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Saturday, February 22, 2020

PRAGER: A Response To Two Secular Conservatives I Adore

In the latest edition of “The Rubin Report” podcast, two people I adore, Dave Rubin and Heather Mac Donald, dialogue about some of the great issues facing America. Interestingly, though both are secular, Dave opened the interview asking Heather about God and religion.

She began by saying that she is not conservative because of religion but because of her commitment to empirical truth. It is empirical truth that leads her to affirm, for example, “the necessity of the two-parent family” and “most traditional values.”

Heather is right that one cannot be committed to empirical truth and be a leftist (though one can be a conservative or a liberal). Left-wing assertions that men give birth; that America was founded in 1619 (when the first enslaved black was brought to the American colonies); that people can be lifted from poverty on a mass scale without capitalism; that there are no innate differences between men and women; that America is a racist nation; that women are paid less than men for the same type and amount of work because they are women; and innumerable other leftist assertions are all false.

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WSJ: DHS to Import 45,000 Extra H-2B Workers for Seasonal Employers

Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security will import 45,000 extra foreign workers for GOP-aligned small businesses, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reported February 20:

The Department of Homeland Security plans to announce the additional seasonal-worker visas next week, an administration official said. They will become available in two waves: the first 20,000 will be immediately available, while employers can apply for the remainder for jobs beginning June 1.

It wasn’t clear whether the White House has fully signed off on the numbers, and an administration official cautioned they could change.

The additional visas are being made available ahead of the summer, when demand for short-term work is typically highest.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf “has made no decision yet on the issue,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Any numbers reported on at this time are being pushed to press by junior staff who are not privy to all of the discussions taking place.”

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Democrat backed PRO Act ends right to work laws everywhere

Experts have sounded the alarm over the House-passed PRO Act and urged senators to stop the bill in its tracks. 

Trump furious Americans infected with coronavirus flew back to US without his permission

President Trump was furious that 14 Americans infected with the coronavirus returned to the United States without his permission rather than remain in quarantine overseas, according to a new report.

Trump had been briefed that the healthy U.S. passengers who spent weeks quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan would be allowed to fly home on two chartered planes -- while those who were sick or infected would stay in Japan to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

The president became "furious" with senior advisers after learning the 14 Americans who tested positive had been put on a plane with healthy passengers, according to The Washington Post. One official told the paper that the failure to inform Trump of the decision in advance of the plane's departure was a “big operational mistake.”

More here


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-furious-americans-infected-with-coronavirus-flew-back-in-u-s-without-his-permission-report

Police: Indiana couple drove teenagers with Trump flags off the road

An Indiana couple has been charged with allegedly using their car to drive two teenage boys off the road for having pro-Trump flags on their bicycles.

Police officers in Hobart, Indiana, said Snapchat videos led to charges against Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones and Cailyn Marie Smith for allegedly running the two bicyclists off the road.

A probable cause affidavit said the bicyclists told officers that a vehicle occupied by a man and woman pulled up and asked them if they were Trump supporters. The boys responded that they were, at which point they were run off the road by the driver, according to Fox 32 Indiana.

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Empowered Trump Loyalist Asks for List of Never Trumpers in the President’s Cabinet

John McEntee, the new head of President Donald Trump’s Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), asked White House staff to list “anti-Trump” political appointees in the administration.

McEntee met with White House cabinet liaisons on Thursday to request a list, according to three sources familiar with the meeting who spoke to Axios reporter Jonathan Swan.

Trump enters the next phase of his presidency determined to root out disloyalty in the administration, and McEntee’s return demonstrates his commitment to the task.

McEntee is now in charge of political appointments to the administration, and the president has empowered him to remove the Trump appointees who are blocking his agenda and even working against him.

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DHS Whistleblower against Obama Administration Philip Haney Found Dead – Shot and Killed

DHS whistleblower Philip Haney was found dead on Friday.
The whistleblower against the Obama administration was shot dead near his vehicle in California.

Haney told Sean Hannity in 2016 that he was ordered during the Obama administration to scrub the record of Muslims in the US with terrorist ties.

The story has still not hit the mainstream media.
The Gateway Pundit was notified of this last night.

Haney had been missing since Wednesday.

Philip Haney said political correctness during the Obama years killed the investigation that might have stopped the San Bernardino Christmas terrorists.

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Greyhound to stop allowing Border Patrol immigration checks on buses

Greyhound will no longer allow Border Patrol agents to conduct immigration checks on buses without a warrant, the company announced Friday.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our customers and team members, and we are confident these changes will lead to an improved experience for all parties involved," Greyhound said in a statement. "We plan to begin the implementation of these changes immediately."

The announcement comes a week after the Associated Press published an internal memo from the nation’s largest bus company showing agents are being prevented from boarding buses despite Greyhound denying that was the case.

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California's Gov. Gavin Newsom says 'doctors should be able to write prescriptions for housing' in bizarre proposal to tackle the homeless crisis

Doctors in California may soon be given the power to prescribe housing for sick patients.

In a radical new proposal outlines in a series of tweets on Friday, the state's governor, Gavin Newsom suggested a plan to combat the healthcare and homelessness situation in his state.

Newsom noted that healthcare and homelessness are not separate problems and suggested doctors should be able to prescribe a place to stay if they are treating a someone who is mentally ill that does not have stable housing.

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Clint Eastwood: 'Best thing we could do' is put Bloomberg in White House

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood appeared to throw his support behind former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg for president.

“The best thing we could do is just get Mike Bloomberg in there,” the 89-year-old said in a profile published last week.

Eastwood expressed support for “certain things” President Trump has done but isn’t a fan of how divided politics has become.

“The politics has gotten so ornery,” he said as he hunched his shoulders during an interview with the Wall Street Journal's Tunku Varadarajan.

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Poll: Republicans See Path to House Majority via Opposition to Bernie Sanders

Internal polling commissioned by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) showed that in battleground congressional districts voters prefer President Donald Trump over Democrat frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), according to a report released Friday.

A Politico report found that voters in swing districts targeted by Republicans and Democrats remain skeptical of the democratic socialist, with 42 percent approving of the Vermont senator and 53 disapproving. The NRCC survey found that voters prefer Trump 48 to Sanders’ 43 percent.

The outlet reported that the survey has given “fresh hope” to Republicans, who were previously skeptical of the president’s prediction that House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will be the next speaker of the House.

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Watch "Mike Bloomberg Boogies at Inner Circle 2011"

AOC endorses wave of liberal women in quest for 'progressive majority in Congress'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "squad" could get a lot bigger with the wave of female congressional candidates she endorsed on Friday.

The socialist surprised many by defeating Rep. Joe Crowley, a high-ranking incumbent, in a primary race in New York in 2018. Now, she’s looking to find more women to follow in her footsteps to replace centrist incumbents with younger, more liberal candidates.

After teasing a "big announcement" late Thursday, the 30-year-old congresswoman revealed the slate of candidates she is supporting with her political action committee Courage to Change as they primary Democratic incumbents throughout the United States. Ocasio-Cortez also revealed she is backing a few liberal candidates who are facing off against establishment picks for races that do not have a Democratic incumbent, such as the Senate race in Texas.

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Democrats, you did build that: Chicago named most corrupt city in US

A few days prior to President Donald J. Trump (R)'s compassionate announcement that he was pardoning or granting clemency to individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including many Democrats such as disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, thus "making a point about government overreach in prosecutions, as well as reminding people about his First Step Act, which brings reformed (mostly minority) prisoners home," two professors released a study proving:
Chicago Is The Most Corrupt City In The U.S., According To New Study

Chicago remains America's most corrupt city, and Illinois the third-most corrupt state, according to a new report from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The report, co-authored by UIC professor and former Ald. Dick Simpson, is based on an analysis of the public corruption statistics published by the U.S. Department of Justice. ...

The DOJ's data used contains statistics from 1976 through the end of 2018.
(Yes, that Department of Justice, and yes, the report definitely covers the years when Chicagoan Barack H. Obama [D] served in the Illinois state Legislature, represented Illinois as a senator and served as president of the United States. Just thought I'd clear that up.)

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US officials say Russia trying to help Bernie Sanders in 2020 race

Sen. Bernie Sanders was told by U.S. officials that the Russian government is trying to assist his presidential campaign, according to a new report.

The interference effort, aimed at disrupting the Democratic presidential primaries, has been relayed to President Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, unnamed sources told the Washington Post. The article noted that it is not clear what form the "Russian assistance" has taken.

Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, released a statement through his campaign minutes after it was published.

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D.C. issues record $1 billion in traffic and parking tickets, AAA calls it 'predatory'

WASHINGTON (WJLA/ABC7) – D.C. has long been considered one of the most onerous places in the country for traffic fines, seeing a steady climb year to year in tickets issued and revenue generated. But recently the District broke into stunning new territory, issuing more than $1 billion in tickets in just three years.
I don't know another local jurisdiction in the entire nation that has generated as much money from traffic tickets, parking tickets and moving violations," said John Townsend, Public Relations Manager of AAA Mid-Atlantic. “That tells us that things are out of control and out of hand in the District of Columbia.
Townsend closely monitors the District's ticketing behavior. He says this is a money-making operation that can't prove these high fines have made anyone safer.

In fact, he says they haven't found any evidence that shows the amount of the fine modifies a motorist’s behavior.

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Trey Gowdy: Nobody really thinks Russia prefers Trump over 'comrade' Bernie Sanders

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy shot down a report suggesting Russia is planning to help President Trump in the 2020 election by saying he doubts the Kremlin prefers Trump over “comrade” Bernie Sanders.

“No. 1: I don’t know anyone who really thinks that Russia prefers Donald Trump to win over ‘comrade’ Sanders,” Gowdy told Fox News. “I don’t know a soul that really thinks Russia wants Donald Trump to be the president instead of the guy that honeymooned in Russia.”

Gowdy went on to point out that the intelligence community isn't infallible.

“No. 2: Is this the same intelligence community that told us it was a spontaneous reaction to a video in Libya and the same intelligence community that promised us weapons of mass destruction, and the same intelligence community that relied on the dossier?”

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Calif. Schools: Hormones through Homeroom?

Even in California, you have to be 18 to get a tattoo, 16 to drive a car, 21 to buy a gun, alcohol, or pot. But if you want to change your gender? Well, then, you just have to be 12. And your public school will be more than happy to help.

Need an abortion? Tell your teacher. Want to refill your birth control? Go to the school clinic. Thinking about starting hormone treatments? Your parents will never find out. At least, not under the policy the California Teachers Association (CTA) is pushing. That's the amazing revelation from last month's union meeting. On January 26th, the CTA decided to go big on the LGBT agenda -- adding "transgender and binary youth" to the students who can leave class for medical reasons without their parents' permission.

A number of concerned teachers leaked the new language to the Epoch Times, worried that no one in the state knew. "CTA believes comprehensive school-based health care clinics are needed to bring caring and responsive services to young people. The clinics shall provide cisgender, transgender, and non-binary youth equal and confidential access to decision-making rights for students and their families." Translation: A student can secretly pursue that transition at school without their parents ever finding out.

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Maryland Senate clears housing bill barring discrimination based on income

It’s already illegal for landlords in six Maryland counties, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, to refuse to rent to individuals using housing vouchers.

Now, fair housing protections are closer to covering renters statewide.

The Maryland Senate has passed the HOME Act, which stands for “Housing Opportunities Made Equal.”

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Will Smith, whose district is in Montgomery County, would bar landlords from refusing to accept the vouchers, which are often referred to as “Section 8,” a reference to the federal rental assistance program.

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Wells Fargo Agrees to Pay $3 Billion to Resolve Criminal and Civil Investigations into Sales Practices Involving the Opening of Millions of Accounts without Customer Authorization


$3 Billion Payment Result of Deferred Prosecution Agreement in Criminal Matter, Settlement of Civil Claims under FIRREA and Resolution of SEC Proceedings


Wells Fargo & Company and its subsidiary, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., have agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve their potential criminal and civil liability stemming from a practice between 2002 and 2016 of pressuring employees to meet unrealistic sales goals that led thousands of employees to provide millions of accounts or products to customers under false pretenses or without consent, often by creating false records or misusing customers’ identities, the Department of Justice announced today.

As part of the agreements with the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Western District of North Carolina, the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Wells Fargo admitted that it collected millions of dollars in fees and interest to which the Company was not entitled, harmed the credit ratings of certain customers, and unlawfully misused customers’ sensitive personal information, including customers’ means of identification.

“When companies cheat to compete, they harm customers and other competitors,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael D. Granston of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “This settlement holds Wells Fargo accountable for tolerating fraudulent conduct that is remarkable both for its duration and scope, and for its blatant disregard of customer’s private information. The Civil Division will continue to use all available tools to protect the American public from fraud and abuse, including misconduct by or against their financial institutions.”

'You can't buy personality': Don Trump Jr. mocks Bloomberg for spending 'half a billion dollars to look like a jerk’

Adding to the heap of criticism of Michael Bloomberg got for his first presidential debate performance, President Trump's eldest son said the contest was "brutal" for the billionaire.

Donald Trump Jr. critiqued Bloomberg after the former New York City mayor was repeatedly attacked by rivals at the Democratic debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The president's son went further on Twitter Friday morning, questioning whether Bloomberg was paying for endorsements.

"Mike Bloomberg can buy a lot, but you can't buy personality, Sean, you can't buy wit," Trump Jr. told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday. "It's not that he didn't know these questions were coming, it's that he still doesn't know how to answer them."

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Eric Holder tells reporter to 'shut the hell up' when he suggests federal prosecutor in Andrew McCabe's case made donations to Barack Obama after the investigation was closed

Former Attorney General Eric Holder lashed out at a conservative journalist Wednesday, telling the reporter to 'shut the hell up' about donations a federal prosecutors allegedly made to Barack Obama.

Author and journalist Paul Sperry shared a tweet on Tuesday discussing Molly Gaston, the federal prosecutor in question, and the announcement that the investigation into former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe was over.

McCabe was investigated by the federal government after he allegedly leaked information to a journalist in 2016. He soon became a target for President Trump and Republicans.

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Michigan lawmakers speak out after student charged with making a terrorist threat for posting picture of gun on Snapchat

Michigan lawmakers are speaking out after a student was charged with making terroristic threats for posting pictures of his AR-15 on Snapchat.

Lucas Gerhard, a 20-year-old student at Lake Superior State University, was charged with the offense in August 2019 after sending a picture of his gun to some friends. The photo was captioned: "Takin this bad boy up, this outta make the snowflakes melt, aye? And I mean snowflakes as in snow."

Local media reported that two students at the university were shown the picture by one of Gerhard's friends. The two students reported the social media post to campus public safety, who then referred the matter to Sault Ste. Marie police. According to campus public safety, other students also complained about Gerhard's "extreme political views," expressing worry if he were to bring his gun to campus. University policy allows for guns to be present on campus, but they must be registered and stored in the public safety department on a student's arrival for safekeeping. Gerhard checked in his gun and 240 rounds of ammunition the day he arrived.

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Missing Teen In Fruitland (LOCATED)

UPDATE:
Sauntie Simmons Located: Returned home unharmed 


The correct date should be 2-20-2020

WATCH: Trump honors ‘Miracle on Ice’ hockey players on 40th anniversary of historic Olympic win

Flanked by members of the famed "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team, President Trump celebrated the team's captivating 1980 performance at a campaign rally on Friday.

Forty years after the team defeated the Russian hockey team in the semifinals of the 1980 Olympic Games, Trump honored the historic victory by bringing captain Mike Eruzione and coach Herb Brooks's daughter onstage during a campaign stop in Las Vegas.

The team stood behind Trump as the president ran through his stump speech and lashed out at the "fake news media." The players wore red Make America Great Again hats and told the president they want him to be reelected.

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3 suspects now charged in shooting death of Prince George's County cop's son


Two more arrests have been made in the Tuesday shooting death of 17-year-old Bradley Brown, the son of a Prince George's County cop.

Brown, who had just met all the requirements to become an Eagle Scout, was found dead in his Bryans Road driveway that evening by Charles County Sheriff's deputies. A gun that hadn’t been fired was found near Brown's body.

Keshawn Belasco, 16, and Mikayle Qawwee, 19, both of Waldorf, are now charged with first-degree murder, authorities announced Friday.

The first suspect to be arrested in this case was Darryl Edward Freeman, 17, of Waldorf. He was taken into custody on Wednesday and will be charged as an adult with first-degree murder. Belasco will also be charged as an adult.

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US school bus with poster urging the public to 'get Prince Andrew to call the FBI' if they see the Duke of York is sent to Buckingham Palace by Jeffrey Epstein victims' lawyer

An American school bus emblazoned with a photograph of Prince Andrew and the words, 'If you see this man ask him to call the FBI', drove around Buckingham Palace today.

The yellow bus drove through central London and around the perimeter of the palace, putting mounting pressure on the Duke of York to answer questions about his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

A banner on the side read: 'If you see this man please ask him to call the FBI to answer their questions.'

The duke has stepped away from royal duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview which probed his relationship with disgraced U.S. financier Epstein, who was found dead in a New York prison cell last August.

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Thank you Delmar! Press Release

Several years ago, the people of Delmar showed their support for their police officers by successfully petitioning the Town Council to amend the Delmar Charter to allow union representation for police officers. As the local representative of the Teamsters Union and as a veteran Delmar Police Officer, I have greatly appreciated the overwhelming expression of good will by the people of Delmar in enabling us to bargain collectively for the benefits we need to provide for our families.

Last year, the Teamsters asked the Town to go to the negotiating table to create a collective bargaining agreement for Delmar police officers. The Town refused, and eventually we were forced to file suit to compel the Town even to submit the issue to arbitration. Fortunately, the Circuit Court for Wicomico County ordered the Town go forward with arbitration, and we are confident the arbitration process will quickly jumpstart negotiations. For us, your first responders, collective bargaining is not simply an abstraction – it is the way we as a group ensure that our families have the income and benefits needed to survive.

Recently, the Town Council amended its Charter to eliminate the collective bargaining guarantee that the people of Delmar voted into effect several years ago. My fellow officers and I, along with many volunteers from the community immediately hit the streets, and I am gratified to report that once again the people of Delmar have shown strong support for their first responders: We have succeeded in gathering 540 signatures – more than we needed – to petition the Town to hold a special referendum election on this important issue. To the people of Delmar, we give a great big “THANK YOU” for supporting police officers in their time of need. Please keep an eye out for this special election, which soon will be scheduled and which will determine whether the Town must enter into collective bargaining with its police officers, as the people of Delmar previously directed, or instead can ignore the wishes of the people and of its own police force.

If we as a community are going to support first responders, it has to be through more than just bumper stickers and slogans: People of Delmar, please support your first responders at the ballot box, where it counts.

Lt. Wade Alexander

International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Evidentiary Hearings Granted On Wind Turbine Height

OCEAN CITY — Following a five-hour-plus public hearing on the issue last month, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) late last week issued a pair of orders granting evidentiary hearings strictly limited to the potential turbine size of two offshore wind energy projects.

In 2017, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved two offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Ocean City. Technically, the PSC awarded Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) to the two companies seeking to develop wind farms off the coast of the resort including the US Wind project and the Skipjack project. The awarding of ORECs was a necessary first step in what has become a lengthy approval process.

However, with advancements in technology, the height of the proposed turbines has increased exponentially since the original PSC approval in 2017, prompting Ocean City officials and the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) last fall to request a re-opening of the original approval proceedings. As a result of that request, the PSC on Jan, 18 held a public hearing on the issue of the increased size of the proposed turbines for both project.

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Virginia lawmakers say they have a deal on ‘red flag’ law that will allow guns to be taken temporarily from people deemed dangerous

Key state lawmakers have come to a consensus on a bill that allows police to temporarily seize guns from people deemed by a judge a risk to themselves or others.

The lawmakers sponsoring the Senate and House versions of an extreme risk protection order, also known as the “red flag” law, have come to an agreement, which largely reflects the Senate’s version.

The bill has been heavily debated in both chambers and is part of a package of gun control legislation backed by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam that has dominated much of the session. Most of the bills have advanced in some form in both chambers.

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'Epstein and I have everyone on videotape' Ghislaine Maxwell alleged to have confided

Ghislaine Maxwell told a former acquaintance that she and Jeffrey Epstein had “everything on videotape,” it has been claimed.

Christina Oxenberg, a socialite and distant relative of the royals, said Ms Maxwell also once told her that Epstein had purchased his own helicopter because commercial pilots were “eyes and ears” they did not need.

She revealed she had spoken to the FBI about what she had been told.

Ms Oxenberg, 57, first met Maxwell in the early 1990s and said she would never forget a conversation the pair once had in Maxwell’s home.

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Fake News: Media Push False Claim Trump Offered Julian Assange a Pardon Quid-Pro-Quo

Former California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has denied that he acted on orders from President Donald Trump to offer Julian Assange a deal for a pardon, saying that he never spoke to the president about the offer. The Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, and other mainstream outlets all ran sensational headlines claiming Trump was directly involved, despite some of the reports acknowledging Rohrabacher’s denial.

Rohrabacher’s claim calls into question accusations made earlier this week by a Wikileaks attorney who alleged that Rohrabacher was acting “on instructions” from President Trump to offer clemency to Assange if he confirmed Russia wasn’t involved in leaking Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mainstream outlets including The Washington Post, The Guardian, Reuters, and the Associated Press ran with the initial allegation, printing sensational headlines implicating President Trump, even though some of them acknowledged in their reporting that Rohrabacher denied he was following orders from the president.

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Political Memes






Saturday Morning Funnies






THE OUTDOOR MAN


During his physical, the doctor asked the patient about his daily activity level. He described a typical day this way:

Well, yesterday afternoon, I waded along the edge of a lake, drank eight beers, escaped from wild dogs in the heavy brush, jumped away from an aggressive rattlesnake, marched up and down several rocky hills, stood in a patch of poison ivy, crawled out of quicksand and took four leaks behind big trees.

Inspired by the story, the doctor said,You must be one heck of an outdoorsman!

NAH,he replied,I'm just a crappy golfer.