The CFO of the Clinton Foundation, thinking he was "meeting an old professional acquaintance," admitted to investigators that the charity had widespread problems with governance, accounting and conflicts of interest, and that Bill Clinton has been commingling business and personal expenses for a long time, reports The Hill's John Solomon.
Clinton Foundation CFO Andrew Kessel made the admissions to investigators from MDA Analytics LLC - a firm run by "accomplished ex-federal criminal investigators," who have been probing the Clinton Foundation for some time.
Kessel told MDA "There is no controlling Bill Clinton. He does whatever he wants and runs up incredible expenses with foundation funds, according to MDA's account of the interview. "Bill Clinton mixes and matches his personal business with that of the foundation. Many people within the foundation have tried to caution him about this but he does not listen, and there really is no talking to him."
MDA compiled Kessel's statements, as well as over 6,000 pages of evidence from a whistleblower they had been working with separately, which they secretly filed with the FBI and IRS over a year ago. MDA has alleged that the Clinton Foundation engaged in illegal activities, and may owe millions in unpaid taxes and penalties.
In addition to the IRS, the firm’s partners have had contact with prosecutors in the main Justice Department in Washington and FBI agents in Little Rock, Ark. And last week, a federal prosecutor suddenly asked for documents from their private investigation.
...
The memo also claims Kessel confirmed to the private investigators that private lawyers reviewed the foundation’s practices — once in 2008 and the other in 2011 — and each found widespread problems with governance, accounting and conflicts of interest.
“I have addressed it before and, let me tell you, I know where all the bodies are buried in this place,” the memo alleges Kessel said.
...
The 48-page submission, dated Aug. 11, 2017, supports its claims with 95 exhibits, including internal legal reviews that the foundation conducted on itself in 2008 and 2011. -The Hill
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Rep. Matt Gaetz on Comey Deep State Crimes: "Republican Leadership Did Not Want Us to Get to the Bottom of the Facts"
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) went on with Lou Dobbs on Friday after sitting in a hearing with fired FBI Chief James Comey this afternoon.
Rep. Gaetz told Lou that James Comey did not tell the truth -repeatedly lied during his testimony today.
And then Rep. Gaetz dropped this bomb,
“I think that the Republican leadership did not want us to get to the bottom of the facts. They did not want to truly unearth the extent of the Deep State and that’s why we’re here, with the clock running out and the Democrats about to be in control.”
Via Lou Dobbs Tonight:
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Rep. Gaetz told Lou that James Comey did not tell the truth -repeatedly lied during his testimony today.
And then Rep. Gaetz dropped this bomb,
“I think that the Republican leadership did not want us to get to the bottom of the facts. They did not want to truly unearth the extent of the Deep State and that’s why we’re here, with the clock running out and the Democrats about to be in control.”
Via Lou Dobbs Tonight:
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Surging Federal Expenditures, Collapsing Tax Revenue...These Are Not Signs Of A Strong Economy
Typically in times of strong economic activity, tax revenues rise and federal government spending is flat or even declines. Times of economic weakness (usually recognized as recessions) see the opposite. The chart below shows the year over year change (quarterly basis) in Federal Government expenditures (blue line), federal tax revenue (black line), and household net worth (yellow columns), plus shaded areas are recessions. The current period of surging federal government expenditures, collapsing tax revenues, amid surging household wealth is "unique".
Focusing on the 1970 through 1994 period, the chart below shows the interplay of goosing federal spending while tax revenues (and economic activity slow). This is typically also associated with periods of declining or low growth household net worth.
Focusing on 1995 through Q3 of 2018, chart below details the surge in federal spending, tanking tax revenues, coincident with declines in household net worth...until now?!? 2011 to present is the period with the greatest wealth creation growth in the nations history, yet during this period of economic strength, growth in federal tax receipts has been consistently decelerating...and even prior to the Trump tax cuts had already turned negative. Since the tax cuts, tax receipts are collapsing while federal spending is surging...hallmarks of what typically takes place during a recession, not the greatest wealth creation in this nations history. The federal government is already red-lining stimulus...before a slowdown or recession has even officially begun.
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Focusing on the 1970 through 1994 period, the chart below shows the interplay of goosing federal spending while tax revenues (and economic activity slow). This is typically also associated with periods of declining or low growth household net worth.
Focusing on 1995 through Q3 of 2018, chart below details the surge in federal spending, tanking tax revenues, coincident with declines in household net worth...until now?!? 2011 to present is the period with the greatest wealth creation growth in the nations history, yet during this period of economic strength, growth in federal tax receipts has been consistently decelerating...and even prior to the Trump tax cuts had already turned negative. Since the tax cuts, tax receipts are collapsing while federal spending is surging...hallmarks of what typically takes place during a recession, not the greatest wealth creation in this nations history. The federal government is already red-lining stimulus...before a slowdown or recession has even officially begun.
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Kimberley Strassel: Mueller may have Trump in his sights but he's been very good to Obama and his team
Robert Mueller looks to be approaching his endgame, and the press is alive with speculation as to how bad the special counsel’s report will be for President Trump. It’s also worth noticing how good Mr. Mueller has been to another president, Barack Obama, and his team.
This benevolence was on display in the sentencing document the special counsel’s office filed on Tuesday for Mike Flynn. The former Trump national security adviser, we are told, has provided “substantial assistance,” sitting for 19 interviews that aided in “several ongoing investigations.” In light of this help, the Mueller team recommends leniency—perhaps even sparing him prison time.
That would be just. The special counsel provides no evidence Mr. Flynn was part of any collusion with Russia. He was instead brought up on a charge of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And it’s not even clear he did that. The FBI officials who first interviewed Mr. Flynn didn’t think he lied about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. More likely, Mr. Flynn copped a plea to save his son from worse treatment at Mr. Mueller’s hands.
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This benevolence was on display in the sentencing document the special counsel’s office filed on Tuesday for Mike Flynn. The former Trump national security adviser, we are told, has provided “substantial assistance,” sitting for 19 interviews that aided in “several ongoing investigations.” In light of this help, the Mueller team recommends leniency—perhaps even sparing him prison time.
That would be just. The special counsel provides no evidence Mr. Flynn was part of any collusion with Russia. He was instead brought up on a charge of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And it’s not even clear he did that. The FBI officials who first interviewed Mr. Flynn didn’t think he lied about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. More likely, Mr. Flynn copped a plea to save his son from worse treatment at Mr. Mueller’s hands.
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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/kimberley-strassel-mueller-may-have-trump-in-his-sights-but-hes-been-very-good-to-obama-and-his-team
Peter Schiff: "Nobody Wants To Deal With The Truth...That This Economy Is Going Into Recession"
Renowned market analyst Peter Schiff said in his recent podcast that Americans just don’t want the truth. Schiff says that it is very likely that we are already in a recession and no one wants to accept that or even deal with it.
“Nobody wants to deal with the truth; because you know how grim the reality is? Because if you have to accept the fact that this economy is going into recession, then you have to accept a lot of unpleasant things that nobody wants to admit,” Schiff was quoted during his podcast, according to Schiff Gold.
The stock market got a nice bump on Monday with the news that there was a “truce” in the trade war. That lasted all of one day. The markets tanked on Tuesday as investors realized the “truce” really didn’t mean anything. The Dow Jones plunged 799 points, a 3.1% drop. The S&P 500 declined 3.2%, while the Nasdaq was down 3.8%. As one news outlet put it, “investors are quickly realizing that the US-China trade war is not over. The tariffs already put in place remain. And new tariffs could be implemented if the two sides fail to make progress.” –Schiff Gold
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“Nobody wants to deal with the truth; because you know how grim the reality is? Because if you have to accept the fact that this economy is going into recession, then you have to accept a lot of unpleasant things that nobody wants to admit,” Schiff was quoted during his podcast, according to Schiff Gold.
The stock market got a nice bump on Monday with the news that there was a “truce” in the trade war. That lasted all of one day. The markets tanked on Tuesday as investors realized the “truce” really didn’t mean anything. The Dow Jones plunged 799 points, a 3.1% drop. The S&P 500 declined 3.2%, while the Nasdaq was down 3.8%. As one news outlet put it, “investors are quickly realizing that the US-China trade war is not over. The tariffs already put in place remain. And new tariffs could be implemented if the two sides fail to make progress.” –Schiff Gold
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Ignorant academic characterizes the Virgin birth as rape because it's that time of year for that sort of thing
Minnesota psychology professor Eric Sprankle is what it would look like if an " I'm an atheist. Debate me" t-shirt came to life and started tweeting.
“The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario,” the associate professortweeted this week. “Happy Holidays.”
It's one part desperate, three parts ignorant.
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“The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario,” the associate professortweeted this week. “Happy Holidays.”
It's one part desperate, three parts ignorant.
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Revealed: Clinton Foundation whistleblowers have been working with FBI and IRS since last year
[A] GOP-led congressional subcommittee, led by Rep. Mark Meadows (N.C.), is planning to hold a hearing next week to review the work of John Huber, the special U.S attorney named a year ago to investigate all things Clinton.
It turns out that whistleblowers inside and outside the Clinton Foundation have amassed "6,000 pages of evidence attached to a whistleblower submission filed secretly more than a year ago with the IRS and FBI." Among that evidence can be found:
... internal legal reviews that the foundation conducted on itself in 2008 and 2011.
Those reviews flagged serious concerns about legal compliance, improper commingling of personal and charity business and "quid pro quo" promises made to donors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of State.
The submission also cites an interview its investigators conducted with Andrew Kessel that quotes the foundation's longtime chief financial officer as saying he was unable to stop former President Clinton from "commingling" personal business and charitable activities inside the foundation and that he "knows where all the bodies are buried."
Their own investigation! That's hard to put down as politically motivated.
It turns out that whistleblowers inside and outside the Clinton Foundation have amassed "6,000 pages of evidence attached to a whistleblower submission filed secretly more than a year ago with the IRS and FBI." Among that evidence can be found:
... internal legal reviews that the foundation conducted on itself in 2008 and 2011.
Those reviews flagged serious concerns about legal compliance, improper commingling of personal and charity business and "quid pro quo" promises made to donors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of State.
The submission also cites an interview its investigators conducted with Andrew Kessel that quotes the foundation's longtime chief financial officer as saying he was unable to stop former President Clinton from "commingling" personal business and charitable activities inside the foundation and that he "knows where all the bodies are buried."
Their own investigation! That's hard to put down as politically motivated.
Why the US Is Right to Refuse to Sign UN Migration Compact
On Dec. 10-11 in Morocco, most of the world’s nations will sign on to the United Nations’ Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The U.S. will not be signing the migration compact—and that’s the correct decision from public policy, national security, and national sovereignty standpoints.
The migration compact was initiated when the U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016.
While the Obama administration enthusiastically supported the New York declaration and the migration compact, the Trump administration has had serious concerns about its provisions and requirements that are inconsistent and contrary to our immigration policy.
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The U.S. will not be signing the migration compact—and that’s the correct decision from public policy, national security, and national sovereignty standpoints.
The migration compact was initiated when the U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in September 2016.
While the Obama administration enthusiastically supported the New York declaration and the migration compact, the Trump administration has had serious concerns about its provisions and requirements that are inconsistent and contrary to our immigration policy.
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EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Wants To Keep Justification For Raiding Reported Clinton Foundation Whistleblower Secret
The Department of Justice is requesting that the justification of an FBI raid on a reportedly recognized whistleblower’s home remain secret, according to a letter from U.S. Attorney Robert Robert Hur.
The letter was sent to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Dec. 7 in response to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Nov. 30 request to unseal court documents that would show the FBI’s rationale for the raid.
The documents could potentially reveal whether the bureau and the magistrate who signed the court order allowing the raid, Stephanie A. Gallagher, knew that the subject was, according to his lawyer, a recognized whistleblower.
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The letter was sent to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Dec. 7 in response to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Nov. 30 request to unseal court documents that would show the FBI’s rationale for the raid.
The documents could potentially reveal whether the bureau and the magistrate who signed the court order allowing the raid, Stephanie A. Gallagher, knew that the subject was, according to his lawyer, a recognized whistleblower.
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Senate approves Trump’s nominee for watchdog agency
NEW YORK — In a party-line vote, the Senate approved President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday, ending a six-month, highly partisan battle over the fate of the powerful consumer watchdog agency.
The vote was 50-49 in favor of approving Kathy Kraninger, who worked as a mid-level official in the White House's budget office, to a five-year term. Kraninger has zero experience in financial services and had never run a federal agency before, a criticism that made Democrats hostile to her nomination since day one.
The CFPB was created as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, the law that rewrote the financial rules and regulations governing banks following the 2008 financial crisis. The CFPB was designed to be a highly independent agency tasked with going after wrongdoing by banks, credit card companies and other financial services companies. The bureau has returned billions of dollars to consumers through its work.
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The vote was 50-49 in favor of approving Kathy Kraninger, who worked as a mid-level official in the White House's budget office, to a five-year term. Kraninger has zero experience in financial services and had never run a federal agency before, a criticism that made Democrats hostile to her nomination since day one.
The CFPB was created as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, the law that rewrote the financial rules and regulations governing banks following the 2008 financial crisis. The CFPB was designed to be a highly independent agency tasked with going after wrongdoing by banks, credit card companies and other financial services companies. The bureau has returned billions of dollars to consumers through its work.
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Breaking News: Suspect in Strasbourg Christmas market shooting, killed by police
French police on Thursday shot dead a man suspected of gunning down three people in France’s largest Christmas market — bringing an end to a three-day manhunt, according to local media.
Cherif Chekatt, 29, was “neutralized” by cops in Strasbourg’s Neudorf district, near where more than 700 officers had been hunting for him earlier in the day, Le Parisien reported.
Armed with a knife and firearm, Chekatt, a Strasbourg native, is believed to have unleashed an attack at the market in Place Kleber square Tuesday evening, leaving three people dead and 12 wounded.
Chekatt was thought to have been injured in a shootout with soldiers but managed to escape and hadn’t been seen since a taxi dropped him off in Neudorf.
Authorities released his picture Wednesday to help track Chekatt, who has a long rap sheet, including 27 conviction in four European countries.
More/Video
Cherif Chekatt, 29, was “neutralized” by cops in Strasbourg’s Neudorf district, near where more than 700 officers had been hunting for him earlier in the day, Le Parisien reported.
Armed with a knife and firearm, Chekatt, a Strasbourg native, is believed to have unleashed an attack at the market in Place Kleber square Tuesday evening, leaving three people dead and 12 wounded.
Chekatt was thought to have been injured in a shootout with soldiers but managed to escape and hadn’t been seen since a taxi dropped him off in Neudorf.
Authorities released his picture Wednesday to help track Chekatt, who has a long rap sheet, including 27 conviction in four European countries.
More/Video
News Alert: Senate votes to stop US military aid to Saudis in Yemen
The Senate voted Thursday to check the executive branch's war powers authority by voting to end U.S. support of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen.
Senators voted 56-41 in favor of the resolution, which passed after lawmakers agreed to a series of amendments, including one by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., to block the U.S. military from in-flight refueling of Saudi jets.
Read the full story here.
Senators voted 56-41 in favor of the resolution, which passed after lawmakers agreed to a series of amendments, including one by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., to block the U.S. military from in-flight refueling of Saudi jets.
Read the full story here.
Video Appears to Show Marc Lamont Hill Accusing Israel of Poisoning Palestinian Water
Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at Temple University and prominent left-wing commentator, appears to accuse Israel of poisoning Palestinian water in a newly surfaced video.
The video is from the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) conference held on Sept. 28, according to the Jewish Journal.
"I can't just think about political prisoners here in the states; I have to think about political prisoners in Palestine," Hill said. "And I have to ask questions about what the face of those prisoners look like, and what legitimate resistance looks like."
Hill also said that people who struggle tend to favor a "civil rights tradition" that "romanticizes nonviolence."
"How can you romanticize nonviolence when you have a state that is at all moments waging war against you, against your bodies, poisoning your water, limiting your access to water, locking up your children, killing them?" Hill asked. "We can't romanticize resistance."
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The video is from the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) conference held on Sept. 28, according to the Jewish Journal.
"I can't just think about political prisoners here in the states; I have to think about political prisoners in Palestine," Hill said. "And I have to ask questions about what the face of those prisoners look like, and what legitimate resistance looks like."
Hill also said that people who struggle tend to favor a "civil rights tradition" that "romanticizes nonviolence."
"How can you romanticize nonviolence when you have a state that is at all moments waging war against you, against your bodies, poisoning your water, limiting your access to water, locking up your children, killing them?" Hill asked. "We can't romanticize resistance."
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Can Opioid Addiction Be Treated With Heroin?
RAND analysis calls for trials across the United States
As America's drug crisis booms, the RAND Corporation released a report Thursday calling for clinical trials testing the effectiveness of doctor-administered heroin to treat opioid-use disorders.
Recently released public health data indicate that the United States remains in the midst of a full-blown public health crisis, thanks largely to the explosion of drug overdose deaths. Drugs, especially opioids, are now the leading cause of non-medical death in the United States, outpacing historical highs for gun, car, and AIDS deaths. Alongside suicide, drug overdoses are primarily to blame for year-on-year declining male life expectancy, an almost unprecedented event in modern times.
The driver of these surging figures is the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its numerous analogs. The drug, which is synthesized in laboratories in China and then mailed to the United States or smuggled over the border, is both cheap and potent. What is more, most users are exposed to itunwittingly—fentanyl is hard to identify, and has appeared in cocaine, illicit prescription pills, heroin, and party drugs like MDMA.
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As America's drug crisis booms, the RAND Corporation released a report Thursday calling for clinical trials testing the effectiveness of doctor-administered heroin to treat opioid-use disorders.
Recently released public health data indicate that the United States remains in the midst of a full-blown public health crisis, thanks largely to the explosion of drug overdose deaths. Drugs, especially opioids, are now the leading cause of non-medical death in the United States, outpacing historical highs for gun, car, and AIDS deaths. Alongside suicide, drug overdoses are primarily to blame for year-on-year declining male life expectancy, an almost unprecedented event in modern times.
The driver of these surging figures is the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its numerous analogs. The drug, which is synthesized in laboratories in China and then mailed to the United States or smuggled over the border, is both cheap and potent. What is more, most users are exposed to itunwittingly—fentanyl is hard to identify, and has appeared in cocaine, illicit prescription pills, heroin, and party drugs like MDMA.
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Former Miss Kentucky charged with sending nude photos to 15-year-old
A former Miss Kentucky has been charged with sending nude pictures to a 15-year-old boy.
Married beauty queen Ramsey Bearse, 28, was arrested on Friday and charged with four felony counts of distributing or displaying obscene matter to a minor.
Bearse is now an eighth grade teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Cross Lanes in West Virginia and was arrested after her nude pictures were found on a 15-year-old former student's phone.
The lewd pictures were discovered by the student's mother and flagged to authorities on Wednesday December 5. His parents say Bearse was the boy's teacher while he attended the school from sixth to eighth grade.
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Married beauty queen Ramsey Bearse, 28, was arrested on Friday and charged with four felony counts of distributing or displaying obscene matter to a minor.
Bearse is now an eighth grade teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Cross Lanes in West Virginia and was arrested after her nude pictures were found on a 15-year-old former student's phone.
The lewd pictures were discovered by the student's mother and flagged to authorities on Wednesday December 5. His parents say Bearse was the boy's teacher while he attended the school from sixth to eighth grade.
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Italy Adopts Hardline Immigration Law
The Italian Parliament has approved a tough new immigration and security law that will make it easier to deport migrants who commit crimes and strip those convicted of terrorism of their Italian citizenship.
Italy's lower house of parliament, the Camera dei Deputati, voted 396 to 99 on November 28 to approve the new law, which was sponsored by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. The law had previously been approved by the Italian Senate on November 7. The measure was promulgated by President Sergio Mattarella on December 3.
Also known as the "Security Decree" or the "Salvini Decree," the new law includes several key provisions:
Eliminates Humanitarian Protection. A primary objective of the new law is to limit the number of migrants granted asylum in Italy. To achieve this aim, Article 1 of the decree abolishes residence permits for so-called humanitarian protection, a form of security available to those not eligible for refugee status.
Under the previous system, the conditions to qualify for humanitarian protection — one of the three forms of protection granted to asylum seekers, in addition to political asylum and subsidiary protection — were vague and subject to abuse. Migrants arriving in Italy were able to claim humanitarian protection, which lasted for two years and provided access to a job, social welfare benefits and housing.
Under the new law, the Italian government will only grant asylum to legitimate refugees of war or victims of political persecution. The new law also introduces a series of special permits (for health reasons or natural disasters in the country of origin) with a maximum duration of between six months and one year.
Extends Period of Detention for Migrants. Article 2 of the new law authorizes Italian authorities to detain migrants held at so-called repatriation centers (Centri di permanenza per il rimpatrio, CPR) for a maximum of 180 days, up from a maximum of 90 days. The extension is in line with the period considered necessary to verify a migrant's identity and nationality.
In addition, Article 3 provides that asylum seekers may be held for a maximum period of 30 days at so-called hotspots, identification facilities at the EU's external borders. If identity is not established in the 30 days, asylum seekers may also be held in repatriation centers for 180 days. In other words, asylum seekers may be held for 210 days to verify their identity.
Increases Funds for Deportation. Article 6 provides for the allocation of additional funds for repatriations: 500,000 euros ($570,000) in 2018, 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) in 2019 and another 1.5 million euros in 2020.
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Italy's lower house of parliament, the Camera dei Deputati, voted 396 to 99 on November 28 to approve the new law, which was sponsored by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. The law had previously been approved by the Italian Senate on November 7. The measure was promulgated by President Sergio Mattarella on December 3.
Also known as the "Security Decree" or the "Salvini Decree," the new law includes several key provisions:
Eliminates Humanitarian Protection. A primary objective of the new law is to limit the number of migrants granted asylum in Italy. To achieve this aim, Article 1 of the decree abolishes residence permits for so-called humanitarian protection, a form of security available to those not eligible for refugee status.
Under the previous system, the conditions to qualify for humanitarian protection — one of the three forms of protection granted to asylum seekers, in addition to political asylum and subsidiary protection — were vague and subject to abuse. Migrants arriving in Italy were able to claim humanitarian protection, which lasted for two years and provided access to a job, social welfare benefits and housing.
Under the new law, the Italian government will only grant asylum to legitimate refugees of war or victims of political persecution. The new law also introduces a series of special permits (for health reasons or natural disasters in the country of origin) with a maximum duration of between six months and one year.
Extends Period of Detention for Migrants. Article 2 of the new law authorizes Italian authorities to detain migrants held at so-called repatriation centers (Centri di permanenza per il rimpatrio, CPR) for a maximum of 180 days, up from a maximum of 90 days. The extension is in line with the period considered necessary to verify a migrant's identity and nationality.
In addition, Article 3 provides that asylum seekers may be held for a maximum period of 30 days at so-called hotspots, identification facilities at the EU's external borders. If identity is not established in the 30 days, asylum seekers may also be held in repatriation centers for 180 days. In other words, asylum seekers may be held for 210 days to verify their identity.
Increases Funds for Deportation. Article 6 provides for the allocation of additional funds for repatriations: 500,000 euros ($570,000) in 2018, 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) in 2019 and another 1.5 million euros in 2020.
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Multiple Bomb Threats In Salisbury
Dershowitz: Media, Dems Would Call Investigation 'Witch Hunt' if Clinton Paid Off Paula Jones
Monday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz argued if the circumstances were that the current controversy involving President Donald Trump was “President” Bill Clinton instead of Trump, the tack of the media and Democrats would be different regarding the issue of impeachment.
Dershowitz said Democrats and the aligned media would refer to the current situation as a “witch hunt” if Clinton were involved and that Republicans would take the current position of Democrats and call for Clinton’s impeachment.
“I want everyone out there to imagine the following scenario,” he said. “Let’s assume that when Bill Clinton was running for president, Paula Jones came up to him and said, ‘Unless you pay me $130,000, I’ll reveal our affair.’ And let’s assume that Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton together did exactly what is alleged that Donald Trump and [Michael] Cohen did together. I guarantee you The New York Times, NBC, MSNBC would be railing against any prosecutor who dared to suggest that this was a violation of the campaign finance law. Everybody would be on the other side of this issue. There would be Republicans out there saying strip him of the presidency, impeach him, indict him. Every Democrat would be saying this is a witch hunt, this is terrible.”
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Dershowitz said Democrats and the aligned media would refer to the current situation as a “witch hunt” if Clinton were involved and that Republicans would take the current position of Democrats and call for Clinton’s impeachment.
“I want everyone out there to imagine the following scenario,” he said. “Let’s assume that when Bill Clinton was running for president, Paula Jones came up to him and said, ‘Unless you pay me $130,000, I’ll reveal our affair.’ And let’s assume that Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton together did exactly what is alleged that Donald Trump and [Michael] Cohen did together. I guarantee you The New York Times, NBC, MSNBC would be railing against any prosecutor who dared to suggest that this was a violation of the campaign finance law. Everybody would be on the other side of this issue. There would be Republicans out there saying strip him of the presidency, impeach him, indict him. Every Democrat would be saying this is a witch hunt, this is terrible.”
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Lindsey Graham: We should have appointed special counsel to examine ‘all things’ Hillary Clinton
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is likely to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, argued Monday that a special counsel should have been hired to look into “all things” related to Hillary Clinton.
“We should have had a special counsel appointed a long time ago to look at all things Clinton,” Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
The comments were made after comments from Hannity connecting Clinton with the Uranium One deal that occurred when she was secretary of State and her presidential campaign with the unverified “Trump dossier,” which contains salacious, unverified information about President Trump and his relationship with Russia.
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“We should have had a special counsel appointed a long time ago to look at all things Clinton,” Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
The comments were made after comments from Hannity connecting Clinton with the Uranium One deal that occurred when she was secretary of State and her presidential campaign with the unverified “Trump dossier,” which contains salacious, unverified information about President Trump and his relationship with Russia.
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US steel industry booming after Trump's tariffs
U.S. steel mills have seen almost a 5 percent jump in shipments so far this year, a sign that it's benefiting from stiff 25 percent tariffs on imports the Trump administration imposed last year.
The American Iron and Steel Institute reported Monday that U.S. mills shipped 8.1 million tons in October, up 4.6 percent from the previous month and up 6 percent from the same period last year. So far this year, the industry has shipped 79.6 million net tons, 4.6 percent more than it had by this point last year.
AISI spokesman Jake Murphy told the Washington Examiner that domestic steel use has increased 1.4 percent so far in 2018, and that "Section 232 has played a crucial role as well," referring to section of trade law used by the Trump administration to justify the tariffs.
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The American Iron and Steel Institute reported Monday that U.S. mills shipped 8.1 million tons in October, up 4.6 percent from the previous month and up 6 percent from the same period last year. So far this year, the industry has shipped 79.6 million net tons, 4.6 percent more than it had by this point last year.
AISI spokesman Jake Murphy told the Washington Examiner that domestic steel use has increased 1.4 percent so far in 2018, and that "Section 232 has played a crucial role as well," referring to section of trade law used by the Trump administration to justify the tariffs.
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This Teacher Was Fired for ‘Misgendering’ a Student. Who Could Be Next?
Last week, a Virginia school board voted unanimously to fire a teacher after he refused to comply with administrators’ orders to use a female student’s preferred masculine pronouns. The student “transitioned” over the summer and began identifying as a man.
This latest casualty in the culture wars raises the obvious question: Who could be next?
Peter Vlaming went to great lengths to accommodate the student without violating his Christian faith. He used the student’s new name to avoid upsetting the student, but refrained from using pronouns altogether in the student’s presence to avoid speaking against his belief that God created human beings male and female.
“I’m happy to avoid female pronouns not to offend because I’m not here to provoke,” Vlaming told the press, “but I can’t refer to a female as a male, and a male as a female in good conscience and faith.”
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This latest casualty in the culture wars raises the obvious question: Who could be next?
Peter Vlaming went to great lengths to accommodate the student without violating his Christian faith. He used the student’s new name to avoid upsetting the student, but refrained from using pronouns altogether in the student’s presence to avoid speaking against his belief that God created human beings male and female.
“I’m happy to avoid female pronouns not to offend because I’m not here to provoke,” Vlaming told the press, “but I can’t refer to a female as a male, and a male as a female in good conscience and faith.”
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Soros Mimics Hitler’s Bankers: Will Burden Europeans With Debt To ‘Save’ Them
Soros is dissatisfied with the current EU refugee policy because it is still based on quotas
After the Second World War, many economists racked their brains to answer the question of how Hitler managed to finance his armament, boost the economy and reduce unemployment.
Today his trick is well known. The economic miracle of Führer’s time became possible thanks to the so-called Mefo promissory notes.
The notes were the idea of the then President of the Reichsbank, Hjalmar Schacht, and served not only to finance the armament of the Wehrmacht for the Second World War, but also to create state jobs, which would otherwise not have been possible through the normal use of the money and capital markets, i.e. the annual increase in savings in Germany.
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After the Second World War, many economists racked their brains to answer the question of how Hitler managed to finance his armament, boost the economy and reduce unemployment.
Today his trick is well known. The economic miracle of Führer’s time became possible thanks to the so-called Mefo promissory notes.
The notes were the idea of the then President of the Reichsbank, Hjalmar Schacht, and served not only to finance the armament of the Wehrmacht for the Second World War, but also to create state jobs, which would otherwise not have been possible through the normal use of the money and capital markets, i.e. the annual increase in savings in Germany.
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Stormy in a teacup — campaign finance case against Trump is laughably weak
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York want you to know the real problem with President Trump paying off a porn star to keep her quiet about their extramarital fling is that his shady lawyer didn't use campaign funds to do it.
The legal reasoning here is tendentious and the implications are absurd, and it wouldn't be treated seriously if it were not a Republican politician being targeted for potential prosecution.
When producing and buying time for a campaign ad, the law says a candidate must pay through his campaign. This ensures disclosure of who is funding the candidate’s campaign. The same is true for other campaign expenditures such as renting an arena for a rally, hiring security details for the candidate, and so on.
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The legal reasoning here is tendentious and the implications are absurd, and it wouldn't be treated seriously if it were not a Republican politician being targeted for potential prosecution.
When producing and buying time for a campaign ad, the law says a candidate must pay through his campaign. This ensures disclosure of who is funding the candidate’s campaign. The same is true for other campaign expenditures such as renting an arena for a rally, hiring security details for the candidate, and so on.
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Chinese Christians Vow to ‘Stand Strong’ Under State Persecution
Despite ongoing arrests and torture of Chinese Christians after a raid on an independent church Sunday, the faithful are vowing not to bow to the Communist party “even if it means death.”
“I think a lesson we can learn from them is they continue to say that, ‘No matter what may come, we will continue to serve the Lord. We will continue to stand strong in our faith,’” said Gina Goh, Southeast Asia regional manager for International Christian Concern.
“Their pastor, a lot of elders, actually wrote letters to their congregation saying that, ‘We will not bend, even if it means jail, even if it means death. We will continue to preserve our faith,’” Goh told Baptist Press Tuesday.
As Breitbart News reported Monday, Chinese security forces carried out a series of coordinated raids on the Early Rain Covenant Church, one of the most influential house churches in China, in the city of Chengdu Sunday evening, arresting as many as a hundred members including Pastor Wang Yi and his wife.
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“I think a lesson we can learn from them is they continue to say that, ‘No matter what may come, we will continue to serve the Lord. We will continue to stand strong in our faith,’” said Gina Goh, Southeast Asia regional manager for International Christian Concern.
“Their pastor, a lot of elders, actually wrote letters to their congregation saying that, ‘We will not bend, even if it means jail, even if it means death. We will continue to preserve our faith,’” Goh told Baptist Press Tuesday.
As Breitbart News reported Monday, Chinese security forces carried out a series of coordinated raids on the Early Rain Covenant Church, one of the most influential house churches in China, in the city of Chengdu Sunday evening, arresting as many as a hundred members including Pastor Wang Yi and his wife.
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44 former senators urge Senate to defend democracy amid constitutional crisis
A bipartisan group of 44 former senators urged the Senate Monday to stand in “defense of our democracy” amid the crises posed by the investigations into President Trump and global conflicts.
“We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the president and his administration,” the lawmakers wrote in an op-ed published Monday in the Washington Post. “The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.”
As a result, the lawmakers argued that the country was on the cusp of entering an era “when our nation must engage at every level with strategic precision and the hand of both the president and the Senate.”
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“We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the president and his administration,” the lawmakers wrote in an op-ed published Monday in the Washington Post. “The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.”
As a result, the lawmakers argued that the country was on the cusp of entering an era “when our nation must engage at every level with strategic precision and the hand of both the president and the Senate.”
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Stringent Gun Control Fails as Terror Suspect Fatally Shoots Two, Wounds Others in Strasbourg
The terrorist who opened fire in Strasbourg killed two, wounded numerous others, and proved once against that even the most stringent gun controls cannot stop a determined attacker.
However, those controls can keep law-abiding citizens from having the ability to defend themselves when an attacker strikes.
Breitbart News reported that the terror suspect, Cherif C., yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. And French broadcaster BFMTV reported that the 29-year-old suspect, who was born in Strasbourg, has had a total of 27 prior criminal convictions including ones for violent robbery.
There is presently no clear reporting on the gun or guns that were used in the attack. France 24 reports that it was a handgun and the Guardian reports that it was “an automatic rifle.” Either way, between France’s various bans on whole categories of firearms and the in-depth background check process to own the few types of guns that one can legally possess, it is hard to imagine someone with 27 convictions legally acquiring a firearm.
More here
However, those controls can keep law-abiding citizens from having the ability to defend themselves when an attacker strikes.
Breitbart News reported that the terror suspect, Cherif C., yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. And French broadcaster BFMTV reported that the 29-year-old suspect, who was born in Strasbourg, has had a total of 27 prior criminal convictions including ones for violent robbery.
There is presently no clear reporting on the gun or guns that were used in the attack. France 24 reports that it was a handgun and the Guardian reports that it was “an automatic rifle.” Either way, between France’s various bans on whole categories of firearms and the in-depth background check process to own the few types of guns that one can legally possess, it is hard to imagine someone with 27 convictions legally acquiring a firearm.
More here
Google Employees Sought To Block Breitbart From Ads, Emails Show
Google employees sought to block Breitbart from Google AdSense less than one month after President Donald Trump took office, leaked emails from the company reveal.
Google employees sought to use alleged “hate speech” as a pretense for banning Breitbart from taking part in the advertising program, the emails show.
Barring Breitbart from the advertising program would have a devastating effect on the site’s ad revenue as Google accounts for roughly 37 percent of all digital advertising revenue.
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Google employees sought to use alleged “hate speech” as a pretense for banning Breitbart from taking part in the advertising program, the emails show.
Barring Breitbart from the advertising program would have a devastating effect on the site’s ad revenue as Google accounts for roughly 37 percent of all digital advertising revenue.
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Nolte: FBI’s McCabe Exposed in Dishonest Michael Flynn Setup
Disgraced former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe tricked Michael Flynn into meeting with FBI agents without having an attorney present, reports the Washington Examiner’s Byron York.
According to the Flynn sentencing documents, to ensure then-national security adviser Flynn was as vulnerable as possible, when McCabe set up the January 24, 2017, meeting between Flynn and two FBI agents, he told Flynn that “the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only.”
This was just four days after Trump took office.
“I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice,” McCabe wrote in his own account of what happened on that now fateful day, adding, “[Flynn] stated that this would not be necessary and agreed to meet with the agents without any additional participants.”
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According to the Flynn sentencing documents, to ensure then-national security adviser Flynn was as vulnerable as possible, when McCabe set up the January 24, 2017, meeting between Flynn and two FBI agents, he told Flynn that “the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only.”
This was just four days after Trump took office.
“I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice,” McCabe wrote in his own account of what happened on that now fateful day, adding, “[Flynn] stated that this would not be necessary and agreed to meet with the agents without any additional participants.”
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Trump corners Democrats with threat to kill NAFTA: 'It is going to force Congress to act'
Democratic congressional leaders are loath to acknowledge it, but President Trump has them cornered with his threat to terminate NAFTA if his new trade deal with Mexico and Canada isn’t approved.
Scrapping the North American Free Trade Agreement without a replacement would deliver a heavy blow to the U.S. economy. In the short term, it would reduce real U.S. gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — by as much as $231 billion, more than 1 percent during the first five years, according to an analysis commissioned by the Business Roundtable.
“Terminating NAFTA would have negative impacts on jobs, exports and output even after new supply chains are formed. In this longer run, we estimate that U.S. GDP would remain depressed by over 0.2 percent, permanently,” said the report for the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers from major U.S. corporations.
The impact on the U.S. GDP, about $19.3 trillion in 2017, would depend on the reactions of Mexico and Canada. Alternative scenarios in the analysis pegged the reduced annual GDP at $119 billion to $231 billion, with job losses from 1.8 million to 3.6 million in the five-year window.
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Scrapping the North American Free Trade Agreement without a replacement would deliver a heavy blow to the U.S. economy. In the short term, it would reduce real U.S. gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — by as much as $231 billion, more than 1 percent during the first five years, according to an analysis commissioned by the Business Roundtable.
“Terminating NAFTA would have negative impacts on jobs, exports and output even after new supply chains are formed. In this longer run, we estimate that U.S. GDP would remain depressed by over 0.2 percent, permanently,” said the report for the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers from major U.S. corporations.
The impact on the U.S. GDP, about $19.3 trillion in 2017, would depend on the reactions of Mexico and Canada. Alternative scenarios in the analysis pegged the reduced annual GDP at $119 billion to $231 billion, with job losses from 1.8 million to 3.6 million in the five-year window.
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Gender Wage Gap Is Due To Men Working Longer Hours
A pair of Harvard University Ph.D. candidates may have put a dagger in the mythical “gender wage gap” oft cited by politicians and pundits as an issue that can be addressed through governmental policy.
In a paper titled, “Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men?” Valentin Bolotnyy and Natalia Emanuel study the unionized environment of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
Economist John Phelan describes the MBTA as a “union shop with uniform hourly wages where men and women adhere to the same rules and receive the same benefits. Workers are promoted on the basis of seniority rather than performance, and male and female workers of the same seniority have the same choices for scheduling, routes, vacation, and overtime. There is almost no scope here for a sexist boss to favor men over women.”
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In a paper titled, “Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men?” Valentin Bolotnyy and Natalia Emanuel study the unionized environment of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
Economist John Phelan describes the MBTA as a “union shop with uniform hourly wages where men and women adhere to the same rules and receive the same benefits. Workers are promoted on the basis of seniority rather than performance, and male and female workers of the same seniority have the same choices for scheduling, routes, vacation, and overtime. There is almost no scope here for a sexist boss to favor men over women.”
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VOTE: Celebrate John Kerry’s Birthday With Some Of His Most Notable Moments
Former Secretary of State John Kerry turns 75 years old on Tuesday. Kerry was once the Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, spent nearly three decades in the Senate and most recently served as Secretary of State during the Obama Administration.
Throughout all his years in politics, there have been a number of highlights (or lowlights depending on one’s perspective). Whether it’s ruining a sacred tradition in the city of Philadelphia — which essentially cost him the 2004 presidential election — or the litany of injuries he’s sustained through his active lifestyle, Kerry has continued to make headlines outside of politics throughout his time in office.
Since his time as Sec. of State concluded, Kerry has frequently attacked the current administration for its foreign policy decisions. Both UN ambassador Nikki Haley and current Sec. of State Mike Pompeo have publicly criticized Kerry for his interference.
Who knows what future memorable Kerry moments could make next year’s list.
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Throughout all his years in politics, there have been a number of highlights (or lowlights depending on one’s perspective). Whether it’s ruining a sacred tradition in the city of Philadelphia — which essentially cost him the 2004 presidential election — or the litany of injuries he’s sustained through his active lifestyle, Kerry has continued to make headlines outside of politics throughout his time in office.
Since his time as Sec. of State concluded, Kerry has frequently attacked the current administration for its foreign policy decisions. Both UN ambassador Nikki Haley and current Sec. of State Mike Pompeo have publicly criticized Kerry for his interference.
Who knows what future memorable Kerry moments could make next year’s list.
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Mueller's Investigation Is Missing One Thing: A Crime
If he had something on Trump, we would have been watching impeachment hearings by now.
A baby born when Robert Mueller started his investigation would be talking by now. But would she have anything to say?
We last looked at what Mueller had publicly—and what he didn’t have—some 10 months ago, and I remained skeptical that the Trump campaign had in any way colluded with Russia. It’s worth another look now, but first let’s give away the ending (spoiler alert!):there is still no real evidence of, well, much of anything significant about Russiagate. One thing that is clear is that the investigation seems to be ending. Mueller’s office has reportedly even told various defense lawyers that it is “tying up loose ends.” The moment to wrap things up is politically right as well: the Democrats will soon take control of the House; time to hand this all off to them.
Ten months ago the big news was Paul Manafort flipped; that seems to have turned out to be mostly a bust, as we know now he lied like a rug to the Feds and cooperated with the Trump defense team as some sort of mole inside Mueller’s investigation (a heavily-redacted memo about Manafort’s lies, released by Mueller on Friday, adds no significant new details to the Russiagate narrative.)
George Papadopoulos has already been in and out of jail—all of two weeks— for his sideshow role. Michael Avenatti is now a woman beater who is just figuring out he’s washed up. Stormy Daniels owes Trump over $300,000 in fees after losing to him in court. There still is no pee tape. And if you don’t recall how unimportant Carter Page and Richard Gates turned out to be (or even who they are), well, there is your assessment of all the hysterical commentary that accompanied them a few headlines ago.
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A baby born when Robert Mueller started his investigation would be talking by now. But would she have anything to say?
We last looked at what Mueller had publicly—and what he didn’t have—some 10 months ago, and I remained skeptical that the Trump campaign had in any way colluded with Russia. It’s worth another look now, but first let’s give away the ending (spoiler alert!):there is still no real evidence of, well, much of anything significant about Russiagate. One thing that is clear is that the investigation seems to be ending. Mueller’s office has reportedly even told various defense lawyers that it is “tying up loose ends.” The moment to wrap things up is politically right as well: the Democrats will soon take control of the House; time to hand this all off to them.
Ten months ago the big news was Paul Manafort flipped; that seems to have turned out to be mostly a bust, as we know now he lied like a rug to the Feds and cooperated with the Trump defense team as some sort of mole inside Mueller’s investigation (a heavily-redacted memo about Manafort’s lies, released by Mueller on Friday, adds no significant new details to the Russiagate narrative.)
George Papadopoulos has already been in and out of jail—all of two weeks— for his sideshow role. Michael Avenatti is now a woman beater who is just figuring out he’s washed up. Stormy Daniels owes Trump over $300,000 in fees after losing to him in court. There still is no pee tape. And if you don’t recall how unimportant Carter Page and Richard Gates turned out to be (or even who they are), well, there is your assessment of all the hysterical commentary that accompanied them a few headlines ago.
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San Francisco Creates World’s First Transgender District
"Compton's Transgender Cultural District"
The literal s***hole that is San Francisco has yet to clean up its rampant drug and homeless problem, but at least city officials have taken the time to assemble the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.
According to a lengthy article in the Daily Beast, San Francisco's Tenderloin district now serves as home to the Compton's Transgender Cultural District, located near the historic all-night diner Compton's Cafeteria (now transitional housing), where the famous 1966 riot occurred between transgenders and police.
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The literal s***hole that is San Francisco has yet to clean up its rampant drug and homeless problem, but at least city officials have taken the time to assemble the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.
According to a lengthy article in the Daily Beast, San Francisco's Tenderloin district now serves as home to the Compton's Transgender Cultural District, located near the historic all-night diner Compton's Cafeteria (now transitional housing), where the famous 1966 riot occurred between transgenders and police.
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FITZGIBBONS: Trump’s Alleged Payment To Stormy Daniels Was Perfectly Legal
With the Russian collusion probe by Robert Mueller appearing to be a nothing burger, the Trump Derangement Syndrome crowd has turned its focus to the plea deal with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and his confession about a campaign finance law violation.
The theory behind this crime is that Donald Trump and Cohen acted in tandem to influence the 2016 presidential election through payments and nondisclosure agreements to suppress claims of affairs between Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Cohen, who was facing serious and multiple charges of other crimes, pled instead to lesser charges that the payments for which he acted as an intermediary between Trump and the women were illegal campaign-related contributions.
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The theory behind this crime is that Donald Trump and Cohen acted in tandem to influence the 2016 presidential election through payments and nondisclosure agreements to suppress claims of affairs between Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Cohen, who was facing serious and multiple charges of other crimes, pled instead to lesser charges that the payments for which he acted as an intermediary between Trump and the women were illegal campaign-related contributions.
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Democrats Plan to Re-Introduce Earmarks in New Congress
Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters Tuesday that Democrats plan to re-introduce earmarks, a practice through which individual members of Congress attach request special funding requests to bills.
Earmarks have long been criticized as “pork” because they are wasteful and prone to corruption, allowing incumbents to buy political support by using the federal budget to appease or reward favored contributors and political constituents.
Legislators also used earmarks to buy support for controversial legislation, using the practice to cobble together bipartisan coalitions.
Republicans led the effort to ban earmarks a decade ago.
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Earmarks have long been criticized as “pork” because they are wasteful and prone to corruption, allowing incumbents to buy political support by using the federal budget to appease or reward favored contributors and political constituents.
Legislators also used earmarks to buy support for controversial legislation, using the practice to cobble together bipartisan coalitions.
Republicans led the effort to ban earmarks a decade ago.
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Time Magazine Gets Other Suggestions For ‘Person Of The Year’ Honor
After Time Magazine announced their finalists for Person of the Year on Monday, many decided to suggest other options for the news outlet to consider.
The winner will be announced Tuesday morning and the magazine shared the ten people or groups that are still in consideration. They are: President Donald Trump, families that were separated at the border, Russian president Vladimir Putin, special counsel Robert Mueller, Ryan Coogler (Director of Black Panther), Christine Blasey Ford, Jamal Khashoggi, the March for our Lives activists, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Meghan Markle.
Time magazine received some backlash after this list was released.
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The winner will be announced Tuesday morning and the magazine shared the ten people or groups that are still in consideration. They are: President Donald Trump, families that were separated at the border, Russian president Vladimir Putin, special counsel Robert Mueller, Ryan Coogler (Director of Black Panther), Christine Blasey Ford, Jamal Khashoggi, the March for our Lives activists, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and Meghan Markle.
Time magazine received some backlash after this list was released.
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BET Founder Bob Johnson Praises Donald Trump
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, establishing a White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council and earning the support of Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson, a former Hillary Clinton supporter.
“I’m a fundamental believer that there are business solutions to social problems,” he said, praising Trump for his efforts to help poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
Johnson was a vocal financial supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. CNN’s Van Jones was also spotted in the crowd as his Dream Corps foundation supported the idea.
The council will be headed by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and will focus on a multi-agency approach to help restore the greatness of low-income communities, according to the White House.
“Our goal is to ensure that America’s great new prosperity is shared by all our citizens,” Donald Trump said, promising to help communities “ignored by Washington.”
The council will help the president identify ways to cut regulations, taxes, and spur private investments in poor communities.
“No citizen will be forgotten, no community will be ignored, and no American will be left on the sidelines,” Trump said. “To achieve our national destiny we must unlock the potential of all of our people.”
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“I’m a fundamental believer that there are business solutions to social problems,” he said, praising Trump for his efforts to help poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
Johnson was a vocal financial supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. CNN’s Van Jones was also spotted in the crowd as his Dream Corps foundation supported the idea.
The council will be headed by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and will focus on a multi-agency approach to help restore the greatness of low-income communities, according to the White House.
“Our goal is to ensure that America’s great new prosperity is shared by all our citizens,” Donald Trump said, promising to help communities “ignored by Washington.”
The council will help the president identify ways to cut regulations, taxes, and spur private investments in poor communities.
“No citizen will be forgotten, no community will be ignored, and no American will be left on the sidelines,” Trump said. “To achieve our national destiny we must unlock the potential of all of our people.”
More here
Nine-Year-Old Black Girl Allegedly Bullied For Being Friends With Whites Kills Herself
A nine-year-old black girl from Alabama, who was allegedly bullied by her fourth-grade classmates for being friends with a white family, committed suicide.
On December 9, McKenzie Adams was found by her grandmother after she hanged herself, the Tuscaloosa News reported. McKenzie attended U.S. Jones Elementary School in Demopolis after transferring from her elementary school in Linden where her mother and grandmother said she had been bullied. Her mother, Jasmine Adams, and her grandmother complained to the State Board of Education about the bullying McKenzie was experiencing, which allegedly continued at her new school.
Jasmine Adams told CBS 42, "She told me that this one particular child was writing her nasty notes in class. It was just things you wouldn't think a 9-year-old should know. And my baby to tell me some of the things they had said to her, I was like, where are they learning this from? … Part of it could have been because she rode to school with a white family. And a lot of it was race; some of the student bullies would say to her, ‘Why you riding with white people? You’re black; you’re ugly. You should just die.’”
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On December 9, McKenzie Adams was found by her grandmother after she hanged herself, the Tuscaloosa News reported. McKenzie attended U.S. Jones Elementary School in Demopolis after transferring from her elementary school in Linden where her mother and grandmother said she had been bullied. Her mother, Jasmine Adams, and her grandmother complained to the State Board of Education about the bullying McKenzie was experiencing, which allegedly continued at her new school.
Jasmine Adams told CBS 42, "She told me that this one particular child was writing her nasty notes in class. It was just things you wouldn't think a 9-year-old should know. And my baby to tell me some of the things they had said to her, I was like, where are they learning this from? … Part of it could have been because she rode to school with a white family. And a lot of it was race; some of the student bullies would say to her, ‘Why you riding with white people? You’re black; you’re ugly. You should just die.’”
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Senate Passes 2018 Farm Bill Legalizing Hemp, Ditching SNAP Work Requirements
The Senate passed the updated 2018 Farm Bill on Tuesday, which legalized hemp and did away with implementing work requirements to receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Senate voted 87-13 to pass the legislation, which lawmakers unveiled Monday evening after months of back-and-forth negotiations and debate over whether work requirements should be included in the 2018 Farm Bill. Every single Senate Democrat voted for the revised bill, and eight Republicans opposed it.
The bill, if it passes the House, would take the place of the Farm Bill which expired on September 30.
The legislation authorizes funding for agriculture and nutrition assistance programs for five years, legalizes commercial hemp, gives farmers subsidies, but does not include the reform requiring food stamp beneficiaries to work a defined number of hours to receive benefits.
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The Senate voted 87-13 to pass the legislation, which lawmakers unveiled Monday evening after months of back-and-forth negotiations and debate over whether work requirements should be included in the 2018 Farm Bill. Every single Senate Democrat voted for the revised bill, and eight Republicans opposed it.
The bill, if it passes the House, would take the place of the Farm Bill which expired on September 30.
The legislation authorizes funding for agriculture and nutrition assistance programs for five years, legalizes commercial hemp, gives farmers subsidies, but does not include the reform requiring food stamp beneficiaries to work a defined number of hours to receive benefits.
More here
Which Democrat Should Trump Want To Run Against In 2020?
Brandon Straka, the founder of the #WalkAway Campaign and a former liberal, revealed the Democratic candidates he most wants President Donald Trump to go up against in 2020.
One of the options Straka hoped for was former Vice President Joe Biden. Just last week, Biden declared himself “the most qualified person in the country to be president.” He was also the top choice to represent the Democratic Party in a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll last month.
He also recommended two other potential candidates who have made headlines in recent months — Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Harris made headlines by suggesting others view ICE and the KKK similarly. Booker, who famously referred to himself as “Spartacus” during the Kavanaugh hearings, gained notoriety and the nickname after saying he was breaking the rules by releasing Kavanaugh-related document despite them having been cleared for the public.
Straka also brought up Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. As he notes, Warren’s chances took a significant hit when she released a DNA test that said she’s 1/1024 Native American in an attempt to prove that she does have Native American ancestry.
His final suggestion is Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz last month.
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One of the options Straka hoped for was former Vice President Joe Biden. Just last week, Biden declared himself “the most qualified person in the country to be president.” He was also the top choice to represent the Democratic Party in a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll last month.
He also recommended two other potential candidates who have made headlines in recent months — Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Harris made headlines by suggesting others view ICE and the KKK similarly. Booker, who famously referred to himself as “Spartacus” during the Kavanaugh hearings, gained notoriety and the nickname after saying he was breaking the rules by releasing Kavanaugh-related document despite them having been cleared for the public.
Straka also brought up Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. As he notes, Warren’s chances took a significant hit when she released a DNA test that said she’s 1/1024 Native American in an attempt to prove that she does have Native American ancestry.
His final suggestion is Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz last month.
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The Deep State Wants Your Guns
James Bovard notes the threat to private gun ownership posed by the “deep state,” the “officials who secretly wield power permanently in Washington, often in federal agencies with vast sway and little accountability.”
While such laws were made by elected officials, it is unelected bureaucrats who are largely left in charge of enforcement, and that can cause big problems for gun owners. Just before press time for this issue, it was reported that a California farmer who was simply trying to meet the state’s ever-changing restrictive gun laws by registering his rifle is being charged with 12 felonies after the state DOJ determined his AR-15 to be “illegally modified.”
Questionable Federal Background Checks
Bovard’s observations should not come as a surprise. As government agencies — unlike lawmakers — are able to directly access databases that relate to gun ownership, the agencies themselves are often in a position to abuse this information. These databases are under the control of gigantic bureaucracies like FBI that face little to no accountability from voters.
The National Instant Background Check System (NICS) is the pillar of all background check systems for firearms purchases and was a part of the 1994 Brady Act. Any time a prospective gun owner wants to buy a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL), they must go through a background check. Under this system, the FBI looks at certain factors such as criminal history and mental health to determine if an individual presents too much of a risk to own a firearm.
Although NICS is marketed as a speedy background check system, it comes with its own set of problems. NICS has gained notoriety for producing false positives. In other words, law-abiding citizens are mixed and matched with criminals who have the same name. In turn, these individuals are prevented from acquiring guns due to bureaucratic errors.
Particularly worrisome is the rate of initial NICS denials that turn out as false positives. Some estimates from the Crime Prevention Research Center indicate that in 2009 alone, 93 percent of initial NICS denials were false positives.
Regardless, NICS has remained intact even when evidence has shown that it is ineffective in combatting crime. For example, crime rates had already gone into steep decline by the mid-1990s, well before NICS went into effect in 1998.
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While such laws were made by elected officials, it is unelected bureaucrats who are largely left in charge of enforcement, and that can cause big problems for gun owners. Just before press time for this issue, it was reported that a California farmer who was simply trying to meet the state’s ever-changing restrictive gun laws by registering his rifle is being charged with 12 felonies after the state DOJ determined his AR-15 to be “illegally modified.”
Questionable Federal Background Checks
Bovard’s observations should not come as a surprise. As government agencies — unlike lawmakers — are able to directly access databases that relate to gun ownership, the agencies themselves are often in a position to abuse this information. These databases are under the control of gigantic bureaucracies like FBI that face little to no accountability from voters.
The National Instant Background Check System (NICS) is the pillar of all background check systems for firearms purchases and was a part of the 1994 Brady Act. Any time a prospective gun owner wants to buy a gun from a federally licensed firearms dealer (FFL), they must go through a background check. Under this system, the FBI looks at certain factors such as criminal history and mental health to determine if an individual presents too much of a risk to own a firearm.
Although NICS is marketed as a speedy background check system, it comes with its own set of problems. NICS has gained notoriety for producing false positives. In other words, law-abiding citizens are mixed and matched with criminals who have the same name. In turn, these individuals are prevented from acquiring guns due to bureaucratic errors.
Particularly worrisome is the rate of initial NICS denials that turn out as false positives. Some estimates from the Crime Prevention Research Center indicate that in 2009 alone, 93 percent of initial NICS denials were false positives.
Regardless, NICS has remained intact even when evidence has shown that it is ineffective in combatting crime. For example, crime rates had already gone into steep decline by the mid-1990s, well before NICS went into effect in 1998.
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Polio-Like Disease Spreads; Record Number Of Cases Reported As Children Suffer Paralysis
2018 has seen a record number of cases of a polio-like illness which paralyzes children, according to US health officials.
Experts still have no idea what's causing children across the country to lose the ability to move their arms, legs, face, heck, or back - around a week after patients are diagnosed with a fever and respiratory illness. The rare disease which starts off like the common cold affects the nervous system, "specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak," according to the CDC
Around half of the children diagnosed were admitted to hospital intensive care units - with many requiring breathing machines. Officials also have no idea why some children recover from the illness, while others are left paralyzed.
Traced back to 2012, the mystery illness known as Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) has struck 158 people across 36 states this year, while 311 reports are still being evaluated. Texas has had the most cases at 21, while Colorado came in second at 15.
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Experts still have no idea what's causing children across the country to lose the ability to move their arms, legs, face, heck, or back - around a week after patients are diagnosed with a fever and respiratory illness. The rare disease which starts off like the common cold affects the nervous system, "specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak," according to the CDC
Around half of the children diagnosed were admitted to hospital intensive care units - with many requiring breathing machines. Officials also have no idea why some children recover from the illness, while others are left paralyzed.
Traced back to 2012, the mystery illness known as Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) has struck 158 people across 36 states this year, while 311 reports are still being evaluated. Texas has had the most cases at 21, while Colorado came in second at 15.
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Media Bury Key Facts to Conceal Migrant Health Threat—TB, Hepatitis, HIV
Here’s a great example of the mainstream media distorting information to promote a liberal agenda, an act that is especially pervasive when it comes to immigration coverage. A story published by NBC news, and reiterated by various other outlets, claims illegal immigrants don’t bring disease into the United States. The headline reads: “Migrants don’t bring disease. In fact, they help fight it, report says.”
The article focuses on a study commissioned by a medical journal called the Lancet and University College London. The finished product is titled “Global patterns of mortality in international migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis” and one of the researchers, Dr. Paul Spiegel, proclaims that migrants spreading disease is a “false argument” used to keep them out. The editor of the Lancet said; “In too many countries, the issue of migration is used to divide societies and advance a populist agenda.”
Nevertheless, buried deep in the news article the reporter offers this important nugget from the study, but only after writing that migrants are less likely than people in their host countries to die of heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and other ills:
“The exceptions are hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV.”
Last we checked those are deadly diseases and Judicial Watch has interviewed medical experts that confirm illegal immigrants do indeed pose a serious public health threat to the U.S. by bringing dangerous diseases into the country. This includes tuberculosis, dengue and Chikungunya. Just last month a prominent physician in a key border state warned that the caravan streaming north from Honduras will undoubtedly bring infectious diseases into the U.S. Among them are extremely drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis and mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya that are widespread in the region.
The same week Judicial Watch published the story about the caravan health threat a major newspaper reported on the health crisis created by the influx of Venezuelans fleeing to neighboring countries. The migrants are spreading malaria, yellow fever, diphtheria, dengue, tuberculosis and AIDS throughout South America.
More here
The article focuses on a study commissioned by a medical journal called the Lancet and University College London. The finished product is titled “Global patterns of mortality in international migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis” and one of the researchers, Dr. Paul Spiegel, proclaims that migrants spreading disease is a “false argument” used to keep them out. The editor of the Lancet said; “In too many countries, the issue of migration is used to divide societies and advance a populist agenda.”
Nevertheless, buried deep in the news article the reporter offers this important nugget from the study, but only after writing that migrants are less likely than people in their host countries to die of heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and other ills:
“The exceptions are hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV.”
Last we checked those are deadly diseases and Judicial Watch has interviewed medical experts that confirm illegal immigrants do indeed pose a serious public health threat to the U.S. by bringing dangerous diseases into the country. This includes tuberculosis, dengue and Chikungunya. Just last month a prominent physician in a key border state warned that the caravan streaming north from Honduras will undoubtedly bring infectious diseases into the U.S. Among them are extremely drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis and mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya that are widespread in the region.
The same week Judicial Watch published the story about the caravan health threat a major newspaper reported on the health crisis created by the influx of Venezuelans fleeing to neighboring countries. The migrants are spreading malaria, yellow fever, diphtheria, dengue, tuberculosis and AIDS throughout South America.
More here
The Next Generation Of “America’s Thought Police” Is Being Birthed On Our College Campuses
If our founders could see what we have become they would be rolling over in their graves, because this is not what they intended
If you want to understand the zeal with which social media platforms are now being censored, all you have to do is to look at what has been happening on our college campuses.
There is a national movement to combat “offensive speech”, and this movement has been working very hard “to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense”. And these days, just about anything that you might say or think is probably going to deeply offend someone. For example, saying that “America is the land of opportunity” is now considered to be a “microaggression”, and even the act of hanging an American flag in front of your dwelling can also be considered to be a “microaggression” depending on the context. It can be tempting to laugh at how ridiculous our college students have become, but it is imperative to remember that these students all eventually enter the real world, and many of them end up in positions of power. And from those positions of power, they can make life extremely uncomfortable for all the rest of us. The “social media purge” is a perfect example of this, and the censorship of speech is only going to become more widespread as time goes on. The next generation of “America’s thought police” is rising, and they intend to make sure that the future belongs to the politically correct.
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If you want to understand the zeal with which social media platforms are now being censored, all you have to do is to look at what has been happening on our college campuses.
There is a national movement to combat “offensive speech”, and this movement has been working very hard “to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense”. And these days, just about anything that you might say or think is probably going to deeply offend someone. For example, saying that “America is the land of opportunity” is now considered to be a “microaggression”, and even the act of hanging an American flag in front of your dwelling can also be considered to be a “microaggression” depending on the context. It can be tempting to laugh at how ridiculous our college students have become, but it is imperative to remember that these students all eventually enter the real world, and many of them end up in positions of power. And from those positions of power, they can make life extremely uncomfortable for all the rest of us. The “social media purge” is a perfect example of this, and the censorship of speech is only going to become more widespread as time goes on. The next generation of “America’s thought police” is rising, and they intend to make sure that the future belongs to the politically correct.
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