“I talk to anybody. I always call it my

“I speak to the construction workers and the cabdrivers, and those are the people I get along with best anyway in many respects. I speak to everybody…. You’ve got to know your audience, and by the way, for some people, be a killer, for some people, be all candy. For some people, different. For some people, both.”

Said Donald Trump in 1989, talking to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, in “A lost Trump interview comes back to life/The yet-to-be-president holds forth on strength, friendship, dealmaking, public service and building violations” (WaPo)(free-access link, so you can read it all and click on the recordings).

Woodward — who’s pushing his new book from which this is an excerpt — exclaims “What a remarkable time capsule, a full psychological study of a man, then a 42-year-old Manhattan real estate king.”
I think Trump comes across very positively, so thanks to The Washington Post for making this available.
Here’s one more Trump quote, short and sweet: “I believe in having great friends and great enemies.”
Great enemies. That’s so funny — makes me think of Batman, James Bond — and Trump does have great enemies. Putin. Pelosi. Who else? The big categories: establishment Republicans and establishment Democrats. But who are the individuals? Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris really aren’t that great, as enemies… or even opponents. He needs someone he can really go big with.
Putin is big, and yet he can’t go big with Putin. He has to be trickier, tricky enough that people would say Putin is his great friend, not his great enemy. But there’s the idea: “for some people, be a killer, for some people, be all candy…. For some people, both.”
Here’s the commission-earned link for Woodward’s book: “War.”

Coffee for Your Heart: The Regenerative Power of Caffeine on Vascular Health.

New research indicates that caffeine consumption may boost vascular health by supporting the regeneration of blood vessel linings.

This investigation, conducted by Italian scientists on lupus patients, highlights caffeine’s potential benefits for those at increased risk of vascular diseases due to inflammatory conditions.

Caffeine and Heart Health

A new study published on October 9 in Rheumatology by Oxford University Press suggests that increased caffeine intake could improve heart health.

Vascular disease, which involves the damage of blood vessels, leads to severe outcomes like heart attacks and strokes—some of the leading causes of death worldwide. For patients suffering from inflammatory rheumatic diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the risks are significantly higher. This heightened risk stems from both the diseases themselves and some treatments, especially those involving cortisone derivatives.

Enhancing Vascular Health Through Diet

Until now, doctors’ recommendations to reduce these vascular risks were essentially about avoiding risk factors. This included stopping inflammation, decreasing cortisone medications, as well as conventional recommendations like not smoking, reducing cholesterol, and controlling high blood pressure.

But researchers from Sapienza University of Rome, in Italy, involved in this study believe patients may be able to improve vascular health by doing something that’s actually enjoyable. The laboratory results of these investigators suggest that caffeine, present in coffee, tea, and cocoa, actively helps endothelial progenitor cells, the group of cells that helps regenerate the lining of blood vessels and are involved in vascular growth.

Caffeine’s Role in Cardiovascular Wellness

It’s well known that a diet rich in vitamin D (found in oily fish and eggs) and A (found in many fruits) and polyunsaturated fatty acid, and low in sodium, seems to play a role in decreasing the inflammatory burden. Scientists have wondered about caffeine as well. Besides the well-known stimulant effect on the body, caffeine also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect because it binds with the receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells. The effect of caffeine consumption on cardiovascular health has been widely investigated, with conflicting results.

Researchers here investigated 31 lupus patients without traditional cardiovascular risks factors using a seven-day food questionnaire. After a week the investigators took the patents’ blood to measure blood vessels health. They found that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured through endothelial cells, which form the important inner layer of blood vessels.

Study Findings and Future Research

“The present study is an attempt to provide patients with information on the possible role of diet in controlling the disease,” said the paper’s lead author, Fulvia Ceccarelli. “It will be necessary to confirm the results through a longitudinal study, aimed at assessing the real impact of coffee consumption on the disease course.”

Reference: “Caffeine improves systemic lupus erythematosus endothelial dysfunction by promoting endothelial progenitor cells survival” by Valeria Orefice, Fulvia Ceccarelli, Cristiana Barbati, Giorgia Buoncuore, Carmelo Pirone, Cristiano Alessandri and Fabrizio Conti, 9 October 2024, Rheumatology.
DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae453

Florida officials who banned guns prior to hurricane may soon pay for their ‘error’
Okeechobee city council, police chief, face fines of $5,000 each.

The five-member Okeechobee, Florida city council and Police Chief Donald Hagan may each be forced to pay $5,000 personally — without using taxpayer dollars — for violating Florida’s powerful preemption statute, which only allows the state legislature to regulate firearms.

As previously reported, the city adopted an illegal ordinance shortly before Hurricane Helene made landfall, which banned the sale of guns and ammunition and prohibited firearm possession in public by anyone other than law enforcement or members of the military.

After learning of the civil rights violation, Florida Carry, Inc. sent a demand letter titled Written Notice of Preemption Violation and Offer of Settlement, to the city council and Chief Hagan, warning the recipients they have violated Florida’s preemption statute.

The letter, which was written by Florida Carry, Inc. General Counsel Eric J. Friday, spelled out that the pro-gun group has sufficient standing to bring a lawsuit if the ordinance is not repealed within 30 days, and demanded the payment of $30,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees to “resolve this matter prior to initiation of litigation.”

Okeechobee City Attorney John J. Fumero, in a response sent Wednesday, claimed that the city’s Second Amendment violation was merely an “inadvertent mistake in using an outdated emergency ordinance form that, legally and factually, did not apply to the circumstances at hand regarding Hurricane Helene.”

Besides. Fumero wrote, no one ever enforced the illegal ordinance.

“At no time did the City, or the Police Chief, contemplate, nor take any action, to prohibit, confiscate or otherwise regulate firearms or ammunition in any fashion or manner. This was never the intention of the City. This was never implemented by the City. Moreover, to ensure this never happens again, the City has developed and implemented a new emergency ordinance form and process,” the city attorney wrote.

Fumero’s boss, Okeechobee Mayor Dowling R. Watford, Jr. and police spokesman Detective Jarret Romanello, gave numerous interviews to local media claiming city officials were reviewing the entire incident to determine how the “mistake” occurred. Romanello also claimed he looked forward to “providing more answers as soon as the review is complete.”

In his response, Fumero also balked at Florida Carry’s monetary demand.

“We see no legal, factual or public policy basis for your organization demanding payment of taxpayer dollars to satisfy your assertion of ‘damages and attorneys’ fees. The City is a rural small town that fundamentally believes in gun rights and the Second Amendment. From any standpoint, for Florida Carry, Inc. to take legal action against the City, under the circumstances described herein, is patently inappropriate and unjustified,” he wrote.

In an email reply to Fumero, Friday advised the city attorney to re-read Florida statute Sec. 790.33, which does not require actual enforcement of a preemption violation, since enactment itself is enough to prove liability.

“Inadvertence and ignorance of the law by government is no more of an excuse for violating civil rights than when a citizen ‘inadvertently’ violates the law and is arrested and prosecuted,” Friday wrote.

“I will begin drafting my Complaint seeking relief, including personal fines against the city officials under whose jurisdiction this knowing and willful enactment occurred.

You may want to inform the relevant officials that they are not allowed to use tax dollars to defend themselves from such liability, and that any fine assessed will be personally payable by them, to alleviate your concerns about tax dollars.”

Apparently Michigan does not have a ‘strong’ castle doctrine in self defense law.

Michigan Intruder Shot With a Crossbow During Break In

Most homeowners possess some means of self-defense. Many have a gun, some wield baseball bats and most have a security system. One Michigan homeowner had a crossbow.

According to Fox 2 Detroit, two men, one 32-year-old and the other 41-year-old, attempted to break into a home on the 4500 Block of Huron in Frenchtown Township in Monroe County. The younger of the two was shot by one of the two residents with a crossbow.

The younger suspect was taken to a hospital after his injuries required surgery. The older suspect was found nearby sometime later and was arrested.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is still conducting an investigation, however, the sheriff’s office did say the suspects and residents knew each other and the crime appeared to have stemmed from a previous disagreement between the parties involved.

In Michigan, citizens can use deadly force to protect themselves if they believe their life is in danger under the Michigan Stand Your Ground Law. However, the law is specific that homeowners match their defense to the threat of the intruder.

To avoid speculating on this specific case, an example of the homeowner using excessive force is provided by the Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michigan:

When it comes to using deadly force, the rule of thumb a person needs to remember is the force used must always be proportional to the threat. A homeowner would not be justified using deadly force on a person who broke into their home and was found passed out on the floor. [A] person would not be justified using deadly force at home against a young 13-year-old kid who broke into your house.

Deadly force is only allowed under the law when self-defense is needed to prevent great bodily harm that could lead to death, rape, known as criminal sexual conduct and death. If you use deadly force, you must have a belief that you are preventing one of the three things listed above.

According to the Times Herald, in 2017 over 200,000 Michigan deer hunters used crossbows. They were nearly 15% more accurate than traditional firearm hunters that year as they killed over 90,000 deer that season, a quarter of all deer taken that year.

Those numbers had been growing in the years leading up to 2017 and have surely grown since. It seems crossbows may be a bit more common in the Mitten State than previously believed. Cocking a bow might be more difficult than loading a gun, but they sure are effective.

Missing From Both Final Judgment Proposals

Both the NRA and the New York Attorney General’s Office submitted their proposed terms for the final judgment in People of New York v. National Rifle Association of America et al on October 4th. Having read both proposals, neither propose reforms intended to keep the rank and file NRA member informed.

Item 9 in the NYAG’s proposed final judgment says the NRA will set up a secure online portal that will “enable digital dissemination of Board, committee, and corporate documents to Board members, and shall enable convenient encrypted communications with Board members.”

Likewise, the NRA’s proposal for a final judgment states, “The Secretary’s Office shall use best efforts to implement, by January 2025, a secure portal that will enable digital dissemination of Board, committee, and corporate documents to Board members, and shall enable convenient encrypted communication with Board members.”

Nowhere in either document is any mention of providing information on a timely basis to the members of the NRA. Whether this is an oversight or intentional, I don’t know.

At the very least, here is what I would propose and what should be included in the final judgment. If you have other items that you would suggest be publicly available, make note of it in the comments.

  • Current bylaws must be published on the NRA website and available to all members. Do you know [how] hard it is to get an up-to-date copy of the bylaws otherwise?
  • A minimum 5 years worth of Form 990 and CHAR500 posted on the NRA’s public website. Many other non-profits make these available on their websites.
  • Board meeting agenda and minutes posted on the public website including for past meetings of the board. If small towns can do it, so can the NRA.

If those in charge are so worried about the gun prohibitionists or reporters from The Trace having access to this information, make it so it can be accessed only by NRA members. This is what they do with regard to candidate ratings by the NRA-PVF.

The time for keeping the membership in the dark is over. If the Board and the executives are serious about a NRA 2.0, this is one change they could easily make.

There is nothing more offensive and obscene than billionaires flying private jets to a remote Swiss village, dining on Wagyu filets and the world’s finest wines, while telling you to turn down your thermostat, stay within 20 miles of your home, and eat insects for dinner.

El Cerrito: Homeowner Shoots Suspected Intruder

The El Cerrito Police Department arrested William Nidever is a 56-year-old man, who entered a home and was shot by the homeowner.

At approximately 10:30 am Tuesday,  El Cerrito Police Officers responded to the report of a shooting in the 1800 block of Elm St. Upon arrival they located a person who had been shot and detained a person who they identified as the shooter. The person who was shot was airlifted to a trauma center for treatment of his injuries. The Richmond Police and Kensington Police helped El Cerrito Officers secure the scene.

The nature of the shooting is under investigation.

During the initial response, Summit K2 school was placed on a precautionary lockdown. The lockdown was lifted as soon as the scene was secured.

Case Update – October 8, 2024 at 4:22 PM

ECPD Crime Scene Investigators processed the residence for physical evidence. Meanwhile, ECPD Detectives interviewed the resident about the shooting.

At this point, the investigation indicates that the resident shot William Nidever after Mr. Nidever unlawfully entered the home. The resident realized that Mr. Nidever was an unknown intruder and thought Mr. Nidever was armed with a weapon. The resident feared for his life and shot at Mr. Nidever twice with a shotgun. The investigation has determined that Mr. Nidever was not in fact armed with a weapon.

FBI Foils Election-Day Terror Attack by Afghan National

On Tuesday, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment against an Afghan national living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for “conspiring to conduct an Election Day terrorist attack in the United States on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO).”
According to a Justice Department press release, “Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, conspired and attempted to provide material support to ISIS and obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a violent attack on U.S. soil in the name of ISIS.”Both Tawhedi and his juvenile co-conspirator were in the U.S. on Special Immigrant Visas. Tawhedi is married to the juvenile’s sister.”As part of the plot, the defendant allegedly took steps to liquidate his family’s assets, resettle members of his family overseas, acquire AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, and commit a terrorist attack in the United States,” the DOJ said. The suspect even made arrangements for the family’s pets to be re-homed ahead of the attack.In a chilling Telegram message found on Tawhedi’s phone, he told an ISIS recruiter who goes by the alias Abdul Malik, “Brother, our house was sold today. We’ll receive the money by the 15th of October, next month. After that, we will begin our duty, Allah willing, with the help of Allah we will get ready for the election day.”

The Telegram messages detailed a plan for Tawhedi’s family to leave the United States for Kabul on Oct. 17, 2024, using one-way tickets. His Google history revealed searches on how to access cameras in Washington, D.C., and which states allow permitless carry.

“In his seized communications, Tawhedi allegedly indicated that his attack was planned for Election Day, and in a post-arrest interview, Tawhedi allegedly confirmed the attack was planned for Election Day targeting large gatherings of people, during which he and the juvenile were expected to die as martyrs,” the DOJ said.

 

In a July 2024 video found on Tawhedi’s phone, he was recorded describing the rewards for jihadi martyrs, including 72 virgins and “a crown full of jewels.” His devices also contained ISIS media and propaganda, including images depicting the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, suicide vests, and language about “killing infidels.” Tawhedid also has a history of donating to “charities” that funnel money to ISIS.

“As charged, the Justice Department foiled the defendant’s plot to acquire semi-automatic weapons and commit a violent attack in the name of ISIS on U.S. soil on Election Day,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated in the press release.

“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

More from the press release:

According to the criminal complaint, as part of the investigation into Tawhedi, the FBI searched Tawhedi’s phone and obtained communications between Tawhedi and a person who facilitated recruitment, training, and indoctrination of persons who expressed interest in terrorist activity and who Tawhedi understood to be affiliated with ISIS.

Tawhedi was also seen in a video recorded on July 20 reading to two children text that describes the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife. Tawhedi also allegedly accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google account, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups, and contributed to a charity which fronts for and funnels money to ISIS.

Tawhedi was nabbed after he and his juvenile co-conspirator “advertised the sale of the family’s personal property on Facebook. At the FBI’s direction, a confidential human source responded to inquire if a computer was still for sale. The FBI source noted that he needed the computer for a new gun business he was starting, which ultimately led Tawhedi and the juvenile to meet with the source and other FBI assets at a rural location to test firearms. Tawhedi expressed interest in purchasing two AK-47 assault rifles, magazines, and ammunition from the source.”

They were arrested after meeting with FBI assets in Western Oklahoma and purchasing and taking possession of two AK-47s, ten magazines, and 500 rounds of ammo.

Tawhedi was charged with:

  • Providing, attempting to provide, and conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
  • Knowingly receiving, conspiring to receive, and attempting to receive firearms and ammunition to be used to commit a felony or Federal crime of terrorism.

The former carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, the latter 15 years.

Read the complaint;

United States v. Tawhedi by PJ Media on Scribd

Navy Says 26 Ships Affected by Faulty Welds at Newport News Shipyard in Virginia.

More than two dozen Navy ships — including three that are currently in service — received faulty welds at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, the service’s top civilian leader told lawmakers last week.

In a letter to Congress dated Oct. 3, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said that poor welds were found on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as well as the attack submarines USS Hyman G. Rickover and USS New Jersey. In addition, the welding issues were identified on 23 more ships — a mix of new construction, ships in maintenance and aircraft carriers undergoing refueling.

The existence of faulty welds became public nearly two weeks ago when USNI News, citing a Navy memo, reported that the sea service was told by Huntington Ingalls, or HII, that workers did not follow proper techniques on some joints in noncritical areas and that early indications suggested that some of the issues were intentional.

Del Toro said that he became aware of the issue on Sept. 24, just days before the details became public.

A week later, the House Armed Services Committee formally demanded answers from the Navy in a letter to Del Toro where they asked for a briefing from the Navy leader by this Friday.

Continue reading “”

Expert Panel Analysis of Supreme Court Arguments in Garland v. VanDerStok.

As promised, SNW commentator and legal wiz LKB convened an all-star expert panel last night. The topic was yesterday’s oral arguments in the Supreme Court in the matter of Garland v. VanDerStock. That’s the case challenging the ATF’s unilateral redefinition of what constitutes a firearm under the narrowly-worded language of the Gun Control Act of 1968.

Joining LKB were Independent Institute fellow Steven Halbrook, California Rifle & Pistol Association President Chuck Michel and NRA-ILA Director of Constitutional Studies Joseph Greenlee. These are three legal minds who have been working in the pro-2A space for decades and whose views on the matter at hand before the Court actually mean something.

This video will not only give you 33 well worthwhile minutes of analysis of the VanDerStok arguments, but the participants also look into their crystal balls to anticipate what other significant Second Amendment cases are headed the Supreme Court’s way in the near future. Enjoy.