Good morning! Here is your news for Wednesday January 8. 2020

THE DAILY SIGNAL

Jan 08, 2020 Good morning from Washington, where we’re gathering the facts on Iran’s missile strikes last night on U.S. facilities in Iraq. Fred Lucas reports. What? Unions try to pick teachers’ charities? Kevin Mooney has the scoop. On the podcast, commentator Michael Knowles bares the left’s communications strategy. Plus: Two conservative players team up to improve the judiciary, and the national debt piles up for a decade. On this date in 1959, Fidel Castro enters Havana after deposing a U.S.-backed regime and begins his decades long rule of Cuba.   NEWSIran Fires 15 Ballistic Missiles at US Bases in IraqBy Fred Lucas “You could go after their oil infrastructure. You could take out one of their navy ships, you could go after the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] headquarters,” says Heritage Foundation’s Peter Brookes about possible responses to Iran.MoreANALYSISHow the Left Manipulates Language to Defeat ConservativesBy Rachel del Guidice “The lie of the left … is that the truth is somehow cruel and harmful and that delusion will make us happy and free,” says Michael Knowles.MoreNEWSTeachers Go to Court to Fight Union Over Choice of CharitiesBy Kevin Mooney Pennsylvania law permits teachers who object on religious grounds to paying mandatory union fees, and what they fund, to steer money from their paychecks to the charity of their choice rather than the teachers union. But there’s a catch.MoreNEWSTrump Judicial Adviser Teams Up With Conservative PR Executive in New InitiativeBy Fred Lucas The new venture, intended to provide resources across the conservative movement, reportedly is set to be a counterweight to the liberal group Arabella Advisors.MoreNEWSTrump, Pompeo Say Iranian Cultural Sites Won’t Be TargetedBy Fred Lucas “They kill our people and blow up our people, and we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions. But I’m OK with it. It’s OK with me,” President Trump told reporters prior to Tuesday’s night attack.MoreCOMMENTARYHow the 2010s Became the Decade of DebtBy David Ditch At the end of 2009, the total federal debt was $12.3 trillion. Now, it stands at $23.1 trillion. That’s roughly $180,500 of debt for every U.S. household.MoreCOMMENTARYNewsweek Hits a New LowBy Dennis Prager Newsweek’s headline: “Conservative Radio Host Ridicules Anne Frank: ‘I Don’t Get My Wisdom From Teenagers.’”More     The Daily Signal is brought to you by more than half a million members of The Heritage Foundation. Donate to The Daily Signal Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter How are we doing? We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story tips. Please reply to this email or send us a note at comments@dailysignal.com.The Daily Signal 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (800) 546-2843   Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.You are subscribed to this newsletter as rickbulow1974@gmail.com. If you want to receive other Heritage Foundation newsletters, or opt out of this newsletter, please click here to update your subscription.

THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON

Biden in 2010 Said Iran’s Influence in Iraq Was ‘Greatly Exaggerated’By Adam Kredo and Brent Scher Pompeo: Trump Admin Ready to Launch More Strikes on Iran By Adam KredoWarren: ‘I Actually Don’t Know Why’ Fundraising Is DecliningBy Graham Piro Visit the All-New Free Beacon Online StoreRand Paul: ‘Death of Soleimani is the Death of Diplomacy with Iran’By David Rutz Dem Rep: Trump May Take Out Putin or Xi Jinping NextBy Andrew Kugle Warren: AOC Is Wrong, Democrats Need to Be a Big Tent Party By Josh Christenson Pompeo Dismisses Andrea Mitchell’s Loaded Question on IranBy Paul Crookston Joe Biden Confuses Iraq With Iran—TwiceBy Graham Piro SIGN UP FOR THE BEACON EXTRA HEREYou are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.Copyright © 2020 Free Beacon, LLC, All rights reserved. To reject freedom, click here.Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

DAYBREAK INSIDER

Your First Look at Today’s Top Stories – Daybreak InsiderHaving trouble viewing this email? View the web version. SPONSORED BYDaybreakInsider.com  @DaybreakInsider WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 1.Iran Attacks U.S. Targets in Iraq, No Casualties Reported From the story: Ten missiles hit Al-Assad Air Base, one missile hit a military base in Erbil and four missiles failed to hit their targets, according to a U.S. military spokesman for Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East. The attacks unfolded in two waves, each about an hour apart (Fox News).  Later, President Trump tweeted “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning” (Twitter).  One story notes “the attack involved Iran directly launching weapons from inside Iran, explicitly targeting U.S. troops. Though Iran has been no stranger to attacking U.S. targets, typically it has done so through proxy groups, such as Kataib Hezbollah. This has allowed Iran to claim a layer of distance from the actual attacks” (Washington Examiner).  From Noah Rothman: This is retaliatory, asymmetric, and destabilizing. It is a response to Solemani. But it’s also not new. As of late Dec, there had been 11 Iran-linked rocket attacks on US positions in Iraq, including green zone, over 2 months producing American casualties (Twitter).  From Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif: Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched. We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression (Twitter).  From Michael Medved: The regime in #Iran is despicable and fanatical, of course, but they do control their own decision-making. How could they possibly benefit from choosing to plunge headlong into a major war against the United States–a conflict that could inflict only agony on their people? (Twitter).  From Larry Elder: no, Afghanistan is not “America’s longest war.“ We’ve been at war against Iran for 40 years. It took President Trump to notice (Twitter).  2.Following Iran Missile Launch, Nancy Pelosi Criticizes Trump In a remarkable moment, Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. Speaker of the House, used the attack on U.S. troops as an occasion to rip our Commander-in-Chief.  At the time, there was no word on American casualties (Twitter).  From Joe Biden: I’m going to hold off on commenting on the news tonight until we know more, but there is one thing I will say: Jill and I are keeping our troops and Americans overseas in our prayers. We hope you’ll keep them in yours (Twitter).  Prior to the Iranian response, Biden was demanding Trump explain why he killed a terrorist (NY Post).  From the Wall Street Journal: The Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President wrapped himself tightly in Barack Obama’s Iran policy, called Donald Trump’s strike against Iranian General Qasem Soleimani a “debacle,” and all but declared that Mr. Trump is the greatest single danger to world order. As election bets go, this is a big one (WSJ).  From Edward Chang: Like all of President Trump’s decisions, support or opposition fell along partisan lines. Contrast that with 2011, when Republicans checked their pride to credit President Barack Obama with the decision to kill Osama bin Laden. It appears the days of “rally ‘round the flag” are indeed over, even for “the world’s no. 1 bad guy” (The Federalist).  Advertisement 3.Time Magazine Gives Advice on How to Talk to Your Child About Killing of Iranian Terrorist For which they have been mocked mercilessly.  Advice includes telling the children this:  Iran has called for three days of national mourning. Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Iran’s capital, Tehran, to protest Soleimani’s killing. Funeral services were held in Iran on Sunday and Monday (Time).  From Steve Scalise: Seriously, @TIME?? As a father, this isn’t complicated: The United States took out an evil terrorist who killed thousands of people so he couldn’t kill more people. Amazing how many on the far left will cover for a terrorist rather than give credit to @realDonaldTrump (Twitter).  4.Yet Another New York City Thief Released and Immediately Commits Another Crime From the story: In today’s edition of the Empire State’s version of Groundhog Day, we learn that a Long Island man got himself into a bit of trouble after committing what was described as a “burglary spree” at a local shopping mall. Not being among the brightest of criminals, he was easily tracked down the next day, on New Year’s Eve, and arrested. But under the new justice reform law, he couldn’t be held or made to pay bail for burglary so he was released. Not even a full day later he was found to have burglarized yet another business establishment. And the cycle continued. Hot Air 5.CNN Settles Suit with Covington Catholic Student Nick SandmannThe amount of the settlement was not made public. Daily Wire Advertisement6.Threat of Antifa Violence Leads to Cancellation of Talk on Threat of Antifa ViolenceI kid you not.  The speech planned by Antifa target Andy Ngo has been cancelled.  MRCTV 7.Award-Winning French Author Discovered to be PedophileEnabled by others, many say his disgusting lifestyle was rather obvious (Hot Air).   He never hid the fact that he abused boys and girls.  From the disturbing story: …he never spent a day in jail for his actions or suffered any repercussion. Instead, he won acclaim again and again. Much of France’s literary and journalism elite celebrated him and his work for decades. Now 83, Mr. Matzneff was awarded a major literary prize in 2013 and, just two months ago, one of France’s most prestigious publishing houses published his latest work (NY Times).  8.January is Month with Highest Rate of DivorceOne awful reason, according to the story, is people waiting until their spouse gets a year-end bonus. NY Post AdvertisementCopyright © 2020 DaybreakInsider.comSUBSCRIPTION INFO This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It is only sent to people who signed up from one of the Salem Media Group network of websites OR a friend might have forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy. Unsubscribe from The Daybreak Insider OR Send postal mail to: The Daybreak Insider Unsubscribe 6400 N. Belt Line Rd., Suite 200, Irving, TX 75063 Were you forwarded this edition of The Daybreak Insider? Get your own free subscription Copyright © 2020 Salem Media Group and its Content Providers. All rights reserved.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

MORNING EDITION

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

‘Operation Martyr Soleimani’: Iran hits U.S. bases in Iraq with rocket attacksIran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in neighboring Iraq on Tuesday evening in retaliation for … more

Top News  Read More >

Senate Republicans have votes to start impeachment trial without calling witnesses immediately    Biden takes fire from far-left rivals as Iowa caucuses close in    Elizabeth Warren: Michael Bloomberg is ‘skipping the democracy part’ of the primary    CNN settles $275M lawsuit with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann    Embattled D.C. lawmaker Jack Evans announces resignation over ethics scandal    Moon Jae-in’s outreach to Kim Jong-un endangers South Korea, opposition warns

Opinion  Read More >

Chelsea Clinton’s dubious ‘earnings’    Trump threats to destroy Iranian cultural sites way beyond the pale    Virginia’s ‘Second Amendment Sanctuaries’

Politics  Read More >

Taxpayer group cites AOC as ‘Porker of the Year’ for 2019    Rep. Duncan Hunter resigns from Congress    Democrats, Republicans sharply divided on Iran strike

Special Reports for Times Readers Special Report – Infrastructure 2019Special Report – Energy 2019Special Report – Free Iran Rally 2019

Security  Read More >

Esper defends Soleimani airstrike    DHS announces pilot program to take DNA samples from people arrested at border    House panel seeks Pompeo’s testimony on Soleimani strike

Sports  Read More >

Ovechkin, Oshie’s two-goal nights give Capitals 6-1 win    Cowan, No. 12 Maryland handle No. 11 Ohio State    LOVERRO: New Redskins era doesn’t need Williams’ baggage

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THE FLIP SIDE

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View this email in your browser Wednesday, January 8, 2020Impeachment Update“U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said on Monday he is willing to testify in the expected Senate impeachment trial of the president.” Reuters “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he had enough support from his fellow Republicans to set the rules for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.” ReutersFrom the LeftThe left is critical of McConnell’s refusal to agree to call additional witnesses.“The core principle behind the rule of law is that justice is blind and partisan identity should not influence a trial’s outcome. But anyone watching Mr. McConnell twist himself into knots in trying to block witnesses and documents has to wonder whether this notion ever took root in his mind. He has gone so far as to say that ‘there will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this to the extent that we can.’ He also said, ‘There’s no chance the president is going to be removed from office’… “The Constitution imposes upon the Senate a duty to ‘try all impeachments,’ and so a real trial — with all relevant testimony and evidence — is what is required.” Neal K. Katyal and George T. Conway III, New York Times Dated but relevant: “Pelosi should hold on to the articles until Democratic leadership can ensure a comprehensive, unbiased Senate trial… Democrats owe it to the American people to use every tool at their disposal to try to force Senate Republicans to own their roles in such a charade… Even if they are ultimately unsuccessful, Democrats need to make it clear that Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell defied the will of the House and of at least half of the voting population. Close to 70 percent of Americans want to hear from Mulvaney, Bolton and Rudy Giuliani under oath. This is one of those rare times when facts, perception and public opinion align.” Kurt Bardella, NBC News “[Last] Thursday, Just Security published the full content of several emails between White House and Pentagon officials that the Justice Department had originally released last month — but, as it turns out, with some pretty important information redacted. The unredacted emails showed that the order to withhold the military aid came straight from Mr. Trump… If it seems that Trump officials are trying to hide key communications about the aid freeze, that’s because they are. On Friday, the White House doubled down, refusing to turn over 20 emails between Mr. Duffey and Robert Blair, a top aide to Mr. Mulvaney, discussing the aid holdup…  “If Mr. Trump has nothing to hide, if his own decision to withhold Ukraine aid was based on a… concern for the national interest, and not made for personal gain, then he should be demanding that every administration official involved in the Ukraine machinations — starting with Mr. Bolton — testify under oath, in a Senate trial. And Mitch McConnell should welcome them. Their silence only strengthens the case that the president is abusing his power.” Editorial Board, New York Times “Why aren’t all the president’s men testifying?… Mr. Bolton’s statement Monday claims that he is trying to ‘resolve the serious competing issues’ between his obligations as a citizen and a former national security official. In fact, those obligations point in the same direction. Like jury duty or paying taxes, testifying under oath about facts we know is not optional; it is a fundamental obligation of citizenship… “Anyone who served in high public office knows that testifying before Congress about matters you worked on in government is part of your solemn public duty. If legislators’ questions impinge upon legitimate concerns about executive or national security privilege, you still must appear, declining to answer only those questions that call for information legally protected from public disclosure.” Harold Hongju Koh, New York Times “According to prior testimony from former White House adviser Timothy Morrison, Bolton met one-on-one with Trump in August 2019 to try to convince Trump to release nearly $400 million in aid for Ukraine… And the New York Times reported recently that Bolton — along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper — met with Trump in the Oval Office in late August 2019… “Bolton can testify about both of these crucial meetings. And that testimony could be game-changing. Perhaps Trump gave legitimate reasons for not releasing the aid, or perhaps Trump confirmed that his intent was to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. Either way, we need to know — whoever it may help or hurt.” Elie Honig, CNN “If all Bolton wants to do is to lay out for Congress and the public information that is crucial to the impeachment process, he could just call a press conference or write an op-ed. He—and a lot of other people in the Administration—probably should have done so a long time ago. (And might do so now without an Anonymous byline.) Trump can yell about executive privilege or classified information, but whistle-blowers face this dilemma all the time, with more bravery than Bolton has shown.” Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New YorkerFrom the RightThe right is critical of the impeachment efforts.Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) writes, “Article III, Section 2, Clause 3 specifically sets impeachment apart from jury trials, providing that ‘The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury.’ Why does the Constitution specifically separate juries from impeachment? Because the authors of the Constitution knew impeachment – for good or ill – was an inherently political act… Given the inherently political nature of impeachment, senators neither can nor should set aside political considerations when hearing an impeachment trial. Senators are expected to weigh the best interests of the country in each and every vote.” Mike Lee, Fox News “The House elected to push through impeachment with an abbreviated period of roughly three months and declared any delay by Trump, even to seek judicial reviews, to be a high crime and misdemeanor. The administration is currently in court challenging demands for witnesses and documents. Just a couple weeks ago, the Supreme Court accepted one such case for review then stayed the lower court decisions ordering the production of the tax and finance records of Trump. The House impeached Trump before that court or other federal courts could rule on the merits of claims of presidential privileges and immunities…  “Both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon had been able to take such challenges to the Supreme Court before they faced impeachment … In the Nixon case, it took three months from the ruling of the trial court to the final decision by the Supreme Court that ultimately led to his resignation. Even if the House had waited until October to seek to compel witnesses, it could have had ample time to secure rulings or testimony by a springtime impeachment. We will never know because Democrats chose to do nothing due to the need to get to a trial that they have now delayed.” Jonathan Turley, The Hill “If Congress had litigated and won, the public would have been more supportive of threats to impeach over noncompliance; the president would have looked like he was hiding corruption rather than protecting executive privilege. And if the administration had then remained obstinate, Congress might have considered impeaching one or more non-elected executive officials who continued to defy subpoenas — commencing such actions would have demonstrated that Congress was being diligent yet refraining from the drastic step of impeaching a president until reasonable alternatives were exhausted… To the contrary, Democrats said reasonable alternatives be damned.” Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review “For years [Democrats] flirted with the idea of impeaching Trump for everything from obstructing his own authority over federal law enforcement during the special counsel investigation to his tweets about pro football, and all the while Pelosi counseled forbearance. It is still difficult to say why she changed her mind… “The idea that it was because the whistleblower complaint about Trump’s phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky was a cut-and-dry case of executive malfeasance is belied by her current insistence upon securing more witnesses for a Senate trial. She and her colleagues do not think the case for impeachment was made effectively even after having voted for it; this makes it unlikely that she was persuaded back in October.” Matthew Walther, The Week Sens. Mike Braun (R-IN) and Steve Daines (R-MT) write, “Every step of the way, Democrats like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff warned that President Trump is a ‘clear and present danger’ to democracy who must be removed now… “And yet when it came time to prosecute the case, Speaker Pelosi got cold feet… the Constitution is black and white here: the House has the sole power to impeach, and the Senate has the sole power to try impeachments. House Democrats and Speaker Pelosi have zero say in how the Senate conducts its trial… If Democrats are afraid to try their case, the articles should be dismissed for failure to prosecute.” Mike Braun and Steve Daines, Fox News “No one has yet offered an explanation of why the rules that governed Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial — adopted unanimously — cannot apply in this instance equally. Those rules don’tforeclose the calling of witnesses, but allow for the Senate to decide after the presentment of the articles by House managers whether or not they’re necessary. That worked out well in 1999, or at least worked out to be a reasonable process. Clinton got acquitted, so Democrats certainly seemed happy enough with them at the time… They should be happy with them now — unless this is a partisan exercise rather than a hygienic one.” Ed Morrissey, Hot AirOn the bright side… Oscar Mayer looking for Wienermobile spokesperson to traverse the hot dog highways of America. WFTSThe Flip Side team spends hours each night scanning the news, fact-checking, and debating one another, so your 5 minutes each morning can be well spent. If you’ve found value in our work, we welcome you to help sustain our efforts and expand our reach. Any support you can provide is greatly appreciated!Were you forwarded this from a friend? Sign Up HereOur ArchivesShareTweetForwardCopyright © 2020 The Flip Side, All rights reserved. You can unsubscribe from this list here.

THE WASHINGTON POST MORNING HEADLINES

Sign up for this newsletterRead onlineThe morning’s most important stories, curated by Post editors.  Iran strikes Iraq bases housing U.S. troops, escalating conflictThe Revolutionary Guard claimed that dozens were killed and hundreds hurt but the military was assessing the damages. In a tweet, President Trump proclaimed “All is well!” and said he would address the nation on the situation Wednesday morning.By Washington Post Staff ●  Read more » Contractor whose death Trump cites was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in IraqNawres Hamid was killed late last month when authorities say an Iranian-backed militia fired rockets at a base near Kirkuk, Iraq.By Aaron Davis ●  Read more » White House stumbles in initial public response to Soleimani’s killingA president who has taken pride in rejecting collaboration and institutional processes in favor of unilateral action and impulsivity is facing the most severe test of that approach.By David Nakamura and Josh Dawsey ●  Read more » Trump’s tone shifts in the wake of Iran’s retaliationThe president’s first public comment was uncharacteristically sanguine, even a tad chirpy. “All is well!” he tweeted.The Debrief ●  By Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey ●  Read more »  Opinions Gervais teaches Hollywood what speaking truth to power really meansBy Megan McArdle ●  Read more » Reagan would have been proud of Trump’s Iran strikeBy Marc Thiessen ●  Read more » Harvey Weinstein’s trial shows us that small voices can make mighty noiseBy Karen Tumulty ●  Read more » Trump to America: Impeachment and war are none of your businessImpeachment Diary ●  By Dana Milbank ●  Read more » Trump is facing the greatest test of his presidencyBy Leon E. Panetta ●  Read more »  California’s privacy law was supposed to spur Congress to act. It flubbed instead.By Editorial Board ●  Read more »  More NewsUkraine-bound Boeing plane crashes in Iran, killing everyone on boardThe Ukrainian jet, which was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, an airport official said.By Isabelle Khurshudyan and Erin Cunningham ●  Read more » Apocalyptic wildfires may force a climate reckoning for Australia’s conservative leaderThe devastating fires have placed the spotlight on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s aversion to meaningful climate action.Today’s WorldView | Analysis ●  By Ishaan Tharoor ●  Read more » Storm to unleash severe weather in South, along with potentially record warmth in Eastern U.S.The most ominous weather looms in the Friday-through-Sunday time frame and includes severe weather and tornadoes, flooding rains and heavy snow.By Matthew Cappucci ●  Read more » McConnell says he’s ready to begin Trump trial with no deal on witnessesBut House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signaled that she is not ready to transmit the impeachment articles until she knows more about how Republicans would conduct the Senate trial.IMPEACHMENT ●  By Seung Min Kim, Mike DeBonis and Rachael Bade ●  Read more » Biden’s claim that he didn’t tell Obama not to launch bin Laden raidDepending on the venue or the vantage point, Joe Biden has emphasized advice he gave in a top-level meeting — essentially “don’t go yet” — or advice he claims he gave privately — essentially “go if you want to go.”Fact Checker | Analysis ●  By Glenn Kessler ●  Read more » ‘Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time’: Here’s who won the first wildly entertaining prime-time gameKen Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter competed in the highly-anticipated competition for $1 million, and one of the former champions put on an absolute show.By Emily Yahr ●  Read more »   We think you’ll like this newsletterCheck out Lean & Fit for expert advice on how to eat right, get lean and stay fit, including curated healthy recipes every Wednesday. Sign up »

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BRIGHT

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Wednesday, January 8, 2020 Iran Strikes Back at American Bases in Iraq Initial reports from the Pentagon indicated that there were no American casualties, although there may be casualties among our Iraqi allies. Iranian state-run media are claiming up to 30 American casualties, but those reports should be treated with a large grain of salt.   If this ends up being the extent of Iran’s response (BIG IF), this face-saving move might signal a big win for President Trump given the high value of targeting Suleimani.   Trump, in Trumpian fashion, had to inform us “all is well” via Twitter.   In addition, questions are still swirling about a Boeing 737 belonging to Ukrainian Airlines, carrying 180 passengers, that Iran state outlets are reporting has crashed in Tehran amid the chaos. As of this writing (past midnight EST), the fate of the plane is still unclear and only Iranian state news is reporting on the alleged crash.   From BRIGHT editor Erielle Davidson in The Federalist:   “In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at a variety of locations in Iraq. According to Fox News, Iranian state television is reporting that Tehran launched “tens” of surface-to-surface missiles at Ain Assad, an airbase in western Iraq that is currently housing American troops. One U.S. official told ABC News that rockets were also fired at Erbil, an airbase in the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region. Iran alleges the attacks are in response to the targeted killing of Quds Force leader, Qassam Suleimani.   ‘The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,’ announced Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on national television this evening.   According to the New York Times, one American official reported that six rockets had landed at the airbase, though the official could not confirm they were indeed missiles. This report is in conflict with Iraq’s Joint Military Command, which alleges seven rockets hit the base.”   Additionally, Edward Chang writes:   “So, what comes next? Again, it depends on whom you ask and whether one supports the president. Supporters insist that, ultimately, Iran will de-escalate in the face of overwhelming American military might. With credibility and deterrence re-established after years of accommodation by the Obama administration, Iran will eventually see the writing on the wall and, as they did during the Iran-Iraq War, capitulate and agree to a new deal, one lopsided in America’s favor, which is what Trump’s always wanted.   The opposition, on the other hand, appears concerned regarding the outbreak of a wider conflict, perhaps even a Third World War. Some of these concerns appear genuinely legitimate, while others are blatantly partisan. At best, the opposition, 2020 Democratic presidential candidates included, seem torn between celebrating the demise of someone with American blood on his hands and conveying concerns about the path forward and inevitable Iranian retaliation. At worst, opponents view the incident as another opportunity to exhibit their hatred of Trump.   Both sides are wrong.”   Meanwhile, back on the home front, media gonna media. From Christopher Bedford:   “Millions of casual news consumers began their week believing that over the weekend, Iraq expelled the U.S. military from the country. The United States, they thought, now faced the decision to quickly leave or illegally occupy.   Had they flicked through many of the cable or network stations, or read a few headlines on their phones or at the gas station, these Americans had heard the president’s decision to kill the general of Iran’s elite Quds force was made with no understanding of the potential reactions. If they read The New York Times or caught any of its parroting on friendly news shows, they might even think the president had ‘stunned’ the Pentagon officials who had only offered the kill option ‘to make other options seem reasonable.’   The problem presented here is none of these three scenarios is accurate.”   My first BRIGHT of 2020 is really a doozy, huh?   Equal Rights Amendment a Live Issue with Radical Consequences in 2020 In the next couple weeks, Virginia is expected to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming – by proponents extra-Constitutional counting theories – the 38thstate to do so. According to supporters, the amendment then merely needs to garner a bare majority in both Houses of Congress to strip the deadlines imposed in the 1970s.   While the language of the amendment sounds simple, its consequences could be a devastatingly radical for women across America.   From my (first!) piece in the New York Post:   “Sex discrimination is already forbidden under both federal and state laws, as well as by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14thAmendment. The ERA won’t add to those protections, but could be used to impose sex-sameness.    Men and women are different physically, psychologically and emotionally. And while often those differences aren’t relevant, sometimes they matter a great deal, including in situations where women’s safety can be placed at risk if they are treated exactly like men.   Proponents deny that it would have radical effects. But the broadness of its language and the addition of the amendment to existing antidiscrimination laws could be used by radicals to fore women to be drafted into combat, disallow separate-sex bathrooms or even pull government funding from women’s shelters. In New Mexico and Connecticut, state-level ERAs have been interpreted as requiring government funding for abortion.   The ERA could also threaten laws that don’t explicitly distinguish between men and women but provide benefits to stay-at-home wives or young mothers. For example, a non-working spouse’s ability to draw on Social Security or even grants encouraging girls’ participation in scientific fields could all perversely be treated as barriers to ‘equality.’   Then, too, today the meaning of ‘sex’ is far from clear. In the hands of the right liberal judge, the ERA could become a weapon against women-only spaces and religious liberty, if “women” is interpreted to include men who subjectively claim to be female.”   I also had the pleasure of being able to raise the alarm about this radical amendment on Charles Payne’s Making Money on Fox Business yesterday.    Fashion Moment of the Week Meanwhile, just when we all could use a break from the heavy news of the day, the Golden Globes failed to serve up amazing looks. In fact, aside from a couple bright spots, like Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Chanel pantsuit, the red carpet this year was disappointingly fluffy and weird.    Libby Emmons serves up the critiques here.   But there is one bright spot coming out of the Golden Globes: boobies are back!   Wednesday Links Trump’s foreign policy is neither W’s nor Obama’s – it’s Jacksonian. (Wall Street Journal)   Jim Hanson: after this exchange, both sides in the US-Iran standoff need to step back. (Fox News)   Biden just seems to keeps on chugging. (The Federalist)   The left goes after the (hilarious) Babylon Beeonce again – but is there a more sinister reason they refuse to appreciate excellent satire? (National Review)   Was 2019 the year of the “guy movie”? (The Federalist)   Senator Josh Hawley and ten other Republicans are sponsoring legislation putting a time clock on Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment games. (The Federalist)   Joy Pullman on the rise of the “nones” and how Millennials have fallen away from religion even as they have families. (The Federalist)   Smeared Covington kid Nick Sandmann gets CNN to pay out settlement in libel lawsuit. (Daily Wire)BRIGHT is brought to you by The Federalist.

Today’s BRIGHT Editor Inez Feltscher Stepman is a senior policy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum and a senior contributor to The Federalist. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native with a BA in Philosophy from UCSD and a JD from the University of Virginia. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Jarrett Stepman, her puggle Thor, and her cat Thaddeus Kosciuszko. You can follow her on Twitter at @inezfeltscher and on Instagram (for #ootd, obvi) under the same handle. Opinions expressed on this website are her own and not those of her employers. Or her husband.Copyright © BRIGHT, All rights reserved. www.GetBRIGHTemail.com Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list  Note: By using some of the links above, Bright may be compensated through the Amazon Affiliate program and Magic Links. However, none of this content is sponsored and all opinions are our own.

THE DISPATCH

The Morning Dispatch: Iran AttacksPlus, how we got to this point and a quick look at 2020 fundraising numbers.The Dispatch StaffJan 8Happy Wednesday. We were putting this newsletter to bed last night when we heard the shocking news: Iran had launched missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq. No doubt we’ll find out how the U.S. plans to respond, if at all, today—in the meantime, our thoughts go out to the American service members in the area and their families; we’ll do our best to get you up to speed on what’s happened in the region over the last few days.Quick Hits: What You Need To KnowSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he has enough support to pass a set of rules for President Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial without locking down parameters surrounding witnesses and document requests. Speaker Pelosi, for her part, reportedly told Democrats she still has no plans to send over impeachment articles until the Senate provides more details on the trial.If there wasn’t enough going on in Iran, a Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 plane crashed near Tehran late last night with 180 passengers on board. And if that wasn’t enough, a 4.9 magnitude earthquake was reported to strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant around the same time.The Department of Justice recommended up to six months in jail for Mike Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser.Rep. Duncan Hunter formally submitted his resignation letter on Monday after pleading guilty last month to misusing campaign funds.Both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg have purchased 60-second advertising slots during the Super Bowl for a whopping $10 million each. Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of his post to build out a new conservative network called CRC Advisors.CNN settled a lawsuit brought by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann over the network’s coverage of his standoff with Nathan Phillips on the National Mall last January.President Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s vice minister of defense on Monday. The meeting was kept off Trump’s public schedule and the White House did not release a readout; it only came to light when the Saudis released information Tuesday afternoon.Speaker company Sonos sued Google, alleging the tech giant “has been blatantly and knowingly copying [its] patented technology.”An Open Iranian AttackAfter five days of suspense following the death of Qassem Suleimani, Iran has struck back. The Pentagon announced Tuesday evening that Iran had fired more than a dozen missiles at two bases staffed by Americans in Iraq, days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against America in a direct and proportional way for the killing of their top general. Iran has been fighting the U.S. by proxy for decades, but attacking U.S. forces directly represents a major escalation. Thankfully, early reports indicated the attack resulted in no U.S. casualties.Things suddenly seemed to be moving very fast—but quickly slowed again as the White House did not respond right away. Just before 7 p.m., Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying that the president was aware of the attacks and was monitoring the situation closely. At 9:45 p.m., Trump tweeted the following:Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrumpAll is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.January 8th 202082,525 Retweets298,802 LikesThat Iran would retaliate came as no surprise. In addition to Khamenei, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif—whom the United States blocked from addressing the United Nations earlier this week—also pledged an Iranian response, which he said would take place “against legitimate targets,” unlike the ones Trump has threatened.This was in response to President Trump’s threats to strike Iranian cultural sites should Iran retaliate for the killing of Suleimani—strikes that would constitute war crimes. Trump made the threat repeatedly despite members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, saying such an attack would not be considered or carried out. “We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Esper said.In an interview with CNN, Esper also warned Iran to tread lightly. “The United States is not seeking a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one.”The prospect of an attack wasn’t the only thing on the minds of administration officials Tuesday. Pompeo also responded to Iran’s announcement that they would no longer honor the 2015 nuclear deal’s restrictions on uranium enrichment, insisting that “on our watch, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.”The coalition bases that were pummeled by Iranian missiles Tuesday night represented two states, the U.S. and Iraq, whose diplomatic relations have become further strained since the Suleimani attack. Last week, the Iraqi parliament passed a measure calling on Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi to expel U.S. forces from the country. Then, on Monday, chaos descended. A top U.S. general in Iraq sent a letter to his Iraqi counterpart informing him that the U.S. would begin preparations to withdraw troops out of respect for the sovereign decisions of Iraqi leadership. But after the letter was posted online, Pentagon officials initially told Congress behind the scenes that the letter was likely fake and part of a campaign of “active disinformation.” When the top two Pentagon leaders met with reporters, they first disclaimed any knowledge of the letter and later described it as a “draft” sent to the Iraqis by mistake. (For more on how that unfolded, you can read our behind-the-scenes report from the site yesterday.)That story kept creating headaches into Tuesday as well: As the Washington Post’s Mustafa Salim reported, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi on Tuesday formally acknowledged the letter as a “signed” withdrawal decision. “We don’t deal with statements in the media, we deal only with official letter,” senior officials from Mahdi’s office told Salim. Several U.S. outlets reported that the Iraqis were sent two versions of the letter, one signed and one unsigned. At a press availability Tuesday afternoon, Esper disputed those reports and insisted that only the unsigned draft letter had been transmitted to the Iraqis. In an appearance later with the prime minister of Greece, Trump said he didn’t know anything about the letter and suggested, as Pentagon officials had on Monday, that the letter could have been a “hoax.”The incompetence on display surrounding the letter — along with Trump’s threats to take out Iranian cultural sites — have unnerved some Republicans on Capitol Hill who were otherwise behind Trump’s decision to take out Suleimani. A senior congressional Republican tells The Dispatch that some colleagues had decided against a more forceful and public embrace of the administration’s more confrontational approach toward Iran because they’re so uncertain about what could happen — or what the president might say — next.The Democrats’ War Chests ExpandWith all the sturm und drang over Iran over the past few days, we haven’t gotten around to talking much about the state of the 2020 race. But the Iowa caucuses aren’t getting any farther away. So even with everything else going on, we wanted to sneak in a quick look at some news from last week: the 2020 candidates’ Q4 fundraising numbers, one indicator of the relative strength of the campaigns.Here are the top-level numbers:Trump: $46 million ­↑Sanders: $34.5 million­­ ­↑Buttigieg: $24.7 million ↑Biden: $22.7 million ­↑Warren: $21.2 million ↓Yang: $16.5 million ↑Klobuchar: $11.4 ↑Booker: $6.6 million ↑Gabbard: $3.4 million ­↑But those don’t tell the whole story.A better number for identifying the health of a campaign (and not just its fundraising machine) is cash on hand. Those figures are less widely available. But the Trump campaign, doing well, has announced that it has more than $100 million heading into 2020.While we don’t have Bernie Sanders’ cash-on-hand numbers, we do know that his campaign was spending 55 cents for every dollar it was bringing in through the 3rd quarter, based on his FEC reports to date. That’s a lot. It means despite his impressive haul for the year—roughly $96 million—he has spent a good chunk of that already.Why is his Bern rate (sorry) so high? He doesn’t do high-dollar fundraisers. Those “wine cave” fundraising events with minimum donation tiers of $500 and contributions going up to $2,800, are traditionally cheaper and a more efficient means of raising campaign cash. But modern presidential campaigns can spend millions to raise millions from small dollar donors through digital advertising because the potential overall contribution numbers are so much higher (low-dollar donors can give again and again) even if the percentage take is lower, as Sanders can almost certainly attest. There’s another important caveat: Money doesn’t buy happiness or presidential elections. One reporter noted that “the Dem field is easily going to double” the incumbent president’s fundraising numbers, unlike in 2004 and 2012. Okay, but the Clinton and Trump campaigns spent nearly 30 percent less in 2016 than the Obama and Romney campaigns in 2012.  And even head-to-head, with outside groups and super PACs included, the Clinton team raised about $1 billion only to lose to Trump’s $600 million. The same held true in the 2016 primaries, of course. Jeb Bush and his team spent $130 million without winning a contest in 2016. In fact, as Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo said at the time, Trump “spent the least amount of money of any of the competitive primary contenders that he beat so badly.” With 24/7 news-cycle saturation and social media organizing, the things money used to be able to buy—direct mail, tv ads, paid door knocking—are clearly becoming less important.And then there’s the RNC’s whopping fundraising numbers, which combine with the Trump campaign for an eye-popping $463 million for the year—more than doubling President Obama and the DNC’s 2011 numbers.  Lastly, Yang-mentum: Andrew Yang—a guy who wears a ‘MATH’ pin and listens to college a capella in the car—has raised more money just this quarter than Chris Christie, Scott Walker, John Kasich, or Rand Paul did in all of 2015. He has not yet qualified for the January debate stage and needs three more qualifying polls at or above 5 percent. But the man can raise campaign cash.Worth Your TimeOne of the best and most aspirational pledges President Trump made on the 2016 campaign trail was to work to untangle the thicket of executive regulation that puts such an oppressive cost on small and medium-sized American businesses. Unfortunately, while Trump has indeed nibbled away at regulations, his trade war with China has become an arbitrary compliance nightmare of its own, as this piece from Lydia DePillis of ProPublica demonstrates. These arbitrary regulatory decisions are “the stuff that libertarians like Elrod dread: Low-level staffers with limited industry knowledge issuing seemingly arbitrary decisions that can save or smash a company’s bottom line. Every few weeks, a list comes out with a new batch of lucky winners, and losers. ‘Non-electrical wall candelabras, of wood, each with 3 wrought iron candle holders’ received a pass, for example, but none with one or two candles. There is no mechanism for appeals.”Will Hurd, former CIA officer and retiring GOP congressman, is one of the most interesting figures on the right these days—a guy who may play (and hopes to play) a major role in figuring out what the Republican Party will look like after the Trump presidency winds down. This week, he sat down for a wide-ranging and interesting interview with the New York Times. Give it a read here. Olivia Nuzzi has a new profile for New York Magazine on Joe Walsh, one of President Trump’s “primary challengers,” who has a new book coming out soon. “If I were interested in making a profit off of Trump,” Walsh says, “I’d be like everybody else in talk radio, kiss his ass, say he’s the greatest, and I’d be really popular.”For Stat News, Helen Branswell tells the story of how scientists came up with an ebola vaccine, which was just approved in the United States last month. One of your Morning Dispatchers has taken only one science class since high school—and that was a very rigorous Gen Ed class called Science of Cooking—so it was especially fascinating to read about the drug development process from start to finish.A New Yorker profile of John Mulaney, the unofficial stand-up comedian of The Morning Dispatch! Carrie Battan interviews the Saturday Night Live alum about the state of comedy, his role in it, and his new Netflix special, “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch.”Presented Without CommentKen Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalMLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the Red Sox used video replay room illegally in 2018. Story with @EvanDrellich. MLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the…Replay rooms across the sport evolved into hives of sign-stealing activity before MLB attempted to crack down.theathletic.comJanuary 7th 20202,839 Retweets6,514 LikesOkay, TWO comments: Does this mean the Cubs and the Nationals are the only teams to win the World Series in the last four years without cheating? Does it mean two of Boston’s four major sports teams have been embroiled in cheating scandals in the past three weeks alone?Something FunIn a surprise twist that wouldn’t have made much sense a decade or two ago, vinyl records are on track to outsell CDs for the first time in 30 years, KRQE reports. The top-five vinyl albums of 2019? It’s a ragtag bunch.Harry Styles, Fine LineBillie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?The Beatles, Abbey RoadQueen, Greatest HitsGuardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Volume 1.Toeing the Company LineTuesday French Press goes deep on Iran. Did Trump threaten to commit war crimes? Was killing Suleimani a wise move? David can provide a definitive answer on at least one of those.For The Dispatch Fact Check, Declan takes a look at Nikki Haley’s claim that Democrats are “the only ones mourning the loss of Suleimani.” Turns out, while Democrats have made some incendiary claims about the strike on Suleimani, they’re not shedding any tears at his death.And on the home page, a fascinating essay from Jonah about this tribal moment —we hope it’s only a moment—in conservatism.Let Us KnowLike vinyl, what other remnants (hah, get it, The Remnant?) should we bring back from the ‘70s?CB radios: What better way to bridge our partisan divides than strangers shouting at you rather than tweeting?Pet rocks: Older generations should probably cool it making fun of our millennial trends.That “Cat’s in the Cradle” song: Who doesn’t enjoy breaking down crying listening to music on the subway?Schoolhouse Rock: This is probably the correct answer, isn’t it?Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Andrew Egger (@EggerDC), Sarah Isgur (@whignewtons), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).Photograph of the White House taken Tuesday night by Photo by Wroblewski/Getty Images.You’re on the free list for The Morning Dispatch. For the full experience, become a paying subscriber.Subscribe© 2020 Steve Hayes Unsubscribe PO Box 720263, San Francisco, CA 94172

AXIOS

The Morning Dispatch: Iran AttacksPlus, how we got to this point and a quick look at 2020 fundraising numbers.The Dispatch StaffJan 8Happy Wednesday. We were putting this newsletter to bed last night when we heard the shocking news: Iran had launched missiles at U.S. troops in Iraq. No doubt we’ll find out how the U.S. plans to respond, if at all, today—in the meantime, our thoughts go out to the American service members in the area and their families; we’ll do our best to get you up to speed on what’s happened in the region over the last few days.Quick Hits: What You Need To KnowSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he has enough support to pass a set of rules for President Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial without locking down parameters surrounding witnesses and document requests. Speaker Pelosi, for her part, reportedly told Democrats she still has no plans to send over impeachment articles until the Senate provides more details on the trial.If there wasn’t enough going on in Iran, a Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 plane crashed near Tehran late last night with 180 passengers on board. And if that wasn’t enough, a 4.9 magnitude earthquake was reported to strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant around the same time.The Department of Justice recommended up to six months in jail for Mike Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser.Rep. Duncan Hunter formally submitted his resignation letter on Monday after pleading guilty last month to misusing campaign funds.Both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg have purchased 60-second advertising slots during the Super Bowl for a whopping $10 million each. Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, is stepping away from the day-to-day operations of his post to build out a new conservative network called CRC Advisors.CNN settled a lawsuit brought by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann over the network’s coverage of his standoff with Nathan Phillips on the National Mall last January.President Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s vice minister of defense on Monday. The meeting was kept off Trump’s public schedule and the White House did not release a readout; it only came to light when the Saudis released information Tuesday afternoon.Speaker company Sonos sued Google, alleging the tech giant “has been blatantly and knowingly copying [its] patented technology.”An Open Iranian AttackAfter five days of suspense following the death of Qassem Suleimani, Iran has struck back. The Pentagon announced Tuesday evening that Iran had fired more than a dozen missiles at two bases staffed by Americans in Iraq, days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against America in a direct and proportional way for the killing of their top general. Iran has been fighting the U.S. by proxy for decades, but attacking U.S. forces directly represents a major escalation. Thankfully, early reports indicated the attack resulted in no U.S. casualties.Things suddenly seemed to be moving very fast—but quickly slowed again as the White House did not respond right away. Just before 7 p.m., Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying that the president was aware of the attacks and was monitoring the situation closely. At 9:45 p.m., Trump tweeted the following:Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrumpAll is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.January 8th 202082,525 Retweets298,802 LikesThat Iran would retaliate came as no surprise. In addition to Khamenei, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif—whom the United States blocked from addressing the United Nations earlier this week—also pledged an Iranian response, which he said would take place “against legitimate targets,” unlike the ones Trump has threatened.This was in response to President Trump’s threats to strike Iranian cultural sites should Iran retaliate for the killing of Suleimani—strikes that would constitute war crimes. Trump made the threat repeatedly despite members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, saying such an attack would not be considered or carried out. “We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Esper said.In an interview with CNN, Esper also warned Iran to tread lightly. “The United States is not seeking a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one.”The prospect of an attack wasn’t the only thing on the minds of administration officials Tuesday. Pompeo also responded to Iran’s announcement that they would no longer honor the 2015 nuclear deal’s restrictions on uranium enrichment, insisting that “on our watch, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.”The coalition bases that were pummeled by Iranian missiles Tuesday night represented two states, the U.S. and Iraq, whose diplomatic relations have become further strained since the Suleimani attack. Last week, the Iraqi parliament passed a measure calling on Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi to expel U.S. forces from the country. Then, on Monday, chaos descended. A top U.S. general in Iraq sent a letter to his Iraqi counterpart informing him that the U.S. would begin preparations to withdraw troops out of respect for the sovereign decisions of Iraqi leadership. But after the letter was posted online, Pentagon officials initially told Congress behind the scenes that the letter was likely fake and part of a campaign of “active disinformation.” When the top two Pentagon leaders met with reporters, they first disclaimed any knowledge of the letter and later described it as a “draft” sent to the Iraqis by mistake. (For more on how that unfolded, you can read our behind-the-scenes report from the site yesterday.)That story kept creating headaches into Tuesday as well: As the Washington Post’s Mustafa Salim reported, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi on Tuesday formally acknowledged the letter as a “signed” withdrawal decision. “We don’t deal with statements in the media, we deal only with official letter,” senior officials from Mahdi’s office told Salim. Several U.S. outlets reported that the Iraqis were sent two versions of the letter, one signed and one unsigned. At a press availability Tuesday afternoon, Esper disputed those reports and insisted that only the unsigned draft letter had been transmitted to the Iraqis. In an appearance later with the prime minister of Greece, Trump said he didn’t know anything about the letter and suggested, as Pentagon officials had on Monday, that the letter could have been a “hoax.”The incompetence on display surrounding the letter — along with Trump’s threats to take out Iranian cultural sites — have unnerved some Republicans on Capitol Hill who were otherwise behind Trump’s decision to take out Suleimani. A senior congressional Republican tells The Dispatch that some colleagues had decided against a more forceful and public embrace of the administration’s more confrontational approach toward Iran because they’re so uncertain about what could happen — or what the president might say — next.The Democrats’ War Chests ExpandWith all the sturm und drang over Iran over the past few days, we haven’t gotten around to talking much about the state of the 2020 race. But the Iowa caucuses aren’t getting any farther away. So even with everything else going on, we wanted to sneak in a quick look at some news from last week: the 2020 candidates’ Q4 fundraising numbers, one indicator of the relative strength of the campaigns.Here are the top-level numbers:Trump: $46 million ­↑Sanders: $34.5 million­­ ­↑Buttigieg: $24.7 million ↑Biden: $22.7 million ­↑Warren: $21.2 million ↓Yang: $16.5 million ↑Klobuchar: $11.4 ↑Booker: $6.6 million ↑Gabbard: $3.4 million ­↑But those don’t tell the whole story.A better number for identifying the health of a campaign (and not just its fundraising machine) is cash on hand. Those figures are less widely available. But the Trump campaign, doing well, has announced that it has more than $100 million heading into 2020.While we don’t have Bernie Sanders’ cash-on-hand numbers, we do know that his campaign was spending 55 cents for every dollar it was bringing in through the 3rd quarter, based on his FEC reports to date. That’s a lot. It means despite his impressive haul for the year—roughly $96 million—he has spent a good chunk of that already.Why is his Bern rate (sorry) so high? He doesn’t do high-dollar fundraisers. Those “wine cave” fundraising events with minimum donation tiers of $500 and contributions going up to $2,800, are traditionally cheaper and a more efficient means of raising campaign cash. But modern presidential campaigns can spend millions to raise millions from small dollar donors through digital advertising because the potential overall contribution numbers are so much higher (low-dollar donors can give again and again) even if the percentage take is lower, as Sanders can almost certainly attest. There’s another important caveat: Money doesn’t buy happiness or presidential elections. One reporter noted that “the Dem field is easily going to double” the incumbent president’s fundraising numbers, unlike in 2004 and 2012. Okay, but the Clinton and Trump campaigns spent nearly 30 percent less in 2016 than the Obama and Romney campaigns in 2012.  And even head-to-head, with outside groups and super PACs included, the Clinton team raised about $1 billion only to lose to Trump’s $600 million. The same held true in the 2016 primaries, of course. Jeb Bush and his team spent $130 million without winning a contest in 2016. In fact, as Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo said at the time, Trump “spent the least amount of money of any of the competitive primary contenders that he beat so badly.” With 24/7 news-cycle saturation and social media organizing, the things money used to be able to buy—direct mail, tv ads, paid door knocking—are clearly becoming less important.And then there’s the RNC’s whopping fundraising numbers, which combine with the Trump campaign for an eye-popping $463 million for the year—more than doubling President Obama and the DNC’s 2011 numbers.  Lastly, Yang-mentum: Andrew Yang—a guy who wears a ‘MATH’ pin and listens to college a capella in the car—has raised more money just this quarter than Chris Christie, Scott Walker, John Kasich, or Rand Paul did in all of 2015. He has not yet qualified for the January debate stage and needs three more qualifying polls at or above 5 percent. But the man can raise campaign cash.Worth Your TimeOne of the best and most aspirational pledges President Trump made on the 2016 campaign trail was to work to untangle the thicket of executive regulation that puts such an oppressive cost on small and medium-sized American businesses. Unfortunately, while Trump has indeed nibbled away at regulations, his trade war with China has become an arbitrary compliance nightmare of its own, as this piece from Lydia DePillis of ProPublica demonstrates. These arbitrary regulatory decisions are “the stuff that libertarians like Elrod dread: Low-level staffers with limited industry knowledge issuing seemingly arbitrary decisions that can save or smash a company’s bottom line. Every few weeks, a list comes out with a new batch of lucky winners, and losers. ‘Non-electrical wall candelabras, of wood, each with 3 wrought iron candle holders’ received a pass, for example, but none with one or two candles. There is no mechanism for appeals.”Will Hurd, former CIA officer and retiring GOP congressman, is one of the most interesting figures on the right these days—a guy who may play (and hopes to play) a major role in figuring out what the Republican Party will look like after the Trump presidency winds down. This week, he sat down for a wide-ranging and interesting interview with the New York Times. Give it a read here. Olivia Nuzzi has a new profile for New York Magazine on Joe Walsh, one of President Trump’s “primary challengers,” who has a new book coming out soon. “If I were interested in making a profit off of Trump,” Walsh says, “I’d be like everybody else in talk radio, kiss his ass, say he’s the greatest, and I’d be really popular.”For Stat News, Helen Branswell tells the story of how scientists came up with an ebola vaccine, which was just approved in the United States last month. One of your Morning Dispatchers has taken only one science class since high school—and that was a very rigorous Gen Ed class called Science of Cooking—so it was especially fascinating to read about the drug development process from start to finish.A New Yorker profile of John Mulaney, the unofficial stand-up comedian of The Morning Dispatch! Carrie Battan interviews the Saturday Night Live alum about the state of comedy, his role in it, and his new Netflix special, “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch.”Presented Without CommentKen Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalMLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the Red Sox used video replay room illegally in 2018. Story with @EvanDrellich. MLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the…Replay rooms across the sport evolved into hives of sign-stealing activity before MLB attempted to crack down.theathletic.comJanuary 7th 20202,839 Retweets6,514 LikesOkay, TWO comments: Does this mean the Cubs and the Nationals are the only teams to win the World Series in the last four years without cheating? Does it mean two of Boston’s four major sports teams have been embroiled in cheating scandals in the past three weeks alone?Something FunIn a surprise twist that wouldn’t have made much sense a decade or two ago, vinyl records are on track to outsell CDs for the first time in 30 years, KRQE reports. The top-five vinyl albums of 2019? It’s a ragtag bunch.Harry Styles, Fine LineBillie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?The Beatles, Abbey RoadQueen, Greatest HitsGuardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Volume 1.Toeing the Company LineTuesday French Press goes deep on Iran. Did Trump threaten to commit war crimes? Was killing Suleimani a wise move? David can provide a definitive answer on at least one of those.For The Dispatch Fact Check, Declan takes a look at Nikki Haley’s claim that Democrats are “the only ones mourning the loss of Suleimani.” Turns out, while Democrats have made some incendiary claims about the strike on Suleimani, they’re not shedding any tears at his death.And on the home page, a fascinating essay from Jonah about this tribal moment —we hope it’s only a moment—in conservatism.Let Us KnowLike vinyl, what other remnants (hah, get it, The Remnant?) should we bring back from the ‘70s?CB radios: What better way to bridge our partisan divides than strangers shouting at you rather than tweeting?Pet rocks: Older generations should probably cool it making fun of our millennial trends.That “Cat’s in the Cradle” song: Who doesn’t enjoy breaking down crying listening to music on the subway?Schoolhouse Rock: This is probably the correct answer, isn’t it?Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Andrew Egger (@EggerDC), Sarah Isgur (@whignewtons), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).Photograph of the White House taken Tuesday night by Photo by Wroblewski/Getty Images.You’re on the free list for The Morning Dispatch. For the full experience, become a paying subscriber.Subscribe© 2020 Steve Hayes Unsubscribe PO Box 720263, San Francisco, CA 94172

ROLL CALL

Morning Headlines

Roberts would hold the gavel, but not the power, at Trump impeachment trial

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will preside over any impeachment trial of President Donald Trump as the Constitution requires, but don’t expect him to make decisions that substantively reshape the action, as the Senate under past rules has given relatively little authority to the nation’s top judicial figure. Read More…

Impeachment trial could sideline Iran war powers debate

The confluence of a pending impeachment trial and a potential military conflict with Iran has left senators with anxiety and a lack of control over their calendars. While senators are expected to be able to handle both issues, if they object to conducting legislative business during a trial, even a war powers resolution would have to wait. Read More…

Reapportionment after census could shake up swing districts

Candidates and parties have started multimillion-dollar struggles for control of congressional districts that may not exist in two years. Census Bureau population estimates suggest a handful of states might lose seats in Congress after the 2020 count, which could make victories in some of the hardest-fought congressional races fleeting. Read More…Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developments in finance and financial technology. 

Reflexive anti-Trumpism, AOC’s shrink-the-tent strategy will cost Democrats in November

OPINION — The loudest voice in the Democrats’ progressive wing just laid down a big marker to potential candidates, members of Congress and voters: Conform to our ideology or you’re not really welcome in our party. One might ask, who died and made Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the ideological enforcer of the Democratic Party? Read More…

Success of tobacco age change will depend on state efforts

The legal age for cigarettes, nicotine vaping products and other tobacco is now 21 across the country after Congress changed the age last month — but progress in reducing youth vaping will depend on states to ensure that underage sales are halted. Read More…

GOP candidates seize on gun rights movement sweeping across Virginia

A gun rights movement spreading across Virginia came to the heart of Democrat Elaine Luria’s swing district Monday night, when city officials voted to make Virginia Beach, the site of a 2019 mass shooting, a “sanctuary” for Second Amendment rights. Read More…

Duncan Hunter resigns from Congress

California Rep. Duncan Hunter submitted his resignation from Congress on Tuesday, marking the end of an 11-year stint in the House marred by his misuse of campaign funds for a variety of endeavors, including spending money on Lego sets, movie tickets, a $14,000 family vacation to Italy and flights for his family’s pet rabbit. Read More…

Weather cam: D.C.’s first snowfall of 2020

Washington had its first snowfall of the year Tuesday. Although the Office of Personnel Management ordered federal government employees in the district to leave work by 1 p.m., Congress remained in session. Here’s a look at the Capitol as the snow fell. Watch the video here…

Former NFL player Steve Gleason joins ranks of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II

The former New Orleans Saints safety, who has made a major impact for individuals with ALS since being diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease in 2011, is the next recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor that Congress can grant a civilian. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will host the medal ceremony on Jan. 15. Read More…

Capitol Ink | Fast-aging Baby New Year

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Daily BriefingCONSERVATIVE NEWS | LIBERTARIAN NEWS | COMMENTARYVISIT LibertyNation.com  FROM OUR NEWSROOM‘Unsinkable’ Biden Seeks to Restore Divine Right of Swamp RoyaltyBy Joe SchaefferDems can do the nation a service by decisively rejecting the politics of inevitability.Click Here What America’s ThinkingVoters are evenly divided over President Trump’s decision to have a top Iranian general killed, but as is generally the case with questions regarding the president, it’s a party-line vote.60% of likely voters who are now in the military or have served in the past see Trump as a stronger commander in chief than most recent presidents.46% of likely U.S. voters favor the use of U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods to force Mexico to strengthen its efforts to stop illegal immigration and illegal drugs from entering this country.Just 30% think Congress is likely to seriously address the most important problems facing our nation. 68% consider that unlikely. Brit Ballot Box: UK Left Hails SoleimaniBy Mark AngelidesCheerleading for a terrorist?Click Here Washington WhispersComing down the pipeline:President Trump plans to address the country on Wednesday morning after Iran claimed responsibility for the launch of missiles at a pair of military bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops and coalition personnel.The Iranian Foreign Minister said that Tehran does not seek “escalation or war” after it launched more than a dozen missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops and coalition forces.Mitch McConnell insists that he has the votes to pass an organizing resolution to start President’s Trump impeachment trial without requiring witness testimony.Chuck Grassley is urging Mitch McConnell to take quick action on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before an impeachment trial begins in the Senate. Read Our Latest BookBy Liberty Nation StaffThe Second American Revolution: Tech Tyranny and Digital DespotsClick Here Your Daily Political DevotionalA Glimpse at What’s Hot in the PolitisphereWith the bombing attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq, Democratic politicians have already put together a single line response suggesting that Iran’s actions were “predictable.” Joe Biden, Steny Hoyer, and others are coordinating their responses in what is shaping up to be the next line of attack against President Trump. Be prepared for endless media touting of “reckless endangerment” by the president. Politicos are lining up to do what they do best, offer condemnation without solutions. Immigration Roundup: A Wall That Works and DNA DatabasesBy Kelli BallardPilot program for DNA testing of immigrants may sharpen vetting procedures.Click Here News RoundupWe’ve Surfed The Web for YouHannah Brown Is Everything Wrong With FeminismIranian Bombs Miss Everyone, Liberals Hardest HitIf Baghdad Wants Us Out, Let’s Go! By Patrick J. BuchananNolte: CNN Reporter Who Attacked Babylon Bee Repeatedly Retweeted the ‘Onion’Liz Cheney calls Nancy Pelosi an ’embarrassment’ after speaker spotted at party following missile fire on US troops in Iraq Liberty Nation On The Go: Listen to Today’s Top News 01.08.20By Liberty Nation StaffConservative News – Hot Off The Press – Audio Playlist.Click Here  WATCH NOWFEATURED LNTVLNTV: 2019 Moments Haunting 2020 Democrats – WATCH NOW!LNTV: Robert Kraft Now Facing Felonies In Prostitution Arrest – WATCH NOW!LNTV: Virginia’s Second Amendment Skirmishes Continue – WATCH NOW! The Rabbit Hole: Missing Days, Babylonian Monsters and New Year’s Day Check out one of our podcasts!Subscribe and get notified of new arrivals.SUBSCRIBELNTV: Democrats’ Post-Impeachment Blues – WATCH NOW! Check out one of our videos!View the latest Liberty Nation videos on YouTube.WATCH NOW

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POLITICO PLAYBOOK

POLITICO Playbook: Trump is a war president now

By ANNA PALMER and JAKE SHERMAN 

01/08/2020 06:10 AM EST

Presented by

DRIVING THE DAY

WITH A RAIN OF BALLISTIC MISSILES at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad and Irbil air bases, President DONALD TRUMP became a wartime leader at the dawn of an election year, and the contours of his ever-changing presidency have again shifted.

FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS, impeachment dominated every inch of the collective mind of Washington, and played an especially outsize role in the president’s mood and psyche. TRUMP is a president who relishes fights and chaos, and, despite his stated displeasure with the impeachment process, he seemed to enjoy striking back at his enemies with vitriol and lavishing praise on allies who took his side on live television.

BUT BEING THE LEADER OF A NATION AT OR ON THE BRINK OF WAR traditionally requires a different skillset — one that TRUMP has not yet shown he’s mastered. A president leading a war-weary nation into (or close to) conflict typically communicates clearly, measuredly and consistently about the what, why and how.

AMERICA IS AT THE BACK END of nearly two decades of watching a steady stream of dead bodies land on cargo planes at Dover Air Force Base, so the skepticism with which the country views armed military conflict is understandable. And communicating about why you’re sending troops overseas as Iran is sending missiles into air bases requires more than slagging your predecessors for what they didn’t do, cryptically tweeting at odd hours or suggesting Democrats in Congress are anti-American.

THINK WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT THEIR POLICIES OR POLITICS, but GEORGE W. BUSH and BARACK OBAMA took pains to communicate what they were doing and what they were trying to achieve when they took kinetic military action.

WAR, ALMOST DEFINITIONALLY, is a country’s effort to achieve an end through measured chaos. TRUMP’S entire presidency is an attempt to achieve multiple ends through chaos. It’s time to see how those blend.

LATE TUESDAY NIGHT, JAVAD ZARIF, Iran’s foreign minister, tweeted that his nation does not seek “escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.” And TRUMP said this: “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.”

PERHAPS HE’LL SEEK AN OFFRAMP. But as of Tuesday night, bombs were raining down on American bases, thousands of U.S troops are again heading to the Middle East, and we don’t know precisely what this administration is trying to achieve. More from Halley Toosi, Andrew Desiderio and Nancy Cook

CONGRESS is set to get a briefing from senior military officials about the killing of Qassem Soleimani today.

NYT’S PETER BAKER on A8, with a News Analysis bug: “A Strategy for the Mideast That Has Even Trump’s Allies Scratching Their Heads”: “If even the Pentagon does not know whether it is coming or going in Iraq, it might be hard to blame the rest of the world for being a little confused about President Trump’s strategy for the Middle East.

“As Iranian missiles fell on bases with American troops on Tuesday in retaliation for the drone strike last week that killed Iran’s most powerful general, the administration has scrambled to explain its mission and goals in the region amid a chaotic brew of conflicting statements, crossed signals and mixed messages.

“The president who promised to bring troops home from the Middle East is now dispatching more instead. The Pentagon sent a letter saying it was withdrawing from Iraq, only to disavow it as a mistake. The State Department talked about ‘de-escalation’ while Mr. Trump beat the war drums describing all the ways he would devastate Iran if it harmed more Americans. And even then, the president was forced to back off his threat to target Iranian cultural sites after his own defense secretary publicly said doing that was a war crime.

“Likewise, the administration’s explanation for authorizing last week’s strike has varied depending on the moment. At first, officials emphasized that Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite security and intelligence forces, was eliminated to prevent an ‘imminent’ attack that could take hundreds of American lives. But in the last day or so, Mr. Trump and others focused more on retribution for General Suleimani’s past attacks on Americans.” NYT

WAPO’S DAVID NAKAMURA and JOSH DAWSEY: “Inside the White House, two administration officials conceded that some of Trump’s messages over the weekend were unhelpful. The aides pointed to Trump’s threat, first issued on Twitter, that the United States military would target 52 Iranian sites, including cultural ones, if Tehran retaliated for Soleimani’s death.

“Pentagon officials had not analyzed potential cultural site targets before the president’s tweet, said one senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the geopolitical sensitivities.” WaPo

— NYT’S ANNIE KARNI and MAGGIE HABERMAN: “Suleimani’s Killing Creates New Uncertainty for Trump Campaign”: “[M]r. Trump’s decision to authorize the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, which he has described to friends and allies as a necessary action he was forced to take, has opened up a more uncertain political reality as the president enters an election year. That uncertainty was on display Tuesday night when Iran fired missiles at American forces in Iraq, in its first act of retaliation. …

“[W]hether the strike will help the president win over more voters rests on factors largely outside Mr. Trump’s control. How Iran retaliates, and how voters who responded to his 2016 campaign message about ending ‘forever wars’ in the Middle East react to a potentially escalating conflict are the two most immediate questions. …

“In the days since the attack, Mr. Trump has soaked up praise from Republican senators and allies, and aides described him as very comfortable with his decision. Mr. Trump, who has been eager to bask again in the kind of praise he received after ordering the military to bomb Syrian government forces after they used chemical weapons in 2017, has enjoyed his victory lap. He even described in graphic detail to friends the attacks on the American Embassy in Baghdad that preceded the strike against General Suleimani.”

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THE MARKETS REACT … FT: “Oil prices and global stock markets stabilised after an initial jolt of volatility in the hours after an Iranian missile strike against American forces in Iraq significantly escalated tensions in the Middle East. …

“The restraint in the Iranian comments after the event ‘certainly feeds into the interpretation that the attack was designed to play to the home crowd rather than simply the next stage in an intensifying conflict,’ said Richard McGuire, rates strategist at Rabobank.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Senate Minority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER and Sens. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) and JACK REED (D-R.I.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary MARK ESPER and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. MARK MILLEY asking them to provide Congress with regular briefings and documents about troop deployment plans related to the conflict in Iran. They also called on them to make clear to the chain of command that targeted strikes on cultural sites are unlawful. The letter

IRAN’S RETALIATION IN IRAQ is affecting Democrats’ plans to try to limit TRUMP’S ability to conduct military activity in the Middle East:

SARAH FERRIS, HEATHER CAYGLE and JOHN BRESNAHAN: “Top House Democrats’ plans to push a measure limiting the Trump administration’s war-making powers are in flux following an Iranian missile attack Tuesday on U.S. bases inside Iraq.

“The real prospect of rapidly intensifying conflict with Iran complicates the Democrats’ plan to repudiate President Donald Trump for a deadly drone attack on Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani last week without notifying Congress. House Democrats say they are likely to pause, if not abandon, their plans for a war powers resolution.

“‘This discussion started Sunday night. It’s now 48 hours, or less than 48 hours since,’ House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday night. ‘This is something that we have to consider seriously and thoughtfully and correctly and we’re going to do that.’

“‘We need to figure out what’s going on,’ added Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), one of the nation’s most prominent anti-war Democrats, when asked about plans for a war powers vote this week. ‘I think everyone expected some unfortunate retaliation,’ Lee said of Tuesday’s Iranian attacks. ‘It’s a spiral now, that unfortunately might get out of control. That’s what we don’t want to see.’” POLITICO

Good Wednesday morning. SPOTTED: Paul Ryan having lunch at Carlyle in Arlington on Tuesday.

NOW ON TO IMPEACHMENT … Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL’S announcement Tuesday that he had enough votes to pass a Republican-only rules package to govern the impeachment process throws the spotlight back on Speaker NANCY PELOSI, who is still not saying when she plans to send over the articles.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: The process McConnell has described doesn’t preclude witnesses, but also doesn’t commit to them. Witnesses would be put to a Senate vote.

HEATHER CAYGLE and SARAH FERRIS note that in a closed meeting Tuesday evening with Democrats, PELOSI “didn’t reveal a timeline for transmitting the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate.” Heather and Sarah’s story

PELOSI SENT A LETTER to Democrats that urged MCCONNELL to “publish” his impeachment rules so Democrats can “can see the arena in which we will be participating, appoint managers and transmit the articles to the Senate.”

HOUSE AND SENATE DEMOCRATS we spoke to Tuesday made it clear that they want the articles sent to the Senate soon, so the time is running out on this gambit.

— BEHIND THE SCENES: JOHN BRESNAHAN and BURGESS EVERETT: “McConnell’s win on impeachment trial procedure was months in the making”

THE UNFOLDING TRUMP STRATEGY — “Trump’s House warriors likely sidelined in Senate trial,” by Melanie Zanona and Anita Kumar: “GOP lawmakers like Reps. Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan and John Ratcliffe aren’t expected to serve on Trump’s official impeachment defense team, according to three people familiar with the situation, despite having played a key role defending the president during the House’s public impeachment hearings. …

“Instead, Trump’s top defenders are more likely to help out in a public relations capacity — including the media appearances that the TV-obsessed president covets — though the White House has made no final decision as it waits for lawmakers to set the timing and parameters of the trial.” POLITICO

Playbook PM

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NEW — MICHAEL BLOOMBERG’S campaign operation has been reaching out to K Street figures to try and hire operatives with Senate and House experience to do Capitol Hill outreach for his presidential campaign. Sources familiar with the process say they are looking to move fast and are willing to pay significantly more than typical campaign salaries.

ALSO IN IRAN … “Ukrainian airplane crashes near Iran’s capital, killing 176,” by AP’s Mohammad Nasiri, Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell in Shahedshahr, Iran: “A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.

“The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers, but both Ukrainian and Iranian officials said they suspected a mechanical issue brought down the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

“The plane carried 167 passengers and nine crew members from different nations. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko, said that there were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians on board — the Ukrainian nationals included two passengers and the nine crew. There were also 10 Swedish, four Afghan, three German and three British nationals.” AP

VALLEY TALK — “Don’t Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns,” by NYT’s Kevin Roose, Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac: “[A]ccording to a memo obtained by The New York Times, a longtime Facebook executive has told employees that the company had a moral duty not to tilt the scales against Mr. Trump as he seeks re-election.

“On Dec. 30, Andrew Bosworth, the head of Facebook’s virtual and augmented reality division, wrote on his internal Facebook page that, as a liberal, he found himself wanting to use the social network’s powerful platform against Mr. Trump. But citing the ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise and the philosopher John Rawls, Mr. Bosworth said that doing so would eventually backfire.” NYT … Bosworth’s response

2020 WATCH …

— AD WARS: “Trump to drop $10 million on Super Bowl ad,” by Alex Isenstadt

— “Bloomberg under fire for skirting the debate stage,” by Christopher Cadelago and Sally Goldenberg in Richmond, Va.: “Mike Bloomberg is starting to take heat from Democratic rivals for running an imperial campaign: Using his personal fortune to finance an infinite stream of TV ads while refusing to engage his opponents and defend his record on a live debate stage. To that he says: Too bad.

“At a campaign stop here, the former New York mayor said he has no intention of trying to qualify for upcoming debates — even though he almost certainly could participate if he wanted to. It was his most definitive statement to date on a stance that has rankled his opponents, who chafe at his limitless war chest and feel he should have to endure the rigors of campaigning they do.

“Bloomberg insisted he’d like to debate if the rules allowed. But the billionaire, a latecomer to the Democratic primary, reasoned it is inappropriate for someone of his wealth to ask supporters for cash.” POLITICO

— “Warren deploys Castro in bid to get her mojo back,” by Alex Thompson in New York: “With an unusual flurry of national media appearances and the rollout of her highest profile endorsement to date — former presidential candidate Julián Castro — Elizabeth Warren is trying to give her campaign a jolt in the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses.

“For most of her presidential run, the Massachusetts senator had spurned Beltway-centric Sunday shows, mostly stayed away from the cable news circuit, and only occasionally went on national TV shows. But as her polling and fundraising has dipped in recent weeks, Warren has embarked on an energetic media tour, with interviews on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s State of the Union, NBC’s Late Night with Seth Myers, ABC’s The View, and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show — all since Sunday. She’ll keep up the circuit with an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday morning.

“The campaign simultaneously rolled out Castro’s endorsement on Monday with a web video that quickly earned millions of views, then a rally here before a thunderous audience of about 3,000 people, plus a large overflow crowd outside, at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.” POLITICO

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From energy security to reducing emissions, no challenge is too big when we work together on solutions.

TRUMP’S WEDNESDAY — The president will receive his intel briefing at 2:15 p.m.

PLAYBOOK READS

WILD READ — “Inside Carlos Ghosn’s Great Escape: A Train, Planes and a Big Black Box,” by WSJ’s Nick Kostov in Beirut, David Gauthier-Villars in Istanbul, Sam Schechner in Paris and Miho Inada in Osaka: “After months of planning and millions of dollars in costs, Carlos Ghosn climbed into a large, black case with holes drilled in the bottom. He had just traveled by train 300 miles from his court-approved Tokyo home to Osaka, Japan.

“It was Sunday evening, Dec. 29, the moment of truth in a plan so audacious that some of its own organizers worried at times it wouldn’t work. A team of private security experts hired to spirit Mr. Ghosn out of Japan hadn’t done a dry run of their scheme to sneak the box containing the former auto executive past airport security….

“Ghosn’s decision to jump bail in Japan set in motion a 23-hour international caper with little modern precedent. The plot involved advance teams that scoped out vulnerable airports, human messengers and a predawn plane transfer on the tarmac of a nearly deserted airport in Istanbul.” WSJ

— HAPPENING TODAY: Ghosn is due to speak to journalists for the first time since his escape.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter

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SCOOP … YAHOO’S JENNA MCLAUGHLIN: “Saudis warn of new destructive cyberattack that experts tie to Iran”: “Saudi authorities detected a new destructive cyberattack suspected of coming from Iran on Dec. 29, the same day the U.S. military struck targets controlled by Iranian-backed proxies in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed an American contractor the previous Friday.

“Officials in Riyadh, who nicknamed the malware ‘Dustman,’ did not directly attribute the malicious attack to Iran, according to a Saudi technical report obtained by Yahoo News. However, according to experts who reviewed the technical report and analyzed possible motivation and similarities to past attacks, Tehran is the most likely culprit.

“The ‘wiper’ attack, which was identified by the Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority, used malware to erase digital data belonging to unidentified targets in the Middle East.” Yahoo

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Let’s work together toward a future powered by cleaner American energy.

CES LATEST — “Defying critics, Ivanka Trump draws applause at tech show,” by Reuters’ David Shepardson in Las Vegas

— “White House Favors a Light Touch in Regulating AI,” by Wired’s Will Knight: “The White House has issued principles for regulating the use of artificial intelligence that call for as little government interference as possible and offer only broad guidance to federal agencies. In fact, the principles might deter regulation of AI at a time when many think it is increasingly needed.

“Michael Kratsios, chief technology officer of the United States, is set to announce the principles on Wednesday at CES in Las Vegas. They arrive at a critical moment for the development of AI and for America’s position as the global standard bearer.” Wired … The White House memo

MEDIAWATCH — Protocol is staffing up with several new hires: Demian Bulwa as head of investigations and projects (previously at the San Francisco Chronicle); Kat Borgerding as audience engagement editor (previously at Recode/Vox); Tom Krazit as cloud computing reporter (previously at Mostly Cloudy); Karyne Levy as head of the copy desk (previously at Scribd); JP Mangalindan as a contributing editor (previously at Yahoo Finance); and Levi Sumagaysay as a Silicon Valley reporter (previously at The San Jose Mercury News).

— Magan Crane is joining Bloomberg as deputy politics editor. She previously was senior editor of digital politics at PBS NewsHour.

— Elizabeth Koh is joining the WSJ’s Seoul bureau to cover Samsung. She is currently a state government reporter at the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times’ shared Tallahassee bureau.

PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

SPOTTED: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (who stopped by briefly), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), Maureen Dowd, Steve and Jean Case, Jonathan Capehart and Michelle Jaconi at the opening Tuesday night of Maialino Mare, a Danny Meyer restaurant in the Thompson Washington D.C. hotel.

SPOTTED at a party Tuesday night for Peter Bergen’s new book, “Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos” ($19.69 on Amazon), hosted by Meena and Liaquat Ahamed: Tresha Mabile-Bergen, Norm Eisen, Gregory Craig, Steve Clemons, Kim Dozier, Vali Nasr, Sidney Blumenthal, Mark Mazzetti, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Adam Kushner, Henry Schuster, Maureen White, Michael Isikoff, Edward Luce and Niamh King, Max Boot, Margaret Carlson, Elizabeth Campbell, Nir Rosen, Joel Rayburn and Clare Lockhart, Luke Hartig, Katherine Bradley, Tom Carver, Kenneth Ballen, Joshua Geltzer, Meredith Hanley, Fuzz Hogan, and Thomas and Holly Espy.

TRANSITIONS — Curtis Dubay is now senior economist at the Chamber of Commerce overseeing its analysis of the U.S. and global economies. He previously was a senior economist at the American Bankers Association. … Dan Keniry is now head of federal government affairs at Anheuser-Busch. He previously was staff director of the House Budget Committee for ranking member Steve Womack (R-Ark.). …

… Max Sevillia is now VP of government relations, advocacy and community engagement at the Anti-Defamation League. He previously was director of external affairs for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. … Evan Lukaske is now communications director for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). He previously was senior communications advisor and national press secretary for Gillibrand’s presidential campaign.

ENGAGED — Casey Murray, director at Shape Advocacy, and Dylan Cronin, an account executive at Advanced Energy Economy, got engaged Dec. 27 at Whistler Ski Resort in Canada.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jane Lucas, counsel at Alston & Bird and a Trump White House alum. An interesting book she’s been reading: “After leaving the White House, I have a lot more time to read for pleasure, so I’m currently reading Willa Cather’s novel ‘O Pioneers!’ The book tells the story of a woman who homesteaded in Nebraska in the late 19th century. My family also homesteaded, and the book has given me a lot of insights into their experience, particularly the women in my family, and gives me extreme gratitude for how much easier our lives are today.” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Joyce Overboe (h/t Anna) … Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is 62 … Avra Siegel … Kim Jong Un is 36 … Heather Podesta (h/t Amy Weiss) … John Podesta (h/ts Tony Podesta) … Anita Dunn, managing director at SKDKnickerbocker … Jeannie Kedas, chief comms officer at First Look Media … Mary Jane Volk (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Amy McWethy (h/ts Jon Haber) … Charles Osgood is 87 … POLITICO’s Nirvi Shah … Israel Hernandez … David P. White is 48 … Adam Hechavarria … Buckley Carlson … María Peña … Caitlin Oakley, deputy assistant secretary in HHS’ public affairs office, is 3-0 (h/ts Meghan Dugan, John Twomey, Gary Beck, Judy Stecker and her ASPA colleagues) … former Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) is 92 … former Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) is 44 … former Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.) is 68 … former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) is 59 … Dina Fraioli … Ross Schneiderman … Casey Stegall, Fox News correspondent in Dallas …

… David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance … Andrew Bates, rapid response director for the Joe Biden campaign, is 33. He’s celebrating “by calling reporters who are trying to avoid him” (h/t the Biden for President comms team) … WSJ alum Elizabeth Holmes … Ted Leonsis is 63 … Jason Mehta is 37 … Elizabeth López-Sandoval, communications and special projects director for Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) … James Reed … Kathryn Grant … Chris Tanner … Angelo Mathay … Rob Melick … Sally Smith … Chip Giller, founder of Grist … Scott Fairchild … James Quinn … Kevin Ryan is 53 … Emma Brown … former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft is 78 … Snapchat’s Russ Caditz-Peck … Amanda McTyre … R Street’s Andy Smarick … FIU’s Brian Van Hook is 42 … Andy Smarick (h/t Alice Lloyd) … Gul Jammas Hussain … Jake Bailey … Nicole Tieman … Deborah Mazol, COS for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) … Michael Calvert … Sarah Wright … Laura Pinsky … Micah Honeycutt

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Sign up for this newsletterRead onlineStories from all over.  ‘This was an act of war’: Lindsey Graham warns of U.S. retaliation following Iran missile strike“Your fate is in your own hands in terms of the regime’s economic viability,” Graham said on Fox News Tuesday, addressing Iran. “You continue this crap, you’re going to wake up one day out of the oil business.”By Allyson Chiu ●  Read more » A romance writer called a novel racist. Now the industry is in chaos and its top awards have been cancelled.Romance Writers of America announced Monday that it would cancel its annual awards amid mass protests.By Antonia Farzan ●  Read more »  ‘When will we start shooting?’: Teen accused of firebombing Planned Parenthood shared far-right memes and fantasized about murderFederal prosecutors accused 18-year-old Samuel James Gulick of throwing a Molotov cocktail-like incendiary device at a Planned Parenthood in Delaware after vandalizing the clinic with graffiti connected to far-right extremists.By Katie Shepherd ●  Read more »  A couple returned from vacation to find their new home ransacked ― by a squirrelIt fell down the chimney and did an estimated $15,000 in damages.By Meagan Flynn ●  Read more » The pastor was supposed to deliver a sermon to his congregation in Kenya—not a bloody act of vengeanceHe had hand-written a 17-page note titled “Betrayal and Consequences,” police said.By Teo Armus ●  Read more »   We think you’ll like this newsletterCheck out Must Reads for a curated selection of our best journalism in your inbox every Saturday, plus a peek behind the scenes into how one story came together. Sign up »

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THE HILL

© Getty Images  Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It’s Wednesday. What a week already! Our newsletter gets you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the daily co-creators, so find us @asimendinger and @alweaver22 on Twitter and recommend the Morning Report to your friends. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Iran’s decision to strike two U.S. bases in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. killing of a top general in the Revolutionary Guard escalated tensions in the Middle East and at the White House as President Trump prepares today to react to the missile attacks Tehran claims were “self-defense.” Overnight, the Revolutionary Guard asserted that dozens of people were killed and hundreds hurt after more than a dozen ballistic missiles struck inside Iraq. U.S. officials did not immediately confirm initial assessments made by Iraqi officials who work with Americans that no U.S. or Iraqi forces had been killed. “All is well!” Trump tweeted Tuesday night as damage assessments began. “So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far!” The president, who met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room immediately after the attacks, said he will make a statement this morning about strikes against the Al-Asad base in Baghdad and a base in Erbil in northern Iraq following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani on Thursday. Early on Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters, “In the event the Iranians make another bad choice … the president will respond in a way that he did last week.” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday afternoon that U.S. forces were prepared to respond to any Iranian aggression. But there were signs that the United States and Iran are looking for next steps that do not involve escalating tit-for-tat military strikes. World leaders and members of Congress have called for de-escalation and diplomacy. Iraq’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday night on Twitter that “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter. … We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”Hours later, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed his countrymen in Iran. “What matters is that the presence of America should come to an end,” he said, speaking of U.S. forces in Iraq. The renewed tensions between the United States and Iran began when an American military contractor was killed, Iranian-backed militias vandalized the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on New Year’s Eve and Trump ordered the drone killing of Soleimani at the Baghdad airport. The New York Times: “The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on a Telegram channel as Tehran fired what the Pentagon said Tuesday night were more than a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq. The Washington Post: Live updates on the U.S.-Iran situation. The Washington Post: Iran launches ballistic missiles at bases housing U.S. military personnel in Iraq. The Hill: Missiles hit Iraq bases housing U.S. troops. Iran claims responsibility. The Hill: “All is well!” Trump tweets following Iran missile attack on bases in Iraq. The Washington Post: Confusion, contradictions: Trump White House stumbles in initial public response to Soleimani’s killing. The New York Times, by Peter Baker: A strategy for the Mideast that has even Trump’s allies scratching their heads. The Hill: Stock futures plummet following news of Iran strikes at U.S. installations in Iraq. LEADING THE DAYIMPEACHMENT WATCH: After spending weeks in a holding pattern following the House’s Dec. 18 vote to impeach Trump, the Senate is set to take the next step toward a trial as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declared that he has the votes to start one without requiring witness testimony.  McConnell initially made the announcement during the weekly Senate GOP luncheon, saying that he had secured the votes to kick off a trial by following the precedent set by the 1999 impeachment trial of former President Clinton. “We have the votes, once the impeachment trial has begun, to pass a resolution essentially the same, very similar to the 100 to nothing vote in the Clinton trial which sets up, as you may recall, what could best be described maybe as a Phase One,” McConnell told reporters after the luncheon. “My hope is that the Speaker will send them on over,” McConnell said of the House articles.  The news from the GOP leader is a blow to Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had been pushing for the Senate to pass a resolution at the start of the trial that would establish both rules and a deal concerning witnesses. Schumer has repeatedly called for acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, among others, to testify.  They needed four Republicans to break ranks to push for the singular resolution, but that effort has been stymied by McConnell’s announcement. “Make no mistake, on the question of witnesses and documents, Republicans may run but they can’t hide. There will be votes at the beginning on whether to call the four witnesses we’ve proposed and subpoena the documents we’ve identified,” Schumer said from the Senate floor. “America and the eyes of history will be watching what my Republican colleagues do.”  © Getty Images  The wait, however, is still on for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to send the articles of impeachment across the Capitol. On Tuesday night before the House opened for business, Pelosi did not reveal to her colleagues when she plans to send the articles to the Senate, although she spoke about the subject at length (CNN). The Speaker told her caucus in a written communication on Tuesday that she wants McConnell to “publish” the resolution outlining Senate trial rules “so that, as I have said before, we can see the arena in which we will be participating, appoint managers and transmit the articles to the Senate.”  The Associated Press: Pelosi’s next move on impeachment unclear as Senate waits. The Washington Post: Pelosi says she won’t send articles of impeachment until the Senate reveals more about how it would conduct a trial. Joining McConnell, some Senate Democrats are anxious for Pelosi to forward the House articles to the Senate soon. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told The Washington Post he believes it’s time. The Hill: Schumer vows to force votes on impeachment witnesses. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump continued to play the hits, labeling the impeachment effort a “hoax” and a “witch hunt.” He also weighed in on the possibility of Bolton testifying at the Senate trial a day after his former national security adviser said that he is ready and willing to do so.  “That’s going to be up to the lawyers. It’ll be up to the Senate, and we’ll see how they feel,” Trump said. “He would know nothing about what we’re talking about, because as you know the Ukrainian government came out with a very strong statement no pressure no anything and this from the boss. That’s from the president of Ukraine. The foreign minister came out with a statement that was equally as strong.” ***CONGRESS: It has taken months for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as the new NAFTA, to make its way to the Senate for ratification. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee approved the House-passed version by a vote of 25 to 3, teeing up a potential floor vote next week, if trade nudges its way ahead of a Senate impeachment trial (The Hill). Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said it’s possible a final vote on the USMCA would be delayed a month if the House sends over its two articles of impeachment and the Senate begins a trial right away. IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKESPOLITICS & CAMPAIGNS: With the situation unfolding in the Middle East on Tuesday night, the Democratic primary field was in wait-and-see mode as the candidates awaited more information on the Iranian missile attacks in Iraq, with some using the moment to continue to warn against full-blown war in the region. Former Vice President Joe Biden held back making specific remarks about the strikes, tweeting that he was awaiting more information, but spoke more broadly about what is happening in Iran and Iraq during a fundraiser in Philadelphia, saying the situation is “predictable.” “What’s happening in Iraq and Iran today was predictable,” Biden said according to a pool report of the event. “Not exactly what’s happening but the chaos that’s ensuing,” he said, criticizing Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and missile strike killing Soleimani. “Some of the things he’s done and said in the meantime have been close to ludicrous,” Biden said. “Including threatening to bomb holy sites…And I just pray to God as he goes through what’s happening, as we speak, that he’s listening to his military commanders for the first time because so far that has not been the case.” Others, headlined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), went a step further. Warren, who was holding a campaign rally in Brooklyn alongside former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro when the news broke, told supporters that the strikes were another sign that war with Iran is not the right course of action (The Hill).  “This is a reminder why we need to de-escalate tension in the Middle East. The American people do not want a war with Iran,” she said.  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), did not weigh in one way or another, though has been a vocal opponent of war in the Middle East and opposed the Iraq War. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) were among those who held back making specific remarks, saying that they were monitoring the situation and awaiting more news before commenting, though they all offered thoughts and prayers for U.S. service members in the region.  Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), one of the few veterans in the Democratic field along with Buttigieg, tweeted that the news brought her back to her deployment to Iraq in 2005 and was another reminder of “terrible cost of war.” “#IranAttacks on U.S. troops today brought back a flood of memories from my 2005 deployment at the height of Iraq war. Constant rocket attacks. A daily reminder of the terrible cost of war. Unimaginable suffering awaits if this escalation continues. #NoWarWithlran #IranvsUSA,” she wrote. The Hill: Iran general’s killing adds new tension to 2020 field. > Rivalry: With only weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses, the long-simmering rivalry between Biden and Sanders is coming into full view.  Along with Buttigieg, Biden and Sanders are among the candidates in prime position to nab the first-in-the-nation caucus state and are going to the mat to do so. In recent weeks, the two Democratic primary opponents are sharpening their attacks against one another, especially on foreign policy, trade and other items of interest for each campaign as they look to gain a leg up with voters.  Despite Biden taking hold of the centrist lane and Sanders doing the same among progressives, the two heavyweights are duking it out over the same group of voters, as Max Greenwood writes: white, working-class voters who have yet to settle on a single candidate, but are wary of Warren or Buttigieg. Biden tried to draw a contrast with the president on Tuesday by delivering a speech in New York on foreign policy. The former vice president charged that Trump engaged in a “haphazard” decision-making process to take out Soleimani and offered “tweets, threats and tantrums” instead of communicating why he made the move to Congress or allies. He added that Trump is “dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership.”  “Democracy runs on accountability,” Biden said. “No one wants war. But it’s going to take hard work to make sure we don’t end up there accidentally” (The Associated Press). The Hill: Biden: U.S. will have to bear the cost of “Trump’s folly.” Reid Wilson, The Hill: On The Trail: History is not on Biden’s side. The Hill: DNC says next debate will be rescheduled if it conflicts with impeachment trial. © Getty Images  > Super Bowl: It may not be the general election battle, but the president and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are set to wage an air war on one of America’s biggest occasions: the Super Bowl.  Trump and Bloomberg are each expected to spend roughly $10 million on ads on Feb. 2 in order to get their messages out to viewers of the big game. While Trump’s message for the ad spot is unclear, Bloomberg is expected to make the president the main theme of his, according to The New York Times.  According to the Trump campaign, it had been in talks with Fox — the carrier of Super Bowl LIV — since the fall, reserved the airtime in December and paid for it last week (The Hill). “President Trump made the unprecedented decision to keep the campaign open following his first election, which allows [the campaign] to do things like buying a Super Bowl ad. We got in early, which gave us a prime ad position early in the game,” said Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign. “This is a clear indication that we’re ramping up the campaign, which also includes unprecedented pushes for black, women, Latino, and women voters.” OPINIONIn Australia’s nightmare, a vision of the planet’s future, by John Fleming, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/2FqpX7b The House impeachment moved nobody, but threatens trouble for Democrats, by Keith Naughton, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/37LT29i WHERE AND WHEN📺 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features Chuck Rocha, senior adviser to the Sanders’s presidential campaign; Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute For Responsible Statecraft, to react to the situation in Iran, Michael Pregent, senior fellow, Hudson Institute, and Aaron Maté, host of “Pushback,” all to discuss the situation in Iran. Coverage starts at 9 a.m. ET at http://thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10 a.m. at Rising on YouTube. The House will convene at 10 a.m. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. and will resume consideration of Matthew Solomson to be a judge on the United States Court of Federal Claims. The president will receive his intelligence briefing at 2:15 p.m. Vice President Pence and Karen Pence participate in a reception at 6:10 p.m. at the State Department for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Mrs. Mitsotaki of Greece. ELSEWHERE➔ Airplane crash in Tehran: A Boeing 737 operated by Ukraine International Airlines crashed in Tehran bound for Kiev shortly after takeoff on Wednesday with 179 passengers on board (Reuters). There were no survivors (NBC News). © Getty Images  ➔ Puerto Rico: Gov. Wanda Vázquez of Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency after a string of earthquakes that struck the U.S. commonwealth, including one 6.4-magnitude quake that is the strongest to hit the island in 102 years. Vázquez, who also activated the National Guard, said at a news conference Tuesday that the earthquakes killed one person, sparked power outages and cut off drinking water to 300,000 people across the island. Late Tuesday night, Trump signed a federal disaster declaration request (Reuters).  ➔ Trends to watch: Borden became the second major U.S. milk producer since November to file for bankruptcy, prompted in part because of changes in consumer tastes, including the popularity of almond and other non-dairy milks and a decline in consumption of cereal (The Washington Post). Even as cereal and milk fall from grace, plenty of other breakfast foods have gained in popularity, along with plant-based offerings that simulate sausage, beef and pork at a growing number of fast food chains and fast-casual restaurants (Yahoo Finance). ➔ Good news: In a category we’ll call “Make-a-Wish for Seniors,” we loved the smile on the face of 92-year-old Robert “Bob” Trulocke, who lives in a senior living facility in Great Britain and thought he’d missed out on his boyhood dream to ski. It’s never too late! His caregivers reached out to the staff of a nearby indoor snow slope and Trulocke soon tottered into Snozone on a walker and shot to the bottom of the downhill course with the help of an accessible ski and some staff assistance. “Weaving in and out, and whizzing down the slope — it made me feel alive,” Trulocke enthused (CBS News). © Twitter  THE CLOSERAnd finally … More good news from the “never too late” beat!  Sandi, a 12-year-old mixed-breed dog, lived in an animal shelter in Indiana for six years — longer than any of the shelter’s current staff — until a young couple discovered her charms.  On Friday, Sandi, wearing a crown and her tail wagging, finally took her “freedom walk” out of the shelter and onto a red carpet to deliver some grateful kisses to rescuers Erin and Cary Rhodes (CBS News).  More Sandi video from ABC News HERE. © Twitter  The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@thehill.com and aweaver@thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE! TO VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE HILL’S MORNING REPORT CLICK HERETO RECEIVE THE HILL’S MORNING REPORT IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP HEREMORNING REPORT SIGN UPFORWARD MORNING REPORTPrivacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  UnsubscribeEmail to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other NewslettersThe Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

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THE BLAZE

View this email in your browser January 8, 2020Trending now  ‘What world do you guys live in?’ — Jake Tapper to top Democrat after Nancy Pelosi’s stalling gambit fails  Iran’s foreign minister tweets about attack on US forces in Iraq — and President Trump responds minutes later  Heart surgeon: Throw out your olive oil now, here’s whySponsoredMore from TheBlaze  Nancy Pelosi slammed for response to Iran’s missile attacks  Border Patrol agents rescue three Mexican nationals stuck on top of San Diego border wall  Glenn Beck: If Obama was still in power, we’d have another Benghazi-style tragedy right now  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims responsibility for missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing US troopsListen live to Blaze RadioTune in to the next generation of talk radio, featuring original content from hosts like Glenn Beck, Pat Gray, Stu Burguiere, Steve Deace and more!Start listeningOne last thing …Iran retaliates with missile attack on numerous Iraqi bases housing US troopsOfficials from the Pentagon confirmed reports to Fox News on Tuesday that Iran was retaliating against US facilities in Iraq after an airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top leader o … Read moreYou might like …Got friends?FORWARD THIS EMAIL  © 2020 Blaze Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive emails from Blaze Media.Privacy Policy | Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe8275 S. Eastern Ave, Ste 200-245Las Vegas, Nevada, 89123, USA

THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Washington Examiner’s Examiner Today NewsletterView this as website ADVERTISEMENT HIGHLIGHTSPelosi will send impeachment articles to Senate pending ‘details’ of McConnell planIran threatens to ‘unleash Hezbollah’ in Israel and DubaiIranian foreign minister warned of ‘resolute response’ hours before Iran fired ballistic missiles at US forces Second-choice Sanders goes on offensive to win voters from Biden A significant portion of Joe Biden’s supporters are open to voting for Bernie Sanders, and the Vermont senator’s new attacks show he knows those Democrats are up for grabs.  ‘What you don’t want to do is antagonize’: Democrats balance last-minute Iowa caucus campaigning with Super Bowl This year, for the third time in history, the Super Bowl and Iowa’s opening nominating contest are set for back-to-back nights. It’s been more than 40 years since the NFL’s championship game has been the pre-show for the primary election season.   ‘All is well!’: Trump assures public after Iranian attack on military bases in Iraq President Trump released his first statement after dozens of ballistic missiles hit Al Asad air base in western Iraq. “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq,” the president tweeted. “Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.”  Food stamp rolls have declined by 7M under Trump even before reforms take effectPresident Trump has overseen a drop of millions of food stamp beneficiaries even before his administration’s proposals for tightening eligibility take effect. ADVERTISEMENT  Ukrainian Airlines passenger plane crashes in IranThe Boeing 737 airliner was carrying 180 passengers and crew when it crashed because of suspected technical difficulties shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran early Wednesday, according to Iranian state television. All onboard were reported dead after the plane went down in a ball of flames.   ‘An act of war’: Lindsey Graham slams Iranian ‘cancer in the Mideast’ Sen. Lindsey Graham called Iran’s attack on an Iraqi-U.S. coalition military base “an act of war” and asserted that President Trump will not be “conned” by the Iranian regime.  ‘This president will unleash holy hell’: Former Trump adviser blasts Iran Former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka said he believes President Trump will unleash “holy hell” on Iran after the nation attacked an Iraq-U.S. coalition base in western Iraq. Gorka made the comments while speaking with Fox News host Lou Dobbs.  Amy Klobuchar bails on fundraiser as Democratic candidates weigh in on Iranian ballistic missile attacks Amy Klobuchar was a no-show at an exclusive fundraiser in Washington, D.C., after Iran claimed responsibility for dozens of ballistic missiles launched at two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. troops.  Pelosi will send impeachment articles to Senate pending ‘details’ of McConnell plan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats on Monday she will transmit impeachment articles to the Senate when Senate Republicans provide the details of their just-announced plan for holding a trial.  Security in DC tightens amid conflict with IranSecurity in Washington, D.C., has increased as tensions grow between Iran and the United States.  Biden reacts to Iranian strike on base with US forces: ‘Chaos’ is ‘predictable’ Joe Biden reacted to Iran’s strike on an Iraqi military base that houses U.S. military forces by saying he was not surprised, though he noted that he was reacting generally and details were still developing.  House Republican proposes using tax code to combat climate change Republican Rep. Tom Reed will unveil a bipartisan bill Wednesday to provide federal tax subsidies for “first-of-a-kind” clean energy technologies for combating climate change. THE ROUNDUPA deadly earthquake terrifies Puerto RicoGervais teaches Hollywood what speaking truth to power really meansMcConnell’s win on impeachment trial procedure was months in the makingADVERTISEMENT

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CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS

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Connect: Facebook Twitter YouTubeView this email in your browser“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us,” (Romans‬ ‭8:18‬, ESV‬‬).David Young Announces Over $1 Million Raised in 2019By Caffeinated Thoughts on Jan 07, 2020 12:23 pm David Young announced he has raised over $1 million since announcing his candidacy on May 6, 2019 in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District race. Read in browser »   Iowans Deserve a Better Tax System NowBy John Hendrickson on Jan 07, 2020 12:10 pm John Hendrickson and Dr. Andrew J. Kidd: State policymakers should take full advantage of Iowa’s economic strength and surpluses to pursue pro-growth tax reforms—without delay. Read in browser »   Ernst Joins Senate Colleagues Calling on Pelosi to Forward Articles of ImpeachmentBy Caffeinated Thoughts on Jan 07, 2020 11:57 am U.S. Senator Joni Ernst joins her Senate colleagues in support of a Senate resolution that gives the House a deadline to forward Articles of Impeachment. Read in browser »   Cindy Axne Defends Affordable Care Act, Advocates Medicare as Public OptionBy Shane Vander Hart on Jan 07, 2020 11:33 am U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, told her constituents that the Affordable Care Act must not be dismantled and said she supports Medicare as a public option. Read in browser »   Recent Articles: Joe Biden: Trump Does Not Have Authority to Attack Iran Planned Parenthood Reports Increase in Abortions and Taxpayer Funding Watch: Ricky Gervais Roasts Hollywood Elite at Golden Globes In 2020, Hold Tightly To The Great American Idea Trump Made the Right Call Targeting SoleimaniLaunched in 2006,  Caffeinated Thoughts reports news and shares commentary about culture, current events, faith and state and national politics from a Christian and conservative point of view. Caffeinated Thoughts P.O. Box 57184 Des Moines, IA 50317 (515) 321-5077 Editor, Shane Vander Hart Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.ShareTweetShareForwardCopyright © 2020 Caffeinated Thoughts, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS

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CDN’s Daily News Blast delivers the day’s news first!View this email in your browserCDN Daily News Blast01/08/2020Excerpts:MSNBC Airs Baseless Iranian Propaganda About Dead US SoldiersBy Peter Hasson -MSNBC gave airtime to baseless Iranian propaganda alleging the Islamic Republic had killed 30 American military members in missile attacks Tuesday night. Iran launched missile attacks on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops on Tuesday, in retaliation for the U.S. killing notorious Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani. At the time this …MSNBC Airs Baseless Iranian Propaganda About Dead US Soldiers is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Wednesday, January 8, 2020By R. Mitchell -President Donald Trump will receive his daily briefing. Keep up with Trump on Our President’s Schedule Page. President Trump’s Itinerary for 1/8/20 – note: this  page will be updated during the day if events warrant All Times EST 2:15 PM Receive intelligence briefing – Oval Office White House Briefing Schedule …President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Wednesday, January 8, 2020 is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Iran To Attack Trump Properties?By Jim Clayton -Senior Iranian officials are using Twitter to hint at threats against President Trump’s properties — including his Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Florida and Trump Tower in Manhattan — over the killing of Iran’s top military commander. Hesameddin Ashena, a top adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted a link to a Forbes magazine …Iran To Attack Trump Properties? is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » FLASHBACK: Biden Once Said Iranian Attacks Were An ‘Act Of War’By Mary Margaret Olohan -Former Vice President Joe Biden once said that Iranian attacks were “an act of war.”   The 2020 presidential candidate criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to take out top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. But Biden said in 1996 that the United States can take “whatever action it deems appropriate” against …FLASHBACK: Biden Once Said Iranian Attacks Were An ‘Act Of War’ is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Iran Attacks Two Bases in Iraq that House U.S. Forces, Casualties ReportedBy R. Mitchell -The Al-Asad and Erbil (Irbil) Airbases in Iraq were attacked this evening as multiple surface-to-surface missiles were fired at the facilities by Iran and an unconfirmed report says that there are multiple Iraqi military casualties. The Pentagon issued a statement saying that at about 5:30 p.m. EST, Iran launched more …Iran Attacks Two Bases in Iraq that House U.S. Forces, Casualties Reported is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Walls Work: 3 Illegal Aliens Captured While Stuck at Top of Border WallBy R. Mitchell -SAN DIEGO — Due to the vigilance of several Border Patrol agents, three people were rescued after trying to scale the new border wall in San Diego on Sunday evening.   The event began at approximately midnight on January 5, when agents on patrol near Otay Mesa saw three people …Walls Work: 3 Illegal Aliens Captured While Stuck at Top of Border Wall is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » NATO Temporarily Suspends Training Mission in IraqBy Jim Garamone -Although NATO is committed to the training mission in Iraq, the alliance has suspended training operations in the country, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels today. ”In everything that we do, the safety of our personnel is paramount,” Stoltenberg told the media after a meeting of the North Atlantic …NATO Temporarily Suspends Training Mission in Iraq is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Iran Reportedly Evaluating Retaliation Scenarios to Inflict ‘Historic Nightmare’ on the United States – but the Tiger has TeethBy Greg Holt -If Iran is truly good at one thing, it is bragging.  On the other hand, with Donald Trump at the helm – the U.S. is good at something too, following through on threats; AKA promises.  After the U.S. removed a threat (General Qassem Soleimani – with the blood of U.S. …Iran Reportedly Evaluating Retaliation Scenarios to Inflict ‘Historic Nightmare’ on the United States – but the Tiger has Teeth is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Australian Police Have Charged Several People For Intentionally Setting Bushfires. Activists Blamed Climate ChangeBy Chris White -New South Wales police have charged more than 20 people for deliberately starting fires across Australia as the country beats back wildfires. Activists and celebrities say climate change played a part in the blaze. The NSW Police Force has taken legal action against 180 people since the end of 2019, …Australian Police Have Charged Several People For Intentionally Setting Bushfires. Activists Blamed Climate Change is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » SpaceX Launches 3rd Starlink MissionBy Duncan Idaho -On Monday, January 6 at 9:19 p.m. EST, or 2:19 UTC on January 7, SpaceX launched its third launch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Falcon 9’s first stage supported a Starlink mission in May 2019, the Iridium-8 mission in …SpaceX Launches 3rd Starlink Mission is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » Hollywood Can’t Take A Joke – Grrr Graphics – Ben Garrison CartoonBy Ben Garrison -Hollywood can’t take a joke Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globe Awards and during his opening monologue, he lambasted the degenerate culture that is Hollywood. A lot of what he said has been obvious to the general public for years, but will the actors listen to an insider? Probably not, …Hollywood Can’t Take A Joke – Grrr Graphics – Ben Garrison Cartoon is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on » A Hole In One – A.F. Branco CartoonBy A.F. Branco -Obama is known for his porous red lines compared to Trump’s, prime is example is the death of Soleimani. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2019. See more Branco toons HEREA Hole In One – A.F. Branco Cartoon is original content from Conservative Daily News – Where Americans go for news, current events and commentary they can trust – Conservative News Website for U.S. News, Political Cartoons and more. Read on »    See all breaking news, conservative commentary, political cartoons and more posted to CDN at our Home Page.    Follow on TwitterFriend on FacebookAdd on Google PlusCopyright © 2020 Conservative Daily News, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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View this email in your browserRecent ArticlesDems Forget Soleimani’s Plot to Bomb WashingtonJan 08, 2020 01:00 am Some of those Democrats calling the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani a war crime might not be alive today if Iran’s most “revered” general had carried out his plot to bomb a Washington, D.C. restaurant. Read More… Another Expensive Solar Scheme Bites the DustJan 08, 2020 01:00 am The purveyors of solar energy are working overtime to spin the now official failure of the Crescent Dunes thermal solar plant. Read More… How Stupid Do They Think We Are?Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am When the mainstream media uncritically push absurd Deep State narratives, people notice the abandonment of their responsibilities. Read More… Minority Leaders Must Speak Out against Jew-Hatred in Their CommunitiesJan 08, 2020 01:00 am It has been widely reported that virtually every recent stabbing and attack on Jews in the New York metropolitan area has been perpetrated by someone who is black, is Latino, or sympathizes with jihad. Read More… Not Pushing Back Fuels LGBT TyrannyJan 08, 2020 01:00 am The LGBT community is only 3% of the population. And yet, they have tremendous political power, bullying the masses into submission.  Read More… Seven Big Problems with Universal Health Care No One Wants to AddressJan 08, 2020 01:00 am If we can’t be honest about the realities of health care legislation, we’re going to get nowhere. Read More…  Recent Blog Posts Israeli think tank has Soleimani’s number Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am What to make of the Soleimani killing and what it means for the West? A sharp-eyed Israeli think tank has some credible possibilities.  Read more… House Republicans are investigating the ICIG behind the Ukraine ‘whistleblower’ Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Devin Nunes drops a bombshell about the inspector general behind the Ukraine whistleblower.  Read more… Traitorous Democrats hope for American casualties Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am The Democrats care only about partisan advantage — Americans themselves mean little to them in the great game of political power.  Read more… CNN settles with Covington Catholic’s Nicholas Sandmann Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Although it’s unclear whether CNN will publicly apologize, it is apparently paying for its disgraceful behavior.  Read more… Iran fires ballistic missiles at U.S. troops — beginning or end? UPDATED Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Iran fired missiles at U.S. troops, but it’s unclear if this was revenge or a feint, while Trump warns that Iran will rue attacks on troops.  Read more… Trump Doctrine on display Tuesday evening as he contemplates response to Iranian missiles Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Trump will likely take a measured response.  Read more… Gun grabbers Northam and Bloomberg claim Virginia’s Second Amendment supporters spreading ‘misinformation’ Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Bloomberg and Northam insist they are “sensible” gun grabbers.  Read more… Turkish president Recep Erdogan expands his military reach to Libya Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am In what is being perceived as an aggressive move to expand Turkey’s sphere of influence, President Erdogan sent troops to Libya.  Read more… The disastrous fires in Australia are man-caused, but they’re not climate change Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am What the Greens don’t want you to know: The human factor behind the fires in Australia doesn’t come from climate change.  Read more… Norway librarian tells Chicoms to go to hell over indecent ‘request’ to remove books from public library Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Norway has elevated itself by telling the Chinese government “no” to its indecent request to pull Falun Gong books from its public libraries while the Chinese ski team trains.  Read more… Was that ABC Nightline Martha Raddatz report on Iran actually journalism? Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Someone should ask ABC News just why the mullahs thought it a great idea to let the network in to film all the mourning. Useful idiots? You decide.  Read more… What did Iran do with your $450? Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am Remember when Obama sent $150 billion to Iran? Here’s your share.  Read more… It happens again: Russia cuts off energy lines to the West Jan 08, 2020 01:00 am This time, shambly little Belarus got it. But the message to Germany couldn’t be clearer: Russia is still using energy as a weapon.  Read more… Iran’s miscalculation Jan 07, 2020 01:00 am It is hard to understand Iran supreme leader Khamenei’s blunder in attacking the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. He either believed that Trump was weakened by his impeachment, as Western liberal media breathlessly and continuously reported, or might have been misled by John Kerry’s incompetent advice.  Read more… Impeachment: Are the Democrats crazy like a fox? Jan 07, 2020 01:00 am Impeachment is not their real agenda.  Read more… View this email in your browserAmerican Thinker is a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans.

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IJR

Ukrainian Airliner Crashes in Iran, Killing 176By Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:43 AMThe accident occurred as confrontation between Iran and the United States threatens to trigger a wider conflict in the Middle East. More Comments » Avenging General’s Killing, Iran Strikes at U.S. Troops in Iraq, Trump Weighs ResponseBy Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:20 AMThe next move appeared to lie with Washington. More Comments » U.S. Ready to Finish Any War Started With Iran: Defense SecretaryBy Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:19 AM“We are not looking to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one.” More Comments » California Congressman Convicted in Corruption Case to Resign Next WeekBy Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:18 AMHe would resign from office effective Jan. 13. More Comments » U.S. Candidate Bloomberg Says Business Experience Is Key to Beating TrumpBy Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:17 AM“He’s hoping to face a career politician who’s never created any jobs.” More Comments » Potential Jurors Expected in New York Court Wednesday for Weinstein Rape TrialBy Reuters, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 7:16 AMJury selection got off to a dramatic start on Tuesday. More Comments »

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VIEW IN BROWSERJANUARY 8, 2020CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COMDAYWATCH1Trump faces first major test as showdown with Iran escalates after missile attackWEDNESDAY, JAN 8President Donald Trump faces one of the greatest tests of his presidency after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. The strikes – retaliation for the targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, pushed Tehran and Washington perilously close to war and put the world’s attention on Trump as he weighs whether to respond with more military force.The overnight strikes did not appear to result in any American casualties, a U.S. official said.A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport. Though the crash came hours after Iran launched missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq, both Iranian and Ukrainian officials said they suspect a mechanical issue was behind the crash of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft.2Mayor Lori Lightfoot hit the pause button on a plan to freeze residential development near The 606 trailWEDNESDAY, JAN 8Plans to put a 14-month freeze on residential development along The 606 have been delayed and headed for changes after Mayor Lori Lightfoot raised concerns about its legality. Co-sponsors of the proposal said the freeze would provide time to formulate long-term policies to slow or stop the loss of lower- and middle-income residents to rising home prices, property taxes and rents near The 606.It’s unclear when the vote on a revised version of the ordinance might occur, but it will be after the Feb. 1 effective date initially proposed.  3Even with a court order, Illinois families are struggling to find services for developmentally disabled adultsWEDNESDAY, JAN 8Nearly 20,000 people with disabilities in Illinois are on a waiting list to receive state aid after they age out of the state’s public education system, the Tribune reported last month. Most wait years before they are selected. While the state is working to reduce the wait time by making funding more readily available, many people are still being left in limbo. Once they are off the list, some are being turned away by programs that don’t have enough room or staff to handle their needs.4From fake lottery winnings to Social Security scares, North Shore police say residents of all ages are being targeted in some sophisticated phone scamsWEDNESDAY, JAN 8From a bogus Beijing police sting to a phony Apple computer repair scheme, North Shore police officials say residents have been fleeced out of thousands of dollars in recent weeks as targeted victims of increasingly sophisticated phone and internet scams.  5Moving for the school is still a thing in Chicagoland — even if it means keeping two residencesWEDNESDAY, JAN 8Many people in the Chicago area are linking schools and real estate decisions, and developers are taking note, prioritizing schools over amenities such as gyms and 24-hour doormen. With academic competition increasing, parents and future parents are choosing homes based on which school their children will be placed in.6A toddler’s brain injury from a foul ball off the bat of the Cubs’ Albert Almora Jr. is permanent, her family’s attorney saysWEDNESDAY, JAN 8A 2-year-old girl struck by a foul ball during an Astros game at Minute Maid Park continues to receive anti-seizure medication seven months after suffering a brain injury that could leave her at risk of seizures for life, an attorney for her family said. Doctors have described the effects of the injury to her central nervous system as similar to those of a stroke, the attorney said.  7Pier 1 Imports is closing up to 450 locations and storewide sales are underway at half of their 24 Chicago-area sitesWEDNESDAY, JAN 8Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. The home decor company said it is closing up to 450 stores and will also shutter distribution centers. It didn’t say where the store closures would occur, but it operates 24 stores in the Chicago area, and storewide sales are underway at 12 of them, according to the company’s website. In other business news:Rainforest Cafe’s red-eyed tree frog and gorilla are out at Woodfield Mall. Now, it’s Peppa Pig’s turn.The Macy’s store in Spring Hill Mall is closing, the second anchor store to announce departure plans since November.8Yelp‌ ‌claims‌ a ‌relatively unknown deli‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌top‌ ‌place‌ ‌to‌ ‌eat‌ ‌in‌ ‌ChicagoWEDNESDAY, JAN 8Last time Yelp claimed that the best restaurant in the Chicago region was located in Waukegan. Fortunately, this time an actual Chicago restaurant is the highest ranked restaurant in the city and Illinois in its annual list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2020.advertisement   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY   |   TERMS OF SERVICECopyright © 2020 | Chicago Tribune | 160 N. Stetson Ave., Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60601ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this email because you are following the Daywatch newsletter.

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THE FEDERALIST

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Your daily update of new content from The Federalist Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray January 8, 2020 Exclusive Carter Page Interview Raises New Questions About ‘Inaccuracy-Laden’ IG ReportBy Margot Cleveland Page’s comments raise more questions about Stefan Halper and whether Halper’s mid-July meeting with the Trump adviser was truly ‘serendipitous.’ Full articleHow I Discovered The Baltimore Basilica, America’s First CathedralBy David Marcus America’s oldest cathedral in Baltimore is a delight for the senses, and a symbol of the enduring power of Christ’s church. Full articleIran’s Attack On U.S. Bases Is A Face-Saving Gesture From The AyatollahsBy Sumantra Maitra The length, scope, and operational duration of the attack suggests it is a targeted towards regime stability and an internal audience. Whether it leads to further escalation is a political call. Full articleDespite Marriage And Homeownership, ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Is Off To A Strong StartBy Emily Jashinsky ‘Vanderpump Rules’ is back, providing hope that in the dead of winter, Tuesday nights will still be aglow with the warmth of reality television’s greatest treasure Full article3 Proofs Pete Buttigieg Is No ModerateBy Christopher Jacobs Politico and others have examined Buttigieg and his supposedly ‘moderate’ message. Rhetoric aside, the substance of Buttigieg’s plans seem anything but moderate. Full articleIn Court Filings, Michael Avenatti Hasn’t Changed One BitBy Caroline Court Chaos is a defendant’s best friend. And Michael Avenatti is going to do his level best to make his trial about anything—and anyone—but his guilt or innocence. Full articleBy Pandering To The Left, Democrats Are Repeating The Mistakes Of 2016By John Daniel Davidson Trump won the GOP primary in part by saying exactly what he thinks and never apologizing for it. Democrats had better figure that out, and quickly. Full articleTime Magazine’s Iran Guide For Parents Refuses To Call Soleimani A TerroristBy Tristan Justice Time Magazine issued a guide Tuesday for parents on how to talk with their children about the situation unfolding in Iran. It’s riddled with biased omissions. Full articleNo, White House Website Updates Don’t Mean Trump Is Trying To ‘Erase’ LGBT PeopleBy Chad Felix Greene If what Trump’s administration is doing is ‘erasing’ LGBT people, then being erased must be the same thing as equality and assimilation — and that looks like progress to me. Full article‘Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself’ Explains Why Trump’s Impeachment Is A ShamBy Nathanael Blake There is a simple reason President Trump should not have been impeached by the House, and the Senate should acquit him: Epstein didn’t kill himself. Full articleJoe Biden’s Obamacare Gaffe Points At A Bigger TruthBy Christopher Jacobs Joe Biden’s comments once again reveal that the federal government has become too big and sprawling for anyone to understand. Full articleIran Fires Retaliatory Rockets At U.S. Bases In IraqBy Erielle Davidson In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at a variety of locations in Iraq. Iran alleges the attacks are in response to the targeted killing of Quds Force leader, Qassam Suleimani.NBC Full articleNo, Trump’s Justifications For Soleimani Attack Aren’t ContradictoryBy David Marcus The recent uptick in Iranian attacks on America is very much a part of assessing if Soleimani represented an imminent threat. Full articleHannah Brown Is Everything Wrong With FeminismBy Kylee Zempel Hannah Brown is free to make all the bad choices she wants, but a truly empowered woman would own the outcomes, not make others bear the consequences. Full articleThe Trump Administration Is Right To Block Iran’s Foreign Minister From Addressing UNBy Erielle Davidson The Trump administration is disinterested in providing a forum for this propaganda circus, like CNN did, and that does not indicate a lack of diplomatic grace. Full articleWatch Elizabeth Warren Struggle To Answer Whether Soleimani Was A TerroristBy Chrissy Clark During “The View,” Meghan McCain asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren why she retracted a statement calling Quds force leader Gen. Qasem Soleimani a murderer. Full articleHeading Into The Next Debate, Biden Keeps Chugging AlongBy David Marcus Slow and steady Joe Biden has held a wire to wire lead in primary polls, and there’s no reason to think that is going to change after Thursday’s debate. Full articleNot Even Judge Judy Agrees With Michael Bloomberg On GunsBy Tristan Justice “I have always felt that the bad guys will always get guns. I was involved in criminal justice for a quarter of a century,” Sheindlin said. Full article2019 Was The Year Of The Guy MovieBy Ben Domenech As television becomes higher and higher quality in writing, acting, clothing and cinematography, movies are going to become increasingly a retro pursuit favored by men. Full article THE DESERT OF THE SURREAL As we entered 2020, the trend on Twitter was to post a social media summary of your decade – an act of performative art that was both narcissistic and fully representative of the moment we inhabit. People tabulated their successes at all manner of things, from the impressive to the ridiculous. It was everything you might expect. Read more of The Transom by signing up for a free trial today.  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2020 The Federalist, All rights reserved.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

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From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann. FIRST READ: Trump now has an exit ramp from hostilities with Iran. Will he take it? Iran has given President Trump an exit ramp from the past week of hostilities. The question is whether the president of the United States will take it when he delivers his statement later this morning.AP Photo/Koji Sasahara“Iran retaliated for the killing of a top general by firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi air bases housing U.S. forces on Wednesday local time,” per NBC’s Courtney Kube and Doha Madani. Notably, there were no reported U.S. casualties. And the message from Iran was it wanted to de-escalate – if the United States follows. “We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, tweeted in English after the strikes last night. And Trump appeared to reciprocate just minutes later. “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning,” he tweeted.  The wild card here is that, if Trump does take the exit ramp, the conversation returns to the president’s impeachment.TWEET OF THE DAY: One degree of Kevin Bacon2020 VISION: Highlights of Lester Holt’s interview with BidenOn Tuesday – before Iran’s missile strikes at two military bases in Iraq – NBC’s Lester Holt interviewed Joe Biden. Some of the highlights: On whether he gives Trump the benefit of the doubt on whether the targeting of Iran’s general was based on intelligence of an imminent attack: “I don’t give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s lied so much about virtually everything.” On Bernie Sanders’ criticism that Biden won’t energize Democratic voters: “Bernie, I’ll see you at the caucus. I’ll see you in New Hampshire, I’ll see you in the primaries, I mean, let the voters decide that, whether there’s enough energy and I — all I know is out on the stump, things are feeling really good, there’s a whole lot of energy.” On his son Hunter Biden’s work for a Ukraine energy company: “[Trump] is going to make up lies about whomever the nominee is. Imagine what he’ll say about- I won’t even mention other candidates. I have- only thing I’ve noticed is the more he’s attacked me, the more I have gone up in the polls… Why won’t you release any of your tax returns? Stop talking about the corruption, Mr. President, unless you release your tax returns. Hush up. Step up.” On the campaign trail today: Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, John Delaney and Deval Patrick are all in New Hampshire… Pete Buttigieg raises money in Colorado… And Michael Bloomberg is in Chicago and Minnesota.Dispatches from NBC’s campaign embeds: After Iran’s missile strike, NBC’s Julia Jester reports that Tulsi Gabbard, a veteran who served in Iraq, got fiery and emotional during a gaggle with reporters: “Gabbard got heated when asked about her experience as a soldier seeing the price of war firsthand, saying seeing alerts of the attack ‘brought back a flood of memories from the time I served,’ adding she got a flood of text messages from friends who she deployed with saying, “what the f*** is going on?’ She also teared up when talking about the sacrifice of military families, saying of those ‘speaking with bluster’ that ‘the vast majority have no idea what it means to serve in harm’s way nor do they understand’ what families are going through. ‘This is how special and rare this sacrifice is, it is so critical that we have leaders in Congress and a commander that understands this’ and honors that sacrifice, and ‘not throw it around like it’s worthless.’ Gabbard said.” Talking policy with BenjyJulian Castro endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren shortly after ending his own presidential campaign last week. But arguably his biggest contribution to the race on policy could also follow Warren, for better or worse: His call to decriminalize border crossings and make them a civil offense, NBC’s Benjy Sarlin notes. More from Benjy: Democrats mostly agree on the basics on immigration, but Castro pushed the envelope in April by releasing a plan to repeal a piece of immigration law, Section 1325, that allowed the government to prosecute migrants. The relevant statute was from the 1920s, but rarely employed until the Bush and Obama administrations used prosecutions more frequently as a deterrent, drawing criticism from immigrant rights groups. These concerns hit overdrive when President Trump’s administration began prosecuting parents crossing with children, leading to family separations.  But Castro’s specific solution went largely under the radar, even in immigration policy circles, until the first Democratic debate last June, where he attacked fellow Texan Beto O’Rourke for opposing it (O’Rourke, ironically, was falsely accused by Senator Ted Cruz of holding the same position as Castro in 2018). Several candidates, including Warren, adopted Castro’s position and arguments flared again at the next debate in July.  Greisa Martinez Rosas, an activist with United We Dream, said Castro’s proposal “shaped the debate in a huge way.” Her group backed a similar plan on the eve of the June debate along with progressive groups like Indivisible, who saw it as a way to inspire activists and move the goalposts on immigration further left.  But Republicans also seized on the plan — it even made it into a GOP ad in last year’s governor’s race in Kentucky — and labeled it “open borders,” even as Castro sought to clarify border crossers could still be deported. That has some Democrats and activist nervous. While the conversation faded into the background again among Democrats, Marshall Fitz, managing director of immigration at the Emerson Collective, said early signs suggest Trump would “go for broke” resurfacing it in a general election. “This is what happens in primaries, obviously,” Fitz said. “Especially where there’s broad agreement, you end up talking about the marginal case and that becomes the focal point. I thought that was unfortunate.”DATA DOWNLOAD: And the number of the day is… $209 million.That’s the combined TV and radio ad spending that the Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer campaigns have spent in the 2020 presidential race as of yesterday, per ad-spending data from Advertising Analytics. Total TV and radio ad spending (as of Jan. 7) Bloomberg: $142 millionSteyer: $67 millionSanders: $10 millionButtigieg: $10 millionYang: $6.6 millionTrump: $5.7 million Warren: $3.3 millionBiden: $2.6 million Klobuchar: $2.5 millionTHE LID: Second verse, same as the firstDon’t miss the pod from yesterday, when we looked at some similarities between how Sanders is talking about Joe Biden now and how he talked about Hillary Clinton in 2016.ICYMI: News clips you shouldn’t miss Andrea Mitchell reports on how Mike Pompeo has made himself the most powerful Secretary of State in decades. DNC chair Tom Perez says that the Democratic debate may be moved if it conflicts with the impeachment trial. Trump is planning an Iowa rally days before the caucuses. Joe Biden says that Trump has brought the United States “dangerously close” to war. Along with everything else last night — A Ukrainian passenger plane crashed in Iran, with officials saying mechanical issues were the cause.Thanks for reading. If you’re a fan, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up here. We love hearing from our readers, so shoot us a line here with your comments and suggestions. Thanks, Chuck, Mark and Carrie.

REDSTATE

Democrats Begin to Fold Like a Cheap Suit After McConnell Wins the Battle Over Trump’s Senate Trial     READ STORY

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Ukrainian Plane Crashes Minutes After Takeoff From Tehran Airport, Hours After Missile Launch; Update: Iranians Refuse to Turn Over Black Boxes     READ STORY    Jaw-Dropping Mirage: Photos of Solar Eclipse Give Appearance of ‘Red Devil Horns’ Over Persian Gulf     READ STORY    Meghan McCain Has to Ask Elizabeth Warren Three Different Times: Was Soleimani a Terrorist?     READ STORY    The Paper Tiger Retaliates     READ STORY

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Boom Lowered: Dan Crenshaw Torches Young Turks Commentator For Taking Iran’s Side in Soleimani Strike Debate     READ STORY    BREAKING: President Trump Will Address the Nation Tonight On Iranian Attacks (UPDATED: No Address Tonight, CNN Was Spreading Fake News)     READ STORY    What the Heck: Leftists Have Discovered a Sure Way to Get Trump Convicted and Removed     READ STORY    Trump Says No Casualties So Far, Iran Says They Will Stop Attacks, If There’s No Retaliation     READ STORY

This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive this newsletter on the RedState.com network OR a friend forwarded it to you. We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address immediately. Visit the Townhall Media Preference Center to manage your subscriptions You can unsubscribe by clicking here. Or Send postal mail to: RedState Unsubscribe 1735 N. Lynn St – Suite 510, Arlington, VA 22209 * Copyright RedState and its Content Providers. All rights reserved.

NOQ REPORT

NOQ Report Daily

---

• Evidence points to Iran taking Ukrainian plane down and covering it up
• Mark Robinson: ‘Not one inch on the 2nd Amendment’
• Once Upon A Time in America
• Iran is the big test. If there is no war, President Trump wins reelection easily.
• Pardon Michael Flynn
• Media miscalculation on Iran sentiment should be scorned
• TIME posts guide to help Democrats talk to their kids about Soleimani’s death. Seriously.
• Why Eric Ciaramella should be an impeachment witness whether he’s the whistleblower or not
• Mark Meadows reminds Nancy Pelosi she’s a hypocrite

Evidence points to Iran taking Ukrainian plane down and covering it upPosted: 08 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PSTEditor’s Note: It’s often considered taboo to speculate in journalism, particularly in the face of nothing but circumstantial evidence. That’s why I want to make it clear this is my opinion and not a news report, though many facts will be discussed in what follows. Based on a slew of reports coming out of Iran and Ukraine, […]The post Evidence points to Iran taking Ukrainian plane down and covering it up appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Mark Robinson: ‘Not one inch on the 2nd Amendment’Posted: 08 Jan 2020 01:46 AM PSTThe Virginia liberty grabbers are doubling down on more restrictions on freedom. Mark Robinson gave an impassioned speech in support of the Second Amendment and against tyrannical laws being proposed in Virginia and elsewhere around America. There is also news that while some localities are voting in second amendment sanctuaries, other localities are trying to […]The post Mark Robinson: ‘Not one inch on the 2nd Amendment’ appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Once Upon A Time in AmericaPosted: 07 Jan 2020 07:48 PM PSTOnce upon a time, the Democratic party at least gave lip service to the concept of law and order. Wait! That was less than a month ago. Nancy Pelosi announced that she was directing her committee chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment against Donald Trump because “no one is above the law.” What a […]The post Once Upon A Time in America appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Iran is the big test. If there is no war, President Trump wins reelection easily.Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:24 PM PSTThe greatest threat to President Trump’s reelection bid is another unpopular Middle East war. That’s not to say if we were to go to war with Iran following their ballistic missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq that he couldn’t still win, but ending this conflict without further major aggressive actions from either side would […]The post Iran is the big test. If there is no war, President Trump wins reelection easily. appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Pardon Michael FlynnPosted: 07 Jan 2020 11:07 AM PSTThis won’t be a long article. It doesn’t need to be. General Michael Flynn is a patriot, but the Department of Justice has recommended up to six months in jail. He was set up by nefarious forces in our government who have been trying to take down President Trump since before he was even elected. […]The post Pardon Michael Flynn appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Media miscalculation on Iran sentiment should be scornedPosted: 07 Jan 2020 10:54 AM PSTSometimes you have to wonder what the legacy media is thinking. In their zeal to oppose absolutely anything President Trump does, they seem to have made a miscalculation. They want to make us believe the Obama strategy of appeasement was moderating the Iranian regime. In other words, handing them pallets of cash, opening up their […]The post Media miscalculation on Iran sentiment should be scorned appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

TIME posts guide to help Democrats talk to their kids about Soleimani’s death. Seriously.Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:42 AM PSTIranian Major General Qasem Soleimani was a monster who orchestrated the deaths of literally hundreds of thousands of people in the Middle East, including at least several hundred Americans. His death was long overdue. The world is a better place now that he’s gone. There. That should be all parents need to know to talk […]The post TIME posts guide to help Democrats talk to their kids about Soleimani’s death. Seriously. appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Why Eric Ciaramella should be an impeachment witness whether he’s the whistleblower or notPosted: 07 Jan 2020 08:47 AM PSTLet’s play a game of make-believe. Imagine if CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella is NOT the Ukraine whistleblower. If you’ve been following the stories and connecting the dots, it’s a stretch of the imagination to believe such a ludicrous scenario, but give it a try. Think of it as a thought experiment. Are you there yet? […]The post Why Eric Ciaramella should be an impeachment witness whether he’s the whistleblower or not appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

Mark Meadows reminds Nancy Pelosi she’s a hypocritePosted: 07 Jan 2020 06:38 AM PSTSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has two different sets of rules when it comes to foreign affairs. She has the Democratic President rules and the Republican President rules. Or, to be more specific, she has the Obama-Free-Pass rule book that states whatever President Obama did with foreign countries, whether sending Iran pallets of money […]The post Mark Meadows reminds Nancy Pelosi she’s a hypocrite appeared first on Conservative Christian News.

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01/08/2020Share:      Carl Cannon’s Morning NotePresented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future: Soleimani Up Close; Military Draft; LBJ’s War Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. Once again, our fellow Americans on the island of Puerto Rico are dealing with nature’s harsh consequences — and many are doing so without two necessities of modern life: shelter and electricity.CBS News’ intrepid David Begnaud is on the scene, as he invariably is when Puerto Ricans face adversity. So, too, as you might expect, is super chef José Andrés. God bless these guys.I don’t mean to say that the government has shirked its duty. Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez signed an emergency declaration after the powerful earthquake, which registered 6.4 on the Richter scale. President Trump followed suit hours later. But as we learned after Hurricane Maria devastated that island two-and-a-half years ago, political bickering and hyper-partisanship — never attractive traits at any time — are not luxuries we can afford when catastrophe strikes. Leadership matters.This is just as true when societies face crises not bequeathed to us by the elements. It was on this date in U.S. history that President Lyndon Johnson ascended to the podium in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol to give his first State of the Union address. The new president was there to declare war — not on a foreign power, but on racism. And on poverty itself.I’ll have more on what transpired next in a moment. First, I’d point you to RealClearPolitics’ front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors, including the following:*  *  *I Faced Soleimani’s Forces; Dems Are Mourning a War Criminal. Retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer weighs in on the Iranian general’s killing.Why Does Planned Parenthood Get to Avoid Paying Taxes? Kristan Hawkins argues that the organization engages in political activity that should void its tax-exempt status.Bad Tax Policy Ideas to Guard Against in the 2020s. In RealClearMarkets, Andrew Wilford warns of proposals that would harm investment in start-ups and other growth opportunities.The Next World War Is Coming — and So Is the Draft. In RealClearDefense, Brandon Weichert explains why an all-volunteer force will no longer be sufficient for U.S. security needs.The Unfriendly “Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act.” In RealClearPolicy, Tom Miller and Todd Zywicki assert that a bill capping interest rates that lenders can charge will have an adverse impact on those it’s intended to help. *  *  *Lyndon Baines Johnson had been in office for only six-and-a-half weeks on Jan. 8, 1964. The nation he led was still reeling from the assassination of the popular leader he had succeeded. Mindful of the public’s mood, the new president dispensed with the rhetorical gimmicks that typically begin a State of the Union speech.“I will be brief, for our time is necessarily short and our agenda is already long,” Johnson began. “Last year’s congressional session was the longest in peacetime history. With that foundation, let us work together to make this year’s session the best in the nation’s history.”Johnson paid homage to his fallen predecessor; indeed, he invoked John F. Kennedy as an ally in the agenda he was outlining. And what a far-reaching agenda it was.“Let this session of Congress be known as the session which did more for civil rights than the last hundred sessions combined,” Johnson said. “As the session which enacted the most far-reaching tax cut of our time; as the session which declared all-out war on human poverty and unemployment in these United States; as the session which finally recognized the health needs of all our older citizens; as the session which reformed our tangled transportation and transit policies; as the session which achieved the most effective, efficient foreign aid program ever; and as the session which helped to build more homes, more schools, more libraries, and more hospitals than any single session of Congress in the history of our republic.”Within moments, it became clear that the new president was not a caretaker chief executive, but rather a man determined to set this nation on a momentous course.“Many Americans live on the outskirts of hope, some because of their poverty, and some because of their color — and all too many because of both,” Johnson proclaimed. “Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity.“This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join with me in that effort.”Good intentions are important, too, although that is not enough: Good ideas matter too. In the ensuing five-and-a-half decades since Johnson convinced the 88th Congress to follow his lead, poverty has not been eradicated in this country. Some of the strategies of the Great Society backfired: Granting cash payments to poor women with children, for example, had baleful effects on black family formation. Yet the great good that was done by granting health care to the needy and the elderly, for instance, has been incalculable.Today, the debate over poverty has shifted as precipitously as the tectonic plates beneath the island of Puerto Rico. Modern progressives outlined a vastly more ambitious goal than tackling poverty. They’ve taken aim at the very existence of “income inequality.”Our Manichean and increasingly uncivil political arena is singularly ill-suited to a thoughtful discussion on the virtues and efficacy of such a sweeping idea. Yet, as this concept was taking root among Democrats and liberal thinkers, American policymakers found an unlikely facilitator: Pope Francis.As the New York Times reported six years ago this week, the Vatican’s pronouncements criticizing the “economy of exclusion” have been embraced by Catholic Democrats eager to affix moral underpinnings to their liberal policies. But not only by Catholics, and not only by Democrats. Those citing the new pope’s teachings  included Jewish liberals, Catholic conservatives, and even a then-Senate majority leader, a feisty Mormon not known for bipartisan comity, let alone a spiritual approach to public policy.Or, as former House speaker Newt Gingrich put it to The Times: “I think every Republican should embrace the pope’s core critique that you do not want to live on a planet with billionaires and people who do not have any food. I think the pope may, in fact, be starting a conversation at the exact moment the Republican Party itself needs to have that conversation.” Carl M. Cannon Washington Bureau Chief RealClearPolitics Twitter: @CarlCannon We should build on what’s working in our health care system and fix what’s broken – not start over with a one-size-fits-all, new government health insurance system American families can’t afford. Click here to read more of this message, brought to you by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future.

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Eye OpenerNo casualties are reported so far in Iran’s missile attack on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. Also, a Boeing 737, headed for Ukraine, goes down after takeoff in Tehran, killing everyone on board. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.Watch Video +

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Highlighted Articles/InterviewsFleitz: In terminating Soleimani, Trump ‘laid down a marker’ for Iran’s mullahsAs Iran planned attacks on US, Russia & China held naval maneuvers with IranQassem Soleimani ran IED program to kill American & Coalition troopsTurning the corner against Iran’s terror militiasPutin shares Gestapo chief’s admiration for the Bolshevik Cheka secret policeHow a CIA officer should file a whistleblowing complaint against the PresidentThere’s a proper way for a CIA whistleblower to complain about a president. The anonymous CIA whistleblower who set off the Ukraine impeachment brouhaha did it wrong.I would know — because I’m a former CIA officer who filed a whistleblower complaint against the Clinton White House and CIA management. Read the article by Center President and CEO, Fred Fleitz.Iran is at war with us – Proceed accordinglyLast night, Iran launched at least a dozen ballistic missiles at military bases in Iraq where US forces are deployed. There have so far been no reports of casualties.Evidently, the mullahs wanted to do something to retaliate for President Trump’s drone strike that neutralized General Qasem Soleimani. But they were deterred from doing something that would actually harm Americans – presumably by our Commander-in-Chief’s warning of harsh punishment were that to happen.The temptation will be to think there’s now a basis to “defuse” the present crisis. That would be a serious mistake. The previous week’s events, including Iran’s missile attacks, underscore the reality that its Sharia-supremacists are at war with us. Unless and until they are removed from power, Iran will continue to be a threat to this country, its people, allies and vital interests.We must proceed accordingly.With Dr. Harold RhodeDR. HAROLD RHODE, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, Former Turkish Desk Officer at the US Department of Defense, Author of Modern Islamic Warfare: An Ancient Doctrine Marches On (2017):Understanding the complexities of Iran’s societyHow does Soleimani’s death impact the citizens of Iran?What motivates Iran’s Ayatollahs?(PART TWO):Differences in how the Iranian government and citizens view the death of SoleimaniHow will Iran respond to the death of Soleimani?How the US compares to Iran in terms of retaliatory strength(PART THREE):How will Iran calculate their next steps?What will happen if the US pulls its troops out of Iraq?How the killing of Soleimani affects ISIS in the region(PART FOUR):What role does Israel play following the killing of Soleimani?How should the US act to maximize the deterrent on the Iranians?The need for a ‘loyal opposition’ in AmericaTWEET OF THE DAYRetweet, like, and comment!DONATEView this email in your browser

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ARRA NEWS SERVICE

ARRA News Service (in this message: 19 new items)

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• Dems and Iran: The Best of Enemies
• President Trump’s Timely Move Against Evil
• Sen. Cruz: Impeachment Is a ‘1-Sided Show Trial,’ ‘Not Driven by Facts’
• Briefings Tomorrow, The Manipulation Of Language, Gervais’ Good Advice
• ‘It Is Time For The Speaker To Send The Articles Over’
• Boozman Joins Colleagues to Introduce Legislation Aimed at Improving Broadband Access for Rural Students
• The Steele Dossier Bacillus
• The New Racism – Just As Ugly As the Old Racism
• If Baghdad Wants Us Out, Let’s Go!
• Will the Economy in 2020 Roar or Whimper?
• Report: U.S. ‘Anchor Babies’ Rival American Births
• Antisemitic Attacks
• A Hole In One . . .
• Bye-Bye Iraq?
• CAGW Names Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez March 2019 Porker of the Year
• Department of Defense Predicted Climate Change Would Destroy Us by 2020
• Zachary Stieber
• Crime in Virginia is Falling – Governor Focuses on Making You a Felon
• ‘Capitalist Manifesto’ Explains Perils of Cronyism

Dems and Iran: The Best of EnemiesPosted: 07 Jan 2020 05:40 PM PSTby Tony Perkins: First, Democrats accuse Donald Trump of not acting presidential enough. Then, when he does the most presidential thing of all — protecting Americans from a violent terrorist — they complain. When the White House’s air strike took out one of the biggest threats to the West, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) called him a “monster.” And she wasn’t referring to dead Iranian leader General Qasem Soleimani. She was talking about Trump. Most liberals would admit the world is better off without Soleimani. The problem is, they feel the same way about Donald Trump. So when this administration pulled off one of the most successful operations of the year, putting to death a man who’d killed and maimed hundreds of Americans, Democrats weren’t about to be reasonable about the threat he’d just neutralized. It’s a “reckless move,” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued. Like tossing a “stick of dynamite into a tinder box,” insisted Joe Biden. Funny, Fox News’s Dan Bongino fired back, “I don’t remember anyone saying that [eliminating] Osama bin Laden was… ‘dangerously escalating the situation.'” Neither does Nikki Haley. The former U.N. ambassador couldn’t believe the Left’s hypocrisy, telling Sean Hannity, “The only ones [who] are mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat leadership, and our Democrat presidential candidates.” Despite the fact, as our own Lt. General Jerry Boykin (U.S. Army-Ret.) points out, that Soleimani was just about the most brutal man in the Middle East right now. “He’s the most powerful man [in Iran],” he reminded listeners on “Washington Watch.” “And he is also, as far as I am concerned — and I think many analysts would agree — the world’s leading terrorist. He is a guy that introduced the enhanced IED into Iraq and into Afghanistan. That’s the [explosive device] that took off the legs and the arms and body parts are so many of our American soldiers.” The irresponsible decision, as far as our former special operations commander is concerned, would’ve been to not take him out. What most people don’t understand about Soleimani is not just that he murdered Americans — but how influential he was over the entire Middle East theater. “He was the puppet master,” General Boykin explains about his power over the militias in both Iran and Iraq. “He was the one that not only orchestrated their funding, but also orchestrated a great deal of their… their weapons or ammunition and so forth, and then gave them directions in terms of what they were to do.” In other words, the United States has been sending funds to the Iraqi government in Baghdad to rebuild national security and infrastructure. A large part of the national security has been provided through various militias, the Shia dominate militias have been directed by Gen. Soleimani. These militias have been one of, if not the, top obstacle to religious minorities returning to their homes and communities. So while U.S. celebrities make fools of themselves apologizing to Iran for American’s actions, heroes like Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) firmly believe this president has nothing to be sorry for. As a combat surgeon, he’s seen Soleimani’s carnage firsthand. “For those of us who have served and have endured the loss of troops… it’s personal to us at this point,” he said. “When you have soldiers that were with you at breakfast one day and later in the day, you get them back in, they’re [dead]… So when people talk about this, this is not just numbers. There are 608 Americans [who] were killed by this man. And he’s been killing all around the world.” We’ve tried diplomacy, Brad pointed out. We’ve gathered intelligence and used economic sanctions. Now, we turn to the military, which as General Boykin was quick to say, Obama did too. “It might be helpful to our listeners to know that Donald Trump is not the first one [who’s] used drone strikes against terrorists on foreign soil. In fact, President Barack Obama used them extensively. In fact, in Yemen, he took out Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who was linked to terrorism… I never heard the Left talk about [that] assassination, particularly [since it was] an assassination of an American citizen. It wasn’t an issue. They applauded him for it. This is a double standard. The president has the authority to do what he did. Even Jay Johnson, the former Homeland Security secretary, has come out very publicly now and [agreed].” When a president — any president — takes decisive action that saves American lives, we should applaud them. Conservatives praised Barack Obama when he protected this nation from terrorists and militants, because we respect the decision to make national security a top priority. Donald Trump stood up to Iran and sent a warning to the world that we will not tolerate anyone who takes their hatred of the West out on Americans. Democrats should be grateful. “We have a president that says we’re not going to have another hostage situation at our embassy like in 1979, which was miserable for America. And we’re not going to have another Benghazi, where there was no rescue attempt from the previous administration,” Rep. Wenstrup said. “This administration says we will protect American interests, we will protect Americans, and especially our diplomats. And we’re going to take action against the person that has caused this.” ————– Tony Perkins (@tperkins) is President of the Family Research Council . This article was on Tony Perkin’s Washington Update and written with the aid of FRC senior writers. Tags: Tony Perkins, Family Research Center, FRC, Family Research Council, Dems and Iran, The Best of Enemies To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

President Trump’s Timely Move Against EvilPosted: 07 Jan 2020 05:20 PM PSTby Star Parker: The muted reaction of leading Democratic politicians to the elimination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani reinforces my sense of what divides our country and differentiates the two parties. One part of America still believes that there is good and evil, and one part doesn’t. The American left, whose political home is the Democratic Party, lives in a world where good and evil don’t exist. Everything is about politics including redemption itself. Only someone who does not believe there is good and evil experiences no joy when evil is defeated. The destruction of Soleimani, whose life’s work was carrying out the will of a despicable regime, is cause for celebration. As commander of the Quds Force, his hands dripped with the blood of hundreds of Americans, and hundreds of thousands of others throughout the Middle East, particularly in Syria. According to authoritative reports, the Iranian ideological imperialism extends to managing terrorist forces in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. And much of their activity focuses on threatening the existence of Israel. This network of terror has spread to our own hemisphere in South America. In 1994, a bomb was detonated at the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 and injuring 300. In 2006, Argentinian special prosecutor Alberto Nisman indicted eight former Iranian officials accused of being responsible for the operation, and the following year, Interpol issued “red notices” for the arrest of six of them. The Wall Street Journal has reported Iranian activities in Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru and Chile. According to Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society in Washington, D.C., “Latin America is arguably Iran’s top foreign policy priority outside of the Middle East.” The evil Iranian regime is a clear and threatening global danger, and Soleimani was its most powerful general. How can there not be unreserved joy at his elimination? But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others of their party are not joyful. As was the case when ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was eliminated, instead of celebrating, they are attacking President Donald Trump. No one wants war. And no one believes that the United States should expend its resources being the world’s policeman. But refusal to recognize the threat of aggressive evil is irresponsible and dangerous. In March 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan addressed the National Association of Evangelicals and delivered the famous address in which he called the Soviet Union “an evil empire.” Reagan unleashed his passion, noting the standing threat from the Soviet communists, arguing for aggressive confrontation. “There is sin and evil in the world,” said the president, “and we are enjoined by scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might.” “(I)f history teaches anything,” he continued, “it teaches: Simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.” Reagan stood tough, and not many years later, the unthinkable happened. The Soviet Union collapsed. Some of the foolishness we are hearing from the left cynically suggests that this operation was a diversionary tactic by President Trump to take attention from the impeachment proceedings. Let’s recall what he said three years ago in his inaugural address: “We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones — and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.” President Trump is focused and consistent with his agenda — rebuilding a strong, creative and safe America. Despite Iran being among the most oil-rich nations in the world, the average per capita income of its citizens is a paltry $5,400. Rather than investing to develop the potential of their own country, they squander their wealth to terrorize the world. No one suffers more than Iran’s own citizens. We should celebrate this blow to the regime in Iran and this timely, courageous act of President Trump. —————– Star Parker (@UrbanCURE)is an author at and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. CURE is a non-profit think tank that addresses issues of race and poverty through principles of faith, freedom and personal responsibility. Tags: Star Parker, Center for Urban Renewal and Education, CURE, President Trump, Timely Move Against Evil To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Sen. Cruz: Impeachment Is a ‘1-Sided Show Trial,’ ‘Not Driven by Facts’Posted: 07 Jan 2020 05:05 PM PSTRachel del Guidice: President Donald Trump is only the third president to be impeached because impeachment is a rarely used tool that the Founders intended to be a serious and fair process. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says he is concerned that Trump hasn’t gotten the due process he deserves. I spoke with him about the impeachment process and how it will likely play out in the Senate. Listen to the podcast or read a lightly edited transcript below. Rachel del Guidice: We are joined today on The Daily Signal Podcast by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Senator Cruz, thank you so much for being with us today. Sen. Ted Cruz: It’s great to be here. del Guidice: Even though it’s a new year, it’s no secret that impeachment will continue to overtake the news and even Congress. Even though this is something we’ve been hearing about for actually four years now, what should Americans know about this impeachment that maybe they’re not hearing on mainstream media? Cruz: What we saw in the House of Representatives was really a sad display. It was a one-sided show trial. It was the culmination of three years of hatred and partisan venom. House Democrats had been calling to impeach the president literally since Election Day 2016. This impeachment was not driven by facts. It was not driven by evidence. It was driven by partisan rage because the far left hates the president. What we saw in the House was a one-sided show trial where the White House was denied the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses, and Republicans were denied the opportunity to call witnesses. Even so, even after setting up a kangaroo court of only one-sided prosecution witnesses, House Democrats’ case fell apart. Compare what the Democrats were saying in November to the ridiculous articles they ended up voting on. In November, you had House Democrats all saying, “Bribery, bribery, bribery. We’re going to prove bribery. We’re going to prove obstruction of justice. We’re going to prove all these crimes, extortion.” Now look, bribery, obstruction of justice, extortion, those are serious crimes. Then, after they actually heard evidence, the evidence didn’t back up any of that. Everything they alleged, they got to and said, “Well, we can’t.” And there’s a reason. All of those are federal crimes. Federal crimes have things called elements, elements of the crime. If you’re a prosecutor, and you’re proving a crime, you’ve got to prove the elements. The testimony came in and they couldn’t prove the elements of a crime. For example, bribery requires agreement. Testimony was undisputed. Ukraine didn’t even know this was going on. You can’t have agreement if the testimony is clear the other side doesn’t even know about it. The Democrats’ problem was everything they’d promised collapsed, but they hated the president and wanted to impeach him anyway. They voted on articles of impeachment that on their face don’t meet the constitutional standards. The Constitution specifies what has to be proven for impeachment of a president, that is treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. On its face, the House articles of impeachment don’t meet that. Now here’s the good news. In the Senate, we’re going to see a very, very different proceeding. We’re going to see a fair trial in the Senate. What is a fair trial? It means both sides are going to have the chance to present their case. We’re going to allow the House managers to present their case. They can argue whatever they want to argue. They can rely on whatever evidence they can. But you better believe we’re also going to allow President [Donald] Trump to present his case. del Guidice: He wasn’t able to do that in the House. Cruz: He wasn’t able to do that. We’re going to respect due process. We’re going to give the president an opportunity to present a full defense on the merits, on the facts. And then at the end of that process, this entire charade is going to be thrown out. Why is it going to be thrown out? It’s going to be thrown out because it doesn’t meet the constitutional standards. On its face, the House didn’t even allege high crimes or misdemeanor. The result of the fair trial, if hearing both sides, will be that the case will be thrown out at the end of the trial. del Guidice: You were just recently at The Heritage Foundation and you said something really interesting that a lot of people aren’t talking about. You said that this impeachment cycle that we’re seeing with President Trump, it’s now being used as a political tactic and really nothing else. Can you talk to us about that? Cruz: Sure. This is something actually the Framers of our Constitution … worried about a great deal. They didn’t want to see impeachment just used as a political weapon. At Heritage I talked at considerable length [about] some of the constitutional history of where the language of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors came from. There were a couple of early iterations. Then, going into the Convention, the language for impeachment of the president just said treason or bribery. George Mason, one of the most well-respected of the Framers, stood up and he made a motion to add the word “maladministration” so that the phrase would have read “treason, bribery, or maladministration.” James Madison, widely recognized as the Father of the Constitution, stood up and objected to Mason’s suggestion. He said, “This is a bad idea because maladministration is such a general, such a broad and capacious term.” del Guidice: It could mean anything. Cruz: He said, “What it would mean is any time Congress disagreed with the president, they could impeach the president, so let’s not put maladministration in there because this shouldn’t be a tool just when you have a political or policy disagreement with the president.” Madison came back and said, “How about instead of maladministration, let’s add ‘other high crimes and misdemeanors.’” That’s what they ended up doing. The consequence of the Democrats doing this [is], if this is the standard for the House of Representatives, every president from now to eternity will be impeached any time the House is of an opposing party. The media will never point this out. Barack Obama was president for eight years. I disagreed with Barack Obama profoundly. I think he advocated, I think he implemented policies that were enormously damaging to this country, that hurt Americans, that hurt Texans. Yet, despite my very strong disagreements with Obama, I didn’t advocate impeaching Obama. I wasn’t out there arguing we should impeach Obama. Why? Because if you disagree with someone on policy or politics, the Constitution has a remedy for that. You go and win at the ballot box. You go make the case to the American people that the policies this guy is implementing are bad policy. Here’s the Democrats’ problem. We’ve got a roaring economy. We’ve got the lowest unemployment in 50 years. We got the lowest African American unemployment ever recorded. We had the lowest Hispanic unemployment ever recorded. They can’t make the case on policy. They’re looking at it and saying, “Well, if we actually have to argue on substance, we lose, so let’s impeach him.” That’s an abuse of the Constitution. Sadly, it is where today’s extreme, radical Democratic Party is. del Guidice: You’ve seen arguments on Twitter and even mainstream news outlets. I saw an article last week saying that, “Oh, this Trump impeachment is similar to the Clinton impeachment.” They’re two very different situations. Can you detail that real quickly for us? Cruz: Sure. Most fundamentally, Bill Clinton was impeached for committing high crimes and misdemeanor. In particular, he was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. It’s quite clear that perjury and obstruction of justice are high crimes and misdemeanors. They’re felonies. They’re serious felonies. If you or I commit perjury or obstruction of justice, we could face years in prison. The House Democrats haven’t alleged that, and it’s interesting if you contrast. There are two articles that the House Democrats voted on. No. 1, where they were threatening bribery, extortion, they didn’t impeach on any of that. They made something up called abuse of power and their argument is they don’t have to allege any violation of criminal law. They don’t have to allege any federal law whatsoever was violated. That they don’t have to argue, in their view of the world, that Donald Trump had a speeding ticket. They just disagree with his foreign policy and how he implements it. That’s Article 1. Let me tell you, as weak as Article 1 is, Article 2 is orders of magnitude weaker. Why is that? Because Article 2 is obstruction, but it’s not obstruction of justice. It’s obstruction of Congress. Now, it’s interesting, because for months Democrats have been saying that Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice—obstruction of justice is a high crime or misdemeanor—but the facts don’t back it up. They couldn’t meet the elements and prove obstruction of justice. They backed away, and here’s their argument. Their argument is because administration officials claimed various forms of privilege, primarily executive privilege, that the mere act of claiming a legal privilege is obstruction of Congress, and it is a high crime or misdemeanor that is impeachable. That is a ludicrous, laughable standard. If that were a standard, and this is not hyperbole, every single one of the 45 presidents we’ve had would have committed high crimes and misdemeanors that can be impeached. Going back to George Washington, every president has asserted executive privilege and other privileges. Let’s dive down a little bit more because I want to show just how ridiculous this is. Let’s take the case of John Bolton. John Bolton was the national security adviser to President Trump for a year and a half. House Democrats wanted John Bolton to testify in the House. John Bolton did something I think very clever and very wise. Through his lawyer, he went to federal district court in D.C. and he went to the judge and he said, “Judge, I’ve got a demand from the House of Representatives to testify, and I’ve been instructed by the White House not to testify, based on executive privilege.” … del Guidice: What do I do? Cruz: “Judge, you tell me what to do. I’ll follow the law. I’ve got two conflicting legal obligations here, so I’m going to you, judge, asking for what is the right answer under the law.” You know what House Democrats did? del Guidice: What did they do? Cruz: They said, “Never mind.” They literally just said, “Never mind. OK, we’ll go away.” “The fact that you went to court to ask for an answer,” they said, “that’s obstruction, going to court.” del Guidice: Unbelievable. Cruz: Contrast that say to the Nixon case. Nixon, there was a grand jury subpoena for the White House tapes. Remember, Richard Nixon had a secret tape-recording device in the Oval Office, very stupid, by the way, bad, bad idea, but he did. Grand jury issued a subpoena. That was litigated all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. [The] U.S. Supreme Court issued an order to the Nixon White House, “Handover those tapes.” Nixon resigned, I think, two days later. That’s actually how these issues are typically resolved. If the House wants to get testimony, they could issue a subpoena. They can go litigate it. They can take it to the court. They can take it to the Supreme Court. Their position is, “Nope, we’re not going to do any of that. Any president who asserts any privilege, that is “obstruction of Congress and impeachable.” It is difficult to find a more ludicrous argument and support of impeachment. del Guidice: I think you’re right that we’re going to keep seeing this unless we reel this in somehow. Sen. Cruz, thank you so much for joining us on The Daily Signal Podcast. Cruz: Always a pleasure, thank you. del Guidice: Thank you so much. ———————— Rachel del Guidice (@LRacheldG) is a congressional reporter for The Daily Signal. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Forge Leadership Network, and The Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program. Tags: Rachel del Guidice, Sen. Ted Cruz, Impeachment, 1-Sided Show Trial, Not Driven by Facts To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Briefings Tomorrow, The Manipulation Of Language, Gervais’ Good AdvicePosted: 07 Jan 2020 03:54 PM PSTby Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Briefings Tomorrow Congressional leaders are demanding to know more about the intelligence behind the president’s order to take out Iran’s terror chief, Gen. Qassem Soleimani. They will get that opportunity tomorrow afternoon in a briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and CIA Director Gina Haspel. Of course, such intelligence should remain secret, but Capitol Hill leaks like a sieve. I expect leaks will occur, especially if there is anything that can remotely be twisted as being detrimental to the president. But I am still reeling from those asking why the president didn’t brief congressional leaders like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff PRIOR to the strike on Soleimani. Well, Pelosi and Schiff believe the president is a traitor who stole the election with the help of Russia. Perhaps that is why he might be hesitant to brief them in advance. Meanwhile, there continues to be a lot of talk in Congress about tying the president’s hands, whether it’s a War Powers resolution ordering the president to cease hostilities against Iran or repealing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that passed in the wake of 9/11, giving the president broad authority to respond to terrorist threats in the region. Progressives have shown little interest in any of that until now. In fact, Barack Obama carried out nearly 3,000 strikes without congressional authorization, at least in the way many liberals are now defining the term. Tehran must be pleased with the progressive left’s efforts to resist Donald Trump. The Manipulation of Language We see all the time how the left manipulates language in order to influence the conclusions people reach during public policy debates. For example, any debate about abortion in the “mainstream” media is almost always presented as a dispute between “pro-choice” and “anti-choice” activists — not “pro-life” activists. Unfortunately, we’re seeing the same manipulation being used now in the coverage of Soleimani. For example, numerous progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Obama National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, have said recently that the president “assassinated” Soleimani. Sanders even went so far as to compare Soleimani’s death to Vladimir Putin’s assassinations of political dissidents. So now Soleimani’s a dissident?! The left knows that the word “assassination” has a generally negative connotation, as well as a specific meaning under international law. But Soleimani was no innocent. He was a designated terrorist and a top official of a hostile power who is responsible for hundreds of American deaths. As Rabbi Shmuley Boteach noted, Soleimani was “an architect of Bashar Assad’s genocidal war against the Syrian people . . . one of the most guilty men on earth.” Multiple leftist commentators have questioned the legality of the strike against Soleimani, suggesting that it could be a “war crime.” And they are accusing the president of threatening additional “war crimes.” Nothing President Trump has said or done is a war crime. There are war crimes being committed all over the earth, usually by communists or Islamic jihadists. None of that is ever called “war crimes” by the left. They only use that term to describe actions by conservative presidents to resist our enemies. Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxies once directed by Soleimani, position rockets in civilian neighborhoods, near schools and mosques so that if Israel responds to rocket attacks, Israel can be accused of war crimes. But hiding weapons in civilian areas is a war crime, and it isn’t a war crime to fire back. The third example is not a word but the misuse of a phrase. All over social media many are suggesting that the president is getting us into World War III. If you believe that then you have no idea what World Wars I and II were like. This is a dispute with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which wants to destroy Israel and the United States. That’s not World War III. But if you want to talk about world wars, let’s not forget that World War II began because a lot of world leaders were unwilling to confront aggression by Nazi Germany. Their desire to appease led to the most horrible war in the history of mankind. Like Winston Churchill, Donald Trump is standing up to evil. His left-wing critics, like the appeasers of World War II, want to lie prostrate at the feet of men like Qassem Soleimani, hoping that nothing terrible will happens to us. Gervais’ Good Advice I know there has been some news about this, but if you missed it, I want to commend this to you. Comedian Ricky Gervais, host of Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony, offered this bit of advice to the “woke” Hollywood celebrities as he kicked off the show: “If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a political platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So, if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and f*** off. OK?” A number of left-wing organizations are now attacking Gervais. Are they refuting any of his assertions, like Hollywood’s obsession with political correctness? Did they counter his point that many celebrities ignored the Epstein and Weinstein scandals or turned a blind eye to major media firms running sweatshops in China? Of course not. Instead, they are accusing him of mimicking “right-wing talking points.” Gervais responded by asking how could “teasing huge corporations, and the richest, most privileged people in the world be considered right wing?” I believe this episode is worth noting because Gervais, J. K. Rowling and Alan Dershowitz are hardly conservative converts. But they are taking on Hollywood, the transgender ideology and other leftist nonsense. They are liberals who are willing to speak up against the authoritarian impulse that is poisoning the minds of so many progressives. I hope 2020 is the year that restores some sanity and genuine tolerance to our political discourse. 2019 Update American Values (AV) has processed the last donations of 2019. Thanks to your incredible generosity AV did meet its year-end fundraising goal. In fact, AV slightly exceeded it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! There are no words for me and our American Values team to adequately express our gratitude for your investment in our work. Thanks to your amazing friendship, I look forward to building on our achievements in the year ahead. ——————- Gary Bauer (@GaryLBauer)  is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families Tags: Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, Briefings Tomorrow, The Manipulation Of Language, Gervais’ Good Advice To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

‘It Is Time For The Speaker To Send The Articles Over’Posted: 07 Jan 2020 03:03 PM PSTSenate Democrats Call On Speaker Pelosi To Stop Playing Games And Send The Articles Of Impeachment To The Senate SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “I wanted to make sure you understood that we have the votes, once the impeachment trial has begun, to pass a resolution, essentially the same—very similar—to the 100-0 vote in the Clinton trial, which sets up … what could best be described as maybe a Phase 1, which would include, obviously, the arguments from the prosecution, arguments from the defense, and then a period of written questions … submitted to either the prosecution or the defense through the Chief Justice. At that point, during the Clinton trial, the issue of the appropriateness of calling witnesses was addressed … that’ll be addressed at that time, and not before the trial begins.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Conference, 1/07/2020) SEN. McCONNELL: “With regard to getting the papers [from the House], it is a rule of impeachment in the Senate that we must receive the papers. It continues to be my hope that the Speaker will send them on over. The House argued that this was an emergency, they needed to act quickly … and then they sat on the papers, now for three weeks. I hope that’ll end this week. I understand there’s considerable discomfort among Senate Democrats … over the continued delay in sending it on over.” (Sen. McConnell, Press Conference, 1/07/2020)‘Most People Are Ready To Get Moving On This’ SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): “I think the time has past. She [Speaker Pelosi] should send the articles over.”(The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, @mikedebonis, Twitter, 1/07/2020) SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): “I think it needs to start, I really do. … Let us do what we have to do over here.” (The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, @mikedebonis, Twitter, 1/07/2020) MSNBC’s ANDREA MITCHELL: “ … is it time for Nancy Pelosi to send over the articles of impeachment and go ahead with it?” SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): “I think it is time for the Speaker to send the articles over. I think — I don’t think her holding them puts any particular pressure on Mitch McConnell. I think the key vote will come in the middle of the trial.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 1/07/2020) “Asked Dem Sen. Doug Jones [D-AL] … about Pelosi withholding articles, and he said: ‘I’m hoping they will come over here soon. I think most people are ready to get moving on this.’” (CNN’s Manu Raju, @mkraju, Twitter, 1/07/2020) LEVERAGE: The power to influence results. (Cambridge Dictionary) SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): “I think it is time for the Speaker to send the articles over. I think — I don’t think her holding them puts any particular pressure on Mitch McConnell. I think the key vote will come in the middle of the trial.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 1/07/2020) Tags: Senate Democrat,s Call On Speaker Pelosi, To Stop Playing Games, Send The Articles Of Impeachment, To The Senate To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Boozman Joins Colleagues to Introduce Legislation Aimed at Improving Broadband Access for Rural StudentsPosted: 07 Jan 2020 03:02 PM PSTWASHINGTON –  U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to introduce the bipartisan Connected Rural Schools Act in an effort to close the digital disconnect for rural students. The legislation adds broadband and other internet accessibility technologies to the list of eligible items on which Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program dollars can be spent. The SRS program provides assistance to rural counties impacted by the decline in revenue from land use activities on federal lands. “Connectivity has become an integral part of our everyday lives and lack of access to broadband puts rural America in danger of falling behind the curve. This is especially true when it comes to education. Having the ability to get online at school is as essential as having modern textbooks and ample supplies. I am pleased to join with my colleagues to introduce this bill that will help ensure that children in our rural communities have the same opportunities as their peers in urban and suburban schools,” Boozman said. “Nevada’s rural communities are full of bright and eager students who need reliable internet access to reach their full educational potential. This legislation will help ensure that even students who live in the Silver State’s most remote counties can access the 21st century technology and resources they need to thrive. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to direct federal funding to projects that will improve rural broadband and school connectivity. I’ll continue to fight to secure meaningful investments in Nevada’s young people, no matter their zip code,” the bill’s lead author, Cortez Masto, said. —————— Sen. John Boozman is a co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, a bipartisan group aimed at closing the digital divide. Tags: Senator John Boozman, Joins Colleagues, Introduce Legislation Aimed at Improving Broadband Access, for Rural Students To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

The Steele Dossier BacillusPosted: 07 Jan 2020 03:01 PM PSTHillary Clinton Staring At Supportersby Dr. Victor Davis Hanson: Those who trafficked in the dossier’s concocted mess were infected, and their reputations are now declining. In 2016, Hillary Clinton presidential candidate hired an ex-intelligence officer and foreign national, British subject Christopher Steele, to use Russian sources to find dirt (“opposition research”) on her then political opponent Donald Trump. So much for the worry about “foreign interference” in U.S. elections. The public would take years to learn of the funding sources of sSteele, because Clinton camouflaged her role through three firewalls: the Democratic National Committee; the Perkins-Coie legal firm; and Glenn Simpson’s Fusion GPS opposition-research firm. Steele had collected rumor and gossip from mostly Russian sources in an effort to tar Trump as a Russian colluder and asset. We know now that his sources were either bogus or deliberately warped by Steele himself. Almost everything in the dossier was unverified and later was proved fanciful. Yet with the help of high Obama administration and elected officials, the dossier’s gossip and rumor were leaked throughout the top echelons of Washington politics and the media. Its lies spread because its chief message — Donald J. Trump was a fool, dangerous, should never be elected, and once elected had no business as president — was exactly what the establishment wished to hear. In other words, the dossier was infectious because it was deemed both welcome and useful. The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, after an exhaustive study, found that the Steele dossier not just unverifiable but unethically and unprofessionally used to delude federal judges to issue warrants to surveil an American citizen. Horowitz simply confirmed what a number of journalists had already discovered, namely, that Steele was both a pathological liar and an inveterate hater of Donald Trump who acted to ensure that Trump would not be president. Although the befuddled special counsel Robert Mueller, in sworn testimony before Congress, seemed to have amnesia about the Steele dossier and its chief purveyor Fusion GPS, his own investigation was de facto repudiation of the entire Steele dossier in its conclusion that Donald Trump did not engage in collusion with the Russians to warp the 2016 election. As a result, all who trafficked in the infectious dossier as if it were factual and disinterested have lost all credibility. Many are now seeing their careers demolished and in ruins. Here is a small sampling of reputations that were marred or destroyed. Rachel Maddow. She is a Stanford graduate, Rhodes scholar, and MSNBC host — and she is emblematic of how academic progress often accompanies ethical and intellectual regress. Many of her 2016–19 evening cable news commentaries focused on the supposed dangers that candidate and then president Trump posed to the republic. She cited the Steele dossier chapter and verse as factual in making her arguments that Trump was dishonest and amoral and therefore an illegitimate president who should be removed. It will be difficult for any audience to take Maddow’s on-air assertions seriously in the future. She rose to high ratings promoting the dossier, and she will likely suffer the consequences in reverse. James Comey and the FBI. It is no exaggeration that James Comey, the former director of the FBI, knew intimately of the dossier, approved its use to spy on American citizens and to launch an investigation into Donald Trump’s purported Russian connection, and then serially lied about both the dossier’s authenticity and his own agency’s use of its author Christopher Steele, who at times was a paid informant for the FBI. More than a dozen top FBI agents, investigators, and lawyers who worked for Comey in the FBI’s Washington’s office have now either been fired, disgraced, reassigned, demoted, or they quit or have abruptly retired. The common denominator to all their fates is that in some fashion they either leaked false information to the media, knowingly broke the law, lied to federal investigators, altered documents, deluded federal judges, or were afraid that something they had done would surface. Trace the origins of such misbehavior, and at its font will be the sensational Steele dossier and the nearly religious belief that it either was true or should be true or somehow could be made to be true. The late Senator John McCain. McCain was tipped off about the dossier by a British intelligence official, who apparently in turn had been prepped by the ubiquitous Steele in an effort to promulgate his work among high American officials. McCain, who had engaged in a well-publicized feud with Trump, almost immediately met with federal officials and sent his former associate David Kramer to the UK to talk with Steele. McCain himself then gave the dossier to FBI Director Comey. Kramer made sure that the unverified dossier was leaked to media sources before the 2016 election and well after it also. In McCain’s final memoir, he and his coauthor were defiant about the senator’s role in spreading the unsubstantiated gossip around Washington: “I would do it again. Anyone who doesn’t like it can go to hell.” By January 2019, almost all sane and informed people did not like the idea of deliberately spreading false information to destroy a presidential candidate and later president, and most certainly they did not feel they should “go to hell” for voicing such outrage. James Clapper and John Brennan. James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence under Barack Obama, and John Brennan, the former CIA director, both previously had been caught lying under oath to Congress. Both then apologized, and their illegal behaviors were excused without legal consequences. But both once again have not told the full truth about their own knowledge of the Steele dossier, its unverified and mostly false information, and the role they both played in circulating and promulgating the dossier to the media and high government officials. That both directors were deeply involved in spreading the dossier around Washington, leaking its comments, and then denying their roles while they worked as paid television commentators on CNN and MSNBC only ensured the rapid erosion of their beltway careers and reputations. And both still may have a rendezvous with federal prosecutors in regard to the dossier. The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. A number of federal judges approved FBI and DOJ requests to surveille Carter Page both before and after the 2016 presidential election, supposedly as a way to learn of Trump-Russia collusion. None of the judges seriously probed government lawyers about the dossier before their court. Although they were told in a footnote that it was a product of opposition research, apparently none asked the nature of such sponsorship. Yet if a judge is apprised that the evidence before him to support a federal surveillance warrant is based on political opposition research, and the dossier was related to candidate and then president Donald Trump, would it not be prudent to ask attorneys to name who had paid the dossier’s author? Worse still, in winter and late spring 2018, Representative Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) had twice warned the eleven-justice FISA court that the Steele dossier was unreliable and had not been a sound basis to authorize surveilling an American citizen. Nunes and his House colleagues were essentially ignored and dismissed by the court. It was only after the issuance of the Horowitz report that the FISA court’s presiding justice, Rosemary Collyer, blasted the FBI for deluding her court. Fairly or not, the impression remains that FISA judges either were incompetent or simply did not wish to learn evidence that might have discredited their decision to allow the FBI to surveille a former Trump official, as part of a larger effort to discredit Donald Trump. And like it or not, the entire reputation of the FISA court is now in shreds, both for being so easily or willingly fooled, and for so opportunistically and belatedly criticizing those who deluded them. Hillary Clinton. There are complex federal election laws governing the role of foreign nationals and their U.S. handlers interfering in an American election. The public became more aware of such statutes paradoxically because Hillary Clinton, almost immediately after losing the November 2016 election, claimed that she was defeated only because Donald Trump had colluded with Russians. Ironically, the origins of that claim were the Steele dossier, which Clinton herself had paid for and then hidden her sponsorship. In other words, while the dossier swept through the media, helped to prime FISA warrants, played a key part in launching FBI investigations, and ultimately kick-started the Robert Mueller special-counsel investigation, Hillary Clinton remained immune from scrutiny. Think of the paradox: While Clinton pounded president Trump for supposedly using Russians to win an election, she herself had used fraudulent Russian sources to obtain political advantage by smearing her opponent, apparently in the expectation that she would win the election and her modus operandi would never be discovered, or, even if Steele’s work were publicized and thus discredited, her own fingerprints would never appear — or no one would dare to question President Clinton. There were certainly lots of firewalls. Anonymous Russians gave their scurrilous stories to Christopher Steele who exaggerated and collated them for Fusion GPS, which was hired by Perkins-Coie, which in turn had been assigned the task by the Democratic National Committee, which in turn was ultimately working on the direction of and in cahoots with Hillary Clinton. One unspoken reason that Hillary Clinton remains persona non grata among liberal circles is the suspicion that the entire truth about her role in “collusion” with foreign actors will eventually emerge and her presence will become at last toxic. Adam Schiff. Adam Schiff’s reputation hit rock bottom in recent years. He lied about his relationship to the so-called whistleblower. His minority-report memo was discredited by Inspector General Horowitz. He read a bogus version of the Trump-Ukraine phone call into the congressional record, and when called out, begged off by claiming it was merely “parody.” And he began the impeachment inquiry in a basement without either transparency or bipartisan rules of cross-examination and disclosure. But Schiff’s two-year insistence that Steele’s research was reliable and that it nonetheless did not provide the chief basis for FISA warrants was demonstrably untrue. (How paradoxical that Steele’s promoters both defended the dossier and yet denied that it was pivotal.) Schiff may remain a hero to the Never Trump fringe for his any-means-necessary efforts to destroy Trump, but even the media now distrust him. His own party will come to see him as a transiently useful dishonest prevaricator whose utility is already waning. The Steele dossier resembles some sort of bacillus. Anyone who put currency into it was infected, and the contagion was passed on as the dossier made its rounds throughout the media and government. Those who were infected by it are now in the end-stages of career decline. And the only antidote to the infection — honest admission that the dossier was bogus and used for unethical and often illegal purposes — is apparently seen by the stricken as worse than the terminal disease. ———————— Victor Davis Hanson (@VDHanson) is a senior fellow, classicist and historian and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution where many of his articles are found; his focus is classics and military history. He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004. Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush.  H/T National Review. Tags: Victor Davis Hanson, The Steele Dossier Bacillus, Hillary Clinton To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. 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The New Racism – Just As Ugly As the Old RacismPosted: 07 Jan 2020 01:59 PM PSTDr. Walter E. Williamsby Dr. Walter E. Williams: A voter may dislike a black, homosexual or female candidate, but it’s not likely that he would openly admit it. However, diversity-crazed leftist/progressive Democrats have openly condemned the physical characteristics of some of their 2020 presidential candidates. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are be leading the polls despite the fact that they have been condemned as old white men. While Pete Buttigieg is homosexual, something that pleases diversity crazies, he is also a white man, young and religious. With Kamala Harris’ departure from the race, the Democratic field has lost one of its persons of color. Another, Senator Cory Booker, stands at 2% in the polls; his days are numbered. That means the only Democratic candidates polling high are those condemned as old white people — two men and one woman, Elizabeth Warren. LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, said she was initially eager for Joe Biden to enter the race but now has second thoughts. Brown said: “I’m over white men running the country. I don’t know if him (sic) getting in changes the field. He has name recognition, but his strength is also his weakness.” Former presidential candidate Howard Dean lamented, “If we have two old white guys at the top of this ticket, we will lose.” The newest entry into the presidential sweepstakes, Michael Bloomberg, had to apologize for what some see as his diversity insensitiveness namely that of calling fellow presidential candidate Cory Booker “well-spoken” in a TV interview. The New Jersey senator said he was “taken aback” by what he saw as Bloomberg’s racist “trope.” Michael Moore gave us his racist warning: “Two-thirds of all white guys voted for Trump. That means anytime you see three white guys walking at you, down the street toward you, two of them voted for Trump. You need to move over to the other sidewalk because these are not good people that are walking toward you. You should be afraid of them.” This is the new racism, much of it learned and taught at our nation’s colleges. George Orwell said, “Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them.” The stupid ideas about inclusion and diversity originate with academics on college campuses. If their ideas didn’t infect the rest of society, they might be a source of entertainment. But these cancerous ideas have infected society. Statements such as “I’m over white men running the country,” or “If we have two old white guys at the top of this ticket, we will lose” are examples of that cancer. Last year, Philip Carl Salzman wrote “The War Against White People” in Minding the Campus. He declared: “Anti-white hate is now mainstream American culture. Not just by racial extremists such as Black Lives Matter, for whom statements such as “all lives matter” or “blue lives matter” are racist. Our highest leaders sing the same song.” When Barack Obama was campaigning for the presidency in 2008, he said of working-class white voters, “They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Hillary Clinton claimed that half of Donald Trump’s supporters were “a basket of deplorables” who were “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.” Do you think Clinton was talking about Trump’s black, Asian and Hispanic supporters? No, she was talking about millions of Trump’s white supporters. Then there’s Sarah Jeong, a member of The New York Times editorial board and graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Law School. She expressed publicly many anti-white opinions. Among them are: “The world could get by just fine with zero white people.” “Dumbass f—-ing white people marking up the internet with their opinions like dogs pissing on fire hydrants.” It’s “kind of sick how much joy I get out of being cruel to old white men.” I guarantee you that The New York Times would have fired any employee making similar statements about black, Hispanic or homosexual people. The bottom line is that the new racism, born in academia, is just as ugly as the old racism. ————- Dr. Walter Williams (@WE_Williams) is an American economist, social commentator, and author of over 150 publications. He has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the UCLA and B.A. in economics from California State University. He also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Union University and Grove City College, Doctor of Laws from Washington and Jefferson College. He has served on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, since 1980. Visit his website: WalterEWilliams.com and view a list of other articles and works. Tags: Walter Williams, commentary, The New Racism To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

If Baghdad Wants Us Out, Let’s Go!Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:45 PM PSTPresident Donald Trumpby Patrick Buchanan: Perhaps, rather than sending troops into Iraq and Kuwait to defend U.S. troops already there, we should accede to the local nationalist demands, start bringing our troops home, and let Iranians, Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians, Yemenis and Afghans settle their quarrels. Fifteen years after the U.S. invaded Iraq to turn Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship into a beacon of democracy, Iraq’s Parliament, amid shouts of “Death to America!” voted to expel all U.S. troops from the country. Though nonbinding, the expulsion vote came after mobs trashed the U.S. embassy in an assault that recalled Tehran 1979. What provoked Iraq’s Parliament into demanding the ouster of all U.S. troops? First, the five December U.S. strikes on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces in retaliation for a dozen Kataib Hezbollah rocket attacks on U.S. bases, which killed a contractor and wounded four U.S. soldiers. Then came President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a drone-strike and kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport. Killed in the same strike was the Shiite Iraqi leader of Kataib Hezbollah. During his return flight to Washington Sunday, Trump warned Iraq: Follow through on your demand that all U.S. troops get out, and we will insist that Baghdad repay the money we just spent on a major air base. Moreover, said Trump, if Iraqis expel U.S. troops, then we will impose upon them “sanctions like they’ve never seen before, ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.” Where do we stand now in Iraq? Though Sunnis and Kurds abstained, the Iraqi parliament has voted to expel all our troops. The State Department has urged U.S. civilians to flee Iraq. 82nd Airborne units have moved into the region to protect the U.S. embassy. U.S. troops fighting ISIS alongside Iraqi troops have separated themselves and stood down. In Iraq, the war on terrorism is on hold. Across the Middle East, U.S. diplomats, soldiers and civilians are on alert. The acting prime minister of Iraq, in an echo of Tehran and radical Shiites, is demanding that all 5,200 U.S. soldiers in Iraq depart. How can our troops, detested by the PMF militias and their thousands of fighters, unwanted by the Iraqi Parliament majority, the acting prime minister, and much of the Shiite majority, remain safely inside the capital city of Baghdad or the country? What a difference a presidential decision can make. Two months ago, crowds were in the streets of Iraq protesting Iran’s dominance of their politics. Crowds were in the streets of Iran cursing that regime for squandering the nation’s resources on imperial adventures in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen. Things were going America’s way. Now it is the Americans who are the targets of protests. Over three days, crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands and even millions have packed Iraqi and Iranian streets and squares to pay tribute to Soleimani and to curse the Americans who killed him. As emotions are running high and America’s friends in the region are mute, the twin goals of Iran and its militia allies appear clear: Tehran wants to avoid a war with the United States, but to direct the passions of the moment toward forcing an expulsion of the Americans from the Middle East, beginning with their ouster from Iraq. Thus, Tehran has signaled that its retaliation, its revenge for the death of Soleimani, a military man, will be proportionate. Tehran is telegraphing an attack on the U.S. military. Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah in Lebanon, has called on his followers not to attack innocent Americans in the region but to zero in on U.S. military targets. Oddly, what the America-haters of the Middle East seek is what Soleimani wanted, and what Trump promised in his campaign of 2016 — an end to U.S. involvement in the forever wars of the Middle East. Perhaps, rather than sending troops into Iraq and Kuwait to defend U.S. troops already there, we should accede to the local nationalist demands, start bringing our troops home, and let Iranians, Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians, Yemenis and Afghans settle their quarrels. Despite the rage in Iran over the killing of Soleimani, the political imperatives that existed before last Friday’s drone strike remain. Iran does not want war with the United States. And Trump wants no war with Iran. But Iran made a mistake in its extrapolation from that truth. Assuming that because Trump did not want war, he would recoil from a fight, Soleimani believed he could kill Americans with impunity, as long as his fingerprints were not on the murder weapon. Killing Soleimani was just. But what is just is not always wise. Yet, his killing restores Trump’s credibility as a Jacksonian who avoids wars but who, wounded, will stab the enemy who cut him. Trump has a red line. It is not shooting at American drones but shooting at American soldiers, the drawing of American blood. The message the rulers of Iran should have received? If they retaliate for Soleimani by killing American soldiers, diplomats or civilians, using either Iranian troops or proxy militias, Trump will retaliate against Iran itself. Otherwise, “Come Home, America,” George McGovern’s slogan from the 1972 presidential campaign, has rarely seemed more relevant. ——————– Patrick Buchanan (@PatrickBuchanan) is currently a blogger, conservative columnist, political analyst, chairman of The American Cause foundation and an editor of The American Conservative. He has been a senior adviser to three Presidents, a two-time candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and was the presidential nominee of the Reform Party in 2000. Tags: Patrick Buchanan, conservative, commentary, Baghdad, Wants Us Out,Let’s Go! To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Will the Economy in 2020 Roar or Whimper?Posted: 07 Jan 2020 01:36 PM PSTStephen Moore, Economistby Stephen Moore: Let’s face it: 2019 is going to be a hard year to beat — stocks and 401(k) plans up more than 25% on average, wage gains of 3% to 5%, 7 million surplus jobs and the lowest unemployment and inflation rates in nearly 50 years. That’s a lot to celebrate. Booms like this don’t happen by accident. The imperative is for Republicans to connect the dots between this banner year for the middle class and tax cuts, deregulation policies and pro-America energy production initiatives. So, will 2020 continue the winning streak? The only thing that we know for sure is that economists don’t know for sure. I’ll include myself in that category. The best I can do is provide reasons for optimism and reasons for pessimism. The case for optimism: No. 1: America has scored two big wins on the trade front. The biggest risk since President Donald Trump entered office was a freeze-up of the global trading system because of Trump tariffs. Now, with the concluding of the trade deal with Canada and Mexico and a very positive outlook for a trade win in the tariff wars against China, investors are bullish. The China deal takes an escalation of tariffs off the table for 2020. No. 2: The Federal Reserve is finally getting it right. A year ago, the Fed torpedoed the economy and the stock market fell by 2,500 points while GDP growth and investment stalled out. Now rates are lower, there is more dollar liquidity, and we have price stability with very little risk of inflation. No. 3: Trump tax cuts are working. The tax cuts have been a spectacular success in terms of job creation, wage hikes, profits and GDP growth. The chance of those tax cuts going away in 2020 is close to zero. If anything, we might see another small tax cut. In sum, the policy goals are turned toward growth. No. 4: Washington will be paralyzed with partisan gridlock in 2020. Good. When things are going well, less is more. So, what could go wrong? Here are four things to worry about: No. 1: The China trade deal could blow up. Beijing could back out (they’ve done it before), or they could start cheating. If either happens, Trump hammers them with more tariffs and we are back in a trade war. No. 2: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, oh my! If markets start anticipating that any of these anti-growth candidates will win, stocks will tumble. If Trump loses, then we are talking Green New Deal, “Medicare for All,” capital gains taxes, wealth taxes and the end of the Trump tax cuts. To say this would be harmful to growth and stocks is a vast understatement. And if Trump loses to one of these candidates, the market could collapse. No. 3: The global economy could stay flat. It’s been stalled out for the last year or two, and if growth doesn’t boost in Europe and elsewhere, it’s going to negatively impact U.S. growth. We can’t keep carrying the world economy on our shoulders. No. 4: The housing bubble could burst again. Don’t look now, but Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are up to their old tricks, providing near-100% loan guarantees on 2-3% down payment loans. If housing values fall, defaults will soar, as they did in 2008 and 2009. Amazingly, the government has learned none of the lessons from the last housing meltdown. On balance, I’m with the bulls for 2020. Just don’t expect 25% gains again this year. ——————— Stephen Moore, (@StephenMoore) is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an economic consultant with Freedom Works. He is the co-author of “Fueling Freedom: Exposing the Mad War on Energy.” Moore encouraged the ARRA News Service editor at SamSphere Chicago 2008 to blog his articles. His article was in Rasmussen Reports Tags: Stephen Moore, Steve Moore, Rasmussen Reports, Will the Economy, in 2020, Roar or Whimper To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Report: U.S. ‘Anchor Babies’ Rival American BirthsPosted: 07 Jan 2020 01:28 PM PSTby Free Press International: About 372,000 so-called “anchor babies” were born in the United States in 2019, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) said. With the exception of California and Texas, there were more anchor babies born in 2019 than births in each of the 50 states. “For example, there were more than 34 times as many anchor babies born nationwide than American children born in the state of Delaware and nearly five times as many anchor babies born nationwide than the American children born in Arizona,” Breitbart’s John Binder noted in a Jan. 5 report. Currently, CIS estimates there are at least 4.5 million anchor babies under 18-years-old in the U.S. That number exceeds the annual roughly four million American babies born every year. The anchor babies also cost American taxpayers about $2.4 billion every year to subsidize hospital costs, Binder’s report said. Anchor babies immediately obtain American citizenship and anchor their illegal or foreign parents in the country. CIS also estimated that some 72,000 anchor babies are born to foreign tourists, foreign visa workers, and foreign students every year. They all “obtain immediate American citizenship simply for being born within the parameters of the country,” Binder noted. President Donald Trump has said he would consider signing an executive order ending the nation’s “anchor baby policy” that incentivizes pregnant migrant women to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the hopes of securing American citizenship for their children. The U.S. Supreme Court “has never explicitly ruled that the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens must be granted automatic American citizenship, and a number of legal scholars dispute the idea,” Binder wrote. Many leading conservative scholars argue the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment does not provide mandatory birthright citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants or non-citizens, as these children are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction as that language was understood when the 14th Amendment was ratified. ——————– Free Press international @FreePressers Tags: FreePressers, Free Press international, Report, U.S. ‘Anchor Babies’, Rival American Births To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Antisemitic AttacksPosted: 07 Jan 2020 01:18 PM PSTby Kerby Anderson, Contributing Author: Antisemitism has been on the rise, and Jews are being targeted here in America. Here are a few of the most reported attacks over the last 15 months. A white supremacist kills 11 Jews and wounds 7 others during Sabbath services in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Another shooter opens fire in a Passover service in California. Two shooters with the Black Hebrew Israelites target a kosher grocery store in Jersey City and kill four. A black man storms into a home during the seventh night of Hanukkah stabbing five people with a machete. Those, of course, are the most visible because they were violent and usually led to loss of life. But consider that nearly half of Jewish young people in America say they have been victims of antisemitic attacks in the last five years. More than a third of them have experienced such hatred on a college campus. One survey found that 88 percent of Jewish Americans think antisemitism is a problem in the US. Also, 84 percent of them believe that the problem has gotten worse over the last five years. The motivations for these attacks vary, but believing false ideas certainly drives this age-old hatred. The shooter in California wrote a manifesto that read like something out of the fallacious Protocols of Zion. Others deny the Holocaust, say that Jews are responsible for so much evil in society, and try to argue that Jewish people are fake Jews. As Christians, we need to do what we can to combat this evil. First, we need to educate ourselves about antisemitism. I have written a booklet on the subject, which is available through Point of View. Second, we need to call out and denounce antisemitism. Third, we need to show solidarity with the Jewish people and also pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). —————- Kerby Anderson (@kerbyanderson) is a radio talk show host heard on numerous stations via the Point of View Network (@PointofViewRTS) and is endorsed by Dr. Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service. Tags: Kerby Anderson, Viewpoints, Point of View, Antisemitic Attacks To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

A Hole In One . . .Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:43 PM PST. . . Obama is known for his porous red lines compared to Trump’s, prime is example is the death of Soleimani. Editorial Cartoon by AF “Tony” BrancoTags: AF Branco, editorial cartoon, A Hole In One, Obama porous red lines. compared to Trump, death of Soleimani To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Bye-Bye Iraq?Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:36 PM PSTby Paul Jacob, Contributing Author: We may soon be at war with Iran. Wait, in this day and age of endless conflicts without so much as a decent declaration, are we not already at war with Iran? Clearly, the drone-strike killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, described by The New York Times as “the architect of nearly every significant operation by Iranian intelligence and military forces over the past two decades,” was an act of war. The Trump Administration predicated the U.S. assault on previous Iranian acts of war — including involvement in the recent storming of parts of the sprawling 104-acre U.S. embassy in Baghdad and, moreover, deadly attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Iran vows revenge. I want to bring U.S. troops home from the Middle East. And so did President Obama and so does President Trump, no? But several thousand more U.S. soldiers are now headed to the region. The world’s policemen. But, then, miraculously, a possible way out. News reports announced that Iraq’s legislative body, the Council of Representatives, would take up a resolution on expelling U.S. troops — er, well, asking U.S. troops to leave. Please, Iraqi legislators, please: don’t throw us in that briar patch! The vote was held. The measure asking all foreign troops to leave . . . passed. It is an understandable request, one that we can only presume the U.S. will respect . . . once the legislation is signed. Oops! The prime minister has resigned; there’s no one to sign it. Plus, the resolution is “non-binding.” Training the Iraqi army has been difficult, but how proud our nation-builders must be to see Iraqi politicians show a professional understanding of political sleight-of-hand. This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob. —————— Paul Jacob (@Common_Sense_PJ ) is author of Common Sense which provides daily commentary about the issues impacting America and about the citizens who are doing something about them. He is also President of the Liberty Initiative Fund (LIFe) as well as Citizens in Charge Foundation. Jacob is a contributing author on the ARRA News Service. Tags: Paul Jacob, Common Sense, Bye-Bye Iraq? To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

CAGW Names Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez March 2019 Porker of the YearPosted: 07 Jan 2020 12:25 PM PSTRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) Porker of the Month March 2019 And Porker of the Year 2019by Thomas A. Schatz at Citizens Against Government Waste: The results are in!   Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is the landslide “winner” of CAGW’s online poll for 2019 Porker of the Year, garnering 54 percent of the vote in a six-way race. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez earned this dubious award for introducing the “Green New Deal,” a plan that would bankrupt America, restrict individual freedom, and hand over vast amounts of power to the federal government. On February 7, 2019, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez introduced H. Res. 109, to recognize “the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal” through a “10-year national mobilization effort” to drastically remake the U. S. economy. The total cost of the proposal is $93 trillion dollars – more than quadruple the current national debt of $23 trillion. CAGW’s 2019 Porker of the Year silver medal winner with 25 percent of the vote is Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was named CAGW’s May 2019 Porker of the Month for proposing “free” college and a taxpayer-funded bailout of all student loan debt. The other 2019 Porker of the Year nominees, in order of votes received, were: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (16 percent); Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) (2 percent); Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) (2 percent); and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) (1 percent). Our thanks to the many CAGW members and supporters who took the time to participate in this poll. We appreciate you casting your vote! Below: CAGW Was Named Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez March 2019 Porker of the Month (Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste named Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) March 2019 Porker of the Month for taking the lead in proposing a “Green New Deal” that would bankrupt America. On February 7, 2019, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez introduced H. Res. 109, to recognize “the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal,” through a “10-year national mobilization effort” to drastically remake the U. S. economy. The Green New Deal would be a disaster for American taxpayers for a litany of reasons that are difficult to count. Most importantly, its astronomical cost to taxpayers would bankrupt the nation. The American Action Forum estimated that the total cost of the proposal would be $93 trillion. To put that figure in perspective, it would more than quadruple the current national debt of $22 trillion that the United States has accumulated in the last 240 years. A federal job guarantee for all Americans could cost up to $44.6 trillion, single-payer healthcare could cost up to $36 trillion, rebuilding the energy grid could cost up to $5.4 trillion, retrofitting every home in America for energy efficiency could cost up to $4.2 trillion, and remaking America’s transportation system could cost up to $2.7 trillion. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and her allies have yet to submit a plan that comes even remotely close to paying for this tsunami of new spending. The cost in terms of disruption of every single American’s life is not as easily quantified, as it represents an unprecedented and radical departure from the type of economy that built and sustained the United States throughout its history. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s office admitted, in a document they later had to disavow, that some of their goals were to, “replace every combustion-engine vehicle” and create rail systems so that “air travel stops becoming necessary,” and to provide, “economic security for all who are unable or unwilling to work.”  To be fair, they do grudgingly admit that, “we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.” What a relief. CAGW President Tom Schatz said, “Using any normal public policy standard, the Green New Deal should be laughed out of the room. It is unrealistic, unaffordable, and absurd. This type of socialism is offensive to taxpayers. The Green New Deal and similar proposals represent a calculated attack on free market capitalism and the principles that made America an exceptional nation. This type of utopian nonsense must not be allowed to become the next ‘duty’ of the federal government.” For pushing a radical plan that would destroy the American economy, CAGW names Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez its March 2019 Porker of the Month. ————- Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers. Porker of the Year is even worse! Tags: Citizens Against Government Waste, CAGW, Porker of the Year, 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Department of Defense Predicted Climate Change Would Destroy Us by 2020Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:26 PM PSTby John Nolte: Back in 2004, the Department of Defense released a report assuring the world Climate Change would destroy all of us by the year 2020. Well, welcome to the year 2020! And welcome to yet another fake doomsday prediction number 42 from our renowned climate experts! Yep, our so-called “climate experts” are now 0-42 with their doomsday predictions, and this latest one is a doozy. As summarized by the Guardian in 2004, here’s what the so-called “experts” assured us would happen by now: A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world. The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents. And that’s not the worst of it. Get a load of this: ‘Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,‘ concludes the Pentagon analysis. ‘Once again, warfare would define human life.’ … Climate change ‘should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern’, say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network. An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is ‘plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately’, they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millionsThis is from the actual report: The Weather Report: 2010-2020 Drought persists for the entire decade in critical agricultural regions and in the areas around major population centers in Europe and eastern North America.Average annual temperatures drop by up to 5 degrees Fahrenheit over Asia and North America and up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit in Europe.Temperatures increase by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in key areas throughout Australia, South America, and southern Africa.Winter storms and winds intensify, amplifying the impact of the changes. Western Europe and the North Pacific face enhanced westerly winds.None of this happened. None of it. In fact, over the last ten years, global temperatures have remained remarkably stable. Take a look at the full report for yourself. It’s literally filled with fake alarmism and fake hysteria, and it’s also filled with one completely wrong climate doomsday prediction after another. Nothing in this report has come true. Not a single prediction was accurate. Not one! But even after this, even after no less than the Department of Defense get it so horribly wrong, even after a 0-42 record of failed doomsday predictions, we’re still ridiculed by the fake media as “deniers” if we don’t take these partisan idiots seriously. —————— John Nolte (@NolteNC) writes for Breitbart. Tags: John Nolte, Breitbart, Department of Defense, Predicted Climate Change, Would Destroy US, by 2020 To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Zachary StieberPosted: 07 Jan 2020 11:34 AM PSTby Zachary Stieber: President Donald Trump’s order to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was “a very significant effort to reestablish deterrence, which obviously had not been shored up by the relatively insignificant responses up until now,” former CIA director and retired Gen. David Petraeus has said. “The reasoning seems to be to show in the most significant way possible that the U.S. is just not going to allow the continued violence—the rocketing of our bases, the killing of an American contractor, the attacks on shipping, on unarmed drones—without a very significant response,” Petraeus told Foreign Policy when asked why Trump acted to kill Soleimani where previous presidents did not. “Many people had rightly questioned whether American deterrence had eroded somewhat because of the relatively insignificant responses to the earlier actions. This clearly was of vastly greater importance. Of course it also, per the Defense Department statement, was a defensive action given the reported planning and contingencies that Suleimani was going to Iraq to discuss and presumably approve,” he added. “This was in response to the killing of an American contractor, the wounding of American forces, and just a sense of how this could go downhill from here if the Iranians don’t realize that this cannot continue.” Soleimani was killed overnight Jan. 2 by a drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport. U.S. military leaders said the strike was ordered because they learned Soleimani was planning attacks on American interests, including U.S. troops. “Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him,” Trump told reporters in Florida on Jan. 3. “For years, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its ruthless Quds Force—under Soleimani’s leadership—has targeted, injured, and murdered hundreds of American civilians and servicemen,” he added. The strike was carried out “to stop a war” not “to start a war,” Trump said. “The United States has the best military by far, anywhere in the world. We have best intelligence in the world. If Americans anywhere are threatened, we have all of those targets already fully identified, and I am ready and prepared to take whatever action is necessary. And that, in particular, refers to Iran,” he said. Soleimani was a high-level operative in Iran, commanding the country’s elite Quds Force. Petraeus described him as “the most formidable adversary that we have faced for decades,” who essentially served in three different roles for the country. “He is a combination of CIA director, JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] commander, and special presidential envoy for the region,” said Petraeus, who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in stints under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Iran’s situation right now, the former CIA director said, is “very precarious” economically. “Iran is in a very precarious economic situation, it is very fragile domestically—they’ve killed many, many hundreds if not thousands of Iranian citizens who were demonstrating on the streets of Iran in response to the dismal economic situation and the mismanagement and corruption. I just don’t see the Iranians as anywhere near as supportive of the regime at this point as they were decades ago during the Iran-Iraq War,” he said. “Clearly the supreme leader has to consider that as Iran considers the potential responses to what the U.S. has done. It will be interesting now to see if there is a U.S. diplomatic initiative to reach out to Iran and to say, ‘Okay, the next move could be strikes against your oil infrastructure and your forces in your country—where does that end?’” ——————— Zachary Stieber @zackstieber shared via The Epoch Times. Tags: Zachary Stieber, The Epoch Times, Trump’s Order, to Kill Soleimani, Helps Reestablish Deterrence, David Petraeus To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

Crime in Virginia is Falling – Governor Focuses on Making You a FelonPosted: 07 Jan 2020 11:16 AM PSTby NRA-ILA: Disgraced Governor Ralph Northam and his anti-gun allies in the newly elected legislature have made it clear they are hell-bent on enacting gun control. They want to take your guns and they want taxpayers to fund it. They’ve seen the same research that has shown that gun control doesn’t work. Violent crime in Virginia fell for the second consecutive year, and the Commonwealth has the fourth lowest violent crime rate in the nation – also for the second consecutive year. Virginia had the 25th largest decrease in the violent crime rate from 2017 to 2018, while holding its spot as the fourth safest state. Virginia is outpacing the nation in reducing violent crime; the national rate decreased 3.6% while Virginia’s decreased 5%. It isn’t just overall violent crime that has decreased in Virginia. The murder rate fell by 17.3%, and firearms-related homicides specifically fell by 13.8%. For all of the Bloomberg talking points Northam and his minions regurgitate, there were eight homicides with a rifle of any type in Virginia in 2018. There were 3.75 times more homicides with knives (30 total) than rifles of any type and about twice as many fatal assaults with hands, fists, or feet (15 total) than rifles of any type. Virginia has 14 times the population of Baltimore but 1.4% of the homicides (391 in Virginia statewide compared to 309 in the city of Baltimore). Clearly firearms aren’t the problem, and gun control doesn’t work. The robbery rate fell 17.3% in Virginia from 2017 to 2018, and there was a decrease in both the number of robberies committed with a firearm (down 7.5%) as well as the percentage of all robberies that were committed with a firearm (down 2.4%). The rate of aggravated assaults increased 0.7%, and changes in the number of aggravated assaults committed with a firearm tracked with the number of overall aggravated assaults (increases of 8.1% and 7.9%, respectively). The share of aggravated assaults that involved a firearm was steady while the percentage of assaults involving a knife or other cutting weapon increased 1.4%. There was a larger increase in the number of aggravated assaults committed with knives (9.2%). So violent crime decreased. Homicides and robberies committed with a firearm both decreased while the percentage of aggravated assaults involving a firearm held steady and the overall aggravated assault rate only marginally increased. One might think, to listen to anti-gun legislators and activists, that Virginia is some kind of apocalyptic frontier with no law, no order, and danger around every corner. The data shows that Virginia is safe, both comparatively and categorically. None of this is to suggest that any level of crime is acceptable. There is still violent crime in Virginia, and there are still criminals to find, arrest, and prosecute. However, the best way to tackle the crime that does occur in Virginia is to focus on those who commit the crimes – not criminalizing gun ownership and lawfully owned firearms. Virginia would be best served by efforts focusing on criminals rather than bringing Bloomberg’s fantasy of criminalizing legal gun ownership to life. These efforts have been acknowledged by the Bloomberg-funded researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and have had actual real-world results. Anti-gun researchers, found that so-called “universal background checks” don’t reduce crime just as we know that bans on commonly owned firearms don’t reduce crime. Focusing on actual criminals does work. Please contact Gov. Northam and let him know you oppose his unconstitutional gun control measures. You can contact Northam using the Governor’s Office contact form or call his office at 804-786-2211​. Help us hold the line. Join us in Richmond on January 13th and sign up to volunteer to help us defeat Northam’s unconstitutional gun control agenda. ———————– NRA-ILA Article. Tags: NRA-ILA, Crime, Virginia, Falling, Governor, Focuses on Making You, a Felon To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

‘Capitalist Manifesto’ Explains Perils of CronyismPosted: 07 Jan 2020 10:43 AM PSTby Rachel Alexander: Ralph Benko and Bill Collier have written the free market antidote to The Communist Manifesto, titled The Capitalist Manifesto. They reveal some fascinating insights that you probably have never heard of. I always said that capitalism only works if tempered by Christianity. While I still believe that, and this book does not say anything to contradict that, it will give you a fresh new perspective on how capitalism by itself is a good thing. Benko is an early Kemp-era Supply Sider and former Reagan White House official, who founded the Prosperity Caucus, is the co-founder and chairman of The Capitalist League, co-author of The Capitalist Manifesto, founder of The Prosperity Coalition and a weekly political columnist and sometime freelancer. Collier, as described by the iconic Arthur Laffer (one of the chief architects of world prosperity, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump), is “an Internet and social media progeny” poised to play a big role in the future of the supply-side movement. Their book destroys several myths about capitalism, and nails what is wrong with socialism and communism. First of all, it states that socialism, not capitalism, is the embodiment of cronyism. Socialism is cronyism on steroids. Those at the top receive special benefits, privileges and high incomes, while everyone else fights for a small remainder. Because there is little incentive to put in a healthy day’s work under socialism, there aren’t enough goods and services to go around. The country of Venezuela is a classic example of this. Its leaders live surrounded by vast wealth while the rest of the country stands in bread lines. Capitalism is a threat to the hegemony of their elites. The authors make the interesting observation that socialism and communism are merely disguised and mechanized forms of feudalism. They ask, “What do cronyism, socialism, fascism, communism and even national socialism have in common? They are all variants of feudalism.” Feudalism rewards people based on their social status. Capitalism rewards people based on their contribution to the general welfare. Feudalists keep people under their control through fear and empty promises. Perhaps the most interesting observation by the authors is that “Greed is not the foundation of capitalism.” The way it works is capitalism rewards people in proportion to their service to others. A businessman who provides jobs to people will prosper. It is the opposite of greed. Notably, consumerism isn’t capitalism. Buying more and more goods simply because you want them is closer to greed, not capitalism. The resurgence in the popularity of socialism currently is due to the abuses of capitalism, not capitalism itself. Big business today is often in cahoots with big government. And the true name for the mixture of big business with the State is fascism. Crony capitalism is an oxymoron. If there is cronyism in capitalism, then it’s no longer capitalism. Capitalism is opposed to cronyism. Crony capitalism is a monster that uses the rhetoric of free markets to defend special privileges. The authors say that calling someone discriminating is a compliment. Discrimination based on legitimate factors makes one discriminating, not discriminatory. Discriminatory means based on prejudice, an invidious quality. They admit that some success under capitalism is due to luck; not every well-off person got where they’re at due to a Horatio Alger story. But this is still far better than the alternative. Feudalism doles out privileges as a function of elite status. The authors point out that social insurance programs like Medicare and Social Security are not welfare or entitlements, they are social insurance. They are acceptable. Medicare for All, on the other hand, is welfare. The German communists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were clever how they pushed people toward communism. In The Communist Manifesto, communism pitted the workers against the middle class, so they’d think the solution was treating everyone exactly the same. Marx popularized the term capitalism and used it as a pejorative. Marx and Engels promised a withering away of the state. But “perversely, their path to eliminating the state was to create a monstrous, overbearing, and monolithic state.” Capitalism is not a zero-sum game. The workers can also make more money as the wealthy make more money. Wealth is not static. Whereas under feudalism, if one person makes more money, another will make less. The authors make the interesting observation that people’s health, education, and welfare are becoming recognized as capital. Therefore, it is a function of capitalism for business to invest in these areas regarding their employees. Finally, the authors note that religion, racism, tribalism, and fanaticism have proven less the cause of war and destruction than feudalism — most notably communism. Unlike other economic systems, capitalism is the only economic system which anyone honestly can point to and say, “it has made substantive progress toward its seemingly utopian aims.” ——————- Rachel Alexander @Rach_IC is the editor of the Intellectual Conservative. She also serves as senior editor of The Stream. Article shared at WND. Tags: Rachel Alexander, Move Over, Communist Manifesto, the Capitalist Manifesto Is Here To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!

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MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

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January 8, 2020Featuring the latest analysis, commentary, and research from Manhattan Institute scholarsHOUSING POLICYPhoto: deberarr/iStockIssues 2020: Rent Control Does Not Make Housing More AffordableAs cities across the country struggle with rising housing costs, left-leaning policymakers like Sen. Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez have responded with proposals for nationwide rent control. In the latest issue brief in the Issues 2020 series, Michael Hendrix evaluates the effects of rent control, finding that it is ultimately a counterproductive approach to increasing the amount of affordable housing. Photo: deberarr/iStockRent Control: Unjust and IneffectiveManhattan Institute’s Michael Hendrix interviews Mayer Brown partner Andrew Pincus, the lead attorney in a lawsuit taking on New York State’s sweeping rent-regulation laws. NEW YORK CITY & STATEPhoto: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesTaking No Chances in New YorkThe NYPD boosts security following Iran’s threats. By Judith Miller City Journal Online January 7, 2020 CULTURE & SOCIETYPhoto: Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal Media, LLC via Getty ImagesRicky Gervais Read AmericaAs the Golden Globes host, he rightly debunked the loudest, most self-inflated hypocrites around. By Kay S. Hymowitz City Journal Online January 7, 2020 POLITICSPhoto: Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesBe Prepared for President SandersThe Vermont socialist could soon become the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. By Jason L. Riley The Wall Street Journal January 8, 2020 FEATURED BOOKPhoto: Manhattan InstituteDigital CathedralsToday’s global Cloud is society’s first foundationally new infrastructure in nearly a century. It is comprised of thousands of warehouse-scale computers and history’s biggest network of “information superhighways.” Powering this data behemoth consumes more energy than all global aviation. Yet, as disruptive as the Cloud has already become, we are only at the end of the beginning of what digital masons are building for the 21st century. In Digital Cathedrals, Mark Mills explores this new infrastructure through the lens of energy demand, and the implications for policymakers and regulators, who will be increasingly tempted—or enjoined—to engage issues of competition, fairness, and even social disruptions, along with the challenges of abuse of market power, both valid and trumped up.Buy NowCIVIL SOCIETY AWARDSNominations are open for the Manhattan Institute’s 2020 Civil Society Awards. This fall, four winners will each receive a $25,000 award for their efforts to keep our social fabric from fraying, assist those who need it most, and help people change the course of their lives. Nominate an outstanding nonprofit by March 20, 2020. Learn more at civilsocietyawards.com.SUBMIT A NOMINATIONManhattan Institute is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.  52 Vanderbilt Ave. New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-7000SUPPORT MICopyright © 2020 Manhattan Institute, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Manhattan Institute52 Vanderbilt Ave.New York, NY 10017 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list  View this email in your browser

DESERET NEWS

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View this email in your browserWednesday, Jan. 8, 2020As stigma ebbs, college students seek mental health help and campuses struggle to meet needUtah congressmen react to Iran’s retaliatory missile attackIn our opinion: ‘Deepfakes’ vs. free speech: Facebook makes its moveBenefits of proposed late start at high schools ‘huge and undeniable’ but details feel like ‘giant puzzle,’ says Salt Lake board VPWhat rare environmental mounds at Great Salt Lake could teach us about MarsBYU basketball responds ‘brilliantly’ to adversity it’s faced this seasonMORE NEWSBYU grad Ken Jennings beats James Holzhauer by a hair in first match of ‘Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time’Gymnastics: Lineups to remain in flux for the foreseeable future as No. 4 Utah seeks to find best combination of routinesUtes plan to use bench more as Pac-12 basketball season intensifies  Copyright © 2020 Deseret News, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

NATIONAL REVIEW

WITH JIM GERAGHTYJanuary 08 2020A Rough Night for IranOn the menu today: Politics takes a back seat as we focus on shocking events in the Middle East, from an Iranian counterattack with minimal casualties and an oddly timed plane crash in Tehran to some earthquakes near an Iranian nuclear reactor.Whew! A Frightening Night for America Turned Out Not Quite So BadLast night, around the dinner hour, the situation in the Middle East looked pretty scary. We knew the Iranian military had fired some number of missiles or rockets at bases in Iraq that were housing U.S. troops. American reporters on the ground in Tehran were reporting that the Iranian Air Force had “been deployed,” with no specification of whether this was routine air defense in anticipation of an American counterattack, or whether the deployment was part of a second wave of strikes. Many of us noted that these were precisely the moments when online disinformation efforts kick into high gear, and like clockwork, random …   READ MORE

ADVERTISEMENTTRENDING ON NATIONAL REVIEW1. As with Everything Else, Trump Is Following His Gut on Iran2. Iowa State Bans Student Emails Supporting Candidates3. Mourning Soleimani, from Hollywood to the CampusTOP STORIESKEVIN D. WILLIAMSONThe American Middle Class as VictimSenator Elizabeth Warren, foundering in the Democratic primary, is returning to the theme that made her famous: …NR PLUSCongress Has Its First Bipartisan Parental-Leave PlanThe bill would allow new parents to receive an advance on their child tax credit to enable paid leave or to offset …WALTER OLSONProgressive Governments’ Economic War on the NRA Fails in CourtWithout needing to even consider the issue of gun rights, federal courts are recognizing that boycotts enforced by …NEWSKansas City Sues Gun Manufacturer for Illegal Trafficking in First Such Suit in Ten YearsThe city alleges that firearm maker Jiminez Arms and local firearm dealers aided and abetted in gun trafficking …DAVID L. BAHNSENWeWork and the Wisdom of Public MarketsThe spectacular fall of the office-space company shows the wisdom of public …DAVID HARSANYIFive Years Later, We Still Haven’t Learned from the Charlie Hebdo MassacreFive years ago today, two French Islamists forced their way into the Paris editorial offices of the satirical …NEWSChinese Students Charged for Photographing U.S. Naval InstallationsYuhao Wang and Jielun Zhang, both 24-year-old University of Michigan students, were arrested at the Sigsbee Annex …WHAT NR IS READINGThe Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and FreeBY RICHARD LOWRY“Makes an original and compelling case for nationalism . . . A fascinating, erudite—and much-needed—defense of a hallowed idea unfairly under current attack.” — Victor Davis HansonLEARN MOREPODCASTSEpisode 113: Moby-Dick by…   Episode 280: Sword of Kings… PHOTOSF-35A Combat Power Exercise   Consumer Electronics Show VIDEOWarren Sinking In Iowa…   Trump Doubts Kim Jong Un… NRPLUS ARTICLESProgressive Governments’ Economic…   The Steele Dossier Bacillus Ready for Election Season?National Review subscribers get the most out of National Review. Don’t miss out.SEE MY OPTIONSADVERTISEMENTFollow Us & Share19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.

BERNARD GOLDBERG

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A new post from Bernie.Off the Cuff: Good Journalism vs. Good Racial MannersBy Bernard Goldberg on Jan 08, 2020 02:00 am Below is a sneak peek of this content! Liberal journalists love to accuse conservatives of racism, but there’s a particular type of racism that they themselves are frequently guilty of. That’s the topic of today’s Off the Cuff audio commentary. You can listen to it by clicking on the play… CONTINUE Read More »   More to read:Democrats Game Plan for 2020: Bash the Rich Bernie’s Q&A: Christianity Today, Chuck Todd, Evangelicals, the Monsey Attack, and more! (1/3) — Premium Interactive ($4 members) Off the Cuff: About My Friend, Don Imus… Their Unwavering Faith in Donald Trump Bernie’s Q&A: Tom Brokaw on Richard Jewell, Tom Synder, Football Concussions, and more! (12/27) — Premium Interactive ($4 members)Become A FanFollow on TwitterForward to a FriendWant emails sent directly to you?SIGN UP NOW In this issue:Off the Cuff: Good Journalism vs. Good Racial Manners Want to Help Spread the Word? Forward this Email!About BernieBernard Goldberg, the television news reporter and author of Bias, a New York Times number one bestseller about how the media distort the news, is widely seen as one of the most original writers and thinkers in broadcast journalism.  He has covered stories all over the world for CBS News and has won 13 Emmy awards for excellence in journalism.  He won six Emmys at CBS, and seven at HBO, where he now reports for the widely acclaimed broadcast Real Sports. [Read More…] Bernie’s Amazon Page   follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend Copyright © 2020 BernardGoldberg.com, All rights reserved.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

HOT AIR

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Live blog and video: Trump’s “Let’s make a deal” pitch to Iran?Ed MorrisseyCNN’s coverage of their Covington Catholic settlement was really… somethingJazz ShawPelosi: No articles for McConnell until he explains himself, or something Ed MorrisseyOperation Futility: Iranian missiles “symbolic moment” for Iran? NATO confirms: No casualtiesEd MorrisseyADVERTISEMENTThe odd timing of that Ukrainian airline crash and earthquakeJazz Shaw“Less stall and more ball”: The new XFL rules are … pretty fun, actuallyAllahpunditTrump administration to Iran’s foreign minister: No visa for you … for nowKaren TownsendFacebook exec: Trump won 2016 not because of Russians but because of an outstanding digital campaign John SextonNikki Haley trails Mike Pence and … Donald Trump Jr in 2024 poll of whom Republicans would consider voting for AllahpunditSacre blecch: France discovers award-winning author is pedophile by, er, reading his booksEd MorrisseyBernie Sanders’ escape plan for the impeachment trialJazz ShawNearly all the money raised by March for Our Lives Action Fund came from just 36 donorsJohn SextonReport: U.S. base in Iraq under attack from Iranian missiles; Update: Multiple bases; Update: Launched from Iran, says DOD; Update: Trump to speak? Or not; Update: “All is well!”Allahpundit“I like to obey the law”: Trump says U.S. won’t target Iranian cultural sitesAllahpunditPompeo to McConnell: I’m (maybe) not running for Senate Ed MorrisseyCNN settles lawsuit brought by Nick Sandmann (Update: CNN confirms)John SextonNY Governor looking at “modifying” week old bail reform law Jazz Shaw“I hate this”: Soleimani’s death is the death of diplomacy with Iran, says Rand PaulAllahpunditGrassley: Congress about to hand Trump major trade victory before SOTU speechEd MorrisseyToday’s hot topics on #TEMS: McConnell’s cred, media spread, WV red, Soleimani still dead, and more!Ed MorrisseyMichael Moore tweets apology for death of Soleimani in FarsiJohn SextonNew York bleeds more population than any other state… againJazz ShawElizabeth Warren: Yes, okay, fine, Soleimani was a terrorist AllahpunditBreaking: McConnell readying vote on 1999 Senate trial rulesEd Morrissey1619 Project editor responds to criticism from the Atlantic (Update)John SextonNY man accused of burglary spree released with no bail. Guess what happened nextJazz ShawBernie: Soleimani strike reminds me of Putin assassinating dissidents, or somethingEd MorrisseyTucker Carlson on Soleimani intelligence: Since when do we trust the deep state?AllahpunditPutin in Syria. I’m sure it’s all just a coincidenceJazz Shaw

LATEST HEADLINESJason Riley Be prepared for President SandersThe Week Iran’s supreme leader says missile strike was “not enough”Reuters Report: Iran will not give black box from crashed Ukrainian airliner to BoeingBaragona, Suebsaeng Hannity: Iran’s refineries “could soon go up in flames”Eric Metaxas The Christian case for TrumpPolitico McConnell’s win on impeachment trial procedure was months in the makingPolitico Trump unfurls a new attack for 2020: Dems as Iran sympathizersJosh Rogin Iran’s retaliation for Soleimani is to race toward a nuclear bombNYT Some NATO troops begin leaving IraqWaPo Pelosi won’t send impeachment articles until she learns how trial would be conductedFox News Iran hit with magnitude 4.9 earthquake near nuclear plantNYT Boeing 737 crashes in Iran shortly after takeoffCNN Allergic to dogs? It may only be the malesCBS College students panic over FAFSA’s fine print about registering for the draftYouGov Poll: What’s America’s standard tip amount? It depends on which generation you askNathaniel Rakich Trump is the most unpopular president since Ford to run for reelectionRoss Douthat Killing Soleimani is the kind of tactic Trump promised his voters — but without a strategy to matchEdward Chang Whether you like it or not, the United States is at warNYT For some Never Trumpers, killing Soleimani was finally something to likeMichael Gerson One of the worst outcomes with Iran would be for Trump to failADVERTISEMENT

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