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Californians can all agree on the need to treat other people with respect. If an individual feels that he or she wants to adopt a different gender identity, we can respect that wish.

This kid’s joyride came with a $5,153 bill, and a trip to jail.

Bobby Valli has since apologized for the error, saying he was "misinformed."

Bobby Valli has since apologized for the error, saying he was "misinformed."

Lisa Rinna, Maura Higgins and Lindsay Hubbard turned heads on the carpet.

Lisa Rinna, Maura Higgins and Lindsay Hubbard turned heads on the carpet.

Judge Drops Case Against 6 Nevada Republicans Accused Of Falsifying 2020 Election Result

Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times,

Six Nevada Republicans, who were accused of submitting a certificate falsely declaring President Donald Trump had won the state's 2020 presidential election, will not face a trial after a judge dismissed the case against them on Aug. 13.

Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald walks on stage before speaking ahead of then-Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nev. on Jan. 27, 2024. John Locher/AP

Nevada Judge Mary Kay Holthus ruled in favor of the defendants, who were Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald, Nevada GOP Vice Chairs James DeGraffenreid and Durward Hindle, Clark County GOP Chair Jesse Law, and Douglas County GOP officials Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford - who, as a Democrat, will challenge Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, in November's election - brought charges of forgery and "offering a false instrument for filing or record" against the six, who all pleaded not guilty.

In December 2023, Trump suggested that the indictment was politically motivated and tied to the Biden administration.

Trump won in Nevada by a large margin in 2016, but lost the election in 2020.

The 2020 election, conducted under the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, was marred by allegations of electoral fraud.

After the Nov. 3, 2020, election, the six Republican electors gathered outside the Nevada Legislature to sign a certificate giving the state's six electoral college votes to Trump. The ceremony was broadcast online, and the video footage was used by the prosecution as evidence in the case.

It would later emerge that Biden had won Nevada by more than 30,000 votes.

The case brought against the six Nevada defendants centered on their intent in submitting the certificate.

Prosecutors argued that the defendants intended for the certificate to be recognized as Electoral College votes by then-Vice President Mike Pence, who had to determine who had won the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

Defendants Said It Was 'Political Theater'

But the defendants said signing the certificate online was an act of "political theater" designed to publicize their concerns about alleged electoral fraud.

They said they had no intent to deceive a government agency but were preserving their rights to challenge the official election results.

"Testimony presented to the grand jury established that the submitted certificates were not treated as Nevada's official electoral certificates and were not accepted for filing or acted upon by the receiving agencies," she wrote in her ruling.

"Rather, the evidence demonstrated that the documents were recognized for what they were and returned because they could not be accepted.

"The Court further finds the public and political nature of Defendants' conduct significant in evaluating whether the evidence supports an inference of fraudulent intent.

"Defendants repeatedly explained the purpose of their actions during the televised ceremony and in contemporaneous communications."

Holthus said she concluded that the state had "failed to present sufficient evidence establishing the essential elements of the offenses charged."

Three similar cases in Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia have previously been tossed.

Nevada Attorney General to Appeal

Ford's office said it plans to appeal Holthus's ruling.

McDonald's defense attorney Richard Wright, in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, said Holthus's order was "well reasoned."

"This hasty, premature announcement of an intention to appeal [by Ford] reeks of continuing a politically motivated and legally doomed prosecution," Wright wrote.

He accused Ford of wanting to continue a "harassment" and "waste of expensive prosecutorial resources."

The Nevada decision came on the same day Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges against five noncitizens accused of voting in the 2024 general election, and one U.S. citizen accused of registering her noncitizen spouse to vote.

The charges follow a state review of 38 suspected cases of noncitizen voting or related conduct from 2009 to 2025.

Donald Trump supporters protest the Nevada vote outside Clark County Election Department in North Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 5, 2020. Ronda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 21:45

Aaron Boone didn't get to see the end of Friday's Yankees-Blue Jays game from the dugout.

Toward the end of his conversation with the California Post on Wednesday, soon-to-be Lakers co-owner Bob Iger had a clear message after he and business partner Josh Kushner agreed to purchase the franchise from Mark Walter for a historic valuation of $12.5 billion.  “It’s just premature to speculate at all about what we plan to do,” Iger told the...

Trump's DOJ Will Reportedly Support End Of National Firearms Act After 92 Years

Why do Americans protected by the 2nd Amendment still need to get permission and approval from the ATF to have a rifle with a barrel under 16 inches, or a particular brand of stock, or a suppressor that, in most cases, doesn't silence a firearm at all but simply makes shooting it easier on a person's hearing?  Why, for 92 years, have citizens had to pay for a tax stamp and send their fingerprints to the government for guns that should be considered a constitutional right?

This is largely due to the National Firearms Act of 1934, passed under the highly overrated Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration.  The law became a permanent annoyance to every gun owner in the US and a lucrative revenue stream for federal agencies; at least, until now.  

Finally, after nearly a century, the law is being erased.  But how?  

The legality of the NFA relies heavily on the existence of a $200 tax stamp.  The government did not ban covered items outright in order to avoid a clash with 2nd Amendment protections.  Instead, they added a tax to various firearms and related accessories, then made the processing of the tax and approval on the purchases an arduous affair.  Until the Trump Administration stepped in, NFA approval on any particular item could take up to a year. 

This clunky process was deliberately designed to dissuade citizens from purchasing certain firearms and attachments.  For people suspicious of government lists, the fingerprinting and applications made them not want to bother.  Possession of any of the items covered under the NFA is considered a serious federal crime with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

However, when Congress passed Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" in 2025, this included a provision which lowered the NFA transfer tax to $0.  With the tax stamp gone, the legal loophole which made the NFA possible was eliminated.  Now, an army of legal challengers have brought their case to federal courts to remove the NFA entirely, and they have succeeded (for the most part).

Expectations within the gun community were reserved (gun rights advocates have long waited for this moment and remain anxious that the DOJ will try to ruin the party with an appeal).  But, this does not seem to be the case.  Trump's DOJ missed the first 7-day deadline for an appeal.  They also have another 60-day deadline, but reports suggest that the DOJ has no intention of interfering with the court's ruling. 

Rumors are swirling that Trump was personally involved in the DOJ decision to support the removal of the NFA by refusing to appeal.  Reportedly, according to Rep. Andrew Clyde who has been leading the charge on the legal fight, Trump has confirmed that there will be no further DOJ challenges to the NFA decision. 

So what does this mean?  The federal government will be issuing guidance over the next 60 days on how FFL holders and gun shops can proceed with the transfer of items listed in the NFA.  At first, coverage is limited to the plaintiffs involved in the court ruling (and their customers), however, the DOJ has the power to nationalize the court's decision, effectively making the NFA null and void for everyone everywhere (this is now a likely outcome).

This means, suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs) and other items could be purchased without tax stamps, fingerprinting and wait times.  A basic background check (Form 4473) will remain in place.  It may take another couple of months, but it appears that the NFA is effectively dead thanks to the Trump Administration.  Gun owners had to suffer for nearly a century, but the long battle is ending.  

Meanwhile, the Hughes Amendment is still a problem, preventing the sale or transfer of machine guns made after 1986.  But it's all about winning one fight and moving on to the next, and the end to the NFA is an epic accomplishment; one which most gun owners never thought they would see in their lifetime.

Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 21:20

The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with injuries from the start of training camp, which doesn't bode well for the team's health in 2026.

Gutman spent 17 years at ABC News, primarily reporting from Los Angeles, before joining CBS News in January.

California doesn't recognize lifeguards as first responders. But last month's heroic rescue by 16-year-old California rookie lifeguard Ryder Williams is a reminder of why that needs to change.

While the result of Saturday’s 1 p.m. Giants-Vikings clash at MetLife Stadium soon will be forgotten, certain tones will be set.

The two first crossed paths on the 2018 film "Boy Erased."

The two first crossed paths on the 2018 film "Boy Erased."

The suspected thieves — originally from Indianapolis — are wanted in Florida where they've made 20 successful scores alone, though their ransacking spree has stretched from Texas to Buffalo.

House Committees Detail Harvard Ties With Chinese Entities In New Report

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

A report released by House committees on Aug. 13 alleged that Harvard University prioritized financial ties over American national security and received more than $600 million from China, the most of any U.S. university.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on March 29, 2026. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times

The report, released by the House Select Committee on China and the House Education and Workforce Committee, alleged that Harvard created a nonprofit called Harvard Global to circumvent federal requirements for disclosing foreign donations to higher education.

According to the report, Harvard Global initially stated on its website that it could serve as a "proposal applicant and awardee" for awards the university was unable to accept for legal or financial reasons. The nonprofit later removed the language after the committees sent Harvard a draft of the report.

"Harvard created an entity in a blatant attempt to get around federal foreign funding disclosure laws. That's unacceptable, especially given Harvard's history of failing to comply with these requirements," Education and Workforce Committee chairman Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) said in a statement.

The committees identified 140 publications co-authored by Harvard-affiliated researchers and researchers affiliated with Chinese universities, including a "Seven Sons" university, the report stated.

The "Seven Sons of National Defense" is a group of elite Chinese universities directly subordinate to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which regulates China's defense sector.

The House committees alleged that Harvard-affiliated researchers have worked with "Chinese universities that, as a matter of policy, conduct extensive weapons research and development and hold top-secret security clearances with the PLA [People's Liberation Army]."

The report cited a 2023 research paper on magnetic materials co-authored by a Harvard-affiliated researcher and a researcher at China's National University of Defense Technology - which the U.S. government has placed on its entity list as a threat to American national security.

"From allowing violence against anti-China protestors to collaborating with entities linked to the PLA, Harvard has made serious mistakes and must act now to prevent more," said Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chairman of the Select Committee on China.

Moolenaar called for reforms at Harvard aimed at ending CCP influence on campus and safeguarding U.S. research.

Harvard University did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

The report came after the Justice Department (DOJ) announced on July 20 that it was investigating whether Harvard violated Title VI by excluding American students from financial aid programs funded by China-based sources.

Universities are required by federal law to report gifts and contracts from foreign sources that exceed $250,000 in a year. Harvard had disclosed nearly $4.5 billion in foreign funding, of which $630 million came from sources based in China - the university's largest source of foreign funding - the department said.

According to the DOJ, Harvard appears to accept funds from China-based sources that require the university to establish financial aid programs "with preference given to students from particular countries."

Bill Pan contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 20:55

SANTA CLARA — It’s Week 1 of the preseason, which means it’s primetime for overreactions. Let’s see how this one holds up by the end of Week 18. The best rookie receiver inside Levi’s Stadium Thursday night wasn’t the guy whose name was called fourth by commissioner Roger Goodell in April. It was the guy...

A California couple that hired a surrogate to carry their child — only to find the baby had a rare heart condition after 20 weeks in utero — allegedly was adamant: The unborn boy must die.