Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 10/26

[SVPete]

Top LA journalist had fling with Dem SoCal lawmaker, let her write his stories: report

https://nypost.com/2026/10/24/media/star-reporter-fired-amid-claims-of-secret-affair-with-california-senator/

A high-profile Los Angeles immigration reporter has been fired amid allegations of ethical breaches, including claims he had a secret romantic relationship with a rising California state senator and allowed her to help write stories published under his byline.

Memo Torres, 46, abruptly parted ways with left-leaning news outlet L.A. TACO this week after an internal investigation that the publication says followed nearly five months of discussions over repeated violations of its policies and journalistic standards, according to LA Material.
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“Memo Torres did important work here, and we’re grateful that he rose to the challenge when ICE began their siege of our city. But we fired him for repeated violations of our policies and our basic journalistic standards. That’s it. That’s the reason,” the outlet said in a statement published Saturday.

The publication said it gave Torres multiple opportunities to take responsibility and improve, insisting his departure had nothing to do with its immigration coverage.

“The rumor that we’ve turned our back on ICE coverage is a lie. And a dangerous one,” the statement said.

But according to the outlet, sources have raised questions about Torres’ coverage of Democratic state Sen. Sasha Renee Pérez, 34, including allegations that the pair had a personal relationship while he reported on her political agenda.
The most serious allegation is that Pérez was allowed to edit and write portions of stories published under Torres’ byline. The senator has strongly denied having any role in L.A. TACO’s editorial decisions.

“I did not write any articles or control the editorial decisions of L.A. Taco,” Pérez said in a statement. “Any person suggesting I wrote pieces for L.A. Taco is attempting to undermine my work and attack Memo’s integrity.”

Pérez, the youngest lawmaker in the California Senate, acknowledged that she and Torres had a prior personal relationship. She said L.A. TACO management asked them to limit their communication about six months ago, a request she said they honored.

A source close to Torres also rejected the ghostwriting allegations, arguing the veteran reporter would never allow another person to write under his byline.

If there really were such a thing as "journalistic ethics" Torres's violations would be several. "L.A. TACO" is anti-ICE, so they were probably doing preemptive CYA in anticipation of Torres's Mattress Journalism getting exposed and reflecting ill on their stance.

[SVPete]

The UN Climate Circus: Broke, Gridlocked, and Reality-Starved

https://pjmedia.com/eric-florack/2026/10/26/the-un-climate-circus-broke-gridlocked-and-reality-starved-n4958687

The IPCC, the U.N.’s premier climate bureaucracy, recently convened in Ethiopia alongside delegates from 195 member nations. Ostensibly, they gathered to prep for a "major U.N. climate milestone" in 2028 by hashing out their seventh assessment report.

Instead, they packed their bags and fled Addis Ababa broke, empty-handed, and unable even to agree on a simple publication date. Turns out the same institution that constantly insists "the science is settled" can’t even settle on a calendar invite. And I wish I could laugh over it, but when I think of all the money wasted on these clowns, along with the broken economies in their wake, I simply can't.

The IPCC's 65th session ran from Oct. 12 to 16 and wrapped up in its default state: complete deadlock. According to Carbon Brief, this marks the sixth consecutive meeting since 2024 where governments failed to agree on when to actually release their homework.
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The panel didn't just fail to schedule its own future; it failed to pass a budget and is officially flat broke. Who is paying, I wonder, for all that jet fuel schlepping this circus around?

The IPCC's own secretariat warned of a "serious funding crisis." Voluntary contributions in 2025 tanked by 5.3 million Swiss francs compared to 2023, even as operating costs ballooned. As of July, a pathetic total of 16 countries and organizations had chipped in for 2026, totaling a grand 2.8 million francs. At this burn rate, the panel's own budget docs admit its trust fund runs dry by the end of 2028 — right before it can finish the very reports it’s spent years squabbling over.

And here’s the kicker that should bring a smile to every taxpayer’s face: the United States, historically the IPCC's undisputed sugar daddy, hasn't sent a single dime since 2024. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the IPCC and the broader U.N. climate apparatus earlier this year. Turns out when Uncle Sam stops footing the bill, the "global consensus" gets real quiet real fast about what it can actually afford. We should have pulled out of that mess years ago.

That's however many 10s or 100s of millions of $$$$ unspent.

[SVPete]

Caving to the Left: Catholic Bishop Issues Public Apology for His White House Visit

https://pjmedia.com/tim-o-brien/2026/10/26/caving-to-the-left-catholic-bishop-issues-public-apology-for-his-white-house-visit-n4958696

On October 22, Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee joined 11 other bishops on a visit to the White House, which the White House’s Faith Office organized. Grob said that he and his fellow bishops received an invitation to go to Washington to talk about “matters of importance to the Church and our people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity.”
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Grob said the Heritage Foundation helped liaise this meeting during its planning.

“We were told the meeting was to be a private discussion, that several Catholic members of the cabinet might make an appearance, and that there could be an opportunity to pray privately with the president,” he claimed without making it clear who told him that.

According to Grob, the bishops met with administration officials for about 90 minutes, and then they went to the Oval Office, where they met in person with President Donald Trump. He presented them with “commemorative tokens,” and as is the case with the vast majority of Oval Office meetings, photographers positioned the group with Trump behind the Resolute Desk for an obvious photo op. A dead giveaway for all participants would have been the still photographer and the videographer in the room capturing all of it with their cameras.

A photographer captured the group, clearly with their knowledge, praying over the president. We’ve seen this sort of photo time and again when Trump hosts clerics in the Oval Office. It’s nothing new, not controversial, and hardly a surprise when he does it.
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On Sunday, October 25, Grob issued a “public apology” for participating in the event. The weak-in-the-knees bishop who could have doubled down and claimed that, regardless of the context, he was doing the Lord’s work, instead groveled to those who hate Trump more than they love God.

Paul specifically instructed believers to pray for government leaders. One need not be a history wonk to know that Roman government leaders, from provincial to every emperor, were hideously corrupt, financially and morally. And Paul did NOT mean, "Blast them, Lord," prayers.

If Archbishop Grob had a modicum of courage - and, IMO, to be blunt, cared about Scripture - his reply to howling critics should have been to the effect that he was simply obeying Scripture and had no reason for that to be kept secret. Just! Puh! Theh! Tick!

[enslaved1]

15-year-old arrested in Florida A&M shooting that wounded 11 after homecoming game

Tallahassee police say a fight broke out before the shooting outside Bragg Memorial Stadium, and it appears that none of the injured were intended targets.

A 15-year-old boy has been charged in a Saturday night shooting that wounded 11 people at Florida A&M University following the school's homecoming football game, Tallahassee police said Monday.

On Sunday, police arrested Anthony Rivers III in connection with the shooting, police said in a press release. Following consultation with State Attorney Jack Campbell, the teen faces 11 counts of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent, the statement said.

I'm sure whatever the fight was about was completely worth the rest of his life.

Eleven people were struck and one person was injured while running away. Six of those wounded were minors – one of them 11 years old, police said.

It appears none of the injured were intended targets, police said.

   

[SVPete]

... by a delinquent, ...

I don't have any brilliant alternatives to offer, but our century-plus-old juvenile "justice" system is allowing increasing numbers of thugling-wannabes to continue escalating their criminal antics. Since any solution would entail case-by-case evaluations and actions, there are lots of activist groups who would probably fight deviation from one-size-fits-all.