On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy talked to Tennessee Star panelist and decision desk operator weighs in on the origins and reasoning behind the ‘whistleblower’ in Washington, D.C.
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“I am not worried about the deficit,” Ronald Reagan famously said. “It is big enough to take care of itself.”
If you pay attention to the libertarian purists, President Reagan earns mixed reviews on his economic policies. After all, in 1983, the federal budget deficit exceeded 6 percent of GDP. But Reagan was untroubled by federal budget deficits for at least two reasons, and in both cases he has been vindicated by history.
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The U.S. imposed a 15% tariff Sunday on Chinese imports valued at $111 billion in 2018 including tools, apparel, footwear and electronics, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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President Trump’s campaign rallies were an unprecedented political phenomenon in the 2016 presidential campaign.
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On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy spoke with weekly special guest and former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe.
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Anti-sex trafficking activist and filmmaker Jaco Booyens told Fox News host Mark Levin there is “no question” President Donald Trump has done more than previous presidents to address sex trafficking.
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) slammed Democrats for their handling of the crisis at the southern border during a recent hearing before the House Oversight Committee. “What we’re going to hear from Democrats this morning is astonishing. It will be truly astonishing. For months they’ve declared there wasn’t even a crisis on the southern border” Jordan began his remarks. He quoted previous comments from the Democrats, who’ve called it a “fake crisis” and “fear-mongering of the worst kind.” “But weeks later, Democrats sure have changed their tune. The Chairman just recently said ‘Congress cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis at the border.’ For years now, Republicans have been warning about the crisis and working to find solutions, and all the while Democrats have denied there was even a problem. This is not about politics. It’s always been about preserving the integrity of our border and preventing the humanitarian crisis that we are all now witnessing,” Jordan continued. He criticized Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07) for failing to hold a hearing on the border earlier in the year. “Instead he prioritized political hearings like, well, like the hearing we first had—Michael Cohen. Think about this. The president made his emergency supplemental request only…
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Pro-Trump Michiganders are a planning a “Squash Amash” rally for Flag Day outside of Rep. Justin Amash’s (R-MI-03) Grand Rapids office in response to his comments in support of impeaching the president. “Join us on Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday outside the Amash office in Grand Rapids and tell the conservative world we demand he step down from his elected position,” states an event description for the rally, which will be hosted by several pro-Trump groups in Michigan’s Third Congressional District. Protesters have also started an online petition demanding Amash’s resignation, which claims that Amash “has lost all credibility” and “no longer has the right to speak on our behalf.” “The actions and statements by Representative Amash have the effect of negating the will of the people of the 3rd District of Michigan in violation of his oath of office to represent the views and best interests of the people,” the petition continues. Diane Schindlbeck, an organizer of the rally, told MLive that she wants to “make sure he knows here in Michigan we support our president.” “Justin Amash, as one of the elected officials here in West Michigan, is not listening to his own voter base, and…
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During a specific interview discussion Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy spoke to Congressman Mark Green live from Normandy to discuss the tone in France and how it was important to remember what price is paid for our freedom in America. Gill: One of our good friends Congressman Mark Green is in Normandy. Actually commanded troupes at Sainte Mere Eglise where the 82nd Airborne parachuted in to start fighting the Germans. And he’s at Normandy right now giving us an on the spot report right now. Mark good to have you with us. Green: Thanks Steve how are you? Thanks for having me on the show. Gill: As we’re watching some of these images this morning on Fox the potency of this day comes through the TV screen. It must be even more intense to be there. Green: Yeah I really hope that the case for the folks back home because I couldn’t help cry a little bit. You know when you think of the incredible bravery and the sacrifice and…
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Veteran John James, one of Michigan’s rising Republicans stars, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate Thursday morning, the 75th anniversary of D-Day. “I would like to announce that I am running for U.S. Senate after careful deliberation and thoughtful prayer,” James said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “I believe that the time, again, is to serve,” James continued. “I understand what we need to do because I have experience as a business leader, as a job creator—how to protect our economy from socialism, how to bring people together and unite people to make sure that we can defeat the evils that face us today.” James, who lost to incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2018 by seven points, will challenge first-term Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in 2020. “I’m focused on continuing to deliver results for Michigan,” Peters said in a statement provided to Fox News. “I’ll keep working with anyone to improve life for Michiganders, whether it’s to expand training programs so everyone has the skills needed to find good-paying jobs, protect our Great Lakes or lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.” President Donald Trump endorsed James during his 2018 bid and called…
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by Rick Manning Stock markets go up and down based upon the latest trade rumors. Predictions of price hikes make headlines, yet the inflation rate remains at the levels, 2.0 percent at last count, desired by the Federal Reserve. What is going on? And is this even really a trade war with China at all, or is it part of something much bigger? These are questions that should be asked but are often lost to click-bait headlines. So, here are a few thumbnail answers that will hopefully help you understand what is going on. Question: Are President Trump’s use of tariffs against China part of a trade war? Those who try to put tariffs on goods made in China into this context are deliberately narrowing the real challenge in the economic relations between the U.S. and China. The tariffs are designed to restructure America’s trade relations with China, but when you examine the key demands from the recent attempts to create a new economic partnership with China, they are mostly focused upon protecting patents, ending forced technology transfers to the Chinese government and stopping Chinese currency manipulation which always puts U.S. goods at a competitive disadvantage with Chinese goods. Traditional trade deals…
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Former Congressman Jim Renacci and Ohio’s Future Foundation (OHFF) were hosted by the Mahoning County Republican Party Tuesday evening. The GOP group held a social for OHFF in their meeting room in Youngstown. Rick Barron, the Mahoning County Leader, announced that, ‘Tom (Weyand – OHFF’s Outreach Director) asked me to head up OHFF in Mahoning County, and we turned two blue seats red!’ Republicans gained a State Representative and a State Senator in an area which, prior to President Trump, was overwhelmingly Democratic. Next spoke Executive Director Jeff Anthony. Republicans, he shared, were the party most likely to support their plans of making Ohio prosperous again by changing laws that inhibit business growth. ‘For thirty years politicians have been telling us what they will do. We want to tell them what they need to do,’ he exclaimed. The program turned to John Fadol, their researcher, who took a ‘deep dive into policy’. He discussed House Bill 6, an energy bill to bailout the nuclear power plants, and House Bill 166, the state biennium budget. “House Bill 6 began as a placeholder bill, an empty 63 pages,” stated Fadol. “However the bill has now been updated.” It…
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by Robert Romano In 2016, when President Donald Trump ran on his America first trade agenda, much of the conventional wisdom was that, if implemented, his tariffs would wreck the U.S. economy. It would have the same impact as the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act, and so the prediction goes, lead to another Great Depression. “Trump trade plans could cause global recession: Experts,” read one confident headline on CNBC in May 2016. “If you take (Trump’s) position as real, that we would do this, then it would take the world down the road that we saw in the 1930s that we saw with the Smoot–Hawley Tariff,” Caroline Freund of the Peterson Institute for International Economics said. “The world would definitely fall into a recession.” The Washington Post’s Robert Samuelson wrote in June 2018, “The ghost of Smoot-Hawley seems to haunt Trump,” after Trump levied tariffs on steel and aluminum. Samuelson suggested, “What’s eerie is that Trump’s embrace of protectionism is now assuming the same role as Smoot-Hawley in the 1930s. By slowing economic growth, it darkens the outlook and reduces the ability of debtors to repay their lenders. So much for the lessons of history.” Other predictions have suggested, besides slowing economic growth or perhaps…
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by Evie Fordham President Donald Trump might be preparing to pardon a handful of military members accused or convicted of war crimes, according to a Saturday report from The New York Times citing two unnamed officials. The paperwork required for such pardons was reportedly requested on an expedited timeline, meaning they could coincide with Memorial Day weekend, the officials said, according to The NYT. The report comes after Trump tweeted March 30 about the situation of a Navy SEAL awaiting trial for war crimes. Highly decorated Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher is facing trial at the end of May for alleged war crimes including shooting unarmed civilians and killing an enemy captive. “In honor of his past service to our Country, Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court. Process should move quickly!” Trump wrote on Twitter. In honor of his past service to our Country, Navy Seal #EddieGallagher will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court. Process should move quickly! @foxandfriends @RepRalphNorman — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2019 Trump also said in December 2018 he would be “reviewing the case” of a former…
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MSNBC went to Ohio over the weekend to examine the impact of tariffs (separate from the Chinese tariffs) on businesses and retailers in the area. Glen Fish, CEO of Revere Plastic Systems, said that “since the tariff activities have kicked in, it has been a benefit for us.” “We’ve seen investments from our customers. We’ve also, in terms of capacity enhancements and additional volume, which has helped stabilize and strengthen our workforce. And we’ve seen opportunities arise with other companies moving to the U.S. as a result of some of this,” he continued. Fish said that the tariffs have provided “stability and predictability in terms of volumes and continued investment and growth” for his company. Fish’s business is based out of Clyde, Ohio and provides plastic parts to Whirlpool, which has a factory in the town. The tariffs have brought roughly 1,800 new jobs to America, but have also resulted in an increase to the cost of washers and dryers. Tom Phillips, an appliance retailer from Tiffin, Ohio, said the tariffs “have hurt us because of the price increase.” “You know, for 38 years or whatever I’ve never had this much of a price increase over two or three…
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President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he spoke with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who said GM will sell the vacant Lordstown factory to Workhorse, an electric truck manufacturer. The president also mentioned that GM is going to invest $700 million into three separate locations in Ohio. Trump expressed his support for Ohio’s “great governor, and Senator Rob Portman” for their work in filling the GM void. Gov. Mike DeWine, although proud of the achievement, warned that it could be a year before the Cincinnati-based firm Workhorse has the plant up and running. ….in 3 separate locations, creating another 450 jobs. I have been working nicely with GM to get this done. Thank you to Mary B, your GREAT Governor, and Senator Rob Portman. With all the car companies coming back, and much more, THE USA IS BOOMING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2019 “This is probably not yet a day to celebrate … a lot has to happen,” said DeWine. But it would bring “hundreds of jobs” back to the region after the GM closure left more 1,400 people out of work since closing over two months ago. Workhorse is in the process of obtaining a contract to…
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Former Gov. John Kasich called President Donald Trump’s latest immigration plan “wacky” and “just crazy” during a CNN interview Friday morning. The Washington Post reported Thursday night that Trump was once again considering a plan to release migrants into self-declared sanctuary cities. Trump confirmed the report in a pair of tweets Friday morning. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong consideration to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities,” Trump said. “Only the radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy—so this should make them very happy.” Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 Trump touted the idea again during a White House event Friday afternoon, according to The Hill. “We can give them an unlimited supply [of migrants] and let’s see if they’re so happy,” he said. “They say ‘we have open arms.’ They’re always saying they have open arms. Let’s see if they have open arms.” Speaker of…
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Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) was a panelist Saturday at the Heartland Forum in Iowa, and was the only speaker at the event who hasn’t officially declared candidacy for president. The event, sponsored by Huffington Post, Open Markets Action, and the Iowa Farmers Union, featured panelists such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro—all of whom have declared candidacy. Ryan, who said in February that he’s “seriously considering” a run, was asked what his vision for the country would be if he were to do so. “The stock market’s as high as it’s ever been. Unemployment’s as low as it’s ever been, and yet there is a chronic level of stress in our society today because of chronic uncertainty,” he said. “I think it’s time for a new way of doing things.” “The only way forward is for us to come together politically. It’s the division today in our country that’s preventing us from getting to where we need to be, and that’s innovating our way out of this thing, caring about each other, loving each other, being concerned about each other, respecting each other, and then building an…
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by Rick Manning In Washington, D.C., every spending program and tax break has a constituency that fights for it. This is why they exist, because somewhere, someone believes that Warren Buffett needs a wind production tax credit, and that opera programming should be taxpayer funded. These constituencies are tightly organized and connected into the D.C. power centers to continue and if possible expand the favored spending. Do you know who doesn’t have a well-funded lobbying arm? Why, it is the actual taxpayers and limited government conservatives who fight against the tide of the ever expanding government. Groups like Americans for Limited Government, which I head, depend upon the raw power of truth to stand up to the D.C. government growth machine, and the election of Donald Trump to the presidency shows that winning is possible. In spite of growing deficits, the Trump presidency gives us reason for hope that fiscal sanity may be restored, as for the third year in a row, they have released a budget which provides a pathway to balance. While the fifteen-year time frame may seem like a long time, by comparison, so-called budget cutter Paul Ryan’s proposals often had a four-decade timeline to reach balance.…
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North Carolina’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein has pulled the Tarheel state into a multi-state suit challenging the Trump Administrations ‘Protect Life Rule‘ as part of Title X. “Title X clinics screen for cancer, prevent unintended pregnancies, and reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections,” said Attorney General Josh Stein in a press release. “These are critical healthcare services that change and save lives. This proposed gag rule would prevent women in North Carolina from making the healthcare decisions that allow them to lead happy, healthy lives.” The national suit was filed March 4 by 20 other states and District of Columbia with California filing its own version. North Carolina will be the only state in the south to join the suit. The other states involved are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. All of the states involved have Democratic attorney generals. “North Carolina Values Coalition supports the Trump administration’s Protect Life Rule, which redirects Title X family planning program funds away from the abortion industry and bars taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers,” said Tami Fitzgerald, NC…
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On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to Tennessee Congressman Mark Green about his opening statements and questions posed to Michael Cohen during the hearing in Washington yesterday. The Congressman admitted that this was a strategic move that would allow a light to be shown on the true intentions of the Democrats. Towards the end of the segment, Mark Green touched upon his positions regarding the Fetal Heartbeat bill and the border wall security funding. He went on to note that there are many Republicans not siding with the President and joining the Democrats in their resolution bill to stop the national emergency as declared by President Trump while noting the several national emergencies declared by previous Presidents in number. Gill: Congressman Green with us on our newsmakers line this morning. And Congressman, Great job. Even Rush Limbaugh gave you some kudos this week. (Green laughs) Green: Yeah that was a pinnacle. The highlight of my life to get a good shout out from Rush Limbaugh. That was pretty cool. Thanks for having…
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Friday night’s episode of Laura Ingraham’s The Ingraham Angle on Fox News Channel featured a segment with Tennessee Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) regarding his bill to fund President Trump’s southern border wall. Laura Ingraham’s television interview with the freshman legislator came two days after she tweeted about the bill, as reported by The Tennessee Star. Griffey’s bill HB 0562 is being sponsored in the Tennessee Senate by Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) as SB 1504. In her introduction prior to the break, Ingraham said, “We have highlighted a number of inventive funding ideas to help build that wall over the last several months. Well, up next is a Tennessee lawmaker who says that he’s figured it out.” Ingraham continued after the break, “Tennessee Representative Bruce Griffey filed legislation earlier this week that would establish a fee imposed on customers for transmitting money through certain entities. Well, that’s a mouthful.” Explaining further, Ingraham said “Basically, what this does is require a levy on money transfers from Tennessee to Mexico and then set aside those fees collected for the border wall.” Ingraham noted that Arizona, Montana and West Virginia are currently or have previously considered similar proposals. Ingraham asked Griffey if his proposal could…
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The day after State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) filed a bill intended to help fund President Trump’s wall on the southern border, conservative radio and talk show host Laura Ingraham tweeted about it. Griffey’s bill HB 0562, which is being sponsored in the State Senate by Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) as SB 1504, is “calling for the imposition of fees on the transfer of any money from Tennessee to Mexico and calling for the fees generated to be set aside to fund the border wall proposed by Trump,” according to a statement issued Thursday about the bill. The news prompted a tweet by Laura Ingraham, “YES: Tennessee lawmaker introduces bill he says will help fund Trump’s border wall,” and included a link to a story in The Tennessean with the same title. If the bill is passed into law, all qualifying transactions after January 1, 2020, would be subject to a $10 per transaction fee plus 10 percent on amounts over $500. Those licensed in the business of money transmissions, referred to as the licensee, can keep a half percent as compensation for accounting and remitting the fee to the state’s Department of Revenue. The Department of Revenue will retain one…
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President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign announced Wednesday that it will be holding its first rally of 2019 in El Paso, Texas on February 11. According to the Trump campaign, the rally will mark the president’s first in El Paso and seventh in the state of Texas. “We are please to announced the Make America Great Again rally on Monday, February 11 in El Paso, Texas, featuring President Donald Trump,” said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Donald J. Trump for President Inc. “As the president continues his fight to secure our border, there’s no better place to demonstrate that walls work than in El Paso. President Trump looks forward to visiting with the patriots of Texas who are on the front lines of the struggle against open-border Democrats who allow drugs, crime, and sex trafficking all along our border every day,” Glassner added. During his Tuesday night State of the Union address, Trump pointed to El Paso as shining proof that his border wall would work. “The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime—one of the highest in the country, and was considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, with…
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently sat down with Mehdi Hasan from The Intercept for his “Deconstructed” podcast where the Michigan representative blamed President Donald Trump for the alleged death threats she’s receiving. “Absolutely, he is the leader of our country. He sets the tone and you, even in rallies and other instances, he’s even said if impeachment continued, we’re going to see violence. We’re going to see—I mean, it’s almost like he’s sent out some sort of signal,” Tlaib responded when asked if she holds “this president’s rhetoric responsible” for the threats. During the show, Tlaib continued to build her case for impeaching Trump by invoking the emoluments clause, claiming Trump is “making decisions not in the best interest of the American people,” but “based on the profit lines.” “The Constitution demands it and I want to reiterate to people to understand that this is beyond collusion with Russia. This is beyond the Mueller investigation. Every single day that he’s president of the United States that has not divested in all of his domestic and foreign corporations, he’s making decisions not in the best interest of the American people,” she said. Tlaib went on to claim that this “causes a…
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Raleigh, North Carolina — Speaker of the North Carolina House Tim Moore has invited President Trump to deliver his State of the Union (SOTU) remarks in Raleigh. Moore’s invitation comes on the heels of the U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi canceling the President’s SOTU speech. “Dear Mr. President, It is my sincere pleasure as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives to invite you to deliver your second State of the Union Address in our chamber of this state’s General Assembly,” wrote Speaker Moore. Today I extended an invitation to President @RealDonaldTrump to deliver his second State of the Union address in the chambers of the North Carolina House of Representatives. https://t.co/e6Ano6ohJ5 #ncga #ncpol — Speaker Tim Moore (@NCHouseSpeaker) January 18, 2019 “The majestic character of our state House chamber and the splendor of North Carolina’s breathtaking landscapes are a fitting venue to deliver your second State of the Union address,” Moore wrote. Speaker Moore wrote to President Trump that he is always welcome in North Carolina and that in the past, President Bill Clinton had given an address at the North Carolina General Assembly. “The President of the United States is always welcome in the Old…
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by Charlie Kirk Democrats want you to think they’ve finally discovered a sense of fiscal responsibility in response to President Trump’s request for $5.7 billion to fund construction of the border wall. That’s preposterous. The same party that is even now pursuing multi-trillion boondoggles such as “Medicare for All” and the “Green New Deal” somehow believes it can convince the American people that its opposition to the wall is based primarily on a desire to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, but Democrats’ newfound austerity is unconvincing in light of their consistent, long-standing obsession with wasteful spending projects.. In fact, the federal government spends hundreds of billions of tax dollars every year on all sorts of questionable programs, and eliminating even a handful of the most egregious examples would easily suffice to pay for the pittance that President Trump is seeking for border security. Here are just a few examples: #1 Yoga Classes for Federal Bureaucrats -In 2015, Senator Rand Paul’s office reported that $150,000 in taxpayer dollars were spent on yoga classes for federal employees. While most agencies require participants to pay for their own therapeutic exercises, others, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department, and the…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) fired off dozens of tweets this week in response to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to the nation, nearly outpacing the president himself in tweets about the southern border wall. Before Trump’s Oval Office address even began, Omar was exasperated with the fact that Trump would receive “free airtime for propaganda on the ‘humanitarian and national security crisis’ at the border.” “Two children died in ICE custody last month after 10+ years with no such deaths. There’s blood on your hands,” Omar tweeted Tuesday. Tonight, while #Trump gets free airtime for propaganda on the "humanitarian & national security crisis" at the border, CHILDREN sit in cold cages in inhumane conditions. Two children died in ICE custody last month after 10+ years with no such deaths. There's blood on your hands. — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 8, 2019 “We are literally watching a manufactured crisis, designed to divert attention from this criminal and dysfunctional administration. Stay woke America, Individual-1 is not one to sleep on,” she later wrote. Notably, Individual 1 was a code-name used by federal prosecutors in the charges brought against Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, and it was later made clear that Trump and…
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The Minnesota State Senate plans to introduce 92 new pieces of legislation Monday, several of which are backed by the DFL, and focus on LGBT or race issues. Senate File (SF) 95, for instance, urges President Donald Trump and Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “revise its current blood or plasma donor deferral policy related to men who have had sex with a man and to women who have had sex with a man who has had sex with another man within the previous 12 months from the most recent contact.” The resolution, co-authored by five DFL senators, argues that the United States is “facing a critical shortage of blood donations,” which could be offset by revising an FDA donor deferral policy that “prohibits approximately 19 million American men and women from donating blood and plasma.” “Advances in HIV donor testing have reduced the risk of HIV transmission from blood transmissions to about one in 1.47 million transfusions,” the bill continues, calling for a revised policy “based on individual assessment of the risk posed by the donor.” SF 107, meanwhile, calls for the establishment of a “Council on LGBTQI Minnesotans,” which would consist of “two members…
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by Chris Buskirk Why have Democrats shut down—or at least partially shut down—the federal government rather than approve partial funding for a wall along the southern border? President Trump’s $5.7 billion request is a trivial sum, amounting to a bit more than one-tenth of 1 percent of the federal budget. It’s far less than the amount we give to Latin American countries in handouts every year and it’s part of a sacred commitment government has to defend our border, uphold our laws, and protect our people. President Trump described a humanitarian crisis at the border contrived by Democrats with the active complicity of misguided Republicans who think that attracting a helot class from Latin America to clean their houses, mow their lawns, and drive down wages for low-skill jobs is some sort of capitalist charity scheme that signals their virtue. It isn’t. In fact, it’s inhumane. How can we describe the human trafficking racket that transports so many of these people here, including many thousands involved in the sex trade or forced into servitude for the cartels, as anything other than a modern slave trade? And it comes with all of the violence and degradation you would expect. For…
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In a highly anticipated prime-time event, President Donald Trump delivered his first Oval Office address Tuesday night to discuss the continued battle over funding for his border wall. “This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico,” Trump said. He also pointed out that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has “repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past along with many other Democrats.” “How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job? To those who refuse to compromise in the name of border security I would ask: imagine if it was your child, your husband, or your wife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totally broken. To every member of Congress: pass a bill that ends this crisis,” Trump said. Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) responded to Trump in their own address Tuesday night. “I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the American people…
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Failed Minneapolis mayoral candidate Tom Hoch is back in the news for calling President Donald Trump a “traitor” in a Christmas-lights display adorning his ritzy Lake of the Isles home. “Trump is a traitor” spelled out in Christmas lights now radiates from the top of Hoch’s home, which apparently backs up to Minneapolis’ Lake of the Isles, according to The Star Tribune. “I think it’s hard to come to any other conclusion about someone who is willing to turn against this country for his own enrichment,” Hoch explained. “I don’t view this as a big judgment call; this is a true statement.” His holiday message is likely viewed by hundreds of passersby everyday who visit Lake of the Isles for a walk or bike ride, or pass through the downtown Minneapolis destination on their way to work. But Hoch claims that the response has been only positive, and said he’s even been asked to keep the display up year round. “I was walking my dog and some guy pulled over and said, ‘Bravo, Bravo!’” Hoch told The Star Tribune. “A lot of people have stopped. I’ve been quite surprised.” Fr. James Bretzke, Hoch’s cousin and a Catholic priest, celebrated the…
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Rep. Jason Lewis’ (R-MN-02) Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) was signed into law Friday by President Donald Trump as part of Congress’ sweeping criminal justice reform measures. According to Lewis, the JJRA hadn’t been “reauthorized or modernized since 2002.” Lewis’ reforms respond to the need for alternatives to detaining juveniles for “so-called ‘status crimes’ like skipping school.” The bill, H.R. 6964, offers a “plan to provide alternatives to detention for status offenders, survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, and others.” The bill also seeks to “reduce the number of children housed in secure detention and corrections facilities who are awaiting placement in residential treatment programs.” His bill will also modernize the juvenile-justice system by promoting “evidence-based and trauma-informed programs and practices,” and emphasizing “community-based services to respond to the needs of at-risk youth.” The bill further eliminates the use of restraints on juveniles who are known to be pregnant, and prohibits detaining juveniles who are awaiting trial with adult inmates. “Some of the most rewarding experiences I had in Congress were working with colleagues from all over the country and from varying political backgrounds on criminal justice reform,” Lewis said in a press release. “Today, my Juvenile Justice Reform Act was…
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by Daniel Davis During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton often delivered the line: “America is great, because she is good.” It was a feel-good line, deployed then as code for “America is too good to elect Donald Trump.” Notwithstanding the thick irony of Clinton claiming to be the virtuous alternative, her statement on its own terms made sense: If a nation would be great, it must be morally upright—and America, despite all its flaws, is fundamentally good. This view puts Clinton increasingly on the fringes within her own movement. In 2018, the prophets of wokeness are calling progressives to “wake up” to the reality that America, at its core, is racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and economically unjust. The system, they say, is “rigged.” [The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more. ] And today’s young adults are heeding those voices and increasingly embracing their viewpoint. A recent study showed that 1 out of 5 Americans under the age of 37 do not think Americans should be proud of their history. One out of 5 millennial Americans see the flag as a sign of intolerance…
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On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest and his former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe. Now a Washington-based reporter for One America News Network, McCabe spoke to Michael about his diverse career history, his take on James Mattis’s resignation, the ‘suicide pact’ between the Military Generals at the White House, and who he thinks is a front runner to fill Mattis’s shoes at the Pentagon. McCabe added the he believes retired Gen. Jack Keane is the front runner to replace Mattis as Secretary of Defense when he leaves on February 28. You can read a transcript of the conversation here: Leahy: Big news yesterday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigns, his resignation letter, I’m sure you read it. Basically said ‘I don’t agree with what you’re doing President Trump and therefor eyou deserve a Secretary of Defense who’s views are aligned with yours therefore I’m stepping down.’ McCabe: Well, I think the biggest secret that everyone knew in Washington was Mattis had to go. …
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President Donald Trump is announcing that budget director Mick Mulvaney will be his next chief of staff. Trump tweeted Friday that Mulvaney “has done an outstanding job” in his administration and would take over next year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Trump deemed Mulvaney his “acting chief of staff” but it was not immediately clear what that meant for the length of his tenure. He will replace John Kelly. Trump praised Kelly’s service and called him a “great patriot” in the tweet. Trump announced last week that Kelly, who served in the post for more than a year, would soon be departing. The president’s first choice was Nick Ayers, the vice president’s chief of staff, who bowed out after being unable to come to an agreement on how long he would serve in the post. – – – …
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by Harlan Hill The Trump economic boom is still in full swing, with both hiring and wages continuing to grow robustly, according to the latest jobs report. The U.S. economy added 155,000 jobs in November, keeping unemployment at a historic low of 3.7 percent — a figure not seen since the 1960s. These 155,000 new jobs follow revised an October total of 237,000. The numbers are even more impressive because they come from such a solid starting point — we’re well past the point of merely replacing jobs lost during the recession. These numbers reflect solid expansion within the American economy, as new and growing enterprises scramble to fill job openings with American workers. This is something historic — the return to full employment in America. Even the manufacturing sector, which conventional wisdom long presumed to be in permanent decline due to globalization, added 27,000 jobs last month, pushing the total number of new manufacturing jobs created since the President took office above 400,000. Meanwhile, only one sector had a noticeable drop in employment: government workers. Full employment isn’t just about people getting off the breadline by taking any job they can get; it means people are finding jobs they actually…
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by George Rasley More than 5,000 phony asylum-seekers arrived from Central America and elsewhere in Tijuana, Mexico after having been transported from their home countries to the U.S. – Mexico border. Last Sunday, hundreds of them marched through Tijuana to assault the U.S. port of entry at San Ysidro. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said four officers were struck with rocks before they fired tear gas at the migrants trying to rush the San Ysidro Port of Entry. But McAleenan said the officers “were wearing protective gear and did not suffer serious injuries.” According to reporting by NPR, Mexican police officers in riot gear stopped many, but those who continued toward the fence met U.S. border agents, who sprayed some with tear gas. Following the incident, the Mexican Interior Ministry said it will deport hundreds of migrants who attempted to “violently” cross the border. On the U.S. side of the border, ABC 10 News San Diego’s Laura Acevedo reported a group called the San Diego Migrant and Refugee Coalition organized the Sunday rally that eventually turned into a march. About 600 people joined the coalition which is made up of 20 migrant support and social justice groups.…
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by Jeff Ballabon CNN likes to masquerade as an objective news outlet, but its lawsuit against President Trump and the Secret Service makes its partisanship more nakedly obvious than ever. From the very beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, CNN has used its platform to demean, denigrate, and deride the president at every opportunity. Their Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, who grandstands on and off the air as Trump’s chief antagonist, is merely the most notorious manifestation of CNN’s rampant bias. Recently, his behavior so violated every norm of White House press corps etiquette that the White House withdrew his access to the White House grounds. CNN sued President Trump and a judge temporarily reinstated Acosta’s access pending outcome of the case. CNN’s legal case rests on the contention that the First Amendment’s freedom of the press guarantees Jim Acosta permanent access to the White House grounds. The judge declined to rule on those grounds, ruling instead that Acosta may have been denied his Fifth Amendment due process rights because he did not have an opportunity to formally appeal the revocation of his pass. CNN likes to pretend it serves a vital public interest through “objective” reporting, and their…
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by George Rasley In CHQ Chairman Richard Viguerie’s book TAKEOVER, Mr. Viguerie observed that the only battles conservatives are guaranteed to lose is the ones we don’t fight. And if for concrete proof of that dictum one only needs to look back at the first two years of the Donald Trump presidency: In the U.S. House of Representatives the Republican leadership under Speaker Paul Ryan went completely squishy on conservative policy after conservative policy, until President Trump stepped in to push them to fight, likewise in the Senate, until the fight to confirm Justice Kavanaugh put a backbone into Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and enough Republicans to get Kavanaugh through his hellish confirmation. Justice Kavanaugh would never have been confirmed, nor would the tax cuts have passed the Senate, nor would Obamacare’s individual mandate have been repealed had Trump not been willing to fight. However, to the Washington establishment, conservatives who fight for their principles and for the limited government policies that have revived the American economy are “divisive.” Chris Wallace, interviewing President Trump for Fox News framed the issue this way: I was in Saint Joseph, Missouri, this last week and I was talking to a lot of…
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by Steve Herman The moment Air Force One touched down Friday at Orly airport, U.S. President Donald Trump blasted a caustic message for his host, terming French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a European military “very insulting.” In the touchdown tweet, Trump suggested Europe first pay “its fair share” of NATO before contemplating a Europe-wide force. As he stepped off his plane, accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump, a group of White House reporters shouted questions at him about the Twitter message. Trump stared at the journalists but did not respond before entering the presidential limousine. The fresh dispute between the two leaders, who have had a hot and cold relationship, threatens to cast a pall on Sunday’s ceremony here marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, in which 40 million people died. The United States and France were allies in both world wars and partners in the post-World War II security structure for Western Europe: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is composed of separate forces of varying strengths and capabilities of the member nations. Trump, however, since taking office nearly two years ago, has repeatedly questioned the mutual defense pact and…
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On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the team spoke with Hogan Gidley, Deputy White House Press Secretary, regarding the Democrats radical agenda and they’re continuous denial that they lost the 2016 elections. The men went on to question how, with economy so strong ,and the President’s delivery on promises made, that the midterm election race could be so close. They all agreed that a large component could most certainly be attributed to the media’s ninety percent negative coverage of the President’s accomplishments in the past two years. Gill: And watching from the bunker in the white house Hogan Gidley is the Deputy White House Press Secretary who is on our newsmakers line this morning to give us a little assessment on election day. Hogan good to have you with us! Gidley: Thanks so much for the time. I do appreciate it. I want to make it clear though, I’m not coming to you in my official capacity today, I’m coming to you on my time off. I’m taking personal time just because I think this is…
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While the establishment news media does everything it can to depress conservative and Republican turnout, here are six close U.S. House of Representatives races where conservative turnout can make all the difference for President Trump’s conservative agenda. Rep. Dave Brat – Virginia 7 Principled limited government constitutional conservative Congressman Dave Brat (VA-7) is locked in a tight race with liberal Democrat Abigail Spanberger. Spanberger is a former CIA employee who once taught at a Saudi-funded school in Northern Virginia that later had to defend itself after a former valedictorian was charged with joining al-Qaida. To view a powerful independent expenditure ad supporting Dave Brat click the link or cut and paste into an email: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xW-wkhz3cxt3XBOuw_t9UrEisl_uQ4r9/view?ts=5bdb692f. Counterintuitively, Spanberger has been pounding Brat over his vote in favor of the GOP tax-cut bill. Spanberger has raised twice as much money as Brat and her open borders campaign has benefited from millions in out of state liberal PAC money aimed at unseating one of the Freedom Caucus’s most high-profile members. Turnout will be key, with Spanberger counting on liberal federal and state government employees in the I-95 corridor and Richmond suburbs. Rep. Rod Blum – Iowa 1 Self-described “Tea Party Republican” Rep.…
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by Nick Givas Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the booming economy and a strong desire for personal safety will keep the House in play for Republicans come Tuesday. “Well look, I think the number one thing that’s relevant to the vote tomorrow is the economy,” Gingrich said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom Monday. “And I think in a lot of districts, that’s propping up Republicans who might be in trouble on other issues.” Gingrich said the American people are taking notice of higher wages and more jobs, but said it will still be difficult for Republicans to retain control of both houses. [RELATED: Newt Gingrich Doubles Down On Red Wave Prediction] “The people look at it and they go, ‘there really are more jobs. Wages really are going up. The future really looks dramatically better.’ And so there’s a bias that’s, I think, actually held the Republicans up in both House and Senate races where they might have been in much more trouble,” he continued. “Off years are hard … We got to be a majority for the first time in 40 years in Bill Clinton’s first off-year election. So I understand how tough it is to be the…
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by Chuck Ross President Donald Trump took aim Tuesday at Glenn Simpson and Bruce Ohr, two central figures in a congressional investigation into the FBI and Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the infamous Steele dossier. In a series of tweets, Trump noted that Simpson, the founder of opposition research firm Fusion GPS, is planning to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination during a congressional appearance Tuesday. Trump noted Ohr, a DOJ official, provided testimony to Congress in August that directly conflicts with what Simpson told the House Intelligence Committee in November. Ohr told lawmakers Aug. 28 that he met Simpson twice, once in August 2016 and once in December 2016. That conflicts with Simpson’s Nov. 14, 2017, testimony in which he claimed only to have had contact with Ohr after the election. “Conflict between Glen Simpson’s testimony to another House Panel about his contact with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. Ohr was used by Simpson and Steele as a Back Channel to get (FAKE) Dossier to FBI. Simpson pleading Fifth,” Trump wrote, quoting Fox News’s Catherine Herridge. “Where is Jeff Sessions?” Trump asked, referring to the attorney general. “Conflict between Glen Simpson’s testimony to another House Panel about his…
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President Donald Trump supported Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn Monday after pop superstar Taylor Swift “smeared” her, and he criticized the singer, Breitbart News said. “She’s a tremendous woman,” Trump said about Blackburn. “I’m sure Taylor Swift has nothing or doesn’t know anything about her.” Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Swift endorsed Blackburn’s opponent, Democratic former Governor Phil Bredesen, as well as U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN-05). She also took a swipe at U.S. Representative Blackburn (R-TN-0-7). “As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.” (emphasis added) https://www.instagram.com/p/BopoXpYnCes/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link However, Blackburn is “leading substantially” in the polls, the president said. A CBS News poll shows her leading Bredesen by 50 percent to 42 percent. The president added that he liked Swift’s music less, Breitbart reported. “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now,” he said. The president defeated Hillary Clinton in Tennessee by 26 points in 2016. The National Republican Senate Committee said in a statement, “If you haven’t heard, multimillionaire pop star Taylor Swift came down from her ivory tower to tell…
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by Jeff Webb The economic revival we have experienced since the election of Donald Trump is getting a new boost from what would traditionally be viewed as an unlikely source – trade tariffs. The multipronged attack by this administration on the sluggish economy of the previous eight years is based on reducing corporate and individual taxes, providing capital investment incentives, dramatically reducing strangling regulations and a full assault on unfair and one sided international trade relationships. It should now be clear that the president is using the threat of US tariffs to incent other nations to abandon their policies that have in many cases led to the elimination of millions of jobs and made it next to impossible for US companies to do business in their respective countries. Mr. Trump is playing the long game here. He knows that addressing these unfair practices will help boost the overall economy and reverse the outflow of manufacturing jobs that has eviscerated the middle class in our country over the past 25 years. It will also provide new markets for American companies and address the theft of intellectual property and technology. It is disingenuous to paint the picture that the president is…
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A large and enthusiastic crowd greeted President Trump in Johnson City on Monday night as he rallied support for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07), the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). The president did not disappoint, as he spent much of the evening blasting Blackburn’s Democrat opponent, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, and tearing into obstructionist Democrats in the Senate. “A vote for Bredesen is a vote for Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and the real leader of the Democrats, Maxine Waters,” the president boomed, to thunderous applause. The president tore into Democrat politicians, as Breitbart News reported: He then hit Blackburn’s Democrat opponent Phil Bredesen. Trump noted Bredesen supported driver certificates for illegal aliens. He said if Democrats get 51 seats in the Senate, then Chuck Schumer would be majority leader. Schumer is so desperate for Phil to win,” Trump said. “Marsha will be a great, great Senator,” said Trump who added that the Republicans need the votes. “We cannot allow ourselves to be pushed around,” said Trump. He said Schumer pushed Bredesen to run to try to get Democrats to take back the Senate. “Your vote in this election will decide which…
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President Donald Trump is levying 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods shipped to the U.S., rising to 25 percent in Jan. 2019, coming atop a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods from China. Trump has warned if China retaliates, another $267 billion of tariffs will follow. On Twitter, Trump briefly discussed the tariffs, writing, “Tariffs have put the U.S. in a very strong bargaining position, with Billions of Dollars, and Jobs, flowing into our Country — and yet cost increases have thus far been almost unnoticeable. If countries will not make fair deals with us, they will be ‘Tariffed!’” Tariffs have put the U.S. in a very strong bargaining position, with Billions of Dollars, and Jobs, flowing into our Country – and yet cost increases have thus far been almost unnoticeable. If countries will not make fair deals with us, they will be “Tariffed!” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2018 On the question of price increases, so far Trump is correct. While steel and aluminum have seen brief spikes in prices on commodities markets, it has no fed into overall consumer and producer inflation. If the question boils down to “Who has more to lose in a trade, the U.S. or…
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The Barnes and Noble bookstore in Collierville just outside of Memphis proper, has a display of politically-themed books that screams “we support the resistance”!!!! FEAR, Bob Woodward’s questionable version of the Trump White House has been placed on the top shelf riser as a first view item. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the book is “nothing more than fabricated stories” with stories from “former disgruntled employees.” Front and center, abutting right below FEAR are two new releases about Obama. Don’t you just love the ever-so-clever title Hugs From Obama, A Photographic Look back at the Warmth and Wisdom of President Barack Obama”??? Conjures up all those warm and fuzzy feelings from the eight long seemingly never-ending years of taking the U.S. down the tube. Plunk down the extra $20 bucks in your pocket because of Trump’s tax cuts and you can do whatever you want to “enhance” the photos. Completing the trifecta of books on the ‘Resistance Recommended Reading List’ is the bestseller by Omarosa whose book sales tanked simultaneously with the release of Unhinged. Even leftist media propaganda and Omarosa’s release of tell-nothing tapes couldn’t stop the public humiliation of her failures. But wait. Just to prove that Barnes & Noble book stockers aren’t playing favorites…
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