Rick Bulow, New Media

Here are highlights from the campaign trail.

On the Trail: Bloomberg Targeted by Democratic Rivals, Biden Raises Money for Crucial States

By Reuters, Friday, February 14, 2020 7:15 AM

“Warren is playing in so many states.”

As Warren Aims for Super Tuesday Rebound, Will She Alter Her Plan?

By Reuters, Friday, February 14, 2020 7:13 AM

“We’re honored that the President of the United States has chosen to experience the pageantry and excitement.”

Trump to Attend Daytona 500

By Reuters, Friday, February 14, 2020 7:13 AM

“We have made real progress over the last handful of days.”

Pompeo Sees Breakthrough in Taliban Talks, Wants ‘Significant’ Reduction in Violence

By Reuters, Thursday, February 13, 2020 3:01 PM

“The fact of us getting it to him may still influence his thinking.”

Senate Approves Resolution to Limit Trump’s Military Authority as Republicans Break With POTUS

By Bradley Cortright, Thursday, February 13, 2020 2:57 PM

We should build on what’s working in health care, not start over with a one-size-fits-all system like Medicare for All, that would force American families to pay more to wait longer for worse care. Click here to read more of this message, brought to you by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future.

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NBC

From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

FIRST READ: Mike Bloomberg is everywhere. Can his blunt-force candidacy reshape the race?

Michael Bloomberg is trying to take the Colin Powell Doctrine – the use of overwhelming force – and apply it to a presidential campaign.

He’s spent $300 million over the advertising airwaves since announcing his bid on Nov. 24. (That comes to $3.6 million PER DAY.)

He’s paying entry-level field organizers $6,000 a month – about twice what other campaigns would pay; he’s even throwing in three catered meals a day for staffers.

And the New York Times reports that Bloomberg paid a local Miami artist thousands of dollars to produce an oversize painting of “Bloomberg 2020” – in just 36 hours.

REUTERS/Go Nakamura

Michael Bloomberg. Is. Everywhere.

There is no persuasion. It’s overwhelming force.

And the question is whether the American public and the Democratic Party get pulled in by Bloomberg’s financial tractor beam.

After all, we’re just four years removed from when the Trump Show – via free, not paid, media – sucked GOP voters in.

Or whether, despite all of the money and advertising, the public doesn’t buy the product.

Some of us are old enough to remember when “New Coke” bombed.

We’ll start finding out in less than three weeks – on Super Tuesday.

Trump’s latest quid pro quo?

One argument we heard Democrats make in the impeachment battle was that they had to draw the line on Trump soliciting a foreign country to dig up dirt on a presidential rival.

If they didn’t, the argument went, it would only give the president the green light to do it again.

What they might not have anticipated was that Trump appears now even MORE emboldened after his impeachment acquittal than he was before then.

Just check out the president’s tweet from yesterday:

“I’m seeing Governor Cuomo today at The White House. He must understand that National Security far exceeds politics. New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harrassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes. Build relationships, but don’t bring Fredo!”

Is the translation here: National security – the Trump administration’s move to block New Yorkers from participating in the Global Entry program at airports – is linked with the state dropping its lawsuits against Trump?

TWEET OF THE DAY: Bill Barr’s actions > Bill Barr’s words:

2020 VISION: Frontline Dems sound the alarm on Sanders

Now that Bernie Sanders is a legitimate possibility to be the Democrats’ 2020 presidential nominee, House Democrats from some of the most competitive districts are speaking out.

Here’s Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who’s backing Amy Klobuchar, in the New York Times:

“I’m the first Democrat to win in my district since 1958. I attracted a lot of independent and moderate Republican support, many of whom probably voted for a Democrat for the first time in a long time. And while I respect Bernie Sanders as a senator, as a candidate, his candidacy is very challenging for people who come from districts like mine.”

And here was Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C.

“South Carolinians don’t want socialism. We want to know how you are going to get things done and how you are going to pay for them. Bernie’s proposals to raise taxes on almost everyone is not something the Lowcountry wants and not something I’d ever support.”

Notably, Sanders doesn’t hold a single endorsement from a member of Congress who represents a swing district, or from a senator/governor who represents a swing state.

On the campaign trail today: Bernie Sanders holds Super Tuesday rallies in Durham, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Mesquite, Texas… Amy Klobuchar stumps in Nevada… Pete Buttigieg hits both Nevada and California… And Joe Biden campaigns in Henderson, Nev.

Dispatches from NBC’s campaign embeds: Bernie Sanders is trying to distance himself from self-proclaimed supporters who attacked the Culinary Union for comments they made about Sanders’ Medicare for All plan, NBC’s Gary Grumbach flags. In an interview on PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff, Sen. Bernie Sanders floated the idea that the online harassment of Culinary Union members is not coming from actual Sanders supporters. “You know, it’s a funny thing. Obviously, that is not acceptable to me and I don’t know who these so called supporters are. You know, we’re living in a strange world on the internet. And sometimes people attack people in somebody else’s name,” Sanders said. After those comments, Sanders distanced himself even further. “Anybody making personal attacks against anybody else in my name is not part of my movement,” he said. Sanders said. “We don’t want them.”

And Michael Bloomberg isn’t just seeing support in Super Tuesday states. NBC’s Mike Memoli reports that Bloomberg received “4,777 write-in votes for president in the Democratic primary in New Hampshire, or 1.7% of all cast. That’s nearly four times as many as Deval Patrick, who was on the ballot.” In the New Hampshire Republican primary, he received another 801 votes.

Data Download: And the number of the day is … $580,600

$580,600

That’s the price tag per couple for President Trump’s Palm Beach fundraiser this weekend, the most expensive of his presidency.

More, from the Washington Post: “The dinner, taking place just a few miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, shows how enthusiastically Trump has embraced big-dollar fundraising in his bid for a second term — a dramatic about-face from 2016, when he criticized the influence of wealthy donors on the politicians who court them.”

THE LID: Sweet Home Alabama

Don’t miss the pod from yesterday, when we reported on some interesting Senate poll results.

ICYMI: News clips you shouldn’t miss

Muddled early results and a long primary are just what Michael Bloomberg needs.

Moderate lawmakers are searching for alternatives as Biden stumbles.

President Trump weighed in on the idea of a gay president, suggesting he would not personally be in “the group” opposing the idea. (But some of Trump’s allies are being far less charitable.)

Nancy Pelosi says Bill Barr has “deeply damaged the rule of law.”

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

REALCLEARPOLITICS

02/14/2020

Carl Cannon’s Morning Note

Presented by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future: Iowa App Fallout; Bloomberg’s Impact; Quote of the Week

Good morning, it’s Feb. 14, 2020. Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s also a Friday, the day of the week when I unearth a quotation meant to be inspiring or illuminating. Our topic today, naturally, is love.

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:

* * *

Bloomberg Camp Denies Funding of Flawed Iowa Voting App. Susan Crabtree reports on the outcry over dark-money contributions and accusations that the tabulation debacle was orchestrated to hurt Bernie Sanders.

Mayor Pete Just Can’t Lose. A.B. Stoddard writes that even if Buttigieg doesn’t win the nomination, his campaign will have propelled him toward success down the road.

Bloomberg May Be What Democrats Need. Ron Faucheux explains why things are setting up nicely for the former New York mayor’s path to the presidential nomination.

Will Bloomberg’s Bucks Help Beat Trump — or Boost Sanders? Paul Bledsoe argues the billionaire is splintering the already crowded field of moderate Democrats and giving Bernie a leg up in the left lane.

Assessing the Prospects for a Brokered Convention. Brett Parker and David Brady imagine the perfect storm that could toss Democrats into turmoil this July in Milwaukee.

California’s Primary: A Kingmaker or a Royal Headache? Bill Whalen weighs the impact of the delegate-rich state’s participation in Super Tuesday voting.

Visual Narratives: A Fracturing of the Nightly News. Kalev Leetaru spotlights data showing how the images each network chooses reflect a splintering view of what’s important.

Buried in the IG Report: How FBI Agents Gave Steele Top Secrets. Eric Felten has the story in RealClearInvestigations.

* * *

The most evocative commercial on Super Bowl Sunday this year was titled “Agape.” Sponsored by New York Life and created by a Madison Avenue ad agency named Anomaly (actually, its offices are on Broadway), the ad speaks to our better angels.

“The ancient Greeks,” the 60-second spot begins, “had four words for love.” To stirring music and accompanying visuals, the commercial then goes through them:

Philia, “affection that grows from friendship.”

Storge, “the kind you have for a grandparent, or a brother.”

Eros, “the uncontrollable urge to say, ‘I love you.’” During the Eros voice-over, two lovers approach each other in a swimming pool, and embrace before the camera cuts away to a bed, showing only the couple’s feet. It’s both appealing and tastefully done, but that kind of love is not what this advertisement is about.

“The fourth kind of love is different,” intones the narrator, actress Tessa Thompson. “It’s the most admirable. It’s called agape — love as an action. It takes courage, sacrifice, strength.”

It’s a poignant pitch, and I loved it, but the list is incomplete. The Greeks had additional words for love, and meanings that were more layered. Philia, which Aristotle wrote about, was most often associated with men who had been brothers in arms. Another ancient Greek word for love, ludus, conveys flirtatious love of the uncommitted variety, usually by young people. The word we’d use today is “crush.”

The ancient Greeks had a sixth word for love, too. It was philautia — love of self. Then, as now, it’s a concept with a healthy version and an unhealthy one. The malignant type of self-love is narcissism, a term that also comes from ancient Greece. The benign form of philautia is what we call self-esteem and it’s a necessary component of mental health — and of showing love, as it takes a requisite level of self-regard to extend one’s heart to another. Aristotle put it this way: “All friendly feelings for others are an extension of man’s feeling for himself.”

Fair enough, but what happens when a person has too much self-regard? My puckish answer is they enter politics. Our current chief executive is often called a narcissist. There are entire books about it, some written by mental health professionals, others by journalists — with the evidence coming in the president’s own words.

This same diagnosis was leveled at Donald Trump’s predecessor — and at some of the candidates currently seeking the job, male and female. Nor is it a new worry. Socrates posited that until the cities were ruled by philosophers instead of kings “cities will have no rest of evils.”

Plato, Socrates’ most famous pupil, expounded on this idea in a book titled “Republic,” outlining the virtues of these “philosopher-kings” who should be put in charge. They must be wise leaders, with a lifelong love of learning. They must be truthful and cannot be cowards. They must not lust after power. In other words, the desire for positions of authority is itself a disqualification for the job.

Despite his book’s title, Plato was uncomfortable with democracy. He believed “the origins of tyranny” are found within self-rule on account of the masses being too susceptible to propaganda. Considering the fate that befell Socrates, Plato came by his skepticism honestly.

But what’s the alternative? “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise,” Winston Churchill once noted. “Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

But not all of Churchill’s contemporaries, particularly those who knew him during the First World War, considered him any kind of philosopher king. Margot Asquith, wife of Britain’s prime minister when England entered the Great War, considered him a “dangerous maniac, so poor in character and judgment, so insolent and childish.”

Mainly, she thought Churchill’s ego was too big — that he was full of philautia. “Winston’s vanity is septic,” she wrote in her memoirs, even sniping at his relationship with his wife, Clementine: “He is devoted to Clemmy, but fonder of himself.”

To some critics, including famously acerbic American literary critic Dorothy Parker, there was a glass house issue here. Lady Asquith’s own vanity was on display in her writing. In her 1927 New Yorker magazine review, Dorothy Parker put it this way: “The affair between Margot Asquith and Margot Asquith will live as one of the prettiest love stories in all literature.”

It was a devastating line, as were so many of Miss Parker’s witticisms. But this is Valentine’s Day, so I can’t leave things there.

Winston Churchill and Clementine were married in 1908 and spent much of their early years apart. As First Lord of the Admiralty he justifiably took much of the blame for the disaster of the Gallipoli campaign. It was his wife’s idea that he volunteer to serve at the western front, which he did. Their letters from that time reveal a love story as well as a political partnership: both eros and philia. One letter from France was postmarked, “To be sent to Mrs. Churchill in the event of my death.”

“Do not grieve for me too much,” Churchill wrote. “Death is only an incident and not the most important which happens to us in this state of being. On the whole, especially since I met you my darling one, I have been happy and you have taught me how noble a woman’s heart can be.”

And that, after a long buildup, is your quote of the week.

Carl M. Cannon
Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics
@CarlCannon (Twitter)
ccannon@realclearpolitics.com

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BRIGHT

Friday, February 14, 2020

What Did We Learn From New Hampshire?
From The Hill:

“A couple things can be learned from New Hampshire’s “first in the nation” primary election. President Trump showed historic strength, winning a record number of New Hampshire primary votes as an incumbent president running for reelection. “The Revolution” is no longer cancelled, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) edged out a hard-fought win in the same race he dominated four years ago. Former vice president Joe Biden, in a slight to New Hampshire, slipped away before the votes were even counted.

And two candidates with three-syllable last names might make the four days of the 2020 Democratic National Committee’s convention much longer than DNC chairman Tom Perez would ever want. What does this all mean? Well, if you were hoping for a little more clarity after the Iowa Democratic Caucus’s “Appageddon,” you’ve got it.

It just might not have been the kind of clarity you were looking for. Biden’s probably done. This is likely the beginning of the end of former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign. Bailing on a state in which your campaign workers, volunteers and donors invested before hearing the results isn’t strategic: it’s disrespectful. Retreating to his supposed “firewall” of South Carolina, he’ll find no position of strength. Rivals Tom Steyer — who, yes, is still in the race — and Sanders are surging there and, after his weak performance in New Hampshire, some donors might find it is time to place their hopes in somebody else.”

No, Limbaugh is Not a Homophobe
From Dave Marcus at the Federalist:

“Were these remarks edgy? Uncouth? Yeah, sure. But they are also almost certainly accurate. The “they” Limbaugh is referring to is the Democratic Party, and there is no question that not only party officials, but operatives in Buttigieg’s own campaign have asked these questions in deciding how he should approach being the first openly gay major presidential candidate And none of this really new. We see articles and panel discussions from all over the political spectrum all the time about whether the country is ready to elect a woman president. In 2008 the question of whether Americans would elect a black man president was absolutely commonplace. As were specific discussions about how Obama should deal with that issue. And as with Obama being the first black nominee, if Buttigieg becomes the first openly gay nominee, that will come with advantages as well as disadvantages. For many voters it will be viewed as an historic and fantastic step forward for the country, for others, like the woman in Iowa who wanted her vote back when she found out he was in a gay marriage, it could do harm.”

What’s the Deal with Natural Wine?
From Eater:

“In Paris, a lot of nights out start like this: squeezing into a small bar around an even smaller table and splitting a bottle of wine, likely French and definitely natural. Sometimes there’s a list, but often the wines are on display on the surrounding walls, their prices of just 20 or 30 euros scrawled in white chalk marker at the base of their necks. The wine is good: tasty, carefully made, maybe even important. But the real magic isn’t in what you’re drinking. In these tight spaces serving nothing but natural wine and little snacks — caves à vin — the vibe develops much like the wine you drink, the product of modern affectations toward old-fashioned practices, resulting in something organic, unpredictable, and deliciously specific to a time and place. On warm nights, patrons spill out of the small space onto the street, glasses in hand. Time grows as fuzzy as the bar’s physical boundaries. Maybe you end your night at a wine bar, too. Maybe you never left.”

Friday Entertainment Center
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ is Fast Paced Family Fun (Cultured Vultures)

In Closing, Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyer Says That He’s “Not The Monster” That’s Been Painted (The Hollywood Reporter)

Oscars 2020 Recap: Ratings Dive, Biggest Snubs, And Best Films (The Federalist)
BRIGHT is brought to you by The Federalist.

Today’s BRIGHT Editor

Ellie Bufkin is a breaking news reporter at The Washington Examiner and a senior contributor to The Federalist. Originally from northern Virginia, Ellie grew up in Baltimore, and worked in the wine industry as a journalist and sommelier, living in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. A fanatic for movies and TV shows since childhood, she currently reviews movies and writes about many aspects of popular culture for The Federalist. She is an avid home cook, cocktail enthusiast, and still happy to make wine recommendations. Ellie currently lives in Washington D.C. You can follow her on Twitter @ellie_bufkin
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REDSTATE

Bombshell Report: Durham Investigating If Obama Admin and CIA under John Brennan Hid or Manipulated Evidence of Russian Meddling

Never Trump Runs Headlong Into the Reality That Democrats Don’t Care What They Think and It’s Hilarious

Opinion: Democrat Justification for Investigation and Impeachment Now Debunked

Civil War: An Amazing Democratic Socialists of America Election Poll

Judicial Restraint: The Courts Must Reverse Previous Rulings When They’re Anti-Constitution

The ‘Tolerant Left’ Won’t Even Tolerate The Left

Was Bernie Fighting Income Equality by Flying First Class? A Viral Photo Says Yes

Fed Up Kansas Teacher Quits In the Middle of School Board Meeting

Man Attacks Trump Supporters Including 15 Year Old Boy At Campaign Tent Near New Hampshire Polling Place

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After The Granite State Crushed Joe Biden, Did We Forget That He Was A Heavyweight In Name Only?

Matt Vespa

Rush Limbaugh: A Loving Brother and ‘a Friend to Countless Americans’
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When Truth Prevails And Frauds Exposed, Rage And Disgust Takeover
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We Need Trump to Keep Schools Safe
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HBO: Vicious to Christians, Silent on Muslims
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An Establishment in Panic
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The United Nations Once Again Proves Its Anti-Semitism
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Another Year of the Interloper?
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Billboard Companies Promote Abortion But Censor Pro-life Messaging in Black Community
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James Carville Is Right: Democrats Should Be Panicking
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Fear of Bernie Has Pushed Democratic Bosses Over the Edge
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Plunging America Into a Sea of Debt
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Note to Disaffected Conservatives & Moderates: Ignore Trump’s Personality but Love His Results
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Looking Ahead to Trump’s Second Term
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The Moral Relativism of My Tribe
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A Specially Selected Group of Wounded Warriors Find a New Mission: Hunting Child Predators
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A Trump Campaign Platform for 2020
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Trump’s Fabulous Autumn
Jackie Gingrich Cushman

Video

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Trump blasts Schiff as ‘political hack’

Pelosi’s condescension offers some laughs

Pelosi open to border infrastructure

INVESTING

Gold vs. Equities: Which Is Better For 2020? – Mark Skousen

Can Blockchain Replace Netflix, Hulu, And Amazon Streaming?

Democrats Might Be Heading For A Contested Convention

Business News – Latest Breaking Financial, Stock Market, Investment News Stories From Around the World

Tipsheet

Poll: Majority of Florida Hispanics Support Mandatory E-Verify
Bronson Stocking

Pompeo: Progress Has Been Made on a Peace Deal With the Taliban
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ICE Issues Subpoenas After Connecticut Protects Criminal Aliens Convicted of Manslaughter, Burglary

Bronson Stocking

Man Arrested Following Assault of Pro-Trump Teen at New Hampshire Polling Site
Bronson Stocking

US Military to Fulfill New DHS Request to Build More Fencing on the Southern Border
Julio Rosas

Maxine Waters Wants CA to Have More Say in Dems’ Nomination Process Because of All the Money They Give

Julio Rosas

Why This Key Nevada Union Refused To Endorse Bernie Sanders…Which Lead To Things Getting Ugly
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Sanders Campaign Worries AOC’s Rhetoric Going Too Far
Bronson Stocking

Mercedes Schlapp: Bernie? Biden? We’re Prepared to Bring It When the General Election Comes
Matt Vespa and Cortney O’Brien

Trump’s Brutally Honest Answer About What Lessons He Learned from Impeachment

Leah Barkoukis

Political Cartoons

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Armed Citizen Shoots Home Invaders During Second Visit | Tom Knighton

MN County Becomes State’s First Second Amendment Sanctuary | Cam Edwards

VA Prosecutors Drop Mask-Wearing Charge Against Lobby Day Attendee | Cam Edwards

Bloomberg’s Bugging Americans Across The Political Spectrum | Cam Edwards

Widow Of Slain Chicago PD Officer Sues Armslist | Tom Knighton

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PJ MEDIA

The Morning Briefing: Media Is Complicit in Leftist Violence Against Trump Supporters

BY STEPHEN KRUISER FEBRUARY 14, 2020

COMMENTS

(Mugshot courtesy of Windham Police Department, via Fox News)

Enemy of the People Update

It isn’t safe out there these days if one is a Trump supporter exercising one’s right to participate in the American political process. You have to look out for lunatics in vans, lunatics with cane swords, and lunatics who wake up looking like mug shots and slap kids.

If — as all of you are — frequent consumers of conservative media, you know about these stories.

Those left to the editorial whims of The New York Times or any of the evening news networks, however, are probably blissfully unaware.

It’s not that they aren’t being covered at all, it’s that they aren’t being covered with the fervor and repetition that, say, a story about the president saying something mean to Jim Acosta would.

Leftists have been rationalizing violence for a very long time, long before Donald Trump ascended to the presidency. The unhinged cancer has metastasized these past three years, and will not be going into remission anytime soon.

The media’s role in letting the leftist violence get out of hand cannot be understated. There are both errors of commission and errors of omission.

Errors of commission happen when they do things like lie and insist that Antifa is a reasonable “anti-fascist” group of peaceful protesters.

Errors of omission occur when virtually no one in the mainstream media can work up any outrage for acts of physical violence committed against Trump supporters. The stories get a few minutes of daylight, then it’s off to the memory hole.

By contrast, these very same people refer to every verbal dig against reporters as “attacks” that are endangering their lives.

The media are enabling the riotous, violent behavior of the anti-Trump people. They keep the denigration of the president at a fever pitch and, when it spills over and manifests as violent behavior, turn a mostly blind eye.

One of President Trump’s greatest legacies will be his complete unmasking of the American mainstream media, forcing them to abandon any and all pretense of objectivity. Sure, all involved are still paying lip service to it, insisting that they aren’t swayed by personal political motivations, but their eyes are dead as they do so and it’s easy to tell that their hearts aren’t in it anymore.

They hate this president. They hate any Americans who support this president.

And deep down, they all feel that anything bad that happens to Trump supporters is justified because Orange Man Bad.

Journalists were once brave seekers and defenders of the truth.

Sadly, they’re now so emotionally damaged they feel morally justified in perpetually egging on a powder keg mob.

But don’t call them any names, because that’s dangerous or something.

I Will Never Get Tired of Telling This Story

Happy Belated

I’ve probably mentioned this before and probably will again but here we go.

Back in the early ‘90s I was at a party the night before the Indianapolis 500 that happened at the track every year. A fun mix of celebrities were there each year and Chuck Yeager was in attendance at this one. At one point during the evening I was in his way as he was heading to the bathroom. He put his hand on my shoulder, smiled and said, “Excuse me son.”

I didn’t wash that shoulder for quite some time after.

PJM Linktank

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5 Times Barack Obama Used The Government To Attack His Political Enemies

Florida Man Attacks Trump Supporters With … a Cane Sword

Video: UVA Student in Multi-Culti Center Announces There Are ‘Too Many White People’ Taking Up Space

VDH: The Democrats’ February Blues

OK then…The Secret to Mike Bloomberg’s Success: Never, Ever Go to the Bathroom

New Film Shows How the War on Poverty Failed and the Real Hope for America’s ‘Forgotten’ Cities

Left-Wing Professor Triggered by ‘Pro-Capitalist’ Propaganda in… ‘Paw Patrol’?

Definitely the case at my house, but I’m white and live alone: Video: UVA Student in Multi-Culti Center Announces There Are ‘Too Many White People’ Taking Up Space

Snopes Beclowns Itself with Awful ‘Confirmation’ of Hitlerian Tones in Trump Tweet

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VodkaPundit, Part Deux: The Road to 1,990: Is It Bernie’s Race to Lose?

From the Mothership and Beyond

Priceless. Trump takes shot at Cuomo’s brother ahead of Oval Office meeting

Just having one woman around makes me want to drink. More wives, fewer penalties? Utah debates partial decriminalization of polygamy

Looking Ahead to Trump’s Second Term

Poll: Majority of Florida Hispanics Support Mandatory E-Verify

They All Suck: Nevada Union Refuses To Endorse A 2020 Democratic Candidate

Billboard Companies Promote Abortion But Censor Pro-life Messaging in Black Community

Mercedes Schlapp: Bernie? Biden? We’re Prepared to Bring It When the General Election Comes

Journalist Accuses Anti-Gun Lawmaker Of Being Bought By Bloomberg

Armed Citizen Shoots Home Invaders During Second Visit

Oh. Kim Foxx Now Supports New Charges Against Smollett

Texas Big: Houston’s Mayor Endorses Bloomberg, “Mike For Black America”

“I Need To Level With You”: Warren Warns Donors She’s Done Soon If They Don’t Start Kicking In Cash

Warren, AOC: Let’s Not Forget That Bloomberg’s A Racist

House Democrats: With Sanders As The Nominee ‘We Will Probably Lose Seats’

Adam Schiff Gets Dunked After Anti-Trump Rant About Political Enemies Being ‘Investigated and Prosecuted’

Kira: The Audacity of Warren

Schlichter: Trump Charges the Liberal Hacks’ Latest Ambush

Rep. Maxine Waters: California should have more say in primary because of all the fancy parties in Beverly Hills

Donald Trump Jr. tracks down pro-Trump teen who was assaulted at New Hampshire polling site; Updated

Vox: New study shows you don’t have to have fewer or no children because of climate change

Hopes so. Jeffrey Toobin Warns CNN Contributor Andrew McCabe’s Future Now ‘Really Perilous’ Due to Trump’s ‘Grotesque’ Score-Settling

Sudan Says It Agrees to Compensate Families of U.S.S. Cole Bombing

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Bloomberg Gives A Billion Dollars To Bernie Sanders Causing Him To Destroy Self https://buff.ly/2OUMqOS

Bloomberg Gives A Billion Dollars To Bernie Sanders Causing Him To Destroy Self

DURHAM, NC—Billionaire Michael Bloomberg came up with a genius plan to destroy Democratic rival Bernie Sanders: give him a billion dollars. Bloomberg waited in a Sanders campaign office ahead of the…

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THE FEDERALIST

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Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray

February 14, 2020
Trump First President To Budget For Sending Education Bucks Back To States

By Joy Pullmann
President Trump’s block-grant plan is a bold call to congressional Republicans to not squander their next opportunity to relieve U.S. education of bureaucracy like they did in his first two years of office.
Full article

Senate Democrats Insist Babies Born Alive After Abortions Should Be Left To Die

By Krystina Skurk
Why should one baby down the hall be given care while another is left to die? Sen. Joni Ernst asked the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not one Democrat in the room could answer the question.
Full article

Box Office Data Prove It Wasn’t Men Who Tanked ‘Birds Of Prey’

By Brad Slager
The shortcomings of the woke ‘Birds of Prey’ film showed that Hollywood has yet to learn its lesson that audiences want to be entertained, not lectured.
Full article

Media Will Never Understand The Country So Long As They Keep Hating Trump Voters

By John Daniel Davidson
The mainstream media will spend a lot of effort this year reporting on Trump voters, but very little effort trying to understand or empathize with them.
Full article

How The Government’s Misstep Could Enable Michael Flynn To Withdraw His Guilty Plea

By Leslie McAdoo Gordon
The government’s effort to withdraw the departure motion means Flynn can ask to withdraw his guilty plea. Now the prosecutors are changing their tune.
Full article

Here’s A Small-Government Solution To Section 230’s Big Tech Problem

By Jon Schweppe and Craig Parshall
If we are going to provide Big Tech with a sweetheart deal, it must be a deal that also works for the American people. It’s time to rewrite Section 230.
Full article

The Three Sisters Who Explain Modern China

By Helen Raleigh
Jung Chang’s book, ‘Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister,’ tells the story of how three influential women navigated pivotal moments in 20th century China and left their mark on history.
Full article

What Went Into The Surprising Popularity Of Ted Cruz’s Impeachment Podcast ‘Verdict’

By Auguste Meyrat
‘Verdict’ became the most popular podcast in America, beating people like Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, and a whole slew of true crime podcasts.
Full article

Meet The ‘Colored Patriots Of The American Revolution’ Who Helped Make America Great

By Bereket Kelile
William Cooper Nell’s innovative approach of collecting oral records passed down from Revolutionary War veterans showed what these unsung heroes did for their country and why they deserved equal rights.
Full article

Mike Bloomberg Focuses Campaign On Places He Won’t Need To Wear A Coat

By Rich Cromwell
Getting out and shaking hands is for the little people—the millionaires—and Michael Bloomberg doesn’t have to stoop to that level.
Full article

How Single Payer Would Make Disease Outbreaks Like The Coronavirus Worse

By Christopher Jacobs
The coronavirus outbreak provides a compelling argument against Bernie Sanders’ so-called ‘Medicare for All’ program, which would accelerate infectious disease outbreaks.
Full article

Warren Brings Trailing Campaign To Virginia, Takes Aim At Bloomberg

By Chrissy Clark and Tristan Justice
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren began campaigning in Virginia Thursday following disappointing performances in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Full article

No, Rush Limbaugh’s Comments About Buttigieg Are Not Homophobic

By David Marcus
Questioning how Pete Buttigieg’s gay marriage will play with American voters is absolutely fair game for political commentators.
Full article

Republicans Revitalize The Charge To Pass Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

By Chrissy Clark
Republican Sens. Ben Sasses, R-Neb., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, are leading the charge to revitalize and pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Full article

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Resigns After Caucus Nightmare

By Chrissy Clark
On Wednesday night, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price resigned from his position amid the catastrophic Iowa caucuses.
Full article

YouTube Removes Video Of Rand Paul Naming Alleged Ukraine Whistleblower On Senate Floor

By Tristan Justice
YouTube removed a video of Rand Paul reading a question Chief Justice John Roberts twice suppressed during the Senate impeachment trial.
Full article

Jury Foreman In Roger Stone Case Was Trump-Hating Russia Collusion Hoaxer

By Tristan Justice
Social media posts from the juror in the Roger Stone trial “standing up” for the four prosecutors who withdrew from the case this week reveal extreme bias.
Full article

The Transom is a daily email newsletter written by publisher of The Federalist Ben Domenech for political and media insiders, which arrives in your inbox each morning, collecting news, notes, and thoughts from around the web.

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POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: Exclusive: Republicans snooped on Democrats’ House polls
By JAKE SHERMAN and ANNA PALMER 02/14/2020 05:59 AM EST
Presented by

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.)
NRCC staffers stumbled upon information from DCCC Chair Cheri Bustos’ organization when they stood outside the headquarters on Wednesday. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo

DRIVING THE DAY
BEHIND THE SCENES … CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES IN WASHINGTON pay lots of money to get an edge on their opponent. They have research teams, conduct detailed and pricey polls and dispatch trackers across the country to catch members of the other party in unscripted and damaging moments.

BUT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE NRCC walked across the street to the DCCC’s headquarters on Capitol Hill to stake out some Dem candidates, and stumbled upon what they consider a quite fortuitous find. Dems say it represents tactics that are totally out of bounds, and downright creepy.

THE DCCC was holding a polling meeting with the blinds wide open, all their information on display for passersby to see. The meeting was billed as part of their Red to Blue program — the GOP seats Democrats are trying to flip. The NRCC aides snapped photos, and you can see their photo document here.

REPUBLICANS SAY THEY GLEANED a wealth of valuable intel on the state of key House contests. For example, the NRCC learned that Democrats’ internal polling shows the special election in California’s 25th District — Katie Hill’s former seat — as just a 4-point race, with Republican former Rep. Steve Knight trailing Chrissy Smith 30-26. They also had slides that appeared to show the DCCC’s favorites in contested Democratic primaries.

THE NRCC AND DCCC have disagreed on where to draw the line when it comes to opposition research. The Republican committee, for example, has declined to sign an agreement to not use hacked information in its campaigns.

THE NRCC AND DCCC have both had quite colorful cycles. The NRCC seems to delight in invective. Just Thursday, the NRCC Twitter account was at war with a local Buffalo reporter, and called Rep. LUCY MCBATH (D-Ga.) a “lyin’” “hypocrite” and suggested she endorsed MIKE BLOOMBERG for president because he spent money on her behalf in 2018. The DCCC, meanwhile, fired much of its senior staff last summer after a POLITICO report about lawmakers’ concerns about diversity at the top of the party committee. The DCCC has far outraised the NRCC.

COLE LEITER of the DCCC sent us this comment: “When you have no ideas or accomplishments to run on, you creep in the bushes, take pictures through people’s windows, and invade their privacy. The next time the NRCC is looking for tips on running winning campaigns, all they have to do is call us — we’ll be more than happy to explain why Kevin McCarthy is the Minority Leader.”

BARR VS. POTUS … THE PRESIDENT is waking up this morning to these FRONT PAGES: NYT, 2 col.: “BARR SAYS ATTACKS FROM TRUMP MAKE WORK ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ … Rare Rebuke by a Sitting Cabinet Member — ‘I’m Not Going to Be Bullied’” … N.Y. POST, banner on the bottom of the cover: “AG BARR TO TRUMP: ‘STOP TWEETING!’” … WSJ: “Attorney General Criticizes Trump’s Tweets” …

— WAPO, via Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey: “People close to Barr said that in recent months he has become increasingly frustrated with Trump’s tweets about the Justice Department. The president, they said, seemed not only to be undercutting his own political momentum but also to be fostering doubts about the department’s independence.

“Barr was comfortable not being universally loved by career employees, but he felt the tweet Tuesday raised a bigger problem, giving people reason to wonder whether the department had been corrupted by political influence and decided he could no longer remain silent about the president’s public denunciations, these people said.

“Behind that public fight, according to people familiar with the discussions, is a deeper tension between Trump and Barr’s Justice Department over the lack of criminal charges against former FBI director James B. Comey and those close to him.”

— NYT’S KATIE BENNER: “The attorney general had been contemplating how to respond since he became aware of Mr. Trump’s attacks on the department, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Speaking up could have put Mr. Barr at risk of losing the backing of the president, but remaining silent would have permitted Mr. Trump to continue attacking law enforcement and all but invited open revolt among the some 115,000 employees of the Justice Department. Ultimately, Mr. Barr concluded that he had to speak out to preserve his ability to do his job effectively, the person said.”

— JOSH GERSTEIN and CAITLIN OPRYSKO: “‘The President wasn‘t bothered by the comments at all and he has the right, just like any other American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions,’ [Stephanie] Grisham said. ‘President Trump uses social media very effectively to fight for the American people against injustices in our country, including the fake news. The President has full faith and confidence in Attorney General Barr to do his job and uphold the law.’

“The benign response from the White House prompted speculation from some quarters that Barr‘s message was aimed more at calming the furor at the Justice Department over the episode than actually scolding Trump.” POLITICO

WSJ ED BOARD BACKS BARR: “Trump’s Worst Enemy: He needs to stop tweeting about cases and let Barr do his job.”

Good Friday morning. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

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5G = Wi-Fi on 6 GHz. It’s the future of wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi is critical to 5G success, particularly in suburban and rural America. The FCC plan to open the whole 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi sharing will ensure 5G-level connectivity in Manhattan and on Main Street, for rural families and next-gen innovators.
FOR THE RECORD: If you find yourself in West Palm Beach over the next six or so weeks, go visit the World Series champion Washington Nationals — they’ve started spring training.

SPOTTED: Chief Justice John Roberts out for lunch with a large group at Tosca on Thursday.

TRAIL NOTES … JOE BIDEN, Thursday night in New York, via pooler Chris Sommerfeldt of the N.Y. Daily News: “Biden said he’s confident he will win the South Carolina primary and place first or second in the Nevada caucuses. … Biden also defended his work to root out corruption in Ukraine while serving as vice president, saying he acted in accordance with U.S. policy by pushing for the ouster of the Viktor Shokin, the country’s ex-top prosecutor. ‘I did my job in Ukraine,’ Biden said.” … “Poll: Majority says Biden son’s Ukraine job was inappropriate,” via Marc Caputo

— NYT’S KATIE GLUECK at a second fundraiser: “‘People are still trying to figure out what language the Iowans spoke,’ he said to laughter, an apparent reference to the confusion surrounding the initial results from the caucuses, in response to a question about where he goes from here. ‘It’s kind of in disarray right now and most people acknowledge that it was less than discernible. But 2 percent of the, of the public has spoken. And no Democrat has ever won the presidency without overwhelming support from the African American community.’ …

“Mr. Biden detailed some of the challenges the Obama administration faced. ‘When it was all over, we still hadn’t talked at all about the Recovery Act, I mean, excuse me, all about the health care bill we passed, Obamacare,’ Mr. Biden said. ‘He said, “I don’t have time.” And so what happened? That next Congress, in ’16 we lost the Congress, from ’16 to ’18. And every pundit accurately said the reason we lost it is that because we passed Obamacare, that’s what everybody was saying if you remember.’ [Note: Democrats lost the House in 2010 and re-took it in 2018.]”

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ALEX THOMPSON: “Warren on the ropes”: “Elizabeth Warren convened a conference call Tuesday night after her fourth-place finish in New Hampshire and delivered some straight talk to demoralized staffers. ‘I don’t kid myself,’ Warren said, according to a source on the call. ‘I know that when the pundits and naysayers criticize us, I know it gets hard. And I know your jobs get hard, but these are the moments we find out who we are. … These are the moments when we dig deep.’

“The moment is an enormous test not just for the Warren team, but for the candidate herself. After betting big on the first two states and netting no delegates from neighboring New Hampshire, the Massachusetts senator is at a low point in her White House bid — and trying to find some way to come back.

“She’s proceeded cautiously. But the hyper-disciplined Warren is inching toward drawing more contrasts with her opponents, after sticking to an ‘I’m not here to attack other Democrats’ approach for most of the campaign.” POLITICO

— NYT, via Reid Epstein and Lisa Lerer in Arlington, Va.: “Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said Thursday that Michael R. Bloomberg should not be the Democratic presidential nominee because of newly surfaced comments he made 12 years ago in which he said the end of a discriminatory housing practice had helped contribute to the 2008 financial crisis.

“Ms. Warren’s comments, made at an event here in Northern Virginia, were a strikingly direct broadside against a rival as she tries to reignite enthusiasm for her campaign after her fourth-place finish in New Hampshire this week.” NYT

THINGS ARE GETTING UGLY — “Trump allies take aim at Buttigieg’s sexuality, a possible sign of things to come,” by WaPo’s Amy Wang and Chelsea Janes

HOW BLOOMBERG’S PLAYING … HOUSTON CHRONICLE: “Mike Bloomberg uses Houston rally to apologize for stop and frisk,” by Jeremy Wallace and Jasper Scherer: “Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg used a rally at Houston’s Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to tell a predominately black audience that he ‘deeply regrets’ ever supporting the controversial stop and frisk policy he employed while mayor of New York City.

“Bloomberg told the audience that he knows now he was wrong to defend the policy that targeted black and Hispanic residents for pat downs to see if they had weapons. That program has become a major stumbling block for many Democratic voters as they weigh Bloomberg’s run for the White House.”

WHERE THEY ARE: BIDEN is in Nevada today for an early vote rally in Henderson. … PETE BUTTIGIEG has a 10 a.m. rally at the Mirage in Las Vegas (he’s joining by livestream). … AMY KLOBUCHAR is holding events in Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.

WAPO’S JOSH DAWSEY and MICHELLE YE HEE LEE: “Trump to headline a $580,600-per-couple fundraiser, the most expensive of his reelection bid”: “President Trump will be the guest of honor at a Saturday fundraiser at the palatial Palm Beach estate of billionaire Nelson Peltz. Trump’s fellow guests: donors who gave $580,600 per couple to support the president’s reelection, making it the most expensive such fundraising event since Trump took office.”

THIS IS TRUMP’S 30TH VISIT to Mar-a-Lago since 2017, per the Palm Beach Post: “A highlight of Trump’s Presidents Day weekend stay will be a stopover at the Daytona 500 on Sunday before returning to Washington.” Palm Beach Post … POLITICO on Trump’s Daytona plans

STATE OF THE UNION = FAIRYTALE TIME? … AP: “Trump’s story about veteran’s comeback was not quite true,” by Bernard Condon in New York: “Tony Rankins, a formerly homeless, drug-addicted Army veteran, got a standing ovation at the State of the Union after President Donald Trump described how he turned his life around thanks to a construction job at a company using the administration’s ‘Opportunity Zone’ tax breaks targeting poor neighborhoods.

“But that’s not completely true. Rankins, who indeed moved out of his car and into an apartment since landing a job refurbishing a Nashville hotel two years ago, doesn’t work at a site taking advantage of the breaks and never has done so. In fact, he started that job four months before the Treasury Department published its final list of neighborhoods eligible for the breaks. And the hotel where he worked couldn’t benefit even now because it’s an area that didn’t make the cut.”

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In a 5G world, Wi-Fi will be crucial in delivering speed and quality, particularly in suburban and rural America. Get the facts.
TRUMP’S FRIDAY — The president will deliver remarks to the National Border Patrol Council members in the South Court Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. He and first lady Melania Trump will leave the White House at 4 p.m. en route to West Palm Beach. They will arrive at Mar-a-Lago at 6:55 p.m.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Tom Steyer … Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Panel: Ed O’Keefe, Paula Reid, Eliana Johnson and Amy Walter.
ABC “This Week”: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
NBC “Meet the Press”: Panel: Peter Alexander, María Teresa Kumar, Danielle Pletka and Eugene Robinson.
FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Kellyanne Conway. Panel: Guy Benson, Donna Brazile, Michael Anton and Charles Lane. Power Player: Ben Folds.
CNN “State of the Union” (guest host: Dana Bash): Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Panel: Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Ken Blackwell, Andrew Gillum and Amanda Carpenter.
CNN “Inside Politics” (guest host: Nia-Malika Henderson): Margaret Talev, Tarini Parti, Phil Mattingly and Lisa Lerer.
Sinclair TV “America this Week with Eric Bolling”: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Rep Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) … Peter Schweitzer … Greg Miller … Jose Aristamuño.
Gray TV “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren”: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
PLAYBOOK READS
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
PHOTO DU JOUR: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) speaks during a campaign event in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 13. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH BACK ON CLIMATE CHANGE — “Kevin McCarthy faces uneasy right flank over climate push,” by Melanie Zanona, Anthony Adragna and Eric Wolff: “House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is eagerly pushing a new conservative effort to combat climate change. But not everyone in the GOP is racing to embrace the plan just yet — and it’s already facing blowback from some groups on the right.

“McCarthy (R-Calif.) and a cross-section of House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a package of narrow environmental bills — the first phase of the GOP’s modest effort to combat global warming, a top priority for young voters and an opportunity for Republicans to draw a contrast with some of the proposals on the left.

“There’s wide consensus among Republicans that they need to do something to address climate change, and McCarthy’s election-year push has already attracted support from a broad mix of lawmakers, from conservatives such as Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona to members representing coal states like Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia.

“But some GOP lawmakers aren’t on board yet: In fact, several Republicans were concerned about the effort being branded as a GOP-wide initiative, with lawmakers cautioning that they hadn’t read the new bills and weren’t even aware that they were being released on Wednesday.” POLITICO

ALLY MUTNICK: “Inside the crazy race to replace Mark Meadows”

HOT IN VEGAS … ATTACK OF THE BERNIE BROS — “Nevada’s powerful Culinary Union declines to endorse a 2020 candidate,” by Marc Caputo, David Siders and Natasha Korecki: “Nevada’s powerful Culinary Workers Union will not endorse in the presidential primary, while criticizing Bernie Sanders’ signature Medicare for All proposal. … The mobilization of service employees, many of them in Las Vegas, are critical to the Nevada caucuses. And the focus on Culinary’s dispute with Sanders has been watched closely ahead of voting there.”

— Nevada Independent’s @meganmesserly: “@Culinary226’s spokeswoman tells me they have received ‘hundreds’ of attacks, in the form of mentions, DMs, calls and emails, including threats to their personal safety. She says she and Geoconda Arguello-Kline have been doxxed, their personal addresses shared.” Bernie denounces the attacks

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In a 5G world, Wi-Fi will be crucial in delivering high speed, quality connections.
BIG NYT BACKSTORY — “How Months of Miscalculation Led the U.S. and Iran to the Brink of War,” by Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi: “What happened over the past several months, based on interviews with officials from the United States, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries as well as outside analysts, is a story of miscalculations by both sides and of violence that spilled into nations across the Middle East — from Syria to Saudi Arabia to Iraq.

“The Trump administration escalated a campaign of financial warfare — so-called maximum pressure — to suffocate Iran’s economy in hopes of forcing its government back into negotiations over its nuclear program and its military operations throughout the region. Instead, Iran lashed out with brazen attacks on oil installations in the Saudi desert, tankers docked off the Emirati coast and American forces in Iraq.

“The decision by President Trump to authorize the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander, might ultimately deter future Iranian aggression. Yet a recent C.I.A. analysis concluded that Iran, while struggling to continue funding its military activities under American sanctions, appears no closer to entering direct talks over its nuclear program, according to American officials familiar with the assessment.” NYT

HUAWEI OR THE HIGHWAY — “China’s Huawei Charged With Racketeering, Stealing Trade Secrets,” by WSJ’s Corinne Ramey and Kate O’Keeffe: “Huawei Technologies Co. and two of its U.S. subsidiaries were charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to steal trade secrets in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday, opening another front in the Trump administration’s battle against the Chinese telecommunications firm.

“The new charges amp up pressure on Huawei from the U.S., where Trump administration officials are fighting to persuade allies to lock the telecommunications giant out of their next generation mobile networks because of national security concerns. The U.S. has long said Huawei could be coerced by Beijing into using its equipment to spy on, or disrupt, foreign networks, which the company denies.

“The new indictment, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., builds on allegations the U.S. leveled in January 2019 accusing Huawei of financial fraud and violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said the new charges related to a decadeslong effort by Huawei and its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and China, to steal intellectual property, including from six U.S. technology companies.” WSJ … DOJ announcement … The indictment

MEDIAWATCH — Patrick Garrigan will be global head of Bloomberg Live. He previously was executive director of business development for AtlanticLIVE and is a POLITICO alum. Talking Biz News

PLAYBOOKERS
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Caitlin Welsh has left the White House, where she was director for global economic engagement for the NEC/NSC, and been named director for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Global Food Security Program. She previously worked at the State Department for more than seven years.

PENTAGON ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Chris Miller is now deputy assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and combatting terrorism. He previously worked on counterterrorism issues at the NSC.

TRANSITIONS — Tom Dobbins will be president and CEO of the Aluminum Association. He most recently has been the longtime head of the American Composites Manufacturers Association. … Tim Kobosko is now chief information officer of Shatterproof, a new nonprofit focused on combating the addiction crisis. He previously was CIO for the Special Olympics. …

… Amanda Fischer will be policy director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. She most recently has been COS to Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.). … In the wake of Chad Mizelle’s promotion, DHS is tapping John Gountanis to become acting chief of staff and Scott Erickson as a deputy COS.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mike Bloomberg is 78. A trend he thinks doesn’t get enough attention: “I’ve always been passionate about public health, and I think the maternal health crisis in our country is a tragedy that we should not tolerate. Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to die during childbirth — and a big reason is that black women are far less likely to have access to affordable, quality care. It’s unacceptable that this is happening in America today.” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Richie Neal (D-Mass.) is 71 … Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) is 79 … Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) is 48 … Carl Bernstein is 76 … Hugh Downs is 99 … Martha Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor … Stephen A. Schwarzman is 73 … Michio Aida … Amanda Litman, co-founder and executive director of Run for Something, is 3-0 (h/t Emily Slatkow) … Ed Patru, principal at Direct Communications Co. … former Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) is 73 … Karen Anderson, senior director for policy, comms and external affairs at UChicago’s Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (h/t husband Lyndon Boozer) … POLITICO’s Kat McKibben … Katie Childress … Andrew LaCasse is 34 … Dave Cuzzi … Marty Markowitz is 75 … “Fresh Air’s” Terry Gross is 69 … Jacob Luneau … Oriana Pawlyk … Scott Will, founder of Attorney General Strategies (h/t Zack Roday) … VA’s Caitlin Patenaude Vannoy …

… Jon Sawyer, executive director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting … Jaime Horn, principal at New Heights Communications (h/t Josh Cohen) … Ryan Blake, legislative director at the Consumer Bankers Association … Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies’ Paul Miller and Mitch Moonier … Dutch PM Mark Rutte is 53 … NYT’s Alan Blinder … Brittany Candrian Richman … Erik Potholm, a partner at SRCP Media … Brooke Lierman … Evan Kraus … Pete Solecki … Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the Partnership for a New American Economy, is 4-0 … Dan Walsh … Hannah VanHoose … Bobby Honold … Cristina Marcos … Rod Lamkey … Mark Elliot … Sharon Daniels … Matt Angle … Galen Main … Carlos Sanchez … Colin Van Ostern … Jenny Nielsen … Daniel Stublen … John Vockley … Neal Mann … William Beach, commissioner of labor statistics at BLS … Griff Hathaway … Mike Inganamort … Brianne Carter … Kate Sullivan … Jen Pihlaja

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Morning Headlines

Warren supporters in Virginia hold out hope for Super Tuesday

ImageARLINGTON, Va. — After a disappointing finish in the nation’s first two nominating contests, Elizabeth Warren took a detour Thursday night from the next two states on the primary calendar. And in front of a friendly crowd, she came out swinging against former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Read More…

Bloomberg’s counterattacks may just resonate with Democrats

ImageOPINION — Many Democrats are looking for a fighter, someone who won’t fold like a cheap deck of cards. Mike Bloomberg’s response Thursday to a Trump Twitter attack demonstrates a different approach than that followed by most or all of the other Democratic hopefuls. Read More…

McConnell thinks Trump should listen to Barr

Image“The president made a great choice when he picked Bill Barr to be the attorney general, and I think the president should listen to his advice,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News on Thursday. Read More…

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Trump’s budget steps on GOP’s new climate message

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‘Who’s the last person you texted?’ and other burning questions for Congress on Valentine’s Day

ImageWho says love and Congress can’t go together? For this Valentine’s Day, Heard on the Hill gave lawmakers probing love notes to get them in the lovey-dovey spirit. Read More…

Ideology and race could shape primaries in newly blue North Carolina districts

ImageDemocrats are almost guaranteed to pick up two House seats in North Carolina this year, which means that the upcoming primaries — for which early in-person voting started Thursday — will go a long way toward determining who comes to Congress. Read More…

Laura Dove, key GOP Senate staffer, to retire

ImageThe Senate’s secretary for the majority, Laura Dove, is leaving her post later this month and will be replaced by assistant Republican secretary Robert Duncan. Dove has worked in the Senate for more than 20 years. Read More…

Draft of bipartisan driverless car bill offered by House panel

ImageThe discussion draft, obtained by CQ Roll Call, is bipartisan and bicameral and aimed at ironing out legislative differences up front in order to avoid the fate of a similar bill that stalled in 2018. Read More…

Yellen and an all-star, bipartisan coalition pitch carbon tax

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Senate passes resolution that would limit Trump’s war powers on Iran

ImageThe Senate on Thursday passed a resolution to block President Donald Trump from further attacks on Iran after a bipartisan group of lawmakers worked together to defeat multiple Republican amendments designed to weaken or kill outright the legal force of the measure. Read More…

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Friday, February 14, 2020
Editor’s Note: Happy Presidents’ Day weekend! Assuming there isn’t a revolution in the next few days, we’ll be back in full swing Wednesday morning.
Bloomberg’s Candidacy
“U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, rising in public opinion polls in recent weeks, found himself on the defensive on Tuesday over newly surfaced remarks from 2015 in which he said 95% of murderers and murder victims were minorities…

“Bloomberg has long struggled with the legacy of the ‘stop-and-frisk’ policing policy he used as mayor of New York, which encouraged police to stop and search pedestrians and ensnared disproportionate numbers of blacks and Latinos.”
Reuters

From the Left
The left is divided about Bloomberg’s political chances and condemns the ‘stop-and-frisk’ policy.

“Mike Bloomberg Is hacking your attention… There are his ubiquitous television, YouTube and Facebook ads. There are his tweets, many of which are weird enough to generate the right amount of viral confusion or are pugnacious enough toward Donald Trump to provoke the ire of the presidential Twitter feed. Then there are the influencers. Starting this week the Bloomberg campaign enlisted the help of a number of popular meme-makers to create sponsored Instagram content for the candidate…

“On Twitter, where some Democratic hopefuls have adopted a ‘they go low, we go high’ mentality, Bloombergians have instead opted to wade into the mud and wrestle with Mr. Trump’s Twitter feed… For citizens looking for a movement or big, structural change or even just a genuine vision for the future of the country, the strategy is disheartening — just another brazen attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator instincts of the internet that leaves a sinking feeling that shameless memes, Twitter dunks and toxic screaming into the algorithmic void have become politics as usual. Or maybe it’s always been this way. After all, what is politics if not a long, well-funded attempt at hacking people’s attention?”
Charlie Warzel, New York Times

“What’s interesting here is that, even if Bloomberg doesn’t win the nomination — which he very likely will not — this [digital ad] spending could end up mattering, anyway. That’s because Bloomberg has pledged to spend a large fortune to dislodge Trump even if he’s not the Democratic nominee…

“That a democratic socialist could end up as the nominee, even as Democrats end up relying in part on billionaire Bloomberg’s money to fend off what may be the largest disinformation warfare campaign in U.S. history — one partly enabled by the threat the Big Tech oligarchy poses to democracy — is another measure of just how weirdly unsettled our politics are right now. It also hints at the odd compromises that might be necessary to survive the current crisis.”
Greg Sargent, Washington Post

“Throw them up against the wall. It is impossible for me to imagine that those words would have rolled off Bloomberg’s tongue had he been speaking to a room full of young black and brown men. Or, if people who looked like members of his own family faced that kind of scrutiny as they moved about their communities… In order for people to unfold their arms, he is going to have to face the wall of justified anger and absorb it at full blast… He has to be willing to talk about race and racism, not once or twice but with consistency and courage…

“He has to be willing to address the mind-set that created stop-and-frisk and keeps some version of it alive. And that means bringing cops to the table and pushing the leadership and the rank-and-file in blue to interrogate the social and racial factors that lead to disproportionate levels of scrutiny aimed at black and brown men. That will not be easy. But it is worth the risk. A leader who can create a pathway toward a model of policing that seeks justice, while facing up to historical injustice, would be doing a great thing for all of America.”
Michele Norris, Washington Post

“‘Ninety-five percent of murders, murderers and murder victims’ are male minorities between 16 to 25, Bloomberg [said in 2015]. This is actually not true — not in New York City, and not nationwide… Lots of Democrats made significant mistakes in the 1990s when it came to being tough on crime — mistakes that were readily apparent by the mid-2000s. [But] You cannot be the leader of a diverse, justice-oriented party when you said, just a few years ago — well after we well knew just how damaging over-policing and mass incarceration are — that ‘the way you get the guns out of the kid’s hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them.’”
Jill Filipovic, CNN

Some, however, argue that “[Bloomberg’s] mistakes… have to be weighed against a record of courageously speaking out and devoting enormous personal resources to virtually every progressive cause — gun control, abortion rights, climate change, Planned Parenthood, education reform for predominantly minority schools, affordable housing, income inequality and tax reform. And he has vowed as president to focus on building black wealth, not just ending poverty… Sitting here today, Bloomberg — paired with a progressive vice-presidential candidate who can appeal to Sanders’s voters — has the best chance to carry the day.”
Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times

From the Right
The right is divided about both Bloomberg’s political chances and the ‘stop-and-frisk’ policy.

“In an ominous report Wednesday, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg came in first in a poll in Arkansas. No one has yet assessed the sheer amount of money he is spending. He may spend more on Facebook than Klobuchar will spend on her entire campaign…

“[But] Bloomberg’s problem was made vivid this week as his past comments about stop and frisk policing in Black neighborhoods received widespread condemnation. The massive, well-executed Bloomberg ad campaign may crash and burn on the reality of the true Bloomberg. As an old adage goes, the ads failed because they worked. A good ad campaign kills a bad product fast – because it gets more people to try it. Bloomberg may have a clever ‘buy the White House’ idea. But it may be that the country gets vaccinated by Bloomberg himself, and the billions he spends in the end can’t move people once their minds are made up.”
Newt Gingrich, Fox News

“Most critics argue the recording [from 2015] will make it difficult for him to attract far-left liberals and black voters, and some think it could be fatal to his chances. I don’t think that’s true… He was a successful mayor without seriously compromising his blunt style, and New Yorkers generally liked that about him, even when they disagreed…

“Assuming the issue recedes, I think he has a good chance of landing the most important endorsement of all — Barack Obama’s. The two have been allies, if not friends, and Obama did not endorse Bloomberg’s black Democratic opponent in 2009, Bill Thompson, instead using an appearance with Bloomberg to call him an ‘outstanding mayor’… Obama has let it be known that he does not want Bernie Sanders to get the party’s nomination. If Bloomberg can manage to make himself Sanders’ top opponent, it’s easy to imagine Obama leading the establishment in backing him, which would go a long way toward securing the nomination.”
Michael Goodwin, New York Post

Some posit that “There’s a lot that can and should be said about Bloomberg’s comments. First, the stop-and-frisk policy Bloomberg was advocating for was of questionable necessity. When New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio did away with the policy a few years ago, many conservatives expressed concern that de Blasio was effectively handicapping the city’s law enforcement. But… crime in the city continued to decrease significantly — even without stop and frisk…

“And it should go without saying that Bloomberg is engaging in deliberate racial profiling and that this is wrong and shameful. This mindset should give any reasonable person pause, and it should call into question Bloomberg’s ability to lead a diverse country that is already divided… With that said, the timing of when this audio was released reveals something about the Democratic Party and the war for the black vote among its presidential candidates.”
Kaylee McGhee, Washington Examiner

Others argue that “There are some legitimate civil liberties concerns about [‘stop-and-frisk’], although living in a city the size of New York comes with some loss of personal freedoms. But the application of [‘stop-and-frisk’] was not motivated by race, it was motivated by policing where the crime is. It’s was what Thomas Sowell called disparity rather than discrimination… There are electoral reasons conservatives might want to help paint Bloomberg as racist, even if they don’t really believe it… This trolly approach with its healthy dose of schadenfreude is understandable, but it’s also wrong. The larger opportunity here is to use this incident to expose how irrational leftist definitions of racism are.”
David Marcus, The Federalist

“It is too bad that Bloomberg has to tar the Stop and Frisk program with such over the top generalizations of who commits murder. What Bloomberg also misses out on is that while there are good reasons to disarm criminals, poor minorities, the very people who are most likely victims of violent crime, are the ones who benefit the most from carrying concealed handguns… [Bloomberg’s claim] doesn’t distinguish between law-abiding blacks who want to protect themselves and the criminals…

“President Trump’s moves on criminal justice reform, coupled with historically low minority unemployment rates, are already threatening to make inroads on minority voting. A Bloomberg nomination might make these inroads even greater and set the stage for a resounding electoral victory by Trump.”
John R. Lott, Fox News

On the bright side…

KFC, Crocs team up to create Bucket Clog: ‘What fried chicken footwear dreams are made of’

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Friday, February 14, 2020

Editor’s Note: Happy Presidents’ Day weekend! Assuming there isn’t a revolution in the next few days, we’ll be back in full swing Wednesday morning.

Bloomberg’s Candidacy

“U.S. presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, rising in public opinion polls in recent weeks, found himself on the defensive on Tuesday over newly surfaced remarks from 2015 in which he said 95% of murderers and murder victims were minorities…

From the Left

The left is divided about Bloomberg’s political chances and condemns the ‘stop-and-frisk’ policy.

“Throw them up against the wall. It is impossible for me to imagine that those words would have rolled off Bloomberg’s tongue had he been speaking to a room full of young black and brown men. Or, if people who looked like members of his own family faced that kind of scrutiny as they moved about their communities… In order for people to unfold their arms, he is going to have to face the wall of justified anger and absorb it at full blast… He has to be willing to talk about race and racism, not once or twice but with consistency and courage…

“‘Ninety-five percent of murders, murderers and murder victims’ are male minorities between 16 to 25, Bloomberg [said in 2015]. This is actually not true — not in New York City, and not nationwide… Lots of Democrats made significant mistakes in the 1990s when it came to being tough on crime — mistakes that were readily apparent by the mid-2000s. [But] You cannot be the leader of a diverse, justice-oriented party when you said, just a few years ago — well after we well knew just how damaging over-policing and mass incarceration are — that ‘the way you get the guns out of the kid’s hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them.’”
Jill Filipovic, CNN

From the Right

The right is divided about both Bloomberg’s political chances and the ‘stop-and-frisk’ policy.

On the bright side…

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AXIOS

An analog clock with only two symbols instead of twelve: the symbols read 'AM' and 'PM'.

Mike Allen

❤️ Happy Friday, and happy Valentine’s Day!

What to tell your mom or dad today: Thanks for being my first Valentine!

📦 Situational awareness: A federal judge granted Amazon’s request to temporarily halt the Pentagon and Microsoft from moving forward on an up-to-$10-billion cloud computing deal that Amazon says reflected undue influence by President Trump. (Reuters)

1 big thing: Bernie’s pipe dreams

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Staff

Even with the expanding power of the presidency, Bernie Sanders would need Congress to approve the most ambitious ideas he’s known for. And that’s unlikely to happen even under the best-case scenarios for House and Senate Democrats in November, Axios’ David Nather and Alayna Treene report:

Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, free college and other Sanders proposals that excite the Democratic base would likely hit a logjam in the Senate — even with his plans to make expansive use of the power of budget rules.
Internal Democratic divisions would threaten his ability to get even a bare Senate majority for them, let alone ram them through the expected wall of Republican opposition, according to moderate Democratic senators, Democratic aides and Axios experts.
And that assumes he could get them through the House without major substantive changes — which is no sure thing either.

But Sanders could make some major changes in direction on his own:

He could likely reverse course on many of President Trump’s immigration policies through his executive authority, by stopping the construction of the border wall and not prosecuting border crossings.
And Sanders advisers say he could make major changes on drug prices and climate policies through regulations and executive orders — like declaring a climate emergency, which could give him far more authority to spend on climate measures without congressional approval.
He may also use executive orders to advance priorities like the $15 minimum wage, by applying it to government contractors.

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Go deeper: Reality check on Bernie’s 10 biggest ideas.

2. Barr: Trump tweets make job “impossible”

Screenshot via ABC News

Attorney General Bill Barr told ABC News that President Trump’s “constant background commentary” about the Justice Department makes “it impossible for me to do my job”: “I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.”

Why it matters, from Axios’ Fadel Allassan: It’s a rare public rebuke of the president by a Cabinet member.

Asked if he was prepared to take the blowback for criticizing the president, Barr responded: “Of course.”

“I will make … decisions based on what I think is the right thing to do, and I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody, whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial boards or the president.”

Barr said that on the Stone decision, Trump’s late-night tweet put him in an especially difficult position:

“Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision, or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be.”

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded:

[UNSUPPORTED BLOCK TYPE: blockquote]

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3. #MeToo hits banking industry

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The #MeToo movement was originally largely focused on the media and entertainment worlds, before migrating to technology companies. Now it looks like commercial banks are in the crosshairs, too, writes Axios’ Jennifer Kingson.

What’s happening … Two major headlines rocked the sector this week:

Wells Fargo is dropping its mandatory arbitration clause for employee sexual harassment complaints.
A former employee of PNC won a $2.4 million jury award in her harassment case against the bank.

The bottom line: Commercial banks may have avoided the #MeToo limelight so far in part because they are so highly regulated, and thus have more aggressive zero-tolerance policies.

“It’s not enlightenment, it’s compliance,” Charles Wendel of Financial Institutions Consulting, which serves the banking industry, tells Axios. “They don’t want to be in trouble with the regulators.”

Share this story.

Bonus: Pic du jour

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigns yesterday before a crowd of more than 4,000 people in the gym at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., a key Super Tuesday state. (WUSA)

4. Mike Bloomberg hacks our attention

Not The Onion: Both real tweets.

N.Y. Times Opinion writer Charlie Warzel explains that Mike Bloomberg’s campaign understands a fundamental intent equation: Attention equals power.

Why it matters: “Attention is like television airtime in a battleground state: There’s a finite amount of it.”

“Bloomberg is unapologetic about — and unafraid to hide — the money he’s spending,” Warzel continues. “That transactional approach is an excellent match for online influencer culture.”

Bloomberg’s thinking: “At least he’s in the conversation. More than that, the conversation is now centered around the idea that he could very well win.”

Keep reading (subscription).

5. 🐍 Trump furious about “snakes,” brings back loyalists

Photos: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images; J. Scott Applewhite/AP

President Trump has become increasingly furious about what he sees as a government full of “never-Trumpers,” Axios’ Jonathan Swan reports.

Administration officials tell Axios Trump feels he’s surrounded by snakes and wants to clear out all the disloyal people.

John McEntee, Trump’s former body man who was fired by former chief of staff John Kelly over security clearance issues and recently returned to the West Wing, is expected to lead the Presidential Personnel Office.

Why it matters: Trump sees McEntee as the ultimate loyalist, and he has assigned him the powerful role of picking personnel across the federal government.

Hope Hicks, former White House communications director and a close Trump aide, will also return to the White House.

Hicks’ titlewill be counselor to the president, and she’ll work closely with Jared Kushner.

What’s next: Trump has been asking for names of people he should fire.

Many on the outside are more than happy to oblige.
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📺 Other news about Trump originals: We hear Dave Bossie’s Fox News contract hasn’t been renewed. Bossie didn’t reply to queries about his next move.

6. 1 ❤️ thing: Polarized dating

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Romance seekers in the Trump era see a heightened value in knowing their potential suitors’ political affiliations, Axios’ Ursula Perano reports.

Major dating platforms, including OkCupid, Hinge and Bumble, have introduced filters to sift out matches with “incompatible” politics.
“It’s so great that we have gone from messaging based on a photo to, ‘Wow, you’re into Warren, I’m into Bernie — let’s debate that over a margarita,'” OkCupid Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Hobley said.

OkCupid saw a 187% increase in political mentions on profiles between 2017 and 2018. The company says the trend continued in 2019.

An OkCupid survey found that 72% of female respondents in the U.S. said they could not date someone who had strong political opinions that were “the exact opposite” of their own.
“Voting is the new six pack,” Hobley said. “It is way less about what you look like, and much more what you believe in and what you care about.”

Between the lines: Some conservatives say dating has proved challenging in the age of Trump.

Mentions of “conservative terms” on OkCupid profiles fell by 78% in 2019.
Specialized dating apps for Republicans such as “Righter” and “Patrio,” have blossomed since President Trump’s election.

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Mike Allen

📬 Thanks for a great week. Please tell a friend about AM/PM.

THE RESURGENT

The Resurgent’s Morning Briefing for February 14,2020

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Good morning,

Here is all the news conservatives need to know to start their day. At 9am ET and then at 4pm ET, you can catch me on radio to bring you up to speed on developments throughout the day. You can listen live here.

The Logical Consequences of a Half-Baked Impeachment

Saying that the impeachment effort by House Democrats was half-baked is an understatement. It was mostly just batter. Anyone who has ever made a cake or brownies knows the batter is quite tasty and might actually be better than the end product. The Democrats sure fought over the batter. Heck, they fundraised off it. But […]

The post The Logical Consequences of a Half-Baked Impeachment appeared first on The Resurgent.

Congress Votes For Iran War Powers Resolution

In a 55-45 vote, the Senate voted this afternoon to pass a measure restricting President Trump’s ability to attack Iran without congressional approval. The House passed the resolution on January 9. The resolution had support from a small number of Republicans in both chambers. In the Senate, eight Republicans voted for passage per CNN. Those […]

The post Congress Votes For Iran War Powers Resolution appeared first on The Resurgent.

John Kelly Fires Salvo At Trump Over Vindman Firing

The lack of strong advisors who are willing to tell the president “no” has been a major problem in the Trump Administration’s recent years.

The post John Kelly Fires Salvo At Trump Over Vindman Firing appeared first on The Resurgent.

What To Do About Roger Stone?

Saying the president is above the law for doing what presidents have the plenary power to do–Trump could pardon Stone if he wanted–is not a solid argument. If Trump starts throwing people in jail without a trial, or with a kangaroo court, then you can say he’s above the law. I’d rather err on the side of Stone’s freedom than capriciously sentence him to what might be life in prison. The law exists to protect us from the government, after all.

The post What To Do About Roger Stone? appeared first on The Resurgent.

I Don’t Believe the Chinese on Coronavirus
Shocker: Democrats Refuse to Accept Defeat (Yet Again)
Abortion Barbie Is Back And Ready To Play Golden Goose For Texas Democrats
Klobucharge! Is Amy The New Moderate Choice?
The Media Should Remember the People Get the Final Say

Recent Items:

Remember, you can listen to the Erick Erickson Show anytime and anywhere via WSB Radio, iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud.

As always, you can find pretty much anything and everything I’m writing about throughout the day via The Resurgent.

Thanks for reading and tuning in.

Erick Erickson

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Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price Resigns After Caucus Results Debacle
The Protect Life Amendment Clears Iowa House Judiciary Committee
Reynolds Introduces Invest In Iowa Act, Launches Town Hall Tour
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Sanders, Trump Win New Hampshire Primary

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” (Philippians‬ ‭2:3-4‬, ‭ESV‬‬).

Watch: Ernst Questions Witnesses at Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Hearing

By Caffeinated Thoughts on Feb 13, 2020 10:06 pm
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, participated in the hearing for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, S.130, a bill that she co-sponsored.
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Iowa Senate Passes Amendment Declaring No Right to Abortion in Iowa Constitution

By Shane Vander Hart on Feb 13, 2020 05:52 pm
The Iowa Senate passed SJR 2001, an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that declares there is no constitutional right to abortion, by a 32 to 18 vote.
Read in browser »

Axne, Finkenauer, Loesack Vote For, King Against ERA Ratification Extension

By Shane Vander Hart on Feb 13, 2020 01:31 pm
U.S. Reps. Abby Finkenauer, Dave Loebsack, and Cindy Axne voted to remove the 1982 ratification deadline for the ERA, U.S. Rep. Steve King voted against.
Read in browser »

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CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS

CDN’s Daily News Blast delivers the day’s news first!

CDN Daily News Blast

02/14/2020

Excerpts:

Decorated – A.F. Branco Cartoon

By A.F. Branco –

Decorated – 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.

Biden Loses His Marbles – Grrr Graphics – Tina Toon

By Tina –

Joe Biden is done. Stick a fork in him. Kaput!

It’s just a matter of time before sleepy, creepy Joe falls back asleep and dreams of running barefoot through Ukraine cash with Hunter by his side.

Biden Loses His Marbles – Grrr Graphics – Tina Toon 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.

Little Big Man – A.F. Branco Cartoon

By A.F. Branco –

Little Big Man – 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.

Report Casts Doubt On Claims That The US Is Falling Behind China On Funding AI Research 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.

Report Casts Doubt On Claims That The US Is Falling Behind China On Funding AI Research

By Chris White –

China’s lack of transparency makes it virtually impossible to determine how much the country is devoting to the research on its massive artificial intelligence apparatus, a new report shows. The report comes after the Trump administration published a budget proposal Tuesday asking for a nearly 70% increase in funding for …

Clearing Begins in Arizona for NEW Border Wall Construction on Monument Hill 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.

Clearing Begins in Arizona for NEW Border Wall Construction on Monument Hill

By R. Mitchell –

TUCSON, Ariz. – The construction contractor has begun controlled blasting, in preparation for new border wall system construction, within the Roosevelt Reservation at Monument Mountain in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. The controlled blasting is targeted and will continue intermittently for the rest of the month. U.S. Customs and …

Bernie is Not as Consistent as Supporters Claim

By caleb_underdown –

It’s February 2020, and an avowed socialist is surging into the lead of the democrat party. Yes, Bernie Sanders is looking more and more like the democrat nominee by the day. The feeble attempts of the aging Joe Biden and the singularly unlikable Mike Bloomberg are doing little to slow …

Bernie is Not as Consistent as Supporters Claim 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.

President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Thursday, February 13, 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.

President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Thursday, February 13, 2020

By R. Mitchell –

President Donald Trump will participates in a meeting with Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. Keep up with Trump on Our President’s Schedule Page. President Trump’s Itinerary for 2/13/20 – note: this page will be updated during the day if events warrant All Times EST 3:00 PM Participate in a …

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THE WASHINGTON TIMES

MORNING EDITION

Friday, February 14, 2020

Like Us. Follow Us.

Bernie Sanders, paranoid supporters fear ‘divisive’ hijacked conventionSen. Bernard Sanders’ supporters have been stricken with an acute case of paranoia about the Democratic Party hijacking the nomination … more

Barr: Tweets from Trump make my job ‘impossible’

Attorney General William P. Barr has been under siege since an internal dispute over the prosecution of President Trump’s friend Roger Stone spilled into public view.

By Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey ● Read more »

Trump allies take aim at Buttigieg’s sexuality, a possible sign of things to come

Rush Limbaugh’s suggestion that “America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy” could be a taste of what Pete Buttigieg will face if he is the Democratic presidential nominee.

Election 2020 ● By Amy Wang and Chelsea Janes ● Read more »

Trump fundraiser costs $580,600 per couple, the most expensive of his reelection bid

The president has embraced big donors, who get special access at intimate gatherings.

By Josh Dawsey and Michelle Lee ● Read more »

Doubts of key senators could spell trouble for Trump’s latest Fed pick

Three Republicans are undecided on whether to support Judy Shelton’s nomination to the Federal Reserve Board.

By Heather Long ● Read more »

Turtles the size of a car once roamed the earth. Scientists just found their fossils.

The hulking reptile was about 100 times the size of its closest living relative and twice the size of the largest living turtle.

By Reis Thebault ● Read more »

Opinions

500 days without love or justice

By Hatice Cengiz ● Read more »

This latest trick from the White House is one of the most despicable yet

By Catherine Rampell ● Read more »

What the N.H. primary and Fort Worth rodeo have in common

By P.J. O’Rourke ● Read more »

How a Biden collapse could benefit Sanders

By Marc Thiessen ● Read more »

Republicans must stop Trump’s Fed nomination

By Editorial Board ● Read more »

We’re witnessing the reemergence of the moderate Democrat

By David Ignatius ● Read more »

More News

Senate passes measure limiting Trump’s actions against Iran without Congress’s approval

It’s the latest bipartisan attempt to compel the White House to involve them in foreign policy decisions. The measure, which still has to pass the House, lacks enough support to overcome an expected presidential veto.

By Karoun Demirjian ● Read more »

Temperature in Antarctica soars to near 70 degrees, appearing to topple continental record set days earlier

The World Meteorological Organization is reviewing the reading to see if it qualifies as the continent’s hottest temperature on record.

By Andrew Freedman ● Read more »

Pentagon to divert $3.8 billion from its budget to build more of Trump’s border barrier

The military will shift the money from the purchase of aircraft and other equipment using a counternarcotics law.

By Paul Sonne and Nick Miroff ● Read more »

Pope Francis won’t allow married priests in the Amazon. But in this part of the world, married priests are the norm.

In parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, in relatively small and distinctive branches of Catholicism that are loyal to the pope, married clerics represent an alternate version of the priesthood.

By Chico Harlan ● Read more »

‘Nobody talks about it because everyone is on it’: Adderall presents esports with an enigma

The prescription drug is widely used in competitions, according to current pros, but solutions to curb its use create a series of tricky questions.

By Coleman Hamstead ● Read more »

Disinformation about the coronavirus is spreading faster than the outbreak.

Kim Bellware on how disinformation about the coronavirus is spreading online. Danielle Paquette on the drawdown of Firestone’s factories in Liberia, where the tire company has been central to the economy. And Rick Maese takes us inside a Tokyo dojo.

Post Reports | Listen Now ● By The Washington Post ● Read more »

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#Trump2020Landslide – By the Numbers

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Am I just a starry-eyed Trumpster, overly optimistic but unrealistic? Perhaps, but Politico is not in that category and they agree with me. Read More…

Bernie Bros and the Catastrophe of Socialism

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Bernie’s war on achievers equals a war on achievements for humanity. Read More…

Bernie Sanders’s Rise is Like Death Knocking on America’s Door

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
He’s not all that different from Barack Obama in what he wants, but he’s less coy about it. Read More…

The Democrats’ Playbook Will Endure Forever

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Why not? They know it’s effective. Read More…

Social Security Reforms Progressives Will Resist

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
If Congress is ever again to get control over the budget, reform of the social programs must be a part of the solution. Read More…

The Two-step Solution to The Palestinian Problem

Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
The Palestinian leadership was quick to reject the Trump peace plan, as did the Arab League and many others, including many Israelis. But that is just step one. Here is step 2. Read More…

Recent Blog Posts

Will the coronavirus seal Trump’s reelection?
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Nothing sobers up voters like a catastrophe. Read more…

Samantha Bee launches a scathing, yet impressively stupid, attack on Prager U
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Prager U responds by pointing out that her video resulted in a healthy rush of fundraising that will allow it to make more videos to reach more people Read more…

The #MeToo movement ignored a Ninth Circuit judge guilty of terrible misconduct
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Even as a brilliant conservative judge was booted off the 9th Circuit, the late Judge Stephen Reinhardt got a pass for sexually harassing and humiliating his clerks. Read more…

Will Ruth Bader Ginsburg kill the Equal Rights Amendment?
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Irony of ironies. Read more…

Alabama representative introduces bill forcing men over 50 to have vasectomies
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Democrat State Rep. Rolanda Hollis argues that, as a counter to anti-abortion bills, men over 50 or who have had three children should lose power over their bodies. Read more…

Attorney General Bill Barr rebukes Trump’s tweets about Roger Stone
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Trump’s spokesman responds by saying that Trump has the same right as any other citizen to comment on a miscarriage of justice. Read more…

Progressives are told that they might be allowed to have children after all.
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
For years, climatistas have told the world that having children will spell the death of Planet Earth. Apparently – and only to Progressives’ surprise – that’s no longer true. Read more…

Of course Vindman deserved to be fired
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
In this jungle of misapprehension, mendacity, and political corruption, the president badly needs good staff work from loyal officials. Read more…

Coronavirus is a black swan for China — and beyond
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
The impact of the illness on the world economy is only starting to be understood. Read more…

Hydrogen hyped as a new greenie energy panacea in Australia
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
And like all hype, it overpromises and underdelivers. Read more…

Sanders will not get a lot of Valentine’s Day cards from Democrats
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
For the Democrats, a wipeout may be the best outcome. Read more…

It was Obama, not Trump, who weaponized government against political opponents
Feb 14, 2020 01:00 am
Not Trump. And plenty of Democrats and their media allies did the same. Read more…

Trump and Barr are playing rope-a-dope with Dems on Stone sentencing
Feb 13, 2020 01:00 am
This is a fight that Democrats can’t win. As Talleyrand spoke of the Bourbons temporarily restored to the monarchy after Napoleon’s abdication, “They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.” Read more…

Going down Obama way, Harry and Meghan hook up with Goldman Sachs
Feb 13, 2020 01:00 am
Swapping of a life of service for a life of self-service, among the rich and “exclusive” parvenus. Read more…

Devin Nunes hints that Robert Mueller’s team will be exposed soon
Feb 13, 2020 01:00 am
In an interview with Lou Dobbs, Devin Nunes, who has been correct about every particular of the Russia Hoax, promises that Mueller’s team will soon feel the heat. Read more…

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ARRA News Service (in this message: 17 new items)
Link to ARRA News Service
Jussie Smollett Indicted
Decorated . . .
Hidden Dragons in America, Pompeo Warns
The Democrats’ February Blues
Joe Biden Is the Jeb Bush of the 2020 Democratic Primary
Stone’s Sentence, Huawei’s Hackers, What Moderates
Sanctuary Cities Undermine Law
Pope Brands Transgender Theory As Evil
Little Big Man . . .
Saying No to Black History Month
NY Law Enforcement Backs Trump Over Cuomo
Don’t Believe the Media Spin: Buttigieg and Klobuchar Are No ‘Moderates’
McConnell’s Final Reflections on Impeachment . . .
An Al Qaeda Emir Came to America and Applied for Disability
Virginia Lawmakers Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Obtain Driver’s Licenses
Human Rights, And The Human Fight, For Freedom
Granny Winebox Is Going to Hand This Election to Trump
Jussie Smollett Indicted

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 07:27 PM PST

Jussie Smollett Indicted
by Lloyd Billingsley: “A little less than a year after he walked out of a Cook County courthouse seemingly never to return,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports, “Jussie Smollett again faces criminal charges as a special prosecutor Tuesday announced a new indictment accusing the former ‘Empire’ star of faking a 2019 hate crime attack.”

The new indictment brought by Special Prosecutor Dan Webb, “involves six counts that are the lowest level of felony offenses in state law.” Webb also issued a statement rebuking Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for dismissing charges against Smollett last year, and the indictment comes as Foxx is fighting to win a second term.

In a statement Tuesday, Smollett’s attorney Tina Glandian said “the charges were appropriately dismissed the first time because they were not supported by the evidence. The attempt to re-prosecute Mr. Smollett one year later on the eve of the Cook County State’s Attorney election is clearly all about politics not justice.” So was the hoax the actor staged.

Smollett sent a threatening letter to himself showing a noose, then paid two black friends to attack him in Chicago, which they proclaimed “MAGA country!” This was to dramatize the narrative that Donald Trump had turned the nation into a cauldron of racial hatred. So right from the start leftist Democrats were all in.

“The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching,” proclaimed Cory Booker. “I’m glad he’s safe.” In similar style, fellow presidential candidate Kamala Harris tagged the attack a “modern-day lynching.” Green New Dealer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who believe walls are immoral, called it a “racist, homophobic attack.” The media echo chamber also chimed in.

On February 14, 2019, Robin Roberts interviewed Smollett on “Good Morning America.” Smollett contended he was a victim and did not orchestrate the alleged attack. According to Roberts, “It’s a setback for race relations, homophobia, MAGA supporters.”

By February 20, Smollett’s story had completely collapsed, and African American comedians were mocking the actor. When NBA great Charles Barkley got word that Smollett had paid the fake muggers with a check, he told a national television audience, “do not commit crimes with checks.” The story was less credible than Al Sharpton’s Tawana Brawley hoax, but the establishment media only escalated the rhetoric.

Keith Boykin and Van Jones appeared on “At This Hour” with Kate Bolduan and both defended their belief in the story as it broke. “A lot of people say, how can you believe this story from the beginning?” Boykin said. Jones responded “Because it happens!”

Embattled Chicago police came after Smollett with charges of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. Obama crony Tina Tchen intervened on behalf of Smollett, and the Illinois state attorney’s office dismissed 16 felony charges as part of a sealed deal.

Overshadowed by the impeachment hoax, Smollett thought he was in the clear, but now special prosecutor Dan Webb is bringing a six-pack of felony charges. As the case unfolds, media sleuths might keep watch for new interventions by Tchen and other POTUS 44 insiders. The Democrats’ anti-Trump jihad is sure to surge again, and nobody should be surprised if the actor gets a tap on the wrist, or nothing at all.

There are enough bogus hate crimes to fill books such as Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left is Selling a Fake Race War, by Wilfred Reilly. Observers should also bear in mind the fakery going on in national politics.

For most of her adult life, Elizabeth Warren claimed to be Native American in general and Cherokee in particular. When those claims were proved false, Warren did not resign from the Senate and at this writing the fake Cherokee is still running for president of the United States.

In similar style, Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal claimed he served in Vietnam but he didn’t. When that claim was proved false, Blumenthal did not resign from the Senate. For his part, POTUS 44, formerly known as Barry Soetoro, has been rather quiet about the fakery of his fellow Democrats, with good reason.

According to his official biographer, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Garrow, “Dreams from My Father was not a memoir or an autobiography; it was instead, in multitudinous ways, without any question a work of historical fiction,” and the “most important composite character was the narrator himself.”

The nation’s first composite-character president doubtless played a major role in launching the fake charges of Russia collusion against candidate and President Trump. That is as serious as it gets, but to date, none of the major players have served any jail time. So fake noose hoaxster Jussie Smollett may be feeling good about his chances.

Meanwhile, as the Chicago Sun-Times notes, “Smollett is due to return to the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Feb. 24 for arraignment, almost a year to the day after he turned himself in to police in 2019.” As President Trump likes to say, we’ll have to see what happens.
————————
Lloyd Billingsley writes for FrontPage Mag
Tags: Lloyd Billingsley, FrontPage Mag, Jussie Smollett, Indicted To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Decorated . . .

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 06:20 PM PST

. . . Vindman fired from the White House for good reason. President Trump can’t trust him.

Editorial Cartoon by AF “Tony” Branco
Tags: editorial cartoon, AF Branco, decorated Vindman, fired, from the White House, for good reason, President Trump, can’t trust him To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Hidden Dragons in America, Pompeo Warns

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 06:13 PM PST

by Tony Perkins: It sounds like an episode of “The Americans” or a best-selling Tom Clancy novel. But when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looked into the faces of 40 governors and warned them that China had infiltrated their states, he wasn’t kidding. They’re hiding in the shadows of our schools, our lobbying meetings, even our business dinners. And no one, he said evenly, knows it’s happening.

“These aren’t hypotheticals,” Secretary Pompeo insisted. “We’ve allowed this to continue without a deep awareness from the American people.” And what is “this,” exactly? According to top State Department officials, we’re talking about a massive network of Chinese communists fanned out across the country with one goal: penetrate U.S. security, education, and financial systems — then, create chaos. “It’s happening in your state,” Sec. Pompeo insisted, “with consequences for our foreign policy, for the citizens who reside in your states, and indeed for each of you… The Chinese Government has been methodical in the way it’s analyzed our system… It’s assessed our vulnerabilities, and it’s decided to exploit our freedoms to gain advantage over us at the federal level, the state level, and the local level.”

These are often Chinese diplomats, the secretary explained on “Washington Watch,” initiating these operations. Men and women, serving here in the United States, who are quietly “leading and executing programs that present a risk to American businesses, to Americans’ privacy, and to Americans’…security.” And the worst thing about it, he said, is it’s not “on people’s radar screens.” “It’s one thing to pressure the secretary of state of the United States of America.” It’s quite another “to go after a high school principal,” Sec. Pompeo argued. “It shows depth. It shows systematization. It shows intent.”

Obviously, the secretary pointed out, “we want Chinese students coming here to learn.” But the reality is, these aren’t always groups with benevolent intentions. Our communities are partnering with education associations, not realizing they’re actually “controlled and directed by the Chinese Communist Party.” We think they’re coming here to teach Mandarin, when in fact, they’re deeply tied to the regime and its sinister ambitions.

And those relationships are paying off. The Chinese, he warns, have quietly built a foothold with local school boards, K-12 administrators, and county officials that’s giving them a powerful voice they should never have. Last year, Secretary Pompeo shook his head, a high school in Illinois disinvited a Taiwanese official from a climate panel because they’d been pressured by the Chinese.

Just last month, China’s Consul General sent a letter to the speaker of a state legislature demanding that a U.S. leader not engage with Taiwan. “Think about that,” the secretary shook his head. “You had a diplomat from China assigned here to the United States, a representative of the Chinese Communist Party in New York City, sending an official letter urging that an American elected official shouldn’t exercise his right to freedom of speech. And this isn’t a one-off event… Chinese consulates in New York, in Illinois, in Texas, and two in California… are very politically active.” They’ve permeated the tech, business, and science world, actively recruiting U.S. scientists and academics to “share vital secrets” in exchange for money. “We can’t ignore China’s actions and strategic intentions.”

Some of those intentions, he reminded listeners, extend well outside the U.S. And while we want to help China (especially now with the outbreak of the coronavirus) and maintain a good relationship, that’s hard to do when the country’s leaders are taking advantage of other nations. Just look at the controversy surrounding China and the World Bank. The U.S. pours billions of dollars a year into the institution, only to watch the communist leaders apply for — and receive — tens of millions of dollars it doesn’t need. They were “technical and vocational training” loans, we were told — only to find out later that countries like America had been financing China’s persecution campaign, building concentration camps and surveillance weapons to torture entire people groups.

Fortunately, Secretary Pompeo explained Wednesday, the U.S. has made “real progress” to ensure that never happens again. “I’ve spoken with the new leader at the World Bank. He understands… how the American people’s taxpayer dollars that go to that institution shouldn’t be used in ways that are detrimental to [our] security.” In the meantime, there’s plenty of security to worry about right here at home. “What China does in Topeka and Sacramento reverberates in Washington, in Beijing, and far beyond. “I want to urge vigilance,” Sec. Pompeo repeated. “It’s what we all must do, as Americans.”
———————–
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, Hidden Dragons in America, Mike Pompeo Warns 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 Democrats’ February Blues

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 05:55 PM PST

. . . Earlier this month, the Democrats had a disastrous four days.

Victor Davis Hanson
by Dr. Victor Davis Hanson: All political parties and candidates have bad days. But the new progressive Democratic Party had four of its worst days in recent memory in a single week in February.

On February 3, the Iowa caucuses imploded for the first time in their history. The new app-driven counting melted down, discrediting the very idea of caucusing in general.

The winner — Pete Buttigieg by two delegates over Bernie Sanders — was not known for days. The mess was ironic in at a number of ways.

The Democrats are the party of the Silicon Valley. They pride themselves on being on the cutting edge of youthful computer culture. But the inability to count simple votes was a bitter reminder that they understand the cyberworld no better than their Republican opponents.

Voters might remember the 2013 meltdown of the Obamacare website, the abject failure of Hillary Clinton’s supposedly sophisticated 2016 campaign analytics, and the incompetence of supposedly tech-driven 2016 polling.

Four years ago, the Democratic Party found ways to thwart socialist Bernie Sanders’s primary bid. Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazile leaked CNN debate questions to Hillary Clinton, and the party used superdelegates to nullify Sanders’s grassroots surge.

This time around, the release of a pre-caucus Des Moines Register poll was canceled for the first time ever. Rumors swirled that the Democratic establishment was embarrassed over the likely strong showing of Sanders. Such conspiracy theories were only further fueled when it was not known for days who actually won the caucuses.

The Iowa mess confirmed that the Democratic Party is torn apart at a time when a near-record 90 percent of Republicans are united under President Donald Trump.

Democrats say they appeal to diversity, protect the average working American, and are suspicious of the billionaire class. But the Democratic primary race so far reminds us that party rules favor rich, white candidates.

The agendas voiced on the debate stages are not those of Middle America. So far, Johnny-come-lately multibillionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent hundreds of millions to buy his way onto the Democratic debate stage and move up in party polling. Billionaire Tom Steyer has virtually no support, but he has qualified for the debate stage solely due to his billions.

On February 4, the second day of this Democratic train wreck, Trump gave his State of the Union address. Even many critics grudgingly admitted that it was the best speech of Trump’s presidency. That same day, a Gallup poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 49 percent, the highest of his presidency — higher than when he won the 2016 election.

The Democratic members of Congress attending the State of the Union address appeared petty, showing that they were politicos first and elected officials second. Some Democratic representatives did not show up. Others walked out. Some hectored Trump. Some would not stand up — even when ordinary Americans were being applauded for their extraordinary lives.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) tore up her official copy of the presidential speech on national television the moment Trump finished delivering it. It was the first time in history that the House speaker, seated directly behind the president, had shown such childishness.

Then, on February 5, the Senate voted to acquit Trump on two impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

When the impeachment inquiry started in September based on a “whistleblower” complaint, Trump’s approval rating was about eight points lower than it is now. The efforts of the impeachment triad of Representatives Pelosi (D., Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.), and Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) proved an unmitigated political disaster for their party. It’s no wonder, given that the partisan impeachment effort never won bipartisan or public support.

The Democrats did not offer a special-counsel report or draw on an independent investigation. By the time the partisan spectacle was over, a terrible precedent had been set of turning impeachment into just another crass political tool. From now on, if sitting presidents lose their House majorities after their first midterm elections, will they inevitably be impeached by the opposition?

Finally, the Democratic debate on February 7 confirmed opinions that the party is heading over the cliff. All seven candidates — six of them white — pilloried the United States as an inherently racist society. If so, then why didn’t the debaters invite on stage the Democratic candidates of color who dropped out of the race earlier?

The candidates monotonously trashed Trump without offering a convincing alternate agenda that would appeal to a majority of voters and that might improve on the current vibrant economy.

The Democrats have nine months to unite around a centrist candidate.

They have to give up on aborting Trump’s first term and instead offer a realistic counter-agenda to Trump’s booming economy and recalibration of foreign policy. Democrats also have to run their debates and primaries competently, fairly, and professionally.

Otherwise, 2020 will turn out to be a disaster for them — just like those four bad days earlier this month.
————————
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 Democrats’ February Blues, National Review To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Joe Biden Is the Jeb Bush of the 2020 Democratic Primary

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 05:21 PM PST

Joe Biden
by Rick Manning: Joe Biden is the Jeb Bush of the 2020 Democratic primary, a candidate who the kingmakers of the Democratic Party attempted to put into the White House so that they could control the levers of power much like Jeb in 2016.

The problem that Democratic leaders have is that Biden has never been successful electorally outside of Delaware, and has a long history of running for President and failing to even make a mark, let alone win any states.

Given that Biden is the only Democratic candidate with any appeal to the African-American voters in polls, Biden’s failure in Iowa and New Hampshire poses a near existential threat to the Democrats’ ability to hold on to their base. In 2016, then candidate Trump appealed to the African American community saying, “What do you have to lose?”

Four years later, the African American community has a lot to lose: Record low unemployment, rising wages, opportunity zones and an economic policy that lifts all boats.

The President’s controversial decision to drive criminal justice reform with a goal to provide freedom and due process to prisoners who had unfair, unduly long federal sentences is viewed by far-left activists like Van Jones as the achievement that not even Barack Obama could deliver. As Jones noted after the State of the Union Address, Trump’s “strong” address was a wake-up call to Democrats, signaling Trump is going after black votes.

For the first time in history, I’m going to say Jones is right. 50 years of failed Democratic promises will be counted against 4 years of unprecedented prosperity and opportunities for blacks. Just as significantly, wages have been rising faster for those who had been economically left behind than for the top 20 percent, meaning that many blacks have been able to lift themselves out of dependency upon the state to self-sufficiency.

The two current front runners Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg both offer a radical vision of change and the same old failed, race-based policies and virtue signaling.

After Biden’s collapse, President Trump’s appeal to all voters including African Americans, promises to be very attractive. After all, who votes for radical change at a time of unprecedented prosperity.

As James Carville once declared, “It’s the economy, stupid.” And Democrats will be hard pressed to vote their own gains out of blind loyalty to those who make the same old stale, failed and broken political promises.
——————-
Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
Tags: Rick Manning, Americans for Limited Government, Joe Biden, the Jeb Bush, 2020 Democratic Primary To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Stone’s Sentence, Huawei’s Hackers, What Moderates

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 05:08 PM PST

Roger Stone
by Gary Bauer: Stone’s Sentence
Once again, the Democrats and their media enablers are screaming “IMPEACHMENT!” This time it’s the faux controversy stemming from Roger Stone’s sentencing recommendation. To be clear, neither the attorney general nor the president have done anything irregular or illegal, much less impeachable.

The president is the chief law enforcement official in the country. He can voice an opinion about a legal matter any time he wants.

The attorney general is in charge of the Justice Department. It is completely within his purview to review the recommendations of U.S. attorneys, especially if he believes one is particularly out of line.

Roger Stone is not a threat to the public. He has not committed a harm to society so egregious that he should spend the better part of a decade behind bars.

As one commentator put it, if leftists were really serious about criminal justice reform, they wouldn’t be so eager to throw the book at a 67-year-old, first-time, non-violent offender. Even CNN’s own legal analyst thought the initial sentence was “excessive.”

So Justice Department officials recommended a lower sentence in Stone’s case. But the sentence will not be set by the attorney general or the U.S. attorney. It will be set by the judge, who is free to ignore any recommendations the government offers.

But if you’re looking for examples of inappropriate behavior, it is being reported that several members of Roger Stone’s jury had obvious partisan biases. The jury foreman was a former Democrat congressional candidate and an avowed opponent of the president. This raises serious questions of whether Stone received a fair trial.

And we know that individuals in the Obama Justice Department lied to the FISA court to get warrants to spy on the Trump campaign. The House Intelligence Committee, under Rep. Adam Schiff, refuses to investigate this gross abuse of power. That sounds like obstruction of justice to me.

Huawei’s Hackers
As you may recall, a big part of the Trump Administration’s “get tough” approach to China has been to hold the line against telecommunications giant Huawei due to concerns that it could hack communications systems and allow the Chinese government to spy on virtually everyone.

Here’s one indication of just how seriously the U.S. views this potential threat: Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump Administration was “profoundly disappointed” by Great Britain’s decision to allow Huawei to build out part of its 5G infrastructure.

Pence also suggested that it could even be a “deal breaker” for a future trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K. As you know, Britain is one of our main allies and trading partners.

But Huawei is not a hypothetical threat. The U.S. government knows Huawei is hacking its own communications systems. In fact, we’ve been watching them do it for the past ten years with its 4G systems.

Now the Trump Administration is sounding the alarm, trying to get our European allies to wake up before they are further compromised by communist China. By the way, the Trump Administration just filed new indictments against Huawei, charging the company with racketeering and conspiracy.

Speaking Of Compromised. . .
As the coronavirus continues to spread, more people are raising concerns about how previous administrations that worshipped at the altar of free trade have seriously compromised our safety and security.

Sadly, we encouraged many manufacturers and drug companies to transfer production to China because far too many politicians and corporate elites bought into the lie that “trade with China will change China.”

Some are warning that China could wage war on us without ever firing a shot. How? Key medicines and pharmaceuticals that millions of Americans depend on could be cut off because we are so dependent on Chinese medical supply lines.

To be fair and balanced about this, what were Presidents Bush and Obama thinking? Did no one raise this issue before?

And medicines aren’t the only problem. We’re already largely dependent on China for rare earth metals that are critical to everything from iPhones to missiles.

On yet another front, the Department of Education is aggressively going after Harvard and Yale. Both institutions failed to report billions of dollars that they are legally required to disclose from foreign sources like China and Saudi Arabia.

Not only are they turning our kids into historically ignorant socialists, they are comfortable taking money from Chinese communists and Saudi extremists. Both of these elite schools produce graduates who end up in leading positions in government, industry and on Wall Street.

Omar Targets Israel
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) just introduced several bills which she’s calling the “Pathway to Peace.” Among other things, her legislation aims to rollback the president’s ability to impose sanctions on nations like Iran and Venezuela, and transfers billions of dollars from the Pentagon to the State Department to establish a “peacebuilding fund.”

And, of course, she’s also targeting Israel.

Omar’s “Stop Arming Human Rights Abusers Act” may sound reasonable, except that when the progressive left complains about “human rights abuses” it rarely refers to Iran, North Korea or Venezuela. It’s almost always a ruse to browbeat and condemn Israel for its response to Palestinian incitement and terrorism.

And Omar is a leading advocate of the anti-Semitic BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel, which is targeting the Jewish state for its alleged “human rights abuses.”

What Moderates?
A few post-New Hampshire headlines caught my attention recently. (Here, here and here.) The common theme is that the “moderate” candidates in the Democrat primary are dividing the vote and allowing Sanders to prevail.

This is utter nonsense. There are no “moderates” in this field. I know I have written about this before, but it cannot be stressed enough.

As we saw in the last Democrat debate, all the candidates (save one) are comfortable with the “socialist” label. They are all pro-abortion, open borders, big government extremists. And, please, do not take my word for it.

One news outlet analyzed Joe Biden’s platform and wrote this:

“The 2020 Democratic frontrunner’s emerging policy agenda is anything but moderate. . . Biden has proposed ideas more ambitious and liberal than policies supported by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign.”

The Washington Post editorial board recently stated, “No, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden are not ‘centrists.'” The Post wrote that the narrative of a left/center split in the race was “false.”

It noted that Pete Buttigieg had “expressed sympathy” for Bernie Sanders’s policy goals, and concluded by observing that, “Every major Democratic candidate is running on an agenda to the left of Mr. Obama’s.”

And the left-wing outlet Axios declared, “Democratic ‘Moderates’ Are Liberal As Ever,” adding:

“Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are considered the leading 2020 Democratic moderates, but even they have taken positions to the left of Barack Obama. . . The fact that they’re called centrists now in the media shows how much the Democratic Party has shifted.”

Please share this message with all your friends and family members! Don’t let them fall for the fake news that any of the Democrat contenders are “moderates.”
——————–
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, Stone’s Sentence, Huawei’s Hackers, What Moderates To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Sanctuary Cities Undermine Law

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 03:15 PM PST

Scott Brady – U.S. Attorney For
Western District of Pennsylvania
by Scott Brady: On Jan, 6, 2020, 92-year-old Maria Fuentes was raped and murdered by Reeaz Khan, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant in New York City.

But this tragedy was entirely preventable. In fact, Khan should have been in custody at the time because six weeks earlier Khan was jailed and arrested for domestic violence charges.

Because he was in the country illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a detainer that requested that the jail give ICE prior notice and the opportunity to detain Khan before the jail released him. Rather than honoring this request, New York officials released Khan. Had they honored the detainer, Ms. Fuentes might still be alive today.

We have witnessed similar tragedies in Pennsylvania.

In April 2019, the City of Philadelphia refused to honor an ICE detainer for Hector Moran-Espinoza, a violent felon who had been charged with rape and with sexual abuse of children. Rather than turning him over to ICE, Philadelphia officials instead released him back into the public.

Within a month, Moran-Espinoza had sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl and was charged again with sexual assault (inexplicably, Philadelphia officials released Moran-Espinoza yet again following this sexual assault). Another entirely preventable tragedy.

Sadly, these stories can now be told around the country as more and more cities declare themselves “sanctuary cities” and refuse to work with ICE to detain violent criminals who are also in the country illegally. Again, these are aliens who are not simply in the United States illegally, but they have also committed separate crimes which have brought them into the state criminal justice system.

Simply put, by unnecessarily releasing violent criminals into our midst, political officials place a higher priority on political posturing than on public safety.

So what are ICE detainers? They are requests ICE makes to the local law enforcement agency to take minimal steps to protect the public from someone in the country illegally who has also been charged with a state crime. Specifically, the ICE detainer asks the prison or jail to notify ICE before the suspected alien is released from custody.

Typically the institution keeps the suspected alien in custody for a brief period of time until ICE can take them into custody in a safe and secure setting. It works best when the law enforcement agency knows the suspected alien’s release date and gives ICE advance notice. Of course, after an alien is detained by ICE, the individual is accorded full due process protections and can challenge the detention.

When does ICE issue detainers? Only when three factors are present: (1) ICE has probable cause to suspect that the person is in the United States illegally, (2) the suspect has been arrested on other charges, and (3) the suspect is in law enforcement custody.

When all of these factors are present, federal law — created in 2003 and amended in 2011 — provides that ICE can lodge an immigration detainer with the law enforcement agency that has the suspected alien in custody. In other words, this is only about illegal aliens who have committed additional state or local crimes in the United States.

Why do ICE detainers matter? Because they protect everyone involved – the alien, law enforcement officers, and the public.

These detainers ensure that violent criminals are kept off of the streets where they could commit additional crimes and violent acts. They protect the alien and the officers by avoiding ICE having to re-arrest anyone, which would expose both the individual and the arresting officers to needless risk.

Additionally, ICE detainers affirm the rule of law.

When sanctuary cities refuse to comply with ICE detainers, they create a nationwide patchwork of places where the law is enforced and where it isn’t. When the political leaders of cities like New York City or Philadelphia lead the attack on the rule of law, it is no wonder that citizens feel betrayed by government which is there, first and foremost, to protect them.

In Western Pennsylvania, thankfully, we do not have any stories like those of Ms. Fuentes or the 13-year-old girl in Philadelphia. The vast majority of our law enforcement partners in the 25 counties that make up the Western District of Pennsylvania prioritize public safety and cooperate with ICE. Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institutions and the vast majority of county jails comply with ICE detainers.

But we must remain vigilant. We cannot follow New York and Philadelphia down the road of declaring that local law enforcement should never work with ICE.

Instead, we must prioritize public safety and the rule of law. This is critical because we have our own potential Khans and Moran-Espinozas. There are people sitting in Western Pennsylvania jails who were arrested for charges of attempted rape or child pornography, and who also have ICE detainers lodged against them.

If those ICE detainers are ignored, then we will endanger our communities and undermine the rule of law. The tragedies that befell Ms. Fuentes and the 13-year-old girl in Philadelphia were preventable.

Both public safety and common sense demand that we do everything in our power to keep such tragedies from befalling our neighbors in Western Pennsylvania.
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Scott Brady is the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He oversees federal prosecution and litigation for the 25 counties of Western Pennsylvania. H/T TRIB Live.
Tags: U.S, Attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania, Scott Brady, Sanctuary Cities, Undermine Law To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Pope Brands Transgender Theory As Evil

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 02:14 PM PST

by Bill Donohue: Pope Francis is on the left of the political spectrum on economic and environmental issues, but he remains a conservative on moral issues. His defense of the rights of the unborn is as strong as his two predecessors, and there is nothing heterodox about his comments on marriage, the family, and sexuality: he is a defender of traditional moral values.

In his apostolic exhortation responding to the Amazon synod’s call for the ordination of married men and a reconsideration of the Church’s position on women deacons, he gave the so-called progressives nothing. In fact, he didn’t even answer their plea—they were summarily dismissed. Worse, as far as the dissidents are concerned, was his embrace of complementarity, that is, the commonsensical observation that men and women are not identical but are indeed complementary.

The Holy Father goes beyond his two predecessors by strongly condemning gender theory. He was recently asked where he sees evil at work today. “One place is ‘gender theory.’” He went on to say that gender theory is “dangerous” because it seeks to destroy basic differences between the sexes. “It would make everything homogenous, neutral. It is an attack on difference, on the creativity of God and on men and women.” These remarks are nothing new for the pope. In 2014, he said, “Gender ideology is demonic.”

Such comments would be enough to get Pope Francis banned from speaking in England—Franklin Graham was just banned for voicing similar comments—and from most colleges and universities in the United States. Many Catholic ones would like to deny him the right to speak the truth about this subject as well, though they wouldn’t have the nerve to do so.

If this madness about men and women being interchangeable were just a theory confined to the asylum and the academy (increasingly indistinguishable), no one would care. But unfortunately, it has been operationalized.

Connecticut allows men to compete in women’s sports providing the guys consider themselves to be girls. They call such people transgender athletes. But real girls keep losing to these guys in girls’ sports and so three real girls have sued claiming that they are being discriminated against under Title IX: it is a federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of sex.

The ACLU, which worked hard to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment for women for 50 years, is defending the discrimination against the girls. “The truth is,” it says, “transgender women and girls [meaning men and boys who think they are not men and boys] have been competing in sports at all levels for years, and there is no research supporting the claim that they maintain a competitive advantage.”

That’s right, the lawyers at the ACLU need to see the research. We don’t. That argument implodes by considering the Olympics. The reason why the Olympics is a showcase of sex segregation is precisely because men are stronger and faster than women. If there were not a competitive advantage enjoyed by men, the Olympics would be unisex. It never will be. That is because men have more testosterone than women, and even the ACLU can’t do anything about that.

Why is this subject even a matter of debate? Because of the geniuses who populate the academy. It all comes down to the postmodern assault on truth, nature, and nature’s God.

Once that is done, a man can consider himself to be a dog and compete in a dog show. He can even be walked by a professor of sociology and access a hydrant. Wonders never cease.
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Bill Donohue (@CatholicLeague) is a sociologist and president of the Catholic League.
Tags: Bill Donohue, Catholic League, Pope Brands, Transgender Theory, As 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!
Little Big Man . . .

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 01:59 PM PST

. . . Mike Bloomberg needs a booster stool to level the Democrat primary playing field or maybe rise above the rest.

Editorial Cartoon by AF “Tony” Branco
Tags: Little Big Man, Mike Bloomberg, needs a booster stool, to level, Democrat primary playing field, or maybe, rise above the rest To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Saying No to Black History Month

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 01:52 PM PST

by Lloyd Marcus: Here we are again folks. February, another Black History Month. Progressives expect my fellow blacks and me to happily celebrate our month. I will not.

BHM is nothing more than a political weapon for Democrats/progressives to spread racial hate and further their lie that America is the greatest source of evil on the planet.

Most American blacks do not realize that many original civil rights black freedom fighters who stood beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr sold their souls to the dark side after Dr. King died. They joined the white Democrat/progressive movement, metaphorically receiving 30 pieces of silver. The agenda of the dark side is anti-Christian and anti-American.

Black civil rights activists like Jesse Jackson abandoned Dr. King’s divinely inspired mission for blacks to be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. Instead, the post-MLK black civil rights movement became all about skin-color, exploiting it in every way. Suddenly, Jesse Jackson and other racism-pimps became rich by claiming every problem plaguing blacks in America is the result of racism. Terrified corporations paid off Jackson and other race-hustlers to shut up and back off.

Remember when Jesse Jackson tried to extort Major League Baseball? Jackson claimed MLB was racist because not enough blacks attended games. Scratching my head, I do not understand how MLB is at fault. I don’t know if Jackson got paid or not.

Democrats gave Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other black traitors seats of power at their table. Their job was to keep convincing blacks that they will always be victims of rabidly racist America. Therefore, blacks’ only hope is to keep voting for Democrats to push back against America’s mission to terminate them. Sadly, blacks are terminating themselves by insanely supporting Democrat/progressives’ support of Planned Parenthood.

Folks, Democrat/progressives’ lie about America is extremely evil and destructive, generating racial-hate and violence. America is the greatest land of opportunity on the planet for all who choose to pursue their dreams!

Cities controlled by Democrats for the past 40 years are a mess; record-breaking black on black homicides, failing schools, high black incarceration and high fatherless black households. And yet, anyone black or white who suggests solutions to empower blacks to fix their problems is immediately attacked by Democrats/progressives. These compassionate Americans are branded either Uncle Toms or racists.

Democrats/progressives want blacks totally dependent and thus enslaved to government. Black empowerment and liberation is not their goal. Their goal is to transform America into the progressives’ utopia. This is why Democrats/progressives seek to destroy patriotic self-reliant black role models who achieved outstanding success via hard work, education and making right choices; Justice Clarence Thomas and GOP presidential candidates Dr. Ben Carson and Herman Cain, to name a few.

Every Black History Month progressives beat us over the head with their insidious evil lie that America is still a hellhole of racism. They ignore the huge elephant in the room that white America bypassed the normal vetting process to gift the first black president two terms.

Progressives love multimillionaire black celebs and billionaire Oprah who absurdly claim blacks are enduring the same discrimination they suffered in the 1950s. These useful-idiot hatemongers have many blacks believing Democrats’ crazy lie that the 63 million who elected Trump are white supremacists.

A college professor black buddy teaches at two Maryland colleges, one predominantly white and the other predominantly black. He worked his way through college and grad school, enjoying a successful career in advertising before becoming a professor.

In almost a whisper, he said, “I have noticed that my white students don’t mind working for what they want. My black students view themselves as entitled and believe everything should be given to them.”

Tragically, my buddy’s black students are infected with poisoned mindsets caused by time spent at an indoctrination camp disguised as an institution of higher learning. Black students are taught they are victims of racist white America. Therefore, they are entitled. “MAGA” cap wearers and Republicans dare not set foot on their campus.

My younger brother Jerry is an extremely fearless and outspoken Christian and black conservative Republican. He routinely verbally spars with members of his all black Baltimore Trump-hating church. He always leaves his opponents speechless because their arguments are rooted in emotion and Democrat/fake news media lies. Jerry’s arguments are rooted in love, truth, and facts.

Having a little fun, Jerry sent me this text:
“Good morning. I changed my mind. I’m voting for the democrats. My debts paid, free checks, don’t have to work, I can legally smoke weed, and no responsibility. Plus, knowing the dems, there’s probably more benefits to come. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Thank God that Jerry understands that the Democratic Party has become a hateful mob of scam artists. No, I will not be celebrating Democrats/progressives’ Black History/America Sucks Month.
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Lloyd Marcus (@LloydMarcus) is an “Unhyphenated American” and an internationally renowned conservative columnist, singer/songwriter and author. He Chairs of the Conservative Campaign Committee Political Action Committee. He is a prominent voice of the American Tea Party movement and the singer/songwriter of the ”American Tea Party Anthem.” Marcus has been on Fox News, CNN, PJTV and the ARRA News Service.
Tags: Lloyd Marcus, Saying No, Black History Month To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
NY Law Enforcement Backs Trump Over Cuomo

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 01:38 PM PST

. . . The tussle between New York and DHS leaves the governor scrambling for a deal.

by Nate Jackson: There is a growing phenomenon of “sanctuary” jurisdictions — cities, counties, and states that not only refuse to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration but actively undermine federal prerogatives on Rule of Law and protection of citizens. Fortunately, the Trump administration is fighting back, which our Arnold Ahlert covered in depth Monday. And a lot of law-enforcement officials stand with the administration.

First, a little background. Last year, New York passed a law allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses while becoming the only state to prohibit Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from accessing state records on driver’s licenses. As a result, CBP disallowed New York residents from participating in federal Trusted Traveler programs like Global Entry because background checks are required for approval.

New York sued DHS, laughably claiming, “Defendants’ decision to ban all New York residents from enrolling or re-enrolling in the Trusted Traveler programs not only defies this Congressional mandate and disregards the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, but also profoundly jeopardizes public safety for New Yorkers and all travelers. Defendants have intentionally made us less safe.”

The exact opposite is the truth.

Thus, reports The Washington Times, “The New York Association of Chiefs of Police is backing Homeland Security over its own state leaders.” In a letter to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, association president Patrick Phelan wrote, “Our members fully recognize that sharing pertinent law enforcement information and vital resources across local, state and federal boundaries is critical to ensuring the safety of the communities we serve.”

It’s highly unusual for the association to oppose the governor. Public-safety grants are dependent upon allegiance to Democrat Andrew Cuomo. But apparently, police chiefs’ higher allegiance is to the men and women in law enforcement who serve the state of New York and its citizens.

Meanwhile, Cuomo is set to meet President Donald Trump today to discuss a deal in which Cuomo gets to keep the law and dictate to DHS what access he’ll allow. Don’t bet on Trump taking that deal.
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Nate Jackson is managing editor at The Patriot Post.
Tags: Nate Jackson, managing editor, The Patriot Post, NY Law Enforcement, Backs Trump, Over Cuomo To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Don’t Believe the Media Spin: Buttigieg and Klobuchar Are No ‘Moderates’

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 01:27 PM PST

by Geoffrey Dickens: With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders emerging as the early Democratic presidential frontrunner liberal hosts and anchors – fearing an out-in-the-open socialist would be trounced by President Donald Trump – are now pitching Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg as “moderate” alternatives to Crazy Bernie.

During their coverage of the New Hampshire Democratic primary contest, cable and network journalists INCESSANTLY hyped Klobuchar and Buttigieg as “moderates,” but a cursory look at their public stances reveal that either one of them would be the most liberal Democratic candidate ever nominated to be President.

In fact, The Washington Examiner discovered Klobuchar “actually voted with socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders 87 percent of the time over the course of her Senate career.” Klobuchar’s own home state newspaper declared: “Across the spectrum, Klobuchar holds positions that until recently were considered the definition of liberalism, and even on the left edge of that definition….Klobuchar has never gotten a rating lower than 85 percent from the ADA. In three years, ADA scored her at 100 percent….These are the ADA scores of a very solid liberal, which is what Klobuchar always has been and still is.”

One review of Buttigieg’s public stances found that “From health care and abortion to guns and immigration, and from the Supreme Court to the Electoral College, the man is decidedly a radical.”

The following montage by MRC’s Bill D’Agostino is a breakdown of how radically left Buttigieg and Klobuchar are, despite the media’s (false) billing of them as “moderates”:

Socialized Healthcare
The Washington Times’ David Sherfinski and S.A. Miller reported that Buttigieg “stops short of the far-left’s ‘Medicare-for-All’ government takeover of health care, but he offers a public option that his campaign acknowledges sets the stage for a single-payer system.” The Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein reported Klobuchar “favors creating a government-run plan, or ‘public option,’ that got dropped by Democrats during the Obamacare fight as too radical because its purpose was to destroy private insurance.”

Radical Abortion Agenda
On February 3, The Federalist’s Christopher Bedfard highlighted Buttigieg’s radical pro-abortion stances: “As mayor of South Bend he vetoed the opening of a pro-life pregnancy center near an abortion clinic. When the corpses of 2,246 babies were uncovered at the Illinois office of a deceased South Bend abortionist, he fretted the evidence of abortion’s ‘disturbing’ brutality would impact women’s ‘need to access health care.’”

As for Klobuchar’s abortion record, The Washington Examiner reported that the Minnesota Senator has “compiled a 100 percent rating from pro-abortion groups Planned Parenthood and NARAL.”

Anti-Gun Rights
The Washington Times’ Sherfinski and Miller reported: “Mr. Buttigieg’s firearms agenda includes a ban on those so-called assault weapons and licensing for gun owners. He promised a litany of other gun laws, including universal background checks and a repeal of the gun industry’s general immunity from liability lawsuits for gun violence.” The Guardian noted Klobuchar “has an ‘F’ rating from the National Rifle Association.”

Free College for Illegal Immigrants
Bedfard, in his February 3 The Federalist column reported the following:

“On immigration, Mayor Pete glide-pathed away from decriminalizing the border toward refocusing ‘prosecution resources on real criminal threats’ and amnesty for illegal immigrants who have not ‘committed serious crimes.’ He also wants to ‘eliminate the five-year waiting period for green card holders’ to get welfare, ‘withdraw regulations that restrict or deter access’ to that welfare, and ‘expand access’ for illegal immigrants to get taxpayer-funded college grants they don’t need to pay back.”According to her own campaign Klobuchar – within her first 100 days – wants to “remove the citizenship question from the Census. Senator Klobuchar will direct the Department of Commerce to remove the Trump Administration’s citizenship question that was added to the 2020 Census from the short form during preparations for the 2030 Census.”

Packing the Supreme Court
Bedfard also reported that Buttigieg wanted to pack the Supreme Court: “Buttigieg supports packing the high court with as many six additional justices, placing him to the left of noted leftist Julian Castro. Court-packing also puts Buttigieg in league with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose Supreme Court power grab so repulsed his Democrat-controlled Congress the policy was rendered politically dead for nearly a century.” Klobuchar is also open to adding more Supreme Court justices.

Ending The Electoral College
Both Buttigieg and Klobuchar want to end America’s Electoral College system.
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Geoffrey Dickens is the Deputy Research Director at the Media Research Center – News Busters.
Tags: Don’t Believe, Media Spin, Buttigieg , Klobuchar, not mModerates, radicals To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
McConnell’s Final Reflections on Impeachment . . .

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 12:50 PM PST

… It “Should Never Have Come to the Senate Like This”
The Senate did its job. We protected the long-term future of our Republic. We kept the temporary fires of factionalism from burning through to the bedrock of our institutions… But in this case, all is not well that ends well. We cannot forget the abuses that fueled this process. We cannot make light of the dangerous new precedents set by President Trump’s opponents in their zeal to impeach at all costs.’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today (Feb. 13, 2020) on the Senate floor regarding impeachment:

‘It has been one week since the Senate concluded the third presidential trial in American history. Things move quickly in Washington, as always, and so it is natural that our focus is shifting to the many policy subjects where we have more work to do for families across this country.

‘But when the Senate acts, we do not only address the particular issue before us. We create lasting precedent. That is especially true during something as grave and uncommon as an impeachment trial.

‘Just as citizens, scholars, and Senators ourselves studied the past precedents of 1868 and 1999, so will future generations examine what unfolded over the last few months.

‘So before we adjourn for the upcoming state work period and leave impeachment fully in the rear-view mirror, I wanted to speak about it one more time. Not about the particulars that have been so exhaustively discussed and debated, but the deeper questions.

‘To record some final observations for the future.

‘The Senate did its job. We protected the long-term future of our Republic. We kept the temporary fires of factionalism from burning through to the bedrock of our institutions. We acted as Madison wished: as an “impediment” against “improper acts.” The Framers’ firewall held the line.

‘But in this case, all is not well that ends well. We cannot forget the abuses that fueled this process. We cannot make light of the dangerous new precedents set by President Trump’s opponents in their zeal to impeach at all costs. We need to remember what happened — so we can avoid it ever happening again.

‘As we know, the left-wing drive to impeach President Trump predated any phone call to Ukraine — and, in fact, his inauguration. This isn’t a Republican talking point; it’s what was reported by outlets like Politico and the Washington Post. House Democrats barely tried to hide that they began with a guilty verdict and were simply shopping for a suitable crime.

‘So unfortunately, it was predictable that the House majority would use the serious process of impeachment as a platform to politically attack the President. It was less predictable that they’d also attack our nation’s core institutions themselves.

‘But that’s what happened.

‘First, the House Democrats chose to degrade their body’s own precedents. The majority sprinted through a slapdash investigation to meet arbitrary political deadlines. They trivialized the role of the House Judiciary Committee, the body traditionally charged with conducting impeachment inquiries. They sidelined their own Republican minority colleagues and the President’s counsel to precedent-breaking degrees.

‘All this was very regrettable.

‘But from a purely practical perspective, breaking the House’s own china was Speaker Pelosi’s prerogative. What was truly outrageous is what came next: A rolling attack on the other institutions outside the House.

‘To begin with, the recklessly broad articles of impeachment were an attack not just on one President, but on the office of the presidency.

‘Their first article criticized the alleged motivation behind a presidential action, but failed to frame their complaint as a definable “High Crime [or] Misdemeanor.”

‘This House set out into uncharted constitution waters by passing the first-ever presidential impeachment that did not allege any violations of criminal statutes.

‘Clearly, they owed the Senate and the country a clear limiting principle, to explain why removal on these new grounds would be different from the malleable and subjective “maladministration” standard which the Framers rejected as a ground for impeachment. But they offered no such thing.

‘And their second article sought to criminalize the normal and routine exercise of executive privileges that presidents of both parties have rightly invoked throughout our history. This was, in effect, criminalizing the separation of powers itself.

‘So the House’s articles would have sharply diminished the presidency in our constitutional structure. To extract a pound of flesh from one particular president, House Democrats were willing to attack the office itself.

‘But it did not stop with the House and the presidency. Next in the crosshairs came the Senate.

‘The very night the House passed the articles, the Speaker began an unprecedented effort to reach outside her own chamber and dictate the contours of the Senate trial to Senators. The bizarre stunt of withholding the articles achieved nothing, but the irony was enormous.

‘The House had just spent weeks jealously guarding their “sole power” of impeachment and criticizing other branches for perceived interference. Indeed, this reasoning was the entire basis for their second article of impeachment. But their first act out of the gate was to try to bust constitutional guardrails and meddle in the Senate.

‘When that stunt went nowhere and the trial began, House Democrats brought their war on institutions to this chamber. From the first evening, it was clear the House Managers would not even try to persuade a supermajority of Senators, but simply sought to degrade and smear the Senate itself before the nation.

‘Senators were called “treacherous” for not structuring our proceedings to the Managers’ liking.

‘Finally, when the trial neared its end, and it became clear that bullying the Senate would not substitute for persuading it, the campaign against institutions took aim at yet another independent branch:

‘The Supreme Court, in particular the Chief Justice of the United States. A far-left pressure group produced ads impugning him for presiding neutrally and not seizing control of the Senate. One Democratic Senator running for president made the Chief Justice read a pointless question gainsaying his own “legitimacy.”

‘So in summary, the opponents of this President were willing to throw mud at the House, the presidency, the Senate, and the Supreme Court — all for the sake of short-term partisan politics.

‘The irony would be rich if it were less sad. For years, this president’s opponents have sought to cloak their rage in the high-minded trappings of institutionalism. This president’s opponents profess great concern for the norms and institutions of our government.

‘But when it really counted — when the rubber met the road — that talk proved cheap. It was they who proved willing to degrade public confidence in our government. It was they who indulged political bloodlust at the expense of our institutions.

‘Reckless insinuations that our 2016 election was not legitimate…

‘Further insinuations — right here on this floor — that if the American people re-elect this president in 2020, that result will be presumptively illegitimate as well…

‘Bizarre statements from the Speaker of the House that she may simply deny reality and refuse to accept the Senate’s verdict as final…

‘There has been much discussion about the foreign adversaries who seek to reduce the American people’s faith in our democracy and cause chaos and division in this country. Rightly so. But we must also demand that our own political leaders exercise some self-restraint and not do the work of our adversaries for them.

‘The critics of our Constitution often say that because our Framers could not have imagined modern conditions, their work is outmoded. We hear that the First Amendment or the Second Amendment or the separation of powers must be changed to suit the times.

‘But the geniuses who founded this nation were actually very prescient. Case in point: The reckless partisan crusade of recent weeks is something they predicted more than two centuries ago. Hamilton predicted “the demon of faction will, at certain seasons, extend his scepter” over the House of Representatives.

‘He predicted that partisan anger could produce “an intemperate or designing majority in the House of Representatives,” capable of destroying the separation of powers if left unchecked.

‘The Framers predicted overheated House majorities might lash out at their peer institutions, and display, quote, “strong symptoms of impatience and disgust at the least sign of opposition from any other quarter; as if the exercise [of] rights, by either the executive or judiciary, were a breach of their privilege and an outrage to their dignity.” They knew the popular legislature might be “disposed to exert an imperious control over the other departments.”

‘They predicted all of this.

‘So they did something about it. They set up a firewall. They built the Senate.

‘This body performed admirably these past weeks. We did precisely the job we were made for.

‘But impeachment should never have come to the Senate like this.

‘This most serious constitutional tool should never have been used so lightly, as a political weapon of first resort. As a tool to lash out at the basic bedrock of our institutions because one side did not get their way.

‘It should never have happened. And it should never happen again.’
—————————-
Share by the ARRA News Service
Tags: ARRA News Service, Senator Mitch McConnell, final reflections, Impeachment, Should Never Have, Come 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!
An Al Qaeda Emir Came to America and Applied for Disability

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 12:28 PM PST

Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri
by Daniel Greenfield: After engaging in terrorism in Iraq, an Al Qaeda leader came to America as a refugee and applied for Social Security disability benefits because his “injuries” in Iraq had made it too hard for him to work.

In 2006, An Al Qaeda Emir Came to America and Applied for Disabilityi was the Emir of an Al Qaeda terrorist group in Fallujah. The Iraqi city was the scene of brutal battles between Al Qaeda and America. It was where American soldiers had suffered the most casualties in any battle since the Vietnam War. Despite multiple defeats, Al Qaeda remained deeply entrenched in the city and was even able to seize a number of neighborhoods in 2014.

By then, Al-Nouri was living in Arizona.

Only 2 years after being the Emir of an Al Qaeda group, Al-Nouri had traded the deserts of Al-Anbar for the deserts of the Southwest. How was an Al Qaeda leader able to move to the United States?

Easy. He claimed to be a refugee from Al Qaeda.

In 2008, the United States raised the refugee admission ceiling to 80,000 to accommodate the surge of Iraqis applying to come to the United States. The Iraqis claimed to be fleeing terrorism, but some, like Al-Nouri were terrorists, and our refugee resettlement program was not interested in telling them apart.

A quarter of refugees that year were Iraqis. The Al Qaeda leader was one of 13,823 Iraqi refugees. The huge increase from 1,608 in 2007, made any real screening of the Iraqis all but impossible. And, worse still, Iraqis, like Al-Nouri, were in the top 3 refugee groups and their claims were processed ‘in-country’.

“In-country processing”, as noted by the Center of American Progress, makes “the process less onerous and cumbersome for Iraqis seeking asylum by allowing for in-country visa processing, making screening less restrictive.” And what migrants from Al-Qaeda’s stronghold needed was less restrictive screenings.

The less restrictive screenings were one of Senator Ted Kennedy’s final immigration gifts to America. The Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act was introduced by Ted Kennedy, backed by Grover Norquist, and co-sponsored by Joe Biden, Pat Leahy, Chuck Hagel, Dick Durbin, Bob Menendez and Barack Obama.

The disastrous legislation cosponsored by Obama and Biden no doubt helped ease Al-Nouri’s path.

“The United States has a clear responsibility to support these brave Iraqis who have stood by us,” Senator Ted Kennedy had insisted.

And Al-Nouri, like many other fake refugees, pretended to be one of those imaginary Iraqis. He did such a good job of pretending that under Obama, the Al Qaeda leader became a military contractor.

The Emir’s job was training American soldiers preparing to deploy to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq (the group that would eventually be known as ISIS) about Iraqi culture.

After arriving in the United States as a refugee, the Al Qaeda leader applied for Social Security disability. Refugees applying for Social Security disability payments is a popular scam that hurts Americans.

But Al-Nouri claimed to have been shot by Al Qaeda terrorists and that he had 20 bullets in his body.

The 20 bullets might have been real, but they likely came from either the Iraqi or United States forces that Al-Nouri might have fought. The Emir had not only contrived to come to America as a refugee, but to make taxpayers foot the bill for his bullet wounds that he had picked up while fighting for Al Qaeda.

Despite the Al Qaeda leader’s supposed disability, he was able to work as a military contractor in California and to open a driving school, the A-Plus Driving School, in Phoenix.

1,050 Iraqi refugees were resettled in Arizona in 2008. Iraqis were the number one refugee group resettled everywhere from Alabama to Virginia. But Arizona had the highest share of Iraqis in any state outside Michigan’s Islamic enclaves. Al-Nouri became one of 12,329 Iraqi refugees operating in Arizona.

When Al-Nouri came to this country, Arizona was accepting the most refugees per capita of any state. Money for resettling refugees poured into the state which was happy to take in Muslims from Yugoslavia, then Sudan, and Iraq. The Iraqi community in Phoenix boomed. Along with Al-Nouri.

And the problems have been growing.

Last month, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that Mohammed Mostafa Altayar, an Iraqi refugee, could be deported after he had threatened another man with a gun and assaulted him in 2014. But that sort of thing hasn’t stopped Arizona politicians, including Republicans, from demanding more refugees.

After the last September 11 anniversary, numerous Arizona representatives, including Republicans signed on to a Welcome Refugees 2020 letter, demanding that President Trump bring more refugees.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, even as the Al Qaeda leader’s driving school was touting, “peace of mind”, the refugee belatedly attracted government attention after flying to Istanbul: a common ISIS travel route.

FBI agents questioned Al-Nouri and appeared to suspect that he might have traveled to Iraq.

Now, Al-Nouri was finally arrested for extradition to Iraq, where he is suspected of the murder of two Iraqi police officers as the leader of an Al Qaeda group operating in Fallujah. While having Iraq request his extradition may be a simpler process than trying to bring him to trial here, it’s far from easy.

Last year, the FBI busted Omar Ameen, an Iraqi refugee in Sacramento, for his role in Al Qaeda and ISIS. But efforts to send him back for trial to Iraq have been stymied by an aggressive media campaign with the New Yorker and CBS News, not to mention pseudo-conservative sites like Bill Kristol’s The Bulwark and The American Conservative, launching a campaign in the alleged ISIS terrorist’s defense.

There is every reason to think that Al-Nouri will benefit from the same defense.

Iraqis in Phoenix have already come to Al-Nouri’s defense, describing him as a popular figure in the community. They claim that they had no idea that he could have been an Al Qaeda terrorist.

That’s unlikely.

In a culture with massive extended families and tribes whose members do everything, whether it’s fighting Al Qaeda or joining Al Qaeda as a group, coming out of a major Iraqi city, Al-Nouri’s story would not have fooled everyone in his community. But Al-Nouri was far from the only terrorist to come to America as a refugee. We don’t know how many terrorists who pretended to be fighting Al Qaeda tricked the system to come to America. And we don’t know how many more are coming now.

The Pentagon, which had hired an Al Qaeda Emir to train troops deploying to Iraq, recently warned again that failing to bring Iraqi refugees to America will undermine our national security. Military brass complained that the FBI’s more intensive screenings were keeping too many Iraqi refugees out.

The number of Iraqis coming to America on special visas had dropped to a mere 3,000 in 2017.

The FBI found suspicious information on 87 out of 88 Iraqis who had been specially screened in 2018. Instead of praising the FBI for doing its job, the Pentagon complained that it was doing its job too well.

In a White House meeting, an unnamed senior Pentagon official proposed exempting Iraqis from President Trump’s lowered refugee cap.

The battle over Iraqi refugees pitted White House advisor Stephen Miller against the Pentagon. The outcome is 4,000 refugee slots for Iraqis, some legitimate refugees and some Islamic terrorists.

Most governors, Democrats and Republicans, have indicated that they will keep admitting refugees.

On a quiet desert lot, in Surprise, AZ, the horrible surprise of an Al Qaeda Emir living next door in a quarter-of-a-million house should come as no surprise. It’s just refugee resettlement at work.
——————–
Daniel Greenfield (@Sultanknish) is Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an investigative journalist and writer focusing on radical Left and Islamic terrorism.
Tags: Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, Al Qaeda Emir, Came to America, Applied for Disability, Daniel Greenfield, Sultanknish To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Virginia Lawmakers Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Obtain Driver’s Licenses

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 12:03 PM PST

People wait at the NY State Dept of Motor Vehicles office
at Atlantic Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York
by Jason Hopkins @ Daily Caller: Virginia lawmakers passed legislation in both chambers of the state Legislature that would allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses, a consequence of the state Capitol’s newly minted Democratic majority.

Amid a rush before the end of the Virginia General Assembly’s “crossover” deadline Tuesday, lawmakers in both the state Senate and the House of Delegates passed separate bills allowing illegal immigrants to legally drive on the state’s roadways. HB 1211 and SB 34 both passed their respective chambers Tuesday, the last day legislation could cross over to the other chamber for consideration.

State senators passed SB 34 by a margin of 22-18. The Senate version, which Democratic state Sen. Scott Surovell introduced, permits illegal aliens living in the state to obtain a standard driver’s license, but with certain conditions. The undocumented applicants must prove they’ve filed an income tax return, and the cards would also include text stating that it’s not a valid form of ID for federal, voting, or public benefit purposes.

The House version, which Democratic Del. Kathy Tran introduced, passed by a margin of 57-42 and is largely similar to its Senate counterpart. The House bill, however, goes further by calling for the IDs to be conventional driver’s licenses.

The unprecedented votes make Virginia poised to become the next state to allow illegal aliens to apply for driver’s licenses—following in the footsteps of 14 other states. New York implemented a similar law in December 2019, and the governor of New Jersey signed into law a related bill that same month.

The passage of such laws come as progressive states and localities across the country are pushing back against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Virginia Democrats have introduced similar bills in the past but have been unsuccessful under years of Republican rule in the state Capitol. That has changed since Democrats won full control of the Virginia Legislature for the first time in a generation.

Newly empowered Democrats have been busy this legislative session, passing a slate of progressive bills that include abortion access, LGBT rights, collective bargaining for unions, marijuana decriminalization, and other legislative activity.

Virginia Democrats also passed a package of gun control measures, including a ban on the sale of “assault weapons.”

Republicans in the state responded to progressive agenda.

“The United States needs to work on fixing the crisis at the southern border before we start granting rights to noncitizens,” Virginia GOP spokesperson John March said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

It’s not immediately clear if Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is prepared to sign into law a bill giving illegal aliens the right to drive.
———————
Jason Hopkins writes for the Daily Caller and shared this article with The Daily Signal.
Tags: Jason Hopkins, Daily Caller, Daily Signal, Virginia Lawmakers, Vote to Allow, Illegal Aliens, Obtain Driver’s Licenses To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Human Rights, And The Human Fight, For Freedom

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 11:42 AM PST

Ken Blackwell
by Steve Jordahl: A former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission says the never-ending battles for smaller government over big, individual liberty over tyranny, and capitalism over socialism, are all wrapped in one central struggle: Mankind wants to be free.

The United States is unique in history because of its form of government, says Ken Blackwell, and the reason is written into our Declaration of Independence.

“We are the most diverse, the most prosperous constitutional republic, in all of human history,” he tells OneNewsNow. “It’s because we actually believe that our human rights are not grants from government but gifts from God.”

That is a reference to the Declaration affirming mankind’s “inalienable rights,” meaning rights from our Creator that cannot be surrendered or traded, and Blackwell says that wording changes the game because those rights are connected to God and secured by the U.S. Constitution.

“Anytime a people, a culture, a state wants to make government more powerful,” Blackwell warns, “they do that at the expense of individual liberty.”

Blackwell, 71, has enjoyed a varied career that ranged from Ohio’s secretary of state to the ambassador post with the Human Rights Commission. He says the biggest struggle at the moment is the fight for religious freedom.

“And at the heart of individual liberty,” he says, “is the freedom of conscience: the ability to practice one’s faith in the public square, not just have that practice relegated to the four corners of the church.”

According to Blackwell, it’s impossible to discuss religious liberty without commenting about President Donald Trump and his administration, who are being credited – and criticized – for coming to the defense of Catholic nuns, faith-based adoption agencies, and denouncing religious persecution around the world.

“You have Donald Trump who wants to put a harness on government to optimize individual liberty,” Blackwell observes, “and you have the progressives who want to grow government because they believe that government is the best arbiter of what is good for us.”
——————–
Steve Jordahl writes for One News Now. Article shared by Ken Blackwell, Contributing Author with the ARRA News Service.
Tags: Ken Blackwell, Human Rights, And The Human Fight, For Freedom To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
Granny Winebox Is Going to Hand This Election to Trump

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 11:21 AM PST

by Stephen Kruiser: They Can’t Really Be This Stupid, Can They?
There was a time when I used to have nothing but praise for Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s political instincts and acumen, despite the fact that she represented the other side. In her first incarnation as Speaker of the House, Pelosi was extraordinarily shrewd and powerful. She managed to get members of her own caucus to give up their careers for Obamacare.

Her second turn in the job is making me seriously consider that some sort of intergalactic space invader body-snatching may have happened here.

Evidently so drunk that she’s unaware her first attempt blew up in her party’s face, Pelosi is once again going on about investigating President Trump.

When I first read the news I did a double, then a triple take. Then I called several people close to me to make sure I hadn’t recently suffered any head trauma.

The House investigation and impeachment of the president last year were, by any objective measure, monumental failures. Trump emerged from the tawdry spectacle stronger than ever. After being harangued and slandered by every Democrat on Capitol Hill throughout the impeachment drama, the president’s approval ratings actually got better. It was the radioactive spider that bit him and gave him superpowers.

Now the Democrats are looking for more spiders.

The Democrats have just suffered through a miserable ten-day stretch. New Hampshire didn’t help, anointing a front-runner that no one in the party establishment wants to get the nomination. Pelosi should be leading the party in a direction that at least gives the appearance of wanting to find cohesion and a path to victory. Instead, she wants to revisit her greatest failure, which just happened to have wrapped up a week ago.

The cluelessness about impeachment runs all through the Left. Just yesterday, a reporter asked the president what he learned from impeachment, a question that was wholly out of context. Trump handled it brilliantly:
Q: What lesson did you learn from impeachment?”

President Trump: “That Democrats are crooked… That they’re vicious. That they shouldn’t have brought impeachment and my poll numbers are 10 points higher because of fake news.”
Q: What lesson did you learn from impeachment?”

President Trump: “That Democrats are crooked… That they’re vicious. That they shouldn’t have brought impeachment and my poll numbers are 10 points higher because of fake news.”

🔥🔥🔥 From @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/lUS2yezYux
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 12, 2020
Don’t get me wrong, I am having a great time watching the Democrats flail about like this. For months, I’ve been joking that Trump may not even have to campaign to win re-election. All he has to do is exist, which drives all Democrats into such a state of irrational frenzy that better judgment becomes anathema to all of their political calculations.

If Nancy Pelosi wants to open another investigation into the president it will basically be an in-kind contribution to his re-election campaign.

So crawl back into that box of Merlot, Granny. Republican voters everywhere would like to thank you in advance.
———————-
Stephen Kruiser is a professional comedian and writer who has also been a conservative political activist for over two decades. A co-founder of the first Los Angeles Tea Party, Kruiser often speaks to grassroots groups around America and has had the great honor of traveling around the world entertaining U.S. troops. PJ Media shared this article.
Tags: Stephen Kruiser, PJ Media, Nancy Pelosi, Granny, Winebox, going to hand, election to Trump 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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Falwell Jr: I’ve heard speculation this week that Romney is positioning himself to be VP to a Democratic candidate

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Texas big: Houston’s mayor endorses Bloomberg, “Mike for Black America”

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Wait, does Trump want a quid pro quo with … New York?

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DNC was ‘intimately involved’ in creation of Iowa’s failed caucus app

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Chait wonders: Why is no one talking about Bloomberg’s #MeToo issues?

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“I need to level with you”: Warren warns donors she’s done soon if they don’t start kicking in cash

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Warren, AOC: Let’s not forget that Bloomberg’s a racist

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Here we go: The “Trump vs. John Kelly” war of words is finally upon us

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Maryland solves the world’s ills by moving to ban the release of… balloons.

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Hmmm: Bloomberg jumps to first place in Florida?

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LATEST HEADLINES

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NY Post AOC admits Bernie Sanders may have to scrap Medicare for All plan

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David French Is there a Stone jury scandal? Not so fast

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NYT How months of miscalculation led the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war

CNN Trump contradicts past denials, admits sending Giuliani to Ukraine

David Graham Did Trump lose his big gamble on Biden?

Andrew Romano Bloomberg is now a real threat to win the nomination

Christos Lynteris Why do people really wear face masks during an epidemic?

Jonathan Rothwell Experiment shows conservatives are more willing to share the wealth than they say

Ronald Brownstein A drawn-out nomination fight is more likely than ever

Stephanie Coontz How to make your marriage gayer

Matthew Walther A Bernie Sanders presidency would be remarkably familiar

Mona Charen Bully wannabes

Matt Taibbi Sanders and Trump are political opposites, but they’re on the same path to victory

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NOQ REPORT

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Inspiring #WalkAway article is a reminder to be civil with our political foes

Posted: 14 Feb 2020 05:43 AM PST

Many of us love a good political debate. Most sit back and watch, perhaps chiming in for our preferred perspective. Others like to go to battle against our political foes with prepared retorts and practiced talking points to counter whatever the opposition has for us. But as we get closer to November, it’s important for Trump supporters to keep our wits and be civil. With so many on the left going unhinged and opting for hatred instead of reason, it behooves us to remember that we have the truth on our side.

The #WalkAway movement has been gaining steam for months. Following the Mueller report and Robert Mueller’s embarrassing testimony before Congress, an unknown number of Democrats and left-leaning Independents started asking questions. It may be in the tens of thousands. It’s likely in the hundreds of thousands. There’s even a pretty good chance it’s in the millions. Whatever the actual count is, there are plenty of people who are currently rethinking their allegiance to the Democratic Party. We must be civil and demonstrate that the rumors of Trump supporters being racist hillbillies is completely false.

An article on Medium has been receiving plenty of buzz over the last few days. As a 10-minute read, it didn’t prompt me to immediately scour the long post but I relented last night and dove in. I’m glad I did. It was nothing short of wonderful with layers upon layers of internal conflict describing two decades of believing in Democrats melting away once the truth was known.

The author, Dr. Karlyn Borysenko, gave her personal account of the events that took her from knitting over anti-Trump chatter to attending the President’s rally in New Hampshire this week. She laid bare her vulnerabilities, fears, and biases that seemed to all be swept away by the reality that the Trump supporters surrounding her at the rally gave no reason for her to borrow a friend’s pepper spray. They were kind, often disagreed with aspects of President Trump, and had fun at the rally as if they were attending a concert.

After Attending a Trump Rally, I Now Know Democrats Have No Shot in 2020

I think those of us on the left need to take a long look in the mirror and have an honest conversation about what’s going on.

If you had told me three years ago that I would ever attend a Donald Trump rally, I would have laughed and assured you that was never going to happen. Heck, if you had told me I would do it three months ago, I probably would have done the same thing. So, how did I find myself among 11,000-plus Trump supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire? Believe it or not, it all started with knitting.

Her reasoning for registering as an Independent after 20-years as a Democrat wasn’t necessarily an individual policy of President Trump’s or a fear of the socialistic proposals many of the other candidates have. It came down to a realization based on experience that Trump Derangement Syndrome really exists. The prejudices many Democrats feel regarding President Trump and his supporters are not aligned with reality. When she told people at the Trump rally that she was a Democrat, she wasn’t sneered at or rebuked with scorn. Instead, they told her, “Good for you! Welcome!”

When people get loud and obnoxious about their argument, it’s often because their argument is wrong. Invoking negative emotions is natural when one’s beliefs contradict reality. We should strive to welcome #WalkAway folks with open arms.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Video of cruiseliner passengers after finally being allowed to disembark in Cambodia

The post Inspiring #WalkAway article is a reminder to be civil with our political foes appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 14 Feb 2020 05:17 AM PST

Passengers who have been stuck on a cruise ship for two weeks have finally found a safe harbor allowing them to disembark. Nearly 1500 people aboard the MS Westerdam had been turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and the U.S. territory of Guam before being allowed to touch land in Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen greeted passengers as they left the ship.

Nothing to fear, we are all about peace and love: #Cambodian PM Hun Sen personally welcomes passengers of #Westerdam, the cruise ship earlier turned away by Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and Guam. #coronavirus pic cr Hun Sen’s FB page pic.twitter.com/HXlRiY56qT

— Tan Hui Yee (@Tan_Hui_Yee) February 14, 2020

“How wonderful it is to be here. Thank you very much to the prime minister. He has a wonderful heart,” said Anna Marie Melon, from Queensland, Australia. “I’m very excited (to be here),” she said as she waved a rose Hun Sen handed to her.

Even the contested numbers coming out of China are terrifying as 55,748 cases of Covid-19 have been reported by China with 1,380 deaths. The most populous nation in the world is being crippled by the coronavirus with ripples spreading worldwide. There are 15 confirmed cases in the United States.

20 of the passengers of the MS Westerdam were tested with none returning positive. The shunning of the cruiseliner began after a February 1 stop in Hong Kong where one person has died from the disease.

For now, concerns over these passengers is minimal but all of them will be tested before they leave the Asian nation. This virus has spread so quickly and easily that most countries are taking no chances of even a single new infection coming to their lands.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Allen West predicts President Trump will get 20%-25% of Black vote

The post Video of cruiseliner passengers after finally being allowed to disembark in Cambodia appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 11:50 PM PST

Last Friday was Lt. Col. Allen West’s 59th birthday, but he didn’t go on Governor Mike Huckabee’s show to eat cake. There’s a nation that still needs protection from the onslaught of radical progressive Democrats trying to take it down and these two patriots were all business to discuss the issues at hand.

West, who is running for Texas GOP Chair (with our unabashed endorsement), discussed why conservatism is finally starting to take hold among African-Americans in this country. Nevertheless, there are threats to the republic as Democrats continue to make strides in traditionally red states, including Texas itself.

Huckabee asked about West’s perspective as a military man and how the Trump administration has benefited our men and women of the armed services in his three+ years in office. West commended the President, noting that he has a nephew who said there were “light years difference” between the eight years of the Obama administration and President Trump’s first term.

Perhaps the most striking insight West provided was in regards to the Black vote for President Trump. Huckabee noted that in 2016, candidate Trump was able to get 8% of the Black vote. But his poll numbers among African-Americans continues to rise. Then, West made a bold prediction.

“I predict that President Trump will get 20%-25% in the November election from the Black community.”

Between historically low unemployment and increased prosperity across the board, President Trump is gaining support from African-Americans that Republicans haven’t seen in decades. Lt. Col. Allen West and Gov. Mike Huckabee will help him win.

American Conservative Movement

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USS Normandy seizes illegal weapons in Arabian Sea

The post Allen West predicts President Trump will get 20%-25% of Black vote appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 11:34 PM PST

ARABIAN SEA (NNS) — On Feb. 9, USS Normandy (CG 60), while conducting maritime security operations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, boarded a dhow in accordance with international law and discovered a large cache of weapons.

The weapons seized include 150 ‘Dehlavieh’ anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), Iranian-manufactured copies of Russian Kornet ATGMs. Other weapons components seized aboard the dhow were of Iranian design and manufacture and included three Iranian surface-to-air missiles, Iranian thermal imaging weapon scopes, and Iranian components for unmanned aerial and surface vessels, as well as other munitions and advanced weapons parts.

Many of these weapons systems are identical to the advanced weapons and weapon components seized by guided-missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) in the Arabian Sea on Nov. 25, 2019. Those weapons were determined to be of Iranian origin and assessed to be destined for the Houthis in Yemen, which would be in violation of a UN Security Council Resolution that prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to the Houthis.

The seized weapons are in U.S. custody awaiting final disposition. The assessment of the materiel will be an interagency and international effort. International partner nations and organizations have also been invited to inspect the cache.

The operation is ongoing, and further information will be shared as it becomes available.

Video related to the dhow boarding is available here.

For questions related to this event, U.S. Navy Central Command Public Affairs can be contacted at navcentpao@me.navy.mil.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Senate bill introduced to pull FDIC insurance from banks that shun ICE contractors

The post USS Normandy seizes illegal weapons in Arabian Sea appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 10:37 PM PST

Social justice bankers are the latest tool used by radical progressives to apply pressure against conservative government principles. As insane as the notion may seem, some of the largest banks in America, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo, are denying services to companies who provide services to certain government agencies, most notably Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Five Republican Senators have introduced a bill that would punish banks who deny law-abiding, creditworthy companies simply because they contract with the U.S. government.

Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, Tom Cotton, and Kevin Cramer introduced the bill that would amend FDIC laws. The Financial Defense of Industrial Contractors (FDIC) Act, symbolically having the same initials as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that insures the money we keep in banks, would withdraw the issued insurance of banks that deny services based solely on affiliation with government agencies.

“It’s deeply concerning to see our country’s largest banks caving to the radical Left’s social agenda,” Cruz said. “Banks should be making decisions that are based on research and facts, not political pressure. I support our ICE agents and the contractors who work for them. They are risking their lives every day to keep this country safe. They deserve better.”

Six major banks operating in the United States—Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Barclays, and SunTrust—have announced they will no longer provide depository services to contractors which operate facilities on behalf of ICE. They’re acting on prompting from Democratic lawmakers, most notably state lawmakers in California, who are using the banks’ clout to damage those who contract with ICE and dissuade future cooperation from other companies.

“Some of our nation’s largest banks have decided to cater to the radical left’s ‘woke’ agenda by abusing their systemic influence in our economy to deprive law-abiding federal contractors of banking services critical to their business,” Rubio said. “Banks have a right to deny funds to certain businesses, but they shouldn’t enjoy taxpayer-provided guarantees if they are undermining the public policy of the United States.”

This bill was handled in the most appropriate fashion possible, staying true to limited-government federalism while applying the ultimate pressure to the banks. It would be catastrophic for these banks to lose their FDIC membership. The bill still allows for autonomy without government interference, opting to punish non-adherence instead of mandating adherence. They can still choose to do as they please as private corporations, but they cannot expect the U.S. government to cover them when they’re attempting to hinder one of the most crucial law enforcement agencies at the federal level.

“Some large banks are weaponizing their essential position in the economy to discriminate against companies who assist our immigration law enforcement operations,” Cramer said. “If they would like the right to deny service to certain companies, the federal government should have the right to withdraw its taxpayer-funded guarantees.”

These social justice bankers are welcome to engage in Cultural Marxism. But they cannot subvert law-abiding, creditworthy companies and still expect the federal government to cover their losses.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Can we talk about Eric Ciaramella?

The post Senate bill introduced to pull FDIC insurance from banks that shun ICE contractors appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 09:42 PM PST

Serious question: Where are we allowed to talk about alleged Ukraine whistleblower Eric Ciaramella? It seems like so few are doing so even though he is one of the final missing pieces of the puzzle at the conclusion of the impeachment saga, a loose end that won’t seem to go away.

You can’t talk about him on YouTube, as Senator Rand Paul learned.

You can’t talk about him on Facebook, as Ken LaCorte learned.

Mainstream media, including Fox News, has a “Voldemort Rule” in place. Guests are told He Who Shall Not Be Named is anathema and cause for instant excommunication from cable news forever if his name is uttered.

Twitter has remained Ciaramella-agnostic thus far, though some have reported there’s an algorithmic suppression of Tweets that tag him. I’ve written extensively about Eric Ciaramella on my site, but we’re not Fox News. Not yet.

Where does that leave us? Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes has threatened to refer the investigation into Ciaramella to the Justice Department if Inspector General Michael Atkinson doesn’t comply with a request for information surrounding his whistleblower exploits. Considering the tip-toeing the DoJ is doing right now as a result of the Roger Stone situation, it’s hard to imagine them going after the whistleblower until the smoke clears, if ever.

The conversation needs to be had, as Ciaramella’s involvement in questionable activities that extend back to before the 2016 election tells us he knows a lot more that needs to come to light. His fingerprints are all over Burisma, and not just as a whistleblower to the Zelensky phone call. Reports indicate he was engaged in covering for Hunter Biden while President Obama was still in the White House. His leaked conspiracy theory that Vladimir Putin ordered the firing of James Comey has never been fully resolved. Considering how much access he had to sensitive and classified White House information through the NSC, CIA, and working for H.R. McMaster, he must be questioned by the right people at some point in the very near future.

There are precious few places online where Eric Ciaramella’s name is even allowed to be mentioned. His exploits continue to be important even as impeachment is fading into the history books. It’s time for people in power (and everyone else) to know what’s really behind the alleged whistleblower’s actions.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Pro-liberty demonstrators are beginning to rattle Michael Bloomberg

The post Can we talk about Eric Ciaramella? appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 05:52 PM PST

Apparently, Michael Bloomberg was in ‘Gainsboro’ amongst other places this morning, at least according to him. Maybe that is understandable since he plays ‘3 card Monte’ so as to avoid protests from pro-freedom protesters. Today’s adventure involved multiple changes to the locations of his events to the ire of those having to cover his vainglorious presidential run.

But that’s par for the course, given that he’s used to pro-freedom protesters showing up at his events. Spoiling a perfect photo-op of the man arriving in town as a conquering hero. It also doesn’t help that he has to sneak in to avoid confronting those who don’t want to live under his ever-so benevolent rule.

Michael Bloomberg isn’t welcome in Virginia

Average citizens would like to keep their unalienable human rights. This is why no one believes the bovine excreta of a ”Gun Violence Prevention Tour”. When the obvious result is going to be gun confiscation, as is taking place in Virginia.

As reported on the site The Truth About Guns: Hundreds of Gun Rights Supporters Spoil Bloomberg Campaign’s Arlington, VA Gun Control Rally.

Once upon a time in Virginia, a little emperor named Michael Bloomberg threw a gun control party, but gun rights advocates crashed it…bigly. And what a party it was.

Unfortunately, we neglected to RSVP.

Spoiler Alert: this story has a happy ending with Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign bus veering off into a political ditch at its final stop in Virginia on Sunday night.

That’s because members of my Patriot Picket crew joined forces with the Virginia Citizens Defense League and others to give the arriving Bloomberg team a Second Amendment welcome—one that absolutely undercut the boisterous gun-control festivities that they had planned for the evening.

One almost gets the distinct impression that pro-liberty patriots are turning a deaf ear to the usual claptrap that ‘no one is talking about taking guns’ when plenty of anti-freedom politicians in Virginia are making plans for just such a circumstance. Never mind that we have detailed over 75 instances of leftists demanding gun confiscation.

Michael Bloomberg isn’t welcome in North Carolina

Today’s adventure of Michael ‘3 card Monte’ Bloomberg started this morning in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Then onto ‘Gainsboro’, better known as Greensboro, North Carolina. This was followed by another stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, later in the afternoon.

Had he been brave enough, he would have seen a number people from grassroots North Carolina braving the rain, holding signs that declare that Guns Save Lives as well as voicing opposition to his buying of an election as he did in the Old Dominion.

The problem for Mr. Shell game is that we don’t trust a man who doesn’t trust the ‘average citizen’. Even a steady down pour won’t stop people from protesting a wannabe emperor. Perhaps being straight with people engenders trust. But then again we know that he can’t be honest because his goal is control like every other leftist.

The bottom line: Bloomberg isn’t welcome anywhere

Authoritarian leftists like Bloomberg are collectivists at heart, believing in a top down approach to governance. He decides what is good for everyone else, and we’re supposed to follow his edicts.

This country was built on an individualist, bottom up approach to governance, where the people rule through local, state, and federal representatives. We decide what we want, not a little man who wants to buy his way into office with no regard to liberty or basic human rights.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

James Woods shames San Francisco twice with a picture and 15 words

The post Pro-liberty demonstrators are beginning to rattle Michael Bloomberg appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 04:37 PM PST

“Brevity is the soul of wit,” Polonius quipped in Hamlet Act 2, scene 2. It was a humorous line as he had just finished being anything but brief in the introduction to his report to the King, but the notion was correct. The best examples of wit come from the fewest words possible, and actor James Woods exemplifies this trait perfectly. Perhaps that’s why he does so well on Twitter with its 280-character limit. Unlike most celebrity Twitter users with political leanings they express, Woods rarely if ever creates Twitter threads. He gets it done one Tweet at a time.

The 280-character limit was no problem for him when he found an example of San Francisco’s much maligned handling of laws. He was able to make statements about one ordinance and another city policy with a single image and 85-characters.

Where are the San Francisco police? Can’t they see the plastic straw on the sidewalk? pic.twitter.com/SxIrlOto9X

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) February 13, 2020

“Where are the San Francisco police? Can’t they see the plastic straw on the sidewalk?” he asked.

The city’s policy is to essentially ignore anything that happens on the street that doesn’t directly harm someone else. That includes open air drug use and defecating in public. Seriously. The ordinance he referred to was enacted in July of last year in which straws are illegal. Again, seriously.

As backwards as San Francisco is, at least they’re consistent. Laws that make no sense, such as a ban on straws, are strictly enforced. Meanwhile, laws that should exist such as a ban on public defecation are bypassed. It’s a leftist paradise.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

Scott Presler ranted in San Francisco today. It was absolutely epic.

The post James Woods shames San Francisco twice with a picture and 15 words appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 02:18 PM PST

While Greta Thunberg talks about cleaning the planet, Scott Presler is out there doing it. While Nancy Pelosi asks the people of San Francisco to keep voting for her as they’ve done for decades, Scott Presler is making the streets of her home district cleaner. And when Democrats rant in their echo chambers from the comfort of their homes, Scott Presler took his rant to the unfriendly streets of San Francisco to explain why he’s voting for President Donald J. Trump in November.

During one of his famous clean up sessions on the streets of America’s filthiest cities, in this case San Francisco, the conservative activist was approached by a young woman who became very aggressive towards him. Instead of backing down, as so many people would do in that situation, Presler took the time to tell her and everyone else who would listen that he is voting for President Trump. More importantly, he explained why he was voting this way.

I was cleaning up the streets of San Francisco & this young woman became very aggressive.

I don’t know what came over me,

but I proclaimed my support for @realDonaldTrump on the dirty streets of SF & people listened.

I hope this goes viral. pic.twitter.com/ZfIHg1d5SH

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) February 13, 2020

“Why are illegal immigrants more important than Americans?” he asked to a gathering crowd. “I’d like to hear an answer.”

Some people recorded the video, apparently in hopes that it would make for good leftist fodder on YouTube. But Presler didn’t go silent. In fact, he encouraged it to get posted and to go viral because his message is an important perspective to hear. All-too-often we hear of reasons to despise the President as mainstream media has their propaganda machines set to max volume, 24-7. It’s refreshing to hear a perspective from a man literally on the streets, a man who knows more than most about the streets of progressive American cities.

“My dad is a retired Navy Captain. He served our country honorably,” he continued. “My grandfather is a retired Navy Captain, and I’m doing my part to help our country because I give a damn, and I’m going to fight for it, and I am 100% voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.”

Scott Presler takes action. He’s an inspiration to those whose streets he helps make cleaner. He’s an inspiration to those who want to support President Trump but are fearful of unhinged, violent leftists. This is why today’s rant is so important.

American Conservative Movement

Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. We have two priorities until election day: Stopping Democrats and supporting strong conservative candidates. We currently have 7500+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.

The post Scott Presler ranted in San Francisco today. It was absolutely epic. appeared first on NOQ Report – Conservative Christian News, Opinions, and Quotes.

Posted: 13 Feb 2020 11:58 AM PST

Have you heard of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact? If not, you might want to give it a gander. Virginia just became the 16th state, along with the District of Columbia, to sign on to the agreement, which essentially promises to award each signatory’s electoral votes for President to the candidate who wins the national popular vote, rather than the winner of the state’s popular vote. If that sounds like a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo, let me just put it this way: If your state is a member of the compact, it wouldn’t matter if its voters overwhelmingly went for Candidate X. If Candidate Y got more overall votes across the country, your state’s electors would be bound to vote for the other guy.

If that sounds like an end-run around the Electoral College, that’s because it is. Instead of amending the Constitution of the United States as spelled out in Article V—in other words, doing the hard work of convincing three-fourths of the states that it’s a good idea—these individual legislatures have taken it upon themselves to upend the system we use to elect the President of the United States because they didn’t like the results of 2000 and 2016, when George W. Bush and Donald Trump won an electoral majority even though they both lost the popular vote. And how could I know such a thing for certain? Well, take a look at the other states that have ratified this thing:

Maryland
New Jersey
Illinois
Hawaii
Washington
Massachusetts
DC
Vermont
California
Rhode Island
New York
Connecticut
Colorado
Delaware
New Mexico
Oregon

Notice a pattern? Almost all of them are rock-solid Blue States, still butt-hurt over losing two elections in less than twenty years even though the Democrat got the plurality of the vote. Now, in their desperation to make certain the rubes in flyover country can never deny them their entitlement to victory, they seek to game the electoral system in such a way that they never need worry about losing an election again.

And they scream about Donald Trump trashing our precious norms?

Of course, the Constitutional soundness of their little scheme is very much in question. As Article I clearly states, “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress. . .enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State.” This makes it quite doubtful that the courts would uphold any agreement between certain states that would severely curtail the electoral influence of other states, basically rendering them powerless when it comes to choosing the President. Beyond that, however, this brazen attempt by Democrats to assure themselves a permanent presence in the White House represents a singular threat to the Union itself—for why would states that have been relegated to a lower-caste status in their own country want to remain part of it?

Just look at that electoral map. It’s the reason the Founders established the Electoral College in the first place. Geographically, Republicans trounce Democrats on a county-by-county basis—but since Democrats tend to be concentrated in large urban areas, they own the states with the biggest cities. Without the Electoral College to balance these two competing interests, every single presidential contest would be decided by a handful of states with the largest population centers. The Founders understood that a tyranny of the majority is still a tyranny, and that rural states would have little incentive to join a Union in which their concerns were constantly overridden by large, distant cities. So what makes Democrats believe that those same states would put up with having their voices silenced now?

Simply put, they wouldn’t—which is why changing presidential elections to a national popular vote would severely erode the stability of the Union. This is especially true these days with Congress having carelessly ceded so many of their powers to the administrative state and the unelected bureaucrats who run it. These agencies, under the control of the executive branch, have vastly expanded the power and influence of the presidency, and turned every single election into a must-win situation for both political parties. This is not what the Framers intended—but it’s the situation in which we find ourselves. And now the Left, having concentrated so much power in a single office, wants to see to it that over three-quarters of the country has no say in who occupies that office?

That is recipe for disaster, and the Union would not long survive it.

American Conservative Movement

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THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Washington Examiner’s Examiner Today Newsletter

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HIGHLIGHTS

Hope Hicks return part of Trump embrace of loyalists as he rebuilds post-impeachment

President Trump’s early White House was characterized by competing power centers: the generals, such as Michael Flynn; the anti-establishment radicals led by Steve Bannon; the Republican apparatchiks, including Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer; staff from the Trump Organization; and a core of family members.

USMCA ratification delayed in Canada

President Trump may have already celebrated the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, but the deal hasn’t yet been ratified by Canada, and it may not be for weeks.

McConnell says Trump ‘should listen’ to Barr and cut back on tweeting

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell advised President Trump to listen to Attorney General William Barr and cut back on tweeting.

Editorial: For Black History Month, give ‘1776’ a read

In celebration of Frederick Douglass’s birthday, the Washington Examiner has published a number of special essays on the topics of race, slavery, and the achievement of the United States’s highest ideals. This represents our collaboration with the Woodson Center to promote its new educational series “1776.”

‘Impossible for me to do my job’: Barr wishes Trump would stop tweeting about DOJ

Attorney General William Barr said he wants President Trump to stop tweeting about the Justice Department.

‘I don’t rule anything out’: Joe Manchin teases endorsement of Trump

Complicated state politics may lead to one Democrat supporting President Trump in 2020.

Big Tech has regrouped for 2020

Tech giants have made significant changes for the 2020 presidential election to avoid getting accused of facilitating misinformation or fake news in a repeat of 2016.

Politics or principle? Inside Trump’s Venezuela push

First came meetings with allies, including Britain’s foreign secretary and the European Union’s foreign policy chief. Then came the made-for-TV moment with President Trump introducing Juan Guaido as the “true and legitimate president of Venezuela” during his State of the Union address.

‘Innovate or die’: Propane industry fights for survival in a low-carbon future

The propane industry is engaging much more directly in the conversation about how to address climate change, in part to ensure it doesn’t become obsolete in a zero-carbon world.

Robust economy might not save Trump’s reelection bid

Voters who are betting a strong economy will reelect President Trump might be in for a rude awakening. Research shows that the bond has weakened between strong economic performance and incumbents winning. It has been partially replaced by party affiliation.

Antifa supporter charged with assaulting teen Trump fan

A 34-year-old antifa supporter is facing charges for allegedly assaulting a teen fan of President Trump.

Warren skewers Bloomberg: The financial crisis wouldn’t have been averted if ‘the banks had been able to be bigger racists’

Elizabeth Warren temporarily dropped her efforts to be the Democratic Party’s unity candidate, taking a swing at Michael Bloomberg over 2008 comments he made linking a crackdown on discriminatory housing practices and the credit crunch.

THE ROUNDUP

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MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

February 14, 2020

Featuring the latest analysis, commentary, and research from Manhattan Institute scholars

HIGHER ED

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Sanders and Warren: Here’s a Better Way to Help Student Loan Borrowers

“Though well-intentioned, Senator Warren and Sanders’s plan to forgive most student debt is poorly targeted and is much more expensive than is necessary to address the problem.”
By Beth Akers, Preston Cooper
Economics21
February 13, 2020

CULTURE & SOCIETY

Photo: The Harbor of La Rochelle by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 1851 (Wikimedia Commons)

Yale Against Western Art

Yale’s art history department is junking an entire two-semester sequence on the history of Western art, and the reasons given are either laughably weak or at odds with the facts.
By Heather Mac Donald
Quillette
February 13, 2020

ECONOMY & FINANCE

Photo: Nikada/iStock

Economic Story Hour

Why the narratives we embrace about our finances matter
By Allison Schrager
Reason
March 2020 Issue

CALIFORNIA

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

One (Small) Cheer for Gavin Newsom on Homelessness

“[There] is a good idea buried in Gov. Newsom’s budget for homeless services. He proposed to make available new state funds for board and care homes.”
By Stephen Eide
Economics21
February 13, 2020

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A California-style Brexit

Freelancers are rising up in opposition to the state’s new law regulating “gig workers.”
By Erica Sandberg
City Journal Online
February 13, 2020

NEW YORK CITY & STATE

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mayor Yang?

The former Democratic presidential contemplates his next move.
By Michael Dresdale
City Journal Online
February 13, 2020

PODCAST

Photo: Supreme Court Building, Washington D.C. (P_Wei/iStock)

Why Classical Architecture Matters

Catesby Leigh joins Seth Barron to discuss President Trump’s draft executive order to give priority to classical-style architecture in the design of federal courthouses, agency headquarters, and other federal office buildings.

OVERCRIMINALIZATION

More Laws, Less Freedom

Rafael A. Mangual joins John Stossel to discuss how overcriminalization—specifically, the expansion of state and federal criminal laws—puts well-meaning citizens at risk of serious prosecution. Mangual warns, “People commit crimes all the time without knowing it. It’s impossible to know what sort of behavior is criminal.”

CIVIL SOCIETY AWARDS

Nominations 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 NOMINATION

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