"Trump Won't Back Down": Bannon Warns Trade-War Will Be "Unbearably Painful" For China

Steve Bannon - who claims to have helped President Trump draft the battle plan for the ongoing trade war, says that Trump's strategy is to make the conflict "unprecedentedly large" and "unbearably painful" for Beijing, according to an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post.

The ultimate goal, says Bannon - is not just to force China to give up its "unfair trade practices," but to "re-industrialize America" since manufacturing used to be the core of the nation's power. Bannon also criticized the "Made in China 2025" plan for Beijing to catch up with the West in 10 key tech sectors - saying that Chinese firms were relying in generous government support to reduce future technological reliance on the West.

Bannon, who claimed to have helped Trump draw up the trade war plan, said that in the past, tariffs had been limited to imports of between roughly US$10 billion and US$30 billion but the sheer magnitude of the more than US$500 billion in question this time had “caught Beijing off guard”.

“It’s not just any tariff. It’s tariffs on a scale and depth that is previously inconceivable in US history,” Bannon said.

He said Beijing had relied on “round after round of talks” to take the momentum out of the US punitive measures, but the delaying tactics would not work.

“They always want to have a strategic dialogue to tap things along. They never envisioned that somebody would actually do this.” -SCMP

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Trump SLAMS the 'bad ones' in the Justice Department

President Trump slammed the 'bad ones' in the Justice Department following reports Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wanted to wear a wire to secretly record the president and discussed invoking the 25th Amendment.

Speaking to a fired-up crowd at a rally in Missouri on Frriday night, he said there was a 'lingering stench' in Justice 'and we're going to get rid of that'.

He was in Springfield supporting Republican Senate nominee Josh Hawley, who is running against two-term Democratic senator Claire McCaskill.

Hours after the New York Times broke the story, Trump said: 'Just look at what is being exposed in our Justice Department.

'We have great people in the Department of Justice. ... But you've got some real bad ones. You've seen what's happened at the FBI. They're all gone.

'But there's a lingering stench and we're going to get rid of that, too.'

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Feinstein Seeks to Put off Kavanaugh Consideration

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking "immediate postponement" of any further action on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court amid a new report of alleged sexual misconduct.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y, later tweeted that Kavanaugh's nomination should be withdrawn.

"It's time for a new nominee," Gillibrand said in a tweet.

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How Feinstein is conspiring to destroy Brett Kavanaugh

Democrat leaders and their liberal aides, along with professional agitators, are all intermingled and conspiring together to achieve the same objective — in this case, to spike the confirmation of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Hill Republicans claim Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein engineered the kneecapping of Kavanaugh from both inside and outside Congress — and they have a strong case, though Feinstein insists she merely dealt cards she was handed.

For starters, they argue that Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Senate committee vetting Kavanaugh, orchestrated an “11th-hour ambush” of the conservative nod by withholding a letter from the committee’s Republican majority alleging sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh until the day the panel was preparing to take a vote to confirm him — almost two months after receiving the letter and well after the vetting and hearing process.

“You chose to sit on the allegations until a politically opportune moment,” a furious Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) scolded Feinstein in a letter dated Sept. 19.

“I cannot overstate how disappointed I am in this decision,” he added. “It has caused me to have to reopen the hearing.”

Grassley suggested that the last-minute allegations were “deployed strategically for political gain.” Democrats are hoping to delay the hearing until after the Nov. 6 congressional elections to give them a chance to win back enough Senate seats to defeat Kavanaugh.

Indeed, Feinstein said, “We should delay this hearing.”

But Republicans point to other skulduggery as well.

Trump calls new Kavanaugh accusations ‘totally political’

President Trump stood foursquare behind Brett Kavanaugh on Monday in the wake of new sexual misconduct allegations against his Supreme Court nominee, calling the uncorroborated claims “totally political” and “unfair.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, late Sunday slammed Senate Democrats for withholding information from the committee regarding the new sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh.

The Iowa Republican said the committee will attempt to evaluate the new claims, but said in a statement “it appears that they [Democrats] are more interested in a political takedown" than “pursing allegations through a bipartisan and professional investigative process.”

His office released the statement as a third potential allegation arose from Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims Kavanaugh and others targeted women with "alcohol/drugs" to allow men to gang rape them at high school parties. This accusation has lacked any corroboration to date.

Kavanaugh's staunchest allies have started to mount pressure for the Senate to proceed with a vote.

“This has all of the ingredients of a smear campaign on steroids," Judicial Crisis Network's Chief Counsel Carrie Severino said in a statement. "Senate Republicans should stand up to these unsubstantiated and discredited allegations and move forward with a vote to confirm Kavanaugh."

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/24/trump-pledges-support-kavanaugh-in-wake-new-totally-political-sexual-misconduct-allegations.html

Gowdy: No National Security Risk In Classified Russia Docs; DOJ Stonewalling Over Brennan, FBI Embarassment

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said in a Thursday interview that the information contained in the Russia documents withheld by the Department of Justice (DOJ) pose no risk to national security, and would be embarrassing to former CIA Director John Brennan, the DOJ and the FBI.

"I’ve read it. Some of it’s embarrassing for the Department of Justice — some of it’s embarrassing for the FBI. Embarrassment is not a reason to classify something," said Gowdy. "A lot of it should be embarrassing to John Brennan, and maybe therein lies why he is so adamant that this information not be released

"I don’t think it’s going to change anyone’s mind, but I’ve seen nothing in it that is going to jeopardize the national security interest of this country," Gowdy added. "Other than one document related to George Papadopoulos, I don’t think people are going to be that interested in it. And I don’t think any mind’s are going to be changed."

Watch:

Now I Remember...

Fruitland Missing Juvenile

Graham: 'What Am I Supposed to Do? Go Ahead and Ruin This Guy's Life Based on an Accusation?'

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he will give Dr. Christine Blasey Ford a fair hearing if she does appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, but he indicated that her case is weak.

"And here's what I told my colleagues, this accusation has to be looked at in terms of our legal system. It's too old for criminal trial, it's 36 years old. You couldn't bring a civil suit because you can't tell the court what time it happened and where it happened," Graham told "Fox News Sunday."

"And if you try to get a warrant based on this, you couldn't get a warrant because the three people named by Dr. Ford as having been at the party outside of Kavanaugh all say they don't know what she's talking about. So, you couldn't go to criminal trial, you couldn't sue civilly. You couldn't even get a warrant. But I will listen to what she has to say."

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The Real Wave Is Red - Republican Sentiment Soars To Record High

With stocks at record highs and President Trump gloating at the "record strength" of the US economy, it appears confidence is coming back as sentiment among Republicans reached an all-time record high in the latest Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index.

That's quite a red wave...

The peak spread in confidence between Democrats and Republicans occurred in July 2004 (heading into George W Bush's 2nd term election)... President Trump is currently very close to that peak...

Additionally, Gallup reports forty-five percent of Americans now have a favorable view of the Republican Party, a nine-point gain from last September's 36%. It is the party's most positive image since it registered 47% in January 2011, shortly after taking control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections. Forty-four percent give the Democratic Party a favorable rating.

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'We're in the Twilight Zone,' Graham says

Shortly after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a forceful defense of embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the Senate floor, top Judiciary Committee Republicans on Monday sounded notes of both exasperation and defiance in the face of what they have characterized as last-minute "smears."

"We’re in the Twilight Zone when it comes to Kavanaugh," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox News.

"Let’s bring it to a conclusion," added Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "I think we ought to get it over with."

The Republicans huddled in McConnell's office Monday evening to discuss the "the general situation" surrounding Kavanaugh's nomination, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Fox News.

The meeting followed McConnell's dramatic nationally televised floor speech, in which he unloaded on his Democratic colleagues, charging that they had compromised the anonymity of one of Kavanaugh's accusers for political gain.

“This shameful smear campaign has hit a new low," McConnell said, recalling that Democrats had promised to stop a generational rightward shift on the Supreme Court by "any means" available. "Senate Democrats are trying to destroy a man’s personal and professional life."

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/24/gop-senators-defend-kavanaugh-as-exasperation-mounts-were-in-twilight-zone-graham-says.html

Flashback: Chuck Schumer Pledged to ‘Oppose Kavanaugh with Everything I Have’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) promised he would launch an aggressive anti-Brett Kavanaugh campaign, saying he would oppose “Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything” he has, which he stated the same day in July that President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.

On July 9, President Trump announced Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee for the Supreme Court. The same day, Schumer announced that he planned to launch an aggressive campaign to oppose Kavanaugh’s nomination. He would do it, he said, “with everything I have” because the “stakes are simply too high”:

The New York Democrat continued:

"This nomination could alter the balance of the court in favor of powerful special interests and against working families for a generation and would take away labor, civil, and human rights from millions of Americans. We cannot let that happen. If we can successfully block this nomination, it could lead to a more independent, moderate selection that both parties could support ".

Soon after Schumer’s statements, reports emerged regarding Senate Democrats’ tactics to delay and disrupt the Senate confirmation process. During the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings, many leftist protesters shouted and disrupted the proceedings. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) admitted he and Senate Democrat leadership participated in conference calls to coordinate with leftist protesters to disrupt the hearings.

Immediately after the hearings, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) referred a letter to the FBI...

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Delaware State Police Troop 5 and the Seaford Police Department Invites All to the Community Night Out-Against Drugs and Crime

Seaford -Troopers are joining the Seaford Police Department and the Western Sussex Boys and Girls Club for the 27th Annual Seaford Community Night Out-Against Crime and Drugs on Thursday, September 27, 2018, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be free dinners provided by the USDA. This will be held on the 300 block of Virginia Avenue between the Seaford Police Department and the Western Sussex Boys and Girls Club. Delaware Night Out gives everyone the opportunity to interact with first responders.

We have a host of invited specialty units and agencies. The Delaware State Police will showcase the Mounted Patrol Unit, the Evidence Detection Unit, the K-9 Unit with a demonstration, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Scuba, SORT, the Command Post, and the Aviation Unit (weather permitting). The Chief, the Troop Commander and members of both agencies will be mixing and mingling amidst the event. Numerous public safety partners will also be highlighted, including, but not limited to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Office of Highway Safety, the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department, Sussex County Paramedics, the Division of Consumer Protection, the Citizen Volunteer Corps, Young Marines, Habitat for Humanity, Community Legal Aid, Teen Challenge, and many others.

All are welcomed to come out and enjoy the evening.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

How to 'Christine Blasey Ford-Proof' Your Son

I never thought I would be the mother of a son. Boys just don't run in our family. My grandmother has thirteen grandchildren, all of them girls. So when my son came along it was like a dream (a weird, crazy dream with a penis no one knew what to do with) and what a blessing he is! My little boy is so precious to me. He's sweet and loving and loud and crazy. He eats dirt. He's MUCH different than his sisters in his aggressive and fierce expression of love for "his girls," as he calls us. Male affection is just different and it's been that way from the beginning. Perhaps that's why mothers and sons have a special bond.

Mothers of sons everywhere should be terrified by the constant destruction of men by duplicitous, lying women and an overzealous and political Senate confirmation process. All a scheming broad has to do these days is claim that your son touched her inappropriately more than two decades ago and she can derail his career. Worse, if your son ever happens to end up in front of the Senate, U.S. senators may drive his wife to suicide. The Senate confirmation hearing for Miguel Estrada, a Bush choice, was so stressful that Estrada's wife had a miscarriage, developed a drinking problem, and overdosed on pills and died, according to The New Yorker.

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When Every Boy Is Guilty, Every Girl Becomes a Monster

I have a problem when I get angry. The problem is that I’ve long ago learned – particularly in dealing with traditional publishers – to get depressed instead of letting myself go berserk. Mostly because when you’re dealing with publishers they’re not near enough to vent your berserker on, so you just end up hurting yourself. (Whoever said stress is the feeling you get when you can’t strangle someone who righteously deserves it was right on the money.)

Lately, I’ve been getting deeply, profoundly depressed, which is why I’ve been so silent. (Yes, post three on how to write short stories is on the way.)

So many things are winding up, it’s not even worth listing them all. The most proximal one, though, is the accusation against Kavanaugh, which, even if true, would not be in any way actionable or, barring this behavior persisting into adulthood, mean anything about his character as a grown-up. High school has always been a weird and psychologically unstable part of anyone's growing up years, partly because we’re all learning the ropes of what “adult” means, and partly because we’re isolated with other kids, also all learning the ropes. (It’s not the best system, no.)

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Georgetown Man Arrested for Additional Sexual Assaults

Clay D. Conaway

Georgetown - The Delaware State Police have arrested 22-year-old Clay Conaway on six additional counts of Rape in the Second Degree.

The Delaware State Police Major Crimes Unit began an investigation involving an incident that occurred on June 20, 2018 at a residence in Georgetown. A 20-year-old female reported that she was sexually assaulted. Detectives identified Clay Conaway as the suspect.

On August 22, 2018, Conaway was taken into custody without incident. Conaway was transported back to Troop 4 on a warrant stemming from an August 20, 2018 indictment for Rape in the First Degree. He was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $70,000.00 secured bond.

Since Conaway’s arrest, the Delaware State Police Major Crimes Unit has identified five additional victims all stating they were sexually assaulted by Clay Conaway.

Two victims stated they were sexually assaulted by Conaway in 2013. One case is from an incident in 2017, and two additional incidents occurred in 2018.

On September 24, 2018, Conaway was indicted on six counts of Rape in the Second Degree involving five separate incidents. Conaway’s next court appearance is currently scheduled for October 1, 2018 at Sussex County Superior Court.

The Delaware State Police is asking for anyone who has information in reference to any additional criminal incidents involving this defendant to contact Troop 4, Major Crimes Unit, Detective D. Kristunas at 302-752-3856. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://delaware.crimestoppersweb.com

This case continues to remain under investigation. Because of the sensitivity of this case, and in consideration of the victims, only limited information will be released at this time.

Brett Kavanaugh Defies ‘Grotesque Character Assassination’ from the Left

Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh responded to the latest allegations of sexual misconduct on Monday by denouncing them as smears.

“These are smears, pure and simple. And they debase our public discourse,” he wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “But they are also a threat to any man or woman who wishes to serve our country. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination — if allowed to succeed — will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from service.”

Kavanuagh’s letter expressed frustration with his delayed confirmation vote despite repeating his willingness to testify about the accusations from Christine Ford and a second “uncorroborated” report in the New Yorker.

He also remained defiant against the recent attacks against his character and his family.

“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” he wrote. “The coordinated effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. The last-minute character assassination will not succeed.”

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Allen West: Why Does the Progressive, Socialist Left Get to Decide Which Women to Believe?

I have spoken about this before and will continue until there is consistent justice. We are about to enter another dramatic week surrounding the 11th hour allegations and accusations of Professor Ford against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The incessant rhetoric from the progressive, socialist left is that Professor Ford must be believed, that her accusations from 36 years ago must be taken as credible. She must be believed, and there should even be an FBI investigation. If anyone has been keeping up with this episode, they know that there are more questions for Professor Ford to answer than Judge Kavanaugh. Of course, my saying that opens me up to condemnation from the left, and this is so for no other reason than the fact that I am being a reasonable and objective individual that is fairly assessing this situation.

Amazingly enough, the left has already begun running political ads demanding that Judge Kavanaugh, who is beyond qualified, not be confirmed to the nation’s highest court. The left has even gone so far in these ads to suggest Judge Kavanaugh is a sexual predator.

A sexual predator? Based upon what evidence?

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Charlie Daniels Prays for Revival in Faith So Strong ‘Godless Media and Corrupt Politicians’ Can’t Ignore It

On Monday, music icon Charlie Daniels prayed for God to give Americans a faith so strong that it will “rock the foundations (of) this nation.”

In a post of Twitter, Daniels offered a “morning prayer” that God make the country’s faith powerful enough to prompt even “the godless media and corrupt politicians” to take heed:

“Morning prayer Lord send us a revival that will rock the foundations this nation, let millions come to faith in Jesus Christ and proclaim His name so long and loudly that it cannot be ignored by the godless media and corrupt politicians. Do it Lord, please do it!”

CNSNews

Most Voters Say the Media Treats Those Accused of Sexual Assault — Like Brett Kavanaugh — Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Not Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Most American likely voters think the media rushes to judgment in public cases involving sexual assault. This seems particularly unfair involving the turbulent accusations surrounding Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

A full 56 percent of likely voters said that the media presumes the guilt of anyone accused of sexual assault, according a Rasmussen Reports telephone and online survey released Monday.

Rasmussen Reports asked voters, "When a public figure is accused of sexual wrongdoing, which is more likely — that the media will regard him as innocent until proven guilty or guilty until proven innocent?"

Only 28 percent said the media will regard an accused public figure as "innocent until proven guilty." Another 17 percent said they were not sure.

Ironically, the claims often have a partisan dimension. In recent weeks, Christine Blasey Ford (herself an anti-Trump activist) accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of having abused her 36 years ago, and Karen Monahan accused Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) of abusing her.

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Lowell High School’s competitive selection process may violate state law

San Francisco’s Lowell High School, ranked among the best public schools in the nation, has long admitted high academic achievers to secure its elite status, a practice that has not only led to racial inequities but also could be illegal.

For decades, parents and politicians have debated the school’s selection process, which is largely based on grade-point average and test scores, saying it has created an institution that is both a feather in the city’s cap and an embarrassment in terms of racial equity.

There were 413 Asian American students in Lowell’s class of 2018 and eight African American students.

But only recently have some district officials acknowledged that using grades and test scores to select students could also violate a state law that prohibits the use of academic achievement for admission to regular public schools.

“What I understand is that we probably are in violation,” said Board of Education member Mark Sanchez.

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Irrelevant... Right?

BOZELL & GRAHAM: Anita Hill, The Janet Cooke Of Sexual Harassment

Anita Hill, perennially painted as the "Rosa Parks of sexual harassment" by the national press, is back on the scene as the media push the unproven teenage-groping accusations against Brett Kavanaugh. The New York Times asked her to write an op-ed on how we can get these next Kavanaugh hearings "right." The Boston Globe put Hill on the front page, lecturing about a better protocol in Congress for sexual harassment claims.

Asking Anita Hill how to get a fairer congressional hearing is like asking Janet Cooke how to get better newspaper reporting. If you're too young for the analogy, Janet Cooke won a Pulitzer Prize for selling a fraudulent story in The Washington Post in 1980 about Jimmy, an imaginary 8-year-old heroin addict who "lives for a fix."

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Lawsuit: SC teacher used grades to coerce student into sex

A math teacher at Burke High School coerced one of her students into performing sexual acts by threatening to dock his grade, according to a lawsuit filed in Charleston County circuit court Thursday.

The teacher, Jennifer Danielle Olajire-Aro, 27, of Devlin Road on Johns Island, was arrested in December 2017 and charged with one count of sexual battery with a student 16 or 17 years of age, according to court records. She taught pre-calculus and algebra and worked as a tennis coach at Burke and had no prior criminal record. The criminal court case is still pending.

The student was 17 at the time of the arrest, according to paperwork Olajire-Aro filed with the State Board of Education to surrender her educator certificate in January.

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Rush: GOP Must Confirm Kavanaugh or Kiss Midterms Goodbye

RUSH: So Chairman Grassley has a job to do here, because if he gives Democrats enough time, they’ll produce a woman claiming to be Kavanaugh’s secret Russian wife who Trump paid to urinate on that bed in Moscow...

If Grassley doesn’t get a handle on this and just do — and I’ll tell you something else, which everybody also knows. If the Republicans do not get this vote taken and have Kavanaugh confirmed, you can kiss the midterms goodbye. You can kiss goodbye holding the House and you can kiss goodbye holding the Senate. Because whatever the Democrats think of their base, the one thing I know that if you guys fold on this and cave and keep bending over backwards… You’ve done that enough. You’ve demonstrated that you don’t hate women.

You’re never gonna hear from her! She’s never gonna show up. She’s not telling a story that can be verified, Senator Grassley. She’s not gonna show up. If you guys don’t conduct this vote in defiance of all this and if Avenatti gets one foot in the door to a Senate committee to start telling his story, then you can kind of kiss good-bye Republican chances in the midterms in November.

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U.S. Urged to Rapidly Prepare for Electromagnetic Pulse Attack

The United States is vulnerable to a devastating electromagnetic pulse event caused by a high-altitude nuclear blast or solar super-storm, according to a recently published book.

Peter Pry, a former CIA analyst and author of the book EMP Manhattan Project, is urging the government to rapidly harden the U.S. electric power system against EMP similar to the three-year crash program to build the first atomic bomb in 1942.

"Today the United States and the world faces another existential threat—from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) catastrophe that can be caused by nature or man, and topple the technological pillars of modern electronic civilization," said Pry, who served on a congressional EMP commission in the early 2000s.

The book contains fresh assessments of the EMP threat produced by a more recent congressional commission last year that concluded the United States would suffer millions of deaths from a major EMP incident.

EMP was discovered in the 1960s during above-ground nuclear tests. The tests showed a nuclear blast created a pulse capable of disrupting or destroying electronic devices over large areas, in some cases over 1,000 miles away.

The latest EMP commission found the United States is confronted with "a present and continuing existential threat from naturally occurring and man-made electromagnetic pulse assault and related attacks on military and critical national infrastructures."

An EMP event would produce an electric power outage over large areas of the country that could last for a year or longer.

"An extended blackout today could result in the death of a large fraction of the American people through the effects of societal collapse, disease, and starvation," the commission stated in its July 2017 report.

More here

Mosquitoes force high-speed chase suspect to surrender

Pesky mosquitoes brought a high-speed police chase to an end in Wisconsin's Fond du Lac County.

The mosquitoes are quite plentiful lately in central Wisconsin thanks to recent rain and flooding, but they bugged one man so much he preferred to be arrested by police.

Surveillance video captured a man stealing three bottles of Jagermeister on Tuesday at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Wisconsin.

Manager Kevin Harvey saw him load a cart with more than $1,400 worth of alcohol. He recognized him because it was allegedly the fourth time he stole from his store, according to WDJT-CBS.

Harvey chased him out of the store, but the getaway driver, John Wilson, drove off and sparked a three-mile chase.

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Nolte: Every Witness Named by Accusers Sides with Kavanaugh

The two women making sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh claim to have witnesses, but so far, all of their witnesses back Kavanaugh’s claim that nothing happened.

It might be difficult to remember this as Democrats and the media throw around phrases like “second accuser” and “attempted sexual assault” and “exposing himself” against the Supreme Court nominee. But the facts are still the facts, and every single witness named so far by both accusers say they witnessed nothing of the sort.

The first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, is accusing Kavanaugh of attempting to assault her at a house party in 1982 when she was 15 and he was 17. She named three people who were at the party: PJ Smyth, Mark Judge, and Leland Ingham Keyser.

By submitting their respective statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee, all three witnesses did so under penalty of imprisonment, and all three have zero recollection of the house party in question.

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Now #MeToo is coming for your thought crimes

The #MeToo movement’s search for demons to slay has expanded well beyond just those accused of sexual misbehavior. Now, if you’ve done anything to disseminate the accused’s side of the story, they’re coming for #YouToo.

Last week, Ian Buruma not so quietly left his position as editor of The New York Review of Books. The mob had descended on him days earlier for publishing an essay by Jian Ghomeshi. Ghomeshi was a Canadian broadcaster who’d been accused of sexual assault early on in the #MeToo movement. Ghomeshi stood trial in Canada for sexual assault of six women and was acquitted of all charges in 2015.

Ghomeshi’s piece attempted an apology and an explanation of how he became a person he despised. “I wore the right ribbons, used the right hashtags, hosted the right guests. I did interviews with everyone from Toni Morrison to Gloria Steinem, Drake and Maya Angelou. I attended demonstrations and spoke at progressive fund-raisers,” he wrote. “And at some point, when it came to women, I began to use my liberal gender studies education as a cover for my own behavior. I was ostensibly so schooled in how sexism works that I would arrogantly give myself a free pass.”

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Bolton: China ‘Very Dangerous, Very Aggressive’ in South China Sea

National Security Advisor John Bolton warned of China’s “very dangerous, very aggressive” moves in the South China Sea in a television interview Sunday, citing China’s colonization of the sovereign territories of other nations as high on the list of concerns President Donald Trump will bring to the United Nations this week.

The UN is holding its annual General Assembly debate starting Tuesday when Trump is scheduled to speak. At the debate, heads of state are welcome to offer remarks on whatever issues they deem important enough to bring forward to their global peers.

Bolton offered a preview of the issues on Trump’s mind ahead of this week on the Fox News Sunday Morning Futures program.

Bolton said Trump was planning a speech to the General Assembly on “American sovereignty, how that fits into America’s place in the world as a whole.”

“And we have got major issues with two of the world’s other powers, China on trade and on broader issues of geostrategic conflict, and Russia, where we’re confronting in a number of different areas,” Bolton noted, adding that China appears to be “still trying to figure out what the president’s up to” on trade.

Bolton emphasized that trade negotiations with China were a small part of the concerning behavior China has exhibited around the world.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand exactly what’s at stake here. And I think the president will address this. This is not just an economic issue. This is not just talking about tariffs and the terms of trade. This is a question of power,” Bolton said.

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WALSH: Dear Republicans, Stop Being Cowards And Confirm Kavanaugh

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: nothing in this life is certain, except death and taxes and the cowardice of Republicans.

Indeed, this whole Kavanaugh circus could have been avoided from the start, if not for GOP cowardice. President Trump was advised to nominate Brett Kavanaugh rather than Amy Barrett because Republicans were concerned that Barrett's social conservatism might upset Democrats. Of course, Democrats have no power, so it doesn't matter what upsets them. Yet Republicans still decided to go with a milder figure in hopes of avoiding any nasty altercations with the powerless opposition party.

What they don't understand, somehow, is that Democrats will be nasty no matter what. They will treat every Republican measure, legislation, or appointment, as the end of human civilization. They are permanently stuck on the DEFCON 1 setting. So, if they're going to panic regardless, you might as well give them something to panic about. And, as I said, it doesn't matter if they panic. Republicans have the power to shove whatever they want down the Democrats' throats. But they are too scared to use that power. They compromise even when there is no reason to compromise, and even though the other side will not accept anything but complete surrender.

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Beto O’Rourke Denies Trying To Flee Scene Of Drunken Car Crash, Challenging Police Reports

Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke during Friday night’s debate denied trying to flee the scene of a 1998 drunken car crash, despite police reports to the contrary.

Police reports published by the Houston Chronicle on Aug. 30 show that the witness who called 9-1-1 told officers that O’Rourke “attempted to leave the scene” after losing control of his car and hitting a truck.

The witness “then turned on his over head lights to warn oncoming traffic and to try to get [O’Rourke] to stop,” the responding officer wrote.

O’Rourke, who is running against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, was asked about the Chronicle’s report during the debate at Southern Methodist University.

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Michael Moore’s Anti-Trump Movie Flops at Box Office

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore’s latest offering Fahrenheit 11/9 flopped in its opening weekend, grossing $3.1 million despite its wide release.

The documentary about President Donald Trump’s election and administration made an estimated $3,101,000 this past weekend on 1,719 screens, according to Box Office Mojo. Documentaries are generally given a limited release to generate buzz, but Moore gambled that his prominence and the media attention on the film could lead to results at the box office.

The movie’s per-screen average of $1,800 falls below trackers’ expectations as well as previous Moore films, such as his hit Fahrenheit 9/11, whose title is referenced by Fahrenheit 11/9. The 2004 documentary focused on the Bush administration and received lavish praise from critics, while his new film has also received positive reviews yet hasn’t generated as much audience interest.

According to the Wrap, independent trackers had Fahrenheit 11/9 making $5-7 million, so the actual returns from the weekend are disappointing. The numbers don’t compare well to Moore’s previous movies either: Fahrenheit 9/11’s opening with $23.9 million on 868 screens, healthcare documentary Sicko made $3.6 million from 702 screens, and Capitalism: A Love Story brought in $4.4 million from 962 screens.

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Wasting The Lehman Crisis: What Was Not Saved Was The Economy

Today’s financial malaise for pension funds, state and local budgets and underemployment is largely a result of the 2008 bailout, not the crash. What was saved was not only the banks – or more to the point, as Sheila Bair pointed out, their bondholders – but the financial overhead that continues to burden today’s economy.

Also saved was the idea that the economy needs to keep the financial sector solvent by an exponential growth of new debt – and, when that does not suffice, by government purchase of stocks and bonds to support the balance sheets of the wealthiest layer of society. The internal contradiction in this policy is that debt deflation has become so overbearing and dysfunctional that it prevents the economy from growing and carrying its debt burden.

Trying to save the financial overgrowth of debt service by borrowing one’s way out of debt, or by monetary Quantitative Easing re-inflating real estate, stock and bond prices, enables the creditor One Percent to gain, not the indebted 99 Percent in the economy at large. Therefore, from the economy’s vantage point, instead of asking how the banks are to be saved “next time,” the question should be, how should we best let them go under – along with their stockholders, bondholders and uninsured depositors whose hubris imagined that their loans (other peoples’ debts) could go on rising without impoverishing society and preventing creditors from collecting in any event – except from government by gaining control over it.

A basic principle should be the starting point of any macro analysis: The volume of interest-bearing debt tends to outstrip the economy’s ability to pay. This tendency is inherent in the “magic of compound interest.” The exponential growth of debt expands by its own purely mathematical momentum, independently of the economy’s ability to pay – and faster than the non-financial economy grows.

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DNC Co-Chair Ellison’s Accuser: Dems Have ‘Smeared, Threatened, Isolated’ Me

A new allegation has come forward just moments before a primary on Tuesday in which the congressman has grouped up with multiple Democrats running for state attorney general.

On Sunday, Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison denied the allegation that came from an ex-girlfriend saying that he had once dragged her off a bed while screaming obscenities at her.

Karen Monahan’s son created a Facebook post on Saturday night that provided evidence of the horrible incident between Ellison and his mother being threatened.

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Archbishop: Maryland AG Investigating Records in Abuse Probe

Maryland's attorney general is delving into records of the Baltimore archdiocese as part of an investigation into child sex abuse accusations, the latest U.S. state seeking confidential church files since a Pennsylvania grand jury released an explosive report alleging widespread abuse and a cover-up scandal.

Archbishop William Lori said in a statement Monday that he has written priests and deacons in the archdiocese advising them he's been informed by Attorney General Brian Frosh of "an investigation of records related to the sexual abuse of children."

Unlike other U.S. states including New York that have recently announced probes into clergy sex abuse, Frosh's office only said it doesn't confirm or deny the existence of any investigations. But in a tweet Friday, Frosh called for victims of abusers "associated with a school or place of worship" to come forward.

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Kavanaugh Breaks Silence: "I'm Not Going Anywhere...I Was Never At Any Such Party"

Breaking his public silence for first time since the hearings last month, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, appeared alongside his wife, on Fox News Channel's "The Story with Martha MacCallum" tonight to address the sexual misconduct allegations that have put his confirmation at risk of unraveling.

As we detailed earlier, Brett Kavanaugh defied his accusers on Monday when he said, in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), that he will "not be intimidated into withdrawing" his Supreme Court nomination and staunchly denied the accusations, calling them a "grotesque and obvious character assassination" and "a coordinated effort" to drive him out on the nomination.

Ahead of tonight's interview, President Trump tweeted about the interview and reiterated that "this is an outstanding family who must be treated fairly!"

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Man hangs Trump re-election banner at Disney's Magic Kingdom

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man visiting Disney's Magic Kingdom on Sunday decided to make a political statement by hanging a banner promoting the re-election of President Donald Trump.

The large banner appeared above the entryway to the train station on Main Street, U.S.A. and read, "Re-Elect Donald J. Trump. Keep America Great. 2020."

A video posted to Facebook shows guests watching from below. Some cheered while others booed.

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VERIFY: Yes, $266 million was redirected from medical research to pay for unaccompanied minors

We can verify, yes, HHS is redirecting money ​from within the agency to fund custody and care of unaccompanied minors detained at the border.

Verify viewer Tony Jordan from Burtonsville, Maryland asked the Verify team to fact-check an article circulating online.

The Yahoo News article claimed that the Department of Health and Human Services was redirecting money from cancer research and an HIV/AIDs program to unaccompanied minors detained at the border.

Verify researchers went straight to the source for answers.

According to a Health and Human Services spokesperson, on September 5th Secretary Alex Azar notified Congress their plan to reallocate $266 million to their Unaccompanied minor program.

Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Congress transferred the care and custody to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an office within Health and Human Services

According to an HHS spokesperson, $80 million of the $226 million came from other refugee programs with ORR,because " Fewer refugees have entered the U.S. than projected at the time of the FY 2018 appropriation bill’s enactment, these resources would not have been used for refugee services in FY 2018."

The remaining $186 million was reallocated from across HHS, including $15.8 million from Health Resources and Services Administration which handles health care support, health centers, AIDS/HIV support and research.

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Destroying Kavanaugh, One Scripted Attack at a Time

Democrats sure know how to script a thorough character assassination.

On Sunday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced a deal with Christine Blasey Ford to testify before the Senate this Thursday regarding allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when he was a drunk 17-year-old and she was a drunk 15-year-old, approximately in 1982 (she’s not sure). Contemporaries have lined up to deny Blasey Ford’s allegation.

The Party of Bill Clinton waited until that hearing had been set before launching a second accusation Sunday night. Indeed, it’s obvious now that Democrats delayed Blasey Ford’s testimony at least in part in order to wait for the second story to break. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), puppet master of this whole contemptible charade, wasted no time in demanding “an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.” That is Democrats’ endgame, after all.

The delays will already almost certainly keep Kavanaugh from joining the Court before the beginning of its term on Oct. 1.

Grassley has given Democrats everything they wanted.

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Grassley Issues Ultimatum To Kavanaugh Accuser's Lawyer

It appears Senator Chuck Grassley has had enough. In a statement issued tonight, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman says he’s giving Christine Blasey Ford and her legal team a deadline of 10pm tonight to respond to panel’s testimony offer.

As The Hill reports, the committee announced on Friday that the Monday hearing — where both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, had been invited to speak — was being called off.

Instead, Grassley said in a statement Friday that he is giving Ford’s lawyers until 10 p.m. on Friday to respond to the GOP request for her to testify on Wednesday.

"I’m providing a notice of a vote to occur Monday in the event that Dr. Ford’s attorneys don’t respond or Dr. Ford decides not to testify," Grassley says.

"In the event that we can come to a reasonable resolution as I’ve been seeking all week, then I will postpone the committee vote to accommodate her testimony. We cannot continue to delay.”

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What Comes Next?

All things have a beginning, a middle and and end.

And now, more than 3,480 days into the current bull market, the longest in history, we can say with high confidence we are very close to its end.

Why?

For manifold reasons that are multiplying fast. So many, in fact, that each of the key speakers at the recent Peak Prosperity/Contra Corner Summit in New York City had difficulty finding enough time to enumerate them all during the six-hour event.

David Stockman, President Reagan's budget head and former US Congressman, focused his warnings on the overconcentration of financialized (i.e., phony) profits in the world economy, which mask the steep decline in the production of tangible (i.e., real) value.

Among his long litany of examples of the sclerosis and fraud within today's economy, he explained how so much of today's euphoric stock prices are an artifact of the cheap credit made possible by the world's central banking cartel -- enabling a massive LBO of our corporate industry.

Long story short: artificially low rates have been allowing corporate executives, for years, to buy back a huge percentage of their company's shares, enriching shareholders (most notably the execs themselves) in the immediate term, while saddling the underlying companies under tremendous leverage (1m:13s):

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Ted Cruz And Wife Chased Out Of DC Restaurant By Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters

Senator Ted Cruz, a supporter of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, was verbally assaulted by a group of protesters at a DC restaurant Monday night while trying to dine with his wife, as seen in a video posted by twitter account Smash Racism DC.

The protesters, chanting "we believe survivors," blocked Cruz's wife from exiting the restaurant at one point, prompting the Texas Senator to ask them to "let my wife through."

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"No You Can't" - Broad Coalition Rallying Against Obama Center

Here’s something you don’t see every day: Chicago’s progressive Readeraligned with conservative Breitbart. Both had articles Wednesday slamming the Obama Center to be built in Chicago’s Jackson Park.

And everybody in between, it seems, is upset with the proposed center for one reason or another.

The community organizer has managed to inspire unusual unity:

Fiscal conservatives worried about our insolvent state object to how some $200 million was quietly appropriated in Illinois’ recently enacted budget for roadways around the center. Federal taxpayers will reimburse Illinois for 80% of that money, which was the subject of our recent Wall Street Journal article.

Local folks have long objected, claiming the Obama Foundation, which is building the center, isn’t directing enough jobs and benefits towards them. No surprise. When I visited the site a few weeks ago it looked like most of the work was being done by the usual Chicago union white guys. The Nation earlier criticized the absence of some form of community benefits agreement.

Many University of Chicago graduates, who serve as de facto guardians of the architectural and intellectual standards of the neighborhood, don’t want a scar on the area. Some are behind the federal lawsuit now pending to stop construction.

Believers of the rule of law say statutes were trampled on to cram authorization through, which is outlined in the legal complaint.

First Amendment hawks like me object to use of taxpayer money and exceptionally valuable land for what will be a political training camp in part. A First Amendment claim is part of the lawsuit.

Environmentalists and conservationists were particularly infuriated to see pictures of mature trees being mowed down for the center on land that’s supposed to be permanently dedicated as parkland.

And everybody just seems fed up with all the lying, including the federal judge. It was originally pitched as privately funded, presidential library, but it’s neither. Recently, the city got the judge to allow it to continue mowing down trees on the parkland site based on the city’s claims that its work was separate from the center. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed a motion saying the city basically lied about that. Before that motion would be heard, the city turned tail and agreed to halt its work.

The judge, apparently unhappy with the city’s conduct, said Thursday he was “disappointed” with what it had represented to the court, and proceeded to issue an order helping the activists seeking to block the center. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, he set the next court hearing for Oct. 24, which will allow the activists to make a presentation to the judge before the City Council votes on the project — and they can use the discovery process to force the city to reveal information.

That City Council vote will be on a new ordinance that would, among other things, ratify a 99-year lease of the parkland for total rent of $10. The proposed ordinance basically puts lipstick on a pig, as opponents see things.

See the rebuttal to the ordinance below by Herb Caplan, one of the University of Chicago grads behind the lawsuit.

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Rosenstein is resigning

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has verbally resigned to Chief of Staff John Kelly in anticipation of being fired by President Trump, according to a source with direct knowledge. Per a second source with direct knowledge: “He’s expecting to be fired,” so he plans to step down.

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Rod Rosenstein considered lawyer to Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal for special counsel, report says

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein reportedly considered appointing an ex-Justice Department official who worked as a lawyer for Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal to be the special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation.

The New York Times published a bombshell report Friday focused largely on talk of secretly recording Trump and invoking the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to oust the president. In a statement, Rosenstein dismissed the story as being "inaccurate and factually incorrect."

Buried deep within the report, centered on the fallout in the days after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, three sources said Rosenstein thought about appointing James Cole to the role later given to Robert Mueller, himself a former FBI director.

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Evidence The Housing Bubble Is Bursting?: "Home Sellers Slashing Prices At Fastest Rate In Over Eight Years"

The housing market indicated that a crisis was coming in 2008. Is the same thing happening once again in 2018?

For several years, the housing market has been one of the bright spots for the U.S. economy. Home prices, especially in the hottest markets on the east and west coasts, had been soaring. But now that has completely changed, and home sellers are cutting prices at a pace that we have not seen since the last recession. In case you are wondering, this is definitely a major red flag for the economy. According to CNBC, home sellers are “slashing prices at the highest rate in at least eight years”…

After three years of soaring home prices, the heat is coming off the U.S. housing market. Home sellers are slashing prices at the highest rate in at least eight years, especially in the West, where the price gains were hottest.

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Rut Roh

For Some Soldiers, New, Tougher Army Fitness Test a Jarring Wake-Up Call

Master Sgt. Ross Strom thought he was ready when he took a version of theArmy's new fitness test. The 49-year-old maintenance noncommissioned officer was used to doing a combination of running and CrossFit six times a week.

"I was like, 'I'll be able to do this, no problem,' " Strom told Military.com, recalling when he volunteered to participate in last year's pilot for the Army Combat Readiness Test, the near-identical precursor to the new Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT.

But as he worked his way through each of the events -- the deadlift, the power throw, the sprint-drag-carry, the pushups and the leg tuck -- Strom felt the exertion build in his muscles like never before.

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US Troops Have Rescued, Evacuated Hundreds Post-Hurricane Florence

Thousands of active-duty and National Guard troops are using amphibious vehicles and search-and-rescue aircraft to move people and equipment after Hurricane Florence battered the East Coast last week, even as some of their own bases were damaged by the storm.

Rainfall and rising water levels continue to threaten areas of North and South Carolina four days after Florence made landfall as a Category 1 storm.

Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of U.S. Northern Command, said the military has been able to work seamlessly with state and federal authorities leading relief efforts; 13,000 service members are responding to some of those agencies' requests, including 6,000 active-duty forces and about 7,000 National Guard members, he said Tuesday from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Troops from Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina; Fort Jackson in South Carolina; and Moody Air Force Base in Georgia have pitched in.

In coordination with local, state and federal authorities, the Defense Department not only pre-staged meals and water, but also vehicles that could operate in floodwaters and helicopters for search-and-rescue and transport missions.

"As it turns out, that's exactly what we needed to have," O'Shaughnessy said.

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Donald Trump's Rosenstein Dilemma

There were several people present at this meeting in the aftermath of the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. Despite the fact that Rosenstein wrote the key memo trashing Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, he reportedly was angry and uncertain after the president actually did it, using his memo as a justification.

The prime source for this information appears to be none other than fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who faces investigation by a grand jury and whose memos are being declassified. McCabe appears to be even angrier at the Department of Justice (DOJ) brass who fired and humiliated him just for leaking and lying when he may have far worse on his comrades.

This is the deep state unraveling.

People bristle when I sometimes adopt and use that term: “deep state.” But as an outside observer, watching the unmasking of the actions of one official after another at the FBI, CIA and DOJ, I have come to accept that an unelected group of well-educated, experienced individuals running these departments became inebriated with their own power during the last election campaign and apparently came to believe they were on a mission to stop, defeat or remove President Trump and his associates for crimes they would find or, if necessary, manufacture.

Perhaps Rosenstein was joking when he referenced the 25th Amendment, as another meeting participant reports. But Rosenstein’s statement in response to the news accounts carefully avoids denying having discussed wiring himself or others in some effort to entrap Trump. This cabal is meeting and planning, post-Comey’s firing, despite the fact that Rosenstein himself in his memo to President Trump said Comey was “wrong” and the FBI could not regain lost public trust without a new director who understood his errors.

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