Newly-elected NY Congressman who reportedly lied about family, resume may now be in legal hot water – National & International News – THU 29Dec2022

Newly-elected Congressman who lied about family, resume now in legal hot water.

Did an employee walkout in Denver contribute to Southwest’s cancellation fiasco?

Israel swears in its most right-wing government in its history

NATIONAL NEWS

Newly-elected Congressman who lied about family, resume now in legal hot water

Lies are nothing new in politics, but one newly-elected Congressman from New York has shocked even seasoned political commentators with a growing list of falsehoods he told about himself during the campaign. GOP Rep.-elect George Santos recently won an 8-point upset in a wealthy Democratic-leaning district in New York’s Long Island. However, recent reporting has questioned a number of claims Santos has made about his background, education and work experience. Now, reporters and internet sleuths trawling though Santos’ social media history are turning up even more falsehoods.

During the campaign, Santos claimed to have degrees from both Baruch College and New York University. Neither institution has any record of him attending. He also claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; this claim has also proved to be false.

Padding one’s resume is one thing, but Santos’ false claims have extended well beyond his education and career. Santos claimed to be a practicing Jew whose grandparents fled Ukraine to escape the Nazi Holocaust, neither of which appears to be true. He claimed that employees of his died in the 2015 shooting at the LGBT Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Also untrue. 

In a Twitter post, Santos claimed that his mother had died in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Another tweet just five months later indicated his mother only died in 2016. Santos has also claimed that his mother “fled socialism” in Belgium, when in fact she was Brazilian.

Authorities probing Santos’ finances, possible campaign fund violations

Even though Santos has admitted he “embellished” his record and biography, he has no intentions of resigning. Other House GOP members have remained silent on the revelations, including the Rep. Kevin McCarthy who is vying to be the next Speaker of the House. Santos has pledged his support to McCarthy, who may be facing a tight contest for the position.

Santos is unlikely to face any immediate political consequences, since it would be up to the House GOP leadership to impose such consequences. It’s equally unlikely that Santos will face legal consequences for misleading voters about his bona fides. Ultimately, this will have to be a lesson in the importance of due diligence for parties and voters when vetting candidates.

Santos’ finances may be a different matter. When Santos first ran for Congress in 2020, he listed no assets and a salary of $55,000 in his personal financial disclosure. By 2022, however, Santos’ fortunes had changed drastically. His 2022 disclosure claimed assets worth between $2.6 million and $11.25 million, including an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Between 2021 and December 2022, Santos reported earning millions through his firm, the Devolder Organization.

Such rapid upward mobility isn’t unheard of, especially for people willing to shamelessly “embellish” their qualifications. However, the source of Santos’ money is somewhat mysterious. Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have questions and are probing Santos’ finances. Further reporting suggests that Santos may have violated campaign finance laws during his recent campaign. This is no small feat, as campaign finance laws are so lax, one has to be particularly inventive to find oneself on the wrong side of them.

Did an employee walkout in Denver contribute to Southwest’s cancellation woes?

Southwest Airlines is facing increasing scrutiny over the complete collapse of its services during the recent storms. Of all the airlines, Southwest has canceled the most flights by far, and are continuing to do so even as the worst of the weather subsides. The explanations for this vary depending on who you ask. Corporate spokespeople for the carrier are blaming severe weather at Southwest’s hubs in Denver and Chicago. The president of Southwest’s pilot union cited outdated scheduling software and an overall lack of leadership. All of these seem to have played a role, but another piece of the puzzle has emerged.

Reports have surfaced of a massive employee walkout of Southwest’s ground crew in Denver, which further complicated the situation. Bear in mind, the company claims that these reports are just rumors. But the story begins with a memo (which you can read here) that was sent out to Southwest’s ramp employees on Dec. 21. In the memo, the company is ordering all its Denver airport ramp crew to report for mandatory overtime. The memo also says that any employee who calls in sick must submit a doctor’s note (from an in-person visit; telehealth not accepted) when they next report for work. Failure to comply with either of these “emergency” measures will result in termination, the memo says.

The reporting has it that after receiving that memo, over 100 of Southwest’s ramp employees in Denver walked out. Last Thursday, a Southwest flight from Tampa to Denver abruptly turned back over Oklahoma and flew right back to Tampa. According to reports, the plane couldn’t land at Denver because there was no ramp crew to handle luggage and other ground operations. Members of Congress are looking into these reports while the Department of Transportation is conducting its own investigation into Southwest’s failures.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Israel swears in its most right-wing government in its history

After Israel’s fifth round of parliamentary elections in three years, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to squeeze out a victory after being briefly unseated by a fragile coalition government. In order to form his new government, Netanyahu has formed a coalition with extreme far-right parties. The leader of one of these parties had previously been convicted for inciting racial hatred.

Before taking the helm, Netanyahu sought to reassure international observers that he would not allow his new coalition partners, who are unabashed religious-nationalist extremists, to trample the rights of Israeli Arabs and LGBT individuals. “They’re joining me; I’m not joining them,” Netanyahu said. “I’ll have two hands firmly on the steering wheel. I won’t let anybody do anything to LGBT or to deny our Arab citizens their rights or anything like that, just won’t happen. And the test of time will prove that”.

However, Netanyahu has come in with a series of priorities that will allow him to mold Israel into a more hardline nationalist state. This includes a plan to make it impossible for the Supreme Court to strike down a law passed by the Knesset, Israeli’s parliament. This would include laws the court deems as unconstitutional or in violation of human rights.

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