Welcome to Lost in the Sauce, keeping you caught up on political and legal news that often gets buried in distractions and theater… or a global health crisis.
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Post-election

On Saturday, Trump announced on Twitter that he has put his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in charge of his campaign's long-shot post-election legal challenges. Other people on the team include Joseph diGenova, Victoria Toensing, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis.

• Giuliani worked with a Russian agent to smear Biden. diGenova and Toensing tried to get the Justice Department to drop charges against corrupt Ukraine oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Powell represents Michael Flynn and champions "deep state" conspiracies. Ellis said gay marriage leads to pedophilia.

NYT: Mr. Trump turned to Mr. Giuliani earlier on Friday in reaction to the latest setback he faced in court, this one relating to votes in Maricopa County, Arizona… A half-dozen other Trump advisers have described Mr. Giuliani’s efforts as counterproductive and said that he was giving the president unwarranted optimism about what could happen… In an Oval Office meeting with aides on Thursday, Mr. Trump put Mr. Giuliani on speakerphone so the others could hear him. He angrily accused the aides of not telling the president the truth

Giuliani’s conspiracy-riddled rant at Four Seasons Total Landscaping was so disastrous that it “scared off many of the lawyers” recruited to argue election-related lawsuits. Politico: “Campaign officials described the episode as disastrous...there are widespread concerns within Trumpworld and GOP circles that Giuliani’s antics are thwarting the president’s legal machinery from within.”
Two major law firms have withdrawn from Trump campaign cases as his legal challenges crumble. Arizona’s largest law firm Snell & Wilmer dumped the RNC and Trump campaign effort to challenge votes in Maricopa County. Porter Wright Morris & Arthur is abandoning Trump’s attempt to block Pennsylvania's popular vote for Joe Biden.

• In one day (Friday), nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden's win in key states were denied or dropped - seven in Pennsylvania, one in Arizona, and one in Michigan.

The new federal chief information security officer, Camilo Sandoval, has already taken leave from his day job to participate in a pro-Trump effort to hunt for evidence of voter fraud in the battleground states. The group, Voter Integrity Fund, is a newly formed Virginia-based group that is analyzing ballot data and cold-calling voters. Sandoval was officially appointed on Nov. 4, 2020, but lists his starting date at October on his personal LinkedIn page.

WaPo: Sandoval is part of a hastily convened team led by Matthew Braynard, a data specialist who worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign. Another participant is Thomas Baptiste, an adviser to the deputy secretary of the Interior Department who also took a leave to work on the project. Braynard said in an interview that several other government officials on leave are also assisting the effort, but he declined to identify them.

Media’s role:

• Facebook Cut Traffic To Leading Liberal Pages Just Before The Election: Liberal page administrators who spoke with BuzzFeed News said that their reach declined by as much as 70%, and still hasn’t recovered.
  
• Facebook Live Spread Election Conspiracies And Russian State-Controlled Content Despite Employee Fears: The social network’s live video tool has recommended videos featuring misinformation and the hyperpartisan views of Trump allies leading up to and following election day in the US.
  
• In the week after the election, Trump’s postings dominated Facebook, accounting for the 10 most engaged status updates in the United States, and 22 of the top 25. “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” was his top post.
  
• YouTube Is Doing Very Little to Stop Election Misinformation From Spreading
  
• Social media app Parler receives financial backing from conservative hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, The Wall Street Journal reported. Parler turned into a kind of de facto home for conservatives’ protests against the election— including the persistent “Stop the Steal” campaign— after the race was called for former Vice President Joe Biden. Several high-profile conservative social media personalities encouraged people to abandon Twitter and Facebook because of their moderation policies, and instead follow them on Parler.
  

Transition

Emily Murphy, the head of the General Services Administration, still hasn’t signed the official letter that would allow the incoming Biden team to formally begin the transition. House Democrats are assessing options to force the GSA’s hand, which could include summoning Murphy to the Hill to testify or suing her. “Obviously, Congress could file suit against the GSA administrator for failing to do her duty. We could seek to get a court to, in fact, issue an order

Her ascertainment is the legally necessary precursor to the government’s assistance to the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team. It releases $6.3 million dollars to the team, which is funded by public and private money; a loan of expanded federal office space and equipment; access to government agencies that will begin sharing information and records about ongoing activities, plans and vulnerabilities; national security briefings for the president; and other support.

• The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently confirmed that it is not providing national security briefings to the president-elect. The Defense Department has also reportedly indicated that it will not meet with the Biden-Harris transition team until Murphy formally affirms the apparent winner.

One of the officials fired in Trump’s latest purge was helping prepare for the transition to the new administration. USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick was removed abruptly to make way for a Trump loyalist after she had been supportive of transition planning, including the preparation of a 440-page manual for the next administration.
The GSA’s refusal to enact the transition has locked Biden’s team out of crucial Covid-19 pandemic data and government agency contacts. The president-elect’s Covid-19 task force has been trying to work around the federal government by connecting with governors and the health community.

• The head of Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, called on the White House to allow contact with the Biden team, saying “It is a matter of life and death for thousands of people.”

White House’s Office of Management and Budget is considering 145 new regulations and other policy changes they could enact before Biden’s inauguration - rules that will be challenging to undo once they are finalized. Critics and supporters of the administration say they expect a final burst of regulations to be finalized in the weeks before Jan. 20.

The rules under development include policies that the incoming Biden administration would probably oppose, such as new caps on the length of foreign student visas; restrictions on the Environmental Protection Agency’s use of scientific research; limits on the EPA’s consideration of the benefits of regulating air pollutants; and a change that would make it easier for companies to treat workers as independent contractors, rather than employees with more robust wage protections.

Last week, both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said they’re preparing for a second Trump term. “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pompeo said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon (clip). Pompeo then doubled down on Fox News (clip). “We are moving forward here at the White House under the assumption there will be a second Trump term,” Navarro said on Fox Business Friday (clip).

DOJ interference

Attorney General William Barr stopped career prosecutors in DOJ’s Public Integrity Section from investigating whether President Trump broke any laws related to his conduct with Ukraine last year. The section was initially given the green light to pursue “a potentially explosive inquiry” into Trump, but after the Senate acquitted the president during impeachment proceedings, Barr sent the case to the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors in DOJ’s Public Integrity Section were also prevented from bringing charges against former interior secretary Ryan Zinke by political appointees atop the Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen told prosecutors that they needed to gather more evidence and refine the case against Zinke for lying to Interior investigators.

• The investigation into Zinke stemmed from his decision to block two Native American tribes—the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan—from opening a casino in Connecticut. Zinke’s office had been lobbied heavily by MGM Resorts International, which had been planning to open its own casino very close to where the tribes intended to break ground.

Sixteen assistant U.S. attorneys specially assigned to monitor malfeasance in the 2020 election urged Barr on Friday to rescind his memo allowing election-fraud investigations before results are certified. "It was developed and announced without consulting non-partisan career professionals in the field and at the Department. Finally, the timing of the Memorandum's release thrusts career prosecutors into partisan politics," the prosecutors wrote.
An internal Justice Department investigation found that federal prosecutors who oversaw a controversial non-prosecution deal with Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 exercised “poor judgment” but did not break the law. “They just say he used poor judgment, and that's their way of basically letting everyone off the hook while offering some sort of an olive branch to the victims that we acknowledge weren't treated perfectly,” said Brad Edwards, who sued the DOJ in 2008 on behalf of Epstein accusers.

Immigration news

Eastern District of New York Judge Nicholas Garaufis (Clinton-appointee) ruled that Chad Wolf was not legally serving as acting Homeland Security secretary when he signed rules limiting DACA program applications and renewals. Therefore, in a win for Dreamers and immigration activists, Garaufis said the changes were invalid.

The judge described an illegitimate shuffling of leadership chairs at the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for immigration enforcement, for the predicament of Wolf's leadership and that of his predecessor, Kevin McAleenan.
"Based on the plain text of the operative order of succession," Garaufis wrote in the Saturday ruling, "neither Mr. McAleenan nor, in turn, Mr. Wolf, possessed statutory authority to serve as Acting Secretary. Therefore the Wolf Memorandum was not an exercise of legal authority."

• There's a renewed push to get Chad Wolf confirmed as Homeland Security secretary -- a position in which he's been serving in an acting capacity for a yearr -- before Inauguration Day. In the past week, Homeland Security officials spoke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office about bringing the nomination to a floor vote in the coming weeks.

Within the last six months, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the US, the Trump administration filed 75 lawsuits to seize private land along the US-Mexico border for the border wall." People right now are having to choose between their health and their homes," said Ricky Garza, a staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, a legal advocacy group.
After a series of price increases, Trump’s border project will cost taxpayers $20 million per mile of border fence. A review of federal spending data shows more than 200 contract modifications, at times awarded within just weeks or months after the original contracts, have increased the cost of the border wall project by billions of dollars since late 2017.
DHS has expelled unaccompanied immigrant children from the US border more than 13,000 times since March, using the coronavirus as an excuse to deny children their right to asylum. Previously, unaccompanied children were sent to government-run shelters as they attempted to pursue their asylum cases.
Migrant children from Central America are being expelled to Mexico, where they have no family connections. The expulsions not only put children in danger - the policy violates a diplomatic agreement with Mexico that only Mexican children and others who had adult supervision could be pushed back into Mexico after attempting to cross the border.
The House Judiciary Committee released a report on the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the border, revealing that the federal agency that cares for migrant children was not told about the policy. The chaos contributed to the inability to later reunite parents and children.
The Trump administration is trying to deport several women who allege they were mistreated by a Georgia gynecologist at an immigration detention center. Hours after one detained woman spoke to federal investigators about forced hysterectomies at a Georgia detention center, she said ICE told her that it had lifted a hold on her deportation and she faced “imminent” removal. Six former patients who complained about Dr. Mahendra Amin had already been deported.
Northern District of Illinois Judge Gary Feinerman (Obama-appointee) blocked a key Trump administration policy that allowed officials to deny green cards to immigrants who might need public assistance Advocates who had feared that the policy would harm tens of thousands of poor people, particularly those affected by widespread job loss because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Miscellaneous

Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers. “Among the targets, the majority are vaccine makers that have COVID-19 vaccines in various stages of clinical trials.”
Two census takers told The AP that their supervisors pressured them to enter false information into a computer system about homes they had not visited so they could close cases during the waning days of the once-a-decade national headcount.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled it’s unlikely to tear down Obamacare over a Republican-backed lawsuit challenging the landmark health care law. Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump appointee Justice Brett Kavanaugh strongly questioned whether the elimination of the mandate penalty made the rest of the law invalid. Kavanaugh appeared to signal on several occasions that he favored leaving the rest of the law intact if the mandate is struck.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was sued last week by four whistleblowers claiming that he abused his office to benefit himself, a woman with whom he was said to have had an affair, and the wealthy donor who employs her before retaliating against the members of his staff who reported him to the FBI.
The Trump administration is rushing plans to auction drilling rights in the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before the inauguration of Biden, who has vowed to block oil exploration in the rugged Alaska wilderness. Biden’s efforts could be complicated if the Trump administration sells drilling rights first. Formally issued oil and gas leases on federal land are government contracts that can’t be easily yanked.

Ok, forgive the formatting. This was originally a greentext post for all the /b/tards at 4chan. It's also a long read but if you can get past that then it is actually a quite interesting story that happened to me years ago.
be 22 active duty air force assigned to Nellis in Las Vegas not disclosing job, but no stranger to weapons and tactics get pulled in to supervisor's office one day told I've just been "voluntold" to participate in a training exercise with DOD no other information given other than reporting instructions pretty much any question I asked was answered with "I have no fucking idea " report to conference room at base hotel next morning per instruction see about 12 other guys from my unit also voluntold to be there five guys enter room in civilian clothes introduce themselves as the "WHITEBOX" Group Assume it's an acronym for something, but never explained told we will be upgrading our security clearances hours of paperwork, only told we are participating in a force on force exercise released back to our unit crack jokes about how the exercise is a lie and we will be experimented on return to regular job and time passes eventually assume that it was canceled and forget the whole thing
about 2 months later supervisor pulls me aside and tells me that I need to report to a briefing the next day says it’s about "some WHITEBOX exercise" has no idea what it is and doesn't seem to care. once again report to base hotel with the other 12 guys WHITEBOX guys show up and pick us up in a van driven off base to some random office building and escorted into the offices of the Department of Energy, WTF? mystery only deepens, what the fuck is happening? what if this actually is some evil experimental shit more hours of paperwork and security/safety briefings by random suits had to fill out and sign a non-disclosure agreement and that threatened arrest if violated required to turn in cell phones and any other electronic devices in our possession our cell phones get locked in a cabinet while the office phone in the room gets unplugged WHITEBOX guys finally return and fire up a power point briefing first slide just titled WHITBOX Exercise 0X slide also labeled in bold red letters "CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET / NOFORN / ORCON this is really starting to feel serious
WHITEBOX Exercise finally explained told that for the next two weeks we will be role playing as OPFOR (opposing forces) we will try to attack and penetrate a DOD facility and carry out a simulated act of sabotage facility is protected by a contracted privately owned security force security group is required by the DOD to carry out this exercise in order to audit their protection every couple of years if we succeed, security company fails the audit and looses the contract the exercise is the conclusion of a two week inspection of the security contractors and their procedures every exercise a random military unit is chosen as OPFOR "reminded that we are silent professionals and that this isn’t something we should be advertising shaving wavers granted and civilian attire only FUCKYEAH.jpg power point scrolls to a page with a google earth screenshot on it instantly recognize the picture it's Area 51 holyfuckingshit.exe are we are being told to break into Area 51? can't be real random unit bro pipes up out of nowhere "Is that fucking Area 51?" we are all fucking stoked later told not to call it Area 51 as that just makes you a total chode Groom Lake, Paradise Ranch, or Homey Airbase are the acceptable names many insiders simply refer to it as “The Base” also reminded of the possible legal action via UCMJ if we go around telling everyone about it One of the WHITEBOX guys is now our designated "insider threat" exercise is designed to simulate that someone inside has been comprised by a foreign government he will provide any information that we ask for that he has knowledge of or access to other WHITEBOX guys handle will handle exercise logistics they will provide any weapons or equipment that we request to carry out mission "within reason" told this is not a COD loadout screen
ground rules established... will only be provided with weapons that we are certified to carry weapons will be armed with blank rounds or completely empty also no vehicles will be utilized by us within the DOD property landmarkers simulating road chases are not authorized our insertion is simulated so we will already be escorted/processed through various checkpoints and dropped off near the base no impractical equipment requests, so no tanks, helos, surveillance drones, or scud missiles, lol any explosives we intend to simulate will be assessed by WHITEBOX so if we want to blow the perimeter fences we will tell them before hand, they will calculate the weight of the bang we would need, it would be simulated by rocks, and then someone would need to hump the weight number 1 rule established and stressed with a very serious tone we will be escorted by WHITEBOX evaluators at all times within the DOD landmarkers at no point are any of us authorized to be alone in the facility actual security is not laxed because of the exercise, nor is this a free pass to roam security personnel can still use real force in the event that we deviate from the established protocols shown various pictures within the airbase that most will never get to see a specific hangar is designated as our target building. we will need to gain access to that hangar and carry out an act of sabotage for our sabotage we will need to ///REDACTED/// obviously we won't be doing it for real so we will actually need complete a random task inside the hangar task will be designed to be as complex and time consuming as the real thing all while being hunted by the security force insider threat briefing continues, various elements of the base security procedures and day to day operations explained however, get the impression that the chosen source is someone with a generic admin position and is not actually involved with security we are also encouraged to do our own research and scour the interwebz for info about the base told to supply the URLs to WHITEBOX if we find anything of interest. sorry if we got your Alex Jones or Art Bell conspiracy blogs taken offline briefing finally concludes, we are reminded of our non-disclosure policy and taken back to Nellis and dismissed for the day
next day we all meet at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada we will be using this location to build our plan of attack and do rehearsals/dry runs it's actually pretty cool because it's on us to plan our op, just a bunch of random Airmen periodically grill our insider with questions and start asking our other WHITEBOX guys for gear we tried to have our insider take pictures of the interior of our target hangar, but he got caught IRL he would be arrested and interrogated by the feds, and the whole op would be dead instead though the guys that caught him received kudos from the inspectors, and he just tells us nope have to rely on a whiteboard sketch of the inside decide to keep it simple, M4 riffles only however I am certified on the Barret M82 .50 cal. we decide that I will carry that heavy mother fucker as well as an M4 and provide overwatch from the distance kind of bummed out because im not going inside it will be on me to neutralize certain security positions that we have previous identified we remind our WHITEBOX guys that the M82 is an anti-material weapon with the ability to disable vehicles they tell us that I will just need to call my shots to the evaluator that I will be partnered with he will radio to the vehicles that they are destroyed and will need to stop driving guess I should mention that is also part of the disadvantage we have we will all be paired with WHITEBOX evaluators who will sort of act as referees during this simulated battle however they will all be wearing bright orange reflective vest identifying them as exercise officials that really fucks our ability to stay hidden and stealthy, but it is what it is also should mention that this is a daytime raid despite our objections sounds like they are setting us up for failure, but they remind us not to think of it like that this is all being done just so the evaluators can get a good look at the security's incident response procedures it's not an unannounced drill, the military doesn't really like to do that kind of thing especially with large scale exercises such as this everyone on the base know we are coming, there's no element of surprise here except with what kind of attack we prep it would be a real hot clusterfuck if the security contractors failed the audit heads would roll, people would get fired, and numerous officers would be relieved of command I still get to attack Area 51 so don't care as this is the coolest thing I've done in the military
our plan is starting to come together over the days decide to sacrifice one of us in a suicide bomb attack figure out which of us is the most "FNG" or lowest ranking and make him do it he will approach one of the ECPs (entry points to the base) on foot wearing a rucksack loaded with rocks (make-believe explosives) he will be wearing a uniform and will identify himself as Air Force and will franticly yell that he needs help we don't anticipate that he will make it that far or that the security will actually swallow this ruse however his goal is to get as close as he can to the ECP and yell allah ackbar and release his dead man's switch and try to take out what he can his evaluatoescort will drop a GBS (ground burst simulator) when he detonates GBS is a little miniature explosive device that just makes a really loud boom anyone who’s been through any type of military training is familiar with them, they are used to add stress and create excitement we are hoping this will be a distraction and will get as much security as possible to converge on that location the rest of us will assault from the other side of the base and try to breach the perimeter several of us will also be rucking explosive rocks for the breach chose a breach point that will have us crossing only a minimal portion of the flightline (place where aircraft operate) if we successfully simulate breaching the perimeter the exercise will be paused and we will be inprocessed through the ECP and brought into the base exercise will resume and we will continue to assault towards the target hangar I will stay outside in my sniper position and try to smoke what I can inside the hangar the team will cover the doors with simulated claymores and take up cover two guys will carry out the simulated sabotage act while the rest cover the doors WHITEBOX doesn't have any inert claymores to provide so the will be simulated with small weighted ammo cans the weight is really starting to become problematic so we abandon the claymores and decide to just cover the doors with firepower would really help if we had a vehicle, but not happening to be fair, vehicles wouldn't make it that close to the base if they tried to attack IRL armored or not
week one down, plan looking solid considering how much of our attack is simulated two weeks of planning is actually excessive not complaining though cause two weeks of hanging out and smoking and joking compared to normal work at Nellis only downside is the hour drive back and forth each day to Creech AFB casino right outside that base with awesome steak and eggs so not too bad though one of the WHITEBOX guys tells us he's actually employed by the Department of Energy he doesn't actually work at Groom Lake, he works at the Nevada Test Range the massive amount of Nevada landscape that is restricted and owned by the feds is actually impressive contrary to popular myth there is road access to Groom Lake via the adjacent test range, but not too many people actually make that drive. the 737 shuttle from McCarran Airport is how everyone gets there since the drive is long as fuck the main paved road through Rachel Nevada that all the tourist flock to doesn't really have any operational use anymore allegedly we will be driving there through the test range via a convoluted series of paved and dirt roads route is CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET, not kidding
DOE dude gives us a tour of the test range one day load cases of water in back of van drive to Mercury Nevada and stop at checkpoint inprocessed inside, get pictures taken and issued escorted visitor passes also required to wear radiation badges once inside get to see all that shit from The Hills Have Eyes, fake towns that were blown up with atomic bombs not as intact as they are portrayed in films though, they are pretty rekt or deconstructed show us a massive crater called the Sedan Crater in the 50's they experimented with using atomic bombs for mass excavation projects hoping they could just nuke the ground and build shit instead of fucking around with bulldozers pretty stupid and impractical but they didn't know any better back then they buried an atomic bomb a half a mile underground and blew it up Sedan Crater left behind as a result and the fucking thing is huge. they allegedly herded cattle down to the bottom of the crater afterwards to test the post fallout effects pretty fuckin savage, and it was actually stunning to look at two hour drive to Groom Lake though endless desert roads now see why we loaded the water, we’d be pretty fucked if the van broke down or got stuck get first distant look at the base without having to enter their checkpoints holyshit.mp4 very few people get to actually see what we are seeing to be honest though, looks like any other air force base I've ever seen except smaller besides the obvious fact that it is in the middle of bum fuck nowhere and its main runway is long as fuck also realize one of the reasons they didn't want us operating vehicles most roads are dirt and the entire lake bed is surrounded by "moon dust" everywhere moon dust is the ultra-fine sand found in certain parts of the desert with the consistency of flour it's also a total bitch to drive in and the security patrols getting stuck is a somewhat frequent occurrence told that they even have some of the AAFES fast food joints there that you find on any other base imagine working at a Burger King that you need a Top Secret security clearance for, how the fuck does that work??? noticed that despite being authorized to be here, we are still being watched by distant security patrols wonder if they know we are the bad guys that are going to be attacking the joint make some minor adjustments to the plan since the google earth pictures lack some detail conclude tour and take the 3 to 4 hour drive back home, most of us slept in the van
arrive at Creech next day and see that more WHITEBOX guys have been added to the mix, now there's like 20 of them for the past two weeks they have been inspecting the security contractors and its procedures you can tell a lot of them are ex-military based off of language and the people that are dipping and spiting in empty water bottles the mood is light, all of the exercise planning is finished, nothing to do the last two days we managed to borrow an empty hangar at Creech and used it as a mockup of our target hangar to run rehearsals no longer asking our insider questions about security, instead start asking completely ridiculous questions about conspiracies for lulz accuse some of them of being reptilians to see how they react, some of them get legit uncomfortable before you go sounding off, doubt they are hiding anything, some folks just don’t get military humor one does, however, and shows us a velcro patch that he wears on his rucksack it's one of those standard patches you spot on a pilot’s flight suit that has the name, rank, branch, and blood type his blood type seriously says reptilian it's obvious that they embrace and poke fun at the reputation this base has, in fact they thrive off of it
the day finally fucking arrives, time to attack this bitch wake up at 0400 and drive an hour to Creech dressed to kill decide to wear DCU "desert combat uniform" pants and a sand t shirt with my personally owned Blackhawk tactical vest to carry spare M4 mags sometimes the military issues some real shitty gear so our unit is somewhat lax and allows us to personally buy our own better equipment if it has command approved use and doesn't break SOPs also wear my empty gas mask pouch attached to my hip and use it to carry spare M82 .50 cal mags also wear a black turban for lulz that I bought off an ANA (Afghani Northern Alliance) dude downrange used to have a guile suite but it got lost on a deployment so that's a no go unfortunately arm up with an M4 with M68 red dot sight and attach a BFA "blank firing adapter" to the muzzle, and load six mags of .556 blanks also provided with my trusty Barret .50 M82 and five mags there is no BFA for the Barret that I'm familiar with so carry that with empty mags, guess I get to cheat with the weight load up in the vans with WHITEBOX team and drive another hour to Mercury get inprosscessed through security checkpoint and receive visitor badges for the test range drive another 2 hour on random roads passing more checkpoints /// REDACTED /// forced to surrender cell phones, personally owned electronic devices and CAC cards (military ID cards) again receive our escorted visitor passes for Groom Lake and now continue down some of the most forbidden roads in American history start unloading as close to our start point as the terrain allows and hump the rest of the distance on foot with our escorts suicide attack bro hangs back in the van with other escorts and is driven to his start point the terrain is favorable and allows us to set up out of sight hence why we chose the spot I break off and try to set up my nest at my chosen OP "observation point" as discreetly as possible not really stealthy cause I'm being followed by a guy wearing an orange reflective vest that says STAN EVAL and he's just casually walking he tells me to set up the Barret, but just simulate your shots by firing the M4 blanks now in a spot where I can observe base activity and provide cover fire for the breach, but I am also the most easy to spot sniper ever now wait for confirmation that our distraction on the other side has happened, taking a real long fucking time
my escort's radio chimes to life and starts talking "attention all WHITEBOX, we now have proper authentication via CASTLE ROCK for initiation of a detachment level exercise" voice on radio proceeds to spit out a long winded exercise safety briefing realize it's been about 40 minutes and we are just now fucking starting another 10 minutes and finally get word that suicide bro is approaching his target escorts all inform us that the security force is responding to reports of an explosion outside of the ECP later find out that suicide bro was stopped and challenged at gun point about 50 meters outside of ECP by a mounted patrol he then just fuck it and started sprinting towards the ECP until they opened fire with blanks and his escort set off the GBS he actually managed to take out the vehicle that stopped him and create several casualties (we gave him the heaviest explosive rocks loadout) overall our distraction was pretty fucking successful give it a another minute or two and finally start shooting and calling my shots to my escort/evaluator he's talking on his radio and relaying my simulated violence, "inform Merc-17 that they are dead from sniper fire" etc... I have predetermined targets to engage based off of what poses the biggest threat to the breach team I actually do some damage and get confirmation of casualties from my escort it's about a 600 meter run to the base perimeter in the open desert so it's on me to try and clear their path as much as I can the plan is to try to lure some security vehicles to our position then eliminate them with the Barret while they are en route the dead vehicles can then serve as points of cover for the breach team as they assault towards the base breach team was also aiming to see if they could snag any security radios from the dead patrols so we can monitor their comms didn't really work out that way however, in the end we simply didn't have all the info about the anticipated security response without giving away too many sensitive details, we all got ambushed by the security from unexpected locations forced to abandon my nest and the Barret to start moving towards another location to back up the breach team that was under fire trade some shots with security until my escort finally announces "ok dude, you're dead. go ahead and lay down" that's it, game over
play dead for about 20 minutes while security cleans up the area breach team gets rekt, we managed to get within 100 meters of the perimeter couple of security dudes approach me and perform a dead combatant body search on me it's a specific type of search designed to search a dead body while also checking for possible explosive booby traps pretend to be dead and let security dudes run my pockets finally one of the evaluators shouts "PauseEx" (pause exercise) we got fucking annihilated, no chance this attack was going to be successful our evaluators tell us that everyone did a great job, HOWEVER.... we are going to continue the exercise because they didn't get the chance to observe much of the internal security components we are going to resume the exercise assuming that we were actually able to get inside that target hangar this will give the evaluators the opportunity to observe the security's recap and recov procedures (re-capture and recovery) we all get magically resurrected from the dead I realize that I am actually going inside Groom Lake! Fucking Awesome...
spend about 15 minutes policing up the area for brass which means wandering around and picking up spent cartridges board vans and get driven around to ECP. realize that only half of the security force is playing in this exercise the rest are still armed with live weapons and are still performing regular protection duties forced to show our visitor passes, names and badge numbers are compared against a master list that the security has /// REDACTED /// /// REDACTED /// notice a homemade sign hanging on the wall at the security center it’s got a picture of an alien with a red X through it that says "no extraterrestrial entities or relics beyond this point" like I said earlier, everyone enjoys the reputation this base has drive to our target hangar, holy fuck! I am now inside Area 51 use of blanks not authorized indoors, everyone is told to clear out weapons rest of the exercise will use simulated firing, the equivalent of pointing your empty weapon at someone and yelling bang sadly not the first time I trained like this, military does it all the time it’s ridiculous and awkward every time, looks like a bunch of kids playing backyard soldiers with sticks security has already reset its posture, they know we are attacking but doesn't know the building we are hitting we all enter the hangar, get the impression that it doesn't actually get used IRL anymore reeks of mildew and no power inside, dust everywhere in the center there is a pickup truck covered with a tarp and roped off with red rope and stanchions, signs posted identifying it as a controlled area told that this is a simulated military asset and this is what we are sabotaging WHITEBOX evaluator pulls a box out of the bed of the truck remember when I said we will have to do a complex and time consuming task to simulate our act of sabotage? it’s a fucking Star Wars Lego kit! I shit you not! evaluators tell us we will need start building it and reach page 12 in the instructions without errors or mistakes kind of wish we went with our earlier plan and brought claymores cause I spotted some sweet chokepoints outside the building to set them up also wish we had the idea of bringing padlocks and chains so we could lock down the hangar and make life more difficult for the security force set up our spots to cover the doors, we are well versed with building clearing tactics so we know what spots to cover to make it hard
WHITEBOX evaluator authenticates over the radio with someone by passing letters and numbers back and forth, process known as sign/countersign voice on radio announces that the detachment level WHITEBOX exercise has resumed showtime! Two unit bros start opening the Lego kit and sorting parts me and the suicide bro weren't supposed to be in this hangar or even on the base to begin with so we don't have points to cover inside come up with idea and ask one of the escorts if we can go out the back on to the flightline plan to walk to two separate buildings in opposite directions and see if we can create distractions evaluators approve the plan, but tell us we can't approach or enter other buildings, nor approach any parked aircraft decide to leave firearms and my tac vest behind for clever reasons if we are unarmed the security will most likely apprehend us, and search us this is more time consuming than just shooting us and will keep them away from the hangar longer exit the back of the hangar on to the flightline and just start casually walking down the tarmac with my escort eventually hear the sound of police sirens in the distance getting louder, hear they come! get the urge to start sprinting but decide not to since it would most likely result in me being tackled on the pavement, fuck that later realize distant sirens are actually responding to hangar after reports of a silent alarm being received so much for the distraction plan
decide not to return to hangar since there is not much I can do unarmed, and continue walking down flightline all the parked aircraft I see are just normal military aircraft, although some do seem to have “enhancements” or cosmetic features that I haven’t seen before ask my escort where they keep all the flying saucers, he smirks and just replies "underground" wonder if there are actually any subterranean levels to this base, suppose a lot of these buildings could support that ask my escort if there are really underground levels, he facetiously says “who knows” white pickup truck with police lights approaching fast pretend not to notice and keep walking voice starts barking at me over a loudspeaker "stop right there! do not move! get your hands up! security mercs climbing out of vehicle with rifles drawn, don't see magazines in the riffles, they are part of the drill they actually try to challenge both of us, escort has to remind them that he is out of play security goons bark at me, "face away from me NOW! keep your hands up!" they are actually pretty intimidating, I comply proceed to have me lay on the ground face down with my arms and legs stretched out yell at me to put my hands in the small of my back, palms together, fingers up big black guy approaches me and actually puts his knee on my neck George Floyd style "don't fight me, don't resist me, or you are gonna get hurt" he says puts me in zip ties and picks me up, see other guards still have weapons drawn on me overall whole thing similar to a gangbanger getting rolled up by the cops black guy puts me in some weird and uncomfortable arm hold tells me to start walking while he steers my body with the arm hold and walks me off the flightline taken to a grassy area, get put back on the ground and searched and questioned /// REDACTED /// I try to bluff and say that the hangar will blow if anyone goes inside, see if that stalls them he tries to question me about it, but I can tell he’s not biting, I decide to tone it down and stay quiet cause the dude really looks like he’s going to fuck me up actually overhear his partner talking on the radio, he’s telling others to exercise caution and beware of possible explosive booby traps lights out, realize that someone put a bag over my head evaluator calls out "EndEX" (end exercise) all portions of the exercise are terminated, it's all over
black security guy cuts my zip ties, takes off the hood and sets me loose later find out that security retook the hangar with no problems my guys inside struggled with the Legos since it was so dark and hard to see instead of immediately going in, security tossed inert CS gas canisters inside none of us brought gas mask since it was something our insider failed to mention evaluator let us build legos for another 30 seconds then yelled “GAS, GAS, GAS” unit bros in the hangar were told to lay on the ground and pretend to be incapacitated security swarmed the place with gas mask and guns, kicked away weapons they got a similar treatment to what I received on the flightline and got hauled out of there we all regroup at the base's main visitor center for the AAR (after action review) overall security responded quite well, only some points were critiqued, nothing failing smoke cigarettes and crack jokes back and forth with the security dudes, finally get to see the human side of the guy who snagged me on the flightline tell him he’s one scary mofo, he smiles and we shake hands security dudes leave, head to base theater for full debrief WHITEBOX guys thank us for our participation, time to head home wait a sec, let’s see some fucking aliens WHITEBOX guy smirks and says he’ll give us the dollar tour another day drive back to Mercury knowing full well that we are not going to hear back from them, especially about a tour return radiation badges to the Mercury office told that if we never hear back from them that it’s a good sign told that if they do call us then our Tricare (military health coverage) will get put to good use whole experience was cool as fuck one of the evaluators hands out business cards for ///REDACTED/// and tells us to look them up when we separate from the military starting pay for the security force is pretty fucking dope and only certain military backgrounds are considered for it return to Indian Springs and hit up the casino for drinks with the original 5 WHITEBOX guys ask if any of the prior OPFOR units actually pulled it off and broke in told that a group of CCT guys from the 24th STS was the closest anyone’s ever gotten but even they still failed makes sense, I’ve heard that those dudes are legit operators tell war stories and get drunk actually receive a letter of appreciation from the Air Force Test Center Detachment 3 from Edwards Air Force Base, California about a month later it thanks me for my participation in an exercise but makes no mention of Groom Lake my participation in a vaguely worded “DOD exercise” actually gets mentioned as a bullet in my annual performance report mfw I attacked Area 51
tldr - me and my coworkers "broke" into Area 51 with automatic weapons so we could put together an X-wing starfighter out of Legos
Thanks for reading. I should mention that I have intentionally withheld a lot of details and even altered a few. I'm not trying to blow up anyone’s spot and compromise shit. Just wanted to share a true story about some cool shit I got to do in my youth. For example WHITEBOX is a completely fabricated name while the whole operation actually went under another random weird name. It still ranks as some of the most cloak and dagger shit I got to do in the military. I actually don’t really tell too many people because it is no one’s business and no one would believe me anyways. I finally figured that enough time has passed and like I said, I have specially tailored this story to avoid leaking any sensitive shit. Overall the base was actually kind of underwhelming. I didn’t really see any earth shattering secrets there. All of the alien and reptilian conspiracy theories were openly mocked and made fun of there. It’s really just a base that gets an extra layer of discreetness and physical security for more sensitive assets and projects to be kept there. The CIA, JSOC and other intel gangs from Washington even have offices out there because it’s just a quiet tucked away place to do business. I will say that their security is no joke and that they have some truly fascinating techniques to detect and deny intruders. Hope you enjoyed.

Hey everyone! I'm trying to put together a game where my players will be apart of an organization that protects the human world (or really just the city they'll be playing in) from otherworldly/magical/etc. threats. The city seems to be a focal point for strange occurrences, magical creatures and beings, portals, etc. If anyone remembers Special Unit 2 from the early 00's, it's like that. (Man I loved that show.) And this is the map I'm using, just changing the name but the layout and places of interest are mostly staying the same.
Edit: Wow! Thanks guys! Totally didn't expect this to get as many as it did, this is a wealth of sidequests. Thank you so much! If you want to check out SU2 I'm pretty sure there are some episodes on YouTube. Its heavy on the cheese and it'll be really dated by today's standards but it was a good time.

1. A connection to the Feywild has happened in one of the city parks. An elf finds his way through and finds it entertaining to enlarge small animals.
   
2. Thieves have stolen an artifact from the history museum, reanimating a mummy in one of the exhibits.
   
3. An unusual amount of sharks have been seen near the docks. Boats are being attacked by Sahuagin raiders.
   
4. A surge of chaotic magic bursts and causes the creation of multiple Mephits. (Depending on location)
   
5. An edgy teen visits a graveyard to perform a necromantic ritual. He doesnt know that the "spell book" he has actually contains an incantation that raises several undead and is now in over his head.
   
6. A dead body found, torn apart, all signs point to someone summoning a low level demon and using it as the murder weapon.
   
7. Somebody figured out how to brew love potions and now they are selling them on the streets.
   
8. A portal to the elemental plane of water opened in the city's water supply. Now wild water elementals are pouring out of showers, sinks, and fountains.
   
9. A skyscraper acquires an elemental spirit. The movements start off so subtle that they could be mistaken for the wind, but they become stranger and stronger with each passing day.
   
10. Zoo animals begin take on dire traits and break out their enclosures.
    
11. Goodberries become an invasive plant through runners, never flower, never fruit, just keep branching out.
    
12. Turns out the royal family were lizardfolk.
    
13. An a little person (Halfling arcane trickster) is hitting up all the casinos.
    
14. A cleric poses as the second coming of christ, oh he also caused covid 19.
    
15. An artificer constructing his own personal army of modrons.
    
16. Strange events in a swimming pool, several people have died by drowning (Water Weirds).
    
17. Rust monster moves into a construction site, eats and rusts the supports and the workers equipment.
    
18. The Native American Thunderbird is finally spotted, its a Roc.
    
19. Boogey man sighted by many families. An Oni is skulking between houses, looking for something or someone.
    
20. Monsters take up residence in an abandoned circus. Medusa in the house of mirrors. Rakshasa tending to tigers. An ogre in the strongman tent. A hag in the psychics caravan.
    
21. Kraken spotted near the mariana trench.
    
22. Running of the bull - a famous giant bull statue is turned into a gorgon and roams the streets.
    
23. A wizard has become a modern day frankenstein, constructing a flesh golem.
    
24. The gargoyles of a famous landmark come to life at night.
    
25. Duergar have been building tunnels in the underground and taking the tracks to increase their metal stores.
    
26. A dryad protects a park after witnessing too many people littering in its home.
    
27. A young shadow dragon takes offense at all the lights at night, ruining it's stealth and plans.
    
28. Barlgura takes a woman hostage and climbs to the top of a skyscraper.
    
29. A Bulette is reaking havoc on a nearby junction. The cars are disturbing its young.
    
30. Some jackass decided to magically enlarge a chicken so he can have bigger drumsticks. The spell worked, in fact it worked too well. The chicken's the size of an allosaurus and is rampaging down town!
    
31. The low income tenement housing is a blaze and the fire departments are having a terrible time putting out the flames ... largely due to the presence of an accidentally summoned fire elemental. Thankfully the elemental will return to the Plane of Fire in an hour when the spell ends.
    
32. A real live dinosaur walks through the screen at a viewing of Jurassic Park.
    
33. A few real zombies turn up in the middle of a walking dead (costume party / filming / LARP).
    
34. A group of adventurers walk through a portal. They end up attacking a group of larpers.
    
35. Dinosaur skeleton at a museum animates.
    
36. Men are disappearing around the (canals, docks, river, etc). Mermaids are luring them into the water.
    
37. Giant rats in someone's basement.
    
38. Terracotta soldiers at a museum animate.
    
39. Statues around the city have begun animating seemingly at random.
    
40. A group of pixies has developed a fascination with cars and keep stealing parts from them.
    
41. 3 people have gone missing on the 39th floor of the Enigma Enterprises office on 11th street. The building is only 35 stories tall.
    
42. The public library’s chief librarian just won her 1,402nd consecutive Employee of the Month award.
    
43. A local graffiti artist has starting to use a new tag that incorporates a design they saw in a museum exhibit on ancient writings. These tags begin acting as portals to... elsewhere.
    
44. A grafitti artist who has been illegaly spraying his art work around the city has suddenly started incorperating dangerous runes into his art that have several anomulous effects (like low gravity in an area or being part of a summoning ritual).
    
45. An amusement park has to shut down the log flume and other water rides due to an infestation of water weirds.
    
46. A subway tunnel collapses and traps a subway train after a portal opens and releases a Purple Worm into the tunnel, weakening the ceiling. Luckily another portal opened up soon thereafter and the purple worm was transported back to whichever fantasy world it came from.
    
47. A user posted the true name of a powerful demon on an old forum, and cultists are trying to steal the forum's retired servers from a warehouse before the data is overwritten.
    
48. A local shut in has accidentally started and broken a contract with a brownie
    
49. A blink dog is making a habit of stealing dog toys from dogs at the park
    
50. A water elemental gets stuck in the sewers due to the amount of human garbage
    
51. A gnome alchemist has been dosing coffee pots in cafes around the city with various potions for entertainment
    
52. An elven druid has convinced the local pigeon populace to fight back against corruption in office, targeting a mayoral candidate. the druid is working for another mayoral candidate who is forcing her to work for him by holding her pet familiar hostage
    
53. An artificer who came to our world has discovered firearms and has developed the world's first eldritch cannon, as such he is now being hunted by human military agencies that want his prototype
    
54. Beans from a bag of beans have somehow been mixed into a shipment of green beans to a grocery store
    
55. An annual dwarfism awareness event is populated almost entirely by halflings who entered the modern world illegally
    
56. A magical disease that causes those afflicted with it to dance even without music until they eventually collapse from exhaustion
    
57. Telepathic conversations are being picked up by cellphone calls, the snippets of audio are indicative of a plan to assassinate city's head of communications
    
58. An assistant at the local morgue has been found beaten to death, and several bodies are missing. There are spots of clay all over the morgue, and all the missing bodies are of women between the ages of 18-30. A lonely and insane wizard has created a clay golem and is now using it to find the parts he needs to make a flesh golem bride from himself.
    
59. There's been a series of mysterious deaths in the local red light district. Several Johns, and even a few Janes, have been found dead with no obvious cause, the only links between them is that they were all found in a state of undress, and they all had a look of horror on their faces. One of the prostitutes is actually a succubus in disguise, and she has been sucking the souls or her clients.
    
60. There's been talk about a changeling in the city who, for a price, will take the form of whoever you request and frame them for various crimes.
    
61. The rivalry between the goblin gang, The Sons of Gobbo, and the kobold gang, Tucker's Kobolds, is threatening to escalate to the point of gang warfare. Either peace is to be made between the two gangs, or a crackdown on one or both gangs is required.
    
62. A mated pair of wyverns are staking out the local park for a nesting ground. We've got to run off those wyverns before they settle down or else we'll have to call in the national guard... again.
    
63. Some poor fool bought what he thought was a monkey's paw, only for it to turn out to be the Hand of Vecna. We need to get it from him before he decides to do something stupid, like actually use it!
    
64. An artist's inspiration turns out to be extraplanar in nature, causing their gallery opening to becoming a summoning ritual.
    
65. A jewel heist takes a sinister turn as the pieces in question fit into a dangerous artefact. It's a race against time to find the exact location this artefact will be used and stop it.
    
66. A building demolition releases Dao who originally carved out the subway system. You've either got to banish them, or offer them something they want more than vengeance.
    
67. A tanker needs to be rescued before it can reach port. The cargo manifest points to illegal trafficking of Yuan-ti.
    
68. A local crime boss sparks a war in the streets. His motivation is a new found patron that has given him "unique" powers (level 1 spells at best).
    
69. Renovations of the university library uncovers tomes of magic causing a Revenge of the Nerds style scenario with pranks played on the local sports teams.
    
70. An artist's inspiration turns out to be extraplanar in nature, causing their gallery opening to becoming a summoning ritual.
    
71. A jewel heist takes a sinister turn as the pieces in question fit into a dangerous artefact. It's a race against time to find the exact location this artefact will be used and stop it.
    
72. A building demolition releases Dao who originally carved out the subway system. You've either got to banish them, or offer them something they want more than vengeance.
    
73. A tanker needs to be rescued before it can reach port. The cargo manifest points to illegal trafficking of Yuan-ti.
    
74. A local crime boss sparks a war in the streets. His motivation is a new found patron that has given him "unique" powers (level 1 spells at best).
    
75. Renovations of the university library uncovers tomes of magic causing a Revenge of the Nerds style scenario with pranks played on the local sports teams.
    
76. Someone is putting religious scrolls in the heads of the statues around town. They are coming alive as golems.
    
77. A necromancer has set up shop in the Natural History Museum. They tunneled into the back so are in the Human Origins exhibit, but they are headed towards the dinosaur bones.
    
78. Someone is making the paintings come alive!
    
79. Harpies are nesting in the dome of the Capitol building!
    
80. A siren in the river is causing drivers to drive off the bridge.
    
81. A bullette has fallen in love with one of the subway trains.
    
82. The Botanical Garden has come alive! Awakened trees and myconids and spore servants are causing panic!
    
83. If you were in NYC or Kentucky, a dragon has sniffed out the Federal Gold Reserves and is trying to make it his lair.
    
84. When you’re in the metro system, which is naturally full of graffiti, one of the graffiti symbols lights up. It’s a rune that’s about to explode.
    
85. The newspaper reports that every single McDonald's in the area has a working ice cream machine. It's deemed a miracle by many in the city. The newspaper credits it to hard-working corporate engineers who have perfected the cleaning and disinfection process. You, however, know the real reason. With some investigation, it turns out that the $1 $2 $3 dollar menu has a perfect storm spell coded into the registers. The codes for specific items, when entered in a specific sequence in a customer's order, are actually a conjuration spell that summons a Mimic, and, as we all know, Mimics have a fondness for soft serve.
    
86. Lightning/Electric elementals have found junction boxes to be tasty snacks causing blackouts around the city. Remove them so the engineers can fix the grid.
    
87. A minotaur has found the "Bull in a China shop" analogy to be racist and is now sitting in said shop and refuses to leave. The owner is distraught, and hesitant to say anything due to the red interior and the possibility of a fight breaking out. Remove the minotaur without causing any damage.
    
88. Pixies have found photo bombing models to be the new prank for anyone that wants to be popular. Here's a net, catch them and give them an alternative to photo bombing.
    
89. Vampires have been found in front of many Old Town homes, we believe that they are trying to either buy the home or enjoy the look of the neighborhood. In any case, the home owners want you to be there for protection while talking to the vampires.
    
90. There are cultists holding rallies in the park. I need you to separate out the ones that can do harm and the ones that are less likely to be harmful. Also they need permits to do that so every one of them gets a ticket.
    
91. Some wizard decided s/he was going to set up residence in the middle of the road. S/he said something about ley lines or some such being good there. Stop them from doing so and show them around town so they can find an alternative spot, they'll be a strong ally so work with them please.
    
92. Ratmen have been found in the subway system. In order for the population to not explode, I need you to organize them to some degree. Find a representative that can speak for them and bring them here so we can talk.
    

Welcome to Lost in the Sauce, keeping you caught up on political and legal news that often gets buried in distractions and theater… or a global health crisis.
Figuring out how to divide the COVID-19 content from the “regular” news has been difficult because the pandemic is influencing all aspects of life. Some of the stories below involve the virus, but I chose to include them when it fits into one of the pre-established categories (like congress or immigration). The coronavirus-central post will be made again this Thursday-Friday; the sign up form now has an option to choose to receive an email when the coronavirus-focused roundup is posted.
House-keeping:

1. How to support: If you enjoy my work, please consider becoming a patron. I do this to keep track and will never hide behind a paywall, but these projects take a lot of time and effort to create. Even a couple of dollars a month helps. Since someone asked a few weeks ago (thank you!), here's a PayPal option and Venmo.
   
2. How to get notifications: If you’d like to be added to my newsletter, use this SIGNUP FORM and you’ll get these recaps in your inbox!
   

Let’s dig in!

MAIN COURSE

Congress passes stimulus

Last week started out with a Republican-crafted stimulus bill that was twice-blocked by Senate Democrats, who objected to the lax conditions of aid to corporations, too little funding for hospitals, and a $500 billion “slush fund” for big companies to be doled out by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin with no oversight.
Conservative-Democrat Joe Manchin (WV) even criticized the GOP bill:

“It fails our first responders, nurses, private physicians and all healthcare professionals. ... It fails our workers. It fails our small businesses… Instead, it is focused on providing billions of dollars to Wall Street and misses the mark on helping the West Virginians that have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.”

Through negotiations, Democrats shifted the bill in a more-worker friendly direction. The version that passed includes the following Democrat-added provisions: expanded unemployment benefits, $100 billion for hospitals, $150 billion for state and local governments, direct payments to Americans without a phase-in (ensuring low-income workers get the full amount), a ban on Trump and his children from receiving aid, and oversight on the “slush fund” (see next section for more info). Senate Democrats also managed to remove a provision that would have excluded nonprofits that receive Medicaid funding from the small-business grants.

• Further reading: After Senate Democrats blocked the Republican-crafted bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led the House Democrats in releasing their own version, a best-case scenario of their dream coronavirus stimulus bill. It is interesting to contrast what the Democrats prioritized to what the Republicans focused on: “How the House Democrats' stimulus plan compares to the Senate's”

Echoing sentiments expressed during debate on the previous coronavirus bill (the second, for those keeping track), Republican senators derided the $600 a week increase in unemployment payments as “incentivizing” workers to quit their jobs. Sens. Ben Sasse (Neb.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Tim Scott (S.C.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) delayed passage of the bill in order to force a vote on an amendment removing the extra unemployment funding. "This bill pays you more not to work than if you were working," Graham said. Fortunately for American workers, the amendment failed and the improved bill passed the Senate and the House.

• Note: In 2009 only three Republicans helped Obama pass his stimulus bill in his first month in office.

The giveaways in the bill

While Senate Democrats were able to add worker-friendly provisions, the bill still required bipartisan support to pass the chamber and some corporate giveaways remained in the final version.

• NYT: “Senate Republicans inserted an easy-to-overlook provision on page 203 of the 880-page bill that would permit wealthy investors to use losses generated by real estate to minimize their taxes on profits from things like investments in the stock market. The estimated cost of the change over 10 years is $170 billion.”
  
• NYT: “...if a company owns multiple hotels, even if the overall hotel or restaurant chain has more than 500 employees — the limit to qualify for treatment as a small business — it will still be able to take advantage of the small-business benefits offered in the rescue package. ...The provision could benefit the Trump Organization, which operates a relatively small chain, with six hotels in the United States in cities including New York, Washington and Chicago.”
  

Politico:

• “A provision for the FDA to approve ‘innovative’ sunscreens—which would benefit L’Oreal, which has operations in Kentucky—appeared in the bill, which was steered in the Senate by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.”
  
• “The $25 billion allocated in loans and loan guarantees for the airlines will also benefit eligible businesses "approved to perform inspection, repair, replace, or overhaul services, and ticket agents.” The last two words — ‘ticket agents’ — mean that travel agents who book flights will also be able to apply for a piece of the $25 billion.”
  
• “The credit reporting industry got a win by defeating a total ban on negative credit reports during the crisis. Instead, a watered down version made it into the final bill: Consumers wouldn't get a negative credit report if they have an agreement with a lender to delay payments or make partial payments.”
  

Trump’s signing statement

While signing the latest coronavirus relief bill, the president also issued a signing statement undercutting the congressional oversight provision creating an inspector general to track how the administration distributes the $500 billion “slush fund” money.
The newly-created inspector general is legally required to audit loans and investments made through the fund and report to Congress his/her findings, including any refusal by the executive office to cooperate. In his signing statement, Trump wrote that his understanding of constitutional powers allows him to gag the special IG:

"I do not understand, and my Administration will not treat, this provision as permitting the [inspector general] to issue reports to the Congress without the presidential supervision required" by Article II of the Constitution.

The signing statement further suggests that Trump does not have to comply with a provision requiring that agencies consult with Congress before it spends or reallocates certain funds: "These provisions are impermissible forms of congressional aggrandizement with respect to the execution of the laws," the statement reads.
While some have said that Congress fell short in this instance, one Democratic Senate aide told Politico that Congress built in multiple layers of oversight, including “a review of other inspectors general and a congressional review committee charged with overseeing Treasury and the Federal Reserve's efforts to implement the law.”
Legal experts have pointed out that a signing statement is “without legal effect.” But that ignores the fact that oversight is not equal to enforcement. The problem, in my opinion, isn’t that Congress won’t be notified of any abuses of power by Trump. The problem is that congressional Republicans and the judiciary have largely failed to hold him accountable and enforce our laws even after learning of his abuses.

Concerns about the IG

Another potential weakness in the oversight structure is the inspector general position itself. The special inspector general for pandemic recovery, known by the acronym S.I.G.P.R., is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate. As we’ve seen from Trump’s previous nominees, particularly judicial, many unqualified individuals have been confirmed. The Democrats will not have the power to stop the president and Mitch McConnell from jamming through a loyalist to fill the SIGPR role.

Former inspector general at the Justice Department Michael Bromwich: “The signing statement threatens to undermine the authority and independence of this new IG. The Senate should extract a commitment from the nominee that Congress will be promptly notified of any Presidential/Administration interference or obstruction.”

You may recall that Trump has already proven that he’s willing to interfere with the legally-mandated work of an inspector general. When the Ukraine whistleblower filed a complaint last year, the IG of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson, investigated and determined the complaint to be “urgent” and “credible.” Atkinson wrote a report and gave it to Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to hand over to Congress. However, the White House and DOJ interfered and instructed Maguire not to transmit the report to the Senate and House Intelligence Committees. Chairman Adam Schiff had to subpoena Maguire to turn over the report and testify before his committee.
Further, there are already five IG vacancies in agencies that have a critical role in responding to the pandemic. The Treasury itself has not had a permanent, Senate-confirmed IG for over eight months now, and Trump hasn’t nominated a replacement. The Treasury Dept. has taken a lead role in the coronavirus response, with Secretary Mnuchin handling most of the negotiating with Congress on Trump’s behalf. The fact that the lead agency doesn’t have IG oversight should be troublesome in itself; replicating the situation with a special IG doesn’t seem to be a promising solution.

• The other four coronavirus-related agencies without a permanent IG: Department of Health and Human Services’ IG has been vacant for nine months, Department of Defense’s IG has been vacant for four years, Department of Education’s IG has been vacant for one year, and Office of Personnel Management’s IG has been vacant for four years. Overall, there are twelve IG vacancies in the 37) presidentially-appointed offices.

UPDATE: The nation's inspectors general have appointed Glenn Fine, the Pentagon's acting IG, to lead the committee of IGs overseeing the coronavirus relief effort.

This is one of several oversight mechanisms built into the new law. They include:
A committee of IGs (now led by Fine), a new special IG (to be nominated by Trump), a congressional review panel (to be appointed by House/Senate leaders)

Direct payments

Included in the stimulus bill is a $1200 one-time direct payment for all Americans who made less than $75,000 in 2019 (less than $150,000 if couples filed jointly). More details can be found here. I have read that the Treasury will use 2018 information for those who have not filed yet this year, but I am not 100% sure that’ll happen.
Mnuchin has said that Americans can expect to receive the money within three weeks, but many experts expect that timetable to be pushed into late April. Additionally, that only applies to Americans who included direct deposit information on their 2019 tax returns. Those who did not include their bank’s information will have to be sent a physical check in the mail… which could take anywhere from two to four months.
Other options are being discussed, including partnering the Treasury Dept. with MasterCard and Visa to deliver prepaid debit cards. Venmo and Paypal are reportedly lobbying the government to be considered as a disbursement option.
Future payments?
House Speaker Pelosi is already planning another wave of direct payments to Americans, saying that the $1,200 is not enough to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic: “I don’t think we’ve seen the end of direct payments.” Republicans, meanwhile, are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach, using the next couple of weeks to measure the impact of the $2 trillion bill passed last week.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy: “What concerns me is when I listen to Nancy Pelosi talk about a fourth package now, it’s because she did not get out of things that she really wanted...I’m not sure you need a fourth package...Let’s let this work ... We have now given the resources to make and solve this problem. We don’t need to be crafting another bill right now.”
For the fourth legislative package, Democrats have said they would like to see increased food stamp benefits; increased coverage for coronavirus testing, visits to the doctor and treatment; more money for state and local governments, including Washington, D.C.; expanded family and medical leave; pension fixes; and stronger workplace protections.

Trump’s signature
Normally, a civil servant signs federal checks, like the direct payments Americans are set to receive. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump has told people that he wants his signature to appear on the stimulus checks.

THE SIDES

War on the poor continues

Amid the coronavirus crisis, Trump has defended his continued support of a Republican-led lawsuit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which would result in 20 million Americans losing health insurance if successful. The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in the case this fall. Contrasting with his position that the ACA is illegal, Trump is considering reopening enrollment on HealthCare.gov, allowing millions of uninsured individuals to get coverage before potentially incurring charges and fees related to COVID-19.
Joe Biden called on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the charge against the ACA, and President Trump to drop the lawsuit:

“At a time of national emergency, which is laying bare the existing vulnerabilities in our public health infrastructure, it is unconscionable that you are continuing to pursue a lawsuit designed to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance and protections under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the ban on insurers denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions.”

The Trump administration is also pushing forward with its plan to kick 700,000 people off federal food stamp assistance, known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The USDA announced two weeks ago that the department will appeal Judge Beryl Howell’s recent decision that the USDA’s work mandate rule is “arbitrary and capricious."
Additionally: The Social Security Administration has no plans to slow down a rule change set for June that will limit disability benefits, the Department of Health and Human Services still intends to reduce automatic enrollment in health coverage, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will continue the process to enact a rule that would make it harder for renters to sue landlords for racial discrimination.

Lawmakers’ stock transactions

The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are beginning to investigate stock transactions made ahead of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. CNN reports that the inquiry has already reached out to Senator Richard Burr for information. “Under insider trading laws, prosecutors would need to prove the lawmakers traded based on material non-public information they received in violation of a duty to keep it confidential,” a task that won’t be easy.
Sen. Burr is facing another consequence of his trades: Alan Jacobson, a shareholder in Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, sued Burr for allegedly using private information to instruct a mass liquidation of his assets. Among the shares he sold were an up to $150,000 stake in Wyndham, whose stock suffered a market-value cut of more than two-thirds since mid-February.

Environmental rollbacks

Using the pandemic as cover, the Trump administration has begun to more aggressively roll back regulations meant to protect the environment. These are examples of what Naomi Klein dubbed “the shock doctrine”: the phenomenon wherein polluters and their government allies push through unpopular policy changes under the smokescreen of a public emergency.
On Thursday, the EPA announced (non-paywalled) an expansive relaxation of environmental laws and fines, exempting companies from consequences for pollution. Under the new rules, there are basically no rules. Companies are asked to “act responsibly” but are not required to report when their facilities discharge pollution into the air or water. Just five days before abandoning any pollution oversight, the oil industry’s largest trade group implored the administration for assistance, stating that social distancing measures caused a steep drop in demand for gasoline.

• Monday morning update: In an interview with Fox News this morning, Trump said he was going to call Putin after the interview to discuss the Saudi-Russia oil fight. A consequence of this "battle" has been plummeting prices in the U.S. making it difficult for domestic companies (like shale extraction) to turn a profit. It's striking that the day after Dr. Fauci told Americans we can expect 100,000 to 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 (if we keep social distancing measures in place), Trump's first action is to talk to Fox News and his second action is to intervene in an international tiff on behalf of the oil and gas industry.

Gina McCarthy, who led the E.P.A. under the Obama administration, called the rollback “an open license to pollute.” Cynthia Giles, who headed the EPA enforcement division during the Obama administration, said “it is so far beyond any reasonable response I am just stunned.”
The EPA is also moving forward with a widely-opposed rule to limit the types of scientific studies used when crafting new regulations or revising current ones. Hidden behind claims of increased transparency, the rule would require disclosure of all raw data used in scientific studies. This would disqualify many fields of research that rely on personal health information from individuals that must be kept confidential. For example, studies that show air pollution causes premature deaths or a certain pesticide is linked to birth defects would be rejected under the proposed rule change.
Officials and scientists are calling upon the EPA to extend the time for comment on the regulatory changes, arguing that the public is unable to express their opinion while dealing with the pandemic.

“These rollbacks need and deserve the input of our public health community, but right now, they are rightfully focused on responding to the coronavirus,” said Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Other controversial decisions being made:

• A former EPA official who worked on controversial policies returned as Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s chief of staff. Mandy Gunasekara helped write regulations to ease pollution controls for coal-fired power plants and vehicle emissions in her previous role as chief of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. In a recent interview, Gunasekara, who played a role in the decision to exit the Paris Climate Accord, pushed back on the more dire predictions of climate change, saying, “I don't think it is catastrophic.”
  
• NYT: The plastic bag industry, battered by a wave of bans nationwide, is using the coronavirus crisis to try to block laws prohibiting single-use plastic. “We simply don’t want millions of Americans bringing germ-filled reusable bags into retail establishments putting the public and workers at risk,” an industry campaign that goes by the name Bag the Ban warned on Tuesday. (Also see The Guardian)
  
• Kentucky, South Dakota, and West Virginia passed laws putting new criminal penalties on protests against fossil fuel infrastructure in just the past two weeks.
  
• The Hill: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Friday that it will extend the amount of time that winter gasoline can be sold this year as producers have been facing lower demand due to the coronavirus. It will allow companies to sell the winter-grade gasoline through May 20, whereas companies would have previously been required to stop selling it by May 1 to protect air quality. “In responding to an international health crisis, the last thing the EPA should do is take steps that will worsen air quality and undermine the public’s health,” biofuels expert David DeGennaro said.
  
• NYT: At the Interior Department, employees at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been under strict orders to complete the rule eliminating some protections for migratory birds within 30 days, according to two people with direct knowledge of the orders. The 45-day comment period on that rule ended on March 19.
  
• WaPo: The Interior Department has received over 230 nominations for oil and gas leases covering more than 150,000 acres across southern Utah, a push that would bring drilling as close as a half-mile from some of the nation’s most famous protected sites, including Arches and Canyonlands National Parks… if all the fossil fuels buried in those sites was extracted and burned, it would translate into between 1 billion and 5.95 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air. That upward measure is equal to half the annual carbon output of China
  

Court updates

Press freedom case
Southern District of New York District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that a literary advocacy group’s lawsuit against Trump for allegedly violating the First Amendment can move forward. The group, PEN America, is pursuing claims that Trump “has used government power to retaliate against media coverage and reporters he dislikes.”
Schofield determined that PEN’s allegation that Trump made threats to chill free speech was valid, providing as an example the White House’s revocation of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press press corps credentials:

”The threats are lent credence by the fact that Defendant has acted on them before, by revoking Mr. Acosta’s credentials and barring reporters from particular press conferences. The Press Secretary indeed e-mailed the entire press corps to inform them of new rules of conduct and to warn of further consequences, citing the incident involving Mr. Acosta… These facts plausibly allege that a motivation for defendant’s actions is controlling and punishing speech he dislikes.”

Twitter case
The president suffered another First Amendment defeat last week when the full 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals declined to review a previous ruling that prevents Trump from blocking users on the Twitter account he uses to communicate with the public. Judge Barrington D. Parker, a Nixon-appointee, wrote: “Excluding people from an otherwise public forum such as this by blocking those who express views critical of a public official is, we concluded, unconstitutional.”
Trump-appointees Michael Parker and Richard Sullivan authored a dissent, arguing the free speech “does not include a right to post on other people’s personal social media accounts, even if those other people happen to be public officials.” Park warned that the ruling will allow the social media pages of public officials to be “overrun with harassment, trolling, and hate speech, which officials will be powerless to filter.”
Florida’s felon voting
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ripped into Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration for failing to come up with a process to determine which felons are genuinely unable to pay court-ordered fees and fines, which are otherwise required to be paid before having their voting rights restored.
“If the state is not going to fix it, I will,” Hinkle warned. He had given the state five months to come up with an administrative process for felons to prove they’re unable to pay financial obligations, but Florida officials did not do so. The case is set to be heard on April 28 (notwithstanding any coronavirus-related delays).

ICE, Jails, and COVID-19

ICE
One of the most overlooked populations with an increased risk of death from coronavirus are those in detention facilities, which keep people in close quarters with little sanitation or protective measures (including for staff).
Last week, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ordered the federal government to “make continuous efforts” to release migrant children from detention centers across the country. Numerous advocacy groups asked for the release after reports that four children being held in New York had tested positive for the virus:

“The threat of irreparable injury to their health and safety is palpable,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers said in their petition… both of the agencies operating migrant children detention facilities must by April 6 provide an accounting of their efforts to release those in custody… “Her order will undoubtedly speed up releases,” said Peter Schey, co-counsel for the plaintiffs in the court case.

On Tuesday, 13 immigrants held at ICE facilities in California filed a lawsuit demanding to be released because their health conditions make them particularly vulnerable to dying if infected by the coronavirus. An ACLU statement says the detainees are “confined in crowded and unsanitary conditions where social distancing is not possible.” The 13 individuals are all over the age of 50 and/or suffering from serious underlying medical issues like high blood pressure.

“From all the evidence we have seen, ICE is failing to fulfill its constitutional obligation to protect the health and safety of individuals in its custody. ICE should exercise its existing discretion to release people with serious medical conditions from detention for humanitarian reasons,” said William Freeman, senior counsel at the ACLU of Northern California.

Meanwhile, ICE is under fire for continuing to shuttle detainees across the country, with one even being forced to take nine different flights bouncing from Louisiana to Texas to New Jersey less than two weeks ago. That man is Dr. Sirous Asgari, a materials science and engineering professor from Iran, who was acquitted last year on federal charges of stealing trade secrets. The government lost its case against him, yet ICE has had him in indefinite detention since November.

Asgari, 59, told the Guardian that his Ice holding facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, had no basic cleaning practices in place and continued to bring in new detainees from across the country with no strategy to minimize the threat of Covid-19...Detainees have no hand sanitizer, and the facility is not regularly cleaning bathrooms or sleeping areas…Detainees lack access to masks… Detainees struggle to stay clean, and the facility has an awful stench.

Jails
State jails are making a better effort to release detained individuals, as both New York and New Jersey ordered a thousand people in each state be let out of jail. The order applied only to low-level offenders sentenced to less than a year in jail and those held on technical probation violations. In Los Angeles County, officials released over 1,700 people from its jails.
A judge in Alabama took similar steps last week, ordering roughly 500 people jailed for minor offenses to be released to lessen crowding in facilities. Unlike in New York and New Jersey, however, local officials reacted in an uproar, led in part by the state executive committee for the Alabama Republican Party and Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson. Using angry Facebook messages as the barometer of the community’s feelings, Robinson worked “frantically” to block inmates from being released.

• Reuters: As of Saturday, at least 132 inmates and 104 staff at jails across New York City had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus… Since March 22, jails have reported 226 inmates and 131 staff with confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to a Reuters survey of cities and counties that run America’s 20 largest jails. The numbers are almost certainly an undercount given the fast spread of the virus.

Tribe opposed by Trump loses land

On Wednesday, The Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs announced the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s reservation would be "disestablished" and its land trust status removed. Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell called the move "cruel" and "unnecessary,” particularly coming in the midst of a pandemic crisis. Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.), who last year introduced legislation to protect the tribe's reservation as trust land in Massachusetts, said the order “is one of the most cruel and nonsensical acts I have seen since coming to Congress.”
The administration’s decision is especially suspicious as just last year Trump attacked the tribe’s plan to build a casino on its land, tweeting that allowing the construction would be “unfair” and treat Native Americans unequally. As a former casino owner, Trump has spent decades attacking Native American casinos as unfair competition. At a 1993 congressional hearing Trump said that tribal owners “don’t look like Indians to me” and claimed: “I might have more Indian blood than a lot of the so-called Indians that are trying to open up the reservations” to gambling.
More than his past history, however, Trump has current interests at play in the Mashpee Wampanoag’s planned casino: it would have competed for business with nearby Rhode Island casinos owned by Twin River Worldwide Holdings, whose president, George Papanier, was a finance executive at the Trump Plaza casino hotel in Atlantic City.

In the Mashpee case, Twin River, the operator of the two Rhode Island casinos, has hired Matthew Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and a vocal Trump supporter, to lobby for it on the land issue. Schlapp’s wife, Mercedes, is director of strategic communications at the White House.

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For a night on the town, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a world-famend performing arts complicated adjoining to South Coast Plaza, options stage and concert halls in addition to repertory and cabaret theaters. The concierge at South Coast Plaza may even handle securing your tickets here and to different space attractions.
On October 15, 2018, it was introduced that Sears would be closing as a part of a plan to shut 142 stores nationwide. The Sears anchor was closed permanently on January 1, 2019, making it the last unique anchor retailer to close within the mall.
Located solely steps away from Michigan Avenue, the Oak Street District continues to draw in millions of visitors every year with walkways that act as pink carpets to posh storefronts and impressed interiors. It is the gem of Chicago’s Gold Coast, one of the prestigious areas in the Midwest and the second wealthiest neighborhood in the nation.
When I was prepared for a break from shopping, I retreated to South Coast Plaza’s VIP Access Suite, a quiet, personal oasis to sit down, chill out and regroup. The concierge checked my packages and offered me with an array of refreshments. This cozy lounge also presents a non-public dressing room, where consumers can meet with a private stylist. Walking into South Coast Plaza feels different from getting into any other buying vacation spot I even have visited. The use of pure mild and a calming indoor water characteristic gave me the impression that I may simply spend greater than a day exploring here.

South Coast Metro Shopping

Walk the bridge of a WW II warship, marvel at the forty four-ft motor lifeboat plowing by way of a wave in a rescue mission. Board the Lightship Columbia, a National Historic Landmark that after guided ships to safety on the mouth of the Columbia River. If recent produce, live music, and local artwork blended with a street market environment is your concept of a weekend properly spent, then the Astoria Sunday Market is a spot you possibly can’t afford to overlook. The second largest market of its sort in Oregon, celebrating its nineteenth season and spanning four city blocks, the Astoria Sunday Market is located within the heart of downtown Astoria.

San Diego: Culture, Shopping and Attractions

Be the primary to find out about unique offers and occasions at Oregon Coast Shopping Center. Our local enterprise directory acts as a tour guide to Chicago’s premiere locations. Peek into the buying, delicacies and best motels in Chicago and browse our part on occasions to plan your schedule out completely. Whether it’s one of the best spas, hotels, accommodations, eating places or a purchasing district in Chicago, Oak Street Chicago lets you discover what you’re on the lookout for.
The LAB Anti-Mall, a longtime OC arts hangout and bohemian buying oasis, honors the pattern-loving shopper within a relaxed open air environment. Urban Outfitters, Buffalo Exchange, Eye Society, Blends, Carve, Crème Tangerine, and Crew Salon are one-of-a-sort retailers circling the LAB Living Room. From your early morning espresso repair at Cafecito Orgánico, café type ambiance at Gypsy Den and delicious vegan bites at Seabirds Kitchen, to dinner at award profitable Cuban restaurant Habana or Calipoke, The LAB eateries will fulfill any palate! While you’re right here, loosen up and spend some high quality time at the famend rust barrel fountain and fire pit, and peruse the classic trailer pop-up retailers sprinkled concerning the whimsical pathways. J. Segerstrom & Sons, based the Festival of Children Foundation in 2002.
The Vons grocery retailer signal instantly catches the eye, but Metro Town Square certainly doesn’t finish there. Convenience is key—one can pick up groceries, use the health club at LA Fitness, or utilize health and financial providers and extra all in one cease.
These Main Street areas regularly host free events for an added layer of fun. A shopping center featuring The Krave Kobe Burger Grill, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, Mustard Cafe, Newport Fusion Sushi, Pavilions, Starbucks Coffee, Zov's Bistro and more. The SoBECA District, an acronym for South on Bristol, Entertainment, Culture, Arts celebrates fashion, dining, arts and the outside as the heartbeat of Costa Mesa, City of the Arts. The LAB Anti-Mall and the CAMP eco-campus, throughout the street from each other on Bristol, form the cornerstone of this eclectic neighborhood of unique boutiques, one-of-a-type restaurants, artwork galleries, cafés and wellness providers.

Cocoa Beach Surf Company

Showcasing 200 distributors each week with arts and crafts from the unique coastal region in addition to a rotating forged of eclectic musicians, the market is a neighborhood hub properly worth the visit for any traveler. The vibrant food courtroom and quirky vendors border a nearby waterfront stroll that's easily accessible, and the refurbished trolley system offers access to all the remainder Astoria has to offer. Outlets From designer manufacturers to Pacific Northwest adventure gear, Lincoln City Outlets has everything on your subsequent quest on the Oregon Coast. The Space Coast boasts three Historic Downtown Areas positioned in Titusville, Cocoa Village, and Melbourne. All of those districts are nice locations for eating, looking for gifts and antiques, catching a play, or simply taking an afternoon stroll.

• As a middle-piece for the group for over 30 years, Kona Coast Shopping Center constantly fills the retail wants of its patrons.
• The vibrant food court and quirky vendors border a close-by waterfront walk that's easily accessible, and the refurbished trolley system supplies access to all the remainder Astoria has to supply.
• Select South Coast Plaza boutiques and restaurants and all malls now supply SCP 2 GO, a brand new and convenient contact-less curbside purchasing experience.
• South of downtown, choices include a contemporary fish market that is likely one of the greatest in the area.
• When I was ready for a break from shopping, I retreated to South Coast Plaza’s VIP Access Suite, a quiet, personal oasis to take a seat, chill out and regroup.

The Avenue Viera is an open-air pedestrian friendly purchasing destination that includes premier national retailers, select local retailers and specialty eating places. For visitors in touch with their inside artists, there are artwork galleries within the downtown areas and in Eau Gallie Arts District. Looming large with purchasing on the Space Coast is Ron Jon Surf Shop, the world's largest surf store that visitors need to see to believe.

Curbside Pick-Up and No-Contact Delivery Services at Oak Street District

Park in one of our shade-coded pickup zones and call your boutique or restaurant. Check our web site day by day for probably the most present record of boutiques and eating places. Other shopping choices in North Bend embody the Pony Village Mall, The Myrtlewood Factory, and Ko-Kwel Gifts at The Mill Casino. North Bend’s quaint downtown provides shoppers a blend of gift, vintage and outfitters to select from, including, Painted Zebra, Petal to the Metal, Books by the Bay, Josies Art Lab, Fat Cat Antiques, Mossy Rose, and lots of others. Beach Books is a regionally owned book store that includes best sellers and titles by regional authors.
The basis hosts the annual Festival of Children at South Coast Plaza each September. In March 2006, the Robinsons-May retailer, historically the first retailer at South Coast Plaza because the May Company, was closed as part of its merger with Macy's and re-opened as Bloomingdale's in May 2007. Upscale Italian, progressive American, authentic Chinese and Japanese, classic steakhouse are among dining choices that indulge the senses and revive the diner, permitting more time for exploring. In the center of downtown Chicago, the Oak Street District is the town’s destination for luxurious purchasing. A neighborhood of historical buildings housing the world’s most sought-after brand names and designers, it's a mélange of each charm and culture.

Top Spots for Independent Shopping on the Coast

You’ll discover the posh way of life boutiques Chicago’s downtown district shines for and discover Chicago’s best points of interest the casual vacationer overlooks. We’ll help navigate downtown Chicago, so you'll be able to stroll confidently into one of the best restaurants, motels, hostels, accommodations and clothing boutiques the town has to supply. Browse Oak Street Chicago’s native enterprise directory for a thorough catalogue of boutique purchasing, and eating places and also you’ll know exactly what to select on your destination adventure. Simply name them to order spring fashion or meals and you’ll receive a choose up time.
Six galleries, the Great Hall, and the Lightship Columbia interpret the area's rich maritime historical past. Visitors of all ages expertise what it's prefer to pilot a tugboat, take part in a Coast Guard rescue, and stay in Astoria in the course of the height of salmon fishing. Explore marine transportation from the times of dugout canoes, via the age of sail, to the current.

Boomster Blog: Local Coffee Spots on Florida's Space Coast

Since 2007, South Coast Plaza has held "Fashion Plates", an annual 10-day Restaurant Week-like promotion of its high-finish eating places at discounted rates. After a full day of buying, prepare to be wowed by the region’s wonderful sights, such as the beaches lining the pristine coastline of Orange County. A go to to Disneyland, for example, is an expertise the entire family can enjoy.
Other surf shops dot the coast together with Cocoa Beach Surf Company in Cocoa Beach and Longboard House on Melbourne Beaches. With so few reviews, your opinion of Newport Coast Shopping Center could possibly be big. Yelp customers haven’t asked any questions yet about Newport Coast Shopping Center. embodies all the comfort of a neighborhood shopping middle, boasting a wide range of retailers and companies that assist each the native business and residential neighborhood.
Everywhere I seemed, there was one thing that caught my eye – clothing, accessories, shoes and extra – especially since I received a 10 % off Visitor Savings Pass only for being an international customer. In the cosmetics division, I obtained fantastic personal service and a makeover. Macy’s at South Coast Plaza really has a lot to be desired, including a separate store only for males. Merritt Square Mall on Merritt Island and the Melbourne Square Mall in Melbourne provide traditional shopping mall venues.

There’s an old impound lot, way on the east end of Toronto. It’s in an older, more run down part of town. There’s nothing much to see there, not usually at least. There’s a lot of cars sitting and waiting for their owners to come and get them. They sit in a gravel parking lot behind a chain link fence and a locking gate with barbed wire up at the top. There’s only one way in or out and that’s past the office and there’s no way that gate is going to open unless Old Sam or me go out to open it.
​
I don’t pay much attention to the cars that come and go and I don’t care about why they’re there or how unfair it is. All I really care about is that I get paid and I get the feeling that that’s what Old Sam cares about too. I’ve got bills to pay, and my girlfriend and I are saving up for a mortgage. I’ve been down at that lot for a number of years now and I’ve seen it all. I’ve heard all the excuses and this may sound a little rude but I genuinely do not fucking care. Pay your fine and leave. That’s how it works.
​
Like I said, we’re in a dumpy little part of town. It’s old but it has its charms. I grew up in this neighborhood and I know there’s a lotta hidden gems you can find if you give it the chance. Dumb luck put the impound lot right across the street from the best damn fish and chips in all of Toronto. Hell, probably all of Canada. It’s a neat little hole in the wall with a weird as hell name. ‘Harry's Golden Glowing Brothel & His Fish Wife’
​
The name must not put people off since his restaurant always seems full. Harry makes the best halibut I’ve ever tasted. Not too heavy on the batter, seasoned to perfection but not so much that you can’t taste the fish. Old Sam once said that people always come for the absurd name, and come back for the fish. I know he’s right. I also know that after they eat they wander past the Impound Lot for a glimpse at the Phantom.
​
Our little lot is unremarkable in every way but one. You see, we have one long term resident and that’s a 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Old Sam keeps it locked behind the fence. God knows if it even runs anymore but it looks like it could. He’s probably spent more time taking care of that car than I’ve been alive.
​
It really is a beauty. The streamlined look makes it feel like something out of a comic book. The back of it trails off like a cape. The Phantom is pitch black with completely circular doors and a refined red interior. I’ve got no idea what, if anything is under the hood. Like I said, I don’t even know if it runs. Old Sam’s never taken it out of the lot. No one has. There’s a reason for that. I always took it as dumb superstition but I respected it nonetheless.
​
That reason was Mark Sinclair.
​
Nowadays, you won’t find much if you look him up. There’s an actor who used to go by that name, although he goes by something else now. I doubt there’s any relation and frankly it’s probably a good thing that Sinclair’s been almost lost to history.
​
Back in the day though, he was fierce. Nobody fucked with Mark Sinclair. Toronto was his town, and he ran it like a machine. The Phantom belonged to him. It was his pride and joy. When you saw that car coming, you got out of the way and hoped it passed you by. Nobody wanted to be on Sinclair’s radar.
​
This was all before my time of course, but I know he ran some old casinos and was the guy running the bad crowds. They say that even the American’s kept away from him though, until he got caught at least. Not sure who had the balls to go toe to toe with Sinclair. Like I said, information is scarce. But someone brought him down and his car ended up in the care of my little lot.
​
Normally, it would’ve been sold at auction. A beautiful car like the Phantom should’ve fetched a hefty price, even back then. Nowadays, you could slap a million dollar price tag on that baby and still find buyers. But the thing is, everyone knew it was Sinclair’s car. No one in their right mind wanted to buy Sinclair’s car because when he got out of jail, they knew that he was gonna want it back. Old Sam tells me that every time it came out for auction, no one ever dared to bid. No one was that stupid.
​
Eventually, they just stopped auctioning it and they weren’t dumb enough to try and sell it otherwise. The car stayed put and they even made a point to keep it in top shape so that when Sinclair came back, he could drive off like nothing had happened. Maybe he would’ve, if he hadn’t died in prison.
​
I wish I could tell you how the big bad Sinclair bit the big one, but Old Sam didn’t know how and so neither do I. Either way, Sinclair was never coming back. By then the owner of the lot was so used to the car that he just left it there. He may even have acquired legal ownership of it, which would make it Old Sam’s car now, since I assume he passed it down to him. Regardless of who owned it, the car stayed put on the lot. Not forgotten, but a relic of a man no one wanted to remember.
​
Old Sam and I liked to break for lunch and stop off at Harry’s whenever we got the chance. As I move into my mid thirties, I find I have less and less of an appetite for deep fried food but Harry’s is always an exception. That fish can do no wrong. Old Sam was looking a little pale. The past few months, I’d seen his age taking a toll on the man. I can’t say just how old he was but it was on the meaner side of 70. I’d heard the rasp in his voice as well and that cough he’d developed sounded nasty. He’d never out and say it but I could read between the lines. The old man was sick. Hell, maybe he was even dying. I was worried about him of course, but last time I’d tried to talk to him about his health I’d gotten an earful.
“I’ll work this lot ‘till I’m dead!” He’d snarled, spittle flying past his yellowed teeth and cracked lips. “You mind your own own damn business!”
​
So that’s what I did. It didn’t change the fact that I’d noticed he’d gotten worse. He was getting skinnier by the day and spent most of his time either alone in his office or departed to places unknown. I’d overheard a phone call he’d made once and words like: ‘Chemo’ and ‘Terminal’ had been mentioned. Specifically: “I don’t care if it’s terminal! I don’t want the chemo!”
​
I don’t know if it was dumb pride that kept him out of the hospital or what, but either way Old Sam was adamant on pretending nothing was wrong and going about his work like normal. It may sound cold to say, but I respected his choice as much as I could.
​
We were enjoying our lunch and making small talk just yesterday when I saw a man poking around the fence. Now, this wasn’t unusual. I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to see the Phantom. Most people did. Even those ignorant of its history could still appreciate the beauty of the vehicle. This man looked different than the usual folks who passed by though. He wore a long black coat and a fedora, like he thought he was Humphrey Bogart. He moved past the fence slowly, stopping when he saw the Phantom.
​
Old Sam wasn’t looking at the man. He was drinking his beer and watching the hockey game on the TV behind me.
“Something on your mind?” He asked. He’d noticed me staring off into space.
“Nah, I’m fine,” I replied. “We got some interest in the Phantom.”
​
Old Sam snorted, then coughed. It was a wet, raspy sound.
“Son, folks’ve been interested in that car for the past eighty five years.” He said, before he looked back at the man by the fence. His back remained to us. Old Sam studied him for a few minutes before huffing and taking another swig of his beer. As he did, I saw the man in black turn his head to look at us, as if he knew we were there.
​
Old Sam and I stared back at him as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and crossed the street, headed towards the restaurant. We tracked him as he entered. He seemed to stand tall above everyone else, a massive black shape. His roman features looked like they’d been chiseled in stone. His eyes were ice cold and piercing. He looked at us. No need to search. He knew exactly where we were and he approached with a slow, methodical purpose in his step.
​
“Good afternoon.” He said as he reached us. His voice was deep but hoarse, as if he was terribly sick. There were two more chairs free at our table. He didn’t pull one out to sit down.
“Something we can help you with?” Old Sam asked. He spoke slowly with a wary tone.
“Perhaps. Do you mind if I sit?”
​
Old Sam gave him a nod and the man in black finally pulled out a chair for himself.
“Thank you. It’s been some time since I’ve been in this restaurant… Glad to see it’s still here.”
“Harry’s is a landmark. I’d be shocked if they ever closed.” Old Sam said.
“Well, time is unpredictable,” The man in black replied. “Sorry to disturb your lunch. I hate to be so rude, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ryan Caparzo. I was just passing by and saw that old Phantom. I’m a bit of a collector. I was wondering if it was for sale.”
“It’s an impound lot,” Old Sam said. “Nothing there is for sale.”
“Not until auction, of course,” Carpazo said. “Where the unclaimed things get sold. How long has that one been sitting there, though? Eighty, maybe ninety years? They really don’t make them like that anymore.”
“So I guess you’ll have to look hard to find a buyer.” Old Sam replied. Carpazo just smiled sheepishly.
​
“Are you sure? It’s been a while since I’ve been in town. I’m just getting back now from a very long absence. But I remember seeing it sitting in that lot, all those years ago... I have always wanted that car, and it’s only now that I have the money to buy it. A car like that deserves to be seen, it shouldn’t be sitting in some forgotten corner of Toronto gathering dust and rust. Name your price. I won’t take no for an answer.”
Old Sam huffed. It was a sound of both respect and disapproval.
“Well when you put it that way, I guess the car still isn’t for sale. Sorry. I can’t sell it to you. Not my place to do so.”
​
Carpazo just cracked a small, wry smile. He didn’t look angry. If anything, he just looked mildly amused.
“Well that’s it then,” He said. “Gotta admit, old man. I respect your commitment to your principles. I guess they don’t make ‘em like you anymore either.”
​
Before Old Sam could say anything in response a plate of halibut was set down in front of him, followed by one for me as well.
“Alrighty boys, lunch is served. Hope you enjoy!” Said the cheery waitress who’d been working there for longer than I’d been alive.
“Thanks.” Old Sam murmured and I did the same. Our waitress didn’t seem to notice Carpazo. I half expected her to ask him if there was anything he wanted. Then again, the lunch rush was in high gear. She was obviously busy.
“Well, I won’t keep you,” Carpazo said once she was gone. “Just think about it, alright? I’m very eager to take that old car off your hands.”
​
He smiled and tipped his hat towards us before pulling out of the chair and leaving just as suddenly as he’d arrived. Old Sam watched him go before shaking his head and digging into his fish.
“You didn’t even wanna hear the guys price?” I asked.
“There ain’t a price you can put on a car like that,” Old Sam replied. “Besides. I like it right where it is, thank you very much. Only man who’s ever owned that thing is Mark Sinclair and he’s the only man who ever will own it.”
“Last I checked, Sinclair’s been dead for a long time.”
​
Old Sam coughed. He lifted the napkin to cover his mouth. When he lowered it, I caught a glimpse of some red in there. He was quick to hide it from me.
​
“What are you getting at?”
I chose my words carefully. I didn’t want to start a fight. But I had a point to make.
“I’m just saying, when you go, the lot goes. Somebody’s willing to pay for that thing. Why not just let them have it?”
“A great number of reasons, thank you very much!” Old Sam growled. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re too young…”
“And you’re running out of time,” I said. He paused. His eyes darted over to me.
“I can tell you’re sick,” I said. “You’re not hiding it very well. How long’ve you got left?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Old Sam grunted.
“Months?” I asked. “Weeks? You’ve got kids and grandkids, don’t you? Look, I don’t wanna be blunt but they’re not taking over. Maybe it’s time to start packing it in. Sell the car, leave them some money.”
​
“They’ll get plenty already,” Old Sam said. “This ain’t a topic for discussion, son. The Phantom ain’t for sale.” His mind was made up. I’d said my piece and the death glare he was giving me made it clear that if I still wanted a job, I’d keep it to myself. I knew he wasn’t going to budge and it really wouldn’t have mattered to me either way if he sold the Phantom or kept it. I might’ve missed the old car, but not that much. To me, it was always just a car.
​
It was a few days later when Carpazo came into the office. It was late and we were supposed to be closing down soon. That didn’t seem to stop Carpazo though. I heard the door chime and looked up to see him standing in the doorway, a massive black shape that stared down at me with beady, blue eyes. I knew he recognized me and he smiled warmly as he approached my desk.
“Good evening,” He said in that smooth tone of his. “Sorry to bother you so late. I was wondering if the Old Man was in tonight.”
“He’s in the back office,” I said. “But I’m sure I can help you.”
​
I didn’t want any trouble, but I also didn’t want to disturb Old Sam. Carpazo flashed me that winning smile of his
“Well, maybe you can.” He said. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a very old bunch of folded papers.
“I came across this. Took me a bit of digging to find it. I think it should handle everything though.”
​
I looked down at the papers. Some of them were ancient and falling apart. They were browned with age and barely legible, but I did recognize it as the relevant paperwork to have a car released. The Phantom specifically.
“These can’t be real.” I said, setting the papers down on the desk.
“They are,” Carpazo insisted. “Look them over. Show them to the old man. This should authorize the car to be released to me.”
“Let’s say they are,” I replied. “How exactly did you get them?”
“That’s not a relevant question. Now either give me the car and I’ll take it off your hands or bring the Old Man in.”
​
His tone was strangely hostile. I raised an eyebrow, debating if it would be wise to argue with him or not. I looked into that man’s eyes and I knew there wasn’t a damn thing that was going to stand between him and the Phantom. Like I said before, it was just a car to me. Maybe it was something more to Old Sam, but it shouldn’t have been. I knew he didn’t have long left, and I realized that I didn’t care if he died hating me for it, but his family deserved a lot more than an abandoned impound lot.
​
I leaned in closer to Carpazo.“Look buddy. If we get Old Sam involved, this isn’t going to end well for you,” I said. “Chances are, he’ll rip these in half. He made his stance on the car pretty clear.”
“So he did,” Carpazo replied. “What about your stance?”
“Well truthfully, I don’t care one way or the other about the car,” I admitted. “But back at Harry’s, you said something about paying for it. Now, I’m not sure if you noticed but the Old Man isn’t doing so hot. This place isn’t exactly rolling in dough either. He can barely afford to pay me. Between you and me, I think he could use that money a lot more than he lets on.”
​
Carpazo smirked.
“Well if you’re looking to cut a deal, I can play ball. Name your price.”
From his pocket, he took out a yellowed checkbook and a fountain pen.
“What’s it worth to you?” I asked.
“Let’s start at a million and go from there.”
​
A million? Holy shit, that was not what I’d expected. My shock seemed to delight Carpazo but he waited patiently for me to speak. I struggled to find the words at first. It took me a while before I could say anything at all.
“Is two off the table?”
“Of course not. In fact, I’ll be generous. How does five sound? Takes care of the Old Man, his doting wife, son and grandchildren, and maybe a little extra for you if you feel like it.”
​
The idea was tempting… Enough so that I never questioned why Carpazo knew so much about Old Sam’s family.
“Five.” I said and watched as Carpazo cut the cheque. He looked at me before passing the paper over to me. Looking at it, it felt unreal. My heart began to race in my chest and as I reached for it, Carpazo pulled it out of my reach.
​
“Ah ah. Keys first.”
“Right…” I murmured. I turned and opened the cabinet behind me where we kept any keys we had for the vehicles. The one for the Phantom was easy to find. Old Sam had labeled it clearly. I took it off its hook and turned to offer it out to Carpazo.
He grinned as he took his hand off the cheque and reached out for the key.
​
“What the hell are you doing?” Old Sam asked from behind me. Carpazo looked at him, turning on his charm which fell flat against the old man. The hand holding the key jerked back, almost trying to hide it. No luck.
“I already told you. The Phantom’s not for sale!” Old Sam snapped. His eyes were fixated on me in a death glare.
“I’m not here to buy it. I’m here to have it released,” Carpazo said calmly. “I have the paperwork.”
​
“Paperwork? For an eighty five year old car? Like hell you do!” Old Sam snatched the papers off the table. He looked them up and down, a grimace on his face. I saw his look soften just a little bit before he locked eyes with Carpazo.
“Where the hell did you get these?”
“You can find anything if you know where to look,” Carpazo said. “If I can’t buy the car, I’ll take custody of it.”
“And just what interest is this car to you?” Old Sam demanded.
“It’s simple. I like it, I want it and I get what I want.” He said in a way that made it clear just how used he was to getting what he wanted.
​
Old Sam narrowed his eyes, then chuckled.
“Well, well… You’ve got balls, don’t you, you little shit. But I can’t let you touch that car.”
With that, he calmly tore the papers in two and for the first time I saw Carpazo’s eye twitch. It was just a small crack in his amicable mask but behind it I saw a seething rage. His eyes settled on the cheque next and he destroyed that next.
“What are you doing?!” I cried.
“The car stays here!” Old Sam said sternly. “Where it belongs, where you can’t touch it!”
​
I could see Carpazo almost quaking in his rage. I saw his fists clench and unclench. He smiled. There was nothing in it to give away his hidden fury, and yet that spoke volumes more than anything else.
“And you…” Old Sam looked at me now, his own rage apparent. “Selling that damned thing behind my back like a snake! You. You’re done here. Get out.”
“You need that money!” I tried to protest.
“Like hell I do! Give me the keys! Get out!”
​
He moved towards me. Carpazo’s eyes met mine. I was faster than Old Sam. I tossed the keys onto the counter and watched as Old Sam tried to grab them. Carpazo beat him to it. He snatched the keys up, a big shit eating grin on his face. Old Sam’s expression turned from one of rage to one of horror. He looked at me with quiet disbelief.
“No! NO! What did you do?”
“Your family needs that money!” I said. “It’s a stupid car!”
“No it’s not! It’s Sinclairs car!”
“Yes it is…” Carpazo said softly. He admired the keys in his hand, then looked at Old Sam, still smiling wryly. “And it’s so good to have it back.”
Back?
​
Carpazo turned towards the door as Old Sam tried to run after him. I tried to stop the old man but he’d moved faster than I’d ever seen him move. He tried to wrestle the keys from Carpazo but I watched as he was knocked aside. He fell towards the counter and his head cracked against it. He didn’t get up again. I rushed to Old Sam’s side but he was out like a light. I don’t know if the impact killed him, or if there was ever a chance that he could be saved. I suppose it didn’t matter either way.
​
Carpazo laughed humorlessly. He stood in the open door, the moonlight on his face and I looked up at him. Maybe I would’ve asked him ‘Why’. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask but when I saw him standing in the doorway, all I could think about was the fact that he looked different than before… I couldn’t say how. But now I recognized him. Not as Carpazo. No. I was looking up into the pale face of Mark Sinclair.
​
“Sorry about the mess, kid… Five million, right? Don’t worry. I’ll get it to you. I always keep my word.”
He admired the key in his hand, smiling contentedly as he did.
“Now this… This I’ve been hoping to get for a long time. Didn’t think I’d ever get past the old man. You’ve done me a solid. You’re a good kid. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me.”
​
With that, Sinclair winked and disappeared out the door.Moments later I heard the engine of the Phantom roar to life. It shot past the office and tore out onto the open road. The last I saw of it, were the taillights fading off into the distance.
​
I only told the Police what I knew they’d believe. Someone had come in, killed Old Sam and taken the Phantom. The rest, I chose to omit. Best not to try and explain what you don’t truly understand.
​
Right now I’m sitting in Harry’s, nursing a beer as I watch the Police do their work. I’ve given my statement. I’m sure they’ll draw their own conclusions… But I know what I saw. Somehow, Mark Sinclair came back for his car, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing. A little while ago, I heard that some Cops found the car. A little while later, a lot of Cops left in a hurry. I heard the words ‘officers down’. They took Sinclair’s car once. I don’t think he’ll let them take it again.