Zero Hedge

Florida Police Chief Wants To End Spring Break After Latest Round Of Mayhem

Florida Police Chief Wants To End Spring Break After Latest Round Of Mayhem

Panama City, Florida's top cop wants to end Spring Break in the panhandle city after successive years of gunfire-infused mayhem have left his police force and residents overwhelmed and fed up. “Panama City Beach can no longer be a Spring Break town. That time is over," wrote Chief JR Talamantez in an open letter posted to Facebook. "Every year we try to manage it, and every year it brings more challenges. I’m not willing to risk the safety of our city to hold onto something that no longer work.”

The city endured multiple shootings this year. On March 29, three people were wounded as afternoon gunfire erupted near the Sky Wheel at Pier Park, a shopping and entertainment complex:

On April 3, shots were fired in the parking lot of Hammerhead Fred's, a popular Cajun restaurant near the beach:

According to police, none of the shooters were collegians, but rather rival gang members who came from from Dothan, Alabama, about an hour-and-a-half north. Talamantez emphasized the distinction. "To the future doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and leaders who came here for a break, you’re appreciated. You made memories, enjoyed the beach, and showed respect...Most of you went home without problems, and that’s exactly how it should be," he wrote, before addressing "the ones who came here to bring trouble." 

The three suspects in the March 29 Pier Park shooting in Panama City. A Tyshawn McKenzie was arrested in an April 3 shooting (via 13ABC)

After the second shooting, the city imposed a juvenile curfew between 8am and 5pm, and police set up checkpoints to root out guns and drugs. Face masks were also restricted. Talamantez says none of that is enough to stem the tide of trouble-makers:  "Panama City Beach is a safe, family-focused community. We’ve worked too hard to build that, and I won’t let a group of criminals destroy it.

Panama City is among many beach destinations that are contending with perennial Spring Break chaos and bloodshed. Starting in 2024, Miami Beach implemented a variety of tactics, including South Beach parking lot and garage closures, beach access restrictions and security checkpoints. 

Better days in Panama City: In 2009, Spring Breakers play "Rage Ball" on the beach behind Sharky's (Northwest Florida Daily News)

While some media outlets are reporting the Spring Break ban is a done deal in Panama City, Talamantez was merely advocating for the change -- one that could obviously have a large financial impact.  In his post, chief announced his intention to hold discussions with city leaders and public stakeholders about how Spring Break should be managed in the future. He stopped short of putting forth any specific proposals of his own, but emphasized that the sitution is unfair to his department: "Our law enforcement officers should not be expected to shoulder the burden of an event that no longer aligns with the values or vision of this community."

Tyler Durden Sat, 04/19/2025 - 09:55

'You Could Prosecute Thousands': Peter Thiel Explains How DOGE Is Exposing 'Left-Wing NGOs'

'You Could Prosecute Thousands': Peter Thiel Explains How DOGE Is Exposing 'Left-Wing NGOs'

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel detailed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) exposed rampant federal spending tied to certain left-leaning NGOs, which he described as potential fronts for "borderline criminal activity."

Thiel, founding partner of the venture capital firm Founders Fund, made the explosive claims during an interview with his Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.

“I think there were scams. I think the nonprofit stuff is out of control. It’s sort of like virtue signaling is a sign that you’re doing something evil,” Thiel told Lonsdale on his American Optimist podcast. “So much of this left-wing philanthropy nonprofit world was just a cover for borderline criminal activity."

“That’s how you shield yourself—you put a virtue signal up while you’re stealing money from everyone,” Lonsdale replied.

Thiel pulled back the curtain on the murky world of government spending, exposing how vague budget descriptions can mask the true destination of taxpayer dollars.

“There’s all the stuff you’d have to really go into the weeds of how it works, but the way it was explained to me, there’s a level five description, which is a line item description of what the actual dollars are going to. Then there are ways these things get summarized. The way they got summarized for a lot of the political appointees was a level four description, where you summarize a bunch of level five descriptions in a level four way,” Thiel explained. “You can have 20 groups providing food to different African countries, and you can summarize that as food to Africa. That’s maybe an accurate description. But if they’re actually all working on the Biden re-election, that’s an inaccurate description. At some point, the descriptions are so inaccurate that the people in the government could be prosecuted for fraud.”

Thiel then argued that fraud in government spending could warrant criminal prosecution for countless officials, drawing a stark parallel to the Iran-Contra scandal that ensnared Oliver North in the 1980s.

“One of the people who looked at this a lot thinks you could just prosecute these people for fraud. This is something like what Oliver North was prosecuted for in the Iran-Contra scandal in the 80s,” Thiel said. “He mischaracterized the money, mislabeled it, and was accused of defrauding the government. I think you could prosecute thousands of these people criminally for the thing they wanted to prosecute Oliver North for in the 80s.”

Thiel joins President Donald Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk as the latest prominent voice warning about rampant fraud inside the government. In recent weeks, Trump teased to reporters aboard Air Force One, "They found something today that's horrible,” adding. “You'll find out very soon. What they found is incredible."

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Recently, Elon Musk and DOGE volunteer Antonio Gracias revealed that millions of noncitizens were issued Social Security numbers during the Biden administration. Their data, presented in a chart during a Wisconsin rally aimed at boosting voter turnout, showed a steady annual increase, peaking at over 2 million in FY 2024, which ended on September 30. In both FY 2023 and FY 2025—the latter beginning in October and running through September of this year—roughly 1 million noncitizens received Social Security numbers.

"None of this would have happened without President Trump," Gracias told Fox News. "President Trump had the courage to allow us to go across databases. He signed an executive order. It's never been done before, where agencies could talk to each other and databases could talk with each other."

"That allowed us to connect all this data, to find these people across the system, across the benefit system, all the way to the voting records. It really took a lot of courage," he added.

Tyler Durden Sat, 04/19/2025 - 08:45

Ukraine's Extension Of Martial Law Exposes Zelensky's Fear Of Losing Re-Election

Ukraine's Extension Of Martial Law Exposes Zelensky's Fear Of Losing Re-Election

Authored by Andrew Korybko via substack,

The US might pressure him to assemble a government of national unity on pain of once again suspending military and intelligence aid if he refuses to dilute his power in lieu of holding elections...

Ukraine extended martial law until 6 August following Zelensky’s request earlier this week, which will prevent elections from being held over the summer like The Economist claimed late last month was a scenario that he was considering in an attempt to give himself an edge over his rivals. This move therefore exposes his fear of losing re-election. It’s not just that he’s very unpopular, but he likely also fears that the US wants to replace him after his infamous fight in the White House.

To that end, the Trump Administration might not turn a blind eye to whatever electoral fraud he could be planning to commit in order to hold onto power, instead refusing to recognize the outcome unless one of his rivals wins.

As for who could realistically replace him, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed last May that the US had reportedly entered into talks with Petro Poroshenko, Vitaly Klitschko, Andrey Yermak, Valery Zaluzhny, and Dmytro Razumkov.

The New York Times (NYT) just ran a feature article on Poroshenko, who took the opportunity to propose a government of national unity (GNU) almost 18 months after this idea was first floated by Politico in December 2023, but even the article’s author felt obligated to inform readers that he’s unlikely to return to power. 

Citing unnamed political analysts, they assessed that “Mr. Poroshenko may be angling for an electoral alliance with General Zaluzhny…[who] has remained mostly silent about politics” till now.

Nevertheless, Poroshenko’s NYT feature article succeeded in raising wider awareness of the GNU scenario, which the Trump Administration might seek to advance over the summer. 

Zelensky continues to irritate Trump, most recently by alleging that Russia has “enormous influence” over the White House and accusing his envoy Steve Witkoff of overstepping his authority in talks with Putin. 

This comes as Ukraine continues dragging its heels on agreeing to the latest proposed mineral deal with the US.

From the US’ perspective, since the increasingly troublesome Zelensky can’t be democratically replaced through summertime elections, the next best course of action could be to pressure him into forming a GNU that would be filled with figures like Poroshenko who’d be easier for the US to work with. 

This could also serve to dilute Zelensky’s power in a reversal of the Biden Administration’s policy that saw the US turning a blind eye to his anti-democratic consolidation of power on national security pretexts.

The pretext could be that any Russian-US breakthrough on resolving the Ukrainian Conflict requires the approval of a politically inclusive Ukrainian government given Zelensky’s questionable legitimacy after remaining in power following the expiry of his term last May and the enormity of what’s being proposed.

In pursuit of this goal, the US could threaten to once again suspend its military and intelligence aid to Ukraine unless Zelensky speedily assembles a GNU that’s acceptable to the Trump Administration.

The purpose would be to push through a ceasefire for lifting martial law, finally holding elections, and ultimately replacing Zelensky. 

The GNU could also help prevent the fraud that he might be planning to commit if he decides to run again under these much more politically difficult circumstances, especially if they invite the US to supervise their efforts, both before and during the vote. 

Through these means, the US could therefore still get rid of Zelensky, who might think that extending martial law will prevent this.

Tyler Durden Sat, 04/19/2025 - 07:00

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