Outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus forcefully dismissed a New York Times report that the RNC was hacked by Russians, claiming it is "absolutely not true."
"We contacted the FBI months ago when the when the issue came about," Priebus told ABC News, referring to the hacking of the Democratic National Committee in July. "They reviewed all of our systems. We have hacking-detection systems in place, and the conclusion was then, as it was again two days ago when we went back to the FBI to ask them about this, that the RNC was not hacked."
In separate reports Friday, the Washington Post and the New York Times claimed a secret CIA assessment concluded that Russians hacked both party institutions but only released the DNC's internal communications as part of a deliberate effort to undermine the Clinton campaign.
Priebus said the report "is based on unnamed sources who are perhaps doing something they shouldn't be doing by speaking to reporters or someone talking out of line about something that is absolutely not true."
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, December 12, 2016
Melania Trump appears in Md. courthouse; she's suing a blogger over escort insinuations
ABC7 reporter Brad Bell tells us Mrs. Trump is suing a Maryland-based blogger who claimed that she once worked as a high-priced escort.
Mrs. Trump issued a statement today saying that even though she didn't need to be in court for today's status hearing, she wanted to demonstrate how seriously she takes the case.
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Trump torches CIA report on Russian interference: 'Every week it's another excuse'
President-elect Donald Trump slammed Democratic lawmakers and the mainstream media for claiming the Russian government meddled in last month's election to tip the odds in his favor, a conclusion privately reached among CIA officials, according to a report last week.
"If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting," Trump told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview aired Sunday. "Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act, you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place."
"Every week it's another excuse," Trump said.
Trump said the story was planted by Democrats who are still grappling with "one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country."
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"If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting," Trump told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview aired Sunday. "Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act, you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place."
"Every week it's another excuse," Trump said.
Trump said the story was planted by Democrats who are still grappling with "one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country."
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Ohio State U. Activists: Somali Terrorist Wrongly Killed
A group of student activists at held the protest this week and stated the killing of Abdul Razak Ali Artan during a terror attack was unjustified.
Maryam Abidi, a fourth-year Ohio State University student, defended the protest in a statement she made to the Ohio campus newspaper, The Lantern.
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Members of Congress Collect At Least $9.5 Million in Farm Subsidies
Members of Congress collected at least $9.5 million in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2014, according to new data fromEWG’s Farm Subsidy Database – including more than $1.1 million in subsidies over the last five years.
The 36 legislators and their spouses received millions in traditional farm subsidies since 1995. It’s likely that many also received crop insurance subsidies – but those are hidden from the public.
Key findings:
The farm owned in part by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) received at least $5.3 million between 1995 and 2014. The farm owned by Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) received at least $3.6 million in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2014. Both LaMalfa and Fincher have invoked the Bible to attack anti-hunger programs.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) received at least $220,000 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2012. Stutzman has frequently railed against government spending, warning “there are too many hands in the cookie jar.”
Several Tea Party leaders – including the current and former leaders of the fiscally conservativeRepublican Study Committee – received farm subsidies.
Some current or former chairs of committees overseeing the U.S. Department of Agriculture have received subsidies, including Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.). The most senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, has also received subsidies.
Overall, ten members of the House Agriculture Committee received at least $3.5 million in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2014.
The 36 legislators and their spouses received millions in traditional farm subsidies since 1995. It’s likely that many also received crop insurance subsidies – but those are hidden from the public.
Key findings:
The farm owned in part by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) received at least $5.3 million between 1995 and 2014. The farm owned by Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) received at least $3.6 million in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2014. Both LaMalfa and Fincher have invoked the Bible to attack anti-hunger programs.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) received at least $220,000 in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2012. Stutzman has frequently railed against government spending, warning “there are too many hands in the cookie jar.”
Several Tea Party leaders – including the current and former leaders of the fiscally conservativeRepublican Study Committee – received farm subsidies.
Some current or former chairs of committees overseeing the U.S. Department of Agriculture have received subsidies, including Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.). The most senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, has also received subsidies.
Overall, ten members of the House Agriculture Committee received at least $3.5 million in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2014.
ACLU suing Indiana town over cross display as part of Christmas decorations
KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. -- The American Civil Liberties Union is suing a central Indiana town over the display of a cross as part of its Christmas decorations.
The Indianapolis Star reported that the ACLU’s Indiana chapter and Knightstown resident Joseph Tompkins argue that the Christian symbol on display in the Knightstown town square violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit is seeking for removal of the cross, monetary damages and declaration that the cross display violates the First Amendment.
CBS affiliate WTTV reported that the suit alleges that the Latin cross “is the preeminent symbol of Christianity, representing the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus.” So if the display is religious, the suit argues, it has no business on town property.
Court documents say that the illuminated cross is atop a large evergreen tree and has for a number of years. The documents say there are no other holiday decorations on the square.
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Sick and Evil
There is nothing wrong with insurance … provided you can say no to it. Then it’s like any other thing you choose to buy.
Whether it makes sense to buy it – a subjective value judgment, by the way – isn’tthe point. Exercise makes sense, too.
The point is – or should be – if insurance is something you want, or feel the need of – then you have the right to choose to buy it.
What you haven’t got is the right to force others to buy it – and thereby take away their free choice.
Insurance at gunpoint is dark and vicious. Anything that involves pointing guns at other people (who haven’t pointed a gun at you first) is necessarily a dark and evil thing. Someone – it doesn’t matter which specific individual does the wet work – is threatening to harm you unless you hand over money for something you do not wish to buy.
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Whether it makes sense to buy it – a subjective value judgment, by the way – isn’tthe point. Exercise makes sense, too.
The point is – or should be – if insurance is something you want, or feel the need of – then you have the right to choose to buy it.
What you haven’t got is the right to force others to buy it – and thereby take away their free choice.
Insurance at gunpoint is dark and vicious. Anything that involves pointing guns at other people (who haven’t pointed a gun at you first) is necessarily a dark and evil thing. Someone – it doesn’t matter which specific individual does the wet work – is threatening to harm you unless you hand over money for something you do not wish to buy.
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Trump Blames Democrats For "Ridiculous" Russia Hacking Report
Speaking to Fox News' Chris Wallace on Sunday morning, the President-elect blasted the Friday night Wapo report that a secret CIA assessment concluded Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election to help him win the presidency.
"I think it's ridiculous. I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," the president-elect said in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday. "I don't know why and I think it's just -- you know, they talked about all sorts of things."
“Every week it's another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College,” referring to his 306-232 edge.
"If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting," Trump said. "Once they hack if you don't catch them in the act you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. I mean, they have no idea."
He blamed Democrats for putting out the media reports and said he did not believe they came from the Central Intelligence Agency. "I think the Democrats are putting it out," he said in the interview. When asked if he thinks the CIA is trying to overturn the election results, Trump said during the Fox News interview he doesn't think "they're saying anything."
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"I think it's ridiculous. I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," the president-elect said in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday. "I don't know why and I think it's just -- you know, they talked about all sorts of things."
“Every week it's another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College,” referring to his 306-232 edge.
"If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting," Trump said. "Once they hack if you don't catch them in the act you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. I mean, they have no idea."
He blamed Democrats for putting out the media reports and said he did not believe they came from the Central Intelligence Agency. "I think the Democrats are putting it out," he said in the interview. When asked if he thinks the CIA is trying to overturn the election results, Trump said during the Fox News interview he doesn't think "they're saying anything."
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Republican John Kennedy wins Louisiana's Senate seat
Republican John Kennedy handily beat out Democrat Foster Campbell to win Louisiana's Senate race, giving the GOP a 52-48 majority in the chamber.
Kennedy, who was favored to win the traditionally red state, secured the nation's last Senate seat for the upcoming term in January on Saturday.
A total of 24 candidates, including Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, jostled for the top two position on November 8 before facing off on Saturday in a run-off election established by Louisiana's unique primary system.
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Kennedy, who was favored to win the traditionally red state, secured the nation's last Senate seat for the upcoming term in January on Saturday.
A total of 24 candidates, including Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, jostled for the top two position on November 8 before facing off on Saturday in a run-off election established by Louisiana's unique primary system.
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Delaware quietly disbands death row
Prison officials say the move, which occurred in August, resulted in former death row inmates having five times more recreational time than they had before, and in some cases, sharing cells with other inmates who are not facing the death penalty.
“It’s gone well,” Department of Corrections Commissioner Robert Coupe told The Associated Press this week. “Some of the inmates initially preferred not to interact … but we continued to work with them through our behavioral health folks and eventually all of them were moved out of what was formerly known as death row.”
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Chicago man is charged with beating and robbing elderly US Navy WWII veteran
Police in Chicago have nabbed the suspect in the brutal beating and robbing of a 94-year-old US Navy veteran.
Olajuwon Claiborne, 26, has been charged in the violent attack that left Josephine Regnier, a World War II veteran, with broken ribs and a concussion, WSL reported.
Regnier had been waiting for one of her daughters to pick her up and take her to the dentist shortly before noon on Wednesday.
But when it became too cold for her, she decided to go back inside the hallway.
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Olajuwon Claiborne, 26, has been charged in the violent attack that left Josephine Regnier, a World War II veteran, with broken ribs and a concussion, WSL reported.
Regnier had been waiting for one of her daughters to pick her up and take her to the dentist shortly before noon on Wednesday.
But when it became too cold for her, she decided to go back inside the hallway.
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PAPD Press Release 12-12-16 (Update Regarding Attempted Murder Investigation)
PAPD Press Release 12-12-16
Update Regarding Attempted Murder Investigation
The Princess Anne Police Department is sad to report that one of the victims from the attempted murder investigation on 12-6-16 has passed away over the weekend. The victim that has passed away was identified as Airealle Sells. The Princess Anne Police Department would like to express its deepest sympathy to the Sells family.
As of 8:30 a.m. this morning, the other victims remain in critical but stable condition. Investigators are consulting with the Somerset County State’s Attorney’s Office for modification of charges on the defendant, Sharef Hayward, concerning Airealle Sells.
Soros Connection to Scheme to Take Trump’s Electoral College Votes
NEW YORK – Harvard law professor and progressive activist Larry Lessig has announced that he is teaming up with a California-based law firm to offer “free and confidential” legal services to any members of the Electoral College who will vote against President-elect Donald Trump in violation of state law.
Lessig, a one-time presidential candidate, has served on the boards of numerous groups financed by billionaire George Soros.
Lessig’s Electoral College scheme, which is being called the Electors Trust, is a last-ditch effort to stop Trump from becoming president.
It comes after a petition drive by the Soros-funded MoveOn.org activist organization sought to abolish the Electoral College altogether.
Lessig’s project also follows the largely failed recount efforts of Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who was aided by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Breitbart News reported that the lawyer representing Clinton’s recount efforts, Marc Elias, recently led legal battles against state voting laws with an infusion of funding from Soros.
More here
Lessig, a one-time presidential candidate, has served on the boards of numerous groups financed by billionaire George Soros.
Lessig’s Electoral College scheme, which is being called the Electors Trust, is a last-ditch effort to stop Trump from becoming president.
It comes after a petition drive by the Soros-funded MoveOn.org activist organization sought to abolish the Electoral College altogether.
Lessig’s project also follows the largely failed recount efforts of Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who was aided by Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Breitbart News reported that the lawyer representing Clinton’s recount efforts, Marc Elias, recently led legal battles against state voting laws with an infusion of funding from Soros.
More here
State Police Investigating Fatal Crash Southeast of Laurel
The incident occurred around 7:50 a.m. Monday December 12, 2016 as a 35-year-old female from Willards, Maryland was operating a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck westbound on Gordy Road, west of the intersection of Wootten Road, negotiating a moderate left curve. A 64-year-old female from Delmar, Delaware was operating a 2005 Ford Explorer eastbound on Gordy Road, approaching the Silverado. As the pick-up was traveling through the curve, the operator lost control and began to rotate counterclockwise, leaving the westbound travel lane and crossing into the eastbound lane. The operator of the Explorer, in an attempt to avoid a collision, swerved to the right, however the front center collided with the right side of the truck. After the impact, the Chevrolet pick-up continued rotating counterclockwise and came to stop in a ditch. The Ford Explorer rotated slightly clockwise and came to a stop in the same ditch, just west of the truck.
The 35-year old female and her 36-year-old male passenger in the pick-up truck, were removed from the scene by EMS and transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital. The female was admitted for non-life-threatening injuries. The male was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital.
The 64-year-old female operator of the SUV was transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where she was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries.
All names are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin.
OC Council: no marine sanctuary
Hoping to help block the National Aquarium’s petition to make the Baltimore Canyon a marine sanctuary, the Ocean City mayor and council agreed Monday to send a letter to state officials declaring their steadfast opposition.
The council’s action followed an appeal by attorney Mark Cropper to join the local sportsfishing industry in opposing the designation sought by the aquarium officials in Baltimore.
“In any method that we can convince the National Aquarium in Baltimore not to file the petition due to the concerns of Ocean City and the fishing community, that’s the best of all worlds,” said Cropper, who represents the Sunset Marina, Ocean City Fishing Center Marina, the White Marlin Club and several recreational anglers and boat captains.
In October, the National Aquarium started a campaign to establish the 28-mile long underwater canyon as its first Urban National Marine Sanctuary. The designation would help protect the rare deep-sea coral and ecosystem in the Baltimore Canyon by restricting offshore exploration for minerals, oil and gas.
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The council’s action followed an appeal by attorney Mark Cropper to join the local sportsfishing industry in opposing the designation sought by the aquarium officials in Baltimore.
“In any method that we can convince the National Aquarium in Baltimore not to file the petition due to the concerns of Ocean City and the fishing community, that’s the best of all worlds,” said Cropper, who represents the Sunset Marina, Ocean City Fishing Center Marina, the White Marlin Club and several recreational anglers and boat captains.
In October, the National Aquarium started a campaign to establish the 28-mile long underwater canyon as its first Urban National Marine Sanctuary. The designation would help protect the rare deep-sea coral and ecosystem in the Baltimore Canyon by restricting offshore exploration for minerals, oil and gas.
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NYT executive editor: ‘We don’t get the role of religion in people’s lives’
The New York Times’ executive editor said that his newspaper — and “media powerhouses” across the nation — “do not understand what motivates devoutly religious Americans.”
Dean Baquet sat down Thursday with NPR for an extended interview on the media landscape following Donald Trump’s presidential election win on Nov. 8. Host Terry Gross essentially engaged in an after-action review in terms of what media outlets can learn from the election cycle.
When Mr. Baquet was asked whether he is “wrestling” with how to cover President-elect Trump, he used the question to pivot to ways to reach religious readers.
“I want to make sure that we are much more creative about beats out in the country so that we understand that anger and disconnectedness that people feel,” Mr. Baquet said. “And I think I use religion as an example because I was raised Catholic in New Orleans.
"I think that the New York-based and Washington-based too probably, media powerhouses don’t quite get religion. We have a fabulous religion writer, but she’s all alone. We don’t get religion. We don’t get the role of religion in people’s lives. And I think we can do much, much better. And I think there are things that we can be more creative about to understand the country.”
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Dean Baquet sat down Thursday with NPR for an extended interview on the media landscape following Donald Trump’s presidential election win on Nov. 8. Host Terry Gross essentially engaged in an after-action review in terms of what media outlets can learn from the election cycle.
When Mr. Baquet was asked whether he is “wrestling” with how to cover President-elect Trump, he used the question to pivot to ways to reach religious readers.
“I want to make sure that we are much more creative about beats out in the country so that we understand that anger and disconnectedness that people feel,” Mr. Baquet said. “And I think I use religion as an example because I was raised Catholic in New Orleans.
"I think that the New York-based and Washington-based too probably, media powerhouses don’t quite get religion. We have a fabulous religion writer, but she’s all alone. We don’t get religion. We don’t get the role of religion in people’s lives. And I think we can do much, much better. And I think there are things that we can be more creative about to understand the country.”
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Fundraiser scheduled at Hooter’s for officer’s child
Doctors discovered a swollen optic nerve on Nov. 3, which was caused by a golf ball-sized tumor in his eye. Townsend was in surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore a few hours after the discovery.
The family has been traveling to Baltimore to take care of Joseph while he continues therapy.
Joseph’s father, Sgt. Ronnie Townsend, was born and raised in Worcester County before logging more than 25 years with the Ocean City Police Department.
During Hooters’ holiday party on Thursday, Dec. 22, from 5-9 p.m., the West Ocean City restaurant will donate all proceeds to the Townsend Family.
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Washington Post on the ‘Fake News’ Hot Seat
The Washington Post—whose coverage of Watergate four decades ago angered the powers that be, toppled a president, and defined courageous journalism—has unleashed a hornet’s nest of a different sort, one unlikely to earn a Pulitzer Prize.
Indeed, Washington’s newspaper of record—which was purchased in 2013 by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos from the storied Graham family—is uncomfortably weathering a barrage of criticism from fellow journalists and others for a front-page story published over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The story, by Post technology reporter Craig Timberg and published Nov. 24, purported to reveal how “sophisticated” Russian propagandists had spread fake news through hundreds of web sites to destabilize American democracy, thwart Hillary Clinton and elect Donald Trump to the White House.
So far the story—which has attracted millions of page views and more than 14,000 comments—has provoked lawsuit threats from at least two of the web sites, notably the widely respected financial blog Naked Capitalism, which fired off a legal letter demanding a retraction and apology even though the Post story does not specifically mention Naked Capitalism or any of the other allegedly Russian-influenced websites.
The critics panned the Post story’s heavy reliance on the judgments of unnamed “researchers” for PropOrNot.com, a shadowy website launched three months ago ostensibly to expose “Russian influence operations targeted at US audiences, distinguish between propaganda and commercial ‘clickbait’, and help identify propaganda and push back.”
More here
Indeed, Washington’s newspaper of record—which was purchased in 2013 by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos from the storied Graham family—is uncomfortably weathering a barrage of criticism from fellow journalists and others for a front-page story published over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The story, by Post technology reporter Craig Timberg and published Nov. 24, purported to reveal how “sophisticated” Russian propagandists had spread fake news through hundreds of web sites to destabilize American democracy, thwart Hillary Clinton and elect Donald Trump to the White House.
So far the story—which has attracted millions of page views and more than 14,000 comments—has provoked lawsuit threats from at least two of the web sites, notably the widely respected financial blog Naked Capitalism, which fired off a legal letter demanding a retraction and apology even though the Post story does not specifically mention Naked Capitalism or any of the other allegedly Russian-influenced websites.
The critics panned the Post story’s heavy reliance on the judgments of unnamed “researchers” for PropOrNot.com, a shadowy website launched three months ago ostensibly to expose “Russian influence operations targeted at US audiences, distinguish between propaganda and commercial ‘clickbait’, and help identify propaganda and push back.”
More here
Police: Man fires indiscriminately into Md. bar, shoots 5
BALTIMORE (AP) — Police say a man who was kicked out of a bar in south Baltimore later returned with a gun and shot five people.
Baltimore police say the man fired indiscriminately from the doorway of Maynard’s Cafe in the Brooklyn neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Three women and two men were wounded and were taken to hospitals for treatment.
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Baltimore police say the man fired indiscriminately from the doorway of Maynard’s Cafe in the Brooklyn neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Three women and two men were wounded and were taken to hospitals for treatment.
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8 Times Hillary Clinton Pushed Fake News
Former Secretary of State and two-time presidential campaign loser Hillary Clinton wants Congress to stop people from reading “fake news” — after spending her political career promoting and defending herself with the exact same thing.
Clinton told D.C. lawmakers this week that they need to act on “fake news.” Breitbart’s Charlie Spiering reported:
“The epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year — it’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences,” Clinton said. “This isn’t about politics or bipartisanship. Lives are at risk.”
Clinton called for Congress to pass legislation to stop it and for tech moguls in Silicon Valley to continue searching for a way to block it from entering readers’ Facebook and Twitter feeds.
“It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly,” Clinton said.
Yet Clinton is not an authority on fighting “fake news” — only an expert in spreading it.
Here are some of the biggest whoppers she sold the American people during her ill-fated political career.
Clinton told D.C. lawmakers this week that they need to act on “fake news.” Breitbart’s Charlie Spiering reported:
“The epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year — it’s now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences,” Clinton said. “This isn’t about politics or bipartisanship. Lives are at risk.”
Clinton called for Congress to pass legislation to stop it and for tech moguls in Silicon Valley to continue searching for a way to block it from entering readers’ Facebook and Twitter feeds.
“It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly,” Clinton said.
Yet Clinton is not an authority on fighting “fake news” — only an expert in spreading it.
Here are some of the biggest whoppers she sold the American people during her ill-fated political career.
‘The Election Ended’ — Donald Trump Ridicules Russian Conspiracy Theories
President-elect Donald Trump’s team is mocking a CIA intelligence briefing reported by the Washington Post that suggests Russians were secretly working to elect Donald Trump.
“These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” the Trump transition team replied in a statement to reporters, directly challenging the CIA assessment.
But the Trump team also challenged Democrats who are working behind the scenes to highlight the Russian involvement with the election, in what may be an attempt to undermine the validity of the election results.
Some Republicans are challenging the assessment, pointing to a lack of evidence.
“I’ll be the first one to come out and point at Russia if there’s clear evidence, but there is no clear evidence — even now,” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) told the Post. “There’s a lot of innuendo, lots of circumstantial evidence, that’s it.”
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“These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” the Trump transition team replied in a statement to reporters, directly challenging the CIA assessment.
But the Trump team also challenged Democrats who are working behind the scenes to highlight the Russian involvement with the election, in what may be an attempt to undermine the validity of the election results.
Some Republicans are challenging the assessment, pointing to a lack of evidence.
“I’ll be the first one to come out and point at Russia if there’s clear evidence, but there is no clear evidence — even now,” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) told the Post. “There’s a lot of innuendo, lots of circumstantial evidence, that’s it.”
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'Zero' Proof Russia Tilted Election
President-elect Donald Trump's camp Saturday morning strongly pushed back against reports of a CIA secret assessment determining that Russia likely interfered in the 2016 election in his favor, with Republican National Committee Communication Director Sean Spicer demanding proof from a CNN anchor that Russian involvement affected the outcome.
"What proof does anyone have that they affected the outcome? Zero," Spicer said in a heated interview with CNN's Michael Smerconish. "Show me what facts have actually shown that anything undermined that election. Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, 62 million Americans voted for him. So what proof do you have or anyone has that any of this affected the outcome of the election?"
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that the CIA found Russia intervened in the election on Trump's behalf, not just to undermine confidence in the electoral process. In addition, The New York Times reported that Russia had hacked into the RNC's computers but withheld the information it seized, a claim Spicer strongly denied Saturday.
Spicer's interview came after Trump's transition team Friday night tore into the CIA for the assessment that the Russia intervened in the presidential election on his behalf, dismissing the spy agency as the "same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."
"The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history," the team said in an unsigned statement, reports CNN. "It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"
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"What proof does anyone have that they affected the outcome? Zero," Spicer said in a heated interview with CNN's Michael Smerconish. "Show me what facts have actually shown that anything undermined that election. Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, 62 million Americans voted for him. So what proof do you have or anyone has that any of this affected the outcome of the election?"
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that the CIA found Russia intervened in the election on Trump's behalf, not just to undermine confidence in the electoral process. In addition, The New York Times reported that Russia had hacked into the RNC's computers but withheld the information it seized, a claim Spicer strongly denied Saturday.
Spicer's interview came after Trump's transition team Friday night tore into the CIA for the assessment that the Russia intervened in the presidential election on his behalf, dismissing the spy agency as the "same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."
"The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history," the team said in an unsigned statement, reports CNN. "It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"
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Partisan fighting, union opposition may kill veterans' healthcare bill
A veterans' healthcare bill that passed the House unanimously on Wednesday may stall in the Senate amid fighting over an unrelated provision in the stopgap government funding bill and opposition from federal employees' unions.
The "Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act" was the last piece of reform legislation spearheaded by retiring Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill contained dozens of provisions, including increased healthcare benefits for homeless veterans and an expansion of education benefits for military widows and widowers.
But one provision in particular drew the ire of federal employees' unions who felt the bill paved the way for "pay inequity" by changing the process by which the VA decides how much to pay its officials. That provision would end the VA's current practice of setting some salaries using peer-based panels to keep paychecks consistent with the market.
The VA itself supports the change and has previously argued that the panels waste time and delay the hiring process while delivering few benefits.
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The "Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act" was the last piece of reform legislation spearheaded by retiring Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill contained dozens of provisions, including increased healthcare benefits for homeless veterans and an expansion of education benefits for military widows and widowers.
But one provision in particular drew the ire of federal employees' unions who felt the bill paved the way for "pay inequity" by changing the process by which the VA decides how much to pay its officials. That provision would end the VA's current practice of setting some salaries using peer-based panels to keep paychecks consistent with the market.
The VA itself supports the change and has previously argued that the panels waste time and delay the hiring process while delivering few benefits.
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Mayor Pugh names top staff, to pay top advisers $805,000
Her chief of staff, former schools CEO Tisha Edwards, is to be paid $190,000, which is $19,000 more than Pugh's salary.
Former Del. Peter Hammen, Pugh's chief of operations, and former Baltimore County executive James T. Smith Jr., her chief of strategic alliances, will each make $175,000.
Karen Stokes, director of government relations, will be paid $137,000. Anthony McCarthy, director of communications, will get $125,000.
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AFL-CIO backs Ellison to lead DNC
The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation, threw its support behind Rep. Keith Ellison's bid to lead the Democratic National Committee, saying the liberal congressman "meets the high standard" set by its seven million members.
"He is a proven leader who will focus on year-round grassroots organizing to deliver for working families across America. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party will embody the values that our members stand for every day," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Thursday about the Minnesota Democrat.
The announcement is a considerable boost for Ellison, whose bid has become controversial. Last week, the Anti-Defamation League said it opposed him, citing comments in past speeches critical of Israel. In a 2010 speech, Ellison, who is Muslim, said, "The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people." The ADL called the comments "both deeply disturbing and disqualifying."
The AFL-CIO's announcement did not address that controversy. It included a statement from Ellison that he was "proud to be on their side and I am even prouder that the AFL-CIO is on mine. Workers will be central to the Democratic Party."
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"He is a proven leader who will focus on year-round grassroots organizing to deliver for working families across America. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party will embody the values that our members stand for every day," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Thursday about the Minnesota Democrat.
The announcement is a considerable boost for Ellison, whose bid has become controversial. Last week, the Anti-Defamation League said it opposed him, citing comments in past speeches critical of Israel. In a 2010 speech, Ellison, who is Muslim, said, "The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people." The ADL called the comments "both deeply disturbing and disqualifying."
The AFL-CIO's announcement did not address that controversy. It included a statement from Ellison that he was "proud to be on their side and I am even prouder that the AFL-CIO is on mine. Workers will be central to the Democratic Party."
More
The fake 'privatization' battle brewing over the VA
Lawmakers and veterans service organizations are clashing over the possible "privatization" of the broken Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump administration, even though nobody in either party has proposed such a plan.
Some Democrats and veterans groups have begun to sound the alarm over what they describe as plans by Republicans to "privatize" the VA. But other veterans groups and Republicans argue privatization has never been part of the conversation surrounding VA reform, and say warnings over privatization are a "strawman" tactic designed to distract from the VA's massive failures.
"It's a deliberate attempt to mislead people about Donald Trump's reform plan and others' reform plans, including House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller's reform plan," Dan Caldwell, legislative director at Concerned Veterans for America, told the Washington Examiner.
Caldwell noted Democrats' privatization rhetoric has failed to pass muster with multiple fact checkers.
During the presidential race, Hillary Clinton earned a "mostly false" rating from Politifact for claiming Trump supported a privatization "agenda." Sen. Bernie Sanders and Clinton each earned "three Pinocchios" from the Washington Post fact checker.
More here
Some Democrats and veterans groups have begun to sound the alarm over what they describe as plans by Republicans to "privatize" the VA. But other veterans groups and Republicans argue privatization has never been part of the conversation surrounding VA reform, and say warnings over privatization are a "strawman" tactic designed to distract from the VA's massive failures.
"It's a deliberate attempt to mislead people about Donald Trump's reform plan and others' reform plans, including House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller's reform plan," Dan Caldwell, legislative director at Concerned Veterans for America, told the Washington Examiner.
Caldwell noted Democrats' privatization rhetoric has failed to pass muster with multiple fact checkers.
During the presidential race, Hillary Clinton earned a "mostly false" rating from Politifact for claiming Trump supported a privatization "agenda." Sen. Bernie Sanders and Clinton each earned "three Pinocchios" from the Washington Post fact checker.
More here
Southern Poverty Law Center Calls Islamic and Black Lives Matter Attacks ‘Radical-Right Terrorist Plots’
The Southern Poverty Law Center aka the SPLC has published a list of what they call “Terror from the Right” that categorizes two Islamic terror attacks—including the deadly assault on Orland’s Pulse nightclub that left 49 dead and the Black Lives Matter-inspired murders of police officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas— as “radical-right terrorist plots.”
The motive for the SLPC’s bizarre definition of the political right remains unclear, but the list of the “stories of plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since 1995 — plots and violence waged against a democratic America” includes a section on the Orlando attack that says:
The motive for the SLPC’s bizarre definition of the political right remains unclear, but the list of the “stories of plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since 1995 — plots and violence waged against a democratic America” includes a section on the Orlando attack that says:
DNI Clapper: We ‘Don’t Have Good Insight’ into Alleged Russian Hacking
As recently as Nov. 17, James Clapper, the nation’s top intelligence officer, told Congress his agencies “don’t have good insight” into a direct link between Wikileaks and the emails supposedly hacked by a Russian operation from Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
During the campaign, Wikileaks released reams of embarrassing internal emails between campaign chairman John Podesta, other campaign officials and the Democratic National Committee. One emailed showed candidate Clinton was provided the questions ahead of a CNN town hall appearance.
Democrats are now on a campaign implying that the hacking won the election for Donald Trump and have pressed the Obama administration for a far reaching investigation.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the CIA has secretly concluded that the Vladimir Putin regime directed hackers to penetrate the Democrats’ emails expressly to help Republican Trump win the election. The Post said the CIA has identified people with connections to the Russia government who supplied the stolen emails to Wikileaks.
That is not what Mr. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, told the House Intelligence Committee at an open hearing on Nov. 17.
More here
During the campaign, Wikileaks released reams of embarrassing internal emails between campaign chairman John Podesta, other campaign officials and the Democratic National Committee. One emailed showed candidate Clinton was provided the questions ahead of a CNN town hall appearance.
Democrats are now on a campaign implying that the hacking won the election for Donald Trump and have pressed the Obama administration for a far reaching investigation.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the CIA has secretly concluded that the Vladimir Putin regime directed hackers to penetrate the Democrats’ emails expressly to help Republican Trump win the election. The Post said the CIA has identified people with connections to the Russia government who supplied the stolen emails to Wikileaks.
That is not what Mr. Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, told the House Intelligence Committee at an open hearing on Nov. 17.
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Hillary Clinton Spent $1.2 Billion to Lose 2016 Election
Hillary Clinton could have bought a decent-sized chunk of New York real estate with the $1.2 billion that she raised and spent for her losing election, according to a new report by the New York Post.
In contrast, Donald Trump raised and spent $600 million in his narrow and shocking victory. That budget includes $66 million of his own cash.
Trump’s 63 million widely distributed votes cost him roughly $9.50 each. Her 65.5 million bunched-up votes each cost roughly $18.32.
According to the Post:
Clinton’s expensive machine tore through $131.8 million in just the final weeks, finishing with about $839,000 on hand as of Nov. 28.
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In contrast, Donald Trump raised and spent $600 million in his narrow and shocking victory. That budget includes $66 million of his own cash.
Trump’s 63 million widely distributed votes cost him roughly $9.50 each. Her 65.5 million bunched-up votes each cost roughly $18.32.
According to the Post:
Clinton’s expensive machine tore through $131.8 million in just the final weeks, finishing with about $839,000 on hand as of Nov. 28.
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Ocean City woman charged with running theft scheme
Felony and misdemeanor charges have been filed against an Ocean City woman who is alleged to have defrauded her employer over the course of several months.
Following an investigation by Ocean City Police Department detectives,
Chelsea P. Purnell, 47, was charged on Nov. 4 with running a theft scheme under $10,000, according to Maryland Judiciary Case Search.
She also faces 31 counts of theft of under $1,000 and four counts of theft.
Police were called to the Wine Rack on 85th Street on Oct. 27 about a suspected internal theft, OCPD Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay Richard said.
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Following an investigation by Ocean City Police Department detectives,
Chelsea P. Purnell, 47, was charged on Nov. 4 with running a theft scheme under $10,000, according to Maryland Judiciary Case Search.
She also faces 31 counts of theft of under $1,000 and four counts of theft.
Police were called to the Wine Rack on 85th Street on Oct. 27 about a suspected internal theft, OCPD Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay Richard said.
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House Republicans Form Second Amendment Caucus
A group of House Republicans formed the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus on Thursday.
The group, headed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), said the caucus plans to draft and sponsor pro-gun legislation in the upcoming Congress.
“Caucus members will lead efforts in the House of Representatives to pass meaningful firearms legislation and protect Americans against infringements of the Second Amendment,” the group said in a statement.
Massie said the election of Donald Trump and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress were the catalyst for the formation of the caucus.
“The recent election results present us with a new opportunity to advance pro-gun legislation and reverse the erosion of the Second Amendment that’s occurred over the last few decades,” he said. “I look forward to working with the new president and this determined group of conservatives to promote a pro-gun agenda.”
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The group, headed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), said the caucus plans to draft and sponsor pro-gun legislation in the upcoming Congress.
“Caucus members will lead efforts in the House of Representatives to pass meaningful firearms legislation and protect Americans against infringements of the Second Amendment,” the group said in a statement.
Massie said the election of Donald Trump and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress were the catalyst for the formation of the caucus.
“The recent election results present us with a new opportunity to advance pro-gun legislation and reverse the erosion of the Second Amendment that’s occurred over the last few decades,” he said. “I look forward to working with the new president and this determined group of conservatives to promote a pro-gun agenda.”
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Ariealle Sells Passed Away This Past Weekend
Her children remain in the hospital in critical but stable condition.
Why Dr. Carson's HUD will take a wrecking ball to Obama's housing rule
Of everything that President Obama has done that President-elect Trump stands to undo, perhaps no policy better symbolizes the differences between the two than a housing rule meant to reshape towns and counties across America.
Although the rule hasn't earned the same level of attention that the stimulus, Obamacare, or Dodd-Frank did, it is ambitious. It requires local governments to spell out plans for reducing segregation or else risk losing federal funds, and is the Obama administration's attempt to increase diversity and desegregate housing markets all over the country through federal action. Trump and the incoming GOP Congress don't share that vision.
Instead, all indications suggest that Trump's team is ready entirely to scrap the housing rule, clunkily known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
The rule was finalized in July 2015. But it is meant to implement a part of the housing title of the landmark 1968 Civil Rights Act fully. Coming nearly a half century after the legislation authorizing it, the rule also represents Obama's larger hope for the country over the next decade: That it becomes more progressive and less unequal at the same time that it becomes demographically more diverse.
More here
Although the rule hasn't earned the same level of attention that the stimulus, Obamacare, or Dodd-Frank did, it is ambitious. It requires local governments to spell out plans for reducing segregation or else risk losing federal funds, and is the Obama administration's attempt to increase diversity and desegregate housing markets all over the country through federal action. Trump and the incoming GOP Congress don't share that vision.
Instead, all indications suggest that Trump's team is ready entirely to scrap the housing rule, clunkily known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
The rule was finalized in July 2015. But it is meant to implement a part of the housing title of the landmark 1968 Civil Rights Act fully. Coming nearly a half century after the legislation authorizing it, the rule also represents Obama's larger hope for the country over the next decade: That it becomes more progressive and less unequal at the same time that it becomes demographically more diverse.
More here
Clinton Aide Hints At Electoral College Mischief
Longtime Hillary Clinton aide and former communications director for the Clinton campaign Jennifer Palmieri hinted at possible electoral college mischief in a tweet on Friday after a statement from President-elect Donald Trump seemed to rub her the wrong way.
“Wonder if [Trump] knows that electoral college hasn’t even met yet,” Palmieri tweeted, in the latest indication that Clinton allies may be trying to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency before the billionaire real estate mogul ever takes office.
Palmieri was triggered by a brief statement from Trump in which the president-elect cast doubt on a Washington Post report that Russia had intervened in U.S. presidential elections for the purpose of getting Trump elected.
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“Wonder if [Trump] knows that electoral college hasn’t even met yet,” Palmieri tweeted, in the latest indication that Clinton allies may be trying to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency before the billionaire real estate mogul ever takes office.
Palmieri was triggered by a brief statement from Trump in which the president-elect cast doubt on a Washington Post report that Russia had intervened in U.S. presidential elections for the purpose of getting Trump elected.
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Accident on business Rt 50
Another wind project targets resort waters
Another firm, Skipjack Offshore Wind LLC, has submitted a proposal to build and operate a wind farm on a lease 17 miles northeast of the Maryland-Delaware border, and hopes to locate in the greater Ocean City area.
“Our principal goal is the lowest possible cost,” CEO Jeff Grybowski said. “Construction of the turbines would be somewhere in Baltimore because we need the space — maybe at one of the former shipyards, but we’re only looking at Ocean City,” for the support services for the farm and its equipment, he said.
Grybowski said the idea behind his proposal is to start small.
“If we built out our lease to capacity, we could fit 800 megawatts in the whole site,” he said. However, the initial proposal is for 120 megawatts. US Wind is proposing a 750-megawatt farm. The state provides offshore renewable energy credits for up to 250 total megawatts to help finance the projects and to create demand for this type of power.
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US weather to see series of cold blasts hit in the next week
Residents from the northern and central plains to the Midwest - some of whom have already endured heavy snowfall - can expect temperatures to be 5F to 20F lower than this week, thanks to a major push of Arctic air.
'The air mass on the way for the middle of December is likely to be substantially colder, when compared to that of this past week and this weekend,' AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
The news came the same day as the I-75 was shut down in Michigan after 40 cars and three semis were involved in a pile-up caused by icy conditions.
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CIA: Washington Post Report Linking Russian Government to Trump & Election Hacking Is “Outright Lie”
The Washington Post, in a front-page splash on Friday, fingered the CIA for allegedly confirming the wild rumors of Russian hacking that were concocted and spread by Democratic lawmakers for months preceding the election and the weeks since the GOP win. The Washington Post’s story, however, contained no CIA sources and in fact, no credible U.S. intelligence agency sources whatsoever. Instead, it hinged on what unnamed lawmakers had supposedly been told by unidentified, supposed CIA-linked sources in “secret” briefings: That the CIA had developed proof the Russian state waged an orchestrated campaign to destabilize the U.S. election to benefit GOP-candidate Trump.
“It’s an outright lie,” a CIA analyst divulged to True Pundit. “There’s nothing definitive like that. There are leads from activity originating in Finland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Britain, France, China and Russia.”
Multiple CIA sources are now denouncing the Washington Post for knowingly reporting misleading national security intelligence. Intelligence insiders said no one in the Agency or in the FBI, who is running at least one parallel inquiry, has ruled out a possible internal leak within the Democratic National Committee from actor(s) inside the United States who funneled private DNC emails to Wikileaks.
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Biden on Future Leaders of the Democratic Party: Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, and Me
The leaders of the Democratic Party of the future will be Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden, said Joe Biden in an interview Sunday.
The outgoing vice president appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper:
TAPPER: “Who is the leader of the Democratic Party as of January 21st?"
BIDEN: “Well, like after every presidential election where the party loses, there is no single leader. There are voices that hopefully will be heard. Hopefully, I’ll be able to have a voice in the direction of the party. The president of the United States will. Obviously, Chuck Schumer will. Obviously, Nancy Pelosi will. There is going to be governors that will emerge. So it’s a contest of ideas of which direction to take the party. After every single loss, the political party that loses, they go and do a retrospective what happened, where did we make a mistake, what did we do wrong? That debate is going to ensue and hopefully the party will grow from it.”
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The outgoing vice president appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper:
TAPPER: “Who is the leader of the Democratic Party as of January 21st?"
BIDEN: “Well, like after every presidential election where the party loses, there is no single leader. There are voices that hopefully will be heard. Hopefully, I’ll be able to have a voice in the direction of the party. The president of the United States will. Obviously, Chuck Schumer will. Obviously, Nancy Pelosi will. There is going to be governors that will emerge. So it’s a contest of ideas of which direction to take the party. After every single loss, the political party that loses, they go and do a retrospective what happened, where did we make a mistake, what did we do wrong? That debate is going to ensue and hopefully the party will grow from it.”
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'Tolerant' NYC is making the Trump kids’ lives ‘horrible’
Protesters in the city may chant, “Love trumps hate,” but that’s not stopping some from piling on Donald Trump’s family.
“You can’t be a Trump supporter in the city,” an old Buckley School classmate of Donald Jr. admitted to The Post.
“I wanted to throw a fund-raiser for [the elder Trump last spring], and my fiancée was like, ‘Don’t you dare! You’ll never get one ounce of business again in this town,’ ” said the classmate, who has his own hedge fund.
Ever since the president-elect’s win in November, his family’s life in the Big Apple has been turned upside down. With 78.5 percent of city voters casting their ballot for Hillary Clinton, liberal New Yorkers are still waging an anti-Trump campaign — often aimed at his three oldest children, Donald Jr., 38, Ivanka, 35, and Eric, 32, all born and raised in Manhattan.
So what’s it like when your hometown — supposedly the most tolerant city in the nation — turns intolerant toward you?
More here
“You can’t be a Trump supporter in the city,” an old Buckley School classmate of Donald Jr. admitted to The Post.
“I wanted to throw a fund-raiser for [the elder Trump last spring], and my fiancée was like, ‘Don’t you dare! You’ll never get one ounce of business again in this town,’ ” said the classmate, who has his own hedge fund.
Ever since the president-elect’s win in November, his family’s life in the Big Apple has been turned upside down. With 78.5 percent of city voters casting their ballot for Hillary Clinton, liberal New Yorkers are still waging an anti-Trump campaign — often aimed at his three oldest children, Donald Jr., 38, Ivanka, 35, and Eric, 32, all born and raised in Manhattan.
So what’s it like when your hometown — supposedly the most tolerant city in the nation — turns intolerant toward you?
More here
ACLU sues Indiana town over Christmas display cross
The ACLU of Indianapolis is suing Knightstown over the display, which includes a lighted cross at the top of the tree.
Fox 59 Indianapolis reported Friday that the cross in the middle of town never bothered anyone in the town of 2,000 -- until now.
“A couple weeks ago they had a crowd here,” said Knightstown resident Mark Tompkins. “Everybody was here. Everybody was fine with it. But now you’ve got one person, you know, out of everybody.”
Tompkins disagrees with the ACLU lawsuit even though a relative is the plaintiff, according to the station.
The ACLU says in the lawsuit that Joseph Tompkins objects to the cross because it violates the separation of church and state.
The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, says Tompkins has been “forced to come into unwelcome contact” with the display, causing him “irreparable harm.”
More here
Texas Muslim Pleads Guilty to Setting Fire to His Own Mosque
HOUSTON, Texas — The Muslim charged with arson of his own mosque on Christmas Day 2015 has pleaded guilty to felony arson in a Harris County (Houston) district court and was sentenced to prison.
The charging instrument stated that Gary Nathaniel Moore started a fire with the intent to destroy and damage a place of worship – the Savoy Masjid Mosque in Houston. Moore said he attended the mosque every day up to five times a day for five years. The Houston Fire Department (HFD) responded to the fire about 2:47 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Breitbart News reported that “up in smoke is the DC Media’s hoped-for anti-GOP Narrative. Before any facts were known, numerous DC Media outlets immediately exploited the tragedy to place the blame on Donald Trump.” As reported by Breitbart Texas, Breitbart News accurately predicted that the DC media would lose interest in the story “Now that a devout Muslim has been charged.”
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The charging instrument stated that Gary Nathaniel Moore started a fire with the intent to destroy and damage a place of worship – the Savoy Masjid Mosque in Houston. Moore said he attended the mosque every day up to five times a day for five years. The Houston Fire Department (HFD) responded to the fire about 2:47 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Breitbart News reported that “up in smoke is the DC Media’s hoped-for anti-GOP Narrative. Before any facts were known, numerous DC Media outlets immediately exploited the tragedy to place the blame on Donald Trump.” As reported by Breitbart Texas, Breitbart News accurately predicted that the DC media would lose interest in the story “Now that a devout Muslim has been charged.”
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New Research Debunks The Claim That Your Beliefs Can Kill Gay People
It was a spectacular assertion. A 2014 study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine by a Columbia University researcher asserted that “sexual minorities living in communities with high levels of anti-gay prejudice” have a “shorter life expectancy of approximately 12 years.”
Yes, you heard that right. Being gay in an unwelcoming community takes 12 years off your life! This study was heralded broadly by the press with no critical analysis provided for the reader. Not one mainstream journalist stopped to consider, much less challenge, the sweeping grandeur of this claim. It was used as a blunt object to condemn anyone not keen on the mainstreaming of homosexuality.
Quite blunt it was. Reducing another’s life by 12 years by failing to agree with his or her sexual desires is no small charge. But is it legit?
Compare This to Other Major Health Conditions
First, just consider this 12-year-life-reduction charge in contrast to other dramatic life-reducing health conditions. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that being a regular smoker shaves up to 10 years off one’s life. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University finds that 67-years-olds with up to five serious chronic health conditions (such as heart disease, cancer, pulmonary disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s) will live on average 7.7 fewer years than their peers with no such conditions.
Thus, being gay, lesbian, or bisexual and living in a non-affirming community is more deleterious to one’s health than consistent smoking, heart disease, or cancer. Umm.
More here
Yes, you heard that right. Being gay in an unwelcoming community takes 12 years off your life! This study was heralded broadly by the press with no critical analysis provided for the reader. Not one mainstream journalist stopped to consider, much less challenge, the sweeping grandeur of this claim. It was used as a blunt object to condemn anyone not keen on the mainstreaming of homosexuality.
Quite blunt it was. Reducing another’s life by 12 years by failing to agree with his or her sexual desires is no small charge. But is it legit?
Compare This to Other Major Health Conditions
First, just consider this 12-year-life-reduction charge in contrast to other dramatic life-reducing health conditions. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that being a regular smoker shaves up to 10 years off one’s life. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University finds that 67-years-olds with up to five serious chronic health conditions (such as heart disease, cancer, pulmonary disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s) will live on average 7.7 fewer years than their peers with no such conditions.
Thus, being gay, lesbian, or bisexual and living in a non-affirming community is more deleterious to one’s health than consistent smoking, heart disease, or cancer. Umm.
More here
The Killer Wind from Hurricane Donald
They said it couldn’t be done, and even if it could, Donald Trump wouldn’t be the man to do it. But a fresh wind from somewhere is blowing through the jungle where the timid, the fearful and the politically correct cower in the shade of the no-no tree.
If the Donald were elected, wise men confidently told us, the economy would collapse, America’s friends abroad would die of diplomatic shock, rivers would run backward and the sun would never shine again. Oh, dear. Woe is us.
But suddenly, it’s woe that’s in retreat. The stock market is booming, Americans are smiling again as investor confidence grows and the Donald’s critics who were only yesterday predicting that the world would end by Christmas are no longer so sure. The world might stumble on until Easter.
First Carrier, the iconic air-conditioner manufacturer, decided that well, maybe, it wasn’t so important after all to move everything to Mexico. Maybe it could stick around in Indiana. This upset the naysayers no end, who complained that handing out tax breaks to companies just to stay here and create jobs for Americans was a catastrophic idea, even though the several states have been doing that for years in the endless pursuit of jobs.
Now United States Steel says it has thought about things, maybe it should accelerate its investments in the United States, and bring back workers it laid off when it, too, sang in the Greek chorus of doom and gloom.
“We already structured to do some things,” says Mario Longhi, the CEO of U.S. Steel, “but when you see in the near future improvements to the tax laws, improvements to regulation, those two things by themselves may be a significant driver to what we’re going to do.”
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If the Donald were elected, wise men confidently told us, the economy would collapse, America’s friends abroad would die of diplomatic shock, rivers would run backward and the sun would never shine again. Oh, dear. Woe is us.
But suddenly, it’s woe that’s in retreat. The stock market is booming, Americans are smiling again as investor confidence grows and the Donald’s critics who were only yesterday predicting that the world would end by Christmas are no longer so sure. The world might stumble on until Easter.
First Carrier, the iconic air-conditioner manufacturer, decided that well, maybe, it wasn’t so important after all to move everything to Mexico. Maybe it could stick around in Indiana. This upset the naysayers no end, who complained that handing out tax breaks to companies just to stay here and create jobs for Americans was a catastrophic idea, even though the several states have been doing that for years in the endless pursuit of jobs.
Now United States Steel says it has thought about things, maybe it should accelerate its investments in the United States, and bring back workers it laid off when it, too, sang in the Greek chorus of doom and gloom.
“We already structured to do some things,” says Mario Longhi, the CEO of U.S. Steel, “but when you see in the near future improvements to the tax laws, improvements to regulation, those two things by themselves may be a significant driver to what we’re going to do.”
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Why Did Japan Choose a Suicidal War in 1941?
Seven decades after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor some truth is finally beginning to emerge from the miasma of propaganda that still clouds our vision of World War II.
It seems clear by now that President Franklin Roosevelt’s White House knew from deciphered codes that Japan was planning an attack on America’s key naval base in Hawaii. Shamefully, the senior US Navy and Army commanders at Pearl Harbor were not informed of the impending attack. The US Navy’s three aircraft carriers were coincidentally moved far from harm’s way before the attack, leaving only obsolescent World War I battleships in port as sitting ducks.
Roosevelt was eager to get the United States into war against Germany at all costs. But Americans wanted no part of Europe’s war, recalling how British propaganda had deceived America into World War I. The single largest ethnic group in America was of German origin. In the 1880’s, my native New York City was the third most populous German city on earth after Berlin and Hamburg.
Roosevelt, whose sympathies lay far to the left in spite of his patrician background, understood that only a surprise attack would provoke Americans into war.
At the time, the US supplied 80% of Japan’s oil, 100% of its aviation fuel, and much of its metal. Roosevelt demanded Japan vacate China that it had invaded, or face an embargo of these vital strategic materials on which Japan’s industry depended. Japan’s fascist military government refused, as Washington knew it would. A US embargo ensued.
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It seems clear by now that President Franklin Roosevelt’s White House knew from deciphered codes that Japan was planning an attack on America’s key naval base in Hawaii. Shamefully, the senior US Navy and Army commanders at Pearl Harbor were not informed of the impending attack. The US Navy’s three aircraft carriers were coincidentally moved far from harm’s way before the attack, leaving only obsolescent World War I battleships in port as sitting ducks.
Roosevelt was eager to get the United States into war against Germany at all costs. But Americans wanted no part of Europe’s war, recalling how British propaganda had deceived America into World War I. The single largest ethnic group in America was of German origin. In the 1880’s, my native New York City was the third most populous German city on earth after Berlin and Hamburg.
Roosevelt, whose sympathies lay far to the left in spite of his patrician background, understood that only a surprise attack would provoke Americans into war.
At the time, the US supplied 80% of Japan’s oil, 100% of its aviation fuel, and much of its metal. Roosevelt demanded Japan vacate China that it had invaded, or face an embargo of these vital strategic materials on which Japan’s industry depended. Japan’s fascist military government refused, as Washington knew it would. A US embargo ensued.
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Millennials didn’t show up for Hillary Clinton in the Rust Belt
Hillary Clinton thinks she lost the presidential election because of fake news. Her communications director has pointed the finger at white supremacists. Her campaign manager has said FBI Director James Comey is to blame.
Could it be that Mrs. Clinton lost the vote of young voters — who were supposed to carry her across the finish line — in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan?
The Cook Political Report said they were a key component in Donald Trump’s success in breaking the blue wall.
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Could it be that Mrs. Clinton lost the vote of young voters — who were supposed to carry her across the finish line — in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan?
The Cook Political Report said they were a key component in Donald Trump’s success in breaking the blue wall.
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DC’s Transgender Cop Poster Child Turns Out To Be A Pervert
In a story published Thursday night, NBC4 News profiled Jessica Hawkins as a police officer who “helps build trust in [the] D.C. community” due to his work on an LGBT outreach unit. Hawkins, who previously went by Billy, is biologically male but identifies as a woman, and publicly transitioned two years ago.
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Democrats resort to muffin therapy and ‘Trump survival guides’ for their postelection grief
A certain segment of the nation now suffers from “postelection grief,” inspiring one therapist to write an essay for National Public Radio suggesting that distraught people would benefit from baking muffins in the “sanctuary” of their kitchen. Jean Fain, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist, even supplied a “Hillary muffin” recipe that includes bananas, applesauce, oatmeal, hazelnuts and chocolate chips — noting that “muffin making as a meditative practice is a reliable source of comfort and hope.” Well, OK.
Now along comes Publishers Weekly, the major industry guide in the books realm, with a report that at least three major book publishers are now rushing out serious books to help Democrats cope with President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. And yes, one is actually called “The Trump Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Through What You Hoped Would Never Happen,” described by publisher HarperCollins as “a serious call to action for all anti-Trump dissenters,” and “people looking for answers.”
But there’s more, of course. “What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America” from Penguin Random House features fancy essays from 27 well-known progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders andElizabeth Warren, feminist Gloria Steinem andNew York Times columnist Paul Krugman — all asked “to provide advice to people in their area of expertise on what they can do to voice their concerns over the next four years.”
A third offering for depressed Democrats is titled “Radical Hope” from Vintage Books, another anthology of essays from various authors and activists, deemed “an antidote to despair; a balm, a salve, a rallying cry, a lyrical manifesto, a power source, a torch to light the way.”
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Now along comes Publishers Weekly, the major industry guide in the books realm, with a report that at least three major book publishers are now rushing out serious books to help Democrats cope with President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. And yes, one is actually called “The Trump Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Through What You Hoped Would Never Happen,” described by publisher HarperCollins as “a serious call to action for all anti-Trump dissenters,” and “people looking for answers.”
But there’s more, of course. “What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America” from Penguin Random House features fancy essays from 27 well-known progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders andElizabeth Warren, feminist Gloria Steinem andNew York Times columnist Paul Krugman — all asked “to provide advice to people in their area of expertise on what they can do to voice their concerns over the next four years.”
A third offering for depressed Democrats is titled “Radical Hope” from Vintage Books, another anthology of essays from various authors and activists, deemed “an antidote to despair; a balm, a salve, a rallying cry, a lyrical manifesto, a power source, a torch to light the way.”
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Moving Backwards: Despite Claims Of A Recovery, "Economy Is In Reverse"
The middle class is still struggling for something tangible, but things remain pretty frustrating for most people.
It could actually feel like things are going in reverse… and that each piece of economic interaction squeezes just a little bit harder.
via the Washington Examiner:
A new report on the economy finds that productivity growth is at a 50-year low and that much of the positive talk about the nation’s financial situation in the last election, much of it coming from the administration, was a lie.
The report from the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and Gallup finds that for many, the economy is in reverse despite claims that there is an active recovery ongoing, complete with new jobs.
The report makes clear that Obama Administration propaganda and media claims that a recovery is underway were carefully-coordinated lies… quite simply, there is no recovery and things are getting worse all the time for America’s swelling numbers of working poor:
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It could actually feel like things are going in reverse… and that each piece of economic interaction squeezes just a little bit harder.
via the Washington Examiner:
A new report on the economy finds that productivity growth is at a 50-year low and that much of the positive talk about the nation’s financial situation in the last election, much of it coming from the administration, was a lie.
The report from the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and Gallup finds that for many, the economy is in reverse despite claims that there is an active recovery ongoing, complete with new jobs.
The report makes clear that Obama Administration propaganda and media claims that a recovery is underway were carefully-coordinated lies… quite simply, there is no recovery and things are getting worse all the time for America’s swelling numbers of working poor:
More
Law Enforcement Media Briefing – Arrest Made in Pocomoke City Murder
The accused is identified as Anthony Tunnel, 36, of no known address. He was arrested without incident at 7:00 a.m. this morning at a hotel in Salisbury by members of the Maryland State Apprehension Team. Tunnel is charged with first and second degree murder, manslaughter and other illegal drug related criminal charges. He is currently at the Wicomico County Detention Center waiting to be seen by a court commissioner.
The victim, identified as James Allen, Jr., 26, of Pitts Circle in Pocomoke City was pronounced dead shortly after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, 2016 after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. After police received a 9-1-1 call reporting the incident, officers from the Pocomoke City Police Department responded to the scene at the corner of Market and 4th Street in Pocomoke City. Subsequently, the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit were requested to take the lead in the investigation.
The victim, identified as James Allen, Jr., 26, of Pitts Circle in Pocomoke City was pronounced dead shortly after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, 2016 after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. After police received a 9-1-1 call reporting the incident, officers from the Pocomoke City Police Department responded to the scene at the corner of Market and 4th Street in Pocomoke City. Subsequently, the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit were requested to take the lead in the investigation.
