Welcome back in for Al’s Afternoon Tea, our chance to pause and pick at the latest news and headlines.

But first, a strange story out of New York. Donald Trump is holding a rally tonight on Long Island. There were reports that a bomb was found in a car near the rally site at Nassau Coliseum, where thousands have already gathered. Was it a false report? Well… according to Commissioner Patrick Ryder, an individual was training a bomb-detection dog. At the site of a Trump rally. 

Reports of explosives being found at the site are unfounded. There is a person who is being questioned who may have been training a bomb detection dog near the site. The individual with the bomb dog falsely reported explosives being found & has been detained.

So thankfully, this appears to be a false alarm. 

Gavin Newsom Bans Parody Videos on Constitution Day

The war on free speech has turned hot. Not only is Hillary Clinton talking about wanting to imprison people who spread misinformation while Tim Walz is poo-pooing the First Amendment, now you have California Gov. Gavin Newsom boasting about signing a bill banning “materially deceptive content” and “deep fakes” in campaign ads.

Our first response is a sarcastic, “Fine, Gavin, start by banning the Democratic buzz phrase ‘threat to democracy.’” But this is no laughing matter. What Newsom is talking about is a shot across the bow of free speech and the ability to criticize and mock your political opponents. He specifically cites a parody video.

I just signed a bill to make this illegal in the state of California.

You can no longer knowingly distribute an ad or other election communications that contain materially deceptive content — including deepfakes. https://t.co/VU4b8RBf6N

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 17, 2024

A video that is clearly parody of a bogus Harris talking about what an awful candidate she is not only is funny, it’s viral. And what scares Newsom is that it is so on point.

Kamala Harris Campaign Ad PARODY pic.twitter.com/5lBxvyTZ3o

— Mr Reagan 🇺🇸 (@MrReaganUSA) July 26, 2024

Oh, and according to the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s also protected speech — meaning Newsom signed a bill that is completely unconstitutional on Constitution Day itself.

Now, the law supposedly makes an exception for satire, but as End Wokeness points out, guess who decides what is satire? Again, Newsom cited as his example a viral parody video mocking Harris. So we know where this is going. Just look at Britain, where people are being tossed in jail for memes. Given how apoplectic the Democrats have gotten over those hysterical memes of Trump rescuing cats and dogs lately, why should we believe the U.S. isn’t next in line for this totalitarian strategy?

Let that sink in. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will make it illegal to mock American political figures in ads. Caricatures, some incredibly vicious, have been a part of American presidential campaigns since the early 1800s.

How about Andrew Jackson as a demon?

How about Grover Cleveland as a scoundrel who fathered a child out of wedlock?

What Newsom is doing is not only an assault on the First Amendment, but an attack on the American spirit.

Go Figure: Springfield City Manager Was Talking About Residents Complaining About Disappearing Pets Back in March

Here’s a scenario. A Trump-supporting PAC releases an ad featuring one of those AI-generated memes of Trump rescuing cute kitties, geese, and doggies from the Haitian migrants seeking to barbecue them for dinner. A Soros-funded prosecutor in California, knowing the memes are devastating to Harris since she’s the one who poured 20,000 Haitian migrants into Springfield, uses the new law to go after the PAC and censor the ad. After all, according to the Democrats, the memes are false, and s ABC’s David Muir told the world during last week’s presidential debate, Springfield’s city manager denies it’s happening. 

Except here’s the problem. Video uncovered yesterday shows that same city manager talking about citizens complaining about the migrants making off with pets in March. 

Now we have the Springfield City Manager acknowledging on video that they’ve heard of complaints of domestic animals being eaten back in March.

We also have a call report showing this.

Why would they lie about there not being complaints?

Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/ejktkvxIRo

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) September 17, 2024

We’re also seeing more police reports that supposedly didn’t exist from horrified residences calling about the bloody fate of their pets. 

Bananas

Are we following the insanity of the past week? Despite the proof that the Haitian animal grab is happening, the regime and its loyal media sycophants are still claiming it is not. They claim the fact that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance talking about it is causing bomb threats across the city — even though the Ohio governor says those threats were fake and generated in a foreign country. The media also claim that the Trump-Vance campaign’s “lies” not only led to the latest assassination attempt on Trump, but justify the continued incendiary talk about how he is a “threat to democracy” from the Biden-Harris camp and their supporters.

We are so far down the rabbit hole we can almost reach Communist China. (Our leaders are certainly acting like they are Communist Chinese.)

Wanna Talk About Threats to Democracy? How About What’s Happening to the Candidates Running Against Harris?

Have you been keeping up with all the Democratic efforts to fix the election and subvert the will of the people?

First, of course, you’ve got the effort to get Trump killed. Let’s not kid ourselves anymore about what’s going on with that. The left’s rhetoric since Sunday’s latest assassination attempt proves it. But look what’s happened in just the past couple days to other non-Democrats who are running for office — or were running.

Democrats Move to Kick Green Party Candidate Jill Stein Off the Ballot in New Hampshire

Green Party candidate Jill Stein sent an urgent message to supporters late last night, detailing how Democrats are now trying to kick her off the ballot in New Hampshire. 

The Dems are, yet again, trying to strip away the will of the voters to have alternate choices to the duopoly of war and Wall Street.

We need everyone's support directed towards New Hampshire. Donate to keep our names on the ballot in the Granite State: https://t.co/jOxylK4RH1 https://t.co/iJ5gftsJNW pic.twitter.com/g1z4brmodx

— Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@DrJillStein) September 17, 2024

The “protect Democracy” party sued, alleging that Stein doesn’t have the correct petition forms. The truth is they sued because the self-described “anti-genocide, pro-worker, climate emergency ticket” will draw votes away from Kamala Harris. And Harris’s best chance of winning is having nobody to run against. 

Democrats Succeed in Keeping Cornel West Off Pennsylvania Ballot 

Independent candidate Cornel West, who also would siphon votes from Harris, has been kicked off the Pennsylvania ballot. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling keeping West from appearing on the ballot in the crucial swing state. Democrats had sued to block West’s effort. They also tried to kick him off the ballot in Virginia and North Carolina, but those efforts failed. 

Democrats Succeed in Keeping Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the Wisconsin Ballot

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has dropped his bid for the presidency, has fully endorsed former President Donald Trump, and has asked to have his name removed from the ballot in Wisconsin ballot, another crucial swing state. Democrats sued to keep him on the ballot, knowing that would siphon votes away from Trump despite RFK Jr.’s endorsement. (This, after spending a year struggling mightily to kick him off ballots, including the Democratic primary ticket.)

Circuit Court Judge Stephen Ehlkie sided with the Democrats, citing state law that makes it clear that a person can only be removed from the ballot in Wisconsin if they die. 

A similar effort by the Democrats to keep RFK Jr. on the ballot in North Carolina failed. 

 

On the Stream Menu

Stream contributor Joseph D’Hippolito is back with “We Interrupt This Election … “

Then there’s an out-of-this-world piece from Timothy Furnish: “Book Review: Imminent: Why You Should Believe UFOs are Real.” Here’s a major head’s up. Dr. Furnish has also read the book published last year by Trump’s latest would-be assassin Ryan Routh, and his analysis of that could be posted on The Stream this week. Tune back in and look for it. 

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and creator of the new “Dispatches from the Bananas Republic.”