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Prosecutor gets protective order due to fightin’ words from Trump

Suzanne Downing
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65
Prosecutor gets protective order due to fightin’ words from Trump

On Friday, former President Donald Trump wrote on TruthSocial a statement: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

Later on Friday, the Biden Administration’s special counsel Jack Smith asked the federal judge overseeing former Trump’s most recent federal indictment to issue a protective order, saying that what Trump wrote was a threat.

Smith also said the judge needs to put a gag order on Trump, so he won’t talk about the case in public.

On Saturday, the federal judge agreed and slapped an order on Trump to shut up about any trial evidence he knows about in his upcoming election interference case.

District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling agreed with Smith, based on Trump’s prolific social media history.

“Such a restriction is particularly important in this case because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him,” Smith wrote. “If the defendant were to begin issuing public posts using details — or, for example, grand jury transcripts — obtained in discovery here, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case.”

Trump’s legal and campaign team argue that what Trump said was not a threat; it’s political speech, protected by the First Amendment. In fact, Trump said nothing about the trial in his social media post, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

“This is a fast-moving railroad without any concern for justice,” said Trump attorney John Lauro.

“The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth,” the Trump campaign said.

On Fox News, Jesse Watters, noted that such things have always backfired against the Biden Administration: “So far, Biden’s attempts to arrest Trump are backfiring. Trump is now demolishing the Republican Primary Field. The harder the Washington establishment tries to separate Trump from the people, the tighter that bond becomes.”

Trump pleads not guilty to all charges relating to 2020 election results
Alex Gimarc: Sen. Lisa Murkowski beclowns herself on Trump

CDC changes its tune, says Covid is mild, can be managed with Advil

Suzanne Downing
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CDC changes its tune, says Covid is mild, can be managed with Advil

Just a year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and the rest of the government made sure that anyone off-message on Covid-19 would lose their job, lose their business, and lose all their friends and associates.

The federal government also infiltrated Twitter under the previous owners, and coordinated with Facebook to cancel accounts of those with opposing views on the virus, its origin, and treatment.

Today, the CDC says that for most people, Covid is entirely manageable at home. It’s probably going to be mild, the CDC says.

“Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home. You can treat symptoms with over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), to help you feel better,” the CDC says.

The advice has changed from the agency that managed the pandemic for both the Trump and Biden presidencies.

Since 2021, at least eight doctors around the country have been threatened with penalties for spreading “misinformation” about vaccines or by suggesting treatments for Covid-19 that were not accepted by the government or governing medical boards.

For example, in Florida, the nominee for state surgeon general refused to answer the question about whether the Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective. The medical board received a complaint from a local doctor about the nominee. Although Dr. Joseph Ladapo was confirmed by Republicans, Democrats voted agains Thim because of his opposition to coronavirus mandates.

The penalties went beyond political appointments. Thousands of nurses and medical assistants lost their jobs for being independent thinkers about the Covid-19 pandemic policies.

In Hawaii, the medical board filed a formal complaintsagainst the state’s chief health officer and another doctor because they supported alternative Covid-19 treatments that the federal health officials didn’t approve.

But now, the advice is stay home, take some Advil or Motrin, get some rest, and drink plenty of fluids. That’s today’s CDC advice for “most people.”

House committee hears how military recruiting, readiness was damaged by Biden Covid vaccine mandate
Covid Early Treatment Summit draws over 1,200 in Anchorage to hear the call for courage, medical freedom
Peltola votes with The Squad against ending the three-year national Covid emergency declaration
Government’s top doctor declares loneliness an epidemic, wants to fix it
CDC’s unofficial admission: The mandates were pointless

Watch: Anchorage fans seek and find Tim Hayden, the ‘Love Your Journey’ Hagley West watchmaker

Suzanne Downing
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Watch: Anchorage fans seek and find Tim Hayden, the ‘Love Your Journey’ Hagley West watchmaker

Saturday was a Chamber of Commerce summer day in Anchorage. Some went fishing, others found a swimming hole, and lots of hikers hit the trails. For about 150 people, the day was devoted to tracking down a business entrepreneur from Great Britain, who left his job as to start his own watch company.

Tim Hayden, the watch entrepreneur, now has over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, over 2 million followers across his various social media channels, and part of his marketing technique for his Hagley West watches is to position himself in cities all over the world, then go live on TikTok and Facebook, giving viewers some broad clues about where to find him.

The person who finds him first, and who speaks the words “Love Your Journey” to him, wins a watch, the value of which is under $200.

But it’s not about the watch, which is a story unto itself, but about the journey for Hayden’s fans, who enjoy being part of a global game of hide and seek with someone who started a business from scratch.

At the base of a hill at Kincaid Park, Hayden started live-streaming at 1 pm on Saturday, and it only took minutes for his first fans to find him. Brother and sister Sawyer and Sophia came bounding down the hill, shouting “Love Your Journey!” They, like the others who followed, gave Hayden a big hug and expressed how happy they were to meet him.

Hayden is an out-of-the-box thinker, and has turned his line of affordable and stylish watches into a coveted item for people around the world due to his unique method of building a tribe of people who enjoy the journey of the entrepreneur, and who embrace the idea of loving the journey of life.

“The ethos of Hagley West is built on my life experiences. As a younger man I lived dedicated to ascending to the next rung of life’s ladder, forever reaching and never being satisfied. How wrong could I have been. For it’s not the goal that’s the achievement, it’s the gratitude for the time we have, the joy of the process and the love of the journey,” Hayden said on his website.

“I decided instead to celebrate the love of the journey, not just mine, but also of others. No two journeys are the same, whether they be emotional, physical, mental or spiritual: but every journey is marked by time,” he said.

Rep. Jamie Allard, pictured at the top of this page with Hayden, was one of the people who made her way to Kincaid Park, although she was not among the first two dozen to arrive. She’s been following the journey of the watch company and its founder for a couple of years, and said she has admiration for someone who can build a company from scratch and go global.

Allard gave Hayden an American flag, and chatted with him briefly about his plans for growing a nonprofit organization to give back to the community, and she also applauded him for incorporating some American Sign Language into his marketing “Love Your Journey” slogan. Allard, who is partially deaf due to her military service, not only spoke “Love Your Journey” in words to Hayden, but also made the statement in ASL.

Allard also came to the event to congratulate the two teens who found Hayden first, within minutes of his livestream start time.

For Allard, her own journey started with her immigrant parents from Chile and Italy, and continued with her service in the U.S. Army, and now as a public servant in the Alaska Legislature. The words “Love Your Journey” speak to her own experience in growing and serving, now as the state representative for Eagle River.

Rep. Jamie Allard congratulates Sophia and Sawyer, two Anchorage teens who found Tim Hayden first on Saturday at Kincaid Park in Anchorage.

The happy collection of Alaskans who gathered under the sunny skies and calm winds stayed for a group photo with the continent-hopping entrepreneur, and for individual photos afterward — all of it live-streamed from Kincaid Park to thousands of viewers around the world.

Hayden, who left the safety of a job in IT to follow his dream, is repeating events like these in every state. Although he has now checked Alaska off the list, his crew said he definitely plans on returning.

Follow Rep. Jamie Allard’s journey at her website.

Follow Tim Hayden’s journey at Hagley West, on TikTok, and at Facebook.

Follow Must Read Alaska’s journey at www.mustreadalaska.com.

PLC Mondays: Anchorage students to start an hour later every Monday

Suzanne Downing
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26
PLC Mondays: Anchorage students to start an hour later every Monday

As students return to school this month in Anchorage, they will have one hour a week less of instructional time so teachers can take part in what is called Professional Learning Communities, an hour a week when teachers can collaborate and adjust their approach to individual student needs.

Since 2016, the late Monday late start was only in effect for high schools. This year, schools for all grades will start one hour later every Monday.

The Mat-Su Borough School District began observing the PLC Monday schedule last year for all grades.

“Providing this consistent professional development and collaboration time is a valuable tool that will help teachers and school staff support and adjust to student learning needs. We believe that the hour dedicated to teacher learning and collaboration on Mondays will move the needle for student achievement and greatly benefit all ASD students. PLCs equals improved classroom experiences, which leads to better student outcomes,” the district explains on its website.

“Professional Learning Communities (PLC) is a research-based collaborative structure used by educators to continuously learn, improve, and adapt teaching methods to help improve student outcomes. ASD will be implementing this weekly 1 hour structure which will support the District’s Board goals around Reading, Math, and College, Career, and Life Readiness,” the district says.

Bus transportation will start one hour later on Mondays only. School will end at the regular time. Parents will also be allowed to drop their students off at the regular start time, and as teachers participate in professional development, other staff members will be made available to supervise early-arriving students.

Before adopting PLC Monday, the Anchorage School District hosted focus groups, numerous interviews with appropriate medical professionals, three community town hall meetings, and a survey that received 9,926 responses.  The results supported the board’s vote in moving to a different school start time model, according to the school district.

In Anchorage, school begins on Aug. 17, with pre-K and kindergarten beginning on Aug. 24.

On Mondays, elementary schools will start at 10 am and release at 3:30 pm, middle schools will start at 9:15 am and release at 2:45 pm, and high schools will start at 8:30 am and release at 2 pm.

In the Mat-Su Borough, school begins on Aug. 15, with most schools observing the PLC Monday start time of 10:15 am and release time of 3:45 pm.

It is unclear how these school districts make up the requirements to teach the state’s minimum required 180 days of instruction. One hour a week over the course of the year can add up. For Anchorage, the 16 Mondays that will have an hour subtracted from learning time adds up to 16 hours less instruction between Aug 17 and winter break. Another 15 hours of instruction are lost between winter break and the end of the school year, for a total of over 30 hours of lost instructional time.

Add that to the snow days that occur each year and there may be several days that must be made up at the end of the school year.

Schilmiller pleads guilty to soliciting murder of teen at Thunder Bird Falls

Suzanne Downing
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3
Schilmiller pleads guilty to soliciting murder of teen at Thunder Bird Falls

Darin Mitchell Schilmiller, 25,of New Salisbury, Indiana, pleaded guilty today to a single count of solicitation to commit first-degree murder related to the 2019 death of Cynthia Hoffman, near Thunder Bird Falls.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson accepted the plea on Friday.

In June 2019, 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman was murdered near Thunder Bird Falls, a popular hiking destination near Chugiak. The crime, involving a group of local teenagers, took a twist when investigators discovered Schilmiller’s involvement as the long-distant puppet master.

According to court records, Schilmiller orchestrated the plot from his home in Indiana, “catfishing” the group of teens and luring them into the act of murder under the promise of financial reward. As part of the guilty plea agreement, Schilmiller signed an affidavit acknowledging the statement of facts surrounding the crime.

Who is Darin Schilmiller and why is he part of this murder investigation?

Although there was no consensus between the prosecution and defense regarding a specific sentence, Judge Peterson has the discretion to impose a term of imprisonment anywhere between 5 and 99 years.

Sentencing proceedings are scheduled to start on Jan. 8, 2024 in front of Judge Peterson. Other charges including first and second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Schilmiller is currently being held in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections and is no longer eligible for release on any conditions.

Denali Brehmer pleaded guilty earlier this year to the actual murder. There were four other alleged accomplices to the gruesome act, in which “friends” took the developmentally disabled Hoffman on a hike, to the falls, bound her with duct tape, and shot her in the back of the head, and dumped her body into the Eklutna River.

Brehmer then sent videos and photos of the murder to Schilmiller via the Snapchat phone app.

It was during the investigation into Hoffman’s death that the child pornography was found on both Denali Bremer’s and Darin Schilmiller’s phones. The FBI says Schilmiller instructed Brehmer to sexually assault two minors aged between 8 and 15. Explicit videos of one of these acts were sent by Brehmer to Schilmiller.

Previously, Schilmiller had pleaded guilty to child pornography, which will come with separate sentencing.

Man accused of convincing others to murder teen pleads guilty to child porn
Accused of thrill killing, Schilmiller, Brehmer now indicted for child porn

Nick Begich starts stacking up endorsements for Congress ’24

Suzanne Downing
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67
Nick Begich starts stacking up endorsements for Congress ’24

Alaska Republican candidate for Congress Nick Begich has received the unanimous endorsement of the Anchorage Young Republicans and the Mat-Su Young Republicans.

Zach Young, president of the Anchorage Young Republicans said, “For this race, we saw it as a no-brainer: it’s gotta be Nick. Republicans have to unify to win — and they’re unifying behind Nick. It’s clear he’s our only shot at having a representative in DC who isn’t in lockstep with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.”

Ryan McKee, president of the Mat-Su Young Republicans, said, “Our membership doesn’t always agree on everything, but we agreed on this unanimously: Nick Begich is the ONLY candidate who is ready to defeat Mary Peltola. We were proud to support Nick in his previous run, and we’re excited to get behind him this time too — all the way!”

McKee continued, “Some might say it’s unusual to endorse this early in the campaign cycle — but they should tell that to Mary Peltola. She endorsed Joe Biden on day one!”

Begich is a third-generation Alaskan and the grandson of former U.S. Representative from Alaska Nick Begich, Sr. He is running for Congress to represent Alaska’s at-large congressional district.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Anchorage and Mat-Su Young Republicans,” said Begich. “These young Republicans are the future of our state, and I am grateful for their support. I will work hard to earn the votes of all Alaskans in this election.”

The endorsement of the Anchorage and Mat-Su Young Republicans is a significant boost for Begich’s campaign; with the endorsement of these clubs, Begich has won the support of all of the Young Republican clubs in the state, representing thousands of young registered Republicans in Alaska.

Rep. Jim Jordan widening investigation of social media censorship targeting conservatives

Suzanne Downing
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9
Rep. Jim Jordan widening investigation of social media censorship targeting conservatives
PELTOLA VOTED TO ALLOW FEDERAL CENSORSHIP

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is spearheading an investigation into a purported “misinformation” tracking group accused of stifling free speech on social media, with allegations of ties to the Biden administration.

The group in question, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, is a British nonprofit with an affiliated U.S. arm.

A recent lawsuit lodged by X Corp., previously known as Twitter, alleged the CCDH made “false” claims stating hate speech had surged on the platform since its October takeover by Elon Musk.

Earlier this year, Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola voted to allow federal workers to engage in censorship.

Censorship queen: Peltola votes to allow federal workers to censor Americans on Facebook, Twitter

Rep. Jordan is demanding the CCDH produce records by Aug. 17 that could illustrate the extent of its alleged White House-linked censorship operations, according to a letter sent to the center.

A senior GOP congressional aide told reporters, “We know from the Facebook Files that the Center for Countering Digital Hate was working with the White House to censor speech, but how far did it go? Republicans want to find out, and of course subpoenas are on the table if we don’t get answers.”

The letter, obtained first by the Washington Examiner, marks the most recent advancement in the inquiry about how the Biden Administration is pressing private sector platforms to diminish the appearance of conservative speech, including that relating to the Covid-19 pandemic and policies, by labeling those opinions as “disinformation” or “misinformation.”

The public watchdog group, America First, has also waded into uncovering the practices at Facebook. It has filed a series of Freedom of Information Requests with the Department of Health and Human Serives, the FBI, and other agencies, seeking communication between the British censorship facilitation group and the Biden Administration.

America First Legal Launches Multi-Front Investigation Into Government Collusion with Pro-Censorship UK-Based Nonprofit “Center for Countering Digital Hate”

Multiple Shots fired at mega-encampment near 3rd and Ingra

Suzanne Downing
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24
Multiple Shots fired at mega-encampment near 3rd and Ingra

Neighbors near the large encampment at 3rd and Ingra Street are concerned after the increasing number of gunshots heard in the area at night. This week, it’s been two nights in a row.

Rob Cupples, owner of Cupples Cottages, wrote to the Anchorage Assembly to report multiple shots fired on Aug. 2-3.

On Aug. 2, approximately six shots were fired at about 11 am. APD responded.

On Aug. 3, at about 9:30 pm, witnesses reported hearing approximately six shots fired, and a large police presence in the camp, with roughly eight Anchorage Police cruisers.

No mention of this incident has been made on the Anchorage Police Department’s website or social media.

That’s two consecutive days of shots. Media reported someone struck by a bullet in the vicinity of the correctional facility. But no police report has been made public.

“This must stop,” Cupples said. “I have been telling the mayor for WEEKS that 24 hours police presence is required at 3rd and Ingra. It’s the only way. Someone must be held accountable for the horrific conditions taking place across the street and immediate action must be taken to ensure the safety of the people on East 3rd Avenue AND in the camp.”

Cupples, who owns a small bed and breakfast, pointed out that there are young children and even infants in the camp, and they are surrounded by “drug dealers, junkies, criminals, thugs, prostitutes, people trafficking women out of a van, etc, etc???  It is completely OUT OF CONTROL.”

Cupples is part of a neighborhood group named “3rd Avenue Radicals” who have been trying to improve the area for years. The recent encampments have been a serious setback to those efforts. The group has a Facebook page where it gives regular updates:

“Last year many of you expressed outrage at the conditions at Centennial Campground calling it a “humanitarian crisis,” Cupples said, directing his comments to the Anchorage Assembly. “Every person I talk to who was involved with that camp last summer has told me 3rd and Ingra is FAR WORSE than Centennial was.  Where’s the outrage this year over the conditions on East 3rd Avenue?  You all have been crickets. How many of you have actually taken the time to drive to the site and walk the disaster the Assembly and Administration collectively created?” (I really want to know, this is not rhetorical).  If you haven’t, shame on you.”

Anchorage Assembly to vote on new ‘equity’ laws for cyclists, pedestrians

Suzanne Downing
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60
Anchorage Assembly to vote on new ‘equity’ laws for cyclists, pedestrians

Because some members of the Anchorage Assembly believe traffic laws are disproportionately enforced against minorities, especially “Black and “Latine/x” and low income people, the Assembly is considering a new set of ordinances to allow for some types of jaywalking and new laws allowing bike riders, scooters, and others to ignore traffic signals, not wear helmets, or have lamp equipment when using roadways.

Assembly members Karen Bronga, Daniel Volland, and Anna Brawley introduced AO No. 2023-65(S) in May, and have had a public hearing and a separate work session on it, during which the Anchorage chief of police once again pointed out to the Assembly that they did not consult the police department on the ordinance prior to introducing it.

The Anchorage Assembly meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 5 pm in the meeting room at the Loussac Library ground floor. The entire agenda is at this link.

Anchorage police chief says APD and Assembly relationship is strained

The ordinance says that between 2015 and 2019, the per capita fatality rate in the U.S. for Black pedestrians was more than double the rate for white pedestrians, and for Indigenous pedestrians was more than four times as high as for white pedestrians.

According to the group’s pamphlet, this is racist and “dangerous by design.”

The proposed law has something modeled after the “Idaho Stop,” which has been adopted in several states, a law that allows bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign.

According to the new proposed rules of the road, the Assembly would create something called an “Anchorage Stop,” which allows more types of non-vehicles to roll through intersections if no oncoming traffic is coming. The roll-through law would extend to skaters, skateboarders, wheelchair users, skiers, and scooter riders.

During the May 23 the three Assembly members introduced the ordinance as a way to promote “safety, equity and access to infrastructure for bicyclists and vulnerable road users.”
 
“As proposed, the ordinance implements recommendations from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) to amend local laws that criminalize bicycle use. We aim to improve active transportation networks, so that all residents travelling without a car can arrive at their destination safely,” said Assemblyman Daniel Volland in a statement.
 
The ordinance proposes changes to Title 9 – Vehicles and Traffic in Anchorage Municipal Code (AMC) which impact the safety of vulnerable road users, including:

  • Establish new terminology: “Vulnerable Road User,” to include pedestrians, wheelchair users, bicyclists, scooters, etc.
  • Legalize behaviors to allow bicycle users to use roadways differently than cars and other vehicles.
  • Legalize the “Idaho Stop,” in which bicyclists are allowed to yield rather than stop at stop signs, and the “Dead-Red,” which allows bicycles to proceed through a red stop light if the light doesn’t change after two minutes.
  • Expand the restrictions on what modes of transportation are allowed in a bike lane so that any vulnerable road user other than people walking may use a bike lane, such as wheelchairs, e-scooters, skateboards.
  • Add definitions for “Protected Bicycle Lanes,” “Cycle Tracks,” and “Buffered Bicycle Lanes” so that future investments into safe active transportation infrastructure, increasingly common in other cities, have clear design parameters.
  • Add a design feature to new projects to include additional signage that reminds drivers of an existing rule for drivers to give vulnerable road users 3 feet of space.
  • Eliminate municipal fines for bike-related citations, including riding without a lamp, without a bell, without a helmet, and without a valid bicycle registration.​

​“Across the country, bike laws are disproportionately enforced against people of color and low-income people riding bikes, especially where bike-friendly infrastructure is lacking,” said Assemblywoman Brawley in a statement. “While protective equipment, like helmets and bells, can prevent serious injury, it is unnecessary and ineffective to maintain fines that financially penalize users.”

The ordinance may be read at this link.

aDX1rC-2023-0707-Bike-Equity-AODownload

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