Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) Will Oppose Republican Nominee Roy Moore with His Write-In Vote in Alabama’s Special Election

Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama said Sunday that he cast a write-in ballot rather than vote for Republican Roy Moore or Democrat Doug Jones in the state’s special U.S. Senate election, saying “the Republican party can do better” than Mr. Moore. “I’d rather see the Republican win, but I [would] hope that Republican would be a…

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Judson Phillips Commentary: Mark West Has a Right to Disagree With His Fellow Tea Party Activists

by Judson Phillips   Earlier this week, Mark West of the Chattanooga Tea Party shocked a lot of people in Tennessee when he came out and endorsed Diane Black to be the next governor of Tennessee. Mark’s endorsement of the four-term Congressman flies in the face of the perception that the Tea Party is solidly behind former State Senator Mae Beavers. (Writer’s note: Neither I nor my group, Tea Party Nation, have yet to endorse a candidate in the governor’s race). Many Tea Party activists and groups are solidly behind Mae Beavers, but as Mark West just proved, that support is not unanimous. Tennessee activists on social media erupted after word of Mark’s endorsement spread. Many people who are active in the conservative and Tea Party movement in Tennessee were openly critical of him. Others, more disturbingly, opined that the Tea Party did not support Diane Black and Mark essentially had no right to disagree with the majority. That latter sentiment is extremely disturbing. The Tea Party movement is a movement that is centered on the concepts of freedom and liberty. One of the most fundamental aspects of liberty is the right to make up your own mind. If the…

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Roy Moore Strategist: A Vote for Doug Jones is a Vote Against Trump

Dean Young, chief political strategist for embattled U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore (R), tried to frame Tuesday’s election in Alabama as a referendum on President Donald Trump and his agenda during an interview Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.” Moore, who fielded accusations during the last few weeks before the election of sexually pursuing teenaged girls…

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Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, Forecasts Tax Vote Next Week

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Sunday that congressional Republicans are hopefully on track for final passage of their tax bill next week, which would be in line with President Trump’s Christmas deadline for a final deal. “The House and Senate have two different bills – structurally they’re pretty similar,” Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, said on…

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Billionaire Guo Wengui Wants Regime Change in Beijing

From a luxury Manhattan apartment, Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui is plotting a “change of the regime” in Beijing and developing a new media platform with the aim of introducing democracy in the world’s most populous country. The fugitive real estate mogul settled in April in New York, on the 18th floor of a hotel facing Central Park, where he’s now waiting with his wife for a decision on his claim for US political asylum. “I want to try and to have rule of law, I want to try and have democracy, freedom, that’s my ultimate goal… A change of the regime,” he told AFP in a recent exclusive interview. He’s set a timeline of three years.

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Senator Susan Collins (R-ME): I’ll Wait Until Seeing Final Tax Bill Before Deciding on Vote

Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday she plans to wait until the final conference report on the tax bill is released before she makes a decision on how she’ll vote, after having voted for the Senate’s $1.4 trillion tax-cut plan this month. “There are major differences between the House and Senate bills, and I don’t know where the bill is going to come out,” the Maine Republican said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

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Protests Against Jerusalem Decision Turn Violent in Lebanon

Lebanese security forces outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut Sunday used water cannons and tear gas to beat back Lebanese and Palestinian protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The protesters in Beirut hurled projectiles at the embassy and burned Trump in effigy, along with U.S. and Israeli flags.

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The Hype Reawakens: ‘Star Wars’ Stages ‘Last Jedi’ Premiere

Stormtroopers, droids and celebrities from galaxies near and far hit the red carpet in the shadow of a giant AT-AT assault vehicle Saturday at the glittering world premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — although one star almost didn’t make it. John Boyega, who plays the heroic stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn, had tweeted that he feared missing the big event because a snowstorm had gridlocked air travel out of Atlanta.

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President Trump Invited Kustoff to White House Hanukkah Party But Impeachment Advocate Cohen Left Off Invite List

The White House held a Hanukkah Party on Thursday in recognition of the Jewish “festival of lights,” but only one of Tennessee’s two Jewish members of the House of Representatives was invited. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08) was invited and attended the event, but Rep. Stephen Cohen (D-TN-09), who was one of 58 Democrats who on Wednesday voted in favor of a failed resolution “to bring articles of impeachment against President Trump,” was not invited. “This year’s Hanukkah party was all the more joyous for attendees because it came the day after Mr. Trump delighted many Jews, particularly those politically allied with him, by declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel and recommitting himself to moving the American Embassy there,” The New York Times reported. Kustoff and Cohen represent neighboring West Tennessee congressional districts and attend the same synagogue in Memphis, as The Commercial Appeal reported. Kustoff praised Trump’s decision to move the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “I applaud President Trump for fulfilling his promise to recognize Jerusalem as the unquestionable capital of Israel. After eight years of the Obama Administration’s failure to support our closest ally, this sends a powerful message to the world – the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder…

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