Day: June 3, 2019

We Build the Wall Finishes First Half Mile Section in New Mexico

Jason M. Reynolds

  The first half mile section of the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico was completed Sunday, even as armed drug cartel foots soldiers probed the wall over the weekend. “Foreman Mike” of We Build the Wall was featured in an update late Sunday morning on YouTube and the organization’s other social media accounts. At that point, about 39 feet of the section remained to be done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vbw2HG03E&app=desktop There is still work to do on the roadway and lighting, Foreman Mike said on this version of the We Build the Wall video on Twitter feed of organization founder Brian Kolfage. Foreman Mike projected the entire project would be completed Tuesday. https://twitter.com/BrianKolfage/status/1135185537848020992 Work resumed last week after Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea backtracked on his claim the wall violated city law, after the city had issued a cease and desist order, Battleground State News reported. Foreman Mike said on Sunday’s video that crews were working around the clock and pointed out the formidable, mountainous terrain. The wall runs up a 31 percent grade. He said Tommy Fisher of Fisher Industries and Stanley Jobe of Jobe Concrete were leading the work. You can see the wet concrete,” Foreman Mike said, pointing…

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Commentary: Disney and Netflix Go All-In for Corporate Fascism Over Georgia’s Pro-Life Laws

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by George Rasley   A few weeks ago, we explained the new phenomenon of corporate totalitarianism where corporations campaign against their customers and betray their shareholders in pursuit of Left-wing political goals. Now, with their announcements that they are boycotting Georgia and Alabama over their adoption of pro-life legislation, it appears that media giants Disney and Netflix have become the latest members of the league of corporate totalitarians. According to CNN Business, Netflix and Disney have said they will join WarnerMedia in a boycott of Georgia if the state’s new abortion law takes effect. The state became a hub for entertainment industry production, in part because of generous tax breaks Georgia offers filmmakers and producers. But the companies are prepared to betray their fiduciary obligations to shareholders and give up those tax incentives and leave the state in pursuit of the Left’s morally bankrupt abortion agenda. Reporting for CNN Business, Brian Stelter and Shannon Liao claim prominent celebrities and some production companies have vowed to boycott Georgia as a result of the state’s pro-life legislation. But, say Stelter and Liao, the deep pockets of Netflix and Disney “mean the companies have louder voices.” Citing the concerns of the predominantly liberal-leaning stars and producers…

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Mexican Official Leading Tariff Negotiations Compared Trump to Hitler, Called Him Mexico’s ‘Enemy’

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by Peter Hasson   The top Mexican official leading negotiations with the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs previously compared Trump to Hitler and described him as an “enemy” of Mexico. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard arrived at the Mexican embassy on Saturday and is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, Ebrard announced on Twitter. Ebrard, a former Mexico City mayor who has served as foreign secretary since December 2018, has been open in his disdain for Trump in the past. “He, like Hitler, is a good communicator,” Ebrard told The New Yorker in 2016, referring to Trump. The New Yorker’s article profiled Ebrard’s get-out-the-vote efforts for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “It was after hearing Donald Trump speak that I decided to get much more involved, beyond just giving opinions,” Ebrard told the magazine. “The risk represented by el Señor Trump, the things that he says, in particular about Mexico, but in general, too, are like nothing else I’ve encountered.” Roughly a week before the 2016 election, Ebrard called Trump the greatest “enemy” that Mexico has faced in “many years.” Cada voto cuenta, apoyemos a Hillary Clinton. Derrotemos la xenofobia anti mexicana de Trump pic.twitter.com/Qpb314m3Qq — Marcelo Ebrard…

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Third-Ranking Democrat Says House Will ‘Eventually Impeach’ Trump

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by Chuck Ross   South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said Sunday he believes President Donald Trump will eventually be impeached. “But it sounds like you’re — you think that the president will be impeached, or at least proceedings will begin in the House at some point, but just not right now?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Clyburn during an interview. “Yes, exactly what I feel,” replied Clyburn, the Democratic whip. Clyburn’s remarks are likely to raise expectations for Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump. Rank-and-file Democrats, as well as most of the Democrats running for president, have called for impeachment of Trump. So far, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pushed back against the idea, largely out of concerns that impeachment proceedings would end up helping Trump politically. “I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi told ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is then, he believes, that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate.” .@JakeTapper: “It sounds like you think that the President will be impeached, or at least proceedings will begin in the House at some point, but…

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Report: Trump’s DOJ Prepares an Antitrust Investigation into Google’s Business Practice

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by Chris White   The Department of Justice is preparing an antitrust probe against Google’s search engine and business model, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night, citing people familiar with the issue. It would be the first such investigation since the Federal Trade Commission conducted a probe of Google but closed it in 2013 without taking action. The FTC and DOJ have discussed which agency would oversee a probe of the internet giant — the commission agreed to give DOJ officials jurisdiction, TheWSJ noted. The Trump administration is focusing its attention on Google’s business model related to the company’s search. Google and the DOJ have not responded to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Investigating Google was in some ways a long time in the making. Conservatives and liberals have become increasingly critical of big tech. Facebook was scrutinized after Russia used its platform to intervene in American politics. Lawmakers are also unsure about the companies assurances that they are careful handling private data. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, for instance, proposed a bill in May that would essentially block tech companies from tracking people’s locations without direct…

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Breast Cancer Drug Shows Promise, Boosts Survival Rates by 30 Percent

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  A new form of drug drastically improves survival rates of pre-menopausal women with the most common type of breast cancer, researchers said on Saturday, citing the results of an international clinical trial. The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, showed that the addition of cell-cycle inhibitor ribociclib increased survival rates to 70 percent after 3½ years. The mortality rate was 29 percent less than when patients were randomly assigned a placebo. Lead author Sara Hurvitz told told AFP the study focused on hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which accounts for two-thirds of all breast cancer cases among younger women and is generally treated by therapies that block estrogen production. “You actually can get synergy, or a better response, better cancer kill, by adding one of these cell-cycle inhibitors” on top of the hormone suppression, Hurvitz said. The drug works by inhibiting the activity of cancer-cell promoting enzymes known as cyclin-dependent 4/6 kinases. The treatment is less toxic than traditional chemotherapy because it more selectively targets cancerous cells, blocking their ability to multiply. An estimated 268,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S. in…

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Commentary: Novelist Michael Crichton and His Warnings about the Corruption, Politicization of Science

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by Edward Ring   Just over 10 years ago, the world lost Michael Crichton, bestselling author and screenwriter, who succumbed to cancer at age 66. His loss was greater than we could have known at the time. During the final years of his life, Crichton became increasingly focused on the politicization of science. Few critics of this corruption, if any, are as articulate and influential as Michael Crichton was in his time. And now politicized science, and the justifications it provides activists, journalists, politicians, and corporate opportunists, is more dangerous than ever. Crichton’s scientific background – he obtained a medical degree in 1969, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies – distinguished him from the typical author of thrillers, and informed his life-long interest in science and technology. Whenever Crichton expressed skepticism about the latest environmental crisis of the century, he had credibility. One of the most succinct and moving examples of Crichton’s thoughts on this topic came in the form of a speech he gave in 2003 at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, titled “Environmentalism As Religion.” The transcript offers a compelling defense of rational environmentalism vs. environmentalism as a religion, and warns against the politicization of…

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US Requires Social Media Details on Most Visa Applications

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  The State Department is now requiring nearly all applicants for U.S. visas to submit their social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers. It’s a vast expansion of the Trump administration’s enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors. In a move that’s just taken effect after approval of the revised application forms, the department says it has updated its immigrant and non-immigrant visa forms to request the additional information, including “social media identifiers,” from almost all U.S. applicants. The change, which was proposed in March 2018, is expected to affect about 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter the United States each year. “National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveler and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening,” the department said. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.” Extra scrutiny expanded Social media, email and phone number histories had only been sought in the past from applicants who were identified for extra scrutiny, such as people who’d traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations. An estimated 65,000 applicants per year…

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Analysis: China Is Not as Great a Threat on Rare Earths as They Say

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by Robert Romano   “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!” That was a People’s Daily commentary threatening that China will cut the U.S. off from rare earth minerals used to make high tech components for computers, smart phones and military weapons systems. The People’s Daily is an official newspaper for Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the largest newspaper group in the nation, and the threat comes as U.S. and Chinese trade officials attempt to find a way forward from their current impasse in negotiations. The commentary was headlined “United States, don’t underestimate China’s ability to strike back” and spoke of America’s “uncomfortable” reliance on rare earth minerals from China. That part is at least true. We do rely on rare earths from China (and elsewhere). The U.S. consumed about 9,500 metric tons of rare earths in 2018, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and we are 100 percent reliant on imports of rare earth metals. Most of it, 80 percent, does come from China. But left out of the analysis is that China has been losing global market share since its high-water mark of 95 percent of global production in 2010, down to 80 percent global market share now, mostly thanks to…

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Minnesota Gov. Walz Says Republicans and Business Leaders Will Beg Him for a Gas Tax Next Year

Jason M. Reynolds

  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he expects businesses and Republican legislators to suggest a gas tax to him next year. The governor, a member of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party, made the remarks Friday during an interview with Mary Lahammer on Twin Cities Public TV. The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus provided a video clip here. Hard pass. Again. ✋ pic.twitter.com/SU0QHuNGR2 — Minnesota Senate Republicans (@mnsrc) June 1, 2019 Walz said, ”I fully expect that the business community and Republicans legislators will suggest it to me.” The full interview is available here. (The gas tax discussion starts around 12 minutes and 6 seconds.) He said his proposal is not ideological but about needs. “That’s what the engineers tell us we need,” he said. It was obvious to him during negotiations that “Republicans weren’t going to do a single penny,” he said. When asked if he would revisit the tax next year, Walz made the remark about  opponents coming to him. The reaction was overwhelmingly skeptical on the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus’ Facebook video post here. In February, Center of the American Experiment criticized Walz’ planned tax hike of 20 cents per gallon of gas. So, even with a projected budget surplus…

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HB 200 Restores Work Requirement to Ohio’s Able-Bodied Food Stamp Recipients

Beth Lear

  In 1996 the United States Congress passed welfare reform, which added work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving food stamps, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Under President Obama in his 2009 stimulus bill, a waiver was created that allows states and local governments to opt out of those work, training and volunteer requirements. State Representative Scott Wiggam (R-Wooster) has introduced House Bill 200 to restore the dignity of work in Ohio.  According the analysis of the bill, “SNAP recipients must meet work-related eligibility requirements to remain (in) the program.”  The requirements for all non-disabled individuals between the ages of 16 and 59, include the following: accepting a job offer registering for work not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing hours worked participating in a state-offered SNAP employment and training program Additional requirements are in place for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) to obtain benefits with HB 200.  “Individuals between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no dependents and are not disabled…can only receive SNAP benefits for up to three months every three years,” the analysis states.  The only exceptions are if: the ABAWD is working at least 20 hours per week the ABAWD is participating…

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Michigan Governor Signs Auto Insurance Reform That Will Lower Rates

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by Tyler Arnold   Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan auto insurance reform into law Thursday that will guarantee lower rates for all drivers in the state with the highest premiums in the country. “By signing this legislation, we are providing relief to millions of drivers across the state and guaranteeing a better auto insurance system for everyone,” Whitmer said in a news release. “This historic deal shows that, when we put party aside, we can find common ground on our state’s toughest issues to provide realistic and affordable coverage options for drivers across Michigan.” The legislation will eliminate a mandate that required every driver to purchase unlimited, lifetime personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. The PIP portion of a person’s auto insurance bill makes up about half the cost. The new legislation will allow drivers to choose from a series of options, all of which reduce their total bill. A driver that chooses to keep 100 percent PIP coverage will receive 10 percent off of the PIP portion of their bill. Drivers who choose $500,000 worth of coverage will receive a 20 percent reduction and drivers who choose $250,000 worth of coverage will receive a 25 percent reduction. Medicaid-eligible recipients can…

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Nashville Mayor David Briley Curbs Proposed Parking Plan

Chris Butler

  Nashville Democratic Mayor David Briley has shelved a plan to privatize parking because he realized city residents have little love for it. Briley announced this on his Facebook page late last week. “It is clear to me that residents still have questions about the merits of this proposal. Residents need more time – and it is unfair to the public and to Council to rush this process,” Briley wrote. “Worse yet, others are using misinformation to further confuse and scare people. It’s politics at its worst. For these reasons, I am hitting the pause button on this proposal.” As The Tennessee Star reported, Briley’s plan to privatize on-street parking meters, which would include higher fines for parking violations, elimination of most free parking times, and expand meters into additional neighborhoods, is extremely unpopular. Also, as reported, certain Nashville residents said city officials were rushing through the plan so they could get more money out of people’s wallets and help cover their past mistakes. Nashville resident David F. Roberts, for instance, sent out a letter to thousands of his neighbors that bluntly said the plan will “screw us over” and “make our lives a lot more complicated and MORE EXPENSIVE!” Roberts…

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