Pelosi

Geriatric Congress: Nancy Pelosi, 83, Announces She is Running AGAIN

September 11, 2023 By Katy Grimes 8 Comments

Senior members of Congress hold some of the most important committee positions, yet probably can’t tell you what they ate for breakfast

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Twitter Friday she is running for reelection. Pelosi, who was born in 1940 and is now 83, will be 86 at the end of her next term in Congress.

In the summer of 1940, France had just fallen to the Nazis and Britain was fighting for survival. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt began to prepare America for war.

Now, 83 years later, Nancy Pelosi, who if she was an airline pilot, would have been required to retire at age 65 – in 2005 – and perhaps like an aging airline pilot, has only gotten more dangerous after age 65.

“Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote. -Nancy”

Is Pelosi talking about the San Francisco values that have rendered her city a crime-laden hell hole? According to a new Gallup poll released lagte August, one-half of Americans view San Francisco as unsafe. And it’s probably worse than their perception.

Another report in August found that San Francisco has had the worst recovery of any city from the pandemic. I know – show me your SHOCKED face.

Is that the City whose values Pelosi touts, where drug addicted street vagrants drop their pants to poop on the street? Maybe Nancy would like to step out of her chauffeured limousine and take a stroll along San Francisco streets as detailed in the official “defecation map.” Or visit the empty shells of the sumptuous retail establishments, boutiques and high end markets she used to frequent. Or try to pick up a prescription at a San Francisco Walgreens… (Are all of them gone now?)

Pelosi has serious insider trading accusations to deal with, leading many to assume she, as with the other elderly members of the House and Senate (Feinstein, McConnell), stick around to manage their dubious dealings. Could they really want to die while in office otherwise?

As I reported in 2021, if the more elderly members of Congress ran for local political offices instead – City Council and County Supervisor seats – they likely would not be elected as local voters would recognize that they had reached an age where they should retire, save for a few vibrant and relevant ones. But tucked away safely in Washington D.C., away from local prying eyes and local scrutiny, these incumbents continue to be reelected.

While most Americans are looking to retire as they near age 65 or 70, it appears members of Congress are just getting warmed up as they age. They’ve been in office so many years, their special interest funders need them to remain. And that is the real priority – special interests, rather than constituents, particularly for members in office for decades.

This is clearly becoming a serious issue. And it’s not a Republican or Democrat thing – it’s an issue in both political parties. These Senior members of Congress hold some of the most important committee positions, yet some probably can’t tell you what they ate for breakfast. They deal with (rather, their senior staff deal with) national security, defense and the military, appropriations, homeland security, judiciary, and are privy to national secrets.

With 90-year old U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) reportedly having very public cognitive issues, this is a serious situation. Who is Feinstein’s handler, because surely she has one? Who finishes her sentences for her? Who whispers answers in her ear? Who directs her to the next meeting? Who prepares cheat sheets of notes for her? Who runs interference for Feinstein with the media?

Perhaps most important, who made her 20-year Chinese spy staffer problem go away? How is it that no one in Congress demanded an investigation into her office? Did Nancy or Mitch have anything to do with that?

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) certainly has her own age-related issues, despite some of the best medical care in the world, and an obviously skilled plastic surgeon. As Speaker prior to losing the House to Republicans, to call Pelosi awkward during television interviews was an understatement. She slurred her words, appeared unable to coherently finish a sentence, made weird jerky movements with her hands, and still does that funny thing with her lips over her teeth.

Pelosi loses her temper very quickly when asked a real question, similar to President Joe Biden’s reaction. Pelosi was a very attractive woman for many years, and likely would still be, naturally, if she hadn’t messed with Mother Nature. We all age – there is no cheating the aging process.

And what about Pelosi husband Paul’s DUI misadventure in Napa? Immediately following the odd calamity, Nancy Pelosi’s PR team issued a terse statement: “The Speaker will not be commenting on this private matter which occurred while she was on the East Coast.”

Or what about when Paul Pelosi was assaulted by a man armed with a hammer during a home break-in in San Francisco later that year? Police arrested the suspect and Pelosi was rushed to the hospital. Many people questioned the very odd circumstances between the attacker and Pelosi – none of which was ever concluded publicly… perhaps appropriately.

Shouldn’t the Pelosi’s be enjoying travel, grandkids, their Napa winery, their circle of friends, their “Golden Years,” and writing books about their fascinating lives?

As we previously reported:

The U.S. House of Representatives, with a total of 435 members from 50 states, has 10 members 80 and older.

The U.S. House of Representatives has 21 members between age 75 and 80.

The U.S. House of Representatives has 108 members between ages 65 and 74.

The U.S. Senate, with 101 members from 50 states, has 7 members 80 and older.

The U.S. Senate has 22 members between the ages of 65 and 70, and 21 members between the ages of 70 and 79.

Remember the Washington D.C. pharmacist who said in 2017 that he fills a surprising amount of Alzheimer’s prescriptions for various members of Congress? While it would be good to know who those congressional members were, most of us can take reasonably educated guesses…

Click here to read the full article in the California Globe

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: California Politics, Pelosi, san francisco

Crime is So Bad Near S.F. Federal Building Employees are Told to Work From Home, Officials Said

August 13, 2023 By Megan Cassidy 4 Comments

Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advised hundreds of employees in San Francisco to work remotely for the foreseeable future due to public safety concerns outside the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on Seventh Street.

The imposing, 18-story tower on the corner of Seventh and Mission streets houses various federal agencies, including HHS, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the office of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The area is also home to one of the city’s most brazen open-air drug markets, where dozens of dealers and users congregate on a daily basis.

HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl R. Campbell issued the stay-home recommendation in an Aug. 4 memo to regional leaders.

“In light of the conditions at the (Federal Building) we recommend employees … maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” Campbell wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Chronicle.

“This recommendation should be extended to all Region IX employees, including those not currently utilizing telework flexibilities,” Campbell wrote, referring to the federal government zone that includes California and other Western states.

The memo came on the same day that, according to Axios, President Biden’s White House chief of staff called for more federal employees to return to their offices after years of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was not immediately clear whether other tenants in the building had issued similar directives. Officials with Pelosi’s office and the Department of Labor said they have been working closely with local and federal law enforcement to ensure safety for their staffers, but they have not advised employees to work from home.

The building has long been a locus of some of the city’s most intractable problems.

Dozens of dealers routinely plant themselves on, next to or across the street from the property, operating in shifts as users smoke, snort or shoot up their recent purchases. The property’s concrete benches are an especially popular site for users to get high, socialize or pass out.

While Pelosi’s five-person staff was not advised to work remotely, she raised concerns about the building’s tenant safety last week in a meeting with the U.S. attorney for the northern district of California, according to officials with her office.

“The safety of workers in our federal buildings has always been a priority for Speaker Emerita Pelosi, whether in the building or on their commutes,” Pelosi spokesperson Aaron Bennett said in a statement.

“Federal, state and local law enforcement — in coordination with public health officials and stakeholders — are working hard to address the acute crises of fentanyl trafficking and related violence in certain areas of the city.”

Pelosi recently secured more federal law enforcement assistance in cracking down on the city’s fentanyl crisis in the Tenderloin and SoMa areas. San Francisco is one of the cities included in a federal program called Operation Overdrive, which targets drug traffickers in areas with the highest levels of drug-related violence and overdoses.

The Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is maintained by the federal General Services Administration, and policing is handled by Federal Protective Services.

Richard Stebbins, a public affairs officer for GSA, said the agency coordinates with San Francisco police to enhance safety outside of the building, which includes routine patrols and camera systems around the perimeter of the building.

“The building is a safe and secure space for federal employees and the visiting public,” Stebbins said in an email to the Chronicle. “There are a number of security controls GSA employs to make sure the building is safe including Federal Protective Services officers at the building and secure checkpoints.”

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Federal Protective Service, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But a tenant of the building familiar with recent decisions said the agency and GSA have recently implemented a number of new security measures to address safety concerns. This included pulling FPS personnel from other nearby properties for additional security, a pending vote on funds for an additional “roving” guard dedicated to the property, and creating a “BART Buddies” program that has escorts on call from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to walk employees to and from BART.

Click here to read the full article in the SF Chronicle

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: Crime, Pelosi, san francisco

New House Democratic Leader Defends Calling Trump ‘Illegitimate’ President

December 6, 2022 By Bloomberg 4 Comments

Newly elected House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries defended past remarks calling Donald Trump’s 2016 election “illegitimate” against Republican criticism, noting that he voted to certify his presidency.

“I will never hesitate in criticizing the former president,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “I think I’m in good company there across the world.”

Jeffries said Republicans “are going to have to work out their issues” with Trump after his comment Saturday on his Truth Social social-media site that his loss in 2020 should be overturned and that “rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution” should be terminated. Jeffries called it “a strange statement.”

“Suspending the Constitution is an extraordinary step, but we’re used to extraordinary statements being made by the former president,” Jeffries said of Trump, who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president.

For their part, Republicans have criticized Jeffries after Democrats selected him to succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi, citing tweets in which he said that Russian interference made the 2016 presidential election “illegitimate” and questioned whether Trump was a “fake president.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Jeffries an “election denier,” a term typically used to describe Trump and allies who refuse to accept his loss in 2020.

Jeffries said that he voted to certify Trump’s 2016 win, attended his inauguration and worked with his administration on issues like a treaty with Mexico and criminal justice reform.

“That track record speaks for itself,” he said.

The White House harshly criticized Trump’s latest claim of election fraud, calling the US constitution a “sacrosanct document.”

“Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. “You cannot only love America when you win.”

Former Trump adviser John Bolton, who has since become one of his harshest critics, said on Twitter that “all real conservatives” should oppose his 2024 campaign, citing that statement.

“No American conservative can agree with Donald Trump’s call to suspend the Constitution because of the results of the 2020 election,” he wrote.

Republican Representative David Joyce, who chairs the moderate Republican Governance Group, said on “This Week” that he wasn’t going to respond to Trump’s latest statement, even if it was a call for suspending the US constitution.

Click here to read the full article in the OC Register

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: Congress, Democrats, Pelosi

As Pelosi Backs Away, A New Generation of Democrats Steps Forward

November 22, 2022 By Marianna Sotomayor 8 Comments

One day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced she would step back from leading the House Democratic caucus, a changing of the guard began, led by a crop of Democrats tasked with charting a new path for the party as it reaches a generational inflection point.

Seasoned and newer Democratic lawmakers eagerly embraced the prospect of a fresh start that could usher in a new era for the Democratic Party, as new leaders Friday announced their intention to fill the vacancies left by Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), and Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (S.C.). The first major reshuffle of House Democratic leadership in decades will not only affect which policies Democrats pursue, but also bring with ita shifting view of how leadership should function.

Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Katherine M. Clark (Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (Calif.) have emerged as the expected leaders of the next chapter, officially announcing their candidacies for the Democratic caucus’s top three positions on Friday. Besides the appeal of their relative youth — all are younger than 60, while the current top three are all older than 80 — the trio more robustly represents the diversity within the Democratic Party. Jeffries, 52, would break barriers as the first Black person to lead any party in either chamber of Congress. Clark, 58, could become the second woman to serve as minority whip, and Aguilar, 43, would be the second Hispanic lawmaker to chair the caucus if elected this month.

“In the 118th Congress, House Democrats will be led by a trio that reflects our beautiful diversity of our nation. Chair Jeffries, Assistant Speaker Clark and Vice Chair Aguilar know that, in our Caucus, diversity is our strength and unity is our power,” Pelosi said in a statement endorsing the candidates Friday.

Roughly two dozen Democratic lawmakers who spoke to The Washington Post this week were hopeful about the new generation of leaders expected to take charge, while many also noted that they hoped to elect colleagues to the rest of the large Democratic leadership slate who will expand age, cultural and regional diversity.

House Democrats overwhelmingly recognize, however, that no one leader in the new generation can be as powerful as Pelosi, who maintains the ability to achieve legislative results by coaxing members in the direction needed.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who has known Pelosi for almost four decades, acknowledged Pelosi’s style of “tough love” is what forged consensus to achieve historic feats like passing the landmark Affordable Care Act, several priorities of President Biden’s agenda and other bills that required sacrifices from members who may not have agreed with all provisions.

“She’s been a leader, a speaker, that has led through many, many difficult days,” Lee said. “But yes, she has always risen to the occasion and has shepherded through this Congress transformational legislation.”

A post-Speaker Pelosi House

Without that tight grip, members privately have mused over the past year, the new reality couldcreate a scenario where no one can control members’ demands.

“If no one’s living in fear of the speaker of the House, then maybe it’s a complete s—show,” one Democratic lawmaker said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

But that is a risk many Democrats see as worth taking. They have grown tired of what several described as top-down governance, and they want to see new leaders engage more often with the ideological factions of the caucus before decisions are made, avoiding last-minute spats over legislation.

Reverence also was expressed toward Pelosi for shattering the marble ceiling, an acknowledgment that without her, Hoyer and Clyburn, members would not have such a structurally strong foundation on which to build and expand the caucus.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a member of “The Squad,” made up largely of liberal women of color, wants to see the new leaders make more inroads with the most progressive members of the caucus, noting that their lived experiences aren’t routinely considered.

“Sometimes I feel treated as if my background — and it’s not just me, there are others, I can speak personally for myself — is like something that should be put in the corner,” she said, noting her background as an unhoused single parent working for low wages, as well as experience with domestic and sexual violence.

Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar spent much of the past term forging relationships throughout the caucus and acknowledging they would rely on one another’s strengths to bring all viewpoints to the decision-making table. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) credited the team, particularly Jeffries, for working in an inclusive manner and seeking input from colleagues.

“Having the first African American leader of either political party, I think, is really significant,” he said. “On top of that … [Jeffries is] extraordinarily talented, an amazing messenger of our values, a strong strategist, and someone who is inclusive and seeks input from his colleagues.”

Many older members in the caucus took the passing of the torch in stride, echoing Pelosi’s words read from Scripture during her Thursday speech, that there is “a time and a season” for everything. It’s a realization Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) had this year when he decided to retire after 15 years in the House. Before doing so, he called Morgan McGarvey, 42, to inquire if he would run for his seat in Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District because of his skill — and age.

“The world is moving at 100 miles an hour. Congress at its max, at its optimum efficiency, moves at 10 miles. So you need people who are more accustomed to the pace of change and adapting to the pace of change,” he said just hours after he was officially kicked out of his office in the Cannon Office Building. “Because if this body doesn’t figure out how to do that, it’s going to become irrelevant.”

Help from the ‘old guard’

While there is an overwhelming eagerness to start anew, several members were glad to hear that the “old guard” would still be around next term. It served as a relief for several, who had previously expressed worry that the new generation has not had enough time to harness their legislating and negotiating chops. The expected new top three in the caucus have served a collective 27 years in Congress, compared with the 58 years combined that Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn have served in leadership alone.

“I think for one thing, when you’re in the minority, it really is time to train people to be in the majority,” Hoyer said in an MSNBC interview Friday, echoing what many members have expressed about a transitional time being beneficial to new leaders.

Moreover, Hoyer retains a respectful relationship with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who earned the GOP conference’s nomination to be speaker next term. Both McCarthy and Jeffries have acknowledged not having a solid relationship, as both have often spent the past several years trading barbs.

Several Democratic lawmakers who spoke to The Post say Jeffries has proved himself to be a reliable antagonist against Republicans and their policies, a role he will have to play in the minority. But the ability to legislate and negotiate will be a test for the new trio as Republicans begin to acknowledge that they will have to rely on Democrats to approve must-pass legislation to overcome their razor-thin majority.

During a weekly news conference days before Pelosi stepped aside, Jeffries said House Democrats have always shown a willingness to work with the GOP, noting that the caucus previously worked with the Trump administration on policies “because we understood it was the right thing to do for America.” But where they engage depends on the proposals Republicans put forth.

“I think the metric of this caucus is: Does the policy help our communities, and does it help our country?” Aguilar said. “But if Republicans are going to engage in the continued extremism that we’ve seen over the past few years, then I don’t know if there’s an appetite.”

While the old guard will be around to give advice — particularly Clyburn, who is expected to remain in leadership — Pelosi said in an interview Thursday that she does not want to encroach on how Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar choose to lead the caucus.

“I have no intention of being the mother-in-law in the kitchen saying, ‘My son doesn’t like the stuffing that way. This is the way we make it in our family.’ They will have their vision. They will have their plan,” she said.

Instead, her closest confidants are hoping the new guard will allow Pelosi to step back and relax.

Click here to read the full article in the Washington Post

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Congress, Legislature, Pelosi

Pelosi Says Members Urging Her to Consider House Leadership Again

November 15, 2022 By Andrew Solender 3 Comments

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday her congressional colleagues are encouraging her to run for another term as Democratic leader.

Why it matters: The comment is the starkest indication yet that Pelosi is mulling another run for the position she’s held variably as speaker and minority leader for nearly two decades.

What she’s saying: In a CNN “State of the Union” interview, Pelosi said “of course” she will make a decision about re-election to the position before the Democrats’ leadership elections on Nov. 30.

“People are campaigning, and that’s a beautiful thing, and I’m not asking anyone for anything,” Pelosi said, “My members are asking me to consider doing that.”
“Let’s just get through the [2022 midterm] election,” she added.

Between the lines: Whether Democrats keep the majority in the House is expected to have a significant impact on Pelosi’s decision-making.

She is much more likely to stay if she can be the speaker than the House minority leader.
“The Speaker will make an announcement when she makes an announcement,” Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said in a statement. “Until then, let’s all enjoy watching Kevin McCarthy lose a speakership his party hasn’t even won in the first place.”
Asked on Sunday whether McCarthy has what it takes to be speaker, Pelosi said, “No, I don’t think he has it.”

State of play: Roughly 20 House races remain uncalled by the Associated Press as of Sunday. Neither party has reached the 218 seats needed to take the majority.

Democrats would have to win three-quarters of those seats to keep the House — a long shot, but not out of the question.
“They’ve been measuring for draperies. They’ve been putting forth an agenda. They haven’t won it yet,” Pelosi said Sunday.

Click here to read the full article on Axios

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: California Politics, Congress, Pelosi

Pelosi & Kavanaugh Murder Plots Show Media Double Standard

November 1, 2022 By Michael Shellenberger 3 Comments

The same news media that mischaracterized psychosis as fanaticism in the alleged plot to kill Pelosi also downplayed the assassination plot against Kavanaugh by an abortion rights fanatic.

David DePape, the suspect in an alleged assassination attempt against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wrote a series of right-wing blog posts in recent weeks. “Many of the posts were filled with screeds against Jews, Black people, Democrats, the media and transgender people,” notes The Washington Post. “In one post, written on Oct. 19, the author urged former President Donald J. Trump to choose Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, as his vice-presidential candidate in 2024,” reports The New York Times. “In another,” wrote The Los Angeles Times, “he called ‘equity’ a leftist dog whistle ‘for the systematic oppression of white people’ and ‘diversity’ a ‘dog whistle for the genocide of the white race.’”

But the blog posts confirm my original reporting yesterday that DePape has been, for at least a decade, in the grip of a psychosis caused by mental illness and/or drug use. The Washington Post, to its credit, reports in the first paragraph that DePape’s blog was filled with “delusional thoughts, including that an invisible fairy attacked an acquaintance and sometimes appeared to him in the form of a bird” and that, as each post loaded, “a reader briefly glimpses an image of a person wearing a giant inflatable unicorn costume.” The New York Times acknowledged that, “mixed in with those posts were others about religion, the occult and images of fairies that the user said he had produced using an artificial intelligence imaging system,” albeit not until the 22nd paragraph.

And now the mother of DePape’s two children, Gypsy Taub, has publicly confirmed that DePape has experienced psychotic episodes. “He is mentally ill,” she told ABC7, “He has been mentally ill for a long time.” Taub said DePape disappeared for almost a year and “came back in very bad shape. He thought he was Jesus. He was constantly paranoid, thinking people were after him. And it took a good year or two to get back to, you know, being halfway normal.” However, it is not clear whether DePape’s psychosis is a result of an underlying mental illness, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or from the long-term use of drugs, particularly meth, which can result in psychosis and permanent changes to brain functioning. Taub’s neighbors, as I reported yesterday, said Taub herself suffered frequent bouts of paranoid psychosis and had repeatedly lied about them to the police.

Many people responded to my reporting yesterday by noting that DePape may have been psychotic but that the real problem lay with right-wing conspiracy theories. “But even if you believe he’s psychotic (which seems plausible),” wrote former New Yorker reporter James Surowiecki in response to my article, “why did his paranoid psychosis take as its object Nancy Pelosi? Because of the ubiquity of right-wing conspiracy theories and the demonization of Pelosi by right-wing media… We can certainly get rid of conspiracy theories being mainstreamed on cable TV and social media by high-profile pundits.”

But we can’t get rid of discussions of conspiracy theories because doing so would violate the First Amendment and, as I noted yesterday, psychotic people construct their delusions from whatever is in popular culture at the time to invent justifications for their actions. In 1981, a psychotic man named John Hinkley, Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan because, Hinkley said, he wanted to impress the actress Jodie Foster. Earlier this month, a man in Washington state shot two 40-something innkeepers because, he said, he heard the voice of Pope Gregory and John Paul say to him, “Are you going to let Bonny and Clyde do that to our family?”

And if mainstream news journalists are so concerned that political extremism is resulting in more violence against public officials, why did they, en masse, downplay the assassination attempt against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June? Where The New York Times has put the alleged Pelosi assassination attempt on its front page for two days in a row, it buried the story of the Kavanaugh murder plot on page A20. Three days later, none of the Sunday morning political shows, such as NBC’s “Meet the Press,” even mentioned the assassination attempt.

Today, “Meet the Press,” focused on the Pelosi plot and framed it as overly political, making no mention whatsoever of DePape’s psychotic delusions. “The chilling and violent attack on Paul Pelosi — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 82-year-old husband — is raising fears of more political violence,” said its host, Chuck Todd.

Click here to read the full article in Substack

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: Crime, Pelosi, san francisco

Paul Pelosi Attacked During Home Break-In In San Francisco

October 30, 2022 By Evan Symon 7 Comments

Police arrest subject, Pelosi expected to make full recovery

Paul Pelosi, a businessman and husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was assaulted by a man armed with a hammer during a home break-in in San Francisco early Friday morning. Police arrested the suspect and Pelosi was rushed to the hospital.

During a San Francisco Police briefing, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott outlined what had happened. According to the SFPD, Capitol Police, and other officials, an assailant armed with a hammer entered the Pelosi residence early on Friday morning through the back of their house. While security personnel are present when Speaker Pelosi is in town, she was in Washington, leaving her husband there alone.

Special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police’s California Field Office and SFPD officers quickly responded to calls of the break-in. However, before they could arrive, the man started shouting “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” several times. Paul Pelosi confronted the suspect, who then proceeded to try and tie him up “until Nancy got home.”

However, things quickly escalated, and when law enforcement officials arrived they saw the suspect assaulting Pelosi with a hammer. The officers quickly tackled the suspect, and immediately arrested him. Pelosi, meanwhile, was given immediate aid by the officers and was sent to the hospital for surgery, with Speaker Pelosi’s office saying that he is expected to make a full recovery.

“Early this morning, an assailant broke into the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi,” said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Speaker Pelosi in a statement on Friday. “The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation. Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery. The Speaker was not in San Francisco at the time. The Speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time.”

At the SFPD press conference, Chief Scott said that the motive for the attack is still under investigation, but that the suspect had been identified and that he will be “booked at San Francisco county jail on the following charges: attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, verbal and several other additional felonies.”

In addition to the SFPD and Capitol Police, the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s office, and the San Francisco district attorney’s office will be investigating the break-in and attack.

The suspect, a 42-year-old Canadian man named David DePape, had been in California for around 20 years prior to the attack and allegedly posted about multiple conspiracy theories on social media ranging from the January 6th storming of the Capitol to the COVID-19 pandemic to religious claims that “Jesus was the anti-Christ.” While not much else is currently known about him, more is expected to come out in the coming days.

Paul Pelosi attacked in San Francisco home

Lawmakers from both parties expressed shock and disgust with the attack on Friday, with some of Pelosi’s most ardent opponents and critics, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), extending heartfelt messages to Speaker Pelosi and her family.

“This was a horrific and scary incident. I have reached out to Speaker Pelosi to offer my support to her and her family. I want to thank the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Fire Department for their quick response to this incident,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a short statement on Friday. “The Police have the suspect in custody, and as we have more information to share, we will do so.”

Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted early on Friday that “Doug and I are appalled by the attack on Paul Pelosi, Speaker Pelosi’s husband. The entire Pelosi family is in our hearts and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sent a similar tweet, stating that he was “Horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and Speaker Pelosi’s home last night. Grateful to hear that Paul is on track to make a full recovery and that law enforcement including our stellar Capitol Police are on the case.”

While the news is still breaking and more details are expected later today and through the next several days, many in San Francisco noted that the assault will likely be used as further evidence to show the level of which San Francisco’s crime problem has reached in recent years.

“First off, the attack was horrific, and no matter where you stand politically you have to be horrified by what happened,” expressed Frank Ma, a former policeman and security consultant in the city, to the Globe on Friday. “But while this is investigated and worked out, this is also going be used to point out how dangerous things have gotten in the city. You know, you hear about assaults on the street all the time, but now the husband of the Speaker of the House was attacked in his home in one of the wealthiest areas of the city. I already got a few calls from more wealthier clients asking what they can do to prevent this from happening to them and you can bet a lot of people tonight are going going to be checking their locks more than usual or making sure they set their security codes again for the night.

“Pelosi is getting a lot of support from everyone right now, which is good and expected, but this is really going to help shape the issue of crime in the city as well. The attack may have been political, but it is also underlying just how bad things have gotten in the city too.”

Click here to read the full article in the California Globe

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Crime, Legislature, Pelosi

Paul Pelosi Kicked Out of California Police Charity After Flashing Membership During DUI Arrest

August 29, 2022 By Emily Crane 4 Comments

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was kicked out of a California law enforcement association on Thursday after he flashed his lifetime membership card to officers during his DUI arrest earlier this year.

The California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation’s (CHP 11-99) decision to rescind Paul Pelosi’s membership comes just two days after he pleaded guilty to a DUI charge over the May 28 crash in Napa.

“After evaluating the events that led to Mr. Pelosi’s arrest and conviction, we are revoking Mr. Pelosi’s lifetime membership with the CHP 11-99 Foundation effective immediately,” the group said in a statement.

When the 82-year-old was questioned by highway patrol officers and asked for identification, a slurring Pelosi had offered up his driver license and the 11-99 membership card, according to a criminal complaint.

“The mere presentation of his 11-99 Foundation identification credentials to law enforcement made it appear that he was presenting them for preferential treatment,” the group said, adding it was in violation of their terms and conditions.

CHP 11-99, which supported state highway patrol officers and their families, informed Pelosi of the decision via a letter on Wednesday.

The group said they’ll refund whatever Pelosi had donated once he returned all membership items he received when joining.

Pelosi dodged jail time during his sentencing in Napa County Superior Court on Tuesday after being ordered to serve three years’ probation as part of his plea deal.

The terms of his probation included five days in jail, but Pelosi will be given credit for those days, the judge said.

Roadside dashcam footage released by authorities in the wake of his guilty plea shows Pelosi slurring his words after the late night crash.

In the video, Pelosi can be heard mumbling to an officer that he had a “glass of champagne before dinner” and also “a glass of white.”

Click here to read the full article in the NY Post

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: California Politics, DUI, Pelosi

Congress Just Passed the Inflation Reduction Act. It Will Hike Taxes on Some Middle-class Households.

August 14, 2022 By Eric Boehm 10 Comments

It also spends billions on new green energy programs, and it lets the IRS hire 87,000 new agents.

Congressional Democrats have put the finishing touches on a questionable bet: that higher taxes will help tame rising prices, and that voters will reward the effort.

On Friday afternoon, the House of Representatives approved a $300 billion tax hike with a party-line vote, 220–207, sending the Inflation Reduction Act to President Joe Biden’s desk. It passed the Senate with a similar party-line vote on Sunday.

Despite the bill’s name, independent analysts have found it will have virtually no impact on inflation. In reality, it is a pared-down version of what Biden originally pitched as the “Build Back Better” plan—it leaves aside much of the original bill’s spending, but it maintains a huge corporate tax increase, huge spending on green energy initiatives, and a plan to swell the ranks of IRS agents. What was originally a roughly $4 trillion proposal that would have relied heavily on borrowing ended up being something of a rarity in Washington: a bill that will raise more revenue than it spends.

And where will it get that revenue? Quite possibly from you. Households earning as little as $50,000 annually are more likely to see a tax increase than a tax break from the legislation.

In the final hours before the House vote, the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) completed a breakdown of how the bill’s corporate tax increases would affect households at various income levels. The JTC, a nonpartisan number-crunching agency within Congress, found that households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 are more likely to see a tax increase than a tax decrease next year.

Higher-earning households are more likely to see tax increases, but households earning more than $1 million next year are actually far more likely than lower-earning households to get a tax break.

That fits with what The Tax Foundation, a tax policy think tank, found when it analyzed the bill. The Inflation Reduction Act will “would also reduce average after-tax incomes for taxpayers across every income quintile over the long run,” the Tax Foundation reported on Wednesday. Those tax increases will reduce long-term economic output by about 0.2 percent and could eliminate 29,000 jobs, the group found.

Democrats pushed the bill as a cost-cutting measure that would help Americans make ends meet, reduce the federal budget deficit, and help protect the environment.

“It makes a difference at the kitchen table,” Pelosi said at a press conference on Friday morning. “And at the board room table, corporations will now have to pay their fair share.”

If only those two things could be separated as cleanly as Pelosi implies. Tax increases on corporations get passed along from the board room table to the kitchen table in a variety of ways: lower pay for workers, higher prices for consumers, and smaller investment returns for shareholders.

As Reason has detailed a length in recent weeks, other aspects of the bill also leave much to be desired. It would dedicate about $300 billion of new revenue to reduce the long-term budget deficit, but that aspect of the bill is probably better understood as a plan to actually pay for about an eighth of the borrowing that Congress has approved since Biden took office. Meanwhile, giving the IRS a massive budget boost so it can hire 87,000 new agents likely means more tax audits aimed at the middle class, no matter what Democrats are currently claiming. The expanded subsidies for purchasing of health insurance via the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces is likely to push inflation higher. And the bill’s aim to reduce carbon emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2031 may be plausible, but just barely.

Perhaps the only aspect of the Inflation Reduction Act that’s as bizarre as its name is the meta-analysis of the bill that’s been taking place in political media. Its passage is a “win” that “could give Democrats a boost heading into the midterms,” according to NPR. It “will help validate the Democrats’ monopoly on political power in Washington and hand Joe Biden a notable presidential legacy ahead of November’s midterm elections,” gushed CNN’s Stephen Collinson.

Time will tell, but this sounds like a reprise of the claims that were made after last year’s bipartisan infrastructure package—which, regardless of what you think about its merits, plainly hasn’t done much to reverse Biden’s flagging approval rating.

Click here to read the full article at Reason

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Biden, Pelosi, taxes