Facebook moved to delete an interview between Lara and Donald Trump Wednesday because the casual conversation featured his “voice” after he was permanently banned from the social network last January.

“This guidance applies to all campaign accounts and Pages, including Team Trump, other campaign messaging vehicles on our platforms, and former surrogates,” the email, posted on Instagram by Trump’s son, Eric Trump, stated.

Terrible Big Tech Censorship:

“Facebook Trump video: Lara Trump interview with president removed” https://t.co/c9b4JiQKFA

— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) March 31, 2021

"We are one step closer to Orwell’s 1984."@LaraLeaTrump says @Facebook pulled her interview with her father-in-law, former President Donald Trump.
https://t.co/Grvg39oTlW

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 31, 2021

“We are reaching out to let you know that we removed content from Lara Trump’s Facebook Page that featured President Trump speaking,” the Facebook staffer claimed. “In line with the block we placed on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, further content posted in the voice of Donald Trump will be removed and result in additional limitations on the accounts.”

Read the full statement above.

March 31, 2021 at 03:54PM - The First
DELETING DONALD: Facebook Bans Interview with Trump Because It Features his ‘Voice’
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

The QAnon conspiracy theory had its roots in Pizzagate and the Comet Ping Pong conspiracies that went back to the 2016 campaign. The original theory was that Democratic politicians such as Hillary Clinton were deeply involved in a satanic cult that dabbled in child prostitution on the side. The enterprise was supposedly headquartered in the basement of a Washington, DC pizza parlor called “Comet Ping Pong.” Now, it looks as though there may have been a grain of truth at the center of the conspiracy, but the details were wildly off.

As Maxwell Smart used to say, “Missed it by that much.”

In reality, it is probably a coincidence that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is now embroiled in a rapidly erupting sex scandal that looks a lot like something that the Q tinfoil hatters came up with. Over the past 24 hours, Gaetz, one of the trumpiest of the Trump Republicans, has admitted that he is under DOJ investigation for allegedly engaging in the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl with whom he reportedly had what can be euphemistically called an “inappropriate relationship.” Gaetz fired back with the claim that he was the victim of an extortion plot and a subject of the investigation but not its target.

The investigation, which was first reported by the New York Times, centers on whether Gaetz had a “sexual relationship with an unidentified 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.” The encounters, which took place about two years ago, could be illegal under a variety of state and federal laws that make it illegal to induce minors to travel across state lines to engage in sex for money or anything of value. The investigation reportedly began under the Trump Administration and was not opposed by former Attorney General William Barr.

The investigation reportedly centers on an ally of Gaetz, former Seminole County, Fla. tax collector, Joel Greenberg. Greenberg resigned after he was arrested by federal officers last June on sex trafficking and stalking charges. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the trafficking charges involved a girl between 14 and 17-years-old while the stalking charges related to a political opponent, a teacher who Greenberg accused of having a sexual relationship with a student and of being “a segregationist and in favor of white supremacy.” The federal investigation reportedly turned up several fake IDs at Greenberg’s home and evidence that he used Florida’s driver database to look up information about a minor victim. The Sentinel’s rundown on Greenberg’s erratic behavior over the years must the read to be believed.

Greenberg and Gaetz have known each other for several years at least. The Times reported that Greenberg posted a selfie of himself together with Gaetz and Roger Stone in 2017, captioned “Great catching up.” In 2018, Gaetz supported Greenberg’s campaign for office. The two posed for another photo in 2019 outside the White House. Gaetz was elected to Congress at the same time that Greenberg was elected tax collector in 2016. Joel Greenberg

Gaetz told Axios, “The allegations against me are as searing as they are false,” adding, “I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy.”

Gaetz announced his engagement on December 31, 2020, but is not yet married.

“I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I’ve dated,” Gaetz said, “You know, I’ve paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I’ve been, you know, generous as a partner. I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.”

He said that he was “absolutely” sure that none of the women he dated were underage. The age of consent in Florida is 18.

The congressman said that the allegations against him were rooted in an extortion attempt against his family that was seeking $25 million “in exchange for making this case go away.” He added that he was assisting the federal investigators and that his father had worn a wire in an attempt to provide evidence to catch the blackmailers. Axios reported that Gaetz sent the outlet copies of messages that purportedly showed the extortion scheme.

Gaetz also defended himself in a televised interview with Tucker Carlson.

Matt Gaetz vows to Tucker Carlson he didn't "travel" with a 17-year-old, but his denial seems pretty specific and carefully worded pic.twitter.com/emGePJeVfV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 31, 2021

Exactly how all this fits together is unclear at this point, but the bombshells are still bursting and there are undoubtedly more to come. The DOJ has declined to comment and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in USA Today that he would wait for more information, but that if the allegations that Gaetz had sex with an underage girl were true that Gaetz would lose his committee assignments.

There are several possible explanations for the story. The most obvious is that the entire allegation is untrue and meant to embarrass Gaetz based on his association with Greenberg. Another possibility is that Gaetz was a fully complicit beneficiary of Greenberg’s sideline as a sex trafficker. A third possibility is that Gaetz dated the 17-year-old but didn’t know her age.

The third possibility would be almost as troubling for Gaetz as the second. Under Florida law, sex between a 17-year-old and an adult older than 24 is considered statutory rape and carries a penalty of up to $10,000 in fines and 15 years in prison. This is true even if the sex was consensual. A conviction also requires the offender to register as a sex offender.

I’m not going to pass judgment on Gaetz. He may be telling the truth and be totally innocent of all the allegations. At this point, we don’t have enough information to know the truth. However, if the claims are accurate, Gaetz is in serious trouble even if he didn’t know the girl was only 17.

As to QAnon, the early reports are that they are in denial about how their theory was somewhat true but misidentified the culprits. So far, Q adherents seem to see the scandal as either part of the plan or a Deep State-FBI plot to destroy Gaetz’s credibility. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, there is little doubt that the Qs will twist it to support their belief that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president on [Insert Date Here].

Sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue. If politicians traffic in underaged girls, then they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We should look a the evidence without consulting the party identification letter that follows their name and form opinions accordingly.

Follow David Thornton on Twitter (@captainkudzu) and Facebook

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected]. 

March 31, 2021 at 03:49PM - David Thornton
The Matt Gaetz scandal and the Q conspiracy | David Thornton
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson told the truth Tuesday night about the brutal impact of ‘Black Lives Matter’ on America as the nation prepares for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with the killing of George Floyd.

Excerpt:

“People feel like it’s there mission to protect people of color from violence. No one is against that. You think you’d note the huge spike in deaths among poor people of color in America’s cities. They’re ignoring that completely,” said Tucker.

“Thousands of Americans have been murdered thanks to the policy changes made in the name of George Floyd,” he added. “You can tell the truth out loud.”

Watch Carlson’s comments above.

March 31, 2021 at 03:41PM - The First
‘BLM Did This to Us!’: Tucker Reveals Consequences of Black Lives Matter Movement in Must-See Segment
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Joe Biden attempted to board Air Force One Wednesday without incident, but nearly tumbled to the tarmac around the 16^th step.

Biden had similar issues in recent days, falling four times while trying to enter his Presidential plane.

Watch the harrowing moment above.

March 31, 2021 at 02:19PM - The First
Joe Biden Has a Rematch with the Stairs -It Was Going Well Until Step #16
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

CNN continued to hemorrhage viewers this week with ratings plunging 37% in March while the website proudly proclaimed “​It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth.”

“​It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there is no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth,” writes the author.

This is CNN. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/gTMQOWDXGc

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 31, 2021

The story centers around South Dakota’s decision to limit some transgender athletes from competing in female leagues.

h/t Daily Caller

March 31, 2021 at 01:59PM - The First
This Mind-Boggling Sentence is Actually Included in a Real CNN News Story
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Radical Democratic lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated there is no “surge” occurring at the US-Mexico border Tuesday because children from Central America are not “insurgents.”

“This is not a surge, these are children. They are not insurgents,” said the Congresswoman from New York City.

Watch the bizarre tirade above.

March 31, 2021 at 12:52PM - The First
Just IN: Ocasio-Cortez Says a ‘Surge’ at the Border is Not Possible Because ‘Children Are Not Insurgents’
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

At least 21 Senate Democrats are calling for “recurring payments” to help finance Americans’ lives as the CoVID pandemic is “far from over.”

“This crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads,” the senators wrote. “Families should not be at the mercy of constantly-shifting legislative timelines and ad hoc solutions.”

Democratic lawmakers who authored the letter include Wyden, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders, Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

“Senator Wyden wants to avoid repeating what took place last summer, when a jobless benefit boost expired and contributed to millions of Americans falling into poverty,” reports CNBC.

21 Senate Democrats Call On Biden To Include Recurring Direct Payments In $3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan https://t.co/4aOURevlwX

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 30, 2021

$2,000/month throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Then $1,000/month for a year after the pandemic ends to help people get back on their feet. https://t.co/yrWn7xnT6i

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) March 24, 2021

h/t CNBC

March 31, 2021 at 11:02AM - The First
WHY WORK? Dems Demand ‘Recurring Payments’ for Workers Because Crisis ‘Far From Over’
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Joe Biden is poised to unveil a series of tax hikes that could raise upwards of $1.8 trillion, but falls far-short of covering the $5 trillion in new spending the Democrats wish to spend by the end of the year.

“Biden will outline an array of tax proposals beginning on Wednesday — an opening bid ahead of months-long negotiations mostly within the Democratic Party — but these are his priorities,” reports Axios. “The biggest-ticket item would raise the corporate rate from 21% to 28%. That’s worth $730 billion over 10 years, according to the Tax Policy Center.”

Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Is Fueled By Rolling Back Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts — Here’s What We Know https://t.co/9SYCjfELJq

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 31, 2021

“Democrats close to the White House don’t expect Biden to fight as hard for other expected proposals, including one that could raise some $740 billion by imposing new Social Security taxes on the wealthy,” adds Axios.

h/t Axios

March 31, 2021 at 09:34AM - The First
LIBERAL MATH: Biden Preparing $1.8 Trillion in New Taxes… Calls for $5 Trillion in New Spending
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

Radical lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demanded Americans stop using the term “surge” when describing the crisis at the border because it promotes “white supremacist philosophy.”

“They wanna say, ‘But what about the surge?'” Ocasio-Cortez said on social media Tuesday night. “Well, first of all, just gut check, stop. Anyone who’s using the term ‘surge’ around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame.”

AOC on Instagram Live talking about the border:

“Anyone who is using the term ‘surge’ around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame… This is not a surge. These are children and they are not insurgents.”
pic.twitter.com/vUjraUSNHr

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 31, 2021

“And that’s a problem because this is not a surge, these are children and they are not insurgents and we are not being invaded, which by the way is a White supremacist idea-philosophy, the idea that if another is coming in the population that this is an invasion of who we are,” the congresswoman continued. 

Watch AOC’s rant above.

March 31, 2021 at 08:35AM - The First
‘SURGE’ CANCELED? AOC Says Word ‘Surge’ Promotes ‘Militaristic Frame’ of ‘White Supremacy’
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV

The Astroturf media blitz against Georgia’s election reform law has predictably called for boycotts, including the 2021 MLB All-Star game. The claims of “Jim Crow 2.0,” echoed by President Biden (who will read anything on a briefing card or the TelePrompTer) are really an insult to Black Americans, who are being characterized as so easily suppressed that they slide by life without basic needs met, because they can’t get a government ID.

Let’s get to the heart of the politics: A professional and slick messaging effort led by Stacey Abrams is behind the “Jim Crow” tag being used to characterize the law. In reality, the biggest problem with this legislation, as I wrote last week, is that it’s politically dangerous for the Republicans who passed it. As partisan election reform laws go, this one is pretty tame, fair, and well-thought out.

Yes, yes, Republicans injected lots of politics into the law, but the final product is pretty good legislation. It standardizes and expands weekend early voting among Georgia’s 159 counties, and it limits outside political influence into county election officials (many county elections have been run by Democrats for decades, and these Democrats consider it their personal turf and fiefdom). This includes the “food ban,” because Abrams used food pantries as polling place a buy-a-vote program in 2018. Drop-boxes were once able to be run by activists, and now must be supervised by sworn election officials or law enforcement.

None of this is Jim Crow. But the voter ID requirement for absentee voting is being hailed as some impassable barrier preventing Black Americans from obtaining absentee ballots, because (I guess?) they don’t have identification or access to computers, or any other ability to request a ballot. I was having a conversation with a neighbor, who is Jewish, who told me what an insult this would be if someone said Jews are being targeted with voter suppression because we can’t muster a state-approved ID.

I started thinking about that, and he’s right. The presumption that Black Americans in Georgia can’t obtain a state ID (which, if you don’t drive, is free, by the way), is a terrible insult against the very people who are supposedly being oppressed. In fact, if Georgia’s Black citizens are really suppressed by the new voter ID requirement for absentee ballots (versus the old requirement for a signature), here’s a list of some other things they can’t do.

1. Open a bank account. Banks require (by federal law) some form of identification, such as a driver’s license, passport, or state ID. If you don’t have a bank account, forget about buying a house, or any other real estate, getting a loan other than a payday loan (which you won’t need because you can’t work, see #4). The unbanked are at a cruel disadvantage in life, to the point where voting rights is not generally top of the list, except for Stacey Abrams and her Astroturf crew.
2. Cash a check. If you don’t have a bank account, you can’t cash a check unless you go to a really sketchy check cashing place or have someone else cash the check for you.
3. Buy a car. Technically, you can buy the car without an ID (if someone will sell it to you), but you can’t get insurance, a loan, or title application without it. Try to buy a car from a dealer without ID. You could buy your neighbor’s car, but you couldn’t drive it, so why bother?
4. Get a job. There’s a form, called an “I-9” that is part of the federal government’s e-Verify program. To work at most places (that don’t hire illegal aliens, that is), you have to provide a few different forms of ID, a passport, driver’s license, Social Security Card, etc. Without the ID, you’re basically limited to cutting grass for cash.
5. Enroll in school. Atlanta Public Schools requires an original or state certified birth certificate, or the student’s driver’s license. Getting a birth certificate generally requires some other form of ID. You can’t just walk into your county’s Vital Records and request it.
6. Visit a doctor. You could get all your care at county public health departments, or walk in to an emergency room and claim indigent status. Legally, you have that right. But you can’t see a private doctor without some form of ID or health insurance (and you can’t get health insurance, even Obamacare, without ID). Sorry.
7. Buy liquor. Nope. Sorry. (The one exception is if you look over 21 to the clerk selling you liquor, and most clerks are now trained to check all ID.)

By claiming that producing an ID, which is provided free by the State of Georgia, to prove that a voter really lives in a particular county, is somehow suppressing the vote of Black Americans in Georgia, is claiming that these Black citizens lack the basic necessities of navigating modern life here. It’s saying that these Black citizens are still barefoot share croppers on white-owned plantations, unable to cope with their most basic needs. They are wards of the government, which, if it was run by Democrats, would be a protective and nurturing force for good.

Government run by Republicans, however, is evil, because these helpless individuals are being left to their own devices, unable to do anything except get to the polls to cast out the despotic rulers who have oppressed them so.

This is the essence of the message being promoted by Abrams and Democrats from the White House to the conflicted Commissioners of Cobb County. It’s plantation talk and it’s demeaning, insulting, and should be rejected by all Black Americans. They have much for which to be proud, including electing Georgia’s Black sitting Senator, Raphael Warnock, who holds a Ph.D.

This whole moral panic about voter ID is nothing more than a cynical political play. The faster it’s rejected by those who are being characterized and used as helpless pawns, the better.

Follow Steve on Twitter @stevengberman.

The First TV contributor network is a place for vibrant thought and ideas. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of The First or The First TV. We want to foster dialogue, create conversation, and debate ideas. See something you like or don’t like? Reach out to the author or to us at [email protected]. 

March 31, 2021 at 07:08AM - Steve Berman
An insult to Black Americans | Steve Berman
Read the full story by clicking this headline, at The First TV