Today’s Top 5:
Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia last night and was booked, fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken, which has been released already, which smacks of political intent and instead has continued to increase his popularity. If they can come after him, they can come after you! Trump has become the first U.S. president in history to have his mugshot taken. Despite the left rejoicing in this, a lot of undecided U.S. voters are waking up to the reality that the dual system of justice we have in America at this point could be weaponized against them. Nobody’s laughing, not even Trump in this photo.
1.Trump Back on Twitter With a Defiant Message
Former President Donald Trump is back on Twitter—now rebranded as X—posting a bold, defiant message after more than two years of inactivity on the platform.
The post on X at 9:39 p.m. ET shows President Trump in a booking photo at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, taken Thursday after he presented himself to authorities around 7:36 p.m. local time and underwent a 20-minute booking process, after which he was released.
The accompanying text to the social media post includes “MUG SHOT — AUGUST 24, 2023,” “ELECTION INTERFERENCE,” “NEVER SURRENDER!” and “DONALDJTRUMP.COM.”
The post received 200,100 likes and 7.1 million views after just 24 minutes. As of the time of this report, President Trump has 86.5 million followers on the Twitter/X platform.
2.Fulton County DA Asks for October 2023 Trial in Trump Case
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is asking for all 19 defendants, charged in a racketeering case over their contesting the 2020 election results, to be tried in court in two months.
The updated timeline proposal comes after defendant Kenneth Chesebro filed a motion on Wednesday demanding a “speedy trial.”
Mr. Chesebro had surrendered voluntarily earlier this week and was released on $100,000 bond, one of the highest, behind former President Donald Trump at $200,000 and Rudy Giuliani at $150,000.
Ms. Willis had given all 19 defendants a noon Aug. 25 deadline to do so.
4.Maui County sues power company, saying utility did not turn off electricity during deadly wildfires
Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric Company on Thursday over the fires that devastated Lahaina, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions.
Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were driven by a passing hurricane. The Aug. 8 fires killed at least 115 people and left an unknown number of others missing, making them the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.
Hawaii Electric said in a statement it is “very disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding.”
5.Election Watchdog Claims Pennsylvania Violates Federal Election Laws
An election integrity group, PA Fair Elections, has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, claiming the Department of State violates the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), by failing to require overseas voters to provide identification when registering to vote.
The HAVA, passed in 2002, established minimum election standards for state and local governments in the administration of Federal elections.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), passed by Congress in 1986, allows absentee voting by members of the U.S. military and merchant marine; their family members; and U.S. citizens residing outside the United States. This includes people who have never lived in the United States and never intend to. People born overseas to U.S. citizens are themselves considered U.S. citizens and may vote in U.S. elections in some states.
WORLD NEWS
Putin breaks silence after Wagner boss Prigozhin’s plane crashes – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the family of Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, breaking his silence after the mercenary leader’s plane crashed with no survivors two months after he led a mutiny against army chiefs.
Putin’s comments, which suggested he harboured decidedly mixed feelings about Wagner’s mercenary boss, were the most definitive yet on Prigozhin’s fate. Before he spoke, the only official statement had come from the aviation authority which said Prigozhin had been on board the downed plane.
The U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday said there was currently no information to suggest that a surface-to-air missile took down the plane.
Almost all of the licence-plate reading cameras that will enable London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s fresh crackdown on driving in the city in one neighbourhood have already been destroyed by ‘Blade Runners’, just days before the scheme is supposed to come into force.
As many as nine in ten of Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras installed in the London suburb of Sydenham and Sidcup have already been disabled according to an online information-sharing group. According to The Times, the group takes submissions from the public when they see ULEZ cameras being installed, track locations on a viewable map, and record whether they are still functional or not.
Reports: NATO-member Norway Follows the Netherlands, Denmark to Donate F-16 Fighters to Ukraine
Numerous reports Thursday said NATO-member Norway has rushed to follow the Netherlands and Denmark to donate U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Norwegian media outlets made their revelations as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was visiting the Ukraine capital Kyiv.
Tankers Collide in Suez Canal, Disrupt Traffic Says Egypt
Two tankers carrying oil products and liquefied natural gas collided in the Suez Canal, disrupting traffic through the global waterway, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday.
The Suez Canal authority said in a statement that the BW Lesmes, a Singapore-flagged tanker that carries liquefied natural gas, suffered a mechanical malfunction on Tuesday night and ran aground while transiting through the canal. The Burri, a Cayman Island-flagged oil products tanker, collided with the broken vessel.
VIDEO: LOOKING FOR CLUES in the CANADIAN FIRES
While this is titled, “Looking for Clues in the Canadian Fires”, forensic arborist Robert Brame clearly identifies THAT the trees didn’t burn … they cooked … but they didn’t burn, which could apply to Maui, as to the color of the white ash in the buildings, etc. that burned.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHOc9sxts4
Trump took to the airwaves on Newsmax with Greg Kelly to air his experience. Trump then put out another piece on his own website, Truth Social (.com).
Joe Biden Celebrates Trump’s Arrest as a ‘Great Day’ to Donate to His Campaign
President Joe Biden fundraised online the same day former President Donald Trump was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia, calling it a “great day” to donate to his campaign.
Trump surrendered into custody and was booked by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on charges stemming from District Attorney Fani Willis’s indictment. He and 18 others were were indicted in a 98-page, 41-count indictment handed down by a Fulton County grand jury last week.
McCarthy Gives Update on Possible Biden Impeachment Inquiry
Again, political wishful thinking designed to stir the masses and further divide voters.
An impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden could start soon, the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said this week.
If the president and members of his family stonewall congressional investigators, then an inquiry will be launched when the House returns from its break, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Aug. 22.
“The whole determination here is how the Bidens handled this. If they provide us the documents, there wouldn’t be a need for impeachment inquiry. But if they withhold the documents and fight like they have now to not provide to the American public what they deserve to know, we will move forward with impeachment inquiry when we come back into session,” Mr. McCarthy said.
RFK Jr. Says GOP Debate Was ‘Out of Sync With the Mood of the Country’
NOTE TO RFK, JR: The debate questions were structured by Fox News to make the candidates look stupid and argue with each other. Great prime time political fodder.
“City on the Hill” my a**!
FBI on Frontline in Fight Against CCP’s Covert War on US
NOW they’re trying to make the FBI look like it’s doing something other than attacking American citizens?
Forty Chinese officers, a retired NYPD sergeant, two Navy sailors-turned-spies, and two minders of a secret Chinese police station in New York. These cases, and others, feed an ever-growing list of FBI investigations as the agency zeroes in on combating Chinese espionage operations, an arena it has branded its “top counterintelligence priority.”
“Our adversaries’ targets are our nation’s core economic assets—our information and ideas, our innovation, our research and development, our technology,” an FBI spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“No country poses a broader, more severe threat to those assets than China.”
To put the scale into perspective, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in 2020 that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “deep and wide and persistent” ability to influence American sectors prompts the agency to open a China-related probe about every 10 hours.
We seriously have to question why the “Pentagon” is offering up opinions.
Former Texas judge questions murder suspect over satanism, receives public reprimand
The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has determined that a former justice of the peace in Shelby County, Texas, should be publicly reprimanded for “failing to comply with the law nor maintain professional competence in the law.”
‘He’s an insider’: Ramaswamy’s deep ties to rightwing kingpins revealed
Republican candidate brands himself as an ‘outsider’ but has close links to prominent figures Leonard Leo and Peter Thiel
Vivek Ramaswamy has described himself as an “outsider”, accusing rivals for the Republican presidential nomination of being “bought and paid for” by donors and special interests.
But the 38-year-old Ohio-based venture capitalist, whose sharp-elbowed and angry display stood out in the first Republican debate this week, has his own close ties to influential figures from both sides of the political aisle.
Prominent among such connections are Peter Thiel, the co-founder of tech giants PayPal and Palantir and a rightwing megadonor, and Leonard Leo, the activist who has marshaled unprecedented sums in his push to stock federal courts with conservative judges.
Ramaswamy is a Yale Law School friend of JD Vance, the author of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy who enjoyed success in finance before entering politics. At Yale, Vance and Ramaswamy attended what the New Yorker called an “intimate lunch seminar for select students” that was hosted by Thiel. Last year, backed by Thiel and espousing hard-right Trumpist views, Vance won a US Senate seat in Ohio.
Thiel has since said he has stepped back from political donations. But he has backed Ramaswamy’s business career, supporting what the New Yorker called “a venture helping senior citizens access Medicare” and, last year, backing Strive Asset Management, a fund launched by Ramaswamy to attack environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies among corporate investors. Vance was also a backer.
Ramaswamy’s primary vehicle to success has been Roivant, an investment company focused on the pharmaceuticals industry founded in 2014.
The Roivant advisory board includes figures from both the Republican and Democratic establishments: Kathleen Sebelius, US health secretary under Barack Obama; Tom Daschle of South Dakota, formerly Democratic leader in the US Senate; and Olympia Snowe, formerly a Republican senator from Maine.
Ramaswamy’s links to Leo – recently the recipient of a $1.6bn donation from the industrialist Barre Seid, believed to be the biggest ever such gift, but now reportedly the subject an investigation by the attorney general of Washington DC – are many.
As reported by ProPublica, Ramaswamy has spoken at retreats staged by Teneo, a group Leo chairs and which aims to connect high-powered conservatives, to “crush liberal dominance” in American life.
Other Teneo speakers have reportedly included Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor polling ahead of Ramaswamy in the Republican primary, and the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who trails Ramaswamy and clashed with him on stage in Milwaukee.
ProPublica also linked Thiel to the genesis of the Teneo group. According to a document seen by the Guardian, Ramaswamy became a Teneo member in 2021.
Elsewhere, Ramaswamy is a board member of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a group with ties to Leo, and a member of the Federalist Society, the Leo-driven group which works to stock the courts with conservatives.
Ramaswamy has also spoken to and received an award from the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF), a group of Republican state treasurers.
In June, in South Carolina, the Post and Courier newspaper reported that last year, before launching his presidential bid, Ramaswamy attempted “to leverage his [Republican] connections to gain access [for Strive] to lucrative contracts to manage pension funds … [with] total assets of $39.6bn”.
Similar pushes were mounted in Missouri and Indiana, the paper said. Curtis Loftis, the South Carolina state treasurer, told the Post and Courier there was “nothing improper” about such approaches.
Asked about Ramaswamy’s claims to be an outsider in light of his links to rightwing donors, activists and establishment figures, a campaign spokesperson told the Guardian: “Vivek has lived the American dream and has had tremendous success in business.
“There’s a colossal difference between someone who has friendships and business relationships with wealthy individuals and politicians who change their policies and positions to please their Super Pac donors,” they added.
2ND AMENDMENT
Judge who pointed AR-15 at officer avoids ethics case with resignation
A Georgia magistrate judge who admitted pointing an AR-15 rifle at a sheriff’s officer has ended the ethics case against him by resigning, according to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Former Chief Magistrate Judge Gerald W. Johnson of Habersham County, Georgia, resigned in January shortly after a hearing panel of the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended his removal.
In an Aug. 16 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court said it was dismissing the ethics case.
“Removal from office is the only sanction the JQC seeks, and we cannot remove a former judge from an office he no longer holds,” the state supreme court said.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
In the housing market … Rental Nation: U.S. Mortgage Applications Crash to Near-30-Year Low
The American dream of home ownership is fading into the distant past under the Biden administration with mortgage applications hitting their lowest level in nearly 30 years, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said Wednesday.
UPI reports the MBA found mortgage applications declined 4.2 percent week-on-week over the seven-day period ending Aug. 18.
Zombie Foreclosures Hold Steady During Third Quarter, Still With Minimal Impact Around Most Of U.S.
ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its third-quarter 2023 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report showing that 1.3 million (1,277,612) residential properties in the United States are vacant. That figure represents 1.3 percent, or one in 79 homes, across the nation – the same as in the second quarter of this year.
The report analyzes publicly recorded real estate data collected by ATTOM — including foreclosure status, equity and owner-occupancy status — matched against monthly updated vacancy data. (See full methodology below). Vacancy data is available for U.S. residential properties at https://www.attomdata.com/solutions/marketing-lists/.
Bud Light Appears to Respond to Low Sales With NFL Giveaway
NOTE TO BUD LIGHT: You’re NOT going to win this one! You already unzipped your fly!
The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand on Thursday kicked off its long-running sponsorship of the NFL as its Bud Light brand struggles to regain ground in the midst of a monthslong boycott.
Bud Light has apparently responded to the slump in sales with a promotion that will hand out several NFL-related prizes. The biggest prize is 2,000 free NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions, according to a news release.
Anheuser-Busch said it intends to give out 2,000 subscriptions to NFL Sunday Ticket in a contest that expires in mid-October. That’s about a month after the NFL season starts, however. Additionally, the company will give away NFLShop.com merchandise.
“Bud Light has been the Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL for over 27 years, and every season we look forward to delighting fans by making their gameday celebrations easier over a Bud Light and America’s most popular sport: football,” Todd Allen, the Bud Light’s marketing executive, said in the release. “We know for NFL fans Sunday has become synonymous not only with game day, but also with time-honored traditions.”
An accompanying Bud Light commercial also features “real fans” and “real traditions,” according to the release. Those include a fan who is a military veteran “who never missed a game when she was deployed, no matter the time of night.”
RESTAURANTS Subway sandwich chain sells itself to private equity firm Roark Capital
Roark Capital is buying Subway, ending the sandwich chain’s more than five decades of family ownership and marking a new era for the struggling company.
The announcement Thursday ends the chain’s lengthy sale process, which publicly kicked off in February. Subway reportedly sought $10 billion, a high price that alienated many potential suitors like restaurant conglomerates, leaving only private equity firms to duke it out in an auction. Other reported bidders included TDR Capital and Sycamore Partners.
Subway and Roark did not announce a transaction price, but The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the firm’s final bid was roughly $9.6 billion.
Roark’s current portfolio includes more than a dozen restaurant chains. Subway dwarfs all of them by number of restaurants, and brings in more annual sales than all but Dunkin’.
T-Mobile US to cut 5,000 jobs as cheaper plans weigh on costs
T-Mobile US (TMUS.O) said on Thursday it would reduce its workforce by about 7% by cutting 5,000 jobs in the United States as the wireless carrier grapples with rising costs related to adding more subscribers in a competitive market.
The carrier has been taking the lion’s share of subscribers looking for cheaper plans in the last three quarters through discounted bundles, but that has taken a toll on T-Mobile.
Dutch brewer Heineken completes its withdrawal from Russia, takes $325m hit
The world’s second largest brewer sold its business in Russia for just 1 euro ($1.08), months after announcing its exit.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
DOJ sues SpaceX for hiring discrimination
The US Department of Justice is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX over allegations that it discriminated against asylees and refugees in hiring. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the DOJ claims that, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX discouraged refugees and asylees from applying to the company “by wrongly stating that SpaceX can only hire U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.”
The lawsuit states SpaceX “failed to fairly consider” and “refused to hire” the asylees and refugees who ended up applying anyway. It also alleges that SpaceX “wrongly claimed” that the US’s export control laws allowed it to only hire US citizens and lawful residents. Additionally, the DOJ claims SpaceX hired “only” US citizens and green card holders from September 2018 to September 2020.
Scientists Regrow Retina Cells to Tackle Leading Cause of Blindness Using Nanotechnology
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries, but regrowing the human cells lost to this condition was the feature of a new successful treatment that took advantage of advances in nanotechnology.
Regrowing the cells of the human retina on a scaffold of synthetic, tissue-like material showed substantial improvements over previously used materials such as cellulose, and the scientists hope they can move on to testing their method in the already blind.
Macular degeneration is increasing in prevalence in the developed world. It’s the leading cause of blindness and is caused by the loss of cells in a key part of the eye called the retina.
Humans have no ability to regrow retinal pigment cells, but scientists have determined how to do it in vitro using pluripotent stem cells. However as the study authors describe, previous examples of this procedure saw scientists growing the cells on flat surfaces rather than one resembling the retinal membrane.
This, they state, limits the effectiveness of transplanted cells.
In a study at the UK’s Nottingham Trent University, biomedical scientist Biola Egbowon and colleagues fabricated 3D scaffolds with polymer nanofibers and coated them with a steroid to reduce inflammation.
The method by which the nanofibers were made was pretty darn cool. The team would squirt polyacrylonitrile and Jeffamine polymers in molten form through an electrical current in a technique known as “electrospinning.” The high voltage caused molecular changes in the polymers that saw them become solid again, resembling a scaffold of tiny fibers that attracted water yet maintained mechanical strength.
After the scaffolding was made, it was treated with an anti-inflammatory steroid.
This unique pairing of materials mixed with the electrospinning created a unique scaffold that kept the retinal pigment cells viable for 150 days outside of any potential human patient, all while showing the phenotype of biomarkers critical for maintaining retinal physiological characteristics.
“While this may indicate the potential of such cellularized scaffolds in regenerative medicine, it does not address the question of biocompatibility with human tissue,” Egbowon and colleagues caution in their paper, urging more research to be conducted, specifically regarding the orientation of the cells and whether they can maintain good blood supply.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Report: Biden Administration Mulls Lifting Oil Sanctions on Venezuela for ‘Free and Fair’ Elections
The administration of American President Joe Biden is holding talks with socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro that could lead to a temporary lifting of oil sanctions in exchange for “free and fair elections” in Venezuela, according to reports published by Bloomberg and Reuters on Wednesday.
The Maduro regime is expected to hold a sham presidential election in 2024. Nicolás Maduro, first elected in 2013 in a heavily contested election, has clung to power since 2018 through the results of a sham election where only handpicked rivals were able to participate. Maduro is poised to seek “reelection” for a second six-year term in the new sham voting cycle, as the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) amended the constitution in 2009 to remove all public office term limits.
HEALTH
Salmonella Outbreak in 11 States Prompts CDC Alert Against Small Turtles
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioned Americans against coming into contact with small turtles after an outbreak of salmonella was recorded in at least 11 U.S. states.
“Although any turtle can carry Salmonella germs that can spread to you and make you sick, turtles with shells less than 4 inches long are a known source of illness,” the CDC stated on its website on Aug. 18.
“Always take steps to stay healthy around your small turtles.”
Public health officials are investigating the outbreak that has caused a total of 26 people to be sickened by salmonella. Of these, nine people were taken to the hospital. No deaths have been reported so far.
Sprigs of wisdom: Rosemary’s secret to mind and body harmony
In ancient times, the Greeks displayed a strong fascination with rosemary, to the extent that village elders would advise students to tuck a sprig of this perennial plant into their hair. The Greeks held the belief that the plant possessed remarkable memory-enhancing qualities. Nonetheless, for many individuals, thoughts of rosemary only arise when a recipe calls for it.
However, a recent study has revealed that rosemary’s effects extend beyond its culinary contributions, such as enhancing the flavor of focaccia. The plant can positively impact both cognitive faculties and physical well-being in unexpected and remarkable ways.
Worried About Cognitive Decline? Get Your Vitamin D Levels Checked ASAP
According to a scientific review that came out earlier this year, approximately 6.5 million U.S. adults1 over 65 are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, that number is predicted to grow to 13.8 million within the next 40 years.
These prospects can be downright terrifying, but there are steps you can take today to support your brain health in days to come.
According to neurologist Dale Bredesen, M.D., author of the New York Times bestselling book The End of Alzheimer’s, one surprising factor has a serious impact on your risk for developing Alzheimer’s: your vitamin D status.
Vitamin D levels and Alzheimer’s disease
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that’s required for a plethora of vital functions throughout the body, including cognitive health and neuroprotection. And like Alzheimer’s, vitamin D deficiency is shockingly prevalent in the U.S. A whopping 29% of adults2 are deficient in vitamin D, and another 41% are insufficient in the critical nutrient.
Growing evidence suggests vitamin D deficiency and cognitive decline are intrinsically linked. In a 2019 BMC Neurology meta-analysis3 of 21,784 participants, researchers found significant associations between vitamin D deficiency and both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The link between vitamin D and cognitive function
Bredesen explains that dangerously low levels of vitamin D [i.e., 25(OH)D serum test results at or below 20 ng/ml—the clinical cutoff for vitamin D deficiency] is one of the main contributing factors of cognitive decline he sees in his patients.
“It is surprisingly common to see people come in with cognitive decline and their vitamin D level is 19 or 20 [ng/ml],” he shares.
While getting outdoors and spending some time in the sun—safely, of course—is always recommended, the sun isn’t a historically reliable source of vitamin D. (And for the record, diet isn’t either!)
So, we’re left with supplementation. But as Bredesen stated, some people are taking vitamin D supplements and seeing no improvement to their D levels—or their cognitive function.
Power Mall Products of Interest: OPTIVIDA VITAMIN D & GOOD HEALTH NATURALLY VITAMIN D3
COVID RELATED NEWS
What You Need to Know About New ‘Eris’ COVID Variant
How does the current dominant SARS‑CoV‑2 strain differ from earlier descendants?
The new COVID-19 virus variant spreading now, “Eris,” is currently the predominant strain in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although it’s increasingly reported worldwide, health experts say it poses a low risk to public health, as there is no evidence it causes different or more severe symptoms than previous omicron offspring.
CANCEL CULTURE
Mass Looting Flash Mobs Spread in Southern California, Beyond L.A.
Mass looting events have been reported outside Los Angeles as the phenomenon spreads throughout Southern California, defying efforts by local officials to deter the flash mobs that carry out the daytime heists in retail stores.
PET NEWS
‘He’s a Celebrity’: Great Pyrenees Finds Forever Home After Saving Foster Family from Boat Fire
A Great Pyrenees named Moose has found his forever home weeks after saving his foster family from a boat fire in Virginia.
Moose’s new mom, Ciara Hill, had been following him closely on Portsmouth Humane Society’s Facebook page, Fox Carolina reported. Before Hill, Moose was adopted, but he was returned after his new family realized he was not a good fit.
GOOD NEWS
Student Refuses School’s Order to Remove American Flags from Truck, Switches to Homeschooling
A Virginia teen said his First Amendment rights are being violated after school officials told him to remove the two American flags mounted on his red Toyota Tacoma truck.
Staunton River High School officials told senior Christopher Hartless that the patriotic display was a distraction to other drivers and a safety concern, WSET reported.
11-year-olds mowed 50 lawns for free so ‘The Lawnmower Man’ gave them new gear to start a business
“These are good, hard-working kids that deserve some gratitude.”
Rodney Smith Jr., of Huntsville, Alabama, was recently profiled by KMBC for his generous donation to two 11-year-olds who fulfilled his 50 Yard Challenge in Gadsden, Alabama. Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice, founders of TJ & JT Mowing Service, completed Smith’s challenge to mow 50 yards for the elderly, veterans, and people unable to care for their lawns for free.
“I’m heading down to Gadsden right now. These are good, hard-working kids that deserve some gratitude,” Smith, known as “The Lawnmower Man,” told KMBC. Smith had been told that Taylor and Rice were sharing an old lawnmower that a neighbor had donated to them.
When he arrived, he gave both teens a mower, a blower and a trimmer for their hard work, hoping they’ll use their new equipment to expand their business. “Giving these boys lawn equipment is teaching them discipline,” Smith said. “If they tell someone they are going to mow a lawn, they need to mow the lawn.”
“Remember, this is not the end; it’s just the beginning,” Smith added. “This could be the beginning of a successful lawn service.”
Smith’s commitment to taking care of people’s lawns started in 2015, and the following year he went viral for helping a 93-year-old woman who could no longer mow hers. The photo of Smith and the woman received over 1 million likes.
Five years ago, Upworthy profiled Smith for setting a bold goal of mowing lawns for free in all 50 states. His goal was to promote his initiative that “provides free lawn care to our elders, those who are disabled, single mothers, and our veterans, who do not have the time, resources, and/or money to manicure their yards.”
As part of this goal, he created the 50 Yard Challenge, which has been a smashing success.
As of May 2023, 4,588 pre-teens and teens are participating in this challenge across the United States. If everyone completes the challenge, that will bring the total number of lawns mowed for free by Smith’s Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service to 229,400.
ICYMI
Fox News Airs Ad by China-Owned TikTok During GOP Primary Debate
Fox News aired an advertisement for the Chinese mobile phone application TikTok during its highly touted Republican primary debate Wednesday evening.
TikTok, a Chinese social media app, used its purchased air time to advertise its alleged ability to enhance the lives of veterans:
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