Posts on Thursday, May 2, 2019
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López walked out to the gate of Spain´s diplomatic residence in Caracas Thursday. He stood in front of reporters, as his wife, Lilian Tintori, held the Venezuelan flag behind him. Although the Venezuelan Supreme Court issued a warrant for his arrest and the secret police was on guard outside of the embassy, López said embattled President Nicolás Maduro´s days in the presidential palace are numbered. López said he remains hopeful that there are members of the Venezuelan military who will make sure of that.
"Who can beat Donald Trump?" is the question on the mind of every Democrat primary voter, and of course, every Democrat donor as well. Each candidate seeks to present himself (or xirself!) as the most electable in 2020´s increasingly crowded field. But can anyone really determine electability -- reliably -- in advance? Is it really wise to follow your brain and vote for the candidate who only might be the most electable? Kyle Kondik says determining electability is "like nailing Jell-O to a wall" in today´s column for Sabato´s Crystal Ball. (Snip) Does electability surround a candidate like an aura
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said President Trump´s 2016 campaign was "essentially aiding and abetting the Russians." Clapper made the comment during an interview Thursday on CNN, where he works as a contributor. Anchor Brianna Keilar asked about Sen. John Cornyn´s question to Attorney General William Barr about why the Obama administration did not do more to stop Russian interference in the election. Clapper said he was an "advocate for doing more earlier and more aggressive, but to say that the Obama administration did nothing is not true." After comparing how Obama and his administration warned Russia to
First Lady Melania Trump strutted out of the White House to the Rose Garden on Thursday in a pair of stilettos that take florals to new heights. For the National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden, Melania Trump opted for an Emilia Wickstead fit and flare midi skirt dress in a pleasing shade of green.The dress, which features Mrs. Trump’s preferred shape of a fitted bodice and a rounded neckline, is currently sold out but previously retailed for about $2,000. Mrs. Trump showed off her slim waist by adding a thin crocodile belt in nearly the same shade
For a time, President Trump was reluctant to select William P. Barr as his attorney general. The veteran Justice Department official from the George H.W. Bush administration was not a longtime Trump loyalist, and the president wondered whether one of his own political allies might serve better as a shield, people familiar with the matter said. But Trump was ultimately persuaded — in part because his lawyers and advisers told him Barr was a strong supporter of presidential power and unafraid of taking on critics. This week, the president has been thrilled with his choice, particularly after Barr sparred so vigorously with Democrats
Kuala Lumpur - A Vietnamese woman who spent more than two years in a Malaysian prison on suspicion of killing the half-brother of North Korea’s leader was freed on Friday, a court translator said. Doan Thi Huong, 30, was charged along with an Indonesian woman of poisoning Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with liquid VX, a banned chemical weapon, at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Huong last month after she pleaded guilty to an alternate charge of causing harm. Huong will return to Vietnam later on Friday, her lawyer, Hisyam Teh, told Reuters.
The Chinese woman who allegedly paid college-admissions schemer Rick Singer $6.5 million to get her daughter accepted to Stanford University thought she was making a donation for scholarships, staff and the school’s athletic program, her lawyer said Thursday. The mother of Yusi Zhao, identified only as Mrs. Zhao, confirmed to The Wall Street Journal in a statement that she made the payment to Singer in April 2017 after being introduced to him by a former financial adviser at Morgan Stanley. “Her generosity has been taken advantage of,” lawyer Vincent W.C. Law told the paper in a statement.
The character played by actor Jussie Smollett will not return to the series “Empire,” Fox Entertainment said. “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to ‘Empire,’” the studio said in a statement Tuesday. Earlier the same day, Fox announced that the series had been renewed for its sixth season. Smollett, who is black, gay and Jewish, had been written out of the final two episodes of the show’s fifth season. In early March, Smollett was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 16 felony counts related to
The Trump Administration´s Decision To Withhold Bail To Asylum-Seekers Is Being Challenged In Court
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The American Civil Liberties Union challenged in federal court Thursday a recent decision by Attorney General William Barr to deny bond hearings to certain asylum-seekers crossing the border without authorization, the latest standoff between advocates and the Trump administration. Over the last year, the administration has implemented numerous changes to dissuade asylum-seekers from crossing the border. Some of these moves, including a ban on asylum for those who cross the border illegally, have been blocked in federal court while others remain undecided. In this latest battle, the ACLU, along with the
Joe Biden stormed into the Democratic primary with a laser focus on the man he wants to sweep out of the White House next year. But before Biden can book a prize fight with President Donald Trump, he´s going to have to contend with a party -- and 20 other candidates -- with very different ideas about the way forward, and, in the case of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, an opponent from bygone years ready to renew their old clashes. The Biden-Warren rivalry traces back some two decades, when the then-future vice president was entrenched in the US Senate and Warren
In new passages added to his 2017 book, “Obama: The Call Of History,” New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker adds information depicting Obama viewing Donald Trump as a cartoon before Trump was elected, then turning on Hillary Clinton for tarnishing Obama’s legacy by losing to Trump. (Video) As The Daily Mail reports, Baker writes that Obama was so disturbed by Trump’s victory that on Election Night he immersed himself in watching the film “Dr. Strange,” later slamming Hillary Clinton because she “brought many of her troubles on herself” and ran a “scripted, soulless campaign.” Baker states that
Obama Adviser Downplays Biden’s Ukraine Corruption as ‘Conservative Oppo’ by Peter Schweizer
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One of former President Barack Obama’s most senior advisers, Dan Pfeiffer, is downplaying reporting by the New York Times on former Vice President Joe Biden’s Ukraine corruption, as the scandal widens and severely threatens Biden’s 2020 White House chances. On Wednesday, the Times published a piece that details how Biden faces “conflict of interest questions” with regard to the Ukraine that President Donald Trump and his allies are promoting as political attacks on Biden. The Times’ Ken Vogel and Iuliia Mendel wrote on Wednesday: It was a foreign policy role Joseph R. Biden Jr. enthusiastically embraced during his vice presidency:
You wouldn´t know it from the hysteria emanating from Wednesday´s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with William Barr--desperate presidential candidates competing for the most outlandish accusation; Sen. Hirono jumping more sharks than may exist in her native Hawaii--but the ship has already sailed on the Mueller/Russia probe. There´s no collusion and with that any sensible argument for obstruction. We are already--if you paid attention to Barr´s testimony or even the story in general--well into Russia Probe II - The Predicate. And that investigation involves real, documented collusion with Russia (Snip)augmented by pervasive media dishonesty.
An incredible moment during the National Prayer Service today as Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the leader and survivor from the recent synagogue shooting in Poway, California, delivers heartfelt prayers and remarks to President Donald Trump. The strength of Rabbi Goldstein is inspiring; his message is uplifting; his faith is unwavering, and his courage is affirming. This is an American message of hope and heart. (Video/Photo) Americans have always found power and unity through prayer. In 1988, the Congress, by Public Law 100-307, called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National
Earlier today The New York Times finally admitted the Obama administration was spying on Trump campaign officials.On Tuesday The New York Times dropped a bombshell revealing that Stefan Halper’s assistant, ‘Azra Turk,’ who met with Papadopoulos is September of 2016 was actually an FBI investigator posing as a sexy assistant to Halper. Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos traveled to London in September of 2016 after he received a strange request via email, for a meeting from Stefan Halper, a Cambridge professor with CIA connections, to discuss foreign policy. Halper sent Papadopoulos an email in early September of 2016
The U.S. Steel and Aluminum industry has been a key focus of President Trump in an effort to reestablish a critical industry for America. Part of the administration strategy was broad-based tariffs aimed at curbing China’s dumping of government subsidized product globally. The broad global application of the tariffs defeated the Chinese trans-shipment strategy to avoid them. Despite opposition from Wall Street republicans and democrats purchased by K-Street lobbyists, the administration policy has been exceptionally successful at driving investment into the U.S. manufacturing base. The multinationals are furious.
Christians are ‘by far the most persecuted’ religious group and are enduring what amounts to genocide in some parts of the world, a report concluded. They are being driven out of the Middle East in a modern-day exodus that means the religion could be wiped out in parts ‘where its roots go back furthest’, the study commissioned by the Foreign Office found. And the report by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Rev Philip Mounstephen, found ‘shocking’ evidence that the persecution is worse today than ever. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt last night blamed ‘political correctness’ for a failure to confront
The “sexy bottle blonde” woman whom a former Trump campaign adviser says came on to him in a London bar was sent there by the FBI to investigate suspected campaign collusion with Russia, according to a new report Thursday. The woman, who used the name Azra Turk, was working for the feds when she posed as a research assistant who wanted to discuss foreign policy with Trump adviser George Papadopoulos, the New York Times said.(Snip) Last month, Attorney General William Barr told a Congressional committee that he thought “spying did occur” and that he’d be looking into the “genesis”
Hamburg, Germany - Back in the 1980s, a cousin on my father’s side gave me a memorable lesson in socialism. (Snip) Forget the wannabe socialism of American Democrats like Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The 29-year-old Mr. Kühnert is aiming for the real thing. Socialism, he says, means democratic control over the economy. He wants to replace capitalism as such, not just to recalibrate it. In the United States, policies frequently branded as “socialist” — health care for all, a national minimum wage, and tuition-free universities — have very little to do with actual socialism. Big government, yes — but all of them fit
People have been asking me hard questions. What happened to the leaders in the Trump administration, especially the attorney general, Bill Barr, who I have said was due the benefit of the doubt? How could Mr. Barr, a bright and accomplished lawyer, start channeling the president in using words like “no collusion” and F.B.I. “spying”? And downplaying acts of obstruction of justice as products of the president’s being “frustrated and angry,” something he would never say to justify the thousands of crimes prosecuted every day that are the product of frustration and anger? How could he write and say things about the report
A Queens man caught preparing for a 9/11 anniversary suicide bomb attack on the subways under Grand Central will soon walk out of prison thanks to a sentence that amounts to his time already served, a judge ruled Thursday. Najibullah Zazi, 33, had faced up to life in prison after his 2009 arrest, but spent nearly the next 10 years cooperating against al Qaeda. Thursday’s 10-year sentence—which, given his good behavior behind bars, means he will be sprung any day now—came at the urging of prosecutors, who cited his extensive cooperation in arguing that he deserved a break.
North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows referred Nellie Ohr, a former Fusion GPS contractor, to the Justice Department for criminal investigation on Wednesday. In a letter to Attorney General William Barr first reported by The Hill, Meadows alleged that Ohr made false statements to Congress on Oct. 19 about contacts she had with Justice Department officials regarding ongoing investigations, as well as about her research into alleged Russian organized crime figures. Ohr worked as a contractor for Fusion GPS, the firm behind the Steele dossier, from late 2015 through September 2016. Her husband is Bruce Ohr, the Justice Department official who
Planned Parenthood backers sing pro- abortion songs in ‘fetus graveyard’ at Texas university
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Students at the University of Texas-San Antonio recently shared their support for Planned Parenthood by singing pro-abortion versions of “For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound)” in a “fetus graveyard.” The hit 1960s protest song that urged citizens to “look what’s going down” was used during an April protest, although 2019’s student-activists had a different subject on their mind than the band Buffalo Springfield: pro-abortion activism. The spectacle took place April 9 in response to an event by Students for Life, the organization reported Monday. What the Planned Parenthood supporters mocked as
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has resigned following weeks of investigations into a scandal around her self-published children’s books. In a statement read by her attorney Steven Silverman at a Thursday afternoon press conference, Pugh announced she was stepping down, effective immediately. “Dear citizens of Baltimore, I would like to thank you for allowing me to serve as the 50th mayor, it has been an honor and a privilege,” read Silverman. “Today I am submitting my written resignation to the Baltimore City Council. I am sorry for the harm that I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore
Attorney General William Barr is unflappable, a quality that enabled him to deftly handle the “pack of Iagos” that Democrats on the Senate Judiciary formed into yesterday. In addition to highlighting the key question for which there is no good answer, he stunned Senator Richard Blumenthal, the villain who falsely posed as a Vietnam Veteran yet somehow maintains the trust of Nutmeg State voters. Blumenthal was on a fishing expedition, looking for quibbles to raise in the wake of the collapse of the Russia Hoax. Assuming the role of a Grand Inquisitor – the favorite pose of Democrats in the
The off-duty border patrol agent who rushed the Californian synagogue shooter away from worshipers last month was praised for his efforts at a White House ceremony on Thursday. Jonathan Morales chased after the gunman who opened fire at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego last weekend. He and a local resident Oscar Stewart, an army veteran who was inside praying, chased gunman John Earnest, 19, into the parking lot after he opened fire. Stewart slammed on Earnest´s car window and Morales shot at the vehicle. Scroll down for video (Photo/Video) On Thursday, President Trump invited him up to
Mark your calendars for May 9th because CNN is hosting a very special event. Twitter personality James Comey will appear for a special event with CNN’s Anderson Cooper for a celebration of Comey’s two-year anniversary of getting fired by President Trump. Comey’s firing led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller who was supposed to deliver to the public a Trump perp walk. Alas. Comey also penned an op-ed for The New York Times yesterday spooksplaining how “a bright and accomplished lawyer” like Bill Barr is “downplaying acts of obstruction of justice as products of the president’s being ‘frustrated
Melania Trump was the picture of a supportive first lady on Thursday morning, when she joined her husband at a National Day of Prayer service in the Rose Garden. The 49-year-old mother-of-one happily held President Donald Trump´s hand as they made their way out into the open area from the White House, and she stood by his side as he addressed attendees, which included several victims of last weekend´s California synagogue shooting. Embracing the warmer spring weather, Melania chose to go bare-legged and bare-armed for the service, wearing an elegant forest-green $2,010 sleeveless Emilia Wickstead dress that was cinched in
House Democrats rebuked President Trump for rejecting the Paris Agreement Thursday, passing a bill that would bar him from taking the U.S. out of the landmark international climate change accord. Democrats provided almost all of the votes for the bill, with none of them opposing it. Only three House Republicans backed it: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Elise Stefanik of New York, and Vern Buchanan of Florida. Democrats said the legislation, which passed by a 231-190 margin, is the first major climate change bill approved by the House in a decade. “This is an attempt to try to get us
Hillary Clinton may not have been able to shatter the glass ceiling for millions of girls around the country, but she has been very successful in helping her own daughter break the bank. Chelsea Clinton, 39, took home just over $600,000 last year for her work as director on the boards of IAC and Expedia, according to records obtained by DailyMail.com. The IAC board met just six times in 2018, while some members of the Expedia board were only obligated to attend two meetings last year. Those two companies are both headed up by the family´s good friend Barry Diller, the billionaire businessman and longtime partner of
Tennessee Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen took to Twitter Thursday to publicize a stunt he pulled at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, in which he called Attorney General William Barr “chicken” for refusing to appear and be interrogated by Democrats’ lawyers, instead of by members of Congress. (Video/Tweet) Rep. Cohen retweeted video posted by The Hill, in which he held up a prop chicken and accused Barr of cowardice. “’Chicken Barr’ should have shown up today and answered questions,” Cohen said, adding that “A attorney general who is picked for his legal acumen and his abilities would not be fearful of
He is one of the most powerful leaders of the Venezuelan government, a hard-liner who has put down protests, confronted rebels and been a constant presence at the side of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian president. But for years, Tareck El Aissami, one of Mr. Maduro’s closest confidants, has also been the target of wide-ranging investigations by his own country’s intelligence agency into his ties to the criminal underworld. According to a secret dossier compiled by Venezuelan agents, Mr. El Aissami and his family have helped sneak Hezbollah militants
The North Butler and Clarksville school districts in Iowa are now offering a mandatory gun training/safety class ("Hunters Safety Course") to 7th and 8th grade students and a voluntary class for high schoolers in the evenings. The classes started this semester and realistic but non-firing guns and replica ammunition are used, not actual guns. "Please understand that we do not believe that all students will be hunting, nor do we expect them to," said school Superintendent Joel Foster in a blog post about the class. "The expectation is that through this all students will be exposed to firearm safety, and
Barack Obama admitted ´this stings´ after the 2016 election result and spent the night watching the movie Dr Strange to try and distract himself, a new book claims. The former president went from being confident that Hillary Clinton would beat Donald Trump to seeing it as a ´personal insult´ that she lost. Obama could not believe the American people had ´turned on him´ for a man he had written off as a ´cartoon´.
Black Lives Matter and other anti-Trump groups held a rally on the grounds of the Capitol on Tuesday to call for President Donald Trump to be censured for what he said about Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) controversial statement that “somebody did something” on 9-11. People chanted ‘“Hands off Ilhan” and in a series of speeches blamed the president and Republicans for the rise of “white supremacy masked as white nationalism.” Omar spoke at the event in praise of her homeland of Somalia and said the president and his Party are responsible for recent attacks on synagogues and mosques.
Conservative political commentator Stephen Moore, President Trump’s pick for the Federal Reserve, is facing quite a bit of scrutiny for past statements about women, black Americans and others. Many Republican senators have expressed concern that Trump’s plan to nominate Moore is “on the edge of failure,” according to my colleagues. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress, said it was “very unlikely that I would support that person.” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said in an interview Wednesday that Moore’s confirmation would be a “very heavy lift.”
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that the Senate will not take up a House bill that would force President Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement. “This futile gesture to handcuff the U.S. economy through the ill-fated Paris deal will go nowhere here in the Senate," McConnell said from the Senate floor. "We’re in the business of actually helping middle-class families, not inventing new obstacles to throw in their paths." His comments came shortly before the House passed a measure that would prevent the administration from using funding to withdraw from the 2015 deal. Though the legislation
Stephen Moore, the economist and commentator picked by Donald Trump for the Federal Reserve board, withdrew his nomination Thursday, the president announced on Twitter. The move came after Moore, who works for the conservative Heritage Foundation, was hit by years of his columns, articles and interviews resurfacing, leading to claims he was sexist. Trump claimed that Moore, 59, had ´won the battle of ideas´ and said: ´I´ve asked Steve to work with me toward future economic growth in our Country.´ Among the things he was revealed to have written were that female athletes wanted ´equal pay for inferior work,´
Unhappy with the status quo, more than 200 of the world’s top female hockey players declared Thursday they will not compete in North America next season in a dramatic attempt to establish a single, economically viable professional league. The players announced their decision in a joint statement released to The Associated Press before being posted on social media in a move that has the potential of drawing the NHL further into the conversation of backing women’s hockey.
President Trump called for an end to violence motivated by religious hatred Wednesday, citing attacks ranging from a shooting at a California synagogue to terrorist bombings at Christian churches in Sri Lanka.“Violence and terrorism against people of all faiths must end and it must end now,” the president said to applause at a National Day of Prayer dinner at the White House.The president and first lady Melania Trump hosted about 100 faith leaders. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, also attended. Mr. Trump said he was sending his “love and prayers” to the Jewish Americans wounded at the
President Trump hit another milestone in his efforts to reshape the federal judiciary, with the Senate clearing his 100th judicial nominee Thursday. The president and Republican-controlled Senate have made judicial nominations a top priority, and the confirmation of Rodolfo Ruiz to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida brought the number of Trump´s judicial appointments into triple digits. In addition to confirming Ruiz, the Senate is also set to clear two more nominees to federal district courts in Puerto Rico and Pennsylvania. If those two nominations win approval, Trump will have tapped 102 judges to the federal
A high school in Northern California — George Washington High School, to be specific — is mulling over a push to remove two 83-year-old murals from its hallways. Critics advocating for their removal say they are offensive to Native Americans and African-Americans. They say the pair of panels “traumatizes students and community members.” (Video) A San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) working group says the murals should be removed and put in storage to protect the students."SFUSD convened a ‘Reflection and Action Working Group’ that was comprised of members of the local Native American community, students, school representatives, district representatives,
A grim House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told a news conference on Thursday that Attorney General William Barr "lied to Congress.""That´s a crime," Pelosi said. She accused an "arrogant" Barr of "misrepresenting and withholding the truth" from Congress, although she did not offer specifics.She also "connected the dots" linking Attorney General William Barr, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and President Donald Trump, calling the three of them "right-wing ideological handmaiden -- they´re handmaidens to the special interests in our country." She called the three men "anti-government, anti-science, and anti-meeting the needs of the American people." (Video)
VATICAN CITY - A group of 19 Catholic priests and academics have urged bishops to denounce Pope Francis as a heretic, in the latest ultra-conservative broadside against the pontiff over a range of topics from communion for the divorced to religious diversity. The most prominent of the group is Father Aidan Nichols, a 70-year-old British priest of the Dominican order who has written many books and is one of most recognized theologians in the English-speaking world. The others are less well known. "We take this measure as a last resort to respond to the accumulating harm caused by Pope Francis´s
President Trump has a new and powerful rival in Letitia James, the first woman and the first African American to serve as New York’s attorney general. In just four months, James (D) has emerged as one of the most aggressive and ambitious litigators in the country. She’s filed suit against or launched investigations into some of the most dominant special interests in the country, from the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma and its owners the Sackler family to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Facebook. And she has made clear, from the campaign trail to the courtroom, that she is coming
The New York Times is handling the controversy over its anti-Semitic cartoon exactly the opposite of the reigning wisdom on crisis management. Were the issue of the rising tide of Jew-hatred not such a matter of life-and-death concern, the Times’ handling of the crisis over its publication of a blatantly anti-Semitic cartoon – one with echoes of classic Nazi propaganda -- would be a matter of high comedy. The newspaper that considers itself the premier provider of political insight for Americans has managed to bungle its own crisis management. Lanny Davis, a White House advisor on crisis
The attack on the conservative internet has reached a new low. Poynter, the journalism institute responsible for training writers and reporters, decided to promote a left-wing smear of conservative groups online. The result was a hit job written by someone who works for the anti-conservative Southern Poverty Law Center for a journalism organization funded by prominent liberal billionaires such as George Soros and Pierre Omidyar. Poynter, which has started the International Fact-Checking Network, shared the new report and dataset called “UnNews,” declaring at least 29 right-leaning news outlets and organizations to be “unreliable news websites.” Report author and SPLC producer Barrett
In a bit of unwelcome news for his socialist, left-wing Democratic challengers in the coming 2020 presidential election, President Trump is soaring in the polls for his economy. Here´s The Hill´s report just out: President Trump’s approval rating on the economy has hit a new high, according to a CNN poll released on Thursday. A majority of respondents — 56 percent — said they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, compared with 41 percent who disapproved. The president´s previous high mark on the economy in the CNN poll came in March 2017, when 55 percent approved of his work.
Masters champion Tiger Woods will visit the White House on Monday, according to multiple reports. Trump will honor Woods, who won his 15th major and fifth green jacket at Augusta last month. Trump and Woods have been golfing partners in the past. Their most-recent public pairing came at Trump National in Jupiter, Florida. in February. Trump earlier said he would honor Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor for a civilian. The came the day after Woods’ most-recent victory at Augusta National. (Snip) The timeline between his fourth Masters victory in 2005 and fifth in 2019 also included multiple
Speedy Gonzalez is back
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Speedy Gonzalez may have been buried in the political correctness graveyard in the U.S. But the clever Mexican cartoon mouse who always outwits the bumbling “gringo” is alive and well in Mexico. And he’s up to his old tricks. This time the mouse is fooling the gringo on immigration. I’ve just returned from a week in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas, through which the vast majority of Central Americans, Cubans, Asians, and Africans must pass on their way to besieging our southern border.
Always the anti-Trump operation, the Washington Post ran an inside-beisbol account of disagreements between the Trump administration and the Pentagon over the viability of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. Naturally, the Trumpsters came out looking like raging, intemperate, bad guys, and the reluctant Pentagon generals were portrayed as reasonable people. The story used almost exclusively anonymous sources, so it´s possible to have a pretty good idea about who leaked it. But well within the administration ´chaos´ described at the top was a buried lede way down near the bottom that needed a lot more attention: Somehow
California’s 2018 population growth was the slowest in state history, new demographic data show — underscoring shifting immigration patterns, declining birthrates and economic strains that are making it harder for some to afford living here. The state added 186,807 residents last year, bringing the estimated total population to 39,927,315 as of Jan. 1, according to estimates released by the state Department of Finance on Wednesday. The overall growth rate slipped to 0.47% last year from 0.78% in 2017, the slowest since data collection started in 1900, department spokesman H.D. Palmer said.
VIEWED FROM space at night, North Korea looks like the recently released first image of a black hole: an abyss, ringed by the brilliant glow of South Korea, China and Russia, from which nothing can escape. But the Hermit Kingdom does emit a bit of light, which orbiting satellites detect. And nocturnal luminosity is one of the few reliable sources of information about the country. It implies that North Korea’s economy is poorer, more volatile and more vulnerable to weather than formerly thought. (Snip) Nowhere are good economic data rarer than in North Korea. The most detailed numbers come from South Korea’s central bank,
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shut down Sen. Mazie Hirono’s (D-HI) line of questioning Wednesday against Attorney General William Barr, saying that she “slandered” Barr “from top to bottom.” (Snip) During her questioning of Barr, Hirono said that he joins Kellyanne Conway and Rudy Giuliani as people who have “sacrificed their once decent reputation for the grifter and liar that sits in the Oval Office.”Hirono added, “You know the difference, but you’ve chosen to be the president’s lawyer and side with him over the interests of the American people.”
Nearly 800,000 people in eastern India have been evacuated from the expected path of a major cyclone packing winds up to 125 miles per hour and torrential rains, officials said Thursday. The Indian weather service said Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani was expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon in Odisha state and barrel northeast on a pathway close to the homes of more than 100 million people. (Snip) On Thursday the storm, which reports said would be the biggest to hit eastern India in nearly two decades, was brewing in the Bay of Bengal about 155 miles offshore and moving slowly but ominously to
For nearly a quarter of a millennium, the United States of America has grown and prospered under the principle of e pluribus unum, or “out of many, one.” From all our diverse origins, we unite under a common set of beliefs, agree to live under the same laws, and show respect for our institutions of government.(Snip) these noble, time-tested, and highly successful beliefs are under assault. “Sanctuary” laws that shield illegal aliens may have the veneer of compassion, but their implementation is setting the stage for confrontations between federal and local law enforcement officers with conflicting orders.
Clinton Projection Syndrome
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Hillary Clinton recently editorialized about the second volume of special counsel Robert Mueller’s massive report. She concluded of the report’s assorted testimonies and inside White House gossip concerning President Trump’s words and actions that “any other person engaged in those acts would certainly have been indicted.” Psychologists might call her claims “projection.” That is the well-known psychological malady of attributing bad behavior to others as a means of exonerating one’s own similar, if not often even worse, sins. After 22 months of investigation and $34 million spent, the Mueller report concluded that there was no Trump-Russia collusion
St. Lucia quarantines cruise ship reportedly owned by Church of Scientology over measles concerns
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Health officials in St. Lucia have ordered a cruise ship reportedly owned by the Church of Scientology to stay in port after they learned through "reputable sources" that someone on board has the measles. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James said that after internal discussions and talks with the Pan American Health Organization "we thought it prudent that we quarantine the ship." She said one person with measles could easily infect others through coughing and sneezing. She said they learned of the measles case through two reputable sources. The vessel, named "Freewinds," is still moored there, St. Lucia Coast Guard
(Update: Nadler adjourned the hearing shortly after it began. Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-Ga.) fumed in his opening statement that Nadler is trampling the rights of the minority, refusing to consider their points of order. At the end of the brief and contentious hearing, Nadler turned off the microphone of one Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose point of order was ignored.) (CNSNews.com) - An empty chair was the only witness at this morning´s brief hearing of the House Judiciary Committee. Attorney General William Barr told the committee he would not appear Thursday morning, given the Democrats´ insistence that he
Teachers in South Carolina rallied Wednesday for the usual demands: more money, smaller classes, and more support staff. The protest in the state capital of Columbia was organized as part of the ‘Red for Ed’ movement, and was organized by an activist group known as South Carolina for Education. They did not want to call it a walk out, but promoted it, instead, as a day of reflection by telling teachers to take a personal day so they could participate. A reported substitute shortage forced some districts to close for the day. Schools in North Carolina also planned early on
Former Florida governor and failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush (R) is questioning why Florida’s current governor, Ron DeSantis (R), is pushing to ban sanctuary cities that protect criminal illegal aliens in the state. As Breitbart News has chronicled, DeSantis has led an initiative in Florida to ban sanctuary city jurisdictions across the state. The plan, which has already passed the state Senate, would fine a locality or county $5,000 every day that it enforces a sanctuary policy. Bush used the same rhetoric that elected Democrats have used against the sanctuary city ban, claiming DeSantis is only trying to score political points and
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has created a circus atmosphere ahead of a scheduled appearance by Attorney General William Barr tomorrow. After today’s hearing devolved into a hot mess; and after Nadler changed processes to block committee representatives from questioning the AG; it appears Attorney General William Barr has cancelled his scheduled appearance.
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that 2020 Democrats should be able to benefit from Chinese election interference if the Justice Department lets Russia get away with interfering in 2016. “Imagine, Rachel, that you had one of the Democratic nominees for 2020 on your show, and that person said, you know, the only other adversary of ours who is anywhere near as good as the Russians is China,” Mrs. Clinton said in an interview with MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” “So why should Russia have all the fun? And since Russia is clearly backing Republicans, why don’t we ask
This is disturbing: “This is the third case in less than a year in which a former US intelligence officer has pled or been found guilty of conspiring with Chinese intelligence services to pass them national defense information.” VIA DOJ – (Snip)According to court documents, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 54, left the CIA in 2007 and began residing in Hong Kong. In April 2010, two Chinese intelligence officers (IOs) approached Lee and offered to pay him for national defense information he had acquired as a CIA case officer. The IOs also told Lee they had prepared for him
More Florida classroom teachers could carry guns in school under a bill passed Wednesday by state lawmakers, the latest response to last year’s mass shooting at a Parkland high school. The Republican-led House voted 65-47 on Wednesday to send the bill to GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. The measure expands an existing school “guardian” program to allow any teacher to volunteer to carry a weapon if their local school district approves. “It allows the good guys to stop the bad. The bad guys will never know when
Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed the US for the political turmoil in Venezuela, saying we “helped lead the devastation” through the use of sanctions. “A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela and we have sort of set the stage for where we are arriving today,” the Minnesota congresswoman said during an interview Wednesday with Democracy Now!. “This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela and it certainly does not help
What happened when Bill Clinton met then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the west side of Phoenix Sky Harbor airport between 7 and 8 PM on June 27, 2016? Just days before Hillary Rodham Clinton was to be interviewed by the FBI about her mishandling of classified emails, the former president intercepted the AG on her plane. Was it just a “casual” and “unscheduled” encounter, as the head spokesperson for the Department of Justice maintained? Or was the former president stalking Lynch to urge her to go easy on his wife?
Attorney General William Barr scares the wits out of the Democrats who bet their party’s political future on removing President Trump from office. Now that The Mueller Report revealed no collusion with the Russians, they are living in fear that the coup plotters will be held accountable for their misdeeds in courts of law. Barr has indicated that prosecutorial investigations are underway, and his willingness to speak plainly and directly (snip) he addressed THE question that cannot be answered without revealing the intent of the coup project’s agents
WASHINGTON— President Donald Trump says people of faith around the world have faced terrible hardship of late. Trump says violence and terrorism against people of all faiths must end, and that "all civilized nations must join together in this effort." Trump spoke Wednesday to faith leaders at a White House dinner in honor of the National Day of Prayer, an event that takes place Thursday. Trump paid respects to Jewish-Americans killed and wounded last week at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California. He also recalled the attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka last Easter and on Muslims in New Zealand
Attorney General William Barr in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday was a living, breathing representation of the Constitution of the United States. At one point during five hours that included a shower of insults from Senate Democrats, he put it all in a nutshell: special counsel Robert Mueller’s “work concluded when he sent his report to the attorney general,” Barr said, pointing out that as AG he “effectively overrode the regulations, used discretion, to lean as far forward as I could to make that public.”
DiGenova looks ahead
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Attorney General Barr’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday offered a preview of coming attractions. He means to get to the bottom of the “spying” conducted by the Obama administration on the Trump presidential campaign. How did it begin? What’s it all about? What was going on? Did it involve abuse of the FISA system? Of course, you had to tune out the Democratic static and listen to Barr’s exchanges with Republican members to pick up the preview, but it was unmistakably there. The Democrats’ hysteria reflects something more than motiveless malignity; Barr is the Attorney General Democrats should fear.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Joe Biden has a healthcare plan, but doesn’t “have the time to completely lay out all the details.” He also has a proposal for college debt, but no specifics on that either because “I don’t have time; I don’t want to keep you standing any longer.” (Snip) In his first campaign tour of Iowa since announcing his bid for president, Biden has been light on policy detail and heavy on emotion. There are clear signs of rust: he mangles phrases and flubs names. He needed a teleprompter at his Pittsburgh debut and relies on notecards
Bangkok -- Thailand´s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has appointed his consort as the country´s queen ahead of his official coronation on Saturday. An announcement Wednesday in the Royal Gazette said Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya was legally married to the 66-year-old king, and was now Queen Suthida. Although she has been in the public eye for about three years, there has been little official information released about her and the news was a surprise to many Thais. She is reported to be 40 years old and to have previously worked as a flight attendant for Thai Airways International. The two reportedly met on a flight.
Hillary Clinton´s own husband was impeached in 1998, and that ended up benefitting him politically, MSNBC´s Rachel Maddow told the former first lady Wednesday night. Maddow asked Clinton if she worries that Democrats likewise will get "walloped" in 2020 if they pursue investigations that lead to Trump´s impeachment."I don´t worry if it´s done right, and by that I mean...you have to continue with your other agenda, and that´s exactly what the House is doing," Clinton said. She said the House of Representatives should move on two tracks -- passing legislation while Democrat-led committees hold hearings "to educate the American public."
You wouldn´t know it from the hysteria emanating from Wednesday´s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with William Barr--desperate presidential candidates competing for the most outlandish accusation; Sen. Hirono jumping more sharks than may exist in her native Hawaii--but the ship has already sailed on the Mueller/Russia probe. There´s no collusion and with that any sensible argument for obstruction. We are already--if you paid attention to Barr´s testimony or even the story in general--well into Russia Probe II - The Predicate. And that investigation involves real, documented collusion with Russia (on the part of the Clinton campaign and who knows
Hey Mazie Hirono! Who do you work for? Who is pulling your strings? Surely, it´s not the people of Hawaii or the rest of the country. Your father left the family when you were very young, and your mom managed to bring you and your two siblings to Hawaii. She supported the family by working long hours to put a roof over your head and food on the table. In spite, of your meager surroundings, you managed to get yourself a fine education at the University of Hawaii and prestigious Georgetown Law School. One would expect gratitude for the opportunity
In the last 120 years, 18 elected presidents have sought reelection. Fourteen of them won, which you’d think should augur well for Donald Trump in 2020. Of the four who failed, three had serious challengers either during their own party primaries or in the fall from a debilitating third-party challenger. Of the four, three also ran into turbulent economic times – Herbert Hoover faced the Great Depression in 1928, Jimmy Carter had serious inflation in 1980 and George H.W. Bush had a sagging economy in 1992. “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Alabama state Rep. John Rogers, a Democrat, said, while debating a bill that would ban most abortions in the state, “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later.” “You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair,” Rogers continued. “So, you kill them now or you kill them later.” (tweet) U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, a Republican from Alabama who is challenging Sen. Doug Jones in 2020 for his Senate seat, tweeted: (tweets) The Alabama state House overwhelmingly approved a measure Tuesday that would ban most abortions in the
Attorney General William Barr is skipping testifying on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday over a fight with House Democrats over what the hearing format should be. Democrats want committee members to have one round of questioning of Barr, and then to turn it over to the staffs’ counsels to continue questioning him. They also want the attorney general to stay for a closed hearing where they could discuss redacted information in Mueller’s report. In addition to Barr’s decision to skip the hearing, the Justice Department notified Nadler on Wednesday afternoon that
At a hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election held today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) spent nearly all of her allotted time not asking questions of the witness, Attorney General William Barr, but berating him as a flunkie for President Trump and repeatedly accusing him of lying to Congress. "You lied to Congress," claimed Hirono. "You told Rep. Charlie Crist [D-Fla.] that you didn´t know what objections Mueller´s team might have to your March 24th so-called summary. You told Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-Md.] that you didn´t know if Bob Mueller supported your conclusions,
Why are so many Democrats and so many of their allies in the press so angry at Attorney General William Barr? What explains the intensity of their feelings? Of course they still believe in collusion, even though special counsel Robert Mueller could not establish that a Trump-Russia conspiracy took place and never charged anyone in President Trump´s orbit, or any American for that matter, with taking part in such a scheme. Of course they believe the president obstructed justice, even though Mueller did not establish that, either.
They smeared him, called him a liar and said he should resign. The same Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who tried to assassinate the character of Judge Brett Kavanaugh last year pulled the same stunt on Bill Barr — with the same result. They failed because, once again, they were throwing mud while shooting blanks. Despite the Dems’ desperate efforts to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination with false accusations, he is now on the Supreme Court. Barr was obviously prepared for his mud bath and was unflappable in the face of Wednesday’s mean-spirited assault,
When news organizations think about competition from tech companies, it’s usually in terms of the audience’s attention and advertisers’ dollars. But if Amazon has its way, a new sort of competition may be coming from a mixture of surveillance, fear, and doorbells. Amazon is currently looking to hire someone with the title “Managing Editor, News.” But it’s not for the entire Amazon empire—it’s for the small slice of it that makes security-focused doorbells, Ring. (Amazon bought Ring last year for more than $1 billion.)
In the battle unfolding in Congress between the Democrats and Attorney General William Barr, I’m on the side of the United States Constitution. That means defending not only Mr. Barr but also President Trump. The two men stand on America’s legal bedrock. Which is why Mr. Barr was able to make short work of his Democratic questioners at Wednesday’s hearing in the Senate. His calm, straightforward testimony made it clear that he isn’t the caricature the Democrats have been drawing of him.
Thelma Nadler and Louise Schiff
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In the final scene of Thelma and Louise, when Detective Hal Slocumb realizes that those wacky chicks are about to drive that ’66 Thunderbird over the edge of the Grand Canyon, he runs after them in a futile attempt to prevent their senseless descent toward self-destruction. Slocumb, played by Harvey Keitel, does a good job of conveying the impotent despair that moderate Democrats like Steny Hoyer must feel while watching Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Adam Schiff accelerate toward the electoral abyss that awaits their party if they insist on relitigating Russiagate and rummaging through the President’s tax and business records.
Ignorance, Fear, and LGBTQ
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Mary and I met with several black relatives for dinner at a restaurant in Baltimore. The jovial conversation drifted to politics. I was stunned that they know nothing about several important political issues. Because they only watch mainstream media, my relatives are either misinformed or uninformed. For example,, my relatives have never heard of Sharia Law. When I explained the tyranny of Sharia and how leftists are promoting it in America, my relatives were shocked
On Sunday, Fox News Channel’s Steve Hilton reported on Peter Schweizer’s investigation of former vice president Joe Biden’s family’s business dealings with China’s government, concluding that Biden was “compromised by a foreign power and unfit to be president.” Hunter Biden — Biden’s second son — secured $1 billion in financing from the Bank of China — an arm of the Chinese government — for a private equity firm founded by himself and Christopher Heinz, the stepson of former Secretary of State John Kerry. That private equity firm was named Bohai-Harvest RST (BHR).
It pains me to write this, but whom on Earth are liberal Christians appealing to? To whom do they hearken to make things right? These are the type of people who use the latest tragedy to promote a political agenda. It is no mystery that upending the power structure via identity politics is their intent. You have the freedom to do so, but please check your Christianity at the door.
In the last 120 years, 18 elected presidents have sought reelection. Fourteen of them won, which you’d think should augur well for Donald Trump in 2020. Of the four who failed, three had serious challengers [Snip] So, Donald Trump should be in good reelection shape next year, right? Well, maybe. It’s a strange political paradox of contemporary times that a poor economy can kill a presidential campaign, but a really good one doesn’t seem to help much, thanks to thankless voters. You’d think
Police in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China are using a mass surveillance app to target the Uighur Muslim population, a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday. The tool profiles people by labeling "completely lawful" behavior as suspicious, in order to help authorities detain the religious minority, the report said. (Snip) However, the new report details the monitoring of certain actions, such as "enthusiastically" donating to mosques, using an "abnormal" amount of electricity, not using a smartphone or not socializing often with neighbors. The rights group said this new "algorithm of repression"