Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
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Trump to pay $2 million in charity scam that is a lot like what he’s facing impeachment for

 Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

[Regarding this story: Trump ordered to pay $2 million to charities over misuse of foundation, court documents say]

Trump agreed to a $2 million settlement, essentially conceding that his charity was a scam, and then, hours later, delivered an all-caps “STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT []

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Columbus going Ideal! David Miscavige to open 2nd Scientology cathedral in a week

[Scientology video emphasizes the soft target of OSU]

We expect that tomorrow’s Ideal Org grand opening in Columbus, Ohio is going to be a lot like the one that took place in Kansas City last Saturday. Some music. Some speeches from local shills. Some balloons. So the thing we’re most curious about at this point is, []

The impeachment will be imperiled if Dems actually pay attention to GOP clowning

 Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

[Regarding this story: This Impeachment Won’t Be a Legal or Political Battle. It Will Be an Information War]

Everything Dahlia Lithwick writes here is spot-on, but I’m reminded of the words of many coaches I’ve had through life, and that’s to clear your []

Scientology proudly now displaying miserable secret deal it offered Clearwater leaders

[It’s a swimming pool paradise!]

We’ve been looking a little more closely at the special “Clearwater edition” of Freedom magazine that recently came out after Freedom had not put out a new issue for a []

Rudy’s latest spin on his Ukraine adventure doesn’t wash

 Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

Giuliani’s statement []

Kansas City gets its first Scientology wedding: We solicited some advice for the young couple

 Scientology’s newest ‘Ideal Org’ opened on Saturday in Kansas City, and the next day, Sunday November 3, it had its first wedding, with Hubbardite rites and all the []

Gordon Sondland ‘updates’ his testimony to confirm a quid pro quo

[Gordon Sondland]

Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

[Regarding this NY Times article: Sondland Updates Impeachment Testimony, Describing Ukraine Quid Pro Quo]

Even before EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified I pointed out that he appeared to be positioning himself to Have It Both Ways, a strategy that is almost always []

Puff piece: Check out this noggin-sized alien life form

 This time of year, campers, we spend considerable time on our excursions outside our underground hidey hole in long walks in the woods looking for []

Lloyd Evans: The sick price Jehovah’s Witnesses want paid for paradise on earth

 Ex-JW activist Lloyd Evans debunks another Jehovah’s Witnesses pamphlet in only seven minutes in an entertaining new []

AUDIO LEAK: You’re invited to a Scientology TV watch party at the Portland org!

[Mark Bunker at the Portland event, 2013]

We’ve kept a pretty close watch over many of Scientology’s ‘Ideal Org’ opening ceremonies, but there’s one that will always have a special place in our hearts. That’s when Mark Bunker had such a wild day trying to film the Portland Ideal Org grand opening in May 2013, and []