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"All trends are going in the wrong direction" The premier of Canada's most populous province speaking today announcing tightened restrictions in three areas (Toronto, Ottawa, Peel). Doug Ford warning of "an alarming rate" of growth in COVID-19 cases..... "The data speak for themselves, we had a superspreader event in the White House, and it was a situation where people were crowded together and not wearing masks" That's what Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS News...... The commission on those presidential debates cancelling next Wednesday's planned debate amid disagreement..... The President taking his campaign for re-election onto The Rush Limbaugh Show.... Twitter...

A Lebanese-American businessman and key “witness” in the special counsel’s investigation of Russian election interference was arrested and charged Monday with transporting a dozen images of child pornography and bestiality. George Nader, 60, was arrested Monday morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia. Nader was involved in several key meetings at the center of the special counsel’s Trump/Russia investigation and his name shows up more than 100 times in the Mueller report. Throughout the investigation, Nader was represented by Kathryn Ruemmler, Obama’s long-term White House Counsel/fixer. The...

Elliott Broidy, the former Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee, plead guilty yesterday to offering $1 million bribes to officials with New York state's pension funds. In return, Broidy got a $250 million investement in the Wall Street firm he worked for: Broidy, who also resigned as chairman of Markstone Capital Partners, the private equity firm, admitted that he had paid for luxury trips to hotels in Israel and Italy for pension staffers and their relatives -- including first-class flights and a helicopter tour. Broidy funneled the money through charities and submitted false receipts to the state comptroller's office...

An appointee of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa voted two years ago to direct millions in public pension dollars to a company that invested in his own private equity fund, according to documents obtained by The Times. Elliott Broidy, chairman of Markstone Capital Partners, served until May on the Fire and Police Pensions board, which provides benefits to the city's retired police officers and firefighters. Real estate company CIM Group invested $500,000 in Markstone's private equity fund in 2004, according to an e-mail to the city's pension agency. Three years later, Broidy voted with his colleagues on the pension board...

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento -- An ongoing investigation into pension fund corruption across the country intensified Friday as California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown directed subpoenas at politically connected firms and individuals, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Brown issued the subpoenas as part of a probe into "placement agents" who help secure pension fund investment contracts for their clients in return for large sums of money, often millions of dollars. The subpoenas seek information on the use and disclosure of placement agents and potential conflicts of interest, said sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because...

Two of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's appointees to a city pension board resigned today, one month after receiving a letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission asking them to identify income they had received from companies doing business with their agency. Sean Harrigan and Elliott Broidy, two members of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions board, were asked to provide information to the SEC, which is investigating allegations of kickbacks at a New York state pension fund. Appearing at today's board meeting, Harrigan said the inquiry had created "a frenzy of media activity" that had placed him in...

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking detailed financial information from two members of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions board, according to letters obtained by the Los Angeles Times in a joint investigation [1] with ProPublica. The letters to board members Sean Harrigan and Elliott Broidy ask for bank and brokerage account details, any finder's fees or placement agent fees, and documents "sufficient to identify all source of income greater than $10,000" received since the beginning of 2005. They represent the strongest evidence to date that the SEC's ongoing "pay-to-play" investigation of New York's state pension fund has...

SACRAMENTO — Soon after taking office in January 2003, state Controller Steve Westly began helping three venture capital firms land multimillion-dollar investments from California's giant pension system, according to public records including e-mails and officials' calendars. Westly, now running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, received campaign donations from individuals associated with each of the funds, campaign finance records show. At any given time, hundreds of fund managers are angling for CalPERS investments. Westly is one of 13 members of the California Public Employees' Retirement System board, and as the state's chief financial officer, one of the most influential. The funds...

  Secretary Chertoff Announces New Members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council For Immediate Release Contact: DHS Press Office, 202-282-8010 January 10, 2006 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff announced today the appointment of Elliott Broidy, Tom Foley and John Magaw to serve on his Homeland Security Advisory Council. The Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), as established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, is the Secretary’s primary council and is comprised of experts from state and local governments, first responder communities, academia and the private sector. Members of the Council provide advice and recommendations to Secretary...