Another 'Win' for Socialism in Venezuela

Venezuela held its national “elections” Sunday, and we’re shocked — shocked — to report that President Nicolas Maduro remains in office.

Food shortages. Parents leaving their children at orphanages to be fed. Military monthly pay at $10. No medicine. No toilet paper. Inflation estimated to by 653% with currency that is virtually worthless. Electrical blackouts. Add to this list a rigged election to keep a corrupt tyrant in power and you have the poster child of socialism’s failure: the country of Venezuela.

Why should Americans care about the implosion of this South American nation whose population of 30 million is smaller than that of California? That simple: Venezuela is the result of the policies pushed by American Democrats.

Since 1999, two million Venezuelans have fled. Crime is soaring as the masses suffer overwhelming poverty. The only people who have protections and provisions are those in power.

Venezuela remains rich in one particular resource: oil. But even that’s in serious trouble. In December 2017, America was importing 475,165 barrels of crude oil daily from Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA. That had fallen from almost 800,000 barrels daily just one year earlier. Venezuela is a nation with a capacity for vast wealth. But corruption metastasized and its government structure is killing this nation and its people.

How does a nation holding the world’s largest volume of oil reserves, as ranked in 2017 by OPEC and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, have such an impoverished people and unstable government?

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WSJ Asks "Was Trump's Campaign 'Set Up'?"

The Wall Street Journal continues to counter the liberal mainstream media's anti-Trump-ness with Kimberly Strassel leading the charge, dropping uncomfortable truth-bombs in a forum that is hard for the establishment to shrug off as 'Alt-Right' or 'Nazi' or be 'punished' by search- and social-media-giants.

Earlier in the week, with Trump now calling out the debacle as "possible bigger than Watergate," Strassel tweet-stormed some key points that everyone - leftist and right - should consider... (that's wishful thinking)...

1. So a few important points on that new NYT "Hurricane Crossfire" piece. A story that, BTW, all of us following this knew had to be coming. This is DOJ/FBI leakers' attempt to get in front of the facts Nunes is forcing out, to make it not sound so bad. Don't buy it. It's bad.

2. Biggest takeaway: Govt "sources" admit that, indeed, the Obama DOJ and FBI spied on the Trump campaign. Spied. (Tho NYT kindly calls spy an "informant.") NYT slips in confirmation far down in story, and makes it out like it isn't a big deal. It is a very big deal.

3. In self-serving desire to get a sympathetic story about its actions, DOJ/FBI leakers are willing to provide yet more details about that "top secret" source (namely, that spying was aimed at Page/Papadopoulos)--making all more likely/certain source will be outed. That's on them

4. DOJ/FBI (and its leakers) have shredded what little credibility they have in claiming they cannot comply with subpoena. They are willing to provide details to friendly media, but not Congress? Willing to risk very source they claim to need to protect?

5. Back in Dec., NYT assured us it was the Papadopoulos-Downer convo that inspired FBI to launch official counterintelligence operation on July 31, 2016. Which was convenient, since it diminished the role of the dossier. However .

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Tucker Carlson: 'MS-13 Is a Living Reminder That the Left's Position on Immigration Is Fundamentally a Lie'

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson challenged Democrats that objected to President Donald Trump’s remarks earlier this week about the gang MS-13.

Carlson said the inspiration for that backlash aimed at Trump for those comments was that it challenged the left’s view on immigration — an idea that all immigrants are good.

“Why would the left be defending the country’s most violent street gang?” Carlson said. “Trump has made them irrational. That is part of it. But the left also senses a threat to its basic worldview. MS-13 is a living reminder that the left’s position on immigration is fundamentally a lie. The media tell you every day that every immigrant, legal or not, is a future brain surgeon or tech company founder. Therefore, immigration controls are unnecessary.”

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U.S. Imported More than 10M Immigrants in Last Decade, Exceeding the Population of NYC

The United States has imported more than 10 million legal immigrants in the last ten years, federal data circulated by the White House reveals.

Since 2008, the U.S. has admitted and permanently resettled close to 10.8 million legal immigrants, a foreign population that exceeds the entire population of New York City, New York — where more than 8 million residents live.

Of those roughly 10.8 million legal immigrants resettled across the U.S., the majority derives from the process known as “chain migration,” where newly naturalized citizens are allowed to bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the country.

Nearly 7.8 million legal immigrants have been imported to the U.S. through chain migration since 2008.

Another 478,000 legal immigrants have entered the U.S. through the Diversity Visa Lottery program in that same time period. The Visa Lottery randomly gives out 50,000 visas every year to foreign nationals from a multitude of countries, including those with known terrorism problems – such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Yemen, and Uzbekistan. Visa Lottery winners have undergone only minor screening from immigration officials, even when their ideology is hostile to Americans laws and culture.

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Welcome To The Eastern Shore

Al Gore urges graduates to ‘terminate’ Trump presidency early

Speaking to 2018 graduates at the University of Maryland on Sunday, it wasn’t until 19 minutes into a 22-minute speech that former Vice President Al Gore mentioned President Donald Trump’s name.

But his address nonetheless marked a commencement ceremony that pushed graduates to fight what both Gore and university President Wallace Loh described as challenges to American democracy.

The article goes on to state the following:

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And They Called It Puppy Love... Governor Hogan Adopts Dogs

Democrats test how far to the Left they can go

Kara Eastman has a message for Democrats looking for change they can believe in.

“I’m tired of hearing Democrats don’t have a backbone, that we don’t stand for anything,” the 45-year-old said in a commercial. “That changes now!” Eastman won her party’s primary for a House seat in Nebraska, beating a former congressman who was the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s choice to turn the Republican-held seat blue.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee celebrated Eastman’s victory by asserting “the way to inspire voters in 2018 is to campaign on a bold progressive agenda of Medicare for All, higher wages for workers, and other economic populist ideas that help working families and challenge corporate power.”

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Big Blue Bellyflop: Dem Advantage in Generic Ballot Hits New Low

For the very first time since April of 2017, when Real Clear Politics first started monitoring the average, the Democrat advantage in the generic ballot has dipped below 5 percent, to just 4.7 percent.

Until this week, Democrats enjoyed a steady average of a +5 percent advantage. Of late, that average has climbed as high as +13 percent. But since then, the erosion, in fits and starts, has steadily drifted downward, and now, at least in this election season, it is at a record low.

For the sake of context, in 2014, with a 2.4 percent GOP advantage in this same poll, Republicans picked up only 13 House seats.

During the 2010 mid-terms, with a 9.4 percent GOP advantage, Republicans picked up 63 House seats.

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It’s time for Bill Clinton to take a walk in the Chappaqua woods

It’s 2018. One of the world’s most powerful married men had a 22-year-old intern perform oral sex on him in his office. He’s been accused of sexual assault by three other women. One claims, as is the case with so many of the men who have fallen from positions of power as a result, that he exposed himself to her (which always makes me, at least, pause and wonder why on earth so many men seem to want to do this). We know, too, that he lied about his tryst with the intern.

So why is Bill Clinton still presiding over glamorous parties?

When Monica Lewinsky was disinvited from a Town & Country Philanthropy Summit earlier this month where Bill Clinton was speaking, the question shouldn’t have been why was she disinvited. It should have been why is Bill Clinton is headlining events at all.

And boy, is he ever. Clinton has a full social schedule this summer. In June he’ll be publicizing his book “The President is Missing” along with his co-author James Patterson all across the country. He’ll also make time to host the Clinton Foundation dinner, where tickets range from $2,500 to $100,000 and Shaggy and Sting are scheduled to perform.

Again, he’s almost certainly guilty of actions that would be categorized as harassment in 2018. The fact that the Lewinsky affair happened as long ago as 1995 is no matter.

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Breaking News: Congress voted to repeal part of the Dodd-Frank law passed after the 2008 financial crisis

A decade after the global financial crisis tipped the United States into a recession, Congress agreed on Tuesday to free thousands of small and medium-sized banks from strict rules enacted as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law to prevent another meltdown.

In a rare demonstration of bipartisanship, the House voted 258-159 to approve a regulatory rollback that passed the Senate earlier this year, handing a significant victory to President Trump, who has promised to “do a big number on Dodd-Frank.”

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How The FBI And CIA Restarted The Cold War To Protect Themselves

On December 29, 2016, the Obama Administration – with three weeks remaining in its term – issued harsh sanctions against Russia over supposed election interference. Two compounds in the United States were closed and 35 Russian diplomats were ordered to leave the country.

Russia responded by calling the actions “Cold War déjà vu.”

In the two years that have elapsed since, it has been learned that the “intelligence” that formed the basis for the sanctions was beyond dubious.

A single unverified “dossier” compiled by an ex-British spy with no discernable connections to Russia was shopped to FISA judges and the media as something real.

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Trump's stealth victory: Reshaping the courts

With less than two years under his belt, President Trump has managed to make a substantial imprint on the U.S. judicial system — one that could be felt for decades to come — by getting the Senate to confirm key judicial nominees.

The fundamental shift has come even as Republicans grumble that Democrats are slow-walking the process in the Senate. Democrats have been demanding maximum debate time for many of Trump's picks, but even with that obstacle, the courts aren't lacking for Trump nominees.

“What President Trump has done with judicial selection and appointments is probably at the very center of his legacy, and may well be his greatest accomplishments thus far,” Leonard Leo, an outside adviser to the White House on judicial selection and executive vice president of the Federalist Society, told the Washington Examiner.

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FBI Informant Stefan Halper Paid Over $1 Million By Obama Admin; Spied On Trump Aide After Election

Less than a week after Stefan Halper was outed as the FBI informant who infiltrated the Trump campaign, public records reveal that the 73-year-old Oxford University professor and former U.S. government official was paid handsomely by the Obama administration starting in 2012 for various research projects.

A longtime CIA and FBI asset who once reportedly ran a spy-operation on the Jimmy Carter administration, Halper was enlisted by the FBI to spy on several Trump campaign aides during the 2016 U.S. election. Meanwhile, a search of public records reveals that between 2012 and 2018, Halper received a total of $1,058,161 from the Department of Defense.

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Great Factual & Confirmed Story

-In 2015 a Beagle was found alone in the woods in Kentucky
-The Beagle was found by a good samaritan and brought to a shelter
-No one wanted to adopt the Beagle who unfortunately was at a kill shelter and put on the euthanasia list.
-Days before the Beagle was to be put down, a Beagle rescue group in Canada was contacted by the shelter and decided to take him in....to Canada.
-Groups of dog lovers took turns driving the Beagle in one hour shifts from Kentucky to Toronto.
-At a normal run of the mill adoption event a woman who was temporarily working in Toronto saw the Beagle and decided he was for her.
-The woman named the Beagle... Guy.
-That woman was an actress named Meghan Markle.
-Meghan Markle ended up marrying Prince Harry.
-On his owners wedding day, Guy the Beagle rode in a car to the wedding reception with the Queen of England.
-Guy, the stray beagle from Kentucky now lives at Kensington Palace.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/18/meghan-markle-rescue-dog-royal-wedding

The best way to say yes, I do!

Memorial Day Holiday Schedule

WICOMICO COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICES

Salisbury, MD ... Wicomico County Government Offices will be closed Monday, May 28, 2018, in observance of Memorial Day.

CONVENIENCE CENTERS, LANDFILL, BRUSH PILE, FERRIES HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Salisbury, MD ... On Monday, May 28, 2018, the Newland Park Landfill, Brush Pile and all Convenience Centers will be closed. The Whitehaven Ferry & Upper Ferry will be open regular hours.

For more information, please contact the Newland Park Landfill at 410-548-4935. Ferry information is available by calling 410-543-2765.

Playing the Black Card

WOW: Even The New York Times Says Bill And Hillary Clinton Are Done, Should Go Away

It's not often the mainstream media acknowledges the elephant in the room, let alone shines a spotlight on the poor pachyderm.

But The New York Times did just that on Monday, running a story headlined: "Hillary and Bill Clinton Go Separate Ways for 2018 Midterm Elections."

And that was as nice as the Times could possibly be, because the headline just as easily could have been: "The Clintons Are Done, Nobody Wants Them Near In 2018."

The piece starts out with a little nostalgia, noting that the Clintons were once "the most powerful brand in Democratic politics." Then it turns dark.

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PC RUN AMOK: Principal Apologizes To Black Students For ‘Party Like It’s 1776’ Prom Tickets

Here's another story from our "not the Onion" file.

A principled principal in a New Jersey high school has apologized to black students for the distribution of prom tickets that had a line on them telling students to "party like it's 1776."

The non-hilarious joke was a reference to Prince's hit song, Party Like It's 1999," and also geared toward the fact than the prom was being held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. So, you know, a history joke (combined with a bad dad joke).

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We Hear You: Ben Carson, Cory Booker, California, and Gun Control

Dear Daily Signal: Thank you for Genevieve Wood’s interview with Dr. Ben Carson (“Exclusive Interview: Ben Carson on Draining the Swamp, Fighting Poverty, and Kanye West”). He is the right man for the job at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and he is getting things accomplished. This is what our country needs.

In just a very short time, the president who I and many other conservative families voted for has gotten much done in our great country.

I read the news on the internet so that I can select the sources I enjoy and agree with. I’ve long ago cancelled TV, and cannot watch the mainstream media anymore.

The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more >>

I read that elites including George Soros want to spend $50 million to have another Russian collusion investigation. Could Genevieve Wood interview Kanye West or some members of Congress and ask them what they could do with $50 million? Kanye could use his skills to improve Chicago with that money. Look at our own homeless veterans, and so on.

Thank you for the great articles.—Laura Lepley, Pennsylvania

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Troopers Investigating Serious Crash – Delmar

Delmar – Delaware State Police are investigating a single vehicle crash that took place Sunday evening, resulting in one subject being hospitalized in critical condition.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:17 p.m., Sunday, May 20, 2018, on Old Stage Road south of Whitesville Road, Delmar. A 2002 GMC Yukon, operated by Juan Gomez-Gomez, 35, of Laurel, was traveling Old Stage road northbound at an apparent high rate of speed while passing other vehicles. The GMC experienced a rear tire blow out which caused Gomez-Gomez to lose control. The vehicle then traveled off the roadway, overturning multiple times, resulting in the driver and his passenger being ejected from the vehicle.

Gomez-Gomez was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC) in Salisbury, Maryland, where he was treated for minor injuries. The passenger, a 30 year old Laurel man, was also transported to PRMC where he was admitted in critical condition.

Impairment was a factor on Gomez-Gomez behalf and warrants are currently on file charging him with Vehicular Assault 1st Degree, DUI, Unreasonable Speed and No Valid License. Arrest action is pending extradition from Maryland, where he is being held as an out of state fugitive.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Sgt. A. Mendez of the Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit at 302-644-5020.

People Are Asking...

What happened to Nicole Lauren on WBOC??

UPDATE: WCSO CID Press Release - May 21, 2018

Incident: Sexual Assault

Date of Incident: 5/15/18

Location: Parkside High School, 1015 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, Maryland

Suspect: Jose Miguel Vazquez-Ramos 19 years old of Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On May 18, 2018, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office / Criminal Investigation Division was called upon to investigate a sexual offense that occurred at Parkside High School, during school hours. Detectives learned the fourteen year old victim was sexually assaulted by the suspect, who was later identified as Jose Miguel Vazquez-Ramos. Furthermore, Vazquez-Ramos sexually solicited the victim using text messaging. On May 21, 2018, Vazquez-Ramos was arrested by the investigating detective. Vazquez-Ramos will be taken to the Wicomico County Detention Center for further processing.

Charges: Sex Offense 3rd Degree, Sex Offense 4th Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, Sexual Solicitation of Minor

Bartiromo: DOJ, FBI, IRS, CIA Were ‘All Involved in Trying to Take Down Donald Trump’

Monday Fox Business Network, host Maria Bartiromo said during the administration of President Barack Obama, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS and the CIA “were all involved in trying to take down Donald Trump.”

Fox News chief judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano said, “We may be on the precipice of exposing a very, very extraordinary political use of intelligence and law enforcement by the Obama Administration.”

Bartiromo said, “This is a major presidential election. President Obama, basically, what it appears to me, politicizing all of his agencies. The DOJ, the FBI, the IRS, the CIA — they were all involved in trying to take down Donald Trump.”

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Trump signs repeal of auto-loan policy that targeted racial bias

President Trump has repealed auto-lending guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), revoking a rule that was put in place to protect minority customers from predatory practices.

Trump’s signature on a congressional resolution erases the CFPB’s 2013 guidance targeting “dealer markups,” the additional interest that is added to a customer’s third-party auto loan as compensation for the dealer.

The president signed the resolution in a private White House signing ceremony.

Auto dealers, banks and their allies in Congress said the CFPB policy was an unfair and unfounded attack on an essential and harmless financing tool.

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Homeowners In These States Are Most Likely To Move This Spring

As it turns out, homeowners in storm-battered Houston aren't selling their homes in nearly as large numbers as people from certain high-tax blue states, which are facing higher taxes thanks to the Trump tax plan. To wit, ATTOM Data Solutions has published an index that purports to show areas where Americans are moving away en masse. According to their rankings, blue-state Nevada and Delaware are the two states that will see the largest outflows of families in the immediate future. They're followed by Florida, Colorado and Virginia.

To achieve its scores, ATTOM bases its "pre-mover" housing index on its own trademark calculation: The ratio of homes that will, by ATTOM's estimation, likely be sold in the next 90 days compared with the total number of single family homes and condos in a given area. To arrive at its sales estimate, ATTOM analyzes home-loan data that's reported by banks.

Of the 118 metropolitan areas analyzed for its report, Colorado Springs, Colo., Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire, El Paso, Texas, Washington DC and Orlando Florida had the highest "pre-mover" rankings.

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114 Conservative Leaders Urge Jordan to Run for Speaker

A group of 144 conservative leaders signed a letter Monday urging Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to run for speaker of the House because “it’s time to clean house” with a “real race” to “drain the swamp.”

The signers said they support Jordan because “the present House Republican leadership has proven that it’s part of ‘the Swamp,'” not the solution to it.

“Consequently, a vote to promote any member of today’s House GOP leadership is a vote for the Swamp. It’s time to Clean House,” the letter continued. “There must be a real race for Speaker of the House. Now. No backroom deals. A real race, starting this spring, to make every incumbent and candidate commit on the record, as a campaign issue, whether they’ll vote to save the Swamp or drain it.”

The conservative leaders urged Jordan to “declare yourself as a candidate for Speaker at once … We write to you on behalf of millions of Americans who want Congress to Drain the Swamp.”

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Top Court Backs Companies Over Worker Class-Action Claims

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to the rights of workers on Monday by allowing companies to require them to sign away their ability to bring class-action claims against management, agreements already in place for about 25 million employees.

The justices, in a 5-4 ruling with the court’s conservatives in the majority, endorsed the legality of the growing practice by companies to compel workers to sign arbitration agreements waiving their right to bring class-action claims on various disputes, primarily over wages and hours.

The ruling could apply more broadly to discrimination claims but the court did not explicitly address that issue.

More here

When 43% Of Americans Can't Pay For Food And Rent, We Can Say Economic Collapse Is Here

You know all those reports about how lots of Americans can’t afford a $1000 surprise expense like a medical bill or a car repair? Well,forget additional expenses. It turns out that nearly half of the families in America are struggling to pay for food and rent. And that means that the economic collapse isn’t just “coming.” It’s HERE.

United Way has done a study on a group of Americans they call ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The study found that this group does not make the money needed “to survive in the modern economy.”

ALICE is your child care worker, your parent on Social Security, the cashier at your supermarket, the gas attendant, the salesperson at your big box store, your waitress, a home health aide, an office clerk. ALICE cannot always pay the bills, has little or nothing in savings, and is forced to make tough choices such as deciding between quality child care or paying the rent. One unexpected car repair or medical bill can push these financially strapped families over the edge.

ALICE is a hardworking member of the community who is employed yet does not earn enough to afford the basic necessities of life.

ALICE earns above the federal poverty level but does not earn enough to afford a bare-bones household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and healthcare. (source)

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GOP bill would rename welfare the ‘JOBS Program’

The federal cash welfare program would be renamed the “JOBS Program” under legislation set to be moved this week by House Republicans.

Today, cash welfare is known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. But Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee aim to advance a reauthorization this week that would change the name to “Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services.”

“This is a great opportunity to do more to help those who are on the sidelines get to the front lines of employment,” said committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

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Eric Holder: 'No Basis' for Trump to Investigate FBI Election Meddling

Former Attorney General Eric Holder blasted President Donald Trump’s demand to investigate possible federal meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign as “dangerous” and “democracy threatening” in a message posted Monday afternoon.

“Trump demand for DOJ investigation is dangerous/democracy threatening. DOJ response is disappointing,” Holder lamented on Twitter. “There is no basis/no predicate for an inquiry. It’s time to stand for time-honored DOJ independence. That separation from White House is a critical part of our system.”

Eric Holder

✔@EricHolder

Trump demand for DOJ investigation is dangerous/democracy threatening. DOJ response is disappointing.There is no basis/no predicate for an http://inquiry.It ’s time to stand for time honored DOJ independence.That separation from White House is a critical part of our system.

12:10 PM - May 21, 2018

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O'Malley Lies

More lies from O'Malley. Nothing about the officer in Baltimore that was shot by a 16 year old. He is worried about the children in the school being shot, as we all are, but not the ones that protect them.

Reported CIA Trump Campaign Mole Also Spied in '80 Election

The CIA operative and FBI informant used to gather information on the Trump campaign in the 2016 campaign was responsible for a spying operation in the 1980 presidential election, The Intercept has reported.

According to the outlet, Stefan Halper managed CIA officials — reportedly under the direction of former CIA Director George H.W. Bush — from inside the Carter administration.

The plot involved CIA operatives passing classified information about then-President Jimmy Carter's foreign policy to officials for the Ronald Reagan campaign to ensure it knew of any foreign policy decisions Carter was considering, The Intercept reported.

The background provides a fuller picture of Halper, who has been portrayed by House Republicans — and President Trump himself — as an operative used to spy on the Trump campaign.

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Suspect in custody after Baltimore County police officer killed after confrontation

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore County police officer was killed in a confrontation Monday as she responded to an afternoon call in Perry Hall, setting off an hours-long manhunt for suspects as police searched densely populated suburban neighborhoods.

On Tuesday morning, the department said a 16-year-old boy was arrested shortly after the confrontation with the officer. Police are still seeking three other people in connection with the killing.

Police did not identify the teen Tuesday, but said the name and charges will be released after the bail hearing Tuesday afternoon.

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Mick Mulvaney Backs Plan to Oust Paul Ryan, Force Dems to Vote for Nancy Pelosi

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney on Sunday endorsed the idea of making Democrats vote for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) before the November midterm elections.

At a conference sponsored by the Weekly Standard, Fox News host Bret Baier asked Mulvaney what he thought of the idea of making Speaker Paul Ryan step down and make Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy the next speaker before the midterm election.

Mulvaney said:

I’ve talked with Kevin about this privately but not as much publicly. Wouldn’t it be great to force a Democrat running in a tight race to have to put up or shut up about voting for Nancy Pelosi eight weeks before an election? That’s a really, really good vote for us to force if we can figure out how to do it.

House Minority Leader Pelosi suggested in May that she intends to serve as the next Speaker if Democrats take the House after the November elections.

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Europe Plotting to Undermine New U.S. Sanctions on Iran

European countries are currently examining a range of options to counter the re-imposition of harsh U.S. sanctions on Iran in a bid to continue doing business with the Islamic Republic, a move that is being met with chilly reception on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are already putting in place measures to ensure that any European nation caught skirting U.S. sanctions faces harsh repercussions, according to a new policy paper being examined by lawmakers and viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Ahead of a landmark foreign policy speech on Iran Monday morning by newly installed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his first since taking the office, European nations have been locked in meetings to develop contingencies to continue doing business with Iran after new U.S. sanctions go into effect in the coming months.

European Union members are seeking to re-implement an old law known as the blocking statute, which orders European companies to ignore U.S. sanctions on Iran.

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DNC Fundraising Woes Continue Ahead of Midterm Elections

The Democratic National Committee's latest fundraising numbers show the party continues to have trouble with fundraising as the 2018 midterm elections approach.

April 2018 marked the DNC's worst April of fundraising in a midterm election year since 2006, according to data filed with the Federal Election Commission.

While the DNC raised only $7.9 million in April 2018, the Republican National Committee raised $13 million. April's numbers brought the RNC's totals to $43.8 million cash-on-hand and no debt, while the DNC's totals came to $8.7 million cash-on-hand and $5.3 million of debt.

Some of the money recently spent by the DNC went to Onward Together, a group led by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after it bought the group's contact lists.

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Unions Send $1.3B to Liberal Groups With Member Dues

Labor unions sent more than a billion dollars worth of member dues to liberal groups like the Clinton Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and others, new research claims.

The Center for Union Facts released a study that showed more than $1.3 billion in member dues went to the left-leaning organizations from 2010 to 2017.

Progressive group America Votes, for example, received $15.1 million. The Democratic Governors Association took in $14.5 million. Catalist, another group aligned with the Democrat Party, received $14.4 million.

Abortion provider Planned Parenthood was given $1.1 million. The Clinton Foundation took in $1.5 million and the Clinton Global Initiative received $1.7 million.

"For decades, union officials have exploited working Americans to advance a left-wing political agenda — without their affirmative consent," CUF communications director Luka Ladan said.

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Pediatricians Urged to Warn Vulnerable Kids Away from '13 Reasons Why' Netflix Series

A report in the journal Pediatrics warns that watching "13 Reasons Why," a popular Netflix series about a teen girl's suicide, may be inadvisable for some youngsters.

Mental health professionals have raised alarms that the series - which closes with a graphic depiction of the main character killing herself - could push other young people toward suicide. The second season of the show will air on May 18, while the first season remains available on Netflix.

In an article titled, "13 Things Pediatricians Should Know (and do) About 13 Reasons Why," Dr. Michael B. Pitt and colleagues of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis encourage doctors to warn vulnerable young patients - and their parents - away from the show.

"The first thing that we have been surprised by is how few of our colleagues even know about this show," Pitt told Reuters Health by email.

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Trump: Obama and Democrats Did ‘Nothing’ on Trade With China

President Donald Trump tweeted Monday morning that former President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress did "nothing" to address issues surrounding trade with China.

"I ask Senator Chuck Schumer, why didn’t President Obama & the Democrats do something about Trade with China, including Theft of Intellectual Property etc.? They did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted. "With that being said, Chuck & I have long agreed on this issue! Fair Trade, plus, with China will happen!"

Trump has been a vocal critic of U.S. trade policy and has targeted trade policy with China as top priority. He wants to address the $376 billion trade deficit between the United States and China.

More here

FBI's Trump campaign 'spy' earned nickname 'the walrus'

A Cambridge University professor with CIA contacts who President Trump calls a 'spy' kept tabs on key Trump campaign contacts – and once tried to establish that Trump foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos was linked to the Russia-based hacking of emails belonging to Hillary Clinton.

The academic, Stefan Halper, had contacts with Trump campaign advisers including Papadopoulos, Carter Page and former national campaign co-chairman Sam Clovis.

He dined with Papadopoulos, bringing along his Turkish assistant, Azra Turk.

Halper, 73, cut a colorful figure as he strolled through diplomatic, academic, and espionage circles, having served in the Reagan, Ford, and Nixon administrations.

Owing to his girth, he earned the nickname 'the walrus' from some who know of his exploits.

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Memorial Day Is Far More Than a Holiday

After the Iraq war, I received an email from a friend asking if I would perform a Catholic burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, for a 19-year-old Marine — who also happened to be an only child.

As we were waiting for escorts to take us out to the young man’s gravesite, I noticed a small group of former Marines — who had been his close friends — standing together. These courageous young men were getting little or no recognition from others. The particular crowd that had gathered that day was very much against the American military.

After observing their isolated status for about 10 minutes, I walked over to them. “Gentlemen, thank you for your service,” I said. “So many people are grateful for everything you do. It must be so tough losing a buddy in combat, and my heart and my prayers go out to each of you. God bless all of you.”

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Maxine Waters' campaign committee will pay daughter $100,000

Rep. Maxine Waters' campaign committee has paid the California Democrat's daughter nearly $50,000 this election cycle, with an additional $65,000 forthcoming, campaign finance documents show.

Disclosures with the Federal Election Commission show Karen Waters received $42,862 from Citizens for Waters through a series of nine payments made between May 2017 and January 2018. The most recent payment, of $5,000, was made Jan. 19, according to FEC filings.

The payments to the younger Waters were described as a “slate mailer management fee.”

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More BS From The City of Salisbury

City of Salisbury, Maryland

5 hrs · 

Salisbury Named #1 City Poised to Become a Powerhouse by Realtor.com

Salisbury, MD – Salisbury has been named the number one city on Realtor.com’s list of 10 Smaller Cities Poised to Become Powerhouses. Realtor’s team compared data from the Nation’s top 200 largest metropolitan areas, and factored in population, average income, average home price, employment statistics, available cultural amenities, and building permit growth. The data puts Salisbury atop an impressive list of cities such as Daytona, FL, Winston-Salem, NC, Knoxville, TN, and Grand Rapids, MI, to name just a few.

According to Realtor.com, key factors in Salisbury’s ranking included record growth in the City’s metropolitan statistical area, low cost-of-living, a boom in small business growth, and a craft beer scene which brings in visitors—and prospective residents—from across the region. Construction permitting, which contributed to Salisbury’s ranking, saw a record year in 2017, with over $55 million dollars in projects in the City.

The good news of the top ranking comes in the midst of a very big year for Salisbury:

• The inaugural SBY Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier, drew over 1,000 runners to Salisbury in April. Registrants came from as far away as the United Kingdom.
• The National Folk Festival begins its 3-year residency here in September. The event is expected to draw anywhere from 60 thousand to one hundred thousand attendees in its first year.
• Work on the City’s Main St. continues, thanks in part to 1 million dollars allocated by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Once complete, the overhaul will give Downtown Salisbury a fresh face, and Maryland’s fastest high speed broadband at every front door in the metro core.
• Construction on the Riverwalk Amphitheater is nearing completion. This exciting new space will feature a public art installation which will act as a sound baffle along the edge of Business Rte. 13.
• Significant cosmetic upgrades to the City’s parking garage were recently unveiled, including a parking pad for food trucks which already frequent Downtown. These upgrades are expected to be complete in time for the National Folk Festival.
• Due to ever-increasing attendance, the City’s popular 3rd Friday celebration recently expanded its footprint to include the portion of W. Market St. in front of Acorn Market and Angello’s Boutique.
• Programming has begun at the new Truitt St. Youth Center, and work is currently underway on the Newton St. Youth Center in the North Camden Neighborhood.
• Waterside Park has had State money allocated for a new parking lot, playing fields, and other upgrades to complement the recently-overhauled basketball courts
• Salisbury hosted its first Christmas Market and Winter Wonderland celebration in the Salisbury City Park, featuring a 50’ Christmas tree and an ice skating rink
• Phase 2 construction is underway on the Salisbury Skatepark. This current phase, which expands the park by more than half, will be complete by the end of July.
• Salisbury celebrated the arrival of its new Andean Bear, Pinocchio. The animal came from Salisbury sister city, Salinas, Ecuador.
• The Naylor Mill Forest Trail, which was saved from development by concerned citizens and the City Council, was granted the largest conservation easement inside any municipality in the State of Maryland. The trail was recently dedicated with signage and upgrades to the trail head.

“Our mission is to be one of the best small cities in America, and it’s extremely gratifying to see the work our City team and our citizens are doing recognized in this way,” said Mayor Jake Day. “It’s an impressive list, and to be leading that pack is such an honor.”

Eric Holder: ‘No Basis’ for Trump to Investigate FBI Election Meddling

Former Attorney General Eric Holder blasted President Donald Trump’s demand to investigate possible federal meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign as “dangerous” and “democracy threatening” in a message posted Monday afternoon.

“Trump demand for DOJ investigation is dangerous/democracy threatening. DOJ response is disappointing,” Holder lamented on Twitter. “There is no basis/no predicate for an inquiry. It’s time to stand for time-honored DOJ independence. That separation from White House is a critical part of our system.”

Holder himself benefited from a breach of “time-honored DOJ independence” while Barack Obama was in the Oval Office...

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FUNERAL INFORMATION FOR SERGEANT FIRST CLASS STEVE RAY

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 24, 2018, 1:00 pm at the Allen Memorial Baptist Church, 1303 Snow Hill Rd., Salisbury, MD with Rev. Mike Rittenhouse officiating.

There will be a visitation on Wednesday evening at the Holloway Funeral Home from 6:00 – 9:00 pm and also on Thursday at church from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Interment will follow with military honors at the Mardela Memorial Cemetery.

Political Insiders Plotted the Most Gerrymandered District in America—and Left a Paper Trail

If you drive west to Garrett County, Maryland, and ask people what Potomac is like, they usually say they don’t spend much time “downstate.” They watch the Pittsburgh nightly news and, on Sundays, root for the Steelers.

When I asked people in the tony Washington suburb of Potomac about Oakland, the Garrett County seat, they unfailingly replied, “Where’s that?”

Maryland is a ragtag jumble of mansions and mountain towns—it’s normal not to know much about what goes on 170 miles away. But the people who live along the Youghiogheny River and the ones who take the Red Line into DC each morning have something in common: They are all residents of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. Which means these strangers-turned-bedfellows share something else: They are the most gerrymandered people in America.

At least they are for now. In March, the Supreme Court heard a groundbreaking challenge to the district’s wild contours, brought by seven Republican voters. These Marylanders argue that the Grand Canyon–size district—in a state whose seven others would barely cover the map of Massachusetts—was redrawn to punish the region’s GOP voters.

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Manhunt Continues After Baltimore Co. Police Officer Killed In Perry Hall Area

A Baltimore County police officer died Monday afternoon after an armed encounter in the Perry Hall area.

Police at the scene are looking for at least one potentially armed suspect and are telling residents in the area of Belair and Klausmeier roads to shelter in place.

Four hours after the incident, Chief Terrence B. Sheridan said police are awaiting an autopsy to determine the officer's cause and manner of death.

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I Had It All...

I talked with a homeless man this morning and asked him how he ended up this way.

He said, "Up until last week, I still had it all. I had plenty to eat, my
clothes were washed and pressed, I had a roof over my head, I had HDTV and Internet, and I went to the gym, the pool, and the library.

"I was working on my MBA on-line. I had no bills and no debt. I even had full medical coverage. ”

I felt sorry for him, so I asked, "What happened? Drugs? Alcohol?
Divorce? ”

"Oh no, nothing like that," he said. "No, no.... I was paroled."