a national emergency, warnings about extreme weather and other threatening emergencies in your local area, and AMBER alerts. The WEAs will have a special tone and vibration that will be repeated twice.
The test alert messages, sent on Wednesday at 2:18 p.m. Eastern time, read “Presidential Alert,” followed by “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
It is not possible to opt out of receiving the presidential messages, which by law are not allowed to be political in any way. Users can opt out of the other WEA messages about imminent threats and AMBER alerts by adjusting the settings on their mobile device, FEMA said.
📳TOMORROW (Wednesday) 10/3: Expect to get a test emergency alert message on your phone at 2:18 PM EDT.
You’ll hear a loud tone & vibration. This is a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system.
Questions? Check out https://t.co/Op8T9AEpiF. pic.twitter.com/RIdPay87eN
— FEMA (@fema) October 2, 2018
More than 100 mobile carriers are participating in the program, the agency said, meaning nearly all cellphones will receive the alerts. Older models that are not WEA-capable will not.
This week’s test was originally scheduled for Sept. 20 but it was delayed due to Hurricane Florence.
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Cheerleader allegedly brings pot brownies to school to win votes for Homecoming queen
HARTFORD, Mich. – The term “higher education” is taking on a new meaning in Van Buren County after police say a cheerleader allegedly brought some pot-laced brownies to school.
Hartford Police can’t recall anything like this ever happening in their town. They say that the student, a 17-year-old female, gave those brownies to some athletes at the school. The brownies were included inside goodie bags for the football team during Homecoming week, according to WXMI.
“The principal mentioned they were getting some tips in about some possible brownies that may have been laced with marijuana oil,” said Michael Prince, a patrolman for the Hartford Police Department.
Prince says the high school got a tip through the OK2Say app which allows people to submit information anonymously. The tip alleged a 17-year-old cheerleader brought pot brownies to school, some for football players. They say the leftovers were used to sway votes in an effort to become homecoming queen.
“The school’s taking this very seriously, they are doing their own investigation and they’re just starting to turn over some of the statements from the students possibly involved or witnesses,” said Prince.
Twelve brownies were allegedly brought to school. Investigators say staff members were able to recover three of them, leaving nine brownies unaccounted for and possibly consumed by students. Those three desserts have been sent to the state police crime lab for testing to confirm there are drugs inside.
“I’ve read about things across this country, it has not happened with anything that I know of in this area,” said Prince. “I’ve been an officer a long time and whenever you think you’ve heard it all, something just about daily comes up like ‘Wow.'”
The students involved could be in hot water: having drugs is one thing, but officials say having them and distributing them in a drug-free zone could mean felony charges for those involved. Officer Prince is now encouraging parents to talk to their kids about the issue.
“I think they need to talk to their children that are students and if they think that they could possibly been involved, then take them to the hospital and get them tested,” said Prince.
As for that student who’s the main suspect, Prince says she and her mother are out of state right now for what they’re calling a family emergency. He’s hoping to interview them when they return.
There’s no word yet on any punishments, but the school did send home a letter that says all the students involved are being dealt with according to district policies and student handbooks.
Postal worker quits, boxes of mail found dumped on side of New Jersey road
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – A postal worker left a heap of boxes packed with mail on the side of a South New Jersey road, according to the Courier-Post.
A Facebook user shared a photo of the discarded United States Postal Service mail on Sunday with the caption, “If you[‘re] looking for your mail it maybe on river road by 36st station … ”
The photo, posted by a user named Positive Energy Bennett, has been shared more than 3,000 times.
USPS investigators learned that the mail carrier had resigned Sept. 8.
“We do not anticipate any further action against this individual,” Special Agent Scott Balfour told the paper Wednesday. “The Roxborough Station Post Office is going to deliver the mail.”
Authorities did not say what might have led the ex-employee to dump hundreds of letters.
Funeral director guilty of 16 counts of abuse of corpse after taking graphic cellphone photos
STROUDSBURG, Pa. — A former Pennsylvania funeral director was sentenced Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to taking photos with bodies as they were being prepared for burial.
Angeliegha “Angel” Stewart pleaded guilty in Monroe County court to 16 counts of abuse of a corpse. She will spend the next ten years on probation.
Investigators say last year, Stewart snapped images of bodies at the Lanterman and Allen Funeral Home in East Stroudsburg as they were being prepared for burial, then showed them to friends as a joke.
One photo showed a corpse whose organs had been removed. Another showed a body covered in maggots.
Stewart admitted to showing the pictures to her friends to, “gross them out.”
Among those photos was one of the husband of Rev. Cait Finnegan.
“I don’t think she is going to change without being forced to think about what she has done. She’s on probation and the only thing she is forced to do now is not get caught again,” Rev. Finnegan told WNEP.
Stewart sobbed as she told the victims’ families she was sorry. She said, ”If I could take away the pain, I would but it’s too late. My life came crashing down last year. I just hope you can get closure. I know you probably hate me. I just hope you can get over this and move on. I’m really sorry and there is nothing more I can say.”
“If she had true remorse, she would have, she should have had the courage to look at each family member when they were talking to her,” said victim Theresa Englehardt.
“I am used to seeing crocodile tears. I think she is sorry she got caught to some extent,” Rev. Finnegan said.
Stewart will spend the next 10 years on probation, serve 250 hours of community service, and she had to give up her funeral director’s license.
Oklahoma principal used ‘unreasonable force’ when paddling students, affidavit alleges
A principal in McAlester, Oklahoma, has been charged after two elementary students were left with welts and bruises following an alleged spanking with a wooden paddle.
Indianola Public Schools Principal Gary Gunckel, 50, was charged last week with two counts of child abuse by injury in relation to the alleged paddling, which reportedly occurred in September, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by local newspaper McAlester News-Capital.
Gunckel has also been placed on administrative leave “while the legal process determines the outcomes,” according to a statement from Indianola Public Schools.
Gunckel allegedly used “unreasonable force” when paddling the two male students, ages 10 and 11, according to the newspaper. Their identities have not been revealed.
The charges come after a mother of one of the boys contacted Cody Vaughn, a deputy with the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, with concerns over the “bruising and whelps on her son’s buttocks,” the newspaper reported.
While the mother reportedly gave Gunckel permission to “swat” her son with a paddle as a punishment for being involved in an argument with the other boy, she contacted the sheriff’s office because she felt the bruising indicated Gunckel had used “excessive” force.
The mother also claimed the mother of the other boy contacted her to say her son was also bruised, according to the affidavit.
Gunckel allegedly apologized later on “for busting the boys” and said he spanked the elementary students the same way he spanked high school students. He reportedly told the parent he was sorry that her son bruises easily. She said he explained to the boy that it was “supposed to hurt so that he would remember not to do what he was doing anymore,” the affidavit stated.
“Although federal law prohibits any school district from disclosing specific information related to an individual child’s discipline or their student records, Mr. Gunckel followed district policy,” Superintendent Adam Newman said in the Indianola Public Schools’ statement.
“While the district has a policy in place that outlines the student discipline, including the types of discipline methods available for administrators to utilize, the administration will seek out input from our community and parents, to determine their thoughts and opinions on whether or not we will move to change the discipline policy,” Newman said in the statement.
He declined to comment further on the accusations against Gunckel when contacted by Fox News on Wednesday.
A preliminary hearing conference is scheduled for Oct. 12.
Rat infestation temporarily closes McDonald’s restaurant near Tacoma
A fast food restaurant near Tacoma is temporarily closed while it deals with a rat infestation, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
The McDonald’s at 11012 Pacific Avenue S. shut itself down Sunday and remains closed.
The restaurant hired a pest control company to address the problem.
Health officials will inspect the McDonald’s before it opens again.
“We take this matter seriously and will continue to work with this restaurant to ensure it’s safe for the public before it reopens,” the Health Department wrote on Facebook.
This isn’t the first time that McDonald’s location has had a rat problem.
An inspection in 2016 found a rat running across the kitchen.
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Bartender Sisters Allegedly Attacked By Cardi B Banned From Strip Club
A lawyer for the women alleges they cannot work for their previous employer because of the complaints they raised against Cardi B.
The siblings, named Rachel Wattley and Sarah Wattley go by Baddie Gi and Jade. The women are aged 21 and 23 respectively. They claim to have been victimized in an attack launched by Cardi B and her entourage which first began when Cardi threw a hookah pipe and drinking glasses at them. Cardi’s crew allegedly followed her actions by throwing chairs and bottles at the bartenders leaving them with significant injuries. The brawl is said to have been sparked by Cardi’s belief that one of the sisters slept with her husband, Offset.
A lawyer for the Wattleys, Joe Tacopina, said that the sisters have not been allowed to return the strip club where they used to work as a result of the incident. He told The Washington Post, “they were told they can’t work there because of the complaint they made against Cardi B.” He went on to reveal, “They have text messages [that] say that from the club.” Tacopina also denied the accusation that either one of the women slept with Offset.
Cardi B did turn herself earlier this week and was charged with one count of third-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. The Bronx rapper will appear in criminal court on October 29.
Catch a few pictures of Baddie Gi and Jade below.
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Kylie Jenner Shares Video of Stormi in a Walker — a Device Pediatricians Want Banned
Kylie Jenner’s 8-month-old daughter Stormi is on a roll. The makeup mogul shared an Instagram Story video on Tuesday, October 2, in which the infant is seen cruising around in a pink walker. While the plastic device on wheels seems harmless, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that they can cause severe injuries and may even harm development. Just last month, the AAP announced they are pushing for a ban on baby walkers.
More than 230,000 children younger than 15 months were treated for injuries that occurred while using walkers between 1990 and 2014. The study found that 6,539 of them had skull fractures, and 91 percent were to the head and neck.
“Baby walkers give quick mobility — up to 4 feet per second — to young children before they are developmentally ready. Children at this age are curious, but do not recognize danger,” senior study author Dr. Gary Smith told CBS News Opens a New Window. in September. “It only takes a young sibling to leave the door to the basement stairs open briefly for an injury to occur.”
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FDA Barges In on Vape Maker Juul, Seizes ‘Thousands’ of Documents
In its ongoing crusade against rad teens, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it made a surprise inspection of the headquarters of Juul Labs, which is under investigation for potentially marketing e-cigarettes to children. The “unannounced on-site inspection,” executed on Friday, resulted in the seizure of “thousands of pages of documents,” according to the FDA.
The surprise inspection of Juul continues an aggressive new chapter in the FDA’s war on the “epidemic” of underage vaping, as FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently put it. The agency has cracked down on e-cigarette businesses in general and Juul in particular.
“The JUUL inspection, which we completed on Friday, sought further documentation related to JUUL’s sales and marketing practices, among other things, and resulted in the collection of over a thousand pages of documents,” the FDA said in a statement emailed to Gizmodo. “The inspection followed the Agency’s request for information that we issued to JUUL Labs in April for documents that would help us to better understand the reportedly high rates of youth use and the youth appeal of JUUL products, including documents related to marketing and product design.”
In a statement emailed to Gizmodo, Juul CEO Kevin Burns said his company plans to work with the FDA and other parties to prevent underage vaping and characterized the FDA’s surprise inspection on its headquarters as a “meeting.”
“We are committed to preventing underage use, and we want to engage with FDA, lawmakers, public health advocates and others to keep JUUL out of the hands of young people. The meetings last week with FDA gave us the opportunity to provide information about our business from our marketing practices to our industry-leading online age-verification protocols to our youth prevention efforts. It was a constructive and transparent dialogue,” Burns said. “We’ve now released over 50,000 pages of documents to the FDA since April that support our public statements. We look forward to presenting our plan to address youth access in the 60-day time frame as outlined by FDA. We want to be part of the solution in preventing underage use, and we believe it will take industry and regulators working together to restrict youth access.”
While there are hundreds of e-cigarettes on the market, Juul remains the most popular, especially among teenagers, according to Nielsen, which found that Juul represented nearly 55 percent of the e-cigarette retail market as of March.
In late August, the New York Times reported that management within PAX Labs, which created Juul before it spun off into its own company, knew the company’s e-cigarettes were widely popular with teenagers and still failed to tweak its marketing strategy, according to a former senior manager at PAX. Last month, the FDA announced that it had issued 1,300 “warning letters” and fines to brick-and-mortar e-cigarette retailers that the agency said it had busted selling Juul vapes to minors during an “undercover blitz” carried out this summer.
Although e-cigarettes are believed to be somewhat safer than tobacco cigarettes, and users can vape without nicotine, evidence shows they are still not safe, particularly for teens’ still-developing brains.
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