Month: January 2019

Chinese Craft First To Land On Moon’s Far Side

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A Chinese spacecraft Thursday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon in the latest achievement for the country’s growing space program. The relatively unexplored far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is also known as the dark side. A photo taken by the lunar explorer Chang’e 4 at 11:40 a.m. and published online by the official Xinhua News Agency shows a small crater and a barren surface that appears to be illuminated by a light from the probe. Chang’e 4 touched down on the surface at 10:26 a.m., the China National Space Administration said. The landing was announced by state broadcaster China Central Television at the top of its noon news broadcast. Growing ambitions in space The landing highlights China’s growing ambitions as a space power. In 2013, Chang’e 3, the predecessor craft to the current mission, made the first moon landing since the then-Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976. The United States is the only other country that has carried out moon landings. The work of Chang’e 4, which is carrying a rover, includes carrying out astronomical observations and probing the structure and mineral composition of the terrain. “The far side of…

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Commentary: Trump Presidency Is The ‘Bain’ Of Romney’s Existence

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by Julie Kelly   Just as the Republican Party is purging itself of hackneyed lawmakers, bitter neoconservative commentators, and insatiable interventionists, along comes Mitt Romney to remind us of what we definitely are not missing. In a late New Year’s Day sermon published in the Washington Post, the incoming senator expressed his disappointment in the president and, by extension, in all of us. It was filled with the sort of juvenile platitudes that at one time mollified Republican voters, but now either amuse or enrage them. “A president should unite us and inspire us to follow ‘our better angels.’ A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse,” the twice-losing presidential candidate warned. “To reassume our leadership in world politics, we must repair failings in our politics at home. It includes political parties promoting policies that strengthen us rather than promote tribalism by exploiting fear and resentment.” Romney then proceeded—oddly—to lament Trump’s unpopularity in the world (sorry to disappoint you, Sweden!) and called for a unified Europe. We must defend the press and labor unions, Romney insisted, despite their failings. And he essentially called Trump a racist, sexist, immigrant-hater. Real original. The reaction…

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Top Debates To Watch For In New Congress

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by Rachel del Guidice   Democrats took control of the House of Representatives Thursday, starting a new era of divided government. Here are four things to watch as the 116th Congress begins amid a government shutdown. 1. Tension Between Progressives and Other Democrats Democrats are set to vote Thursday on a rules package. While it’s supported by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it’s already causing waves of opposition among other House Democrats. The rules package would allow people to keep their religious headwear on in the House chamber as well as prohibit discrimination in regards to gender identity and sexual orientation. It also contains a “pay-as-you-go” provision. Pay-go “requires that any new legislation that increases deficits (whether through an increase in mandatory spending or decrease in revenues) must be fully offset by other increases in revenues or decreases in mandatory spending so that the new legislation does not add to the budget deficit,” according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Both Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have said they would vote against the rules package because of the pay-go element. “I will be voting NO on the Rules package with #PayGo,” Khanna tweeted Wednesday. “It is…

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Satellites Show 2018 Was the Sixth-Warmest Year on Record and Climate Models Are Still Off

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by Michael Bastasch   Satellite-derived global temperature data shows 2018 was the sixth warmest year on record in decades, according to the two prominent datasets. Satellite data compiled by the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH) scientists showed the global average temperature was 0.23 degrees Celsius above average compared to the past four decades. “The 2018 globally averaged temperature anomaly, adjusted for the number of days in each month, is +0.23 deg. [Celsius], making 2018 the 6th warmest year in the now-40 year satellite record of global lower tropospheric temperature variations,” UAH scientist Roy Spencer wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “The linear temperature trend of the global average lower tropospheric temperature anomalies from January 1979 through December 2018 remains” 0.13 degrees Celsius per decade, Spencer wrote. Satellite data compiled by the Santa Rosa, California-based Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) also showed 2018 was the sixth-warmest year on record going back to 1979. Satellites measure temperatures in the lower few miles of the atmosphere while weather stations and buoys are often used to measure temperatures at the Earth’s surface. Both satellite and surface temperature data shows warming trends at the low end of what climate models predicted. RSS data, for example, shows temperatures…

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EXCLUSIVE Lara Trump Commentary: President Trump Kept His Promises in 2018

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by Lara Trump   With 2018 now in the history books, it’s worth reflecting on the incredible progress America has made in the past year as a result of the many promises President Donald Trump has fulfilled. The economy, for instance, is booming again for the first time in almost a generation, just as Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail in 2016. The 4.2 percent growth rate in the second quarter of 2018 caught even experienced economists off guard, dwarfing predictions that assumed sluggish growth had become the “new normal” for America. The economy just kept humming after that, allowing economic growth to exceed 3 percent for the first full year since George W. Bush was in office. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is down to its lowest level since 1969, and thanks to the favorable labor market, wages are rising at the fastest pace in nearly a decade. The miraculous economic turnaround that was born during President Trump’s first year in office reached maturity in 2018, fueled by pro-growth policies like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, new trade deals that give American workers a level playing field, and the elimination of costly and ineffective regulations. While the booming…

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Democrats Pushing to Match Your Tax Dollars to Small Campaign Contributions at an Astonishing Rate

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by Evie Fordham   House Democrats are expected to unveil legislation Friday that uses taxpayer money to match small-dollar campaign donations at the astonishing rate of 6-to-1, a policy that would likely benefit Democrats much more than Republicans. “When you do something that looks like a political stunt, it makes you look worse, not better, in the eyes of the public,” Zach Wamp, a Republican former congressman and co-chair of nonpartisan organization Issue One, told The Wall Street Journal. Republicans are especially wary of the small-dollar donation matching policy, which would turn a $20 donation into more than $100 for a candidate. Democrats consistently rake in more small-dollar donations than Republicans, according to a WSJ review of Federal Election Commission reports. For example, freshman Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, unseated incumbent Dean Heller after outraising him by amassing small-dollar donations, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Roughly 32 percent of her funds came from small individual contributions, while only 9 percent of Heller’s came from small-time donors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). And Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, was the fourth most-popular congressional candidate for small dollar donations, according…

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Allegations of Sexual Harassment And Sexism In Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Campaign Haunt 2020 Chances

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by Molly Prince   As Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders gears up for a potential 2020 presidential run, allegations regarding the mistreatment of women on his 2016 campaign may hinder his chances at the White House. Former staffers on the Sanders campaign have been detailing instances of sexism and sexual harassment while working on his presidential bid in 2016, according to a New York Times report published Wednesday. After a letter circulated in December referring to a “dangerous dynamic” between the men and women on Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, claims of rampant “sexual violence and harassment” have been on the forefront of discussions among former Sanders supporters. The letter, which was signed by more than two dozen women, requested to sit down with the Vermont senator and his closest advisers to discuss the issue at hand. The Sanders campaign has also been hit with accusations of sexism stemming from the pay disparity between genders. Salary records reportedly show that male staffers earned thousands of dollars more than female staffers for the same jobs. “Was it too male? Yes. Was it too white? Yes. Would this be a priority to remedy on any future campaign? Definitely, and we share deeply in the…

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GatewayPundit’s Jim Hoft Teams Up with Missouri’s St. Louis Tea Party to Announce a Rally for Trump’s Border Wall

Anthony Gockowski

The St. Louis Tea Party is organizing a rally for Saturday in support of President Donald Trump as he continues to fight for the border wall. According to a press release, the rally was organized by the St. Louis Tea Party and the Gateway Pundit, Jim Hoft. “Our president needs our support. Our president needs to know we stand with him,” Hoft said in a statement, encouraging St. Louis residents to attend the Saturday rally in Clayton, Missouri. “Let’s show our support for President Trump as he holds the line, and demand funding for the wall,” the St. Louis Tea Party said on Facebook. The news comes amid a contentious government shutdown over funding for Trump’s border wall, which now Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are unwilling to budge on after multiple conversations with the president. On Thursday, Trump made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room (his first) and was accompanied by members of ICE and Border Patrol. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told the White House press corps that if they “interview Border Patrol agents, they will tell you that walls work.” “Anywhere that you…

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Opioid Abuse Estimated to Leave Over 20,000 Children in Foster Care by 2020

Andrew Shirley

While the rampant opioid epidemic that has overtaken much of the country is finally getting the attention it deserves, some of the most vulnerable to its effects have been tragically overlooked. A startling report from the Public Children’s Services Association of Ohio estimates that, should current trends continue, over 20,000 children will be in foster care by 2020. From July 2017 to July 2018 alone, the total number of children entering foster care jumped from over 13,700 children to over 15,000. The main reason for this acceleration appears to be severe drug abuse throughout the state. In 2015, half of the children taken into foster care had come from families with some form of drug abuse. 28 percent were actively taking opioids when their children were removed. 67 percent of these children were under the age of 12 and over a quarter of them are three or younger. While the number of children in need continues to rise, support services are more strained than ever. The report also reveals that Ohio’s State Share for children services spending is currently dead last in the nation. Further, “even if the State’s Share…doubled, Ohio would still be 50th in the nation.” The majority of child…

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New Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips Goes Back on Campaign Promise and Votes for Pelosi As Speaker

Anthony Gockowski

Both Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) voted for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) as the next speaker of the house Thursday in one of their first official acts as members of Congress. Craig and Phillips both indicated on the campaign trail that they would like to see new leadership in the Democratic Party, but started to show signs of supporting Pelosi shortly after their respective election wins. Phillips was much more vocal on the issue, and in one interview stated “no” in response to questions from KSTP’s Tom Hauser on whether or not he would back Pelosi. He, like many freshmen members of Congress, said he would like to see “a new generation of leadership,” while Craig said she’d like for more members from the Midwest to move into leadership roles. But both of them skipped out on opportunities to oppose Pelosi, and Craig even spoke in favor of electing Pelosi during a November Democratic Caucus vote. After that vote, Phillips declined to answer questions from reporters on where he stood, as The Minnesota Sun reported. Both of them also neglected to sign their names to a letter issued by 16 Democrats in November calling for “new…

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Republican Files Legal Action in Chaotic North Carolina Congressional Race

A.P. Dillon

The North Carolina State Board of Elections still has not certified its Ninth Congressional District race and one of the candidates is now taking legal action. Republican Mark Harris announced his intentions Wednesday evening to take legal action in the NC-09 race. On Thursday his campaign filed a Writ of Mandamus, which is an order from a court that instructs another government official to correct an abuse of discretion or ensure they properly fulfill their official duties. In a press release, the Harris camp said the filing of the Writ was in response to the cancellation of a January 11 hearing on the NC-09 investigation and lack of transparency by the State Board of Elections. “The State Board of Elections has not disclosed any information to suggest that the votes in question in the Board staff’s investigation are sufficient in number to change the outcome of the 9th Congressional District election,” the Harris Campaign said in the statement. “We applaud Congressman-Elect Mark Harris’ campaign for taking this important action to make sure the more-than 750,000 people in the Ninth Congressional District are represented in Congress,” said a statement from the North Carolina GOP. Harris won the NC-09 race by 905 votes…

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110 Employees of Detroit’s Failing Public School System Make Six-Figure Salaries

Anthony Gockowski

More than 100 employees in the Detroit Public Schools Community District make salaries that exceed $100,000 per year, even though the district consistently ranks among the lowest performing schools. According to data obtained by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 110 employees of the Detroit school district make six figure salaries, including at least one teacher and two police officers. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti (pictured, center) topped the list with an annual salary of $294,999 in the 2017-28 fiscal year. Coming in second was Luis Solano, the school district’s chief operating officer, who makes an annual salary of $183,750, while Deputy Superintendent Iranetta Wright brings in $182,692 annually. Chalkbeat reported in 2017 that all sixteen employees in Vitti’s inner circle are making well over $100,000 annually. As Michigan Capitol Confidential reports, the one teacher on the list, who teaches seventh and eighth grade, made a salary of $100,057 in the 2017-18 fiscal year. The outlet points out that there are numerous ways for teachers to pick up extra compensation, such as merit pay or agreeing to lead various school functions, which are included in the salary figures. They also found that this teacher, with a base pay of $84,505 annually, brought…

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Minnesota Secretary of State Unveils Plan to Restore Voting Rights to 60,000 Felons

Anthony Gockowski

Secretary of State Steve Simon (D-MN) unveiled his “Investing in Democracy” 2019 agenda during a Thursday press conference where he announced plans to restore voting rights to felons after they are released from prison. Currently, Minnesota is one of 22 states that revokes voting rights for felons during incarceration and for any periods of parole or probation thereafter. Simon’s office estimates that this means there are roughly 60,000 Minnesotans who have been released from prison, but are still ineligible to vote because they are on probation or parole. There are only two states, Maine and Vermont, in which felons never lose the right to vote, while at least 14 states restore voting rights immediately upon release, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. “Investing in democracy also means investing in people,” Simon said Thursday. “These are people who have served their time already and are working to establish or reestablish themselves in their communities. Minnesotans, I think, believe in second chances, and believe in forgiveness, and restoring the right to vote at the end of a prison term will give real opportunities to those who have left prison behind to become full members of their communities.” Simon also argued…

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Shelby County Official: New State Law on Illegal Aliens Does Not Apply to Us

Chris Butler

Shelby County officials seem to say they won’t cooperate with a new Tennessee law that helps federal officials detain and deport illegal aliens. The state law took effect Jan. 1, according to The Associated Press. The law, The AP went on to say, “threatens local governments with the loss of future state economic and community development money” if they have sanctuary policies. Federal immigration officials have the power to deport illegal aliens arrested on other charges. But some local laws have kept those local law enforcement officers from cooperating with the feds. The new law bans those local policies, according to The AP. “That includes barring local policies that require federal officials to obtain a warrant or show probable cause beforehand,” The AP said. As The Tennessee Star reported last fall, county officials, specifically the folks at the county attorney’s office, tell their law enforcement officers to ignore the feds, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Shelby County Sheriff’s spokesman Anthony Buckner said Wednesday that members of his office already know how they will respond to the new state law. “The Shelby County Attorney has advised the Sheriff’s Office that the new Tennessee laws governing sanctuary cities/policies do not apply to…

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OFF THE RECORD: Bill Lee Names Six Additional Commissioners as He Works Toward Completing His Cabinet

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Governor-elect Bill Lee will be inaugurated on Saturday January 19. As that date approaches he and his team are working feverishly to complete the selection of his Cabinet and fill many of the top deputy positions in key departments of state government. Thursday afternoon, Lee announced six new commissioners: David Gerregano has served as Governor Bill Haslam’s Commissioner of Revenue the past two years, and helped shepherd the Haslam tax increase (including adding $300 million per year in higher gas taxes) through the Legislature last year. He will continue to serve in that capacity for Lee. Bob Rolfe was appointed in March 2017 by Haslam to fill the slot of Commissioner of Economic and Community Development that Randy Boyd vacated when he left to run for Governor. Rolfe is being retained by Lee in that same position. Gabe Roberts is presently serving as Deputy Director at TennCare and will be elevated to the top slot by Governor Lee. As Deputy Director at TennCare Roberts was actively involved in Governor Haslam’s efforts to expand Medicaid/Obamacare which was derailed by the Legislature in special session in 2015 and again in the regular Session. And during Roberts tenure at TennCare the department apparently paid…

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The Tennessee Star Names Nashville Sports Journalist Scott Wallace as Sports Editor

Jason M. Reynolds

Veteran Nashville sports reporter Scott Wallace has been named Sports Editor of The Tennessee Star. Tennessee Star CEO and Editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy praised Wallace for his credentials in sports journalism and his commitment to covering local high school and college athletes. “We are thrilled to announce that Scott Wallace has accepted our offer to serve as Sports Editor of The Tennessee Star. Since our launch almost two years ago in February 2016, we’ve been looking for the right person to fill this important position for us. Scott is the right man at the right time,” Leahy said. “Our team at The Tennessee Star has followed Scott’s career in local sports journalism for some time. We look forward to the in-depth coverage and inside details of the sports scene here in Tennessee Scott will be providing our readers,” he added. Wallace tweeted the news Tuesday, saying, “New year new opportunity Blessed & honored 2 b named sports editor for @TheTNStar Another way 2 get local athletes recognized nationally Here is a link to my 1st story https://tennesseestar.com/2018/12/22/atlanta-suburb-honors-hometown-hero-injured-tennessee-state-football-player-christion-abercrombie/ … Thanks @GillReport and @michaelpleahy for the opportunity #ItsOn.” New year new opportunity Blessed & honored 2 b named sports editor for @TheTNStar Another…

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Marsha Blackburn Says Voters Sent Her To DC To Secure The Border

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by Nick Givas   Republican Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said voters sent her to Washington to help secure the U.S. southern border, on “America’s Newsroom” Wednesday. “Let me tell you something. There is an acronym for the word team. My mom used it with me growing up. Together everyone achieves more. And what Tennesseans are looking at is a president who has delivered on turning the economy around, promise kept,” Blackburn said on Fox News. “He has delivered on moving the embassy to Jerusalem and he has delivered when it comes to working, defeating ISIS, dealing with China, dealing with trade, getting us back on the road to economic prosperity and Tennesseans want to see more of that action,” she continued. “And I’ll tell you something else they want to see is that border secured.” Blackburn said she has spoken to various constituents and is planning to focus on polices that help maintain America’s sovereignty while promoting faith and family. Watch the latest video at foxnews.com “I say as an elected official and as someone Tennesseans have sent to Washington, D.C., to represent them, they are saying look, Marsha, do everything that you possibly can do to help keep this nation free…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Announces Re-election Bids for 2020, 2022

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said he is planning to run for re-election in 2020 and 2022. Cohen made the announcement at a New Year’s Day prayer breakfast Tuesday, WMC said. WMC’s Kendall Downing also tweeted the news, saying, “Congressman Steve Cohen @RepCohen told reporters he’s running for re-election in 2020 and 2022… moments before he told the crowd at the Lowery prayer breakfast. Some pundits had speculated he would step aside in elections to come. Cohen says that’s not the case. @WMCActionNews5.” Congressman Steve Cohen @RepCohen told reporters he’s running for re-election in 2020 and 2022… moments before he told the crowd at the Lowery prayer breakfast. Some pundits had speculated he would step aside in elections to come. Cohen says that’s not the case. @WMCActionNews5 pic.twitter.com/MYvl80XJAI — Kendall Downing (@kendall_downing) January 1, 2019 In response, Cohen tweeted, “Always good to put false rumors aside. Republicans who haven’t been able to  beat me started rumor I would retire due to health concerns. No such luck!” https://twitter.com/RepCohen/status/1080222044871163906 Cohen is not the first Tennessee Democratic representative to announce future re-election plans before even being sworn in for his 2019-2020 term that starts today. U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) announced his re-election bid…

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David Fowler Commentary: Is This the Beginning of the End for Public Schools?

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by David Fowler   Have public schools run their course? Just asking that question will irritate a lot of people, Christians included. But I think we have to ask the question, given an announcement last week by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce relative to what it wants from public education. Those who don’t ask and answer the question may not like what becomes of their children as adults. Last week the headline to a front-page story in The Tennessean said the Nashville Chamber of Commerce “wants to focus on social emotional learning.” Of course, the Haslam administration has been dabbling in developing content for social emotional learning for the last few years in-between toothless barks from some legislators. But what is it? Here’s how The Tennessean described it and the Nashville Chamber’s push for it: Framed by the question of what students need to be successful in the classroom, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in its annual education report card is throwing its collective influence behind a growing push for schools to provide students with social emotional learning. SEL, as it is known, is a method to teach students the skills to regulate emotions and to provide them with…

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Ninth Circuit Finally Hands Trump a Big Win Against Youth’s Global Warming Lawsuit

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by Michael Bastasch   The Trump administration’s battle against a global warming lawsuit brought by 21 youths will continue into 2019 after a federal court handed the government a big win over the holiday season. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a Dec. 26 ruling largely missed by major media outlets. The court granted DOJ’s petition for interlocutory appeal that decreases the chances of the climate lawsuit going to trial anytime soon. The three-judge Ninth Circuit panel is the very same one that in March 2018 ruled against Trump administration petitions for a writ of mandamus, which allows a higher court to overrule a lower court before a case is decided. Environmentalists handling the case on behalf of youth activists immediately filed a petition asking the District Court of Oregon to restart trial proceedings in light of the appeals court ruling. “The bottom line is, this case is ready for trial, and should not be held up by further appeals,” said Julia Olson, chief legal counsel and executive director of Our Children’s Trust, the activist group handling the climate lawsuit. “The government has used the power of their office and the depth…

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Elizabeth Warren Compares Scrutiny of Native American Heritage Claim to Obama Birtherism

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by Peter Hasson   Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s website for her presidential exploratory committee attempts to link questions about her claims of Native American heritage to people who questioned whether former President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Warren launched the committee Monday, including a website with a “fact squad” meant to push back against criticisms of the senator. Warren’s website blames “the right-wing machine” for scrutiny of her heritage claims. “They have called Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ and used racist depictions of Native American history, culture, and people to make Elizabeth the butt of a joke,” the website states. “These actions not only dishonor Native people and their many contributions to this country, but perpetuate harmful stereotypes that Native communities continue to fight against.” “Show us your papers. Release your birth certificate. It’s all part of the right’s disgusting effort to use race-baiting and fear-mongering to distract our country and divide our people while they rig the system for the rich and powerful,” Warren’s site claims. It also displays a photoshopped image of Obama behind Warren that reads: “Don’t worry Liz, I think we fooled them.” Warren’s campaign didn’t return a request for comment on the comparison between…

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New York Rings in New Year by Offering Gender Neutral Birth Certificates

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by Grace Carr   New York City residents may now change their birth certificates to reflect a neutral gender identity after an October bill took effect after the new year. The New York City Council first passed the bill in September allowing any adult living in the city to change his or her gender to “X” on their birth certificate. The bill also permits parents to choose “X” on their newborn babies’ birth certificates. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the measure into law on Oct. 9, 2018, according to Reuters. “You be you. Live your truth. And know that New York City will have your back,” de Blasio said after signing, Reuters reported. The law took effect Tuesday. Effective today! People born in NYC can now change the gender marker on their birth certificates to “X.” The third category makes birth certificates more inclusive to all gender identities. Here's what you need to know: https://t.co/QyaSSVK7sE pic.twitter.com/38BcxCppzs — nychealthy (@nycHealthy) January 1, 2019 Prior to the bill, New Yorkers had to undergo gender confirmation surgery in order to change the designations on their birth certificates. “Transgender and gender non-binary New Yorkers will no longer need a letter from a…

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Tops on House Democrats’ To-Do List: Try to End Shutdown

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House Democrats are sweeping into power this week on a campaign promise of improving government for ordinary Americans. But first, they’ll have to get government reopened from the partial shutdown. As the Congress gavels in for the 116th session the early votes will be the usual ones — establishing the House rules and electing the House speaker, presumably California Democrat Nancy Pelosi. But the new majority will quickly pivot Thursday to a pair of bills to fund the parts of the government that have been shuttered in the dispute over money for President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico. It’s a cold opening for the new majority, setting up an early confrontation with the Republican-led Senate and the White House and testing the House Democrats’ ability to make good on their campaign pledge to focus on kitchen-table issues in the new era of divided government. “Our first order of business will be to end the reckless Trump shutdown and reopen the government,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the incoming caucus chairman, said in an interview. Then, he said, “we will turn our attention to bringing our democracy to life and returning our government to the people.” So far, House…

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Commentary: Democrats Killed California Police Corporal Ron Singh

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This past Saturday a courageous California law enforcement officer, Corporal Ronil “Ron” Singh, died at the hands of California Governor Jerry Brown, Representative Nancy Pelosi and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. Oh, they will tell you that it was not them, but an illegal alien named Gustavo Arriaga who pulled the trigger and those who were taken into custody for aiding and abetting: Bernabe Madrigal Castaneda; Erasmo Villegas; Maria Luisa Moreno, plus Arriaga’s brothers Adrian and Conrado Virgen Mendoza, girlfriend Ana Leyde Cervantes and coworker Erik Quiroz who were also arrested for helping him dodge police. The suspect’s brother, 25-year-old Adrian Virgen, and a co-worker, 32-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, were arrested on “accessory after the fact” charges for attempting to protect Arriaga. Authorities say both men are also in the country illegally. Update: Multiple media reports now allege that all seven of those charged in the death of Corporal Ron Singh are illegal aliens. Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson says that Arriaga was a member of the Sureños street gang and had been arrested twice before on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol. And Sheriff Christianson got it right when he…

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Trump’s Hard Line with China Crushes Bill Gates’ Energy Dreams

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by Jason Hopkins   The Trump administration’s hardening stance with China is affecting Bill Gates’s ambitions to develop a cheaper, safer nuclear reactor that could prove to be a game changer for the U.S. energy industry. Gates — the founder of Microsoft who has since embarked on a number of philanthropic endeavors — has taken on the cause of reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is currently directing efforts at adapting the world to climate change, and the business magnate has joined a coalition of other billionaires who are actively investing in green energy technologies. Unlike other environmental advocates, Gates recognizes the limitations of wind and solar technology. In a year-end blog post on Saturday, he openly doubted that more affordable renewable energy would lead to breakthroughs in reducing carbon emissions, noting that they are “intermittent sources of energy” that only work when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. Instead, the 63-year-old businessman has heavily invested in nuclear energy innovation. “Next year I will speak out more about how the U.S. needs to regain its leading role in nuclear power research,” Gates wrote Saturday. “Nuclear is ideal for dealing with climate…

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Popular Pro-Abortion Group Plans to Release Children’s Book, Says Abortion is Part of ‘God’s Plan’

Anthony Gockowski

Amelia Bonow, co-founder of the popular pro-choice “Shout Your Abortion” organization, recently released a video of her discussing her abortion with children, and said she plans to release a children’s book on abortion in 2020. “I let a bunch of kids grill me about my abortion and it was great. Shout Your Abortion will be releasing a children’s book about abortion in 2020,” Bonow tweeted December 28, linking to a video of her defending abortion in conversations with children. I let a bunch of kids grill me about my abortion and it was great. #ShoutYourAbortion will be releasing a children’s book about abortion in 2020! https://t.co/1LSxdyf9f8 — Amelia Bonow (@ameliabonow) December 29, 2018 Bonow goes into detail about how she got pregnant, noting that her partner “wasn’t wearing a condom,” and describes in her own terms how an abortion works. “You go to the doctor and they put this little straw inside of your cervix and then inside of your uterus, and then they just suck the pregnancy out. It was like a crappy dentist appointment or something. It was just like this is like a body thing that’s kind of uncomfortable, but then it was over, and I felt…

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North Carolina Mayor Threatens Legal Action If Group Fails to Remove Confederate Statue

Anthony Gockowski

A North Carolina mayor is threatening legal action unless a women’s historical society removes a statue of a Confederate soldier that it owns in downtown Winston-Salem. During a Tuesday event, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines announced that City Attorney Angela Carmon sent a letter to the Daughters of the Confederacy organization asking that it relocate its statue. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the city is asking the group to move the statue from its current downtown location to Salem Cemetery, where 36 Confederate soldiers are buried. Joines and Carmon are citing vandalism of the statue as reason for its removal, saying that the city cannot provide sufficient security. The statue was vandalized twice in 2018, most recently on Christmas Day when vandals spray-painted “cowards and traitors” on the base of the statue. “We’ve already had two instances of vandalism and, with the potential for violence, it is [Carmon’s] belief that the statue does create a public nuisance and therefore we are directing the Daughters of the Confederacy to remove it, and if they don’t, we’re prepared to file legal action to achieve that removal,” Joines told the Journal Tuesday. The Daughters of the Confederacy previously declined to remove the statue, but Joines…

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With Legal Marijuana Sales Imminent in Ohio, Demand Skyrockets

Andrew Shirley

In as early as the coming days, the first legal marijuana dispensary will open for business in Ohio. Fifty-six sites have received approval for sale and several others are only waiting to receive the product before beginning distribution. However, many Ohioans are concerned that, even with legal certification, they won’t be able to obtain marijuana anytime soon. An estimated 3.5 million Ohioans have medical conditions that would permit the use of the controversial drug. In addition, more than 350 doctors are now qualified to approve marijuana prescriptions across the state. There a plethora of conditions that qualify for marijuana use ranging from chronic pain and PTSD to AIDS and most forms of cancer. In spite of this, only a fraction will be able to obtain marijuana following the first sales. In a recent interview Ohio Department of Commerce Senior Policy Advisor Mark Hamlin revealed that, though there will be product available soon, “we know the initial product will be very small.” In addition, he conceded that supply will absolutely not reach initial demand. The 56 dispensaries that have been approved are not equally distributed throughout the state. Some Ohioans will have to drive as much as three and a half hours just to reach…

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Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Leading Protest to Ask Walz for Executive Order on Climate Change

Anthony Gockowski

Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) daughter helped organize an upcoming rally at the Minnesota Capitol to urge the incoming governor to “issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions.” In a recent tweet, Isra Hirsi announced that “young people from across the state” will protest on January 9 to ask Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) to support their climate proposals and “demonstrate to us that protecting our futures will be a top priority for his admin.” On Jan 9th at 4pm inside the MN capitol, young people from across the state will ask Gov. @Tim_Walz to issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions, & demonstrate to us that protecting our futures will be a top priority for his admin. This event is 100% youth led! pic.twitter.com/tbHdJGWt0x — isra hirsi (@israhirsi) December 31, 2018 Hirsi, Omar’s daughter, claims that the “event is 100 percent youth led,” and is sponsored by the MN Can’t Wait climate-change organization, a self-described “movement of youth activists from all over Minnesota pushing for bold, necessary changes in our state to protect our futures from the climate crisis.” According to an event description for next week’s protest, student protesters will “be going to Gov. Walz’s office to send…

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Keith Urban Entertains 200,000 Fans on New Year’s Eve in Nashville

Bethany Bowman

Joining the lineup with 2018 CMA Entertainer of the Year winner Urban were Grammy-winning rocker Peter Frampton; Country artist Brett Young, the Academy of Country Music’s New Male Vocalist of the Year; genre-bending rock/pop band Judah & the Lion; critically-acclaimed pop rock singer/songwriter Caitlyn Smith; contemporary soul and rock artist Devon Gilfillian; and the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

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Commentary: Our Exhausted American Mediocracy

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by Victor David Hanson   The unlikely 2016 election of Donald Trump—the first president without either prior political or military office—was a repudiation of the American “aristocracy.” By “rule of the best” I mean the ancien régime was no longer understood to suggest wealth and birth (alone), but instead envisioned itself as a supposed national meritocracy of those with proper degrees, and long service in the top hierarchies of government, media, blue-chip law firms, Wall Street, high tech, and academia. The 2016 election and refutation of the ruling class did not signal that those without such educations and qualifications were de facto better suited to direct the country. Instead, the lesson was that the past record of governance and the current stature of our assumed best and brightest certainly did not justify their reputations or authority, much less their outsized self-regard. In short, instead of being a meritocracy, they amount to a mediocracy, neither great nor awful, but mostly mediocre. This mediocracy is akin to late 4th-century B.C. Athenian politicians, the last generation of the Roman Republic, the late 18th-century French aristocracy, or the British bipartisan elite of the mid-1930s—their reputations relying on the greater wisdom and accomplishment of an…

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Antisemitic Doctor Who Said She’d Give Jews the Wrong Medication No Longer Employed at Ohio Hospital

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by Joshua Gill   An Ohio hospital confirmed Monday that it no longer employs a doctor who made anti-Semitic comments and promised to give Jewish patients the wrong medication. The Cleveland Clinic said in its statement that it became aware of the social media posts by Lara Kollab, 27, who worked at the clinic from July to September 2018, and that her beliefs conflicted with those of the clinic. The hospital did not state, however, whether Kollab had been let go as a direct result of her tweets. Kollab had a history of making violently anti-Semitic comments on social media. An online compilation of Kollab’s tweets showed she often referred to Jews as “dogs,” invoked Allah to kill them, and denigrated both Israel and the U.S. “Cleveland Clinic was recently made aware of comments posted to social media by a former employee,” the hospital’s Monday statement reads. “This individual was employed as a supervised resident at our hospital from July to September 2018. She is no longer working at Cleveland Clinic. In no way do these beliefs reflect those of our organization. We fully embrace diversity, inclusion and a culture of safety and respect across our entire health system,” the…

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NASA Makes Space History with Distant Fly-By

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Just 33 minutes into the New Year, NASA’s New Horizons probe made space exploration history, flying by the most distant body ever visited by a spacecraft from earth. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which built and operates the spacecraft, said Tuesday it had “zipped past” the object known as 2014 MU69, or Ultima Thule. About 10 hours later, Mission Operations Manager Alice Bowman said “We’ve just accomplished the most distant flyby,” to enthusiastic applause from colleagues. New Horizons, which is the size of a baby grand piano and part of an $800 million mission launched in 2006, collected data for four hours after the flyby. Scientists said it will take almost two years for the probe to send back all the data it collected during its encounter with Ultima Thule. Early blurry images showed and oblong shaped object nearly 35 kilometers long and more than 14 kilometers wide. More images and data were expected to begin arriving later Tuesday, giving scientists the first close look at a building block of the planets in our solar system. “Everything we are going to learn about Ultima … are going to teach us about the original formation conditions of objects in…

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As Trump Critics Corker and Flake Leave the Political Stage, the Establishment and Media Look to Who Will Fill the Void

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President Donald Trump’s most prominent GOP critics on Capitol Hill are days away from completing their Senate careers, raising the question of who will take their place as willing to publicly criticize a president who remains popular with nearly 9 in 10 Republican voters. Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee engaged in a war of words with the president on myriad issues over the past 18 months, generating headlines and fiery tweets from a president who generally insists on getting the last word. Those battles put them on the outs with many in their own party, and they paid a price. Both decided to retire rather than take on a difficult re-election campaign. Flake was far and away Trump’s most consistent critic among Senate Republicans. Corker weighed in less often, but his description of the White House as an “adult day care center” rankled the president, who dubbed him “Liddle’ Bob Corker.” The feud continued as Corker headed for the exits, with Trump asserting that Corker’s promise to serve only two terms was not the real reason he retired. Rather, Corker “wanted to run but poll numbers TANKED when I wouldn’t endorse him,” Trump tweeted. Corker…

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Chief Justice Details Efforts to Combat Workplace Misconduct

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Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is using his annual report on the federal judiciary to highlight the steps the branch has taken to combat inappropriate conduct in the workplace. In December 2017, Roberts asked that a working group be put together to examine the judiciary’s workplace conduct policies. His request followed news reports about prominent federal appeals court judge Alex Kozinski, who retired following accusations by women, including former law clerks, that he had touched them inappropriately, made lewd comments and shown them pornography. The working group of judges and judiciary officials that Roberts asked be convened issued a report in June, finding that inappropriate conduct is not widespread among the judiciary branch’s 30,000 employees but also is “not limited to a few isolated instances.” The group offered a range of recommendations for further action. Roberts, in his New Year’s Eve report, endorsed those recommendations, which focus on revising the codes of conduct the judiciary has for judges and employees, streamlining the process for identifying and correcting misconduct, and expanding training programs aimed at preventing inappropriate behavior. Roberts did not say anything in the report about the sexual assault allegations that nearly derailed the confirmation of the court’s newest…

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Commentary: Ten Great Economic Myths

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by Murray N. Rothbard   Our country is beset by a large number of economic myths that distort public thinking on important problems and lead us to accept unsound and dangerous government policies. Here are ten of the most dangerous of these myths and an analysis of what is wrong with them. Myth #1 Deficits are the cause of inflation; deficits have nothing to do with inflation. In recent decades we always have had federal deficits. The invariable response of the party out of power, whichever it may be, is to denounce those deficits as being the cause of our chronic inflation. And the invariable response of whatever party is in power has been to claim that deficits have nothing to do with inflation. Both opposing statements are myths. Deficits mean that the federal government is spending more than it is taking in taxes. Those deficits can be financed in two ways. If they are financed by selling Treasury bonds to the public, then the deficits are not inflationary. No new money is created; people and institutions simply draw down their bank deposits to pay for the bonds, and the Treasury spends that money. Money has simply been transferred from…

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Rethinking The Iron Lady: Lessons for Today’s Brexit

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by Silvio Simonetti   Since the British population decided to strike a coup in the liberal political establishment voting for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit), Westminster is in a political crisis. David Cameron resigned after the referendum’s outcome, and Theresa May’s government is burning in flames, and no one knows if she will survive a vote of confidence initiated by conservative backbenchers. To understand the political drama of the modern United Kingdom and Brexit, one must understand the significance of Margaret Thatcher, her relationship with Europe and with the British people. Thatcher was an enthusiast of European economic integration because she believed that this would be the only way to impose fiscal rigor on the UK in the long run. It was long afterward, and too late, that she came to understand that the pan-European project was, in fact, a plan of the Eurocrats to destroy the nation-states in favor of one United States of Europe controlled by an authoritarian bureaucracy in Brussels. Thatcher’s famous Bruges Speech (1988), in which she described the European unification project as an attempt to “introduce collectivism and corporatism” and “concentrate power at the center of a European conglomerate,” was given when…

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House Dems Release Plan to End Shutdown – No Wall Included

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by Henry Rodgers   House Democrats are putting together a plan to end the partial government shutdown, which does not include any additional funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who vehemently opposed the border wall, calling it “immoral, ineffective and expensive,” and her Democratic colleagues reportedly put together legislation that would reopen the government and allocate $1.3 billion to border security, however, none of that would be allowed to go to a border wall. The Democrats plan to introduce the legislation on the House floor Thursday, when they regain control, according to Fox News. Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, previously said he does not believe Trump will agree to the Democrats’ counteroffer of $1.3 billion that could be used for the border wall, stating he does not think the amount is “reasonable.” The government will remain shut down until a compromise can be worked out among the two parties. “The time to stand up for the American people and fight for wall funding is now. The time to act is now. That’s why we were elected and it’s time we follow through,” Meadows told the The Daily…

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Bipartisan Support for New Federal Gun Controls Is a Red Flag

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by Jose Nino   Is more gun control legislation coming to Congress? The 2018 midterm elections produced a split Congress with Democrats gaining control of the House and Republicans gaining seats in the Senate. The change in House leadership will signal changes in gun control legislation in the near future. The Guardian has detailed House Democrats’ desire to pass gun control legislation in the upcoming Congress: “Ted Deutch, a Democratic congressman from Florida who represents Parkland, where a February school shooting left 17 dead, said this week that he expected House Democrats to focus on bills with more bipartisan support. Those measures included bump stock bans and “extreme risk protection orders”, also known as red flag laws, which give law enforcement and family members a way to petition a court to temporarily bar an unstable person from buying or owning guns.” Red flag laws might just be the “come together” moment establishment politicians have been looking for. What Are Red Flag Laws? Red flag laws or Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are the euphemistic label for new gun-control measures. Under red flag laws, law enforcement has the ability to confiscate an individual’s firearms who is deemed a threat to themselves…

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FAKE NEWS: Contrary to the New Film ‘Vice,’ Dick Cheney Was Not Evil

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by Brandon J. Weichert   Dick Cheney doesn’t have a heart. That, at least, is the intended conclusion one is supposed to draw from the recent Dick Cheney biopic, “Vice,” starring Christian Bale. In “Vice,” audiences are subjected to a torrent of subliminal messages suggesting Dick Cheney is an abnormal human being; a political Svengali, worshiping at the blood-stained altar of power. Everything Cheney did, so the story goes, was predicated upon the assumption of absolute power for power’s sake. Whatever may be the legitimate criticisms about Dick Cheney, no one should believe such an inane leftist caricature any more than one should believe the grotesque false narrative that the elites today have about Trump. In both cases, these two very different men are far more complex than the tidy elite narratives would have it. “Vice” ultimately is a work a fiction. Yes, it includes real names and comprises actual bits of the real life experiences of the people portrayed in the film, but as a substantive contribution to understanding one of the most misunderstood political figures in American history, the film falls flat. “Vice” is the latest a string of recent dramas produced by the notorious comedy director and…

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Minneapolis’ ‘Little Mogadishu’ Sees 56 Percent Increase in Violent Crimes Caused by Somali Gangs

Anthony Gockowski

  Violent crimes increased by more than 50 percent in 2018 in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, nicknamed “little Mogadishu,” which authorities attribute to Somali gang activity in the area. Buried in a recent Star Tribune article was the fact that violent crimes jumped from 54 in 2010 to 84 in 2018, an increase in roughly 56 percent. Authorities attribute the violence to rivalries between Somali gangs, such as the Somali Mafia, the Somali Outlaws, the Hot Boyz, and Madhibaan with Attitude, Alpha News reports. According to a 2014 Southside Pride article, the Outlaws and Madhibaan with Attitude have a rivalry that stretches back years, and likely resulted in the murder of two Somali men in April 2014. That article notes that the summer of 2013 was a particularly bloody season for gang warfare, which produced at least 4 killings. A 2013 CBS article detailed the involvement of the Outlaws, the Mafia, and another gang called the Lady Outlaws in a sex-trafficking ring that recruited and prostituted young girls, some of whom were under the age of 14, between 2000 and 2010. The ring was operated out of Minneapolis, Columbus, and Nashville, and resulted in the indictment of 30 individuals involved. In…

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Coal Fund Raid Could Cost Ohioans Millions

Andrew Shirley

In a rare display of unity, members of the coal lobby joined with environmental advocacy leaders to raise concerns following Gov. John Kasich’s (R-OH) decision to raid the state’s coal mining reclamation fund. In 2017, the state of Ohio was facing a heavy tax shortfall as a result of decreased tax revenues. In response, Kasich withdrew over $114 million dollars from 16 separate state agencies in order to fund more essential government functions. The Ohio coal mining reclamation fund was among these and lost more than $5 million. Currently, there are no plans or provisions in place to replace the funds. The fund is paid for by taxes collected from state coal mining companies, intended to reverse the damage done by mining over the past two centuries. For over 200 years, Ohio has been a major center of coal mining in America. Mining was essential to the development of Ohio’s economy. While surface mining can be done responsibly, the depleted land often requires significant investment to repair. Should this not occur, environmental damage can extend well past the intended areas. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’s Division of Mineral Resources, as of 1972, the problems included: 1,300 miles of streams polluted by…

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ICE Places Hold on Immigrant Charged With Criminally Negligent Homicide in Fatal Knoxville Accident

Jason M. Reynolds

A man charged in the vehicular death Saturday of a Knoxville Fire Department captain’s son also has an ICE hold on his arrest, WBIR reported. Franco Cambrany Francisco-Eduardo, 44 has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, not having a driver’s license and failure to have proof of financial responsibility (having no insurance), WBIR said. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has a hold on him. Francisco-Eduardo, of Oak Ridge, is accused of killing Pierce Corcoran, 22 in the crash that happened on Chapman Highway around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, WVLT said. The Knoxville Police Department said Francisco-Eduardo’s Chevy pickup, which was heading north, crossed into the opposite lanes and hit Corcoran’s Honda Civic, causing a chain reaction. Corcoran and passenger Jade Adams, 21, were transported to UT Medical Center, where Corcoran was later pronounced dead, WVLT said. Adams was treated for her injuries. The other drivers were not injured. Corcoran was the son of Knoxville Fire Department Capt. and Public Information Officer D.J. Corcoran. Corcoran’s obituary by Stevens Mortuary said: In his 22 years, he tried his hand at every sport possible, developing a love of golf, soccer, tennis and running 2 marathons in 2017. He became an advocate for eating…

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President Trump’s Executive Order Freezing Federal Pay Saves Taxpayers from Double-Digit Pay Increases

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by Rachel Greszler   President Donald Trump issued an executive order effectively freezing federal pay for 2019 at current 2018 levels. Had the president not issued this executive order (and lacking congressional action on federal pay), federal workers would have received a 2.1 percent across-the-board pay increase, as well as a 25 percent increase in locality-based pay. A 2.1 percent across-the-board increase would have cost roughly $5 billion in 2019 while the locality-based increase would have cost a reported $26 billion. That exceptional pay spike would have kicked in had the president not acted and had the default changes specified in the 1990 Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act kicked in instead. That act provides for annual federal pay increases based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Cost Index, which tracks civilian employment costs. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Despite the specified formulaic federal pay increases, federal pay has more recently been set by presidents through their authority to propose an alternative pay schedule. As has become the norm in recent decades, presidents typically set their own pay proposal by Aug. 31 and barring alternative congressional action…

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Commentary: Democrat Excess Leads to New and Improved Trump in 2019

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Donald Trump

by Jeffrey A. Rendall   Predictions. It’s what New Year’s is all about. It goes without saying that 2018 was full of surprises. Heading into this year Republican majorities in both houses of Congress had just passed a massive reorganization of the federal tax code, including a sizeable tax cut for most Americans in the bill language. By January 1, Democrats were already griping about reduced rates for corporations and businesses, claiming, as they always do, that the benefits of the new law would rain down disproportionately on the wealthiest and most powerful taxpayers. Never mind that many, many companies had already announced sizeable end-of-the-year bonuses and raises for employees based on the improved future tax outlook. Nonetheless, Democrats were convinced the popularity of the new law would not improve (especially if they demagogued the matter) over the course of time. Democrats believed they could parlay President Donald Trump’s lukewarm favorability numbers into a “wave” in November. After all, they’d just been eminently successful in stealing a senate seat in deep red Alabama (with a huge assist from the Washington GOP establishment), so the sky was the limit, right? Last month’s election came and went, Democrats gained 40 seats in…

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Commentary: Journalists Dropping the Ball to End 2018

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by Julie Kelly   This is almost too good to be true: Several American journalists will be in Times Square on Monday night to drop the New Year’s Eve ball and signal the end of 2018. The “esteemed group comprises a broad spectrum of journalists to be honored as the international event celebrates press freedom and journalism,” gloated the official press release. CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, NBC News host Lester Holt, and Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal are among the prestigious ball-droppers. The symbolism is perfect—but not for the reasons these self-promoters think. After another year of embarrassing and sometimes bizarre behavior, the American news media will shamelessly celebrate themselves as 2018 draws to a close. The irony of people representing media outlets that have polluted our public discourse with some of the most flawed, biased, and conspiratorial news coverage in modern times dropping a ball together in midtown Manhattan is delicious. And their lack of self-awareness makes it even more spectacular. “It is fitting to celebrate free press and free speech as we reflect on where we’ve been during the past year and what it is we value most as a society,” puffed one of the event’s organizers. LOL. So,…

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RNC Slams Elizabeth Warren as ‘Total Fraud’ Amid 2020 Presidential Speculation

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by Henry Rodgers   Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called Sen. Elizabeth Warren a “total fraud” Monday, the day the Massachusetts Democrat announced she was forming a presidential exploratory committee. In a fiery statement from the RNC, McDaniel called out Warren for her “phony claim to minority status,” referencing Warren’s claims that she is part Native American, also calling her an “extreme far-left obstructionist and a total fraud.” McDaniel also said she is confident President Donald Trump would defeat Warren in 2020 if she decides to run. “Senator Warren couldn’t be more out of touch,” McDaniel said. “With her lack of support from voters – including in her home state – on top of her phony claim to minority status, now that she is formally running Americans will see her for what she is: another extreme far-left obstructionist and a total fraud. Voters know President Trump’s agenda gets results and they will make their voices heard at the ballot box in 2020.” This all comes as Warren announced Monday that she is officially forming a presidential exploratory committee in a bid to run for president in 2020 against Trump. Warren made her first national political move by donating…

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White House Aide Blasts Reporter After He Said Trump Was Not Working During Shutdown

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by Henry Rodgers   White House aide Hogan Gidley called out a reporter for saying President Donald Trump was not working Monday amid the ninth day of the government shutdown, demanding he “correct the record.” Gidley, Trump’s deputy press secretary, was responding to Playboy’s White House reporter Brian Karem, who tweeted out a photo of the West Wing, saying since there was no Marine present at the doorway, the president was not in the Oval Office. Gidley said he looked into the Oval Office right after seeing the tweet, and saw Trump sitting behind the Resolute Desk working, and said Karem did not even call the press team to ask if he was working before sending out the tweet. I just looked into the Oval Office myself, and @POTUS was in fact sitting behind the Resolute Desk working. So, now I’m just waiting for you and the rest of your ilk to either stop jumping to false conclusions, correct the record, or, here’s a thought, call the press team to ask. https://t.co/uzIp0i7Dwo — Hogan Gidley 45 Archived (@hogangidley45) December 31, 2018 This all comes as President Donald Trump has said he will not budge on the $5 billion requested for a border wall,…

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There’s a New Product in the Fight Against Fentanyl Overdoses

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by Amanda Hagstrom   America’s heroin and cocaine addicts are turning to test strips in the search to combat the increasing rate fatal, fentanyl-induced overdoses. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid potent enough to kill an adult male with just two milligrams, or land someone in the hospital if a fan so much as blows it on them. If a heroin addict unknowingly purchases fentanyl-laced product, he will likely overdose. This reality has lead to massive increases in fatal overdose deaths across the country since 2016, but new test strips can allow addicts and doctors to verify easily that their drugs are free of fentanyl before using, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. “This is an effective way to have people thinking about risks,” Louise Vincent, executive director of the Greensboro, N.C., chapter of the advocacy group Urban Survivors Union, told WSJ. “It’s so important to give people as many tools as we can.” States such as California and Rhode Island have been distributing the tests for nearly two years, with several cities in Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania following suit. The strips work much like pregnancy tests, requiring users to dip them in water mixed with tiny amounts of heroin or…

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2018 Saw a Global Revolt Against Climate Change Policies

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by Michael Bastasch   Despite increasingly apocalyptic warnings from U.N. officials, 2018 has seen a number of high-profile defeats for policies aimed at fighting global warming. Politicians and voters pushed back at attempts to raise energy prices as part of the climate crusade. It started in June with election of Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Ontario residents overwhelmingly voted Ford’s conservative coalition into power on a platform that included axing the Canadian province’s cap-and-trade program. Ford said his first priority upon taking office would be to “cancel the Liberal cap-and-trade carbon tax.” Ford then joined a legal challenge led by Saskatchewan against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s policy of a central government-imposed carbon tax on provinces that don’t have their own. Carbon tax opponents called Trudeau’s plan an attempt to “use the new tax to further redistribute income, which will increase the costs of this tax to the economy.” Roughly ten thousand miles away in Australia another revolt was brewing. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saw his power base crumble within days of failing to pass a bill aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Turnbull’s so-called National Energy Guarantee to reduce energy sector emissions was opposed by a group of conservative members of…

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