Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy, 08/29

[SVPete]

Of Course: Media Freaks Out Over Normal Secret Service Provision for Kamala

https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2025/08/29/media-freaks-out-over-normal-secret-service-provision-for-kamala-n3806294

... It's the "few months" that are at issue, however. Normally, former presidents get Secret Service protection for life, paid by taxpayers, although they can opt out of it. Former VPs only get six months of Secret Service protection after leaving office, unless presidents act to extend it. And that brings us to today, when the media freaked out over Trump treating Kamala Harris like any other VP despite the machinations of the Joe Biden Regency:

Embedded CBS Skews X post that omits mention of 6 months protection being normal

Similar embedded ABC Skews, NBC Skews, and BBC X posts that omit mention of 6 months protection being normal

None of these headlines gave any hint to the context of this decision. It appeared to be an arbitrary act by a political opponent looking for a cheap shot at retribution.  Only the headline from the Associated Press offered a hint of the actual issue involved:
...
So the actual story is that the Biden administration gave Harris a stealth extension of taxpayer-funded benefits to which she was not entitled. If Congress wants to extend those benefits for former VPs, then let Congress propose and pass those into statute as amendments to the pension system for former presidents and VPs. Otherwise, Harris is no longer a public servant, and she can use her own resources for personal protection rather than sponge off the taxpayers. Trump simply canceled the illegitimate extension and restored the normal post-office benefit limitations to which all VPS are subject.

MSM lying by omission. I'm surprised AP would publish the full context, LIEden's illegal extension of the protection.

[SVPete]

Trump Directs ICE to Intensify Operations in These Five Sanctuary Cities:

https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/08/28/trump-directs-ice-to-intensify-operations-in-these-five-sanctuary-cities/

The Trump administration has announced an effort to ramp up immigration enforcement in five major U.S. cities, including Chicago. Federal officials are reportedly considering utilizing a Lake Michigan naval base as an operations hub for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan, speaking to reporters on Thursday, stated that a “large contingent” of ICE agents would be deployed to sanctuary jurisdictions that continue to undermine federal immigration laws. Cities targeted include New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Chicago.

                                                              

[SVPete]

2nd criminal referral filed as Lisa Cook sues Trump over firing

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/08/28/Cook-Trump-Federal-Rese/8751756399320/

Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The Trump administration Thursday night announced a second criminal referral against Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook for mortgage fraud, as she sues President Donald Trump for attempting to illegally dismiss her.

William Pulte, the agency's director, announced the second referral on X, stating "3 strikes and you're out."

"Lisa Cook needs to step aside -- with the evidence coming out on her 3rd mortgage and her alleged misrepresentations to the Federal Government ethics department, I believe she is causing irreparable harm to our beloved Federal Reserve," Pulte said in a second statement. "How is Jay Powell fine with her behavior?"

Pulte had sent the first criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Aug. 26, accusing Cook, the first Black woman to sit on the independent board, of falsifying documents and committing mortgage, bank and wire fraud. She is accused of signing two separate mortgage documents for two separate properties that claim each is her primary residence. One property is in Michigan and the other is in Atlanta. The two documents were allegedly signed two weeks apart during the summer of 2021.

[SVPete]

Rubio Revokes Palestinian Officials' Visas Ahead of U.N. Meeting

https://pjmedia.com/sarah-anderson/2025/08/29/rubio-revoke-palestinian-officials-visas-ahead-of-un-meeting-n4943161

If Palestinian officials believed they'd be attending any upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, they'd be wrong. Marco Rubio just took away that privilege.

The State Department announced today that the Secretary of State would deny or revoke any visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA). 

The 80th session of the UNGA opens on September 9 in New York, of course, and various events last through the end of the month.

The State Department press release reads:

The Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.

Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.  The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.  Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.

Damn! Well! About! Time!!!!!!!!