CHICAGO (CBS) — Getting Hosed was going to be a single story about a couple billed $58,000 for water they didn’t use. Now, it’s more than two years of chronicling unfair and potentially unlawful water billing practices in Chicago.

The CBS 2 Investigators have found the City department whose taxpayer-funded responsibility it is to provide safe, affordable drinking water has utterly failed consumers and undermined our investigative efforts at every turn. //

But what brought us to Ms. Ritchie wasn’t her impressive teaching background or her failing memory — it was her water bill, which she’s of course forgotten.

The bill for her Southside six-flat is now nearly $60,000 — for water that was never used. In fact, the building has been boarded up and vacant since her last tenant moved out in 2018. //

”I figured there was some kind of error, and we’d reason with the City of Chicago and they’d correct the error,” Russell said.

Figure again. Our series, Getting Hosed, proves bills only get fixed when the CBS 2 Investigators get involved. //

Despite our nearly two years of exposing the City’s bad billing practices, the City told Russell its system is “infallible.”

We’ve heard otherwise. //

When a metered account receives an abnormally high bill, the City chalks this water usage up to a leak and typically refuses to explore alternative causes.

In cases like Ms. Ritchie’s, even when the property owner has a plumber verify no leaks occurred, the City won’t budge on its stance.

Placing The Burden On Consumers

The real leaker, however, is the City. Data we obtained from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources shows its ancient infrastructure has leaked more than 67 billion gallons since 2016, which amounts to nearly $265.9 million according to Chicago water rates. //

Despite promising to end the threat of water shut offs back in October 2019, since she’s been in office, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s sent out 509,513 notices threatening to end consumers’ water service if they don’t pay.

We asked Lightfoot’s office why they would send out these notices — her office’s statement answered no questions. //

In addition to this lack of transparency, public record requests we’ve submitted are oftentimes delayed for months, and when we do receive them, critical information is almost entirely redacted.

Kim Foxx, whom Harris mentored after Foxx became the first Black woman elected state’s attorney in Cook County, Illinois, said this is a learned reticence. “There’s a reality of doing this work as a woman and a Black woman—and it often isn’t talked about a lot publicly—that there’s a presumed resilience around people who are first,” Foxx told me. “There is a celebration of what it means to break the ceiling, and not nearly the conversation of what the cuts to your head look like.”

Are you freaking kidding me? This one of the lamest, most absurd, and self-defeating copouts I’ve ever seen in my life from a politician.

The left prides themselves on being able to declare “firsts.” Like the “first black president,” etc. They point to these as being evidence of significant progress in the push for wider recognition of minority groups. //

That she’s not addressing the media and her critics more tells us one of two things (or maybe both): She’s used to being coddled by a compliant press who are obsessed with left-wing “firsts” and avoids them as a way of punishing them for “not getting her” and/or she’s just winging all of this as she goes along and would rather avoid having to take pesky questions that would ultimately prove her critics right as to just how unsuited she is for the tasks she was given by President Biden. //

cafeblue32
5 hours ago edited
The writer misses the point. Kamala's gender and skin color is her job. That's why she was selected. Certainly not for personality and competence. She's doing all they want her to do until Joe plotzes, leaves voluntarily or he gets 25th Amendmented out to Happy Acres Rest Home. At that point, she will assume Biden's place as a brainless butt puppet mouthpiece for the shadow Obama government and their donors. //

Mildreds Oldest Son
5 hours ago
So, when are we going to be done with 'firsts' and start appointing people based on ability? First woman VP, first Native American, first Latino/a first LBGTMNOP, first, first first. How long is the 'first' list, how many incompetent/inexperienced 'firsts' do we have to suffer through until we can start using experience and competence as determining factor in appointments. How long is the 'first' list, how many so-called aggrieved parties will want their turn at being 'first' before the virtue signaling stops and competence is the order of the day? Anyone have an answer...? Anyone? //

albertconstantinejr Mildreds Oldest Son
5 hours ago
The democrat's first catholic justice of SCOTUS was Roger Taney, author of opinion in the Dred Scott case that required a civil war, hundreds of thousands of lives and multiple constitutional amendments to undo.

How'd that first work out? //

cafeblue32 Mildreds Oldest Son
5 hours ago edited
With intersectional identity politics they will never run short of firsts. I can't wait for the first multiracial androgynous paraplegic with social anxiety and Tourette's Syndrome. And maybe after that, the first Down Syndrome president to make the developmentally disabled feel represented. Because making sure all identities are represented is the prime responsibility of a chief executive.

The left doesn't see the culture as set of agreed upon principles as a vehicle to improve lives. It sees the culture as a mirror where everywhere they look they demand to see their own reflection.

Two of her most famous quotes remain sourceless and bereft, despite the best efforts of The Jewish Press writer Harvey Rachlin. //

We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us

Despite the fact that disgraced Florida data tech Rebekah Jones was discredited multiple times last year over her claim that she was “fired” for refusing to “manipulate” the state’s coronavirus dashboard in a way that would make Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) look even better, Jones has continued to be lovingly embraced by an MSM who treats her like a martyr for supposedly being willing to lose her job by speaking Truth to Power. //

But though much has been written about and speculated on regarding Jones’ massive deception campaign over the last year, Charles C.W. Cooke did some more digging and wrote what may be the most definitive, receipt-filled investigative piece on Jones to date this week, thoroughly nuking her most explosive claims and documenting how viciously retaliating after rejection is one of Jones’ most notorious hallmarks. //

Charles C. W. Cooke
@charlescwcooke
Replying to @charlescwcooke
Rebekah Jones is not an epidemiologist. She’s not a data analyst. She's not a whistleblower. She's a fabulist, who has an uncanny ability to convince online types that something dodgy happened in FL. It didn’t. If you believe her, you’re the mark.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/05/rebekah-jones-the-covid-whistleblower-who-wasnt/

https://nypost.com/2021/05/13/how-rebekah-jones-peddled-lies-about-florida-covid-19-deaths/

Stephen L. Miller
@redsteeze
Rebekah Jones was promoted and propped up by our media for the same reasons as Michael Avenatti - It doesn't matter how credible they are - only that they say the right things and have the right opponents. It's absolute malfeasance that this continues without consequences.

Democrats were trying to push through the vote on a “Jan. 6 Commission” today in the House.

They succeeded, with 35 Republicans crossing over to vote in favor of it, not seeming to care that it’s going to be a “bash Republicans” effort, rather than any sort of real investigation. There are already multiple investigations going on, so there wasn’t any need for an additional. This is simply an opportunity for Democrats to bash Republicans.

How do we know how biased this will be? Because we can already see how slimy Democrats are being about it. //

Olivia Beavers
@Olivia_Beavers
Replying to @Olivia_Beavers
NEWS: MEMBERS of the U.S. Capitol Police have issued a statement to members of Congress expressing "profound disappointment" with McConnell and McCarthy's positions on the Jan. 6 commission, citing the "trauma" that officers endured that day. //

U.S. Capitol Police
@CapitolPolice
USCP does NOT take positions on legislation.

NEW: President Biden plans to waive sanctions on the Russian-owned company in charge of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline https://t.co/cdRWmBoojn

— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) May 18, 2021

According to Axios, the Biden regime will waive sanctions on the corporate entity and CEO overseeing the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Germany.

What does this mean? This means that Biden is giving Russia a huge lift to their struggling economy and gives them more advantage in Europe while harming Ukraine’s position. //

So who’s really in the pocket of the Russians? Well, it surely wasn’t Trump, who dropped bombs on their heads in Syria, built up that energy independence, strengthened NATO, armed Ukraine, and even tried to counter Russia’s moves in the Arctic. //

What was it that Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates said? Biden has been wrong on virtually every foreign policy decision for the past four decades? Well, looks like here he goes again.

Ted Cruz
@tedcruz
Nice that he can say that.

Daily Caller
@DailyCaller
Prince Harry Says America’s First Amendment Is ‘Bonkers’
https://dailycaller.com/2021/05/15/pri

Private flights just got easier… and a lot more accessible, convenient and enjoyable – Linear Air Taxi is reinventing air charters and private jets to make possible all the ways we live, work, and play. Choose your jet or plane and destination and we’ll get you there.

Enter your street address. Air taxis use 10x more airports than the airlines, so why not find the closest ones?

But where are the studies that would indicate gender dysphoria policies and other such claptrap will result in improvements in the military’s ability to “break things and kill people” – which is ultimately what the military provides in the way of blunt instrument force in defense of the Republic? There are none, of course. We are all supposed to take it on faith that social engineering will be to our collective benefit and will improve the military’s warfighting capabilities, “because diversity.” Except that is not the ultimate purpose of The Hologram’s America Last policy. He and they are not interested in “improvements”; to the contrary, they understand quite well the ultimate effects of left-wing social engineering in the military services. And those effects will be dire to our collective national security, just as they intended from the beginning.

Imagine the training time that will be sacrificed on the altar of policies like the one trumpeted in the above Marine admin message. The negative impacts of these social engineering experiments on US military readiness, combat effectiveness, unit cohesion, and morale cannot be measured at this point, but one can be certain that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Russian military are laughing themselves silly at this malarkey. Do you suppose they will be at all concerned about “dignity and respect” on the future battlefield, let alone the Geneva Conventions (especially the Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflicts)? Hold my beer on that.

Speaking of beer, my brother and a lot of retired Marines are crying in theirs as they witness the ongoing destruction and descent into PC Hell of their beloved Marine Corps. Some of them would love to be recalled to active duty and help square away their Corps, too. If only…

Biden after telling a joke that falls flat at Coast Guard Academy’s commencement ceremony:

"You're a really dull class. Come on, man.”

pic.twitter.com/80GWwbf1jI

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 19, 2021

This isn’t the first time that Biden has gotten peeved with the military for not giving him the attention he’s wanted, as my colleague Bonchie noted earlier. I reported on the last time — when he demanded that members of the Air Force in 2016 clap for him “you stupid bastards.” He then called them a “dull bunch,” saying “must be slow here.” //

Turns out that Biden not only couldn’t deliver a line to the Coast Guard properly, he also “borrowed” it from Ronald Reagan’s speech to the Coast Guard Academy at the end of Reagan’s presidency. Biden also talked about his aide and told the same joke that Reagan did. But Reagan, unlike Biden could deliver the line. //

Sorry, Joe. We all knew Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan was a friend of ours and you are no Ronald Reagan.

The conceit of the Congress on issues like this is always amusing. The Department of Justice has hundreds — maybe more than a thousand — criminal investigations underway, using all the investigatory powers given to the FBI and federal grand juries. They have access to more than 15,000 hours of video surveillance footage taken by government surveillance systems in and around the Capitol. They have subpoenaed various forms of communication between persons involved in the January 6 happenings, including social media communications and emails.

Yet a commission consisting of 10 members of Congress and a couple of dozen staff members are needed to reach a definitive conclusion about what took place?

Comedy gold.

The fact that the White House has not acknowledged Netanyahu’s response is telling. They seem to have been under the illusion that Netanyahu, who is locked in a coalition government with his main political rival, would kowtow to Biden out of some sense of respect. They tried to play tough and got smacked down. The big question is will Biden’s staff move on and let their fluffers in the media continue to praise Joe’s genius, or are they under enough pressure from the anti-Semitic left in the Democrat party that they will ratchet up the pressure?

So we present to you this amazing video of John, who is a fourth-grader at Felix A. Williams Elementary School in the Martin County School District in Stuart, Florida. While Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated the mask mandates for the rest of the state, schools still have mask orders in place. School districts are considering making them voluntary for next year.

Listen as John addresses the board asking for masks to be made voluntary while calling out the hypocrisy of his teachers and explaining how this has adversely affected him and his friends. He says he didn’t think it would stay this way all year long. “Two weeks to slow the spread,” remember?